《My Dungeon Life: Rise of the Slave Harem》


 Chapter 1

    ¡°What, are you stupid?¡±


    Those were the words spoken to me the day I asked the girl I was interested in out. She completely dismissed me. I could only stare in shock as she laughed and then walked back to her group of friends. She whispered a few words, all of them turned to me and then laughed.


    Ow¡­ that really hurt. We had worked on a project together. I had even done most of the work while she went to her cheerleading finals. In the end, I had gotten her full marks. I really thought that would have meant something. However, when seeing the disdain on her face now, I realized that she had just used me.


    After school, I got my ass beaten by the school sports team. How should I know that a guy on the baseball team liked the girl, and took offense to me asking? Wasn¡¯t the fact that she rejected me enough? Apparently not, because the bullies said I needed to be shown my place in the world.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even try to talk to her again, fatty.¡± The guy in charge kicked me one last time while I was already in a fetal position.


    Classy.


    After getting thrashed, I finally managed to crawl to my bike and made it home. My house was empty. My father died a few years ago in a car accident, and my mother worked all the time. I had no other siblings. That means no cute sisters or loyal brothers. Well, that was probably for the best. I was overweight and unpopular. I would probably just be an embarrassment to any sibling who knew me.


    I headed over to the bathroom and pulled out a first-aid kit. One thing I had always been good at was taking care of myself. First aid, sewing, cooking, cleaning¡­ I was responsible for all those duties. I carefully cleaned up my wounds and tended them. I swear my wounds healed faster when I was the one tending them. Ah, well, I finished quickly and leaned back, taking a small break.


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    ¡°I want a girlfriend.¡±


    Even after my bad experience, I still really wanted to be in a relationship with someone. I just wanted a girl to come home to. I was okay with even being an at-home husband. I could take care of the kids and clean the house. That would really be the life. Was it too much to ask for? I sighed as my stomach grumbled. There would be no food unless I got up to make something.


    Heating some water, I cooked up some instant ramen and ate it. I wasn¡¯t fat because I ate too much. Instead, it was the quality of food. My mom and I didn¡¯t have a lot of money, so naturally, I ate mostly cheap junk. It was rare when I could have a decent meal, and my mother never cooked. She was always way too tired to do anything, so I ended up being the cook in the house. If I had access to decent ingredients, I might have even been a decent cook.


    After eating supper, I headed to my room and sat down in front of my small 22-inch TV. Picking up a bag of games I had picked up from the used media store, I started glancing through them. I was always thrifty, so the games I selected were from the discount bin. My games were always last-gen and clearance. That meant I got a lot of stinkers, but they passed my time. Occasionally, I found a hidden gem, and that was what I loved the most. I liked hunting for hidden treasures. The gains usually outdid the losses.


    ¡°What is this one?¡±


    I noticed a game that I didn¡¯t remember picking up at all. It had no labels on the outside at all. I glanced at the back, and there were absolutely no words on the case whatsoever. Out of curiosity, I pulled off the wrapping and opened the case. There was a game cartridge and written on it were just two words in a simple font.


    It was called Dungeon Life. I noticed an insert in the case and pulled it out. Like the game, it contained no art and was just a paragraph of words.


    Are you tired of your world? Do you want Adventure? Money? Food? Women? Join the Dungeon Life, where you make money hunting monsters, obtaining rare drop items, and earning treasures. Form a party of various classes to help you work your way down each dungeon and eventually defeat the dungeon boss. Each dungeon you conquer earns you wealth, fame, and dungeon points. Let the adventure begin.

 Chapter 2

    ¡°Dungeon Life¡­¡± I repeated, and then shrugged, sticking the game into my Nintendo. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t hurt to try it out.¡±


    The screen finally came on, and I immediately had to shake my head. Seriously¡­ no graphics! This might as well be an Atari game. It was a completely black screen with white text on it that said Dungeon Life followed by the words, ¡®Start your New Life!¡¯


    I clicked the start button. Was this game more like Second Life? It might be one of those Java Mudd games that were popular a decade ago. I wasn¡¯t above playing a text-based RPG, especially if the story was pretty good.


    ¡°Pick your class.¡± I read what was on the screen. ¡°Your class is not your job. The class will dictate the type of skills you¡¯ll gain to navigate the Dungeon Life. Choose wisely, as your play style will vary greatly based on your class.¡±


    The classes were not what I expected at all. Rather than traditional RPG things like mage and warrior, they were far broader. The first class was Weapon Offense. The second was Shield Defense. The Third was Stealth. Then there was Long-Distance. Hand to Hand. Magical Attack. Magical Defense. My eyes went down the list until it fell on one that caught my eye.


    Support. That was all that was written. Well, none of them had any descriptions of what they did. This appeared to be a game worse than I expected. It wasn¡¯t very intuitive at all. However, I always played as a supporting character. I didn¡¯t like my character to be the high hitter. Instead, I¡¯d often play as a monster tamer or a necromancer and summon legions to fight for me. Then, I would sit back while they gave their lives, using little spells to help amplify and keep them going. I didn¡¯t see anything like a necromancer, a druid, or a monster tamer¡­ so Support seemed to be the closest I could come up with.


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    I selected the Support, and then another screen popped up. It asked me to choose a job.


    ¡°Ah, this is it.¡± I nodded in affirmation.


    This list gave the more familiar things I was used to. There was a herbalist, a White Mage, a monster tamer, a support mage, and many more. On top of the screen was some text.


    Your job can be whatever you want it to be. With the appropriate class, you can switch between the jobs at will. However, other than your starting job, all other jobs must be unlocked. You must discover how to unlock your jobs on your own.


    I frowned at the somewhat confusing instructions. So... basically, I could have any job I wanted as long as I unlocked it? That seemed really overpowered to me. In the end, I decided to go for the White Mage. It wasn¡¯t that I wasn¡¯t tempted by the monster tamer, but I¡¯d be able to pick that ability up later on. In the beginning, I found the thing that aggravated me most in games, and that was the inability to heal. Potions were usually really expensive, so a simple healing spell went a long way.


    Of course, I wouldn¡¯t have very much in the way of attack, it was probably fine. White Mages were usually given a pass in earlier gameplay. Once I switched to something like a monster tamer, in conjunction with White Mage skills, I figured I¡¯d be pretty powerful. Thus, I selected the White Mage job. I had my doubt about the game¡¯s quality, but I was a bit excited to try it. If it sucked, I¡¯d just play something else anyway.


    Are you sure you¡¯d like to go to another world?


    {Name: Deek


    Class: Support


    Job: White Mage Level: 1}


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said out loud as I clicked my tongue, ¡°Let¡¯s get on with this.¡±


    {You have unlocked the White Mage skill: Weak Heal.}


    ¡°Wait¡­ what?¡± Those words didn¡¯t flash on the TV, but they flashed in the middle of my vision.


    A moment later, I was surrounded by a white light as the world around me vanished.

 Chapter 3

    As the white light faded, I found myself in the center of a town. Yes, this was a town, but it wasn¡¯t an ordinary town. Rather¡­ it looked like a medieval town from a fantasy video game. The roofs were thatch and straw, and the houses were built from cheap wood. The pathways were made of dirt. I saw horses in front of various buildings and even a few riding them, and everyone was walking around in really grungy-looking villager clothing. One or two people had armor on, and I even saw a few weapons in sheaths. Where was I?


    ¡°Where am I?¡± I asked out loud.


    ¡°Eh?¡± A passing big sister with large breasts stopped as she was walking by. ¡°You¡¯re in Chalm, a village in the corner of the Aberis Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± I said, scratching my cheek.


    Where was Chalm, and where was the Aberis Kingdom? Well, I wasn¡¯t going to ask this pretty big-breasted woman such questions. I¡¯d start to look crazy. What was going on? Was this another world? Had I been taken to an isekai world, just like those web novels I read?


    ¡°Um¡­ in that case, do you know where I can get information?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the best place be the Adventurer¡¯s guild?¡± She offered with a pleasant smile.


    She was pretty nice, so it instantly gave me a good impression of Chalm. I really wanted to bury my face in her chest. However, those kinds of actions would probably be frowned upon. I figured I had two options. One option, this world was fake, and I was in some sort of dreaming state. In that case, there were no consequences to my actions, and I should just enjoy myself. The second option was that I was in another world for real, in which case I could die really easy. That was kind of frightening. Either way, I wouldn¡¯t step out of line until I knew which it was.


    ¡°Can you show me the directions?¡± I asked.


    The girl pointed in the direction of a larger than average home with a sign in the front that I couldn¡¯t read. I decided to head there after giving her thanks of appreciation. She smiled and gave me a wink in return. I found myself blushing slightly as I stumbled to the building. If she wasn¡¯t busy, I might have been hoping to flirt with her a little more. Well, I still didn¡¯t know if this world was real. I didn¡¯t really have the confidence to do that sort of thing, so it was left for just my perverted fantasy.


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    As I walked down, I noticed more of the people around me. Some of them had tails and ears that came out of the top of their head. Would these be animalkin? I had never seen a catperson or dogperson before, but the buff looking guy who just passed me totally looked like he had cat ears on his head. This place was quite cool.


    Entering the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, it resembled any other adventurer¡¯s guild one might expect. It had a man upfront. There was a bar to the side with tables. It smelled of sweat, alcohol, and something that might be blood. I walked up to the front counter, where a beautiful woman was standing and doing her nails.


    ¡°I¡¯m new to Chalm,¡± I said awkwardly. ¡°Where can I make some coins?¡±


    Unfortunately, I was still wearing the clothing I had come to this world in. My body was still my typical fat self. There was no new handsome body nor impressive upgrades. I was still a chubby teenage boy, through and through. Thus, when the lady looked up, she saw me precisely for what I was. I had been dismissed by enough women to recognize that look. She wasn¡¯t at all nice like the girl outside. My opinion of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild went down.


    ¡°It¡¯s one gold coin to join.¡± The woman behind the counter spoke as if she was disinterested in my presence. ¡°The guild gives out assignments. We take 70% of the awards.¡±


    ¡°70%!¡± I let out a cry of surprise.


    The girl sniffed. ¡°Not only do we set up the assignments, but we also protect adventurers. We won¡¯t give you more than you¡¯re qualified to take, and we insure you and your equipment. The least we could do is take 70%!¡±


    No¡­ actually, that seemed rather intrusive, I decided to ask more. ¡°How am I insured?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, if you die, we will cast a resurrection spell on you.¡±


    I let out a cough, my eyes widening slightly. This world actually had resurrections? So, insurance was literal life insurance. If I didn¡¯t come back from a mission, someone could theoretically bring my life back from the dead. Suddenly, 70% did seem like a pretty good deal.


    ¡°Of course¡­¡± The girl spoke on. ¡°You can be one of those crazy people who choose the dungeon life.¡±


    My excited expression froze a bit. The dungeon life? That¡¯s the name of the game. That meant that¡¯s the direction the game expects me to play.


    ¡°What is dungeon life?¡± I asked cautiously.


    The girl shrugged. ¡°You try to tackle the dungeons. No one will insure you. If you die in the dungeon¡­ you can¡¯t be resurrected. One life.¡±


    I gulped. Of course, I¡¯d get only one life.

 Chapter 4

    ¡°You¡¯re a support class?¡± The girl shook her head. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it. What job do you have?¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ White Mage?¡±


    Whispering kicked up behind me while the woman gave me a look of disbelief. ¡°White Mage? I¡¯ve never heard of that either.¡±


    ¡°Really? Who casts healing spells?¡±


    ¡°Healing? So, you¡¯re like a priest?¡± The girl¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°How can you be a priest and not be associated with the church?¡±


    I let out a cough, realizing that my harmless line of questioning was starting to bring a lot of eyes on me that I didn¡¯t want. I clearly needed to understand more about this world, and given the chatter behind me and the weird looks, I was in a bad position.


    ¡°Ah¡­ about dungeons, is there any dungeon around?¡± I decided to change the subject.


    The girl shrugged. ¡°Without any combat prowess, there is no chance you¡¯ll be able to make it in a dungeon. You might as well give up. You need to find a group of people willing to drag you around, but if all you can do is heal wounds, that is not something of value. I don¡¯t see any party being willing to pick up a¡­ what did you call it? White Mage.¡±


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    Seriously? Was I so entirely out of line that healing wasn¡¯t valued in this world? Well, it wasn¡¯t like I was planning on being teleported to another world in the first place. I was just trying to play a game. In that case, I was utterly screwed over if I had a job I couldn¡¯t even use. Before I could say another word to the woman, there was a bell that started ringing. The bell wasn¡¯t localized in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild; instead, it was something that rang throughout the entire city.


    The girl blinked. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re luckier than you look? Your services might be needed soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± I asked as the Adventurer¡¯s guild suddenly exploded into action.


    People started running around the room as if in a hurry. Some were grabbing their equipment and arming up. Others were passing messages. I looked around in confusion as the bustle seemed to grow. A glance out of a window revealed it was the entire city that appeared to have gone nuts. A single ring from this bell and now everyone was running around. People were ducking indoors and closing windows while others were running out with weapons drawn.


    ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± I finally got notice of the girl once again. ¡°Can I ask what is going on?¡±


    The girl shot me a look of disbelief but then shrugged a moment later. ¡°The city is under attack. That is a call to arms. You should stay back here and heal the adventurers that return. Based on how many you heal, you¡¯ll be paid accordingly.¡±


    As soon as she finished explaining these things, she grabbed a bag full of equipment and headed out to deliver it to the front lines. Most of the other people also left too, heading for wherever the front lines were. Within a few moments, I was standing in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild completely alone.


    ¡°Well¡­ this wasn¡¯t what I expected.¡±

 Chapter 5

    ¡°Since I¡¯m in this world, I might as well go to the front lines,¡± I muttered to myself.


    While it was true that the front lines were more dangerous than where I was now, I wanted to see what kind of villains were attacking. Was it the typical bandit attack? Every isekai seemed to start with a bandit attack. If I killed a bandit, would it make me a murderer in this world? What was I even thinking? How would I get about killing a bandit?


    It wasn¡¯t too difficult to find out the direction everyone was running to and from. I eventually came to a city wall that was only five feet tall. It might keep out some wild beasts, but for any pack of large animals or bandits, it wasn¡¯t good enough. I could see a large group of people fighting on each side of the wall. I had to get closer to be able to see them. I was able to smell them first.


    ¡°Undead!¡± I let out a cry of surprise.


    So, that was the bad guys that were attacking the village. It was a horde of undead monsters. Well¡­ it was mostly zombies with one or two skeletons mixed in. Their flesh was hanging from their bodies, and they didn¡¯t look very human. How to explain it¡­ they weren¡¯t like the zombies one would imagine, that is, re-animated humans. Instead, they looked more like fantasy zombies. Their skin was green, and it hung off their bodies loosely. They had claws on their hands, and they were quite powerful and damaging with each swipe. I saw a guy¡¯s armor ripped off with a single swipe.


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    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± The guy screamed as he was carried back by two others, gripping his leg, which was now bleeding.


    They laid him down next to the haystack. I didn¡¯t do very well with blood, but I decided to head over to the hurting man anyway. That was really why I had come out. The only thing I could do was heal people, and I intended to do that if I could.


    ¡°Kid¡­ get out of here!¡± The guy shouted. ¡°The undead are going to overtake the wall soon.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ let me heal you.¡± I responded.


    ¡°There is no time!¡± The guy sighed. ¡°Damn it¡­ I think I¡¯m cursed.¡±


    ¡°I might as well try,¡± I argued, putting out a hand. ¡°Weak Heal!¡±


    I had never cast magic before in my life. I really had no clue how to do it. I could have completely embarrassed myself here by casting this spell only for the magic to do nothing. Part of the reason I was trying now is that no one was watching. This guy was injured and cursed and would probably die without my help, so I¡¯d prefer that he saw my failure rather than for it to happen in a group full of scary men depending on me to heal their injured comrade.


    If it turned out that my one and only skill was useless, then I would quickly run and hide in a barn until things settled down. I wasn¡¯t a hero. I was just a guy trying to play a game. I still didn¡¯t even know if the people I was interacting with were real or merely an elaborate NPC.


    Upon saying the words, white light exploded from my hands. It shot out and carpeted the man¡¯s leg. A few moments later, his wounds closed up. The man himself let out a breath, his jaw-dropping in surprise.


    ¡°It healed!¡±


    {White Mage has increased to level 2.}


    {You have unlocked the White Mage skill: Remove Curse.}

 Chapter 6

    ¡°Oh, that was quick,¡± I said with delight. ¡°In that case, Remove Curse!¡±


    Another glow shot from my hands and the grey skin sitting somewhere around the wound immediately turned back to flesh color. Now that the wound wasn¡¯t grey, it really looked like something that could get infected.


    ¡°Weak Heal!¡±


    I cast the spell again, and this time the wound completely sealed before my eyes, leaving behind only the faintest trace of a scar. If the guy¡¯s jaw was low before, it fell even more.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it¡­ that kind of healing would take a priest all day!¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that I was useful.¡± I smiled. ¡°You should be able to fight fine now.¡±


    The guy blinked. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ I can¡¯t spare a moment! Thanks! I owe you one!¡±


    The guy grabbed his weapon and ran back into the fight, bolstering the front lines. What a brave guy. I applauded him for getting so close to the battle. I, for one, would not do the same. That fighting looked dangerous, and those zombie claws looked like they could kill. It was only a minute later when two men came back and dropped down someone who was hurt. One of the men carrying the wounded was the same guy I had just healed.


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    They ended up heading straight to my seat and leaving the guy on the ground at my feet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave him to you!¡± The guy from before winked.


    The other guy shot me an unsure look but still ran back to the line with his club out, aiming to bash a skull or two. Looking down at the man at my feet, he was a lot more damaged than the previous guy. Fortunately, it looked like he hadn¡¯t been cursed.


    ¡°Weak Heal!¡± I cast on him, looking for the effect, and then cast again.


    It took three times before the guy sat up. His gutted stomach where I could even see the hint of intestines was now as good as new. Weak Heal didn¡¯t feel weak at all to me. In fact, it was quite incredible. The guy touched his stomach in disbelief, but after a moment he patted me on the shoulder and then ran back into the battle.


    This time, I didn¡¯t get a rest as another person was brought to me. By the time I was done with him, it had taken four casts, and I was feeling a bit dizzy. The guy stood up, and after a moment, he reached into his pocket and handed me a vial.


    ¡°That¡¯s a mana potion. If you didn¡¯t just heal me now, I¡¯d probably have been out for a month. That¡¯s worth at least this much!¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± I nodded as the guy headed back to the battle.


    This was actually quite nice, but I decided to hold off drinking it. Although I felt a little dizzy, I had the feeling that I could pull off a few more spells. That, and I had a nagging suspicion.


    Another guy was brought to me, and I started healing him too. He only took two Weak Heals and a Remove Curse.


    {White Mage has increased to level 3.}


    {You have unlocked the White Mage skill: Weak Heal Poison.}

 Chapter 7

    With me leveling up, my mana also was replenished. I had really hoped this would be the case. I didn¡¯t really know if my mana and health went back to full. I think it was more like my total mana increased and that increase was pre-filled. From level 1 to 2, that was probably close to doubling my total mana, so it was substantial, but as I leveled up it¡¯d be less meaningful. Furthermore, I hoped with each level that the strength of my healing spells would also increase. I had gained a new ability to heal poison, but no one was getting poisoned on these low-level mobs.


    As I considered my recent achievement, two men were brought up, but with more levels, I was more confident in my healing. First, I tried to cast weak heal on both of them together. I wanted to see if I could do a group heal. Regrettably, that didn¡¯t work. In the end, I could only target one person at a time. If there was a group heal, it¡¯d be something I¡¯d need to unlock later on. I healed both of the men; it took about 5 spells between the two of them.


    Usually, the fighting would get more extreme as more people were dropped out of the fighting, but since I kept healing everyone who got injured, the fight kept going strong, and eventually, the zombie population was defeated. It took so long because the zombies didn¡¯t come as one single horde. Instead, there was a continuous trickle of zombies that came in by a handful at a time.


    This was fortunate, as, by the end of the fight, there were about ten zombies for every man. Had they all come at once, the town would have certainly become overrun with zombies, and we would have had to flee for our lives. Luckily, they only came in a trickle, and because I healed every man, the force never weakened. I felt pretty proud of myself. I wasn¡¯t the only one.


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    ¡°Weak Heal¡­¡± I saw the familiar white light, having been cast enough times I was pretty familiar with it now.


    I swayed slightly, and the men nearby grabbed my arms and held me up.


    ¡°Woah there¡­ you¡¯ve done quite well for yourself. I have to say¡­ I¡¯m delighted to meet my first¡­ what did you call it, a White Mage?¡± The guy who spoke was the one who was leading this militia.


    He was a muscular guy who didn¡¯t wear a shirt and had an impractically large sword. I wanted to hate the guy instantly, especially since he drew the eyes of all the female adventurers, but he was actually pretty alright.


    ¡°Yes, I focus on combat healing,¡± I explained, too tired to show modesty.


    The man nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Most of the men here would have been down or possibly even dead. The guild would be responsible for resurrecting them at that point. It isn¡¯t cheap. As the guild master, I must say, you really saved me a lot.¡±


    I gave a smile, but I didn¡¯t know how to respond. Besides finding out this guy was actually the Adventurer¡¯s Guild¡¯s master, I also learned that death didn¡¯t faze them too much. He told me earlier that had they been overrun and all perished, all that would have happened was that a neighboring village would be called, a force would be sent to clear out the zombies, and then the men would be resurrected to life. You had an entire month upon death to be brought back, so these men would then set out to resurrect their lost families.


    People in this world didn¡¯t die by accident. Only old age or some particularly nasty curses could mean permanent death. The only other reason someone would die is that no one would resurrect them. For example, if I died, since I hadn¡¯t done any official paperwork with the guild, there would be no one to pay the resurrection fee for me. The lonely, the poor, and the friendless in this world are the ones who died. It was kind of sad.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re not part of the guild yet, I, unfortunately, can¡¯t pay you based on your contributions.¡± The guild master suddenly announced.


    Seriously?

 Chapter 8

    ¡°Seriously?¡± I couldn¡¯t stop my thoughts from being voiced out loud.


    The big man made an awkward chuckle. ¡°That is to say, you will receive a special reward.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Well, say that stuff sooner!


    I wasn¡¯t really a greedy person, but I didn¡¯t spend all day only a few dozen meters from a horde of zombies and cast spells until I nearly passed out for nothing!


    The guy seemed to think my expression was funny, as he laughed again, slapping my back. ¡°We¡¯ll be tallying up the battle tonight, and the rewards will be distributed tomorrow during a town meeting. We need to discuss this attack and what to do next. Since you contributed greatly to this fight, please come.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow, huh?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but make a bad face. After all, I just came to this world, and I was really penniless. I¡¯d be spending a rough night on the street of an unfamiliar town in an unfamiliar world. The thought could hardly leave me satisfied.


    ¡°No place to stay, huh?¡± The guy said.


    ¡°A mind reader!¡± I cried out, shooting him a surprised look.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I had you looked into, and according to my sources you just arrived today and haven¡¯t booked a spot at the inn.¡±


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    I gave an ugly look. For a guy who looked like a muscle head, he was very informed. In fact, it came off as a little intimidating that he already had me looked into. Well, he didn¡¯t have all the facts straight. I appeared in the middle of the town square. Of course, no one wanted to look crazy, saying I appeared from nowhere, so I was a town stranger, not a world stranger.


    ¡°Here, kid, take this. It¡¯ll get you a night at the inn and some food. We¡¯ll just take it off your tab.¡± A coin flashed in the air, and I missed it, causing it to land somewhere nearby.


    The guy laughed again as I went on my hands and knees, looking for it. It was starting to get dark out here, so it was really difficult to see.


    ¡°Arggg!¡± A zombie suddenly lunged from a pile of corpses right at me.


    ¡°Kid! Dodge!¡± The guild master¡¯s serious face replaced his playful one as he grabbed for the sword on his back.


    However, there was no time to dodge. The monster was in a position where a single swipe would split me open. At that moment, I couldn¡¯t think of anything else to do but cast the spell I had cast all day. I had a theory that if these were undead, then¡­


    ¡°Weak Heal!¡±


    White magic flooded out and touched the monster. As soon as the white light touched it, there was a sizzling sound. The creature stiffened for a moment and then collapsed as if his string had just been cut. The body continued to sizzle and melt until it was just a puddle on the floor. By that point, the guild master had reached my side and was staring at the puddle with surprise on his face.


    ¡°It looks like your abilities do more than just heal,¡± he said with an impressed look on his face.


    I nodded, but I was more excited by the announcement on my screen.


    {White Mage has increased to level 4.}


    {You have unlocked the White Mage skill: Refresh.}

 Chapter 9

    Feeling tired and sore, I ended up heading to the inn that the Adventurer¡¯s Guild indicated to me. The place had a lively atmosphere and another beautiful woman behind the counter. I sensed there were a lot of beautiful women who tended to work the counters and shops. I didn¡¯t know if that was deliberate or not.


    I showed the girl my coin, and she gave me a smile. ¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯re with the guild. In that case, I¡¯ll give you the biggest room!¡±


    ¡°Actually, he said it¡¯s coming out of my pay tomorrow, so a simple room is fine.¡±


    The woman blinked, and then she let out a laugh. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine too, but at least let me feed you something tasty. I heard about your actions on the front lines. My uncle got some of your healing. The priests charge a lot, and it works half as well. It¡¯s on the house.¡±


    ¡°In that case, thank you for your kindness.¡± I nodded and sat down at one of the tables.


    A few minutes later, she brought out a beautiful plate full of baked chicken breast and mash potatoes and gravy. I had worried this world would offer only gross-tasting food, but this was actually really good. I was also starving, having not eaten anything but ramen all day. The fact that this was cooked by that beautiful woman also made my heart sing. Was she single? Would she like a husband? No, no, I was moving too fast again. I tended to do that with any woman who smiled at me. I had to remember my brutal rejection.


    However, this was another world, maybe they didn¡¯t hold men and women to the same standards. Maybe fat people were attractive here. I heard in the past that fat was a sign of having wealth and power. In that way, marrying a fat man meant you were set for life. Maybe women in this world thought that way, and I could have a date.


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    Of course, I didn¡¯t have that kind of confidence, so I just finished my meal quietly. A few men nearby stopped over and slapped me on the back, offering appreciation for my work on the front lines. A few offered to buy me a drink, but I had never had alcohol before, and I didn¡¯t want to lose my thoughts during my first day in another world. Thus, I decided to keep myself sober and only gave all of the guys some lip service and polite declines.


    As the inn got livelier later in the evening as more men got drunk, I took it as an excellent time to retire to my room. Once in my room, I sighed in relief. Crowds really were too much. It made me feel very uncomfortable. I also didn¡¯t like getting patted on the back like that. Well, I mean, it was nice to be appreciated, but physical contact was a little too much for me. It made me feel anxious. I was glad that my healing spells could be done at a distance. In the future, I¡¯d have to determine how far of a range the spell works.


    ¡°I can destroy undead, after all.¡±


    It seems like the game was balanced. I was a healing class, but I was put in the one area where healing spells could damage the enemy. However, the enemy was still scary. I had seen a dozen wounds dealt by the enemy, and some of them looked quite serious. This was on armored, tough guys. I had none of that, so fighting the enemy up close frightened me. However, the game would want me to fight monsters in the future. I felt like I¡¯d need to do that eventually, no matter how I felt about the matter.


    I may be a coward, but I was also a gamer. Games were meant to be played. I¡¯ve played scary games before. In my mind, this was just something like that.


    I went to sleep on a lumpy bed. Maybe I should have paid for a nicer room. Well, I didn¡¯t know how far money would stretch in the near future, and I didn¡¯t want to take any chances.

 Chapter 10

    The next day, my clothing felt a little itchy. I¡¯d need to figure out how clothing was washed. More than that, I¡¯d need to get more clothing. Well, I couldn¡¯t do any of it without money. I asked a few times and found that the town meeting would be at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. I, fortunately, didn¡¯t sleep in and managed to arrive on time. I sat and waited about an hour before the crowds grew to the point of making me slightly nervous. However, I patiently waited for the meeting to get underway.


    A guy I didn¡¯t recognize stood up in front of the stage. Right behind him was the Guild Master that I knew from yesterday. He was actually wearing a shirt now. Good for him. I ended up sitting between a rough-looking woman and an even rougher looking guy. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t need to wait too long before the meeting started.


    ¡°Before we start discussing our protective measures for Chalm, I¡¯d like to pass out the rewards.¡± The guy in the front of the stage said. ¡°Donald Cult, 3 silver.¡±


    The person who was named walked up and collected their reward. They called the next name. Some people seemed a bit grouchy about how much they made, while others were quite happy. Looking at the job board yesterday, most C-class jobs earned around 3-5 silver. As the guild kept 70%, that meant the take-home was about 1 or 2 silver.


    How expensive was all that? I had kept my ear opened while I was waiting and asked a few choice questions before the meeting started. Thus, I had a better idea of the world than before. From what I could tell, there were coppers, silver, and gold. Ten coppers made a silver, and ten silver made a gold. One to two gold coin was about the monthly salary for an Adventurer, presuming they could do about a job a week. Some jobs could take a 2-3-day trip, plus they also could have their own expenses.


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    My inn costs about 5 copper a day with meals, but that was the inn cost. Few adventurers lived in inns full time though, choosing instead to bunk up in small rentable bungalows which cost a few silvers a month depending on the size and number of people they lived with. It should also be noted that since adventurers didn¡¯t need to risk their lives, adventuring wasn¡¯t exactly the highest paying occupation. Dungeon divers made ten times that amount, but due to the nature of dungeons, the resurrection didn¡¯t work if you died in one. That meant that dying in a dungeon was a permanent death.


    Well, I never died the first time, and I didn¡¯t plan to die any time soon. Therefore, it didn¡¯t frighten me like it frightened others here. I lived in a world where death was always permanent. For that matter, I didn¡¯t come from this world. Since my soul came from another world, there was no guarantee whether I could be resurrected in the first place. It was possible any death for me would be permanent, and I didn¡¯t plan to test that theory out. Thus, the dungeon was no more terrifying in my mind than anywhere else.


    The money distribution continued. A few of the higher-level people received as much as two gold. That was quite impressive. I couldn¡¯t wait for my payout.

 Chapter 11

    ¡°Finally, Deek, the healer. You have done well. Your healing kept the city from being overrun, and for that, you have my gratitude. Each of those you healed has offered 2 silver of their earnings to pay for your service. That comes to 2 gold, 6 silver.¡±


    I made a noise of surprise. It was actually the greatest sum that anyone had been handed for this mission. However, as I got up and awkwardly took the money, there was no one who looked upset or angry. Maybe there were one or two people who were envious, but for those who had been hurt, it seemed like it could have cost weeks of being out of work and as much as one gold to receive similar healing. Two silver each was practically nothing considering all that. As I grabbed the coins, the mayor placed his hand on mine.


    ¡°That was an award decided amongst the Adventurers. You would have been given more if you had enrolled in the Adventuring guild and had been working for us. Unfortunately, since you¡¯re not an official member yet, I was restricted.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I wasn¡¯t really upset, I had got something, and it seemed like more than most.


    While I said that, there were a few men mumbling, clearly unhappy that the Adventuring guild was cheaping out on me. I appreciated the support. For all intents, I was just a stranger, and it''d be effortless for them to take advantage of me.


    ¡°While modesty is a virtue, I highly recommend you be more assertive in your wants.¡± The man chuckled. ¡°As is, this town would have been destroyed without you. As the town¡¯s mayor, I would like to give you the honorary position of Chalm¡¯s hero.¡±


    There were a few mumblings I overheard. ¡°Isn¡¯t ¡®hero¡¯ just an empty title?¡±


    ¡°Well, our last hero died a few years ago, it¡¯s about time someone was selected.¡±


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    ¡°A nonresident would prevent anyone from growing jealous.¡±


    The mayor¡¯s expression tightened as the group spoke over him until the guild leader stepped forward and thumped his foot, causing everyone to quiet down.


    ¡°Every town and city has the right to assign a single hero. It isn¡¯t a completely empty title. You¡¯re awarded a salary of 1 gold coin a month, and get a discount at all of the stores. I can even arrange for you to be able to stay at the inn for free while you''re in town.¡±


    I furrowed my brow, not looking as pleased as I could be. ¡°Are there any responsibilities placed on me?¡±


    At this point, the big guy stepped forward. ¡°We¡¯ll be honest. We think having a novel healer like you settling down in our town would be a positive for Chalm. We knew you¡¯re just passing through and were hoping that you¡¯d keep Chalm in your heart. You won¡¯t have any responsibilities for Chalm, and can even leave if you want, but the more Chalm grows as a town, the more your own fame does as its hero. The feeling is mutual. A town and its hero rise and fall together. We only ask that if we need help, you come. After all, if Chalm is destroyed, so would your reputation as its hero.


    ¡°So, that is how it is.¡± I sighed.


    It wasn¡¯t to the point that I was obligated to fight or die for them. However, if I took the offer, I¡¯d be known as the Hero of Chalm. If I then abandoned them in a crisis and Chalm was destroyed, I¡¯d have the reputation of someone who abandoned their city. I wondered why they were so quick to pick me up. My activities were helpful, but hardly worthy of a hero title. They barely knew who I was, and I only came to town yesterday.


    Since I had no place in this world at the moment, settling down here seemed like a good idea. It was pure luck that I had fallen into this hero position, but I might as well champion Chalm. The people seemed friendly enough, and being from somewhere would make all of my future journey¡¯s much more comfortable.


    ¡°Very well. I will be the hero, at least until you find someone better.¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± The mayor laughed. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡±


    He handed me a coin with a glowing sword drawn on it. To me, it honestly looked a bit like the guild leader''s sword. The crowd broke into applause, once again a mixture of some happy and some jealous. A moment later, some text flashed across my vision.


    {The people of a town have acknowledged you as their savior. You have unlocked the job: Hero.}

 Chapter 12

    I sat back down under a barrage of clapping. It was a bit embarrassing, but I was more distracted by my new job. Out of curiosity, I decided to change my job from White Mage to Hero. I found I could do this easily with a thought.


    {You have unlocked the Hero skill: Return.}


    I ended up gaining a skill. What was Return, anyway? This world didn¡¯t seem to have anything like a tutorial or status bar. That meant I¡¯d need to start writing down everything, as I only had one chance and afterword I¡¯d just have to remember. I had a lot of questions, though. For example, could I use my skills without my job being equipped?


    ¡°Weak Heal,¡± I whispered, targeting myself.


    I had never targeted myself before, but I assumed it would work. Nothing happened. I reequipped my White Mage job and tried again.


    ¡°Refresh,¡± I said.


    Blue magic swept over me. Instantly, I felt like I had been dosed with cold water. Before, I was a bit groggy and tired, but now I was completely awake. I¡¯d need to remember this Refresh spell more often. It really was refreshing. While I was tinkering with that, the mayor was finishing his congratulations speech.


    ¡°Now that all of the awards have been handed out, we need to talk about this new threat to our town. One month ago, a dungeon appeared a few miles outside of town. We sent one of our stronger parties there two weeks ago. Not only did they not return, but an army of undead came to our doorsteps. I do not believe this to be a coincidence.¡±


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    ¡°Can we confirm that the dungeon is, in fact, full of the undead?¡± A large man with long hair asked.


    ¡°Since our scouting party did not return, we do not have any intel on the dungeon, but assuming the army of undead was sent from the dungeon, the answer is probably yes.¡±


    There was a bit of mumbling.


    ¡°Should we send out another scouting party?¡± someone else shouted.


    ¡°If we wait long enough to confirm their success or failure, we could be looking at an even bigger attack next time. The first wave is usually just a test.¡± A woman in robes and a pointy hat declared.


    ¡°The dungeon is clearly hostile, we cannot allow it to continue, nor could I imagine the disaster if we blocked the entrance and allowed it to boil.¡±


    The mayor nodded. ¡°I agree¡­ I¡¯ve put out a decree for the dungeon¡¯s destruction.¡±


    ¡°That means dungeon divers¡­ are there any close enough to take the call?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± A proud sounding voice came from the door.


    A man was standing there wearing far more luxurious clothing than anyone in this lot. He had shiny armor and a thin mustache. His nose was stuck up in the air, and he had an arrogant way about him. Standing behind him were three animalkin. Two of them were men of about middle ages, but the third was a girl, perhaps a year or two younger than me.


    Every one of the animalkin had their heads down, and a collar wrapped around their necks. The girl had a large pack on her back that looked difficult to carry.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± The mayor asked, his mouth twitching.


    ¡°I am just a young noble passing through.¡± The man declared. ¡°I saw the battle of undead attacking your village, and realized your town seems to be in need of rescuing. I, Lord Tibult, will graciously remove your dungeon problem and become this town¡¯s hero.¡±


    Ah... accepting the position was a mistake after all.

 Chapter 13

    There was a rumbling of unsatisfied voices when Tibult stood up.


    ¡°He¡¯s some lord from the city.¡±


    ¡°We already have a hero.¡±


    ¡°Look, he even uses animalkin slaves. Must be a lord from the Capital.¡± A group of animalkin girls seemed especially appalled.


    Such words spread throughout the room, but the guy held up his nose and ignored them all.


    ¡°Are you a capable dungeon diver?¡± The guild master asked.


    Tibult snorted. ¡°My slaves will be able to conquer this dungeon with ease, I assure you. I¡¯ve spent top coin for them.¡±


    This created even more unsatisfied mumbling. Tibult picked up on the discontent in the room and glared down the people there. Even though the room was filled with tough and scary looking adventurer¡¯s, most of them wouldn¡¯t meet his eyes for long. It spoke volumes to the power nobles had in this city.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lord,¡± Even the mayor had to bow to this man. ¡°But we recently appointed a hero for the city.¡±


    ¡°What is that? I specifically came out to this village because I was told you were without a hero. No, this won¡¯t do at all. Bring this man out at once!¡±


    Enough people had glanced at me that Tibult picked up on it. ¡°This fat, strangely-dressed child? I knew these country towns were full of yokels, but I never would have thought you¡¯d make someone like this your hero. How laughable! Sir¡­ I challenge you to a duel. You, against my slave.¡±


    One of the slaves stepped forward, flexing his muscles slightly. My lips twitched a bit. What the hell was this? He wasn¡¯t even going to fight me himself, but use a slave to fight me? Wait, forget that, I didn¡¯t even fight in the first place. Although the angry mutters all around me seemed to be on my side, I didn¡¯t want to get into any further trouble.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wish to duel. As long as you complete your own promise to rid the town of the dungeon, you can have the hero position¡­¡±


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    Although the one gold a month would have been lovely, as well as the discounts, I was already on the fence about it. I didn¡¯t think the hero job would disappear after acquiring it, and I also didn¡¯t want to become enemies with a powerful lord from the city.


    The man¡¯s face seemed to grow even more furious. ¡°You think I can¡¯t? Hmph! I will defeat this dungeon, and then you will hand me that hero title on your hands and knees! Come, Lydia¡­ bring my things.¡±


    He flourished his cloak as he walked out. The person who he has spoken to was the catgirl who I now realized was carrying the majority of the packs on her small body. The two males with the muscles appeared to be the bodyguards, while she was a packrat. She looked scrawny, dirty, and poorly taken care of. Her eyes held almost no life in them, not meeting anyone in the room, even other catkins.


    When they left, the room exploded in an uproar. The guild leader stomped his foot, to once again bring silence to the room. The mayor ended up looking at me as he spoke out loud.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, young lad. I have heard that young lords will often come to country towns to claim a hero¡¯s title. Our new dungeon must have attracted him. I heard defeating a dungeon earns a lot of bragging rights in the Capital. This guy is a glory seeker.¡± The mayor sighed. ¡°He likely had watched the whole battle and planned to ride in and save the day at just the right time unless he saw things as hopeless, and then he would have let the city burn and maybe helped the survivors escape. When things didn''t go south for us, this must have been his backup plan.¡±


    ¡°That may be so, but I don¡¯t wish to get entangled with some noble. It would give me much trouble.¡±


    The mayor grimaced and nodded. ¡°I understand. I still feel if it comes between you and this man, a healer such as yourself would be more beneficial than a haughty noble. If it came to who I wanted as our benefactor, I would still pick you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re speaking as if the hero title has already been lost.¡± The guild leader spoke up and patted the mayor''s shoulder. ¡°I do not believe this dungeon is so easy. Two animalkin toughs are not sufficient to clear it. I believe we should send a team behind him. With luck, his attempt will buy us some time to survey the dungeon properly.¡±


    The mayor nodded thoughtfully. ¡°That sounds like a good idea. Whether he fails or succeeds, someone will need to play cleanup. I want an expedition planned to set out tomorrow morning. Secure the entrance, clear out the first few floors, and buy us time to get some legitimate dungeon divers.¡±


    ¡°I do have one request for this mission.¡± The guild leader sighed. ¡°We will move slow and methodically. I don¡¯t want to risk any lives. With that respect, there is one person here who can exponentially increase the odds of that.¡±


    Both pairs of eyes fell on me.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    It looked like I was being conscripted.

 Chapter 14

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re the new hero!¡± The shopkeeper exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m so glad to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, this¡­ maybe not for long, but since I¡¯m going to the dungeon tomorrow, I figured I needed to be prepared.¡±


    Naturally, I had agreed to their conditions. At the moment, Chalm was all I had. It was only appropriate that I used my abilities to help Chalm if I could. It was a little scary, but I''d be protected by a bunch of strong men, and I was a bit curious to see this dungeon that people were talking about.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t say that¡­ I heard about that noble. Arrogant people like him never get their way.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­ either way, can you recommend me some supplies?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, the guild leader already sent me a message. Since he is forcing you on this trip, he said he¡¯d pay for your supplies. I¡¯ve already put together a pack full of all the required stuff.¡±


    The girl pointed to a giant backpack full of supplies. It contained food and water for a few weeks, a bedroll, grooming supplies, a small tent, and various odds and ends like lighting and ropes. The backpack was of the size I was. Just picking it up caused my knees to groan. I suddenly found myself envying the noble and his packrat slave. I could really use someone to carry supplies for me.


    ¡°You may want to check the seamstress next store. Although enchanted clothing is less safe than armor, given your¡­ type¡­ it¡¯s probably best if you used robes.¡± The shopkeeper gave me a thumbs-up as she watched me struggle to lift the backpack.


    ¡°My type?¡±


    ¡°A mage!¡± She responded.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I stumbled out of her store with the backpack weighing me down and worked my way over to the store with a needle and thread on the sign that should be the seamstress.


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    I couldn¡¯t read, but this wasn¡¯t that uncommon in this world, so no one found it odd. Since it wasn¡¯t unusual, it also meant most stores had a sign that universally represented them. Blacksmiths had an anvil and a hammer, General stores had a barrel, and the enchanter was a book.


    Stumbling in, I dropped the backpack at the entrance. The shop was small and tidy. Glancing around, I could tell there was very little for sale. This looked like a shop that typically made things on demand. The woman behind the counter was middle-aged, short, busty, with a pair of specs. When she looked up from her book at me, she nodded.


    ¡°Oh, yes, you¡¯re the one I¡¯ve wanted to see.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡±


    ¡°I noticed your clothes when you came into town. I¡¯ve never seen a cut like them. That stitch is so perfect I can barely believe it.¡±


    It was just a t-shirt and some jeans, nothing to get too excited about.


    ¡°Haha¡­ well, I¡¯m glad you like them.¡±


    ¡°Can I buy them?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Your clothing! I want to buy it! I¡¯d like to examine this cloth and see where it comes from. It looks quite wealthy.¡±


    Now that I recalled, the noble had been angry at me, but he hadn¡¯t looked down on me like the others. Perhaps it was because of these clothes that he mistook me for someone else rich.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything else to wear,¡± I explained. ¡°In fact, I came here, hoping to buy more clothing for my journey to the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ I seem to recall something like that.¡± The girl tapped her glasses. ¡°That¡¯s right! You¡¯re the new hero, yes?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s right.¡±


    The girl nodded, ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you what. I will give you three full sets of clothing. I¡¯ll include a set with armor enchantments and even a robe with some mana increasing properties. I hear you¡¯re some sort of mage, so for you, that would be the best.¡±


    ¡°Very well¡­ but can I have them done before tomorrow morning?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ so little time, but I¡¯ll definitely do it. Now give me those clothes!¡±


    I ended up walking out of the shop, feeling like I was mugged. I was wearing a large tunic and pants of the very plain variety. She assured me the stuff she¡¯ll make will be of much higher quality, but I could keep this set on the house. Well, at least they were fresh clothing.


    Shortly after making the sale, text appeared in my vision.


    {You have sold something! You have unlocked the job: Merchant.}

 Chapter 15

    I decided to equip Merchant to see what skill that got me.


    {You have unlocked the Merchant skill: Haggle.}


    ¡°Haggle, huh?¡±


    I found the names of the skills being unlocked to be rather uninformative. Haggle could mean a lot of things. I wouldn¡¯t know what until I tried it out. Heading into the next store, it was the enchantment shop. It looked a lot like a jewelry store back home.


    ¡°Hello!¡± The shopkeeper was actually a man this time. ¡°The hero, right? Please, pick out an accessory. 10% off just for you.¡±


    I already knew I got 10% off because I was the hero, but he tried to make it sound like he personally was giving me 10% off. I could only smile wryly as I looked at the objects. I didn¡¯t have any special vision that allowed me to see their status. Instead, there was a little card next to each item that explained what it did. Sadly, I couldn''t read them, so I asked. As to whether the shopkeep was honest, that was another question. Either way, the descriptions he offered were a bit vague and he didn''t go into any more detail.


    Slightly Improves speed.


    How much is ¡®slightly¡¯? I realized that the reason the owner was vague was that he didn¡¯t really know. I wasn¡¯t even sure if this world had identifiable numbers when associated with status. Is there HP or anything like that? I didn¡¯t want to depend on HP to live. In fact, it¡¯d be nice if I was never hit at all. Remembering those injured men the other day, HP didn¡¯t seem to account for much.


    ¡°Do you have something like a storage ring to carry stuff?¡±


    That was my immediate concern. How else was I going to carry the bag of stuff? It was way too heavy for me.


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    ¡°Storage rings?¡± The guy whistled through his teeth. ¡°You might find them in the Capital, but they¡¯re way too pricey to be found out here in the countryside. Even if I had one, I wouldn¡¯t sell it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°About fifty gold coins for the smallest.¡±


    My eyes widened, and I immediately tossed away any thoughts of owning a storage ring. ¡°Is there anything else I could use?¡±


    I pointed back at my pack I had set at the door. The man glanced over at it and scratched his chin.


    ¡°Well, I can do an enchantment directly on the backpack to reduce weight. Would you like that?¡±


    I gave a tight smile. ¡°I guess that would work.¡±


    The man nodded. ¡°In that case, I would have it done by the end of the day. Enchantments aren¡¯t cheap though. You¡¯re looking at one gold coin, ten silver, four this enchantment.¡±


    Compared to the 50 gold coins for a storage ring, it really did seem small. However, the supplies the bag was carrying only cost around 5 silvers¡­ so I was spending more money to carry the stuff than the stuff itself cost. I could always just take things out of the bag.


    Then again, these were the supplies that the guild leader and store clerk thought were necessary for me to survive. That meant that they had a fair amount of value. My life was infinitely more valuable than the gold coin. I hadn¡¯t had to pay for the supplies or my clothing, so I should consider this a blessing.


    I sighed and nodded. ¡°Very well. Please lighten my backpack.¡±


    ¡°Since you get 10% off I¡¯ll give you the enchantment for 9 silver, kay?¡±


    I nodded and then spoke the word while hiding it in a fake cough. ¡°Haggle!¡±


    The guy stared at me, not reacting at all to my cough. I let out a wry smile. I guess that was to be expected. I fished out a gold coin and handed it to him. A moment later, he fished in his bag and dropped three silver coins in my hand.


    ¡°There you go.¡± He smiled.


    ¡°Eh? How much did you say the enchantment is?¡± I asked.


    ¡°7 coins.¡± He blinked. ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ no, not at all.¡±


    I signed a paper with words I couldn¡¯t read and then left the store quickly without another word. Before I cast Haggle, it was 9, then after, it was 7. It appeared like Haggle took 20% off the original cost of any item, with my hero status taking another 10%. Could it be cast multiple times? Was there a chance of failure? What would happen if they failed? All of these questions ran through my head. More experiments were in order. However, I was hungry, so I returned to the inn. The meal today was a beef stew. It was very fulfilling and much better than the ramen I used to eat. This wasn¡¯t so bad a life after all.

 Chapter 16

    I was still very interested in Haggle, so I decided to order a dessert as well.


    ¡°Ah¡­ the desert is a fruit parfait. Best in town?¡± The girl smiled at me, my one true weakness.


    ¡°Yes, how much is that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s five copper. I know it¡¯s pricy, but it¡¯s really delicious!¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take one of those.¡±


    This time I only thought to use the Haggle skill rather than say it. I wasn¡¯t comfortable even mumbling Haggle in a room full of adventurers. Skills probably would activate without me yelling them out like I was in some kind of shonen. She brought the desert back, and it did look like it was worth the money. It was a mountain of various fruits, some I recognized, some I didn¡¯t, and a mountain on top of that of whipped cream.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be 4 coppers.¡± She said with a wink.


    I gave her the coppers. Haggle seemed to work. Well, I was the town hero, so I was staying here for free now, and food came with the board, so only extra things like desserts and alcohol cost money. I ate my fruity parfait but was occasionally bothered by other adventurers wanting to chat with me. After I had my fill of social activity for the evening, I headed up to my bedroom. We had to get up really early tomorrow, earlier than I was used to getting up even for school, so I decided to take an early rest.


    That night, my dreams contained an image of the catgirl who had been the Lord Tibult¡¯s packrat. Calling her a pack-mule would be too generous, as she was a very petite girl. Some of the dreams were lewd. She was naked, and I had her leash in my hands. Other dreams seemed to center around her, cold, scared, and in pain somewhere dark. I had a nagging feeling like I needed to go rescue her.


    The dreams only ended when I woke up. I overslept just enough that I didn¡¯t have any time for breakfast. I pulled a hard biscuit from the food rations and nibbled it. After leaving the inn, I was still about five minutes from the town center. That was where the group was meeting and also where my stuff was being delivered. I¡¯d be a bit late if I headed there now. Well, I could run, but I wasn¡¯t the kind of guy who¡¯d embarrass myself puffing along through town.


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    I had already predicted I knew what Return was, just by logically reasoning things out. I found somewhere with a bit of privacy, and then I cast the spell.


    ¡°Return!¡± Well, sometimes it was still more comfortable saying the words.


    A glow went around me, and a moment later, I was standing in the square. This was also the same spot I had appeared when I first entered this world from my own. It was the dead center of Chalm. That would be what Return did. It returned you to the center of Chalm from wherever you were. I felt a bit dizzy from mana depletion, but only a bit. Hero job seemed to have a good chunk of mana, I reasoned. It was hard to define, mana, especially since every job had its own unique spells, so I could just call it a hunch.


    Anyway, I was thinking, what was the one most crucial role a hero would perform for a city? That was, being able to return to it when needed. So, it stood to reason that the first skill one would unlock would be a teleportation skill that allowed me to get to Chalm fast from anywhere in the world. Strangely, no one seemed to give me a second look.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here!¡± The guild leader said excitedly. ¡°Just in time too. The stuff you ordered yesterday is over there.¡±


    I headed over to my pack. It now had a strange feeling about it, like it was more than a simple backpack full of supplies. I also could see a runic inscription written on the front. I picked the backpack up and made a noise of surprise. It was indeed a lot lighter. It would still be challenging for me to carry it long distance, but I at least felt like I could carry it.


    I realized the backpack had also been repacked, and now contained my armor and clothing as well. I was too shy to change in the middle of the town square, so one of the shop owners let me duck into his shop while the party waited for me. There were about ten men in this party, including the guild leader himself. They all looked big and intimidating, including the single woman who was coming along, who had a massive cleavage and a gigantic sword.


    When I came out, the group all looked at me appraisingly, and a few even shouted encouragements. With the robe and the armored clothing, I did have a bit of a wizened wizard look, actually. I felt a few years more mature. Perhaps I should grow a beard?

 Chapter 17

    We headed out without very much fanfare. There were a few wives and children seeing off the party, but for the most part, adventurers leaving on an adventure mean very little. Our party was a scout part with a possibility for rescue. The haughty noble had left yesterday, not even waiting for any kind of approval or plan before running off to the dungeon. Perhaps he was afraid I¡¯d beat him to it.


    Well, I didn¡¯t really care too much. He could have the hero thing if he wanted. However, I was a bit curious, so I walked beside the hulking guild leader.


    ¡°I must ask, guild leader, why did you decide to make me a hero? You barely know me. For all intent and purposes, I could be just as bad as this noble.¡±


    The guild leader shot me a look and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re earnest. I like that. Since you¡¯ve been such a good sport about all of this, I¡¯ll be honest. We selected you as a hero exactly because of Lord Tibult.¡±


    ¡°You knew he was coming?¡±


    ¡°Him¡­ or someone like him. Nobles use towns like us to quickly earn some credentials. As I said, a hero status goes a long way in the Capital. However, nobles like him also look down on the citizens of the towns they hero and can be very tyrannical. You noticed those animalkins by his side?¡±


    ¡°They were slaves, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± The man frowned. ¡°This is a human majority country, and in the Capital, you wouldn¡¯t see a single animalkin that isn¡¯t a slave. Most animalkins were only brought into this country as slaves in the first place, although some are emancipated.¡±


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    ¡°Then, the people in Chalm?¡±


    ¡°Most of the animalkins were once slaves or were the children of slaves. Chalm was founded as a free city. Although we sit under the Capital¡¯s shadow, we¡¯re a city that welcomes animalkin. We often help free slaves. There is a law in this country that if anyone is willing to pay the price to free a slave, then the slave will be set free, presuming they desire it. A lot of our additional income goes to freeing slaves, especially abused ones. You can imagine what a man like Tibult would do as a hero.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t a hero just an honorary title?¡±


    ¡°It is¡­ when you¡¯re a stranger without any background. However, when you¡¯re a noble with the Capital behind you, the hero can be whatever you want it to be. That is the problem.¡± He sighed. ¡°Tibult would assuredly take over the town, and then the Mayor would be all but a name. We¡¯ve heard the same happening to a dozen other towns.¡±


    ¡°So, how do I fit in?¡±


    ¡°If Tibult sets and fulfills the conditions for being the town hero, then we cannot reject him. If we offend nobles, our town isn''t so big that we can defend ourselves. It could even possibly bring notice of the royal guards. However, if we already have a town hero, then that is no longer the case. Having you gave us an excuse to reject any noble that comes along without offending them too badly. With the dungeon and our lack of a hero, we knew it was only a matter of time. However, we thought you¡¯d have a while to sit down and get used to the title before that happened. Well, just announcing we have a hero would be enough to keep most nobles from wasting the trip.¡±


    ¡°What about me? What if my background is more extraordinary than I let on?¡±


    ¡°We did look into you.¡± The guild leader chuckled. ¡°Wherever you come from, it isn¡¯t this country. That said, you¡¯re a healer, boy. You¡¯re useful to us¡­ but there is something better about you than being useful.¡±


    I grimaced, already guessing what he meant. ¡°I can¡¯t fight back.¡±


    The guild leader¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°Exactly. You¡¯re no threat to us. As you said, you can be the hero unless we find someone better. And if we find someone better and you don¡¯t want to leave, it¡¯d take little effort to remove you.¡±


    My smile turned a little sickly. Sometimes it was better not knowing a thing.

 Chapter 18

    ¡°Is this seriously only a few miles from town?¡± One adventurer spoke with a shiver.


    ¡°It looks like a graveyard.¡± Another added.


    We had reached a point where all of the greenery and plants died or turned brown. The sky was dark and cloudy despite the fact that about a hundred meters back it was a light blue sky of a bright day. It looked like an ominous graveyard and was honestly really spooky.  I didn¡¯t like the sight at all, but I could definitely believe that zombies came from here.


    ¡°The lore for this dungeon is thick.¡± The guild leader sighed. ¡°The curse of this dungeon must have been made with much emotion. I would turn back now if we didn¡¯t have someone who could remove curses. Let¡¯s get going.¡±


    The farther we went, the darker it became until torches needed to be lit just to see it. This was the environment that Lord entered with only two fighters and a servant? He was really bold. That¡¯s all I could say.


    ¡°A zombie!¡± Someone called, and the direction he pointed showed one coming out the darkness.


    Someone shot an arrow, and it struck the zombie in the head. He kept walking a few feet, but quickly stumbled to the ground and died. Did he die because it was a headshot that destroyed the brain, or because his HP had been exhausted? I still didn¡¯t have an answer to how deadly attacks actually were. My only consolation was that I was now on the official payroll of the guild, so I could get some pay for this.


    We ran into a few more zombies and a single skeleton along the way. No one was hurt, so I didn¡¯t have to push my job forward at all. They promised to pay me if I healed anyone or not, considering I was putting my life at risk. However, I made more money if I healed people. Was it wrong hoping a few more people got injured?


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    As for my title, I still hadn¡¯t tested titles for their strengths, but I kept the Hero equipped at the moment. If push came to shove, I felt like whatever status boosts I got from Hero were better than the White Mage. In fact, I already did feel like there was an improvement. My stamina was a little better. I wasn¡¯t winded despite a nearly hour-long walk, whereas I would have been this way had I equipped my White Mage ability. Then again, I felt less of the oppressive feeling when I had White Mage equipped. Thus¡­ I had to be choosy with my job titles.


    We finally reached the dungeon entrance. It looked like the entrance to a tomb and supported the feel of this being a graveyard.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get a fire going.¡± The guild leader ordered. ¡°I want a camp set up, and a defensive perimeter. I don¡¯t want to go into this dungeon only for a group of zombies to ambush us on the way out. Three men will stay as guards. The rest of us will enter and explore the first level and start mapping it out. Hopefully, that buffoon noble is still lost on the first floor, and we can offer some aid.¡±


    I nodded along with everyone else until I realized I was one of the people who was going into the dungeon. With that, I sighed as I watched them start a fire, put up some warning bells around the perimeter, and even set a couple of traps. The adventurers were good at their jobs, so I just let them keep doing what they were doing.


    ¡°Remember folks,¡± The guild leader declared once the preparation was over. ¡°Once we enter the dungeon, there is no resurrection. If we die, we become fuel for a curse. Don¡¯t die.¡±


    The men all nodded in agreement, and then one after another entered the tomb. Setting White Mage just so I could push off the oppressive feeling enough to move my legs, I started walking forward. I was in the very rear, which was both reassuring and a little worrying. At the moment, there was nothing that should be behind me, but what if that wasn¡¯t always true?


    As soon as I entered the dungeon, text appeared across my vision.


    {You have entered Mina¡¯s Dungeon. Destroy the lore to break the curse or complete the lore to become a true dungeon diver!}

 Chapter 19

    There were no monsters in the immediate area, so Dungeon Diving was actually a bit boring. The dungeon gave off the impression of a tomb. The walls were made up like an underground catacomb. It was dank and dark, but with White Mage job equipped, I could stave off the oppressive atmosphere. I cast Refresh on myself, and a blue light surrounded me, and I felt much better.


    ¡°What did you cast?¡± the female in the group asked.


    ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s a Refresh spell?¡±


    ¡°Please, cast it on me as well!¡±


    Ah¡­ well, it was fine. Using my abilities helped my job level up. Each job seemed to have different conditions, but I was confident that just using the spells was enough to gain experience in the job. If I used the ability to kill a monster, that probably netted the most experience. However, I was a support class, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to level even if I could only depend on defeating monsters. Thus, my leveling came from supporting others. In this case, that meant casting spells to help them.


    ¡°Refresh!¡± I said, just to give her an appropriate warning for the rush of cool magic.


    She let out a breath and then smiled. ¡°That¡¯s really a useful spell. I feel knots coming undone. In combination with a massage, this would be very pleasurable. Perhaps you¡¯d be willing to later?¡±


    I blushed a bit under her look as she smiled at me. The men nearby could drop their mouths open. The one female adventurer in the group was flirting with the support. Their thoughts apparently were on how wonderful Refresh was. Before long, I had to cast Refresh on everyone. By the end, I didn¡¯t level up. It seemed like the difficulty of leveling up rose exponentially. Casting only once was enough to reach level 2 from level 1, but I was at level 4 now, and I still didn¡¯t reach 5.


    We ended up frequently stopping, as one adventurer had been assigned the task of drawing out the labyrinth. I didn¡¯t know what metrics he used, but his map looked pretty accurate. During the break, I walked up to the guild leader, whom I had already grown used to approaching for information.


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    ¡°You mentioned something about lore before,¡± I spoke up while we were waiting to move forward. ¡°What is lore?¡±


    The guild leader raised an eyebrow, but then let out a chuckle. ¡°Ah¡­ you really are unfamiliar with the way of things. Our world is a world of stories. There are thousands of legends¡­ and every person has the potential to create their own lore.¡±


    So, the lore was something literal? We¡¯re actually talking about stories here?


    ¡°If lore is bad, filled with negative emotion, and most of all, incomplete¡­ it can often begin to fester. At that point, lore becomes a curse, and it embeds itself into the earth. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Not particularly¡­¡± I smiled apologetically.


    ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s like this¡­ say someone dies, but it¡¯s a particularly nasty death. They die in a way where they left with much regret.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ like a vengeful spirit?¡±


    The guild leader nodded excitedly. ¡°Exactly. Vengeful spirits can come of that. But let¡¯s imagine if it¡¯s something more significant. A lot of bitter emotions from a very mighty person. Maybe a hero''s death. Or perhaps an event that affects a lot of people, like a battle or an epidemic. This grows into something far more substantial and more threatening than a single spirit. It embeds itself into the ground and festers, spreading a curse. The dungeon is then formed as a manifestation of that curse.¡±


    ¡°Our job is to work our way to the bottom of the dungeon, where the lore has crystalized into a core. Some people call it a dungeon core¡­ but it¡¯s actually the source of the lore. Once we destroy it, the curse will die, and the dungeon will shrivel up and collapse.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s something like that¡­¡± To think, an incomplete story could end up creating something so dark and moody.


    What was this dungeon story? When I entered the dungeon, it did mention destroying the lore. That just meant destroying the dungeon core. However, what was the other option about?


    ¡°What does it mean by completing the lore and becoming a true dungeon diver?¡±


    The guild leader missed a step and tripped, barely catching himself. He shot me a suspicious look.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know of lore, but you know of true dungeon divers?¡±


    I chuckled uncomfortably, scratching the back of my head. ¡°It¡¯s just something I heard somewhere and put the two together.¡±


    The guild leader nodded after a second, not continuing the questions. ¡°Well, to keep it simple, there is a second way to complete a dungeon. For that, you must learn why a dungeon was created, and then do something to ease its burden. It¡¯s a hundred times harder to accomplish, and no one even tries it anymore, but the supposed benefits are also many times better.¡±


    Ah¡­ well, I had no intention of completing this dungeon in either way, so I¡¯d just leave it at that.

 Chapter 20

    We continued on for most of the first day.  Most of the 1<sup>st</sup> level was mapped out, and we were standing at the stairway to the next level. I had to heal a few people, but compared to the mob that had attacked the town, this was pretty light. If this was because most of the zombies were in the deeper floors or because the party before us had cleared them out, I didn¡¯t know.


    Despite all of that, I hadn¡¯t leveled just yet. Yeah, leveling quickly became more expensive. By the time I reached level ten, I could imagine it taking months to level. By the time I¡¯m level twenty, possibly years. I asked around, and most people had their job levels around twenty to thirty. Apparently, people couldn¡¯t change their jobs either. That was one of the actions of a priest. That meant my job swapping ability must have been an exceptional result of my abnormal entrance into this world. Or maybe it was a particular part of the support class. I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°This level wasn¡¯t too bad.¡± The guild leader spoke to the party. ¡°The undead are stronger at night. Let¡¯s head back to the camp and rest. Now that we know the way, we¡¯ll be able to take the second floor tomorrow without too much issue.¡±


    ¡°What about the other party?¡± One of the men asked, licking his lips.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any indication they entered. It¡¯s possible that the guy was all talk and fled the moment he saw the entrance.¡± The guild leader said.


    This caused a couple of chuckles. In truth, the undead atmosphere put a bit of pressure down on the group and was starting to wear the adventurers down. As a White Mage, I seemed to be able to push it off. The men all asked for another Refresh, which appeared to have a positive effect on the mental pressure they were receiving. With that done, we headed back to the entrance to take a break for the night. Of everyone present, I was probably in the best shape. I hadn¡¯t once been in the front lines, and only had to cast spells. I was a bit sleepy, but Refresh could stave that off for a bit.


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    No one was upset by this. I had healed two curses so far, and my reputation among the other six was soaring. They all remarked that it was actually quite nice having a healer along. Even things you don¡¯t think about like sore muscles and rashes can be cured with a heal spell, and I wasn¡¯t in the least bit stingy in helping the men along. Their comfort was my survival. At least, that¡¯s how I saw it.


    We reached the entrance and headed out towards the camp. Immediately, something seemed off. First of all, the two men that were left behind were not present. Secondly, the fire had been allowed to die. The guild leader held up his hand to stall everyone at the entrance to the dungeon. He walked forward, approaching the fire that was only smoldering. If he wasn¡¯t holding a lantern, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to see him through the thick smog and oppressive darkness.


    He kneeled down and picked up some of the cooled ash in his fingers, looking at it. I didn¡¯t know if it was some kind of scouting technique, but it gave me some confidence in his leadership, and I relaxed a bit. Then there was a crack, and our eyes instantly shot to the darkness just outside his lantern light. Shapes were moving, and more and more of them were appearing by the second.


    The Guild leader stood up as he eyed the darkness and then pulled his sword. ¡°It¡¯s a trap! Back into the dungeon!¡±


    As he spoke, a couple hundred zombies and skeletons broke into the light, flooding towards the guild leader. This was a tad bigger than the army that had attacked the town the previous night, except there was no wall, there were a 1/3 the number of adventurers, and they were all coming at once. He drew his massive sword and with a single swing knocked a few away before backing up strategically into the dungeon. Everyone was backing up and drawing swords. It was clear the night would be long and difficult.

 Chapter 21

    It was dark, and I kept getting pushed back. A guy eventually grabbed me and pulled me behind him.


    ¡°Watch out, we¡¯ll need you after!¡±


    We were continuously being forced back by the monsters, but since we had retreated into the dungeon, it was no longer dangerous. Two men could hold against a hundred in these narrow hallways. When one of the men was hurt, he was pulled back, and another man appeared. I offered to heal them, but they declined until they reached someplace safer, so I held off my spells.


    ¡°Mmmmmmm¡­¡± A moan came from behind us, and I turned to see a group of zombies coming.


    They had been waiting at an intersection, and only came forward now. It was clear the zombies were being guided by some force. They seemed to react very aggressively to our presence and even planned a trap. Just like the previous attack on the city, this was all prepared. I understood how the last party had died despite being careful. We had already lost some men who were on guard. I could only hope that they could be resurrected.


    Realizing I¡¯d have to fight if I wanted to live, I lifted my hand and cast the heal spell. I breathed in relief when I saw the white glow around the zombie nearly ten feet away. I had worried about the range, but if the White Mage were supposed to engage in combat, then range really was vital to them. How could they heal teammates in the middle of combat unless healing had some range to it? Thus, I was able to target my enemy. It howled and shot me a look of anger, moving even faster than before.


    I panicked and then cast the spell again. This time, the monster collapsed to the ground, and then it started melting like the one I had killed once before. I cast a spell on the next closest zombie. At my current level, I could handle about ten spells without resting. I didn¡¯t feel like I had any time to spare. With sweaty adventurer¡¯s pushing at my front and zombies at my back, I needed to go all out.


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    A second zombie fell, and then a third. It seemed to take two spells for monsters on this level. The next monster was a skeleton. I had never defeated a skeleton before, but they looked more dangerous than zombies. Usually, the faster adventurers took on the skeletons, who moved more quickly than the zombies. I hit the skeleton with heal. He kept coming. I healed him again. He was now within range to strike me. I cast one last time desperately. At that point he collapsed into a pile of bones, his rusty sword clanging on the floor.


    {White Mage has increased to level 5.}


    {You have unlocked the White Mage skill: Group Heal.}


    The bones melted away, and in their place was a perfect pile of powder. Instinctively, I reached down and picked up the pile of bone powder.


    {You have collected a monster ingredient. You have unlocked the job: Alchemist.}


    A new job and a level? This would have been a joyous occasion if it was not such a desperate situation. Without thinking, I immediately began to cast Group Heal. And then I continued to cast it. My hand started to glow white, and I realized that this one had a distinctly longer casting time. Meanwhile, the zombies from behind were closing in on us.


    ¡°They¡¯re behind us too!¡± Someone finally shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been holding them off!¡± I finally spoke up. ¡°Give me a few moments!¡±


    Two of the closest men got in front of me, blocking the zombies, and I instantly felt better. The spell in total took ten seconds to cast. I didn¡¯t specify in my mind who to target. I aimed for everyone. The spell exploded and a wave a white light flashed through the room. It went out about fifteen meters in both directions. Instantly, all of the zombies and skeletons howled, while the men felt most of their superficial wounds heal. A desperate situation suddenly seemed a bit less desperate.


    As for me, the group heal hit me harder than I expected. I felt really dizzy and almost fell. We weren¡¯t out of things just yet.

 Chapter 22

    ¡°We mapped out a room earlier. It resembles some kind of chapel. The doors can be secured, and we can get some rest for the night.¡± The guy who drew the map suggested.


    The guild leader patted my back. ¡°You doing okay? The spell you just cast, it hurts the zombies, and it helps us. Can you do it again?¡±


    I gave him a queasy look. ¡°I think, but I¡¯ll probably pass out after. That¡¯s as far as my mana will go.¡±


    The guild leader nodded. ¡°Men! We¡¯re going to make for the chapel. When Deek casts his spells, we¡¯re going to push through the crowd behind us and break for it.¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ I¡¯ll carry the little Deek when he passes out.¡± The muscular girl adventurer said, winking at me.


    I really didn¡¯t do anything to try to catch her interest. I really didn¡¯t want to become her plaything. Ah, well, I wanted to live right now, so I was willing to flirt back, but my expression mostly just looked sick. I wasn¡¯t used to these kinds of life and death situations. Even a gaming mentality had its limits in protecting my mind from stress. Fortunately, these adventurers understood all too well that I was just a rookie, even if they called me the town hero.


    ¡°You can do this,¡± The guild leader shot me a thumbs up. ¡°Ready? Go!¡±


    I gritted my teeth. The group was depending on me, so I did the same group spell as before. White light exploded out again. This time, I really did hit my limit. My consciousness slipped away as I fell to the floor. I really hoped we¡¯d make it okay. I realized I was putting a lot of trust in these guys that I barely knew.


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    My eyes opened, and my head throbbed. I felt like I was hungover. Growling, I tried to sit up but only fell back down.


    ¡°Mana exhaustion.¡± A voice next to me said, ¡°Here, we owe you this much at least.¡±


    A vial was pushed down my lips. It was like the mana vial I still had on me. It had never occurred to me earlier to drink it. I could have completely avoided mana exhaustion, but my brain hadn¡¯t been thinking in those terms. As the sweet liquid went down my throat, I felt my strength recovering.


    ¡°How does that feel?¡± The guy who was pushing it down my throat was the guild leader himself.


    ¡°I still have a headache.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, even healing won¡¯t let you get away from that. Just give it an hour. Try to eat something. It¡¯ll help.¡±


    The guild leader helped me up, and I took a seat around a flameless fire. Everyone around me was rather somber. They had been caught in a trap and were now stuck in a dungeon where death was a genuine possibility.


    Although I had my own rations, they put a bowl of something appetizing in front of me. It was a thick tasting soup with noodles and beef. I really enjoyed it. By the time I was done eating, just as the guild leader had predicted, my headache was feeling better.


    The room we were in had two exits, and both were currently shut. Large stone doors sealed us in like a tomb. The room had a certain degree of elegant overtones. They had called it a cathedral, and with pews and altar in the front, it certainly gave the impression of one. All the cobwebs and such made it feel like an abandoned one.


    I walked around the room just to stretch my legs when my eyes fell on something interesting. ¡°Can I get a light?¡± I asked an Adventurer nearby.


    He handed me the lantern on the ground, and I brought it closer to the wall.


    ¡°Did you find something, little one?¡± the voice of the woman came from behind.


    ¡°Yes, it looks a bit like¡­ a mural?¡±

 Chapter 23

    ¡°What¡¯s a mural?¡±


    ¡°A painting on the wall.¡± I explained, ¡°It looks like it tells a story¡­ is this the lore that the guild leader was talking about?¡±


    I looked from one image to the next. Most images depicted between 1-3 people. There were no words, but the actions the images performed were usually pretty clear to me. My lips moved unconsciously as I went from one portrait to the next.


    ¡°Can you read the story?¡± The muscular woman asked with some interest. ¡°Can you tell us?¡±


    Several of the other men had turned in interest and were watching me walk along with the mural with a lantern raised to give clarity. Well, I thought I followed the story, but without words, it was all just conjecture. It could mean something, or it could just as easily be a fairy tale I made up. Everyone seemed to be looking at me, though. Perhaps my robes gave me a scholarly aura, and these adventurers were giving me credit for being smarter than I really was.


    I cleared my throat and turned to the woman, who had moved close enough to me that her chest was a few inches from my face. ¡°Ahem, it depicts a story¡­ a story about a man and a woman¡­¡±


    ¡°A love story?¡± She asked, and then blushed, backing up a step.


    ¡°Sort of¡­¡± I gave a wry smile.


    ¡°The man was a master, and the woman was her slave. If dungeons are truly created by lore, then this means that this dungeon was created by their relationship.¡±


    ¡°A master and a slave?¡± A wolf animalkin snorted. ¡°Probably some poor animal-girl slave.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°It does show her with a tail and ears. If I had to guess, her name is Mina.¡±


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    ¡°Mina?¡± The female adventurer blinked. ¡°I thought you said there were no words?¡±


    I had named her based on the name of the dungeon. However, I didn¡¯t even know if that¡¯s how things went. I didn¡¯t want to explain any of this, so I just decided to take advantage of my scholarly aura and pretend I knew what I was talking about.


    ¡°That¡¯s the name of this dungeon, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Hah? You have Identify?¡± Another guy took notice, the map maker. ¡°That¡¯s the only way you can find out the name of a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah... something like that¡­¡±


    Fortunately, they accepted my words without too much struggle. After all, I was a mysterious class they never heard of. Why couldn¡¯t I have an Identify spell? Actually, I really wish I¡¯d get it. It would make things easier. That would be merchant, right? I¡¯d have to figure out how to level it. That meant a lot of bartering in the future.


    ¡°Anyway, continue¡­¡± The girl said excitedly.


    ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ the story isn¡¯t that complicated. Mina¡¯s first master was abusive and cruel. He''d drag her into dungeons and make her fight for him. One day, they bit off more than they could chew, and her master and the rest of her party fell. She barely managed to escape only to become lost in the dungeon. She was then saved by a young hero. Because her first master had perished, he took her as his slave instead. He offered to free her, but she refused to, afraid of being left with nothing and ending up back in slavery again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the way it is the farther you get into the country¡­¡± The wolfkin explained bitterly, a rabbitkin next to him nodding in affirmation.


    ¡°Yes¡­ well¡­ the girl fell in love with her master, but he only ever saw her as a companion. She never had the courage to tell him that she loved him. Eventually, one day, the hero fell fighting a powerful necromancer. The necromancer brought the hero back to life and ordered it to slay his party. She was killed by the reanimated corpse of the man she loved. Her one desire, to confess, being denied to her.


    The muscle woman looked like she was about to cry. Some of the other men simply looked contemplative, except one guy in the back who actually was openly weeping while rubbing his eyes with the cloth he was earlier using to oil his ax.


    ¡°I wonder what that means for completing the dungeon.¡± I pondered out loud. ¡°Getting her to confess her love? That¡¯s how to finish the lore, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± The guild leader shrugged. ¡°Tomorrow, we¡¯re going the break for the entrance and get out of this dungeon. After that, we¡¯ll get some dungeon divers and wage a proper strike to destroy this dungeon¡¯s lore once and for all.¡±

 Chapter 24

    Before I got some rest, I decided to cast some healing and refresh spells on everyone. Even the smallest wounds were cleaned up, and soon, everyone was back to their full condition. The Refresh spell also helped them maintain their minds and keep their sanity. The whole event looked a lot less bleak after everyone was back to 100%.


    Although there were occasional bumps on the door from a zombie, the stone doors were locked and heavy. We would be safe until the morning. After finishing my healing duties, I decided that going back to sleep would be a good idea. Since we were indoors, I only pulled out my sleeping roll and then got ready. If it weren¡¯t for the catacombs and the zombies, this would almost feel like camping. I slept somewhere close to the fire, enjoying the feeling of the radiant heat on my feet.


    When I drifted off, I dreamed of the scene I had read on the mural. Except, the girl took on the face of the catkin girl who went into the catacombs with the noble. She was a cute girl. I wondered why I couldn''t get her out of my mind. Well, unlike the hero of the story, I had no plan to rescue her from her master.


    I was just shaken awake by the big sister adventurer. ¡°It¡¯s time to go, little one.¡±


    I nodded, yawned, stretched, and then stood up. Just about everyone was already up and ready to go. They must have let me sleep longer because of the usefulness of my Refresh. I was very thankful I found a party full of good people. Still, I quickly packed everything away to avoid holding anyone up. Once everyone was ready, the guild leader made a starting gesture at the door.


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    ¡°We¡¯re going!¡± Two men pushed open the door.


    The crowd of zombies wasn¡¯t there. There were only a few. The men quickly dispatched of them. Then, we began to move at a brisk pace, jogging through the corridors.


    ¡°With luck, we should be able to get through this without getting swamped again.¡± One of the guys muttered.


    ¡°Shh¡­ don¡¯t jinx it.¡± Shot another.


    I realized at that point that I really didn¡¯t know anybody¡¯s name. There was the guild leader, the big muscular sister, the wolfkin, the map guy, a bunnykin, a guy who looked like a rogue, and a guy who wore armor and a shield like a knight. I didn¡¯t even remember the three who had died last night. When we got out of this, I would definitely ask for their names and remember them, even though I was really bad at it.


    ¡°Raaawrr!¡± A roar of numerous voices came down the hallway.


    ¡°Damn it, you had to say something!¡± the rogue growled.


    ¡°What do we do, guild leader?¡± the muscular sister asked.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t push through, then we die here. Besides, if we don¡¯t kill them here, we¡¯ll be fighting them as they attack our village.¡±


    That was an argument everyone could understand. If a wave this large attacked the village again, there was no guarantee that it could be kept back. The only choice was to kill as many zombies as possible and hold off the attack on the village until some skilled dungeon divers or higher-level guild branches arrived.


    ¡°Everyone, get all of your mana potions out and give them to Deek. Deek, we¡¯re going to depend on you a bit. Don¡¯t knock yourself unconscious. Just cast that spell when we need it. It does wonder for crowd control.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes¡­¡±


    As I agreed to the plan, about ten mana potions were dumped into my lap. This was a small fortune, but that was precisely how needy everyone was right now. I even pulled out my own mana potion I had won from earlier. There was no point in holding back anymore. It was do or die. There was one thing I was certain of though. I never wanted to go back to another dungeon in my entire life.

 Chapter 25

    The group took on a strategy I was familiar with called kiting. As the zombie hoard moved forward, we kept backing up and taking a few at a time. The zombies were fortunately quite dumb, and the ambush set up yesterday was about as far as they could think. The cursed dungeon might have something akin to strategy and intelligence, but once the monster was created, it lost all control of what the monster did. At least, that¡¯s how these guys explained it to me.


    Thus, we took out a couple of zombies at a time, using some people to take potshots with arrows and slings, while others held them back with shields and swords. We¡¯d back up to get some distance, rinse and repeat. The strategy was working very well, and the zombies were going down quickly. Only when things got terrible did I need to cast a group heal. So far, I''d managed to avoid taking any mana potions. Spirits were high.


    Creeeeek.


    A stone suddenly depressed an inch, and spikes came out to the side. This wasn¡¯t under my feet. In fact, I was standing back from where they came, but the screeching metal certainly frightened me. The guy in armor was struck on the side, but he managed to jump away without being impaled.


    ¡°This dungeon, seriously¡­ now it¡¯s spawning traps?¡± The rabbitkin shouted as he swung a stone into the group of zombies and knocked one in the head, strong enough to leave a dent.


    ¡°This is a young dungeon.¡± The guild leader sighed. ¡°If it had spawned farther away from town, it might have had time to grow and settle. This one is acting out of desperation. It won¡¯t be able to keep it up. I suspect its ability to resist us will diminish soon.¡±


    ¡°Suspect or wish?¡± the wolfkin up front said sarcastically.


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    ¡°Can¡¯t they be both?¡± The guild leader shot back.


    ¡°Deek, let¡¯s heal him quickly.¡± The big sister had helped the guy up as he limped over to me.


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes.¡± I nodded, walking over to the man on the ground.


    I waved my hand and healed him.


    ¡°Again,¡± he said.


    ¡°Ah¡­ okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Again¡­¡±


    Yikes! Well, it wasn¡¯t too surprising that an armored guy like this would be an HP sink. In the end, I needed to heal him six times before he was happy. I ended up drinking a mana potion to recover. He stood back up, thanked me, and then went to hold the front line. Those blades must have really hurt. I had the feeling that if they had struck me, they would have been devastating.


    Creeeek. Another trap was triggered.


    As everyone dodged away, a door opened. Another horde of zombies came out from behind us. This was seriously bad! I cast Group Heal immediately. The spell rejuvenated the party, but it enraged the zombies.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± the big sister yelled.


    I had some distance from the others, and for the moment, all of the zombies nearby were focused on me. I turned to run back to the party and safety. I wasn¡¯t going to make some kind of last stand or anything. I wanted to live as much as the next guy. I ran towards the big sister, never feeling gladder that she was looking out for me.


    Creeeeek.


    This trap was indeed one I had stepped on. Crunch! The ground under me gave way. My last sight of the party was the big sister¡¯s surprised face. After that, I was falling. I was certain I¡¯d be falling on to some spikes, but I ended up in some kind of slide chute. When I came out, I skidded across the floor about ten feet. Standing up and feeling a bit dizzy, I tried to get my location figured out.


    There were definitely zombies down here. In fact, they had me surrounded.


    ¡°Di-did you come to save me?¡± A voice came from behind.


    I looked back to see a familiar girl. It was the slave animalkin that had been with the party before. She had no backpack on, and there were dirt and numerous scraps on her body. As for the rest of her party, they were gone.


    ¡°Just run!¡± I declared, grabbing her hand and heading off in the opposite direction of the incoming zombies.

 Chapter 26

    I had no intention of fighting the zombies. They were far too terrifying. Our only choice was to run. While a few zombies chased after us, these seemed to quickly lose interest. Thankfully, this floor wasn¡¯t like the previous floor, which was swamped with zombies. Having stopped to catch our breath, my eyes fell on the girl in front of me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that your master and party were killed.¡±


    Naturally, I was able to see the comparison here. Her previous master looked like a bastard. She was all alone. I happened to have the hero title. She was a slave animal-girl. It was almost as if the events that made this dungeon were reenacting themselves. Was that what it meant by completing the lore? Did it need to end with us defeating the necromancer and her confessing her love to me? Was that the way to 100% complete this dungeon?


    It was almost like the dungeon was seeking this resolution. Perhaps lore desired to be completed? It made sense that it would resist being destroyed, but welcome being completed. Every story sought a conclusion, right? Well, this was all my mind just jabbering. There was no way I was going to be able to complete this lore.


    After all, I didn¡¯t know this girl, and the likelihood of her falling in love with an overweight White Mage who could only drag her around as he ran like a coward wasn¡¯t exactly a scene of romance. There would be no way I¡¯d be completing this lore. Instead, destroying it seemed like the best idea, but that was for someone much stronger and more willing than me.


    ¡°No¡­¡± she shook her head, which she kept lowered a demure. ¡°Master is alive. I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Instantly, the situation was different, which made me feel slightly better.


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    ¡°Mm!¡± She nodded, ¡°One of his men fell in the battle, and so he ordered me to run outward and distract the zombies while he got away.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± My voice was much flatter this time.


    This noble who wanted to be called a hero really was a scum. Even I wouldn¡¯t have sacrificed someone for my own life.


    The girl was a catkin with a collar around her neck. Her ears and tail were black and orange with stripes. She had a small form, but average size breasts, that looked a bit big because of her skinny and short size. She wasn¡¯t to the extent of a loli, but it was clear she had grown up malnourished and was a bit of a runt. However, her face was pretty, and her eyes were gold-colored with just the slightest hint of a cat slit. I really wanted to touch her ears, which twitched every time there was a noise in the distance.


    ¡°How did you survive then?¡±


    The girl blushed. ¡°I run fast. The zombies and skeletons don¡¯t seem to have much interest in me.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ do you have any fighting ability?¡± I asked.


    The girl shook her head, her tail lashing shamefully, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I have no skills. Master keeps telling me I¡¯m useless for anything but fodder.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ unfortunate. I, too, don¡¯t have the ability to fight.¡± I admitted.


    ¡°Ahn?¡± She looked up, her cat ears twitching, ¡°I thought you were the hero?¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡± I laughed tightly. ¡°Well, I can heal alright. Look. I think we¡¯ll need to work together if we¡¯re going to get out of this dungeon. Will you work with me?¡±


    I held out my hand, offering it. She looked at it suspiciously. Was even this more of a kindness than she was used to? Very slowly, she brought out her hands like a paw, and then put it in mine. I awkwardly shook it. A very slight smile formed on her face for a fraction of a second, and I couldn¡¯t help but stare at how much more beautiful she looked when she smiled. I really wanted to make her smile again.


    Before I could think of something to say, text started shooting across my vision.


    {Lydia has joined your party. Experience will be shared.}


    {Name: Lydia


    Class: Speed Combat


    Job: Commoner (Slave) level 8


    Unlocked Jobs: Cook (level1), Swordsman(level1), Thief(level1), Scout(level1)


    Race: Tigerkin}

 Chapter 27

    Lydia was a tigerkin, not a catkin? I supposed that explained the black and orange stripes. I really had no clue about these things. Her class also looked pretty good. Speed combat meant she theoretically could bounce around these monsters with ease. Like me, she might have a strong affinity in this dungeon. However, we were both just too low of a level to really be able to protect ourselves.


    Plus, she had Commoner as her job. Was there a way to set it so that she was using Swordsman?


    {Lydia¡¯s job has been switched to Swordsman.}


    ¡°Eh?¡± Lydia let go of my hand, looking around with a strange look.


    ¡°Did you notice anything?¡± I asked, a little surprised.


    This must be a part of my support class. Being able to change people¡¯s jobs would be the epitome of support. It was likely why I could change my own as well. As I came to understand more about this world, it seemed like classes could not be changed. You were born with a particular class, and it defined everything else about you. For example, Lydia was a speed combat class. It probably meant she had some bonuses to speed, which was how she was able to avoid the zombies. It also meant she probably did really well with jobs that needed speed, like thieving, swordsman, and scouting. Maybe it was easier to obtain these jobs for her. At the very least, they should level faster than any other jobs.


    I wondered if anyone in this world knew about classes other than me. Jobs seemed to be an accepted part of this world, as well as job levels, but class affinity was something I had never heard the other adventurers talk about. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder that if the noble knew her class affinity, would he have written her off as weak. Usually, you had to visit a priest to do a job change. I could do it because of my support class affinity, but if the slaver didn¡¯t know about her class, then he never would have thought to change her job to something else. At least, that was my theory right now.


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    ¡°You¡¯re Lydia, right? A tigerkin?¡± I just wanted to clear the air with her.


    ¡°Ah, you know my name?¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes widened in wonder.


    ¡°Your¡­ um¡­ master said it in the Guild before.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Her head lowered again. ¡°I¡¯m a catkin. Not a tigerkin. Tigerkin is impossible¡­¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re an animalkin variant that is exceptionally rare and coveted. There is nothing special about me. My master tells me that all the time.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps your master is just an idiot,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡±


    ¡°I said¡­ I think we have a monster coming.¡± I had just noticed a skeleton coming around the corner.


    Unfortunately, it noticed us and started heading in our direction. It had a sword in its hand, but it was of far nicer quality than the ones I had seen before. In fact, it looked almost as good as the ones many of the adventurers were using.


    ¡°Stand back,¡± I said. ¡°I can usually kill these things by healing them to death.¡±


    The girl cocked her head questioningly but did as I said. I waved my hand and cast Weak Heal. It struck him. He let out a cry that made my heart tremble. It was a lot scarier than the ones I had battled before. I cast a spell again. I should only need one more. I cast a third time. However, the monster showed no signs of slowing down. In fact, he was taking up speed.


    ¡°Wait¡­ 1<sup>st</sup> floor had skeletons with rusty swords¡­¡± I voiced out loud.


    ¡°We¡¯re not on the 1<sup>st</sup> floor, but the 5<sup>th</sup>,¡± the girl spoke quietly.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I think we should run again.¡±

 Chapter 28

    ¡°Hah¡­ Hah¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ he is persistent. Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have attacked him without ascertaining if I could take him,¡± I said, trying to keep my breath as my running barely could outdistance the skeleton, which was already faster than zombies. ¡°Go on without me.¡±


    The spry speed combat specialist Lydia could easily outdistance both me and the skeleton. I had no doubt of that. She was keeping her speed down to my level, which wasn¡¯t very fast. I had even switched to Hero for a bit to get a boost of stamina, but in the end, I was just too chubby and lacked fitness. Given training, I could have been better, but that was the brunt of it. They say in zombie apocalypses it¡¯d be the fat people who die first. I can vouch for that one, although getting chopped apart by a skeleton was slightly more preferable than being torn apart by a zombie.


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave¡­¡± Lydia spoke stubbornly, a strangely resistant expression on her face for a slave. ¡°Try to heal it some more.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± I said, huffing.


    From level 1 to level 5, the difficulty had increased by way too much. I already had cast heal on it ten times, and it was still walking. I had to drink a mana potion just to keep going. Another two heals allowed me to notice that the skeleton could no longer just walk it off. Each time I healed it, it was stunned for about a second. That was progress, but who knew how many more heals it¡¯d take to defeat it. More than that, we could run into another powerful skeleton around any corner. We were aimlessly moving around the 5<sup>th</sup> floor at the moment.


    ¡°When I cast the spell, I want you to take the sword from the skeleton.¡±


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    ¡°Wh-what?¡± The girl¡¯s voice came out in a squeak.


    I reached forward and patted the top of her head. ¡°I believe in you. You¡¯re fast, and deep inside you is a powerful swordsman waiting to come out. If we can disarm the skeleton, we should be able to dispatch it quickly.¡±


    The girl winced at first from my unexpected touch, but then she pushed her head against my hand almost like a cat, her eyes closed, and for a second, I thought I felt a purr. Her eyes opened just as quickly, and she gave me a nod.


    ¡°Mm! I will act as Master commands.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your Master though¡­¡± I said wryly, but she had already turned to face the incoming skeleton.


    I raised my hand and said it out loud this time. ¡°Weak Heal!¡±


    White light burst around the skeleton, and it froze for a second like the last couple of times. As for Lydia, she leaped forward and grabbed for the sword. The skeleton tried to pull away from her. I winced at its quicker than expected recovery time.


    ¡°Weak Heal!¡± I shot the spell at him again.


    It backhanded Lydia, and she flew away. However, its sword went with her. She struck a wall and crumbled down to the floor. I didn¡¯t know how hurt she was, but I didn¡¯t have time to think because the skeleton immediately ignored her and began heading towards me. I thought it¡¯d look less intimidating without the sword, but with its claw-like fingers outstretched, it looked very intimidating.


    ¡°Weak heal!¡± I declared again.


    It got a few steps closer.


    ¡°Group Heal!¡± I shouted.


    Even if I couldn¡¯t stop it, maybe she¡¯d wake up and have a chance to escape now. The mana deprivation overtook me, and I fell down on one knee. The skeleton was now on top of me. It raised its claws, swiping for my throat.


    Thunk!


    A sword swung out and struck the skull of the skeleton. A moment later, there was only half of a skull. The skeleton fell down to the ground as a pile of bones appeared right in front of me. Behind was Lydia, breathing roughly, blood dripping down the side of her head, the sword gripped so tightly in her hands that it was shaking.


    {White Mage has increased to level 6.}


    {You have unlocked the White Mage skill: Divine Aura.}

 Chapter 29

    ¡°What is Divine Aura?¡± I asked suddenly.


    Lydia blinked. ¡°What, Master?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ never mind.¡± I stood back up, taking my fourth mana potion.


    I was down to only seven left. However, I was at level 6 now. I suspected that Lydia must have leveled up too, considering that skeleton was so powerful. I checked her out. Yeah, she was at Swordsman level 3. What skills did that give her? I actually had no clue. That was kind of depressing. There had to be a guide in this world of what skills people got at what levels. If we ever got out of here, I would definitely look into what was written about jobs. That¡¯s when I remembered that I couldn¡¯t read. Learn to read first, then figure out about jobs.


    ¡°Lydia, are you okay?¡± I asked, touching her cheek where there was blood while simultaneously casting magic.


    Lydia shuttered and closed her eyes. ¡°Master¡¯s magic¡­ feels good.¡±


    I could only sigh. She was insisting on calling me master, it seemed. It was possibly from the stress of the dungeon. As long as I acted as her master, she could continue to move forward without thinking. I wanted to live, so this was probably very suiting. Had she seen me as a hero who was going to save her, like in the story, we would both be dead. I¡¯m sorry, Lydia, but you will need to be my weapon here. I had no intention of taking the sword from her hand.


    ¡°Lydia, you are a swordswoman now,¡± I explained. ¡°You should have some innate ability to use swords now.¡±


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    Lydia¡¯s eyes widened, and then she nodded. ¡°I did feel a bit like I knew how to swing the sword against the skeleton. I can¡­ I can really fight back?¡±


    ¡°You saved my life and defeated that skeleton. I believe you are capable of fighting. Will you keep using this sword?¡±


    ¡°Eh? This¡­¡± She looked down at the new sword in her hand. ¡°This¡­ it¡¯s too much. I can¡¯t keep something this valuable.¡±


    ¡°Then, allow me to lend it to you.¡± It was better to work within her framework than to argue with her.


    By all accounts, she had wrestled it away from the skeleton. In my mind, this sword belonged to her. However, it seemed like a slave couldn¡¯t own things. In that case, I¡¯ll take it. I¡¯m not going to try to force her to change her behavior, especially since she was still a slave. I had no predisposition for wanting to change the system. I applauded the town for emancipating slaves, but I for one, wouldn¡¯t put my life on the line to change this world based on my own notions of right and wrong.


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s okay then.¡± She finally agreed. ¡°But¡­ these monsters are scary¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re faster than them, and if you get hurt, I can heal you,¡± I explained. ¡°You had to face these monsters before without even a weapon. Now that you have one, I believe you have the strength to stay alive.¡±


    I felt immensely guilty. She was a sweet, innocent girl who probably had never fought before in her life. However, I was turning her into a weapon and admitting she¡¯d get hurt some more, just to protect myself. This was the level I was willing to go to live. I could probably use the sword myself, but my class had no affinity for that job, and I was too afraid of pain. She suddenly broke into tears, and I lowered my head, waiting for her admonishment.


    ¡°Thank¡­. Thank you¡­ master.¡± She spoke as she cried softly.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve given me¡­ strength.¡±


    I didn¡¯t understand it at all, but as long as she was happy, I¡¯d put my guilt aside and continue to use her to survive.

 Chapter 30

    ¡°Now¡­ you see here, a lone zombie. Try to attack it.¡±


    Before we got into a worse situation, I wanted her to familiarize herself with the weapon. Before we fought our way out of the dungeon, I wanted to make sure she could handle it. Plus, perhaps we could earn a few levels. I even considered equipping Hero and trying to level it. The skills I unlocked with Hero were bound to be powerful. Well, Return didn¡¯t work in a dungeon, I had already tried it, so even Hero skills had setbacks, but there was always hope.


    ¡°Yes, Master, I¡¯m ready.¡± Lydia looked more determined than before; her tail was lashing excitedly as she held her sword tightly in her small hands.


    ¡°Wait, before you do that, let me try this. Divine Aura!¡±


    I tried to cast the spell on her. I was pretty confident it was a stat buffing spell. Perhaps it would help her fight monsters. In that respect, maybe it was something I could cast on the zombies to weaken them as well.


    {This spell can only be cast on objects.}


    ¡°Ah¡­ it seems I misused it,¡± I said while Lydia cocked her head in confusion. ¡°Divine Aura!¡±


    This time, I aimed for her sword. It suddenly glowed a bright white and then faded. Afterword, the sword looked white in color and gave off a hint of glow. Lydia¡¯s eyes locked on her sword, which looked slightly magical, and an exciting look grew on her face.


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    ¡°Master is amazing.¡±


    ¡°I can just do what I do. This should give you more strength. Make sure to attack when it''s not looking.¡±


    Lydia nodded and kept herself squat, waiting for the zombie to turn away. Then, she silently raced towards the zombie, moving far faster than I could have while making no noise. She really did have the stealth of a cat. She could be a genuinely terrifying enemy if she wanted to be. The zombie didn¡¯t even turn as she struck it in the back. There was a white flash and a sound of burning flesh. The attack looked much more brutal than a simple slide should have been.


    However, this was a 5<sup>th</sup> level zombie, so this wasn¡¯t enough to defeat it. The monster turned around and swiped at Lydia. However, her agility was far beyond the swipes of a zombie, and she easily avoided it. I cast Weak Heal on it, and the zombie was stunned. She used the opportunity to attack again. We repeated this three times, and the zombie finally fell. I didn¡¯t level, but I had the feeling I¡¯d be leveling very quickly this way.


    ¡°Master¡­ we defeated him!¡± She ran up to me excitedly, delight shining in her eyes.


    I didn¡¯t realize why she was standing there until she awkwardly leaned her head towards me. I gave a wry smile and then patted her head. She closed her eyes, and the smile from before showed on her face. Her ears were right there, twitching. I couldn¡¯t stop myself, so my hand went out and stroked her ear.


    ¡°Ahnnn¡­¡± Lydia moaned, but then she pulled away, grabbing her ears and blushing. ¡°M-m-master¡­ th-that¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± I blushed. ¡°I got carried away.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s okay¡­ because it¡¯s Master,¡± she said, but I noticed she didn¡¯t offer me her head again.


    It looked like I had pushed things a little too far. Well, I barely knew her, after all. Instead, we should be focusing on escaping, but it was getting a bit late, and I was tired and hungry.


    ¡°Let¡¯s look for a safe place to rest,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Yes, Master¡­¡± She spoke in a shy voice, and the atmosphere between us felt strange.


    I shouldn¡¯t have touched her ears. I let out a sigh.

 Chapter 31

    It took longer to find a place to settle than I thought. Any time we ran into more than one enemy, we went another direction. It made traveling very slow. It also felt like this 5th floor might be about twice the size of the 1st floor, but without comparing the maps I had no way to tell for certain if it was true.


    We ended up taking out two more zombies, and Lydia went up to Swordsman level 4. Whatever skills she was gaining, I wasn¡¯t aware of them. I felt a bit frustrated not knowing what she had. For all I knew, she had a super special spell that would be able to wipe out all our enemies without danger. Well, that wasn¡¯t likely. Each fight went the same way. She would swipe, I¡¯d heal, and then she''d swipe again. Since her first attack, she hadn¡¯t been hurt once and seemed in surprisingly good spirits.


    ¡°This room¡­ it¡¯s familiar,¡± I said as we entered a cathedral looking room. ¡°Close that door over there.¡±


    I pushed to close the stone door we walked through and then went to help Lydia close the other, which turned out to be way too heavy for her, even with all her force. She blushed as I held my hands over her head and helped her push. With luck, we managed to get both doors shut and locked. This was the end of day two for me in this dungeon. We were at a cathedral that looked very similar to the one I had seen on the first floor. Perhaps there was one of these on each floor of the dungeon.


    I pulled out supplies from my backpack. Lydia¡¯s had been abandoned as she ran from the zombies, so we only had my supplies. She thanked me to the point of tears when I offered to share with her. Did she think I was going to let her starve? Well, I only had a week of provisions for one person. Assuming it took a day each level to get back out, that was a 4-day journey. We could barely make it. That last day we¡¯d both be starving. I didn¡¯t hold back rations though. We needed our strength if we wanted to make it, and I barely knew the meaning of eating light.


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    Lydia got the campfire going quickly and started taking some of the rations and cooking them. I offered to cook, but Lydia insisted on doing it to show her appreciation. I set her job to Cook. Maybe she¡¯d get experience for it then. I greatly anticipated having a girl make food for me. Of course, I had eaten at restaurants before, but this would actually be my first time eating food prepared by someone who wasn¡¯t my mother, and she wasn¡¯t much of a cook.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Lydia asked as I approached a wall and found a familiar mural there.


    ¡°It¡¯s the story of this dungeon,¡± I said, glancing at the pictures. ¡°Eh? This is a different story!¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me the story?¡± She asked, her tail swishing and her eyes curious as she stirred a pot of stew.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ this story is about a pair of siblings. There was a brother and his sister.¡± I explained. ¡°The brother always vowed to protect his sister, and the pair were very close. You see, their mother and father had died in a war, and while they were allowed to live in the village, they only had each other to depend on. Then, one day, slavers came to their village. They were animalkin and it was an animalkin village, and the slavers attacked it to steal slaves and sell them. The brother tried to run with his sister, but she wasn¡¯t able to keep up and fell behind. The slavers caught her, while the brother could only watch helplessly from his hiding spot. He failed to protect the last family he had.¡±


    ¡°And then?¡± Lydia was leaning forward, her ears perked up.


    ¡°It sort of just ends there. He left to seek the power to get vengeance on those that took his sister and enslaved her. There is something about raising an army to fight the humans, but that¡¯s it. I suppose we need to find the next cathedral if we want more of the story,¡± I said uncertainly.


    ¡°We definitely must!¡± She responded excitedly, grasping the spoon in her hand like a weapon.


    I just didn¡¯t understand how it fits with the first part of the story. That was a simple tale. If this was all Mina¡¯s tale, then was Mina the sister who was kidnapped? Was this how she ended up a slave? I felt like it was a puzzle, and I was just missing a few pieces to understanding the whole story.

 Chapter 32

    We ended up spending the night in the cathedral. Lydia did her best with the rations I provided, but they were pretty bland. I told her it was delicious anyway. After all, it was made by a pretty girl, so it was naturally better. The food might improve when Cook reached level 2, but she''d probably have to make a few meals first. Wait, did a Cook job even work that way? That job might just allow someone to cook more complex foods, rather than make normal foods taste better. More research was needed. I might need to take up cooking. I was used to cooking for myself anyway.


    I gave Lydia my bedroll, but she absolutely wouldn¡¯t take it, insisting that she had to sleep on the floor. Had I more guts, I might have offered to share the bedroll. I didn¡¯t think she would mind. However, after the ear incident, I didn¡¯t want things to be awkward between us anymore, so I chickened out.


    We woke up the next morning, ate dry food, and then carefully opened the door. It was time to start working on our escape. It was very unlikely that the adventuring team would work their way down to this floor any time soon. Rescue could be weeks away. Therefore, we had no choice but to continue forward. We found the stairway down before we found the stairway up. It took a while to realize where the stairway up was because it was surrounded by zombies and skeletons.


    Up until that point, we tried to avoid encounters, and if we did fight, it was usually only one. After the most recent kill, Lydia¡¯s Swordsman job leveled to 5 and my White Mage job leveled to 7. This could be considered an incredible rate for normal people, but we were seriously putting our lives on the line here. Without Divine Aura and Lydia¡¯s speed, this dungeon would have been impossible for the pair of us. Even then, if we were seen by more than two enemies, we had no choice but to run until they lost track of us.


    That was, at least, until I leveled. At level 7, the spell I got was Harm Undead. It did a bit more damage than weak heal, and it used a lot less mana. It also cast quickly with good distance. Suffice it to say, I grew a lot more confident after earning it, and we started fighting groups of two as well. However, we finally reached a point where the zombies were just too congested to do anything like that with them. Any attempt to attract a zombie¡¯s attention led to four or more chasing after us.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to need to kite them,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ll attract the four and lead them on. I¡¯ll cast the spells I can to take them down until there is two left. Can you take out the other two?¡±


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    By this point, we had been fighting all day, and Lydia had grown used to being face to face with a zombie. Her movements were a lot more confident as she grew used to the sword. We had only run into one other skeleton on this floor, and their sword wasn¡¯t as nice as the one she acquired, so it was still the same one from before. As for Divine Aura, I needed to cast it about once every ten minutes to maintain the light shining from it and its extra damage.


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Like that, we steadily whittled down the zombie menace. Levels came harder and harder the higher up we got. As I didn''t gain another level in White Mage, I considered other options that could increase our suitability. Near the end of a few fights when Lydia was taking care of the last zombie, I switched to Hero so that it would get the experience instead. After a few kills, it leveled up by one.


    {You have unlocked the Hero skill: Switch Position.}


    And the skill was a bit useless. I practiced it a few times with Lydia, who clapped excitedly by what was essentially a teleportation spell. The skill allowed me to swap positions with anyone in my party. It could be cast instantly, but it locked our feet in place for about 2 seconds after, making the spell exceptionally bad.  If I was an actual hero, I could use it to take a hit for someone in danger. However, as a support, I could only throw my party under the bus and flee before I was hit. Since there would be no warning for them, they would assuredly be hit in my place. It was the ultimate in douchey skill if I was the one to use it. I decided to return to White Mage and hope I got more spells that could aid in killing the undead.


    We had finally cleared out the corridor with the zombies in it. We could now progress to the 4<sup>th</sup> floor. That¡¯s when I noticed that the staircase only went up about three steps. Wait, why was there rubble there?


    ¡°S-seriously?¡± I said in disbelief. ¡°Can a dungeon even cheat like this?¡±


    The stairway had collapsed. Giant boulders now barricaded our way out of the labyrinth.


    ¡°This must have been¡­ other Masters doing.¡± Lydia said as she put a hand on the stone. ¡°He¡¯s used similar tactics before to stop enemies from chasing him.¡±


    ¡°That noble really left us for dead,¡± I moaned bitterly.


    "The dungeon will heal itself in a few days," Lydia explained. ¡°What shall we do, Master?¡±


    ¡°We may be out of food by then. We have no choice but to keep going down¡­ and hope that we get a spell that takes up back up to the surface.¡± I responded regretfully.


    If we could land on a trap like the one that sent me to the 5th floor in reverse, that would be the best.

 Chapter 33

    Heading down to the sixth floor, I realized that I had no clue how deep this dungeon went. It was a rather new dungeon, so it shouldn¡¯t be that many more floors. At least, that¡¯s what I had heard from the other adventurers.


    ¡°I heard that every 5 levels, the difficulty increases drastically,¡± Lydia spoke up. ¡°That tough skeleton we fought was likely the mid-boss. Every ten levels have a boss, ever 5 levels have a mid-boss.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­ I thought bosses would be in something in like a boss room.¡±


    ¡°The tenth level boss is¡­ but the mid-boss is usually just an abnormally strong monster of the same version as the other monsters on that level which wanders the floor.¡±


    Point being, things were only going to get harder from here on out. We peaked around carefully, looking for the mobs. I was relieved to see that there were more zombies, but every level down so far, they had grown stronger. These zombies, in particular, looked really beefy. In comparison, the ones on the surface were practically emaciated. At the time, I thought that was just how zombies looked. Only now did I realize they got thicker and stronger looking the farther down we got. Had these been the quality of the zombies attacking the town, they would have destroyed it for sure.


    ¡°Should we try to defeat one, master?¡±


    ¡°I suppose we should.¡± I nodded.


    I put the Divine Aura back on her sword and then started by casting Harm Undead to quietly catch its notice. The monster let out a roar that shook the room and then began heading for us. He was much faster than even the skeleton before. I had to admit, he was very scary. I cast the spell again, and then again. Finally, Lydia charged out to meet the monster. She was really fearless. Her body flashed with a blue glow, and the sword did two cuts as she slid instantly to the other side of the monster. She had managed to pull off a skill!


    ¡°Ahn, I did something!¡± She said in surprise.


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    ¡°Good Job, Lydia!¡± I declared. "Now, let¡¯s finish him off!¡¯


    I cast five more Harm Undeads before she managed to attack him a dozen times with her enhanced sword. He was fast, but still not nearly fast enough to keep up with Lydia¡¯s footwork, which was beyond anything I had ever seen in my old world. He finally fell, breaking apart to dust. As far as drops, he didn''t leave any. Drops seemed to be very rare. So far, I had only picked up two. The bone powder from the skeleton earlier, and a zombie''s toe. I had no clue what either could be used for.


    We didn¡¯t have time to rest after the zombie fell, as there was a thumping sound that came around the corner. The both of us looked to see a large, armored man coming our way with glowing eyes. My hackles immediately raised. Up until now, I had only seen skeletons and zombies. Sure, their sizes and shapes changed a bit, but they were fairly consistent. Then again, I had skipped levels 2-4. It was possible that zombies rotated out every level, and I had only lucked out by running into the same combination on level 1 and 5. I¡¯d need to ask Lydia about it once we finished this threat.


    ¡°Harm Undead!¡± I declared, sending the spell hitting the monster.


    It didn¡¯t roar in pain. In fact, it didn¡¯t act at all. For some reason, I had the distinct feeling that if I cast heal on it, nothing would happen.


    ¡°Lydia¡­¡± I looked back at her worriedly.


    ¡°I believe this is called a Living Armor, Master.¡± Lydia said, ¡°This is not technically an undead.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± I wouldn¡¯t be able to fight this thing in the slightest if it wasn¡¯t undead.


    Would I have to pull out my Hero job after all? Maybe I could unlock Swordsman if I really tried.


    ¡°I will defeat this enemy for Master!¡± Lydia declared, leaping out boldly.


    I could only watch as she attacked the monster. Its sword was many times larger than hers, and it was clear a single swipe could seriously injure her. It was also the fastest enemy to date, and I could see that even Lydia was pressed to dodge it.  The fight went on and on. Each cut on the armor left a dent or some other visible damage, but Lydia was also looking tired.


    ¡°Refresh!¡± I cast the spell on her, and her movements picked up again.


    That¡¯s right, I was her support. Even though the Divine Aura wasn¡¯t helping her out, I could support her in other ways. Suddenly, Lydia glowed again, and she did the same cross attack she had done before. The monster roared finally and its sword glowed for a second. It used a skill too! Th-that¡¯s cheating! Suddenly, his movement speed was fast. Lydia slammed her sword threw its helmet, piercing its eyes, but at the same time, its massive sword landed on her. Blood splattered across the armor''s body, and Lydia flew back, slamming into a wall and crumbling like a doll.

 Chapter 34

    ¡°No!¡± I cried out as I looked over at Lydia.


    She wasn¡¯t moving. Worse still, the monster was still flailing around. It appeared to be blinded, but it did know the direction that it had thrown Lydia. Walking towards her, it lifted its sword. If it swung it down, it would definitely kill her. If Lydia died, my chances of getting out of this dungeon shrank considerably. Gritting my teeth, I set my job to Hero.


    Using the Switch Position skill, my body switched with Lydia¡¯s. In an instant, she was safely about ten feet away, and I was at the feet of a hulking giant lifting its sword. I pulled out the second sword from my backpack. Although it wasn¡¯t useful to Lydia, I had kept it just in case. At the very least, selling it would bring me some extra money and help level my Merchant job.


    Now, it was the only weapon I had. I slammed the sword into its gut with all of my strength and then jumped between its legs. The monster roared, the sword slamming down and causing the ground to shake a bit. I turned around, ready to attack the monster again. However, a moment later, its body fell apart with loud clanking sounds. The pile of metal began to melt away. In a short period of time, Lydia¡¯s weapon was the only thing left. It had been embedded in its face the whole time. Perhaps it had been causing continuous damage.


    {Hero had increased to level 3.}


    {You have unlocked the Hero skill: Party Status Up.}


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    {Hero has increased to level 4.}


    {You have unlocked the Hero skill: Give Life.}


    With the immediate threat resolved, I ran over to Lydia. I instantly cast Weak Heal on her, but the effect barely touched her. Weak Heal was too weak to deal with the level of damage she had received. It was clear that was the case. Although there was nothing like HP in the world, I felt like she had some kind of status misalignment and unless I fixed it, she would certainly die. That¡¯s when my eyes fell on Give Life.


    It appeared that in this world, job balance wasn¡¯t a thing. When you got skills, you got skills specifically designed around doing the job you were given. As a White Mage, I concentrated on healing and defeating undead. Those were my skills. As for Hero, what is a hero? One might think it¡¯d be overpowered super spells that could blow away your enemies, but when one really thought about what a hero was¡­ a hero was someone who gave of themselves for the greater good.


    I could swap my location with a party member to take a hit for them. I could return home in a hurry to protect the city. Now¡­ I could give my own life in order to save hers. If I had thought that Give Life would mean all of it, I might have hesitated, but I knew that without this girl, I wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of this dungeon. I immediately cast the spell.


    I felt myself growing weaker as I cast it. It went much different than my other spells. Most of them had a single-use. I¡¯d heal, it¡¯d heal a bit, and then I¡¯d need to heal again. Give life was a continuous spell. I had to continue to feed it mana, and my life force, and I felt it slowly draining away from me. I was so focused on healing her, I hadn¡¯t even noticed when the wound looked almost closed and her eyes fluttered open.


    It took Lydia grabbing my hands and physically stopping me for my eyes to snap out of it. At that point, I started slipping into unconsciousness.


    ¡®M-master¡­¡± I could see her crying over me as my eyes closed shut.

 Chapter 35

    My eyes finally fluttered open, and the first thing I saw was the firepit. We appeared to be in a familiar cathedral. It had the same mural involving the brother and sister. After I passed out, I reasoned that the girl must have dragged me back up to the 5th floor and barricaded us back in this room.


    ¡°Lydia¡­ how long was I out?¡± I asked, my mouth feeling very dry.


    ¡°M-master, you¡¯re awake!¡± An excited voice ran over to me, immediately putting a waterskin to my mouth. ¡°It¡¯s been a day, Master.¡±


    I drank as much as I could and then gestured for her to help me sit up. I felt very weak.


    ¡°Food¡­¡± I said, not meaning to sound commanding.


    However, Lydia didn¡¯t mind in the slightest and immediately began cooking food. As she was cooking, I heard her own stomach growl. She blushed.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t eat?¡± I asked.


    Lydia shook her head. ¡°Master couldn¡¯t eat unconscious¡­ so I wouldn¡¯t eat either¡­¡±


    As she turned, I noticed that her clothing was still bloody. ¡°You¡¯re still wounded¡±!


    ¡°It-it¡¯s fine Master!¡± Lydia said, trying to pull away.


    I grabbed her and pulled her down into a seat next to me. After cashing heal and refresh on myself, I felt a bit more energized, if not still a bit weak.


    ¡°May I?¡± I ask, tugging at her clothing.


    Lydia blushed but then nodded. She brought her hands into her sleeves and then covered her chest. I brought the shirt up over her head. The shirt itself was barely usable, and barely covered more than her arms did now. There was a nasty gash down her side, and she hadn¡¯t done anything about it. I could see it was cursed, and that curse had covered half her stomach now. She could have used my potions or my bandages. I even had some holy water which would have treated the curse. She used none of that.


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    I immediately removed the curse and then cast Weak Heal on it. It took six weak heals before all that was left was a white scar. I checked over the rest of her body, and when I got to her back, I could only hiss slightly. Her back was covered with long scars. I had watched enough afternoon specials to understand that these were the scars of someone who was whipped a lot.


    ¡°Lydia¡­ can you tell me how you became a slave?¡± I asked, touching the scars softly. ¡°Were you made a slave?¡±


    I decided to pull out a salve I had purchased and put it on her scars. She didn¡¯t say anything as I began to apply it to her back. Deep down, I swore I would keep training White Mage until I gained a spell that would get rid of these scars. Well, that was an idle desire. I still wasn¡¯t even certain I¡¯d be able to get out of this dungeon alive. Lydia noticed my eyes were on the mural behind us. She quickly shook her head.


    ¡°No, Master¡­ I was always a slave.¡±


    My head snapped back to her. ¡°Always?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I come from a slave colony of catkin. My mother was a slave like her mother before her. I do not know who my father is, nor where my mother was sold.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ very sad.¡±


    ¡°Slavery is the only life I¡¯ve ever known¡­¡± Lydia continued, touching the collar around her neck with a sense of familiarity. ¡°I was raised up to be a Courtesan.¡±


    My finger slipped. ¡° A¡­ I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    Lydia giggled slightly, ¡°My slave master thought I was pretty enough, so he sought to teach me the sex trade so that I could be a sex slave. Good sex slaves make their masters a lot of money. Some even get lucky and become concubines. I wanted this life.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ve had¡­ um¡­ sex¡­¡±


    Lydia blushed. ¡°I am a virgin¡­¡±


    ¡°How does that work? A virgin concubine?¡± I asked in wonder.


    Lydia¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look embarrassed, just ashamed. ¡°A virgin with the knowledge of a whore. It was Madame Rex¡¯s specialty. That was my trainer. But¡­ I never learned the job. I was given a chance at a comfy slave job, and I couldn¡¯t make the cut. Catgirls can easily become courtesans. All the other slave girls chosen with me were able to earn the job. Only I didn¡¯t¡­ that¡¯s why I know that I¡¯m useless. That¡¯s why I¡¯m just a defective slave.¡±

 Chapter 36

    Catgirls can easily become courtesans. That¡¯s what Lydia said. However, Lydia wasn¡¯t a catkin. She was the much rarer and more sought-after tigerkin. It was something the slavers hadn¡¯t realized. An unexpected mutation maybe. If they knew about class affinities, they never would have wasted time raising her to be a Courtesan. Admittedly, I was surprised even Courtesan was a job, but it seemed like this world was built around people earning a job and then leveling with it for the remainder of their lives. That would mean a trip to the priest too, I supposed.


    Didn¡¯t that mean that priests also made courtesans? That was an interesting thought, but I was getting off-topic a bit. The point was, Lydia had suffered because she was a failed sex worker. Without getting the job in this world, she didn''t qualify no matter how much she learned about sex techniques. I finished with her back, and then gave her one of my shirts. It was way too big on her, especially since I was so fat.


    ¡°So, how did you end up with your current master,¡± I asked, only dreading the answer a little.


    ¡°I was in the defective bin for cheap.¡± She explained. ¡°He was looking for a warrior, and when he couldn¡¯t get them to bring down the price, the slaver agreed to throw me in as an extra incentive.¡±


    ¡°Really? So, you were bought by that noble. I¡¯m sorry for asking, but why didn¡¯t he¡­ you know¡­ since you¡¯re a virgin.¡±


    I found it a bit odd that a cute catkin girl with her virginity intact could be the slave of a violent and mean noble.


    ¡°Oh¡­ that¡­¡± Lydia lowered her head. ¡°As to that¡­ Other Master¡­ he¡­ how do I say this? The two men who fight beside him? They take turns in his bed at night.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ say no more.¡±


    So, it was like that, after all. This guy never even wanted her in the first place. He probably didn¡¯t even like girls, which is why he used her as nothing more than a pack mule. As a result, a potentially powerful slave ally was wasted because no one knew any better. I refrained from asking who was the one responsible for her scars. If we escaped, I¡¯d like to buy her from the noble. If I found out too much about what he¡¯d done, I might fly into a rage and then the chances of emancipating her were far smaller.


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    After her stomach growled once again, I allowed Lydia to finish cooking the food and we both ate. In the end, with our weakened stats, we ate a day worth of food in one sitting. We were now down to only 2.5 days of rations left. It was very possible we¡¯d starve in this dungeon before we died from monsters. Still, I didn¡¯t feel like either of us could tackle more monsters tonight, if it even was night. Admittedly, I had lost track of time, and most followed it by the times we slept.


    ¡°What shall we do, Master,¡± Lydia asked, sitting on her knees nearby as if in attendance to me.


    ¡°We have to conquer level 6, we have no choice,¡± I said the obvious. ¡°We¡¯ll concentrate on zombies and run when we see an armor.¡±


    Although I had Party Up, which would benefit Lydia in a fight, I didn¡¯t know how much of a boost it truly was. I wasn¡¯t willing to risk Lydia¡¯s life again, let alone my own.


    We laid down, and once again, she refused to take the bedding and I chickened out asking her to join me.


    ¡°Master?¡± Her voice suddenly spoke out in the relative quiet of the room, with only the crackling of embers filling the space.


    ¡°Yeah, Lydia?¡± I asked, a bit surprised since she rarely took the initiative to talk first.


    ¡°Why did you¡­ put your life on the line, to save me?¡± She asked. ¡°Not only did you fight the monster in my place, you also used a healing that harmed yourself to heal me. I could feel you giving me your lifeforce.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, I did do that.¡±


    ¡°Why, Master? I¡¯m just a useless disposable slave. Your life is more important¡­¡±


    ¡°Lydia¡­ listen well,¡± I said, not daring to look in her direction even as I felt her watching me through the fire. ¡°You¡¯re very important to me. If I have to save you, I will save you. Your life is as important to me as my own, so don¡¯t be reckless in the future. I¡¯d rather see you alive than see you useful.¡±


    ¡°Is that¡­ do you really mean it?¡± Her voice sounded somewhat shaky like she was on the verge of tears.


    ¡°Lydia¡­ stay safe¡­ by my side, for the rest of this dungeon, okay?¡± When I didn¡¯t hear a response, I finally looked up.


    Lydia was standing over my bedding, her eyes wet with tears, a big smile on her face.


    ¡°Would you like to sleep in the blanket with me?¡± the words suddenly came out, surprising even me.


    Lydia¡¯s smile grew, and the dungeon didn¡¯t seem so dark anymore.


    She nodded. ¡°Mm!¡±

 Chapter 37

    It seems that I erred a bit. I had let Lydia into my sheets because I felt bad and wanted to seem cool at that moment. The result was that I really struggled to sleep. Lydia¡¯s arm ended up over my chest and her face was right at my neck. Every time she exhaled, I could smell her sweet breath and feel the warmth of it right on my neck. I had never been this close to a girl before. My previous attempts to ask girls out went as disastrously as that last one, and so this was completely outside my territory.


    She was incredibly pretty. By all accounts, I shouldn¡¯t even be that attracted to her. She probably hadn¡¯t bathed in days. She was dirty, she had no makeup on, and she was literally wearing my spare shirt. Yet, it took all of my control to keep myself from pushing her down. The fact that she was trained as a courtesan made me keep thinking about all the dirty things she must know. I had grown up in the internet age, so I had seen my share of erotic stuff, but she actually had hands-on experience. Well, she was a virgin, but she had to at least have practiced on a banana or something!


    If I bought her¡­ could I have her? She already called me master. This relationship was master-slave already. Couldn¡¯t I just push things into the sex slave territory? Would that really be so wrong? No¡­ that would be wrong. She wasn¡¯t mine, and even if I bought her, I should free her, because that was the right thing to do. If I took advantage of a slave, how could I look my family in the eyes when I passed away? Well, who knew if any of their souls could even reach this world, let alone make it down to this dungeon.


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    By the time morning came along, I had fled the covers and was preparing breakfast myself. Lydia was still in the sheets, but she woke up and lifted her head with a yawn. My shirt hung down, giving me just a glimpse down her shirt as she looked up at me with cute cat ears twitching on her head. Ah! I burned myself!


    ¡°Weak Heal¡­¡± I sighed, finally able to resist looking at her for a bit.


    Healing was advantageous in this instance. Being able to cure burns was really nice. No, I wasn¡¯t paying attention to the rustling behind me as she changed back into her old slave outfit which fit her better. I had washed it the best I could with water and sewed the rips I could. It still looked tattered, but her body was no longer exposed to me.


    ¡°What are you making?¡± She asked, finally completely dressed.


    Keeping my eyes from roaming over her body, I explained. ¡°This is something I came up with myself.¡±


    It was basically just sweet rice with some meat. As soon as I poured the contents in separate bowls for Lydia and me, text crossed my vision.


    {You have created your own dish. You have unlocked the job: Cook.}


    Oh, wonderful. Now I could cook as well as Lydia. It was just a shame that in two days we¡¯d have nothing left to eat and would effectively starve.

 Chapter 38

    ¡°Let¡¯s just take it easy,¡± I reiterated, ¡°One zombie at a time.¡±


    By the way, I did equip Cook. The first skill for Cook is something called Collect. I don¡¯t know what Collect does, but it didn¡¯t seem like something that would help us survive. I still couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that there was something in Cook that could get us past our predicament. Thus, after casting a spell on her sword and stunning the monster with Harm Undead, I equipped Cook as the battle was ending.


    I got Cook up two more levels, while her Swordsman reached level 6. Her skills were still a mystery to me, but my own skills were Increase Food Drop and Basic Cooking. Basic Cooking wasn¡¯t really a skill at all. Rather, it was something passive that didn¡¯t need to be cast at all. Simply put, I had the knowledge to cook in my head. I already had some knowledge, but as I thought about ingredients, more knowledge came to me than I remembered I possessed, including details about food that didn¡¯t exist in my old world.


    When I described this to Lydia, she nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what happened to me when you gave me the sword. I suddenly knew how to wield it. I feel like if I keep using it, I can get even better!¡±


    So, that¡¯s how it was. Jobs weren''t just special skills, but the basic knowledge of the job too. There was probably a Moderate Cooking skill and an Advanced Cooking skill too. As I leveled up, even if it was done by killing monsters and not actually cooking, my levels would skyrocket. It seemed like every job had two means of gaining experience. Killing monsters was the most traditional way, and it benefited every job. The second way was job-specific. For example, a Cook gained experience by cooking. A Courtesan gained experience by¡­ well, you know. The point being, in this world, one could bypass having to learn to do something simply by leveling the job.


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    That would seem really OP, but people usually only had one job, and could only get that job with the ability of a priest. It was expensive and difficult. Then, you¡¯d need to pay a soldier to help you fight mobs. Meanwhile, you¡¯d be at risk for your life the entire time. That¡¯s what it¡¯d take to rapidly level up in a field with monsters. I could quickly see why this was not something most people did.


    Still, the important thing was that I had learned Increased Food Drop. That meant that monsters we killed could drop food like they dropped other items. However, drops were rare, and we only found maybe 1 after an entire day of killing monsters. But¡­ if that drop was edible, the level should be much higher. That meant I needed to find a monster that would drop some sort of food. Neither the Living Armor nor zombies would be dropping any food I¡¯d want.


    ¡°We need to push on to the seventh floor,¡± I told her.


    Our only hope was that there was something in this dungeon that dropped edible food. I had abandoned the thought that we could complete the dungeon before we starved. Lydia nodded, and we continued to explore the 6th level, desperately looking for the staircase down.

 Chapter 39

    ¡°So, here we are¡­¡± I said, my voice taking on just a bit of melancholy.


    We had found the stairway to the next floor, but two living armors were in front of it. The only reason we were able to fight zombies is that our jobs happened to mesh well against slow undead. My spells were literally their bane, and her speed made her difficult to handle. However, when we were facing these guys, the fact that their levels far outstripped our own became very apparent. They were like a level 15 mob, where we were around level 6.


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Lydia asked nervously.


    I looked down at the sword hanging from my backpack and let out a sigh. ¡°We¡¯re going to need to git gud.¡±


    ¡°Good?¡±


    ¡°You must increase your Swordsman to level 10, and I must increase Hero,¡± I explained.


    ¡°It is unfortunate that we do not know our job levels now,¡± Lydia spoke sadly.


    I blinked. ¡°Uh, actually, I know your job and level. You¡¯re a level six Swordsman right now!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re like a priest!¡± Lydia was truly surprised.


    I hadn¡¯t really said anything about it to her before, but I supposed I should explain myself. ¡°Yes, I wasn¡¯t trying to hide it, but since you joined my party, I can see your class and job, and I can also change your job if I want to.¡±


    ¡°Amazing¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes looked at me fully opened like she was seeing me for the first time. ¡°I only know of priests that can do that, but even they can¡¯t change their own job.¡±


    Of course. If a priest changed their job, they¡¯d lose the skill that allowed them to change their job. Since my ability came from my class, not my job, it was a bit powerful. Admittedly, this world didn¡¯t even know about classes as far as I could tell. The closest thing they had to class was the idea of talent. A talented person could learn their job faster. This was a bit of mistake on this world¡¯s part. Everyone had their talents. If someone was too slow, it was probably because they had the wrong job!


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    "Well, I''m a bit different, but it''s similar." I blushed at her look of reverence.


    "I''m already level six Swordsman... that''s the level of most city guards. Does that mean it was you who set this job for me?"


    "Ah... yes..." I responded sheepishly, feeling bad for doing this without her permission.


    "Thank you!" She said, her eyes growing watery.


    I scratched the back of my head and fought the embarrassment as she looked at me with strangely expectant eyes. I never had anyone who looked at me that way before. What was it? It felt like... dependence. That''s right, this girl was depending on me to pull her through this dungeon. Through my entire life, I had never had anyone who expected anything from me. This feeling from her, I kind of liked it. I wanted to save her. Not just from this dungeon, but from her former life too. Perhaps the hero title was infecting my brain.


    We left the two living armors alone, and for the rest of the day, our target was zombies. I¡¯d cast the spell to strengthen both of our swords, and then we would both fight. She did much more than I did, but I still could collect the money. I wasn¡¯t as fast as her, nor did I have any sword knowledge. The best I could do is hit an enemy in the back when it was turned and run away. That meant I usually only got one strike on them. That was compared to the dozens that Lydia landed.


    I also noticed that my Party Status Up seemed to work on her too. That was to say, when I had Hero equipped as a job, Lydia said she felt a little faster, and the zombies seemed to fall faster too. It did seem to be doing its job. I just wished I was a little more helpful.


    {Hero has increased to level 5.}


    {You have unlocked the Hero skill: Basic Swordsmanship.}


    I let out a sigh of relief. This just told me two things. First, skills overlapped between jobs. Second, that despite my support class influencing my skills towards support, I could still potentially learn combat abilities. I wouldn¡¯t be completely useless. I felt the sword in my hand, and it felt a lot more comfortable holding it. This appeared to be a passive skill, that when active, gave me the knowledge of basic swordsmanship. As luck would have it, Basic Swordsmanship was likely the first level of Swordsman, which is why Lydia could wield a sword from the beginning. I had guessed something like this was true. That was also why I wanted her to get to level ten. I had a feeling that whatever the next level of swordsmanship came, it would be at level ten. With myself gaining Basic Swordsmanship, I felt we were on our way.

 Chapter 40

    A day and a night flew by as we continued to battle every zombie we encountered on the floor. I was determined not to retreat to level five again, but there was no good place to rest on the sixth floor either. We ate the last of our food and then set out. Lydia had finally reached level 10, and she even said that she felt like her knowledge of swordsmanship had increased. That was good enough for me.


    As for myself, I returned to White Mage. I reckoned that if we wanted to survive this dungeon, White Mage was still the best job for me. I could heal both of our wounds, and if I learned any more buffing skills, that would be best. So, after Hero reached level 5 and I was able to help a bit with the sword without stabbing myself, I switched back to White Mage so we could quickly down the zombies. Speed was important, and I could be a bigger help using Harm Undead, which grew more powerful as I leveled up.


    That''s right, I discovered leveling up did have a direct relation on stats. Each level someone gained in a job likely increased their status in certain areas. Which stats depended on which job. White Mage mostly contributed to mana and spell power, but with each level, I had to gain a little in strength and constitution too. When a job switched, you didn¡¯t lose those status bonuses. However, you could no longer access any related skills. Some skills boosted relevant status, so even if I was level 100 mage with full mana, there might be various skills that amplified my status for using White Mage spells, as well as decreased mana consumption, and increased mana pool, making equipping mage still potentially useful.


    I also found that when I unequipped Hero, I lost my knowledge of swords. It was the same with cooking, but it was less recognizable, especially since I wasn¡¯t cooking much at all. There was a bit of latent muscle memory, so I could still wield the sword better than I did before I got the spell, but the difference was night and day between having the skill Basic Swordsmanship and not having it.


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    After leveling all day, we could down a group of three zombies in only about a minute. She was a level 10 swordsman, and I was a level nine White Mage. As for what skills I learned, they were Holy Circle and Light. Rather than disappointed, I was very deeply happy that I had got these skills. I had been so worried about food that I hadn¡¯t even noticed we were running out of oil. My lanterns would have been out in a day. Lydia had better night vision than I did, but even she needed some light to navigate this dungeon.


    Water was also a concern that I had been putting off. I had about two days of water left, and we were already low enough on rations that my throat was scratchy. I couldn¡¯t even imagine what I would do if we ran out. The floors were always damp though... so I imagined we''d end up licking them to survive. The second skill was Holy Circle. Holy Circle was a spell that created a circle around us. Zombies didn¡¯t seem to be able to pass within the circle. They were repelled. That¡¯s all it did, but if we didn¡¯t run into another cathedral, this was the only way we were going to be able to get any sleep.


    We were both exhausted, but I didn¡¯t want to rest before seeing what was on the next level. We returned to the hall with the two Living Armors who seemed to be standing in vigil over the staircase. Gripping my sword nervously, I looked over at Lydia.


    ¡°Shall we go?¡± Lydia asked.


    I gave a nod and the two of us surged forward. I would be taking on one living armor as a level 5 Hero, and she¡¯d take on the other as a level 10 Swordsman. The last time I had risked my life, I had acted on pure instinct to protect Lydia. This was the first time I made a choice to truly put my life on the line.

 Chapter 41

    The fighting was brutal. I didn¡¯t have Lydia¡¯s speed so I seriously thought I was going to die. In the end, the best I could do was stall one, only engaging enough to keep his attention, while Lydia finished off the other. It really made me feel a bit useless, but at least I could keep the armor off of Lydia. The only true help I provided her was the Party Status Up bonus. Lydia still managed to down the monster in about five minutes. Her injuries were superficial.


    After all, from that first time we fought an armor up until now, Lydia not only was twice her level, but she also had my status bonus. Her battle wasn¡¯t desperate. Ah, crap, I was watching her rather than paying attention to my own fight. The monster¡¯s sword glowed menacingly as he activated a skill. I leaped out of the way and was slightly grazed, flying away and skidding across the ground painfully.


    "Ow..."


    ¡°Master!¡± Lydia leaped over and began to polish off this monster the same way.


    Like the other, it was no longer a challenge for her, but a matter of time. As for me, I laid on the ground with my face in the dirt, feeling a little bit useless. I cast the Weak Heal spell on myself, and by the time Lydia finished off the monster, I was standing back up and brushing myself off.


    {Hero has increased to level 6.}


    {You have unlocked the Hero skill: Charm Up.}


    ¡°Charm up?¡± I muttered before realizing that Lydia was eyeing me. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Lydia looked away, blushing. ¡°I thought Master was seriously hurt, so I was worried.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry, I worried you.¡±


    ¡°I never realized Master looked so...¡± She muttered under her breath.


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    ¡°Huh? Did you say something?¡± I pretended not to hear her.


    ¡°N-n-nevermind! Let¡¯s got to the next floor!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ of course¡­¡±


    However, I did hear what she said. So, Charm Up increased my attractiveness? Well, my ¡®charmingness¡¯, at least. I supposed being well-liked and even idolized was also a part of being a Hero, huh? I knew I was a guy who typically repelled girls, so this kind of attention wasn¡¯t something I was used to. I didn¡¯t know if I was wanting to equip it out on the surface. Perhaps, I could use it with Haggle and make some profits bartering. Chasing after girls was still outside of my realm of comfort.


    The pair of us headed down to the seventh floor. This was the moment of truth that would decide whether we lived or died. The answer to that was¡­


    ¡°More Living Armors.¡± The girl spoke sadly.


    This entire level was filled with Living Armors. In fact, if there was a second mob, I didn¡¯t see it at all. Even the zombies weren¡¯t present. There would be no food on this floor.


    ¡°What do we do, Master?¡± Lydia asked, her voice clearly disappointed.


    ¡°Push on to floor 8. We can stay hydrated. We¡¯ll just have to tighten our belts and forge forward. However, it¡¯s late and I¡¯m exhausted. We should find a place to sleep.¡±


    ¡°We both won¡¯t be able to sleep,¡± Lydia explained. ¡°Master must sleep first, and I¡¯ll sleep after.¡±


    I was too tired to argue with her. We found a corner hallway where Lydia could watch both corridors without having to turn around. I cast Light and a Holy Circle, just in case. This area had no armors, but the creaking noises could be heard off in the distance. Unlike the cathedral, the floor was a bit damp. I didn¡¯t dare to set a fire and risk attracting any monsters here. The Light spell seemed to be one-directional, allowing me and my party to see out, but not the other direction, but it wasn¡¯t the light I was worried about. I wasn¡¯t even certain the armors could see light. However, there was also the heat and the crackling of fire that the might spell did not replicate. This was definitely the worst night since I had been to this world. It was cold, there was no food, and monsters looked around every corner. However, with Lydia sitting nearby watching over me, I quickly went to sleep, feeling that things could be worse.


    When I woke up, it was clear Lydia had taken both of our shifts. She was barely keeping her eyes open, and I had to order her to get her to go to the bedroll and sleep. I could only give her a few hours. My stomach was rumbling, and things were only going to get harder.

 Chapter 42

    Working together, we took down one armor at a time. It was absolutely necessary if we wanted to survive. A day went by, and we had managed to kill a dozen armors, but no food was found. Her Swordman went up to eleven, while my White Mage went up to Level 10, finally unlocking Create Water. As soon as I got the skill, I laughed and filled an entire waterbag. As soon as we got somewhere safe, I reckoned I¡¯d make a bath.


    My stomach felt emptier and emptier. I tried drinking water like they suggest you do, but it was really tough. Some people claim they go on water fasts for a full month. That meant it was possible to survive, especially for me and my fat deposits. Especially considering that illness wasn¡¯t an issue. Was my clothing feeling loose? I felt like it was.


    ¡°What are you doing, Master?¡± Lydia asked after the latest monster collapsed.


    ¡°I¡¯m deciding what job I should equip,¡± I explained.


    It was at a point where I didn¡¯t feel like I needed to keep White Mage up to protect Lydia. It was all about survival. What skills would keep me alive the longest? At the moment, my status was:


    {Name: Deek


    Class: Support


    Race: Human


    Job: White Mage (level 10)


    Possible Jobs: Hero (level 6), Merchant (level 1), Alchemist (level 1), Cook (level 3)}


    Alchemy wouldn¡¯t be difficult to get to level 3. Neither would Merchant. Was the secret to survival with either of those jobs? That was the dilemma I was facing. Every kill I wasted leveling one skill was a kill that took away from another. Time was precious. I was a bit caught up in having so many options.


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    ¡°Pick Hero¡­¡± Lydia offered her thoughts.


    ¡°Hero? Why Hero?¡± I asked.


    Lydia blushed, looking very cute as she avoided my look, her tail swishing aggressively. ¡°Because Master is a hero.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­¡± Her reasoning was founded on something so simple. ¡°Very well¡­¡±


    I decided to go with her argument and set up Hero. My goal wasn¡¯t to defeat this dungeon. It was to escape it. Of all the skills, I had the feeling an Escape Dungeon skill existed for a hero most of all. That was my justification for choosing as such.


    We continued to fight for the rest of the day. At level 11, Lydia¡¯s next level was slow to come. As for me, I was getting really hungry and it became all I could think about. It was at that point that I finally leveled up. It seemed like different skills took different amounts of time to level. Even though I¡¯d leveled with Hero equipped almost as much as White Mage, Hero leveled slower because it wasn¡¯t a support job. At least, that was my theory.


    {Hero has increased to level 7.}


    {You have unlocked the Hero skill: Sense Life.}


    Sense Life? This ability was the least useful yet! I really wanted to curse. I was just about to switch to Merchant and hope for a miracle when I suddenly noticed that I could indeed sense a lifeform. I could feel Lydia¡¯s life, but hers wasn¡¯t the only one in the dungeon. It wasn¡¯t the armor either. If it was, then there would have been one sitting just twenty feet away from us.


    ¡°Lydia¡­¡± I whispered. ¡°I want you to attack with all your speed¡­ right¡­ there¡­¡± I pointed in the direction my sense life indicated.


    Lydia pulled her sword and didn¡¯t even question me. She lunged with her sword, drawing on all of her skill to attack the area I had indicated. A screech filled the air, and a creature leaped away from the corner, causing Lydia to pull back and cry. However, the creature had already been severely cut, and a few moments later it fell to the ground into a bloody pile.


    Lydia approached it, and a moment later let out a sad noise. ¡°Ah¡­ it was just a cute bunny.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± I shook my head as I watched the bunny melt back into the earth. ¡°This is food.¡±

 Chapter 43

    The Shadow Rabbit, as I came to call it, was the other monster on this floor. Nonaggressive, it remained in the shadows and fled the moment you attacked it. It had very little strength, but it was extremely fast. The only way one could defeat it was to kill it in one hit. If you didn¡¯t have Life Sense, you wouldn¡¯t be able to pinpoint its location at all. If you didn¡¯t have Lydia¡¯s speed, you¡¯d never be able to kill it.


    I located a rabbit and then switched to Cook and allowed her to attack. We only knew if it struck after her sword struck the ground. Fortunately, the weapon seemed to have a magical property, as it didn¡¯t get too banged up using this method. Three out of four times it¡¯d move before she struck or she¡¯d flat out miss. That meant every fourth time led to the death of a rabbit. Unfortunately, their experience was also crappy. If I wasn¡¯t starving, they wouldn¡¯t even be worth hunting in my opinion.


    Sense Life was very useful but had its setbacks. I realized that life was indistinguishable, so I couldn¡¯t tell the difference between a rabbit and a Living Armor. However, Living Armors were constantly moving, whereas rabbits tended to remain in one spot, freezing when we got near them. Through that method, I was able to see where rabbits and Living Armors were around the dungeon. I could avoid congested hallways without needing to get near them. Our mobility in the dungeon increased drastically.


    ¡°There is one right there,¡± I said, pointing and switching to Cook.


    Lydia always attacked without question. She was a lifelong slave, and it showed with her obedience. When this rabbit died, this time, there was something left over when the body melted away.


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    ¡°F-fur¡­¡± I looked at the black fur¡­ realizing that after all that work, I hadn¡¯t managed to get any food.


    ¡°Can you sense life below us?¡± Lydia asked.


    I shook my head. ¡°No, I guess the dungeon floors block that.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Lydia asked once again for my direction.


    I shook my head, ¡°Let¡¯s try a little longer.¡±


    After killing ten more, we found another two pelts of black fur.


    ¡°This is pointless.¡± I sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s just try to make our way down to the next floor.¡±


    Lydia ran ahead boldly and attacked an armor. I hadn¡¯t been paying attention until the moment she killed it.


    {Cook has increased to level 4.}


    {You have unlocked the Cook Skill: Purify food.}


    I had left my Cook job active.


    ¡°Are you freaking kidding me?¡±


    My words weren¡¯t aimed at the level at all. Rather, sitting where the Living Armor had fallen apart, was a fully cooked, tasty looking piece of turkey drum the size of my arm. I walked over to the drum and picked it up. I sniffed it. It smelled fine.


    A Living Armor had a turkey drumstick? I used to play Castlevania back in the day, and I seemed to remember that you could find turkeys in the wall. Was this one of those kinds of things? Up until now, the Living Armor had not dropped anything, but now it dropped food when I had Cook equipped.


    ¡°Purify Food!¡± I made sure the food was edible before splitting it with Lydia.


    After that, we started fighting more armors, and soon we had enough turkey drumsticks that we didn¡¯t know what to do with them. Although we weren¡¯t a step closer to getting out of the dungeon, we were no longer desperate. With light, food, and water, we could hold out for rescue. In the meantime, I decided we might as well keep pressing forward.

 Chapter 44

    Level eight consisted of skeletons only. However, it had two different types of skeleton. One was a swordsman much like Lydia. These fights would have been dangerous, as Lydia fought at about the same level as a single skeleton. However, after adding my Divine Aura, attacking with Harm Undead, and/or switching to get Party Status Up, Lydia was more than capable of taking them out. The second type of skeletons wore a robe and chanted magic. These guys actually fell quicker if you could get to them, but if they were allowed to fight from a distance, their spells were scary and dangerous.


    I made sure to use Cook with both of them, but neither dropped anything considered food. Fortunately, we had several weeks¡¯ worth of drumsticks. As long as I remembered to cast Purify Food on them daily, they also remained fresh. They were just as tasty as the moment they were made. Were they even real food, or were they magic? I decided not to ask any questions. It¡¯d only give me a headache.


    Both skeletons dropped bone dust. I picked it up and had a pretty large stockpile that kept growing. I considered learning alchemy, but with only two ingredients so far, I really doubted I¡¯d be able to accomplish anything. Thus, instead, we just kept killing and working towards the next floor.


    Lydia¡¯s Swordsman had increased to 13 now, and I was a level eleven White Mage. My new White Mage spell was Detect Magic. It was an active skill, not passive, unfortunately.


    ¡°Detect Magic,¡± I muttered to myself.


    Usually, detect magic was met with a dead ping. Rather, I felt nothing except a faint impression of magic when it came to my backpack and Lydia¡¯s sword. They were the only items with any magic properties, and they weren¡¯t strong either.


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    The reason I was casting Detect Magic regularly was that I was looking for some kind of portal to lead us back up to the surface. We had been down here for nearly a week now, and we were almost certainly left for dead. Although they¡¯d eventually send a group down to whip out this place, that could be another month or more before that happened. Neither of us wanted to wait down here for another month.


    ¡°A ping!¡¯ I let out a cry as I felt an abnormal magical resonance.


    ¡°Master?¡±


    I let out a cough. ¡°Ah¡­I mean¡­ we have something that is showing magic. It may be a portal out of here.¡±


    The pair of us headed in the direction of the magic, and it got stronger the closer we got to it. It also seemed to attract skeletons, and the last few batches were difficult to take out. I had to cast Group Heal in order to distract the mages while she took out skeleton after skeleton. When everything was said and done, I was looking down at a platform.


    ¡°It¡¯s a trap,¡± I said, mostly muttering to myself.


    ¡°Yes, Master¡­ it does resemble a magical trap.¡±


    ¡°If we trigger it, it could be a portal to send us somewhere else in the dungeon. Or¡­ it could conjure up a fire, or spikes, or something else to kill us.¡±


    ¡°Would Master like me to test it?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯ll probably be one use. We¡¯d need to go together or risk being split up.¡± I sighed.


    This was a literal life or death decision. If I was wrong about this trap, death was almost a certainty. Even if I was right and it transported, who knew where we would end up. It could put us down deeper, in a harder section of the dungeon.


    ¡°Should we do it?¡± She asked.


    I sighed, grabbing her and pulling her close and stepping onto the trap. ¡°If I don¡¯t go, I¡¯ll never know,¡± I said.


    Light sprung up around us, and I was delighted to feel something akin to the teleportation from before. The room we appeared in¡­ was another cathedral with yet a third mural. We had managed to travel even deeper into the dungeon. Damn.

 Chapter 45

    This cathedral looked like the biggest cathedral yet. It had a more ominous feel than the previous ones. However, the most notable feature was there was a stairway heading down right there. I already didn¡¯t know how many floors down we were, and this lead down even more. I decided to ignore that for a moment.


    ¡°Let¡¯s close the doors,¡± I said, ¡°We don¡¯t know how strong these mobs are. They could kill us in an instant.¡±


    Lydia nodded, and the pair of us worked to shut and lock the stone doors. Only the ominous steps down were still open. As soon as we closed the door, I heard a gong sound.


    Doooooong¡­


    It filled the air was a warning noise. The blood drained in my face. I turned and grabbed the door, trying to open it again. The door did not open. Lydia and I used all our force, but neither of us could get the door open at all.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Master?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I have a guess¡­ but I hope I¡¯m wrong.¡±


    ¡°Master?¡± Lydia was looking at me as if I held all the answers.


    I could only sigh. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, we¡¯re on a boss level now. This cathedral is the entrance to the boss room, and by closing the door, we¡¯ve initiated the boss fight. Even if we wanted to wait to be saved¡­ it won¡¯t happen.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°These doors are shut. Even if someone fights their way down here to our level, they will be blocked. Those doors will only open one of two ways. We defeat the boss¡­ or¡­ it defeats us!¡±


    Lydia didn¡¯t cry or look scared. Rather, her hand tightened and a look of determination appeared on her face.


    ¡°This is¡­ the last boss before we can leave, right?¡±


    ¡°This dungeon is young. I suspect so given the impressive cathedral size, but there is no guarantee this is the final fight.¡±


    ¡°Should we go?¡± Lydia asked nervously.


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    ¡°No, we have time. Let¡¯s start a fire, eat, and rest. We want to be 100% in this fight. With luck, it¡¯s something undead and we can make short work of it.¡±


    Thus, we sat down and started a fire. There wasn¡¯t really any cooking when it came to the turkey legs, so I just cast Purify Food and then we ate right away. I was still feeling a bit restless though. We usually fought monsters until we grew tired enough we could barely move, and then set up camp. It had been a while that I didn¡¯t need to worry about monsters around every corner. A good night¡¯s rest would do well for both of us.


    ¡°This one has a new mural! Can you read it?¡±


    I could only give her a wry smile as she sat expectantly. The mural was really just images, no writing. The story I told was entirely based on my interpretation of the images. She could just as easily look at the images and reach her own interpretation. Ah, whatever, her tail was swishing cutely and I was interested in the rest of the story too. This could be the last piece.


    ¡°This story doesn¡¯t have the girl in it at all,¡± I said with a bit of surprise. ¡°Rather, it fallows the brother.¡±


    ¡°The one who failed to protect his sister?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°It explains how he went to a powerful dark priest, who gave him the power to seek his revenge.¡±


    ¡°Dark priests are corrupted priests that deal in illegal jobs.¡±


    ¡°Illegal jobs?¡± I asked, curiously.


    ¡°Thieves, bandits, assassins, shadow mages, any job the church has ruled dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Necromancers?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Those that have these jobs are considered evil.¡±


    ¡°You know¡­ you have the Thief job.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Lydia¡¯s expression panicked. ¡°That¡­ it was one time! I was hungry¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean, it wasn¡¯t active. So, to become a thief, you must meet a dark priest.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly¡­¡± Lydia responded. ¡°Every time you steal, you can increase your thief skill whether it is active or not. It is when it reaches a high level that it becomes set. However, if a priest sees you with a bad job, they might set it and punish you. It¡¯s the equivalent of a life sentence. As a slave, it¡¯d be ignored for me, but I may have trouble getting a job through a priest if I was free in the future.¡±


    ¡°So... for normal people, the highest-level job is the active job? That would mean, most people start out as a commoner. Then, if you steal enough that Thief increases over Commoner, you become a thief.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ without a priest, that is how all jobs work. However, it is easier with a priest.¡±


    Interesting. Simply put, the second form of leveling worked whether you equipped the job or not. While killing monsters only leveled your active job, if I cooked, Cook would increase on its own, albeit not as quickly. For most people, Commoner was always the highest level, seeing as they were born that way. It made it really difficult to switch your job. Even if you blacksmith every day, you were also a commoner and that had a major head start. The only way to bypass this was with a priest¡¯s Job Switch skill, except priests wouldn¡¯t touch certain jobs they considered evil.


    ¡°What about the story!¡± Lydia puffed out her cheeks.


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry¡­ I was distracted.¡±

 Chapter 46

    ¡°His job was set to, my guess, Necromancer. There he raised an army of undead, with the intent of wiping out the human race and freeing all the slaves. He met much opposition, but he fought through it all. The toughest opponent he faced was a hero who managed to push him hard. He had a powerful White Mage who kept healing him as they fought and hurt the necromancer with her spells.


    ¡°The necromancer grew enraged, especially because the white mage appeared to be a demi-human slave. How could a slave fight against him? He was trying to save them, yet they were spurning him. In his anger, he finally overwhelmed the white mage''s spells and killed the hero. In anger, he raised up the hero and sent him to kill the white mage.


    ¡°Just as he made the order, his hood fell back, and the white mage saw his face. With tears staining her face, she spoke the last words she ever would.¡±


    ¡°Brother?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Lydia gasped, covering her mouth, her tail swishing. ¡°It was his lost sister all along? She was the hero¡¯s companion?¡±


    I was inferring a lot from the other murals, and perhaps adding a bit of storytelling flair, but that seemed to be the gist of it. The brother, in his quest to avenge his sister, had been the one to kill her.


    ¡°What happened next?¡± Lydia asked.


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    I looked at the next image and was surprised to find it empty. There was no epilogue to this lore. That¡¯s where it ended. That¡¯s what they meant by an incomplete story. This is what created the curse that attacked this land. That was the nature of this dungeon. Did that mean that when we headed down those stairs, it¡¯d be the necromancer waiting for us?


    ¡°I was wrong. This isn¡¯t Mina¡¯s dungeon. It isn¡¯t her curse. It¡¯s his¡­ the brother who failed. It¡¯s a story with no end. If we wish to get out of this dungeon, we must destroy it.¡±


    ¡°Must we destroy this story?¡± Lydia asked. ¡°Can¡¯t we in some way help their spirits find peace?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a White Mage, but I¡¯m just too low a level. I wouldn¡¯t know how to solve this curse.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t have theories, but they were all random and I had no clue if they would work. For example, Lydia and I could confess our love for each other. That would satisfy Mina¡¯s part of the curse. If Lydia was an analog of Mina, and I was the hero, then we¡¯d need to reenact what happened. That would mean I¡¯d need to die and then kill Mina. Or perhaps save Lydia? But wouldn¡¯t I want to save Lydia anyway? If all I had to do was keep Lydia alive, this curse would be too easy to break, wouldn¡¯t it? Not dying would be anyone¡¯s goal.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I spoke as I looked around past the mural at the front of the cathedral.


    Then, my eyes stopped, and a smile formed on my face. Lydia noticed and stood up.


    ¡°What is it? What did you find?¡±


    ¡°The most beautiful thing I could ever expect,¡± I said.


    Lydia approached me and then looked down. Sitting at my feet was a deep hole cut into the ground. It was completely empty. In the past, it must have been used for some kind of ceremony like a baptism. I saw no cracks, so it would clearly be able to hold water.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking a bath.¡±

 Chapter 47

    Using Create Water to fill the bathtub took nearly an hour and almost all of my mana. However, I was determined. While I filled it, Lydia put some water in a large, deep, copper collection plate that had been discarded in the corner and then heated it over the fire. Once it started boiling, she dumped the water back into my tub. Like that, we were steadily able to fill up a bathtub full of warm water.


    It would never be as hot as I liked it. I liked my water so hot it made my skin red. However, it was enough that it wouldn¡¯t be uncomfortable getting in. Lydia¡¯s expression brightened considerably. Well, she was a girl, after all. We had been in this dungeon for well over a week and had thus far not done much more than a hasty scrub. We were both filthy and smelly. I was glad that Lydia didn¡¯t hold it against me.


    I suspected that if I tried to make Lydia go first, she would refuse. Thus, I didn¡¯t even bother to ask. Instead, I ripped off my clothing and slid right in. Instantly, I felt clean water reaching parts that felt absolutely gross. Rolling back my head, I let out a sigh. The bath was only lukewarm, but after several cold nights, it felt rejuvenating.


    There was a splash and a wave of water that bumped my chest. I lifted my head and looked forward, only to see a cute catgirl blushing across from me. She was also naked and was in the tub without looking in my direction.


    ¡°Lydia?¡± I could barely even use her name in surprise.


    ¡°W-would Master like his back washed?¡± She asked shyly, her arms hiding her chest.


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    ¡°Ah¡­ yes¡­¡± I turned away and heard the water splash as she moved right behind me.


    I had toiletries, at least, so she used a soap bar and a scrubby sponge on my back. I had never had my back washed by a girl before. The experience was nerve-wracking. I even made sure Hero was equipped, just so I had the boost of charm. I was a very self-conscious guy. That was why I cried out when two arms suddenly wrapped around me. Two soft things pressed against my back, and wet hair pushed against my shoulder.


    ¡°L-Lydia!¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± She suddenly said, her voice sounding a bit sad. ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ you saved me as well,¡± I said.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s more than that. Tomorrow, we¡¯re going to fight the boss monster, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ we will.¡±


    ¡°Then, I will give it my all and defeat him for you. With your abilities, I know you¡¯ll make it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll make it too,¡± I said.


    Lydia remained silent for a bit before responding. ¡°If I did, then¡­ I would just go back to him, wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    Him? That¡¯s right, her real master. I was only Master in here. She had called me that in order to deal with her abandonment issues, but once we left, she¡¯d have to be returned to him.


    ¡°My village¡­ it can potentially free you. They free slaves all the time. If we survive, perhaps I can convince them to emancipate you.¡±


    ¡°Emancipate?¡± She struggled to say the word. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ be free?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You can do whatever you want.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Then¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be¡­ yours¡­¡± Her voice was very low, I could barely hear it.


    I pretended not to hear her, but I didn¡¯t know what to say to that. Being a slave for life must be like being a lifetime prisoner. Once you got out, you had no clue what to do with yourself. In some ways, it was better to just stay in prison.


    The rest of our bath finished in silence. I felt closer to Lydia, but at the same time far away. It was a complicated feeling.

 Chapter 48

    The next morning, it was time to begin our final fight. I had 4 mana potions remaining from the original 12. I really didn¡¯t know how many floors this dungeon had. Did I go down to level 10, or level 20? I wouldn¡¯t believe the dungeon had more than twenty levels though. Still, the difference between a level 10 and a level 20 was scary. We might be able to beat a level 10 boss. A level twenty boss would certainly wipe us out.


    I cast all the preparation spells. I decided to stick with my highest job, White Mage until we knew what we were facing. Looking down the stairway, I gulped. Lydia reached out and grabbed the back of my robes with shaky fingers. That¡¯s right, I was there to protect her. I had to be strong for her. The pair of us worked our way down into the darkness. We came out into a room that looked like a throne room. Sitting on the throne was a gaunt, skeletal-looking man.


    He shot the pair of us a glare that caused my skin to go cold. ¡°It is about time you two came.¡±


    The pair of us looked at each other.


    ¡°You closed my doors yesterday!" He continued. "Yet you¡¯ve spent the last twenty-four hours playing around and giggling up there!¡±


    It looked like the boss appeared when the doors closed, and thus he had been forced to wait while we prepared things. Well, who asked for the boss to pop in the preparation room! We were just as inconveniently trapped as this guy was. It was simply bad game design! If we got trapped it should have been upon entering this room. In fact, the door slammed shut behind us, sealing us in this room, which made the whole process redundant!


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    ¡°We¡¯re sorry we inconvenienced you.¡± Lydia politely lowered her head.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± The skeleton waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, you¡¯ll both be dead shortly.¡±


    As he spoke, numerous glowing circles appeared, and a half dozen skeletons appeared. This really wasn¡¯t fair! We had never fought more than three at a time. This was twice that many!


    ¡°Group Heal!¡± I threw the spell out, and the skeletons all froze as the boss grabbed his head and bellowed.


    ¡°Attack them!¡± He ordered.


    Lydia leaped forward and began to fight three zombies at once. The other three seemed to think that I looked like a good person to attack. I backed up, casting Harm Undead as quickly as I could manage. As soon as my mana ran out, I gulped down another potion and kept casting it. Lydia had managed to knock down a skeleton, but she also got a cut on her arm in the process.


    As for me, I kept casting, running around to avoid them as I did this. The Necromancer only waited and watched. Lydia downed a second skeleton, and my first finally hit the ground.


    {White Mage has increased to level 12.}


    {You have unlocked the White Mage Skill: Sanctify Land.}


    ¡°Sanctify Land!¡±


    I didn¡¯t hesitate to throw my new skill out. The ground began to glow, filling up half the room. Instantly, the skeletons began to slow down. They were taking damage and were affected on sanctified ground! The Holy Circle was more like a barrier. This was more like an area effect spell. I felt my mana recovering faster. It wasn¡¯t nearly fast enough though, as I needed my second mana potion soon after.


    I cast Harm Undead again and again, and the second skeleton fell. At this point, Lydia finished off the last of her skeletons and then came to my aid. We made short work of the last one. Finally, we turned our attention to the Necromancer, who was standing just outside my sanctified ground.


    He snorted, waved his hand, and another six skeletons appeared.


    ¡°S-seriously?¡±


    This was going to be a long fight.

 Chapter 49

    ¡°We need to concentrate on the Necromancer! He¡¯ll just keep summoning skeletons!¡± I panted.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Lydia confirmed.


    I wish I had spoken up two waves of skeletons ago, but as he summoned the third, I realized that he could do that all day. A part of me wanted to treat this as a game and assume three waves was his limit, but as much as this was like a game, it was also very real. I couldn¡¯t use game logic to assume anything about this world, Living Armor turkey legs notwithstanding.


    Without hesitation, Lydia shifted her attention to the Necromancer. He casually stepped back. The skeletons split up, but this time an extra one went towards Lydia, leaving me with two. I could only grimace as I looked at him adjusting his strategy. Definitely not like a game. Lydia was the more dangerous of the two of us. As soon as she fell, I¡¯d be quickly surrounded and overtaken. The Necromancer was more than aware of this and thus had changed his strategy.


    I felt very inadequate as I continued to keep my distance from the two chasing me. If I was a stronger opponent, this wouldn¡¯t be an issue. Lydia was putting her life on the line for me, and all I could do was keep my distance. After seeing her take a cut, I tossed a Group Heal Lydia¡¯s way. The spell healed her and injured the four around her, but it wouldn¡¯t be enough to change the direction of this fight. I popped another bottle of mana potion immediately after. It was the second to last one that I had.


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    ¡°Harm Undead!¡±


    I sent a spell at the Necromancer. He let out a cry and shot me a glare. If I pissed him off, then wouldn¡¯t he start sending the undead after me instead. Four skeletons seemed to stress Lydia¡¯s ability, as she struggled to keep the monsters back. As long as I kept the Sanctify Land active, the monsters couldn¡¯t keep up with me, but I was growing tired and my mana was starting to dwindle.


    ¡°Harm Undead, Harm Undead!¡± I shouted sending spells at the necromancer.


    ¡°Useless!¡± He shouted. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to stop me with those pathetic spells!¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± I asked. ¡°But I can distract you!¡±


    The Necromancer turned just as Lydia managed to finish off one of her skeletons. Without him coordinating them, they fell in battle prowess just enough.


    ¡°This time, leave 1 skeleton alive!¡± I called out. ¡°He probably can¡¯t cast another six until all the others are dead.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Lydia jumped back, her expression looking fiercer than ever.


    ¡°Tsk!¡± The Necromancer cursed. ¡°You¡¯re annoying. It¡¯s time to end this farce.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    The Necromancer raised his hand, and for the first time since the fight, the dark aura that seemed to be resonating in the room coalesced right on his fingertips.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± I shouted.


    A dark power exploded out towards Lydia. With three skeletons on her, she could not focus on escaping them. The black fog exploded around her. I let out a shout as shadows exploded everywhere and obscured her vision. When it finally cleared, Lydia was lying on the ground. Her skin was grey and dull. Her eyes were lifeless. Lydia looked just like the dead!

 Chapter 50

    ¡°What did you do? A one-hit KO? That¡¯s cheating!¡± I screamed.


    ¡°Eh¡­ Deek?¡± Lydia spoke, slowly standing up.


    Her body looked like that of a walking corpse. There was nothing gross like blood, but her skin wasn¡¯t the right shade and her body moved much like the corpses. She picked up her sword and then started walking towards me with shaky steps.


    ¡°Wh-what¡­ what is happening?¡± She asked, fear on her face, the fact she was moving didn¡¯t seem to be within her control.


    ¡°Curse of the Zombie.¡± The necromancer said. ¡°A curse that turns a living target into an undead.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of that?¡± I asked, backing up as I noticed the skeletons were now standing by.


    ¡°In my life, I was a powerful necromancer. I ruled over the undead. This woman, she is now mine to control.¡±


    ¡°W-wait, no!¡± She cried out, trying to drop her sword.


    However, her hand tightened on it, and she continued to advance on me. I lifted my hand and cast Weak Heal. She let out a cry as if she was in pain, stopping for a second.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± the necromancer laughed. ¡°This is exactly like it was back then. The Hero advanced on his White Mage under my curse. She could heal him¡­ but healing only hurts the undead. Slowly, he walked towards her. She could have easily killed him and survived. She should have killed him and survived! But she wouldn¡¯t¡­ because she was convinced she loved him.¡±


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    ¡°So, he wasn¡¯t some undead¡­¡± I spoke up. ¡°Just a curse¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course. Would it be so tragic if there wasn¡¯t will there? That¡¯s what I tried to tell my precious sister. There is no love between master and slave. That hero didn¡¯t love her at all. He was just using her and kept her around because he was kind. But she wouldn¡¯t listen!¡±


    ¡°Remove Curse!¡± I shouted.


    {You must have contact to use Remove Curse.}


    ¡°Haha¡­ yes¡­ it¡¯s so simple, isn¡¯t it? All you have to do is touch her without her killing you, and you can remove this curse and my control over her. And yet, she will stab you all the same. The Hero might have been able to resist my charm and choose not to. This girl is far lower level, do not think she could do the same.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ please¡­¡± Lydia exclaimed tearfully.


    ¡°Either you kill her, or she kills you. That was the decision. That has always been the decision. Masters and slaves can never be together.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ what, the hero cut her down and then you killed the hero?¡± I demanded, wanting to keep him talking even though I continued to back up.


    ¡°How would I let him cut down my own sister?¡± The Necromancer responded bitterly. ¡°No¡­ what he cut down was an illusion I put in his mind. I just wanted her to see the truth. To see that he never cared about her. I didn¡¯t realize¡­ I didn¡¯t expect her to throw herself on his blade¡­ to sacrifice herself to remove his curse¡­ he killed me that day. Used my sister to the very end. The Hero Dormont, famed throughout the land, raising himself up on the corpses of his party members. His path had more blood on it than the Demon Lords, yet he was adored by all.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t have to do this¡­¡± I said, looking in Lydia¡¯s panicked eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there are no illusions here.¡± The Necromancer chuckled. ¡°Show her the truth. Kill her so that you can survive. If you do¡­ I¡¯ll allow you to leave this dungeon. On the other hand, bring out your hands and allow her to kill you, and I will free her from her curse and return her to the surface. The choice is with you, hero, will you put a slave¡¯s life above your own?¡±


    My back hit the wall. I had reached the end. All that was left was to make a decision.

 Chapter 51

    Lydia and I had only known each other for a week. There was no way that our relationship could be put to this kind of test. How could anyone, let alone a cute girl like Lydia, have any kind of feelings for a fat loser like me?


    ¡°Please¡­ just kill me,¡± Lydia spoke, my eyes snapping to hers. ¡°Just cast your spells until I fall. Please¡­¡±


    Tears fell down her cheeks, yet her steps kept coming forward. In this world, she was a slave. She had almost no value, and certainly not more value than a hero. If she died, no one would care. Her master certainly wouldn¡¯t care. He already thought she was dead. No, that wasn¡¯t true. I would care. She mattered to me! I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to say I loved her. I had made that mistake a hundred times in the past, giving my heart to someone. I wasn¡¯t doing this out of some misguided desire to love anyone who was even a little nice to me. I did this¡­ specifically, because it was Lydia.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how I feel about you,¡± I spoke honestly, causing Lydia to blink. ¡°But I regret that we¡¯ll never have the chance to find out.¡±


    ¡°W-wait¡­ no, kill me! Please¡­ don¡¯t!¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes began to panic.


    ¡°History repeats itself, huh?¡± I leaped forward.


    Her blade was raised towards me. She was way too fast. There was just no way, but I wasn¡¯t going to go without trying.


    ¡°No! I love¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s words stopped as the sword slid into my gut.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± I let out a groan, putting my hand on her cheek. ¡°Really¡­ painful¡­ Remove¡­ Curse.¡±


    There was a glow around her body, but she let go of the sword, and I collapsed to the ground.


    ¡°N-n-no!¡± She screamed, collapsing with me as my body fell to the ground. ¡°No. Please¡­¡±


    She grabbed my chest, ¡°I love you! I love you! Please¡­ I love you! You¡¯re the best Master I ever had. Please¡­ don¡¯t leave me¡­ I¡¯ll be good. I¡¯ll be good. Just don¡¯t leave me.¡±


    The necromancer looked down at the scene with a grimace. ¡°Skeletons¡­ finish her off.¡±


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    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± I chuckled, ¡°I knew he was a liar.¡±


    ¡°M-master?¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes widened as she realized I was still awake.


    ¡°Can you pull the sword out of my stomach, it¡¯s really painful.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± She grabbed the sword and yanked it out.


    ¡°Ahhhhh¡­. Damn¡­¡± I let out a moan. ¡°Weak Heal.¡±


    I pulled out the last mana bottle and Lydia helped pull it to my lips. ¡°Weak Heal! Weak Heal!¡±


    White magic quickly covered me and the wound closed very quickly. With that, I worked my way up to my feet with Lydia¡¯s help. The Necromancer was staring at us with his mouth open. As for the skeletons, they didn¡¯t seem to move at all.


    ¡°You¡­ really love me.¡± I asked.


    Lydia blushed, lowering her head. ¡°Of course. I aimed low¡­ didn¡¯t I? It¡¯s okay that you don¡¯t know how you feel about me¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ actually, I was just trying to sound cool,¡± I said sheepishly. ¡°I love you too.¡±


    Lydia¡¯s eyes widened and she looked up at me. ¡°You do?¡±


    Forget all my bold talk as I thought I was going to die. I really was a sap who fell in love too easily. However, Lydia was the first girl to ever reciprocate that love.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± The Necromancer demanded.


    ¡°She was supposed to aim for my heart,¡± I explained. ¡°Not my stomach. I¡¯m a White Mage. I can pretty much heal from anything that isn¡¯t an instant death. You may have guided Lydia¡¯s hand, but at the last moment when it counted the most, she wouldn¡¯t kill me.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± The Necromancer shook his head. ¡°He¡­¡±


    ¡°I love you,¡± I said. ¡°Please¡­ be mine.¡±


    ¡°Mm! I love you! You¡¯ll always be my Master.¡±


    Actually, I meant to be mine like a valentine. My only understanding of romance came from Valentine¡¯s Day memes. I was still uneasy about the master-slave thing, but it seemed like a bad time to bring it up. Our lips met, and the two of us kissed.


    ¡°Enough of this!¡± The Necromancer snapped. ¡°This isn¡¯t¡­ no¡­ just kill¡­ kill them!¡±


    The skeletons finally moved forward this time, but a second later a bright light exploded from the ceiling. The skeletons were reduced to ash. A glowing orb floated down from the ceiling.


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡± The necromancer backed up. ¡°They can¡¯t be¡­ this was¡­¡±


    ¡°Brother¡­¡± A voice came from the lore, causing the skeleton to shake. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to realize the truth.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ you can¡¯t¡­ slaves are just owned by their masters. They¡¯re tools!¡±


    ¡°Can someone not love a tool?¡± Her voice asked gently. ¡°Can an animal not love its master?¡±


    The Necromancer¡¯s face was twisted. ¡°You¡¯re not a tool, nor an animal!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ I was his beloved party member who chose to give my life for him. Look at the pair of them. Know the truth.¡±


    The skeleton looked back at us, still in each other¡¯s arms, and then a strange sense of peace fell over him. ¡°I see¡­ so that¡¯s how it is.¡±


    ¡°Come with me, brother. It¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so¡­¡± The Necromancer sighed and then shot me a look. ¡°Take care of her! Rather, I¡¯ll hold you to it!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± I declared, nodding.


    With that, the white glow spread out from the orb and then surrounded the skeleton. A moment later, he was no longer there. With that, the boss was defeated. After all, the story was now finished.

 Chapter 52

    The orb continued to pulsate in the air, but the pulsing seemed to grow faster and faster.


    ¡°What now?¡± I asked.


    Did we need to destroy the orb? That had to be the lore, right? I didn''t have long to think about it though.


    A second later, the orb shattered, and then the pieces flew at me. I gave out a cry as I backed up, but the pieces kept coming. They slammed into my leg. I let out a scream as a burning sensation crept through my leg. At the same time, text flew in my vision.


    {Congratulations, you have completed Mina¡¯s Dungeon.}


    {You have unlocked the job: True Dungeon Diver.}


    {You have unlocked the Dungeon Point System.}


    {For completing the lore, you have gained 5 dungeon points.}


    {Mina¡¯s lore is now a part of you. You have gained Mina¡¯s Blessing.}


    {You have an increased affinity with slaves. Slaves will earn experience twice as fast.}


    {Your affinity to slaves is maxed. You have unlocked the job: Slave Master.}


    ¡°Master! Master¡­¡± Lydia was cradling my head while the pain subsided.


    I reached down and pulled up my pant leg to see what was there. ¡°A tattoo?¡±


    It looked like text, except it took on a strange shape, and wrapped around my leg like a snake.


    ¡°What¡¯s that, Master?¡± Lydia asked worriedly, wiping tears from her eyes.


    ¡°The lore becomes a part of you. I think they meant that literally,¡± I said, frowning at my new tattoo.


    When someone destroyed the lore, someone defeated the dungeon. There wasn¡¯t much to it. However, if you completed the lore, then that lore became a part of you. The curse that infected the dungeon was turned into a blessing that targets you. In my case, Mina¡¯s blessing increased my affinity to slaves, allowing them to earn experience faster. Furthermore, it allowed me to unlock the slave master job. As for Lydia, she didn''t gain anything. Was it because she was a slave, or because I was a hero?


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    Out of curiosity, I quickly equipped the new job slave master. My first skill was Take Slave. If I had to guess, it was an ability that allowed me to transfer a slave from someone else to me. Could this be done forcefully? I wanted to try it, but I was worried that it would cause some troubles once we got out of the dungeon. On that note, we were still in the dungeon¡¯s boss room. Looking around, I noticed a door behind the throne.


    After getting back on my feet, I led the way into the final chamber. It was a bedroom which contained a few dressers, a desk, and a bed. Glancing around, I noticed a small box on the desk. Opening it, I found that there were several small trinkets in it. One of them looked to be a magical storage ring, although there was nothing inside it. I couldn¡¯t guess what anything else was. There was also a magic rune on the ground which had to open the portal. I was very confident that this one would lead us back outside. There was a crystal ball that I couldn¡¯t move, and other than that, this was the extent of the last room of the dungeon.


    ¡°What is the Dungeon Point System?¡± I asked.


    The tattoo on my leg suddenly glowed, and a giant list appeared in front of me. It was a skill list complete with prices. My mouth fell open as I glanced at it.


    The skills read things like


    2X experience ¨C 1 dungeon point.


    Sword of healing ¨C 1 dungeon point.


    Revival ¨C 10 dungeon points.


    2nd Job ¨C 1 dungeon point.


    There were items and skills of all types. For some items, there seemed to be tiers that grew exponentially expensive. For example, 2X experience also had 5X and 10X next to it, but they require five and ten dungeon points respectively. Furthermore, they were greyed out, and I got the impression I¡¯d need to have 2X selected. That meant, 10X wouldn¡¯t cost 10, it¡¯d cost 16 dungeon points.


    However, all selections seemed to be on this list from 1, 5, 10, 25, or 50. The 50 skills sounded scary. Immortality. Temporary Invincibility. Omega. Create Life. If someone just defeated 10 dungeons, they could become immortal. No¡­ you had to complete the lore, not destroy it. That was much tougher, and no one had done that in a long time. In fact, I had a distinct feeling that the Dungeon Point System only unlocked for True Dungeon divers. That meant no one had even had access to this system, even if they had points.


    With this system, someone could truly become overpowered. This was the way to become a true hero. Before I could consider the system much longer, there was a strange cough behind me. I closed the menu and turned around. My jaw hit the floor.


    Lydia was standing there, but she had taken off her clothes. She now stood naked in the room, her hands covering herself shyly as her face flushed.


    ¡°Once we leave this dungeon¡­ things may change.¡± She spoke quietly with her head lowered. ¡°Will you¡­ do it with me? Just once, before we have to face that world again?¡±


    I could only gulp.

 Chapter 52.5

    Lydia¡¯s naked body looked amazing. Her breasts were perky. Her frame was small. Her tail was absolutely adorable. She had big ears that I just wanted to stroke. Even her pubic hair had a mixture of orange and black. She had revealed her naked body to me willingly. I was a young man in my prime, but I had never been with a woman before. I know she had confessed her love to me a bit ago. I knew we had kissed too. However, it all felt like a dream that came crashing into this climax.


    Now, she was offering me her entire body. She was way hotter than any of the girls I had ever asked out before. More than that, she was a virgin who had been raised in the art of a being a sex slave. Basically, there was no better catch in this entire world, and at the bottom of this dungeon, she was all for me. I walked over to her, but my entire body was shaking. I didn¡¯t feel cold. Did she feel cold? Was that a shiver? Or was I shivering?


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing,¡± I spoke honestly, finding myself unable to even pretend to be cool around this perfect hottie.


    She giggled. It wasn¡¯t mean-spirited or angry. Rather, she was blushing, and still trying to cover herself with her arms, even while she wanted me to see her.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never done anything like this either,¡± Lydia said.


    ¡°T-then why me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Because it has to be you¡­¡± Lydia responded sadly. ¡°You¡¯re the man I¡¯m giving my heart to. And so you¡¯re the man that must claim my body too.¡±


    ¡°A-after we leave, you¡¯ll¡­¡±


    Lydia stopped me by placing her finger on my lips. ¡°That is something to worry about after we leave. Right now, please, let me have this?¡±


    I didn¡¯t even really need to give a moment of thought. I didn¡¯t get it, but I definitely couldn¡¯t say no. She was charming and beautiful, and after a week together, she had my heart too. I thought she¡¯d crush it after I gave it to her. She wouldn¡¯t be the first girl to do as such. Instead, she gave me even more.


    ¡°Sh-should I start¡­ how I was taught?¡± She asked, her face turning another shade of crimson as she refused to meet my eyes and stared at my chest instead.


    ¡°S-sure¡­¡± I responded, just as nervously.


    She gestured out with her hand. ¡°Sit please¡­¡±


    I sat down on the bed as she commanded. At that moment, she could have said anything and I would have done it. She fell down on her knees and then started unbuckling the belt of my pants. Her hands were shaking, and it took her a bit of effort to get the pants off. Finally, my penis came out. I was already erect, her perfect, naked body being way more than possibly needed to make me excited.


    With great care, she took my penis and brought it into her mouth. I immediately let out a gasp and she pulled away, looking up at me with fright.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s okay. That felt good.¡± I reassured her.


    Lydia nodded, and gave a beautiful smile, then pulled my cock back in her mouth while still looking at my face. As my member went into her mouth, I moaned again, but this time she was ready for it and giggled slightly. Her ears twitched excitedly, very pleased that she was causing me pleasure. Her mouth felt warm and inviting, and despite being a tiger, her tongue was soft and smooth against my member.


    I had no sense of reference to know if she was doing a good job or not, but it felt absolutely amazing. Her tongue moved this way and that, wrapping around my cock graciously. I could hear the sound of her breathing as she sucked on my cock, letting out pleased noises as if it was really tasty. I didn¡¯t think my cock could be that tasty, but she really seemed to enjoy it. She occasionally pulled it out of her mouth and then licked it like a lollipop while looking up at me. The sight made me drool a bit.


    While her lips did wonders, her hands roamed up and down my body. Her nervousness seemed to fade away and she grew a bit more aggressive. I felt a little self-conscious as she touched my thighs and stomach, but her light fingers always delicately danced across my skin, as if she just enjoyed the feeling of me. She was neither wild nor aggressive. She didn¡¯t scratch, but I distinctly felt her purring a little bit.


    As her head started to bob up and down on my member, I couldn¡¯t help but reach down and touch the top of her head. Her golden hair had hints of black in it, just like the tiger that she took after. My hands couldn¡¯t remain still for long though, and they quickly found themselves touching her ears, which were still twitching with excitement.


    ¡°Ahhhn!¡± She opened her mouth and let out a moan as I touched her cat ears.


    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± I immediately removed my hands. ¡°I¡¯ll stop.¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­¡± She said breathlessly, ¡°I just wasn¡¯t ready. Please¡­ don¡¯t stop.¡±


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    She returned to sucking my cock, and I continued to play with her ears. Her face grew flushed, and every once in a while, she would jerk when I touched her a certain way. It disturbed her perfect blowjob but was so cute that I couldn¡¯t stop doing it. However, I grew so caught up with her ears that I wasn¡¯t paying attention to my own body. I realized I reached my limit; the feeling was simply too amazing.


    My hands gripped her ears tightly, and I began to orgasm. Lydia let out a cry of surprise as cum shot into the back of her throat without warning. She tried to pull away, but by that point, I had a tight grip on her ears. I didn¡¯t mean to be rough, but it really was my first time. Lydia was a professional though and quickly started swallowing it down with big gulps. She began to suck hard on my cock as it swelled and released. My eyes rolled up in the back of my head as she used her lips to skillfully milk my cock, even though I had it jammed deeply down her throat.


    As I finished orgasming, I finally released her ears. After making sure to swallow every last drop, even licking the tip of the head as she finished, she wiped her mouth. As I watched her with interest, she blushed, licking the back of her hand and then straightening out her ears and hair with it.


    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± I said, feeling a bit of guilt.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m glad Master came. It made me really happy to taste Master,¡± she said with a genuine smile.


    Immediately, my cock began to twitch again. It wouldn¡¯t be long before I could go a second round. I seriously would be embarrassed if I couldn¡¯t keep up at least until we went all the way. I moved back in the bed and then put out my arms.


    ¡°Come into bed with me.¡±


    She looked shy once again, even though she had just been sucking my cock, but she obeyed and lied down next to me. I wrapped my arms around her and went to take her lips.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± She turned her face away. ¡°I was down there¡­ my lips are dirty¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care¡­¡± I said forcefully. ¡°There is nothing about Lydia I find dirty!¡±


    I grabbed her chin and then kissed her. She let out a moan, her eyes flashing with adoration. Her small body, with her soft chest and lean figure, was now in my arms. I could feel her and touch any part of her. One hand nervously moved down until it found her buttocks. I grabbed it and squeezed. It was perfect and round. It was a bit harder than I expected. It was both soft and hard at the same time. She let out a pleased squeak as I fondled her butt.


    Her back had many scars, but I didn¡¯t mind them at all. Her body still felt undoubtedly like that of a delicate girl. It took barely any kissing at all before my dick was completely hard again. As Lydia¡¯s naked body writhed in my arms while I played with her butt and back, my thing poked between her legs in a noticeable way.


    ¡°Ah!¡± She let out a noise. ¡°Master¡­ it¡¯s hard again.¡±


    She sounded surprised, but also very excited. As a Courtesan, perhaps it was a typical one and done affair. Maybe they never trained her that what died would come again, so to speak. Rather, she was just too damn beautiful, and I was totally enraptured by this tigress.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to stick it in now,¡± I told her, shifting so that she was under me and I was on top.


    ¡°Yes¡­ Master¡­ please, stick it in.¡± Lydia gave me a genuine smile, her body shaking with anticipation.


    She spread her legs excitedly, but her tail was currently still between them, waving back and forth. Her fur patch had both black and orange stripes, making her pussy look extremely exotic and dangerous. I ignored the signs and slid myself into her. It wasn¡¯t as difficult as I was afraid. Lydia was really wet. She hadn¡¯t said anything, but she was kind of lewd herself, wasn¡¯t she?


    ¡°Ahhn¡­.¡± She moaned, her eyes squeezing shut. ¡°I feel master inside me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m inside you.¡± I panted. ¡°Your pussy feels so good.¡±


    I always erred on the side of honest. I didn¡¯t know what else to say. I thought her mouth felt incredible, but her pussy was even better. It was like an infinite abyss of warmth. I was as deep as I could go, and I felt like my dick had room to spare. At the other side was her womb, which is where my seed would end up if I kept going all the way.


    I started to move my hips, pushing myself in and out of her. Her pussy was gushing, and a little bit of liquid squirted out and leaked down onto her tail. She blushed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Master¡­ I-I came¡­¡±


    ¡°Hah? Already?¡±


    Now that she mentioned it, her pussy felt like it was twitching a bit. More liquid squirted out. Did Lydia get so worked up over the blowjob that all it took was me sticking it in?


    ¡°Please¡­ keep going¡­ I want Master to cum inside me.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I didn¡¯t ask before, but do you have condoms?¡±


    ¡°What are condoms, Master?¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ nevermind that, do you know if today is a safe day?¡±


    Lydia cocked her head with a confused look.


    ¡°What happens if you get pregnant?¡± I finally decided to word it this way.


    ¡°Then I¡¯d be blessed to carry Master¡¯s baby in my womb¡­¡± She said, blushing, ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ as long as it¡¯s Master¡¯s baby¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if this world had any sort of contraceptive, but if there was one, Lydia wasn¡¯t owning up to it. Ah, well, screw it. Lydia was too amazing. I picked up the pace, pushing myself inside and back of her vagina. Her tail lashed under me, and when she came, her ears lowered close to her head.


    ¡°Ahn¡­ it¡¯s coming out¡­¡± she moaned as more splashed down.


    ¡°Again so soon?¡± I said in surprise. ¡°Lydia is quite lewd, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± She looked up at me tearfully. ¡°It¡¯s only because I¡¯m so happy and fulfilled that I¡¯m able to cum like this.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ I heard something like tigers can mate up to a hundred times a day or something.¡±


    ¡°R-really¡­ then one hundred then¡­¡± Lydia nodded as if taking that number to heart.


    ¡°W-wait! I wasn¡¯t saying we were shooting for one hundred!¡±


    ¡°M-master won¡¯t mate with me a hundred times?¡±


    Looking down at her teary eyes, how I could I say no. Before I could respond, reality came to rear its ugly head.


    ¡°Ah¡­ shoot, I¡¯m cumming!¡±


    ¡°I feel it inside! You¡¯re filling my womb!¡± Lydia cried out happily as I came.


    Her pussy was so wet and warm, I couldn¡¯t keep going for long. Her body was great, and I didn¡¯t even try to pull out, instead of unleashing it all deep inside her. Collapsing down next to Lydia, I gave her a kiss on the cheek. I rested for a bit, gently stroking her hair when I suddenly could feel her eyes on me. I looked down to see her with her cheeks puffed out angrily.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That was one time!¡± She said. ¡°Master promised. Ninety-nine to go!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡±


    This time, Lydia got on top. I was in for a very long night. Was I with a slave or a tigress? It turned out that in the end, she was a little of both.

 Chapter 53

    After careful consideration, I went through the skill list of the Dungeon Point System a few dozen times, weighing the advantages and disadvantages. The naked Lydia was lying next to me; the previous night felt like a perfect dream. Her arm was on my chest, and her tail laid peacefully wrapped around my leg. My legs and groin felt a bit sticky from last night¡¯s activities, but I didn¡¯t dare to clean myself up. I wanted to stay like this as long as possible.


    I had just defeated a dungeon. This wasn¡¯t just a defeat, but true victory. Every dungeon was composed of lore from an incomplete and corrupted story. If someone could resolve the dungeon¡¯s conflict, they would receive the dungeon¡¯s blessing, gaining some unique power and skills, along with a set amount of dungeon points.


    I had been lucky enough to fall into completing the lore, and now I could access dungeon point store. As I did so, the tattoo that had formed on my body, indicating that I had received a blessing, shone with line. Like that, I was able to look through a list of skills and items which functioned as a reward.


    Since Lydia was resting peacefully, I decided to waste my time seeing what options I had.


    I quickly identified a skill called Reset. For only a single dungeon point, I could have the option to reset my dungeon points. I tested it using just a single point, and it seemed to work. This meant I could test things out and decide what I wanted. I had to sacrifice one of only five points, which meant I absolutely couldn¡¯t touch any second-tier skill unless I earned more points. That meant unless I defeated another dungeon, this was as far as I could go.


    Well, that didn¡¯t mean that these several first-tier skills weren¡¯t amazing. I was hesitant to pick a skill that was an item, though. Various shields, armor, and weapons were all available. Some were obvious in regards to what they did, while others would need to be tested before I knew what they did. Like everything, there was no clear explanation. Either way, I found that if I used Reset and the weapon wasn¡¯t in my hand, it wouldn¡¯t convert to points. I was really frightened that I blew a point until I reselected my Reset while making sure I held the sword in my hand.


    This time, it disappeared, and my point returned too. This meant that items could be stolen or lost, and the dungeon points would be lost with them. Some items even sounded disposable, and I didn¡¯t want to risk losing them forever for a one-time gain, so I didn¡¯t even try to buy those items. Instead, I focused on skills that would be useful.


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    I eventually settled on four skills that seemed to be the best for someone like me. The first was the Second Job. Being able to use two jobs at once instantly made me stronger, plus I could level up much faster. The second was 2X Experience, which would mean faster leveling up. The third skill was a thing called Portal. It could only be used once a day per point, but it allowed you to create a portal to anywhere you¡¯ve been before. I checked, and it worked even in dungeons. That meant I could return to the city directly without the half-day walk. The final point went to Map. Mapping allowed me to create a map of everywhere I had been. It was always active too. I had a clear map of this dungeon, although it was all greyed out. It seemed like once we left, the dungeon would collapse.


    After wasting as much time as I could, I shook Lydia awake. ¡°It¡¯s time for us to go."


    ¡°Time?¡± She looked up drowsily, but when she saw my shirtless body, she blushed and covered herself. ¡°Master¡­¡±


    I reached out and pulled her against me. Her moderate chest pressed against mine as I gave her a long kiss. She finally broke away, blushing again, but she didn¡¯t fight my embrace at all.


    I put my clothes back on, and she went back to wearing her slave clothes. The first thing I wanted to do was to get her something nice. No¡­ let¡¯s eat first. I¡¯d been eating rations and turkey legs for a week now, and now I was hungry for anything different. Wait, how about we sell all the items we got and use that money. Maybe we should check the guild first and see if there is a reward for ending the dungeon. There were so many things I wanted to do now.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± I asked.


    Lydia nodded and held on to my shirt. A few moments later, I created a portal to the town square.


    The pair of us held hands and jumped through. On the other side, I noticed the town square was void of people. In truth, I had wanted a little fanfare. Otherwise, I would have portaled outside of town. Maybe that was a bit selfish of me. Perhaps a portal opening up could cut someone in half. Well, that wouldn¡¯t be good, I probably shouldn¡¯t use it carelessly anymore.


    I decided that the guild hall would be the quickest place to get answers. As we approached the building, the front door slammed open, and a haughty yet familiar man came storming out. His eyes immediately fell on us just as we reached the door.


    ¡°You! So, you lived after all. Too late, I am the hero of this town! Now, hand over my slave!¡±


    That¡¯s right¡­ in my excitement over everything, I forgot Lydia was owned.

 Chapter 54

    I was stunned for a moment as the noble glared at me. Standing by his side was one of the bodyguards. I recalled hearing from Lydia that the other one had fallen in the dungeon. That was what had led this man to his retreat and also abandoning Lydia. She would have been dead if he had his way. In fact, his actions had almost killed me too. I felt anger rising in my gut. It took quite a bit to make me angry. Even being embarrassed and mocked in class was something I used to push off, but this guy¡¯s arrogant and selfish actions were seriously pushing my limits.


    ¡°Deek! You¡¯re alive!¡± The voice came from inside the inn.


    There was a commotion of people talking inside. It felt like we had arrived at the end of a gathering. It was the Guild Master who came out. He was just as tall and had just as broad shoulders as the bodyguard of Lord Tibult. It made me feel a little better that I had an ally with a happy expression on his face while the other man shot me a stern expression.


    The Guild Master came out and suddenly gave me a big hug. He didn¡¯t show any restraint, and I felt my ribs creak. I was wrong, it turned out. In the end, it was as if my allies would be my death. As he realized I wasn¡¯t breathing, he finally let go, and I let out a rough breath. He patted my back laughing. In the meantime, a tall man with a dark complexion came out. He wore a fine suit, not unlike the nobles, although it didn¡¯t have the signs of travel wear that Lord Tibult¡¯s did.


    ¡°What does he mean, about the hero position?¡± I wheezed out as I straightened myself.


    The Guild Master put on a guilty look and scratched the back of his head. ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ after you fell into that trap, we managed to escape. We waited for you for two days, but Lord Tibult came out and said he found your dead corpse. So, we gave up any hope.¡±


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    The pair of us turned to the noble, who snorted, looking indignant. ¡°You must have misheard me. I said that he might as well be dead.¡±


    The Guild Master frowned. His expression verified that what the noble was saying was false, but he couldn¡¯t argue with him.


    ¡°Either way, he¡¯s been trying to woo the city with bribes for the last few days to have us make him the hero.¡±


    The man sputtered. ¡°Bribes¡­ donations! I¡¯m merely showing my generosity! Another town would have made me a hero five times over for the help I¡¯ve provided.¡±


    ¡°But he didn¡¯t do what he promised and finish off the dungeon!¡± I argued.


    ¡°Hmph! That dungeon is clearly a place far too dangerous for normal heroes. However, I bravely collapsed the staircase, not to mention we wiped out a good portion of the monsters inside. I¡¯ve given the city the time needed to put out a reward for a dungeon diver to finish off the dungeon. I even contributed to the bounty.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± I blinked. ¡°But the dungeon has already been defeated.¡±


    This time everyone else stared with confused expressions.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Tibult shook his hands. ¡°Who could defeat such a powerful dungeon?¡±


    I blushed slightly. ¡°Well, I did¡­¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Tibult¡¯s face turned to rage. ¡°I can¡¯t believe the likes of you could do anything of the like!¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡± The Guild Master asked, a serious expression on his face.


    ¡°Sir¡­ I saw him do it. After Master collapsed the entrance, it was the only way to escape. He¡­ saved me as well¡­¡±


    The Guild Master whistled, and two men came out of the guild. ¡°You two are the fastest and sneakiest I have, go confirm this!¡±


    The two men didn¡¯t question his orders, immediately running off in the direction of the dungeon. As for Tibult, he looked like he had swallowed something very distasteful.


    Tibult¡¯s face turned red and his anger turned to the girl. ¡°You¡­ you insolent slave! How dare you speak out of turn!¡±


    She winced as he reached out and grabbed her arm. I went to grab her, but the large man stood in my way. A moment later, Lydia was pulled away from me and put behind Tibult. She gave me a single sad look, and then lowered her eyes.


    Just like that, she had been taken away from me.

 Chapter 55

    ¡°None of this matters. You made me the hero!¡± Tibult snorted.


    ¡°You cannot be made a hero while our town already contains a hero.¡± The Guild Master explained. ¡°And if he also defeated the dungeon, he fulfilled the requirements you yourself set. I think you should understand our town has a reputation, and if we were known for throwing people under the bus, especially a dungeon diver, then we would create many enemies.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Tibult wanted to argue, but he couldn¡¯t find the words.


    ¡°Deek, if this is true, you should have the Dungeon Diver job now.¡± The Guild Master explained, pulling out a stone. ¡°It becomes set when you gain it. It¡¯s one of the few jobs that isn¡¯t level dependent. After destroying the dungeon, you should get the job. I mean no offense, but can you hold this stone and show us the job.¡±


    Seriously? Well, the game is called My Dungeon Life. Dungeon diving is what this game wants you to do. Therefore, auto-setting Dungeon Diver seems like something reasonable. I could also see what made dungeon diving so popular. Not only was it lucrative, but it was a way to change your fate. For example, if you were labelled with a high level in Thief, one of the few ways you could change your job would be dungeon diving. It was like the default skill of this world.


    There was just one problem. I didn¡¯t destroy the lore, I finished it. There was a hidden tattoo around my leg that displayed that fact. That means I didn¡¯t have the Dungeon Diver job, but True Dungeon Diver. Did I really want to confess that I did something extraordinary? It felt like it would cause me more trouble than it was worth. Maybe, I¡¯d inform the Guild Master, but definitely not in front of Tibult.


    However, I had no choice. If I didn¡¯t equip it, I¡¯d be called a liar. I unequipped my second job and just equipped True Dungeon Diver. A text popped up in my vision.


    {Dungeon Status Up has been unlocked.}


    {You have shown great experience in navigating dungeons. You have unlocked the job: Dungeon Diver.}


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    Oh! What luck! I had forgotten to equip it earlier, and apparently just equipping it was enough evidence that I could have the lesser ability. It was sort of like learning Advanced Magic before Basic Magic, at least that¡¯s what I reasoned in my mind. I quickly equipped Dungeon Diver, only to see that I didn¡¯t unlock any additional skill. It looked like level 1 of both of them was probably Dungeon Status Up. That meant an increase in status while I was in a dungeon.


    I took the stone, and it began to glow. A moment later, the name Dungeon Diver was displayed and I breathed easier. As for the Guild Master, he shook his head in disbelief. There was a rumbling sound coming from the Guild Hall too. People were listening in and watching from inside, it seemed.


    As if on cue, the men that the Guild Master had sent also returned. ¡°He speaks the truth; the dungeon is sealed and has started to break apart. The curse on the land has been lifted!¡±


    The Guild Master burst out laughing, a bit of relief on his face. ¡°You, my boy, you¡¯re far more impressive than I would have guessed. A certified Dungeon Diver as our hero, I knew my instincts were good.¡±


    ¡°Hey! This is outrageous!¡± The noble cursed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I think I speak for the entire town when I say we have settled on our hero.¡± The Guild Master gave Tibult a bow with respect he really didn¡¯t deserve.


    ¡°You bastard¡­ since you don¡¯t need to hire someone to defeat the dungeon, then I demand my money back!¡± Tibult snapped.


    ¡°Ah¡­ as to that? Didn¡¯t you say that this was all given in charity?¡±


    ¡°You dare?¡±


    ¡°That money belongs to our new hero. Don¡¯t you think? He is a Dungeon Diver who defeated the dungeon. It seems to me like the conditions for the reward money have already been met!¡±


    Tibult¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You and your town are on my list! Don¡¯t think I will suffer this humiliation!¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± The Guild Master suddenly looked a bit dangerous.


    There was the shuffling of chairs in the Guild Hall too, as several other adventurers stood up. The silence seemed to permeate the air.


    Tibult snorted. ¡°Fine, we leave in peace. I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    ¡°Take this slaver with you.¡± The Guild Master shot a look at the tall man standing nearby who could only reply with a helpless shrug.


    ¡°Lydia, Reg, come¡­¡± The noble ordered and turned away.


    Between the Guild Master and the noble, I hadn¡¯t been able to get a single word in edgewise. Now, they were already leaving with Lydia in tow. I felt like crying.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I called out, causing the Guild Master to look up in surprise.


    ¡°Lydia¡­ I want to buy Lydia!¡± I declared.


    Lydia spun around, and the sadness in her eyes turned into a delight for a brief moment. As for Tibult, he turned and stared daggers at the pair of us. The Guild Master had already put him in the worst mood imaginable. This was going to be tricky.

 Chapter 56

    ¡°You wish to buy Lydia?¡± The man said with a sneer. ¡°Like some peasant like you could afford her.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a rule, right?¡± I asked the Guild Master, ¡°If I can pay the fee, he must free her, right?¡±


    The Guild Master nodded and crossed his arms. ¡°That is true.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll pay off her debts. How much is she worth?¡±


    I hated saying words like that. Lydia was worth everything to me, but I had to set her to some arbitrary value here. I didn¡¯t like treating her like an object, but it was the only way to save a slave.


    The noble crossed his arms smugly. ¡°fifty gold coins.¡±


    I let out a cough. All I had was a bit over a gold coin.


    ¡°You bastard¡­¡± The Guild Master snarled. ¡°He asked you the amount of the reward. That¡¯s ten times the amount he even put in himself.¡±


    ¡°You said it¡¯d be at the value the slave was worth? As I understand it, Lydia was purchased from a discounted bin because she failed to be a proper courtesan?¡±


    The man that he had called a slaver seemed to be listening to all this with interest. He made me a bit uncomfortable, but I had to focus on Lydia at the moment. Only the Guild Master knew what he was doing in Chalm, but given the residents of Chalm¡¯s demeanor, he didn¡¯t seem welcome.


    ¡°She told you that?¡± Tibult shot Lydia an angry look, and she wilted under his gaze. ¡°That¡¯s clearly because this slave is a known liar. Lydia, tell him you¡¯re a liar.¡±


    Lydia stepped forward, a stubborn and anguished look on her face. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡±


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    ¡°Go on, say it!¡± He raised his hand, and the Guild Master tensed for a moment.


    ¡°I lied¡­ to-to you¡­ about everything¡­¡± She said, tears starting to fall down her cheeks. ¡°Just¡­ forget about me¡­¡±


    I stared at her pained expression, and my body tensed even more. I remembered the time we had spent in the dungeon. None of that could possibly be a lie. That night we spent together was no lie!


    ¡°You¡¯re giving me the reward, right?¡± I asked the Guild Master. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll pay it.¡±


    Tibult blinked. ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The Guild Master grimaced. ¡°My boy¡­¡±


    I turned to look at him. ¡°I¡¯m just asking for my due. What I choose to spend it on is my own business.¡±


    The Guild Master had an awkward expression on his face. ¡°I¡¯d normally agree. However, we sent the reward money to the capital to try to bait a dungeon diver. We had to scrounge up every last bit of money the city had to pay for this, especially after paying the rewards to all the adventurers for that last battle. It¡¯ll take a few days to recall the amount so that we can provide it to you.¡±


    ¡°Then, in a few days, I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ sorry there¡­¡± The noble¡¯s malicious grin returned. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving town immediately. Won¡¯t be able to stick around.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ why?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Guild Master, you can have my five-gold reward. This¡­ somehow¡­ feels much more satisfying.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this¡­¡± I took a step forward.


    ¡°Do you dare tell a noble what he can and cannot do?¡± The man asked, his voice twisting angrily.


    The surviving slave bodyguard stepped between us. Even if I could fight Tibult, the other man was pretty strong. I couldn¡¯t forget that he had managed to fight down to the 5<sup>th</sup> floor while protecting a noble and a weak slave. I wasn¡¯t confident I could defeat him.


    ¡°That¡­¡± I shot the Guild Master a look.


    He gave a guilty expression and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my boy, there is nothing we can do here. You need to have the money to pay the amount due, and you have to be near the person to pay it.¡±


    ¡°No worries.¡± Lord Tibult chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m returning to the capital. Once you have the money, you can just come to the capital. I¡¯ll happily sell her to you then.¡±


    Lord Tibult let out a malicious laugh. It gave me the impression his words weren¡¯t true. I didn¡¯t know what he had planned, but I had the feeling I¡¯d never be able to buy Lydia from him. He turned around and started walking away. Lydia looked at me with tears in her eyes, the hope that had been there a moment before being quickly snuffed out.


    ¡°Come, you useless slave!¡± The noble barked.


    Lydia turned around and followed with her head down. Within a few moments, I was all alone in this world once again.

 Chapter 57

    ¡°He¡­ he can¡¯t do this¡­¡± I said, my voice coming out with a frustrated tone.


    ¡°She¡¯s his property¡­¡± The Guild Master responded, slapping my back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, lad.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ but¡­ he left her. I saved her life.¡± I tried to reason things out. ¡°She¡¯d be dead if it wasn¡¯t for me.¡±


    ¡°No one asked you to save her life.¡± The Guild Master looked uncomfortable but said the words anyway. ¡°I¡¯m not justifying it; I¡¯m just saying that you protecting his property doesn¡¯t mean he owes you anything.¡±


    ¡°If he abandoned a sword in the dungeon¡­ and I picked it up¡­ wouldn¡¯t that mean it is mine?¡± I tried to use their own disgusting logic against them.


    ¡°A slave isn¡¯t a sword.¡± The Guild Master sighed. ¡°They are given a mark of ownership. It¡¯s magical. No matter what, she is still owned by him.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re saying, if someone changed ownership, like¡­ with a slave taker skill, then he¡¯d no longer have a right to her?¡± I tried to come up with anything to defend myself.


    ¡°How do you know of the Take Slave skill?¡± The wiry man was still nearby and immediately stepped forward as soon as I spoke.


    I blushed. ¡°I¡­ um¡­ heard about it.¡±


    The Guild Master shook his head. ¡°Even if you could take his slave ownership, he¡¯d still have paperwork. You¡¯d make an enemy of a noble, and you¡¯d bring possibly the entire nation on your head. I speak this from experience, lad. Stealing a slave is punishable by death. Old Chalm once functioned as a place where slaves could hide, have their curse removed and be freed. They worked outside the law. There is a reason it¡¯s called Old Chalm. It¡¯s nothing but ghosts now.¡±


    ¡°Besides¡­¡± The slaver spoke up. ¡°Slave Taker is an extremely rare skill. I¡¯m a level 20 Slave Trader, and even I haven¡¯t unlocked this skill yet. I heard it¡¯s about level 50. Level 75 for the job Slaver.¡±


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    ¡°What about the Slave Master?¡± I asked.


    The man blinked. ¡°Now that¡¯s not a job I¡¯ve heard in a long time. Very high tiered. You won¡¯t find many in these parts. The last Slave Master I ever heard of was a hundred years ago. The guy is known as the Slave Hero.¡±


    ¡°Never mind then,¡± I sighed bitterly, no longer wanting to talk to this man.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± The man stopped me with a hand. ¡°My name is Figuro. I¡¯m with the Slave Caravan that passes by. We do a circuit of all the villages every year to pick up those who can¡¯t pay their taxes or have committed a crime. Chalm occasionally pays to free the sick, children, or the crimeless. This year they haven¡¯t the coin to spare and have been a bit less than welcoming.¡±


    The Guild Master sneered. ¡°We tolerate your caravan on the outskirts of our city. Considering our population, isn¡¯t that enough?¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked, feeling drained.


    ¡°I have been selling slaves my entire life. I have a good read on people. For example, I read that this noble really wishes to sell that catkin and purchase another male companion to protect him. I also happened to notice he was heading in the direction of my caravan, where I happen to have a bodyguard that may fit his tastes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying he¡¯s going to sell her? What about his offer for the capital!¡± As soon as I said it, I felt stupid.


    ¡°Likely a lie.¡± The man shrugged. ¡°By the time you reach the capital, he would have long gotten rid of the catkin. He likely planned to waste your time, put you off, and only reveal he got rid of her much later. Nobles aren¡¯t the type to slit throats or hire thugs. They prefer to torture people more inconspicuously.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ Lydia?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I was saying, I will return to the caravan now and then make all effort to purchase her at a much more reasonable rate. I¡¯m confident I¡¯ll be able to make him sell. I¡¯ll hold on to her for a few days, giving you time to recall the money. At that point, you can come to me and purchase her.¡±


    ¡°Really, you¡¯d do this for me?¡±


    Figuro shrugged. ¡°Of course, she¡¯ll be sold at a profit. I won¡¯t demand anything unreasonable. I promise you I¡¯ll sell her to you at the market rate. He gets his new slave and thinks he screwed you over, you get your slave back at a reasonable cost, and I only wish for the difference.¡±


    I turned to the Guild Master. He sighed and nodded.


    ¡°Figuro is a businessman. He¡¯ll sell her for exactly what she¡¯s worth to him, not a penny more. He won¡¯t screw you over.¡± The Guild Master explained. ¡°I¡¯ll work on recalling the money immediately.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± Figuro smiled, ¡°Then¡­ we have a deal.¡±


    I reached out and grabbed his hand. We shook on it. In a few days, I¡¯d have Lydia back.

 Chapter 58

    Two days passed like an eternity. I spent most of the time slouched over a table in the inn. Two large soft things pressed down on the back of my head, which I currently had laid down on the table.


    ¡°Deek, it¡¯ll be alright. I promise.¡±


    The person speaking was the warrior woman who had joined us on our infiltration into the dungeon. She had visited me along with a couple of the people I had healed. In the last few days, I had mostly just become a NEET, remaining in the inn and living minimally. I had stopped at the shops looking to earn money more quickly by selling the goods on me, but they didn¡¯t have the coin to buy anything I had.


    ¡°Look at these¡­ this is Shadow Rabbit¡¯s hide!¡± The seamstress spoke excitedly. ¡°And you have three of them! Miraculous!¡±


    ¡°So, how much do they go for?¡± I asked, desperately.


    ¡°If I make a cloak out of them, it¡¯d easily be worth 25 gold coins! Pay me just a single gold coin, and I can make it. A cloak like this has many magical properties in speed and sneaking!¡±


    ¡°Give you a gold coin? I¡¯m trying to make gold coins, not give them away!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°Ah¡­ fine¡­ I¡¯ll do the cloak for free! Just give me the extra material not used in the cloak, and we¡¯ll call it even!¡±


    As for the jewelry, he offered to trade me much, but ultimately couldn¡¯t convert any of it to coin. The village had no bank, and they weren¡¯t lying when they said they cleared out the city to be able to come up with the bounty. At the moment, the town was on a bartering system until traveling merchants came by, and they could exchange their goods for coin.


    ¡°Deek!¡± A voice came at the door. ¡°The money arrived!¡±


    I immediately lifted my head, only to have her chest come down my face.


    ¡°Ah!¡± She cried out, pulling up. ¡°Deek¡­ you pervert!¡±


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    A couple of the men chuckled, but I was too caught up on Lydia. Heading to the door, I looked back and bowed to the big sister, who I now knew was named Ruby. ¡°Thank you for all of your help.¡±


    I turned and followed the messenger, and we headed right to the guild. The mayor was waiting there as was the Guild Master.


    ¡°Hello, Deek!¡± The mayor waved. ¡°Given the circumstances, we¡¯ve decided to forgo the formalities. Freeing a slave is, of course, a noble cause, and Chalm fully supports it. The Guild Master will go with you to make sure the payment is delivered safely. Whatever you don¡¯t spend on the slave¡­ well¡­ we¡¯ll talk about that when you get back.¡±


    I looked at the Guild Master, but he only shrugged and started walking. ¡°Let¡¯s get a move on.¡±


    I nodded, following after him. ¡°Thank you for this.¡±


    The Guild Master gave a look. ¡°We owe you a bit more. The mayor doesn¡¯t want to admit it, but from knocking out the dungeon to helping heal so many injuries, buying off a single slave is hardly sufficient.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± I responded. ¡°It¡¯ll be worth it, as long as I can free Lydia.¡±


    The pair of us continued to walk out of the village. It wasn¡¯t quite as far away as the graveyard, but it was close. We ended up seeing a circle of wagons sitting in the distance. We approached it, and eventually, a group of two guards came out and greeted us politely.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to speak to Figuro.¡± The Guild Master nodded, patting his belt, so the coins jingled.


    As we were brought to the back, we saw that most of the wagons were barred and contained a group of people. One, in particular, looked very shabby. Most of the people in it were lying down.


    ¡°The sick and the dying.¡± One of the bodyguards spat as he noticed me looking. ¡°Not a single slave of value.¡±


    I noticed that all the slaves in this section appeared to be animalkin. However, there was only one slave I particularly cared about at the moment. We were brought into a tent, and after being instructed to sit and wait for five minutes, Figuro finally walked in. He didn¡¯t look like he had bad news. Rather, he had a strange expression on his face as he sat down.


    ¡°I have the one you named, Lydia¡­¡± Figuro spoke tightly.


    The Guild Master¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°What? What is it? We have the money.¡±


    Figuro¡¯s mouth twisted bitterly. ¡°He sold Lydia as we expected. It was a great deal, in fact. You see, I¡¯m required by the slave guild to assess any slave I buy. As it turns out, she¡¯s a lot more valuable than I was initially led to believe. She¡¯s a rare variant of catkin known as a tigerkin. These are very powerful and speedy animalkins. Furthermore, she managed to gain the Swordsman class, and it¡¯s up to level fourteen. I now think I understand how you managed to make it out of the labyrinth together.¡±


    ¡°We fought and leveled together!¡± I said with irritation. ¡°What of it?¡±


    ¡°Just get on with it, how much?¡± The Guild Master snapped.


    Figuro shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t let her go for any less than 100 gold coins.¡±

 Chapter 59

    ¡°One hundred gold coins!¡± The Guild Master snapped.


    ¡°If she was a virgin, it¡¯d be even more.¡± Figuro shrugged.


    ¡°You promised¡­¡± I said while gritting my teeth. ¡°You said that I could have her¡­¡±


    ¡°At market price¡­¡± Figuro sighed. ¡°This is the market price. After he found out she was worth more, all he saw was gold. I didn¡¯t even tell him she was a rare tigerkin breed, and he already wanted to rob me blind. I gave him all of the spare coin I brought. I even contributed some of my own wealth. I might have played a harder game with him, but he was ready to walk and I had already made the promise to you. Perhaps, he had realized we had cut a deal and played us both.


    ¡°One hundred gold is what I spent to buy her. I¡¯m making no profit here. Be lucky that I¡¯m a man of my word. In an auction, I could possibly earn three hundred gold. Maybe even five hundred if you trained her up a bit.¡±


    The Guild Master put his hand up, stopping me as I rose up. ¡°You know we prepared fifty coins today and didn¡¯t expect to use a tenth of them. Why have you even told us this?¡±


    Figuro nodded. ¡°I know this has put a bad strain on our relationship, but I have a positive feeling about you... Deek.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I glared at him, and Figuro only chuckled to himself.


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m good at reading people. I think that you might be a good investment. I see you possibly buying more slaves in the future. That¡¯s why I¡¯d like to create a working relationship with you. The tigerkin would allow me to do that.¡±


    ¡°A hundred gold coins¡­¡± I began.


    ¡°I will take fifty now,¡± Figuro explained. ¡°And the rest next month. But I will need¡­ some assurance.¡±


    ¡°What assurance?¡±


    ¡°Something worth putting my profits on the line.¡± Figuro smirked. ¡°Perhaps, yourself.¡±


    ¡°Is that what this is about Figuro?¡± The Guild Master hit the table angrily. ¡°You¡¯re trying to increase your slave stock? Want to put a hero in there?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ no¡­ not at all.¡± Figuro defended. ¡°I have every trust that our friend here can come up with the money on time.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°It¡¯s very simple. I put a Temporary Slave Mark on you. In thirty days, you pay off the debt, and I remove it, or¡­ it activates, and you become a slave.¡± Figuro explained. ¡°In this case, you¡¯re the assurance. It¡¯s truly very fair, as I mean no offense, but even a hero is only worth thirty gold coins at most.¡±


    The Guild Master looked over at me. ¡°This is how these slave traders work. Someone gets in debt, and the next moment they¡¯re a slave. Fifty gold coins is a lot unless you do dungeon diving, and even then, a month is pushing it.¡±


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    I thought about the offer for a few moments. ¡°You said, anything worth fifty gold coins?¡±


    Figuro nodded. ¡°Exactly.¡±


    I sighed and then reached into my pocket, pulling out my storage ring. The jeweler had said that a storage ring ran about fifty gold coins. I put it on the table in front of Figuro. Frowning, he reached forward and picked it up.


    Staring at it a moment, he let out a gasp. ¡°A storage ring! And a large one too!¡±


    ¡°Will that suffice?¡± I asked, more worried that he would say no.


    ¡°Of course, of course. In fact, this more than covers the cost. You can even keep the fifty gold until you come up with the rest.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just take the ring and the fifty gold and we call it even?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a jeweler, I¡¯m a slave trader.¡± Figuro shrugged helplessly. ¡°If I start dealing in other currency, the merchant guild will go into an uproar. Besides, this ring is only worth thirty-five gold.¡±


    ¡°The jeweler said it was worth fifty!¡±


    ¡°To buy it, maybe, but to sell¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°Plus, that¡¯s out here. Magic items are a little less rare in the capital. You have to understand, I¡¯m already bending the rules quite a bit here. Giving a slave in advance of full payment is virtually unheard of. If you¡¯d rather I held on to her until¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I cried out, biting my lip. ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll do things your way. I¡¯ll get that money.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Figuro said, nodding respectfully. ¡°We have a deal then. You have one month to earn the gold, or we repossess the tigerkin and the ring will be compensation for my time.¡±


    I leaned back and scratched my chin. This isn''t how collateral works in my world. However, this isn''t like a car loan, either. He''s trusting me with Lydia for a month. I could run with her, or she could die, and then he''d take a major loss. Meanwhile, if I can''t keep my part of the bargain, I don''t merely lose Lydia, but the ring also. It''s a bit better than offering myself to slavery, but only a little. After a moment, I nodded.


    ¡°Done!¡± The pair of us shook on it.


    Figuro lead me back out into the area, gesturing to a guard nearby. He left while we waited in front of the animalkin cages. In particular, I was looking into the sick cage. Most of the people were very old. There was one notable exception. It was a fox-eared girl. Her skin was pale and her lips were dry and broken. She turned and looked up at me as if noticing that I was glancing in her direction. She had dirty blond hair that looked nearly white. She had two triangle ears on her head, pointier than Lydia''s, and a long, bushy tail that looked less flexible than hers.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t show too much interest in her,¡± Figuro spoke up. ¡°She¡¯s diseased. It¡¯s chronic. The Priest claims it requires a series of spells from a particularly high-level priest. She''d basically need treatment for the rest of her life, or an extremely rare potion known as an elixir. The cost would be far more than she is worth, I¡¯m sorry to say it. It¡¯s a shame too. She¡¯s a special fox variant. They¡¯re called the nine-tailed fox.¡±


    I glanced up to her single tail, and the guy chuckled. ¡°The other 8 tails are spiritual. That is to say, they exist on another plane of existence.¡±


    He chuckled at my expression. I didn¡¯t really even understand it. Magical tails? It truly was weird, and a shame that such a pretty girl was sickly and dying.


    ¡°M-master!¡± A girl shouted, and Lydia burst out and ran toward me without reserve, throwing her arms around me. ¡°You came! You really came for me!¡±


    She immediately started bawling as soon as she touched me, large hot tears falling on my chest, her arms holding me tightly. I reached forward and patted her head, feeling the warmth of her body once again.


    The Guild Master laughed, patting me on the back. Figuro remained back but had a bit of an amused smile on his face. The foxgirl also watched us expressionlessly from her cage, but no smile reached her face.

 Chapter 60

    ¡°You should have let me work him over a bit.¡± The Guild Master frowned as we waited to sign the contract. ¡°That ring is worth more than fifty gold coins, what kind of rotten deal is it that he gets the girl and the collateral!¡±


    ¡°Well, he didn¡¯t take the fifty gold coins for now. You yourself said that paying it all would practically bankrupt Chalm.¡± I sighed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you didn¡¯t just pay me the lump sum?¡±


    ¡°Geh!¡± The Guild Master put on a guilty expression after being caught. ¡°We planned to discuss those issues after we bought her back.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Besides, he¡¯s not a money exchanger or a pawn shop. He only deals in slaves and coin. The entire city of Chalm is short on coin at the moment. It isn¡¯t because I lack the funds. My profits from the dungeon should cover the cost without issue. This is all just a technicality.¡±


    ¡°Still¡­ since that¡¯s the case, we should have¡­¡±


    ¡°Should have what? Risked losing Lydia?¡± I asked with a frown, causing Lydia, who was holding me tightly, to hold on even tighter. ¡°He had no obligation to sell her back to me. I doubt a verbal agreement would hold water to the nobles of this world. He said it himself, she¡¯s worth hundreds on auction. He could have taken any reason to end the transaction, and I could have done nothing except cry about how unfair it all is.


    ¡°His caravan had plans to leave in a few days. Since we lacked the funds, he could have just turned around and left while I desperately looked for someone to buy my goods. I accepted this deal in good faith. I refuse to play with Lydia¡¯s life to save a few coins or execute some ridiculous notion of vengeance. I¡¯m not some childish, prideful idiot. This is someone I care about on the line. Would you squabble over a few pennies to save your mother¡¯s life?¡±


    ¡°Well said¡­¡± Figuro spoke, walking up. ¡°You have a good head on your shoulders. Have you considered the mercantile business?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve dabbled,¡± I spoke wryly, thinking back to my level 1 Merchant job.


    Since our transaction was on hold, I¡¯d like to level up the Merchant job and see if I could make this deal more in my favor. I could bring him down just with that Haggle skill, but once again, I wouldn¡¯t bank Lydia¡¯s life on it working. For all I knew, slavery went by different rules. After all, Slaver is a different job from the Merchant.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong. It wasn¡¯t like I wasn¡¯t upset that I ended up getting stuck with the bill, but Lydia was never mine in the first place. First, she was that noble¡¯s, and then she was this slaver¡¯s. Pretending I had some claim to her and that it wasn¡¯t fair was just a wishful fantasy. Years of rejection had made me a bit of a pragmatist. Ignoring what could have been, if it came to how much I valued her, a hundred gold was nothing. I had obtained my current wealth after only a week in this world, and I didn¡¯t feel it¡¯d be long before I could obtain that amount again.


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    The Guild Master crossed his arms and scowled at Figuro. ¡°I still feel like we¡¯re getting the raw end of the deal here.¡±


    ¡°You can see it this way.¡± Figuro offered. ¡°I¡¯m lending Lydia out for one month. In exchange, I¡¯m remaining here for one month in service to your town. After all, while I¡¯m waiting for my payment, I¡¯m not able to move my caravan and will have to conduct business long-distance. But that means you have an entire month with access to my slaves.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even want you around a week!¡± The Guild Master growled.


    ¡°That¡¯s one month to potentially pay off debts¡­¡± Figuro sighed, then glanced over at the cage full of sick slaves. ¡°All manner of debts.¡±


    The Guild Master¡¯s eyes brightened as he finally realized what Figuro was getting at. ¡°That¡¯s right! And with that fifty gold, we could free the whole lot!¡±


    ¡°Why do I have a feeling I¡¯m going to be raising one hundred gold in the next month, not fifty?¡± I asked with a grimace.


    ¡°Ah hah¡­¡± The Guild Master blushed, scratching the back of his head. ¡°Of course, we can work something out, I think.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry I cost Master so much,¡± Lydia whispered quietly, still holding me tight.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s my fault.¡± I whispered to her, so no one else heard. ¡°I should have left your job as a Commoner.¡±


    Lydia shook her head. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t matter. This slaver is thorough and has a priest in his caravan. He was able to see all my jobs, including Thief!¡±


    Using a priest to look at and change jobs was expensive for the common folk, but if it had to be done, it had to be done. However, if it¡¯s something you needed to do regularly, it was probably cheaper to hire a priest directly. Like, a mechanic might be expensive for me to use, but a corporation could certainly keep a mechanic on the payroll. I was not sure if the slavers had to work something out with the church, or if priests could work independently from the church. It didn¡¯t really matter to me.


    I had suspected the slavers had a method of looking at jobs, which was why I didn¡¯t kick myself too hard when I found out he raised her worth. The only way I could have not raised her worth was to not depend on her in the dungeon. However, I had needed her to escape that dungeon alive. If I saw it as a necessary tax for both of our lives, it indeed seemed like a small debt.


    ¡°Also¡­¡± Figuro added one last thing. ¡°Don¡¯t forget. You can¡¯t free her as a slave until she¡¯s paid off.¡±


    We signed the necessary paperwork and finally headed back to town. Lydia wasn¡¯t officially my slave yet, so the mark on her was still set to Figuro. Well, at least she was by my side now. That was truly what mattered to me.


    Since I was in a better mood, the Adventurers I had become friends with wanted to celebrate. We drank a lot, and by the time I got Lydia back to my room, I was almost passed out. I fell asleep with her snuggling next to me. We didn¡¯t even get to do anything else. Still, she had a smile on her face, I remembered falling asleep with her smiling over me.


    Whatever came next, I knew I could handle it as long as I was with Lydia.

 Chapter 61

    ¡°A mansion,¡± the Guild Master said, putting a sheet of paper down on the table.


    It was the day after I got Lydia back. She was sitting next to me. She had eaten all the meat from her plate but didn¡¯t have any interest in anything else. She still had one hand holding my shirt, as if she was afraid that if she let it go, I would disappear.


    ¡°A¡­ what?¡± I asked, looking up from my own meal.


    After a week in the dungeon and barely eating the last two days, I had lost a bit of weight. My clothing was hanging on me loosely now. We both planned to go to the seamstress after this.


    ¡°For defeating the dungeon.¡± The Guild Master announced.


    ¡°Technically, you never agreed to defeat the dungeon for the fifty gold pieces. If we go by the mission you were on and your performance, you¡¯ve earned five gold pieces.¡± The mayor explained, dropping a small pouch on the table next to my food.


    ¡°Oi¡­ only five?¡±


    ¡°Six, I threw in your monthly salary as the hero too¡± The mayor coughed. ¡°Sorry¡­ you know our financial situation. We¡¯d like to free as many slaves as we can. Just those that are crimeless or sick, we won¡¯t go overboard.¡±


    ¡°You guys are seriously putting me in a tough spot,¡± I said, frowning.


    I knew the items I had on me were valuable, but I wasn¡¯t confident it was to the level of 100 gold coins.


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯re our city¡¯s benefactor.¡± The Guild Master explained. ¡°That¡¯s why we want to gift you a mansion.¡±


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    I frowned. ¡°I really would prefer just to head to the capital city and sell some goods to earn my money.¡±


    Plus, once I made a visit to the capital, I could portal back and forth. This kind of situation would never happen again.


    ¡°The journey by horse is almost three weeks. You¡¯d be very hard-pressed to make it back by your one-month deadline!¡± The mayor protested.


    ¡°That¡¯s not really an issue for me,¡± I responded.


    ¡°P-plus!¡± The mayor waved his hands excitedly. ¡°The mansion belonged to a former lord. Inside it, there was supposed to be a treasure. Real treasure. Gold. At least 800 coins! Enough to buy out the slave caravan entirely!¡±


    I let out a sigh, taking the bait. ¡°Okay¡­ where is this mansion? I don¡¯t see one in this village.¡±


    ¡°Ten miles west of here, in the ruins of Old Chalm!¡±


    ¡°Thank you both for the lovely chat. I¡¯ll be going then¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± The two called out. ¡°If you help reclaim Old Chalm, not only will you become exceptionally rich, but there is a possibility to become a new lord!


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say Old Chalm was a ghost town?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°You told him?¡± The Mayor cried, shooting the Guild Master a look.


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­ the ghost problem isn¡¯t that bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Ghosts? Real ghosts? The village is haunted too?¡± I sputtered in disbelief.


    The two men looked at each other and then put on identical pleading looks. ¡°Yes¡­ the mansion and surrounding city may have been overtaken by spirits and paranormal monsters, but you made short work of our undead problem. You¡¯re like a battle priest, right? You should be able to take out the ghosts with ease!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if that was true. Ghosts were dead, not undead. I had a feeling healing and other such spells wouldn¡¯t do squat against poltergeists. That was where Priests and White Mages started to differ, it seemed.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Lydia pulled on my shirt, causing me to glance at her.


    ¡°If this is about earning money, I will go with Master wherever.¡±


    ¡®Yeah¡­ but¡­ the capital¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the Mayor declared. ¡°The merchant caravans will arrive in a few weeks. At that time, we¡¯ll be able to bring more coins into the city and buy your items. I promise, your money will be there.¡±


    I glanced between Lydia and the two men. Finally, I gave out a sigh.


    ¡°Old Chalm¡­ it is.¡±

 Chapter 62

    ¡°M-master¡­ this clothing¡­¡± Lydia was looking over at me with teary eyes.


    ¡°What, do you not like it?¡±


    Lydia shook her head, her ears almost flapping. ¡°Not at all! Rather, this clothing is much too nice for someone like me.¡±


    "Lydia... you''re worth any cost to me," I responded.


    Lydia turned bright red, and it took the seamstress three times addressing her before she finally paid attention and lifted her arm as instructed. While I was waiting in my stupor, I wasn¡¯t completely useless. I had gone to the seamstress and ordered her a couple of outfits. I said they were for a girl, but I didn¡¯t specify a slave. She didn¡¯t know Lydia¡¯s size, but she came back with an assortment of outfits for me and was now taking the measurements. Lydia was doing the best she could as the seamstress commented on her nice bone structure.


    ¡°I wish you had mentioned earlier that she is a Swordsman.¡± The seamstress said. ¡°Unlike you, she¡¯d do well to have some leather armor. She is fast and flexible, so I wouldn¡¯t go for anything metal, but a decent beast hide would outdo anything I could do with clothing.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± I laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of my head.


    Just because I was a mage, why did I have to have less defense? Well, I had other jobs too. I could have White Mage and Hero equipped at the same time. Since that was the case, I was interested in leather armor as well.


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    After some negotiation back and forth, I finally spent 2 gold coins on armor and clothing. She would contact the leatherworker herself and sort all these things out. It cost a bit more, but I didn¡¯t like negotiating all that much. I mean, I still had Haggle and my hero status, so I got a 30% discount on this. It originally would have been 3 gold coins.


    {Merchant has increased to level 2.}


    {Upsell has been unlocked.}


    Upsell, huh? Well, if haggle allows me to talk down the price, then Upsell would allow me to increase it. That meant, when I sold items, I could probably sell them for a bit more.


    It¡¯d take a day for the leatherwork and stitching to be completed. I still took an outfit that didn¡¯t fit her perfectly. Lydia was in the shop wearing a purple blouse and skirt with a split down the middle for riding a horse. She looked very cute in it, but it hadn¡¯t been modified for her tail like the others would be, so she blushed as it rid a bit low on her back.


    ¡°Wait¡­ your robe has also been finished. As promised.¡± I nearly left without the most expensive addition.


    I was depending on selling this as a last resort if all else failed. Well, it was thirty gold coins in value. It was made of Shadow Rabbit fur and it would supposedly allow a person to move faster and hide easier. It was black in color when it was finished, which was odd because I recalled the rabbits being brown.


    I reached out and draped it around Lydia¡¯s shoulders. She started to panic.


    ¡°M-m-master! This is way too extravagant.¡±


    ¡°I give this to you because it has to be you,¡± I said, not letting her hand it back. ¡°You¡¯re going to be protecting me from now on, alright?¡±


    Lydia blushed. ¡°Y-yes, Master.¡±


    With the cloak on, Lydia had black fur across her back. She now looked part tiger and part panther. The effect was very adorable. I just had one more thing I needed to do before we headed out to Old Chalm. I wasn¡¯t too worried about heading there later in the day. I had Portal to return us once I had been there once, and I had Return to take us home. Travel in this world was pretty convenient for someone like me.

 Chapter 63

    ¡°Ah¡­ I forgot; I can¡¯t read this world¡¯s language.¡± I sighed, putting the book to the side. ¡°Lydia?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master, I never learned to read.¡±


    Well, she was born and raised as a slave, so that wasn¡¯t surprising. For me, I had grown so used to reading in my old world, that I hadn¡¯t considered it when I asked for some reference materials from the adventurer¡¯s guild.


    First, we had stopped at the general goods and restocked on supplies. I had avoided spending any money by skillfully trading in supplies. Since everything I sold got a 20% increase and everything, I bought a 30% decrease, I was actually able to get all of the supplies I needed simply by selling off the stuff that I didn¡¯t need. Things like the lanterns and water jugs were no longer needed as I could cast magic to create those things myself. Support class had some advantages.


    Upon reaching the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, my desire was to find out more about jobs and skills. It¡¯d be really nice to know what kind of stuff Lydia had. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t read this language and neither could Lydia, so the books were useless. Of course, the adventurers nearby were happy to tell me about their jobs, but most didn¡¯t know anything outside their own job, and many surprisingly didn¡¯t even know what their own jobs offered, only learning what they called the critical skills. Those were the best skills that truly changed how they fought.


    As a result of these kinds of questions, I knew that Lydia had three different forms of special attacks, and a handful of status boosts that helped her as a Swordsman. As for my jobs, which no one here shared, I¡¯d still only see what skills I had as I got them.


    ¡°Here it is¡­¡± A map was dropped on my table by the secretary.


    Since I had been promoted to the town hero, she had grown significantly more polite with me. It appeared like she was the town historian as well as the person who set up quests and missions. I had asked her for a map of Old Chalm, which is what she now put on my table.


    ¡°So, it is a lot bigger than Chalm,¡± I said, noticing its size was about twice as big.


    ¡°Yes, Old Chalm was truly a city on the frontier. It sat just outside the border of the Aberis Kingdom and the country of Dioshin, in the wildlands.¡± The secretary answered. ¡°That was before the land became cursed.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked. ¡°I thought it had something to do with the fact they were freeing Aberis slaves illegally.¡±


    The secretary nodded. ¡°Some think it was Aberis that cursed the city in retaliation. Specifically, the Karr family, who lived in the mansion at the edge of town.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked.


    The secretary looked off distantly. ¡°It was about fifteen years ago. Our town had established a means of helping slaves escape from Aberis, and then we smuggled them into Dioshin. You see, most animalkin slaves are originally from Dioshin. They were kidnapped, abducted or tricked into slavery. We simply¡­ stole them back.


    ¡°However, this was starting to upset the country of Aberis, and they were growing angrier by the day. It was getting to the point they were going to send soldiers to attack our city. We were stronger then, but not strong enough to fight off even a single legion of Aberis'' army. The only reason they hadn¡¯t attacked us sooner was because of Dioshin. Sending so many troops to the front lines would certainly cause an incident and possibly incite war.


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    ¡°Our leader back then was a philanthropist of the Karr family. They were the ones that mounted many of the operations to free slaves. Then¡­ the problems started to crop up.¡±


    ¡°Problems?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It started in the mansion. Maids would see things. Animals would get sick. Slowly, the Karr family grew introverted. Eventually, they started to ignore the world outside their mansion. Even as Aberis was starting to mobilize their armies, and the people banged on the door for their guidance, we were met with silence. That was when the ghosts came. One night in the middle of summer, they began to flood out of the mansion, and we were forced to flee.¡±


    The secretary¡¯s eyes grew watery. ¡°I remember that night. I was just a toddler, but I remember my mother¡¯s frantic breaths as she held me against her chest and ran. We abandoned almost everything. I remember the wails of the ghosts as they chased us from our homes. Many died that night to help us flee, including my father.¡±


    As she spoke, Lydia squeezed my arm tighter and tighter, shaking slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­¡± I tried to offer a bit of sympathy.


    She shook her head. ¡°It was a long time ago. However, many are still haunted by that night. We fled to the Dioshin border. However, some had grown sick and ill from the ghosts spiritual attacks, and the Dioshin are a superstitious lot. They feared letting us in would let the curse spread, and so we were refused by those we thought were our allies. So¡­ we came to Aberis. When we needed it most, they opened their borders. They sent out a group of priests that cleansed the curses and spiritual diseases and then erected a barrier over Old Chalm. Then they let us re-establish our city in their border.


    ¡°Aberis Kingdom may have corrupt nobles and many laws to despise, but we never forgot their kindness. It is this reason that we follow their laws and only buy and free slaves legally now. A few believe that Aberis set the whole thing up and started the curse. I don¡¯t believe that. I think they saved us.¡±


    I nodded after hearing her story. ¡°You speak of cursed land¡­ did you guys perhaps consider¡­¡±


    ¡°A dungeon?¡± The secretary smirked weakly. ¡°Well, it¡¯d have to be, doesn¡¯t it? Except that no one has ever seen the entrance. The priests only sealed the place away. They didn¡¯t look very hard for an entrance.¡±


    ¡°The entrance must be in the mansion.¡± I deduced.


    She nodded. ¡°No one has entered that mansion since the day the ghosts started to escape it. It would certainly be strange for a dungeon to spontaneously open in a person¡¯s residence, but no one knows what happened to the Karr family. It¡¯s a mystery to this day. The city has remained closed and no spirits have bothered us in the last fifteen years. Those strong enough to enter the city are too traumatized to ever go back. They remember fleeing in the night.


    ¡°Just remember one thing, Deek. If there is a dungeon there, it has been sealed for fifteen years. It isn¡¯t like the undead dungeon, which was newly grown. This one will be deep, dangerous, and high level.¡±


    ¡°Just great.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, you do not need to enter the dungeon to fulfil the request of the mission.¡±


    ¡°Mission?¡± I asked.


    ¡°This time, we will do things by the books. You will be paid for your services. You are to enter the abandoned mansion. Any loot you find is your own. You are to find out the fate of the Karr family and report. This is a scouting mission for the moment, no more. Of course, once the curse is ended, then the mansion is yours to keep. Either way, you will be paid 100 gold coins for your services.¡±


    ¡°One hundred!¡±


    ¡°This is our way of apologizing for cutting you short in the past.¡±


    ¡°If you could afford one hundred coins¡­¡± I sounded doubtful.


    She held up her hand. ¡°As much as it looks like our city is poor, this is merely because you came at a bad time near the end of a bad fiscal year. Once the merchant comes, we¡¯ll be able to sell our goods and replenish our coin. At that time, we wish to repay our debt to you. No one wants to see Lydia return to a life of slavery. I know Chalm has taken advantage of your goodwill, but the people of Chalm have noticed all the sacrifices you have made for us, and we will do whatever we need to help you, as you have done for us.¡±

 Chapter 64

    ¡°Remember, Lydia, we don¡¯t need to accomplish anything today. This is just a scouting mission.¡± I stated as we walked in the direction they pointed for Old Chalm.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Lydia responded quietly, and I realized I had already gone over the plans with her a dozen times.


    ¡°Ah, sorry, I just don¡¯t plan for us to enter that dungeon. Rather, the mansion is our goal. According to them, it was flat out abandoned and no one has entered it since the noble family went missing. That means all of the wealth is inside. We have one month to get into the mansion and steal goods. If we¡¯re lucky, we¡¯ll find coins outright. I¡¯m not going to depend 100% on this caravan or Chalm.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t trust their efforts, it was simply as I said before. I wouldn¡¯t risk Lydia on anything.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I had also noticed that Lydia was being oddly quiet the further we walked. Her grip on my shirt was also tightening. We finally reached a low hill, and before us was the city. As for the barrier, it wasn¡¯t something that could be seen with the eye. Perhaps a Priest might be able to make it out, but I didn¡¯t have that ability.


    Where the current Chalm was made completely out of wood and thatch, Old Chalm had many stone buildings. At the far end of the city was a two-story mansion, just as described. It wasn¡¯t massive or unreasonable. Probably about fifteen rooms max. There was almost no movement, and the place felt extremely eerie without a sign of people. Strangely enough, the town was not overgrown with weeds. In fact, there was nothing living. The grass looked brown and dead, yet despite fifteen years it didn¡¯t seem to rot away. The same could be said about the trees and bushes.


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    Although the stonework had cracks in it from disrepair and age, the entire city appeared like it might have been abandoned yesterday. This only increased the level of discomfort I felt.


    ¡°W-wait!¡± Lydia cried out as I took a step forward.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, turning back to her.


    Lydia blushed, lowering her head. ¡°N-nothing¡­¡±


    I could only cock my head in confusion over her odd behavior. I began walking down, and she followed me closely. She reached out and grabbed my hand now, no longer feeling like holding my shirt was enough. It only took a few minutes before we passed the border. It was sudden, and I let out a gasp. It felt like walking through water. On the other side, the city was exactly the same. Part of me thought the appearance outside would have been some deception, and once I got closer I¡¯d see the true town.


    Taking a deep breath, I held Lydia¡¯s hand and continued to guide her into the city. It was deathly quiet. There wasn¡¯t even the noise of insects or animals rustling around. This was a ghost town in every sense of the word.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s not so bad¡­ in the day.¡± Lydia spoke up, her voice sounding almost startling amongst the extreme quiet.


    As if to answer her, a distant squeaking sound started up. The pair of us looked at each other and then slowly began to walk towards the source, which continued on in a rhythmic fashion. Finally, we found it. There was a lone tree, not a leaf on it, that was gnarled and dead. It reached up into the sky like a disembodied hand, and hanging from one of the branches was a lone swing. Ever so slowly, it was swaying back and forth, making that squeaking noise that filled the street.


    ¡°Um¡­ Lydia¡­¡± I said, working the moisture back into my mouth.


    ¡°M-master?¡±


    ¡°Is there any wind today?¡±


    ¡°There is not.¡± Lydia¡¯s voice came out in a squeak.


    The swing suddenly stopped. Lydia¡¯s hand let go of mine, but then grabbed it again so tightly it almost hurt. I didn¡¯t look back, as my eyes were focused on the silent, unmoving swing.


    ¡°I think we have explored enough of this city for today.¡± I coughed.


    ¡°Yes, Master¡­¡± The voice that came next to me wasn¡¯t Lydia¡¯s.

 Chapter 65

    Very slowly, my head turned to see that there was no one standing next to me. However, I still felt the grip in my hand. That was when my eyes went down. Standing there, holding my hand, was a little girl doll. It had a little striped tail and tiger ears. It looked exactly like an approximation of Lydia, except that it was only two feet tall, and its eyes were red. It looked up at me, the hand not holding mine contained a knife.


    ¡°Hehehehehe¡­¡± it started laughing, the knife rising up in its hand.


    ¡°DIE!¡± I screamed so loud that even the doll was taken aback.


    Grabbing my sword, I immediately hacked down on the doll. It let out a girlish shriek, but I ignored it. As it lost grip of my hand, I put it to the hilt of my sword and struck even harder.


    ¡°Die! Die! Die!¡± I screamed as tears ran down my eyes.


    {White Mage has increased to LVL 13.}


    {Cure Disease has been unlocked.}


    ¡°M-master!¡± A cry came from nearby.


    I looked up from the mess of strings and wood that used to be the Lydia doll. The real Lydia was on the ground. She had been bound with some string, but she had used her teeth and nails and had managed to work her way out of it.


    ¡°Lydia¡­ I¡¯m glad you''re safe.¡± I responded stiffy.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad Master quickly realized the doll wasn¡¯t a curse that turned me into a doll like when I was made undead.¡±


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    ¡°That¡¯s right, it could have been you! Ahem¡­ I mean¡­ of course I knew¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ what can I say! Dolls should all die! They¡¯re creepy! My cousins made me watch Child¡¯s Play when I was really young, and then that night, they snuck into my room and moved all the dolls to the foot of my bed. Ever since, I hate them so much!¡±


    Lydia lowered her head and started crying. My eyes widened and I held out my hands in a panic.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t be upset. I¡¯d never attack you like a doll!  You¡¯re my Lydia¡­ I could¡­¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­ master¡­¡± Lydia spoke while shaking. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t do this. I don¡¯t do good with these kinds of things. I¡¯m really scared.¡±


    ¡°Ah? But you were fine in the zombie dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You can touch and kill a zombie!¡± She wailed. ¡°This is far scarier!¡±


    Slam!


    Just as she said that, a door slammed shut. She screamed and this time she threw her arms around me. I could feel her body shaking. I had written off her behavior earlier, but apparently my sweet Lydia was really forcing herself to be here. After all, it was her debt we were resolving. She couldn¡¯t say no. The result was that she was starting to break down now.


    A door opened with a creek slightly. I stared at it while holding Lydia tightly. Then all the windows on the block opened at the same time, so fast that they made banging sounds. Lydia cried out and then held me tighter.


    ¡°Die¡­¡±


    ¡°Come with us¡­¡±


    ¡°Join me¡­¡±


    The voices started to assault our ears, coming from every direction. I spun around, not able to see anything.


    ¡°We need to get out of here now.¡± I cursed. ¡°Portal takes a few seconds. I¡¯d use Return, but I¡¯m not 100% sure you¡¯ll be taken with me.¡±


    ¡°D-don¡¯t leave me!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can¡¯t risk it, Lydia, cover me! Portal!¡±


    I could see now there was a group of dolls running down the street towards us. They looked like all manner of animalkin and human. Were they the faces of the people who died in this town?


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± Lydia cried tearfully, shaking even more.


    ¡°They¡¯re something you can hit!¡± I growled.


    ¡°No¡­ no¡­ scary!¡± She cried out.


    The Portal opened just as the dolls reached us. I leaped through, but not before a dagger implanted itself into my calf.

 Chapter 66

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master! I¡¯m so sorry!¡± Lydia was bowing on the ground.


    ¡°Weak Heal!¡± I said after pulling the knife out with a whimper.


    After escaping the ghost town, Lydia had picked me up and carried me back to Adventurers Guild. Of course, I could have healed myself in the town square, but she was so panicked I didn¡¯t have a chance to tell her. Now, I was healing myself while revealing the state of the city of Old Chalm to the Guild Master. Everyone was shaking their heads in disbelief. Those that had been in Old Chalm seemed to have eyes filled with familiarity and just a hint of fear.


    The Guild Master shook his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize things had gotten so bad there. After your performance in the dungeon, I think I took your abilities for granted. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, I took this mission willingly.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Besides, who says I¡¯m done there?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going back?¡± Lydia¡¯s head raised, and fear shone back on her face.


    ¡°We need a bigger party.¡± I sighed. ¡°Regrettably, I didn¡¯t realize Lydia was a scaredy-cat about these things.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± She responded tearfully, so I patted her on the head to let her know it was okay.


    ¡°I¡¯d like someone who is good with ghosts. What about that priest in town?¡±


    ¡°He should be back any day now. He tends to go on pilgrimages.¡± The Guild Master explained but then sighed. "However, he¡¯s no battle priest. About all he is good for is changing a few jobs and charging exorbitant prices.¡±


    ¡°Who else can I get to come with me?¡±


    ¡°In this city?¡± The big sister who was sitting nearby and listening with interest snorted, ¡°You¡¯d have better luck visiting one of the nearby cities.¡±


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    ¡°There is always the slave block.¡± The Guild Master suggested hesitantly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t normally recommend it, but any slave you bought would have to join you.¡±


    ¡°What kind of slave would work?¡± I asked. ¡°Is there a priest slave?¡±


    He leaned back thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯d be rare to find a priest turned to slavery. The church is usually a stickler about that sort of thing. All priests have some ties to the church. Although they can be rented out or sent on pilgrimages, owning one is considered dangerous. Having no individual autonomy, they¡¯d be like a dark priest. Rather, you¡¯d be looking for someone with a high spiritual energy.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Deek, you remember how the dungeon seemed to wear on our minds the longer we were there?¡± The big sister added. ¡°That¡¯s a kind of spiritual attack. Most dungeons have them¡­ but ghosts attack in the same way. They attack the spirit, not the body. This is why so many people have such a fear for ghosts, where we can handle the zombies. They literally induce fear by attacking your very lifeforce! I¡¯ve heard catkins and related animalkins are particularly vulnerable to this kind of attack.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Lydia was nearly in tears.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, you couldn¡¯t help it.¡± I couldn¡¯t stand to see her sad.


    I gently stroked her ears until her eyes closed and she started to relax again. She put her head on my arm and started purring, her tail lashing back and forth from between the spokes of the chair.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown close to her.¡± The big sister said, crossing her arms in a way that emphasized her enlarged chest, a somewhat pouty expression on her face.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Haha¡­¡± I laughed awkwardly. ¡°She¡¯s important to me.¡±


    Her purring grew louder unexpectedly. The big sister blinked and then let out a sigh of helplessness. I¡¯m sorry, big sis, but I just don¡¯t see you that way. Plus, I think you might break me in bed.


    ¡°Jobs with high spirit would be things like Shrine Maidens, Paladins, Templars, Inquisitors, Necromancers, Shamans, Druids¡­ well, just about anyone with strong magical ability. Someone with Lydia¡¯s job is pretty useless against ghosts. I recommend you find a spell caster.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll look for a magic-casting slave then. Perhaps someone who can read.¡± I stopped and glanced over at Lydia. ¡°Is that okay with you?¡±


    Lydia looked up at me and blinked.


    ¡°Master is Master. Since I am weak and can¡¯t do what master needs¡­ one more slave is okay.¡± Then her voice dropped dramatically, and she spoke completely to herself. ¡°As long as it¡¯s not a pretty girl.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, Master. Let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 67

    We decided to break for the night after the long day we just had. We enjoyed a cheap meal at the inn. Money was tight right now, especially when I needed to purchase a slave in the morning. I was still using my hero status for free room and board. That meant Lydia was sleeping in my room. I bought her an additional meal, but I was quickly finding out she mostly ate meat when given a choice. Had I known our turkey drumsticks in the dungeon were actually her preferred meal, I might have hung on to them and kept purifying them.


    That night, Lydia was still shaken up over the spiritual attack she had suffered in the city, so I gave her some space. That is to say, she held me tightly all night long, and when she woke up in the middle of the night from nightmares, I patted her head until she went back to sleep. Lydia had grown tough in the dungeon, but in many ways, she was still very vulnerable, especially when it came to our relationship. As someone inexperienced, I was the same way. For the moment, I was happy letting things remain the way they were.


    The next morning, we decided to walk to the slave caravan. I didn¡¯t want to use my portal in case something else came up later today and I needed it. I also had some desire to experiment using it and my Dungeon Point System, but that would have to wait until later. For the moment, it was nice walking with Lydia by my side on a sunny day. Walking was growing a lot easier for me. I had been walking miles every day, and I felt in my gut that I was getting a lot more fit. By the time this was all over, I might actually have a six-pack.


    Checking my pocket, I had five gold, so it should be enough to pay for a normal slave. I just needed someone to help cast spells now. I didn¡¯t mind fighting myself, but I refused to do it alone. The doll had caught me by surprise, but when it came to most scary things, I typically could maintain my calm. Once we picked out a slave, I would return to the seamstress, pick out stuff for the new recruit and then hit the accessory shop. There had to be some kind of spiritual protection I could get for Lydia and admittedly myself. Although White Mage increased my spiritual attack resistance, direct ghost attacks were still hard to handle.


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    We passed the guards, who waved us right in, recognizing Lydia and me from earlier. It was only a few minutes before Figuro made an appearance.


    ¡°Hello, distinguished guest!¡± He bowed. ¡°You couldn¡¯t possibly be back with 100 gold already?¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­¡± I laughed. ¡°I¡¯m working on that, but it turns out I need some help.¡±


    ¡°Help, is it?¡± Figuro scratched his chin. ¡°Since you came here, that would mean you need a slave, yes?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes, it turns out that is the case.¡±


    ¡°Come, walk with me, let me know what you¡¯re particularly looking for.¡± Figuro asked.


    ¡°Well, I need someone who can read.¡± I explained. ¡°A strong spiritual strength would be good. Oh¡­ and magical ability.¡±


    ¡°A man!¡± Lydia suddenly said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I looked over at her.


    ¡°He wants a strong man!¡± Lydia shot me a look.


    I laughed wryly. ¡°When you say it that way, I sound like your last Master¡­¡±


    Figuro chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you and the missus are getting along well. I¡¯ll go check in the back and see if there is anyone that meets those requirements.¡±


    Figuro walked away, and we were left waiting. I noticed a couple of slaves carrying a long stretcher. On the stretcher, was a familiar person. It was the pale animalkin girl I had seen in the sick caravan. She was a foxgirl with pale, ashy hair. On her eyes were two stones.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± I asked as they brought her out and laid her down on a large bedding set in the middle of the camp.


    A guard leaned forward. ¡°That¡¯s nothing special. They¡¯re just burning a corpse. She was always a sickly thing. It finally got the best of her and she died last night.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±

 Chapter 68

    ¡°It¡¯s sad to see someone so young perish.¡± I said stiffly.


    The guard shrugged and spit. ¡°She¡¯s a slave.¡±


    Of course, the guards and slavers valued life a bit differently. However, a strange girl¡¯s life and death had nothing to do with me. Rather, I needed to be taken back into a large tent. As we walked in, we noticed a row of naked men.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Lydia blushed and turned away. ¡°I forgot about these lineups. They were so embarrassing.¡±


    There was a lineup of men, but there was a sheet hung up and the other side contained a lineup of women. In total, there were eight people placed out, five women and three men. Only one of them appeared to be of human origin.


    ¡°Hey¡­ psst.¡± A voice sounded in my ear; I looked around, but I didn¡¯t see anything.


    Figuro beckoned me in, and I stood in front of the room, giving me a view of both the men and the women on either side of the sheet.


    ¡°Need they be naked?¡± I asked, fighting my eyes from wandering to the female side, especially when Lydia glowered at me.


    ¡°It is customary. We don¡¯t want any surprises when you get home.¡± Figuro shrugged helplessly. ¡°Let me introduce them first. All eight slaves are knowledgeable in reading.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ psst¡­ I can read too.¡± The words buzzed in my ear.


    Looking around, I couldn¡¯t see which slave had said those words. They must have some ability to throw their voice or something. The others didn¡¯t even seem to be aware they talked.


    ¡°The human on the far right, is a necromancer¡­¡±


    I let out a cough. ¡°Pass¡­¡±


    After fighting that necromancer and all those undead, I actually had enough of necromancers.


    Figuro immediately went on to the next one. ¡°This man is extremely loyal. Although dogkin are not known for fearlessness, they will obey their Masters. I wouldn¡¯t say his spirit resistance is greater, but he will be willing to continue to obey even after receiving a great deal of spiritual damage.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really want to force someone to do something that will cause them great pain. I¡¯m sorry, next.¡±


    The slaves who were passed over didn¡¯t seem to mind in the slightest. It seemed like the slaves here were treated well. At least, the ones outside were dressed better than Lydia was when I first met her, and they looked like they were fed well.


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    ¡°This slave got into a lot of debt. He has a job as a Warlock, level 15. Three gold. He¡¯s a bit cheap because Priests won¡¯t change a Warlock job. It¡¯s part of their forbidden list.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Aren¡¯t they one of the ones that are good with ghosts?¡± I asked sheepishly.


    ¡°Warlock magic dwindles on the dark side.¡± Figuro patiently explained. ¡°They definitely have an affinity with ghosts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider him, but let¡¯s go through the rest.¡±


    We went through the women. Most had one or more issues with them until we reached the last woman. She was a very busty woman with long black hair and piercing eyes. She looked very sexy and voluptuous, and it took all my effort to not stare at her massive fun bags. She was about the same age as big sister, but had no rough edges. No, she was all curves. Furthermore, she appeared to be some kind of wolfkin species.


    ¡°She is an apprentice to a magician, level 10,¡± Figuro explained. ¡°She¡¯s a bit pricey. It¡¯ll cost ten gold coins for her, but considering our previous deal, I¡¯m willing to drop it to 7. All slaves fill out a sheet of wants and desires. Under willingness to sleep with their Master, she marked no restraint, that¡¯s to say you can do whatever you want to her body and she won¡¯t resist. Besides being beautiful, she is also well skilled in taking care of a home. Women typically go for more than men, particularly beauties like her and your tigerkin.¡±


    ¡°Why is she only ten coins, whereas Lydia was hundreds?¡± I had to ask.


    ¡°A few reasons. She¡¯s a nearly twice the age of your tigerkin. Her species is black wolfkin, a very common breed. A magician apprentice is a somewhat standard job. Finally, she killed her last master.¡±


    ¡°Wait, she what?¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Figuro suddenly looked awkward. ¡°Her master was a Master Magician and was seventy¡­ she¡­ um¡­ sexed him¡­ into a heart attack. He was resurrected, of course, but the doctors said she was a bit too stimulating for his heart, and he had to give up training her. She perhaps would be farther along in her education if her Master hadn¡¯t been too distracted with other things to properly train her.¡±


    As Figuro spoke, the girl met my eyes and winked, a very seductive smile on her face. I quickly counted up the coins in my hand. If the Haggle ability worked, then it would drop down to a little over 5 gold coins. That was all the money I had. I wouldn¡¯t even have any for food or clothing, but I could just scrape by and purchase her. She was a perfect beauty, strong against ghosts, and a witch had to be powerful with great potential to be more powerful. Just imagining myself with my head between those melons was causing me to lose my senses.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take¡­¡±


    ¡°The warlock.¡± Lydia suddenly stepped forward, pointing at the more qualified man from before.


    I looked down at Lydia. She was glaring at me with puffed out cheeks and a stubborn expression. It appeared I had been overruled. That was right, if it came to survival, it was more important to have someone of sufficient skill. I had let my hormones rule my common sense for a moment. I let out a nervous laugh, my senses returning to me.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I guess. We¡¯ll take the ma-¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ wouldn¡¯t you rather have me?¡± A girl said in an obstinate voice.


    Right in front of me was another naked girl who wasn¡¯t in line with the rest. Her long dirty blonde, nearly white hair seemed to strategically cover up all her best places, which admittedly weren¡¯t much, as her chest was barely an A and her body was small and scrawny, even compared to Lydia. Since I had been feeding Lydia, she filled out a bit and had a very average female body. This girl, on the other hand, looked like a runt, and no amount of food would fix that. She had a massive bushy tail, no, it was nine bushy tails all spread out from her back. Her skin was even paler than when I saw her outside. She had two long ears too. Fox ears. She was also¡­ a bit see-through. You see, the foxgirl was hovering a couple of feet above the ground.

 Chapter 69

    ¡°Oi¡­ Lydia¡­¡± I asked stiffly.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Lydia said, her face still pouty.


    ¡°Did you happen to see a ghost over there?¡± I pointed straight at the spirit of the foxgirl.


    Lydia spun around, but then spun right back and gave me an angry growl. ¡°M-master¡­ you shouldn¡¯t lie and tease me like that, you know I¡¯m still sensitive about ghosts! If you trick me into leaving and then buy the cowgirl, I might cry¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s actually a wolfgirl¡­¡± I coughed with a blush.


    Lydia was growing very willful these last few days, wasn¡¯t she? No, that wasn¡¯t the important part. There was a ghost fox girl who now floated up to Lydia, hovering right next to her head. She pursed her lips like she was going to kiss Lydia, leaning forward towards her ear, and then she blew softly.


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Lydia¡¯s tail shot straight out as her entire body shivered. ¡°Actually, on second thought, I¡¯ll wait outside¡­¡±


    She turned and suddenly fled the tent. Figuro, who didn¡¯t understand what was going on, only smiled and laughed.


    ¡°She¡¯s grown very lively, I see.¡±


    ¡°Buy me¡­¡± the foxgirl whispered in my ear.


    ¡°Shh¡­ you¡¯re dead!¡±


    ¡°Then resurrect me!¡± She sniffed. ¡°Hire a priest! Don¡¯t act like you can¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ sir?¡± Figuro was starting to notice me whispering to myself with a frown.


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry. Actually, my thoughts are on something else. A curiosity of mine. I saw the funeral procession outside.¡± I said, grimacing. ¡°That¡¯s the foxgirl, right?¡±


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    Figuro¡¯s expression turned somber. ¡°Yes¡­ it¡¯s a shame with her. I had hoped to sell her to one of the churches, but she was too sick and no one wanted to take her on as a responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t resurrection possible? You have a priest on your payroll.¡±


    ¡°If I fixed her, it¡¯d cost more than she is worth. Although the priest travels with me and does the identifications I need, I don¡¯t own him. He collects profit for the church, and resurrections are especially pricey. You see, she would come back just as sick as before.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Her illness wasn¡¯t something contracted. It¡¯s not a disease in the traditional sense. Her illness is tied to who and what she was.¡±


    ¡°What? You said¡­ a nine-tailed fox? A foxkin variant?¡±


    ¡°Foxkin variants aren¡¯t actually that odd. One in fifty foxes have two tails, one in a thousand can have three. A three-tailed fox is about the limit though.¡±


    ¡°The limit for what?¡±


    ¡°For when it starts affecting their health.¡±


    As we spoke about her, the ghost lowered her head and put on a demure expression. Clearly, this topic was one that made her upset.


    ¡°You see¡­ only one tail exists in this world. The other tails exist in the spiritual world. This makes foxes kindred to spirits. Three-tailed foxes are considered very powerful mediums and are often employed by priests. However, they¡¯re also outcasts. Animalkin have a sensitivity to spirits, and foxes with extra spirit tails are considered close to spirits. It unnerves animalkin, and they instinctively don¡¯t like them.


    ¡°Some believe that foxkin with many tails attract spirits, and with them misfortune and curses. To add fuel to that prejudice, more than three fox-tails starts to damage their health. Each additional tail is another tie to the spiritual world. It¡¯s a tie to death. You could call a seven-tailed fox a being as close to death as possible.


    ¡°But she¡¯s a nine-tails!¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Yes¡­ and her kind will only live a sickly life until death. A six-tail could theoretically live a full life. However, it would be one full of illness. Ten-tails die upon their coming-of-age. A nine-tail like her was always bound to die quickly. Even their own kind won¡¯t look at them. The reason she was in that cage is that only the elderly animalkin who are close to death themselves could stand to look at a living embodiment of death to their culture. If you bring her back, she¡¯ll only die again. She is the rarest variant¡­ and also the most useless.¡±


    I felt a bit of bitterness and depression from his story. Her life must have been a long and sad one. How she had lived as long as she had was anyone¡¯s guess. It must have come from sheer will. One could easily see that death was a release for her. One could see that¡­ if they weren¡¯t too busy looking at her ghost as she tugged on their arm.


    ¡°So¡­ resurrect me already!¡± She demanded, stubbornly putting her arms on her hips.

 Chapter 70

    ¡°They¡¯re starting to burn my body!¡± She suddenly gasped, ¡°You need to hurry!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re burning her?¡± I spoke those words unintentionally as I was reminded of this fact.


    Figuro nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a custom among the animalkin. They believe that unless a body is burned, it can come back as a spirit and haunt the living. For a foxkin like her so closely tied to the spirit world, they say that this is almost a certainty.¡±


    I shot a look at the ghost floating next to me. She smiled innocently.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I can see that.¡±


    ¡°Enough chitchat!¡± She was starting to tear up. ¡°It¡¯ll be more expensive to resurrect me without my body than with my body!¡±


    ¡°But¡­ my warlock¡­ ah¡­ darn it!¡± I scratched my head. ¡°Would a 9-tailed fox, with 8 connections into the spiritual realm, would they be strong against ghosts?¡±


    Figuro blinked. ¡°Strong? I suppose that¡¯s a bit of a relative term. In theory, they¡¯d be quite deadly, but in practice, their bodies are simply too weak to be effective.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡± She said tearfully. ¡°I definitely can help with your ghost problem! I see ghosts all the time!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not reassuring me.¡± I said to the fox girl, but Figuro thought I was talking to him.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


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    ¡°How much would it cost to buy the dead slave? Can I presume she¡¯s¡­ um¡­ free?¡±


    Figuro coughed. ¡°You wish to resurrect her?¡±


    ¡°Can your priest do this for me?¡±


    ¡°I admit, this isn¡¯t what I expected, but I suppose we can come to an arrangement. I¡¯m the kind of man who likes to find a way to sell everything.


    ¡°Then, perhaps we should keep the body from being destroyed.¡± I suggested, the girl herself was dancing around like she herself was already on fire, and it was growing annoying.


    ¡°Ah, of course!¡± Figuro immediately left the tent and shouted out orders.


    I followed behind, and my new ghost traveled behind me. The fire was actually pretty high around her, and she was definitely singed. They dumped large buckets of water to put out the fire.


    ¡°M-my hair!¡±


    ¡°I know, I can smell it¡­¡± I said, covering my nose.


    She had long hair originally, but flames had caught it, and now she had much shorter hair. The juxtaposition between the healthy-looking and lively spirit with nine tails and the sickly-looking dead fox girl corpse was enough to give anyone a headache. Lydia noticed me walking out of the tent and approached.


    ¡°Master, what have you decided on?¡± Lydia asked, clearly still anxious over whether I was going to pick up the buxom babe.


    I pointed at the corpse, still smoking as they put out the last vestiges of flame.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Her face twisted awkwardly. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to say this, but you can do better.¡±


    ¡°Why you!¡± The fox spirit took a swat at her head, but her hand went through harmlessly.


    Lydia shivered and spoke to herself. ¡°Two cold spells in a day, a bad omen?¡±


    I could only smile wryly. Lydia¡¯s spiritual sensitivity truly was amazing, but in all the wrong ways.


    Figuro came running up. ¡°I¡¯ve asked my priest. He¡¯s willing to resurrect the child for a five-gold coin donation.¡±


    ¡°Five? Seriously?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already talked him down. He usually charges ten.¡±


    A simple-looking bald man came out and held out a can like I was giving money to the needy.


    ¡°Very well, Haggle.¡± I sighed, and then handed over the coins.


    ¡°You¡¯re short some.¡± The bald man said, jiggling the can angrily.


    ¡°Ah¡­ my mistake.¡± I put all five coins in, and then he nodded.


    I guess you can¡¯t haggle with God¡¯s donations. Good to know.

 Chapter 71

    ¡°What does it take to become a priest?¡± I asked curiously as I watched him approach the body of the foxgirl.


    ¡°Devotion.¡± The man answered snidely.


    Well, I had a passing interest in gaining the job. If I could get a few levels in it, I¡¯d have the ability to fight ghosts. I had made sure to check with the guild, and ghosts did not have the same weakness to healing as the undead did. They were considered a phantasm or an entity, and thus Harm Undead was also useless. As for my Holy Circle, Sanctify Land, and Divine Aura, I suspected that they would be useful, but without a clear weapon to kill ghosts, I didn¡¯t want to risk it again.


    ¡°So, how do we do this?¡± I asked Figuro nearby.


    ¡°Once he resurrects her, most of the damage in her body will be healed. Figuro explained. ¡°Although she¡¯ll be incredibly weak for a while. A normal person would be able to recover from that weakness. As for a foxgirl with that number of tails, she will likely only remain conscious for a few hours, slip back into a coma and die¡­unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless?¡±


    ¡°You can pay the priest to use various healing on her. Nothing will cure her, but some boosts can help her.¡±


    ¡°You mean, like status boosts?¡±


    Figuro nodded. ¡°Priests have a spell that can temporarily increase a person¡¯s health status. If her constitution is high enough, she will start to heal. Although you¡¯d need him to keep applying the spell if you wanted her to live.¡±


    ¡°What about healing spells?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Temporary fixes. And at the cost the priest charges, you¡¯d go broke in a month.¡±


    I nodded. I wasn¡¯t worried as I didn¡¯t exist under the same rules as these guys. First off, I had Slave Master, which I believed should increase slave status across the board. That should help. Then, I had Party Status Up with Hero, which could increase status again as long as I put her in my party. That would mean I couldn¡¯t do White Mage during that time. However, as a White Mage, I could also cast curative spells. Although there were mana restrictions, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for me to cast them on her daily to keep her vitality up. I also had hopes of finding other useful spells in the future. Perhaps Cure Disease and Cure Curse could do something as well. I wouldn¡¯t even pay for resurrection if I didn¡¯t have to, except that I didn¡¯t know if white mages ever got it, and it was a rather high, level 20, spell for priests.


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    ¡°If you have the money, I can create a tonic. My old Master created it for me. It helped me stay alive for years.¡± The foxgirl explained.


    ¡°What is her story, anyway?¡± I ignored the ghost, causing her to give an irritated expression. ¡°Is she a lifer like Lydia?¡±


    ¡°Actually, foxkin do not grow their spiritual tail until they mature. Those that grow an additional tail or two are considered outcasts. Over three tails, and you¡¯re exiled from the clan. When her tails grew, she quickly grew sickly and her parents weren¡¯t able to expel her from her home. It was then that they handed her over to me for slavery. It¡¯s not every day you¡¯re handed a free slave, and I hoped I could sell her and recount the costs of watching over her. To be fair, I was able to sell her to an old alchemist initially. He used her to make concoctions and help him since he was growing blind.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ died last year.¡± She said sadly.


    ¡°He died last year, some claim it was the foxkin curse at play, but I don¡¯t believe in such things.¡± Figuro sighed. ¡°One could consider it a miracle she lived to 17. Whatever concoction he brewed that helped her remain alive for those three years died with him. ¡°


    ¡°Not true¡­ but the cost isn¡¯t something a slave merchant would offer for a sickly slave. That¡¯s why I never told him about it. Plus¡­ they¡¯re only temporary, I will still eventually die.¡± She spoke bitterly.


    ¡°I really had hoped to find her another home. At least, allow her to die in a loving environment, but she didn¡¯t hold out. Are you really sure you want to take on this responsibility? There are many animalkin in Chalm, and while they are more welcoming than Dioshin, she may not be welcome there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the town¡¯s hero.¡± I said with determination. ¡°I¡¯ll make her feel welcomed.¡±


    The ghost girl looked stunned for a moment, staring at me with surprise over my bold statement. At that exact moment, the Priest raised his staff and started a chant. The girl opened her mouth as if wanting to say something to me.


    ¡°Resurrection!¡±


    She dissipated like smoke, whatever word she meant to say was lost to the wind. The color returned to her body and her eyes opened. Those eyes immediately shot to me as if she had already known exactly where I was standing. Well, she had as a ghost, but for anyone else, it was surprising, since she suddenly lunged at me, her arms wrapping around my waist. Her legs didn¡¯t support her weight in the slightest, so she was hanging half off her bedding, close to falling.


    ¡°Master!¡± She cried out happily.

 Chapter 72

    ¡°M-m-master!¡± Lydia said in a weak voice. ¡°Ah¡­ this girl?¡±


    ¡°It seems I have agreed to take on a new slave.¡± I said to her.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be only 2 silver for the slave magic.¡± Figuro announced.


    ¡°What? Slave magic?¡± I frowned in his direction while peeling the foxgirl off of me.


    Figuro shrugged helplessly. ¡°Well, the fee is usually waived with a purchase, but since you didn¡¯t pay for her, technically¡­¡±


    I sighed. Figuro really was a man out for money. I also noticed he had waited to say such things until after it was too late to back out. That was when a thought occurred to me. That was right. I had a skill called Slave Taker. I didn¡¯t really want to reveal this ability around Figuro, but I also didn¡¯t want to pay him unnecessarily. I raised my hand and touched the foxgirl¡¯s head.


    ¡°Slave Taker.¡± I announced.


    There was a sudden bright light on her chest, and a circular sigil appeared. Ever so slowly, the sigil started to change. I realized I had to keep pushing mana into it, and the sigil also seemed to want to resist. I drained over half of my mana by the time a new form appeared. I didn¡¯t recognize the new formation, but it felt familiar, as if it represented me. When I pulled away, I realized that the foxgirl was panting.


    {Miki has become your slave.}


    {Name: Miki


    Class: Mana Manipulation


    Job: Alchemist (Slave) (LVL 8)


    Unlocked Jobs: Commoner (LVL 5), Basic Magician (LVL 1), Spiritualist (LVL 2)


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    Race: Nine tailed Foxkin}


    ¡°Are you okay, Miki?¡± I asked, feeling slightly awkward that I hadn¡¯t asked her name earlier.


    ¡°M-master?¡± She looked up at me in wonder. ¡°I feel¡­. good¡­ better than okay!¡±


    The slave status up must be in play here. Her complexion was already looking better. I didn¡¯t want to start casting any more spells right now in front of strangers, so I held back from tossing out my White Mage spells.


    ¡°You used Slave Taker?¡± Figuro¡¯s mouth was wide open and he was shocked. ¡°I had only heard of it; I¡¯ve never seen it used before.¡±


    ¡°Is this acceptable?¡± I asked now that it was too late to do anything about it, just like he had done to me. ¡°No spell, no fee, right?¡±


    Figuro smiled wryly. ¡°It would seem that is the case. I will get the paper documents.¡±


    The pale fox Miki remained sitting on the bedding that had been her funeral pyre. Her complexion did look bad, but she still had her hands out, grabbed on to my outfit. Lydia seemed to be doing the same, grabbing my shirt from behind. Maybe this was just a slave thing?


    When Figuro came back out, I signed the paperwork that confirmed Miki as my property.


    ¡°I appreciate that you have respected our contract and not taken Lydia in this manner.¡± Figuro spoke as we finished up. ¡°I mean no offense when I say this, but you may not want to show that skill to very many people. I will not tell a soul, but other slavers may take offense to someone with such a skill. I won¡¯t ask how you got it, but the ability to take a slave from someone else will make many people feel threatened.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that under advisement.¡± I said noncommittally.


    ¡°Wait¡­ has the kitty girl not been made Master¡¯s slave?¡± Miki asked, cocking her head.


    ¡°I currently have her on loan. The official slave ceremony will only occur after I¡¯ve paid off her debt.¡±


    ¡°Then that means¡­ I am Master¡¯s first slave.¡± Miki blushed, something very noticeable with her pale skin.


    ¡°W-what!¡± Lydia¡¯s expression turned panicked. ¡°Wh-what does this mean?¡±


    ¡°No matter¡­¡± Miki shrugged. ¡°It simply means I¡¯m Master¡¯s first and most important.¡±


    ¡°N-no! Impossible!¡± Lydia puffed out her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m Master¡¯s first! I¡¯m definitely his first!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just calling the facts as they are.¡± Miki responded casually. ¡°You can¡¯t deny the truth. One of us is Master¡¯s first and one of us is¡­ a used pussy!¡±


    ¡°You¡­! Master! Tell her your pussy isn¡¯t all used up!¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± I coughed, feeling a headache coming along. ¡°Can we have this conversation once we return to Chalm?¡±


    I had a feeling I¡¯d be getting a lot of headaches in the near future.

 Chapter 73

    I figured there was no point in hiding my abilities anymore. I wanted to know if Return worked, so it seemed like as good of a time as any. I gestured for Lydia to give me her hand. She blushed, but took it and then moved right next to me. Meanwhile, Miki was still clinging to me from the other side.


    ¡°Ladies, would you like to be in my party?¡± I asked.


    Miki cocked her head curiously, while Lydia gave me a confused look. They were both slaves, so of course it would seem a bit weird for me to suddenly ask them to join my party. By all accounts, I was in charge. However, I didn¡¯t know any other way to make a party, so I felt I needed to ask. I gave the two girls a nod of confirmation that they should answer.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    {Miki has joined your party.}


    {Lydia has joined your party.}


    ¡°Ah? I feel even better than before?¡± Miki said in surprise.


    Lydia nodded, ¡°I too feel rejuvenated.¡±


    It appeared like they could feel the Party Status Up. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t apply to me, but I imagined it felt a bit like I felt when I switched from something like Cook to something like Hero. Just a boost of strength and energy that came from that particular job¡¯s skill boosts. It was good that Miki now had that boost. Figuro had said she could pass out unconscious within hours of being revived. That might have happened without her status boosts, or perhaps Figuro was being a bit dramatic to discourage me from getting Miki. I didn¡¯t know.


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    ¡°Okay, girls, stay close to me. If I disappear for some reason, just wait here and I¡¯ll return in a bit.¡±


    This added a few more weird looks towards me. Well, that was fine. I was just experimenting anyway.


    At this point, I¡¯d probably just use Portal to come back if I found that the Return ability of the Hero didn¡¯t work. I¡¯d need to do a lot more tests on it in the future. For example, could I use it multiple times a day, or just once like Portal? Would it teleport all of my party? Did they need to be touching me? If they were touching me, did they even need to be in my party? All of these were questions I had, but the first thing I wanted to test is if I could bring people in my party at all, so I worked towards maximizing that likelihood.


    ¡°Alright, Return!¡±


    It would have been nice to see the look of surprise on Figuro and company¡¯s face as we vanished, but Return was too quick for that. One second, I was surrounded by a caravan, the next second, we were standing in the town square right next to the fountain feature.


    ¡°Master is awesome¡­¡± Lydia said wonderingly. ¡°That was much faster than Portal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± I breathed, knowing that both girls in my party traveled with me. ¡°But it might have some limitations I don¡¯t know about yet.¡±


    I already knew it couldn¡¯t work in a dungeon. I couldn¡¯t believe the skill would be much more OP than Portal, which required the rare and elusive dungeon points.


    I took a step forward, planning to leave the town square, but then I felt a tug on my pants. I looked down to see Miki lying there on the fountain steps, smiling helplessly.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Master, I cannot walk. You will need to carry me.¡± Miki said.


    ¡°Ah? I guess the resurrection did weaken you a lot, huh? In that case, Lydia, can you please help get her on my back?¡±


    Lydia looked between me and Miki, with a concerned look on her face. ¡°Ah¡­ y-yes¡­ Master¡­¡±


    However, Miki shook her head. ¡°My arms are too weak to piggyback. I might fall. Master must carry me in front with two arms.¡±


    ¡°P-princess carry?¡± Lydia gasped.


    Miki nodded, a mischievous smile showing on her face. ¡°Master must carry me princess style!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡±

 Chapter 74

    The walk back to the inn caught a few people¡¯s notice. I was the hero of Chalm, but I hadn¡¯t really gotten around to meeting the whole town. There were a couple hundred citizens here, and there were plenty who only heard of me. Lydia was walking next to me while Miki was in my arms. She seemed quite content with me holding her. Her eyes were closed, her ears were lowered, and her pale skin made her look almost like death itself. If she wasn¡¯t breathing softly, I would have thought she slipped off to death again.


    As for Lydia, she was the polar opposite. Her tail was lashing excitedly, and she kept glancing over at the pair of us, a worried expression on her face. Every once in a while, she would stop, then take a few quick steps to catch back up. Her agitation was clear, as she gave off the vibe of a tiger in a cage perfectly. I could only smile wryly and hope she dealt with it.


    When it came right down to it, I had no particular interest in Miki. She was pretty, with pale perfect skin, a soft feminine scent, and a small figure. However, she also had very small, almost nonexistent breasts, a mischievous and obstinate attitude, and a sickly feel to her. I wanted to make her better, but there was no way she¡¯d replace Lydia in my heart. Lydia was my first, in many ways, so I wasn¡¯t such a selfish guy as to have fantasies about having a harem. It¡¯d be downright disrespectful to Lydia to sleep with Miki, and given Miki¡¯s status as a slave, it even could be considered inappropriate whether she could give consent.


    Suddenly, I wanted to ask Miki what selection she had under her slave form. Wait, scratch that. Wouldn¡¯t Lydia have filled out such a slave form too? What selection did she make! I shook my head. There were no good things in the direction of those kinds of questions. Both girls had hard lives in the past, and I wanted their futures to be filled with peace, health, and happiness.


    We reached the inn, and I put Miki in a chair in the common room, ordering something to eat, even though she said she wasn¡¯t hungry. She had just been resurrected from the dead, so it was impossible that Miki wasn¡¯t hungry! While I ordered the food, the innkeeper¡¯s eyes kept flickering to Miki, and I was wondering if she was curious about her. However, she didn¡¯t say anything so I let it be.


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    ¡°Lydia, can you go to the seamstress and pick up the clothing they have finished?¡± I asked.


    Lydia¡¯s eyes went from the door to the pair of us. I had picked up a piece of food and was feeding it to Miki. Although she said she wasn¡¯t hungry, she was happy to open her mouth when I was the one giving it to her. As a result, I ended up feeding her. Things sort of just ended up that way.


    ¡°Miki wouldn¡¯t be able to go, only Lydia can.¡± I spoke carefully.


    Lydia¡¯s eyes opened excitedly. ¡°Th-that¡¯s right! I have legs! Miki cannot walk! I will definitely do what only I can!¡±


    Lydia¡¯s spirit seemed to be rejuvenated with just that. She left with her tail swaying excitedly back and forth. I breathed slightly easier. I knew Lydia didn¡¯t mean to act this way; she was just worried her place was being taken. Tonight, I¡¯d have to reassure her that she was still my very important person and that Miki wouldn¡¯t take away from that.


    Once Lydia left, the innkeeper returned. Every time she was near me, I couldn¡¯t help but look up over her head. I was really trying not to. Women didn¡¯t like it when you looked at their chests, but the innkeeper had long bunny ears. I imagined if my eyes were a bit high, she¡¯d notice and be similarly angry. She had a complicated expression on her face.


    ¡°Your new¡­ friend¡­¡± She spoke uncertainly.


    I looked over at Miki and blinked. ¡°That¡¯s right, Miki is a slave I recently bought¡­ well, saved¡­ she¡¯s a-¡±


    ¡°Foxkin¡­¡± The girl said, her eyes flashing in a shockingly angry light. ¡°A spirit fox!¡±


    Miki looked down, her usually playful expression turning sad.


    ¡°What of it?¡± I asked, frowning at the bunnykin.


    ¡°Will she be staying with you at the inn?¡± She said it more like a statement.


    ¡°That was the plan, yeah¡­¡±


    The bunny girl crossed her arms and shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t let you stay here anymore. Not while she¡¯s with you!¡±

 Chapter 75

    ¡°S-seriously?¡± I asked, looking over at the bunny with amazement.


    I had been warned that there were some issues between animalkin and the foxkin variants, but that was something that happened in Dioshin. As for the city of Chalm, which thought of itself as a place that benevolently protected slaves, I was a bit taken aback by this sudden proclamation. I felt a tug on my shirt and looked back to see Miki there with her head lowered.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Master¡­ I¡¯ll just sleep outside.¡± She spoke, her voice just a bit shaky.


    I gritted my teeth and stood up, putting my hands on the table. ¡°No, if you¡¯re not welcome here, neither am I.¡±


    Miki looked up at me, her fox ears slightly lifting hopefully and her tail wagging just a bit. She wasn¡¯t healthy enough to be sleeping outdoors. What were we going to do?


    At that moment, the door was pushed open and the Guild Master walked in. ¡°Deek, I just heard.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Heard that Chalm is full of prejudiced people?¡±


    The Guild Master looked like he had been slapped, while a couple of others had ugly expressions on their faces. The bunnykin girl was biting her lip, looking back at me with a strangely regretful expression.


    ¡°Just bear with us a moment.¡± The Guild Master bowed, showing me a bit of respect.


    The Guild Master walked forward and grabbed the bunnykin girl¡¯s arm, whispering some words into her ear. The two argued back and forth in hushed whispers while I remained standing, my arms folded in front of me, and a displeased expression I couldn¡¯t take off my face. In truth, I had seen Chalm as better than this, so for them to show prejudice against this foxgirl, it really did make me feel sad, angry, and just a bit disappointed.


    ¡°Fine.¡± The bunnykin girl finally said, shooting us one last look and then turning away with a huff.


    It was the Guild Master who approached me, lifting his arms with a complicated smile on his face. ¡°Deek, please, sit for a bit. I¡¯ve resolved the issue for now.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that, since she hasn¡¯t apologized,¡± I said.


    The Guild Master winced. ¡°We deserved that. I will apologize in her place. I¡¯m sorry. After hearing you were seen in town with a sickly foxkin, I came immediately. I knew there would be trouble.¡±


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    ¡°What is this about?¡± I demanded, still feeling anger, even with his apology.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve probably heard. Foxkin variants have a tie to the spiritual world. Other animalkin have a sensitivity to it. They can pick up on the otherworldly aura. I reckon this foxkin has a really strong one. They fear it instinctively, and over the course of time, it became a cultural norm to keep spirit foxes away. They call them bad omens which only bring disaster.¡±


    The foxkin nodded sadly. ¡°My own parents left me. You saw how Lydia was looking at me. She clearly hates me.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t¡­¡± I wanted to say that, but I didn¡¯t really know.


    Lydia had been acting a bit weird since I had brought Miki back to life. It was very possible she was feeling this unease just like everyone else. I felt bad about it. There had to be some kind of magical item or ability that would allow me to diminish the effect for her. I¡¯d start looking for something tomorrow.


    ¡°What about our stay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ convinced her to let the foxgirl stay with you for now. She¡¯s close with that bunnykin that went into the dungeon with us. He¡¯s alive because of you, and she feels she owes you this much. As long as you take responsibility for the foxgirl and don¡¯t flaunt her in public too much, things should be fine. I¡¯m human, so I couldn¡¯t begin to understand how animalkin feel on this issue. However, I hope that perhaps with your friend here, I can finally change the town¡¯s mind on foxkin. Up until now, foxkin are the one type of slave we¡¯ve never freed.¡±


    ¡°But Figuro brought her here hoping to sell her to you.¡±


    The Guild Master sighed. ¡°That guy always has been a bit of an optimist. He may seem like a shrewd guy who is only concerned about money, but as far as slavers go, he really does want the best for his slaves. He won¡¯t sell to nobles who would treat their slaves bad, but he¡¯ll quickly buy from them, even if he takes a loss. He¡¯s that kind of guy.¡±


    The door opened and Lydia came walking in humming to herself. In her arms were several bundles of supplies. When her eyes fell on the three of us, she cocked her head in confusion.


    ¡°Master?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to return to the Guild Hall. If anything comes up, send for me immediately.¡± The Guild Master explained. ¡°Oh, and I¡¯ll stop by the bathhouse on the way and make sure you don¡¯t experience further problems.¡±


    ¡°A bathhouse?¡± I didn¡¯t even know that was a thing!


    The last few nights, we had been taking sponge baths. They gave us a hot bucket of water every night. However, it looked like this world had something called a bathhouse I hadn¡¯t even been aware of.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Lydia suddenly said. ¡°Can we go to the bathhouse?¡±


    Apparently, she had a similar mind as me. ¡°Yes, since Miki is still ashy from her death, it¡¯d be a good idea if we all cleaned up tonight.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Miki, whose mischievousness had been muted since the incident, looked up at me through her lashes. ¡°I am too weak. Master will have to bathe me.¡±


    The packs in Lydia¡¯s arms fell to the gerund. She leapt forward and put her hands on the table.


    ¡°M-master will also have to bathe me too!¡±


    Instead of offering to bathe Miki herself, she went the opposite direction, it seemed.

 Chapter 76

    After getting all of our supplies ready, the three of us made our way out. I asked for directions from a human guest. Excuse me if I was uncomfortable talking to the bunny innkeeper right now after her attempt to expel us from her inn. I just hoped she didn¡¯t cause any more trouble until I could free my mansion and move into it. After that, no one could do anything to tell me who I could and could not live with.


    As we walked, Lydia still shot various looks toward Miki, who I was carrying. Miki ignored the looks for the most part, but now I could see a bit of sadness in her mischievous smile. It hurt my heart a bit, but I didn¡¯t want to shout at Lydia to be more respectful. It couldn¡¯t be any easier for her.


    I was relieved to find that the person currently running the bathhouse was a human, and then I felt sad that this made me relieved. That was the thing about prejudice. Once one person started it, it was really easy to escalate. Suddenly, everyone is prejudiced towards everyone else. It was a slippery slope once you started thinking in those terms.


    ¡°My biggest room only has two baths.¡± The keeper announced.


    ¡°Thank you, we¡¯ll take it.¡±


    It turned out that the bath here was nothing like the bathhouses in Japan. It was literally just a series of private rooms with no public bathing option. This was preferable to me as it provided privacy. Unfortunately, it also meant I might have to bathe the girls. I had hoped that the boy side and girl side nature of the bath would spare me from having to clean them. It might seem cowardly, but bathing two women my age was much too stimulating for a young guy like me. That was like level 20 and I was still at level 2.


    ¡°Since there are two tubs, I will share with Master.¡± Lydia declared.


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    ¡°I cannot move.¡± Miki said, her face expressionless. ¡°If I went into a bath alone, I would drown. I must bathe with Master.¡±


    ¡°N-no!¡± Lydia looked like she was about to cry. ¡°In¡­ in that case¡­ you will bathe with me!¡±


    Miki blinked, a flash of surprise on her face. ¡°O-okay.¡±


    I breathed a little easier. It seemed like Lydia¡¯s desire to keep Miki from me overwhelmed her desire to stay distant from Miki. The two girls started stripping and I quickly looked away. I swear I didn¡¯t look at all. Maybe a little. No, I was a perfect gentleman!


    The bathtub was in the adjacent room, with a sliding door dividing the changing area from the two tubs, which were dug into the floor and lined with tiles sort of like little one-man hot tubs. I dived in the water before a certain something poked out its head. This was fine. Although, now I was thinking I needed more practice with Lydia so I could shake off my childish tendencies and finally step into the world of being a man.


    I had two slave girls who were my responsibility now. I had a mansion. I was an important figure within a city and made a good income. All in all, that wasn¡¯t bad for a guy who wasn¡¯t even out of high school yet.


    The girls came into the room and slipped into the bath next to me, or rather, Lydia carried Miki, holding her under both arms like a toddler. I distinctly avoided looking in their direction and only saw this out of the corner of my eye. The water was hot, and one couldn¡¯t help but let out a moan as they entered. The two naked girls next to me were no exception, but the effect was too much to handle. That was when I realized I forgot my soap.


    ¡°Ah, sorry ladies, I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    I jumped back out of the water and put a towel around me and then entered the changing room. It was hot and steamy in the bathing room, and the sound of two girls splashing next to me was a bit much. Thus, I took a breather, waiting a few minutes before I returned. Finally, I fetched my soap and headed back into the room. Although, it was only a single room over, I didn¡¯t hear their talking until I slid the door open a crack.


    Their conversation caused me to freeze and listen a little longer.


    ¡°Admit it!¡± Miki sounded nearly in tears. ¡°Just admit you don¡¯t like me!¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± Lydia responded. ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t like you one bit!¡±

 Chapter 77

    There, she had finally said it. Lydia had something against Miki. I wanted to storm in and berate her immediately, but something caused my feet to stay planted and simply listen.


    ¡°I knew it¡­¡± Miki spoke sadly. ¡°You hate me because I¡¯m a foxki-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too pretty!¡± Lydia suddenly exclaimed.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Master is my master! I love Master, but then you came along and you got perfect short hair that is so cute! My skin is rougher, and my hair is blotchy, and my tail isn¡¯t fluffy at all. Master has his hands all over you! Don¡¯t deny it! You¡¯re trying to take him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really weak¡­ I was just¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re definitely faking it! You don¡¯t need Master to feed you or bathe you at all!¡±


    Miki lowered her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ you wouldn¡¯t understand. Everyone turned their backs on me. My own parents abandoned me. My last Master was an old, blind man who just liked to use me for an alchemy experiment! I¡¯ve never been touched, or held, or loved by anyone else. That¡¯s why¡­ that¡¯s why¡­¡±


    ¡°But Master is mine! I never even had parents. I was raised to be a courtesan, but I didn¡¯t have the ability to make the cut. I was also thrown away, given to a Master who hated women. It was Master who saved me from that fate.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡± Miki bit her lip. ¡°When I saw the way you treated your Master that first day he bought you, I knew¡­ I knew he must be a good master. That¡¯s why I approached him! I approached him because I saw what you had, and I was jealous!¡±


    ¡°See, you admit it! You wanted to take him away!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Miki shook her head tearfully. ¡°I just wanted to¡­ share¡­him¡­¡±


    ¡°Share Master?¡± Lydia looked confused for a second. ¡°How do you¡­ share?¡±


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    ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± Miki suddenly blushed, but then she lifted her head. ¡°Wait, is you being jealous the only reason you don¡¯t like me?¡±


    Lydia looked away and puffed her cheeks. ¡°What other reason is there, isn¡¯t stealing Master enough?¡±


    ¡°Bu-but¡­ I¡¯m a foxkin?¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Lydia looked genuinely confused.


    ¡°A-aren¡¯t you afraid of me?¡±


    Lydia nodded and then Miki let out a breath of relief. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll take Master, didn¡¯t I just say it?¡±


    Miki¡¯s nodding head froze. ¡°Ah¡­ I mean¡­ you know I have more than one tail, right?¡±


    Lydia looked even poutier. ¡°You don¡¯t need to brag.¡±


    ¡°B-brag!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all so dazzling. Master will definitely leave me for you.¡± Lydia looked almost in tears, envy clearly shining in her eyes.


    ¡°Dazzling, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You have nine tails; each one is a different color. It looks like a bouquet. It¡¯s so pretty. You don¡¯t need to rub it in.¡±


    For the first time, Miki looked completely stunned, and so was I. I had seen her 9 tails when she was in ghost form, but she was transparent and the colors were very muted. In her current body, she only had one tail. The rest of her tails were spirit tails. Miki even looked back to see one long wet tail before turning to Lydia with her mouth open.


    ¡°You can see my tails?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re hard to miss.¡± Lydia responded stiffly.


    ¡°And you don¡¯t hate them? You actually like them?¡±


    Lydia looked away. ¡°I said quit rubbing it in.¡±


    Tears began to fall down Miki¡¯s face, a genuine smile, perhaps the first she had shown since I had resurrected her formed on her face.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Lydia began to panic. ¡°Please don¡¯t cry! If Master hears and comes back, he¡¯ll definitely be mad at me!¡±


    Miki lunged forward in the bath and then wrapped her arms around Lydia. This caused her to grow confused and even more flustered.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± She said, crying into Lydia¡¯s chest.


    ¡°F-for what?¡± Lydia didn¡¯t seem to be able to understand anything.


    ¡°You¡¯re much prettier than you know.¡± Miki suddenly said, ¡°You have bigger boobs than me, and your body looks more mature and womanlier. Master likes these things. I¡¯ve seen the way he looks at you. Master definitely likes you a lot.¡±


    I blushed, hearing her talk about such things. Well, she was an observant girl, I did like bigger boobs.


    ¡°Ah¡­ you think?¡± Lydia grew flustered, blushing a bit.


    ¡°Big sister¡­ let¡¯s share Master together, okay?¡± Miki looked up at Lydia through her long lashes.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Lydia looked uncertain, but the sincerity on Miki¡¯s face was too much to deny. ¡°O-Okay.¡±


    It seemed like I didn¡¯t need to do anything after all. The girls worked everything out themselves.


    Achoo!


    I was standing at the door naked in the cold for too long.

 Chapter 78

    I got back into the bath, and the two girls remained a bit more civil for the remainder of the bathing. Problems arose once again when we made it back to the inn. No, the bunnykin didn¡¯t cause any troubles. She deliberately refused to look at us as we walked back up to my inn room. The problem came that we had a single bedroom and there were three of us. I wasn¡¯t about to ask the bunny to rent more rooms, not that I could afford them after what I had left after buying Miki.


    Previously, it was just me and Lydia. Although we hadn¡¯t had sex since that one night, we were at least comfortable enough sleeping in the same bed together. However, three was a crowd, and even the thought of snuggling with Lydia felt a little embarrassing with Miki in the room.


    ¡°It is okay, I will sleep on the floor,¡± Miki explained, her pale face being quite noticeable in the poorly lit room. ¡°It¡¯s no less uncomfortable than the wagons. I¡¯m used to this.¡±


    Lydia shook her head. ¡°No! That would be wrong¡­¡±


    Even though they had the talk, assuming Lydia was over her jealousy would be a bit premature. Still, she was a good girl, and wouldn¡¯t want to suggest an ill woman who had recently died should take the floor.


    As a result, we decided to all crowd in the room. Lydia first tried to lie in-between the pair of us, but Miki complained because her tail kept slapping Miki¡¯s leg and she couldn¡¯t get to sleep. Lydia was nearly in tears claiming she couldn¡¯t help it. The final configuration put me in the middle with both girls on either side. One girl was snuggled against my chest, while the other was laying a little lower. I could feel their hot breath on my skin and the scent of both girls assaulted my nostrils. How I had ended up in this situation was anyone¡¯s guess.


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    Before drifting off, I put my hand on Miki and cast an assortment of spells. Using the mana actually made me a bit sleepy, so it had a dual effect of making sure Miki woke up in the morning and making me sleep deeper. First, I used a Weak Heal, then I used Cure Disease, Weak Heal Poison, and finally Remove Curse. I found it odd that only poison seemed to have levels. If there was a Weak Heal Poison, it meant that there were probably stronger poisons in the world. However, Remove Curse seemed to be a catch-all, as was Cure Disease.


    I wondered if diseases included cancer? I think a lot of people back home would cry if they realized I had the ability to cure cancer at my fingertips. How about sexually transmitted diseases? Well, I didn¡¯t want to live such a lifestyle where I¡¯d need to find out about that. Perhaps that was subconsciously one of the reasons I decided to forgo the busty wolfgirl. Who knew what she¡¯d be bringing home if I chose to play with her¡­


    Even after exhausting myself healing Miki, I still felt sleep was hard in coming. The next morning, we¡¯d hit up the guild and Miki could tell me all kinds of things with her ability to read. After that, I could plan out how we¡¯d level more properly to unlock the best skills for all of us. Perhaps a sleep spell would exist. I could really use it.


    Despite my complaining, it only felt like a long time. I ended up drifting off to sleep with two women in my arms. Once again, I found myself thinking that this world wasn¡¯t that bad after all.


    That¡¯s when everything went crazy.

 Chapter 79

    Thump. Thump. Thump.


    I realized the bed was shaking. My eyes snapped open. Feeling next to me, I realized there was only one girl holding me. It was Lydia. As for Miki, I could not see her at all. The entire bed flew up off the ground and then slammed back down. This time it was enough that Lydia woke up.


    ¡°Eh? Master!¡± She cried out, jumping off the bed. I jumped off the other side.


    At that point, an item flew off the nightstand and at my face. I dodged, only realizing it was a bucket after it bounced off the wall. The bed was still dancing like the floor was lava, and then the window slid open and slammed back closed again.


    ¡°M-master!¡± Lydia cried out, ¡°I-it¡¯s ghosts!¡±


    ¡°You can see them?¡± I asked.


    She nodded tearfully, hugging herself and backing into a corner.


    ¡°Miki! Where are you?¡±


    Miki didn¡¯t answer. If there was some way to track where she was by her slave seal, I was not aware of it. I felt that was probably a future Slave Master skill. However, I was only at level 1 right now. Miki could be in severe trouble, and it was really worrying me. That¡¯s when I remembered that we were still in a party together.


    ¡°Lydia!¡± I looked at her as she was shaking in the corner. ¡°I¡¯m going to go.¡±


    ¡°Please, master, don¡¯t leave me!¡±


    ¡°Please watch after Miki. I¡¯ll return as quickly as I can. Don¡¯t let her go anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Master?¡±


    ¡°Position Switch!¡±


    A second later my body disappeared and appeared outside. I was standing on the street and there were several people around me shouting angrily.


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    ¡°You foxkin! This is your-¡± Their expressions instantly froze as the person in front of them was no longer an animalkin, but the so-called hero of their town.


    I looked around to see the entire village was in pandemonium. Doors were opening and closing. People were screaming. Stuff was flying. The entire town was under an attack by ghosts that no one could see nor touch.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Deek, we¡­¡± The person looking guilty was an animalkin who I had healed during that first day. ¡°It has to be her, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about this after the crisis is over,¡± I responded sternly. ¡°Where is the Guild Master?¡±


    He pointed and I didn¡¯t have to walk far to see the man. He had gathered a group of Adventurer¡¯s, specifically mages, and they were casting attacks on anything that would move.


    ¡°Deek! I¡¯m glad you''re up. We might have some wounded soon.¡±


    ¡°Is this serious?¡± I asked. ¡°Like¡­ Old Chalm?¡±


    The Guild Master blinked and then shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that bad. This is just a couple of poltergeists. When you entered and left Old Chalm, they must have followed you. I¡¯d say there are only a dozen total and mostly low level. Ghosts are never an easy monster to fight, but we¡¯ll defeat them or they¡¯ll flee. Just head back to the inn, and we¡¯ll get this settled.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Although I did feel a little guilty. I was being chased by puppets and jumped straight back to here using a portal. I wasn¡¯t certain, but I suspected these guys slipped through the portal with me. That meant all of the damage tonight was my fault. Had I just used Return at the time, none of this would have happened. However, at that time, I didn¡¯t know what I knew now.


    I returned back to the inn, even though the night was still filled with screaming terrors. If this was the act of just a couple poltergeists, I¡¯d hate to see what level was needed to force the people to flee the city of Chalm. Although truthfully, it was probably higher level and more deadly ghostly spirits.


    ¡°Miki, wait!¡± Lydia was outside and Miki was walking on her own.


    She ran in my direction as soon as she saw me, her expression anxious. ¡°M-master! I can help! I have a special talent. I meant to tell Master about it when the time was right. It¡¯s called Spirit Fire. Only a 3-tail or higher fox can make it. My previous master used it for alchemy¡­ but it also can fight ghosts.¡±


    As she spoke, she ran towards me, and a blue flame started to form between the palms of her hands.


    ¡°Ah¡­ don¡¯t worry about it. They have it handled.¡± I said, eyeing the fire.


    Miki shook her head, nearly in tears. ¡°No, Master. The ghosts are definitely here because of me. This is my fault! The rabbitkin was right. All my tails do is cause trouble. The least I can do is help fix it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, watch out!¡±


    A flying horseshoe hit her in the ankles as she tried to approach me. She let out a cry and fell to the ground. Her arms went up, and the blue flame went with them. Her blue flame ended up heading straight for my face!

 Chapter 80

    A blue fireball slammed into my face. Remarkably, it was quite cool to the touch. Actually, it felt somewhat good. Text suddenly popped up in front of my vision.


    {An ally has used a skill on you. Would you like to create a combined skill?}


    ¡°Uh¡­ yes?¡± I spoke out loud.


    Nothing happened. Well, this world never told me what worked anyway. I never even would have known about combining if it hadn¡¯t just mentioned it. In that case, my mind shot through my skills. I had equipped White Mage as soon as the ghosts attacked so I had the bonus there. I also kept Hero, so I had a connection with my party. Then, one seemed to pop into my mind, and it seemed absolutely right.


    ¡°Holy Circle!¡± I cried out, throwing my hand down at the ground drastically.


    The blue flame followed, and a second later¡­


    {You have created the team skill Holy Circle of Fire.}


    An explosion of light burst out from the ground in a massive sphere. It shot out with a blue flame trailing the wave of light. There were screams as suddenly visible ghosts were struck with the shockwaves and flung away. The flame seemed to pass harmlessly through the people and objects, but the ghosts were instantly expelled.


    ¡°Master is amazing¡­¡± Lydia spoke in wonder while Miki looked around with her mouth open.


    In an instant, half of the city had been cleansed of poltergeists. More than that, the remaining ghosts stopped causing trouble, likely fleeing for their lives.


    {Hero has increased to level 8.}


    {Protect has been unlocked.}


    I apparently leveled, and checking quickly so did Miki, but just in Alchemist. I should have turned her job to Spiritualist sooner, but I wasn¡¯t sure that was a good idea. Right now, her strongest job was Alchemist. I¡¯m not sure what status benefits it gave her, but if switching to a level 2 job even weakened her a bit, it could be bad.


    At the very least, I wanted to get another status up on her and give her a little more time to recover from her death before we started worrying about leveling her ability. There was only a month of time left, but it had only been a few days. I wasn¡¯t hard pressed for time at the moment.


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    With things settling down, people started coming back out and picking up after the mess that was made. I grabbed the two girls and turned to head back to the inn. However, I was stopped by a large crowd of people. Most of them were animalkin.


    ¡°This is her fault!¡± One of them shouted.


    ¡°The second a foxkin comes into the city, and now we¡¯re attacked!¡±


    The truth was that I had brought the ghosts into the city. Perhaps her presence had riled them up from their docile state, but she certainly didn¡¯t have all the blame.


    Miki didn¡¯t know this, and she had her head lowered, a sad expression on her face.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for her Spirit Fire, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to get rid of the spirits so easily,¡± I said.


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have needed it if she didn¡¯t bring the spirits on us in the first place! This city has been spirit-free for 15 years! The first time a foxkin is allowed to sleep here, and now we¡¯re under siege!¡±


    Several people shouted in agreement. More and more people were joining, and I was meeting a lot of angry glares. Miki was sinking into herself too.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± I heard her squeak quietly.


    ¡°What would it take for you people to change your mind about Miki?¡± I asked. ¡°I have a feeling that even if she saved this city single-handedly, you¡¯d still throw her under the bus.¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­¡± The Guild Master came up with the Mayor in tow. ¡°We can work something out.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard enough from this city,¡± I said, my mood completely soured. ¡°Let¡¯s go, ladies.¡±


    I grabbed the two girls and turn around, walking away.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± The Guild Master asked.


    ¡°Old Chalm,¡± I responded. ¡°I think I like the company better there.¡±


    A lot of people had bitter expressions on their faces from those words.


    ¡°Deek¡­¡±


    ¡°I assume Chalm will at least honor the mansion as my property?¡± I asked.


    The Guild Master nodded. ¡°We will honor all of our debts, I swear it.¡±


    ¡°In that case¡­ listen up!¡± I shouted out. ¡°I¡¯ll clear out the city of Old Chalm and reclaiming it as my own. It¡¯ll be my city, with my rules. I don¡¯t do charity cases. I reckon it¡¯ll take me a week to clear out the outside of the village. At that point, you can come and help reclaim Old Chalm, or not. Those that don¡¯t help¡­ have no right to set foot in my city. You will be banished for life.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡± Someone from the crowd shouted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be unreasonable!¡±


    ¡°Unreasonable?¡± I sneered, ¡°Unreasonable was asking a man and his one slave to reclaim a city on their own, and then expecting to reap all the rewards. Your city has been the unreasonable one!¡±


    I pulled out the gold hero coin, and then I tossed it at the mayor¡¯s feet. ¡°Find another hero for your town.¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­ wait!¡± The Guild Master looked somewhat flustered.


    I opened a portal just outside Old Chalm. I knew I had been saving it for a reason. The three of us stepped through, and I shut the portal, and the city of Chalm, behind me. Now there was only one path to move. Forward.

 Chapter 81

    ¡°What now, Master?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I said, sniffling.


    ¡°Master is crying!¡±


    ¡°I was in the moment and trying to be a tough guy, but it was really scary!¡±


    Lydia wrapped her arms around me and I sniffled in her chest for a while. I wasn¡¯t crying. Those were man tears. I just got really angry seeing people attacking Miki and I acted impulsively. However, I had no plan ready, and worse, I had dragged these girls down this path with me.


    I just needed a few moments to clear my mind, and after Lydia patted me a few times, my brain snapped back into action.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± I responded, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. ¡°I¡¯m good now. Rather, my plan is pretty simple. Rather than plunge into the middle of town like before, we¡¯re going to slowly clear things out. This city was abandoned in a single night and then sealed. That means that all of the town¡¯s goodies are inside and should be sufficient to supply us. We take a home, clean it out, and then make it a base, and then we tackle one property at a time, wiping out block after block.¡±


    ¡°What about at night?¡± Lydia responded nervously as she watched the sun just starting to rise.


    ¡°My Holy Circle seems to be able to keep ghosts at bay. If I cast it around a house, we shouldn¡¯t be bothered. I suppose we can take turns keeping watch to make sure. All of us have different advantages when it comes to ghosts. You can see them, I can resist them, and Miki can hurt-¡±


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    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Miki¡¯s weak voice came out.


    We both looked down to see her collapsed on the floor, her legs having given out. She was looking up at the pair of us with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Why did you help me? Why did you abandon a city for me? Why are you talking so calmly like you just didn¡¯t give up everything? I¡¯m just your slave! I¡¯m useless property! Even my own family gave me up when the town pressured them a little! You could just give me back to the slave trader and you¡¯ll have no problems!¡±


    I looked over at Lydia. Lydia was watching Miki, her tail swishing back and forth, with a slightly sad expression on her face. I kneeled down so that I was right in front of Miki. I put my hand out, and she flinched for a second, but then I put it on her head and patted her gently. Her eyes slowly closed and her ears straightened back out.


    ¡°Because¡­ I believe you¡¯re worth it.¡±


    ¡°I destroy everything I touch¡­¡± She said back.


    ¡°Do you see that town down there?¡± I pointed out, moving aside so Miki could look. ¡°That town has already been destroyed. There is only one direction to go, and I think you¡¯re the only girl who can make that dream a reality. Let¡¯s build something new¡­ together.¡±


    I stood up and reached out my hand. Miki stared at it, her mouth slightly open, her eyes wide as if she wasn¡¯t sure if she should take it.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you showed interest in Master in the first place?¡± Lydia suddenly spoke. ¡°You saw he was a kind man and thought he wouldn¡¯t stand to see a young girl die?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t know what a 9-tailed fox was. It didn¡¯t matter what he thought of me after I was brought back. I just wanted to live¡­ a little longer¡­¡± Miki said weakly. ¡°That¡¯s different. You might throw a beggar a few coins. You don¡¯t take them home and call them family.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s just the kind of Master that Master is.¡± Lydia smiled, holding her hand out too. ¡°Will you help your family?¡±


    ¡°Family?¡± Miki looked at both of our hands in wonder.


    Then her hands slowly came out and grabbed each of our arms. It was time to get to work.

 Chapter 82

    Heading down to the village, we kept a vigilant lookout and moved slowly. I was now wearing the leather armor that Lydia had picked up from the village just before we left. It was pure luck that she had grabbed my backpack last night when she chased after Miki. She had thought I might need my supplies during last night¡¯s battle, and thus nothing of importance was left behind in the inn. Well, the bag was still stocked from our previous short-lived excursion. It was one of the reasons I thought I could be so bull-headed when I portaled away.


    ¡°The last time we were here, all I saw were a bunch of dolls. Is that what you saw?¡±


    Lydia shook her head. ¡°I saw many floating people. They had really scary faces and they were bloody and they went ¡®woooo¡¯.¡±


    ¡°That does sound exactly like a ghost,¡± I responded flatly.


    In fact, it sounded too much like a ghost. What was with the voices?


    ¡°The wooo might have been the blood rushing to my head.¡± Lydia blushed, looking away.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a map of this city before. If I recall correctly, there is an alchemist on the outside of town. That¡¯s where I want to set up shop.¡±


    ¡°Why an alchemist?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°A couple of reasons. First, an alchemist probably has some reading materials, and I¡¯d like to start learning to read.¡± I explained, thinking of the Adventurer¡¯s guild near the center of town and shivering. ¡°Second, I want to take advantage of all of our skills. Miki here is a level 9 alchemist, and I believe she might be able to make some useful stuff for us. Ideally, I¡¯d like to find some kind of anti-ghost potion.¡±


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    ¡°Actually, Master¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m only a level 8 alchemist. The slave trader must have embellished a bit to get you to buy me.¡±


    ¡°Last night, you reached level 9 when we used that Spirit Fire.¡±


    ¡°Huh? How do you know that?¡± Miki seemed taken aback.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lydia spoke excitedly. ¡°Master has the ability to look and change jobs, just like a Priest. Except he¡¯s really fast, and he can even change his own job!¡±


    ¡°Re-really?¡± Miki¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Master is really amazing!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s nothing. Once we get going, I¡¯m probably going to change your job to Spiritualist. I think-¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Miki stopped dead in her tracks. ¡°I have the Spiritualist job?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s right?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Can you equip it immediately?¡±


    ¡°Really? I was worried that if you go from level 9 to level 1, it might hurt your constitution. It¡¯s still only been a day since you were resurrected.¡±


    ¡°T-that¡¯s true¡­¡± Miki responded, her expression growing pouty, ¡°But Spiritualists can absorb spiritual energy around them and use it to strengthen their energy. I was told the only way I could ever survive having 9 tails was to become a Spiritualist, but as hard as I tried, my dream never came true!¡±


    ¡°So, you didn¡¯t have it before when you were in the slave caravan?¡±


    Miki shook her head, her forehead creased. ¡°No, not at all!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps when you died and became a spirit, it unlocked for you.¡± I pondered and then shrugged. ¡°Very well, I suppose it can¡¯t hurt to try it for a short time. If you feel weak at all, I¡¯ll immediately return it back.¡±


    {Miki¡¯s job has been changed to Spiritualist.}


    Miki¡¯s back seemed to straighten, and her complexion seemed to recover by several shades. Suddenly a glowing came from behind her, and when I looked, I gasped. Ever so faintly were eight additional tails, all glowing different colors, just like I saw when she was in her spirit form.


    ¡°Oh¡­ they¡¯re growing brighter!¡± Lydia said excitedly.


    She could always see them, but under the Spiritualist job, they transcended her sensitivity and reached my own. I could also see the spiritual tails now. Although they were faint, Lydia had been right, they were beautiful.


    ¡°I feel it, Master. If I can use Spiritualist every day, I won¡¯t remain sick and weak forever. There may be a day where I can be healthy again!¡±

 Chapter 83

    ¡°Master, speaking of which, what level am I at now?¡± Lydia asked.


    That was a good question. We hadn¡¯t done much leveling since we defeated the last dungeon. I needed to start thinking about what was important for all of us.


    {Name: Lydia


    Class: Speed Combat


    Job: Swordsman (LVL 15) (Slave)


    Unlocked Jobs: Cook (LVL1), Commoner (LVL 8), Thief (LVL1), Scout (LVL1)


    Race: Tigerkin}


    So far, Lydia¡¯s strength still centered around her high-level Swordsman ability. Since she couldn¡¯t equip two jobs like I could, then Swordsman truly was the best ability to leave her at for now. I decided to check myself as well.


    {Name: Deek


    Class: Support


    Job: Hero (LVL 8), Slave Master (LVL 1)


    Possible Jobs: Merchant (LVL 2), Alchemist (LVL 1), Cook (LVL 4)}, Dungeon Diver (LVL 1), True Dungeon Diver (LVL 1), White Mage (LVL 13)


    Race: Human}


    When I didn¡¯t have White Mage equipped, I truly looked miserable. I was hoping to work on Hero and Slave Master. I felt at the moment, those two had the greatest benefits when it came to helping the party.


    ¡°Your swordsman is up to level 15,¡± I explained to Lydia.


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    Miki almost tripped again. ¡°Really? You can fight as a level 15 swordsman?¡±


    Lydia nodded, her tail swishing excitedly and her ears almost wagging. Was a level 15 swordsman really that impressive? I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, Lydia was amazing, but that also had a lot to do with her unique race. Just as Miki had her high spiritual energy and her spirit fire, Lydia had her strength and speed. However, most of the adventurers were that level, and they spent their whole lives fighting to reach that level, so perhaps my view of leveling is a little skewed. Even now, the girls are benefiting from a 2X boost from my leveling.


    I¡¯d be jealous, but I got 2X leveling up from my dungeon points. I can equip two jobs at once, and my experience goes to both jobs, so it¡¯s more like I have a 4X leveling up.


    We finally made it to the alchemist¡¯s shop without incident. The wooden sign with a flowery herb on it was swinging in the wind. Wait¡­ I checked with my finger, there was wind this time. Compared to before, we were on the very outside of the town. The barrier to the town was only two houses away. It¡¯d be difficult to surround us. The ghosts definitely wanted to lure us deeper into town by staying quiet, but I wouldn¡¯t fall for it a second time.


    The door creaked open and we stepped into a room rich with many smells. There was a layer of dust everywhere, and a few things have been knocked down over the years, but it looked relatively untouched.


    ¡°Holy Circle!¡± I declared, and a circle rose out and covered just the size of the house.


    I learned I could control the size by how much mana I put into the circle. I put enough into this circle that we¡¯d be safe. It¡¯d also last for a few hours, and by then I¡¯d have all the mana restored and then some. In other words, in a fight of attrition with these ghosts, I could keep going all day.


    Lydia¡­ went to the window and rested her head, looking very much like the species she¡¯s mixed with, especially with her tail swishing back and forth. I knew she was just keeping watch, but she very much looked like a cat looking at a bird outside.


    ¡°Ah! Master, I found the books.¡± Miki said, walking over with almost a bounce in her step.


    Since I set her Spiritualist job, she moved way easier now.


    ¡°What do they have?¡±


    ¡°All alchemy books. Bas-ics, In-ter-med-iate, Mas-ter¡­ in-gred-ient guides, that¡¯s all.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. Too much to expect some kind of jobs or skill guidebooks. Look through the books. Pull out recipes you think you can do. I want anything that looks useful. Healing. Mana. Spirit. And definitely, anything that could hurt a ghost.¡±


    ¡°M-m-master¡­¡± Lydia turned back, her face looking shaken.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A¡­ puppet is outside.¡±

 Chapter 84

    ¡°Miki, can you find anything?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking, Master¡­¡± Miki frowned, looking through the booklet.


    We were waiting in the shop, but I was feeling a little antsy once Lydia announced that the enemy was on our doorsteps. I wasn¡¯t 100% sure what I wanted, but I suspected it was here. I used to like watching ghost shows, and the secret for getting rid of ghosts usually involved some kind of sage burning. That was the big reason the alchemy shop was my first choice. I suspected this world had some kind of anti-ghost herb. If we could exorcise each property, that would be the ideal way to conquer back this city.


    Although this world was like a game, most games used real-world concepts. There had to be something we could burn, hang up, eat, or spread across the doorsills to be able to create an effective weapon against ghosts. If I was wrong, then the future retaking of the city would be more difficult. Mind you, this was all information I had wanted to look up in Chalm, but it was my own impulsiveness that had put me in this situation instead.


    Well, there was no use crying over the decisions I had made. Now, I just had to depend on Miki¡¯s research.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s voice came out weakly. ¡°The puppet¡¯s head is turning 360 degrees.¡±


    ¡°Just bear with it¡­¡± I said, my mouth twitching. ¡°The ghost is just trying to scare you.¡±


    ¡°Master, I found it!¡± Miki said excitedly.


    ¡°Yes¡­ this is the recipe. Health¡­ Po-tion.¡± She nodded.


    ¡°Ah¡­ mark it and keep looking.¡± My hopes had risen, but it turned out to be something we didn¡¯t really need right now.


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    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s voice now sounded like she was about to cry. ¡°The puppet¡¯s head is now turning 360 degrees the other way.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he got his strings tangled.¡± I offered, my hands clenching the edge of the table. ¡°Just bear with it a bit longer.¡±


    Some more time passed, and I realized that Miki seemed to be going very slowly. Although the book had hundreds of pages, she¡¯d stare at each page for at least 20 seconds before turning to the next page. I was really starting to wonder what was going on. At first, I thought she was being thorough, but Lydia¡¯s anxiousness was making me anxious.


    ¡°M-Master¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s voice was now shaking. ¡°The puppet is turning its head 360 degrees¡­ the other way.¡±


    ¡°You already said that¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I mean¡­ vertically.¡±


    ¡°What! That¡¯s not even possible!¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ that¡¯s completely breaking the laws of physics!¡±


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry¡­¡± I got worked up for a moment. ¡°Miki¡­ maybe it¡¯d be faster if you just read the titles to me and I¡¯ll let you know what to take.¡±


    I worried that Miki was probably convinced she passed up some alchemy potion that I wanted, and so she was being extra careful with each entry. I knew what I was looking for better than she did.


    ¡°O-okay. Master.¡± Miki nodded, her eyes narrowing on the text more diligently. ¡°Next entry¡­ S-s-tre-ength¡­ Strength Fa-Fashhion-Fashioning¡­ po-tion. Strength Fashioning Potion!¡±


    ¡°Geh!¡± I let out a noise. ¡°M-miki?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master?¡± Miki looked up at me innocently.


    ¡°I thought you said you could read?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Miki looked confused. ¡°I can read¡­ I¡¯m reading. Aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes¡­ that¡¯s true¡­¡± I noticed Miki¡¯s eyes were turning watery. ¡°Continue¡­ you¡¯re doing great.¡±


    It turned out Miki¡¯s reading was at the level of an elementary school student. I probably shouldn¡¯t have been surprised. This was another world where reading probably wasn¡¯t that important. In the end, her reading was probably as good as it would need to be for a Master. Signing contracts, reading message boards, interpreting signs¡­ Miki¡¯s skill was completely sufficient to say that she understood the English language.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s voice broke into my thoughts. ¡°More puppets are arriving.¡±


    Ah¡­ it looked like I wasn¡¯t going to find a magic bullet for this issue.

 Chapter 85

    There was a group of about twenty puppets now sitting outside of the inn. They were just standing there, staring at the alchemy store. They weren¡¯t up against the barrier, nor did they seem to be trying to force their way into the barrier. Rather, they were just standing there. I thought about sanctifying the ground under their feet, but once I did that, I had a feeling that things were going to get messy.


    ¡°Lydia, do you see any other entities outside of the possessed dolls?¡± I asked, remembering that she mentioned other spirits from before.


    Lydia shook her head. ¡°I can see¡­ some kind of aura resonating from the dolls themselves. I think the spirits are using them to hide. Even if we cut one down, it won¡¯t kill the spirit. It can just attach itself to something else.¡±


    ¡°If I cast Divine Aura on your sword, I have a suspicion that it will damage the ghost and the doll at once,¡± I explained. ¡°It¡¯s possible we can do something with her spirit fire too. It¡¯d be nice if we could imbue your blade with the Spirit Fire. Actually, that gives me an idea. You learned a few sword skills from the guys at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, right?¡±


    Lydia nodded. ¡°Yes, I learned a few sword techniques appropriate for my level.¡±


    ¡°Does any imbue your sword with a kind of aura? Something that lasts for a minute or two?¡±


    Lydia cocked her head, scrunching her nose as she thought for a moment, but then nodded excitedly. ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s right, I have something called Sharpened Blade which makes my sword sharper for about ten minutes. The cooldown is pretty quick too, but I haven¡¯t tried including it in my attacks yet.¡±


    ¡°Miki!¡± I called out.


    Miki looked up from the books. ¡°Yes, Master?¡±


    ¡°Can you create that Spirit Fire as you did before? Once you do it, I¡¯d like you to toss it to Lydia.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Lydia gave a nervous look.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re in a party together, it won¡¯t hurt you,¡± I explained. ¡°When she tosses the fire at you, I want you to try to activate Sharpened Blade, but imagine incorporating the fire into your blade.¡±


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    These guys didn¡¯t see their skills like I did, so I was trying to create a fusion skill simply by describing what I felt when I created mine. It was easier said than done, and I wasn¡¯t convinced this would work, but it was worth a shot.


    The girls obediently followed my orders, although both looked nervous. Miki was afraid of hurting Lydia, and I think Lydia was more afraid of failing and letting me down. I wanted to tell her it was okay if it didn¡¯t work, but I didn¡¯t want her to be too quick to give up on it either. Miki put her hands together and her tails started to undulate as the glowing light ebbed and brightened. Each rotation of light, the fireball was a little bigger. She created one a bit smaller than the one she had accidentally tossed at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready¡­¡± she said.


    ¡°Throw it!¡± Lydia had her sword out and looked like she wanted to chop the fireball down.


    Miki threw the fireball and it struck Lydia¡¯s sword. Lydia let out a noise and then squinted really hard. A light glowed over the sword that was white in color. Meanwhile, the blue spirit fire started to disperse. It looked like it was going to disappear completely when suddenly a little light caught on and the fire spread until the sword was no longer sheathed in white light, but blue fire instead.


    ¡°Ah¡­ amazing! Master is amazing!¡± Lydia said excitedly, waving the sword, the silent flame dancing in her movements.


    ¡°It really works¡­ Master¡­¡± Miki was looking at me like I had done some miracle for her.


    ¡°Actually, my magic circle should last another hour,¡± I explained. ¡°Let¡¯s practice your spirit fire. It¡¯ll definitely be useful in the fight to come.¡±


    Miki continued to make spirit fire, and while at first, it took about thirty seconds, she had decreased that time to only a few seconds. It was major progress considering the short time. I had her chuck a few more fireballs at me. However, I was not presented with the text to create a fusion again. I also tried with Lydia¡¯s other sword skills, and that also ended in failure.


    I suspected the answer was pretty simple. You only got one fusion per ability per person. I had fused her spirit fire with one of my skills. Neither skill could be used in another fusion with Miki. Perhaps if I knew another spirit fox, we could fuse a different skill, but that was the limitation of this new technique. I was stuck with my Spirit Circle, and Lydia was stuck with her spirit sword.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re going to be okay with this?¡± I asked Lydia. ¡°They will attack your mind.¡±


    Although Lydia looked uncertain, she gave me a smile. ¡°I won¡¯t freeze again! I can fight these monsters! With Miki next to me working hard, I couldn¡¯t face Master if I ran away.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    We turned to look out the window. There were about fifty puppets standing across the street, just waiting for the magic circle¡¯s power to wane.


    ¡°It¡¯s time. We¡¯ll get the first strike!¡±

 Chapter 86

    ¡°Alright, stay close, be safe,¡± I said.


    We were all standing in front of the alchemist store, just inside the magic barrier. The dolls were standing about 15 feet away. They were not moving in the slightest, although their eyes were all facing us.


    ¡°Miki!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Miki created Spirit Fire and put it on Lydia, her sword glowing with fire.


    ¡°I¡¯ll sanctify the land first, then we do the Spirit Circle to wipe out the ghosts. Lydia¡­ clean up what is left.¡±


    ¡°Sanctify Land!¡± I declared.


    A glow spread across the land, covering the majority of the street in front of the store. Immediately, the dolls reacted, screaming monstrously.


    ¡°Ah¡­.¡± Lydia covered her ears.


    I had White Mage equipped, so the screams didn¡¯t bother me too much, but Lydia was immediately terrified. I cast Refresh on her, and her expression immediately recovered. She tightened her grip on her sword.


    ¡°Miki, now!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    She sent a fireball to me, and I sent it to the ground. The dolls were running away, their feet sizzling as they tried to get out of the ground. I wasn¡¯t going to let them. I slammed the blue fire on the ground, and it spread out. The dolls that were struck all collapsed to the ground like their cords had suddenly been hit.


    ¡°Lydia¡­ go!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± She jumped forward, slicing in mid-air.


    With the dolls wiped out, the enemies weren¡¯t something either me nor Miki could see. That¡¯s why Lydia was still important. We had a lot of damage output, but the ghosts could just flee and we¡¯d be useless. I only knew Lydia was successful because everywhere she slashed, there was a scream and a shimmer of air. She was sweating, and it was clear that she was reaching her limit.


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    At that moment, a Spirit Fire shot behind her and a ghost behind her cried out and then disappeared. I shot a surprised look over at Miki, who was starting to make another fireball. Her tails were undulating wildly.


    ¡°I can see them now!¡± She said excitedly, throwing another fireball.


    I quickly checked her level to find she had already reached level 5. She must have unlocked some kind of skill like spiritual sight. Our initial attack had easily killed twenty ghosts. Due to Mina¡¯s Blessing, they also had a 2X experience. The result was clearly apparent. Well, my Hero went to level 9 too.


    {Hero has increased to level 9.}


    No skill was earned. That meant whatever skill it gave me was one I already had. It was anyone¡¯s guess which skill that was. Whatever¡­ levels still increased power, so I¡¯d take what I could get. I sent Refresh out to Lydia and also healed her. It was all I could do. It didn¡¯t take long. The last of the ghosts had either fled or died. Miki had already made it another level, within a single battle, she was a level 6 Spiritualist. That was 5 levels in a single fight, truly remarkable.


    Well, each level got harder, so it¡¯d only be more difficult from here, but at least it was a good start. The battle ended without very much fanfare. The three of us went back into the alchemist shop and I cast a new magic circle. Lydia lay down on a dusty couch while I checked the rest of the house. There was no bathtub. I found a water pail, so I filled it with cool water, and then dampened a cloth and put it on Lydia¡¯s forehead. The ghosts really did drain her, but she was giving me a brave smile.


    Her tail was lashing excitedly as I took care of her. Miki kept glancing over at us from her book. Her cheeks were a bit blushed and she seemed to have a strangely envious look on her face. I didn¡¯t understand it, I was just taking care of Lydia a little.


    ¡°M-master¡­ can you¡­n-nevermind.¡± She turned away and focused back on the book.


    I cocked my head, wondering what she wanted. However, she didn¡¯t say anything else, so I continued to take care of Lydia¡¯s weakness. Suddenly, Miki collapse on her book.


    ¡°Miki?¡± I let out a cry.


    ¡°Body¡­ still weak¡­ Master¡­ must care for me¡­¡± She looked up at me with one eye.


    Ah¡­ I had taken her Spiritualist leveling for granted. Miki had only resurrected a day ago and was still weak. Casting all this Spirit Fire couldn¡¯t have been easy on her. I lay her down in a loveseat and took care of her as well. Both girls needed care for various differing reasons. As long as they kept fighting for me, I was determined to be their support. As I cared for them, they both seemed strangely very happy about it though, and their tails wagged excitedly. Well¡­ as long as they¡¯re happy.

 Chapter 87

    ¡°I¡¯m just cleaning¡­ cleaning¡­ cleaning¡­ I¡¯m just cleaning all day long! ? ?.¡± Lydia looked quite adorable as she pushed a rag across the wooden floors of the old alchemy shop.


    With the dolls being sent a message that we weren¡¯t to be intimidated, we began phase two of our plan. This phase was simple: make this place a home. There were two bedrooms upstairs, one for the girls and one for me. We had enough food provisions for a few weeks and since I could conjure water, that wasn¡¯t an issue. The only inconvenient thing was that I needed to conjure a magic circle every few hours.


    I put Lydia on cleaning duty with me, removing years of dust, picking up, and otherwise making the place livable. At the moment, I was washing all the dusty linens. A few were unusable from being eaten by moths and time, but we found some that were still in decent shape, so hopefully, we¡¯d have clean bedding soon.


    ¡°I really need some kind of heating spell. Fireball would probably be a bit of an overkill though.¡±


    I didn¡¯t understand people who wanted wicked magic spells or incredible fighting abilities. The amount of time you were fighting monsters was minuscule compared to the amount of time you must devote to other things. Cooking, cleaning, relaxing¡­ support magic was way more convenient! I never needed to find a light, since I could just summon light balls. I never was without clean water. I was looking forward to more of such convenient skills.


    Once I finished washing the linens and hanging them up to dry on a line in the window, I decided to start dinner. The stove fortunately still had all the fuel I needed and I managed to get it going. I wondered if there were magical stoves that worked without the need for old-school conventions. If it didn¡¯t exist, I was wondering what it would take to invent it. That wouldn¡¯t be a blacksmith, right? Is there such a job in this world as an appliance maker?  Ah, well, I¡¯d worry about that later.


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    I knew Lydia liked meat mostly, but I didn¡¯t know about Miki¡¯s tastes. So far, she ate very little. Whenever I asked, she¡¯d say she was not hungry. She¡¯d still eat anything I fed her by hand, so I guessed it wasn¡¯t important what I made her, but how she ate. I¡¯d definitely make something easy for someone to digest, even if they are feeling weak. I could ask Lydia to cook, but right now it turned out I was the better cook level wise. I¡¯d like to continue to level this job when things calmed down a bit. I liked being good at things like cooking. We¡¯d need to eat every day of our lives, so I felt it was a talent that mattered.


    In the end, I made some flatbread and rolled it up. I shoved mostly meat in it to tempt Lydia to bite in, but I manage to hide a surprising number of vegetables. Lydia was a growing girl and she definitely needed her vegetables. I remember my mom hiding them in my meals in a similar way. That¡¯s where I got the idea. I didn¡¯t have a name for my new concoction. I decided to call it a pita-wrapped chicken surprise.


    {Cook had increased to level 5.}


    {Temperature Gauge has been unlocked.}


    Ah¡­ how splendid. The system acknowledged my cooking as well. That made me strangely happy. I attempted to test out the Temperature Gauge. It was exactly as described. I could now gauge the temperature of anything. I could instantly tell if a thing was hot or not. Actually, isn¡¯t this heat vision? It¡¯s definitely heat vision like I¡¯m the predator! Although this skill was supposed to be applied to cooking, I had the distinct feeling it¡¯d be very beneficial in other situations too.


    I finally brought out my pita-wrapped chicken surprises and gave them to the two girls.


    ¡°Mm! It¡¯s good!¡± Lydia spoke excitedly as she picked the chicken out of the bread roll.


    ¡°Ah¡­ just bite the whole thing,¡± I said helplessly.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Miki tugged on my shirt. ¡°Please feed it to me. Ahhh!¡±


    She opened her mouth and gestured to it.


    It seemed that I had thought too highly of myself. There were many levels in Cook to go.

 Chapter 88

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking¡­¡± I announced as I thumbed through one of the alchemy books. ¡°There is a skill that allows someone to cook better, and there is a skill that allows someone to use the sword. Should there not be a skill that allows someone to read?¡±


    We had finished eating and cleaning, and I had set a fire. Despite the fact it was dark and spooky out, it was actually very comfortable in this little home. I was poking the fire and adding a log periodically. We¡¯d need more wood for tomorrow night if we wanted to keep this up. As for outside, it was certainly active. Occasionally you¡¯d hear the screech of an animal or the slamming of a door. Lydia stayed near me. I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be using the rooms tonight. We were still in a ghost town, after all.


    As for my heat vision, I found that it totally could identify ghosts in the dark. They were colder than the surrounding air. They didn¡¯t seem to gather outside our barrier. A few had attacked the barrier, but it held out perfectly fine, and as long as I kept recasting it, we should be fine. That also meant I needed to be woken up every few hours to cast it, but I had a feeling that wouldn¡¯t be an issue.


    ¡°It might be a skill of scribes.¡±


    ¡°Scribes, is it?¡± I asked, sitting up, a bit of excitement shooting through me.


    ¡°Wait¡­ does this building have any ink and paper?¡±


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    ¡°It does not.¡± I let out some air¡­ but still felt excited.


    It seemed so simple now. I had been thinking I¡¯d be taught the long way, but I could skip a lot of difficulties if I just unlocked the language as a skill. True¡­ I could only read with Scribe equipped, but for a support class like me, that was really simple. As for the job, Scribe, I already knew how to obtain it. Well, that wasn¡¯t true, I hadn¡¯t read anything on it. Rather, I had a really good idea of what might work.


    What is the job of a scribe, after all? A scribe transcribes a work. In other words, they take a book and they copy it. Therefore, I reasoned that the means of obtaining the ability of a scribe was to transcribe an entire book. That was no easy feat. I would want to pick a book that was pretty small, and I would also need to practice my writing first. Both of these things would cost supplies. We lived in a world where books could only be transcribed by scribes. That¡¯s why books were so rare. Most people only owned a few books, usually essential to their respective jobs. The guild had copies, but you couldn¡¯t buy them from a store. Well, you can, if the store was big enough, but they would cost several gold coins, almost as much as a good slave.


    I sat back and considered. There used to be a general goods place nearby. It¡¯d be the best place to find wood, oil, ink, and parchment. Although it was more into the town, I think securing that place would be our best bet. As I had these thoughts, Miki looked up excitedly from her book.


    ¡°Master¡­ I found it! I found what you were looking for?¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± I asked, looking away from the fire and seeing splotchy lights in the relative darkness as a result.


    ¡°A Sage Rosary Spell. Repels and weakens spirits within any closed space!¡±


    I smiled. It looked like the Old Chalm Reclamation Project was in full swing.

 Chapter 89

    ¡°Do we have the ingredients? Is it within your skill range!¡± I asked excitedly, standing up.


    If we could purify the house, then maybe I wouldn¡¯t need to have a magic circle¡­ no¡­ I¡¯d still use it just in case. However, while we were out of the house it¡¯d be nice knowing ghosts weren¡¯t going to enter behind us and wreck our stuff. This was very good news. I was still sweating about how to make anything we did feel permanent. The ghosts were numerable, and there were only three of us. We could be waging war on them for years before we made a significant dent in their population. I had feared it might seriously require us to complete this dungeon.


    Miki nodded. ¡°It¡¯s within my ability to make it. The ingredients are simple too. Salt, sage, and bone powder. They possess all of it here, but the amount of bone powder is very low.¡±


    I blinked and then clicked my fingers. ¡°Ah, what luck!¡±


    Going into my backpack, I pulled out a sack of powder the size of a small flour bag. Back in Mina¡¯s dungeon, we had collected tons of bone powder from the skeletons. I had held on to it as an alchemic ingredient, hoping it might be useful one day. I ended up not selling it at the store because of their lack of coin, and now it seemed to have a purpose in repelling ghosts. Perhaps that was why there were no ghosts in a necromancer¡¯s lair, perhaps the undead and spiritually dead repelled each other in a strange sort of way.


    ¡°Master has everything!¡± Miki brightened when she saw the bag full of powder. ¡°We have a ton of ingredients, then. We can probably get more salt from the general store. As for sage, there is a garden in the backyard and it¡¯s overgrown with sage. I noticed it because it¡¯s not dead. The ghosts probably keep their distance from sage.¡±


    Like that, she pulled out the recipe. I asked her to read the entire thing to me twice, making sure I memorized it. I set my Alchemist job and then sat down right next to Miki, working alongside her to make the ingredients. When I started helping, her mouth opened in surprise.


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    ¡°Master can do alchemy too?¡± She spoke in disbelief.


    Well, my Alchemist level was low, so it wasn¡¯t like I could do anything. I had never actually equipped Alchemist before, so as soon as it was equipped, I unlocked the skill ¡®Basic Grinding¡¯. Well, it meant I could help her grind down ingredients, even if I didn¡¯t understand most of the other stuff.


    ¡°I¡¯m not high in level,¡± I admitted. ¡°Grinding is all I can do.¡±


    ¡°I started out with grinding as well.¡± Miki nodded, her eyes showing the excitement of doing something that she knew well. ¡°Master liked me to use spiritual fire when making ingredients. He said that the spiritual essence would enter them and make them more potent.¡±


    As she worked, blue flame sparked under the bottle she was working under. In the end, the actions she took weren¡¯t much. She merely had me grind the sage, and then burn it, and mix the burnt sage with the salt and bone powder. With that, she pulled the resulting mixture out and placed it in a small leather pouch.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± I asked, suspecting some kind of magical fireworks to signify the end.


    Miki nodded. ¡°It¡¯s done. While it repels ghosts everywhere, the guide says for maximum performance, concentrate it as a line across all entrances and windows and reapply once a month.


    That night, we made sure to sanctify the house. There were no fireworks, but for some reason, we all felt better once the ingredients were laid out. Lydia, in particular, had a much better complexion. It seemed like this stuff helped block the passive spiritual attacks on the spirit. With that, we were in a much better situation than we were before. I helped Miki make some more for tomorrow, and I even leveled in Alchemist.


    {Alchemist has increased to level 2.}


    {Combine Ingredients has been unlocked.}


    I now had the basic skills to make this stuff if I needed to on my own. It was getting very late though, so after boosting the magic circle and feeling like even if it did collapse, we could probably make it through the night without any harassment, we ended up going to bed.


    The girls didn¡¯t want to sleep apart this night, so we ended up on the floor in front of the fire. Even though we had fled from the city of Chalm, with the fire crackling and my two girls each sleeping on either side of me, I couldn¡¯t help feeling like everything was going to be fine. Tomorrow brought a new day and new challenges. We were just getting started!

 Chapter 90

    The next morning, I was feeling a bit groggy. Waking up every two hours to recast a spell while my loved ones are sleeping, hah¡­ this must be how new parents feel after staying up all night with the baby. Well, the girls looked refreshed, so it was time for us to head out. I used my heat vision, but it wasn¡¯t as good under the hot sun as it was at night. I guess that was why ghost groups always did all their investigations at night. That or they liked walking around a spooky place in the dark.


    ¡°Lydia, do you see any ghosts?¡± I asked her, although Miki looked pouty considering I could just have easily asked her.


    ¡°No, Master, they seem to be avoiding this block since we last fought them,¡± Lydia explained.


    I nodded. ¡°Good. I know we want to completely clear out this block, but before we go to that extent, I¡¯d like to try to hit up the general goods store.¡±


    The two girls nodded. I had already mentioned it to them once, but that didn¡¯t really matter. They were both following me at this point and doing whatever I asked. I had complicated feelings when it came to slavery, but I had to admit that it was nice to be in charge.


    We headed down the street. The place was just as silent and eerie as the first time Lydia and I walked down these streets. However, the mood was completely different now.


    ¡°See one!¡± Miki cried out, throwing a Spirit Fire.


    It flew into an alley, and there was a shriek as a ghost died. While ghosts couldn¡¯t be seen, they could attack your spirit, and they were not harmed by normal weapons, these advantages were swept away by their ease of death. If you could get a direct strike on a ghost, they almost always perished quickly. At least, that was for the ghosts out here. As we approached the mansion on the other side of the town, I suspected the difficulty would increase. That was another reason we were starting over here and letting Miki¡¯s abilities level up.


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    ¡°No fair!¡± Lydia spoke tearfully, ¡°Quick, use fusion!¡±


    She was holding out her sword excitedly. Since Miki was getting kills, Lydia also wanted to show her usefulness. Of course, that usefulness only came if she could fuse with Miki¡¯s spirit flame. Lydia by herself had no means of attacking the ghosts. It likely depressed her a little. Well, ghosts aren¡¯t even a usual monster in this world. Perhaps a lone ghost, but they were usually weak and not much of a threat. A lone priest could expel or destroy one with ease. A hotbed of ghosts like this town was exceptionally rare in this world, or so I heard. There was a reason the town was overwhelmed and abandoned in a single night.


    ¡°Found it.¡± I pointed at the general store. ¡°Once we get supplies, we¡¯ll be able to hold out almost indefinitely.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t completely true. I didn¡¯t expect most of the food to be edible at all. All the ingredients in here would be over a decade old. I wasn¡¯t keen on eating anything that has been sitting in the dust for that long. I actually had a few thoughts on getting food, but that would have to wait until after we had reclaimed a block or two. I wanted a good foothold in the city before we started worrying about long term stuff.


    I cast a magic circle, and then we went about sanctifying the entrances and windows with the rosary powder. Only after the general store was sealed tight did we finally start looking around. The shop in front was small, with a big storage area which had a lock. I couldn¡¯t break the lock easily. Perhaps if I got a tool from the blacksmith. This was really starting to feel like an RPG now. One quest creates another quest.


    The general store looked in far worse shape than the alchemist¡¯s shop. I theorized that the sage helped keep the ghosts from wrecking the place. Most other locations would look like this one. That meant there wasn¡¯t a single surface that hadn¡¯t been disturbed by the ghosts at some point over the last decade. The floor was covered with stuff. The furniture was all overturned or stacked in weird ways.


    We got to work taking inventory and seeing what we gained by coming here.

 Chapter 91

    After about an hour of picking up stuff, I had a clearer picture of the stuff we had gained. I still didn¡¯t have access to the back room. If there was a key, the original owner took it with him. They probably had hopes that one day they would return to this city and regain their supplies, and this never happened. Lydia had Thief, so I wondered how many levels she¡¯d have to gain before she unlocked some kind of lockpicking skill. No, it¡¯d be easier to just pry it open when we had the time.


    The cash register was similarly empty. I still had my debts to pay to Figuro, regardless of my relationship with the people of Chalm. I had hopes of finding some money in the shops here. It looked like whoever lived here had also thought to clear out the till before taking off. Their lives might have been in danger, but money is money.


    ¡°Ink and paper, Master,¡± Miki said, pulling out a pile of stuff.


    Some of the ink was dried up, but those that were wax sealed still seemed to be good. We also managed to find firewood. It was in the back, and there were piles and piles of it. We managed to find oil too. There was a town map, which was useful. Beyond that, there were various odds and ends. We gathered up everything we wanted to take on this trip. I had left the contents of my bag at our home base, so the bag was completely empty.


    We managed to fill it to the brim, and still had more stuff to bring. We quickly realized we could only just carry it all if we all pitched in. Furthermore, Miki had the most trouble, and would never be able to make the distance with max capacity. That also ignored the possibility of the ghosts causing trouble.


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    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Lydia said nervously as she looked out the window.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ghosts¡­ lots of ghosts.¡±


    I looked out and sighed. ¡°More dolls, huh?¡±


    Lined up a distance away from the shop was a row of dolls. In fact, there seemed to be about twice as many as the last time we had fought them. It looked like the creatures of this town wanted to ambush us again while we were away from home. However, this time they were smarter. Even standing at the edge of the magic circle, they were outside my sanctify ground range. I¡¯m not sure a fireball from Miki could hit them either. In other words, all of our strongest weapons were useless. These monsters were learning, apparently.


    Miki joined us, and then gasped, her expression turning white.


    ¡°No¡­ Master¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s voice was shaking, ¡°The dolls are a small part of the army.¡±


    ¡°Small part?¡± I said, but then the more important word popped up. ¡°Wait, army?¡±


    I switched to my heat vision and then looked outside. Although the ghost¡¯s individual shapes couldn¡¯t be seen, even I could see the black hole of cold spread out in front of us. Hundreds and hundreds of ghosts had gotten together and were now waiting outside just for us.


    ¡°So, they¡¯re going for broke, huh?¡±


    ¡°Master, there is no way we can fight that off,¡± Lydia said tearfully.


    ¡°My Spirit Fire couldn¡¯t handle that much,¡± Miki added.


    I shook my head. ¡°No¡­ they¡¯ve drawn a line in the sand. If we back down or flee now, besides being very difficult, we¡¯ll basically be throwing away our chances of taking this city. This is our chance. We have to go forward.


    ¡°M-master¡­ what are you saying?¡± Lydia asked, her voice shaking unsteadily.


    ¡°We¡¯re going on the offensive.¡± I declared. ¡°We¡¯re going to make these ghosts realize their time left in this world is limited!¡±

 Chapter 92

    ¡°Are we ready to go?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±


    ¡°Okay, all of the windows covered? They won¡¯t see anything?¡±


    Miki shrugged. ¡°They should be able to see the mana, but they don¡¯t know what it is. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re smart enough even if they do know.¡±


    She said that, but they did prepare a trap for us twice. They may not be individually intelligent, but they at least had the ability to surround us. Well, calling it surrounding was pretty relative, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Portal.¡± I created a portal leading us back to our house. We grabbed all the supplies we carried and leaped on through.


    Once we were back in the alchemist store, we dropped everything and I asked Lydia and Miki to look for ghosts. Thankfully, there were none watching outside. I didn¡¯t recast the magic circle. If I did, there was a chance the ghosts would know we had moved. Rather, if we were going to take on a bunch of ghosts, I wanted to attack them from the side. They thought they had us pinned in the general store. This was a so-called surprise attack.


    ¡°If we create a circle of Rosary dust around us, can we create a seal against ghosts?¡± I asked.


    Miki shrugged. ¡°I do not know. It may repel and weaken, but it shouldn¡¯t stop them completely. We¡¯ll need to be prepared.¡±


    ¡°How about dust bombs? If we can get a bag to explode out in a group of them and it spreads as a fine powder¡­¡±


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    Miki gave a wry smile. ¡°Master is very smart. I¡¯m sorry, I only know what the book said.¡±


    I decided to prepare a couple of things anyway. I wanted this ambush done properly. No mistakes. This was the first battle where there was truly a chance of danger.


    Pulling out a map of the city we had acquired from the general store, I triangulated our position and created a path that would have the least chance of being seen.


    ¡°We will enter this building here. We will spread out and purify it. It can be our fallback position should things go south. That way, we¡¯ll be extra safe.¡±


    The two girls nodded, only speaking up when it came to what they felt they were capable of doing. When it was all said and done, we only had a few hours of daylight left.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get a move on. They¡¯re stronger at night.¡±


    Although I could see ghosts better at night, that didn¡¯t matter to the slaves, and they¡¯d be the primary method of attack. I just needed to worry about supporting them and keeping them healthy. I equipped White Mage and Hero, but after my first attack, I planned to switch to Slave Master. I wanted to get a few levels in it. I already felt like Slave Master benefitted the slaves simply by having the job equipped, but if I gained levels, I imagined I would get more slave specific skills.


    We quickly made our way down the quiet streets, keeping low. We had no Portal to escape this time if things went south, or the only option was the Return skill. Would it even work now that I gave up the hero position? Perhaps I could mentally set the location of my Return. It was too late to think of that now. Returning to Chalm, even briefly, would be quite embarrassing, so hopefully, it didn¡¯t come to that.


    We snuck into a small house and quickly covered the place with the rosary. Looking outside, the ghosts were staring at the general goods shop. A few more had gathered and now their army looked quite impressive. The goal was to hit them hard and keep hitting. This would be the first real test of our strength since Mina¡¯s dungeon.


    ¡°Are you both ready?¡± I whispered, peering out the window.


    The two girls nodded, even though Lydia was shaking slightly.


    ¡°Then¡­ let¡¯s go!¡±

 Chapter 93

    ¡°Spirit Circle!¡± I shouted out, sending a ring of fire spiraling into the ghosts from behind.


    They shrieked as they were swept away in a wave of fire. However, there were so many ghosts, that they immediately began pushing back, swarming us in an attempt to wipe us out completely.


    ¡°Sanctify Ground!¡± I cast another spell. ¡°Lydia, go! Stay within this area for now!¡±


    Lydia lunged forward. Her sword had my Divine Aura and the Spirit Fire on it, and that made it the brightest thing in this alleyway. It only took a moment before dozens of ghosts were upon her. She managed to slice three down, but she was completely overwhelmed.


    ¡°Another fireball!¡± I called Miki.


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± She tossed her Spirit Flame to me.


    ¡°Spirit Circle!¡± I created another eruption, blowing the spirits on Lydia off and even killing several of them.


    ¡°Refresh! Light Heal!¡±


    I was throwing spells out like a true support mage. Sweat was dripping down my face. It was really scary, there were so many of them. I had to keep throwing out Spirit Circles to knock the ghosts back. We would have been dead in the first minute had I not managed to disrupt and repel their forces so absolutely. As I noticed Lydia¡¯s tattered appearance, taking both mental and physical damage, I realized just how dangerous what we were doing actually was. However, the rewards were also incredible!


    {White Mage has reached level 16.}


    {Hero has increased to level 10.}


    I didn¡¯t dare give up my White Mage abilities for even a moment. The need for Spirit Circles was way too intense. I downed a mana potion and called for more Spirit Fire when it looked like Lydia was getting overwhelmed. I really wanted to gain some Slave Master Levels though, so I dropped Hero when things looked safe.


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    {Slave Master has reached level 5.}


    ¡°Spirit Well!¡± Miki called out.


    A sudden hole opened up in mid-air in the middle of a giant group of ghosts. They wailed as they were all sucked into it. That¡¯s right, I could see the spirits now. I didn¡¯t know if it was Hero or White Mage that gave me the ability. I was too concentrated on the fight to look at the leveling screen. This was particularly unfortunate because I had no clue what skills I was getting! However, my survival was more important at the moment.


    ¡°How did you get that ability?¡± I asked Miki.


    ¡°I had heard about it once¡­ and suddenly I felt like I could do it!¡±


    I looked at her and found she was at level 8 now. Her progress was truly immense. Her tails were glowing very beautifully. With spirit fire burning in each hand, she really did look like a fox spirit or goddess.


    ¡°They¡¯re starting to flee, Master¡­¡± Lydia announced, lowering her weapon for the first breath she had since the start of the fight.


    Lydia had several rips in her clothing. Ghosts could attack you physically, it was just easier to attack spiritually. Although my healing had addressed the scratches, the weariness in her eyes couldn¡¯t be removed so easily. Even Refresh could only rejuvenate the soul. With the number of attacks Lydia faced, only rest would allow her to recover now.


    ¡°Almost half of them were still alive¡­¡± I spoke¡­ but then started to feel a bit of an uneasy feeling. ¡°Is this¡­ get ready!¡±


    The ground suddenly began to rumble at my words. A moment later, a massive ghost burst out from the ground as if he came from under the city. If there was a dungeon in the mansion, that might actually be the case. He was about ten times the size of a normal person. He was transparent, his face looking like that of some monstrous ghoul with claws.


    ¡°What is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I believe it¡¯s an Eldritch!¡± Miki announced.


    ¡°Can we kill it?¡± I asked the next most important question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Master.¡±


    ¡°Lydia?¡± I looked at her.


    Lydia was shaking, her body looked like she could barely stand. Without her, we¡¯d have no way to keep the Eldritch at bay. I didn¡¯t think even my magic circle would be able to repel it. We might have to flee the entire city. She smiled at me, lifted her sword, and then charged the monster. That was her answer.


    The fight was just getting started.

 Chapter 94

    It would have been nice if we could knock this guy out in one hit, but after Miki¡¯s Spirit Fires splashed against him like insect bites, it was clear that it wouldn¡¯t be that easy.


    ¡°Spirit Circle!¡± I shot out a wave of fire, and it only pushed him like a small shove.


    I re-equipped Hero as my job. It was no time to worry about levels, I needed the party status boosts. Meanwhile, Lydia continued to hack away at his legs. It might have been more of a desperate situation, but this ghost seemed to move quite slowly. When it swung his arm, it had power, but Lydia was able to easily dodge it. The real issue came with time. Would we tire out before the ghost fell? I downed my third mana potion, continuing to send Refresh and occasionally heals to my teammates. Perhaps it was wasteful, but I didn¡¯t have anything else on me. Wait, did I?


    I thought back to all the skills I had gotten recently. I had six or seven more, but I didn¡¯t know what they were. It was maddening. It must have felt like how the first people in this world felt. Every job you had, learning what skill you gained could only come through trial and error.


    Neither Lydia nor Miki knew what skills they had either. People wouldn¡¯t even know their level or job if it wasn¡¯t for a Priest. They only learned their jobs from the work and studies of those before them. Actually, now that I thought about it, that was a lot more realistic compared to my own world.


    Perhaps, given my unique abilities, this was something I could do for this world if I had time. Once I learned to read and write, I could create a proper guide to skills and jobs. Only I knew the skill names, after all. That could be my life¡¯s work.


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    No, I was getting off-topic here. Prolonged fights are exhausting, and your mind begins to wander if you let it. I wasn¡¯t the only one. Lydia suddenly slipped just as the ghost was raising his arm.


    ¡°Lydia!¡± Miki shouted.


    I looked at her in horror as his hand was raised up. ¡°Protect!¡±


    It was a skill I had gained some time ago, but I wasn¡¯t sure what it did. However, at that moment, it seemed right to use it.


    The arm smashed down on her and was immediately blocked by a large shield. Then, the pressure of that arm landed on me. Instantly I felt like I had been struck by a massive hit. Leave it to the hero¡¯s skills to be all about self-sacrifice. I felt like every bone in my body was breaking. I collapsed to the ground in a heap.


    ¡°Master!¡± Miki cried out.


    ¡°Master!¡± Lydia screamed.


    Ah¡­ that was really painful. So, Protect allows you to take the next blow for someone else. I could think of a hundred names that could have conveyed that action better than Protect. Lydia was running to me, ignoring the monster behind her. Miki was throwing spiritual attacks at it. I could feel myself losing consciousness. That hit had truly been a direct one-shot kill kind of blow.


    I was a White Mage though. I just had to heal. One or two Weak Heal and¡­ I couldn¡¯t. My mouth couldn¡¯t open to speak the words, and even the thoughts about it disappeared like wind. I felt hot tears splashing over my face, a crying girl holding me in her arms, and then the light dimmed to darkness. Well, if I had to go out, this wasn¡¯t the worst way to go either.


    {Hero has increased to level 11.}


    {Skill Analysis has been unlocked.}


    Oh, you bastard. There it is.


    {You have died.}

 Chapter 95

    I gasped, my eyes opening. Everything hurt. It felt like I had been shoved through a strainer.


    ¡°M-master! Master!¡± The voice came distant but steadily grew louder and louder in my ears. ¡°Master!¡±


    My eyes slowly opened and I allowed the light to enter my vision. There were two people holding me down. No, rather, they were collapsed on top of me. With one of them, I felt something soft and comfortable pressed against me. The other was a bit flatter. I realized it was Lydia and Miki. They were both crying and holding me tightly.


    ¡°Did we¡­ win¡­?¡± I asked, grimacing.


    ¡°Master!¡± They both cried out, smiles forming on their faces as they hugged me even tighter.


    ¡°Ouch¡­¡±


    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± Lydia and Miki finally pulled away, the pair blushing.


    ¡°We defeated it, Master. I used a Spirit Well and then it finally fell. After that, we grabbed Master and came here. We¡­ didn¡¯t know where else to go¡­¡± Miki¡¯s voice broke as she was flooded with emotion.


    ¡°Here?¡± I looked around and then my eyes widened. ¡°Figuro? The slave caravan?¡±


    Figuro stepped forward. ¡°Ah¡­ yes, the girls gave us quite a fright when they walked through our camp, battle-worn and carrying you. Fortunately, we were able to patch you up again.¡±


    I smiled wryly. ¡°Yeah¡­ it seems like the case.¡±


    ¡°I was so worried. I thought you¡¯d die.¡± Lydia said, wiping her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m glad we were able to save you.¡±


    ¡°You girls fought hard.¡± I gave them both a smile and patted their heads. ¡°Thank you for being so brave.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­ I slipped. You took that hit for me.¡± Lydia said, sniffling. ¡°That should have been me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I smiled. ¡°Can you girls bring me some warm water? I¡¯d like to clean up a bit.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Lydia straightened up.


    ¡°We will!¡± Miki nodded excitedly.


    The two girls ran out of the tent in a rush, eager to do something for me. I felt a swelling in my heart for the pair of them. They had worked so hard in that fight, and afterward had to carry me all the way over here. It was no easy feat. My girls were truly amazing.


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    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell them?¡± I asked, finally turning to Figuro.


    Figuro froze for a moment and then laughed. ¡°You know then?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I died¡­ why did you bring me back?¡±


    ¡°Dead men can¡¯t pay off their debts.¡± Figuro smiled gently. ¡°Your slaves were so upset, that I feared telling them you died would hurt them too much. Especially Lydia.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for sparing them¡­¡± I sighed, but then I shot him a suspicious glare. ¡°But I don¡¯t believe your reasoning for why you spared me. This goes beyond a 100-gold debt at this point.¡±


    Figuro laughed. ¡°You got me. I¡¯ve already said my reasoning though. I have a good feeling about you. I feel like you are a good investment. I don¡¯t need to look any farther than your slaves to know this is true. Look at them. Look at how much they flourish. The smiles on their faces truly move me. I never would have imagined it of Miki before she met you. I admit I was shocked when I saw her walk into camp while holding your lower half. Even I had written her off as dead just a few days ago¡­ but look at her now, so bright and active. That was all because of you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ so¡­ the going rate still stands?¡± I asked, feeling embarrassed and wanting to just get to the crux of it.


    Figuro shook his head. ¡°This one is on the house. Just¡­ try to be more careful in the future. You no longer are alone. Those girls depend on you.¡±


    I nodded slowly. ¡°I understand. Until I free them, their fate is tied to mine.¡±


    ¡°Free them?¡± Figuro asked.


    I shot him a look. ¡°Yeah? That¡¯s the plan, isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t tell me you aren¡¯t willing to once I paid my fee!¡±


    Figuro held up his hand. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not willing¡­ but I have to ask, are you sure that is what they want?¡±


    I froze, not sure how to answer. Who would want to be a slave? That was the real question, or was it? Could I imagine my life any more without these girls as mine? Perhaps that was the real question. After a moment of getting nowhere thinking about it, I shook my head.


    ¡°Thanks, Figuro. I will pay you back. All of it. 105 gold coins. I swear it.¡±


    Figuro bowed. ¡°I look forward to it. Then, I will give you some rest. You can stay here with the girls tonight.¡±


    My eyes followed Figuro as he bid me farewell and then left the tent. He was polite, proper, and smart. I was almost starting to like the guy, even though he was a slave trader.


    A moment later, the girls pushed their way back into my tent. I couldn¡¯t stop myself from smiling when they walked in. Seeing their beautiful faces brightened my mood instantly. They still had bruises and cuts on their own bodies, but they hadn¡¯t even spared any time to care about themselves. However, before I could say anything, the girls surrounded me.


    ¡°Get his shirt,¡± Lydia said. ¡°I¡¯ll get the pants.¡±


    Miki nodded and ran over to my top, bringing up my shirt over my head. Meanwhile, Lydia grabbed my pants and started pulling them down. I let out a cry, trying to grab onto my clothing.


    ¡°Oi! What are you two doing?¡±


    ¡°Master must be cleaned. You¡¯re too weak, so it¡¯s our responsibility.¡± Lydia declared, her eyes changing to be somewhat fierce like a tiger.


    ¡°Definitely, slave¡¯s job!¡± Miki¡¯s expression showed her usual mischievous smile as she wrestled my shirt off, a feat she would have been too weak to do if I hadn¡¯t just been resurrected and felt as weak as a baby.


    ¡°This¡­ wait¡­ stop! Not those! Ahh¡­ it¡¯s cold! Ahhhhhh!¡±


    Many strange noises came from our tent and filled the slave caravan that night. Whether I wanted to or not, I was cleaned thoroughly.

 Chapter 96

    "So¡­ that was what Master¡¯s thing looks like.¡± Miki said, looking at her hand, now just a bit shriveled from soap and water.


    Lydia nodded, smiling. ¡°Mm! Isn¡¯t it nice?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s supposed to¡­ with a girl¡­¡± Miki¡¯s cheeks started to turn pink. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t fit!¡±


    Lydia giggled. ¡°It does. When Master and I had sex, I though it wouldn¡¯t fit either, but it slid right in-¡°


    ¡°What did you say!¡± Miki suddenly cried out, causing my eyes to snap open from my drowsiness.


    ¡°Eh? When master and I¡­¡±


    Miki¡¯s eyes shook and she leaped and grabbed Lydia¡¯s blouse. ¡°That¡¯s a lie! It¡¯s a lie, right! I¡¯m Master¡¯s first! We just saw Master¡¯s naked thing together. You couldn¡¯t have¡­ already¡­ have¡­ done it with Master!¡±


    ¡°M-miki¡­ you¡¯re looking a bit scary.¡± Lydia smiled wryly, but there was a sense of smugness on her face. ¡°We were together long before you joined. It happened naturally-¡°


    ¡°Naturally? Didn¡¯t Lydia strip down and tell me to take her?¡± I said, and immediately regretted it.


    ¡°Geh! Master¡­ you¡¯re not helping¡­¡± Lydia blushed, looking uncomfortable.


    ¡°Ah¡­ that Miki¡­ what I meant, the thing is, Lydia was trained a courtesan, so naturally, she would have a certain boldness when it came to these¡­¡± The expression on both the girl¡¯s faces told me I was making things worse, so I stopped talking.


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    I should not have butted in. I equipped hero. Maybe my charm plus would protect me from this conversation.


    ¡°So¡­ it¡¯s like that¡­¡± Miki¡¯s head was down and she had a dark expression on her face. ¡°She¡¯s a courtesan, so of course she could do something that bold. Meanwhile, I could never¡­¡±


    ¡°Miki¡­¡± Lydia looked a little awkward and then leaned in, whispering, but still loud enough that my ears picked it up. ¡°Our first time, it wasn¡¯t that good.¡±


    I bit my lip, barely stopping myself from turning back to her and crying out in shock`. That hurt both my heart and pride. I thought our time was really really perfect. Well, Lydia was a courtesan. She was trained in sex, and so she knew how to do it the best. I just couldn¡¯t measure up. My mood sank horribly. I was acting so cocky having two beautiful women sleeping with me every night, but in the end, I didn¡¯t have the qualifications as a stud at all. The truth was really painful.


    ¡°R-really?¡± Miki looked up, her interest slightly piqued.


    I didn¡¯t want to listen to this conversation. Hearing Lydia talk about how shitty I was in bed. It was no wonder that she had not made any moves on me since that night. This was actually a bit worse than being turned down by the girl I liked. Lydia still cared about me. This was like being friend zoned.


    ¡°Of course¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s voice sounded sad. ¡°I failed at being a courtesan. So, naturally, I¡¯m very bad at it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I turned and looked at Lydia, realizing she had tears running down her face.


    ¡°Master hasn¡¯t touched me since we did it that first time. I had been hoping every night, but why else would he not do so? It¡¯s clear that he doesn¡¯t see me that way.¡±


    ¡°Lydia?¡± my mouth fell open in disbelief.


    We didn¡¯t have sex for various reasons, none of them had anything to do with me not wanting Lydia. Why would she jump to such a conclusion? Well, didn¡¯t I just jump to the same conclusion a moment ago? Except¡­ I was just some loser, and she was a beautiful¡­ a beautiful¡­ slave¡­


    Lydia smiled at me even as tears fell. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Master. I know you care about me. That¡¯s enough. As long as I stay by your side. I¡¯ll stay happy.¡±


    My eyes narrowed slightly. There were some misconceptions that I definitely wouldn¡¯t allow to continue for another second!

 Chapter 97

    "Lydia¡­¡± I spoke, bringing out my hand and gently touching her cheek. ¡°I told you before, I love you. You¡¯re beautiful, and sexy, and smart. And strong. There is no way I wouldn¡¯t want to have sex.¡±


    Lydia looked up at me, her eyes just a tinge doubtful. ¡°Then¡­ why haven¡¯t you¡­ pushed me down. There were plenty of times. Even though I held you every night, you never¡­¡±


    I smiled wryly. ¡°You never really pushed me down either¡­¡±


    Lydia blushed. ¡°H-how could I¡­ to Master.¡±


    And that was the crux of the situation. I grimaced, feeling incredibly stupid. How could she push me down? I was the Master, she was the slave. There was no way she could abandon her proper role like that. If anything was to happen between us, I had to take the initiative. Our time in the dungeon had been a unique opportunity. We didn¡¯t officially have a Master Slave relationship at the time, since she was still owned by that noble. Furthermore, it was more out of desperation that she threw herself at me.


    I had taken her bold actions for granted, and assumed that if she wanted to have sex in the future, she¡¯d be just as bold. No, it was more than that. She was my slave now. I felt like if I demanded sex from her, I¡¯d be abusing our relationship. After all, if I asked her for sex, she¡¯d have no choice but to put out. I still didn¡¯t understand why Lydia liked me, so it was easier to believe that deep down, our relationship had been platonic except for a single night of passion. However, that couldn¡¯t be farther from the truth.


    It took seeing Lydia¡¯s tears for me to realize that while I was wanting her, Lydia was also wanting me. I reached up and patted her head.


    ¡°Lydia, I¡¯m sorry. I was focused on other things and I didn¡¯t think about your needs. In the future, know that I am always interested in being intimate with Lydia¡­¡±


    ¡°A-always?¡± Lydia¡¯s expression started to brighten.


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    ¡°Hah¡­ well¡­ I guess I¡¯m a teenager, so yeah. Please don¡¯t be afraid to voice your wants to me. If you¡¯re in the mood, tell me, and we¡¯ll take care of it, okay?¡±


    Saying those things was so embarrassing! Yeesh. Well, at least I was clear and straight forward. That was what was important.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Lydia spoke up.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Can¡­ we?¡± Lydia looked up at me hopefully, her tail swishing.


    ¡°Now!¡± I let out a cry of disbelief, sputtering.


    Lydia puffed out her cheeks. ¡°You said be honest¡­¡±


    I had completely underestimated Lydia¡¯s appetite and her boldness. I was a teenager, but would I be able to keep up with a tigress? Suddenly, I recalled that out night together hadn¡¯t been complete romance. I remember after ten rounds Lydia demanding we keep going to a hundred. She was very forceful and on top. Suddenly, I felt slightly nervous.


    Lydia moved closer to me, and looking into her eyes I realized the truth. It didn¡¯t matter whether I could keep up. It didn¡¯t even matter if I was good at it. All that mattered, is that we could be together, and that we could express the love that we wanted to express.


    ¡°Lydia¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    Our lips headed towards each other and we held each other close.


    ¡°T-that¡¯s so great¡­¡± A sobbing voice caused both of us to freeze and look at Miki.


    She was wiping the tears from her cheeks and smiling.


    ¡°Hah?¡± I let out a noise of confusion.


    No, wait, I just stopped Lydia from crying, why was Miki crying now?


    ¡°Miki¡­¡± Lydia blushed, looking down guiltily.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ I should leave the two of you to your privacy¡­¡± Miki spoke through her tears.


    ¡°Miki, are you¡­¡± I started to ask.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She waved her hand, her expression flipping between a big, forced smile and bitterness. ¡°I¡¯m so happy¡­ so don¡¯t mind me. You¡¯ve saved my life and given me a family. You¡¯re both my family. So¡­ I can only be happy that you found happiness.¡±


    Her words were saying one thing, but her expression was saying another. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t think Miki was beautiful. Rather, I just never considered it a possibility. Miki had that wallflower personality. She made up for it with teasing and mischievousness, but I didn¡¯t realize she had looked at me that way. I had assumed she was just doing it to tease Lydia.


    ¡°Mi-¡°


    ¡°Figuro will find me another tent tonight.¡± Miki stood, her emotions finally in control. ¡°Please¡­ I¡¯m just a slave. Master has been so wonderful, I just had selfish thoughts for a bit. Ignore it. I understand my place. Thank you for everything, Master.¡±


    Miki turned around and fled the tent before another word could be spoken. My emotions were turbulent, and I was at a genuine loss about what to do next.

 Chapter 98

    Lydia and I looked at each other in the darkness of the tent, but the previous romantic mood had been dampened considerably. After a few minutes of silence, it was Lydia who spoke first. She lowered her head down, a guilty expression on her face.


    ¡°This is my fault, Master. I didn¡¯t mean to rub it in Miki¡¯s face, but I was just so happy by what Master said.¡± Lydia spoke sadly.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m your Master. This was my failing for both of you. I had a responsibility to both, and I let you down by concentrating on my own wants and needs. As a result, I made you both cry again. I¡¯m really bad at that.¡±


    Lydia smiled gently, even though her eyes were still wet from earlier. ¡°Girls always cry, Master. If you think you can keep us from doing so, I¡¯d be a little worried.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah¡­ I guess.¡± I sighed. ¡°What about us?¡±


    Lydia blushed slightly, her expression torn. ¡°I understand why Master had refrained from showing me too much affection. I believe, even if you didn¡¯t realize it, you had Miki on your mind. You didn¡¯t want to hurt her feelings by showing me favoritism.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably part of it.¡± I admitted. ¡°Other than I¡¯m just dumb and fat.¡±


    Lydia shook her head. ¡°Master¡­ I think you should fix your opinion of yourself. You¡¯ve managed to make Miki and I so strong. You fought your way through a dungeon and beat it. You even planned out and defeated an army of ghosts¡­¡±


    ¡°And di¡­ almost died¡­¡± I responded bitterly, barely catching my slip.


    ¡°I think Master is really smart.¡± Lydia smiled. ¡°And¡­ although Master was¡­ ahem¡­ big boned before, you¡¯ve actually lost a lot of weight. I didn¡¯t say it before, but Master asked me to be honest. A lot of girls in the village of Chalm were looking your way, and it made me really jealous.¡±


    She had to be embellishing! Although, now that she mentioned it, my stomach did feel a bit flatter than I remembered it. Perhaps I wasn¡¯t really fat anymore, but that didn¡¯t mean I became some popular guy overnight. The looks were probably directed at Lydia herself, who was always eyecatching.


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    ¡°So¡­¡± I sighed, not sure what to say.


    ¡°Is there any way for us to be together without hurting Miki?¡± Lydia asked, direct as usual.


    I bit my lip. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible. Even if we keep things private and don¡¯t flaunt it in her face, Miki is a smart girl. She¡¯ll know and it will eat at her. Perhaps, when I free you from slavery, she¡¯ll be able to move on. If you¡¯re not my slave, but just the girl I love, then Miki will have to accept the truth of it.


    ¡°Free¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s expression turned sour.


    I remembered the words that Figuro had spoken earlier. Did they really want to be free? I ignored it. I couldn¡¯t agree with that sentiment. Lydia didn¡¯t know a life of freedom, so how could she truly judge? Being afraid of being free was only natural, that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t the right thing for me to do.


    ¡°Master, I will find a tent to sleep tonight as well.¡± Lydia still looked depressed.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I nodded in agreement.


    For the first night since I had brought Miki into our lives, I didn¡¯t go to sleep with two girls cuddling me.


    In the morning, I woke up still feeling an emptiness in my heart. I was dissatisfied, but after dwelling on it, no answers came. When I left my tent after cleaning myself with the left over water and getting dressed, I was surprised to see the two girls already waiting for me. Miki looked sad and despondent, avoiding looking at the pair of us. Lydia, on the other hand, looked like she had completely recovered, a bright and beautiful smile on her face. She seemed confidant about something.


    ¡°Portal.¡±


    I created a portal back to the herbalist¡¯s store. Stepping into it, I could see that the Rosary was still holding, and ghosts hadn¡¯t touched this place since we left. Just as we stepped through the door into the house, the portal closing behind us, Lydia suddenly stomped her foot.


    ¡°You¡¯re my family!¡± She said, crossing her arms and puffing out her cheeks.


    Miki blushed, still looking guilty. ¡°Y-yes¡­¡±


    I nodded and smiled. ¡°I love you¡­ and I love Miki too.¡±


    Miki looked up at me, a hint of surprise in her face. ¡°Master¡­ loves me?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I nodded, feeling that this was the right direction to go. ¡°I¡¯m a guy who loves easily, but I am also devoted to he ones I love. You¡¯re a very important person in my life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad master feels this way.¡± Lydia smiled like a cat eyeing prey before anyone else could get another word in. ¡°This is why, I¡¯ve come to a very important decision.¡±


    I looked over at Lydia thoughtfully, but her eyes were locked on Miki.


    ¡°W-what is it?¡± Miki asked quietly.


    ¡°Miki!¡± She spoke loudly, pointing right at the girl and causing her to squeak.


    ¡°Y-yes!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided! To resolve this situation¡­ Miki must have sex with Master!¡±

 Chapter 98.5

    ¡°Lydia¡­ that¡¯s a little¡­¡± I scratched my chin.


    Meanwhile, Miki was shaking slightly, her cheeks bright pink. Her eyes were lowered, and it was difficult to see what her reaction was to Lydia¡¯s words.


    ¡°What?¡± Lydia seemed displeased with our reactions and puffed out her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯d been thinking real hard all night about how to fix everything, and this is the best way.¡±


    ¡°How is this the best way? Won¡¯t you get jealous?¡± I asked.


    Lydia crossed her arms and looked away. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m a little jealous when Master spends time with other girls. However, it¡¯s only inevitable. I¡¯m a slave. One day, Master will marry, and then he will have a wife. How can I be jealous when he sleeps with other women and not have her be jealous when he gives me attention?¡±


    ¡°Marriage?¡± I let out a cough.


    Lydia was certainly thinking ahead! Rather, her thoughts were fitting for someone raised as a courtesan. She might have felt jealousy when another slave was introduced, but that had to do with her not wanting to have her place beside me diminished. When it came to sex, she had a far more pragmatic view. She was raised to expect any guy she slept with to sleep with other women, so for her, sex wasn¡¯t an emotional linchpin to a relationship.


    ¡°How¡­ could you¡­¡± Miki raised her head and she had tears in her eyes, startling Lydia. ¡°How could you¡­ so casually¡­ about that¡­ does doing it mean nothing to you?¡±


    I clenched my teeth. That was about the brunt of it. Miki wasn¡¯t raised to view sex so casually. Not only would it be difficult for her to voice her desires, but she¡¯d be the type to value her first time and take it very seriously. Lydia had sex with me because she liked me and she wanted me to be the one to have her virginity before she lost the chance, but for Miki, having sex would be the same thing as giving her heart away. Naturally, since we had been together for only a few days, there is no way she could feel that passionately about me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pretend.¡± Lydia had moved behind Miki, her speed so quick it made both of us jump. ¡°When you called me big sister, you made me your family. We¡¯re both sisters now.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Th-that¡¯s why you called me family, before¡­¡± Miki¡¯s expression looked complicated.


    I had also thought it odd she was so quick to accept Miki as family. I didn¡¯t mind because it made her happier and I didn¡¯t want to upset anyone, but however you look at it, Miki has only been with us less than a week. However, Lydia was incredibly direct. Miki called her big sister as a form of respect, and as an attempt to convince Lydia to accept Miki in her heart. Lydia took her words at face value. In Lydia¡¯s mind, from that moment onward, they became sisters.


    ¡°You can¡¯t lie to your sister. I know what you want, and it¡¯s okay. I want the same thing. I know why you became upset. You wanted to share Master. I made a mistake and I¡¯m sorry. You thought whatever happened, we¡¯d do it together, so when you found out I had tasted Master before, you grew upset that I hadn¡¯t shared. Previously, we shared Master as slaves, now, we can share Master as lovers!¡±


    ¡°Eh!? L-l-lovers!¡± Her back straightened at those words, and she looked like she was a second from passing out.


    ¡°Miki¡­ Master said it himself. He won¡¯t do anything. He¡¯s too kind, and he cares too much for you.¡±


    ¡°He cares for me¡­ too much?¡± Miki looked up, her expression fluctuating.


    ¡°You have to tell Master what you want. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll be like I was this past week, always hoping. Master said he doesn¡¯t want that kind of slave. He wants you to be happy, so you must ask him.¡±


    ¡°A-ask him¡­¡± Her face kept changing several shades of red. ¡°Th-that¡­¡±


    Lydia suddenly pushed Miki forward and she took a step in my direction. ¡°Be honest with yourself and tell him what you want.¡±


    Hah? I was getting really confused here. Lydia was being a bit forceful and trying to push some crazy ideas, but suddenly I was facing Miki. She was a short girl, with beautiful pale skin, two white fox ears on her head, and tears in her eyes. She looked up at me, her face practically glowing with embarrassment.


    ¡°Please¡­ Master¡­¡±


    ¡°P-please what?¡± I didn¡¯t want to be stupid, but my mind absolutely couldn¡¯t believe the situation.


    When Lydia stripped naked, I couldn¡¯t deny that sex was what she wanted. Here, there was still room for doubt. I couldn¡¯t believe, I wouldn¡¯t believe. I had been turned down by girls I thought were a sure thing before. Just before coming to this world, I was certain that girl liked me. I wasn¡¯t being dense or stupid, I saw the signs, but the signs always lied.


    ¡°You need to be clear.¡± Lydia nudged her.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± She wouldn¡¯t look me in the eyes, her expression was very cute. ¡°I-I-I¡­ we can¡­ if you want¡­¡±


    She lowered her volume and looked down, losing all steam. In the end, she couldn¡¯t take the next step. Lydia shot me a glare. Crap. Was this really happening? I was still wrapping my head around Lydia liking me, now Miki likes me too? What if Lydia was mistaken? What if I was mistaken? Ah¡­ screw it. Why keep playing dumb?


    ¡°Mas- Mmmm!¡± I leaned forward and kissed her lips.


    Her eyes widened for a moment, but then she closed them and opened her mouth. I breathed in a hint of scent before pulling away. Lydia had a sort of soapy, flower scent. Miki tasted a bit more natural, like the smell of fresh air and earth.


    ¡°Miki¡­ do you want to have sex?¡± I finally asked.


    Miki¡¯s entire body shook, but then she nodded her head so exaggeratedly that her ears nearly flopped up and down. Immediately, my heart relaxed. It was just that simple.


    ¡°Lydia?¡± I looked over at her, just a bit of a guilty expression on my face.


    She smiled at me, and I saw no hint of jealousy or anger. ¡°Master and I had one, so Miki must also get one. I will wait until Master and Miki are finished.¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡±


    I reached for Miki¡¯s hand, and she took it. The entire time, she didn¡¯t look at me in the slightest. This felt really embarrassing. We headed to the upper bedrooms, and entered the bedchamber, closing the door behind us. Thinking about Miki, my erection was already rock hard, and every part of my body just wanted to push her down and have my way with her.


    However, I still had my sensibilities and a functioning mind. In the end, Lydia was pressuring her and then I asked her. Was that really what she wanted though?


    ¡°Miki¡­ you¡¯re beautiful. I love your tail, it¡¯s bushy and swings back and forth cutely when you walk. Your 8 other tails are pretty too, they¡¯re like a flower springing from your back. I love you, and even though you¡¯re a slave, I want to see you as my family. So, I don¡¯t want to do anything to hurt that. Do you understand?¡±


    Miki finally met my eyes, and then nodded shakily. ¡°M-master¡­ please, you saved my life. You stuck by my side. You even gave up everything to keep me with you. I love you¡­ okay? I can¡¯t stop thinking about it, so please, do it with me, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    We stood there, staring at each other awkwardly for a minute before Miki blushed and lowered her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do¡­ I¡¯ve never done anything like this before. Master will have to lead me.¡±


    ¡°Huh! I barely know what I¡¯m doing, previously, Lydia took control and I was just following her lead!¡±


    ¡°Eh? You¡¯re the man and not even a virgin! You definitely have to!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Okay¡­¡± I sighed, still wondering why anyone would even be interested in me. ¡°In that case¡­ let¡¯s start by taking off our clothing.¡±


    Miki¡¯s arms moved to her shirt but then paused. ¡°C-can Master take off my clothes?¡±


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    ¡°Ah¡­ yes¡­ as long as Miki does mine.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    I slowly walked up to Miki and then started to strip her one piece of clothing at a time. She only stood there blushing shyly, her embarrassment increasing with every article that dropped to the floor. It was shockingly intimate, and I felt a strange closeness with her. I pulled off her skirt, and then one stocking at a time. She lifted her leg to help but otherwise left me to do everything else.


    Her small breasts were exposed, which barely fit my palms. She had two cherry pink nubs which were radically different from Lydia¡¯s more curvaceous naked body. I knew it was rude to compare their bodies, but that was the only experience I had. She was small, thin, and delicate. I had finally unwrapped her entirely, except that her panties were still on.


    I had never actually bought Miki any real clothing, as we had been expelled from Chalm before that could happen. These panties were actually Lydia¡¯s. As a result, they were a little loose and hung low. I could already see the pale fur above her slit. She had never bothered to shave it as Lydia did, but she didn¡¯t seem to have a lot of hair down there naturally. Plus, because it was so faint in color, it didn¡¯t look bad at all.


    I reached out hesitantly, pausing as my hands touched the hem of her panties. I looked up into her eyes and she nodded for me to continue. I slowly slid her panties down, revealing her bare pussy. It looked untouched, like a flower. There was no pink exposed, the outer skin folding over and revealing just a perfect pale mound with a slit down the middle. She looked exactly like the virgin she claimed to be. I gulped.


    ¡°M-my turn.¡± Miki began to strip me, her hands shaking as she undid my shirt and belt.


    When she finally pulled down my underwear, my penis had caught on the edge of the pants and then bounced out with a spring. This caught her off guard and she let out a little cry.


    ¡°You¡¯d seen it before¡­¡± I teased her, remembering the two cleaning me unabashedly.


    She did turn shy when touching my penis back then, but she was going with Lydia¡¯s flow. I remembered it took everything for me to not get an erection and surprise the girls shamelessly.


    ¡°It¡­ wasn¡¯t hard before¡­¡± Miki responded shyly. ¡°It¡¯s even bigger than before.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­ is it?¡± I didn¡¯t really notice.


    ¡°H-how big is it¡­ compared to others¡­¡± She asked, looking down and speaking very quietly.


    ¡°About average¡­ probably.¡± I admitted.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t have a whale penis or something stupid like that. If I did, I would have way more confidence. My penis was regular sized, thank you very much. Although, I heard that if you lost weight, your penis would be larger in comparison. In that respect, maybe my dick was a bit bigger, or at least it appeared to be bigger in relation to my body.


    Miki stood back up and held out her arms, ¡°I¡¯m done¡­¡±


    My hands reached out and touched the bare skin of her sides, she jumped for a moment, but then looked up at me and put a weak, nervous smile on her face. Even though her body was shaking, her expression looked determined. Looking down at her cute, small, naked body, my reservations were crumbling. I cared about Miki. I liked Miki. Lydia even had given me the okay. There was literally nothing standing in my way.


    I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her as I held her body closely. She made a moaning noise as our naked bodies pressed together and our tongues explored each other¡¯s mouths. She was just as soft as I expected. Her pale skin was virtually untouched. Lydia had many scars on her back, abuse suffered after she had been abandoned. However, she was a strong girl that pushed forward. Miki¡¯s damage wasn¡¯t physical, but emotional. She had been abandoned by everyone she loved, and thus feared being rejected. I had no desire to ever reject her again.


    Our bodies fell back onto the bed, and as we kissed, she instinctively spread her legs and wrapped them around my hips. As we were kissing, I was humping her slightly, and my dick was rubbing against her pussy. I could feel it getting really wet, and my dick slid freely.


    ¡°It feels really good.¡± Miki moaned in my ear.


    I agreed, it felt really amazing, the bottom shaft of my penis kept sliding up and down her slit wetly, and it sent fireworks shooting through my spine. However, it wasn¡¯t sex. I had to be in her for it to be sex, right? Yet, I kept thrusting and it just kept rubbing up against her wet clit. I could probably cum like this, but it wouldn¡¯t feel as satisfying. I realized I wanted to be inside her and cum inside her.


    I tried to recall back to my time with Lydia, and then I remembered that she had reached down and grabbed my dick when I couldn¡¯t get it in. She had lined it up with her pussy before I thrust it into her. That¡¯s right, it wouldn¡¯t just go in if you kept humping, you needed to use your hands and ease it in.


    I pulled away and then grabbed my dick. It was really wet and sticky. There was a lot of liquid down there. In fact, a little liquid squirted out as I was looking, a pool of it soaking the bed under her in a growing wet circle.


    ¡°You already came?¡± I asked in surprise.


    Miki blushed and looked away. ¡°You¡­ can keep going¡­ I want Master to finish.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to put it in now.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t in?¡± Miki gasped.


    ¡°Ah, bear with it.¡± I lined my dick up the best I could, and this time I was careful pushing it into her.


    ¡°Ahhhhnnn!¡± She let out a cry a lot louder this time. ¡°It hurts¡­¡±


    I froze for a moment. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t read or look at porn. I knew it was supposed to hurt, but Lydia didn¡¯t make a peep when I stuck it in. Rather, she looked very ecstatic, while Miki was grimacing in pain.


    ¡°Should I stop?¡± I asked.


    ¡°N-no¡­ keep going.¡± Miki said, even though her eyes were squeezed shut.


    I pushed myself inside Miki. Her pussy felt really tight. It was a lot harder to get it in than with Lydia. Miki¡¯s small hands held my arms and they tightened each time I pushed it in a little. Finally, I managed to get it in the whole way. We were both panting.


    ¡°M-master¡­ I love you.¡± Miki whimpered, her expression not of anger that I hurt her, but pure love.


    At that point, I realized things with Miki wasn¡¯t any different than with Lydia. We loved each other, we were together, and I had no plans to lose either of them. What I felt with Lydia was unique, but so was what I felt with Miki. Both girls were my lovers, and it didn¡¯t diminish either one when I loved the other.


    ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful,¡± I whispered, stroking her cheek.


    ¡°Please¡­ Master¡­ I already came. I want Master to cum too.¡±


    ¡°You could get pregnant.¡±


    Miki shook her head. ¡°9-tailed foxes aren¡¯t able to have babies. Too close to death.¡±


    ¡°I-is that so? But you¡¯re not like other foxes.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ that¡¯s because I have Master. If Master makes me pregnant, I will happily have it.¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡± I started moving my hips again, and she let out a gasp as it slid out.


    There was deep red blood on my dick. I didn¡¯t panic though. Like I said, this was normal. In fact, this not happening to Lydia was the oddity. Actually, Lydia was raised as a courtesan. She may have been a ¡°virgin¡± in that she never had sex, but they had her certainly practice sexual techniques. That meant, at some point, she¡¯d probably broken her hymen. A courtesan couldn¡¯t be bleeding all over the place during sex, although there were probably some men who would pay for that, those men probably wanted the inexperience that Lydia lacked.


    I slid myself back into Miki, and then out again. Our movements started to pick up speed. Each time I slid into her, she winced, but that was only for the first few minutes. Soon, her breath started to come out in a pant. It went in and out, and I could feel her tight pussy around my dick.


    We kissed, and then kissed again, our bodies holding each other tightly. Now, we were definitely having sex. Miki was my girl, my slave, and I was enjoying her and her body. I felt very happy and ecstatic. I grew more enthusiastic, and soon my hips thrust forward with full force into her. Her pale face remained flushed as her panting grew more and more ragged.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cum¡­¡± I announced.


    ¡°M-me too¡­¡± She admitted, blushing.


    Her pussy started to climax first, and the sucking feel of it was pulling my dick in. She was tighter, and the feeling was a lot stronger for her. I seriously felt resistance trying to pull out. It was more than I could bear, so I pushed myself as deep as I could go, and then my penis erupted. Hot gobs of semen flowed out of my tip, disappearing deep inside Miki.


    ¡°Ahn¡­ I¡¯m cumming!¡± She cried out, ¡°It¡¯s inside¡­ I feel it, Master¡¯s cum¡­¡±


    She panted, a whining moan coming out. She rubbed her face against my chin affectionately while she let out a high-pitched moan. Finally, as the sucking sensation slowly diminished, so did her orgasm. She really lasted a long time. Lydia orgasmed in like ten seconds and then was ready for round two. A tiger could bang a hundred times a day, so to speak. Miki had a much longer orgasm. It was like once she started cumming, she couldn¡¯t stop. It lasted nearly a minute long, which was torture on my penis. By the end, I felt like every ounce of cum had been sucked out of me by her thirsty womb.


    I kissed Miki again and then hugged her tightly, remaining in this position. We stayed like that, saying nothing and doing nothing. We just let our naked, sweaty bodies merge, permeating in our lust.


    The door opened, interrupting our silence as a head poked in rudely. It was Lydia. She was glowering and she had her cheeks puffed out.


    ¡°Are you done yet?¡± She asked.


    I covered the pair of us with a sheet and rolled off of Miki, ¡°Y-yeah¡­ we¡¯re done.¡±


    I felt a little awkward. Even though she sent me up here to do this, I felt like I was caught cheating on my girlfriend. Miki was blushing, covering her face with a pillow.


    ¡°I¡­ want it¡­¡± Lydia suddenly said, still standing at the door pouting.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I didn¡¯t understand what she meant until she blushed. ¡°Wait¡­ now?¡±


    ¡°You said be honest! I want it because I want it!¡± She burst into the room and then ripped off her clothing.


    ¡°L-Lydia!¡± Miki let out a cry.


    ¡°Ah¡­ shouldn¡¯t I clean up? After all¡­I¡¯m all sticky and I smell like, I mean I¡¯m covered in Miki¡¯s um¡­¡±


    Miki blushed, ¡°S-sorry¡­¡±


    Lydia shook her head, jumping on the bed. ¡°Miki is family, so it¡¯s fine if I taste Miki on you.¡±


    There was little point struggling after that. The tiger was in the room, and now there were two preys. She pounced on the pair of us without regard. She also started teaching Miki many of the things she knew.


    ¡°You can do that¡­ with your mouth?¡± Miki said in wonder as Lydia licked my dick clean.


    ¡°Here, try it¡­¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s salty¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because that¡¯s what Miki tastes like,¡± Lydia explained.


    Miki looked down guiltily. ¡°S-sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°I like the way Miki tastes.¡± Lydia said, suddenly licking Miki¡¯s lips which were wet and causing her to blush.


    ¡°O-oh¡­ k-keep teaching me!¡±


    I was completely helpless. I felt I was being bullied now. I was at the mercy of these two women! Aren¡¯t I their master?


    ¡°Lydia¡­¡± Miki spoke shyly as the night wore on.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Lydia asked, stroking my shaft while Miki cupped the balls.


    ¡°From now on¡­ let¡¯s always share¡­ okay? In everything.¡±


    Lydia blinked for a second and then smiled. ¡°Mm! If Master wants one of us, he has to have both of us!¡±


    I didn¡¯t take it seriously at the time, but Lydia always meant what she said. From then on, if I wanted either girl, the other was always present. My romantic life from then on only existed as threesomes. It was fine, I could just manage to keep up with both girls, although it was hard on my hips. However, I didn¡¯t know what I would do if there was a third slave girl that came along. That seemed unlikely though.

 Chapter 99

    The days began to finally move into a routine. Every morning, we¡¯d get up, make breakfast, and then go out securing one home after another. There were no more attempts to ambush us after getting rid of the eldritch, and the ghosts seemed to be on the run. One house at a time was claimed, sanctified and any ghosts were quickly dealt with. If we encounter a group of more than four or five, we might create a spirit fire circle and send them running.


    ¡°Master¡­ I found more ectoplasm!¡±


    Furthermore, the ghosts dropped the item ectoplasm, another ingredient in alchemy. In the past, we had ignored the bluish goo that spawned after a ghost fell, thinking it to just be left over monster mush. Well, when Miki announced it was an expensive ingredient used in many recipes in the books she was going through, suddenly I felt like an idiot for throwing all of that coin away.


    Speaking of which, our main goal from the beginning had been to acquire wealth. In that respect, we already ransacked about 50 gold coins worth of money from shops, bedrooms, and stashes. We wouldn¡¯t even need to enter the mansion before we acquired all 100 gold coins necessary to pay off our debt.


    Ectoplasm wasn¡¯t used in any potions we really needed to make right now. However, I wasn¡¯t going to let coin be lost. We¡¯d still sell it and make a profit when we could afford to leave for the capital city for a while. Before we made that journey, I wanted my storage ring back though. Still, ghosts were usually rare, which meant ectoplasm was rare and thus valuable to sell. The only problem was the collection process.


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    ¡°Eh!¡± Miki cried out and slipped on a puddle, landing where a bunch of ghosts had just been slain.


    ¡°Miki, are you okay?¡± I asked, running over to her.


    ¡°M-master¡­ it¡¯s all over.¡± Miki said tearfully.


    Ectoplasm was really sticky and viscous. Collection took some time and if you weren¡¯t careful it got everywhere. That was Miki¡¯s case right now. She had blue globs all over her body and dripping down her hair.


    ¡°It¡¯s slimy master¡­¡± She cried.


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Lydia giggled. ¡°Miki looks like a girl who accidentally gotten eaten by a slime!¡±


    That was an expression in this world. An adventurer who accidentally got eaten by a slime is like calling someone a novice or a newb. In this case, it had the double meaning that she truly did look like a slime had gunked all over her. Lydia turned over to me and stuck out her tongue. While she had her back turned to Miki, Miki¡¯s mischievous smile flared.


    Miki casually scooped up some ectoplasm, pulled on the back of Lydia¡¯s pants, and then dumped it down her crack.


    ¡°Ahhhhn! It¡¯s cold!¡± Lydia screams. ¡°Master¡­ punish her!¡±


    ¡°She started it!¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ it¡¯s going lower, it¡¯s all over, master, it¡¯s gushing¡­¡± Lydia looked like she was about to cry now too.


    I sighed, used to these kinds of things happening during our daily trips. ¡°Let¡¯s claim the bathhouse next. I¡¯ll clean you girls up.¡±


    According to the map, the bathhouse was only a few streets over. The girls were especially motivated, and it took almost no time at all to clear out the ghosts. I filled the bathtub and we even managed to get the heater going so that the water was hot. After that, we found some soap and I managed to clean the girls thoroughly.


    They were right, it really did get everywhere. I had to get in especially deep in some places to remove all the gunk. I ended up getting too excited and after we were done, I had to wash them again. Life is funny that way.

 Chapter 100

    After our bath and around dinner time, we took a portal back to the house. No use risking getting dirty in a fight with a stray ghost when we could go there quickly. I had experimented with portal a bit in recent days. After my death, I wanted to see to what limit I could push the dungeon points to my advantage.


    Thus, after using portal, I did a skill reset. I found that I only got 4 points back. It seemed like if I used a point to activate a skill, then that point would not be reset until the cooldown had passed. I was hoping to cheat the system. If I could reset my points and get all 5 back, it was possible I could bypass portal¡¯s long cooldown entirely. That didn¡¯t seem to be the case. It was one point per portal. I could waste all four free points minus one for reset and still have 4 portals a day, but then I would have no other skills.


    On the other hand, I could use 4 different skills and only use the point for portal when or if I needed it. The problem was that portal was a bit of an emergency, and it took time for me to reset, reactivate my skills, and then select portal. It¡¯d take 5 seconds normally to cast portal. Doing it that way would take almost a minute. It was not a great method, although I still had returned as another escape method.


    Dungeon point skills weren¡¯t the only ones I was testing out. I didn¡¯t want to test any abilities in combat again like I did against that eldritch. At least, if I did, it¡¯d be in a very controlled circumstance. Even though I knew I could be resurrected if I died again, that didn¡¯t mean I liked dying. I wouldn¡¯t use an unknown ability again until I was certain what effect it would have. Skill Analysis went a long way to this effect.


    The skill analysis simply told me what skills I had. I could do the same to anyone else in my party as well. It didn¡¯t seem to work on monsters or other people. At the moment, I was a level 18 white mage. The skills I had were Weak Heal, Remove, Curse, Weak Heal Poison, Refresh, Group Heal, Divine Aura, Harm Undead, Holy Circle, Create Water, Light, Detect Magic, Sanctify Land, Cure Disease, Mana Up, Moderate Heal Poison, Create Cushion, and Stun Undead.


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    White Mage seemed to be a class dedicated to fighting necromancers. It could be considered their polar opposite.  Most of the new skills are pretty self-explanatory. Create Cushion was a little weird. It created a cushion wall. If a teammate was blown back, or if someone fell from a distance, this wall would make their landing like hitting a pillow. It was very useful, but I found I rarely could cast it in time to do any good.


    Hero was at level 13. I had Return, Switch Position, Party Status Up, Give Life, Basic Swordsmanship, Charm Up, Sense Life, Protect, Evil Eye, Skill Analysis, quick attack, and low regen. Low regen allowed me to heal slightly faster, but it only worked on me. Quick Attack was a sword attack that was far better suited for Lydia, although it turned out she had it already. She was delighted I had the same skill that she did. Evil Eye seemed seriously strong, but actually, all it did was allow me to see a monster¡¯s weakness. That was actually a pretty good ability. This world had no system that explained the rules, so any skill that gave away any information without tedious trial and error was deeply appreciated.


    Slave Master was now at 6. This gave me the skills Slave Taker, Order Slave, Punish Slave, Truth Slave, Slave Loyalty, and Slave Status Up. I had really hoped that the Slave Master wasn¡¯t such a brutal job. None of the names in it made me feel good. Order Slave and Punish Slave were two skills I simply refused to use. I wouldn¡¯t even test them to see how they worked. Truth Slave was passive. I could tell when Miki was lying with unnatural clarity. As Lydia was only technically a slave, she didn¡¯t gain the status up boost or the slave loyalty boost.


    As far as slave loyalty, the only test I could do was equip and unequip the job and ask Miki how she felt. I asked her to think about some negative thoughts about me. In the end, the best answer I could get was that when she thought about monopolizing me for herself and not letting Lydia have me at all, the feelings felt more uneasy when I had Slave Master equipped. It was hard to describe, but she felt encouraged to avoid betraying my trust.


    The only other skill I had bothered to level a bit was Merchant. It was up to level 4 now. The skills were Haggle, Upsell, and Calculation, with another empty duplicate skill thrown in there, probably Charm Up if I had to guess. Calculation just made it easier to deal with numbers. That meant when I was reviewing my skills like right now, hero and merchant were the best jobs to have equipped, one to let me analyze my skills, and the other to let me crunch the numbers.

 Chapter 101

    After dinner, the next thing I did was practice writing. Miki did teach me a little bit, but mostly I worked on getting comfortable making the letters. Since we had the entire general stores supply of paper and ink, I had plenty to work with. Finally, when I felt I was ready, I began to transcribe an entire book. The book I chose was a small fictional story that we had found on someone¡¯s bedside. It was absolutely the shortest one.


    My scribing wasn¡¯t the best, and I kept getting hand cramps. When I did, Lydia would come over and rub my hands until they felt better. Then, I got back to writing. Finally, after three nights, I had managed to finish the story. Although the original book had art pictures and mine was just text, I still felt accomplished.


    {You have transcribed a book in a language you do not know. You have unlocked the job: linguist.}


    So¡­ I didn¡¯t get a transcribe job, but something called a linguist. I quickly equipped it.


    {Translate has been unlocked.}


    Translate wasn¡¯t an amazing skill, but it wasn¡¯t a sucky one either. It allowed me to tease out the meaning of words by using context. It wasn¡¯t to the point I could read, rather, it had a more of a how-to fish feel than just giving me the fish. I could break down words and determine things based on context. This wasn¡¯t the miracle ability I had hoped, but with Miki¡¯s help, I was starting to learn how to read and write in the common tongue. In a few more weeks, I¡¯d probably be at Miki¡¯s level. Of course, all the reading I was making her do, she was also improving as well.


    After having a night cuddled with my two girls, we woke to a sound outside. No, it was more than a noise, it was a commotion. It sounded like a few dozen people talking. We quickly got dressed, putting on our tattered adventuring equipment. This week had been rough and we had worked hard. My spells kept our bodies together, but none of us were leather workers, clothing menders, or equipment manufacturers. Our equipment that looked clean and new a week ago now was looking pretty haggard.


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    Looking out the window and down the street, my eyes widened. Standing outside the barrier was a massive group of people. Standing at their head was a familiar face too. I opened the door and stepped out. I had a big smile on my face and started running to greet them happily. However, then I remembered that a little over a week ago, I had parted from them in really bad terms, and I was still a bit miffed at how they had treated Miki. Now that Miki was my very important lover, I¡¯d be even less tolerant.


    By the time I reached the Guild Master, I had crossed my arms and given him a stern look. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    The Guild Master gave a gentle smile and then bowed. ¡°You really have been living in Old Chalm this last week. I¡¯m amazed.¡±


    ¡°You get used to the ghosts after a while.¡± I shrugged.


    The Guild Master nodded, then a guilty expression formed on his face. ¡°We heard from Figuro that you needed to be resurrected, yet still you came back to keep fighting.¡±


    I glanced back at the two girls as they approached, Miki hiding slightly behind Lydia. ¡°I had to. I want a home for the people I care about. That means doing things that are hard sometimes.¡±


    The Guild Master smiled, nodding his head. ¡°Thank you, Deek.¡±


    He suddenly flipped a coin and I caught it. I looked at the coin in my hand. It was the same hero token I had thrown to the ground a week ago.


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡± I immediately tried to hand it back.


    He lifted his hand. ¡°You were right¡­ about everything, Deek. This place was once our home too, yet we were so terrified that we left it and never looked back. Only a true hero would have the bravery to face death and fight like this. When you left last week, you said that we could come and help reclaim Old Chalm. That is why we are here.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡± My eyes widened but then narrowed. ¡°None of that prejudice bull crap?¡±


    ¡°None¡­¡± A pudgy man walked out. ¡°Your rules. Everyone here Is 100% dedicated to reclaiming Old Chalm and making it open for all people.¡±


    ¡°Mayor¡­¡±


    The man shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not anymore. I¡¯ve stepped down from my position. I realized that I had a thing or two to learn about real leadership. Sometimes, simply keeping the peace isn¡¯t always what is right.¡±


    ¡°Not the mayor¡­ then who is leading you right now?¡± I asked.


    Suddenly, all of the eyes turned to me, the Guild Master speaking up first. ¡°Why¡­ you are.¡±

 Chapter 102

    "I''m still a little hesitant here.¡± I said, spinning the coin in my hand. ¡°It still feels like you¡¯re just trying to get me to work for you.¡±


    The Guild Master winced. ¡°We know¡­ you showed us nothing but good will, and we exploited that goodwill for our own convenience. I¡¯m sure you had your own reasons for doing what you did, but the results still should have been properly rewarded. First, we want to guarantee you that everyone here is happy with your spirit friend. Actually, you may notice the groups a bit large right now.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Actually, yeah, there seem to be more people than I remember the city having.¡±


    The Guild Master nodded. ¡°We used that 50 gold and spared about 3 dozen slaves from Figuro. As we incorporated them into our city, a lot of the older ones had some pretty interesting stories to tell. According to them, your foxgirl friend often helped those that were passing away find peace. She was the only one who would sit with the sick and the ill, and it is said that anyone who sat by her died with a smile on their faces


    ¡°For those that weren¡¯t sick, that story was warped to her bringing them to death herself, but the elderly were determined to set the record straight with everyone now that they weren¡¯t stuck in cages.¡±


    An old man stepped forward, he was a bunnykin just like the innkeeper who had scorned Miki a week ago. He suddenly bowed down, his old bones creaking as he did, the action clearly painful for him to do. He also had tears in his eyes.


    ¡°My wife and I were both slaves. They considered me still healthy when my wife became really ill. She was taken away from me and moved to your wagon, Miki. They tell me that you gave her your blanket at night so she wasn¡¯t cold, and told her stories. They say just before she passed away, she whispered something into your ear. Do you, by chance remember what it is?¡±


    Miki looked out from behind Lydia and then nodded. ¡°Yes¡­ I remember. Her words were, ¡®The stars are always beautiful when you¡¯re around.¡¯¡±


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    The man shook and started to tilt over, unable to remain bowed. Two men quickly caught him and straightened him out. He looked up at Miki, with tears in his eyes, and smiled.


    ¡°Thank you. On our first date, nearly 50 years ago, I planned a date to go star watching, but the weather turned bad and it ended up storming us out. I was really upset that our date went bad, and those were the words she told me. They mean that she died at peace, and wanted me to know it. Thank you¡­ Thank you, Miki!¡±


    More people started stepping out, also shouting their thank you. Miki was bright red, her body shaking slightly. I smiled and reached over, patting her head affectionately. People started coming up and shaking her hand passing the barrier to do so, one at a time. Her tails were visible now with her current level of spiritualist, and some people complimented her. At first, she was frightened, but as more and more people came to wish her good will, a small smile formed on her face.


    While this was going on, the Guild Master also stepped past the barrier and stood next to me. He pulled out a bag and then dropped it in my hand. I looked down at it, it was very heavy.


    ¡°What is this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°One hundred gold coins.¡± The Guild Master coughed. ¡°The merchant caravan seemed to be a bit early this season. We wanted to get a message down to you, but we weren¡¯t certain where you were in old Chalm. This is what we owe you, what we truly owed you. I said that we honor our debts. I mean it. Take this and pay off your girl. Let us reclaim this city with a clean slate.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Does master have man tears again?¡± Lydia asked.


    I wiped my cheeks. ¡°No, just something in my eye this time.¡±


    Although I was happy with Lydia and Miki by my side, it was a bit lonely being in this ghost town alone. It¡¯d still take months to reclaim the city on my own. However, all of these people here could speed up the reclamation project to a week or less. As I looked around and more townspeople walked into old Chalm, it truly felt like a family that had broken apart coming back together. Even the traumatized adventuring guild secretary took a step past the barrier, and while she looked uneasy, she was smiling too.


    ¡°Are you ready to rebuild this city?¡± The former Mayor asked, joining the pair of us. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if you need help, I¡¯m good with logistics.¡±


    I looked around and the couple hundred people around me. Some of them I knew well, some of them I had never met.


    ¡°Alright¡­ Let¡¯s begin.¡±

 Chapter 103

    After the Adventurer¡¯s Guild joined us, the speed of retaking Old Chalm increased considerably. With Miki churning out Rosary powder, we were able to take one building at a time with ease. I made sure that everyone knew it was Miki¡¯s alchemy skills that made this possible, and her position in the village was cemented. Fortunately, other Adventurer¡¯s had other means of battling ghosts. It turned out while ghosts were immune to physical damage, magic was something that could harm them.


    Spirit and mana were two different things, they clarified to me, and both could hurt ghosts. That meant that wolfgirl magician apprentice would be useful in fighting off the ghosts. Furthermore, I had more than enough coin at this point in order to buy her. Well, Lydia might be angry about it, but freeing slaves was a good deed, right?


    While paying off my debt with Figuro, I asked about the girl, and he revealed that she was actually sold a few days ago. Beautiful women like her sold quickly, especially when they were that cheap. Had I known that¡­ well, it probably wouldn¡¯t have changed much. There was no crying over it. She was gone. It was just a curiosity; I wasn¡¯t going to buy her. I respect Lydia and Miki too much, and they both make me happy.


    ¡°I hear you¡¯re going to be taking the mansion soon.¡± Figuro spoke after he finished counting the coins, ¡°You might want some more help on that.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting I hire more slaves?¡± I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Since our transaction is finished, my caravan will be heading out. We¡¯ll be heading to the capital. I officially work for the slave union. It¡¯s like the Adventuring Guild, but for slavers. That¡¯s where the biggest Slave market is, and where I¡¯ll go to build up my stock. A lot of criminals in the capital.¡±


    ¡°What about the slaves left in the caravans? Didn¡¯t Chalm buy up everyone honest?¡±


    Figuro shrugged. ¡°It depends on how much you believe in second chances. Not all criminals are the worst of the worst. A few just fell on hard times.¡±


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    I suppose it doesn¡¯t hurt to look. I guess I¡¯d like someone good at magic. It¡¯d be nice if they knew how to craft stuff too.¡±


    ¡°Craftsman, huh? In that case, you¡¯re talking the fae races.¡±


    ¡°Fae?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ do you know about the phylogeny of the species?¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡± I frowned.


    ¡°Haha¡­ that¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not something everyone learns about. Simply put, all the current races came from one of three primordial lines.¡±


    ¡°Is that like earth, water, sky?¡± I asked.


    Figuro blinked and then smiled. ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s a good guess, but actually¡­ the three lines were body, mind, and spirit.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I was trying to guess based on role-playing conventions, it looked like I had guessed in the wrong direction. ¡°Isn¡¯t that like physical, mana, and spiritual attacks?¡±


    Figuro nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, that¡¯s kind of the point. Living beings are made up of three things, body, magic, and spirit. Thus¡­ if you wish to kill something, you must target one of these three.¡±


    ¡°So, what does that have to do with this filo.. um¡­¡±


    ¡°Phylogeny of species?¡± Figuro nodded. ¡°Well, every living thing does not need to have all three, body, magic, and spirit. In fact, many species outside of humans do not. The ghosts¡­ for example, have no body, yet are considered a living entity.¡±


    ¡°What about zombies?¡±


    ¡°They have a body and are moved by mana, but a spirit attack would be useless.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, the original races were 3 primordial creatures. They were the creatures of mana, the faes. The creatures of spirit, the angels, and the creatures of body, the demons. Over time, the blood of the primordial races was diluted and crossbred. All modern creatures are said to descend from one of these primordials. Those that descend from faes are unusually strong in magic. They¡¯re good at building and creating. There are the dwarves, the elves, the halflings, the fairies, the sidhe, and so on. Those of the body are mostly considered monsters. Goblins, minotaurs, vampires, orcs, and so on. Spirit beings are very rare. They actually tend to exist on another plane of existence from those with bodies. Except for things like ghosts and elementals, there are only a handful of spirit beings that interact with other living.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean about humans?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Human beings are said to be a perfect balance of all three. Demihumans have a bit more body and spirit, but only humans are considered the perfect mixture of all three. We are the perfect balance of destruction, creation, and aloofness don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I responded, not sure how to react.


    ¡°How about we see those slaves, huh?¡±

 Chapter 104

    Like before, I was given a lineup of boys and girls. I tried to be impartial with my selection, but I admitted that my eyes wandered over to the girl¡¯s side a bit more than I wanted it to. Figuro went through each person, one at a time. The prices ranged anywhere from 1 gold coin to 50 gold coins. Some of them were truly very tempting, but this still felt like the last of his stock. Most of these people were guilty of some pretty severe crimes, even on the female side of things.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just not seeing what I want.¡± I finally admitted.


    ¡°There is one girl I think you might be interested in.¡± Figuro finally added. ¡°But she¡¯s a very special case.¡±


    ¡°Who is that?¡± I asked, looking around.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have her with me. She is actually in the capital city.¡±


    ¡°Then why bring her up?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ perhaps it¡¯s because I saw how you¡¯ve been with the other two girls, and I¡¯m interested in seeing you take care of her as well.¡±


    ¡°What job does she have?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the thing.¡± Figuro shrugged helplessly. ¡°She doesn¡¯t have one.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m interested in you meeting her. She may be a spirit or elemental. However, she won¡¯t tell anyone about her origins. She will actually be auctioned off in two months in the capital.¡±


    ¡°Two months!¡±


    Figuro raised his hand apologetically. ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t start with her. However, if you¡¯re in the capital city, you may want to visit her. Ah¡­ the King also set one more restriction. The person who bids on her has to be a noble.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re really screwing with me!¡±


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    Figuro smiled. ¡°I think in two month¡¯s time, Old Chalm will be reclaimed. Those people are going to look towards you to lead them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ but what does that have to do with lordship?¡±


    ¡°You would become the lord of Chalm, yes?¡± Figuro cocked his head. ¡°From Hero to Lord in only a few months. I was right about you, but I never imagined you¡¯d climb so quickly.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re jumping ahead there¡­¡± I said doubtfully, ¡°I have no desire to be some lord.¡±


    Figuro shrugged. ¡°Want it or not, Old Chalm has no sovereign nation. As soon as news reaches the capital, you¡¯ll be offered a lordship in exchange for allowing yourselves to be annexed. Given the citizen¡¯s feelings on the nation, I think you¡¯d want to say yes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Just think about it.¡± Figuro patted my shoulder. ¡°Let us finish up for the day. Since you have not brought Lydia here, is my assumption that you will take care of the slave ownership yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯ll just use Slave Taker. Is that okay?¡±


    Figuro¡¯s mouth twitched but he nodded. ¡°As I said, I¡¯m a pretty open man. Removing and putting on slave tattoos is a painful process, but it seems like simply changing ownership is less painful. Plus, for you, it is cheaper.


    I hid a grimace. That was really the only reason I did it. I didn¡¯t want Figuro to upsell me on that kind of stuff.


    ¡°Ah¡­ actually, while I have you, what does the slave tattoo do anyway?¡±


    Figuro blinked and shook his head. ¡°Only you could be able to take a slave away, but not even know what it entails.¡±


    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Naw, do not fret. I just find the world strange sometimes.¡± Figuro shrugged. ¡°The answer is simple. The slave tattoos demand obedience. Besides allowing you to track your slaves. It also allows you to order them and know they will carry out the task.¡±


    ¡°If I can do this anyway, what¡¯s the point of the Slave Order skill.¡±


    Figuro¡¯s expression really did slip this time. ¡°My¡­ some of your questions can definitely take me off guard. The simple answer is that Slave Order is absolute. There is a bit of wiggle room when it comes to ordering. For example, if you ordered a slave to kill themselves, they could refuse. That actually goes all around. If someone was morally opposed to killing, and you demanded it of them, they could refuse¡­ although it would be uncomfortable. The same could go with sex. A woman who was repulsed by a man may refuse sex even under a slave order if her repulsion was high enough. That¡¯s why our questionnaires are important. A woman forced to have sex by the slave mark is radically different than a woman who is willing.¡±


    ¡°So, Slave Order just makes it stronger?¡±


    ¡°Not just stronger, impossible to refuse. If someone refuses to follow through, the order will literally make them. If you had to order a slave to do something that they couldn¡¯t hesitate with, that¡¯s where a Slave Order comes into play. It¡¯s very rare someone has that skill, and even rarer they¡¯d use it.¡±


    Slave order was exactly like I predicted, something I planned to never use.

 Chapter 105

    "You mentioned tracking the slaves, is this a skill?¡± I asked.


    Figuro blinked, and then slapped his head. ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s right. I never gave you the pendants!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It is true, slave location skills exist, but that doesn¡¯t help anyone who doesn¡¯t have that job. For most slave owners, we assign them a special necklace. When you put mana in it, it will show you the direction of your slave. It¡¯s supposed to be done as part of the slave mark ceremony, except that you keep skipping those!¡±


    I let out a cough. ¡°Is that to say you will charge for the pendants?¡±


    Figuro let out a laugh. ¡°You really don¡¯t like paying any extra fees, do you?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I just want to keep things reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Well, regrettably, the necklaces will cost something. They will also require a drop of their blood to activate them. At that point, you should be able to track down either slave without issue.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Forget it. I don¡¯t mean that because of the money, rather, I have a feeling it won¡¯t be that useful for me.¡±


    I trusted my girls and didn¡¯t think they would run away. In Old Chalm, the thought of either of them becoming lost or stolen seemed unlikely. Rather, I figured I¡¯d be getting a skill to track them soon enough, so it really didn¡¯t matter much to me either way.


    Figuro sighed, pulling out the small necklace with a little ruby on the end and then plopping it in my hand. ¡°Just take it, I have a feeling given your luck, that you may find yourself needing it.¡±


    I frowned, not quite sure how to respond. What did he mean by that? Sure, it was true that the roughly 1 month I had been in this world had been pretty crazy. I had become a hero, got trapped in a dungeon, saved a slave girl, destroyed the dungeon, bought another slave, self-exiled myself from a city, and then fought to reclaim a new city. I also died once. Well, all of that had come in order. It was simply what happened.


    I pocketed the neckless without worrying about it. I wouldn¡¯t turn away free stuff anyway. He only gave me one. Probably he hoped I would like it and then buy the other. Still a businessman through and through. I shrugged and put it out of my mind. Picking up my backpack, I readied myself for my next stop.


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    ¡°Where are you heading now?¡± Figuro asked with interest.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m going to Chalm,¡± I said, hitting my backpack. ¡°Our armors have all taken some damage and the shops have decided to remain open in New Chalm until Old Chalm is a bit more stable regarding ghosts. They don¡¯t want to risk all their goods getting destroyed, so I have to head there to place my orders.¡±


    I was a bit eager too. Both Miki and Lydia had come with me on my last trip to Chalm, and they had placed the orders for new clothing. I was going to pick them up today. As to what the girls were doing today, Miki was still doing alchemy to keep up with the demand for Rosary powder, and Lydia was moving our stuff to a new home.


    The herbalist who owned the place had finally shown up to reclaim their home. It wasn¡¯t so bad. They were very generous, offering us all the alchemy ingredients we needed to retake old Chalm from both this store¡¯s stock and her original store. She also didn¡¯t know alchemy herself, and thus gave us her grandmother¡¯s old books. In the end, we ended up moving into a bigger place that was closer to the city center. We confirmed this time that the owner was dead and a deed was written up. This would be my second property after the mansion was reobtained.


    ¡°Good luck, my friend.¡± Figuro bowed.  ¡°When you get to the capital city, just tell them my name and they¡¯ll let you into the slave markets.¡±


    I smiled wryly and answered politely. He was so certain that I would want another slave. I was already happy with the slaves I had. Rather, they wouldn¡¯t be my slaves much longer. I planned to release them. Once the mansion was mine, I would have no need for slaves. At that point, I¡¯d let them go. That was the agreement I had made with the pair. They didn¡¯t seem thrilled about it, but they had agreed.


    I hefted up my bag with a groan. It was really heavy with the leathers in it. I sighed thinking about the trip back to Chalm. I already used my portal to get there. Did I want to use my other points up? Wait¡­ that¡¯s right, I was going to Chalm since it was safe again. I could just use return now. I may be a bit skinnier now, but that didn¡¯t mean I liked the idea of trekking a few miles with a heavy backpack. One thing fantasy stories always skipped over was how much walking you had to do!


    With a sigh of relief, I waved one last goodbye to Figuro and then used Return. My vision instantly changed. But rather than the familiar town square and the fountain, I was suddenly indoors. I was standing in a hallway. Looking around, I had no clue where I was.


    {You have entered Karr¡¯s Dungeon. Destroy the lore to break the curse, or complete the lore for extra dungeon points and a blessing!}


    That¡¯s when reality set in. I had given up my hero status for Chalm and only regained it in Old Chalm. My return skill must have changed locations! If that was true, then that meant that this place was¡­ the mansion of Old Chalm! I had teleported myself right into the middle of ghost central.


    ¡°Uh¡­ oh¡­¡±

 Chapter 106

    Let¡¯s see¡­ portal does not work. Return¡­ doesn¡¯t work. That was the biggest cheat of all. Return will take me into a dungeon, but won¡¯t take me out of a dungeon? This was absolutely the biggest rip-off ever. Whoever wrote this world¡¯s instruction manual needed a good thrashing.


    I was mostly just angry at my own failings. I had used Return without thinking about such things. Had I been in a party with the girls, this wouldn¡¯t even be that bad of a situation. Although we still had a way to go before we reached the mansion, I had no doubt that as long as we were together, we could fight our way out. However, this wasn¡¯t that situation. I was in here all alone, and while I could see ghosts and had the skill to slice them, the high-level spirits we were against were beyond my paygrade.


    My strength lay in my status ups and ability to heal. Although I had basic swordsmanship, it was not at a level where I could fight my way through a dungeon. Why was this a dungeon anyway? We had the impression that the dungeon was under the mansion. That was only conjecture though. Noone had been in the mansion since it started spreading ghosts. Therefore, no one knew that the mansion itself had been turned into a dungeon.


    On that note, a dungeon was created by a curse, unfulfilled lore. Usually, that lore flowed freely until it met the right conditions and implanted itself into the earth. However, this lore seemed to be spawned directly from the mansion itself. Where the lore was created was where the dungeon formed. How did I know this to be the case? Well, that was simple. The name of this dungeon was Karr¡¯s Dungeon, which I recalled was also the name of the nobles who had lived here.


    Whatever happened, something in this mansion lead to the downfall of Old Chalm. I couldn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t curious. I¡¯d love to find some murals that explained this mansion¡¯s history. However, at the moment, my life was considerably more important. Walking to one of the windows at the end of the hall, I could see only darkness outside the window. It wasn¡¯t the color of dirt, as if I was underground. Rather, it was blackness like an infinite abyss. I even created a light and held it to the window, and there was just nothing beyond.


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    Although dungeons were usually seen as some kind of underground anomaly, they were often spoken about as if they were alive. Some people said that they were a completely different realm of existence. Once a dungeon¡¯s lore was destroyed, everyone was expelled from the dungeon. It wasn¡¯t like it slowly collapsed in on itself. Rather, it was like it just ceased to be. That was why there wasn¡¯t massive cave-ins or anything like that. The dungeon technically existed in a different realm. So, why did return take me here?


    A sound came from behind me. I immediately spun around. I quickly looked for ghosts and found nothing. I was just about to take an easy breath when a voice whispered right next to my ear.


    ¡°Get out!¡±


    I let out a scream that wasn¡¯t manly at all and immediately ran down the hallway, turning the corner. Right in front of me was a ghost. Except, he wasn¡¯t like the disembodied ghosts outside. Rather, he was fully formed into the shape of a knight. He was even wearing armor. He immediately lowered his spear towards me and started approaching with his shield protecting him. He looked like a trained soldier who knew what he was doing. How many levels higher did a ghost need to be to both have weapons, form the shape of a human, and also apparently retain intelligence!


    ¡°Crap!¡± I pulled out my sword and swung it.


    He moved way faster and the sword was knocked from my hand with ease. He also had a strong physical presence! Most stronger ghosts could do physical attacks, but they always felt weak and unless they could get a direct hit on my skin, they never caused damage. This guy struck away my sword with ease! Level-wise, he was much stronger than anything I had ever faced before. His spear flashed out and I leaped back to avoid it.


    Even with my jump, my leather was gashed. His blade hadn¡¯t struck me. It was the sheer force through the air that had caused this damage. I was totally screwed! Jumping back and still getting hit, I was thrown off balance. Stumbling back, I landed on my butt. The ghost knight didn¡¯t wait for me. He took a few more steps forward, raised his spear, and then aimed it directly at my neck!

 Chapter 107

    The blade fell down in slow motion¡­ is what I wanted to say. However, the blade was entirely too fast! He struck down at me, and just as the blade was about to reach my throat he exploded into a mess. Circles of wind shot through him, one cutting his ethereal spear in half just before it touched my neck. More wind followed, and he was cut to pieces until he finally disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The source of that wind was behind me.


    I quickly stood up and spun around. Standing before me was a pretty girl. She had her hands together covering her chest. Her breasts were large, around a D, bigger than Lydia by far. Her hair was pink and seemed to sparkle in the light as if it was covered in glitter. She had a small heart-shaped face, ears that came to a slight point, pale white skin, and a very charming body. She seemed incredibly light on her feet too, moving with a strange grace like she was floating just a centimeter above the ground. She had an angry expression on her face which was directed immediately at me.


    ¡°I said¡­ get out! Don¡¯t run into that guy! He¡¯s always grouchy!¡± She said in a tiny light voice which sounded exasperated. ¡°Ah¡­ he¡¯s definitely going to tell Master when he comes back.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Um¡­ sorry?¡±


    ¡°No sorries! Just leave!¡± She made a shoeing noise. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t disturb master.¡±


    ¡°Master? We¡¯re in a dungeon, you mean the dungeon boss?¡±


    ¡°A dungeon? Nonsense! This is Master¡¯s house, and you stormed in.¡± She responded in a huff, ¡°Now, kindly leave¡­ before you get hurt.¡±


    That last part came out really lightly. She was looking over her shoulder like she was expecting her Master to show up any second and personally punish the both of them. She seemed oddly jittery and nervous like she wasn¡¯t used to talking to people.


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    ¡°Um¡­ this Master of yours¡­ would it be Master Karr?¡±


    The girl nodded, ¡°Yes, Master goes by that name. Please¡­ go now before he finds you here.¡±


    ¡°I figured he¡¯d be on the bottom floor, does he ever come up here?¡±


    The girl tilted her head, my question seeming to catch her off guard. ¡°Actually, now that you mention it, Master had remained down in his study for a long time now. I can¡¯t remember the last time he¡¯s come up to greet people.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Exactly, so in that case, there is no problem, right?¡±


    She was shaking her head. ¡°No, no¡­ all the others abandoned master. Only I stayed behind. I must look after Master. His last order to me was that he¡¯s not taking on guests¡­¡±


    As she spoke, she was moving back and forth¡­ and sometimes her feet didn¡¯t move right like she was hovering for a second. She also was keeping her distance from me, avoiding even the chance of contact.  I wasn¡¯t a complete fool. I was in a haunted mansion where no life remained. This girl was some kind of elf servant. She had died, and her spirit somehow retained some memory. Perhaps she was endlessly protecting her Master¡¯s last orders, but I had no doubt that she was a ghost!


    The reason I was listening to her was simple. She had saved my life. Second, she was very strong, able to wipe out that monster in a few hits. At the moment, this confused ghost was my best bet for getting out of this place alive, and I planned to do whatever was necessary to survive. However, she was still muttering to herself though. It was clear this ghost wasn¡¯t completely stable. She seemed easily distracted and a bit dim-witted.


    ¡°Um¡­ what¡¯s your name?¡± I asked.


    ¡°My name is Celeste,¡± Her eyes widened as if she was surprised she answered and then she glared at me, crossing her arms and causing her bosom to shake. ¡°Will you leave already?¡±


    I shrugged helplessly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯d like to get out of here. I forgot the way. If you take me to the entrance, I will leave right away!¡±


    Her eyes narrowed suspiciously and she floated over to me before landing on her feet. ¡°Will you really?¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡± I held up my hands. ¡°I want nothing more than to leave this place.¡±


    ¡°F-f-fine!¡± Celeste spun around, ¡°Follow me¡­. A-and no funny business!¡±


    I let out a breath. My life was now dependent on a confused ghost. I was just praying I could leave the dungeon before she recalled that this really was a dungeon and that we were likely enemies. If that happened, then I would assuredly die.

 Chapter 108

    I followed the strange elf girl as she walked through the corridors. She mumbled to herself a lot, once again giving me a feeling like she wasn¡¯t all there in the head. Every once in a while, she¡¯d look back, notice me, jump, and then pick up the pace, almost like she forgot I was following her until my appearance reminded her of her current task. Perhaps, following a ghost was not the best decision I made.


    The only good news was that ghosts seemed almost afraid of her. I used life sense, since ghosts were considered an entity, not an undead, and it seemed to work for some reason. I was able to detect plenty of ghosts around the mansion. However, they seemed to scatter whenever this crazy elf walked down the same hallway as them. Whatever curse seemed to affect the mansion, I felt like this ghost had some part to play in it.


    Finally, she stopped. I wasn¡¯t paying attention and kept walking. A second later she was right in front of me. I let out a gasp and put out my hand, she spun around and saw my hand going for her head. She ducked back, looking up, but still, my hand went straight through were her forehead should have been as if there was nothing there. I stared for a second. She really was incorporeal.


    She jumped back several feet, covering herself. ¡°N-no touching!¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I stumbled, my bad.¡±


    ¡°Y-you saw?¡± She said confusingly.


    ¡°Saw what? Hahaha¡­¡± I laughed nervously. ¡°Aren¡¯t you taking me to the entrance?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± She responded, a pouty expression on her face.


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    I turned to the only thing in front of us. It was a stairway down, leading deeper into the dungeon.


    ¡°This is a stairway down. Are you really screwing with me?¡± I demanded angrily.


    ¡°Eh?¡± She spun back around, looking genuinely surprised. ¡°But I swear, the door was right¡­ wait¡­¡±


    Suddenly, she put on a confused expression, like her brain wasn¡¯t working right.


    ¡°How many levels are we down anyway?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Down¡­ levels¡­ stairway¡­¡± She grabbed her head for a moment. ¡°Where¡­ no, we¡¯re in Master¡¯s Mansion. I must protect Master¡¯s Mansion!


    ¡°Oi¡­ calm down a moment!¡± I help up my hands. ¡°Clearly, this is a level to a dungeon. Calm down a moment.¡±


    The girl seemed to be growing more upset by the second, and telling her to calm down was remarkably not the thing she wanted to hear.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re trying to trick me!¡± She suddenly screamed. ¡°You want to make Master punish me!¡±


    ¡°Calm down¡­ I just want to leave, okay? Take me to the entrance to the dungeon, okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a dungeon!¡± She shouted. ¡°This is Master¡¯s home! This is my home! I¡¯m Master¡¯s Slave. I¡¯ve always been Master¡¯s Slave. No one will take him away. Not you! Not her! No one!¡±


    ¡°Her?¡±


    Her body rose up in the air, starting to glow with some scary looking light. Ah, crap, I triggered the ghost! The knight that completely schooled me was torn to shreds by this elf! Was I seriously going to die now?


    She raised her hands up and a powerful blade of wind shot out. I couldn¡¯t see it clearly, but I could see enough to know I needed to leap out of the way.


    ¡°Die!¡± She screeched. ¡°You won¡¯t keep me from Master!¡±


    ¡°St-stop!¡± I cried out, ¡°You saved me earlier, remember?¡±


    ¡°Th-that was a mistake!¡± She looked uncertain for a second but then shook her head. ¡°Enough of this! It¡¯s time for you to leave this mansion! If you won¡¯t walk out the door, then you¡¯ll leave in pieces!¡±


    She raised her hands up again. I was completely clueless about what I could do to stop this. This slave girl ghost had gone from helpful to murderous with only a few words! Was there anything I could do?

 Chapter 109

    "Wait¡­ a slave¡­ she¡¯s a slave! That¡¯s right, I¡¯m a Slave Master!  I had always used the skill with the intent of helping my slaves with status buffs, but the main job of a Slave Master was to rule slaves. I equipped Slave Master instantly. Wait, would any Slave skills work on a Slave that wasn¡¯t mine? There was only one I could even think of. That was the Slave Taker skill. I hadn¡¯t used it on Lydia yet, and she technically wasn¡¯t my slave.


    Could I even steal a ghost as a slave? Could I steal from a dungeon boss? Could a dungeon boss even have a slave? She was a ghost, so she was probably a slave when she died. Did a slave seal follow you even in death?


    All of these thoughts went through my mind in the span of half a second. She was raising her hands, ready to send more blades of death flying at me. I could see myself being torn apart just like that Ghost Knight. I refused to be defeated in such a manner. Lydia and Miki were still depending on me. Death wouldn¡¯t cause Miki to die, but without my buffs and healing, she might still struggle. Even with her spiritualist skill, she was still a bit weak. They needed me. I couldn¡¯t die!


    ¡°Slave Taker!¡± I shouted out.


    A crest suddenly formed on the elf girl¡¯s chest. The attack was such a surprise that she could only let out a scream, her casting being completely disrupted. I pumped more mana into the Slave Taker ability. However, I was quickly realizing that there was a resistance. More than that, she was still screaming. She was collapsing to the floor, her transparent body flickering strangely.


    In the past, Slave Taker had always been a willing process. The Slaver Figuro even said it was easier on them than flat our removing a mark and reapplying it. However, that assumed that they wanted to have their slave mark taken. Resisting was completely different.


    ¡°What are you doing to me?¡± She screamed, writhing on the floor.


    I wanted to weaken my attack, but I knew I wouldn¡¯t get a second chance. Remembering how dangerous this ghost slave was, I pushed forward with my magic. Pulling out a mana potion, I downed it while keeping more mana pumping into her, wrestling her mark away from the owner.


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    I had a feeling the owner was exceptionally strong. It was just a feeling, really, but I felt that if he had truly wanted to resist the slave being taken, at my level, it wouldn¡¯t have happened. Instead, I felt a strange bit of encouragement, like her Master wanted her to be set free. It could have just as easily been me trying to justify my own actions, but the only resistance seemed to come from the Slave herself, who, while a higher level, was still already subjugated.


    With another mana potion down, the mark began to change, turning into the familiar symbol that I grew to familiarize as my own. Once the mark clicked into place, the ghost girls body began to shrink. Suddenly, two giant wings almost 3/4<sup>th</sup> the length of her body exploded out from her back. Her eyes snapped open and she shot me a hateful glare.


    Jumping up, she exploded into the air. Her wing spread out. They were beautiful glittery things with a constantly changing rainbow-like reflection depending on where you looked at them. They flapped excitedly in the air as she pointed at me, her face full of fury.


    ¡°You¡­ how dare you! What have you done to me? Where is Master? Why can¡¯t I feel Master? Have you hurt Master?¡±


    ¡°Celeste¡­ I am your Master.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s impossible!¡±


    ¡°Search your feelings, you know it to be¡­ wait, I thought you were a ghost?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± She looked down, and then at the wings flapping behind her. ¡°You¡­ you knocked out my illusion! Die!¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re so tiny¡­¡±


    The big breasted girl looked identical to how she looked before, but, in reality, she was only about 18 inches tall. Her wingspan included; she was only about the size of a cat. Her breast, in reality, was the size of two mosquito bites, even if they looked humungous proportionally.


    ¡°Tiny¡­ how dare you¡­¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re really not a ghost?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± The girl flapped her arms angrily in a way that looked way less threatening on a little creature. ¡°Fine, perhaps I should reintroduce myself. I am Celeste, Lord Karr¡¯s House Fairy and keeper of this mansion!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really alive then?¡± I asked. ¡°I mean, that was 20 years ago¡­¡±


    ¡°Fairies live a long time okay? Thousands of years to you meager humans!¡± When she noticed me nodding with interest her face turned red. ¡°Stop looking down on me just because I¡¯m a fairy! Humans always look down on fairies. I¡¯m really scary, okay! If you don¡¯t leave, you¡¯ll make me real mad!¡±


    Ah¡­ I made her cry. Perhaps I did look down on her a little too much.

 Chapter 110

    {Celeste has become your slave.}


    {Name: Celeste


    Class: Elemental


    Job: Adept Wind Magician (Slave) (LVL 10)


    Unlocked Jobs: Enchanter (LVL 2), Tinker (LVL 3), Novice Magician (LVL 50), Apprentice Magician (LVL 25)


    Race: House Fairy}


    I had to whistle as that information popped up in front of me. Celeste was many levels higher than any of us. Although there wasn¡¯t a ton of difference between each level of Magician, they showed her evolution as a character. She was now an Adept Wind Magician, which explained her brutal wind attacks.


    I recalled hearing that adept was the state they differentiated into a type of magic. Only truly great wizards were capable of learning them all and being Full Adepts. I suspected that the way to do this was to not switch to Wind Magician. Even though it was a stronger job, you needed to keep leveling apprentice up. You would then unlock all the of the other magic, and only at level 50 would you have the full adept. Well, that was my theory.


    I also noticed that she had Novice Magician and Miki had Basic. Perhaps that had to do with training. Without training, you¡¯d be a basic, moderate, or master magician. With training, it¡¯s a novice, apprentice, adept, and so on. We just managed to retake the library. I was planning on visiting it sometime this week to look at such things.


    ¡°Are you ignoring me!¡± The girl finally yelled, her face still very red.


    ¡°I really do want to leave this place.¡± I sighed. ¡°I took you as my slave because you were going to attack me. However, if you help me leave, I¡¯ll free you as my slave.¡±


    The fairy flew up to me and then stuck out her tongue. ¡°Who says I¡¯d help you! You can¡¯t just take me from the great Lord Karr! I won¡¯t have it! I¡¯ll definitely see you dead!¡±


    I sighed. I really didn¡¯t want to do this, but this slave was being really annoying and not at all reasonable. I didn¡¯t think she was a bad person. She had chosen to help me when she didn¡¯t know who I was. However, she also had some holes in her memory from being enslaved to a cursed dungeon for 20 years, and her isolation had done some things to her mind. Suddenly, I found myself glad I had the Slave Master job.


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    ¡°Slave Order!¡± I declared, holding my hand out to the fairy. ¡°Help me get out of this dungeon and protect my life!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t! Ahhhhhh!¡± She fell to the ground as the slave insignia began glowing, far smaller than it had been on her full-bodied person.


    ¡°Celeste!¡± I cried out, falling to the ground as she writhed on the floor. ¡°Just obey!¡±


    ¡°I w-won¡¯t!¡± She said tearfully, the symbol on her chest growing even brighter.


    ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t keep hurting yourself,¡± I said, starting to cry.


    ¡°Karr is my only¡­  I love¡­ ahhhhh¡­. No¡­. ahhhh¡­¡± She was still writhing on the ground.


    ¡°Stop! Please, is killing me really that important to you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± She cried. ¡°I won¡¯t¡­ serve¡­ anyone¡­ but¡­ him¡­¡±


    Make a slave do whatever you want my ass! This was simply torture!


    ¡°Stop Slave Order!¡± I finally said, nearly choking.


    The emblem finally stopped glowing. The girl collapsed on the ground. A moment later she smiled, and then passed out, flopping on the ground with a light thud. My heart was beating so fast I could hear it in my ears. I was breathing hard and sweating too.


    I pulled out my storage ring and looked inside. There they were, just as Figuro had promised. It was a slave removal dye. He gave me a pack of ten, even though I only had two slaves to free. I pulled it out and then put a drop on the fairy¡¯s chest. Her light grew brighter and brighter and then it suddenly shattered.


    In an instant, she was no longer a slave. She made a few grunts and noises of pain, but she had already passed out. Her dreams wouldn¡¯t be sweat, but the pain was nothing compared to what she faced thanks to Slave Order. I suspected it was because she was such a powerful Magician that she could resist Slave Order so much. That¡­ and maybe an extreme will. It might have eventually gotten the desired results out of her, but it wasn¡¯t in my heart to carry on that way.


    Grabbing my backpack, I froze and looked down at my storage ring. Sighing and rolling my eyes over forgetting the convenience of some magic, I stashed everything into my storage ring. Feeling a lot lighter, I turned around and looked down the stairway into the deeper part of the dungeon.


    Oh, to heck with it. I will defeat this dungeon, here and now, or I will die trying. I needed to find out what happened. What drove that fairy to that state? Who was Karr really, and what happened to Old Chalm? The answers were down there, not up here. It was stupid, but I didn¡¯t have a much better chance trying to escape the dungeon. Who knew how deep I was anyway? I could just as easily be on the 98th floor as the 2nd. In that case. If I was on the 98th floor of 100, wouldn¡¯t it be dumber trying to head up? I walked down into the darkness, leaving the unconscious fairy behind.

 Chapter 111

    "Exorcism!¡± I shouted, my hand out stretched.


    The ghost screeched as mana tore it apart from the inside out. It turned to attack me.


    ¡°Quick Attack!¡± I blurred, moving way faster than even that Knight on the floor above could move.


    The ghost died right there, disintegrating before my eyes. I let out a breath of relief. See? It wasn¡¯t suicide? Who ever said I couldn¡¯t fight for myself? Now that I was back in my recently fixed Leather armor, I was in good shape. I also reset my dungeon points, and then redistributed them. There were two one-point skills in general that I had been eyeing for a while now. Especially after I had died, I had considered giving up portal and map.


    The skills were Exorcism, a powerful ghost spell that did heavy damage and debuff to ghosts, and a sword called ghostbane that seemed to be able to do high spiritual damage on top of physical. I disliked the idea of summoning a material item with dungeon points, but desperate situations called for desperate measures. Ghostbane with Divine Aura was a very powerful weapon, and as long as I could surprise attack the ghost, I could take them out with ease. I didn¡¯t give up map though. Double experience was the skill that I dropped. It hurt to give it up, but giving up reset was out of the question, and map was too important to navigating this labyrinth.


    Map combined with life sense, and I could even visualize the monsters ahead of me. It was seriously OP. By the way, there was a time-stop inventory in the dungeon point system too, but it was considered a second-tier item and thus it was a 5 pointer.  There were higher tier ghost items too, including a ten-point necklace that just repelled ghosts entirely. Exorcism and Ghostbane just happened to be the only two I could afford.


    Furthermore, as long as the ghost didn¡¯t physically attack me, my high spiritual resistance from my white mage class also kept me strongly resistant. If there was more than one ghost though, I¡¯d cast Holy Circle and run. The hallway-like paths of the dungeon were very small. Holy circle could completely block the path. In other words, I used it to stop the ghosts from chasing me. As long as I kept running, they¡¯d be blocked and have to go around. With that, they almost certainly lost track of me and I could escape. Suffice it to say, I was equipped well in this dungeon, despite my initial brush with death.


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    I attacked another ghost. This one had the form of a soldier, which I interpreted as being a bit higher level. He wasn¡¯t as intimidating as the knight from the floor above, but he was still troublesome. I hit him with exorcism, followed by a quick attack. He turned around and started attacking me. I sanctified the ground while backing up and dodging his spiritual attack. My Basic Swordsmanship wasn¡¯t enough to overwhelm his fighting speed. The only way I could get a hit on him was with my Quick Attack skill. I changed White Mage to Slave Master, and then lept at him with another Quick Attack.


    {Slave Master has increased to level 7.}


    {Bond Slave has been unlocked.}


    I let out a breath. It wasn¡¯t what I was hoping for. I was hoping for slave locator or slave communication. I had been trying to level Slave Master this way hoping I could earn something. Yeah, I was going down instead of up, but being able to trace Miki would be useful if I reached a dead end. Just being able to communicate with my girls would be nice. They were probably starting to wonder where I was right now. Lydia was certainly worried.


    There was a movement that caught my attention. I glanced over and noticed a head poking out from the corner.


    ¡°Ee!¡± She suddenly ducked back.


    Yeah¡­ that weird House Fairy found me about an hour after I left her unconscious and had been trailing behind ever since. She hadn¡¯t attacked me, but I still worried she could. I could cheat and fight ghosts with my dp system, but I had nothing to stop the fairy if she decided to attack me again. Still, I didn¡¯t regret freeing her.


    I decided to take a quick break to allow my mana to rejuvenate. As I did so, I started going through my jobs and skills again to see if there was anything I could use to help gain an edge in the dungeon.


    Checking through my jobs, I slapped my head. ¡°Of course, True Dungeon Diver.¡±


    It was only level 1. It would be very easy to gain 4-5 levels quickly. It was a higher tier job too, so I had high hopes for it helping me. Maybe, it even offered a means of escaping dungeons. Once I started thinking about my job and skill system, I put other things out of my mind, and had already ignored the girl, who was watching me sneakily again. I finally continued on, navigating by the use of the map and my sense life. Behind me, a fairy followed.

 Chapter 112

    With the use of Exorcism and Ghostbane, I quickly cleared the level and then headed down to the next one. I managed to gain three levels in True Dungeon Diver. I only gained 2 skills. I must have run into another duplicate. The skills were Basic Monster Identify and Resist Curse. Neither left me all that excited. I already had a strong spirit with White Mage, so an increase in resisting the dungeons curse wasn¡¯t needed. Basic Monster Identify only gave me a monster¡¯s name. That was it. I couldn¡¯t even see their weakness!


    I reached the end of the level and immediately headed down to the next floor. This mansion didn¡¯t seem to have any traps like the last one. I had used detect traps a dozen times, and haven¡¯t even got a distant one. This floor contained a Ghost called Whithering Ghost and another one called a Spectral Howler. The Howler was annoying. As soon as it got hit, it would scream, summoning any other ghosts in the area. The only way I could fight it was to kill everything else nearby first, and then try to handle it.


    I wanted to equip Cook and see if there were any food drops, but I still had a month of food remaining. When you packed to feed three, one person really could last a while.


    I finally reached a room that looked vaguely familiar. Actually, it looked like a library, but it was a single room I could close the door on. Furthermore, there was a mural on the wall. That was right. This was a place we often treated as a safe room. I had been going on for probably 1 and a half days straight. I had depended heavily on refresh to keep myself going. Now that I had a place I could consider safe, I collapsed in a heap.


    I went about starting a fire and trying to prepare something warm this time. As I set to work, the door opened a crack, and a small little person slipped in. The door closed again. I let out a sigh as I looked in Celeste¡¯s location.


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    ¡°What is it that you want?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Eek!¡±


    She fled behind a bookshelf. I decided to ignore her. Instead, I equipped my Cook and concentrating on making my meal. With all of my skills, soon, a fire was raging a pot was boiling. Flavorful smells were filling the tiny little library which was never supposed to be used for cooking. I saw the fairy poke her head out again. She looked like she was drooling, her mouth open.


    ¡°Would you like me to make you some?¡± I asked.


    She wiped her mouth and ducked again, but it wasn¡¯t more than a second before she was looking out again. She watched as I carefully cooked everything. I created a bigger dish than was needed and made sure to incorporate all my best vegetables into the stew. She was staring at it with a light in her eyes.


    I didn¡¯t even know if fairies could eat. She had been in this mansion for 20 years, so what had she been eating? However, since she was responding to food, I decided to just go with it. I cooked slow and methodically, making sure to enhance the flavor to the best of my cooking ability. She finally floated out, heading to the fire like a moth to the flame, her tongue almost panting.


    I took the smallest bowl I had and filled it with soup. I then pushed it so it was on the other seat across from me. The fairy eyed it suspiciously at first, but ever so slowly, she took a seat across from me. Finally, she picked up the bowl that was almost too big for her arms, and then drank from it like it was a cup.


    ¡°Mmmm!¡± her cheeks going pink as she let out a cry. ¡°This is delicious!¡±


    ¡°What have you been eating the last 20 years?¡± I asked.


    The fairy sniffed indignantly. ¡°Fairies are creatures of mana. I feed off the natural mana of the world.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ so I guess I won¡¯t need to make you any more¡­¡±


    ¡°B-but fairies also have exquisite taste glands!¡± She suddenly shouted, almost spilling her bowl. ¡°It¡¯s considered abuse to not feed your house fairy! It¡¯s a rule! A definite rule!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I see¡­¡±


    At least, she was talking to me now. We continued to eat the stew and sit by the fire. After a long day of dungeon diving, this kind of thing was starting to grow on me.¡±

 Chapter 113

    After finishing eating, I stood up and walked over to the mosaics on the wall. I was really hoping these were a staple of dungeons and not a one-time thing. Now that I could see this one, I could start uncovering the truth about this mansion. Well, none of the mosaics told a full story. It was all given in pieces, and if I missed a mosaic, who knew what part of the story I was missing.


    I had no delusions I¡¯d be capable of finishing the lore this time. Destroying it is the most I could hope for. It would be a lot less DP, but finishing the lore involved strange and unknowable conditions. We already solved the lore in the last place, and I still couldn¡¯t tell you 100% what we needed to do to fix it. Was it us reliving the scene differently that did it? Or was it the sister showing up and finally bringing closure to the necromancer? These were questions I didn¡¯t have the answers to.


    ¡°What are those, they¡¯re pretty?¡± A small voice asked from behind me.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this your mansion? Shouldn¡¯t you know?¡± I shot back


    ¡°Geh!¡± The fairy was eating her third bowl of stew. ¡°That is¡­ I¡¯ve seen them before, but master never explained what they are!¡±


    She quickly downed her bowl, blocking her face from my incredulous glance. She seemed like a glutton, but she was small, so three bowls for her was only a single bowl for me.


    ¡°This mosaic tells a story,¡± I explained. ¡°Would you like the hear it?¡±


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    ¡°Hah¡­ yum!¡± She slammed her bowl down, seemingly very carefree, ¡°Stories? I like stories! Read it to me!¡±


    ¡°Very well¡­ but bear with me a bit, I have to extrapolate a lot. I only get pictures and they never tell the whole story.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± She fluttered up next to me, sitting on my shoulder.


    She was actually pretty heavy. It was like a house cat jumping on your shoulder. However, I ignored her. I didn¡¯t want to get on her bad graces. That was all. I cleared my throat and began.


    ¡°This tells the story of a boy.¡± I started. ¡°He was a noble, born to a generous and loving mother and father. One day, when he was very young, he ran into an escaped animal girl. She begged him to let her go, but he was a noble boy who was taught right and wrong, and he knew she was a slave. He turned her in. She looked at him with hateful eyes, but he knew slaves shouldn¡¯t run away.


    ¡°He decided to wait with her and the authorities until the slave¡¯s owner arrived. It was an old, ugly, angry man. The noble boy smiled and told him not to be too hard on the girl. The old man responded by pulling out a whip and beating her right in front of the boy. He was horrified. He tried to make the man stop, but he simply kicked the kid aside. When the kid turned to the guards he had brought the girl to, they said it was the slaver¡¯s right.


    ¡°He could do nothing but watch as the girl was beaten to unconsciousness. This was the day It caused a thick knot to grow in his heart. He no longer believed he knew what was right and wrong. He no longer believed that the nobles were right, or that what the guards did was justice. His path turned down a different direction.¡±


    That was really strange. From what I had heard from the Chalm citizens, Karr aided in freeing slaves. He abhorred slavery. If this was the story of a young Karr, then everything seemed to fit fine. Well, everything except for the house fairy. I glanced over to her sitting on my shoulder, looking at the colorful mosaic with bright eyes. How did she become the slave of a man who abhorred slavery? There was much more to this story than it seemed!

 Chapter 114

    "What happened next?¡± Celeste demanded from atop my shoulder.


    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What? What is that about?¡±


    ¡°I said, this is only part of the story. There are other rooms like this strewn about the mansion. They should have the other mosaics and will provide more of the story.¡±


    ¡°Really! They do?¡± Celeste asks excitedly.


    I leaned away, as she was leaning so close her breasts were nearly in my eyes. They were small, but up this close they looked like the first time I had seen them. They even jiggled a bit, which seemed like it broke the physics engine for this world.


    ¡°Yes¡­ if we keep going down, then¡­¡±


    ¡°Not necessary!¡± Celeste said excitedly. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the next room! You¡¯ll tell me the rest of the story if I take you to all the rooms, correct?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ to the best of my knowledge, sure?¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± She jumped off my shoulder and flapped her wings, flying off, ¡°Then, let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°W-wait! It¡¯s late and I¡¯m tired! The next library is probably a few floors down.¡±


    ¡°Pfft! That¡¯s easy! Just follow me!¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡±


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    {Celeste is now in your party.}


    Ah, so people from this world can form parties too. It looked like it really was something as simple as ¡°follow me¡±. She floated over to a pillar in the middle of the room. I didn¡¯t really know what it was. It most resembled the altar from the cathedral-like rooms I had entered in the previous dungeon. She felt around for a moment, and then the pillar suddenly glowed.


    ¡°Here we go!¡± Celeste excitedly said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    A light glowed around Celeste and then a moment later she vanished from sight. My mouth fell open as I stared at the space she used to be. Was this like what happened when I used Return? Actually, most people seemed to ignore return. I had a feeling there was some kind of perception filter kind of thing on it. However, what really got my attention was the text in front of my vision.


    {Your party has teleported to another part of the dungeon. You must register with both kiosks to use the dungeon teleportation system.}


    ¡°Dungeon Teleportation System!¡± I immediately leaped up, shouting out the name.


    So, to recap, these rooms had doors that could be closed so you could be safe, effectively making them safe rooms. Each one had mosaics that talked about the curse that created the dungeon. They also had a kiosk in the middle. If you registered with the kiosk, you could teleport to any other kiosk in the dungeon you have visited.


    ¡°If I had known this, what happened in that Mina¡¯s dungeon never would have happened.¡±


    I could have transported back up as soon as we found that second cathedral. That was the system this world use to allow dungeon divers to get deeper and deeper into dungeons. I knew as their levels reached 100 or 1000, it would otherwise be impossible. I walked over to the kiosk and put my hand on it. I was looking to see what I needed to do, but a second later it flashed.


    {You have been registered with Karr¡¯s Dungeon level 5 kiosk.}


    So¡­ I¡¯m level 5 after all.


    A moment later, the Kiosk flashed again and the fairy reappeared. She was glaring at me with her fists on her hips.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you come with me!¡± She snapped.


    I bowed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it says you can only visit rooms you¡¯ve been to before. I¡¯ll have to go down the dungeon the long way, it seems.¡±


    Mina crossed her arms and blushed. ¡°R-right¡­ I knew that.¡±


    ¡°Can I get some sleep now? Tomorrow will be a long day.¡±

 Chapter 115

    "ROOOOOARR!¡± The monster cried out, sending out a wave that took my breath away.


    We encountered the mid-tier boss on the way down to the next floor.


    ¡°Holy circle!¡± I threw out my protective barrier.


    The spectral monster looked like it could barely fit in the small hallway. Under its name, it identified as a Raging Wither. However, this one seemed to have a spectral body like a giant troll. Well, who was I to try to classify this monster? Rather, I just wanted it dead.


    It lifted an arm and hit my barrier. It shattered with ease. I let out a noise and stumbled back. It was uncomfortable having a magic barrier destroyed like that. Before the monster could move further, wind slashes flew over my head at the monster. It let out a roar of anger.


    ¡°I thought these guys stayed away from you!¡± I shot at Celeste.


    She let out a helpless cry. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ they usually don¡¯t bother me, even if they¡¯re always cranky!¡±


    Of course, I already expected I knew the reason. She was a slave of the Mater of this dungeon. As soon as she was taken as my slave, she lost her protection in this dungeon. Now, the monsters attacked her just as much as they attacked me. Unfortunately, even she wasn¡¯t strong enough to one-shot a ghost boss. It didn¡¯t feel quite as dangerous as fighting the eldritch, but the Raging Wither still could kill me if I wasn¡¯t careful. Worse, I only had one life in this dungeon.


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    ¡°Sanctify Land!¡± I declared, and then backed up a few steps. ¡°I really need to learn some magic! You¡¯re just not strong enough¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Celeste snorted. ¡°You¡¯re looking down on me! In that case, I¡¯ll show you real magic! Stall him for a second!¡±


    ¡°Gah! A second?¡± I drew Ghostbane and lunged at the monster, as soon as I struck, I used Create Cushion.


    When he attacked back, his hand moved like it was moving through molasses. That gave me enough time to run away. That was enough time, as Celeste¡¯s summoning seemed to finish. Suddenly a massive whirlwind shot through the hallway. I backed into a corner as it exploded past me. The force was enough that the hallway seemed to creak as if it was being stretched. I could feel the pressure hammering on my back.


    I glanced up after it passed me and watched as a tornado-like whirlwind struck the Raging Wither. It immediately bellowed. It looked like it was being cut all over with hundreds of blades. It was like one her whirlwind slashes, but there were hundreds of them swirling around. It really was a terrifying spell. The monster couldn¡¯t face it for very long. It ended up being torn apart. As I realized it was dying, I swapped back to True Dungeon Diver for more experience.


    {True Dungeon Diver has increased to level 5.}


    {Basic Item Identify has been unlocked.}


    The monster finally collapsed. Sitting in the spot where it disappeared was a pair of boots. I picked them up and looked at them. I immediately used Identify on them.


    {Boots of Quickness ¨C Increase Speed, Defense; Reduced Foot Fungus and improved smell.}


    ¡°What has ma- what have you found?¡± The fairy came over, landing on my shoulder.


    ¡°Ahem¡­ some boots.¡± I said simply, casually slipping off my old boots and immediately getting into these.


    They fit very well. I left my old boots behind. It was time to head to level 6. The day was just getting started.

 Chapter 116

    Level six contained monsters called devilish spooks and a second monster called ensnaring vixen. The ensnaring vixen, in particular, were very attractive women who made very suggestive gestures to you once they saw you. They were barely wearing any clothing, it made Lydia¡¯s hole-filled short slave outfit seemed like a winter covering. The worst part though was that every time they died, they let out a really perverted noise.


    ¡°Ahhhhhn!¡± She cried out, her hands moving up and down her sensuous body before she disappeared with smoke.


    ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± I cried out as Celeste suddenly moved directly in front of my vision.


    ¡°You, c-can¡¯t see these ones.¡±


    As it were, I had a very close view of her buttocks, which, while tiny, was nice and round. Her legs were really long. I mean, they were barely a foot long, but they seemed long in proportion to her body. What? A pornographic image only shows a girl about 1 foot tall at max, and that can still be arousing, it¡¯s the same thing. Except, this fairy could move and be touched. Ahem¡­ that wasn¡¯t the point.


    ¡°I can¡¯t fight if you¡¯re wagging your but- ahem¡­ I mean I can¡¯t fight when you¡¯re in my way.¡±


    The fairy turned around, stomping her foot on thin air as she glared at me. ¡°You can¡¯t look at those lewd things.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t this your Master¡¯s mansion? Why does he have those lewd things, to begin with?¡±


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    Celeste froze for a second. This was clearly a question that caught her off guard. It was actually pretty easy to constantly poke holes in her narrative. I was hoping to finally get her to accept that this was a dungeon. Even now, she seemed intent on treating this like it was still her Master¡¯s Mansion. As for the mobs that ran around on each floor, she called them cranky guests, servants, and habitants. Since they always respawn, even if she killed one, she didn¡¯t even see the act as killing but simply putting them in time out.


    However, every time I pushed my luck and tried to get her to see the truth, it always led to the same thing.


    ¡°F-fine! If you want to look and lewd ghosts, then I won¡¯t stop you! Pervert!¡± She flew a few feet away and then turned the corner, disappearing from my sight.


    I let out a sigh. Every time she got like this, she¡¯d stop helping and leave for a few hours. However, she¡¯d always find me again and then act like nothing ever happened. It was mind-boggling how immature Celeste acted sometimes. It was hard to believe that she was over twenty years old. She could be significantly older, for all I knew.


    ¡°If my map is right, then the stairway down should be around this corner,¡± I mumbled to myself, trying to ignore thoughts of Celeste.


    I turned and then stopped frozen as I notice three ensnaring vixens. They hadn¡¯t been on the map. That was because I had been jimmying my jobs around to try to level, and after being distracted by Celeste¡¯s last tantrum, I didn¡¯t realize I didn¡¯t have a job with life sense equipped. It was an honest mistake anyone could make, but a fatal one when you were all on your own.


    I couldn¡¯t even open my mouth to shout before their beauty filled my vision. Three beautiful women beckoned me forward, their almost naked bodies on display. By their actions, it was clear they didn¡¯t mind if I touched at all. With a dumb smile on my lips, I let them lead me on into their nest.

 Chapter 117

    Can you touch an ensnaring vixen? Apparently, the answer was yes. My hands wandered over all three of their bodies. They were both warm and cold. Their skin felt warm to the touch, but after touching them, there was a bone-chilling coldness deep inside. I ended up instinctively casting weak heal. When that wasn¡¯t enough, I started casting moderate heal.


    I kissed one girl, then the next girl. I slid inside them and had sex, but no sooner had we finished than one of the other girls jumped in from behind. These little mischievous spirits had no limit, so I had them all. I danced with them naked, and time began to pass.


    I couldn¡¯t keep track of time. It all became a blur. The girls were vivacious and always hungry, and so I kept giving it to them more and more. I felt like a champion. As soon as I was ready to quit, they seemed able to spawn me for one more go.


    Finally, after an incredible experience, I collapsed on the bedding. Their nest was a massive circlet of pillows that filled a small side room. No other ghosts seemed to bother these three who had their own place. The spiritual girls collapsed next to me.


    As I panted, stroking one girl¡¯s shoulder and hugging a second, I shook my head. ¡°Ladies¡­ I need a break.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± one ensnaring vixen moaned. ¡°Me next!¡±


    ¡°I need more.¡± The other cried.


    ¡°Me¡­ do me next!¡± The third cried. ¡°No one else can fill us like you can.¡±


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    A thought suddenly occurred to me. Whenever we were in the middle of it, I always needed to heal. Didn¡¯t that mean that these ladies consumed lifeforce? If that was the case¡­


    ¡°Group heal!¡± I declared, creating a barrier over everyone.


    ¡°Ahn¡­¡± The three girls began to writhe in pleasure.


    ¡°Oh, hoh¡­ so that¡¯s what you girls want?¡± I asked, my eyes narrowing, ¡°Then¡­ I guess it will be your first! Moderate heal!¡±


    I began to fill the girls with mana. I equipped hero to help recover my own, but I managed to keep up with the vixens. When I cast healing spells directly on them, they went crazy with lust. It was really incredible. More time passed, and this time the three vixens collapsed on the ground.


    ¡°N-no more¡­ so full¡­¡± One moaned.


    ¡°M-marry us¡­ we love you¡­¡±


    ¡°Our body feels like it¡¯s vibrating with energy!¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡± I stood up, my dick at full-mast, ¡°Let¡¯s start round fifty!¡±


    ¡°Y-you monster!¡±


    At that moment, a door burst open, and a certain fairy shot inside. ¡°You¡¯re bad guests! Die!¡±


    She shot out wind attacks at the three women. They may have been filled to the brim with life energy, but they were also so full they couldn¡¯t even move. The barely even let out a shout before their forms were cut to pieces. I stared down in shock, my mouth open. That¡¯s when the charming effect suddenly wore off.


    Celeste spun to me after the monsters were dead, tears on her face. ¡°W-what happened? You left me! I thought you were going to leave me forever. I¡¯ve been looking for two days. You scared Celeste, you big me- hey, what¡¯s that!¡±


    She pointed down at my erect penis, as I was still very much standing there naked.


    ¡°Ah! Th-this isn¡¯t what it looks like!¡± I grabbed a pillow, covering my groin area.¡±


    The fairies entire body turned bright red. ¡°P-p-p-p-p¡­¡±


    ¡°Now¡­ it¡¯s a mistake, I¡¯m not a-¡°


    ¡°PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTT!!!¡± She screamed, fleeing the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡± I reached out to her while covering myself with the other pillow.


    {Due to extreme sexual deviance, you have unlocked the job: Pervert.}


    Huh? I guess I am.

 Chapter 118

    {White mage has increased to level 19.}


    {Healing Circle has been unlocked.}


    I continued to work my way through level seven, and my levels continued to climb, albeit slower than they might have had I had my 2X experience unlocked. However, I wasn¡¯t willing to abandon the sword and the exorcism skill. They were too valuable in fighting 90% of the creatures in this dungeon. Healing circle was basically like creating a temporary high regen area. Great for taking a break, but not practical in fights. I also made two levels in True Dungeon Diver.


    {True Dungeon Diver has increased to level 7.}


    {Detect Treasure has been unlocked.}


    The other skill wasn¡¯t reported to me, but I realized what it was when I noticed I could sense life with both Hero or True Dungeon Diver equipped. I could have used skill analysis, but it only works on skills that are equipped and I haven¡¯t removed white mage since I entered this dungeon. Since most people only had one job, skill analysis really only worked when looking at others. Fortunately, I could equip a second job, so I bypassed that problem.


    I was quickly getting a feel for the dungeon diver perks. Detect treasure was sort of like detect magic. It would ping an area and I could get closer and closer to it. The first time I tried it, it took me three hours and I ended up finding a single gold coin that had been wedged in a door. After that, I decided that detect treasure wasn¡¯t that useful.


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    ¡°Hey, listen!¡± Celeste flew over to me while I was checking my stats.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked flatly.


    ¡°What do you plan to do?¡± She asked, her expression hesitant.


    ¡°Do?¡±


    ¡°When you reach the end. When we discover the rest of the lore. What do you plan to do?¡± Celeste demanded.


    ¡°I¡¯m just looking to get out of here for now.¡± I sighed. ¡°But if I can help your master find peace, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I looked down to find Celeste with furrowed eyebrows as if she was deep in thought.


    ¡°Celeste?¡±


    Celeste shook her head and then floated back a few feet. ¡°What will happen to me?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that up to you?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯re free now.¡±


    ¡°Free?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°You can choose the direction you head in the future. Do what makes you happy.¡±


    Celeste nodded to herself, ¡°Being next to you makes me happy.¡±


    I broke into a cough. ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­ well, let¡¯s not jump to extremes here. There is still a lot of story to learn. Ah¡­ actually, I don¡¯t know how big your dungeon is. Here¡¯s a question. That thing that allowed you to teleport to the other libraries, how many of them are there?¡±


    ¡°There are 5 deeper and 1 above.¡± She nodded.


    ¡°If it¡¯s 1<sup>st</sup> and 5<sup>th</sup>¡­ then perhaps they appear every five levels. In that case, this dungeon is 30 levels deep. The other dungeon was roughly around 10 levels, and since this one is 20 years old does that mean dungeons gain roughly a level a year?¡±


    ¡°What is Master talking about?¡±


    ¡°Eh? I¡¯m just thinking about¡­ w-wait¡­ I¡¯m not your master!¡±


    Celeste¡¯s face went red. ¡°Of course, you¡¯re not my master, who said you were my master!¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ you.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! I don¡¯t like lies! I¡¯ll leave again if you keep spreading lies!


    I sighed. ¡°My apologies. Shall we be going?¡±


    I found it best to change the subject when she got like this.


    ¡°V-very well!¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Just 23 levels to go,¡± I mumbled to myself with a sigh.

 Chapter 119

    I had been in the dungeon for nearly a week by the time we reach the tenth floor. I had gained numerous levels. White Mage was now twenty, Hero was fourteen, and both Slave Master and True Dungeon Diver had made their way to ten.


    I earned several skills of interest. True Dungeon Diver brought me resist hunger, reduce fatigue, and detect trap. Detect trap was pretty self explanatory. I hadn¡¯t run into any traps so far though, so it seemed useless. Hero offered another unknown skill I had already gotten. It seemed like the more jobs and levels I got, the more duplicates I ran into. Since most people only had one job in their entire lives, it looked like redundancy was common.


    White Mage got me Group Heal Plus¡­ a presumably larger and more powerful version of group heal. As for Slave Master, it had the most interesting skill. It had Steal Slave Life, a skill I did not plan to ever use, and Cap Slave, which I assume meant you could forcibly stop a slave from earning experience. The ability of most interest was actually Duplicate Slave Skill. If I understood what it meant correctly, this was a skill that would allow me to imitate the skills my slaves had. At the moment, Miki was the only girl officially registered as my slave. Spirit fire was a trait I couldn¡¯t replicate, unfortunately. I¡¯d have to pay attention to what other spiritualists skills she got and see if I could replicate them.


    ¡°This leads down to the tenth floor,¡± Celeste said, stopping at a door.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± I asked, pushing it open and revealing a library.


    The library was on the ninth floor, not the tenth floor. Why was¡­ oh, right¡­ At the end of the library, my eyes fell on a staircase that ran down to the tenth floor.


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    ¡°I thought you said this dungeon was thirty floors,¡± I said.


    ¡°Eh? Thirty?¡± Celeste scratched her head in confusion.


    That wasn¡¯t true. Celeste had said there were five more libraries. I assumed that meant thirty floors, so what would a¡­ that¡¯s right, I forgot. Every five floors was a miniboss, every tenth floor was the main boss. I noticed Celeste looking at the stairs uncomfortably.


    ¡°What¡¯s the boss down there like?¡± I asked.


    Celeste blinked and looked back at me. ¡°M-mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­ can you defeat him?¡±


    Celeste shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve never tried.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a break before we go the rest of the way,¡± I said.


    This looked like we were going to fight the next big fight. The guy on the 5<sup>th</sup> floor had already been really tough. That wither had nearly killed us. Now, we had to fight something much tougher. I could put off that moment a little bit, although I admitted I was starting to miss Lydia and Miki a whole lot. I wondered how they were doing without me. I wasn¡¯t too worried, as the townfolk would take care of them. They¡¯d put their prejudices aside and were generally good people.


    I registered with the teleport kiosk and then went about starting a fire. Soon, I had something tasty cooking in a pot, and Celeste was staring at it with a drooling mouth. I poured her and myself a bowl and sat, taking a break. We ate in relative silence. Despite appearances, Celeste wasn¡¯t usually that chatty. Having had no one to speak to for 20 years, that¡¯d do that to you.


    After finishing my meal, I leaned back and closed my eyes. A little nap before the fight would be good. Suddenly, a large form landed right on my stomach. My eyes opened as I gasp, sitting up straight. Celeste had her hands on her hips and was standing on me, giving me her best glare.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No sleeping! You haven¡¯t told me the story yet!¡±


    I turned and glanced at the mosaic. Oh yeah, thoughts of the boss below had caused me to completely forget about the lore. I supposed it was time to reveal one more piece of the puzzle.

 Chapter 120

    I walked back and forth along the wall, looking through the mosaic while Celeste sat down and watched eagerly. Like before, the story here wasn¡¯t a clean-cut and easy thing to follow. It didn¡¯t seem particularly connected to the first story at all. That story was talking about a young child who had his sense of morality altered by the harsh reality of life. This story involved an older person, grown now. He might have been the kid from the first story. I decided for Celeste¡¯s sake, I would read the story as if it was the same.


    ¡°Many years after that kid¡¯s life changed forever, he became an explorer and adventurer. He became fascinated with finding some kind of spring, so he went on many dangerous and expensive expeditions hoping to be able to find it.¡±


    Celeste fluttered up to the mosaic suddenly, putting her hand on the glass tiles which were organized to looking like a water spring shooting out of the ground.


    ¡°The waters of life.¡± She said, whispering to herself.


    ¡°The waters of life?¡± I turned to look at Celeste.


    She blushed, turning away and fluttering back to her seat, her head down. Putting her head down between her legs, she looked like she was suddenly depressed. I stopped telling the story, watching her curiously for a few more moments.


    ¡°Please¡­ go on¡­¡± She said although she kept her head hidden.


    ¡°He sought out the waters of life. He did this because the woman he loved was sick, and he believed that only the waters of life could save her. Someone who drank from the spring was healed of all disease. Presumably, if someone drank from it every day, they could live forever¡­¡±


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    I made that last part up, seeing if Celeste would protest anything said incorrectly. Well, with a name like the waters of life, it was pretty easy to guess that this story was true. How many tales were there about some mystical spring of eternal youth. This one wasn¡¯t quite so powerful, but it did sound like a major temptation, especially for a noble with time on his hands. I continued to read down the mosaic.


    ¡°After much searching, he ended up in a very difficult battle with a group of slave traders. It looked like they had been capturing fairies and turning them into slaves. They called them¡­ ¡®house fairies¡¯.¡±


    Celeste twitched when I said that part but otherwise kept her head down.


    ¡°The great adventurer managed to wipe out the slave traders and save the fairies, but he was mortally wounded in the process. This is where the story stops. He collapses to the ground, bleeding to death, while fairies escape in the night sky. His last thoughts were that at least he could save someone.¡±


    Celeste looked up. Her eyes were watery. ¡°This story is sad.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°The story isn¡¯t over yet. The story could be really sad, or it could end very happy, but until it ends, who knows where it will go. Personally, I find it sadder to abandon a story before it¡¯s done because it makes you feel emotions. All good stories should.¡±


    ¡°W-will you keep going with me? Will you help me finish the story? For some reason, I feel¡­ I feel like it is important!¡±


    I watched her for a moment and realized this went beyond the story on the mosaic. Dungeons were formed from an incomplete lore, a story that never got a proper conclusion. She wasn¡¯t asking me to finish reading it, she was asking me to finish this dungeon in the way only a true dungeon diver could. If I didn¡¯t help her finish this lore, I had a feeling her memory would never be restored, nor would she ever be able to find peace.


    I stood up and looked down the staircase into the darkness beyond. ¡°Okay¡­ let¡¯s do this together.¡±

 Chapter 121

    After careful preparation and checking all my stuff twice, I decided it was finally time to head down to fight the boss. White mage and Hero were the two jobs I decided to equip. Most of the True Dungeon Diver skills were not really combat helpful. I was hoping to find a way to either leave the dungeon or contact my girls, and the result was failure. Not only that, but I didn¡¯t get better at combat either. That is not completely true. Every time a job went up, your status increased slightly, so even though Hero hadn¡¯t budged in some time, I was a better fighter now than I had ever been before.


    Few people were able to level like I was, so it was uncommon in this world for someone to have so many status boosts from low levels. I had the feeling that each level led to exponentially increasing stat boosts, so it wasn¡¯t like I was super overpowered. Someone with 5 level-5 jobs may be stronger than someone with one level five job, but nowhere close to someone who was level 25. You could probably fight a six or a seven, but there were limits. In that respect, I was a level 19 mage¡­ but adding all my other stuff, I probably could fight a level 25 or so. Maybe I could survive against a 30 if I really gave it my all.


    So, the real question came down to what level this boss we had to fight was. He was only the dungeon¡¯s first boss, so that meant he had to be somewhat easy.


    Screeeeeeee¡­


    ¡°The Shrieking Wraith¡­¡± I read the name given to me after entering his boss room. ¡°Weakness, spirit fire.¡±


    I ducked out the way, trying to keep my distance from it. Fortunately, since the entire tenth level was just a single room devoted to this monster, there was plenty of space to move. As long as I ran at full sprint, I could get ahead of it, and it seemed easily distracted. Celeste was buzzing around its head keeping it from focusing on me.


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    Unfortunately, its greatest weakness was something unique to Miki. If only I had her here, we could definitely kill this monster with ease! Ah well, I guess I had to depend on Exorcism and Ghostbane instead.


    I made sure to keep the floor Sanctified, although the Wraith was flying and I was getting the feeling that sanctify land only worked for ghosts that walked. Flying ghosts were uneasy hovering over sanctified ground, but they didn¡¯t show the signs they were being injured like the sizzling noise at their feet. I thought about using Create Cushion to try to force him down to the ground, but he slipped out of it with ease.


    Instead, I quick attacked with Ghostbane, backed up, shot out an Exorcism, and then ran away once I attracted too much aggro. Then, I¡¯d let Celeste dance around him shooting off airstrikes. It seemed effective, as we were able to deal a stream of damage and he hadn¡¯t gotten a hit on either of us. Well, that wasn¡¯t entirely true. His screech attack must be a mind stun attack. However, I could cure that with some refresh.


    There was only one real issue. I was starting to run low on mana potions. I mean, I still had ten, but I also had twenty floors to go. As my mana started to get eaten up after fifteen minutes of fighting, I found myself resistant in taking another one. I was just starting to back up and allow Celeste to continue her bombardment while I recovered mana the long way when the wraith roared and a skill triggered.


    He glowed a golden color, and suddenly moved much faster. Celeste tried to dodge, but he took her off guard.  With a backhand, he struck the fairies entire body. She went flying like a bug, striking a nearby pillar and collapsing.


    ¡°Celeste!¡± I gave out a cry.


    I took a step forward but stopped as I realized the Wraith had his eyes trained on me now. With Celeste knocked out, the Wraith could now focus on the only other person in the room. I gulped. This fight wasn¡¯t over yet.

 Chapter 122

    "Ah, this is bad!¡± I muttered to myself as the Shrieking Wraith started advancing on me.


    I¡¯m not really a fighter, even in the best of circumstances. I had gotten through the dungeon up until now by surprise attacks and running away. However, this monster already knew where I was, and running away became a whole lot harder without Celeste distracting the boss. He reached me and slashed down, so I created a cushion to block him. This didn¡¯t stop his attack from landing, but it was like being hit by a ton of pillows rather than a ton of bricks.  I found myself downing a mana potion without a second thought as I retreated.


    ¡°Group Heal Plus!¡±


    The healing spell surrounded half of the room, including the space Celeste was in. Group Heal allowed me to target who was affected, so the wraith wasn¡¯t healed by mistake. It seemed to be sufficient since once I healed her, her eyes fluttered open a bit. However, she still looked groggy and confused.


    ¡°M-Master¡­?¡¯ She asked in confusion.


    I ducked behind a column as the wraith let out another shriek attack. This time, her eyes opened wider. I was using all of my attacks now without regard for mana at all. I threw another Group Heal Plus and a refresh her way. I cushioned another blow and then used moderate heal on myself. His hits really did hurt. I¡¯d hate to feel one that wasn¡¯t cushioned!


    ¡°I¡¯m not your Master!¡± I growled out of breath, ¡°Exorcism!¡±


    Fighting as a mage without any other support really did kill your mana quickly. I found myself downing another potion. I only had a few left. I wanted to cry, but surviving for the moment was far more important.


    ¡°Use your tornado wind slash attack!¡± I cried out, preparing to give her all the time she needed as I hit it with two more exorcisms before getting hit by another cushioned strike that sent me rolling across the floor.


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    ¡°Y-yes!¡± Celeste finally got her mind back together and then floated up.


    She began to shine with magic, but I had succeeded in pissing the monster off royally and all of its attention was on me. It seemed to have used a skill and was now rapidly striking me with claw attacks. I summoned cushioned air, then a magic circle, and then I suddenly went for a quick attack. It was caught off guard.


    ¡°Switch position! Attack now!¡±


    Our bodies switched positions, with Celeste in front of the reeling wraith. I immediately created three cushions around it, eating up another mana potion. At the moment, her strike triggered. The wraith was boxed in without escape, and the blades of wind spiraled around it with reckless abandon. The monster was quickly torn to shreds by her brutal spell. I still kept my guard up until her spell cleared, and the wraith dissolved into a pile on the floor. Only then did I collapse on the floor and let out a breath of relief.


    A small jar appeared where the monster fell. However, after chugging seven vials of potion and casting spells without limit, I was completely exhausted. As for Celeste, she was eyeing the jar curiously, seemingly having already forgotten about the fight we were just in.


    After a few moments of rest, I forced myself to my feet and walked over to Celeste. ¡°What is this new item?¡±


    I didn¡¯t wait for an answer as I picked it up. I equipped True Dungeon Diver and did Basic Item Identify.


    ¡°Fairy Dust.¡± I read, and then looked over at Celeste.¡±


    ¡°Celeste is dusty?¡±


    ¡°I-I-I am not!¡± Celeste cried out, her face flushing.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ there is no other description, and since it was a boss drop, it probably means it has value. It¡¯s probably an alchemy ingredient, right?¡±


    I was speaking to myself, but Celeste landed on my shoulder and shrugged. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, fairy dust can only be made by a fairy queen.¡±


    ¡°Made¡­ huh? I wonder if it would allow me to fly?¡±


    Many fantasy tropes turned out to be true, so why not fairy dust that could help me fly? Out of curiosity, I carefully opened the lid and pinched it.


    ¡°Well¡­ here goes nothing!¡± I lifted up the pinch of dust over our heads and began to sprinkle.


    I had gotten excited over the prospect of flying. Besides, I never could have predicted it would have had this outcome. In retrospect, this had been a really dumb thing to do.

 Chapter 123

    As soon as the fairy dust touched my skin, something popped up in my vision.


    {An ally has used a skill on you. Would you like to create a combined skill?}


    Wait, no one used a skill on me. Rather, I sprinkled fairy dust on myself. Was fairy dust considered a skill? It was more like an innate trait that certain species were able to create. In that respect, spirit fire also wasn¡¯t really a skill. Miki could create fire as part of her natural tendencies, but it was less something she did and more something she created. Technically, once generating spirit fire, it¡¯d stay lit as long as it was provided mana. In that case, spirit fire was really a mana product. It was something that didn¡¯t technically exist in this world.


    In the same manner, as soon as the fairy dust touched my skin, it shined and disappeared. It looked like fairy dust was something similar to spirit fire, in that it had no official physical existence, and its existence was considered a skill or a trait of some sort. Unfortunately, I only had the amount that was in this bottle. Once it ran out, I wouldn¡¯t be able to use my combination spell again until I found a fairy queen.


    While I was having these thoughts, Celeste started rubbing herself against my neck. I was focused on the screen, so I shook her off of me and stepped forward. I now had the capacity to create a new combination skill. What should I combine fairy dust with? What would it create? It was really tough to guess. Which ability would give me something akin to flying? I felt like it¡¯d blend well with a healing ability. However, healing wasn¡¯t a problem. The problem was that I didn¡¯t have enough mana.


    I was basically out of mana potions now, but wouldn¡¯t a spell that made mana be a little ridiculous? Wait¡­ fairy dust was kind of like mana, right? In the case of spirit fire, it¡¯d cause a mana attack which could hurt ghosts. If I used fairy dust, it was more like a mana healer. How did I know this? Video games. That was really all I was drawing these conclusions from.


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    Perhaps if I mixed Fairy Dust with Low Regen, I could gain a low mana regen too. That would be really useful in fights. Being able to increase my mana regeneration could go a long way so we didn¡¯t get this close to dying again.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Celeste tugged on my shirt.


    ¡°In a minute.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m still deciding here.¡±


    Combination skills essentially allowed me to combine one of my skills with an innate ability of my teammate. Maybe I could figure out a way to combine Lydia¡¯s speed with a skill too, I didn¡¯t know. The big problem with Low Regen was that it wasn¡¯t something I could activate. Therefore, if there was a way to combine the skill, I didn¡¯t know-how. I needed a way of replacing my mana potions by combining fairy dust with an active skill. Sanctify land? Healing Circle? Holy Circle?


    ¡°No¡­ wait¡­¡± An idea popped into my head, a ridiculous idea. ¡°Create¡­ water¡­¡±


    Water suddenly came out of my hand, but it had a faint green glimmer to it that immediately made me realize it wasn¡¯t normal water.


    {You have created the team skill Create Waters of Life.}


    ¡°No way¡­¡± I let out a cry of shock, instantly pulling out some empty bottles and filling up with the water I produced, which kept coming as long as I pumped mana into it.


    ¡°Deek!¡±


    ¡°The fairy dust is an ingredient to create the waters of life!¡± I laughed.


    ¡°Deek!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I turned at Celeste¡¯s desperate cry and then froze.


    Celeste was standing nearby, except that she had the illusion spell make her body full-sized again. Her cheeks were blushing and her legs were held tightly together, but the thing that was most shocking was that she wasn¡¯t wearing any clothing.


    ¡°Please¡­ I can¡¯t stand it anymore¡­ take me!¡± She said tearfully.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Fairy dust is an ingredient to create the waters of life. It¡¯s also a very potent aphrodisiac for fairies. The more you know.

 Chapter 124

    "M-master¡­¡± Celeste breathed out, panting with flushed cheeks.


    Even ignoring her glittery wings, Celeste¡¯s naked body at full size was a sight that caused me to space out for a moment. Her erotic expression made it even more stimulating. My mouth fell open and I was at a complete loss about what to do. Blood started swelling to other areas of my body as well. This was completely overwhelming.


    ¡°C-Celeste¡­¡± I tried to look away. ¡°I¡¯m not your Master.¡±


    Ah¡­ I failed.


    ¡°Please¡­ I need it¡­¡± She said, her lips quivering, ¡°Please¡­ put it inside me.¡±


    I bit my lip to shake myself out of this. ¡°Wh-what? Right¡­ it must be the fairy dust? It¡¯s some kind of aphrodisiac for fairies, right? Just fight your urges, okay? You don¡¯t need to act on this. How about we just think none-ero thoughts.¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­ Master¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ it¡¯s okay¡­ p-please¡­ just stick it inside me.¡±


    ¡°Hah, hah¡­¡± I panted, sweat coming down my brow. ¡°L-like this¡­¡±


    I reached out toward her, all of my willpower disappearing, however, my hand went right through her head, which was still just a simple illusion. That allowed me to snap out of it for a second.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re a fairy, that¡¯s right! You¡¯re only like 2 feet tall!¡±


    Celeste¡¯s glittery wing folded back and then she lay down, lifting her legs and spreading, giving me a clear view of that. Even her pubic hair had just a hint of sparkle, and her woman parts looked untouched.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­. The illusion is just to make you feel more comfortable.¡± Celeste panted, reaching down and spreading her lips open. ¡°If you just put it here, it¡¯ll definitely fit.¡±


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    ¡°Th-th-th-that¡¯s impossible!¡± I coughed. ¡°You¡¯re just a little¡­ I mean¡­ I¡¯d tear you in half!¡±


    Celeste shook her head. ¡°Fairies are a creature of mana. Our physical bodies are similarly composed of mana. I am not held together by bone and tissue like you are. My body would easily make room for your size¡­ so¡­ it¡¯s okay if Master has me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really not your Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Master is Master! I won¡¯t have sex with anyone but Master, so since I¡¯m having sex, you¡¯re definitely Master!¡±


    ¡°F-first¡­ change back to your normal form!¡± I ordered.


    Celeste¡¯s body shrank back down and she was back to the little fairy. She looked far more innocent and delicate as she lay on the floor. I was hoping her shrinking would make the sight of her spreading herself open less dangerous. Strangely enough, it only seemed to enflame my desires to push her down. Strike that, there was no such thing as pushing her down. It¡¯d be like a cat pushing down a mouse. The only choice was to use her as my toy or release!


    ¡°Please¡­ if you don¡¯t¡­ my mind will break. Fairies aren¡¯t like humans. When we¡¯re aroused, we must be relieved to remove that arousal. It won¡¯t go away on its own. You must take responsibility for this!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with those rules? Wait, can¡¯t you take care of yourself?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t do that¡­¡±


    ¡°S-seriously! Now is not the time to be picky!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my Master must take care of it!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°D-do I have to use¡­ you know¡­ it?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll certainly break you if I use it.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°S-still¡­ how about if I just use my tongue.¡±


    ¡°Y-your tongue? Down there? B-but it¡¯s dirty!¡± She said, blushing.


    ¡°You¡­ a finger then!¡±


    ¡°F-f-fine¡­ J-just be gentle, this is my first time.¡±


    ¡°Your first time! How does that work?¡±


    ¡°It works when stupid Master puts fairy dust on my head!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t warn me to stop!¡±


    ¡°E-enough¡­ please¡­ I¡¯m going to die. Master¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your Master!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get it!¡± She said tearfully. ¡°I said it. Fairies aren¡¯t like humans. We can only have sex with our master, if I have sex with you and you¡¯re not my master, then I might as well kill myself!¡±


    ¡°Hah? Why am I only hearing this now?¡±


    ¡°When has it been relevant before!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, but basically, you¡¯re saying that you can only have sex with me if we are bonded magically?¡±


    Celeste nodded tearfully.


    ¡°And once a fairy grows sexually aroused, they must have sex, or they will continue to grow hornier until they collapse and die.¡±


    Celeste nodded again.


    I sighed, ¡°Very well. I¡¯m not saying I get it, but do you want to be my slave?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±


    ¡°Bond Slave!¡±

 Chapter 125

    "My tongue tastes like glitter.¡± I complained, taking a sip from the waters of life.


    A feeling washes through me that sort of feels like refresh but is a bit more subtle. A pinch of fairy dust and I could literally fill a tub full of the waters of life, so I was really curious as to what it was doing. On the other hand, I had just done things to a fairy and I wasn¡¯t sure how I felt about it.


    ¡°Sh-sh-shut up!¡± Celeste blushed. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to stick your tongue so deep.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Are you giving me pointers on how to lick now?¡±


    Celeste blushed even more and finally flew into my backpack to hide. This was notably different from before, where she would abandon the entire room. I continued to test out the waters of life, while she peeked out from the lid of the backpack, but hid back inside whenever I glanced in her direction. I had only fetched it out of my ring because I didn¡¯t know how to fetch out individual items very well, and it felt more natural to summon the entire backpack and see what was inside.


    As for Celeste¡¯s disaster, it seemed to have been averted thanks to some skilled tonguemanship and the tip of a finger. The scene of the fairy writhing on my pinky while¡­ nope¡­ not going to think about that. Even I got to blushing when I thought of such things. It was necessary at the time, fairy biology and whatnot. Now, it was time to concern ourselves with moving on and working our way down the dungeon even farther. Today had been close though, and I didn¡¯t want a repeat. I felt like figuring out what the waters of life could do would be essential for our continued success.


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    After a few hours of testing things, I finally stood up and brushed off my clothing, ¡°So, waters of life is basically like a dilute elixir.¡±


    Well, every game had elixirs, but usually, the bottle known simply as elixir was one of the strongest healing potions you could get. It¡¯d heal someone to max health, max mana, and max stamina, basically returning you to peak fighting condition no matter how weak you were. The waters of life were like a very diluted form of that. How diluted? Well, as far as recovering Mana, it was about 1/4<sup>th</sup> the ability. When it came to healing, I¡¯d need to drink around 20 oz to replicate a single weak heal spell. When it came to fighting, I¡¯d have to be downing this stuff by the gallon. As for stamina, also around 1/5 to 1/4<sup>th</sup>.


    Perhaps there was some way to concentrate it, or maybe if my status was higher the effects would be higher. Right now, if I just dumped more mana into it, it¡¯ d just make more water, not stronger water. Still, it meant I could convert my mana into a metric buttload of healing supplies. Without needing to worry as much about conserving potions, I could move faster and fight harder!


    The fairy dust was a limited property, but I had enough of it that I could fill a lake in life water. When this was all over, I might create my own fairy fountain. Well, I wouldn¡¯t explain those plans to Celeste just yet.


    She was my slave again, but we hadn¡¯t really brought it up. It all just kind of happened. She wasn¡¯t fighting me on it though, and she was calling me master. She also gained all of the effects of being my slave. In other words, for the moment, her being my slave was probably for the best. Once we defeated the dungeon, we¡¯d decide if it was appropriate for her. I¡¯ll probably set her free the same as Lydia and Miki.


    We just had twenty more levels to go. In twenty levels, I could finally obtain peace.

 Chapter 126

    I made sure to keep the fairy dust from getting anywhere near Celeste. However, the water of life I produced as much as I could, filling up every available container and storing them in my storage ring. Once that was done, I began heading down to the eleventh floor.


    This floor had elemental sprites and vengeful spirits. After defeating a swarm of sprites, I noticed a similar glitter-like substance sprinkling down.


    ¡°They¡¯re kind of like fairies, huh?¡±


    ¡°Sprites and fairies are the same?¡± Celeste¡¯s face turned red, ¡°You¡­ that¡¯s not even funny! You might as well say humans are the same as insects!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ s-sorry¡­¡±


    It was my mistake. Sprites were a mana-based creature, but they had no real body. They were just a bright sparkling light that moved around. Fairies had a body and a consciousness. Calling sprites insects was probably very apt.


    We moved across the floor quickly. When I needed to recover, I drank life water. Since there was seemingly no limit to the amount I produced, I drank enough that I was starting to feel a bit bloated with water. I heard people who downed too much water could die from water poisoning. As I was downing a gallon of water of life after every fight, I wasn¡¯t going to face a similar fate, right? That would be a perfect way to die in another world. I died from drinking too much water of life.


    With my support skills taking care of almost everything else, my only concern was food. Celeste didn¡¯t eat as much as Lydia or Miki, but I would run out before I reached the bottom. Thus, I started equipping the food job during battles again. I wanted the Collect skill in full effect just in case. I also made no assumption about what creatures happened to drop food. Even though these were ghosts, the collect skill could potentially cause food to drop from any monster.


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    Most monsters in this particular dungeon dropped ectoplasm so far. I had more of it than I cared to speak about. I didn¡¯t have to wait for too long. The elemental sprites ended up dropping a hunk of tofu. Even with my cooking ability, I couldn¡¯t make the tofu that appetizing.


    ¡°Well, at least I won¡¯t starve,¡± I muttered to myself.


    I continued on fighting monsters throughout the dungeon. Eventually, my job managed to level up.


    {Cook has increased to level 6.)


    {Preserve Food has been unlocked.}


    If I used purify food, I could keep bacteria and stuff from growing on it and it lasted a surprisingly long time. A few tests on preserve food seemed to be a more efficient version of this. Since the only fresh food I had was tofu, there was only so much I could do, but it seemed like preserve food only needed to be cast once, and it didn¡¯t allow the food to dry out. I found the tofu left out two days looks pretty rancid until I purified it a few times, but even then, it looked dry and not too edible. With preserve food, the tofu still looked good after three days.


    ¡°Well, purify food probably has more to do with cleaning dirty, poisoned, or cursed food.¡± I reasoned out loud.


    I was eager to find more foods in the dungeon. Supposedly, there were mega-dungeons in cities build around them. The dungeons were hundreds of floors deep, and completing the lore was considered illegal because they were necessary for the city¡¯s commerce.


    What would it be like to visit a dungeon that had already been mapped out and the monsters already determined? For some reason, the thought of it kind of excited me. After being stuck in dungeons and earning lore, it looked like I was starting to become a dungeon diver junkie. Who knew, maybe after I claimed the mansion and freed my slaves, I might decide to live the dungeon diver life. Looking over at the firepit and the fairy sleeping by my side, I realized I didn¡¯t hate this kind of life at all.

 Chapter 127

    Time passed by in the dungeon. Celeste was now a level 15 Adept Wind Magician. As for me, I managed to get True Dungeon Diver to level 8 and Cook the level seven. True Dungeon Diver got me the very cool night vision and level 7 of Cook got me Create Flame. It wasn¡¯t much different than using a lighter, but it was a little better than the flint and steel I had been using to start my campfires. As for Celeste, I was going through her abilities with the Skill Analysis.


    ¡°It looks like you got wind slash at level five and wind tornado at ten. At fifteen, you got your next major attack. This is called Wind Break. I¡¯m not sure what it does.¡±


    Celeste nodded, keeping in mind what I told her. She seemed a lot more mindful now that she had accepted me as her Master. She always listened to what I said and rarely gave me issues now.


    I had noticed a bit of a pattern as I leveled. It wasn¡¯t 100% or anything, but it appeared like the best skills showed up every 5. Well, arguing what was best was sort of vague. At least when it came to non support jobs, it seemed like every 5 gave you something big. For White Mage, I got Weak Heal, Group Heal, Moderate Heal, Moderate Heal Poison, and Group Heal Plus at each of my five. That wasn¡¯t to say that the other skills weren¡¯t extremely useful, but what would a white mage be without the main heal spells?


    Furthermore, Lydia had gained her swordsman abilities at 5, 10, and 15. I suspected that my next level in hero would get me something really good. Perhaps, I¡¯d get moderate swordsmanship. Unfortunately, my leveling had taken a hit thanks to me not having double experience equipped. As for my teammate, she was getting her double experience since she regained her slave status, but wind adept magician was a difficult job to level and it didn¡¯t happen quickly.


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    ¡°Is that it for level 14?¡± I frowned, feeling like we¡¯re making progress a bit too quickly down the dungeon.


    In reality, I had lost count of how long we had been in the dungeon. It had been weeks since I had seen the light. I was growing a bit homesick.


    ¡°This next level of the dungeon has a midlevel boss we must watch out for, Master,¡± Celeste explained.


    I blinked and turned back to her in shock. ¡°Did you just say this dungeon? Don¡¯t you mean your Master¡¯s mansion?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Master,¡± Celeste stomped her foot in the air. ¡°You are my only Master.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Celeste seemed to be dealing with things in her own kind of way. It left me feeling a bit awkward. After having sex with her, she had insisted I was her Master. However, it seemed to go to the extent that she completely replaced her former Master in her heart. I wish I knew fairies better. Was this the most her species could handle? Or¡­ was this a psychological problem unique to Celeste herself.


    In truth, had I been forced to brave this thing up until now without Celeste, I might have gone crazy. I even found my heart opening up to her. I was a bit too soft when it came to women, but I couldn¡¯t help it. It may have only been a few weeks since we were down here, but I cared about Celeste greatly now. I didn¡¯t love her more than Lydia or Miki, but she had a place in their too.


    ¡°Wh-why is Master looking at me that way?¡± Celeste blushed, and then went and hid in my backpack, which became the place she lived when she was tired of flying, embarrassed, or angry.


    I sighed¡­ the only answers we¡¯d get would be to find the library on the next floor. It was time to keep moving forward.

 Chapter 128

    "Raaaaaa¡­.¡± The creature screeched.


    The Bounding Y?kai was a difficult midboss to defeat. This was mostly because it leapt around a lot. It looked a bit like a monkey mixed with the spirit of a clown. Regrettably, that was the best way to describe the creature. It had big eyes and big lips with pale skin, but it also leaped around, using it arms to swing from the ceiling. Whenever we did a little damage to it, it¡¯d flee. That was the difficult part. It was prone to attacking at the worst moments and then fleeing just as we got to the point we could start dealing some damage to it. Eventually, I had enough.


    We continued to hunt for the library, but the possibility of the Y?kai attacking made every encounter frustrating. Thus, I decided it was time to set a trap. Very carefully, we hunted groups waiting for the next appearance of the Y?kai. As soon as it appeared, I immediately used holy circle. In an instant, it was trapped in the bubble. It let out a shriek as it leapt around, unable to get out of the shield I had left for it.


    ¡°Celeste, Now!¡±


    ¡°Wind Break!¡± She cried out.


    The area within the holy circle looked like it had shattered for a moment. This is what wind Break did, it literally shattered the air like glass. It looked like a terrifying ability as expected of a high-level adept. The Y?kai shrieked as it took some heavy damage. I immediately followed it up with exorcism. That seemed to be enough, as the Yokai was obliterated shortly after. At its feet were two items. The first was a pair of gauntlets that sped up your sword strikes. I put them on.


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    With my faster footwork, these gauntlets, and Quick Attack, I¡¯d be a lot more dangerous. As for the second item, I was a little surprised when I noticed it.


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s right, I left Cook equipped.¡±


    It looked like when collect was equipped, it was possible to get both a normal drop item and a cooking item. As for the cook item from a boss, it was naturally very good. This looked to be the meat of a full pheasant. However, when I glanced at it, that was truly when I was impressed. With item identify, it said. ¡°After consumed, gain stat bonuses for 24 hours.¡± This told me that cooking in this world, at a high enough level and with the right ingredients, could have some major power boosting elements.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ smells good.¡± Celeste said, looking down at the Pheasant in my hands.


    I casted Purify and Preserve on it, then put it in my storage ring. At that rate, it should be good for a few weeks.


    ¡°We¡¯ll cook this on the 19<sup>th</sup> level. It¡¯ll help us take out the boss.¡±


    Celeste nodded, basically accepting anything I told her at this point. The pair of us continued to walk around the dungeon level 15, even after we had discovered the exit down. Escaping wasn¡¯t our only priority. We also wanted to find out about the story.


    We finally found the library. This was one of the harder ones to find. Had I not been looking for it, we would have passed it a dozen times over. As usual, I sealed the entrance, registered with the kiosk and then set up a campfire. After making food and settling down, only then did I stand up to study the murals. Celeste flew over and sat on the steps, eagerly waiting for me to tell her the next part of the story.


    ¡°Alright¡­ so, where were we¡­¡±

 Chapter 129

    "So, last time, the adventurer had been seeking the waters of life, and then he was injured fighting slave traders. He barely managed to save the fairies, but he himself was left mortally wounded.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what happened next?¡± Celeste demanded.


    ¡°This mural starts up revealing that the adventurer was saved by the fairies. They took him to their home, which sat around a spring. Using the waters of life, they brought the adventurer back from the brink of death. There, he ended up living with the fairies for some time. In particular, he seemed to become good friends with the fairy queen.


    ¡°Actually, as time passed, it seemed like the fairy queen had fallen in love with the man. Having found the waters of life, the man asked the queen if he could collect some of it and sell it. She gave him permission, and he returned to the human world with bags full of it.


    ¡°The man grew rich by selling the water of life. He became known as a benevolent and kind person who sold the healing water and saved hundreds of lives. In the end, he built a city and lived in a magnificent mansion.


    ¡°However, waters of life were always in demand, and the man would make trips back to the spring to take more water. The Fairy Queen, blinded by her love, continued to give away the waters of life until the spring began to shrivel up. However, the man was not an evil man, he saw this state, and promised that he wouldn¡¯t take any more water.


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    ¡°What he didn¡¯t know was that his last visit was seen, and now someone else knew the position of the waters of life¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ Well?¡± Celeste demanded.


    I gave a wry smile. ¡°Yeah¡­ that¡¯s where it ends.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Why does it always end like that! The story is a tease! What a tease! I hate it! Stupid story!¡±


    Celeste flew around the room raging a bit at the unfulfilling end to the story. As for me, I sat back and considered things. So, Karr¡¯s fortune was obtained by draining the waters of life. I had a feeling the waters of life in the spring were more potent than what I could create. I wondered if the fairy queen made the waters using a create water spell, or if she simply sprinkled fairy dust into a spring for a long period of time.


    ¡°Do you know anything about fairies?¡± I asked.


    Celeste stopped her raging to glance over at me. ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I mean, how does the fairy queen work alongside the fairies? What¡¯s the importance of the waters of life? What is¡­ ahem¡­ the breeding habits? When does the queen release the fairy dust?¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡­¡± Celeste blushed. ¡°I don¡¯t remember!¡±


    I smacked my head. ¡°Seriously!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ s-sorry Master! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°No¡­ forget it. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Thinking about it, whatever happened, likely the queen and all the other fairies are dead. Celeste is probably the last of her family alive. Something bad certainly happened and they were destroyed. Karr probably helped save slaves so fervently as a means of atoning for the sins of his past. However, there was still a missing part of the story. Why had the mansion suddenly turned into a dungeon? What had happened to this place that filled it with ghosts?


    I wouldn¡¯t get any answers here. There was only one choice, to keep going deeper into the dungeon. Somewhere down here is the final answer to this lore.

 Chapter 130

    The only way to get answers was to keep heading down the dungeon. There were several times I considered teleporting to the fifth floor and trying to go back up. The only reason that I didn¡¯t was that I had a sinking feeling that Celeste wouldn¡¯t join me. Until we reached the end of this journey, Celeste would continue to be a mystery.


    That mystery was currently sitting on my shoulder humming to herself without a care in the world. I let out a sigh, looking through the map. We were making progress very quickly now. We were on the 19<sup>th</sup> floor. The last 4 floors had taken a day each. The next boss was the second to last for this dungeon. It filled me with a bit of dread. We were barely able to defeat the last both, and truth be known the mobs here were getting kind of tough just for the two of us. Even my cheat skills and her high level weren¡¯t enough to handle this floor.


    We were fighting a Maligned Manananggal, which was a flying creature that wasn¡¯t really ethereal at all and was more like a vampire bat with arms. The Bloody Poltergeist was just what it sounded like. They both took a lot of concentration to fight, and we were forced to run away several times.


    ¡°Should we start grinding now?¡±


    I had managed to avoid too much grinding by taking shortcuts up until now. However, it was a staple of games to grind. My levels seemed to meet what was safe for our abilities. Furthermore, the bosses were always a lot more difficult than the mobs. I wasn¡¯t sure if we¡¯d survive fighting this boss. A few of the previous ones had been close calls.


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    ¡°Gr-grinding?¡± Celeste blushed, floating off my shoulder and backing up a few feet while touching her index fingers together. ¡°M-master¡­ if you insist¡­¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°Let¡¯s find the last library and then decide what to do there.¡±


    Celeste remained frigidity, but I ignored her behavior. I was very used to her oddities by now. Instead, I focused on the map and finding the pathways we hadn¡¯t explored yet. We continued to map out the floor, only knocking out monsters when we absolutely had to. Suddenly, I stepped on a stone and it glowed.


    ¡°A trap!¡± I let out a cry of surprise.


    Up until that point, I had not run into any traps. This had given me the impression that this dungeon didn¡¯t have traps. Apparently, that was a mistake. I should have kept checking every level. This was also the familiar teleportation trap. I was being taken to some other part of the dungeon again! I barely had a moment to glance back at Celeste¡¯s surprised face as I was teleported away somewhere else.


    Well, teleportation wasn¡¯t a lethal death trap. There were some traps with endless pits, spikes, or poisonous gas. Those were much scarier. I could even call this trap to be somewhat lucky.


    After the teleportation finished, I glanced around the room cautiously. I immediately checked my map to realize I wasn¡¯t on a level at all. I was on a boss floor!


    ¡±Screeee!¡±


    Wait, that sounded familiar. I looked up to see the Shrieking Wraith! I had been teleported back up to the tenth floor! This was the tenth-floor boss! Last time I fought him, he had almost killed Celeste! This time, I may be slightly stronger, but I was all on my own!

 Chapter 131

    "Screeee!¡±


    Damn, I thought I killed the boss! Does that mean that the bosses respawn! Why do the bosses respawn! Well, I supposed it made sense. Monsters were supposed to respawn. In fact, most dungeon divers mine dungeons, so if the resources were finite they¡¯d probably not be terribly successful.


    With no slave to hide behind, I could only equip hero and white mage and keep my distance. There was one option. I could swap with Celeste. Overall, Celeste was far better at fighting this creature than I was. However, could I really do that to her? Even if I left a note or something, it would be really cruel. Then I recalled seeing her on the floor after being swatted like a bug. If I abandoned her, that could end up being her fate. There was no way I could allow this to happen!


    ¡°Ah¡­ damn¡­ exorcism!¡± I threw spell out at the Shrieking Wraith, causing it to scream in pain.


    The one advantage I had this time, other than a slightly faster strike from some gauntlets, is the tons of waters of life. Operation whittle away the boss, let¡¯s begin! Deciding to concentrate on exorcism, I kept my distance, hitting it with exorcise spells. Drink waters of life a sip at a time, my regeneration ability was incredible. Damage, mana, and even stamina were recovering as fast as I could drink. This meant I could attack him all day.


    ¡°Screeee!¡±


    I felt like I could handle his stun attacks a bit better now too. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t have any other special skills that had distance. As long as I kept running back and ducking behind columns, there was nothing this guy could do.


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    The battle was long and grueling, and I drank probably half of the water of life during the battle which lasted many hours. I would have collapsed a long time ago without the water, but with it, I felt completely bloated, trudging along with some difficulty.


    ¡°Exorcism!¡± I panted.


    The spell hit him one more time, and finally, the shrieking wraith collapsed to the ground, dying. He did not drop more fairy queen dust. Instead, he dropped something called wraithbane. It appeared to be a rare ingredient used in alchemy. I tossed it in my ring and collapsed, taking in deep breaths. The doors both behind me and in front of me opened. It appeared like I could go back up. Now I understood why the library was on the ninth floor. If it was on the tenth floor, I¡¯d have to fight the boss again every time I teleported to it.


    As for why the cathedrals of the other dungeon were different, that was a baby dungeon and perhaps things hadn¡¯t settled yet. As I got back up to my feet, a voice cried out which caused me to nearly trip.


    ¡°M-master!¡± My eyes shot up in surprise.


    ¡°It is Master!¡± Another voice cried.


    Lydia and Miki were already running towards me at full tilt. Both girls looked haggard and like they had been crying. There were splotches of dirt on their faces and various cuts and bruises. It looked like while I was working my way down with Celeste, my girls were fighting desperately on their own too. Lydia even looked like she was limping from an injured ankle. Had the village really let them enter this dungeon on their own.


    ¡°Lydia¡­ Miki?¡± I smiled and then started to turn worried. ¡°Oi¡­ slow down a bit¡­ I¡¯m a bit weak¡­. W-w-wait!¡±


    Neither girl slowed down, and I was tackled by the combined weight of two small girls. It was an instant KO. Pinned under two girls desperately holding me while crying, well, this wasn¡¯t a bad life either.

 Chapter 132

    We had returned to the 9<sup>th</sup> level. The girls managed to walk into the boss room shortly after I had defeated the boss, so it looked like there was at least one trick to helping people get down to the next level. The door closed as soon as we left the room. That must mean that the boss was respawning now. I was interested in seeing how long it would take.


    In the meantime, I healed the girls and gave them both some water of life. Both girls were dirty and starving. I thought the village would take better care of them than this.


    ¡°It¡¯s not their fault.¡± Lydia said quietly, ¡°Miki and I decided together to sneak out and enter the dungeon on our own. We didn¡¯t realize how long it would take. I didn¡¯t pack very well. We ran out of food two days ago. We forgot to bring a change of clothing. I¡­ I forgot how much Master did for me when we were in that dungeon back then.¡±


    Her eyes grew teary. Miki patted her on the back.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lydia. I didn¡¯t know what I was doing either.¡±


    Grrrrrrr¡­.


    Both girls blushed, and it wasn¡¯t clear which stomach rumbled. As it were, I actually had a change of clothing for both girls still in the bag. Our official dungeon bag had been packed and taken by me. That was part of the reason I didn¡¯t struggle so hard. The other reason was that I had all of those support skills with took the pressure off of some of those things.


    I started a fire and the girls made noises of shock as I was able to start it with a flick of a finger. My Create Fire skill came into play. I then made a basin of water and washed the girls. Well, I had offered to turn away and let the girls wash, but somehow I had gotten roped into doing it. While that was going on, I used a chunk of my good rations. I still had tons of tofu to eat, but I felt the girls needed a feast.


    The girls ate excitedly, and I suddenly remembered how quickly food went when your partner wasn¡¯t the size of a fairy. Even Miki was feeding herself now, engulfing the food with ease. I supposed there was no way that she could pretend to be weak after fighting her way down to the tenth floor. In fact, I allowed the girls to join my party, and I could see how hard they struggled based on their levels.


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    Lydia was now a level 30 swordsman, and Miki was a level, 25 spiritualist. They had both truly fought many difficult battles to get here. The door finally opened heading down to the boss. It had been about an hour before the boss spawned. I was a bit surprised it was so quick, but it made sense.


    Looking down into the darkness below, I finally let out a sigh.¡±


    ¡°Master? What is it?¡¯ Lydia asked, her brow furrowed.


    ¡°There is someone I left behind down there,¡± I said cautiously. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ going to have to leave you.¡±


    Both girls let out cries of shock.


    ¡°L-leave! Master?¡±


    ¡°N-no!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I stepped on a trap and ended up back up here. That¡¯s why I ran into you guys. I¡¯m glad, but I abandoned a friend who has been helping me down this dungeon. I must return to the 19<sup>th</sup> floor quickly. I can teleport to the 15<sup>th</sup> quickly and using the maps make my way to the 19<sup>th</sup>. It shouldn¡¯t take more than a day.¡±


    ¡°T-then we¡¯ll come with you!¡± Miki protested.


    ¡°You can¡¯t teleport unless you register with the kiosk. I¡¯d take you down by hand, but that could take a few more days, and I worry about her mental state alone.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Furthermore, the levels are much harder after 15. You two can¡¯t handle it yet. You need to become stronger!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes instantly brightened at those words.


    Being stronger was something that she understood a bit better. It wasn¡¯t inaccurate either. The 19<sup>th</sup> floor was a dangerous place. I have the benefit of many extra jobs and tricks, not to mention my cheat sword and cheat spells. Celeste was already level 50 on her first-tier job and nearly 20 on her second-tier job. Comparatively, Lydia and Miki weren¡¯t even in the same league.


    I suspected that Lydia would unlock some kind of advanced swordsman at 50, and Miki would get some kind of stronger form of spiritualist. However, they needed to keep fighting hard enemies.


    ¡°We understand, Master¡­¡± Miki lowered her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you both on the 19<sup>th</sup> floor. We¡¯ll take that boss out together.¡±


    The two girl¡¯s eyes brightened at those words, however, Lydia still looked a bit uncertain.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Lydia said, shifting anxiously, ¡°Before you leave, there is still something I would like you to do.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Make me your slave¡­ officially.¡±


    That was right, I never took Lydia¡¯s slavery yet.

 Chapter 133

    I equipped Slave Master and then took over Lydia¡¯s Slave status. It went rather smoothly. I pushed mana into her and shortly after, it was done. She hugged me, her melon¡¯s pressing against my arm. Afterward, having her so close made me self-conscious, so pulling some of the water from the water basin, I started to clean myself as well. Meanwhile, Lydia was grinning like a cat sitting beside me, her tail wagging happily.


    [Lydia is now your slave.}


    ¡°Finally¡­ Hehe, I¡¯m truly Master¡¯s woman.¡± Lydia responded excitedly.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Master¡¯s second.¡± Miki giggled.


    ¡°Geh!¡± Lydia shot Miki a tearful look. ¡°I¡¯m first! I was first!¡±


    You¡¯re number two!¡± Miki sniffed.


    ¡°Ah¡­ about that¡­¡± I sighed while washing my body carefully, prompting two sets of sharp eyes to land on me. ¡°N-never mind!¡±


    The look in the girl¡¯s eyes were scary. I suddenly decided immediately it was better to not say anything about making Celeste a slave at the moment. In fact, I mentioned her down there, but they didn¡¯t even know she was a woman. Well, I¡¯ll take care of that when it comes to it.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Lydia blushed while eying my body, making me feel like covering myself with my shirt again. ¡°You¡¯re looking very handsome these days.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯ve been in a dungeon for the last few weeks, that¡¯s impossible.¡±


    Miki nodded her head. ¡°You¡¯re really lean and muscular now. Plus, you give off an air of manliness, it¡¯s really¡­ ah¡­ s-s-sexy¡­¡±


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    Miki turned away, also blushing. It was clear Lydia had rubbed off on her the last few weeks. Her being able to say something like I looked sexy was clearly Lydia¡¯s work. Both girls loved me and hadn¡¯t seen me for a while. Plus, they had been in a dungeon for over a week themselves. Likely, their standards on handsome were very low right now. I could look like a troll and they¡¯d probably find me handsome right after I fed and clothed them.


    We spoke for a while longer. I showed them how to register on the kiosk. Neither girl could teleport anywhere else in the dungeon since they hadn¡¯t registered at any of the other kiosks, but they were excited by learning about this possibility.


    ¡°Ah¡­ on that note, did you guys see a library on the first floor? I skipped it.¡±


    The two girls looked at each other and then nodded. ¡°Y-yes¡­ we saw it.¡±


    ¡°Did you by chance look at the mural? I¡¯d like to know what it showed. Perhaps it will help me somehow.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I did look at it¡­ it¡¯s kind of confusing.¡± Lydia admitted.


    Miki shrugged. ¡°It had to do with the destruction of Chalm. Some woman cursed the inhabitants of the mansion, and led to the ghosts taking over the mansion.¡±


    ¡°Some woman?¡± I asked in surprise, ¡°Just some woman? Not Karr? I mean, a nobleman?¡±


    Miki shook her head. ¡°Not a man. It was a woman¡­ oh¡­ but she wasn¡¯t human.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡±


    Miki nodded. ¡°She had¡­ um¡­ wings on her back. They were wings like a bat. And her black eyes were filled with rage. It was a scary mural. I didn¡¯t like sleeping there.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ thanks¡­¡± I smiled, but deep down it left me feeling a bit confused.


    Lydia nodded, confirming that they both saw the same thing. It was possible that their interpretation was different from what I would have seen. However, I only had their testimonials to go on. Going to the fifth floor and working my way up would take a lot of time, and I had a feeling I wouldn¡¯t be able to learn any more than what they said.


    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s about time that we leave.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°No!¡± The two girls threw themselves at me again.


    I patted their heads and reassured them. We stayed like that for as long as I could allow. I couldn¡¯t breath easy until they were all safe, Celeste included. I didn¡¯t know when she was added to that list, but now she was just as important to me as these two girls in my arms.

 Chapter 134

    After a spending a few more hours chatting and discussing things, we needed to move on. Although the closest I could get to the 19th floor was the 15th and it could still take a day to get there, so I wasn¡¯t worried that a few hours would make a difference. We finally strapped up and armored up. The three of us went down together to battle the Shrieking Wraith.


    It appeared again as expected and I helped the girls defeat it this time. Its weakness was spirit fire, and there were three of us. Using Miki¡¯s power, this fight was considerably easier than the previous one. I wished I could bottle spirit fire. Miki said there were ways to do it, but the bottles were pricy and we certainly didn¡¯t have any in this dungeon.


    As for the boss, it took hours to defeat it last time. This one was knocked out in under fifteen minutes. I almost felt like crying. Lydia¡¯s quick attack movements were amazing, and compared to Celeste¡¯s lazy air dodges she truly seemed like an unstoppable feline. I was able to hit it with circles of spirit fire and my weapon and found that if Lydia used her combination skill to add spirit fire to a sword, she could hand it to me and the blade would remain enhanced. In that way, even I could do massive damage.


    The only surprising thing was that after I found that the drop was two items. This turned out to be the wraithbane again. If my guess was right, bosses dropped an abnormally good item, like a magic item or a super rare ingredient, when they were defeated for the first time. After that, they resort to something more standard like an ingredient.


    As for the second item, it was clearly food. I realized I had left cook equipped. I had been fighting without the basic swordsmanship skill. I hadn¡¯t even noticed. When it comes to slashing a monster, the skill wasn¡¯t difficult to pick up. This confirmed that at least for some skills, you could actually replicate a skill¡¯s abilities without technically having the skill equipped. I suspected this with cooking, because you could cook really well without having the cook skill. The basic cook skill, filled in weaknesses. However, if you studied carefully, you could use the basic cook skill to learn basic cooking without the skill.


    In other words, I got basic swordsmanship and thus had the knowledge of using a sword pushed into my head, but weeks of using that sword and depending on that knowledge had ingrained some of the forms into my head, and at least for fighting a basic monster, I could function at a level without the skill. On the other hand, if I was fighting another swordsman and had to parry, I hadn¡¯t practiced that, and would likely loose without the skill equipped. It was that kind of thing.


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    I also realized something that caught me off guard. I had cook equipped, which means I didn¡¯t have charm equipped. I can¡¯t tell what job I have equipped. There is no clear inventory screen that tells me. I just switch skills and physically tell the difference. For example, I have more mana with white mage, and more stamina with hero. So, when the girls were eyeing, I had assumed I had charm up on me. I checked my notebook twice. There was no charm up for my cooking job. That means¡­ the girls were checking me out despite not having increased charm.


    Ah¡­ that was right, I had slave affinity attached. It makes slaves like me more. Lydia started noticing me after I officially made her a slave. That explains everything. No, I¡¯m not making excuses. I¡¯m a pragmatist. Girls don¡¯t check a guy like me out. Lydia and Miki may like me because I saved their lives, but I had no illusions I was handsome, even if I lost weight, both girls were way out of my league. Deep down, I knew that I didn¡¯t really deserve their affection.


    Anyway, with the collect skill equipped, a food seemed to always be left behind. This one was called a Light Tuna and it specifically improved endurance. I purified and preserved the food, took out a knife, cut it into long sashimi strips, and then handed half of them to the girls.


    ¡°Keep your endurance up and reach me as safely as possible.¡± I said, tossing back my hair which was getting a bit long now.


    I should probably tie it in a pony tail, but I felt that looked a little girly. Well, I didn¡¯t have a beard, but my face was a bit gristly now, so it¡¯s possible I could rock the ponytail look. The girls looked at me with wide watery eyes. It was clear they didn¡¯t want to part. Once I freed them, I hoped they¡¯d still have feelings for me, but I shielded a part of my heart just in case they found me repulsive once they no longer were bound by slavery.


    While having such thoughts, I shared my supplies with them and made sure they were ready to take on the dungeon now. This independence would be good for the pair. I kept the storage ring and gave them my backpack. They had enough food, water, and water of life to last for a few weeks.


    We said goodbye and hugged closely. This was not the same as last time. They were both my slaves and I accepted them in my party too. I could swap with one of them at any time and keep up the communications. I even demonstrated it to them before they were reassured. I promised to ¡°swap¡± once a night with Miki so that I could report. Why Miki? Because Lydia was still uneasy around ghosts, and would freak out if left alone.


    Like that, the girls went down to the 11<sup>th</sup> floor, and I went up to the 9<sup>th</sup>. As the door shut behind me, I touched the kiosk and teleported to the 15<sup>th</sup> floor. With my heart feeling refreshed and my course clear, I started the trek back to Celeste.

 Chapter 135

    Upon reaching level fifteen, I began my solo trek back down to level 19. I realized as I went that I had perhaps been taking Celeste a bit for granted. Her wind attacks had been extremely useful, and they kept the monsters at bay while I could dish out damage with exorcism spells and an occasional quick attack. It had worked splendidly for us, but without her, or any of the girls for that matter, I felt like I was fighting with one arm behind my back.


    I reencountered the Bounding Yokai. Like before, it was a pain in the ass. I eventually decided to just floor it to the 16<sup>th</sup> floor rather than try to continue to battle it. I was interested in seeing what kind of ingredient it dropped now that the first-time bonus had been dropped, but I didn¡¯t want to waste any more time. I continued to work my way down, and as I did so, my levels increased satisfactorily.


    {Hero has increased to level 15.}


    {Moderate Swordsmanship has been unlocked.}


    In an instant, I gained the ability to handle my sword a lot better. I would never be as fast as Lydia though, so I still took hits. Fortunately, I was a white mage, and white mages had a high resistance to ghost attacks, which were more spiritual and less physical. I managed to reach level 17 before it became nighttime. Casting all the safety spells I could, I did a switch with Miki as I promised.


    My body suddenly appeared. I was lying in bedrolls, and Lydia was on top of me with a lewd expression on her face. Furthermore, her hand was in my groin region. Her eyes widened at the same time as my own.


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    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked.


    I had switched bodies with Miki, that meant that at this moment, Miki had been in this position under Lydia immediately before I swapped them. What were they seriously doing?


    ¡°N-othing!¡± Lydia leaped off me, and then blinked, muttering under her breath. ¡°It was just training. Miki always gets so shy. She didn¡¯t couldn¡¯t even muster up the courage to ask Master for ¡®that¡¯ before we parted.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Did Miki want something from me?¡±


    ¡°N-nevermind!¡± Lydia shook her head and then jumped back on me in the same way she had just been on Miki, her hand boldly going to the same place. ¡°Since Master is alone, perhaps master should have me?¡±


    ¡°Ah? But Miki isn¡¯t here?¡±


    ¡°Tsk. I know¡­ that¡¯s why I took care of her first¡­¡±


    ¡°Lydia!¡± I bopped her on the head. ¡°Quit being lewd. You¡¯re cuter when you don¡¯t try so hard.¡±


    She rubbed her head and moaned pitifully. ¡°S-sorry, Master, it¡¯s just been a long time. I never thought about it much, but after we did it, suddenly I find myself thinking about it more and more.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ actually, now that you mention it, I just obtained a job skill along those lines. I¡¯ve kind of been ignoring it, but it might facilitate those kinds of things in the future.¡±


    ¡°A new job?¡± Lydia cocked her head. ¡°Any new skills?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I never equipped it to check.¡± I laughed. ¡°I suppose it can¡¯t hurt to try it out.¡±


    {Pervert is now equipped.}


    {Insatiable Appetite has now been unlocked.}


    I froze.


    ¡°Master, are you okay?¡± Lydia asked, noticing my lack of action.


    My head turned to her, and then a creepy smile formed on my face.


    ¡°M-master?¡±


    I leaped on the tiger. Pervert was a scary job. There was a saying that fit the situation. When you ride a tiger, there is no safe way to get off. It was something like that. Lewd animalistic noises filled the dungeon level. Even the ghosts were too afraid to investigate.

 Chapter 136

    A few hours passed and I finally put on my clothing. ¡°Ahem¡­ Miki is probably panicking right now!¡±


    Lydia blushed, quickly dressing too. ¡°S-sorry, I was selfish and took too much of Master¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°I think when you guys reach the fifteenth level, I¡¯ll have to teleport up and give Miki a reward for her time.¡±


    Lydia nodded. ¡°She will definitely pull pranks on me after she finds out.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ we could say a monster attacked or something.¡±


    Lydia shook her head sadly. ¡°She¡¯ll smell Master on me. She¡¯ll know the second she returns.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ it seems I did something thoughtlessly.¡±


    I was repenting. Pervert was a very dangerous ability. I lost complete control. On the one hand, I was able to keep up with the tigress for most of it, on the other, I felt a bit like a pervert. It seriously emboldened me and I even did things to her I normally wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°M-master¡­ during¡­ it¡­ did I do something bad?¡± Lydia asked nervously.


    ¡°N-no, not at all!¡± I defended.


    Lydia nodded. ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ Master kept spanking me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± I immediately lowered my head, repenting instantly. ¡°That was just¡­ I won¡¯t do it again.¡±


    ¡°N-no!¡± Lydia protested. ¡°Actually¡­ I¡­ I liked it. I learned during training that men might hit during sex¡­ I just didn¡¯t expect it to feel so¡­ good.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­ I need to go.¡±


    When she said things like that and looked shy, it was more effective for me than when she was openly horny. Even without pervert, I was thinking of pushing her down again.


    ¡°Master?¡± Lydia asked, cocking her head.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Once you reach level 19 and us 15, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to switch with your switch position ability, and then teleport back. That way, you could bring us all with you. In fact, shouldn¡¯t we have just done that to get to level 15 from 9?¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Master?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ we didn¡¯t do that because¡­ um¡­¡± Why didn¡¯t I just do that? ¡°Ah¡­ training¡­ that¡¯s right, the monsters are tough, and I want you both to level until you¡¯re strong enough. You¡¯re only level 30. I admit I¡¯m only 20, but also have the support of many jobs, some high tier, and also some dungeon point skills, so I¡¯m more capable.¡±


    Lydia nodded and smiled, and I let out a breath that she bought it. If she knew the reason was simply that I hadn¡¯t thought of it, she definitely would look down on me. Well, I wasn¡¯t wrong about feeling they should level. Admittedly, they might be able to level faster if they joined me, the levels after 15 were dangerous and I wasn¡¯t certain I could keep them safe while helping them level. There was also one major reason I wasn¡¯t eager to bring them down with me. That was Celeste.


    She was a bit fragile, and I was a little worried she¡¯d react negatively to more guests in her Mansion. I wanted to meet with her first and give her time to adjust to the idea before I introduced her to the other two girls. I remembered how violently she had reacted the first time I had shocked her. She had nearly killed me. She was technically my slave now, but if I used an order she didn¡¯t follow and hurt her¡­ well, I didn¡¯t want the other girls to see that. Simply put, I wanted to mediate the situation.


    With those thoughts, I finally returned to my camp. There, written on some parchment, was the slopping writing of Miki. She had left me stuff to read. I smiled and equipped my scribe skill. I still didn¡¯t have enough experience with reading to pick up the language skill without scribe set. Working my way through the note, I smiled.


    Dear Master, I am so happy to be your slave. You have done so much for me. You are the greatest.


    The first part was full of praise and compliments. She clearly was being very affectionate, and her love was being transmitted through her note. However, new parts were written. Each time a little messier, more frantic, and more heavily pressed on the page.


    We haven¡¯t switched back yet. What¡¯s going on? Is Master all right? I¡¯m so worried!


    There were even a few tears on the page. I really had worried her. This made me feel bad. Then, I reached the bottom. The page had numerous rips and it looked like it had been crumpled up at some point.


    You¡¯re fucking her, aren¡¯t you! I hate you! You send me into a dark dungeon, and then you have sex with her! I¡¯ll never forgive you! Master is the worst! Master is-


    My brow furrowed as the note grew more and more violent until even I had trouble reading it. Then it suddenly stopped. I was sweating just looking at the message full of angst. I seriously messed up. It was then that I noticed a single line on the back of the note. I turned it over and read.


    I¡¯m sorry I peed on your bedroll.


    Wait, what? I looked over to see the bedroll did indeed have a giant wet stain on it! What was she doing? How did she being angry over another woman led to her peeing on my bed! Is this the so-called marking her territory?


    I sighed. Somehow, I felt like I deserved this. After washing the bedroll, I left it hanging to dry and then slept on the cold, hard, rocky ground. I would definitely make it up to Miki later.

 Chapter 137

    I continued to fight my way down to the 19<sup>th</sup> floor. Once I met up with Celeste and settled things down below, we¡¯d find the 19<sup>th</sup> level library and then then I¡¯d teleport up to the 15<sup>th</sup> to meet up with the girls. At that point, I could help them get the rest of the way down to the 19<sup>th</sup> floor.


    Their appearance had been sudden at first, and my concern over Celeste had overtaken my common sense, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it¡¯d be better to meet back up and fight as a group. Although I recalled the Adventurers telling me that experience didn¡¯t get split when you were separated, so they gained more experience on their own as did I.


    Part of the reason I hadn¡¯t been leveling very fast either was my lack of 2X experience and the fact I was in a party with someone who was much higher than me. Simply put, once we all got together, our leveling potential would slow to a crawl. Double experience only worked on me, so even being able to drop my cheat skills and my usefulness in battle wouldn¡¯t help the party by very much.


    Still, when it came to safety, I think fighting as a group was best. Although the girls had plenty of healing water of life, they had no form of combat heal. Their current level should be able to get them down to level 15 though without me. Especially since they now have my party status up and Lydia gained my slave status up. Both girls should be much stronger now, because of that. Does party status work at a distance? Ah, well, I¡¯ll ask Lydia tomorrow night. What was important now was keeping my head and finding Celeste.


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    It was nearing night when I found the stairway leading to the 19<sup>th</sup> floor. I really hoped that Celeste was alright. In the past, she was still set to a slave of the dungeon¡¯s boss, so the mobs all left her alone. Now that she was my slave instead, she was truly alone and could seriously get hurt. I wanted to go down, but I felt really exhausted. Instead, I decided to create a fire and camp out here for the night.


    As I was cooking my meal, I saw something coming up the stairs. I immediately recognized it as Celeste. She was sniffing as she approached the stairs carefully. Why was it always food that caused this girl to come out of her shell? She was such a glutton if she kept eating like this¡­ no¡­ even in my imagination, I can¡¯t see a fat fairy.


    ¡°Celeste!¡± I cried out excitedly.


    Celeste looked at me with lightless eyes, but as soon as they locked on me, a fire exploded and she flew at me like a bullet.


    ¡°Master!¡± She screamed as her form ran into my chest.


    She may be a fairy, but fairies in this world were still about a foot and a half. This was easily enough to cause me to stumble back onto my butt.


    ¡°Master¡­ master¡­¡± she started crying. ¡°You came back. I thought you left but you came back!¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ s-sorry. I stepped on a trap, it seems.¡±


    I held her close. I felt relieved now. Suddenly, all that stress and worry, even leaving the other girls behind, didn¡¯t seem to matter. We had all the time in the world. Why was I worrying about leveling the fastest? Safety was much more important. As soon as we found the 19<sup>th</sup>-floor library, I¡¯d return to the 15<sup>th</sup> floor and reunite with the girls.


    While I was thinking those kinds of thoughts, Celeste pulled back. She was staring at me with eyes that suddenly felt a little scary. I was a bit confused, so I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Celeste? What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I smell a woman on you.¡± Her voice said, completely devoid of expression.

 Chapter 138

    "Huh?¡± I said, sniffing my own shirt.


    I mean, I hadn¡¯t really cleaned thoroughly since I slept with Lydia, but it couldn¡¯t be that bad.


    ¡°You¡¯ve¡­ been with another woman¡­¡± She said, her voice still flat and her eyes staring at me unblinkingly.


    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah?¡± I smiled to break the tension. ¡°I ended up teleporting back up to the boss on the 10<sup>th</sup>floor. After I defeated him, I ran into my friends. Isn¡¯t that great?¡±


    ¡°Friends?¡± Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, and then she sniffed again.


    ¡°Animalgirl¡­ slave¡­ Master¡­ how could you?¡± Her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.


    I let out a noise of alarm. ¡°Wh-what are you talking about? I mean¡­ yes, they¡¯re animalgirls and slaves, they were my party before I ended up in this dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what dungeon?¡± She said. ¡°You¡ªyou brought me to your mansion! And then you after everything, you fall for another woman!?¡±


    ¡°What? Celeste?¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡± She cried. ¡°After everything I¡¯ve done for you! I gave you all of the waters of life. I¡¯ve even given you my virginity! How could you fall for someone else!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Are you okay?¡±


    I was seriously worried. What was she even talking about? I knew she got confused, but this was a bit strange. It was almost like she saw me as¡­


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    ¡°Celeste, who am I?¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re a cheater!¡± She cried out. ¡°Those slave girls¡­ always trying to free them! I knew it was bad news. I knew that you would eventually betray me! How dare you! How dare you fall in love with another, Karr!¡±


    My brow furrowed, ¡°I¡¯m not Karr. I¡¯m not the man you seem to think I am. I¡¯m Deek. Remember? Deek?¡±


    She jerked looking around as if she was confused. ¡°D-deek¡­?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Are you okay? Is that what happened to you? Wait¡­ are you the bat-winged dark fairy?¡±


    This time Celeste¡¯s stomped her foot as her focus completely returned. ¡°Who are you calling a dark fairy? Dark fairies only come from about when they fall in complete despair! How could that be me? There is no coming back from that.¡±


    ¡°Celeste¡­¡± I reached out, but she backed away.


    She looked uncertain for a second as she saw the hurt look on my face. ¡°You have other slaves?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t hiding it from you. Lydia and Miki are two very important people in my life. They came here to find me. We¡¯ll meet up with them shortly. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll like you.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ love them?¡± Her expression fell as she said this.


    I paused for a second but then nodded. ¡°I do. I love them. I won¡¯t pretend I don¡¯t. However, I also care about you, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t bring them down right away. I wanted to speak to you first, and introduce them on your terms.¡±


    Celeste sighed and then landed next to the bowl of soup, scooping a bowl for herself. ¡°Master¡­ I¡¯m tired. Can we discuss this tomorrow?¡±


    My brow was furrowed, but I nodded. ¡°Okay.¡±


    I remained up until Celeste finally floated to her bed and fell asleep. The entire time, I watched her, a worried feeling in my gut. Something in this dungeon was happening. The last dungeon seemed desperate to complete its lore. This one feels similar. Karr must have built this mansion and then moved the fairy queen to live with him. Then, he started freeing slaves in old Chalm. Perhaps he fell in love with a slave and slept with her. The pure fairy queen fell into despair and then destroyed the entire mansion and city. However, what did the fairy queen have to do with Celeste? She said it herself, there was no going back.


    It took some time before I could settle myself and fall asleep. By the time I woke up, Celeste was missing once again.

 Chapter 139

    "Celeste? Celeste!¡± I stood up and frantically searched around the camp.


    Celeste was no longer anywhere around me. I looked at my slave skills, but I didn¡¯t have any that could locate a slave yet. I could party swap with her, but what would that do? By the time I could make it back here, she¡¯d have already run off again. Cursing to myself, I headed down to the 19<sup>th</sup> floor once again. This time, I made sure to check for traps. I also had my map ready and made a noise of surprise when the traps were shown on the map.


    ¡°Detect treasure¡­¡± I cast that spell as well.


    More points were filled out on my map. Map was truly a skill worthy of the dungeon point system. I knew I could use it to sense life and identify nearby enemies, but I didn¡¯t realize that if had map open while casting detect spells, I could also map out traps and treasures too. Wait, is it possible that since Celeste was in my party, I could also see her?


    ¡°Party¡­ bring up my party¡­¡± I muttered.


    A dot outside my map suddenly bleeped. That had to be Celeste! She was on this floor, so I could see her, but she was outside of the area I had explored. I immediately began racing towards the direction that I saw her. I used sense life to avoid just about every ghost I came across, only engaging until I could escape and flee.


    Suddenly, her blip disappeared. This caused me the greatest confusion of all. It would have said if she left my party. I used a marking system to mark where I last saw her. If she didn¡¯t leave my party, then it meant¡­ that she left this floor! She couldn¡¯t have, could she? She went down to battle the boss? What was going through Celeste¡¯s mind! She could get hurt or even killed doing this!


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    I made my way to the location marked on the map, the point where Celeste was last seen before she disappeared. I wasn¡¯t surprised at all when I walked into a Library, not unlike the previous two, I had been in. I first walked to the kiosk and registered, and then headed straight to the door heading down. It was closed tight. Furthermore, there was no sound transmitted from the other side. I had no clue what was happening.


    Gritting my teeth, I walked back up to the library and began to pace. What should I do? Should I switch with her now? I didn¡¯t know what monster was in there. If I suddenly switched, I could find myself in a very precarious situation. It was far too much danger. Believe it or not, Celeste was more powerful than I was. I had to just trust that she could defeat the boss.


    While I paced, My eyes caught the murals on the wall. It was the continuation of the story. I glanced through them. There wasn¡¯t much to say. This told the story I already knew. Karr brought his family to live with him. He began to fight for justice, freeing slaves, particularly of the animalkin variety. He became an emancipator loved by all. The murals were never in a particular order. This one had little to do with the story of the Fairy Queen.


    However, I guess someone attacks the fairy queen, she moves in with Karr and falls in love with him, and then he falls in love with one of the slaves he frees. The story appears to be something like that. The only thing that still didn¡¯t fit was Celeste. She wasn¡¯t the fairy queen, was she? She had said there was no coming back from becoming a dark fairy, so if that was to be believed, there was no way she was the fairy queen.


    I looked at the door, anxiousness consuming me. Time passed by.

 Chapter 140

    It was nearly two hours later when the door started to open. I didn¡¯t waste a second, I dived in through the door. As I ran out into the hallway, there I saw her. It was Celeste. Her wing was ripped and it looked like she had received several cuts and scratches.


    ¡°Moderate heal!¡± I declared immediately, and a glow came over her.


    She jerked, her eyes shooting to me. ¡°Y-you¡­¡±


    ¡°Celeste¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°What are you doing? Why did you come and challenge this monster on your own? I¡¯m here to help.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you left me¡­¡± She said, backing up. ¡°You abandoned us all.¡±


    ¡°Celeste¡­ I¡¯m Deek, remember, Deek?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Karr¡­. Deek¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°Destroy! I must¡­ I must destroy everything¡­¡±


    ¡°Celeste! Stop!¡± I cried out.


    Celeste took one look at me and then turned to leave. Reequipping Slave Master, a grimaced, but still took a step forward.


    ¡°I order you to return to normal!¡± I cried out.


    The fairy stopped, shuddered for a second, and then continued onward.


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    ¡°Celeste!¡± I took a few steps forward.


    Suddenly, she spun back and a massive gale-force wind shot out from her hand. I was too surprised to dodge it. However, this wasn¡¯t a cutting attack. Instead, I was struck with terrible force and flung back. I flew through the door I had entered from. Just at that moment, Celeste left out the side of the other door.


    ¡°N-no!¡± I let out a scream, running back.


    However, the door to the boss room shut before I could reach the other side. I slammed into it, immediately banging on the door with all my force. However, it was completely impossible to get through it. I was trapped on the 19<sup>th</sup> floor, and Celeste had already made her way to the 21<sup>st</sup>. A moment later, some familiar text popped up in my vision.


    {Celeste is no longer in your party.}


    Why? Why did she leave like that? What was going on? I felt completely helpless. Feeling drained of life, I crawled back up the stairs and collapsed on the floor of the library. Some time passed, and I eventually went to the Kiosk and teleported to the 15<sup>th</sup> floor. There was no way I could defeat this boss solo. The level 9 boss had taken everything I had, and I hadn¡¯t made much in the way of leveling since then. Celeste had gone down below. My only choice was to meet up with the girls and follow her. Perhaps, I should have taken this route from the beginning.


    After setting the fire and cooking some food, I headed out. While my girls were leveling on the floors above, I began my own training. There was a midtier boss on this floor. Did he pop every hour like his 19<sup>th</sup>-floor companion? I suspected it was a similar deal. He could be avoided easily enough, and he wasn¡¯t too difficult to kill if you could restrain his movements.


    I had remained stagnant for far too long, depending on OP swords and spells rather than my own abilities. It was about time I trained. One way or another, I was taking this dungeon. I decided on this entirely.

 Chapter 141

    I began to use the Bounding Yokai as my prey. It felt strange deliberately hunting a monster, but it was also exhilarating. He usually attacked me, so all I needed to do was look distracted and wait for my traps to trigger.  Once I had him confined in a holy circle, he was actually quite easy to deal with. His mobility was his strength. The Bounding Yokai was a ghost-like monster that focused on physical attacks. That sounded dangerous, but ghosts were naturally weak when it came to physical attacks anyway, so I never felt too disadvantaged.


    Every time I defeated him, I received an item called a soul stone. If I had Cook equipped, I would also receive a golden apple. The golden apples weren¡¯t something mythical. They simply healed you if you ate them. Still, not a bad item to have when I was sick of water. In fact, once I got enough apples, I tried to squeeze some and make some juice. When I eventually Identified the object¡­


    {Golden Apple Juice ¨C Nutritious with some healing properties.}


    I really wanted to identify better than Basic Item Identify. Although I was sure I¡¯d get it with True Dungeon Diver eventually, I had a feeling that the quickest way to get it would be with Merchant. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t trap the Bounding Yokai without the white mage¡¯s magic circle, and I couldn¡¯t fight the Bounding Yokai without the Hero job. As a result, I couldn¡¯t level up my other jobs very easily. Thus, I decided to focus on my two highest skills. In general, if I wanted to be stronger, these were the skills that affected everything the most anyway.


    I reset my dungeon skills and gave myself 2X experience again, giving up exorcism for the time being. I still felt Ghostbane was a necessity. Once I rejoined with the girls, I could get rid of it too, but there weren¡¯t any other tier 1 abilities that really excited me all that much. There were a handful of other cool spells, but nothing that I felt would make the difference in this dungeon. What I really felt like I needed was a third job. That way, I could truly start leveling some of my side stuff without feeling like I was opening myself to weakness.


    I hunted down the more normal mobs on this floor, the Skeletal Ghost and the Chained Spirit. Now that I could see the official names of monsters, I was seeing a pattern in names. These guys went down pretty easily with Ghostbane and a quick attack. After an hour was up, the hunt for the Bounding Yokai returned. In this method, my levels started to increase and I grew increasingly familiar with the 15th floor. I had also raided all of the treasure on the floor, which came to a bunch of random ingredients for alchemy, some cloth that I didn¡¯t recognize, and about 15 gold coins. No awesome magic items or treasure chests. Most treasures were usually just shoved in a corner or hidden behind a wall. It also didn¡¯t spawn in an hour like the boss.


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    {White Mage has increased to Level 22.}


    {Hero has increased to Level 18.}


    I managed to gain two levels in White Mage and 3 levels in Hero over the course of 2 days of leveling. I considered this to be pretty awesome. My White Mage abilities were Orb and Light Repair. When I cast Orb, a ball of light appeared in my hand. The normal light spell just caused a light that emanated around our person. It stretched out a distance and then stopped. Interestingly enough, this light was one-directional, and could not be seen from someone at a distance. It was exactly like one of those RPG dungeon crawlers. Orb, on the other hand, was more like a torch. It could be stuck to things and left until the magic ran out.


    As for Light Repair, it repaired items you cast it on. It couldn¡¯t go so far as to fix something that was broken, but when I cast it on my shoes, they did look a little less worn out. By the sixth casting, they looked almost new, although they still had that worn-in feel.


    When it came to Hero, the skills were all invaluable. Defense Up, Offense Up, and Party Status. Greater Defense and Offense was much appreciated, and both really helped me massively. When it came to Party Status, this ability allowed me to see the normal information of people in my party. I could already do this because of my support skill, so it wasn¡¯t that beneficial in that respect. However, it did offer something that my support skill did not. It included a description of their health too. This way, I knew that Lydia and Miki were in Good health. It was the first time I could keep track of them. Unfortunately, Celeste was no longer in my party, so I had no clue what condition she is in.


    Besides leveling, every night I did my swap with Miki. When I arrived, Lydia was locked up in chains. I don¡¯t know where Miki got the chains, but Lydia said while crying that only Miki had the key. Well played¡­ well played. We kept the conversation light. I told them about what happened to my friend and how I was leveling on the 15<sup>th</sup> floor. After two days, they¡¯d finally break through to the 15<sup>th</sup> floor. It was finally time to continue on as a party. We had 15 levels to go.

 Chapter 142

    ¡°Master!¡± Lydia cried out, racing to give me a hug.


    ¡°Master!¡± Miki cried out a moment later, also running up to me.


    I held out my arms and hugged them both. I was at the stairway leading up to the 14<sup>th</sup> floor. I had spent the last few hours waiting for the girls to arrive. Now that they were on the same level as me, I felt an immense degree of relief. Of course, with my party status, I made sure to check on them constantly. Both girls remained healthy and fought vigorously. In the end, Lydia had reached 34 and Miki reached 30. The gap between the two girls seemed to be closing nicely. When they reach level 50, I had hoped they¡¯d gain some kind of better ability.


    I casually began bringing them back to the library to register. Meanwhile, we chatted a bit. The Bounding Yokai showed its face, but I quickly took care of it. It took less than a minute for me to down the boss at the moment. This wasn¡¯t necessarily because I was so powerful, but because I had grown extremely used to its movements and knew how to fight it efficiently. When the monstrous ghost wailed its last cry, I turned back to the girls and smiled.


    The two girls looked and each other and then at me. Their expressions were somewhat strange.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    The two girls lowered their heads, but it was Lydia who answered. ¡°Master has grown really strong.¡±


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    ¡°Master is amazing,¡± Miki added.


    I enjoyed hearing the compliments. They made me feel good about myself. However, now was not the time to concentrate on that stuff. Rather, I wanted the girls to be ready to get deeper into the dungeon as efficiently as possible. I destroyed the boss right now so they could get a chance to see it. Next time, I wanted them to fight the boss on their own.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± A thought suddenly came to me. ¡°Are you doing okay, Lydia? I know you¡¯re scared of ghosts. Coming down here must be difficult.¡±


    Lydia shook her head. ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m mostly frightened by things I can¡¯t touch. Since I can hit the monsters with Miki¡¯s enchantment, they are much less frightening. Besides, the jewelry store owner gave me a necklace that increases my spiritual resistance. I¡¯m less vulnerable to these kinds of attacks now.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ good.¡± I nodded.


    As someone leveled up, they¡¯d naturally have higher status. The higher your status, the more you could resist spiritual attacks anyway. The Lydia now was much different from the Lydia who first visited this city about a month ago. We were all much stronger now. In fact, if my guess was right, we¡¯d rank about the level of a C class party right now. Although me with my cheat skills and multiple jobs probably reached closer to a B.


    ¡°Alright, girls, you¡¯ve done well up until now. Your abilities leveled nicely.¡± More nicely than mine thanks to the 2X slave experience, ¡°Therefore, I want to try something new now.¡±


    The two girls cocked their heads, but once again Lydia took the lead. ¡°What do you want us to do Master?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to work on your 2<sup>nd</sup> jobs.¡± I declared. ¡°Miki¡­ we¡¯re going to work on basic magician for a bit. Lydia, I want to see where your scout abilities can bring you. As for myself, I¡¯ll be upping my Slave Master job. I¡¯d like to see what you¡¯re all capable of.¡±

 Chapter 143

    I continued to grind with the girls on level 15. They both managed to get their second ability up to level ten. Miki giggled with delight when she found herself able to throw a small fireball, and Lydia¡¯s speed and visual acuity was also enhanced. After careful observation, I determined that basically, every level you made in a job increased your status somewhat.


    So¡­ every level in swordsman would give you status that would make you a better swordsman. You might increase in speed, agility, visual acuity, strength¡­ while things like intelligence wouldn¡¯t increase all that much. These changes occurred even if your job changed. In fact, some of these changes were likely necessary to unlock other, higher tier jobs. You probably couldn¡¯t become an advanced swordsman until your status was high enough, or something like that.


    However, there was also the act of having the job equipped. This gave you access to all of the skills from that job. In some cases, you could learn a skill without the job. For example, you don¡¯t need the language skill to learn a language, although it definitely makes things easier. This is why a person could seamlessly advance from a level 50 basic magician to a level 1 advanced magician without suddenly growing weaker. You still had all the benefits of the basic magician


    Anyway, your skills were their best when you had the job equipped. So even though every level of swordsman increased your strength incrementally, there was also a massive bonus associated with having that job equipped in the first place. Presumably, a second-tier job would have a better bonus than a first tier. In this world, this system seemed set up so that what someone did would slowly cause them to grow stronger, eventually evolving to higher tiers.


    Of course, this world had limited knowledge of job systems, and there were likely plenty of jobs out there that they had never heard about before.


    The girls worked very efficiently together. Weeks fighting alongside each other as they fought for a common goal had truly enhanced their teamwork greatly. Lydia was able to make her fiery spirit sword almost instantly. Miki didn¡¯t waste a second to bring up the spirit fire so that she could battle ghosts. The two worked together seamlessly.


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    Other than occasional refresh and healing, I found I wasn¡¯t all that necessary. However, I did find out something quite interesting. With my slave skill copy, I was able to create the spirit sword myself. It turned out that I didn¡¯t need to depend on Lydia to hand me a spirit enhanced sword. As long as Miki tossed me some fire, I could do it myself. In fact, I started more closely looking at both girl¡¯s abilities. I could now emulate Miki spirit attacks too!


    Both girls clapped their hands when they saw me copy their abilities. I couldn¡¯t do any ability as well as either of the girls. Without 8 spiritual tails allowing me to absorb spiritual energy, I actually found a lot of her skills very taxing, and I engorged on the water of life to recover in a reasonable amount of time. As I was drinking some water, I casually considered their new jobs. Naturally, Basic Magician was most interesting to me.


    I tried to copy her fireball, and dropped my water skin and choked on water as fire actually sprung from my fingertips! I could cast all of their skills, including skills that weren¡¯t active! As expected of a Slave Master ability!


    ¡°Master is so cool!¡±


    ¡°Master is a basic Magician too?¡±


    Before I could shake my head, text appeared in front of my vision.


    {You¡¯ve managed to manipulate mana to invoke magic. You have unlocked Basic Magician.}


    I let out a noise of complete surprise. Basic Magician was a job that I had been eyeing enviously. I had the White Mage ability. By all accounts, I had been invoking magic from the beginning, but this world never heard of White Mage. It¡¯s possible that White Mage was a very niche high tier ability. In that case, since I skipped the jobs leading up to White Mage, I couldn¡¯t retroactively learn them.


    This was also probably why I knew Slave Master but didn¡¯t suddenly get Slaver or one of the lower-tier slave jobs. Dungeon Diver and True Dungeon Diver were different in that they were both earned the same way, but one was higher in level than the other. This only confirmed what I already suspected. When it came to job tiers, White Mage was broken. I had gotten it without starting as a basic or as an apprentice magician.


    I equipped it briefly.


    {You have unlocked mana control.}


    Somehow, this ability made it feel easier to control the white mage spells. I could target easier and I felt like I was using less mana. It looked like starting from the basics was truly helpful. I had so much to learn about this world.

 Chapter 144

    After a hard day of leveling up, we finally retreated to the library. I felt completely exhausted. I was about ready to collapse on the floor. I only just managed to refresh myself and then go about the standard duties. The girls complained a lot less. I had to look strong for them.


    ¡°Master? What is going on with your friend?¡± Lydia asked as I cooked the food.


    ¡°Ah¡­ they went on without me. I think they grew angry.¡± I said simply.


    ¡°That¡¯s very dangerous. If Master wants, we can push ahead.¡±


    I thought about it, scratching my chin. ¡°I¡¯m really worried about them, but I don¡¯t want to be reckless either. Honestly, we¡¯ve had several really close calls lately, and I¡¯d rather not put us in any more danger if I can help it. We¡¯re in good shape now. I don¡¯t feel like we need to leave the dungeon, but I also don¡¯t want to risk anyone dying. I¡¯ll keep you all safe.¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Miki suddenly spoke up. ¡°This¡­ person¡­ wouldn¡¯t happen to be a girl, would it?¡±


    Lydia didn¡¯t move, but her ears flicked at the words.


    ¡°She is a girl, and as it turns out, I was forced to enslave her.¡± I sighed.


    It was better to just be honest. Since they asked outright, I definitely wouldn¡¯t lie to these girls of mine. I held back a little before while things were emotional, but now that we were together, there was no reason I shouldn¡¯t come clean. I closed my eyes, waiting for the backlash. Considering how Celeste acted when she learned about these girls, then it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if these girls who were even closer to me acted even angrier.


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    ¡°Ah!¡± Miki nodded casually. ¡°So, it¡¯s that¡­¡±


    ¡°Another girl¡­ she must be pretty if Master wants her.¡± Lydia responded thoughtfully.


    ¡°Eh?¡± I opened my eyes to see that both girls had barely reacted at all. ¡°You¡¯re not angry?¡±


    Miki blinked. ¡°Why would I be angry? Master is Master. Rather, isn¡¯t it natural that Master has many? It doesn¡¯t matter how many pretty women Master has because Miki will always be first.¡±


    Lydia nodded. ¡°I was afraid at first that Master would leave me when Miki came, but after you almost died that one time, I¡¯ve decided to appreciate the time I have with Master, rather than fight those who also realize Master¡¯s greatness. And then, you disappeared in this dungeon. If I hadn¡¯t had Miki by my side to support me, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯d have made it. Having other women to lean on who feel the same way is wonderful. If anything, it is good that others realize how wonderful Master is. Plus¡­ I will also always be Master¡¯s first¡­ in a manner.¡±


    As Lydia blushed, I let out a breath of relief. It seemed like I was worrying over nothing. In the end, both girls had come to terms with each other, and with any future women I brought home. Wait! Future women? I wasn¡¯t planning anything like that! Two was already more than enough. Once I freed all three of them, I¡¯ll be lucky if even one girl stays by my side without slave affinity and Mina¡¯s Blessing.


    ¡°Actually¡­ if he already made the other girl a slave, wouldn¡¯t that make Lydia his third?¡± Miki suddenly pointed out.


    ¡°Geh!¡± Lydia¡¯s calm expression quickly turned sour.


    Leave it to Miki to start trouble just as we got through our problems.

 Chapter 145

    When Lydia grows upset, she grows a bit rambunctious. After finding out she was indeed the third slave, she started pushing me hard to have sex. This made Miki a bit upset, especially considering it brought back memories of the time I ditched her for a few hours while Lydia and I played together. This, in turn, reminded me of my sheets that Miki stained, which I didn¡¯t wish to get stained again.


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡± I pulled back from Lydia and gave her a stern look to keep her from pouncing.


    She was licking her lips and her tiger¡¯s tail was flicking back and forth. She really looked like a lioness eyeing the prey. I was expecting her to eat me at any moment. To keep the piece, I decided I had to step up.


    ¡°I have a job. It¡¯s the one I used before. It¡¯s called Pervert! It¡¯s why I was so quick to forget Miki earlier.¡±


    ¡°Pervert?¡± Lydia¡¯s ears twitched.


    ¡°Master is a pervert?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°No!¡± I put out a finger. ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not a pervert. I have a job called pervert.¡±


    Miki¡¯s eyes narrowed mischievously, ¡°How did Master gain the pervert job in this dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­ it¡¯s¡­ um¡­ a long story.¡±


    Miki gasped suddenly. ¡°Master¡­ you really did that?¡±


    Lydia blinked and turned to Miki. ¡°What did Master do?¡±


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    ¡°Don¡¯t you see, Lydia¡­¡± Miki took her hands, putting on a sincere look. ¡°Master was alone without us. He was lonely. He must have descended to extreme perversion with the local monsters¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I immediately denied it. ¡°There was my friend, Celeste, remember?¡±


    Well, technically, it was true. The succubae were local monsters and I did descend into perversions with them! Agh! Why did she have to be so close to the truth? Sorry to throw you under the bus, Celeste, but I couldn¡¯t have these girls also thinking I¡¯m a deviant!


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s right!¡± Lydia accepted my words.


    Miki¡¯s face grew even whiter. ¡°It¡¯s worse than I thought¡­¡±


    ¡°Wh-what is it, Miki?¡± Lydia asked worriedly.


    ¡°Well, as he said, there was another girl. He had her alone in a dark dungeon. All alone. Now¡­ she¡¯s running from him. Even Lydia should be able to put two and two together!¡±


    Lydia gasped. ¡°Master pushed her down?¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Miki¡¯s expression turned sad. ¡°Without us there to service his uncontrollable urges, Master had no choice but to push down the nearest woman. Even though she had been trapped in this dungeon, he must have taken out all of his animalistic desire on her over and over again. He even made her his slave saying things like ¡®Hey, if you satisfy me properly, maybe I¡¯ll let you go one day.¡¯ Master has truly descended to the level of a bad man!¡±


    Each word was like a dagger in my heart. Lydia finally turned to me, shaking her head in belief.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you, Master¡­¡± Lydia said tearfully.


    Behind her, Miki stuck out her tongue, a mischievous glint in her eye. She was doing this on purpose, but Lydia was easily fooled by her antics!


    ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t¡­¡± I tried to get out.


    ¡°Master must do all of those deprived things to me!¡± Lydia thumped her chest.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡®Wh-what?¡± Miki¡¯s expression turned to shock.


    ¡°Master was treating other slaves that way, he definitely must treat me that way too! Let¡¯s start Master! I will definitely satisfy you properly!¡±


    Miki and I looked at each other with expressionless eyes. That was right. We had both forgotten. Lydia was trained to be a prostitute. When it came to the lowest levels of perversion and depravity, this was the place she was most comfortable!

 Chapter 146

    In the end, our night was settled with the Pervert skill after all. It turned out the ability was more than sufficient to handle both women to satisfaction. I was able to keep more of my reason now and was able to enjoy both women to their fullest. I took turns inside Lydia and Miki. Lydia was much more active when I was with Miki, helping out touching Miki to help her achieve climax. She didn¡¯t¡¯ mind touching Miki¡¯s privates, and while Miki was shy about it, she didn¡¯t resist to any stimulus when I was on top of her. When it came the other way, Miki usually just watched me with Lydia from a distance and didn¡¯t touch us. As we grew more animated, she¡¯d put her hand between her legs and squeeze her thighs together, clearly turned on and trying to hide it.


    Miki was far more reserved in the bedroom, and would usually lie and hold me tightly while she breathed, panted and moaned. Lydia always wanted to participate and was on top as often as she was on the bottom. She liked to rock her hips when I was in her. Both experiences were unique, but also really amazing. When everyone was finally satisfied, I was reaching my limits, so we collapsed on my bedroll.


    It was actually very dirty, covered in various fluids from all three of us. In the end, my bedroll would need to be washed after all. It seems like I failed in that respect. There had to be a cleaning ability. I would definitely learn in the future. At the moment, what I had equipped with Pervert.


    {Pervert has increased to level 2.}


    {Endurance up has been unlocked.}


    It appeared like I wouldn¡¯t be having trouble keeping up in the future either. Jobs could level by killing monsters, but they could also level by doing actions related to their existence. Merchant Jobs could level by buying and selling stuff. It looked like the Pervert Job could be leveled by fornicating. Plus, with 2X experience, it¡¯d be the equivalent of sleeping with¡­ well¡­ let¡¯s not get into those numbers.


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    Perhaps I should start making it a habit to level with the girls every night. It sounds kind of bad, but if I¡¯m very intimate with them now, they may not leave me when I get rid of the slave ability. I didn¡¯t think Lydia or Miki would leave at this point, but I still wanted to prepare my heart for that possibility. It was always much worse when I didn¡¯t leave a part of the expectation that I¡¯d be abandoned. I don¡¯t think this is a bad way of thinking. Don¡¯t pity me!


    When Lydia was taken away, it¡¯s that mentality that allowed me to keep my cool there. Deep down, I had always expected her to be taken away, so when it happened, I was able to deal with it. Fortunately, I was able to get her back. Some might say I spent too much, but I didn¡¯t regret the choices I made a single bit. In that way, my defenses built from years of rejection had protected me That¡¯s part of the reason I was able to stay calm about Celeste too. Any girl might eventually leave at any time. As long as I kept that possibility in my heart, I could handle suddenly losing someone.


    This didn¡¯t just protect me from the girls leaving me on purpose. We were in a dungeon. I was occasionally reckless, especially when I started treating this like a game. There was a possibility the girls could die too. I wanted to protect them, and I had the abilities to heal and protect, but I¡¯m not that powerful. There is always a chance I¡¯ll fail and someone will die. I had to accept that as well. I wasn¡¯t intending to be morbid, just mentally prepared.


    The next morning, I washed the girls up and then got dressed. As for my bedroll, it stank of our sex, I¡¯d have to wash it the next night. Rolling it up, I shoved it in my ring. At least, we wouldn¡¯t smell it all day.


    Heading out, we reached the stairway in short order. It was time to start on the sixteenth floor for the second time.

 Chapter 147

    The girls restored their original jobs, and I concentrated back on White Mage and Basic Magician. After some significant gains from gaining the first level of Basic Magician, I suspected I could have more gains for white mage by mastering the basics.


    With the two girls fighting in front of me, I was far more comfortable taking a basic role. I still had my sword, and I could fight with a basic level swordsmanship with the spirit fire and divine aura enhanced sword. The ghosts were taken down quickly. Since I already had a lot of this floor mapped out, I decided to combine map and detect treasure to truly pick up everything the floor had. It¡¯d give the girls more opportunities to gain experience and would also increase our profits, so I considered it a win-win.


    Every floor seemed to contain a dozen or so treasure locations. Some were just a small pouch of coins shoved into a corner. Others were a hidden alchemy ingredient. No treasure chests or anything like that. Some of the stuff was part of the d¨¦cor, and if I hadn¡¯t had my treasure finder on, I never would have realized they were worth anything at all. For example, a certain painting had replaced the eyes with jewels that I was able to pop out. Also, a few of these treasures were attached to traps too, but with detect traps, I was always aware of it.


    As luck would have it, disarm trap was the level 10 ability for a scout, and since Lydia had it, I had it too. In short, I was able to copy her skill and remove the trap before clearing out everything one floor at a time. While I could copy the girl¡¯s skills, they weren¡¯t as good as the girls could use them. My fireballs were weaker than Miki¡¯s. Furthermore, I had to spend mana to copy the skill, and then mana to cast the skill, so it was more expensive for me to use the skills too. In short, unless it was for convenience, it was more affordable to just let the girls use the skills themselves.


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    By the time we cleared level 16, I was up to level three in Basic Magician. We continued on to the 17<sup>th</sup> , and then the 18<sup>th</sup>, and 19<sup>th</sup>. It took two days, but we finally managed to enter the familiar library I had abandoned. The door had long been open, waiting for us to engage in the mysterious boss. I didn¡¯t know what monster awaited us. It was still early, but we decided to break.


    Over the intervening two days, I gained a level in White Mage and was now at level ten basic magician. Since basic magician enhanced mana and spellcasting status, I felt more powerful as a white mage with it. As far as skill, my white mage level 23 ability was called armor. It was a spell that temporarily increased someone¡¯s defense. It wasn¡¯t like a magic shield or anything. Just an enhancement spell, which was honestly preferable for me.


    As for Basic magician, I already knew what to expect from using skill analysis on Miki, but the skills I got were fire, water, earth, and air control, mana blast, create Earth, and Fireball. I already had Create Flame and Create Water. It turned out, Basic magician really was basic. You first needed to be able to manipulate the element you wanted to use and then create it. Only after that did you get something like an attack. Well, Level five was Mana Blast. Once you gained enough elemental control, you could create a mana attack. Then, Fireball finally became an option at level 10.


    As for the girls, they also leveled a bit. Lydia was up to level 35, and Miki was 31. With a deep breath, I looked down the stairway. We should be able to take out the boss safely. We had to.

 Chapter 148

    "Are you girls ready?¡± I asked.


    Only after Lydia and Miki assured me did I take a breath and started heading down with them next to me. We entered the massive stone door, and it shut close behind us, sealing us in with the monster. The room itself didn¡¯t differ at all from the floor 10 room. Once I defeated this guy, I could start looking for Celeste. That was what was important.


    I didn¡¯t take any risks this time either, the best jobs were selected for everyone, and I even re-added exorcism just in case. Bosses were always many times stronger than the mobs between levels, and I expected this guy to be no less than a challenge. A moment later, a man suddenly appeared in the middle of the room.


    He was a ghostly man, wearing a fine suit. His hair was combed, and he looked refined, not intimidating or scary. He seemed vaguely familiar to me. No, he seemed more than familiar. He was the guy in the murals! He was older, paler, and sadder, but this was definitely the man whose story I had been following. Wait¡­ isn¡¯t this Karr¡¯s dungeon?


    Then again, now that I thought about it, Mina¡¯s Dungeon was not actually created by Mina, but her brother. So, in other words, this wasn¡¯t Karr¡¯s dungeon? Did that mean it was the fairy queens?


    ¡°So, more challengers have come.¡± The man said sadly. ¡°First, a fairy destroys me, now animalkin slaves. It seems only suiting that this would be my fate. Please, bring me death.¡±


    This ghost also seemed to be self-aware. The mid-tier boss I defeated seemed unintelligent and never learned from battle to battle. If it had, it might have started avoiding me or changed its tactics. On the other hand, this guy seemed to remember his premature death at the hands of the fairy. Was that a trick of only intelligent bosses? And why was he intelligent anyway? I might have expected the Dungeon owner to be intelligent like in the case of the necromancer, but why was Karr capable of intelligent thought? Wait, let¡¯s make sure¡­


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    ¡°Why do you want to die?¡± I asked, cautiously, feeling out the boss.


    Karr looked over at me. ¡°I failed her. I failed them all. I tried to protect everyone, and in the end, I saved no one. My great city fell, and I died a pauper¡¯s death. All the good I tried to do in life, in the end, it was wasted.¡±


    ¡°The Fairy Queen? You¡¯re talking about the Fairy Queen, right?¡± I tried to push him for more information.


    ¡°She gave everything for me¡­ and I failed her too¡­¡±


    ¡°What about Celeste? The one that killed you. What does she have to do with this? Is she the one?¡±


    ¡°Who is Celeste?¡± His eyes flashed and then he shook his head. ¡°Enough of this! You have come here for a purpose. It is time that we fulfill that purpose. I may seem like a weak noble to you, but I was a great adventurer in my day. I even fought alongside the Great Harem Hero, Artemis.¡±


    ¡°Harem Hero? What is a Harem hero?¡± I blinked.


    Karr¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°You have two women at your side and you pretend not to understand? I envied that man. I envied the path of the Harem. In the end, I lost everything because I was not fit to have a harem!¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°What? Why are we on harems now? Rather¡­ I don¡¯t care about your love life!¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want the knowledge of a harem, then you aren¡¯t fit to have one!¡± Karr shrieked.


    I was at a complete loss, but apparently, I had pissed him off and now he was attacking with all he had. Spells came flying at the three of us. The battle had finally begun.

 Chapter 149

    "Split up!¡± I ordered, ducking behind some columns as several fire spells bombarded me.


    If we had a tank, maybe I could have them stand in front with a shield and accept this kind of bombardment. In fact, that¡¯s exactly what our party was missing. At first, I had never had to think about such things as party dynamics. I got Lydia from convenience and aided Miki because of her effectiveness from ghosts. Even Celeste, who had good magic ability, was someone I accidently ran into. All four of us together made a somewhat well-rounded party, but what we were really missing was a high constitution person to take the hits for us.


    Would that be a Knight or something like that? Well, I didn¡¯t even know if our party would stay together once I freed everyone. I was thinking about continuing to dungeon dive, but I¡¯d need to form a real party for that. I certainly didn¡¯t want to hire a knight slave and have them get hurt because of my selfish desires.


    Anyway, the point was that my holy circle couldn¡¯t hold off his bombardment for more than a few seconds and we had nothing like a tank, so we had to split apart and in turn split up his fire. It seemed like a good idea until I realized just how much magic this guy was shooting out. He appeared to be tossing out a few spells a second, more than enough that all three of us were busy. I couldn¡¯t imagine how Celeste had managed on her own when all of his magic was concentrated on her. Then again, she was a magician too, so maybe she had a magic counter that could directly fight against him.


    ¡°I will destroy you!¡± He screamed.


    Was it necessary for the boss to scream things like this? It was really distracting when you were trying to defeat a boss. In fact, wasn¡¯t he busy spell casting? How could he even talk in between all of his spell chanting? If only I could shut him up, maybe we¡¯d get a window to attack.


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    ¡°Wait¡­ silence!¡± I called out, continuing to move as spells stuck the ground beside me.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Lydia said, dodging a bit better, but failing to close any distance on the ghost.


    ¡°We need to use a spell like silence on him!¡± I explained. ¡°RPG tactics. He¡¯s a spell caster. If we can block his speech, his spells will definitely weaken!¡±


    Lydia¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Ah! Master is smart! So, you have an ability to silence him?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ no¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhhh¡­. M-Master!¡± Miki cried, not nearly as nimble as me or Lydia, she was having the most difficulty avoiding the attacks. ¡°H-help!¡±


    I thought about all of the abilities that I had. Was there anything we had that could work? None of my abilities worked on spells like this. What I needed was a new ability. However, you couldn¡¯t just come up with a new ability. Wait¡­ maybe you could! Combination skills! They both had a combination skill based off of spirit fire, but neither had a combination skill based off of mana dust!


    Switching to Hero and Slave Master, I turned to Lydia. ¡°Give me a moment!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±


    With Slave Status Up now boosting her, Lydia tossed herself at the enemy, using her quick attack to close the distance. Meanwhile, I used the skill analysis to look through Miki¡¯s skills while pulling the fairy dust from my ring. As soon as it reached the air, there was a sudden pause in attacks. The lack of exploding fireballs and heat on my ass caused me to pause and turn back to see Karr. Lydia had closed the distance, but Karr floated higher up, and was now outside her range. Hey, that was cheating!


    ¡°You¡­ where did you find that!¡± Karr pointed at the bottle in my hand.


    ¡°What, this?¡±


    ¡°How did you get that fairy dust? That¡¯s mine! It¡¯s mine!¡± Karr¡¯s form seemed to distort into something more monstrous.


    He launched his next attack, specifically aiming all of his rage at me.

 Chapter 150

    I let out an exorcism before he reached me. He wasn¡¯t even trying to use spells at this point. Instead, his face had distorted into something more ghastly and his hands were now dangerous looking claws. Miki enhanced my sword and I managed to start deflecting his spells. With Moderate Swordsmanship, I was just able to keep his wicked slices at bay. Evil Eye and Basic Monster Identify gave me no weaknesses that were apparent for any ghosts.


    With the pressure off the girls, they started launching attacks. Miki spiritual attacks weren¡¯t something Karr could dodge, and he was quickly taking damage. However, so was I! Every third slash cut into my skin. It was really painful. I equipped back to White Mage and started healing myself.


    {You have been poisoned!}


    ¡°Weak Heal Poison!¡±


    {You have been cursed!}


    ¡°Remove Curse!¡±


    ¡°Armor!¡±


    ¡°Heal!¡±


    ¡°Refresh!¡±


    ¡°Heal!¡±


    ¡°Heal!¡±


    ¡°Ow, HEAL!¡±


    I was throwing out spells as rapidly as my mind could work, which was far better after I had spent so much time hunting the level 15 boss. Had I not used that time to grow more familiar with my abilities, I had little doubt that the barrage of attacks right now would have ended me. Being able to cast a stream of spells while also deflecting attacks wasn¡¯t easy. Karr himself was proof of that fact. As soon as he went into physical attack mode, he had abandoned all of his spells in exchange for a fighting style which was much more feral.


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    ¡°Watch out, this is going to hurt!¡± I warned the girls. ¡°Create Cushion! Fireball!¡±


    I attempted to blow a fireball between us and then use a cushion to block my own hit. It didn¡¯t work very well. Fire erupted between us and I was blown back, but I didn¡¯t anticipate the flames. Perhaps if I had used fire control, I might have been able to do more, but I was too inexperienced with mage spells. The result was burns all over my body as I rolled away. I had successfully separated us, but my injuries hurt so bad I could barely think.


    ¡°Master!¡± Lydia cried out. ¡°Quick Attack!¡±


    Karr was only temporarily stunned. He recovered quickly and started racing for me, his claws out excitedly. I was on the ground now and the ghost was racing to deliver a brutal attack. I didn¡¯t know if HP existed in this world, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it reached zero after this attack. Grabbing a pinch of fairy dust, I did the only thing I could think of and created water of life. The ghost which was closing in on me suddenly jumped away as the spray of water shot from my hands. I put it straight to my mouth and started drinking. Plus, the water fell all over my body and soothed the burns. The pain disappeared almost like a lie. I only took a breath to cast a moderate heal, and then stood back up.


    I was soaking wet, but my burns were almost gone now. As for the ghost, he was staring at me with complete disbelief.


    ¡°How¡­ how are you doing that?¡± Karr demanded.


    Rather than answer him, I lifted my fingers. There was another pinch of fairy dust in it.


    ¡°Miki!¡± I cried out. ¡°Cast mana control! Use this!¡±


    I tossed the spirit dust at Miki, and she immediately did as I commanded without question, absorbing the odd mana of the fairy dust and pushing it into her control of magic. She let out a cry of disbelief, then she turned to Karr and held up her hands.


    ¡°Resurrection!¡± Miki cried out.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Resurrection? What? Fairy dust plus mana control is Resurrection? I was hoping she¡¯d gain some kind of ability to control his mana, perhaps a spell interruption. Instead, she unlocked the high-level priest spell resurrection?


    A light floated around Karr. He didn¡¯t seem to be pained. Rather, his facial features returned to normal and his face looked to be at peace.


    ¡°How¡­ interesting¡­ it is too bad I cannot be truly resurrected, as I died within this cursed place, but moving on feels right too.¡±


    ¡°Karr¡­ what happened to this mansion?¡± I decided to ask, as Resurrection was a spell that seemed to one-hit KO ghosts, but also took a bit of time to completely cast.


    He smiled. ¡°Please go easy on her? Maybe¡­ maybe you¡¯ll have the ability¡­ to help her find peace. Please finish her story¡­ the right way.¡±


    With those words, his body dissipated into bright lights and then floated away.

 Chapter 151

    Checking the remains of Karr, I found several high-end magical items. There was a pair of gloves, a cloak, and a cane. The cane was a rich person¡¯s cane, but it might as well have been a wand because it had the ability to amplify magic strength and decrease mana cost. In fact, that gloves and cloak also amplified magic as well. I gave the gloves to Miki because I was already wearing the gauntlets I had obtained from the previous boss.


    We weren¡¯t the first to defeat Karr, so I was wondering why we were getting magic items. Was it because Celeste did not take her magical items before she leftt? Then again, Karr wasn¡¯t a generic mob either, and we defeated him much differently than an ordinary kill. Once we found Celeste, but before we fought the final boss, I really wanted to go back and double tap some of the bosses to see what awards we can get. I want to clean out the treasure on all of the floors too.


    At least one of the things I¡¯d like to do is fight the level 20 boss again and see if it was still Karr. Somewhere, deep down inside, I had a distinct feeling it wouldn¡¯t be. There was something really final about the way he disappeared.


    In the end, I decided to keep the cloak and cane for myself. My magical prowess increased dramatically with that. Deep down, I was a support mage. When I was with Celeste, I had to act the part of the swordsman because I didn¡¯t have anyone to hold the front line. With Lydia back, I could return to my role as a support. I still fought in the front occasionally because I didn¡¯t want the girls to think less of me, but I definitely felt myself breathing easier knowing I could just toss out spells from the back of the party from now on. I might be retiring Hero soon as my second job, and making it Basic Magician from now on.


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    However, my gauntlets and boots that I got while I was on my own I decided to keep. Unfortunately, they boosted speed, so Lydia who was already fast would probably have benefited the most from these items. I felt a bit bad about monopolizing them, but I decided to keep them anyway. It wasn¡¯t just because I liked dry feet that didn¡¯t smell when I took my boots off at night! Rather, I still planned to fight occasionally, and with Celeste and Miki, we were already forming a somewhat magic heavy party. If we encountered a large wave of enemies, Lydia wouldn¡¯t be able to hold the line, and I didn¡¯t even mention enemies with magic immunity or anti-magic enemies. I was just concerned with party dynamics, that¡¯s all!


    Lydia didn¡¯t have any need for magic enhancement spells, but she didn¡¯t mind that she didn¡¯t receive anything. In fact, both girls seemed surprised I wasn¡¯t keeping all of the magical items myself. Lydia still wore the black shadow cloak I had given her from the rabbits we slew in Mina¡¯s dungeon, but I guess she had assumed that was a one-time gift I gave when I made her my slave.


    As for Miki, it took a bit of pressing to get her to take the gloves and treat them as her own. I said they were too small for my hands, but I¡¯m pretty sure magical items change to fit you no matter what your size.


    ¡°Th-thank you, Master¡­¡± she said, blushing.


    Was giving a gift to a slave really that strange? She kept glancing at me and then privately smiling to herself and her tail seemed to raise up excitedly. Apparently, Miki was really weak towards gifts. When it was clothing or food, I guess she treated it as an expectation that a Master provided for her, but when it came to magic items, she was surprisingly easy to make happy. I had a feeling if I asked her for sex at the moment, she wouldn¡¯t say no. Well, that was true all the time, but I think I was on her particular good side at the moment. Sorry, it wasn¡¯t the time for that though. Maybe tonight.

 Chapter 152

    I still didn¡¯t like that we fought a boss and Lydia was no stronger for it. Therefore, I decided her reward for this fight would be a combination skill. We went over the list of swordsman skills, commoner skills, and scout skills to see if there was anything worth keeping. Most skills were status increases, vaguely helpful abilities, and a few special attacks. Well, that wasn¡¯t the case with Commoner. The abilities for commoner were laughably weak. Danger Sense, Learning Up, Weak Disease Resistance, Social Up, Hide, Focus Up, and things like that. Actually, Learning Up wasn¡¯t half bad. It was used to help you gain another job, but if you could equip two jobs like me, couldn¡¯t Learning Up help me master skills and maybe even level faster? Well, that was my thought process.


    ¡°How about Evil Eye?¡± She asked.


    I too had Evil Eye, it allowed me to scout out weaknesses of enemies. She had gained her Evil Eye as a scout. What would fairy dust enhanced Evil Eye be like? Unfortunately, as far as I knew, even the adventurer¡¯s didn¡¯t know anything about combination skills. They seemed to involve combining a skill with an alternative form of mana product. So far, spirit fire and faerie dust were the only two I knew of. There were probably others. Maybe mermaid tears? Well, I didn¡¯t plan to find a mermaid and test it anyway. Each person could only combine one skill with each mana form to create a different skill. That new skill can apparently be a skill you can unlock through your job but at a higher level. So, at least in my mind, it was like casting a spell with a reagent. In this case, we were creating a reagent to cast a high skill ability or an ability outside the job range than we¡¯d normally be capable of.


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    A spiritualist probably would gain resurrection eventually. I could also gain resurrection using my dungeon points, although it was a second-tier ability. As for priests, I had no clue what level they gained resurrection. Or was it even a level? Since only priests knew resurrection, there could be some other trick going on that no one knows about, like a mass-produced item. I really wanted to meet Chalm¡¯s Priest and see what I could learn from him, but the Guild Master had told me that all priests were very tight-lipped when it came to their abilities. He guessed resurrection was a level 30 ability, as most priests he¡¯d seen cast it were older, but it was still common enough that there was no shortage.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try Evil Eye,¡± I said.


    I learned with Resurrection that guessing what ability would pop out was impossible. Since combinations weren¡¯t studied in this world, we¡¯d just have to try and see what happened. I also wanted Lydia to become a better scout, so making any ability that helped her read the enemies into a higher tier spell sounded like a good idea to me. Sprinkling some fairy dust on her, I allowed her to absorb the mana and combine it so that she gained a new skill.


    ¡°What did you get? I asked excitedly.¡±


    Lydia looked around, her eyes wide with surprise. ¡°Master¡­ what does it mean, Other Worlder?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I blinked. ¡°Is that your skill?


    Lydia shook her head. ¡°No¡­ the skill is called God Eye, but when I look at you, it says your species in ¡®Other Worlder¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±

 Chapter 153

    "And so¡­ that¡¯s how I came to this world.¡± I finished up.


    In the end, there seemed to be no point in lying to the girls. God¡¯s Eye was truly an amazing ability. I copied and, and found that it put Evil Eye, Skill Analysis, Basic Monster Identify, and Basic Item Identify to shame. It was almost embarrassing how many abilities it replaced. It really told you everything you wanted to know and displayed it in an easy to read platform. Lydia and I seemed to see things differently. I saw a status screen, not unlike RPG stats. Lydia described levels as more of a feeling because she couldn¡¯t wrap her head around numbers.


    I couldn¡¯t waste using the ability too often. It required fairy dust. I had used half of the remaining vial I had acquired, and I had no knowledge of how to obtain more. I sort of hoped the boss Fairy Queen would have more as part of the reward for finishing this dungeon. Either way, I needed to be cautious with how I used the rest.


    She had seen I was from another world, so I decided to just come clean about my origins. After I finished my story, which honestly, I didn¡¯t have all that much to say, there was a long silence. It was Miki who broke it.


    ¡°So¡­ that¡¯s why Master acts like Master¡­¡± Miki said softly.


    I winced at those words. It was better they knew the truth now. If I waited until after I gave them their freedom, it felt a bit like deceit. I didn¡¯t want these girls to hate me.


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    ¡°Is¡­ is that okay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Amazing!¡± Lydia said.


    I looked up in shock, only to see a radiant smile on her face. I had thought to tell her this would break some of the awe and wonder she was experiencing. Understanding what and who a person really was did cause a lot of the mystery to disappear. It turned out she was looking at me with even more impressed eyes. I didn¡¯t understand it.


    ¡°I saw Master with God Eyes¡­¡± Lydia said, skittishly. ¡°Do you know what I saw?¡±


    My heart sunk, but I still needed to know. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Master is even more incredible than I originally thought!¡± She cried out.


    Miki nodded. ¡°I have only heard stories of Other Worlders. They say some of the greatest heroes, the harem hero, the slave hero, the summoning hero, the great magician, the animalkin hero¡­ were all from other worlds. Although there are many with the name hero, there hasn¡¯t been a True Hero in this world for at least a hundred years.¡±


    ¡°A True hero¡­ is it?¡±


    I found myself a bit relieved that I hadn¡¯t unlocked the True Hero job. Would it be like the True Dungeon Diver Job? That meant it was really just a higher tier hero. I might get it if I just level hero enough. Or, going by comic books, maybe I needed to make the ultimate sacrifice and die selflessly for someone else. I didn¡¯t want any of that. Rather, I was happy to switch to Basic Magician. I certainly had no desire to become a True hero or go down in history.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move on¡­¡± I declared.


    The boss¡¯s room was suddenly starting to make me itch. Plus, I had a fairy to find. We finally left floor 20 and began our exploration of floor 21. I was back in the unknown once again.

 Chapter 154

    Well, calling floor 21 a complete unknown was a bit misleading. I may not be willing to power God Eye willy-nilly, but with Map, Detect Trap, and Detect Treasure¡­ I was able to quickly gain a picture of this floor. After that, it was just a matter of fighting mobs and clearing out the level. I wanted to check everywhere because Celeste could be anywhere. That means every level would be searched and stripped to completion.


    My storage ring was quite large, but it was starting to get full. Since we kept everything mobile and didn¡¯t really settle down since we moved out of the alchemy house, I was carrying almost everything on me. Weeks of food, clothing, and heapings of alchemy ingredients had made the ring stuffed. I had acquired 200 gold coins so far as well. To think I could buy Lydia twice over. Dungeon Diving was truly a profitable venture. Of course, when I thought about how many times, I had almost died in the beginning there, I could see why it wasn¡¯t more popular.


    It took only a full day to finish the 21<sup>st</sup> floor. Still we were stronger than ever, and I was comfortable moving on. In truth, I was eager to get us down to the 25<sup>th</sup> floor. Once we found the library there, we might spend a bit more time grinding. Depending on the quality of the mid-floor boss, hunting him for a while would be advantageous for all of us. We could use more practice fighting a big boss together. Right now, we could handle little mobs pretty easily. We had been able to control groups as large as 5 monsters without difficulty.


    So far, we hadn¡¯t experienced anything like the ambushes from the previous dungeon. I didn¡¯t know if that was because the previous dungeon was young or if it was because this dungeon didn¡¯t feel sufficiently threatened. I could say that the traps were growing increasingly insidious. If I hadn¡¯t started being very careful with detect trap since landing back at level 10, our party might have been in major trouble. Out of curiosity, I used the duplicate slave skill to copy danger sense at the same time as detect trap and map. This was easier said than done since it essentially involved casting four spells simultaneously. However, the result was that the points displayed on my map were color-coded. I could tell how dangerous the traps were, from red death traps to green traps that didn¡¯t technically hurt you, like teleport traps.


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    ¡°So many ways to use magic, I¡¯ll have a lot of reading to do when I get out of here.¡±


    If I copied the learning up skill, I could probably learn to read faster than Miki. I was interested in seeing what this world had written down about jobs. Everything I knew was even tested out with trial and error or hints I got from old Adventurer¡¯s providing their advice in exchange for a glass of drink. I was still taking these kinds of notes in my booklet too. Perhaps, I¡¯d create my own jobs and skills guide eventually. I could be the Memoir hero or something like that. Actually, I wouldn¡¯t mind being remembered for that. It was better than being remembered for having slaves or a harem or being good at killing things.


    We were on the 23<sup>rd</sup> floor. It had been three days since we had finished off Karr. Progressing was going good. It was only then that I saw a sparkly wing disappear just as we rounded a corner.


    ¡°It¡¯s her!¡± I exclaimed in excitement.


    I barely saw her, but it definitely had to be Celeste.

 Chapter 155

    I felt extremely relieved about seeing Celeste. She was my slave still, so if she had died, I was certain I¡¯d be notified in some way. I supposed I needed to work on Slave Master a bit and gain some of the skills that allowed me to track and control slaves. Then again, I had a distinct feeling that by getting the higher tier job Slave Master, I had skipped some of these basic skills. The reason I didn¡¯t have a simple skill locator was that it was rudimentary. It was like me with White Mage skills despite having no Mana control. I was putting the cart way before the horse. At some point, it¡¯d be nice to gain the slaver ability so I could learn basics.


    Anyway, she was in front of me now, I wasn¡¯t going to lose her again. ¡°Celeste!¡±


    I immediately ran out ahead of the party. It might be a little reckless, but I did scan my map with detect traps and sense life before I ran. There was nothing that should be able to threaten my life. I could sense her life in particular. She was a lot brighter than anything else on this level. I found that brightness often coincided with level. Brighter creatures tended to be harder to kill than dimmer monsters. That was how I tracked the boss on level 15. He could hide, but I sensed his life force and it was always stronger than the other ghosts. There were exceptions to this. An extreme injury could lead to weaker life force. Celeste was just about as bright as my own life force, which meant to me she was healthy.


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    ¡°Master!¡± The two girls called out worried and started chasing me.


    I had already spun around the corner though. At the end of the hallway was Celeste. She spun back and made a noise of surprise. Suddenly, I felt an air attack being sent my way. Before, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell, but with mama and air control, I was much more aware of magical attacks now.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± I gave warning to the girls behind me and then rolled under the air attack to avoid it.


    They ducked around the corner to avoid the attack. As for Celeste, she spun around, and it looked like she was going to run. This time, I wasn¡¯t going to lose her again. I hated it, and I didn¡¯t want to use it, but after over a week of being separated, if Celeste still wasn¡¯t over this, she gave me no choice.


    ¡°Stop and come here!¡± I put the Order Slave skill into my voice.


    The fairy ignored me, spun to leave, but then grabbed her neck like she was being choked. I flinched at the pain she was experiencing, but I wouldn¡¯t back down now. We¡¯d talk about it. I would free her once the dungeon was finished, but I wouldn¡¯t allow her to run off on her own and be hurt. Finally, she turned back, and with a lowered head, started approaching me.


    I felt the two girls finally come to my side. Miki stood on one side while Lydia stood on the other.


    ¡°What is it, Master?¡± Lydia asked, looking at the fairy approaching us.


    I gave the best smile I could. ¡°I can finally have you meet her. Ladies¡­ this is Celeste.¡±

 Chapter 156

    The fairy continued to approach with her head down, although she stopped and glanced back a few times. Every time she did, her hand touched her neck like she was remembering the pain, and then she continued floating towards me.


    ¡°Celeste?¡± Miki asked. ¡°That is Celeste?¡±


    There was something odd in the way she said those words. I frowned slightly. Did Miki perhaps have something against fairies? Celeste stopped a few feet away from us. Her expression seemed odd too. She was afraid to get closer. It was almost like she didn¡¯t recognize any of us. That was impossible. Celeste knew me.


    ¡°Celeste¡­ come here¡­¡± I gestured. ¡°You remember me, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Celeste cocked her head to the side, and then nodded slightly, floating the rest of the way to me. I finally relaxed now that she was hovering in front of us, looking at my two girls with curiosity rather than jealousy or anguish.


    ¡°Ah¡­ these are the two girls I told you about. This is Lydia. She¡¯s very important to me. This other one is Miki. She may be mischievous, but she also has a good heart¡­.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ Master¡­¡± Miki seemed confused. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Master¡¯s new slave is a fairy?¡± Lydia said curiously and then puffed out her cheeks. ¡°And here Master had gotten me all worried.¡±


    ¡°Eh? I thought you said you weren¡¯t jealous!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯d still worry!¡± Lydia rolled her eyes like it was the most obvious thing. ¡°Although, since it¡¯s a fairy, it¡¯s fine.¡±


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    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    Lydia didn¡¯t answer, instead she put a finger out toward Celeste. She made a clicking sound with her mouth and wiggled her finger slightly.


    ¡°Come here¡­ come here¡­ I won¡¯t hurt you. I¡¯m Master¡¯s slave too, so you don¡¯t need to be afraid.¡±


    Celeste looked at Lydia for a moment, and then reached out and touched her finger, shaking it like an entire hand. Lydia giggled.


    ¡°It¡¯s cute!¡±


    ¡°It?¡± I frowned.


    She was treating Celeste more like a dog or something. It was actually irritating me slightly.


    ¡°Celeste¡­ why don¡¯t you introduce yourself.¡± I said, my mouth twitching. ¡°Well? Say something!¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ Master¡­¡± Miki spoke again, this time pulling on my shirt.


    I turned back to her and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yes? What is it? Are you okay with Celeste? I guess she¡¯s really shy around strangers. Normally, she is a lot more talkative.¡±


    ¡°Talkative?¡± Lydia¡¯s expression turned strange.


    Both girls were looking at me oddly. ¡°What? What is it?¡±


    Miki looked down awkwardly. ¡°You¡­ this is Celeste¡­ the um¡­ the companion that you had in your party for several weeks?¡±


    I nodded, frowning. ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s nothing¡­¡± She said. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ Master was alone for some time. I was in here with Lydia, and even I felt my mind being worn thin.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Master¡­¡± Lydia smiled gently. ¡°It¡¯s not weird to hear things that aren¡¯t there or to see things in the dark. I had a lot of time adjusting to this ghost-filled dungeon.¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡± My expression sank, and then I turned back to Celeste, my eyes somewhat frantic. ¡°You¡­ say something! Celeste, tell me what you¡¯re thinking!¡±


    The ferocity of my look caused Celeste to suddenly hide behind Lydia¡¯s mane, but as she looked through looking through her hair that she spread with both hands, Celeste only shook her head helplessly.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Miki¡¯s words came out as gently as she could. ¡°Fairies are not intelligent beings. They¡¯re only a step above sprites. They don¡¯t talk. They can understand basic orders, maybe say and understand a hand full of words. Some nobles keep them around because they¡¯re good at keeping a house clean. They call them house fairies. You can enslave and order them, but they¡¯re more like a dog or a bird than a real person.¡±

 Chapter 157

    "Come on, Celeste¡­ say something¡­ I know you can¡­¡± I said helplessly.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    How could this be true? Was I really suffering from some kind of dungeon madness? Was I really just talking to myself? Celeste cautiously came out of Lydia¡¯s hair and then flew to me. She looked curious. Did she even really recognize me? Was this even Celeste? She looked like Celeste, but what did I really know about fairies? For all I knew, they all had the same face or something.


    Celeste landed on my shoulder, and the familiarity of her weight there instantly brought a tear to my eye. ¡°Celeste, you remember me, don¡¯t you?¡¯


    Celeste looked at me for a moment, and then put her hand out, wiggling it from side to side. Sort of. That was the kind of response she gave. We had traveled together for weeks. We remained close to each other. I even enslaved her. After all of that, she could only kind of remember me.


    ¡°Master¡­ it¡¯s okay.¡± My behavior was making the two other girls anxious, and Lydia¡¯s tail was twitching unhappily while Miki¡¯s tail was drooping.


    I let out a low sigh. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just having a hard time coming to grips that this was all a figment of my imagination. What do you guys know about fairies?¡±


    ¡°Nothing!¡± Lydia declared, raising her finger excitedly.


    I bonked her on the head.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Master¡­ s-sorry¡­ but I didn¡¯t learn anything about fairies.¡±


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    Miki stepped forward. ¡°I don¡¯t know that much either. We¡¯d have a better time in Chalm getting these answers. Perhaps at a library. The only thing I know is that fairies for a nest, usually stay at a source of strong mana. They¡¯re kind of like bees, in that they¡¯re controlled by a queen fairy who gives them commands and coordinates them. The other fairies are basically drones. They only regain individuality if they get far enough away from the Queen.


    ¡°A Queen?¡± My eyes raised up. ¡°Would it be possible that a Queen fairy could speak through one of the other fairies?¡±


    Miki¡¯s ears twitched, as she looked at me uncertainly. ¡°it¡¯s possible¡­ Master¡­ I think. I¡¯m sorry, I just don¡¯t know that much about fairies.¡±


    ¡°Is that who you are?¡± I asked Celeste. ¡°Are you really the fairy queen asking for help?¡±


    Celeste¡¯s face wrinkled for a second, but she didn¡¯t say anything else. I sighed and stood back up.


    ¡°Will you be able to help my party fight? Can you use wind magic?¡±


    To demonstrate, I created some wind and sent it spiraling out. When Celeste saw that, she seemed to grow excited and then nodded. She flew up and around my head three times before landing back on my shoulder.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ she seems to like that, Master.¡± Lydia clapped her hands.


    ¡°Well, there is no use continuing this discussion here,¡± I said. ¡°If we want to know what is going on with this fairy, the answers are in those murals. We need to see the 25<sup>th</sup> and 29<sup>th</sup>-floor mural. Hopefully, they¡¯ll finally explain the holes I have when it comes to Karr¡¯s story.¡±


    ¡°Does Master wish to complete the lore?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°Ah¡­ no¡­ actually.¡± I shrugged. ¡°The last time we completed the lore, it was purely by accident. It also almost killed us, if you remember. I¡¯ll be happy as long as we¡¯re able to destroy the final boss and break the dungeon lore. Once there is no dungeon in Chalm, the mansion should return to normal. Then, I can claim the mansion and the city of Chalm will be restored.¡±


    As we spoke, Celeste listened but gave no sign she understood what we were talking about. However, she seemed to be comfortable on my shoulder. Maybe it was muscle memory? We continued on, growing deeper in the dungeon.

 Chapter 158

    Getting to level twenty-five only took another few days. I knew that every five levels, after the boss, you¡¯d encounter an increase in the difficulty of the ghosts. I definitely wanted all three girls to be prepared before we headed to the last four floors. However, I also noted that with Celeste here, our party was at the strongest it had ever been.


    I made sure to heal her and clear her of all poisons and curses just in case. All of my girls were back to full strength as we entered the twenty-fifth floor. This floor was actually pretty dangerous. Besides the traps, one of the monster types was called a Hidden Stalker. They are hidden like those bunnies from Mina¡¯s Dungeon. However, these weren¡¯t nonlethal. Rather, they pounced on an enemy when they least expected it.


    My sense life was vital on this level. We had to move slowly and carefully to be able to take care of the Stalkers and the traps. We found the library after only a few hours with much of the level still bare, so we decided to make lunch there and rest. It was pretty exhausting dealing with the Hidden Stalkers on this level, not to mention remaining vigilant for whenever the boss wanted to show itself.


    Once we got the fire going, I decided to use some of the cook drops which had status boosts. We were going to eventually stumble across this level¡¯s boss, so I wanted to make sure that we had every advantage we could when we encountered it so that it fell quickly. I filled up four bowls and all. I found that Celeste still responded to food in much the same was I was used to. She would eat twice her weight of food if you let her, which was still less than anyone else. She ate excitedly with a smile on her face.


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    ¡°Master, did you want to look at the murals?¡± Miki asked curiously.


    I stood up and shined an orb across the mural. This one seemed to be talking about the fairies. They were attacked and enslaved by the slavers who had discovered her nest. All of the fairies were turned into slaves by the greedy slavers and the forest caught on fire during the attack. The Faery Queen ran as her nest fell, seeking asylum from her friend, Karr. Once in Karr¡¯s mansion, she started to live with him. Having lost everything else important to her, she haad a renewed interest in the love she first had for Karr. Eventually, one night, she gave herself to him.


    I lowered my head and bit my lip. That didn¡¯t really say anything I didn¡¯t already know. The story so far was pretty simple. Karr had a life where he hated slavery. He found the waters of life and sold them to grow rich. He started using his money to free slaves. Somehow, during one of his trips to the fairy¡¯s nest, slavers followed him. They attacked the nest, killed all of her underlings, and then she had no choice but to flee back to the mansion and live with Karr. He accepted her, and they began to have a relationship. Then, something happened, and she turned evil, killed Karr, and cursed the mansion.


    That¡¯s a pretty big leap. What did Karr do? Or was it Karr at all? And more importantly¡­ where did Celeste come from?


    ¡°One more mural to go¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°I hope you have some answers for me.¡±

 Chapter 159

    The level twenty-five boss was called the Shambling Mound. It was a ghost that blocked the entire hallways. What it lacked in movement it made up for in extremely high HP. It blocked the stairway completely and seemed to show no signs of moving. In the end, we just had to work at it. It used magical mental attacks that injured all of us slightly, but we were all prepared to take these kinds of mental attacks at this point. Lydia shook a little, but she held her ground and kept slicing away.


    After an hour, the thing finally broke apart and we were free to head to the 26h floor. I licked my lips as I looked down that stairway. Had the monster been like the level fifteen monster, quick and easy to kill, I would have loved to bunker down. While this monster wasn¡¯t very threatening, he was extremely tedious. He was basically just a HP suck that made remaining on this floor inconvenient.


    I also had a theory that every time he popped, it was probably roughly the same spot in the stairway. In that way, we couldn¡¯t use the 25<sup>th</sup> level as our base of operations without wasting an hour of time and energy carving through the mound. I wonder if the dungeon had made these decisions on purpose. On top of that, the 25<sup>th</sup> floor was very inconvenient. With the hidden stalkers, it was one of the least profitable floors to level on. Was it intentionally trying to goad us on?


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    I shook my head. I promised myself I wouldn¡¯t take any more risks. The three girls were with me and we had plenty of food. If we can¡¯t level on the 26<sup>th</sup>, then we¡¯ll level on the 24<sup>th</sup>. I decided I didn¡¯t want to forge on until I knew we could make it to 29 without difficulty. In the meantime, it might be a good idea to swing back to the higher floors and try to sack the treasures there too.


    ¡°Come on, girls, there is no point in continuing on. Let¡¯s grind on the 24<sup>th</sup> floor for a while.¡±


    The fairy suddenly perked up her ears and then flew into my backpack to hide as she used to do. As for Miki and Lydia, they started giving the stairway uneasy looks.


    ¡°Um¡­ Master?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Are¡­ you¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s ears were twitching. ¡°hearing that?¡±


    ¡°What is¡­¡± I stopped what I was going to say, realizing that while I didn¡¯t hear anything, I did indeed feel some kind of vibration. ¡°What is¡­¡±


    I created an orb in my hand, and then I tossed it out down the stairway. It acted like a ball unless I affixed it to some surface. The light bounced down the stairways, thud, thud, thud. As it went down, it lit the path of the 26<sup>th</sup> floor. It was 2/3rds the way down when suddenly dozens of shadows burst across it. In fact, there were so many of them that the light was obscured in a moment.


    ¡°We need to run!¡± I shouted.


    The girls had seen the same thing, and they could hear the hundreds of ghosts running up the stairway. This was an ambush just like in Mina. The dungeon was no longer playing nice. The Shambling Mound wasn¡¯t an obstacle¡­ it was a cork, and we just unleashed it!

 Chapter 160

    "Rapid slices!¡± Lydia spun her blade in her hand, sending out dozens of cuts, striking the ghosts climbing over each other to get to us from down the hallway.


    ¡°Holy Circle!¡± I declared, creating a barrier that locked the hallway.


    As soon as the swarm of ghosts struck it, the Holy Circle shattered. It was the best we could do to keep the onslaught of monsters from overwhelming us.


    ¡°Celeste! Use Wind Break!¡± I ordered.


    Celeste shot me a confused look, only continuing to send out Wind Slashes. It looked like this spell was outside her understanding as a mindless drone. Well, the real Celeste, the fairy queen, should be able to cast this spell, right? That didn¡¯t matter, but technically this fairy had the skill.


    ¡°Cover me! Duplicate Slave Skill¡­¡± I began to duplicate the Wind Break spell.¡±


    The problem was that the spell was pretty intensive to cast, and I was about 50 level under Celeste when it came to wind magic. The only reason I even had a chance of successfully duplicating it was because of my White Mage job and being able to have to mage-class jobs equipped at once.


    ¡°Come on¡­ come on¡­ cast!¡± My eyes started to widen as I realized I gave myself too much credit.


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    The swarm of ghosts was getting closer and closer. There were nearly twenty of them at a time we¡¯d have to fight. It was safer calling them a flood of monsters. There was no blocking it now that we opened the cork.


    ¡°Master!¡± Lydia cried out.


    ¡°Master!¡± Miki was right behind her.


    The ghost reached us. Darkness began to flood my visions as dozens of ghosts attacks were flung in my direction.


    ¡°Master!¡± I heard Celeste¡¯s voice in the darkness. ¡°Wind Break!¡±


    An explosion occurred around me as the very air shattered. The ghosts were blown back. I abandoned my own casting and turned and ran before the ghosts could surround me again and throw me into the darkness. I felt weak. A lot of attacks must have struck me.


    ¡°Master, you did it, you cast the spell!¡± Lydia said excitedly, grabbing me and helping me along.


    ¡°No¡­ it wasn¡¯t me, it was¡­¡± I shot Celeste a look, but Celeste only cocked her head silently, looking confused. ¡°You saved me¡­ didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Miki shook her head. ¡°All we saw was the ghosts surrounding you and then the spell launching. You were under many mental attacks¡­¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Let¡¯s get to the library. That room seems to repel ghosts. These guys are way too riled up and kiting is proved too dangerous with just the four of us. We¡¯ll wait a night, and hopefully, the horde will even out and lose its momentum. Once that happens, we can start picking them off a few at a time.¡±


    The girls typically listened to me when it was important. They grabbed me and continued to help me until my feet were back under me. Only checking the map for traps and a safe route, I navigated us back to the library. By the time we shut the door behind us, closing out the shrieks and whispering from the ghost flood, we were all extremely tired. For the first time since I had entered this dungeon, I wondered if it was really beatable.

 Chapter 161

    The next morning, after making sure to clean up, we checked out in the corridor. We only made it one corner before the map showed an enormous flow of ghosts. The ground started to vibrate, and I immediately signaled our retreat before they even popped into view. Wasn¡¯t this a bit too aggressive? How was anyone supposed to complete a dungeon when they were allowed to act so defensively?


    ¡°What will we do now, Master?¡± Lydia asked.


    I looked at the door blocking the library from the roaming ghost floods. I shook my head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head up.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Lydia blinked.


    ¡°Up?¡± Miki added.


    ¡°I originally only headed down to satisfy my curiosity, gain some strength, and help Celeste. Now, I feel like I have a good understanding of what happened. I don¡¯t think the final mural is going to tell me something I can¡¯t predict. We don¡¯t need to risk our lives. Rather, it¡¯s much smarter to get the entire Adventuring Guild together and do a mass quest to wipe this dungeon out. What we need now can¡¯t be overcome by strength. We need numbers.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I understand Master¡­¡± Lydia put her head down and sighed.


    ¡°What? What is it?¡± I asked.


    Lydia shook her head. ¡°D-don¡¯t mind me. Master is absolutely right! I was just getting used to seeing how awesome Master was¡­ I always saw Master completing it on his own.¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°As I said, Master is right! I do not want Master to risk his life! Please don¡¯t try to be cool. I-in fact, I¡¯ll be angry if Master risks his life needlessly!¡± Lydia puffed out her cheeks.


    I chuckled and patted her head. I understood what she meant. I¡¯ve been in this dungeon for over a month. I¡¯ve had many life or death battles. In many ways, it felt anti-climactic to give up on it now. If anyone deserved the final award, whether it be some dungeon points or some treasure at the end of everything, it really should go to us.


    ¡°The highest we can teleport is the 9<sup>th</sup> floor, then we¡¯ll work our way up from there,¡± I explained, and then turned to Celeste. ¡°Celeste, will you be willing to come with us? It may be some time before I can speak to the true ¡°queen¡±, but you¡¯re still my slave and house fairy, and I don¡¯t want to leave you behind here.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if Celeste understood all of the words I used, but she did tilt her head thinking about it for a moment before she gave a nod. I smiled in relief. I had worried that she¡¯d be disobedient or even flee. Ever since I had used Order Slave on her she¡¯d be very obedient and didn¡¯t seem to complain about anything. The other two girls seemed to like her too.


    The three of us put our hands on the kiosk. ¡°Level 9!¡±


    The white light and the familiar pull took us to a much higher level, hopefully much away from the flood. Would the fairy queen send the flood up to us once she realized we were going up? I didn¡¯t think it would be a problem if she saw that we were leaving.


    {Some of your party has teleported to another part of the dungeon. You must register with both kiosks to reach that floor.}


    ¡°Wait¡­ what!¡± I glanced to see Lydia and Miki next to me, but Celeste was absent.


    There were only two floors I haven¡¯t registered with. Somehow¡­ I had a sinking feeling it wasn¡¯t level 1 that Celeste was on.

 Chapter 162

    "Damn it! Why didn¡¯t she come with us!¡± I cursed, slamming my fist.


    ¡°M-master, what¡¯s wrong?¡¯ Lydia asked worriedly.


    ¡°Celeste, she¡¯s on the 29th floor. She went to the last library instead of this one.¡± I explained, immediately trying to think of what skills I had.


    ¡°Party Status!¡±


    {Condition: Injured.}


    ¡°Injured¡­ no, she couldn¡¯t have¡­¡±


    ¡°Master?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°It looks like she¡¯s in a fight. Her party condition is injured. If she was just in the 29<sup>th</sup> floor, I could use it to our advantage. We could switch position and I could register everyone, but if she¡¯s already entered the boss room¡­¡±


    I had used party status first exactly in the hopes to determine if she had entered the boss fight. Anxiously, I used party status again. It had only been about twenty seconds so far.


    {Condition: Bleeding.}


    ¡°N-no¡­¡± I shook my head in disbelief.


    Was she losing that badly? No, that wasn¡¯t even the question. If this was just a drone fairy to the fairy queen, why was she attacking what was essentially an extension of herself? What was going on? What was I missing? More than that, what was I going to do now?


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    ¡°Party status¡­¡±


    {Condition: Near Death.}


    A cold feeling shot through me. Near Death. It had barely been a minute¡­ and the fairy I had spent weeks together with was about to die. I had convinced myself she was just a drone and the fairy queen was the true mouthpiece, but none of that mattered right now. The fairy I knew¡­ the one I had even kissed and slept next to and cooked for¡­ was about to die.


    There was nothing I could do. There was nothing I could waste. I tossed the backpack down on the ground.


    ¡°Make sure she gets plenty of water of life. Head up. Return to the surface.¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­¡±


    ¡°Although I wasn¡¯t able to allow your bonds to break upon my death, I made sure the bond switched to the Guild Master. I¡¯ve made sure he knows to release you from those bonds. The town will take good care of you.¡±


    ¡°Master!¡¯ Miki¡¯s tail was sticking straight up.


    After taking some fairy dust I dropped the rest of the bottle of fairy dust. ¡°Sell it, it¡¯ll be enough for all three of you to live comfortably.¡±


    Lydia¡¯s eyes filled with tears. ¡°No¡­ No!¡±


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± I could see both girls leaping toward me, but I could use switch position with a thought.


    I wish there was time to say more, or prep, or do something to change the course of events. Of course, I planned to fight with all I had, but I didn¡¯t think I could take the fairy queen on my own. Realistically, this was it. My body disappeared, and the next thing I knew I was flying across the room. I slammed into a wall with full force. Any thoughts of defensive spells abandoned my mind from the vicious blow. I spit out blood and looked up.


    Floating in front of me was a full-sized woman. Her wings were those of a bat, and she had massive horns on her head. Dark miasma around her, and her face, while beautiful, also contained enough uncanny valley to come off as creepy, especially given the hateful glare on her face.


    ¡°Human! What have you done with that spawn? I was finally going to end this lore! No matter, her fate was sealed the day she was born. As for yours, yours was sealed the second you stepped into my chamber. It¡¯s time to die!¡±


    I stood up, Ghostbane shaking in my hand. ¡°Then¡­ bring it!¡±


    I began to run forward, my sword raised to strike as her spells began to race toward me.

 Chapter 163

    While I gave the girls my pack full of stuff, I still had my ring. I didn¡¯t run into the enemy completely empty-handed. In the future, I wanted to get more items that could be used in combat. When we got out of here, Miki and I definitely need to work on our alchemy. Maybe we can make some bombs and poisons and defensive barriers and all kinds of stuff that I was frantically trying to cast right now.


    She identified as a dark fairy queen, and she didn¡¯t seem to recognize me in the slightest. I had thought I¡¯d be able to reason with her, but the second the queen realized there was a human in her midst, she had been throwing out spells nonstop. She had the magic casting of Karr¡¯s first form mixed with the rapid attacking of Karr¡¯s second form. I had already been in a fight with her for a minute, but I was constantly healing myself and her barrage of attacks hurt like hell.


    I considered pulling out the fairy dust. Karr had reacted to it with an almost feral rage. If she acted the same way, my death would be certain! However, if I didn¡¯t toss the dice and change something up, I would definitely die anyway.


    ¡°Damn you! You¡¯ve taken everything from me!¡± She screamed. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, human! I¡¯ll turn you into ghosts just like the rest!¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything!¡± I insisted. ¡°In fact, look!¡±


    I hid the pinch of fairy dust I used, but I still cast the waters of life. As they flood from my palm freely, the dark queen paused for a second. For a single moment, there was some clarity in her eyes.


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    ¡°The¡­ waters of life¡­¡±


    I nodded. ¡°See? It¡¯s not too late. We can return to your garden. You can have a family again.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ family¡­¡± Her eyes suddenly turned dark. ¡°A human family! You¡¯re just like him! You just want to betray me! You want to take everything from me and use me for your own gains! That is why I made his spirit pay¡­ no¡­ you¡­ you let his spirit pass on. He didn¡¯t deserve peace. Why did you do that?¡±


    Her anger seemed to be returning once again. Karr of the 20<sup>th</sup> floor had been her prisoner? If she was making him pay, then by sending him on with the resurrection spell we had seriously made her angry. That must have been the reason she changed her tune shortly after.


    ¡°It was a mistake¡­¡± I said, trying to regain her trust. ¡°I¡¯m a friend of the fairies. I can help you¡­¡±


    She shook her head, back up. ¡°I can feel it¡­ you¡¯re a slaver¡­ you hold the slavery of that fairy! You¡¯re the one who took her from me! I see it now¡­ you¡¯re just like the other humans. One by one¡­ they hunted my offspring down and made them into slaves. Karr acted like he was better¡­ but he was a hypocrite.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means?¡± I said, desperately trying to keep her talking while I continued to drain my waters of life mana on the floor. ¡°I know Karr accidentally lead the slavers to your nest, but he took you in after, right? He wanted to free the slaves. He was against slavery. All of Chalm tries to free slaves.¡±


    A tear began to fall down her cheek. ¡°I used to love him once¡­ I even allowed him to put the collar around my neck.¡±


    ¡°You were his slave!¡± I gasped.


    ¡°Then¡­ he started eyeing other women¡­ other slaves¡­.¡± Her eyes darkened. ¡°I saw you with your other slaves. You¡¯re doing the same to her that he did to me. When you no longer need her, you¡¯ll toss her aside as he tossed me aside. That¡¯s why¡­ she is better off dead, as are you!¡±

 Chapter 164

    "No one needs to die today,¡± I said, holding up my hands as the last trickles of mana of life disappeared. ¡°See? I can free you of your slavery.¡±


    As I got a clearer picture of the fairy woman, I could see the distinct slave collar still on her neck. When I mentioned it, she reached up and touched it, as if she forgot it was there.


    ¡°Freedom?¡± She said the word slowly like she had to sound out the words.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°I plan to free all of them. I can free you too. Then, you can make a new water of life spring, wherever you want. I¡¯ll even help you build it. We can¡­ we can finally end the lore correctly, okay?¡±


    This seemed to be the right way to end things. Karr had somehow wronged her, but he also loved her.


    ¡°You wish¡­ to remove Celeste¡¯s collar. You want¡­ to set her free?¡± the fairy queen¡¯s words were slow and strange.


    I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not anyone¡¯s Master.¡±


    The woman¡¯s head dropped, but rather than thoughtful or considering, she seemed to be disappointed. I didn¡¯t understand that look in the slightest. Why was she disappointed that I didn¡¯t want a slave? Isn¡¯t that a little backward?


    ¡°I see¡­¡± The Fairy Queen sighed, her angry miasma seeming to shrink a bit. ¡°Then, I suppose this is an ending too. I had thought that Celeste was in your thrall. Had I known what I know then¡­¡±


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    I breathed easier. The entire atmosphere was growing relaxed. I managed to talk down the dark fairy queen and master of this dungeon. With things going this way, we could end this dungeon without any bloodshed. That was what I wanted more than anything. The fairy pointed and I turned to notice the stairs leading up to the library.


    The door wasn¡¯t closed blocking them. That was right, in the last dungeon I was in, the library door closed and the break room was actually part of the boss room. If there was a kiosk, that meant that you could flee the final boss, but doing so would send you back to at least 5 levels. That gave me a thought.


    I didn¡¯t really know how strong dungeon final bosses are. I threw everything I had at the Necromancer who would have been the weakest boss, but he only gave up in the end due to various circumstances. What if¡­ while all the bosses down to the bottom were normal, maybe dungeon bosses were closer to raid bosses. In other words, they required a long term, extremely difficult battle. That would explain why the portal was accessible during the battle.


    When the Guild Master wanted to defeat this dungeon, he had recruited over ten of us. That should have clued me into how difficult that fight was. After all, once the final boss was dead, the lore would reveal itself and be destroyed, yet many dungeons had existed for decades and had never been defeated, even by people way more powerful than me. In fact, these boss rooms were humungous and easily could fit 30 or 40 people if needed.  In fact, dungeon diver would be a more common job if it was easy. If true, I really had defeated my first dungeon on pure luck. Perhaps, this one could be defeated the same way.


    I took a breath and started heading for the stairway. This truly had become the best ending possible.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± I heard the shout, and then someone shoved me.


    Celeste had shoved me aside, as I fell down, a dark beam shot where my back would have been. Instead of hitting me, it hit Celeste instead. I watched in horror as Celeste was consumed in darkness and blown away.

 Chapter 165

    "Celeste!¡± I cried out, erecting a Holy circle and then running over to her. ¡°How did¡­¡±


    I was going to ask how she made it down, but the answer was obvious. Once she had recovered from her injuries thanks to the potions, she had used the kiosk to return to the 29<sup>th</sup> floor and then flew down here. Lydia and Miki were left behind,


    I immediately used every spell at my disposal. I removed curse, healed, and even give life force. However, it was hopeless. An entire wing was gone, as was half her body. I would have assumed she was dead if she didn¡¯t suddenly cough, her eyes sputtering open.


    ¡°Celeste¡­ oh no¡­ why did¡­ you¡­ why?¡±


    ¡°M-master?¡± Her eyes suddenly saw me, and I could see the recognition in them.


    Tears began to fall. ¡°Celeste¡­ please¡­ why did you¡­ she¡­¡±


    I glanced up to see the dark fairy queen watching the scene play out.


    ¡°You¡­ killed her¡­¡± I said darkly.


    ¡°I killed her¡­ a long time ago.¡± The queen said sadly. ¡°When she was born¡­ I couldn¡¯t stand it. She reminded me too much of him. I tried to just enslave her¡­ that¡¯s what I had done to the rest of those in the mansion. I put collars on them. However, humans wouldn¡¯t¡­ accept their place as slaves. They kept resisting me. In the end, I decided it was best to turn them all into ghosts instead. At least ghosts obey. I assumed she had died. I never imagined half of her would live.¡±


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    ¡°Half? She was half-human?¡± I gritted my teeth, anger flooding through me. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ she¡¯s your daughter, isn¡¯t she! She¡¯s the daughter you had with Karr. And you¡­ enslaved her? Turned her human half into a ghost?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s what was left¡­ what I couldn¡¯t destroy.¡± The Queen sighed. ¡°It¡¯s better this way. She was too much like me. Giving her life for a human. How pathetic. Also like with me, that sacrifice will amount to nothing. I suppose, like mother, like daughter.¡±


    She raised her hand again. Before, when she had been fighting me, I had managed to just hold on. I only realized now that she had been teasing me. Now that I thought about it, even the Necromancer had just been throwing out skeletons from boredom. If they were serious, they¡¯d wipe me out in an instant. I now realized that was what the fairy queen decided to do.


    She raised her hand, and darkness began to coalesce in her fingers. It was a beam just like the one she had tried to send through my back. This time, it was growing much bigger. I could feel the mana being used, and it made the hair stand on my arms. There was absolutely no way I could defeat her. I was certain of that.


    I lifted Ghost Bane and sighed. It looked like I reached the end of the road. I still didn¡¯t understand everything, and I didn¡¯t even have time to reason it out. The least I could do was to go out fighting. It was funny. A few short months ago, I would have been pissing my pants and running for cover. Now, my only regret was that I couldn¡¯t save anyone. Hmm¡­ maybe I did have the makings of a hero after all.


    Just when it looked like she was going to fling a pillar of darkness at me, she gasped and backed up. A massive beam of white light shot over my shoulder and struck her in the wing. The light was small, but it still burned a hole right through. She screeched, landing on the ground. As for me, I spun around to see a bright light shining, and at the center was a person with golden wings.


    ¡°You won¡¯t touch my Master!¡± A rich voice spoke clearly, ¡°He¡¯s mine, Mother!¡±


    It was at that point that text shined in my vision.


    {Celeste has evolved into a Fairy Queen.}

 Chapter 166

    "You would dare attack me for a human?¡± The dark fairy queen snarled.


    As soon as she spoke, countless spells came hurtling towards her. Celeste began moving, successfully dodging several attacks, but still getting hit by others. She may have evolved into a Fairy Queen, whatever that meant, but her levels and status were still the same. Her mother had attacked her before and managed to bring her down to nearly dying within a minute. The only difference between now and then was me!


    ¡°Armor!¡± I cast a protective spell on her, ¡°Moderate Heal! Sanctify Land!¡±


    I began to layout every spell I could. With her mother focused on Celeste, I had a few moments of breath to start building up my magical defenses. I downed the last of my mana potions which I had been saving for a rainy day and then started to attack with my own spells. I had to juggle with my jobs, trying to maintain Hero and Slave Master so that she had status up bonuses for being in my party and my slave, but then I needed to switch back to white mage frequently so that I could cast spells and keep healing her. Damn, I really needed a third job slot!


    I used Basic Monster Identify on her, but I wasn¡¯t able to get any information. Evil Eye also scouted no weaknesses. This, I wasted another pinch of fairy dust and used god eye. With that, I was able to see she had no weaknesses. Ah¡­ wonderful. I also found out her name was Astria.


    The battle went on, but I found myself running out of mana quickly. Furthermore, I had squandered a lot of the waters of life I had in reserves. Simply put, I only saw us able to remain able to fight for another few minutes. Whether the dark fairy queen was going easy on us because Celeste was her daughter, I didn¡¯t know but hoping her body would give out suddenly and we¡¯d win this fight was impossible. Something had to change.


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    ¡°Celeste!¡± I called out, ¡°Keep distracting her!¡±


    That was a stupid thing to yell out in front of a sentient boss. I was too used to dealing with dumb monster mobs who didn¡¯t understand English! The dark queen turned to me and began launching attacks. I began to run, heading for the staircase.


    ¡°See, daughter? See how humans run? He¡¯s leaving you now to die. That is just their hidden nature. Your father was just the same! You¡¯re lucky you never met him.¡±


    ¡°I met his ghost¡­¡± Celeste shook her head, ¡°He was a man full of guilt and repentance.¡±


    ¡°There was no repentance for what that man did to me!¡±


    ¡°What did he do? Cheat on you? Sleep with other animalgirls? What¡¯s so wrong with that? If he still loved us¡­ if he still owned us and took care of us¡­ then why was his fate so cruel?¡±


    The queen grimaced. ¡°He impregnated me with you, but still he fornicated with animalkin slavegirls for his own delight. How can you love a man just like him?¡±


    As Astria said those words, she pointed at me. I wanted to deny it, but it was true. I had been sleeping with animalkin slave girls. I didn¡¯t recall seducing Celeste, let alone getting her pregnant, but the words the fairy queen said cut deep into my own insecurities. I wanted to believe that Lydia and Miki loved me for me. Maybe, I had hoped the same from Celeste. However, they were all slaves. I had various charms, and Slave Loyalty and Mina¡¯s blessing even added more slave affection. I slept with them because they were beautiful and I was weak-willed, but could I really call myself better. Would they love me once I set them free and they were no longer being manipulated by cheat skills?


    My movements began to slow down as I felt the crushing blow of her words. It was one thing to carry these doubts myself. It was another thing to hear them out loud. Lore did like to repeat itself. Was I any better than the Lord of this mansion? I was no longer sure.

 Chapter 167

    "I love him¡­¡± Celeste¡¯s words were unwavering, and it caused me to stop and look over at her. ¡°That is why I became a Fairy Queen¡­ because I will no longer be a drone controlled by you. For twenty years I was trapped in this dungeon, torn between human spiritual half, trying to help me leave, and the compelling nature to be a good look fairy and follow her queen¡­ but you haven¡¯t been a true fairy queen in years! I¡¯ve made my choice¡­ I¡¯ve chosen freedom!¡±


    ¡°He will betray you¡­¡± Astria growled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if he loves other women, as long as I can have just a bit of his love, it¡¯s all I want.¡± Celeste shot back.


    ¡°C-celeste¡­¡± I stopped with one foot on the stairway.


    She turned to me and smiled. ¡°Go¡­ escape while you have the chance. I can¡¯t give you the waters of life, but I will give you the only thing I¡¯ve been able to take as my own¡­ my life.¡±


    ¡°Foolish girl! Then die!¡± The Fairy began to throw more violent attacks at Celeste.


    My heart was beating fast, and a shot of adrenaline shot through me. I race up to the library as quickly as I could. Touching the kiosk, I registered myself. I could now travel to the 29<sup>th</sup> floor. Just as I was about to switch position, my eyes landed on the mural. The last part of the story. It depicted Karr. He was an older man now. He had formed the city of Chalm and was starting to free the slaves. Then he¡­


    I paused, my eyes widening. A moment later, they narrowed, anger spreading out from me. ¡°You bastard¡­ that¡¯s what you did? Switch Position!¡±


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    The battle between Celeste and her mother continued, but there was no way Celeste could get the upper hand, especially given how much more powerful her mother was. The only thing she could do was hold on, but even with a renewed sense of determination, within five minutes her mana was exhausted and she had taken various wounds.


    She stared up, shaking as her mother flew over her head, looking down at her with a sneer. ¡°I won¡¯t let you make the mistakes I did. I¡¯d rather see you dead!¡±


    ¡°I-I love Master!¡± Celeste smiled anyway, a tear falling down her cheek. ¡°I made no mistakes, and I regret nothing!¡±


    The spell exploded out toward Celeste, but a sword sliced through it, causing it to break. Celeste looked up to see us standing there. Lydia and Miki were completely unhesitant when I had teleported in. I was just glad they had remained near the library rather than desperately trying to race down. Well, that wasn¡¯t true. They had teleported back down to the 25<sup>th</sup> floor and were single-handedly trying to fight their way through the flood of ghosts. They had left a wake of death, but considering the number and time involved, that only meant they were about twenty feet from the door. I simply teleported in Miki¡¯s place, grabbed Lydia, and then ran for the library. Two teleports later, we were all in the boss¡¯s room. This was cheating, right? Well, it¡¯s not cheating if it¡¯s in the game, that¡¯s what I always said.


    ¡°You¡­ came for me?¡± Celeste said in wonder.


    ¡°She can talk!¡± Miki let out a cry, but I bonked her on the head immediately.


    ¡°Since Master made you his slave, I knew you must be amazing!¡± Lydia declared. ¡°I will definitely fight by your side. Anyone who loves Master is okay in my book.¡±


    ¡°Ahn¡­ they heard¡­¡± Celeste blushed, touching her cheeks.


    ¡°Keep her busy, will you?¡± I called out, grabbing Miki.


    ¡°You treacherous human, you know I can still hear you, right?¡± Astria screeched.


    ¡°Yeah? But you¡¯re going to like this one, so don¡¯t stop me!¡±


    With that, I pulled out the entire remaining portion of fairy dust. As soon as she saw it, Astria¡¯s eyes widened in alarm. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m bringing you some closure!¡± I dumped the entire remaining contents on Miki¡¯s head.¡± Miki! Do it!¡±


    ¡°Resurrection!¡±

 Chapter 168

    White light exploded from Miki¡¯s hands. I had a theory that her resurrection spell wouldn¡¯t be simple. With more regent fairy dust, I predicted it would be able to act stronger. In this case, I needed the spell to work at maximum strength. It always left me wondering why a resurrection spell would destroy a ghost. The second I saw Karr disappear, I had wondered if he was really gone.


    That got me thinking that perhaps all it did was free him from the curse. His spirit was still in this dungeon, trapped, but it was no longer bound to serve as Astria¡¯s level 20 boss. As to where it went? It was probably wondering the halls, much in the same way I had found Celeste.


    Spiritualist might gain a ghost summoning ability eventually, but Miki didn¡¯t have anything like that right now. The only thing she had was Resurrection, however this was a special resurrection formed from the ability mana control. This led to my second thought. If someone died in a dungeon, they were not able to be resurrected. This was because the dungeon trapped their spiritual energy and kept them from leaving, and the curse ate away their spiritual energy. I reckoned that if a priest was brought directly into the dungeon, they might be able to resurrect a spirit. This involved literally pulling the spirit out of the clutches of the curse, but I believed it could be possible.


    It¡¯d just require a powerful priest and a spirit that was fresh. What I had instead was a spirit ¡°accepted¡± by the dungeon, Karr, so that he wasn¡¯t being consumed for energy and an Op version of resurrection that I could sub with additional fairy dust. The result¡­


    The bright light began to coalesce and form into the body of a man. I worried that Astria would attack while we were casting this spell, which took over a minute. When the spell finally finished, an old man was sitting there on his knees. He looked up, glancing around, confusion on his face.


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    ¡°What¡­ happened? Wait¡­ Astria? Is that you?¡±


    Astria hissed, backing away. ¡°Karr¡­ how¡­ you¡¯re alive!¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yup, I brought him back. Lord Karr of Chalm. My slave here has managed to resurrect you within this dungeon. It took two resurrections actually, and the second one cost a king¡¯s ransom in fairy dust, but I knew it was the only way to finally get things out in the open.¡±


    Astria snarled. ¡°I know everything he has done! How dare you bring him back!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring him back to answer to you!¡± I shot back, causing the dark Fairy Queen to balk. ¡°I brought him back to answer her!¡±


    My finger landed on Celeste. She flew back down and landed on her feet, staring at the man in front of her with a complicated expression.


    ¡°A-another fairy queen?¡± Karr said in wonder.


    ¡°No¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°Your daughter.¡±


    Karr¡¯s mouth fell open. It was clear he hadn¡¯t realized he had a daughter. Astria had been pregnant with Karr¡¯s baby when he fell ill and died.


    ¡°My daughter?¡±


    ¡°Karr¡­ I want you to explain to your daughter what you did!¡± I snapped. ¡°I want you to explain what you did to those fairies.¡±


    Karr¡¯s pupils shrank to pinpoints and he shot me a look. ¡°You know?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°What do you think this place is? When you died, Astria found out the truth. She turned your entire mansion into a prison so that no one could resurrect you. It¡¯s been twenty years since that day.¡±


    ¡°Twenty years¡­¡± Karr closed his eyes and shook his head. ¡°I remember now¡­ I have earned your ire, my love¡­ I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that¡­¡± Astria growled. ¡°You have no right!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­¡± Celeste demanded. ¡°Father, what did you do?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± He lowered his head and sighed, unable to say the words.


    ¡°Remember when he accidentally revealed the location of the fairy spring, and they were attacked and enslaved?¡± I spoke up. ¡°It was no accident. He told them where it was. He gave the fairies to the slavers on purpose!¡±

 Chapter 169

    "I''ll kill you!¡± As soon as I had made that announcement, the dark Fairy Queen flew into a rage, dark power swirling all around her.


    I pulled back with the other girls. Only Karr seemed calm. Even though all of her ire was centered on him, he seemed the least bothered by her presence. Well, he was a powerful adventurer in his day. Maybe he was strong enough to fight back? When I summoned him, my desire was to reveal the truth and then allow her to exact her vengeance on him. With that, the dungeon should be able to finish its curse.


    After all, the problem seemed to be that the Queen never got her proper vengeance. He had died before she could express her anger against him. That had to be why the dungeon was incomplete.


    A moment later, Karr raised his hand. The Fairy Queen reached for her chest as an emblem began to shine. I made a noise of shock. It was the slave bond! That was right! Karr had enslaved the Fairy Queen. This bond would have broken when he died, but now that he was back, it had somehow been restored. The Fairy Queen let out a cry and then collapsed down to the ground.


    ¡°Stop this!¡± Karr cried out.


    ¡°I hate you!¡± She screamed.


    ¡°I said, stop it! You need to listen to me!¡±


    ¡°Karr¡­ you¡¯re hurting her.¡± I warned.


    ¡°You¡­ bastard¡­ you took everything! Everything from me!¡±


    ¡°And I lost everything as well!¡± He shot back. ¡°Please¡­ hear me out!¡±


    ¡°I refuse¡­ ahhhhh¡­ I¡­ will¡­ never¡­ be¡­ your slave again!¡± She screeched, her hand slowly raising.


    It looked like she was in extreme pain, but she was determined to attack him. That final attack might very well kill her. Isn¡¯t that for the best? A dark voice inside me told me that if the pair destroyed themselves, it would be for the best. Then, we could all go home. Then, my eyes landed on Celeste. She was holding her hands against her heart, with a look of deep worry on her face. It was clear that she still saw these two as her parents. I remembered her when I tried to force her to follow my slave command that first day. The pain and defiance were the same as the Fairy Queen now.


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    ¡°W-wait!¡± I shouted, stepping forward. ¡°Wait! Stop! I¡¯ll take the slave bond!¡±


    The two people, Karr and Astria, turned their eyes to me. I instantly felt a deep pressure from both of them, but I stood defiantly.


    ¡°Astria¡­ you need to hear what he has to say. Even if you don¡¯t owe it to him, you owe it to your daughter. You don¡¯t want to be his slave? Fine¡­ then I will take control. As long as you promise not to attack us, I¡¯ll even release you from it!¡±


    ¡°You lie!¡±


    I immediately activated the slave taker skill. Both Karr and Astria gasp as they feel the bond between them being tugged away.


    ¡°E-even if you take my bond, you¡¯re still a human!¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll destroy it!¡±


    Karr was still weak from being resurrected. There was no way he could stop me from taking the slave bond. As soon as it ended up in my grasp, I pulled out one of the runes Figuro gave me and activated it, unraveling the slave bond.


    ¡°No!¡± Karr cried out.


    Astria looked stunned for a moment, touching the spot where the bond had just been. Then, she laughed.


    ¡°Foolish human!¡± She raised her hand, ¡°Now, I will-¡°


    ¡°Enough!¡± A shout caused Astria to be stunned into stopping.


    Celeste stood up next to me, her hand finding mine and holding it.


    ¡°My¡­ child¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s enough, Mom,¡± Celeste said. ¡°You need to stop punishing everyone. You need to stop punishing me! It¡¯s time you just listened. It¡¯s time you understood and moved on!¡±


    Astria looked down confused. ¡°Punished¡­ I¡¯m¡­ protecting you¡­ Trying¡­¡±


    Celeste shook her head, ¡°No, mother¡­ you only hurt me. You killed a part of me, and to this day it still hurts.¡±


    I looked over at Celeste with shock in my eyes. I had already guessed most of this, but she really had a part of her die. I didn¡¯t know the kind of pain she had been in. Then again, I had seen the state she was in when I came to this mansion. She was confused and lost. She was scared and alone.


    ¡°Celeste¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± I reached out and touched her cheek.


    She looked over at me and pressed her cheek against my palm, smiling. ¡°Deek¡­ Thank you.¡±


    Astria watched this exchange, her expression turning strange. Finally, like a balloon losing air, she fell back down to the ground.


    ¡°My daughter¡­ for you¡­ I¡¯ll listen.¡± She turned to Karr and crossed her arms. ¡°You read your journal. How will you explain what you did?¡±

 Chapter 170

    Lord Karr collapsed, his hands on the floor as he shook his head. ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t have a choice¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t have a choice?¡± I asked. ¡°And the fairies did?¡±


    Karr shook his head in aggravation. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that! Astria¡­ I did what I had to do.¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get it?¡± Karr said, his hand closing into a fist. ¡°We had been stealing and freeing slaves for years. The Slavers were about to go to war. They were vying for permission from Aberis to sack Chalm and throw everyone we freed back in chains. Dioshin wouldn¡¯t take any of the former slaves. If it came to a war, thousands would die, and everyone we saved would be right back where they started.


    ¡°But¡­ the faeries¡­ they¡¯re just drones. They are used to being controlled, and they don¡¯t have much of a mind. That¡¯s why¡­ that¡¯s why I made the deal¡­¡± Karr lowered his head. ¡°It was between a war of 1000s¡­ or fifty fairies. House fairies were very popular then, and the slavers agreed that if I helped them sack the colony, they¡¯d sign a non-aggression pact. I agreed not to take any more slaves, and they agreed to leave Chalm peacefully with the profits from the fairies.¡±


    ¡°You destroyed my family!¡± Astria cried out, ¡°You sold them like cattle!¡±


    ¡°I saved them!¡± Karr¡¯s eyes shot up. ¡°I saved them from you!¡±


    Astria backed up a step. ¡°You¡­ liar!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember?¡± Karr shook his head. ¡°Were you so infatuated with me, even then?¡±


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    Astria reached up and grabbed her head, confused. ¡°Remember¡­ what do¡­ what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You kept showering me with presents. At first, I was just young, and I took your gifts for granted over the years, but every time I came back, you kept wanting to give me more and more. You wouldn¡¯t let me refuse, so¡­ I convinced myself it was the right thing.¡±


    ¡°Convenient.¡± I snorted.


    ¡°And so, you¡¯d have let innocent people die!¡± Karr shot me a glare. ¡°If someone offered you life-saving medicine, would you refuse to take it!¡±


    ¡°And the fact it lined your pockets with gold I¡¯m sure had nothing to do with it.¡± I narrowed my eyes.


    He sighed. ¡°I won¡¯t say that the desire for more money didn¡¯t play a part, but it was only because a country is difficult to build, and this land lacks valuable resources for me to create a free nation. I don¡¯t deny it. I turned a blind eye to the dark side of Astria¡¯s goodwill. I wanted to believe that she had everything under control. However, the person who destroyed that fairy spring was Astria herself!¡±


    Astria lowered her head, her eyes starting to fill with tears. ¡°I wanted¡­ I wanted you to stay. However, you always left. I thought¡­ if I just gave you enough, you wouldn¡¯t leave me again.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t live that life with you¡­ I told you that many times.¡± Karr explained hesitantly. ¡°But when I returned to see the spring dried, your fairies half-dead and starving, and you still trying to push gifts on to me. I knew it had to end. Those house fairies, they found homes where they are cared for. They may be slaves, but they were slaves with access to food and mana. And for you¡­ I accepted you into my home. With you no longer clinging to the spring, you can finally have what you wanted too.¡±


    I was starting to realize the truth of things here. It wasn¡¯t all anyone¡¯s fault. At best, Karr was guilty of being a bit of a gold digger, using her affection for him to gain more stuff. In the end, his plans didn¡¯t quite work out, and he did what he thought would work for everyone. There was only one thing about this story that still bugged me.


    ¡°What about these other girls? How can you call yourself some anti-slave philanthropist when you created a slave harem?¡±

 Chapter 171

    "My time as a ghost is a dim memory, but I remember encountering you,¡± Karr said, looking at me appraisingly. ¡°You were the boy who keeps two girls on your side yet speaks ill of harems.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem with the harem part. People should have the right to do whatever they want. However, when you add slavery in the mix¡­¡±


    Karr chuckled slightly. ¡°You remind me of myself when I was younger. Idealistic. Noble. The words going through your head? Those were the same words that went through my mind. I told myself if everyone was free it¡¯d all be okay. I had spent my life believing those words¡­ and then I got to watch my best friend, my lover, my sweetheart¡­ she fell apart because of those words.


    ¡°Karr?¡± Astria¡¯s hand went to her mouth.


    Karr nodded and sighed. ¡°A fairy and a man? How could that work? She can live thousands of years, and I would barely live fifty. I told myself if I gave her the cold shoulder that she would eventually move on. She didn¡¯t¡­ and because I wasn¡¯t willing to accept her in my youth, my actions lead to the fate we saw.


    ¡°What does that have to do with slavery?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A fairy queen¡­ is compelled to create a colony, her own fairy spring.¡± Karr shrugged. ¡°Only the bond of slavery can redirect her primal instincts. It¡¯s a part of nature. Fairies are an important part of the mana cycle. That was why I enslaved her, to break that cycle.¡±


    I was starting to understand a bit now. Just like bees made honey and pollinated flowers, it looked like fairies pollinated mana. They created mana springs and mana dust. Their bodies were even composed of mana.


    ¡°And the other girls?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not¡­ everyone wants to be free.¡± Karr sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize it at the time, but the longer I went, the more I realized that some people were so used to servitude, that the act of being freed hurt them. Many of my servants stayed on because of that reason. I tried to free them, but they couldn¡¯t stand freedom. They decided to stick with something they could understand.


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    ¡°There were also many women who fell in love with me. I was a handsome adventurer in my day, and saving a girl from an abusive slave master has an affect on her. I used to just ignore these crushes. Toss these women away and let them fend for themselves. Some moved on, but others were like Astria. They remained heartbroken, a pain they never got over. That is the path we walk, the path of harems.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± I took a step back. ¡°I¡¯m nothing like you¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you ever asked yourself lad, if these girls want to be free?¡±


    I paused, turning to the three women that had been watching our conversation in silence. The three girls blushed, not meeting my gaze. However, before I could say anything, Astria stepped forward.


    ¡°Karr¡­¡± Astria said, her expression complicated.


    Karr shook his head and finally turned to Astria. ¡°I wronged you¡­ perhaps my entire life. I don¡¯t expect you to forgive me. However, perhaps, you don¡¯t need to. Rather¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be best if we just stood aside, and let these children have their future.¡±


    He gestured to Celeste and I, still holding hands.


    ¡°Karr¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t know¡­ the things I did¡­¡± Astria looked down at her hands. ¡°Celeste¡­ my baby, what have I done?¡±


    ¡°I am just as guilty¡­¡± Karr sighed. ¡°I made mistakes. I regret many of them. Among them, I¡¯ve never gotten to truly meet my daughter. Hello, Celeste¡­¡±


    ¡°F-father!¡± Celeste straightened herself as Karr finally stood up.


    He walked over and patted her head and then gave me a sharp look. ¡°Boy¡­ you are her master¡­ and now her man. Take care of my girl. Don¡¯t make the mistakes I did. Never make her feel like she isn¡¯t loved.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ y-yes!¡± I nodded.


    ¡°She is my precious daughter.¡± Astria added. ¡°I have wronged her for so long, so I¡¯m putting faith that you can do it right.¡±


    ¡°Is that it?¡± I asked in disbelief. ¡°Your anger is gone?¡±


    ¡°My fury isn¡¯t so simple as to be obliterated by a few cheap words.¡± Astria chuckled darkly and Karr looked away sheepishly. ¡°However, I have a better understanding now. I know enough to know that I¡¯ve been pushing myself on my daughter all these years, keeping her down. Celeste is our future now.


    Karr straightened, his body suddenly covered in a white light, ¡°Yes, one thing we both can agree on, this daughter of ours deserves a future, and she can¡¯t have that while we continue to squabble in this dungeon! The curse must be broken, and to do that, we both must move on.¡±


    ¡°Father¡­ Mother¡­¡± Celeste spoke with tears in her eyes.


    With that, the atmosphere in the room started to change. Astria¡¯s body was covered in a light too. She gestured for Karr to come to her.


    ¡°Is it really okay?¡± He asked, unsure of himself. ¡°I¡¯ve made so many mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Me too¡­¡± She smiled. ¡°It¡¯s time, that both of us move on. It¡¯s time to let them take over.¡±


    A glowing orb appeared from the ceiling and started dropping down. That was none other than the dungeon¡¯s lore! The story of Lord Karr, his curse!

 Chapter 172

    "W-wait, what¡¯s going on?¡± Celeste asked as Karr walked away and stood next to Astria. ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving.¡± Karr smiled. ¡°We¡¯ve reached the end.¡±


    ¡°N-no! Please¡­ don¡¯t leave me!¡± Celeste suddenly reached out. ¡°Please don¡¯t go!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time we move on. Our souls are bound to this lore, however, we have found a satisfactory ending.¡± Karr explained.


    ¡°What ending?¡± Celeste demanded, tears running down her cheeks.


    Astria reached out, her glowing had to cause a wave of light to spread out and touch Celeste. ¡°You. My child.¡±


    ¡°M-mother¡­¡±


    ¡°I resented you because you reminded me of Karr¡­ but in the end, what I really resented was that you reminded me of myself. I¡¯m so sorry, my child. I¡¯m sorry you had to live such a cursed life. I wanted to keep you from making my mistakes, but now that I know the truth, I can see that you and this hero follow a different path. It is time for me and Karr to step aside, to allow the younger generation to make their own mistakes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time we go!¡± Karr nodded. ¡°But we won¡¯t forget about you. Be a good girl. Put your faith in each other.¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­ father¡­¡± Celeste reached out, but couldn¡¯t get any closer thanks to the resonating light.


    ¡°W-wait¡­¡± I held up my hand. ¡°I don¡¯t have all the answers yet. Who killed you?¡±


    The light started to shine around Lord Karr and Astria. Astria¡¯s bat wings had returned to looking like fairy wings, and while there was a dark aura around her, it was considerably lighter than before. Her beauty was starting to shine through, like a mature version of the still young Celeste.


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    ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡± Karr shrugged. ¡°Perhaps, you will find that answer, along with my daughter.¡±


    ¡°When I found him poisoned, I read his journal, that was when I learned about what happened to my fairies.¡± Astria sighed regretfully.


    I frowned, considering their words. He was poisoned and she happened to find him with his journal out to incriminate him?  On that note, what happened to his animalgirl slave harem? They weren¡¯t trapped should being punished by this dungeon like Karr. In fact, they were mysteriously missing. I wanted to say something, but the glow was growing brighter. It was growing harder to see. Not to mention the mood was completely off with Celeste bawling and wishing her parents a farewell.


    ¡°Hero¡­¡± Karr¡¯s voice suddenly exploded in my head, not being spoken, but somehow being magically sent. ¡°I have some awareness of the world outside. I know that I am not only passing my daughter on to you but Chalm as well. Twenty years ago, I was poisoned. I had second thoughts about the fairies. I had planned to buy them back, one at a time, and the person I trusted to do this was the Harem Hero Artemis!¡±


    ¡°Y-you think he betrayed you?¡± I asked back.


    ¡°I do not know. Although you have granted me this new body, I¡¯m afraid the only way to break the curse on this dungeon is my death. However, I didn¡¯t adventure alongside a hero for many years without picking up a trick or two.  I don¡¯t wish to leave Celeste or you with nothing¡­ so, I¡¯ve prepared a surprise. It¡¯s a skill I learned thanks to Astria¡¯s fairy dust. Please accept it. Take care of her as well, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ okay.¡± I wasn¡¯t completely sure what he was talking about, but the least I could do was watch after Celeste and investigate into his death.


    I was taking his mansion, after all! The light finally snuffed out, and Astria and Karr were nowhere to be seen. In the sudden silence after everything that had happened was almost off-putting.


    ¡°Is it over?¡± Lydia asked in the silence.


    A pulsating light floated overhead. The four of us looked up at it. That was the dungeon lore. It kept moving until it stopped right over my head.


    ¡°Oh¡­ crap!¡± I cursed, turning to leap away.


    The lore was faster, and it came plunging down. I let out a cry as a burning sensation exploded across my shoulder. Karr¡¯s lore was now becoming a part of me!

 Chapter 173

    The completion of a lore, the ending of a story, people often think that this means that everyone lives happily ever after. They want all of the holes to be filled, all of the plots to be explained, and for everything to wrap up in a tight little bow. Life is rarely so one-dimensional.


    Take Karr, a young boy from a rich family who just wanted to do good. After witnessing a slavegirl being abused, he vowed to be a hero who fought for justice. He spent many years adventuring in his youth, seeking to be a hero like many young nobles fancied.


    One day while pursuing a quest for the Water of Life, Karr nearly died only to be rescued by the fairies of a fairy spring deep in the forest. You see, the Fairy Queen had seen him battling, and had instantly fallen for him. She nursed him back to health and then began to lavish him with gifts. However, Karr couldn¡¯t stay, and even though he knew the Queen had fallen for him, he was convinced her love would dwindle with time and separation.


    Karr returned to his home with a large barrel of water of life, a product of the fairy spring. Selling it, he was able to help many adventurers and also accumulated great wealth. Pressured by those in need to collect more water, and also tempted a bit by his own greed, he made many trips to the fairy spring. Each time, she would lavish him with whatever he asked for, and the light and purity of her spring began to diminish. Karr decreased his visits hoping to create some space between himself and the Queen, so that she could finally move on and rejuvenate her spring.


    After that, Karr used his gathered resources to build the free city of Chalm. He dreamed of a self-governed city where humans could live alongside all other demi-humans without any slavery. He built this city in a location not too far away from the fairy spring, deep in the wilderness and a distance from the countries who tried to subjugate his people.


    As time passed by, other women began to throw themselves at Karr. He looked toward his friend Artemis, who often spoke of wanting a harem to the point that he eventually adopted the name, Harem Hero. Karr saw the misery caused when he rejected the slave women who fell for him and started to think that perhaps Artemis was on to something. Not every girl would be happy moving on and not every slave wanted to be free.


    Years passed, and he returned to the Fairy Queen, wondering what had happened to the woman who had made everything he built possible. Although it had been nearly a decade since the last time he was there, the Fairy Queen¡¯s colony which once included hundreds was now down to fifty, and the fairy spring that was supposed to have rejuvenated failed to thrive. It was because the queen had grown depressed in his absence and had mishandled her fairy colony until she and it might have died out after a few more decades along its current course.


    Yet, when he pleaded with her to return to the mansion with him, she wouldn¡¯t. She was bound to her spring, just as he was bound to Chalm. Around the same time, Karr was being pressured by the slavers for his slavery emancipation projects, and it was getting close to a war. Karr decided there was only one choice. He¡¯d allow the slavers to take the fairies, and with her Colony destroyed, only then would the Fairy Queen finally abandon her dying land.


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    Returning to the mansion with the fairy queen by his side, Karr began to finally start accepting the love of the women in his life. At first, Astria was simply happy to be by Karr, but as she saw him canoodling with other women, she grew jealous. Worse, she was pregnant, and thus frightened, as she had never had a child before. Normal fairies, it seemed, were not born of a Fairy Queen. Rather, they were spontaneously created from an accumulation of fairy dust.


    Then, one day, she decided to go to Karr and finally confess her insecurities, only to find him dead. He had been poisoned, and sitting on his bedstand, open to a certain page, was his journal with all of his deepest darkest secrets. She read his journal and learned about what he did to her colony. Growing filled with rage, she put collars on all of his servants, enslaving the entire mansion and closing the doors to the city of Chalm.


    At this point, Karr¡¯s death was already primed to form a dungeon curse, but Astria didn¡¯t allow it to drift away. Instead, she bound Karr¡¯s soul to the mansion. Even though she couldn¡¯t get her answers, she wallowed in self-pity until the day she had Celeste. After birthing Celeste, the half-human/ half-fairy reminded her of everything that had happened. She threw a collar on Celeste too. However, a few weeks after she was born, a group of the enslaved staff tried to smuggle Karr¡¯s child out of the mansion to freedom and failed.


    At that point, Astria tied herself to Karr¡¯s curse and used the energy to wipe out all of the humans and release the ghosts onto the city. After lashing out at everyone, she went into a deep slumber and allowed the curse to run its course, infecting even herself in the end. Her daughter whom she assumed died in the spell, survived as well. Her spiritual body combined with her fairy body, and she roamed the halls, lost and confused, having the broken thoughts of her mother channeled through their bond as Fairy Queen and fairy.


    Twenty years passed, and then we came. When I told Celeste to be herself, she combined her ghostly form with a fairy form permanently, becoming one with her fairy self, which fell under her mother¡¯s control. In her defiance of the current leading fairy queen, and perhaps with leveling help, she was able to evolve into a fairy queen herself and shed off her mother¡¯s influence.


    Then, I summoned Karr. Karr gave Astria the closure she needed, and Astria gave Karr the peace he needed. Was either of them good or bad? It wasn¡¯t really my place to say. They both did bad things, and they both tried to do good. In the end, it was Celeste, their daughter, who had been hurt the most. What they felt about each other in the end, no one but they knew. One thing was certain, they both could agree to step aside and make way for their daughter Celeste. It was her future now, as a new Fairy Queen and slave to the next hero of Chalm. That was how their lore ended.


    I finally stopped screaming as a shining tattoo formed on my shoulder. Like the previous one, it wrapped around from back to front like a serpent, containing text in an unreadable language.


    {Congratulations, you have completed Karr¡¯s Dungeon.}


    {True Dungeon Diver has increased by ten levels.}


    {For completing the lore, you have gained 10 dungeon points.}


    {Karr¡¯s lore is now a part of you. You have gained Karr¡¯s Blessing.}


    {You have increased affinity with nature. Animals and natural creatures will like you more.}


    {Slave Bonds are now permanent. You cannot remove or swap a slave bond.}


    ¡°Wait¡­ what was that last thing? Oh¡­ you bastard!¡±

 Chapter 174

    The orb had shattered, and a new tattoo had embedded itself on my shoulder. Now I had one on my left leg, and one on my shoulder. I was a guy who never took to tattoos in the first place, so this didn¡¯t really make me all that happy.


    A door in the back of the boss room opened up, and I entered a bedroom, not unlike the one in Mina¡¯s dungeon. Except, this time, three girls entered the room behind me. They were all looking around curiously at the world around them. Celeste was now a regular size, with long translucent wings which caused her to take up a lot of space. She seemed to do something and they disappeared for a bit, allowing her to go through the doorway.


    As I glanced around, I found various coins, trinkets, and items. The dungeon was a lot more profitable than the young Mina¡¯s dungeon. I found a treasure chest full of coins. I couldn¡¯t even count how many were in there at the moment. There was a complete set of armor which looked extremely formal and refined, which must have been Lord Karr¡¯s armor. I also found a few blades that looked pretty expensive. I found a blade I liked that seemed to be imbued with ice magic.


    I made the girls each pick out a magic knife and Lydia got a new magic sword. Whether it was better than the sword she currently had was hard to tell. This wasn¡¯t a video game where loot got a higher level as people grew a high level. Plus, other than magical attributes and maybe subtle things like balance and sharpness, one sword wouldn¡¯t cut or do more damage than another. As for magician stuff, Karr seemed to be lacking in those kinds of items.


    When I finally finished grabbing everything we could carry, my storage ring and backpack were full and we needed to carry the treasure chest directly. It was time to leave. I wanted to go back to the top floors and clear out those treasures, but the kiosk was inactive now and the door wouldn¡¯t open. The remainder of the dungeon appeared to be collapsing or at least no longer accessible. It was possible all the remaining treasure in the dungeon was sent to the treasury when I finished the lore. That¡¯d be kind of nice.


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    With one last look around the room, I put magic into the spell, and we left the dungeon we had been trapped inside for around a month. When the light faded, I realized we were standing at the front gate of the mansion, just outside the fenced-off yard. Shortly after we appeared, I heard a shout. There was a sparse population of people, but as they made noises, more and more people appeared. Soon dozens of people came running out to greet us.


    ¡°Deek!¡±


    ¡°Hero! You made it!¡±


    ¡°Lord, you¡¯re alive and well! Good, Good!¡±


    The girls all smiled and waved excitedly. Even though I hadn¡¯t spent a lot of time with the Chalm citizens since we reconciled, even I felt a bit happy to see people welcoming me home.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Mayor! Guild Master!¡± Two familiar faces showed themselves through the crowd.


    ¡°I felt a mana disturbance coming from the mansion recently. I was fearing more ghosts might flood out. Damn, I¡¯m glad to see you, boy!¡± The Guild Master laughed and slapped me on the back.


    ¡°Ah¡­ thanks. That was the dungeon being defeated. Actually.¡± I explained.


    ¡°You really did it?¡± The Mayor¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You¡¯ve broken the curse? Since you went in, the ghosts out here have gone quiet. We¡¯ve managed to reclaim all but the mansion, using the alchemy tricks you taught us. However, for you to reclaim the mansion. It truly is a miracle. You really are a hero!¡±


    Just as he said that there was a loud creaking noise that filled the air, followed by a massive crash. The exploding sound was enough to silence the whole crowd. By the time I turned around, a wave of dust washed over everyone outside. There was some coughing, confusion, and a few shouts of worry.


    ¡°Wind!¡± I cast wind magic and blew the dust away.


    When Celeste saw what I was doing, she copied me and did a better job. When the smoke cleared, I finally could see what happened. My pupils contracted to pinpoints and my mouth fell open.


    ¡°Oh dear¡­¡± The mayor said, ¡°That is unfortunate¡­¡±


    The mansion had completely collapsed. All that was there was a pile of rubble.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a mansion turned into a dungeon before, let alone seen one defeated.¡± The Guild Master spoke cautiously. ¡°It appears that when the dungeon is destroyed, the building collapses.¡±


    My mansion¡­ the home I had fought tooth and nail for the last month to conquer, was now an empty pile of ruins.


    ¡°Ah! Master is crying again!¡±

 Chapter 175

    Our return and the destruction of the mansion meant that Old Chalm was finally reclaimed. This also meant a great deal of celebration. I drank with all of the Adventuring buddies. Big sis cried and hugged me in her chest until all three of my girls started pinching me. It really hurt too! We broke into a jug that had been sitting in some basement and allowed to age for 20 years. It was quite good. After that, things got fuzzy for a while.


    When the Guild Master and Mayor wanted to pull me aside for a bit, I cast refresh on myself so I could focus on business.


    ¡°Deek, I never would have believed a month ago that you would have teleported into the dungeon and then defeat it in that time. You are truly a dungeon diver of some skill. I don¡¯t know where you came from, but you have deeply impressed me.¡± The Mayor bowed. ¡°For everything you have done for Chalm, I¡¯d like to recognize you as our Lord.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry that the ladies escaped us. When you disappeared, they seemed to know you were in that dungeon, but we had no proof. We tried to watch after them, but the two girls were very determined to be by your side, whatever the cost.¡± The Guild Master sighed. ¡°Until earlier today, I didn¡¯t know if any of you were still alive. It left a heavy feeling on my heart.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to worry you guys, things sort of just happened.¡± I tried to laugh it off, even though I knew exactly how dangerous and reckless my actions had been.


    ¡°Do you still plan to free the girls?¡± The Guild Master asked.


    ¡°I¡­ right now it seems I am unable to. Upon completing the dungeon, my blessing won¡¯t allow me to release a slave!¡± I showed them the tattoo on my shoulder.


    I went on to reveal that I had completed the lore, not destroyed it, both men were certainly surprised. However, thankfully they understood that this was information I didn¡¯t want spread, and agreed to keep it quiet between us and my slaves of course.


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    I ended up giving the pair a quick and dirty version of the events, including the story about what happened to Karr. The Guild Master sat thoughtfully, nodding his head and listening carefully. The mayor occasionally gasped or offered his interpretations of things. When I was finally done, the group was silent for a bit.


    ¡°The town has spoken,¡± The mayor explained. ¡°And agree that you need not be required to free your girls, so if you can¡¯t I¡¯d say we¡¯ll just leave it at that.¡±


    I thought about what Karr had said in that dungeon. Do they even want to be free?


    ¡°I will continue to look for a way to free them.¡± I grimaced. ¡°I owe them the choice. But if they want to stay by my side, I won¡¯t reject them. Tsk¡­ what kind of blessing prevents you from releasing slaves!¡±


    ¡°The same kind that also keeps them from being taken forcefully?¡± The Guild Master offered. ¡°I can¡¯t say I understand much about dungeons and dungeon lore. You¡¯re the first man I¡¯ve ever seen who has completed and combined with the lore of a dungeon. More-so, you¡¯ve done it twice now. Once is a fluke, but twice¡­ you really are something.¡±


    ¡°It was just two flukes¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°If I had never met Celeste, there was no way I could have completed the lore. It was the similarities between Karr and me that allowed me to help them reach their end.¡±


    I decided not to explain combination skills to them. Well, I only had a pinch of fairy dust left, basically what didn¡¯t fall out of the bottle. Once that was used up, I wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain more.


    ¡°Well, in the end, I think you did well, my boy.¡± The guild master nodded.


    ¡°The thing I want to know is¡­what¡¯s the deal with my mansion!¡± I demand.


    The two men turned green for a second.


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­¡± The Mayor blushed. ¡°Well, I mean¡­ the deed is yours¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Relax.¡± The Guild Master laughed. ¡°We¡¯re going to rebuild it. Everyone in town owes you. You didn¡¯t want a rusty old mansion anyway. We¡¯ll build you something new. You can even have some input into it if you want. A garden, a pool, a bathhouse? Just say what you want, and we¡¯ll definitely do our best to build it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that makes me feel more relaxed¡­ but that will still be months before we have a place to stay. I was hoping to move into something a little more permanent.¡±


    ¡°Actually, this works out perfectly!¡± The Mayor forms a grin much like a cat. ¡°Because we have another mission for you, and the new one will take a couple months!¡±


    I let out a sigh. Why am I not surprised?

 Chapter 176

    It was sometime later when I finally returned to the place we had been given after leaving the alchemist¡¯s building. Since the girls had abandoned it weeks ago, it was quite dusty. Without asking, the girls immediately went to work cleaning it up. I told them to just make it nice enough to stay a few nights. It looked like we¡¯d be leaving the city soon on a new adventure. I still had questions to ask the guild master on this new quest, but that could wait until the morning.


    This would be the first night I could sleep in a bed since I had entered that dungeon, and I planned to really enjoy it. Since I had such a storage ring, maybe I should get some kind of portable bed. It¡¯d take up a third of the ring, but it would totally be worth it. I was pulling out items from my ring and going through all the riches we had gained.


    I made sure to not be clear to the guild master and mayor how much I brought home. It felt a lot like lying, but at the same time, I suspected if I told them how much riches I had, they might give me some sob story about how the city lord was responsible for helping his people rebuild or something. The two men weren¡¯t bad men. They meant well and I didn¡¯t believe they were trying to screw me over, but they were also a bit singularly focused when it came to their decisions.


    The door opened and I looked up to see Celeste stepping into my room. Since she had grown in size upon her evolution, I had noticed her walking a lot more. It would be awkward if she was floating around the room even though she was the size of a normal girl. Now that I could see her at full size, I could truly appreciate her beauty. Her glittery hair, her soft features, her ample bosom¡­ Celeste was a very beautiful woman, much like her mother had been before she had turned dark.


    ¡°What is it, Celeste?¡±


    Celeste looked down, holding her hands in front of her nervously. ¡°The other two girls told me they were busy cleaning. They said I should¡­ um¡­ entertain Master for the night, since we had previously not done so.¡±


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    ¡°Ah.. sorry, I¡¯m not really in the mood to play games¡­¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­ that¡¯s not what they meant¡­¡± Her face flushed and she grew even shier, ¡°I mean¡­ you and me¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± I sat up. ¡°You mean¡­ ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to embarrass you. You want to¡­ I mean, are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ since I first met master, I¡¯ve wanted to¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean, you kept calling me a pervert and I kind of had the impression sex wasn¡¯t that interesting to you without fairy dust.¡±


    ¡°Th-that was when I was a fairy, master.¡± She said nervously. ¡°Rather, Fairies are actually very provocative, but we lack the basic understanding of how to satisfy these wants. Plus, I was channeling my mother¡¯s own disgust when it came to Lord Karr, I mean father.¡±


    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that the real you has always been hidden?¡±


    She blushed and nodded. ¡°For twenty years, I wandered the halls of that dungeon, half-ghost, half fairy¡­ my mind was a muddled mess and I had no grasp on anything. I was in a prison of my mother¡¯s making, and I didn¡¯t even know it.


    ¡°Then, Master appeared¡­ and you were kind and silly, and stern, and caring¡­ and you were like a light in the darkness. My mind started to work again. I started to shake the influence of my mother, and come to understand my own individuality.


    ¡°But¡­ as we got farther down, closer to the Fairy Queen, her anger and jealousy affected my fairy half. When you finally ordered me to be myself, my ghost half fused with my fairy half, and Mother¡¯s call completely ruled me. However, even then, I felt compelled to follow you, to be by your side. You may say it was just the collar, but I feel it was more. When mother saw my collar, she grew furious and almost killed me. You transported me up to the 9<sup>th</sup> floor. Away from mother¡¯s influence, I could finally regain my thoughts. That was when I realized I had to protect you. Yet, to protect you, I had to challenge my mother, and that lead to my current state.¡±


    ¡°So, now you¡¯re a Fairy Queen?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still a fairy, or rather a half-fairy. My true form is actually larger than normal fairies. A normal fairy is about six inches in size. I¡¯m much bigger because of my humanity. Fairy Queen is more like an acquired subspecies. However¡­ I am still incomplete¡­ because¡­¡±


    ¡°Because your human half is gone!¡± I stood up. ¡°Wait! Your ghost is still inside you, you carried it outside the dungeon and the curse is now broken! If that¡¯s the case, then resurrection¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Master¡­ you can restore my life to me.¡±

 Chapter 177

    "Alright, let¡¯s do this.¡± I pulled the last pinch of fairy dust out from my pocket.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Master! That¡¯s the last of it!¡± She cried out. ¡°If you use it up, you won¡¯t have any more in the future.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ but I have to try.¡±


    I also admit I had some hopes of getting more. I could always buy it in a shop if I got lucky. However, if Celeste was restored completely, maybe there was a chance she could produce fairy dust herself. I had been told that fairy dust came from fairy queens after all. That same dust also created fairies given the right circumstances. I wasn¡¯t really looking to make my own fairy colony here, but I admit I was curious.


    ¡°You don¡¯t really have to¡­¡± Celeste blushed. ¡°We don¡¯t know what will happen now that I evolved. If I reintroduce humanity back into my body now¡­¡±


    It looked like Celeste was now having second thoughts. Before, she was just pondering the possibility. Now that she realized I was willing to do it, it became too real to her. Who knew how young she was when her human half had been destroyed. She was probably only a few months old. It was true, I really didn¡¯t know what would happen if I resurrected her now. However, I wanted Celeste to have every opportunity, and somehow I felt that she would have more opportunities if she was more than just a mana creature with intelligence.


    ¡°Celeste¡­ resurrection!¡± As I said the words, I sprinkled the dust on Celeste.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was preferable to put the dust where I wanted to cast it or leave it a part of me, but it seemed to work either way. With my White Mage job equipped, I was no weaker at casting resurrection than Miki. Sure¡­ I had to use Slave Master and copy skill, so it was more wasteful, but it wouldn¡¯t be weaker. A glowing appeared around Celeste as I worked the long magic that took almost a minute to cast. Fortunately, I had plenty of mana at my current level, and the spell finished without a problem.


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    When Celeste¡¯s glow went away, I blinked to see that she was back down to her 18-inch form. The Fairy Queen that had been there at full size was nowhere present. Instead, her wings were gone and she took on a slightly ethereal form. She was still moving through the air, but it was as if she was doing so by warping the air itself.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    I immediately checked her information.


    {Name: Celeste


    Class: Elemental


    Job: Master Wind Magician (Slave) (LVL 1)


    Unlocked Jobs: Enchanter (LVL 2), Adept Wind Magician (LVL 22), Novice Magician (LVL 50), Apprentice Magician (LVL 25)


    Race: Sylph}


    ¡°A Sylph? How did you turn into a Sylph!¡± I cried out.


    So, she was a half-fairy whose human half was turned into a ghost that possessed her own form. That read as a house fairy. She then defied her fairy queen and evolved into a fairy queen of her own. Now, upon reviving her human half, she somehow combined with her magic and elemental class and somehow became a Sylph. Isn¡¯t that like an Air Elemental or something?


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± She panted.


    Sylph was probably an extremely rare subspecies of fairy or even a subspecies of the subspecies fairy queen. Of everything I expected to happen, I didn¡¯t expect her entire species to suddenly change.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± I looked up to see her face flushed. ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-you used the fairy dust on me again¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not supposed to work on fairy queens,¡± I responded tearfully. ¡°Although¡­ I guess you¡¯re a Sylph now. Is it effective on Sylphs?¡±


    She looked up at me desperately. ¡°Very!¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    It looked like I had to take responsibility after all.

 Chapter 177.5

    "M-master¡­ please¡­¡± Celeste moaned as she lay in front of me, her body writhing.


    Her cheeks were blushed, and one of her hands were moving up and down her body sensually. I hadn¡¯t had time to work on getting her clothes. Considering how she kept changing sizes, that was probably a good thing. However, the long, plain dress she was wearing now looked incredibly sensual with the way she was moving under it. My dick definitely rose to the occasion. Celeste was a beautiful girl with a nice butt, a cute face, pinkish glittered hair, and nice breasts.


    There was just one problem, she was only 18 inches tall. My dick was about 1/3 her size! There was just no way. I went to lick her as I did before, but she shook her head.


    ¡°No¡­ I need it inside me, master.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­ that¡­¡±


    Was it perhaps the fact she didn¡¯t know how big it was? Well, I mean, I was only average, although to be honest with the weight loss it did seem to look a bit more impressive. Ah, that wasn¡¯t important. I decided to pull out my dick and show it to Celeste. Perhaps with a visual, she¡¯d start to understand the problem. I unzipped it and then put it right next to the fairy. The comparison was ridiculous as it seemed. If she hugged it, it¡¯d be like hugging a tree. She could only just get her arms around it.


    ¡°This¡­ is Master¡¯s thing¡­¡± She reached out and touched it.


    Her little hand barely covered a 10<sup>th</sup> of the circumference of my cock, but the feeling of it on there was enough that I grew even more aroused. She started stroking it with both of her hands. It looked more like when a girl was jacking off a leg than a penis. She reached down and pulled off her robe, baring her body completely naked. She was blushing, but she didn¡¯t stop herself from wrapping her body around my dick. Thus, she was on all fours, hugging my cock, and moving her entire torso up and down, her breasts pushed apart from my dick as it ran up and down the length of her chest.


    ¡°C-celeste¡­¡± I let out a gasp.


    The feeling was crazy, but also it felt really good. Not to mention, I could see her butt, as she went up and down. Whenever her body dropped down, I could just get a glimpse of her little cunny. Even just using my pinky, I¡¯d split her open. Watching her give her all going up and down my cock was torture. She was licking my cock too, but there was so little saliva that I barely could feel the addition. That was until I grew aroused enough that a bit of precum came out, she rubbed it on her body, and it was enough to turn her chest and arms into a slip and side.


    She started moving faster and faster, going up and down with her body. Was it a titty fuck? A handjob? Oral? Technically, it was a complete upper body jack off. I could tell she was using her all to move up and down as fast as she could. Her machinations had turned my mind to mush, and I stopped thinking about how ridiculous it was and started to get into the moment. I reached out, sliding one finger between her legs and pressing my thumb on her butt.


    ¡°Ahh, Master¡­ yes¡­¡± She moaned.


    Using my thumb to hold her hips, I rocked my finger against her clit. One finger was already three times the size of her pussy. However, I could rub the whole thing and apply as much pinpoint pressure as I could. I could see her sucking my dick, well, just a small part of my dick which she was Frenching frantically while I fingered her. Her little hips were thrusting were rocking against my finger, and I occasionally moved my thumb to massage her butt.


    Even though she was just a fairy, her machinations, not to mention the erotic appearance of a little fairy going up and down on my cock with her naked body was incredible.


    ¡°Hah¡­. Hah¡­ Master!¡± She let out a moan and her body started to convulse as she clung to my cock.


    ¡°Celeste!¡± I couldn¡¯t hold back, and my cock swelled and started to erupt as well.


    My cum shot up in the air, but there was nowhere to go, so it came plopping back down. A lot of it rained down on Celeste. Each spurt was enough to cover Celeste. Her body stopped shivering and I eased up my machinations on her vagina and butt. She was collapsed, her arm wrapped around my thigh, and her head resting on my leg. Her hair was covered in white stuff, and even as my cock softened, more white stuff came out and flood down.


    She reached out and caught some of it. The amount was enough to fill her palm. Despite that, she took it to her lips and drank some of it.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Master¡¯s taste¡­¡± She said happily.


    She reached out and pulled more of the cum and began rubbing it on herself. There was enough she could practically take a bath or at least a good shower. Celeste looked very pleased and happy with herself as she played between my legs. However, her naked body kept rubbing against my balls, and the erotic scene of the naked girl playing in cum was too much. Suddenly, I found my cock stiffening again for a second round. Damn, and I didn¡¯t even have pervert equipped!


    Celeste noticed it growing and made a noise. ¡°Ohh¡­ Master is finally done with foreplay?¡±


    ¡°Foreplay?¡± I asked, slightly confused.


    ¡°Yes¡­ Master, you haven¡¯t even put it in yet. How can I be satisfied until Master is inside me?¡± Celeste spoke in a slightly spoiled voice.


    ¡°Celeste¡­ you¡¯re too small.¡± I responded, my lips twitching. ¡°I¡¯m afraid what we just did is about the best we could ever do given the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Celeste shook her head. ¡°I stretch real good, so master just needs to grab my legs and pull me down on it. Your cock will definitely go in!¡±


    I thought she was joking, but suddenly she stood up. Her legs were only just long enough that she could get them over my cock long ways. Sitting there, it was like a girl on a barstool the shape of a mushroom. She expected a barstool sized object to basically enter her pussy. She rubbed her sexual parts against the tip of my dick. Whether it was my cum or her wetness, it slid very sensually and sent erotic sensations shooting through my body.


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    ¡°Come on, Master, I don¡¯t have the leverage to force it in on my own. You got to pull!¡± Celeste insisted, looking at me with erotic eyes.


    ¡°W-wait¡­ wait¡­ I¡¯ll definitely tear you in half. We can¡¯t do this!¡±


    Even as horny as she was making me, I wasn¡¯t about to fuck her to death! That was the only possible outcome of what she just suggested. I mean, if I shoved her down, her hips would break, and all the organs in her lower body would be displaced. Her body would be bloated and she¡¯d basically be a living cock sleeve. Well, she wouldn¡¯t be alive for much longer. I couldn¡¯t even believe I was tempted by it.


    ¡°Master¡­ you¡¯re so silly sometimes. I¡¯m a fairy, and now a Sylph. As I¡¯ve explained, I¡¯m a creature of mana. My body isn¡¯t technically physical like yours. I can make room. Not only does it not hurt, but I hear the stretching feeling for a fairy is orgasmic!¡±


    ¡°Heard? Who did you hear from! You¡¯ve been in a mansion for 20 years with barely a conscious thought!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­ Master¡­ it wasn¡¯t like I¡¯ve tried it before! That¡¯s ridiculous! Master shouldn¡¯t say such things!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ please¡­ the fairy dust absolutely won¡¯t wear off until you do it on the inside.¡± Celeste pleaded.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m almost certain it has already worn off from before¡­¡±


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ fine¡­ but if you feel any pain, you let me know and we¡¯ll stop immediately!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± Celeste blushed and then spread her legs as wide as they would go, even using her hands to try to spread it open. ¡°Please¡­ penetrate me.¡±


    I hesitantly reached out and grabbed her legs. As soon as she bent them, all of her weight was now being pressed on the tip of my cock, with her spread legs on either side. I grabbed her legs at the knees and then began to pull her down.


    ¡°Master¡­ harder¡­ you need to pull harder!¡± She moaned, her eyes closed.


    ¡°Ah¡­ shit¡­¡± I started pulling harder.


    The tip of my cock finally popped into something almost unbearably tight. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhn¡­ ahhhh¡­. Ahhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you alright!¡± I exclaimed as Celeste cried out.


    ¡°Keep going¡­ more¡­ I need more!¡± Celeste panted, even as her face was scrunched up.


    ¡°Are you in pain?¡±


    ¡°No pain¡­ fuck me, Master put it in!¡± As she said that, she kicked her legs stubbornly.


    I pulled her down some more. She let out more cries. She was so tight, I couldn¡¯t even believe it was going into her. I had passed the area where her hips should have been. From the backside, a cock almost the size of her waist was impaling her. She looked like a pair of small buns being impaled by an oversized hotdog. As I got it farther in, I could see my dick pushing out against her sides and her stomach.


    ¡°Yes! Yes¡­ ahh¡­ it¡¯s so big!¡± She moaned emphatically.


    My eyebrow twitched. ¡°Isn¡¯t it because you¡¯re too small.¡±


    ¡°Master, I want all of it, give it all to me!¡±


    Once her knees reached my hips, I couldn¡¯t pull her down anymore. Her eyes were still closed and she was panting. I could see the form of my dick inside her, stretching her insides, yet she still wanted more. I had to reach up and grab her shoulders. With that, I shoved her the rest of the way down. It took about five minutes in all, but I had finally managed to impale Celeste completely on my cock. I couldn¡¯t even believe it.


    The panting Celeste finally opened her eyes. ¡°Master¡­ is inside me. I¡¯m so happy. I¡¯m filled so much. I can¡¯t believe how much Master stretched me, I came already.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ so-¡°


    Her eyes flashed. ¡°Now¡­ fuck me. Use my body as your sex toy.¡±


    ¡°R-ight¡­¡± I said helplessly.


    ¡°You used my outer body to get you off, now use my inner body. Don¡¯t worry. As I said, this form isn¡¯t truly physical, so you can be as rough as you want.¡±


    She said she came, but she meant that she was continuously cumming. From the moment I had put my dick inside her, her pussy had been twitching and contracting wildly. Her panting face and lewd expressions showed that just being stretched open was enough to bring her to euphoria. However, the thought and sight of it was driving me crazy too. I finally lost my will to resist.


    Reaching out, I grabbed Celeste¡¯s body in my hand. With her body stretched out around my cock, I could only just get my fingers to touch if I squeezed. She reached down and grabbed my fingers as if to hold on, but otherwise nodded and smiled at me sweetly.


    I pulled up, and her body went with it. She was rather light, so she moved with my hand without resistance. She gasped as she reached the top. Then I pulled back down. My cock slammed back into her. The feeling was amazing. It was like one of those cock masturbators, or at least how I imagined they¡¯d feel. Except, she was warm and writhing, and my fingers could wrap around her limbs to get the perfect grip. My thumb reached up and playing with her tips, spending extra time rubbing her nipples until they felt like tiny little hard bumps.


    I started to use Celeste¡¯s entire body to jack off. Like she had requested, she was a toy, and I was using my hand to go up and down on my cock. The only difference between that and how I masturbated was her lewd moaning noises filling the air and the sweet smell of sex.


    ¡°Damn¡­ this feels good¡­¡±


    ¡°M-m-m-m-a-a-s-ste-eeerrr¡­.¡± She cried out, as I pumped her body for all she was worth.


    She was seemingly lost in her own lust. Her tongue was sticking out and she was drooling profusely. In fact, her face looked extremely silly like she had completely lost all control of it. I was fucking her into a fairy, and somehow that made me want to only go faster. Up and down her body went, my hand blazed, but so did she. Her feet ended up flopping against my stomach and back up every time I went. I was pumping her like someone might shake a can of soda. And just like a shaken can of soda, my cock was ready to pop.


    ¡°Ahhhhn¡­ Celeste!¡± I cried out, pushing her down so hard, trying to plunge my cock in her as deep as possible.


    My dick exploded, my body shuddering as I delivered gob after gob directly into Celeste. I finally reached my end, with a shudder.


    ¡°Hah¡­ Hah¡­ that was amazing¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°Eeeeeee¡­¡± A moaning groan came from down south.


    My eyes widened as I realized that I had gone all out without restraint on a small little fairy! I pulled her off me. My cock came out with a popping noise, and then a burst of cum came with it. I lay Celeste on the bed. She wasn¡¯t moving. Her stomach was completely engorged like she was 9 months pregnant. There appeared to be white stuff coming from her mouth, her eyes, and her ears like she had been overfilled to the point of bursting from every orifice.


    ¡°No¡­ Celeste¡­¡± I shouted in a panic.


    With my shout, her eyes suddenly focused. ¡°M-m-master¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ just move back¡­¡±


    I lowered my head, feeling pain. I had really hurt her, and now she was afraid of me. I took a step back, feeling like crying. Suddenly, her body started growing. She grew over two feet, then four, and finally she was back to the size she was when she was a fairy queen. As she grew, the tummy disappeared and she wiped her face clean. By the time she was back to that size, she looked completely normal.


    ¡°Master¡­ that was great!¡± She stretched. ¡°But I got a bit overfilled. This size has much more room for everything now.¡±


    I stared at her flatly. ¡°Are you telling me you can be whatever size you want whenever you want?¡±


    ¡°Of course? I am a fairy with a mana body, after all, my mana reserves are much higher now as a Sylph, and I can support a larger body with ease. Ah¡­ now that my mouth is bigger, I bet I can fit Master¡¯s whole cock in it! Do you want me to try?¡±


    I stared at her speechless for a few moments and then sighed. ¡°Sure¡­ whatever¡­¡±


    As Celeste tested how much she could make her mouth stretch, I felt a little like crying. Well, it¡¯s fine, I guess, as long as she¡¯s happy and safe, that¡¯s all that matters. After all, we could have a lot more fun with her size-changing abilities in the future.

 Chapter 178

    The next morning, I woke up with a throbbing headache. I had really drank too much at the celebration. I remembered my conversation with the guild master, and I remembered Celeste being resurrected and turned into a Sylph, but then things got a little foggy. I had dreams of sleeping with Celeste, but that was impossible. Celeste was just a a little fairy now.


    As I got up and peed in the commode, I realized my mouth tasted like glitter again. That had to be a coincidence. I decided to let the past be the past. Rather, I needed to start planning for my future. Heading downstairs, I saw the three girls all up. Celeste appeared to be sleeping on the couch. See? We couldn¡¯t have been up all night having weird body-altering sex, she was out here!


    Lydia was cleaning stuff, and Miki had her forehead furrowed as she looked through an alchemy book. It was good she was looking at alchemy. I had used up all of my potions, and we¡¯d need to revive it. I noticed Lydia and Miki both looking at me. What? Did I have glitter somewhere I wasn¡¯t supposed to? When Lydia¡¯s stomach suddenly growled, I realized what it was.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re hungry.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ M-master¡­ you don¡¯t need to cook every meal for us.¡± Lydia blushed.


    ¡°You say that, but you¡¯re also pulling out uncooked food for me to cook.¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s just because Master is the best!¡±


    Lydia¡¯s cooking ability was pretty low, and if she had it her way, every meal would simply be meat. As for Miki, she had a larger diet, but she kept making me feed her. Now that I had seen her fight in the dungeon, there was no way she was going to pull that one on me anymore.


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    I prepared a light breakfast with some meat and bread with an au jus to dip them in. I was getting pretty good at cooking, and I didn¡¯t mind seeing the girls enjoy my meals. On the other hand, it¡¯d be nice to find a high-level maid. Perhaps, that is what I should aim for. I probably should have maids, what with the lord title and the mansion. A cook would be par for the course. Although, I didn¡¯t really like that. I liked everyone who lived there to pitch in a little. It was nice to see Lydia clean and Miki do alchemy. Hiring someone to clean for us felt lazy and unhealthy to me.


    So, if I wanted a cook to join, I¡¯d either need to train up one of these girls or get a new slave. I winced at the idea and touched the tattoo on my shoulder through my shirt. This was a curse that refused to allow me to free anyone I enslaved. It was way too dangerous. Admittedly, slaves were supposed to be lifers, but I didn¡¯t like the idea of a woman being forcefully bonded to me without any choice. That meant I needed to look into this and see if there was a way to remove the curse.


    ¡°Anyway I look at it, it seems like the Capital City is my next target.¡± I sighed.


    According to Figuro, slaves could be bought in the Capital. Similarly, if I wanted to hire maids, the Capital was the place. The Libraries in the Capital would be the best place to research my dungeon curses. Furthermore, the mission that the Guild Master had sent me on involved going to the capital. This wasn¡¯t some attempt to use me to fulfill some goal. Rather, I needed to go to the Capital and petition the government to include Old Chalm in its borders. My mission was to announce my lordship over the wildlands and claim them for the Capital City.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to the Capital next?¡± Lydia asked.


    I nodded. ¡°As soon as we settle everything here, we¡¯ll head out. The journey will take nearly a month. Just about anything could happen.¡±

 Chapter 179

    My appetite had never been something small, but since losing weight, I found myself less interested in food. Perhaps it was because the food here lacked the sugar and salt content I was used to in my foods. Whatever way, my arms were looking pretty nice, and I might even get a six-pack if I started doing crunches daily. I mean, I wasn¡¯t going to, but there was a time where I couldn¡¯t even imagine having a six-pack.


    While the girls happily ate, I took care of another item from my checklist I had neglected earlier. After resetting my dungeon skills, I now had 15 skill points. It was 14 once I saved one for reset. That meant I could keep the 4 I was used to, and then include 2-second tier or 1 third-tier skill. If I was a bit OP before, I was definitely broken now. Then again, a person who completed a Dungeon¡¯s Lore in their lifetime could probably be counted on a single hand.


    I also found that the new lore had added a few new items to the list. So, each dungeon seemed to have their own skills on top of the standards. What could be considered a standard? Well, at tier 1 we had 2X experience, tier 2 we had 5X and at tier 3 we had 10X. Regrettably, 10X cost 16 points, as I need to buy both the tier 1 and tier 2 first. At tier 4, there was 100X. That would cost a whopping 41 points, but that speed of leveling made my mouth salivate.


    Suddenly, I found myself wanting to find another dungeon immediately. I had to tell myself how dangerous they were and how much I had only survived by luck. I couldn¡¯t let two successes lead me to get a big head here. I was honestly lucky when it came to the two dungeons I found. First, because I happened to be involved in a situation similar to what was going on with the cursed. Second, because one dungeon was a baby still trying to establish itself and the other was a curse hijacked by a dark fairy queen.


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    It was really scary how addictive dungeon diving could be. I recalled when I first came to this world thinking such reckless actions were crazy. Now, all I wanted to do was dive into another one and see what treasures I could acquire. If I found some stable dungeons, we could essentially farm them forever, acquiring food and alchemic supplies. If I leveled enough, the bad guys wouldn¡¯t even be a threat after a while, and we could live casually.


    After a little more consideration and with this in mind, I decided I wasn¡¯t going to change things up too much. I kept Portal and Map selected, and then I added a third job and 5X experience. The more levels, the safer we¡¯d all be in this world. I had no desire to be the strongest, but I didn¡¯t want to be killed by a monster by mistake.


    Then again, I had heard the monsters on the surface were usually quite weak outside of a few special outdoor dungeon areas. As to what that is, I was told that dungeons were like trees. Some had deep roots that grew on forever, while others had trunks and branches for the world to see. For example, in the case of Karr¡¯s dungeon, the mansion was the physical top, the first few levels manifested in this world. However, all the levels below that were like the root system. Some dungeons will grow fast branches and cover entire areas. These are called outdoor dungeons.


    Several of these exist in the wildlands. This is actually why they¡¯re called the wildlands. They lead to more deadly beasts on the surface and pose a real danger to old Chalm. As the city¡¯s Lord, my responsibility would be to reclaim those wildlands and tame all of these dungeons.


    A knock on the door broke me from these kinds of thoughts. Lydia went and answered it, while Celeste snorted in her sleep but remained unconscious.


    ¡°Guild Master?¡± Lydia said as I looked curiously over her shoulder.


    The Guild Master immediately nodded to both of us. ¡°Lord Deek, it might be a good idea if you come with me. We found something in the wreckage of the mansion that might interest you.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and¡­ um¡­ you might want to bring the fairy as well.¡±

 Chapter 180

    I poked Celeste until she woke. She seemed slightly shy around me upon waking up, but she did finally agree to join us. We walked through the city. There were more people here than before. I was noticing some new faces. It was becoming quite lively around the block I reclaimed first. I could hear the sounds of a blacksmith¡¯s anvil among other commerce. It looked like the businesses had finally set up too. Old Chalm was becoming a legitimate city.


    We approached the edge of town, and there were the ruins that used to be the mansion. To the townsfolks credit, they really wasted no time. Since they got up this morning, a crew already took the initiative to start sifting through the ruins. Admittedly, some were probably looking for treasures to pocket in the wreckage, but the vast majority seemed to genuinely want to support me for helping them remove their dungeon problem.


    We ended up heading to an area in the yard that seemed to be set up for sifting through materials. This wasn¡¯t like my age where everything went into the dumpster and then we just got more wood from the local store. They would probably recycle or reuse anything they could in the pursuit of saving resources. The city may have upgraded from the small town, but we were currently outside the border of any country and truly in the wildlands. There could be monster attacks or worse.


    ¡°Why have you brought us out here?¡± I finally decided to ask the Guild Master.


    ¡°Well, considering you left and came back with a fairy slave, I thought this might be of interest to you. We found this little one wondering lost through the street last night. We didn¡¯t know what to do with her. Since you¡¯re taking on fairy slaves, we thought she might make a good house fairy for you.¡±


    The fairy was in a small birdcage. It fluttered around back and forth, but no one seemed to be giving it any mind. It seemed like the people of this town had an opinion not too far from Karr¡¯s. To them, fairies were more like dogs than people. Therefore, adding one as a slave to my household seemed fine. In fact, from a certain point of view, it was righteous. After all, this fairy so close to a human city probably had no fairy queen or fairy spring. In that way, it was like taking in a stray dog, who might be injured or preyed upon in the wild.


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    The real question is where did this fairy come from? Did another survive when the fairy queen made her dungeon? It was possible. The dungeon was massive and I didn¡¯t thoroughly manage to search every floor. This fairy was much smaller than Celeste. It was only about six inches, and it had a tendency to shimmer as it moved. Wait¡­ didn¡¯t those features look somewhat familiar? I was pretty sure that I recognized them.


    ¡°M-mother!¡± Celeste shouted, and then floated to the cage


    The fairy looked at Celeste and smiled excitedly, buzzing around the cage, but otherwise not saying anything.


    ¡°Wait¡­ your mother reverted to a fairy? No, rather, she¡¯s alive?¡± I spoke in disbelief until a sudden thought hit me. ¡°Wait¡­ is this that gift Karr was speaking about? Oh¡­ that bastard!¡±


    His last words suddenly became crystal clear to me. He said he prepared a surprise, a skill he learned thanks to Astria¡¯s fairy dust. I thought he was talking about the blessing, but when I thought about it, I hadn¡¯t received a skill at all. He wasn¡¯t giving me a skill at all, he was using a skill. He said he hadn¡¯t fought alongside the hero without picking up a trick or two. It must have been something like fairy dust mixed with ¡°give life¡±. Wouldn¡¯t the next level be something like ¡°give soul¡±? If he used some kind of self-sacrificing spell just as he died, he could have broken Astria¡¯s curse and brought her back.


    This was Karr¡¯s last gift. He had destroyed Astria¡¯s life and left his daughter with nothing. His final act was one of redemption. He managed to reincarnate the beloved Fairy Queen. However, he probably didn¡¯t predict she¡¯d come back as a somewhat simple fairy.


    ¡°The fairy also had this.¡± The Guild Master pulled out a small vial. ¡°Since it¡¯s the fairies, I figured you should take it.¡±


    I grabbed the item he held out and realized it was a small vial of fairy dust. Compared to what I received as compensation for defeating that boss, this was barely anything, but it was enough for at least ten castings.


    ¡°Master¡­ what are you thinking?¡± Celeste asked, looking between the vial, my expression, and her mother.


    ¡°I think I know what I want to build first as part of my new mansion. It¡¯s something I want to put in the backyard. Perhaps surrounded by trees and protected by tall walls.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what is that?¡± She asked nervously.


    ¡°Men! Start digging a hole! I want a section of my backyard closed off. I¡¯ve decided to build a grove.¡±


    ¡°A-a grove?¡±


    ¡°A home for your mother,¡± I said smiling.


    And right in the center, our very own fairy spring.

 Chapter 181

    After gathering a bunch of men together, I began a project of erecting a small grove. My initial thoughts were that we¡¯d have to find tiny fast-growing trees. It¡¯d take months, but I was determined. I underestimated the capablility of magic in this world. We lived in an area called the wilderness, and while Chalm wasn¡¯t surrounded by woods, we were close to a woods. One of the few products this city exported for money was lumber. Thus, uprooting and moving a tree could be considered this cities specialty.


    I had Celeste pick out what trees were best, although I sent her with her mother. The mother couldn¡¯t say anything, but if she found a tree she liked, she seemed to buzz around it excitedly. As to what Celeste thought about her reincarnated mother, she seemed happy, and laughed and flew around beside her. However, it was clear that when it came to abilities or mind, Celeste was vastly superior. The former fairy queen was at a level where if you pretended to throw something with your hand, she¡¯d go look for it for several minutes. It was at that kind of level.


    As for Celeste, as a Sylph that controls the wind, she seems incredibly quick. Lydia and Celeste had a race, and it was difficult to see which could move faster. I suggested that Celeste use her wind magic on Lydia, and she moved like a blur. I checked her levels, and low and behold wind magic master level 1 gave her the Haste skill. Becoming a Sylph seemed to give her access to the Adept and Master levels of Wind Magician.


    I did ask some of the magicians as they helped me move trees about the Novice versus Basic. I was wrong that it had to do with level of training. That made sense considering Celeste had no formal training. As they described it, there were two Magical paths someone could take, the elemental path and the mana path. For elementals, they start as novice magicians and then based on what spells they use they eventually pick a path. Then they get Apprentice, Adept, and finally become Master magicians.


    I asked them if there was a means of having a dual magical ability. They had read about it being possible but said it was extremely hard and no one knew exactly how. Novice magicians who tried to do this took twice as long to reach apprentice and it always seemed like a toss-up which they got. I still suspected it had to do with maxing out novice. Since they couldn¡¯t equip more than one job or easily switch jobs, this kind of stuff never occurred to them.


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    When it came to mana mage, they were more rounded but didn¡¯t have nearly the level of elemental control. They started out as a Basic Magician, like me, and then went to Intermediate, Advanced, and Master. Like with elemental magicians, we could branch out at advanced level. However, Advanced mages weren¡¯t called advanced, they were sorted by colors. A black mage learned destructive magic, a red mage learned combat enhancement magic, a green mage learned natural magic. That was where I sat. I was a white mage, which likely could be obtained if I dedicated my mage skills to healing and fighting undead.


    Of course, none of these people had heard about white mage, but it also didn¡¯t create a sensation when I asked about it. This was because the color system was known. This is also why me being able to defeat a dungeon didn¡¯t cause a wave of shock. Sure, it was impressive, but if I had a tier 3 job, they reckoned I couldn¡¯t be simple. In short, the town had overestimated my abilities. I decided there was no point in correcting them now. They wouldn¡¯t even be able to understand how I started in this world with a tier 3 job.


    As to why white mages in this world were so rare? It probably was because priests and resurrection existed. When there was already a tier 1 job that could do it and do it better, who would bother fighting their way up to a tier 3 job to do the same thing? It was a little disappointing that my job wasn¡¯t so OP as I had thought, but with dungeon points, I had already gained something no one else had. I also had Master White Mage to look forward to as my final level.


    It took the greater part of a day, but a small secluded grove was made, and a large hole went down into a small underground hole. Essentially, it was a well. I told the town from here on out, this place was forbidden by order of the lord. This was actually my first proclamation in Chalm, so everyone was very eager to see it through. If they ignored me now, there was little point in me going to the Capital and asking for recognition.

 Chapter 182

    "What does Master plan to do?¡± Lydia asked, looking into the deep hole in the ground.


    Other than Lydia and the two fairies, I had the Guild Master with me too. I felt like the only way I could keep people out, was by leaving someone behind who knew why it was important. I felt the Guild Master and Mayor would at least understand the significance of what I was about to build. With all the trees the fairy queen had selected replanted, the place looking like a pretty little slice of the forest. She was flying around excitedly from tree to tree. Celeste seemed a bit less excited.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked her before answering Lydia.


    ¡°It seems¡­ As a Sylph, I¡¯m no longer like my mother. I crave the wind, and the forest breaks the wind a bit too much. It feels oppressive to me.¡± Celeste admitted, but then waved her hands. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, anywhere outdoors is nice! This place Master built I like a lot, but my place is by Master¡¯s side! Does Master plan to create a spring of life here?¡±


    ¡°Ah! You guessed? The earth adept really helped dig out a big space, it actually has reserves spreading out under the city.  I only have a few sprinkles of fairy dust left, but once I start the spell, I can create several hundred gallons of water of life. I have Miki out right now getting all of the mana potions she can get so I can maximize the amount. Would this work?¡±


    Celeste shrugged. ¡°With Mother¡¯s magic, possibly she can turn it into a spring of life, with time.¡±


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    The Guild Master¡¯s mouth had fallen open. ¡°Water of Life? A spring of life? Is that really possible?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah¡­ it seems like I got the ability to make water of life. It¡¯s dependent on fairy dust, and I don¡¯t have a lot, but I thought if I spent some time making an underwater reservoir, at the very least I could give the fairies here a home.¡±


    ¡°No wonder you ordered this place to be untouched. People were just thinking you wanted to make an outdoor bathing area for your and the gi- well nevermind that. ¡°The guild master shook his head, ¡°A fairy spring is rare and infinitely valuable. Fairy springs infuse the local ground with mana. It repels monsters including ghosts, enhances crops, increases the quality of life, and many other benefits. It also keeps dungeons from forming nearby. What happened to Old Chalm will never happen again if there is a fairy spring nearby. Kingdoms have been built around Fairy springs. Even the Capital City had a grove locked within the castle walls which contains a fairy spring.¡±


    ¡°Really, I didn¡¯t realize they were such a big deal.¡± My mouth twitched.


    I was really just building a place for Celeste and her mom to play safely and call a home.


    ¡°If you really do successfully create one in Chalm¡­ our city will have no limit on its ability to grow.¡± The Guild Master sighed. ¡°Although, there is always the threat someone will attack us and try to take it forcibly. That¡¯s why it¡¯s even more important that we get the Capital and Aberis to accept us.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Apparently, it was really for the best. ¡°In that case, if you want to help¡­¡±


    ¡°Mana potions, right?¡± I smiled as the Guild Master nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll get every one in town if I have to pull teeth. You can count on me. This fairy spring is now our top priority!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ just keep it a secret, eh?¡±


    The Guild Master¡¯s excitement diminished slightly. ¡°O-of course. You can count on me¡­ uh¡­ My Lord!¡±


    He gave an awkward laugh, patted me on the back, and then left. I started wondering if I needed thicker walls for my new grove.

 Chapter 183

    When Miki returned, I decided it was time to start. If the Guild Master managed to conjure up any more potions later, that was fine too, but this was more than enough for me. I made sure to refresh myself, find a comfortable position, and then pull out the fairy dust. I used create water of life, and soon a steady stream of water was flowing out of my hand. I had done this many times in the past, so it was very familiar to me.


    With White Mage, Basic Mage, and Hero all equipped, my status was looking pretty nice. The water was at least twice as strong now as it was when I first cast it in the dungeon. The water control spell didn¡¯t hurt either. It allowed me to get a feel for the water falling and a sense of how much was under me. I increased my mana output until I had a good amount of water flowing. I wanted to get the most out of this spell, and that meant managing between speed and mana consumption.


    I could produce a small trickle almost indefinitely, but I would pass out from boredom or sleep deprivation long before I filled any part of the well. I could also create a flash flood downpour of water, using all of my mana in a minute, but then I¡¯d be out a pinch of fairy dust and I¡¯d need to recast once I recovered. The idea was enough to empty my mana reserves in about six hours. I reckoned that was about the max I¡¯d be able to cast. If I felt like I could keep going after that, then I¡¯d depend on mana potions.


    Actually, this turned out to be really good practice in mana control and figuring out exactly how much mana I had to cast spells took on a very quantifiable feeling as I adjusted my production of waters of life. At the moment, I was producing about the equivalent of four garden hoses at once. Then again, a hose took all day to fill a swimming pool, and I was probably trying to fill ten swimming pools worth of space underground.


    At some point, while I worked, Lydia decided to snuggle up next to me. This encouraged Miki to do the same. Celeste, noticing our position, ended up joining, using her full form as she took up all the remaining space. With the three girls snuggling with me, I thought this wasn¡¯t such a bad situation waiting after all.


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    As we lay there, snuggling outdoors, Astria came to realize no one was playing with her as she buzzed around. Seeing the pile of us, she cautiously came over. That¡¯s when she noticed the water of life. Coming from my palm and falling into the dark hole in the ground. She grew excited and immediately started splashing through the stream.


    ¡°Hey! I¡¯m still working on that!¡± I said as she started splashing the water everywhere.


    Astria cocked her head at me, but then flew up to the water stream and held up her arms. To my surprise, the stream coming from my hand started to triple in amount. I also felt that the mana was more concentrated, much closer to the level of a spring¡¯s concentrated water of life.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­ you¡¯re making it come out faster! Awesome.¡±


    Astria seemed proud of herself. Celeste watched what Astria was doing, and then tried to replicate. Once again, the stream increased in speed and amount, as well as water purity, although not at the level that Astria had done. Perhaps this was because they both had water control and create water. They could feed into my spell.


    Like that, for the next two days we spent every waking moment either resting or dumping fairy water. As time went, I realized the grove was starting to feel thicker in mana, and mana recovery, in fact, happened faster here. This allowed me to in turn produce more water, which added to the effect.


    On the final day, Celeste had collapsed from exhaustion, and I was on my fiftieth mana potion and on my last leg. I was starting to think that maybe creating a spring from nothing was really just a pipe dream. That was when Astria suddenly started flying around the hole in the ground we had created. Suddenly, water started to jet up, and as Astria swirled around it, it turned into a beautiful shape before slamming down on the ground. Water began to overflow from the hole as more and more water bubbled up. I finally collapsed, laughing as water sprayed down on us.


    I had never been to a real Fairy spring. I suspected this wasn¡¯t quite at the level of a real one. However, it was something I had built with the girls together, so I was satisfied.


    Now that this was out of the way, it was time to start planning our trip to the capital.

 Chapter 184

    Of course, it wasn¡¯t like we hadn¡¯t done anything the last few days since I started making the fairy spring. I sent Lydia and Miki out to prepare supplies. We ordered clothing, armors, and provisions to last us for a month-long trip. Once I reached the capital city, returning to and from it would become a cinch. I had more than enough money to handle anything we needed. In fact, the only problem was that I was carrying it all on me. What can I say, I was raised under the idea that carrying more than $20 bucks in your pocket was dangerous.


    Well, I had a decent storage ring, so putting more money into it seemed to be just par for the course. I sat Miki down and started going over the alchemy potions. I was almost as good of a reader as she was when she started, and she herself had improved leagues over the last month and a half. The pair of us worked together to create potions.


    Only some of the potions were important, but I found that most ingredients were worth less that potions, so I figured making a lot of potions would mean we could sell them all once we reached the capital. That meant more room for other goods. I didn¡¯t plan to just buy a few things in the Capital. The Mayor, who now just called himself my advisor, gave a list of resources that it¡¯d be nice if we ordered in bulk. Things needed to build and expand. This included people. There were many guilds we could establish a relationship with and get them to send out people to live in our city. We were lacking in specialized craftsmen, soldiers, and other such things.


    Well, all of that was secondary. I had a dozen reasons for wanting to be in the capital city. I needed to get in the paperwork to request Chalm be part of Aberis and myself as its lord. I wanted to speak to the slaver union and see about removing these slavery tattoos despite this curse. I was curious about looking at other slaves too. Our team was magic heavy, and I needed an adequate defender to tank for us. Of course, I didn¡¯t want to bring any more slaves if they couldn¡¯t find a way to detach them from me.


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    On that note, the Capital City had a tamed dungeon within its walls. Supposedly, it had over 200 floors, and the lower levels were even tough for the strongest knights in the land. Unfortunately, it was controlled by the palace and only knights were allowed to use it for training. There was also supposedly a network of different stable dungeons all throughout Aberis, each with different traits and more importantly, different resources. A stable dungeon was one that didn¡¯t pose a threat to those nearby. It usually was guarded and allowed dungeon divers in for a small fee. Dungeon divers would try to accumulate as many resources as they could and then return with hopefully a profit.


    These kinds of dungeons had already been mapped out, or atleast the top floors were mapped out. Anyone of them would be an invaluable resource to me. I could finally start leveling regularly and make it into a habit. As someone who could transport around, I could decide on what resources I wanted and then target specific dungeons to acquire them. With that, I could accumulate wealth and power with ease. I was very excited about such a prospect.


    However, the most amazing thing in the capital were blue mages. Blue mages had the power to manipulate space. In other words, they had my dungeon point spell Portal or something like it. For a fee, they could teleport you all over the nation. If I had them send me to a distant city, then I could portal home myself. Like that, I could finally start building a highway of travel over all of Aberis. Perhaps, I could do some mercantile transportation to earn even more money.


    Well, that was just some of the stuff I wanted to get done in the Capital.

 Chapter 185

    Miki had the ability to create potions, and it wasn¡¯t lost on me that Celeste had the Enchant ability. At level 2, it was pretty much useless for all but the most basic enchantments. However, I really wanted to level this ability with her. From what I understood, to enchant an item, one had to have both the Enchantment Class and the spell they wanted to enchant the item with. For most people, that meant you needed two spell castors minimum working together. It was no wonder that enchanted items weren¡¯t very common.


    However, if I could get her Enchantment up, it¡¯d mesh really well with the Haste spell. If I hasted all of the clothing, rings, and necklaces, our party would move so fast that no one would hit us. I¡¯d also be interested in trying various other spells. Another thing the Capital had was a full library where I could obtain a lot of this information. It¡¯d be nice if I didn¡¯t have to go into all of it flying blind.


    Therefore, getting in a dungeon on some safe levels and cranking up everyone¡¯s level was definitely high on my list. Fortunately, many non-fighting jobs had multiple ways to level. Alchemy was one such job. The fact of both of us making potions, in conjunction with our own experience boosts, caused our levels to start creeping up. By the time we were done making as many potions as I dared to make, my level had reached 5. As for Miki, she reached 12.


    The alchemist skills were mixing, purification, and concentration. None of this had any relevance to combat or anything of the like. Rather, these were all functions in the alchemy process, and the more of these you had, the more different recipes you were able to make. At level 2, there were only about 3 potions total that I could make without borrowing Miki¡¯s help. Now there were close to twenty.


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    A few more days passed and we had acquired our repaired armor, sewn clothing, and requested supplies. I had a ring with nearly 1300 gold in it, not to mention a king¡¯s ransom in potions and the like. Each girl had her own pack. If I could afford it, I¡¯d eventually like to give each girl a storage ring. That sounded a bit over the top, but I definitely wanted to spoil the girls at least that much.


    What was the point of having all this money if I couldn¡¯t spend it a bit lavishly? I mean, I had numerous sources of earning money now, so there is nothing really holding me back. Well, there was one thing. As much as the seamstress was an interesting person and did well, the seamstresses in the capital were supposedly many times better. I¡¯d like to get these girls the best of the best when I could afford it.


    I got a map to the Capital and frowned as I tried to plot our direction. Compared to my mapping skill, this was many times worse. It looked like my dungeon point skill had caused me to grow a bit spoiled. Celeste bid her mother goodbye. Even though she was a lone fairy, Astria was thriving in her little grove. The rest of us also gave our goodbyes. We were going to head there on foot. I wasn¡¯t a person who knew anything about horses and I didn¡¯t want to get involved with them. Plus, if we brought a carriage, that would imply we had stuff, and that would attract bandits. I had been in this world for a little over 2 months now, and I was finally setting out to see it for the first time. Along-side three beautiful women, it didn¡¯t seem like such a bad journey after all.

 Chapter 186

    We kept to the road, and the first day of travel went very smoothly. When it got dark, we got the tents out and slept. Well, I had tents, but all of the girls somehow ended up in my tent. Celeste had to shrink down to her fairy size just to fit all of us. We¡¯d need to get a bigger tent in the future if this was how the girls wanted to travel. Well, that, or maybe we could find some kind of tent with special magic on it. It¡¯d be cool to sleep in something that was bigger on the inside.


    The next day, it was around lunchtime and I was just thinking that I was getting kind of hungry when we noticed a cart on the side of the road. They were pulled over and it looked like they had a broken wheel. We stopped a distance away from them. Celeste flew up high to get an overhead view, and I used a telescope that I had gotten for the journey.


    ¡°The guild master said that any broken-down carts on the side of the road may be a trap set by bandits.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why an established country like Aberis had bandits. It seemed like the first thing a country would do is monitor their roads and ensure things like bandits didn¡¯t happen. I decided it was like finding a turkey leg in armor and decided to just accept it. In this case, we had discussed many possible things with the Guild Master, and one such warning was to remain vigilant.


    Although Lydia was my official scout, I didn¡¯t feel her job nor her experience was high enough yet that I was willing to risk her against bandits. Celeste, on the other hand, was small and could fly outside the range of arrows, so there was very little risk for her in this situation. She came back a few minutes later.


    ¡°Master, I see no bandits around the area. The cart contains just an old man and what appears to be his daughter. They appear to be transporting food.¡±


    ¡°Ah, then I suppose we might as well greet them and see if we can help.¡±


    I also didn¡¯t see anything suspicious in my telescope. This should be safe. We approached the two stranded people.


    ¡°Hello!¡± The old man waved, smiling, ¡°Traveler, good day!¡±


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    ¡°Good day!¡± I responded back. ¡°Um¡­ you need any help?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­ it appears like our wheel is busted.¡± The man sighed.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been out here for hours!¡± The girl said, worriedly.


    She was a pretty girl with blond hair and blue eyes. She had a hat on her head and wore a typical farmer¡¯s garb, or at least what I would think was a farmer¡¯s garb.


    The old man nodded. ¡°I worry if we¡¯re stuck out here for the night. Bandits or wolves. However, this food is my livelihood, and if I abandon it we¡¯ll definitely starve.¡±


    Unfortunately, no one in my party was able to fix things. I had no woodworkers or carpenters. So, I wouldn¡¯t¡­ wait¡­ there was that! The White Mage ability Light Repair! Perhaps¡­ perhaps it¡¯d be enough!


    ¡°I may be able to help, first let¡¯s get your cart back on the road.¡±


    ¡°Just you and me boy?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ the girls can help too.¡±


    ¡°Oh? They¡¯re slaves?¡±


    ¡°More like family.¡± I smiled.


    The three girls blushed, but they were more than happy to help as we pulled the cart out of the mud and got it back on the street. I could see the damaged wheel now. When it fell into the mud, the frame seemed to have cracked. The farmer¡¯s daughter moved up close to me.


    ¡°Thank you so much for helping us.¡± She smiled.


    My girls were giving slightly irate looks, please don¡¯t stand so close! At least, that was what I wanted to say, but I was just too polite.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have this working soon, maybe¡­¡± I laughed, holding my hand over the wheel.


    She looked at it and gasped. ¡°Wow¡­ is that a storage ring? I-I¡¯m sorry for addressing you so, my lord!¡±


    She started to try to bow, so I stopped her. ¡°Ah¡­ actually, I¡¯m just a dungeon diver. Nothing so grand as a lord.¡±


    I was getting more looks from my girls now that I was touching the farmer girl. I certainly didn¡¯t want to reveal I was a lord or anything.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m not sure if this will work, so we¡¯ll try.¡± I decided to just move things along. ¡°Light Repair!¡±


    Magic came out from my fingertips, and the girl looked on wide-eyed and clapped excitedly. It took casting the spell ten times, but the wheel looked like it could handle the rest of the journey.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see there are still good people in this world.¡± The farmer said, thanking us profusely. ¡°Here, please, have some of our food as compensation. That spell of yours likely saved me half a gold coin in repairs.¡±


    I waved off their compliments, said my farewells and the four of us continued our journey to the capital. However, what I didn¡¯t see was after the cart traveled about a mile in the opposite direction away from us, a dozen thieves suddenly burst out around it, pulling out their knives and spreading around the old man and the woman.


    The woman smirked. ¡°Three slaves and a storage ring. Boys, we¡¯ve got ourselves a rich target this evening. Send Balrack in. He can enjoy the slaves however he sees fit, but remember, leave no survivors.¡±

 Chapter 187

    "I still think I should stay up,¡± I muttered to myself.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Master.¡± Lydia reassured me, ¡°The skill Alarm will tell me if anyone comes anywhere near our tent. The Adventurers showed me before we left how to set it up to detect specifically larger creatures, so it won¡¯t be triggered by something like a rodent or a bug.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, that¡¯s why it kind of bothers me.¡± I sighed.


    We had usually set up watches in the dungeons. Only occasionally would we depend on the holy circle barrier as our only means of protection as we all slept. It was probably sufficient enough, but it still left me worried that a monster would attack at night. However, as much as this world was like a game, animals were animals and people were people. Monsters might be a little bit more aggressive than animals, but typically if you left them alone and didn¡¯t encroach on their space, they left you alone too.


    It was as unlikely to experience wolf attacks in this world just as much as in my other world. Most monsters remained near their dungeons, so unless you were in a wild area, you weren¡¯t like to see them. Within a country¡¯s borders, where every dungeon was closely guarded, this was doubly true. In fact, the biggest worry was bandits, and even bandits only struck when they thought it was worth it and rarely would attack people at night. At least, that was what I had been told.


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    Either way, I wasn¡¯t used to walking in the sun all day and was feeling a bit tired. I was overweight, but it was like I was averse to exorcise in my old world. I just happened to really like sugary and fast food. Weeks of walking around dungeons and eating on the run had helped me lose the weight, but that hadn¡¯t really turned me into a marathon walker. Twelve hours of walking was twelve hours of walking. It was better than having to take care of a horse, but it still left me wanting to sleep the whole night without interruptions.


    It wouldn¡¯t be fair to expect the girls to take breaks instead of me, and that¡¯s how we ended up on the topic of her skill known as Alarm. She had picked it up as a scout. You could basically set a proximity line, that if crossed, would signal the person. Is a perfect skill for this kind of thing, and quite safe according to the Adventurers. Nine out of ten times it was usually just a fox anyway. On top of that, I had my map and Sense Life. If anything got close to us, I could see it, presuming my eyes were open.


    I decided to just trust in the magic and skills of this world. In the end, exhaustion overtook my worry, and I drifted off to sleep. I wasn¡¯t sure what I dreamed, but it was probably good. That was until I was awoken to somebody shaking me in worry.


    ¡°M-master!¡± Lydia whispered, ¡°Someone has triggered the alarm!¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Just my luck.¡±

 Chapter 188

    Immediately pulling up my map, I checked the Sense Life. The sense life didn¡¯t just read the proximity alarm, but in an outdoor area like this it could stretch out about a kilometer. As my levels increased, so did the power of my skills. It was one of the perks of continuing to increase my status. There was a group of about three close by to the tents. I immediately clicked on them while thinking about Basic Monster Identify. Instantly, the name was revealed.


    Map was seriously overpowered when I combined it with new skills! Even knowing I got Sense Life to work with it, I never thought I¡¯d also be able to identify from this distance as well? I supposed if it was all handled by mana, then if I could sense something at a distance, I should also be able to identify something at a similar distance. What I ended up identifying were three dogs. They seemed to have come over and sniffed around the tents, and then left.


    I would have been happy with that, except that at the very edge of my sense life, I detected a group of ten, and when I clicked identify on them, it was revealed as a human. So, a human knew we heard, and sent three dogs in to investigate. Were they there to investigate? Or, did they send them to trigger the proximity alarms? If I existed in a world with proximity alarms, my first action would be to send something harmless to go trigger them.


    It¡¯s like that old wives¡¯ tale in my old world. A mysterious person knocks on your door asking if someone you never heard of was there. A few hours later, you find out several places nearby were burglarized. Clearly, the person who knocked on doors was an associate of the burglar, and if you were there, they would skip your house but would hit up the houses of anyone who wasn¡¯t present. These dogs popped up to knock on our door, and if we reacted, they¡¯d know we were prepared for them.


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    Likely, anything like my map ability didn¡¯t exist in this world, so if I did pop out of my tent to look for what caused the alarm now, they would assume we¡¯re defenseless. Perhaps, the second layer of it was that if I decided to track the dogs, they¡¯d lead me right into an ambush. Overall, this sounded like a pretty good plan.


    ¡°What do we do, Master?¡± She asked.


    She had already woken the other girls too, and Miki and Celeste were looking up to me anxiously. It was strange that I used them to fight for me, yet I was still the one they looked to for protection. Anyone of these girls could probably equal me in a fight, but I was their source of comfort and safety.


    ¡°Celeste¡­ can you muffle our sounds and allow us to sneak out the back of the tent without being seen?¡±


    I really didn¡¯t want to cut a slit in my tent, but I wanted to be murdered in my sleep even less. Celeste nodded. Well, muffle was one of her air-related skills.


    ¡°What does Master have in mind?¡± Lydia seemed to grow more confident.


    I couldn¡¯t show them the map sitting in my head. I was just glad I looked around a good kilometer before going to sleep so that the map of this area was revealed to me. These men were still on the road, but that put them next to a hill that would obscure their view of us. In other words¡­


    ¡°I think a sneak attack is in order.¡±

 Chapter 189

    Making a small slit in the tent, the four of us snuck out one at a time behind the tent and kept low. The girls followed me as I used the map as my guidance. I set my third job to Cook and then activated the temperature gauge. With thermal vision, I felt a bit like the predator trying to take out some soldiers.


    Then again, I didn¡¯t really know if these guys had bad intentions. For all I knew, these guys were just merchants, soldiers, or gypsies. This was just me being thorough. Sliding out behind a small hill, we moved up to the top with Celeste¡¯s muffle and the cover of darkness. I¡¯d rather take them out before they attacked our camp. I didn¡¯t want my tent or anything else to be further damaged.


    I didn¡¯t send Celeste up into the air, as I worried that the moon and stairs would reflect off her wings. The last thing we needed was for her to take an arrow and alert these men. The moon and stars in this world were a lot brighter than my old world, and they filled the sky with a dazzling light that could take your breath away.


    I made my way closer to the group of people until I was as close as I dared get. They popped out in my sight thanks to the night vision. I could see it was ten men. One, in particular, was a large man with a bald head except for a ponytail sticking out the back. He was wearing furs and he had a big ax on his side. He was sitting on a stump and he looked really intimidating.


    ¡°Well?¡± He demanded in a gruff voice.


    A man walked up with the three dogs I had seen early jumping around him. ¡°Nothing. No movement. They must not have a watch at all. They¡¯re ripe for the picking, Balrack.¡±


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    ¡°Ah¡­ that sounds good.¡± The man chuckled. ¡°What a foolish lord. I¡¯m going to enjoy raping his women in front of him.¡±


    I sat back and closed my eyes. He had to say something like that, huh? I couldn¡¯t even imagine the effect words like that would have on my girl¡¯s faces. Shock? Dismay. It must truly eat them up inside to be so casually treated like a piece of meat by some brutish bastard like this man. I really wanted to rip him apart, for their sakes. I would definitely-


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s voice came out, shaking slightly.


    I opened my eyes, and there were three women staring at me with narrowed, angry expressions on their faces. Lydia was stroking her blade with a sort of sadistic desire. Miki was clutching the staff I had bought her, her face tinged with anger and a look that appeared ready to kill. I had given Celeste a wand, and she was fluttering left and right while waving it, looking like she was ready to lunge forward and rip out their throats.


    That was right, my girls could take care of themselves, and right now they had heard the words of a man who thought too highly of himself. There was only one logical outcome.


    ¡°Do you guys know the policy on killing in Aberis?¡±


    ¡°If there is no evidence remaining, no one can catch you?¡± Miki offered.


    These girls can be scary sometimes.


    ¡°I¡¯m concerned about your safety first, but try not to kill anyone unless you have to.¡± I sighed. ¡°These aren¡¯t monsters.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like I was feeling pity for the bandits. I just had to live with the results of what my harem did, and I wanted to be able to sleep come the morning. Either way, this was four on ten. Even though we had them by surprise, they outnumbered us. I had never fought outside of a dungeon before, so I had no clue how strong people were. Thus, I was expecting an extremely difficult fight.


    ¡°Ready? Attack!¡±

 Chapter 190

    I wasn¡¯t sure how to go about fighting bandits. After all, they weren¡¯t like ghosts or undead. These were living people. They had brains and could strategize. I suppose I should start by creating a fireball and striking in the middle of them. They¡¯re probably prepared for that. At best, it might cause them to flinch.


    Celeste could throw out a wind attack, possibly blinding them for a moment. I¡¯d have Miki attack their spirit. When it came to combat outside of a ghost, a spiritualist¡¯s main weapon was weakening the enemies will power. She could induce fear, create hesitation, and weaken strikes. Basically, she¡¯d be the equivalent of a shaman or something casting negative status alignments. While we attack their physical body, she can attack their spirit.


    Hopefully, with a well-timed attempt to spread confusion, that will be enough time for each of us to strike one of the bandits. I reckoned if we were really lucky, each of us could knock out our opponent in a single hit. Then, the next move would be four on six. It still left us in dire straits, but if we pulled together and used all of our strength, we might just make it.


    ¡°Master, we¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I looked around me to find all ten bandits were already knocked out.


    The girls were casually stretching as ten men, even the scary-looking guy with the ax, were on the floor, foam leaking from their mouths. A few of them looked pretty badly beat up too, and at least three had been struck by Lydia¡¯s blade and were bleeding out.  In fact, it looked like two of them had been knocked out by me. I had been moving on instinct, but the fight was over in an instant. This left me really confused.


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    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that a little easy?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Miki said, scratching her cheek. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering this, but does master know how difficult it is to reach the bottom of a dungeon? Even a small one?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Well, I mean, beating dungeons require a lot of work, even I acknowledge that but¡­¡±


    ¡°How do I say this, Master¡­ um¡­ the knights of this world are a second-tier job. They start out as swordsman and reach knighthood through various factors. This happens around level 50. The upper-tier knights are around level 30, and a knight could easily dispatch a group of regular bandits.¡±


    Ah¡­ so it was like that. Celeste alone was at a 4<sup>th</sup> tier, although she didn¡¯t have 80 levels combined. That wasn¡¯t to look down at Lydia or Miki either, who were unique variants and powerful in their own right. Apparently, when it came to simple bandits, they sat at around level 20. They were only slightly stronger than your standard villager. What they lacked in strength, they usually made up for in ruthlessness.


    Meanwhile, my girls weren¡¯t simply unique variants with powerful, synergistic jobs, but they were equipped with magical items. An entire bandit group might see a single magical item a year, and our group was equipped with over a half dozen of them casually. It was no wonder we drew attention.


    However, these bandits apparently met their match. Unlike actual people, ghosts and the undead didn¡¯t care about their own self-preservation. Monsters fought far more savagely and less restrained. The four of us had trained to fight in dungeons, not in a practice field. Even soldiers in this world didn¡¯t have to fear permanent death if they had proper insurance. Yet, in the dungeon, every battle was a life and death battle, thus none of us really knew how to hold back either.


    ¡°Um¡­ how about we tie them up?¡± I suggested.


    The girls tied the bandits up. A few of them seriously looked like they were dying! I sighed and started healing them. Well, we had hurt them in the first place, so it was simply the right thing to do.

 Chapter 191

    In all the books you read, people who come to another world seem to easily jump on murdering people. Take any hero, and he¡¯ll slaughter countless hordes of animals and people in the pursuit of justice. However, that¡¯s still killing people, and killing is scary. I don¡¯t care who you are, if you haven¡¯t murdered someone personally, you should probably shut the hell up, and if murder fulfills some wanton desire deep inside you, please seek therapy and let¡¯s never meet.


    At least, that¡¯s what I believe. In reality, these men had done nothing to me. They were only guilty of conspiracy to commit crimes against me, at best. Even those words were probably mostly big talk. When you think you are in control, you say and do all kinds of things to boast. I was a little angry at the big guy for targeting the girls, but it was a product of the company he kept, and at the end of the day, his threats were completely idle. That¡¯s why I had no intention of taking it out on these people.


    ¡°M-master! You¡¯re stepping on his head!¡± Celeste sputtered.


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry¡­ I was just healing the big guy and my foot slipped, I swear.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Well, I was in control at the moment, so I guess even I acted a little full of myself. I had no intention of killing these men, but that left the question of what I was going to do with them. I could always do the standard of abandoning them naked and stealing all their stuff. That would be a lesson learned on stealing.


    What about the other people they might hurt in the future? When did I suddenly become the police? And no, I didn¡¯t agree to become a vigilante either. I defended myself and my party. Despite the job, I¡¯ve made it abundantly clear I¡¯m not a hero. These were human beings, not mobs, and yes, I made a distinction. So far, I had only killed ghosts and undead. I even worried a little if I¡¯d have the ability to kill other monsters, but even if I did, monsters came from curses, and curses came from dungeons. When you killed them, they disappeared in a puff of smoke.


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    Actually, being as I had never killed a person, I didn¡¯t know if bandits would disappear with a puff of smoke either. From what I understood, they would not. Only monsters would do that. Humans and animals would die much like they die in real life. That¡¯s bloody and messy. I mean, I died once, and my body remained behind for the resurrection. It was the same for Miki.


    That actually brings up the final reason that killing bandits was a bad idea. Let¡¯s say these guys knew a dark priest so that when they were found dead, they were then brought back again. That would mean that I accomplished nothing by killing them. Actually, worse¡­ I¡¯ve made a lifelong enemy. It may not be personal right now, but if I tortured or killed these bandits, you could be damn sure it¡¯d be personal after they came back.


    I suspected that the opposite was also true. As much as the big guy talked, he likely only thought of taking my girls exactly because he saw them as only slaves. In a world where people didn¡¯t stay dead, it would stand to reason that wronging a potentially rich Lord too much wouldn¡¯t go good for any bandit. In reality, they were only really able to take a little bit less than it¡¯d be worth to hunt them down. A bandits life must be tough.


    ¡°So, I have some questions I need you guys to answer.¡± My voice finally broke through the encampment of men, all tied up and pushed into a circle. ¡°And I suggest you answer.¡±


    I actually didn¡¯t mean it as a threat, but all the girls started stroking their weapons and a few of the smaller bandits started shaking in their boots. Ah, once again, my girls can be scary sometimes.

 Chapter 192

    "Well, it¡¯s not like we want to be thieves¡­¡± The bandit said, picking up a piece of chicken and biting into it. ¡°Oh, my god, this is amazing!¡±


    It was near daybreak, so I started a campfire and made food for everyone. The bandits were still tied up, but I put them into a sitting position and gave them enough room to be able to hold plates and eat. A full belly made everyone happier and more talkative. This was a tactic too!


    ¡°Thanks, I think I¡¯m getting better at it.¡± I smiled.


    There were few cooks in this world who did it enough to maintain that job. Likely, when it came to a bandit, they¡¯d never find one in their entire lives. I didn¡¯t think my cooking was anything special, but it was improving and still better than most people would taste on the road.


    ¡°When I was ten, my dad died in a bar scuffle, and my mom was loaded with debts and became a prostitute. I had no choice but to steal for my food.¡± One guy said, suddenly sniffling. ¡°I just wanted to steal enough to pull my ma out of that situation! Next thing I know, my status swapped from commoner to thief, and the entire town turned their back on me!¡±


    ¡°Aw¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± Lydia was patting his back while he cried.


    The other girls were similarly comforting the other bandits who were in similar states. Once I got them talking, the floodgates opened and they began to reveal pains hidden deep inside them. It seemed like every bandit had a painful backstory more pitiable than the last. It seemed like once you got the scarlet letter of a thief, there was no going back.


    These guys even revealed that if you murder a human, it does leave a mark on you, but that thieves, bandits, pirates, and other dirty jobs were an exception to the rule. In other words, any adventurer, knight, or even a commoner was free to murder a thief or bandit without repercussions. I found that to be a bit unreasonable.


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    ¡°The whole system is against us!¡± One of the guys cried out.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if you had a normal life, but what poor person hasn¡¯t had to commit crimes in their youth just to survive?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well.¡± I sighed. ¡°It does sound really bad. But if you guys could leave it all behind, would you?¡±


    Other than Balrack, who had remained quiet throughout the ordeal while silently glaring at us, the rest of them all nodded excitedly and said they¡¯d definitely want to do something else if they could only go back and restart.


    ¡°Here, let me see¡­¡± I went to one of the thieves, ¡°Join my party for a second.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Okay¡­¡± He shook my hand, looking confused.


    While party mechanics worked in this world, people didn¡¯t see the same text I saw, so parties were rarely formally made like I did it. As soon as I had him join my party, I could see his jobs and everything.


    ¡°Oh¡­ you got a couple of levels in Merchant.¡±


    ¡°Merchant?¡± The man asked, and then his eyes grew teary. ¡°My father was a Merchant.¡±


    ¡°Well, what do you think? You want a shot at selling legit?¡±


    ¡°Re-really?¡± His expression was filled with wonder, but just a hint of disbelief.


    I switched his job and then disbanded him from my party. ¡°There, your job is now Merchant.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a priest?¡±


    ¡°No, must be a dark priest!¡±


    ¡°Impossible!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you got that job checking stone, don¡¯t you, hand it to him!¡± One of the bandits nodded excitedly and gestured to a bag. Miki looked in it and then handed some kind of magic stone to the new Merchant.


    He looked at the stone for a solid minute while the other Bandits stared on in anticipation. Finally he burst out into large wet tears.


    ¡°It¡¯s true! I¡¯m really a Merchant!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ if you go back to banditry, your job will return to bandit pretty easily. ¡°I warned. ¡°But as long as you don¡¯t commit crimes.


    ¡°No, sir! I won¡¯t, sir!¡± He started shaking my hand while crying.


    It became a really emotional scene. After that, the bandits began to eagerly wait one after another for their turn. By the forth, text popped up in my screen.


    {You¡¯ve put the dark deeds behind these men and have given them a second lease on life. Dark Priest has been unlocked.}


    Ah, that was unexpected.

 Chapter 193

    After healing and changing the jobs of all of the bandits, I gave them a couple of silvers too to help them start. I had slightly over 1000 gold, with probably another 500 gold in silver and copper. In that respect, silver was plentiful. I was originally going to give them gold, but Miki warned me against it. If they knew we had that much money, they might get greedy, or something like that.


    One bandit was released at a time, and they each ran off in a different direction. By the time the last guy took off, the sun had come up and it was about time to get moving again. I looked down at the big guy with the ax.


    ¡°Um¡­ do you want your job changed too?¡± I asked uncertainly.


    The reason I was uncertain was that he didn¡¯t have any jobs that came off as normal work. There was no Commoner. He had the Thief Job. He had an Assassin Job. He had a job called Raider, and he had a job Berserker. None of these jobs sounded any better than any of the others.


    ¡°You think you¡¯ve won?¡± He sneered. ¡°If I don¡¯t return with the stuff, the Bandit King will just send more.¡±


    ¡°The Bandit King?¡± I asked. ¡°You have Kings? What is this country doing, seriously?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ they have a bounty on their head a hundred times larger than my own, so don¡¯t think you can so easily defeat them!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ you have a bounty on your head!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I snapped my fingers. ¡°So, that¡¯s what we can do with him. I was seriously worried, but if we can just hand him in, then that will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Y-you bastard¡­ don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not bounty hunters!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Well, I mean, I wasn¡¯t. Is that a job?¡± I felt a surge of excitement. ¡°If I turn him in, maybe I can unlock that job. That¡¯d be really cool.¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡±


    The guy seemed to be quieting up now that he realized he was causing more trouble for himself. On the other hand, trading them in for a bounty was an ideal thing to do. Let them rot in prison rather than get resurrected and form some vendetta against me. I didn¡¯t really want to drag this guy to the closest town, but it seemed like the best option for him. He didn¡¯t seem like a good guy at all, not like the other bandits.


    We tied him up and I was glad to see he walked the direction we made him walk. I was worried he was going to drag his feet or do something annoying like that. If I had to carry him, things might end up differently. According to the map, the nearest town was about a five-hour walk, so it wasn¡¯t too far from us. Thus, we headed in that direction. The trip went smoothly.


    Upon approaching the town, I saw that it was surrounded by a small wall. The wall was only about ten feet tall. It certainly wasn¡¯t enough to stop an invasion, but it would keep out wolves and discourage bandits. At the entrance, I encountered city guards for the first time.


    ¡°What is this here?¡± The guard demanded as we approached the entrance through the wall.


    He was eying the big guy. Although he was tied up, he still looked the most intimidating and eye-catching of all of us.


    ¡°Ah¡­ this guy attacked us, and I heard there is a bounty?¡±


    The men looked skeptical when looking at me. I thought this world would be a little more understanding that looks could be deceiving in a world with job levels, but I guess common sense couldn¡¯t overcome the fact that a guy like me with three girl slaves was able to overcome this guy.


    ¡°I guess we can take the bounty.¡± The guard said. ¡°Usually, you¡¯ll want to take bounties to larger towns, those with a bounty hunter guild. You have a bounty hunting license?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ no¡­¡±


    ¡°Adventurer then?¡±


    ¡°That I have!¡± I breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine. The bounty has a larger tax on it, but I wouldn¡¯t worry about it too much.


    I was worried I was getting in trouble there for a second, but I guess Adventuring really was a Jack of All Trades kind of job. I was happy I signed all the paperwork back then. I handed the guy over and the guard put a collar around his neck which had a rune flash. It looked like a slave collar, which differed from the slave marks on my girls. I guess that was a way to keep him restrained. I was also worried if this city wasn¡¯t big enough, he might overpower them and escape, but that didn¡¯t appear to be an issue either.


    I ended up collecting 10 silver. It wasn¡¯t enough to pay back what I spent on the other bandits I let go, but It helped.


    ¡®What should we do now Master?¡± Lydia asked. ¡°Do we continue on to the city?¡±


    ¡°How about we have a date?¡±

 Chapter 194

    We had already walked for half a day. We were in a town now. This was the second city I had seen since old Chalm. It was about the same size, but the city walls gave it a more impressive feel. I thought it¡¯d be nice to just check out the shops and taste the local cuisine.


    I¡¯d been told that since a lot of Chalm is freed beastkin, their diet is more in line with what Dioshin eats than what Aberis eats. Thus, I was at least interested in seeing the differences. We were only a few days travel into the country. We were still much closer to Dioshin border than the Capital City, but I was still curious.


    ¡°Master, look at this!¡± Lydia was excitedly looking in the window of the blacksmith.


    There was a sword in the window that looked particularly wicked. Her face was pressed against the glass and her tail was swishing back and forth excitedly.


    ¡°Master, over here!¡± Miki cried out.


    There was a street vendor sitting on the ground with a massive sheet. On the sheet were various bowls, each filled with a different substance. These all must be alchemy ingredients.


    ¡°Master, Master, buy me this!¡± Celeste had her wings put away and was grown to normal size, as to not surprise any of the people, but when she couldn¡¯t fly, she had a tendency to jump a lot, causing her hair and bounce up and down.


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    She was at a food stall, where they were flipping some kind of fried bread in the air using a pair of giant chopsticks. He was putting on a show with the bread, but looking at Celeste salivating, she was definitely thinking with her stomach.


    Suffice it to say, my ten silver was drained very quickly as the girls danced around the town. Even though they were beastkin slaves, everyone who saw them seemed to have their day brighten. They were met with smiles and politeness. It seemed like the country of Aberis truly was okay with animalkin. I had worried they¡¯d be treated with disgust or we¡¯d be kicked out of establishments that didn¡¯t allow slaves, but it actually seemed quite the opposite.


    I supposed owning a slave usually meant the master had money. Knowing you had a potential rich customer, what owner would honestly want to disrespect their slaves. Rather, I felt the entire town was conspiring against me. A few of the merchants must have seen me helpless under the puppy-dog eyes of the girls and unwilling to say no, and soon they were spending their efforts selling to the impressionable women. If they could convince her she wanted it bad enough, sooner or later I ended up paying for it.


    We finally ended up in the shop that I had the most interest in, magical accessories. I bought all three girls their own storage rings. The store barely had three. The man almost fainted when I said I¡¯d take all of them. They weren¡¯t as large as mine. Where mine was about the size of a walk-in closet, theirs were more the size of a trunk. Still, it¡¯d allow them to bring along changes in clothing and things like that, so I was satisfied. The rings did cost 30 gold each though. After using the Haggle ability, I saved a bit, but it was still very pricey. If I wanted everyone decked out in magical items, I¡¯d definitely need to tackle more dungeons.

 Chapter 195

    After a day of running around, the girl¡¯s storage rings were full of stuff. I was sitting in the common room with the fire blazing. It wasn¡¯t that chilly, but I always liked to hear the roar of a fire. It was something relaxing for me. Lydia was rubbing my feet as a thank you for the date. Celeste was rubbing my shoulders. Miki was working on creating a poultice she read helped with muscle soreness.


    I had only casually said my body was sore, and the girl¡¯s decided this was necessary on their own. Well, it was okay to be pampered once in a while. I took a drink of the ice-cold beer. Of course, this world didn¡¯t have the ability to get the beer that cold, but with fire and water control, I managed to come up with a method of cooling it using mana. It probably used a lot more mana than a cold skill, but it did the trick for simple things.


    While I was relaxing, I casually equipped the dark priest job. I had been ready to immediately switch it away. For some reason, I thought equipping it might cause a dark miasma to float out of me or immediately alert the guard. I was glad it was just unfounded paranoia. Instead, Dark Priest seemed to be just like any job. It was hated by the church, but that wasn¡¯t really an issue for me. I planned to avoid any encounters with the church. The first skill of the dark priest was actually Steal Life. It feels a lot like the Slave Master skill.


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    However, Slave Master is accepted by the priesthood while Dark Priest is evil. I didn¡¯t know how I felt about that. Meh, I wasn¡¯t planning on toppling any regimes or reforming this world. After meeting the Bandits, I understood how unfair the system could be, labeling people and not giving them much choice. You were pigeonholed into any job you started with, and changing jobs was a complicated process that required money.


    Well, in that respect, I supposed things were the same in my old world. Those with money had more options, and those that were poor were often forced into lives of crime. Something about this world though just felt a little pushier.


    I was starting to drift off in front of the fire when the door outside burst open. The noise was enough that I woke up with a snort. There was a commotion as a man limped into the room and collapsed at a table.


    ¡°Adventurer! What happened?¡± One of the bartenders asked the man as he panted for breath, grimacing as he bled on the floor.


    ¡°Bandits! There are bandits surrounding the city!¡± The man called out.


    My eyes opened immediately, and I glanced over at the man. This wasn¡¯t something I had brought on the town, was it? I mean¡­ Balrack did say they¡¯d send others, but would they really attack an actual city? How many bandits would they need to amount an attack of that level? Was Balrack really worth that effort? Or¡­ was there something else they were after?


    It looked like my day off ended early.

 Chapter 196

    I moved over to the man and helped heal him. My hands glowed as I held them over his wound. As the wound started to heal, he made a noise of surprise.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± He said, and then made a bitter face. ¡°Those men on the wall wouldn¡¯t heal me at all! They said that unless I was going to fight with them, I should just go cower inside the walls! I¡¯m no coward, but I¡¯m just a Merchant Guard! Who said I had to give my life to secure an entire city?¡±


    ¡°You are a coward!¡± A man in the corner snorted. ¡°Probably left the merchant and his wagons to be sacked by the bandits!¡±


    ¡°As a result, I reached the city gates in time to warn them about the approaching army!¡± The man shot back.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t deny the accusation at all. This only showed as proof that he likely did abandon the merchant as charged.


    ¡°And let me guess, you were hoping she¡¯d be around to heal you?¡± The bartender snorted.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter now.¡± The man shook his head, ¡°You guys didn¡¯t see the size. It¡¯s definitely the Bandit King, and you all know what they want. If a bunch of us grouped together and leave now, we can probably slip through before they finish enclosing the city. This is our chance to get out¡­ who is with me?¡±


    Most of the people in the bar, even the maids, were looking at this man quite rudely. A few of them spat on the floor. I really wished they wouldn¡¯t do that. I wasn¡¯t the one who had to wash the floor, but I certainly felt sympathy for them. As for this man who was cowardly, I was less sympathetic. Admittedly, I wasn¡¯t much different when it came to fear, but I knew you had to stick with the crowd if you wanted to survive. Strength in numbers or something like that.


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    ¡°You¡¯re seriously all going to choose to die? For her? Just because she healed a couple of us?¡± The man shook his head in disbelief.


    ¡°I think you should get out of my inn, friend.¡± The bartender spoke darkly.


    The injured man¡¯s eyes suddenly turned to me. ¡°You, stranger, you¡¯ll come with me, right? I don¡¯t even live in this city, and neither do you. These people all want to risk their lives for a pretty face. They know what the Bandit King wants, but they don¡¯t want to give her to them. I¡¯ll help protect you. I just ask that you heal me.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± I hated being put on the spot all of a sudden. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m still just relaxing. I haven¡¯t decided one way or another.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like I was being willfully brave or anything. I just thought that a mad dash was rather inconvenient and I had a feeling this guy would abandon me in a heartbeat if the going got tough.


    I had already had an encounter with these bandits, and I felt like they were steadily becoming troublesome and I might have to do something about it. Besides, this posed no risk to me. If push came to shove, I could always portal back to Chalm and be perfectly safe. At least, for now, I was interested in finding out a bit more about what was happening here.


    ¡°Get out of my inn!¡± The innkeeper insisted to the man after it was clear I wasn¡¯t going to join him.


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy! All of you are crazy!¡± The man turned and fled the inn followed by a group of angry stares.


    ¡°Stranger¡­¡± The bartender turned to us. ¡°Thank you for staying out of that¡­ and healing that man too. A second healer would be good in the upcoming fight. I¡¯m glad you decided to stay, but I¡¯m curious as to why you did so at your own risk?¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to sound pompous by saying something like I was in no real danger and I was just curious, but as soon as I opened my mouth, Miki spoke first.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because Master heard there is a pretty girl?¡±


    Miki smirked mischievously while Lydia and Celeste looked at me tearfully. Was it my imagination, or were their looks asking whether I felt the three of them weren¡¯t enough? I drank the last of my beer. It looked like there were no more rubs for Deek tonight.

 Chapter 197

    First off, I¡¯d like to say that I¡¯m not the kind of guy who is moved by some pretty face. I don¡¯t simply need to see a hot woman and then come to any thoughts like, ¡®she should be mine¡¯ or, ¡®I¡¯m going to taste that¡¯. I was a guy who was committed. Although I fell in love easily, I was also very loyal to that love. Lydia, Miki, and Celeste were the only women for me. Just the words ¡®hot girl¡¯ would not affect my decisions nor pique my curiosity in the slightest.


    Sure, this was a girl whose beauty was supposed to be so great that the Bandit King themselves would come down and ransack a city to have her. Sure, she was supposedly so pure and loved by the town people that not a single person even considered handing her over after receiving the threat of annihilation from said Bandit King. That didn¡¯t mean I wanted to see her, know her, or even talk to her. If I never saw this girl in my entire life, it wouldn¡¯t bother me in the slightest.


    After explaining this carefully to the girls, they were still looking at me with suspicious looks. ¡°However¡­ we may want to consider asking about her purely as a means of understanding the situation. If we wish to fight for the city, the least I could do is hear the whole story, right?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ hmmm¡­¡± Celeste crossed her arms while Lydia puffed out her cheeks.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The bartended punched his palm and turned to me, who was whispering quietly with my girls. ¡°I haven¡¯t really explained the situation to you yet, have I?¡±


    ¡°No, sir!¡± I coughed.


    I felt a bit of relief that he had managed to swoop in at just the right time and redirect the conversation. The girls¡¯ silence seemed more cutting than their words.


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    ¡°Yes¡­ Master is very curious about her!¡± Miki declared.


    Nope¡­ I was wrong. The words were very sharp. I had forgotten during the silence but it was all coming back to me now. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t have to bear it long, because the bartender launched into the story. I found myself wishing there were murals. At least I got pictures in the dungeon. No, that wasn¡¯t important, I should listen.


    ¡°About a year ago, a woman stopped at the village. Her name is Carmine. She¡¯s a healer.¡±


    ¡°A healer? You mean, like a priest?¡±


    ¡°She never mentioned her job, but she seems to have the ability to heal people. Our town has faced a lot of strife over the last year, and she¡¯s prevented any casualties and has really been a godsend.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± My eyes widened immediately


    This girl could possibly be another White Mage! They were supposed to be exceptionally rare, but it seemed like I was already meeting a kindred spirit and I only just started on my journey.


    Cheeeeeeee¡­.


    Ah¡­ the staring from the girls¡­ I immediately took the interested look off my face. ¡°I mean¡­ yeah¡­ whatever¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, we don¡¯t know when she met the Bandit King, but they fell in love with her. You see, the Bandit King has a certain¡­ um¡­ reputation¡­ for enjoying beautiful women. Surely, Carmine is just another in a long line of women they wish to defile.


    ¡°At first, they just sent a few bandits in. Tried to snatch her right out of the city! Fortunately, some friends were nearby and were able to protect her. However, they have been getting bolder and more threatening. It looks like you guys came at the wrong time. I am truly sorry that you have been wrapped up in all of this.¡±


    The man bowed at the end. I could tell he really meant it. He reminded me of the people from Chalm a bit. Generally good-natured, but at the same time slightly headache-inducing.


    ¡°I think I¡¯d like to meet this Carmine,¡± I said, and then coughed. ¡°Just to make sure I¡¯m clear on the whole story.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ hmm¡­¡±

 Chapter 198

    The innkeeper remained in his inn, but many of the guests were adventurers like me. They took off to see if they could do anything to help prepare the town for this siege. One guy stayed behind to take me to visit Carmine. I just explained that I was a healer too so that if we were both going to heal, I needed to coordinate with her so it was more efficient. For the most part, everyone accepted that as a valid reason. It certainly had nothing to do with me being a bit curious.


    As it turned out, the location that Carmine was at was the village orphanage of all places. For some reason, I was imagining a sexy Mother Theresa considering how this girl seemed to like to spend her time. As we reached the orphanage, there was a man there at the door flailing his arms as he spoke excitedly. He was talking to someone who was inside the house, but I couldn¡¯t see them at all. As we approached, I could pick up some of the words he was saying.


    ¡°Are you mad? We couldn¡¯t possibly¡­ besides¡­ it¡¯s only a legend. No one really knows what is down there.¡±


    ¡°We have guests, Mayor.¡± A gentle and smooth voice came from the doorway.


    Only then did the Mayor turn his head and realize we were there. He let out a noise of surprise as he turned to see the five of us right behind him. The one who brought us there smiled awkwardly.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Mayor, you¡¯re here as well. These strangers are willing to help the city stand during this upcoming siege by the Bandit King. This man¡¯s a healer like Carmine, so I thought they should both meet.¡±


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    A woman stepped out onto the porch. She was tall and had a small pair of glasses on her angelic-like face. She actually really was pretty, and a subtle atmosphere about her made her feel very approachable. I actually recognized it. She must have a charm up status or two. Perhaps she was a hero? No¡­ she should only have one job, and that should be White Mage.


    ¡°Welcome to the orphanage. I am truly sorry you were in the city when this all happened. I fear this really is all my fault!¡± The girl curtsied low, dipping her head until I just got a hint of cleavage.


    I¡¯d almost swear it was calculated, but before I could dwell on it the Mayor tried to stop her from curtsying. ¡°Now, now¡­ I said you need not apologize to everyone, especially these strangers. Who are you anyway? A slaveholder, I see? Perhaps some adventurer looking to claim the title of a hero? Well, I¡¯m sorry, our dungeon has been closed for years.¡±


    The man who brought us looked flustered like he was embarrassed by the Mayor¡¯s attitude.  This mayor held himself in a way that reminded me of Chalm¡¯s mayor¡­ but he also held a tinge of haughtiness, like he was owed everything in life that he had.


    ¡°Mayor¡­ you should be nicer when guests offer their assistance,¡± Carmine softly chastised.


    ¡°Of course¡­¡± The man immediately bowed his head. ¡°I apologize. I am busy now, though¡­ so I¡¯ll be off.¡±


    It was clear he only conceded because of some strange dedication to Carmine, and he really didn¡¯t like me at all. She had only been in this village a year, but he was infatuated with her. Meanwhile, I was being treated like chopped liver. The discrepancy was really unfair.


    Carmine blushed. ¡°Do you want to come in, then? You¡¯re staring!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t staring at her! I was lost in thought. Ladies behind me, stop trying to put a hole in my back using only your glares. It seriously stings!

 Chapter 199

    "C-can I ask, exactly what kind of healer are you?¡± I decided to alleviate my curiosity quickly.


    She smiled sweetly and put her finger over her mouth. ¡°That¡¯s a secret!¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    When she winked at me, I felt my heart beating faster. However, when I looked back at the other girls, my heart skipped a few beats. At this point, I¡¯d definitely have a coronary!


    I was honestly a little disappointed that she wouldn¡¯t tell me. She could be a rogue priest. I could imagine if that was the case, she wouldn¡¯t want the church to know about her. Well, now that I was a dark priest, I didn¡¯t want to be noticed by the church either.


    ¡°So, you are a priest then?¡± She asked cautiously.


    I shook my hands. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. Actually, I¡¯m a magician that specializes in healing magic. White mage.¡±


    I wanted to be 100% clear that she didn¡¯t need to hide it from me if she was worried. I did notice that there wasn¡¯t even a tinge of recognition when I said white mage, so the chances of her being one were gone, regrettably. She did look slightly more relaxed when I revealed I wasn¡¯t a priest.


    ¡°What are you doing in the city of Penbrooke. We¡¯re about as far into the country as you can get. This is no man¡¯s land.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± We¡­ um¡­ we¡¯re just passing through on our way to the capital.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so?¡±


    I had never bothered to get the name of the city before. Penbrooke was about three days total travel from Old Chalm, and they considered themselves as a city out in the boonies. What did that make Chalm? Actually, I was pretty single-minded when it came to heading to the Capital to accomplish the things I wanted, but Penbrooke was indeed the closest city to Old Chalm, and it¡¯d probably be a good idea to have some good relations to them. If we needed to flee a bad event, they¡¯d likely be the city housing our citizens, and if we needed help, they¡¯d be the first to be able to respond.


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    ¡°What did the mayor mean when he was talking about the dungeon?¡± I asked curiously, trying to change the subject away from talking about us.


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, the entire reason this town was set up is that we sit on top of an ancient dungeon. However, it¡¯s been sealed for years.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡± I asked.


    I had heard that attempting to seal entire dungeons lead to build-ups. As the dungeon consumed more mana, it produced more monsters, and it became like a volcano ready to erupt at a moment¡¯s notice. At least, that was how I came to understand the concept.


    ¡°No¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°You misunderstand. This isn¡¯t an active dungeon. Rather, it¡¯s a dead one.¡±


    ¡°Dead? Then¡­ shouldn¡¯t it collapse?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not sure how much you know. Dungeons are supported by a curse, and that curse is created by the dungeon¡¯s unfinished lore. One can defeat a dungeon two different ways. The first way is to simply destroy the lore, undoing the curse and leading to the dungeon¡¯s collapse. The second way is to complete the lore, which is a near-impossible feat that only a true dungeon diver can accomplish. However, there is also a third method. That is to starve the dungeon. If you can block its ability to intake mana, it slowly shrivels up and dies. And I mean slowly. The mana flow was blocked on this dungeon a few hundred years ago.


    ¡°You¡¯d find no monsters in the dungeon, and the dungeon itself wouldn¡¯t be able to plant traps. Although, the awards would be nonexistent too. However, every year, a few nobles would show up planning to defeat the dungeon so that they could become official dungeon divers. However, they never come out. The place was eventually sealed.¡±


    I leaned close, ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°They say¡­ at the bottom of the labyrinth lives a guardian. It¡¯s able to power itself apart from the labyrinth, and it defends what remains of the lore. There is a rumor¡­ that if you can destroy the lore, you can also take control of the guardian. Imagine it¡­ a weapon of unimaginable power!¡±

 Chapter 200

    "The guardian¡­ it couldn¡¯t be the legend you were discussing with the mayor, is it?¡± Something about the way she grew excited talking about the dungeon helped me put that together.


    ¡°Oh¡­ you listened to that, did you?¡± She blushed. ¡°If I must be honest, I came to this city specifically because of that guardian. I had heard of it and had some interest. With that guardian, I can have the um¡­ protection I need¡­ if we could mount an expedition and capture the guardian, wouldn¡¯t it be strong enough to beat back this army of bandits?¡±


    I supposed that made sense. She was a healer like me. Even right now, her beauty was causing her trouble. The city was her guardian today, but it had to hurt her to allow them to fight and die for her. Wouldn¡¯t any woman be attracted to that kind of power? A guardian that could keep her safe and allow her to have her free will? Perhaps it might even be a guardian against the church.


    ¡°Ah¡­ so you wanted to go down and see, but the mayor wouldn¡¯t risk everything on a chance? He needs every man for the wall, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± she nodded. ¡°and what of you? Why do you ask so many questions about dungeons? Are you just a healer?¡±


    ¡°Master is much more than a healer!¡± Miki said stubbornly, ¡°He¡¯s also a true dungeon diver.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Yes¡­ she¡¯s right.¡± I said, bonking her on the head. ¡°I¡¯ve been in a few dungeons. I guess you could call me a dungeon diver.¡±


    Miki rubbed her head and lowered it in repentance. She slipped up because of Carmine¡¯s tone when she spoke about me. It had just a bit of condescension in it. I didn¡¯t want anyone to know I was a dungeon diver, let alone a true one unless I absolutely had to. I still kept my tattoos hidden, even though the Guild Master thought that no one would be able to recognize them for what they are even if they were exposed.


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    However, once Carmine heard what Miki said, her eyes brightened considerably and she put her hands on mine. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re really a dungeon diver? Then, please, go with me. Take me down into the dungeon. I know if I have you by my side, I definitely will be able to bring the guardian back and protect this city!¡±


    ¡°You want to abandon the city? We don¡¯t know how long this would take. In my experience, even small dungeons take months to explore.


    She grabbed my hands tighter, and I was stuck between the heat on my cheeks and the cold looks in the back of my skull.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take long at all! The dungeon has withered significantly. The levels shouldn¡¯t be very many or very deep. I think we could reach the bottom within a single day.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ but what about healing? The bandit is upon us now!¡±


    A quick twitch of irritation flashed on her face. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry about that brute! The Bandit King is a coward and won¡¯t attack the city after marching to get here. He also won¡¯t attack during the day! That means, if we go now, we have a full day and night to reach the guardian. This could be the key to saving everything, don¡¯t you see?¡±


    She was getting really close to my personal space. Her nose was right up to mine. The other girls were slaves, so they wouldn¡¯t normally interrupt when their Master is having a discussion. They were quite docile like that, although Miki slipped a little bit. However, when it came to this woman, they seemed to not like her at all. I knew she was a bit touchy, but they didn¡¯t need to keep shooting me cold stares.


    ¡°You seem to know the bandit King well¡­¡± I said haphazardly.


    She pulled away, blushing slightly. ¡°Please¡­ I believe we can make it, and if we make it, we can save this city.¡±


    I admitted I was interested in this guardian as well as this withered dungeon. I looked at my girls, hoping they¡¯d give me an answer.


    ¡°We do as Master commands,¡± Lydia responded.


    I sighed. ¡°Fine¡­ we¡¯ll help.¡±

 Chapter 201

    She was very excited. I only just managed to keep her from hugging me and giving me a kiss.


    ¡°Thank you¡­ Thank you so much!¡± She said. ¡°Then, we should go immediately, but we must sneak there. If anyone in town knows where we are going; they¡¯re going to stop us immediately.¡±


    ¡°Celeste can muffle our movements, right?¡± I looked over at my girls.


    She crossed her arms, ¡°As Master commands, Celeste obeys!¡±


    Did I do something to make the girls angry at me? I really wasn¡¯t doing this because Carmine was just another pretty face. I honestly agreed with her. And, if I could destroy that withered lore and get a few dungeon points, that would be good too. However, I went through it in my head a few times just to be sure, and I wasn¡¯t doing this because she was a pretty girl who needed my help. Right?


    ¡°Come,¡± she grabbed my hand. ¡°We go out the back way.¡±


    I was pulled out the door before I could say anything to the girls. Now was a bad time anyway. It was night now, and I could hear the distant beating of some drums. It seemed to be what Carmine had said. They were setting up and surrounding the city tonight, and wouldn¡¯t attack until after that was done.


    Carmine lead the way, literally holding my hand the entire time. I wasn¡¯t blushing! It was just hot outside! My heart wasn¡¯t beating crazily because an innocent girl in trouble with an ability like mine was now depending on me and holding my hand. That¡¯s crazy talk!


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    Carmine really seemed to know her way too. She ducked smoothly, avoiding the patrols as if she had already paced this route before and was now just doing the timing she had already perfected in her head. Within five minutes, we were standing in front of a locked room. It appeared to be the mayor¡¯s office. Without missing a beat, Carmine pulled out a key and unlocked it. She ushered us inside. After we were out of the public eye, I gave her a look.


    ¡°I had copies of the mayor¡¯s keys made.¡± She said, ¡°Just in case¡­¡±


    I was starting to suspect that she had wanted an excuse to get the guardian for a while now, and the Bandit King was just one in a long line of excuses she had used.


    We ended up heading down a flight of stairs, and it was in the basement that we finally saw the massive doors to the dungeon. These were chained up with large thick chains, but it looked like Carmine had acquired the keys to this as well. The chains noisily fell to the floor. She opened the door, and a wave of stagnant air washed over us. The dungeon was really like the maw of a mouth waiting to eat you. If we entered, I¡¯d be back in a dungeon again. Of course, we were packed for a long journey and she had assured us this wouldn¡¯t even take that long, but it still left me feeling a bit anxious.


    ¡°Come on¡­¡± She didn¡¯t hesitate to light a candle and then dive right into the room.


    I turned back to my three women. In the dark, I couldn¡¯t see their expressions.


    ¡°I want you to know¡­ if you don¡¯t want to do this¡­ we can turn away.¡±


    I suddenly felt myself being hugged by three women.


    ¡°We know, Master¡­¡±


    ¡°This is just Master¡¯s way.¡±


    ¡°Master doesn¡¯t need to say it¡­¡±


    I felt three kisses on my cheeks, and then the girls pushed me back through the door.


    {You have entered Terra¡¯s Dungeon.}

 Chapter 202

    Every dungeon was a little bit different. At least, that was the conclusion I came up with upon entering my third dungeon. Mina¡¯s dungeon had the distinct feel of a tomb. It had a dark, grave-like quality. There were dirt walls, deep cathedrals, and no shortage of undead walking along the narrow corridors. Karr¡¯s Dungeon was an echo of the mansion, full of wide hallways and carpeted landscapes filled with ghosts.


    Terra¡¯s Dungeon reminded me of an old, medieval castle. I supposed when it came to an actual dungeon, Terra¡¯s dungeon fit the bill the best with grey brick walls and thick oak doors. However, the place had an arid feel to it. Rather than feeling intimidating and full of life, it felt dead and dry. Entering a dungeon usually felt like entering a living thing, yet this particular dungeon felt like it was the decayed mummy of what once was a dungeon.


    Supposedly, some hero from ages long past found that defeating the dungeon was too much trouble. Instead, they used magic to strangle the dungeon. If one had no respect for the lore, then this seemed like an ideal way to deal with dungeons. It was low risk, and while it took a long time for the results to finish, you didn¡¯t need to enter the dungeon at all. Things like dying without a resurrection safety line didn¡¯t happen.


    ¡°I believe we should go this way, Dungeon Diver!¡± Carmine said, already walking off into the darkness.


    I made sure all of the girls had successfully entered the dungeon with me, and then I began to follow Carmine. She seemed to be incredibly bold as she walked. She said that other than the guardian, the dungeon was effectively dead. That meant there shouldn¡¯t be monsters or traps to impede her way. However, I was still here to help escort her, right? She should show a little bit of hesitation as she walks down. I made sure to pull up my map with detect traps and sense life.


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    When I detected nothing, I sighed and continued after her. I was surprised when five minutes later, we had reached the stairway down. This level really was incredibly small. I was glad there was no monster because, at this size, we definitely would have run into it. Carmine started heading for the stairway, but I grabbed her arm and pointed to a door nearby.


    ¡°What is it?¡± She asked.


    ¡°That room should contain a dungeon kiosk. If we need to teleport in a hero, we should register.¡±


    ¡°This really isn¡¯t necessary!¡± She said, frowning. ¡°The Bandit King is coming, we don¡¯t have time to fool around. The faster we head down, the better.¡±


    ¡°I understand we¡¯re in a hurry, but I insist.¡±


    She looked at for me for a few moments, and I felt a strange edge to it like she was hiding how she truly was feeling. A moment later she shrugged.


    ¡°Very well, do as you wish.¡±


    I let out a breath of relief. I didn¡¯t know what I would do if she decided she was going to give me trouble with this. I decided to move quickly, The room that contained the kiosk looked like some kind of dirt shrine. It was really odd. I quickly had the girls register. I noticed Carmine was waiting outside with her arms crossed. That made me feel a little frustrated, but I decided not to push it with her.


    As I was leaving the room, however, my eyes fell on the mural.

 Chapter 203

    The murals were the key to understanding the lore of any dungeon. I had almost missed this one entirely because the murals were degraded. Many tiles had fallen to the ground and there was significant wear and tear. I pulled out a clean piece of cloth and used it to wipe the dirt off the surface as I tried to make out what happened.


    ¡°What¡¯s the hold-up?¡± Carmine demanded impatiently.


    The other girls were now giving Carmine a dirty look. They liked the lores of the dungeons, and stories I came up with by reading them. They definitely didn¡¯t seem to like her attitude when she spoke to me. As for Carmine, she seemed to let their looks flow right past her as she continued to sit there with her arms crossed and an unreadable expression on her face.


    ¡°Can you figure it out?¡± Lydia asked eagerly.


    I shook my head and sighed. ¡°I can only see the basic start. There was apparently a man and a woman. They were powerful magicians. There was something about children, but that part of it is unreadable.¡±


    It appeared that when a dungeon¡¯s mana was strangled, it was more than just it¡¯s ability to output monsters that changed. The lore of this dungeon was damaged too. It was a story on the verge of death. A strange part of me who had grown accustomed to figuring out the lore of a dungeon felt almost sad at this incomplete and degraded lore. I found myself slightly upset with the weak and cowardly hero who had opted to kill it in such an inhumane way.


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    I shook my head. I was being ridiculous here. This wasn¡¯t a living thing. It was some strange magical aspect of this world. I shouldn¡¯t feel sorry for curses. Dungeons were the source of monsters in this world, and preyed on helpless adventurer¡¯s, luring them in with treasures. They were like a tragic Venus Fly Trap for this world.


    ¡°Can we go now?¡± Carmine demanded.


    I nodded, ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s get out of here.¡±


    Once again, she headed off, and I had to run to catch up. On the second floor, I checked again for the traps. I would be cautious all the way to the body. I had traveled enough dungeons now. Even if this place couldn¡¯t create a trap now, there is no saying that a trap wasn¡¯t once created while this dungeon was still alive, and now it is waiting to go off in Carmine¡¯s face. I was a support class, I felt it was my job to worry about such things.


    Level 2 was finished almost as quickly as level 1. That meant about ten minutes a level. That was about 12 hours better than usual. I¡¯d consider a level quick if I had it done in a few hours. Now, we had levels being done in minutes. It added to our sense of urgency. We weren¡¯t here for fun or exploration. We needed this guardian as quickly as possible. I had only one thing I needed to see. That was what was left of the lore. I had a feeling like knowing the lore of this dungeon would help us in acquiring the guardian.


    We continued to explore at a rapid pace, and it was barely an hour before we found ourselves stepping out onto level 5. The midtier bosses had long been extinguished for mana to keep this dungeon alive a little longer, but the kiosk should still be here. It was time to learn the next part of this story.

 Chapter 204

    "Seriously? You really want to register with the kiosk here too?¡± She looked even more irate than before.


    Her sweet demeanor she had used on the surface seemed to be going away. The deeper we got, the less cute she became. The other girls didn¡¯t interact with her at all. Rather, she had some kind of notebook she kept pulling out. She¡¯d look at it, compare a couple of pages, mumbling to herself, and then continue on. That¡¯s how the last hour had passed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Although I said the words, I left and walked into the room with the kiosk.


    As the girl¡¯s registered, I looked for the mural. I sighed when I saw this one was in even worse shape. A city was destroyed. That was about all I could tell. It seemed to be destroyed by something they created? Perhaps that was why they needed to build the guardian? They accidentally used their magic in a way that created something worse. Maybe they summoned a monster. Thus, they needed to construct a guardian to protect it? Well, these murals were usually all guesswork, but this one was even less than that.


    ¡°Master?¡± Lydia asked as she noticed me shaking my head.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just getting an uneasy feeling.¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s never that easy, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The four of us headed back out to find Carmine standing there looking at some kind of compass. When I saw the look in her eyes, I froze immediately.


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    ¡°Carmine¡­ is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­ The Bandit King¡­ already¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I blinked. ¡°What do you mean? The Bandit King is out there. We¡¯ve only been in here an hour.


    She shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t understand! I have a magic device that allows me to track my enemies! The Bandit King¡­ they are already in the dungeon!


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°They must have attacked much earlier than I thought. Their assault was more impressive than I would have guessed. They¡¯re also after the same thing that we are after. They just entered, so they¡¯re about an hour behind us, but you better bet that they¡¯re moving fast.¡±


    ¡°Calm down¡­ what are you saying?¡± I said, holding her shoulders.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying, the Bandit King wants the power of the guardian! If the Bandit King gets it, I¡¯ll be dead meat. We must hurry! We cannot afford to take our time anymore!


    ¡°¡­¡± I didn¡¯t mean to look uncertain, but I didn¡¯t like the idea of being rushed at all.


    This Bandit King, if we faced him here, that actually might be for the best. He would have no resurrections, so I could kill him and his strongest supporters. We could use the dungeon to our advantage, and perhaps even mount a surprise attack on him.


    ¡°Just¡­ how strong is the bandit king?¡± I asked.


    She shook her head. ¡°A tier three job¡­. Level 50! I know what you¡¯re thinking, but the Bandit King cannot be fought. You will definitely die if you try to battle them.¡±


    That was what I was afraid of. The ones I had fought were just small fries. The Bandit King was the real deal. Looking at my girls, I knew I couldn¡¯t put their lives on the line for this. We had to move faster, as Carmine had said.


    ¡°Then¡­ I guess we go.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± She kissed my cheek. ¡°You¡¯re saving my life. If the town has truly fallen in under an hour, this guardian will be the only way to save either of us.¡±


    Actually, if I just used the kiosk back to the 1<sup>st</sup> floor, I could portal out and be back in Chalm. However, I didn¡¯t like the idea of this Bandit King getting control of the champion either. Rather, I had to just keep going forward.

 Chapter 205

    Only two hours later, we had reached level nine. I had allowed Carmine to set the pace. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t have to fight her on the kiosk, as it served as an entrance into the boss¡¯s room on the ninth floor.


    ¡°Hurry up! They¡¯re catching up any second we take to waste!¡±


    I nodded and made sure my girls registered. ¡°How many floors do you think it goes down?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how old this dungeon was before we entered it. If it was a year per level as it appeared to be, this dungeon could be a hundred floors or more. A hundred levels of dead space was still a hundred levels we had to climb down.


    ¡°We¡¯re close.¡± She said, ¡°Just another ten.¡±


    I breathed slightly easier. The longer it took to reach the bottom, the more chance we had of this Bandit King catching up to us. I quickly looked over at the murals for this story as well. Carmine made an annoyed tsk and crossed her arms. While we might not be fighting any bosses on the way down, there could be some secret to this guardian kept within the story. I wasn¡¯t going to pass it by. It could be the difference between life or death down here.


    However, the mural was completely unreadable. I could see half the image of a single person. They were holding some kind of rod. That was all that was left. The rubble that once contained this part of the story now lay in broken piles on the ground. I sighed and motioned for Carmine to continue on. As we entered the tenth floor, I was expecting the door behind us to shut. However, that didn¡¯t seem to be happening.


    ¡°In here!¡± I heard a shout. ¡°Ah, the next stairway down!¡±


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    The sound came from the ninth floor. I could hear a dozen people talking, and they didn¡¯t seem to be caring about the level of their voices at all. Even though I couldn¡¯t make out most of the words, they had a rowdy tone about them.


    ¡°Carmine should be right ahead!¡± A commanding, yet surprisingly melodious voice came out. ¡°Oh¡­ Carmine¡­ we¡¯re coming for you!¡±


    They shouted the words like they were singing a song, and the rest of the group began to make nasty laughs. Why couldn¡¯t this be a boss room? If it did, then the doors would close and we¡¯d have an hour for it to repop! Now, it appears like they had already caught up to us. Carmine¡¯s face appeared white and she let out a cry of fear and panic.


    I had some doubts before about the so-called Bandit King. I suspected that perhaps she might even be working alongside them. However, the expression of pure terror on her face instantly dispelled that thought. Carmine was actually running for her life, and by the tone of the Bandit King, he was viciously toying with her.


    ¡°Run!¡± I hissed out and then began to pick up the pace.


    At the worst, this large boss battle room put the bandits at the advantage. They had more numbers than we did. They could take advantage of spells. On the other hand, we¡¯d be much better off in the relatively narrow halls where we could take optimum advantage of our few numbers. As we raced the last half of the room, I could see their shadows growing like long hands looking to reach out and grab our ankles.


    ¡°I think they¡¯re down here!¡± Someone shouted. ¡°Carmine and the pretty noble with the slaves!¡±


    Pretty boy? That was a description I never would have expected, but considering most bandits didn¡¯t even have all of their teeth, I supposed it made sense.


    ¡°I want to kill that bastard myself!¡± Another voice, this had to be Balrack, came out.


    So, they really had swarmed the city, and even were able to free Balrack. They also knew who was down here and our number. Basically, we had no surprises left. Their shadows began to move faster down to our level. Just as their feet could be seen coming down the stairs, we reached the staircase to the eleventh floor. Suddenly the door slammed shut in Carmine¡¯s face!

 Chapter 206

    Carmine let out a cry and raced for the door. She slammed her fist on it, eliciting a dull thud. Behind her, I spun around to face the bandits. We were completely trapped. Well, that was my thought until I noticed the door on the other side was slamming shut too. I barely met the eyes of a surprised bandit as the door shut closed with a slam.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I heard banging on the door as it closed.


    Once we were completely sealed in, all sound from the outside world cut off. We were now in a dark boss room. Carmine finally turned back, a strange expression on her face now that her chasers had been temporarily interrupted. As for the other three girls, they had drawn their weapons and were in a formation that they had come up with on their own. They looked quite dangerous, but there didn¡¯t appear to be any monster suddenly materializing or swooping down. I stared across the dark hall for a few moments, confusion starting to build on my face.


    ¡°Is there a boss, after all?¡± I offered.


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡± Carmine shook her head. ¡°The bosses should all be dead.¡±


    ¡°Stay by the door.¡± I instructed, ¡°Our only chance is to get out of here as soon as the door opens. If we can empty the room without them reaching the door, it¡¯ll reshut, and they¡¯ll be forced to wait another hour. However, if they get past the door, we¡¯ll definitely be in some bad straights.¡±


    I was just speaking as I saw it, but the girls all nodded. Even Carmine, who had turned into a bit of a bossy betty since she entered the place nodded demurely. It looked like the visible threat of her would-be captors had caused her to settle down a bit. Survival was what was important right now.


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    ¡°Can we force our way through the rock, maybe?¡± I asked, eyeing the escape.


    ¡°D-d-don¡¯t you dare!¡± A small voice shouted out.


    The girls all gripped their weapons. I even noticed Carmine fingering something hidden by her robes. I looked around trying to find the source of the voice. It was a high-pitched young sounding voice of a girl. It certainly wasn¡¯t what I expected to hear if a bandit had broken through. No, we were locked in the boss room now. That meant that this voice had to be coming from this dungeon¡¯s boss. However, this dungeon had no boss. That was enough to confuse me horribly.


    ¡°Where are you? What do you want? Show yourself!¡± I let out the typical lines, meanwhile keeping my eyes open.


    ¡°You can¡¯t hold us here!¡± Carmine spoke up. ¡°If you have a challenge, then give it, otherwise, let us be on our way.¡±


    ¡±O-of course¡­ I have a challenge!¡± The voice finally spoke back.


    ¡°Your dungeon is nearly dead. You couldn¡¯t summon a boss who could challenge us even if you wanted to!¡± Carmine sniffed. ¡°You¡¯re stalling dungeon because you¡¯re afraid your lore will be destroyed!¡±


    ¡°N-no! D-don¡¯t kill me!¡± Suddenly, the ground rose up like a small pillar.


    The dirt fell away, and like a flower with dark petals unfurling, it revealed a young maiden girl inside. She had short hair that didn¡¯t go passed her ears. It was dark brown, as were her eyes. She had a small heart-shaped face, a flat chest, She was wearing a strangely dirty dress. There were also various markings of dirt all over her cheeks and arms. It looked like she had literally crawled out of the ground.


    ¡°Please¡­¡± She said, her eyes tearing. ¡°I am Terra¡­ do not kill me!¡±

 Chapter 207

    ¡°Terra? She¡¯s right, you really are the dungeon?¡± I let out a noise of surprise.


    I was starting to understand a bit more about dungeons and how they functioned. For example, the name of a dungeon was based on the person the lore was formed around. This doesn¡¯t mean that the big boss at the end of the dungeon. In fact, usually, the final boss was the person inflicted by the curse. So, Mina¡¯s curse was a curse constructed from Mina¡¯s untimely death, but the person it affected the most was her Necromancer brother.


    Meanwhile, Karr¡¯s curse was a product of his unusual death, but the person most infected by the curse was the Fairy Queen. If logic continued, that would mean that this was Terra, the person who was the center of this curse. However, the final boss would likely have to do with someone centered around her. Would that be the so-called guardian? That would mean that this girl was the guardian¡¯s original owner or something like that. Well, I could easily be wrong, but that was my guess.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Terra shook her fists at us. ¡°You humans! You cheaters! You strangle me dry and then try to storm in and take it without even asking!¡±


    ¡°Move¡­ little girl!¡± Carmine hissed. ¡°You¡¯re in our way. I will take the guardian as my own!¡±


    ¡°That will never happen!¡± The girl said tearfully. ¡°I won¡¯t allow it.¡±


    ¡°By the scriptures set by the god accords in the Age of Curses, a dungeon cannot make its lore inaccessible. Making your lore inaccessible is a crime against nature!¡± Carmine said darkly.


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    I had never heard that kind of stuff, but it seemed like it was true. So, dungeons did have rules they had to follow. They had to keep themselves open to the surface. A person has to be able to reach the lore. The lore had to display itself after it was defeated. These things seemed to have been set in some kind of scripture.


    Even the damage of a collapsed floor had to be opened up in a few days. I didn¡¯t know what kind of backlash a dungeon would feel if it went against these accords, but it was nice to know that as many monsters, floods, and traps they tossed my way, they wouldn¡¯t be able to just lock me in a room and starve me, which was technically what this one was doing!


    ¡°Please¡­¡± I stepped forward. ¡°I do not wish to destroy your lore. I¡¯m not a threat to you. We wish to borrow the power of the guardian to repel back the bandits that have attacked this city. They¡¯re the same men on the other side of that wall. Please let us continue on our way.¡±


    Terra took a step back, hiding half her face behind a pillar. It seemed like she was almost as scared of me talking nicely to her as Carmine yelling at her.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± She said. ¡°You said to provide a challenge, and that is why I closed these doors. By the accords, I must challenge you. Even though that bastard Hero Magician strangled the dungeon¡¯s magic and left my home to die, I will not betray my promises. You will receive your challenge.¡±


    Carmine sniffed. ¡°Any monster you come up with would be too simple.¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­ this is not a challenge of the body, but of the mind. You must answer my riddle. If you answer correctly, I will open the door moving forward, and you will have an hour before the bandits will renew their pursuit. I will even leave their door closed since they are not related to your party, and force them to answer the same question.¡±


    ¡°And what if we fail?¡± I asked nervously.


    ¡°Then I will open the other door, and with luck, you will all kill each other.¡±

 Chapter 208

    "Ridiculous¡­¡± Carmine shook her head after hearing the dungeon¡¯s conditions.


    ¡°I will not allow you to so easily take m-my dungeon¡¯s stuff!¡± She said, pushing her fingers together while shooting me a stubborn stare from behind the pillar.


    I didn¡¯t know why I was getting the look at all since it was Carmine who was talking to her. Maybe she had decided that I was the head of the group or something. Honestly, I didn¡¯t really like the attention at all. I¡¯d much rather Carmine handle this, but ever since she had seen the Bandit King, she had become quite demure. I tried to put on a reassuring smile and equipped my charm up as backup.


    ¡°Of course, please, let us know the riddle.¡±


    For some reason, when I leaned toward her and smiled, the girl, or whatever she was, became even more flustered, hiding the rest of her face behind the pillar. I couldn¡¯t even really say what she was. Was she the lore itself given sentience? Was she a spirit connected to the lore strongly? She seemed to have much more of her mind than the previous times. Karr had been quite crazy, as was the Necromancer. Even Astria who was technically a living creature entrapped by the curse as opposed to a broken soul had very little of her mind left until we forced her to face the truth.


    ¡°V-very well!¡± she finally looked back out, straightening her dirty dress. ¡°Then, I will give my question. I fly when I¡¯m born. Lie down when I¡¯m alive, and run when I¡¯m gone. What am I?¡±


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    ¡°I like riddles!¡± Celeste said excitedly, fluttering around. ¡°Can I answer it? Can I answer it?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ sure¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Celeste declares proudly.


    ¡°You brat. It¡¯s a snowflake!¡± I bonk her on the head.


    ¡°Geh!¡± Celeste rubs her head. ¡°Master, what¡¯s a snowflake?


    I wanted to be angry at her, but it was spoken from a girl who had been locked in a dungeon for twenty years, so you couldn¡¯t become too angry. Rather, I felt really sad that she had never even seen the snow before. Come this winter, I would definitely show her snowflakes.


    ¡°So! The answer ¡®I don¡¯t know!¡¯ is incorrect!¡± Terra announces.


    ¡°The answer is a snowflake! I don¡¯t know isn¡¯t even an answer!¡±


    Terra shook her fists. ¡°You¡­ f-fine! In that case, best two out of three!¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ that¡¯s not what we agreed to!¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t be so confusing the next time you answer!¡± She sniffed, acting a bit like a spoiled child.


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Give us another one.¡±


    ¡°Very well¡­¡± She recovered from her tantrum and put on another mysterious look. ¡°Voiceless I cry and wingless I soar; toothless I bite and mouthless I whisper. What am I?¡±


    ¡°Ooo¡­ ooo¡­ I know!¡± Celeste raises her hand excitedly.


    I shook my head and chuckled. ¡°Of course, you¡¯d know. The answer is the wind! As a Sylph, it¡¯d be embarrassing if you didn¡¯t catch this one.¡±


    Celeste froze, and then put her hand back down. ¡°Oh¡­ that answer is way better¡­¡±


    ¡°Celeste¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, Master, please, not the head. That¡¯s where my thoughts keep disappearing at!¡±


    ¡°So, you admit it!¡±


    ¡°Grrrr¡­.¡± Terra hit the ground and it shook slightly. ¡°Best three out of five!¡±

 Chapter 209

    "Many have heard me, yet nobody has seen me. I won¡¯t speak back unless spoke-¡°


    ¡°An echo¡­¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Grrrr¡­ Best¡­. of¡­ 16 out of 30!¡±


    ¡°This is enough! We¡¯re in a hurry and you¡¯ve already wasted fifteen minutes. Those men on the other side of that door are not nice. They¡¯re probably already trying to find some way to blast through the door.¡±


    I had initially catered to her, but it was starting to become ridiculous. She seemed extremely stubborn, so putting my foot down sternly seemed like the best course of action here.


    Terra gasped. ¡°B-but, the rules!¡±


    ¡°People like them don¡¯t care about the rules. Now, I¡¯ve clearly shown that I was able to answer your riddles, please hold up your side of the bargain.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so good at riddles anyway!¡¯ She demanded.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I read a lot of riddle books when I was in primary during recess.¡± I admitted. ¡°I wasn¡¯t particularly popular.¡±


    ¡°Eh! Now you¡¯re speaking in riddles!¡± She shook her fists. ¡°Fine, go, but don¡¯t think the level 20 boss will be so simple! He has protected me for hundreds of years, and he won¡¯t allow some filthy person like you to take me!¡±


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    As she said this, she waved her hands, and the stone door leading down to the eleventh floor opened up for us. As she had agreed upon, the door behind us remained closed, and it would continue to do so for another hour as long as they didn¡¯t cast any spell to break it.


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s the guardian that we want?¡± I said.


    ¡°Eh?¡± She blinked. ¡°The guardian, you say¡­¡±


    ¡°I have a spell in my journal,¡± Carmine admitted. ¡°As long as you four can distract it long enough, I¡¯ll be able to take control of it.¡±


    From the mural, I had the distinct feeling that the guardian was controlled by some kind of control rod which we¡¯d need to find. I was wondering how we were going to get through it. It seemed kind of like an issue to me. You had to defeat the protector to access the treasure room, but the treasure room contained the control rod needed to control the protector. I had hoped it was something like the other bosses. The boss was only defeated to an extent and then would reappear after healing.


    However, none of that mattered anymore. It seemed like Carmine had already thought about this and came up with a solution not unlike my slave taking ability. I shook my head and urged everyone to go out the door. We couldn¡¯t really afford to dally. Carmine had a few notes she referred to, but it wasn¡¯t like she had a map of the place. Even if she did, it would have been distorted over time from the dungeon shriveling up and dying.


    In that respect, the levels were small and the bandits had more numbers. He could spread them out to quickly scour the place. He also had no concern for registering at the kiosks or looking at the murals. This was how he was able to catch up to the five of us. Twenty-five men could search a level five times as fast as five people.


    As we headed down, I noticed a short shape running with us and I lost my step for a second.


    ¡°Terra? What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Even though it¡¯s impossible for you to take m-my dungeon¡¯s guardian, if that is what you plan to do, then I will head down there to see it!¡±

 Chapter 210

    ¡°Seriously¡­ you¡¯re already tired?¡± I said.


    ¡°My legs are short! And I don¡¯t walk a lot!¡± Terra whined.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this!¡± Carmine said, ¡°Leave the brat. She¡¯ll only try to get in the way as we take the guardian!¡±


    ¡°Y-you! Who says you can have the guardian! I won¡¯t allow it!¡± Terra shook her fists.


    I moved up to Terra, who raised her arms defensively in front of her. Turning around, I fell to one knee and put my hands behind my back.


    ¡°Come on.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what is this?¡± She demanded.


    ¡°Get on, I¡¯ll carry you!¡± I said, looking back at her. ¡°Hurry, or I will leave you behind.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I didn¡¯t want to leave her for the bandits to find. If she was just a spirit of this dungeon, she technically could just disappear and reappear somewhere else. That should be the case, but she walked alongside us. There was no floating or appearing and disappearing. She walked with heavy steps, thumping along next to the other girls. Strangely enough, I wasn¡¯t receiving nearly as many angry looks from my girls when I dealt with Terra compared to Carmine.


    In fact, the girls seemed to like Terra, offering her a few words and even complimenting her hair. The treatment difference between the two women was truly outstanding. I couldn¡¯t even imagine why the girls were so particular when it came to these two women. I guess Carmine was a little rough around the edges. However, Terra didn¡¯t come off as trustworthy either. Still, after looking around awkwardly, she received a nod of encouragement from Lydia and then climbed on my back.


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    Damn, she was heavy! I almost fell back. She was a small girl, even shorter than Miki. She had no chest to speak of. It wouldn¡¯t be fair to call her a loli, but she definitely was a short, flat-chested girl in her late teens. So, where did all of the weight come from? I just imagined I was training. Before gaining all these levels, I definitely couldn¡¯t have lifted this girl. I supposed I should focus on how much fitter I was now, rather than anything about her.


    Lifting Terra up, I began to run to catch up to Carmine, who hadn¡¯t slowed her pace for that. We soon found ourselves on the 15<sup>th</sup> floor. We did it a bit faster than the last five floors. I would have skipped the kiosk room, but we ended up walking right past it. I didn¡¯t have the girls register, but I glanced at it and found the mural instantly. Only one image appeared. It was a picture of a couple. The looked to be magicians. In their arms was a baby girl.


    ¡°Mother¡­ Father¡­¡± Terra¡¯s gentle voice came from behind me.


    ¡°The baby¡­ That¡¯s you, Terra?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± My question was met with silence.


    Perhaps, given that she was some kind of being of the dungeon, she didn¡¯t even have those memories. I could only see very small scattered parts of the whole story, so it was kind of frustrating. It seemed like there was a powerful magician couple. Some horrific event happened and something they created destroyed a lot of villages. They ended up having a child, Terra. Then, they built Terra some kind of powerful guardian. Or perhaps¡­ it was the guardian who ended up attacking and killing Terra. Given what I knew about these dungeons, that sounded about right. The magician¡¯s created the guardian to protect their daughter, but one day it went out of control and killed the one it was supposed to protect.


    Didn¡¯t that mean that the guardian wasn¡¯t safe? Furthermore¡­ what would happen if I brought Terra, the guardian¡¯s true owner, into the same room as the guardian that once killed her? The only way to find out the truth was to reach the last floor. I abandoned the mural and ran to catch up with the group. The six of us continued down into the darkness while the Bandit King followed in close pursuit.

 Chapter 211

    ¡°I found the stairs!¡± A dreaded yell came from the distance.


    That likely came from the floor above us. That meant that these damn bandits had actually caught up again. We were on 18<sup>th</sup> floor now. If we could make it to the 19<sup>th</sup> floor kiosk room, we could lock ourselves in and battle the guardian at our own leisure. We could always escape back to the 1<sup>st</sup> floor kiosk, although we¡¯d have to leave Carmine alone and we¡¯d be giving the weapon to the Bandit King. We rushed down the stairway and began racing along the cooridors


    ¡°The stairway!¡± I said in a hushed whisper, afraid that if I made too much noise, I¡¯d give away our location to the Bandits trailing behind us. ¡°Terra, where is the door?¡±


    ¡°H-how would I know that¡­¡± She said awkwardly. ¡°I don¡¯t like coming down here¡­. He¡¯s down here.¡±


    I was hoping that Terra knew the way and after carrying her for the last couple of floors would endear her enough to tell us. However, she claimed she didn¡¯t know. I wanted to stop and ask her about it, but there was no time for that. It turned out she really did have some kind of Guardian trauma, and didn¡¯t like the creature at all.


    Although the dungeon was small, it still was about the size of a mansion with multiple wings. It took about 15 minutes to search the whole thing. At this point, running into the Bandits was just as likely as running into the room. Also, by the time we reached the room, the Bandits might already be there.


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    Just as I was thinking about such worrisome things, we turned a corner and at the very end was a group of people. Standing in the forefront was a full armored person in furs who looked to be the best armed of the bunch. They had a dangerous aura about them.


    ¡°Carmine!¡± The melodious voice laughed. ¡°I¡¯ve finally found you!¡±


    ¡°Run!¡± Carmine cried out, turning and racing the other way.


    ¡°Hehehe¡­ run all you want, you can escape me!¡± Their voice had a slightly perverted tinge to it.


    I considered testing our might against the Bandit King, but I knew I wouldn¡¯t be making the first blow. Lydia would. In my mind, I saw Lydia leaping out to meet him, only for the Bandit to use some trick. In an instant, Lydia was cut down. I shook my head of the vision, but there was no way I could risk her life like that.


    ¡°Fireball!¡± I shouted, tossing my spell down the path.


    ¡°Wind slash!¡± Celeste joined in, also sending her own spells joining it.


    We turned to follow Carmine, not waiting to see what came of the attacks. Although their was a loud sound as the attacks landed, it sounded like they struck some kind of hard surface. I had a feeling the Bandit King had managed to block the attacks completely.


    ¡°They¡¯re over there!¡± Another shout came as we passed an intersection, managing to be seen by yet another group.


    ¡°There it is!¡± Carmine cried out as she turned a corner.


    There was a door leading into the kiosk room, but it was a good 100 meters down the hall. Worse, the Bandit King was standing on the other end of the hall, about equal distance.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ you¡¯re done for now!¡±


    ¡°S-scary¡­¡± Terra buried her head into my shoulder.


    It turned out that Terra wasn¡¯t good with this high adrenaline stuff. Carmine stared down the hallway at the Bandit King, as if personally challenging him.


    ¡°Follow me!¡± She said, ¡°Come!¡±


    She threw back her cloak and pulled out a large sword. A white light sprawled across the hallway, nearly blinding everyone. With a shout, she began to race forward, heading straight for the Bandit King!

 Chapter 212

    The Bandit King stood there and held out his arms. He didn¡¯t appear to be charging Carmine at all. Rather, he had his arms spread out, and dark shadows were crawling around his body. It was clear, especially with the light Carmine was throwing off, that he was planning on casting a really powerful spell. With Carmine barreling forward, I realized I had no choice but to follow along.


    The five of us followed Carmine as she raced down the hallway. The hope was that we could reach the door before his spell went off. The amount of time and mana he was pulling told me that this spell was particularly powerful. I didn¡¯t know how strong the Bandit King was, but this was at least at the level of the strongest spell that Celeste could cast, and that could chop apart monsters like sushi.


    ¡°Salicia!¡± She screamed.


    ¡°Carmine! Let us see if you still have what it takes, sister!¡±


    Sister? We reached the door, but just as we did, I could feel the explosion of power coming from the Bandit King. Carmine took two steps forward past the door and then slammed her sword down. A massive pillar of light exploded around her. Just as that happened, the darkness slammed into her.


    The force of the powers colliding caused my ears to pop. She was almost shoved back as blackness curled around her shield of light. Some of the darkness still managed to get through, and her robes were torn asunder in various places. Underneath, a chainmail armor made of pure white was revealed. On her chest was a noticeable cross.


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    ¡°A¡­ Paladin?¡± I guessed.


    Lydia nodded quietly. ¡°She¡¯s from the church. I know Master fancied her, but the church is notorious for disliking beastkin. That¡¯s why she¡¯s mostly ignored us since we got here.¡±


    Miki nodded. ¡°The church is willing to take on multi-tailed foxes, but only as slaves. We would be treated as tools. Some would say that is better than complete rejection, but after meeting Master¡¯s kindness and speaking to those from Chalm, I¡¯m no longer sure I feel that way. When I saw her dismiss me in her eyes, I really didn¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Is that why we didn¡¯t like her?¡± Celeste touched her lips. ¡°I just didn¡¯t like her because her boobs are almost bigger than mine.¡±


    ¡°Geh!¡± Miki made a noise like she had been struck.


    ¡°R-really¡­ I didn¡¯t notice.¡± Lydia looked away, blushing.


    I had noticed that too. Not her breast size, but that fact that she didn¡¯t stand near any of the other girls, and she only ever addressed me. It was almost like the slaves didn¡¯t exist in her sight. It appeared like there was some prejudice there.


    Well, either way, she had put her life on the line to block that spell. Her white light was waning and the darkness was starting to win. We could have ducked into the boss room, but this girl had put her life on the line to protect me. Maybe it was more about challenging this sibling, I didn¡¯t know, but she protected me and the girls nonetheless.


    ¡°Well, likeable or not, I should probably do what I¡¯m best at¡­ support.¡±

 Chapter 213

    "Magic Circle!¡± I tossed out a circle around us, and to my delight it knocked back the darkness and enhanced her spell. ¡°Moderate Heal. Refresh!¡±


    I started tossing out spells. Meanwhile, I ordered Celeste to toss some wind spells behind us, where our pursuers were starting to catch up. They couldn¡¯t make the 100 meter dash down the hallway with sharp wind spells being sent their way by a master magician.


    ¡°She really should be in my party¡­¡± I tsk¡¯d in annoyance.


    If she had the party up bonus, she might be fairing better than she was at the moment. I supposed enslaving her was a bit much to get slave bonuses, but anything would help. Unfortunately, it was too late now to invite her. That kind of thing couldn¡¯t be done in the middle of battle. I continued to cast restorative properties on her. She managed to look back in shock. She had heard I was a healer before, but she must have taken it for granted.


    Now, I was casting out spells that probably looked a bit like a Priests. Her eyes held just a hint of suspicion and worry, but she was too busy holding off the attack to do anything. She may be a Paladin, and she may work for the church, but whatever she was doing now appeared to be outside her jurisdiction. Perhaps, it was that this Bandit King was her brother.


    It was a story that was easy to guess. A sister went on to be a paragon of good, while the brother went on to be a Bandit King. Now, after hearing about all the evil deeds her brother has done for too long, she decided to finally do something about it. So, she disobeyed orders, came to a town she knew he had an interest in. Perhaps they were both told the same childhood story about a magical guardian. She tried to get the weapon first and failed, and once he realized she was in the city, he came after her.


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    The attack went on for a solid minute, once again revealing just how powerful this Bandit King was. I eventually slipped her a mana potion and let her drink that as well to keep going. When the darkness finally drizzled to a stop and she let down her light guard, I could see several bandits on the floor, unconscious. It looked like he had drained them to keep using the spell.


    ¡°Sister¡­ enough with this. Give me the guardian¡­ and join me. Together, we can have riches more than you could believe.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ will¡­ never¡­¡± She collapsed to her knees.


    I reached out and grabbed her. The Bandit King shot me a hard glare as he saw my arms around Carmine. He wasn¡¯t some kind of siscon, was he? The rumors about him had to do with his desire to be with this woman. I had assumed when I realized their familial connection that this was probably just baseless rumor, but seeing how he was watching us, I started to wonder.


    Either way, with the help of the girls, I pulled Carmine into the door. The Bandit King appeared to be spent by his spell, as he made no further attempt to attack us. Instead, he just watched with a glower as I slammed the door shut. We had made it into the boss room of Terra¡¯s dungeon. It was time to fight the guardian, and hope he possessed the power for us to truly stop this Bandit King. Once we defeated the boss, they¡¯d be teleported out to the entrance and would be waiting for us to pop out to attack.

 Chapter 214

    Carmine had passed out unconscious. I decided it was time to take a much-needed break. We had been pushing hard to reach the dungeon¡¯s bottom floor, and it had been over ten hours of tense and frantic searching. It was enough to cause anyone to grow exhausted. Although I was worried about the city above, the Bandit King seemed to have come down here with most of his most trusted men. Hopefully, the city above was fairing better by his absence.


    I considered sending one or two of us to the 1<sup>st</sup>-floor kiosk, but there was no telling what the Bandit King had done. He could have left a dozen men behind ready to cut down anyone who came out. He could have set a brutal trap. In the end, I decided it wasn¡¯t worth the risk. Humans weren¡¯t like monsters. I had considered it before. A ghost or undead flew at me with a singular purpose. Humans could strategize and prepare. They could be cruel just for the sake of being cruel. Overall, I was much more paranoid when it came to them than any monster, including this guardian.


    I finally put down the heavy Terra, healed Carmine with a few spells, and then worked on setting up a fire. As far as locations to stay went, this dungeons dirt-filled grave-like rooms were far less hospitable compared to the library of the cathedral. It gave me a feeling of being buried alive. Terra seemed to be acting the most at home, lying casually on a dirt mound, further dirtying her dress.


    I got the fire going, and then pulled out food to prepare. I made sure to use some of the food we had acquired from the last dungeon. This food was special and would give everyone status bonuses. Thanks to my preservation spells, it was still in good shape too. I ended up making a meat stew with potatoes, two kinds of vegetables I had gotten off mobs, and a meat that dropped from one of the bosses. It would definitely boost status.


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    When the good smells started flowing from it, I used item identify. All it said was that the meat stew would increase offensive and defensive capabilities for some time after the meal. Unless I could use God Eye, which required the fairy dust I no longer had, I couldn¡¯t get anything more specific than that. I couldn¡¯t wait for Moderate and Advanced item identify.


    ¡°Rooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaar!¡±


    A roar came from the stairway below us. It was loud enough that I went to cover my ears and almost pour some hot stew on my lap. The ground shook and a little bit of dust and dirt fell from the ceiling. The guardian must be getting impatient that we haven¡¯t come down. As soon as I shut the door, it would have spawned. The call caused Carmine to snap awake. As for Terra, a look of fear shot on her face and she leaped off the mound. Running over to me, she hid behind my back and grabbed my shirt.


    ¡°What has you so scared¡­¡± I muttered to myself.


    It was at that point that my eyes fell on the mural. It was only half-lit by the firelight, but the image I saw immediately caused me to gasp. The sound of the guardian¡¯s roar was still echoing in my mind. I had been wondering what form the guardian would take for a while now. There was a picture of the guardian on the mural. The creature below we were about to fight was none other than a dragon!

 Chapter 215

    Leaving the pot to simmer, I stood up and cautiously walked over to the mural. Of the ones I had seen, this was by far the most complete. That was to say I could read and understand everything that was expressed inside it. With a wave of my hand, I created an orb of light and held it up to the mural. Terra had followed me, seeming to not want to let go of my shirt. As for the image of the dragon, she seemed to want to refuse to look at it. I quickly realized why.


    The dragon, first of all, was not a normal dragon, as I examined it, I realized it was full of silver mechanical parts. There were gears and wires and while it didn¡¯t look quite like a machine, it certainly contained machine-like components. The guardian was a clockwork dragon, or whatever they called some kind of magical, mechanical monster in this world.


    However, if that was all the mural showed, I¡¯d be fine. Dragons were usually a top-tier monster in RPGs. In some, they could be considered the most powerful monster in the game. Thus, a clockwork dragon probably would be a fight I couldn¡¯t handle. Its strength might not even be attached to the dungeon at all, so it could very well fight at full power, despite Terra. So, while the monster was intimidating, it didn¡¯t lead to my level of shock.


    No, what caused me to pause was the next part of the mural. The mural displayed an image that appeared to be Terra, lying dead. It showed her parents over her, pulling out a bright light. That light was then offered up to the dragon. Putting everything together, I could only shake my head. From what I could understand, a pair of powerful magicians wanted to have a child. They ended up constructing a powerful clockwork dragon as their ¡®child¡¯. Then, they had a baby. The clockwork dragon grew jealous of the child, or perhaps it was tasked with protecting the child and went nuts, and it ended up killing her. Realizing that the dragon was out of control, they captured their daughter¡¯s soul and offered it to the dragon.


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    ¡°Your parents¡­¡± I said in disbelief. ¡°They put your soul into the guardian?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I failed¡­¡± She looked down, tears welling in her eyes. ¡°I wasn¡¯t strong enough. I couldn¡¯t hold him back. He¡­ killed them¡­ it was my fault! AH!¡±


    I reached forward and grabbed Terra, pulling her into a hug.  I held her tightly. She struggled for a second, but then she calmed down, crying muddy tears into my clothing. I didn¡¯t mind a single bit. The other three girls looked at her sympathetically. Every girl here had suffered some loss in their lives. Lydia had her purpose taken away. Miki lost her family. Celeste lost her parents. They understood what Terra had gone through.


    ¡°I¡¯m not strong¡­¡± She murmured. ¡°I was scared.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be strong.¡± I said, causing her to look up at me tearily. ¡°That¡¯s why you have us. You shouldn¡¯t have had to fight it alone. But with all of us together, fighting together, we will destroy that monster.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡± Her eyes flashed and her mouth opened in wonder.


    In the end, her parents tried to bind her soul with the clockwork dragon to bring it under control, and then it failed. Was that how I was supposed to complete the dungeon? Did I need to find some way to merge Terra¡¯s soul with the dragon? Even if that was the key to completing the lore, I wouldn¡¯t do it. I couldn¡¯t believe her parents would stick their own daughter¡¯s soul into a mechanical monster. I didn¡¯t know what would become of Terra once the dungeon was destroyed, but that wouldn¡¯t be an option. We¡¯d destroy that dragon, not control it.


    After all, the story also told me that the clockwork dragon couldn¡¯t be controlled. Carmine wanted to use it to beat back her brother and save the town, but the clockwork dragon could betray her in an instant. I turned to Carmine, a worried look on my face. Carmine was staring down the stairway, her eyes filled with anticipation and determination.

 Chapter 216

    We ate in relative silence. I had no clue how to bring up the subject of the dragon being too dangerous to control. I had a feeling that Carmine had put everything on the hope that the dragon could become her battle companion. If it got out of this dungeon, who knew how much of a threat it would be. The one advantage of curses is that the monsters got weaker the farther from the lore you got. While the bosses at the bottom of a dungeon might be raid-level monstrosities, they were limited to the boss rooms on the lowest levels of the dungeon.


    However, if her plan worked, and she extracted the boss from the curse, who knows what kind of damage it could do. It could destroy entire cities. It could be an event that could nearly destroy this country. I wasn¡¯t even officially a lord yet, and I was already tasked with a decision that could lead to their country¡¯s demise.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± The words broke me from my thoughts, and it took me a moment to realize they were coming from Carmine.


    The girls were all eating. Celeste had shrunk to her fairy size to eat. She said she liked how full food made her feel when she didn¡¯t have very much room. This caused a flash of some missing memory to pop in my head, but that kind of thing seemed ridiculous and couldn¡¯t possibly have happened, so I decided to ignore that memory instantly. Strangely, Terra was eating too, although she seemed unused to it. I didn¡¯t know a spirit could eat, but then again, I had never tried to feed the Necromancer or Karr, so who knew what they could or could not do.


    Carmine was eating a bowl slowly, and then she looked up at me and thanked me, catching me completely off guard for the moment.


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    ¡°About saving me¡­¡± She muttered when I didn¡¯t respond. ¡°It was my responsibility, but you healed me and then brought me here.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯re welcome.¡± I said, smiling stiffly. ¡°I¡¯ve traveled with you this far. I wouldn¡¯t abandon you now.¡±


    She paused as she brought another spoonful up, ¡°Right¡­ of course.¡±


    ¡°On that note¡­ once we¡¯ve recovered, we¡¯re heading down there, right?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°The guardian will be strong, but my magic is stronger. I can definitely take control of the monster.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Terra made a noise, but I held up my hand to stop her from saying something to upset Carmine.


    ¡°The thing is¡­ it¡¯s a clockwork dragon.¡± I said. ¡°If what I read in the murals is correct, the clockwork dragon went mad and killed the ones who created it. If you do the same¡­¡±


    Her eyes turned sharp. ¡°What are you suggesting?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that we should destroy it. Whatever ability you have, it won¡¯t work as planned. Rather, I don¡¯t think we should change our plans, but if you get control of it, order it to self-destruct.¡±


    There was no way we¡¯d be able to defeat the dragon on our own. It was far too powerful. Although there were six of us, It¡¯d probably take twenty skilled hunters to hunt down and defeat a clockwork dragon normally. This wasn¡¯t based on anything I knew¡­ just a guess from my previous experiences. Going in there with six was suicide¡­ assuming that Terra would even fight. Our own trump card was that Carmine had the ability to control it. If she quickly ordered it to self destruct, that was our best bet for defeating this dungeon. As for what happened after they were expelled, I¡¯d probably offer Carmine a chance to flee with us through a portal. We¡¯d take a longer path to the capital, contact the Knights, and they would mop up this whole Bandit King mess for us.


    ¡°Is this what you all have agreed on?¡± Carmine asked, shooting the other girls a look.


    This was the first time she had acknowledged them. I didn¡¯t know what prompted it. She lowered her head when they all nodded.


    ¡°I will help you escape the Bandit King. We can still get away.¡± I said.


    ¡°¡­ very well¡­ we¡¯ll do it your way.¡±

 Chapter 217

    Thump. Rumble¡­ a massive creature down below slammed into something, and the force caused the entire room to shake. I checked my clothing one more time. All of us were in our best armor now. Carmine was freely wearing her paladin armor, which seemed shiny even in this dank underground ruin. The only girl who didn¡¯t have much protection was Terra. I walked over to her and put a protective cloak around her.


    ¡°Terra, you don¡¯t need to worry about fighting,¡± I explained. ¡°We will destroy the dragon, okay?¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯ll destroy you too!¡± She said, reaching out and grabbing my shirt. ¡°I can¡¯t protect you.¡±


    I smiled and patted her head. ¡°Let us protect you for the moment.¡±


    She was an embodiment of the lore or something like that, yet she was afraid of her own final boss. This was definitely another odd dungeon. Then again, which dungeon had I entered so far that could be considered normal or traditional. It seemed like every curse manifested in a unique way and formed a unique dungeon. Dungeons not only looked different and had different monsters, but they had a kind of personality to them. Each dungeon was absolutely unique.


    Terra seemed to melt under my touch, looking quite cute for a moment as she blushed with her head down. However, immediately after, she shot an uncertain look at Carmine. It seemed like she didn¡¯t trust the woman. The others didn¡¯t seem to trust her either. I wouldn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t wary of her, but cutting her out and trying to defeat the dragon on our own would be impossible. Plus, she was a paladin. The church might be xenophobic. What isekai story didn¡¯t end up revealing a church that favored human beings? That said, they were still inherently good, right?


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    ¡°Alright¡­ for the last time, here¡¯s the strategy.¡± I said, finally pulling away from Terra. ¡°Terra will stay back and keep safe. Carmine says she needs to be close to use the control spell, so she¡¯ll be at the forefront. With the highest defense, that¡¯s probably the perfect spot for her. Lydia, use your speed and try to distract the dragon. Don¡¯t do so much damage that his interest changes to you, but keep him from fully focusing on Carmine.


    ¡°Miki¡­ your job is to damage the dragon¡¯s spirit. You likely won¡¯t be able to make it afraid or scared by attacking its spirit like you could with people, but you might be able to weaken its control, slowing it down. Celeste, concentrate on its eyes or whatever it sees out of. Try to blind it so that it can¡¯t fight back effectively. As for me¡­ I¡¯ll be keeping everyone healthy¡­¡±


    When I put it that way, I suddenly felt pretty awkward. I was the support class. I kept everyone¡¯s health up. I¡¯d be using group heal, heal, and keeping an eye on the status. However, when I thought about my role next to anyone else, it felt really inadequate. None of the girls seemed to be judging me though, as they all nodded in acceptance. It was looking like I was the only one who felt my role was a bit weak. I suppose it was fine then.


    ¡°Alright,¡± I said, nodding to everyone. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this.¡±

 Chapter 218

    The boss room was many times larger than the one where we had encountered Terra. It was likely that the other boss room had been allowed to shrivel up like the rest of the dungeon on account of the lack of mana. Only this last floor, which contained the bulk of the curse, was preserved until this time. As soon as I saw the clockwork dragon at the end of the boss room, I found myself shivering a bit.


    I know I was saying that humans were scarier than monsters because they could strategize and were sometimes sadistic, but I had found they also had a certain degree of self-preservation and would take actions to save themselves. Staring down at this dragon that could only roar in an ear-piercing challenge reminded me that this was the first boss I had fought that didn¡¯t have at least some level of sentience. He was a guardian, like a guard dog, ready to tear us apart until his dungeon was safe once again.


    ¡°Armor,¡± I muttered, casting armor on myself, even though I knew I couldn¡¯t give it to the others.


    I had White Mage, Hero, and Basic Magician equipped. Although I was stronger than I had ever been before, I still felt extremely weak when comparing to this dragon. Perhaps I was letting appearances deceive me. All final bosses looked intimidating, but was the first final boss in a game really that threatening compared to the one at the end of the game? I meant that maybe he just looked scarier than he was.


    We were halfway across the room when he half turned away. I almost thought he was about to flee until his tail swept out. A massive wave of air shot out at us. Celeste was in her fairy form and seemed to avoid the attack with ease. The rest of us got struck and lost our footing. Lydia, Miki, and I were all thrown back and slammed into the ground. Carmine was knocked back several steps, but managed to keep her footing. The only one who seemed unaffected was Terra, but she had stayed back a distance as I had commanded and was farther away from the attack. Still, she really felt solid, taking the blow without moving an inch.


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    ¡°Cushion.¡± I cast, trying to lessen the blow of my landing.


    The animalgirls both seemed to have a lot more finesse and were able to right themselves without landing painfully on their backs as I was prone to do. I got back up and immediately cast a group heal for everyone. Checking on the Party Status, I could see that everyone was still in good shape. We began our advance again. The dragon might have used his tail a second time, but because of Celeste and Carmine, he lacked the room to initiate another tail attack.


    Carmine immediately cast some kind of holy spell, hitting the dragon. It let out another roar, which just had a hint of metallic grind in its voice which really made my hackles bunch. I struck out with a Mana blast while Miki attacked with a spiritual attack. Celeste flew up and created a mini-dust storm directly in the dragon¡¯s eyes. Meanwhile, Lydia danced under its feet, trying to cause it to lose its footing. The fight was going perfectly, for about a minute.


    The Dragon seemed to have enough of our attacks, and in a single roar, a powerful storm exploded out. Lydia was knocked to the ground. Miki was tossed aside. Even Carmine was shoved back. I tried to break the spell with a well-timed Mana blast. The dragon¡¯s eyes suddenly turned to me. With the other girls knocked down, somehow I had attracted aggro! I cursed in my mind, as I turned to run. However, the dragon was too large and fast. He took a single step forward and turned. He was using his tail again. However, this time, he wasn¡¯t attacking me with wind. The same tail that sent a wind attack that caused enough damage to sprawl me on the floor was now planning on hitting me directly!

 Chapter 219

    The tail seemed to be flying towards me in slow-motion. I didn¡¯t see my life flash before my eyes, but that only meant I could experience the complete terror as that massive spikey bone, metal, and geared monstrosity aimed right for my fragile body. I desperately tried to pull out my sword and bring it up. I had been functioning as a wizard, so it didn¡¯t occur to me to have my sword out while I had my wand in hand.


    The hit was powerful, and I flew back with a skid. It was only when I stopped about five feet back from where I started that I realized I hadn¡¯t been hit at all. The tail had stopped a foot before, and what I felt was just the wind backlash. Standing right in front of the tail was none other than Terra! She had stopped the tail with her hands and was now holding it with her small body. The tail was taller than she was, but she was able to keep it from moving an inch.


    I stared in surprise for several moments as she continued to hold on to the tail, her mouth tight as she seemed to struggle against all odds.


    ¡°I¡¯m going for it!¡± Carmine called out, backing up and beginning a chant that caused her to glow white. ¡°Hold him down.¡±


    ¡°Lydia!¡± I called, confirming that we were going with this plan.


    The clockwork dragon wasn¡¯t truly being held down. Rather, he was stuck in his position. He was starting to struggle, trying to pull his tail away from Terra¡¯s grip, but he didn¡¯t seem to be able to do so. At this moment, he was half-turned and in an awkward position. I ordered Lydia to attack his side to distract him from his caught tail. Celeste flew in to support. Meanwhile, Miki began to cast a spell that seemed to make the air more solid, thus further slowing the dragon down.


    It was pretty clear from the last attack that this guy was too powerful for us. He hadn¡¯t even depended on any skill yet. A single breath attack of his would probably be devastating. Rather, just like we feared going in, our best bet was to take control of the guardian and then have him destroy himself. Trying to fight him with only five people was simply not enough for a creature of this strength.


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    ¡°Terra, can you hold on?¡± I asked worriedly.


    ¡°Mm!¡± She said, her voice sounding somewhat weak.


    I immediately used Moderate Heal and Refresh on her. I also used create earth around her feet, where I could see the rock breaking, She looked down as she noticed earth covering her feet. This caused her to smile strangely. A moment later, dozens of earthly spikes rose from the ground. On each side of the tail, they stabbed into the dragon, holding him in place like a vice. Terra seemed to be pretty powerful with earth magic. Given her name and this dungeon type, I supposed that made a kind of sense.


    ¡°Keep holding!¡± Carmine cried out as her spell started to affect the dragon.


    He seemed to feel his control being wrestled away. The dragon started to fight back. However, Terra¡¯s hold on his tail was incredibly strong, and with the other three girls attacking his front, he was in a difficult situation. I cast a few more healing spells, Mana Blasting the monster when I had the ability. Even though I wasn¡¯t useless with the sword, I didn¡¯t have the guts to attack its legs. The speed it was dancing around was something only Lydia could deal with.


    Crraaaacck!


    The earthly spires that kept the tail confined suddenly broke. The clockwork dragon seemed to change it¡¯s motions suddenly. This would be the equivalent of a boss changing its attack pattern after being hurt a certain amount. It lifted its tail up and then slammed it down. Terra was like a rag doll. With a flick, she went flying. Without thinking I jumped and caught her, the pair off us slamming into a wall. She was like a rock slamming into my front, with the wall of rock behind me. Suffice it to say, the wind was completely ripped out of my lungs.


    The other girls barely managed to escape as it started lashing around wildly, knocking over one of the pillars and causing rubble to fall from the already dilapidated dungeon. Just when I thought all hope was lost, a white glow suddenly exploded around the dragon, and the previously red eyes turned blue in color.


    ¡°I got it!¡± Carmine¡¯s voice cried out. ¡°The dragon is under control!¡±


    Taking a breath of relief through my aching lungs, I stood up, holding Terra in my arms. She blushed as she realized I had her in a princess carry. I was mostly just shaking my head at how heavy this little girl was. No, I needed to focus on the dragon. The danger wasn¡¯t gone yet. We still needed to make sure the dragon was destroyed!

 Chapter 220

    A glowing light appeared near the ceiling. As it pulsated, the orb slowly worked its way down to our level, stopping in the center of the room. The lore of the dungeon had been released. That meant that the dungeon¡¯s boss was defeated and the dungeon was effectively done. I instinctively winced, but there was no flash of light. The orb didn¡¯t suddenly shoot towards me and wrap around a piece of my body.


    Of course, that would be the result. It looked like you didn¡¯t need to completely defeat a boss to make the lore reveal itself. As long as the boss¡¯s hostility was ended, whether it was through negotiation, death, or even a magical enslavement spell, the protected lore was released. Once the lore was destroyed, I didn¡¯t know what would happen. Would the boss be released upon the world? In the case of the guardian or the Fairy Queen, who wasn¡¯t made by the curse itself, that was probably true. If the curse was involved in the boss¡¯s creation, then it probably disappeared with the dungeon.


    That was just one way of ending things. To truly complete the lore, Terra¡¯s soul would have to be inserted into the dragon to complete the lore that her parents started. It was much better if we simply destroyed the lore. The thought of that innocent girl being placed in that ugly dragon made of gears hurt my heart a little bit. Furthermore, I couldn¡¯t say how long we could stay in the dungeon after the lore was destroyed. Once we were ejected, we¡¯d need to deal with the Bandit King, even if dealing with was just escaping. Thus, we needed to handle the dragon situation before we finished off the lore.


    Even though the mechanical dragon had calmed down thanks to Carmine¡¯s efforts, I couldn¡¯t relax just yet. It had broken away from its creators in the first place, so even under Carmine¡¯s control, it couldn¡¯t be trusted. There was no saying that it wouldn¡¯t betray Carmine in the same way it would betray everyone else. The Bandit King was just outside this door, so it was a bitter truth to accept, but it was how it had to be.


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    ¡°Carmine¡­¡± I sighed, looking up at the powerful creature. ¡°Order it to destroy itself.¡±


    There was still a chance it wouldn¡¯t obey. For all we knew, ordering it to kill itself is what set it on a rampage originally. Maybe, it was designed to protect itself at all cost. Maybe it was self-aware. Anyone could guess what the next action the dragon would take would be. If we were lucky, it would just fall apart and the magic formations that kept it together would automatically undo themselves. A second option was that it attacked itself and caused some damage, but then grew enraged and out of control because of that damage, viewing us as hostile. The worst-case scenario is it immediately attacked us, ignoring the restraints completely.


    That was why I wanted her to destroy it now, while we still had it contained in this room. If destroying the lore did free it of the curse, it¡¯d be just as bad as bringing it to the surface. However, if this didn¡¯t work, I thought the better option would be to flee towards the portal and teleport to the 1<sup>st</sup> level. We¡¯d abandon the monster and the lore as if we hadn¡¯t even challenged it. It would allow the Bandit King a chance at the monster, but I didn¡¯t think we could take it out. Once again, if we¡¯re lucky, the Bandit King will die trying to subjugate the dragon for their own.


    While I was busy considering every possible outcome, the worst one I had considered suddenly occurred. Carmine didn¡¯t destroy the dragon at all. She turned to me, and when I finally caught the look in her eyes, my gut began to sink.


    ¡°So¡­ you decided on betrayal, after all.¡± I had hoped it wouldn¡¯t come to this, but I couldn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t still a bit hurt that it came.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± She responded, ¡°I won¡¯t be destroying this dragon. The guardian is mine!¡±

 Chapter 221

    "Carmine¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°Don¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing personal.¡± Carmine chuckled wryly. ¡°I simply follow a higher power.¡±


    ¡°Lydia, now!¡±


    Lydia was upon Carmine before she could blink. Of course, Carmine¡¯s betrayal was something I had considered as well. We depended on her capacity to take control of the dragon too much. If she decided to not destroy the dragon, it would be a danger forever. Fortunately, Lydia and I had already exchanged a few looks ahead of time, and while the lore was descending, she had closed the distance to Carmine while using the massive dragon as cover.


    Without hesitation, Lydia used her speed to close the distance and toss a potion at Carmine¡¯s feet. It exploded, and a gas rose up, covering the woman. As for Lydia, she had already jumped back a dozen feet, watching with another bottle in her hand. I didn¡¯t want to hurt Carmine. The bottles only contained a sleeping draught. It had been made by Miki and I and was part of the arsenal of potions we kept on hand just in case.


    In this situation, if we could just knock Carmine out before she made the dragon hostile to us, then perhaps we could attack and destroy the dragon before she woke up. That¡¯s what I was hoping for, but the gas had just risen over Carmine¡¯s head when the dragon suddenly let out another ear-splitting roar. He spun and lashed his tail wildly. As for Carmine, I only realized she had already left the cloud of smoke a few moments later. It had been a diversion!


    I cursed as I realized that her goal wasn¡¯t to fight us at all. Rather, using the flailing dragon as cover, she made it to the center of the room and snatched the lore. At that point, I realized we couldn¡¯t sit back anymore. Ending this peacefully was impossible.


    ¡°Miki! Celeste!¡± The two tossed out spells Carmine¡¯s way.


    However, she was a paladin, and the likes of spirit attacks were nothing for a woman like that. Her high defense also made Celeste¡¯s devastating air attacks nothing more than papercuts. Meanwhile, when someone attacked Carmine, it was the dragon who retaliated. With Terra running beside me, I had closed off the direction of the backroom. My intent was to keep her from shattering the lore and then leaping through the platform. It was only when I got there that I realized she was heading in the opposite direction with a dragon between her and me. She planned to use the kiosk to flee?


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    I hadn¡¯t considered this, because Carmine hadn¡¯t registered with the kiosk with us. I believed her way out would be the final teleportation platform. After all, the dragon couldn¡¯t even fit up in the preparation room. She reached the stairway and turned back. The look on her face made me realize the truth. She had this all planned out from the beginning. This wasn¡¯t an emotional decision made in the moment. From the moment she brought us here, she was playing us.


    She let out a laugh. ¡°Sorry¡­ thank you for the help, but I can¡¯t have you following me and causing problems. The church will light a candle for your soul!¡±


    ¡°You- you can¡¯t take the dungeon lore with you!¡±  Terra cried out helplessly.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Carmine tilted her head. ¡°They¡¯re popular high-level alchemy ingredients. Without the lore, this dungeon will whither up and collapse. You will be buried in this grave¡­ well, if you live long enough without starving to death first. As for me, I¡¯ll likely be promoted.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t control it!¡± I shot out.


    ¡°If it¡¯s one thing the church knows how to do¡­¡± Carmine chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s control things. I¡¯ll worry about the dragon. I think you all have something more important to worry about.¡±


    With that, she spun around and left. As she raced up the stairway, the dragon let out a terrifying breath attack. However, he didn¡¯t aim at us. Rather, he aimed at the stairway. Within a moment, the location became nothing but a mound of rubble. The clockwork dragon suddenly turned to smoke and then disappeared into the cracks of the rock. Carmine must have had some kind of ability which allowed her to take the dragon with her. Perhaps it was a pet version of a storage ring or some skill I wasn¡¯t familiar with.


    I hadn¡¯t known about it until she suddenly used it. I also hadn¡¯t known she must have previously registered with the first-floor kiosk. Perhaps she had wanted to avoid having us register at the kiosks specifically so that she could leave us to die. She always looked annoyed when I insisted on doing it, and she never did it herself. Now I understood why.


    Once the smoke left the room, the five of us were left by ourselves, standing in the former boss¡¯s room of an empty dungeon. Since the lore still existed, the treasure room and the return portal hadn¡¯t been summoned. On the other side, the kiosk that would allow us to return to the previous floors was blocked by mounds of heated rock.


    Carmine¡¯s plan had worked splendidly. She had the dragon, and we were trapped!

 Chapter 222

    ¡°Master, what do we do now?¡± Miki asked, staring at the place Carmine had left.


    It was eerily quiet in the room now.  Moments ago, it had been filled with battle and a massive dragon, and now the battle was over and we were trapped underground in this grave. As the molten rock that blocked the staircase cooled, the room darkened as well, putting a wet blanket on the already poor atmosphere.


    ¡°We wait¡­ the dungeon will heal¡­ and then we can leave¡­¡± Lydia began hesitantly.


    ¡°The lore has been removed.¡± Miki shook her head. ¡°There is no source of mana. The dungeon won¡¯t heal. Rather, it will start to collapse. As the space collapses, we¡¯ll be crushed with it.¡±


    ¡°Portal,¡± I said, pushing out my palm toward the empty air next to me.


    {You cannot teleport from inside a dungeon.}


    ¡°It¡¯s not a dungeon anymore. The lore is gone you¡­¡± I stopped from screaming any more at the text that no one else could see.


    It wouldn¡¯t be protective at all. However, it seemed like Portal was useless. I tried Return as well and found the same effect. This was still a dungeon, even though the lore was effectively stripped. I let out a long breath. This was truly an awful situation.


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    ¡°So¡­ she won?¡± Celeste said, shaking her head in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s it? She has the power of the guardian now?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± I shook my head, my eyes turning to Terra who was standing to the side and watching us expressionlessly. ¡°She didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± This caught the interest of the other girls too, who all turned to me with questioning expressions on their faces.


    ¡°She was able to gain control of the clockwork dragon, that¡¯s true. However, the dragon isn¡¯t this dungeon¡¯s guardian.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t? Who¡¯s the guardian then?¡± Lydia asked with some interest.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ who?¡± Celeste mimicked, not looking nearly as perturbed that she was trapped in a dungeon as she looked at me like she would when she was waiting for a story.


    ¡°Just some things I put together.¡± I said, ¡°Terra is still here despite the fact that Carmine took the lore. That means that Terra isn¡¯t created or controlled by the lore. Also¡­ some of the stuff she said about graves¡­ it got me thinking. I had been misunderstanding the murals. I thought the story was about them trying to create a powerful dragon guardian. I was wrong. It was a story about righting their wrongs.


    ¡°What does Master mean?¡± Lydia asked, sitting down along with the other two girls while Terra remained silent in the corner.


    ¡°I had thought that when their daughter died, the magicians tried to put the soul into the dragon, but they found it too difficult and failed in the process. I was wrong. The magicians didn¡¯t fail to create the guardian. Rather, they succeeded. The guardian is here, in this very room.¡±


    Of course, the girl¡¯s eyes all landed on Terra. She stepped forward into the light and lowered her head, her hands cusped in a very polite manner.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I never properly introduced myself before,¡± Terra spoke docilely. ¡°My name is Terra. I am an Earth Golem, and the Guardian of this dungeon.¡±

 Chapter 223

    "A golem?¡± Lydia asked, tilting her head.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Terra nodded. ¡°My parents constructed this body for me. After my death, they were able to protect my soul. I asked them to be strong and powerful. I wanted to be strong enough to defeat the dragon, and so this was the body they created for me.


    ¡°And then¡­ I failed.¡±


    She looked away, a tear falling down her dirty cheek.


    Miki shook her head in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. If she is the guardian, why was the dragon built? Why was he down here instead of you? Why didn¡¯t you stop her from taking the lore?¡±


    With each question, Terra seemed to shrink back even more. It was to the point where she looked like she wanted to slink into the shadows. I put a hand on Miki¡¯s shoulders, stopping her from continuing her barrage of questions.


    ¡°Did your mother and father create that dragon?¡± I asked cautiously.


    After a moment, the girl shook her head, rejecting that. It was as I thought. She was an Earth Golem. An Earth Golem required radically different kinds of magic than a mechanical dragon. There was no way that the same magicians have built both. After all, this was a world that pushed magicians down specific magical paths early on. Everyone was specialized. Likely one of her parents was something akin to a necromancer to handle her soul, and the other was an earth mage that could build her body.


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    ¡°The clockwork dragon came one day. No one knew from where¡­¡± Terra said, her voice cracking slightly with emotion. ¡°It attacked the city and laid waste to hundreds. My friends were among them. I was at school at the time. The entire school was ignited with its fiery breath. I watched as my friends were burned alive.¡±


    ¡°Y-you were lucky to get out alive,¡± Celeste said hopefully.


    She shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? I didn¡¯t¡­ I perished with them!¡±


    ¡°So, your parents managed to save your soul and remake your body. Why didn¡¯t they just use resurrection?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I begged my family. I¡¯m the one who asked to be put into a golem. I didn¡¯t just want to be alive again and weak. I wanted to have the strength to fight back and get vengeance on the dragon.


    ¡°So, what happened?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I was¡­ impatient. My parents said I needed to work together. They said we were stronger as a village, but I was so angry¡­ so I went out to fight the dragon on my own. I wasn¡¯t strong enough. When I finally came to, I returned to find the village in ashes, the dragon at its center killing the last of the people in the city. My parents were dead. If I was strong enough, I could have stopped it. Instead, I only helped it.¡±


    ¡°What happened after?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°She buried it.¡± I sighed. ¡°The dragon. The village. I kept wondering why this dungeon felt like a tomb. It¡¯s because that is what it is. Terra managed to sink the dragon into the Earth, and the entire village with it. That was the final act that created this dungeon.¡±

 Chapter 224

    I reasoned that Terra¡¯s role as guardian differed from what we had assumed. She wasn¡¯t actually a part of the dungeon at all. Rather, she was more like Celeste. She was just a young soul trapped within the dungeon, unwilling or unable to leave it. She created a grave for her family, and she remained here to guard it. There was just one thing I wasn¡¯t clear on.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop us?¡± I asked. ¡°If your goal is to protect the dungeon, you should have stood in our way.¡±


    She blushed. ¡°I only decided to stop you when you revealed you were going to take over the dragon and help it escape. If you destroyed the dragon, why would I be upset? I planned to impede your progress. I even made you carry me¡­ ah¡­ I mean¡­ I would have definitely prevented her from taking over the dragon! Except, you agreed to destroy it! She cheated! You didn¡¯t do what you agreed to do!¡±


    That was right. She didn¡¯t choose to follow us until we started talking about controlling the dragon. As far as strength goes, I had a feeling that out party could defeat her. She was strong and seemed to have a good constitution, but she was also not exactly athletic or fast. If she just tried to attack us head-on, she would be defeated and accomplish nothing. Instead, she tried to slow us down. Plus, I couldn¡¯t forget she had an inherent fear of the dragon that once defeated her. It couldn¡¯t be easy returning to his grave.


    ¡°Terra, this dungeon was created by you. You seemed to be able to control parts of it before. You shut the boss¡¯s door on the 10<sup>th</sup>floor, right? You may not be the final boss or a manifestation of the lore, but you have guarded this dungeon for many years.¡± I said. ¡°Is there some way you can free us?¡±


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    She thought about it for a second and then nodded slowly. ¡°I can open the treasure room.¡±


    As she said this, she walked over to the door that remained closed because of the presence of the Lore. She lifted her arms, and the door began to rise. I realized that she wasn¡¯t manipulating the dungeon at all. Rather, she was using her Earth magic to forcefully open the door. Since this dungeon was composed of earth, she was able to make changes like this. In another dungeon, if the door was made of something else, she wouldn¡¯t be able to repeat this feat.


    I walked into the treasure room. It was extremely sparse. It looked like the lack of mana in the dungeon also effected the growth of treasures. As the dungeon shriveled up, so did the wealth of the dungeon. Of course, I didn¡¯t care about getting rich. The only thing that mattered was the return formation on the ground. I breathed easier seeing it there. That was our way out.


    ¡°Terra¡­ will you come with us?¡± I asked.


    Terra looked away. ¡°I¡­ this is my home. My family¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s crumbling. With the lore gone, it¡¯ll be gone in a week.¡± I said, trying to keep my voice gentle. ¡°If you come with us, together, we might be able to finally destroy that clockwork dragon.¡±


    Her eyes widened. ¡°You plan to go after it?¡±


    I hadn¡¯t been thinking about it until I knew we had a way out, but now that the immediate problem was solved, I realized that this was exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to fight the dragon and figure out what was Carmine¡¯s problem. Part of me just wanted to finish this story. I wanted Terra to have her closure. The other part of me just didn¡¯t like to be betrayed, and didn¡¯t want the church to have some powerful monster at the expense of the women in my life. I nodded softly.


    ¡°We¡¯re going after that dragon.¡± I said with confidence.


    As I looked back to see how the other girls felt, they all had looks of determination as well. They had started this fight. They wanted to end it on their terms!


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Terra held out her hand. ¡°Please take care of me.


    {Terra has joined your party.}

 Chapter 225

    {Name: Terra


    Class: Tank


    Job: Earth Manipulator (LVL 45)


    Unlocked Jobs: None


    Race: Earth Golem}


    Naturally, I couldn¡¯t help but look at her status. I didn¡¯t know quite what to make of that. On the one hand, I supposed her abilities weren¡¯t exactly on the level of an Earth Mage. She could manipulate the ground and she was sturdy, but I didn¡¯t see anything like her casting spells. She was an Earth Golem, which I didn¡¯t even know was a race. Wasn¡¯t that close to a monster? I guess that wasn¡¯t the case since she was able to get jobs too.


    However, being as she was freshly created for one purpose, she never had the chance to earn any other jobs. Even Celeste had picked up a couple throughout her years in the dungeon. Maybe it had to do with Terra¡¯s race that she was unable to do anything but level up Earth Manipulator. Furthermore, would it open up a new job when she reached level 50? I was definitely interested in whether this was a possibility.


    I also noticed that everyone leveled after the fight. I had been too distracted before to notice the text, but once Carmine had taken control of the dragon, we had been allocated experience. That was a testament to how powerful this dragon was. Even a fight that didn¡¯t end with us defeating him netted experience at the level where we leveled up.


    Lydia was at level 36 Swordsman, Miki was 32 Spiritualist, Celeste was a Master Wind Magician of level 2, and my Basic Magician and Hero had gone up. Basic Magician unlocked the Water Jet and hero gave me something called Last Chance that sounded ominous and not at all something I wanted to try until I read what it did in a book.


    Putting everyone¡¯s status away, I made sure to clean out the dungeon after asking for Terra¡¯s permission. Given her story and the nature of this dungeon, robbing this place felt a bit like graverobbing. Thankfully, she assured me that nothing that the dungeon created was specifically something buried from the village. In other words, I wasn¡¯t swiping someone heirlooms or something like that. All the magical items had long been dissolved and used to sustain the dungeon. There were only a few alchemic ingredients and some gold coins left.


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    ¡°Master, what is this?¡±


    I glanced over where Miki was indicating. She revealed a long staff. I recognized it in the image of one of the murals. I had interpreted it as some kind of control rod.


    ¡°Ah¡­ th-that¡¯s my¡­¡± Terra looked on helplessly as I reached out and grabbed the rod.


    {Terra is now your slave.}


    ¡°Wh-wait¡­ what happened?¡± I said, sweating suddenly.


    ¡°I was going to say¡­¡± Terra lowered her hand. ¡°The first person to touch my control rod imprints and becomes my Master.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ s-sorry¡­ I was impulsive and grabbed it without asking.¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve already decided to help you.¡± Terra responded. ¡°If I am¡­ Master¡¯s slave, then it is perhaps for the best.¡±


    I walked up to her, even as she still looked down and then I patted her head. ¡°We will stop this dragon. I will definitely help you complete what you set out to do. I¡¯m there for you.¡±


    She looked up at me, her eyes tearing up slightly. ¡°Mm¡­ Th-thank you!¡±


    The other girls suddenly came forward and wrapped their arms around the both of us. The girls were all smiling happily. I didn¡¯t get it, but this seemed to make Terra cry even harder, and soon the other girls were crying too. It took a promise to cook some very good food before the girls stopped hugging us and crying.


    ¡°Is everyone ready to go?¡± I finally asked, checking my equipment one last time.


    We couldn¡¯t guess what we would find on the other side of that portal. Had these been normal circumstances, the bandits would have been expelled the second that we defeated the lore. However, Carmine didn¡¯t destroy the lore. She took it and ran. The Bandit King could still be on the other side of the door, none the wiser that the dungeon has already been destroyed.


    As for Carmine, she might have fled with the dragon, or she might have used it to mop up all of the Bandits. We could be returning to a complete bloodbath as run by Carmine. Then again, perhaps the Bandit King was able to defeat the dragon after all, and now Carmine was in his arms and waiting for us to reveal ourselves. Thus, I made sure everyone, even Terra, was combat-ready. Who knew what we¡¯d find?


    ¡°Ready!¡± Lydia called out comfortably.


    ¡°Ready¡­¡± Miki added, less sure.


    ¡°Ready, Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ Mm!¡±


    We stepped into the circle, and the transportation began.

 Chapter 226

    As soon as the light cleared, we heard screaming and yells. We appeared just outside the gate, which was inside a building. That building was currently on fire. Smoke instantly stung my eyes and heat blasted my face. Shit, I hadn¡¯t thought of that. Before I could think of what to do, Celeste¡¯s voice carried through the ashy basement.


    ¡°Wind Shield!¡± Celeste called out.


    A rush of wind blew away the smoke and flames. Instantly, my sight was clear. I could see flames on every side of us. The stairway leading out was also collapsed. Of all the possibilities, I didn¡¯t suspect that we¡¯d be trapped with the entrance to the dungeon. The heat was already returning, and the air was limited within this firestorm. Simply put, in a few moments, we¡¯d all collapse if we didn¡¯t do something immediately. I could create water, but stopping the fire with water while in the middle of it was too dangerous.


    Once again, it was one of the girls who reacted first. Terra stepped forward and pushed toward a dirt wall that wasn¡¯t in flames. Immediately, the earth began to spread and a path formed. As she moved forward into this new path, I ushered the girls to follow her. Anywhere was better than remaining in this burning building.


    She basically created a tunnel heading up and out the side of the building. The path wasn¡¯t long, and it only took a minute to finish the path, but with the flames growing behind me, it felt like an eternity. Finally, she broke surface and the girls piled out into the outdoors. As soon as the pathway to the outside was complete, the cries and yelling grew considerably sharper. I helped all of the girls make it through the path before climbing out myself. It was hot enough that I seriously thought my clothing might catch. I fell down onto the cool grass and let out a cry of relief. Just ten feet away was the burning capital building.


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    From a quick glance, the entire city looked to be burning. As for the bandits they were running around along with the citizens. It didn¡¯t look like the bandits were particularly concerned about the citizens. They were all packing up and desperately fleeing. It was clear that the city was lost.


    A distant roar caused me to look up into the sky. It was daybreak now, so there was just enough light that I could make out a creature flying in the distance. It was too far to see clearly, but I was certain it was the clockwork dragon. It was flying away.


    As the girls worked their way back to their feet, we heard some shouts and suddenly a bunch of bandits formed up around us.


    ¡°It¡¯s them!¡±


    ¡°The ones with Carmine!¡±


    Innumerable arrows and magical spells were aimed in my direction. There were at least thirty surrounding us by the time everyone had their footing. Stepping out from a building that wasn¡¯t on fire was the Bandit King. His armor looked like it had received some significant damage during a battle. He must have fought the clockwork dragon before she had fled. He took several steps toward me.


    ¡°Stay right there¡­¡± His voice called out. ¡°We have you surrounded!¡±


    I sneered. ¡°Girls, hold on, we¡¯re leaving.¡±


    Lydia and Miki were used to this kind of thing and didn¡¯t hesitate to grab on to me. They helped Celeste and Terra to do the same.


    ¡°Ret-¡°


    ¡°Please!¡± The Bandit King pulled off their helmet, revealing a beautiful woman with long blonde hair. ¡°Please¡­ help me save my sister!¡±

 Chapter 227

    ¡°Who are you?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°My name is Salicia, I¡¯m the Bandit King.¡±


    What I had thought was a melodious male voice turned out to me a deeper feminine voice. The Bandit King was definitely not who I expected behind the mask. That was mostly because her name was a complete lie. I was right for second-guessing!


    ¡°Oi¡­ you¡¯re a woman. You should be a Bandit Queen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a strong enough person to be referred to with reverence as royalty, and you want to argue with me about semantics?¡± She responded bitterly. ¡°I¡¯ve cut out men¡¯s tongues for less audacity.¡±


    ¡°I apologize.¡± I lowered my head. ¡°But you wouldn¡¯t have just begged for my help if you were so easily angered.¡±


    She made an annoyed tsk and then nodded. ¡°I suppose you are right. I know Balrack¡¯s strength. For you to be able to capture and bounty him to the city, you must be quite formidable. The fact that you¡¯re standing here so calmly despite the fact I have you surrounded shows your party must be powerful.¡±


    ¡°That is only because I have a way out,¡± I admitted. ¡°I¡¯d be a little worried if I thought I¡¯d have to fight my way through your lot.¡±


    A slight grin formed on her face. ¡°A little worried, he says. A normal man would be pissing himself. Forget it. Let¡¯s forgo the dick measuring contest for the moment. I¡¯m sure you would win anyway.¡±


    ¡°Mm!¡± Lydia nodded in conformation.


    Miki and Celeste were also nodding as if this was a given. Suddenly, Salicia looked at me with a cocked eyebrow and I could only blush. Only Terra had her head cocked as if she didn¡¯t understand the conversation. It¡¯s nice that you girls think highly of me, but perhaps this wasn¡¯t a good time. I was getting a few jealous and angry stares from some of the bandits. They had their bows strung and pulled, it wouldn¡¯t take much for someone to accidentally shoot it!


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    ¡°Well, in that case, I will make this simple. That mechanical monstrosity was created by the church. My sister was tasked with recovering it. However, it has a defect. The person linked to the dragon¡¯s mind will slowly be corrupted, and eventually, they will think like the dragon and eventually become one with it.¡±


    ¡°Why would the church send one of their own if they knew this to be true?¡±


    Recovering something you made yourself had some sense. At the least, you could study and learn from your mistakes. However, if they already knew the dragon was faulty, then sending a Paladin to try to control it was just asking for more trouble.


    ¡°Because¡­ they want the dragon to go out of control.¡± Salacia explained. ¡°No one can trace the dragon back to the church, so they want it to go havoc. Then, when they solve the issue, they can gain the adoration and love of the country! It¡¯s how the church has operated for the last few thousand years. Controlled chaos.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s say I believe you. What is Carmine¡¯s role in all this? If she¡¯s a patsy for the church, why should I care about what happens to her?¡±


    Salicia made a bitter expression on her face. ¡°Carmine¡­ wasn¡¯t always like this. When we were young, our town was attacked. We thought it was by Bandits. It was the church that came to save us. They took a liking to my sister, so they took her and told the rest of us survivors it was a blessing. My sister when on to become a paladin.¡±


    ¡°And you became a bandit?¡±


    ¡°I started out hunting Bounties¡­¡± Salicia admitted. ¡°But when I couldn¡¯t find out information on who attacked our village, I realized the only way I could get information was from the inside. I became a bandit to avenge my village. It wasn¡¯t until I declared myself the Bandit King that I finally realized the truth. The church had hired men to attack the village so that they could come in and save it. Everyone who died¡­ my family¡­ their blood was on the church¡¯s hands!¡±


    ¡°And¡­ Carmine?¡± I said, already guessing the answer.


    ¡°I found her¡­ and I told her the truth. She¡­ was different. It had been ten years from when we were last split up, and the woman I knew was no longer there. They brainwashed my sister!¡±

 Chapter 228

    I''d like to say that this story was completely isolated, but it had some resonance with me. The priests had come and saved the day for the people of Chalm too. In fact, Aberis wouldn¡¯t have their loyalty if it hadn¡¯t been for the church stepping in and stopping the spread of the ghosts. Those same ghosts would never have spread out had Lord Karr not been mysteriously murdered, and a book revealing his darkest sins laid bare in front of Astria.


    Was that another example? I had never even met someone from the church outside of Carmine. While she did betray me, there were crueler things she could have done. I had no particular beef with the church. In fact, I didn¡¯t know the church at all. I didn¡¯t know how big they were, who they worshipped, or really anything about them. Thus, even putting these events together, the most I could conjure emotionally was to say ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡±


    If the church really was stirring up trouble only to come in and be the heroes, that was really none of my business. My goal was to just keep Chalm and my girls safe. I was in this world now. I had money, power, and friends. What more did I need? I didn¡¯t need some kind of vendetta against the church. That said, I had made a promise to Terra that we would finish this mechanical monster. I was also curious about this so-called brainwashing. What the Bandit King calls brainwashing, another might just call being raised in another lifestyle.


    If the church was good to her, Carmine wouldn¡¯t see any reason to doubt them. However, if we can free her from the dragon¡¯s control, then I was curious if she¡¯d still be able to hold on to that rhetoric. It would be nice if Carmine could be made to see how the church used her, assuming that the Bandit King was speaking honestly and not filling my head up with lies. If I helped destroy a dragon, I don¡¯t think the church would see it as me going against them.


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    After all, I¡¯m petitioning to be a lord of Aberis and part of that I was told by the mayor to make a rather large donation to the church. In other words, if I defeated the dragon now, to them, it¡¯d look like just an unexpected accident. They might notice my presence more, but that might not be a bad thing. I was okay playing ball. All governments are corrupt, but you still pay taxes. I have no ambitions to battle the church to the death. This particular event is a one-time occurrence because circumstances made things personal.


    After that, I¡¯d bow and scrap for the church just like everyone else. It was better than being a rebel or an outcast. Therefore, my mind was settled. I¡¯d help the Bandit King for personal reasons. However, if she wished to continue this war against the church beyond that, she was on her own. Looking down the path I had seen the dragon disappear off to, I considered what the next course of action would be.


    ¡°If she¡¯s already heading back to the church, I don¡¯t think there is anything we can do.¡± I realized out loud.


    Salicia shook her head. ¡°I already said, the dragon is controlling her mind. They aren¡¯t heading for the Capitol. Actually, they¡¯re heading to a nearby mountain range, to create a lair. After that, they¡¯ll start pillaging the countryside to build a horde of wealth. This is only a mechanical dragon, but the church used a real dragon¡¯s soul when making it.¡±


    ¡°And what do you need from me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Your party is strong. You were able to hold the dragon off for the length of time it took for her to take control of it. I need you to do that again, but this time, I¡¯ll be severing her bond!¡±


    ¡°What happens after it is severed?


    ¡°I only care about my sister. What the dragon does is none of my concern. The church can deal with a beserking dragon.¡± She glanced at me and snorted. ¡°What? I am a Bandit King, what do I care about stopping a dragon. If you want to¡­ be my guest.¡±


    I glanced over at Terra. ¡°It¡¯ll be in a cave. Right?¡±


    Terra looked up at me, her eyes slightly fearful but growing in confidence. ¡°Mm!¡±


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll try our best to kill it, and if push comes to shove, will just bury it in the cave, for good this time!¡±


    Terra¡¯s eyes flashed with determination. ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

 Chapter 229

    "One of my men managed to tag the dragon with a magical beacon before they took off,¡± Salicia explained. ¡°I¡¯m able to track him with this.¡±


    She held up a magical device. It had some layout sort of like a Radar. I was helpless to understand it.


    ¡°Can I see?¡± I asked.


    I was surprised that she just handed it to me. For a Bandit King, she was shockingly easy going. Her men had put down their weapons. Only Balrack looked angry and was glaring at me while stroking his ax. I might have to deal with him later, it seemed. My girls had relaxed a bit too, but only so much. They remained close together and looked like they could pull their sword and use it at a moment¡¯s notice.


    As soon as I got the device, I opened up my map and was delighted to see that the dragon¡¯s location was pinged on it as a blinking icon. The point had settled at a location somewhere in the mountains. Unfortunately, it was in a completely unexplored area of my map. Furthermore, I didn¡¯t have enough experience reading distances with the map that it was clear to me how far away the dragon was. If I had to guess using how far we traveled in a day as a guideline, the trip would be about eight hours by foot, maybe?


    I handed the item back to Salicia. The icon on my map stopped blinking and greyed out. As long as they didn¡¯t move, the spot would be accurate, but it was no longer being actively updated on my map, it seemed. It¡¯d be nice if we could portal straight there, but I hadn¡¯t visited this spot before, and that was one limitation of the portal. On the other hand, since the mark was created, would it be possible to lock the portal on to the mark? If we chose to do that, we¡¯d be popping up right next to the dragon.


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    Unfortunately, I could only make one portal a day. I could only test it one time, and if it worked, I¡¯d be cutting off one of my ways to escape. Actually, I could still return with all of the girls. It¡¯d only be the bandits who were left there. I know they are bandits, but abandoning them like that seemed a bit wrong too.


    Of course, I could rearrange my dungeon points a bit, but I didn¡¯t want to make a habit of that. If I grew too comfortable swapping out points, it¡¯d be really easy to accidentally not set up reset, and if I forgot reset, I was SOL. There was a dragon slayer sword, but it took 5 points. I¡¯d have to give up my experience bonus to free up more points, and even then there was nothing on my list that seemed particularly useful for the situation. There were powerful spells, but I didn¡¯t know the conditions they worked unless I tested them. A one-time-use spell that does slightly more damage than the spells Miki can already cast is hardly going to make a difference in a prolonged battle requiring the might of 10-20 people¡­


    Furthermore, did a mechanical dragon even count as a dragon? If I gave it to Lydia to use, would it have the same power? I wasn¡¯t stupid enough to risk all of my girl¡¯s lives on a guess, so I decided it¡¯d be best to stick with what I knew. The last time I had thought I knew what a skill meant, I had ended up dying. I wasn¡¯t going to do that again, especially unnecessarily risking the lives of these four girls in the process. After a bit of thinking, I finally made my decision.


    ¡°Salicia¡­¡± I finally spoke out, ¡°I believe I can create a portal and send us right there. Pick who you want in your attack group. I recommend three teams of five along with us. That¡¯s twenty in all.¡±


    Salicia nodded and agreed to it. With her group down to fifteen and us being able to teleport there immediately, I felt a bit less stressed. I really didn¡¯t need another betrayal. I hoped that by not giving her the time to think of anything, and by separating her from the majority of her bandit horde, the situation would be in my favor.

 Chapter 230

    "Alright¡­ so we¡¯ll be responsible for getting the dragon distracted.¡± I explained. ¡°Your group will be trying to break the bond with the dragon.¡±


    Salicia nodded. ¡°I have two other groups. One will be responsible for physically restraining Carmine. The second will be long-distance attacks on the dragon.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so we have until you can break Carmine¡¯s bond to destroy the dragon, right?¡±


    ¡°Once I have my sister free, I will leave, with or without you.¡± Salicia shrugged.


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    I walked over to my girls, taking them a distance from Salicia and her band. In the intervening time since we started this discussion, the bandits in the city had successfully put out the fires and were now ransacking the town. They had allowed the remainder of the residents to flee unharmed. I made no mistake that this means they were good. Most of those escaping only had the clothing on their back, and there were countless dead. Ultimately, they were thieves, not murderers, and didn¡¯t go out of their way to pillage or rape the town. That didn¡¯t make them the good guys in any sense of the word.


    ¡°So¡­ what do you girls think?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We will follow Master, whatever he wants,¡± Lydia said.


    I smiled wryly. ¡°I appreciate that, but right now, I want your opinions.¡±


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    Lydia looked uncertain, but Miki stepped forward with a defiant expression on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t trust her! She¡¯s definitely going to do something to betray us in the upcoming fight, just like her sister did!¡±


    ¡°I agree¡­ does that mean we should just give up on the dragon and the dungeon lore.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Terra suddenly looked like she was about to cry, but she lowered her head without saying anything.


    She didn¡¯t need to say anything to show what she meant though. Defeating that dragon was what she had literally been built to do. She would follow my orders now that she was my slave, but her heart wanted to pursue and finally get vengeance on the monster. The other girls seemed to pick up on this as well and gave Terra sympathetic hugs and looks.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Celeste said uncertainly. ¡°When I leveled, I gained a new skill. You may be interested in seeing it.¡±


    I used the Skill Analysis to check on her skills. I immediately noticed the new skill that was listed under Master Magician. I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Master Magician¡¯s really do have it high powered.¡±


    As a 4<sup>th</sup> tier job, Master Magician was about as high as someone could get in this world. Evolving into a Sylph, Celeste automatically unlocked the Master Magician ability. Although it was powerful, without having gained the appropriate levels in Adept or Apprentice, she likely had a few holes. For example, she had the haste spell, but it used a lot of mana and things like keeping it cast on everyone in the party was out of the question. At best, she could use it for a temporary speed boost when the need to use magic wasn¡¯t too vital. Her new skill was likely just as limiting.


    ¡°Celeste, I want you to target Carmine with this spell,¡± I explained. ¡°Hold off on initiating it unless we need to.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± Celeste responded. ¡°But will it really make a difference?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°If Salicia and the bandits do choose to betray us¡­ it¡¯s the least we could do in response.¡±

 Chapter 231

    After making our own plans, contingencies on what to do in case of certain actions from Salicia or the dragon, we finally returned to the Bandit King. At the end of the day, I still had the return ability. It was the only reason I was willing to walk into this situation. The enemy of my enemy might be my friend, but they weren¡¯t a friend I was going to bet our lives on. As long as we didn¡¯t end up in another dungeon, we should be able to escape the situation, no matter how dangerous things got.


    Even after telling myself that, I felt a bit of anxiety. This was the first time we were going up against a stronger boss. In truth, Lydia and Miki weren¡¯t strong enough. They depended on their unique lineage specializations to protect themselves in the battle. Celeste could be strong, but in many ways, she was the most fragile girl in the group. As for Terra, I hadn¡¯t fought alongside her before, so I didn¡¯t know her strengths and weaknesses. She was an Earth Golem, but I didn¡¯t know what that meant.


    ¡°Open this portal then.¡± Salicia sneered. ¡°Take us to my sister.¡±


    Looking across the group of 15 people she had picked, they did look like a bunch of tough people. Balrack was one of them. He seemed to be leading the team who was tasked with snatching Carmine. Balrack hadn¡¯t impressed me before, but we did get the jump on him. It was hardly a one on one fight to the death, let alone even one where he surrounded us and captured us. The point was, this was real life and the situation in which I defeated him was not necessarily comparable. Simply using levels to assess how powerful someone was or who would win in a fight was an idiot¡¯s game.


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    I pulled up the map and looked at the spot that Salicia¡¯s magical device had indicated. It had been about thirty minutes since I had updated the position. I didn¡¯t want to update it again. I asked Salicia if Carmine had moved from her starting point. It seemed like she had moved a little, possibly entering a cave. This was taking us directly to the point on the map. I didn¡¯t want the portal to open right on top of her. Rather, I was hoping she had moved since I had last checked. Perhaps, we could sneak up on them even.


    ¡°Portal!¡± I cast the portal while focusing on the spot on the map.


    I was only a little surprised when it actually connected. I didn¡¯t think it would fail, but I didn¡¯t know for certain until that moment. It would have been very embarrassing if it failed in front of the bandits. I would have lost a bunch of my credibility. Before I could say anything, the teams of Bandits ran right in. Apparently, the Bandit King was giving me some of her trust as well. I could have connected the portal to a prison cell for all they knew. I assumed they¡¯d make us go first.


    ¡°Ladies¡­¡± I gestured and my four girls ran just behind them.


    I didn¡¯t want them to have time to set up a trap on the other side if that was their intention. Taking one last breath and looking across the city still being ravaged by at least another hundred Bandits; I sighed and took a leap into the portal. It was time to battle the dragon and put an end to the dungeon¡¯s lore.

 Chapter 232

    Upon slipping through the portal and letting it close behind me, I was happy I didn¡¯t emerge into the sounds of a horrific battle. Having already done that when I left the dungeon earlier today, once was enough for me. I made my map appear and I could see where exactly on the spot the dragon had stopped. The groups of bandits were scouting around, and about a hundred meters from our location was the mouth of an ominous-looking cave.


    ¡°In there?¡± I asked the Bandit King, holding out my hand.


    She handed me the device which I used to update the point on my map. The map didn¡¯t really have a 3D function. Everything I saw was on a roughly 2d plane. Had I tried to portal to the dragon as it was flying in the air, I would have portaled to the ground under where the dragon was. Likewise, if I tried to portal to the dragon now, likely, I¡¯d only portal to the surface of the ground above wherever he was underground. That was simply one limitation of the map skill. It still was pretty useful in a variety of situations.


    I handed back her tracking device and then settled for making sure all of my girls were ready. As soon as we entered the cave, we could be encountering the clockwork dragon at any moment. Furthermore, we had fifteen bandits around us whose loyalties and willingness to work as a team was very questionable. Simply put, we have to remain vigilant. I ordered all of the girls to keep their eyes out. That meant most likely Lydia and Miki. Celeste was a bit of an airhead, and while Terra was smart, she wasn¡¯t really used to the group and might stay quiet when she really needed to say something.


    The four groups began to march forward, almost like a single army, although each of us seemed to move at our own paces. The cave was easily thirty feet high, and it felt like walking into the mouth of some hulking beast. I kept telling myself that as long as I had Return, I could escape with all of my girls. That was the only thing that gave me peace of mind.


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    The darkness enveloped us and I cast the light spell. Either the light spell was common or the bandits had their own means of illumination because they didn¡¯t bother to light torches or anything. The light spell was a one-way spell, which allowed me to see out, but didn¡¯t allow enemies to see me. This differed from orbs and torches which could give away your position with ease. Unfortunately, it was only just good enough in a dungeon. In a cave as wide as this one, that wasn¡¯t lit up felt humungous and awe-inspiring, especially since there was a dragon supposedly hiding in it.


    Everyone was doing their best to remain quiet. Ideally, they were injured in the fight, only just managing to make it into hiding here. If we were to suddenly attack while the dragon and Carmine were resting, we had the greatest chance to succeed. A well-timed surprise attack could be the difference between success and failure.


    There was just one problem. I was literally standing on the dot, yet I encountered no dragon. This was the spot. Did the cave go on so deeply that it turned around and the dragon was under us? I didn¡¯t believe the space beyond would have the room to hold a dragon that large. My map could only handle things on a 2d surface, so it was either below or ab-


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± A bandit cursed as he stubbed his toe and caused a rock to go tumbled down the stone path.


    Each click resounded in the dark, echoey cave. I looked up slowly. Above me, a massive shadowy form that had attached itself to a stalactite began to unfurl.


    ¡°Above!¡± I shouted.


    ¡°Holy Resonance!¡±


    A wave of white struck from the side, sending me and my party falling down as Carmine still on the ground floor cast a spell. At that moment, the dragon descended, a powerful roar causing the cave to shake. That¡¯s when things started to get hectic.

 Chapter 233

    Rooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaar! Boom! Rumble.


    The entire cave was filled with light flashes and sounds. I had thought that a dragon was strongest when it was out in the open. It could fly up and out of your range. It could swoop down with fire attacks. It was truly the master of the sky. However, Dragons didn¡¯t do so bad in caves either. I got knocked around a few more times, desperately casting magic on myself to heal the damage. I was pretty sure I was struck with the claw of the dragon at least once.


    The worst part was that I had no clue where my girls were either. I couldn¡¯t heal or support people if I couldn¡¯t see them. There were dozens of shadowy figures running around just out of the range of my light. The one set back of light was that it had a range and then sort of died. Real light could reach to the corners of a dark room. I remembered once as a child even being in a cave and shown that a single match was sufficient to create enough light to see. However, the spell light gave you a range of about 40 feet, and then it went to the infinite darkness of the cave.


    The one thing I could see within my forty feet was the dragon, whose form filled the cave as it spun wildly, unleashing roars and sweeping attacks. I remained just out of its range as I glanced around, looking for the familiar tail or ears of one of my girls. I had never been in a battle like this before. Is this what a battlefield felt like? It was very confusing and disorientating.


    ¡°Lydia!¡± I called out.


    ¡°Lydia¡­¡± A mocking voice suddenly called nearby.


    I glanced toward the voice to see Balrack there, grinning in my direction. I let out a sigh.


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    ¡°Really? Now?¡±


    ¡°Now that I see you without your pretty little escorts that you cower behind, let¡¯s see if you¡¯ve really got strength when it¡¯s one on one.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re battling a dragon! Everyone¡¯s lives are on the line, you idiot!¡± I cursed, pulling out my sword.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± The man cursed. ¡°You think you¡¯re better than me? I¡¯m going to kill you, and then I¡¯m going to take all of your slaves and rape them to death!¡±


    ¡°Rape, rape, rape¡­ it¡¯s all rape with you. Is it because you have a small penis that you can¡¯t seem to enjoy a woman outside of rape?¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­ take that back!¡± He lunged at me with his ax.


    I just managed to deflect his blow. He was really strong and I did find myself being pressed. His attacks had a berserker-like quality to them, and he really was stronger than me. This fight actually really was humbling. I felt fear for a good thirty seconds until I realized that, simply put, my skills were better than his. In fact, the more attacks from him I experienced, the weaker I began to realize he was.


    ¡°You pampered noble!¡± He cursed. ¡°Just because you got taught all those fancy skills doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t be able to kill you. Don¡¯t be thinking you¡¯re better than me.¡±


    He was getting angrier by the moment, and the dragon suddenly roared, bringing my focus back to what was important. While this idiot was having a pissing contest, my girls were fighting a dragon without my support. I had been too cowardly to attack him outright, and thus this fight had dwindled on for several minutes. However, enough was finally enough. I started to feel a tinge of anger at how much of my time this idiot was wasting.


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± I said, changing my grip and preparing a spell. ¡°I was normal like you. I¡¯m not beating you because I¡¯m a noble. I¡¯m beating you because I am better than you are.¡±


    As rage formed on his face over the words I said, I cast an air and earth spell and sent dust up into his face. Using a quick attack, I sliced heal and then did three more rapid attacks. Balrack collapsed to the ground in a heap. I didn¡¯t kill him, but he wasn¡¯t going to get up any time soon either.

 Chapter 234

    Feeling irate and rushed after the distraction, I began to cast orbs, sticking them along the walls and creating an increase of light throughout the room. I shut off my own light spell and found myself able to see everything in the room much clearer as I allowed my eyes to adjust. My actions seemed to set off some of the other men too, who began to ignite torches and the like. With light came order, and then men finally started forming into groups.


    ¡°Ladies! To me!¡± Even though my voice echoed off the walls, with enough light, the girls were able to find me much quicker this time. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s distract this dragon.¡±


    The group that was supposed to be headed up by Balrack was going against Carmine. Meanwhile, my group went full force against the dragon. I began to cast a steady stream of spells. First, of course, I healed the girls. Miki had taken the most damage, with numerous painful looking cuts and gouges that had left her grimacing in pain. After healing her, her tail perked up and then she leaned and kissed me before running off to fight.


    ¡°What do you want, Celeste?¡± I asked as I noticed her standing nearby, looking at me tearfully.


    She raised her elbow, revealing a small scratch. ¡°I need healing.¡±


    My eyebrows twitched. ¡°Do you really need healing, or did you just want a kiss?


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    ¡°Geh¡­ M-master¡­ that¡­¡±


    ¡°How about I kiss the scratch? It¡¯ll make it feel better and I won¡¯t use any mana?¡±


    Her eyes brighten. ¡°A-as Master commands!¡±


    She excitedly shrinks back down and flies into combat after I kissed her elbow. A moment later, Lydia limps toward me. She had a gash across her chest and is bleeding profusely. However, rather than looking pained, she has her fingers together and a blush on her face.


    ¡°M-master¡­ I-I think I need a kiss to make it better.¡±


    ¡°A kiss!¡± I cried out. ¡°You need healing, definitely healing!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll be fine!¡±


    ¡°Moderate Heal! Moderate Heal!¡±


    ¡°C-can you kiss it now?¡± She said, pointing to the spot where her wound was.


    With the blood gone, it was now just a scratch that ripped open her armor. In fact, it exposed the bottom of her boob and a sliver of pale skin of her stomach. It was actually somewhat sexy with her begging me to kiss it.


    ¡°M-master¡­ I got a wound!¡± Miki came running back, holding a piercing wound in her shoulder.


    ¡°W-wait!¡± the realization just came to me. ¡°Are you girls getting hurt just so I¡¯ll kiss it?¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Lydia looked away.


    ¡°D-don¡¯t be ridiculous¡­¡± Miki wouldn¡¯t meet my eyes.


    ¡°Okay! Next girl who gets damaged and needs healing won¡¯t get any kisses for a day!¡± I declared.


    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m fine!¡± Lydia ran back into the fight.


    ¡°Just a flesh wound!¡± Miki turned and joined her.


    I let out a sigh but then noticed that Terra was standing next to me. Her arm was missing!


    ¡°I too will refrain from using Master¡¯s service, I¡¯m interested in this kissing.¡±


    ¡°What? No! You¡¯re getting healed! You need healing!¡±


    I ended up chasing Terra around the cave, trying to put her arm back on. I just wanted to safely battle a dragon to the death. Why did things have to end up this way?

 Chapter 235

    Thankfully, it turned out that golem arms were pretty easy to reattach. I was seriously worried for a bit that she was irreparably harmed. I had heard that certain priests could reattach limbs. There might even be a day at some point where I can do something like that. However, I didn¡¯t want to see Terra walking around with one arm for the foreseeable future.


    With her arm reattached, I redoubled my efforts to help the girls in combat. Fortunately, the long-distance group was able to keep the dragon distracted enough that our shenanigans didn¡¯t cause things to fall apart. To be fair, the bandits weren¡¯t exactly orderly either. Three had already been knocked out or perished. Another two had run away in the middle of battle. These were supposedly their elites too.


    We were down to fifteen people, with roughly ten focused on the dragon and the remaining five focused on the paladin. Carmine was definitely the weakest link between the pair, and she had collapsed to one knee, finally being overwhelmed by the Bandit King and her forces.


    Rooooaaarrrr¡­. The dragon seemed to sense that its master was in distress, as it tried to make a run straight for her.


    ¡°Hold it!¡± Salicia called out.


    ¡°Celeste!¡± She summoned her strongest attack.


    A whirlwind of air blades struck the dragon, and at the same time, Lydia slashed at its legs with several recurring quick attacks. The dragon stumbled and collapsed to the ground.


    ¡°Terra! Finish this!¡± I said excitedly.


    With the dragon on the ground, it was Terra¡¯s time to shine. She started summoning earth to trap and restrain the dragon. A stalagmite rose up and pierced the dragon while a stalactite came down from the ceiling and pinned the dragon. With its restraints completed, sealed off and it¡¯s master-servant bond breaking, we could finally defeat the dragon.


    ¡°Celeste, you¡¯re doing it! Everyone! It¡¯s down! Finish it off!¡±


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    Just as the girls surged forward, I realized that the long-distance support we had been receiving had suddenly stopped. I spun to see the Bandits fleeing towards the cave entrance. Salicia had an unconscious Carmine in her arms. Presumably, the master/slave relationship between the two was severed now, which was why the dragon was starting to thrash wildly in its restraints.


    ¡°We can defeat it!¡± I said.


    Salicia shrugged. ¡°I already said, I don¡¯t care about the dragon!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a clockwork dragon! It ought to have something valuable! Besides, if it escapes, it¡¯ll cause you just as much trouble as the countryside.¡±


    ¡°Whoever said I planned to let it escape?¡± She chuckled.


    She had a ring on her hand which suddenly glowed. Several barrels appeared, and the Bandits immediately grabbed them, putting them around the entrance.


    ¡°So¡­ that¡¯s how it is¡­¡± I sighed.


    The look in her eyes was clear. She was planning on making this grave for more than just the dragon.


    ¡°What can I say¡­ you may also be a problem if you escape.¡±


    ¡°Miki¡­ do it.¡±


    Miki raised her hand and cast a spell. Suddenly, all the bandits around Salicia collapsed to the ground. Miki¡¯s capacity to damage the dragon was minimal. Her task was actually to attach sleeping spells to as many bandits as she could. If they betrayed us, she¡¯d trigger it and then they¡¯d all collapse to the ground, instantly swapping the chances. It was actually a very impressive feat, and one only a 9-tailed fox spiritualist might be able to pull off.


    I shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re outnumbered.¡±


    I gestured for the girls to come to me, even though they were still trying to keep the dragon contained. In a few moments, he¡¯d break out again. Our only real choice was to ignite the gunpowder and collapse the cave. Except¡­ we¡¯d be on the outside when that happened. Given that the Bandit King decided to betray us, it was the best that could be managed now.


    However, I barely managed a few steps when the look in her eyes made me wary. A small smile formed on the Bandit King¡¯s eyes as she continued to back her way out of the cave, holding her sister at her side.


    ¡°Oh¡­ you¡¯re clever¡­ I give you that. You just made one small miscalculation.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes.


    A fireball formed in her hand. ¡°I don¡¯t care about my people.¡±


    She threw the fireball right at one of the jugs. A man only a few feet away was currently sleeping, and the attack would assuredly mark his death.


    ¡°Wait, no!¡± I let out a cry.


    It was too late. The entire cave erupted. The heat and dust blew me back. Thoughts of using Return or escaping immediately escaped my mind as the cave started to collapse on top of me.

 Chapter 236

    "Darn it¡­ so ruthless¡­¡± I said, coughing.


    I hadn¡¯t lost consciousness, but I had curled up in the fetal position as rock fell from the ceiling and the entrance collapsed. She was absolutely right. I hadn¡¯t seen her leaving fifteen of her best men for dead. If any of them were alive in this mess, I couldn¡¯t see it.


    As my vision cleared, I realized I could see. At least one of my orbs had survived and was still transmitting light. I could see Terra standing there. She had created a dozen pillars of stone, keeping the cave from collapsing on top of us.


    ¡°Lydia? Miki? Celeste?¡± Before I even called their names, I had already checked their status through the party.


    With great relief, I found that everyone was alright. The girls were dusty, but otherwise still alive. I created some more lights in the room. There were a few unconscious bandits, but I didn¡¯t feel like seeing if they were alive or dead at the moment. I may not be callous enough to murder Bandits, but I was starting to grow callous enough that I didn¡¯t care whether they lived or died.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Celeste approached me carefully. ¡°Shall I¡­ execute the plan?¡±


    I summoned a mana potion from my ring and then handed it to her. ¡°Immediately flee. Don¡¯t engage her. Don¡¯t even taunt her. Just run like the wind. Caste Haste first¡­ I don¡¯t want to take any risks.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, Master¡­ Haste.¡± Her body seemed to blur as she cast the short-lasting spell on herself.


    She guzzled down the mana potion, and then took a deep breath.


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    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Miki asked curiously.


    I shook my head. ¡°Just a little payback. She decided that we couldn¡¯t have anything. I decided to return the favor.¡±


    ¡°Aero-swap!¡± Celeste cried out into the empty cavern.


    Air started to wrap around her, and then she disappeared in a puff of wind. In her place was a woman who instantly collapsed to the ground. I was waiting for it, so I managed to catch her and guide her back down into a position I deemed comfortable.


    ¡°Carmine?¡± Lydia called out in disbelief.


    ¡°One of her wind spells, Aeroswap, allows her to mark someone and swap with them without being in their party. Salicia is probably still scratching her head wondering why her sister suddenly turned into a Sylph that darted away.¡±


    I did make sure to check numerous times to make sure Celeste was safe. She didn¡¯t show herself being hurt at all. Just as I was starting to relax, there was a sudden rumble. I could hear rocks and pebbles falling, and it sounded almost like the cave was breathing.


    ¡°Wha-¡° Miki let out a cry.


    ¡°The dragon!¡± Terra immediately locked on the rocking form moving under various boulders.


    Terra had made a space to protect us when the boulders fell. That space did not incorporate the massive dragon. Suffice it to say, and the avalanche of stone had fallen on it, crushing it in dozens of places.


    ¡°Terra, can you move away some of the lighter debris.¡±


    Terra looked uncertain, but she did as I commanded. With a few waves of her hand, she cleared off the mechanical creature. I could see crushed gears and broken exhausted. The monster¡¯s eyes were still lite in the darkness, but it seemed to be taking staggered breaths as if it was a living creature on the verge of death. It didn¡¯t look at us, nor did it try to struggle or move.


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ dying¡­¡± Lydia said, a complicated look on her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a machine.¡± I said, partially for myself, ¡°It doesn¡¯t really have a life. However, it seems that it has been destroyed.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Terra shook her head. ¡°There is just one more thing.¡±


    ¡°What is that?


    ¡°The church was able to create this thing with a dragon core from a real dragon. That is what was so dangerous. If we leave it here, the church could always find the core and rebuild the dragon. We must take the core.¡±

 Chapter 237

    "Take the core?¡±


    I was honestly a little surprised that she didn¡¯t say we should destroy it. Wouldn¡¯t she want to see the dragon soul or whatever it was that receded in this core to be annihilated from this world?


    ¡°Dragon core¡¯s are very valuable.¡± Terra went on to explain. ¡°After everything that Master has done, I wouldn¡¯t dare to ask him to so casually destroy it.¡±


    ¡°Very well¡­ then, please¡­ bring me the core.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to go chopping into a dragon myself, after all. I had a feeling that with Terra¡¯s abilities and experience with the dragon, she probably knew how to find it and get it out safely over anyone else. Terra nodded and then turned to the dragon. She had her hands out in front of her as if she was feeling for something. A moment later, there was a rumble in the ground. It made me slightly nervous because of the previous cave-in, but Terra was an earth golem, so I figured I needed to trust her on this.


    A moment later, a spike erupted through the dragon. It jerked a single time, but then the lights in its eyes went out. The spike came out somewhere near where Terra was standing. Cupped inside it was a small orb which looked to be made of glass. She fetched out the orb casually, turned and then presented it to me. Smiling, I reached out, grabbed her fingers, and then closed them around the orb.


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    ¡°You did it¡­¡± I explained. ¡°You defeated the clockwork dragon. No one has earned this core more than you.¡±


    ¡°Me? Eh? Wha-¡° She looked back at the dragon, now lifeless, and then to me again, growing increasingly flustered.


    The other reason I asked her to fetch the orb was that I wanted her to do the final killing blow. This was a creature she had literally been fighting her entire life.


    ¡°Congratulations.¡± I pulled her into a hug. ¡°You protected us all, and you have made a splendid guardian.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Tears started to form in her eyes, and suddenly she clung to me desperately, and I could hear crying.


    The other two girls ran up and hugged the pair us too, crying right alongside her. Why were they crying? Wasn¡¯t this Terra¡¯s burden to unload? Ah¡­ well¡­ it was fine. Her story was finally brought to a close. She had finally destroyed the dragon that had once destroyed her. Wait¡­ something about that thought unnerved me slightly. I felt a strange aching feeling. It was a feeling I had felt twice already. Suddenly, I noticed something rising out of the pocket of the unconscious Carmine.


    A bright light filled the cavern that made my own orbs seem negligible. The light pulsated for a few seconds, but it was almost like I could read its mind. A¡­ finished¡­ lore¡­


    ¡°H-hey¡­ no-no-no¡­ didn¡¯t she finish it? What are you doing! Wait!¡±


    A light shot towards me and text started to float into my mind. A searing feeling wrapped around my thigh as a new tattoo branded itself on my body. Lore began to flood into my mind. Another blessing. Another curse.

 Chapter 238

    There was once a girl named Terra. She was a simple commoner, but she had two exceptional parents. They were powerful magicians and caretakers to the village. Terra was not a genius like her parents and always feared that she couldn¡¯t rise up to their standards. While they were skilled Adepts, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t get out of novice.


    After years of disappointment as she failed to grow as a magician, she eventually took an interest in gardening instead. She liked to feel the soil in her hands, and move the earth with her own power. She liked to nurture life. Soon, she became quite to horticulturist, growing all kinds of different things. She was always happiest when she was planting seeds or picking freshly grown herbs.


    One day while she was outside the village, she heard a horrifying commotion. There was a great battle going on between a dragon and some paladins. However, the dragon looked somewhat strange. It was filled with gears and all kinds of mechanical parts. The dragon was out of control, and it was heading for the village. It was there that she saw her parents rise up with all of the strongest adventurers against the dragon.


    They fought a powerful battle, and throughout the entire fight, Terra felt completely useless. For all of her planting and digging in the Earth, she lacked the capacity to protect what meant the most to her. She watched as many of the people she cared the most about were killed before her eyes. When her father fell, she let out a scream and ran out onto the field.


    ¡°Terra, no!¡± Her mother called, but it was too late.


    Terra was killed by the dragon. Of course, the mother was able to temporarily push back the dragon. Those that died were brought back using resurrection by the local priest. However, they all knew that the dragon would be back. It seemed intent on attacking their town in particular. No one truly understood why, or even where the dragon had come from. Only Terra had seen the paladins.


    When Terra¡¯s parents went to have her daughter reincarnated, Terra remembered the mechanical parts of the beast and realized that it had been built. It was so powerful, but it was ultimately manmade. Terra didn¡¯t have the strength to protect her family. Magically, she was weak. However, she begged her mother and father to put her soul into a created being. She wanted to be powerful like them. She wanted to fight and protect them.


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    Her parents eventually acquiesced, and together created a beautiful Earth golem in their daughter¡¯s image and implanted her soul in it. Terra instantly fell in love with the feeling of being one with the Earth. She didn¡¯t just feel strong. She felt invincible. Magical feats that she had once considered impossible could now be performed with ease. She was afraid of being forced to watch her friends and family die again, but her parents wouldn¡¯t let her leave to fight the dragon. They said her new strength wasn¡¯t enough and it¡¯d take the whole town to destroy it.


    Knowing that the dragon was only waiting to heal before it attacked the village again, Terra decided to go out alone and battle it despite her parent¡¯s protests. She found and attacked the powerful beast. In the end, she was defeated, and the cave the dragon had been hiding in collapsed on top of her. With it¡¯s hiding place destroyed, the dragon left to attack the village.


    Terra awoke a few hours later, digging herself out of the cave. She returned to her home, only to find the entire place was gone. The priest was gone, as were her friends and family. The dragon was finishing up the last of them as she arrived. Consumed with rage, confusion, and fear, Terra called on her Earthly powers, and buried the entire city, taking the dragon with her.


    The dragon¡¯s tomb eventually became the epicenter of a dungeon, and Terra remained a guardian, protecting the tomb from external forces. Numerous times, the church would try to come to capture the dragon and reclaim it, but the guardian always stopped them, becoming famous in the process. Eventually, the church decided to send a hero who blocked off the dungeon, starving its access to magic. With that, the dungeon and the golem began to weaken.


    Hundreds of years passed, and a new town was built over the decaying dungeon. The legend of the guardian flourished, but the church never forgot the powerful dragon they had lost at the bottom of that dungeon, even though Terra had long been forgotten.


    That was¡­ until I came¡­ brought her from that dungeon, and allowed her to finally destroy the dragon that ruined her family and protect those that she cared about most. After a few hundred years, Terra had found a family again.


    {Congratulations, you have completed Terra¡¯s Dungeon.}


    {True Dungeon Diver has increased by 2 levels.}


    {For completing the lore, you have gained two dungeon points.}


    {Terra¡¯s Lore is now a part of you. You have gained Terra¡¯s Blessing.}


    {You have increased affinity with the Earth. You can now use movement spells in and out of dungeons.}

 Chapter 239

    True Dungeon Diver¡¯s level increased every time I completed a dungeon. Every job seemed to have two ways to gain experience. The standard way was to fight and kill monsters. That worked for Adventurers and people like me, but the average person didn¡¯t go around killing monsters very often. For that reason, leveling could also be gained a different way. For cooks, levels increased when you cooked. For Alchemists, levels increased when you did alchemy. For Dungeon Divers, it looked like Dungeon Diver increased when you defeated a dungeon. No, actually, it seemed specific to when you completed a dungeon¡¯s lore. I supposed I¡¯d just get standard Dungeon Diver experience if I beat the dungeon the easy way.


    Anyway, this dungeon that was weak and desiccated did not net me very many points at all. I only earned two compared to five with the baby dungeon. I wasn¡¯t even sure if I had anything worth using them on. I didn¡¯t see any new skills added to the list either. This was truly a dead dungeon. Well¡­ it was true that I had managed this in only two days. The previous dungeons took weeks to defeat. My time invested in all of this was quite small. Then again, when it came to danger, I didn¡¯t feel like my life was in any less jeopardy. There really needed to be a safer way of going down dungeons and leveling without constantly putting my life on the line.


    The best thing about my new curse¡­ ahem¡­ I mean blessing, was that it allowed transportation out of dungeons. I was pretty sure that meant I could portal to and from dungeons now. Return also should work. That meant that a lot of my future dungeon interactions would be a lot less desperate from what they used to be.


    Feeling a bit of relief, I made a fire and cooked. I did a quick switch with Celeste just to make sure she was okay. She had escaped splendidly. I did seriously worry switching with Celeste that she was up in the air somewhere. Unlike with portal, I really could fall to my death if I switched with her at the wrong time. However, thankfully, she was close to the ground.


    As for Salicia, I didn¡¯t really know. I used Sense life and she wasn¡¯t waiting on the outside of the cave for me. She probably didn¡¯t think we were still in here after I snatched Carmine from her. Well, I didn¡¯t want to return, so I decided everyone could rest in here a day until my portal spell returned. Tomorrow morning, we¡¯d teleport to a spot on the road and then continue to the Capitol. As for Carmine, she woke up after I got the food cooking.


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    ¡°Yo-you¡­¡± her eyes widened, looking around with fear.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­¡± I said, pouring out bowls of rice and meat for everyone. ¡°You¡¯re safe from your sister.¡±


    She shivered. ¡°Th-thank you. My sister has been¡­ a siscon, for as long as I knew her.¡±


    ¡°She thinks you have been brainwashed by the church,¡± I said frankly.


    Carmine blinked. ¡°Sh-she has said things like that before. Just because I followed a different path than her, she thinks she knows me. She¡¯d probably try to brainwash me herself if she could.¡±


    I nodded. I thought it might be something like that. Carmine was raised by the church. You could call it brainwashing if you wanted, but anyone who was raised a certain way would possess certain values. That was just called being human. She would, of course, believe in the church that took care of her.


    ¡°That clockwork dragon was out of control,¡± I said. ¡°The paladins back in the day lost control of it. Maybe they meant to attack that city, I don¡¯t know, but they still lost control of it. You did as well.¡±


    Carmine looked over at the dead hulking creature still mostly buried in rock and then lowered her head. ¡°Yes, it would seem the church has some things to answer for. I will start an inquisition as soon as I return to the Capitol.¡±


    ¡°If you need a witness, I¡¯m heading the Capitol myself.¡±


    She looked up, her mouth slightly open. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯d do that? After everything? You don¡¯t resent me? The church?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not happy you betrayed us, but to be fair, we barely know each other. You had no reason to trust me either, and I just as easily could have been after the guardian¡¯s power as you. As for the church, they sound like a powerful entity in the land. I have no desire to cross them. I¡¯m actually helping you with the hope that the church doesn¡¯t hold me personally accountable for destroying their dragon.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± She said, closing her eyes and nodding. ¡°Yes¡­ the dragon was out of control. Plus, it was the Bandit King who collapsed this cave. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡±


    I had hoped as much. There was no reason to make the church the bad guys. I¡¯m sure there was corruption in the church, but there were corrupt nobles too. I had met one of them. Simply put, it was better to be upfront and hope for the best than cloak and dagger and be constantly looking over your shoulder.

 Chapter 240

    After weeks of sleeping in dungeons, not to mention the mad dash we had to do yesterday, resting the night away in the cave was quite easy. Everyone was exhausted, so we slept deeply. With the cave shut off, we were actually a lot safer than we were even outside. Come the morning, I opened a portal back to the road leading to the Capitol. On the road, Carmine rejected my offer to escort her back to the Capitol.


    ¡°If I stayed with you, it may cause more trouble with the Bandit King,¡± Carmine admitted. ¡°I have a method to travel back to the Capitol quickly. I would take you with me, but it regrettably only works on one person.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯d rather walk anyway.¡± I said.


    I wasn¡¯t just trying to be nice. I wanted to fill out as much of my map as possible. If she had some way to teleport straight to the capitol, then my map would just have a sudden jump to the capitol. I didn¡¯t say that I felt like every spot should be fleshed out like that, but since Chalm was becoming a bit of a home for me, a completed path on my map was the least I could do.


    There was a second reason too. I wanted to be seen heading for the Capitol. If I just disappeared, there is a chance that the Bandit King might start looking around and eventually set her eyes on Chalm. If she sees me heading towards the Capitol, it should help them ignore Chalm.


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    Like that Carmine and I split up, and I began to travel to the Capitol with four slaves now. It turned out that Terra as a golem didn¡¯t actually sleep. Living up to her name as Guardian, she could stand watch all night without an issue. At first, I didn¡¯t like the idea, but we still set the alarms just in case and so I slept. A week passed and we continued on the path unperturbed by the Bandit King. Perhaps, having lost all of her best, she was worried about having a confrontation with me. Perhaps, she was just uninterested in us now that Carmine was no longer with us.


    We came upon a nice-looking hot spring along the way about halfway through the day. I used a variety of spells on the spring to make sure it was clean for us to bath in. As I got the bath ready, I sent the girls out to get wood for tonight, set up a camping area, and various other things. When I finished, I walked back to the camp to find it completely empty. I checked my map and found they were all fine, but strangely together near the edge of my sense life range.


    I didn¡¯t know what all of the girls were doing together, but I shrugged and decided to take my bath first. I only just managed to get in when a snapping twig caused me to glanced towards the surface. To my surprise, Terra was standing at the edge of the water, but she was completely naked. She had her head down and a blush on her cheeks.


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°Th-the other girls were talking and decided it was time that Master enjoyed me.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Is that what you girls were talking about in private.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Master¡­ it¡¯s time we have sex!¡±

 Chapter 240.5

    "I mean no disrespect, Terra, but are you even capable of having sex?¡±


    Terra sputtered indignantly. ¡°Wha¡­ o-of course! I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m a normal girl!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ it¡¯s just you were made by your parents¡­ so¡­¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t all children made by their parents!¡± She stomped her feet angrily, causing the water to slush back and forth slightly.¡±


    ¡°E-easy! I believe you¡­ don¡¯t open up some kind of magma vein and cause this spring to turn into a volcano, will you?¡±


    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being a little confused too¡­ you became my slave because I accidentally grabbed that rod. In general, I don¡¯t want you to feel like you owe me anything.¡±


    She finally covered her small chest while blushing. ¡°I-I understand¡­ but my parents always said that¡­ when I met the right man, I shouldn¡¯t hold back.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ is that it¡­¡±


    Somehow, I felt like if her parents had known she¡¯d apply that advice into having sex with a guy she just met, they would feel a bit of remorse over their poor word usage.


    ¡°I asked the other girls first if I could. They said that Master would accept me and that they would accept me too.¡±


    I was a little curious at how accepting the girls were getting. Lydia had struggled with Miki initially, but Celeste had come pretty easily. Now, there was Terra as well. I didn¡¯t want the girls to think poorly of me like I was lecherous or something. I genuinely cared for these women. They had put their lives on the line. Terra herself had saved me twice. Admittedly, I was the first guy in her life, so it was easy to fall in love with me, but I couldn¡¯t deny I was attracted to her.


    I sighed and gestured for her to come into the hot spring. I could see her shivering standing out on the cold rock. It was clear she was cold out there. Even if we didn¡¯t have sex, I didn¡¯t mind taking a bath with her.


    Terra nodded and then slid into the hot spring. Her body made only a small disturbance in the water as she slid in. She looked uncertain of what to do next. As for me, I had already had a sexual relationship with other women, I considered just pulling her over. She had been the one to request it. However, I didn¡¯t want to push anything past her comfort level, so I moved to the side of the pool instead and grabbed a washcloth and some soap.


    Making it sudsy in my hand, I put some bubbles on Terra. I first put some on her nose, and she looked adorable as she went cross-eyed trying to look at it before she blew them off with her mouth. I then proceeded to carefully wash her back and shoulders. Terra had been underground for hundreds of years without ever technically having a bath. As the dirt shed off her in waves, I hoped that it wasn¡¯t something like she¡¯d keep melting away until she was nothing.


    She was an Earth Golem, but where did the Earth end and her body begin? It was the kind of question I wasn¡¯t quite at the stage of asking comfortably. Instead, I decided to go with trial by error, cleaning her entire body thoroughly to see if things start shrinking. I started with her breasts, but they weren¡¯t large enough, to begin with, so I couldn¡¯t see in the water if they were getting smaller.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ahn¡­¡± She made very cute noises as I scrubbed bubbles across her chest and cleaned her off.


    After that, I started working on her hands and her body. Very slowly, I cleaned one of her fingers, and then washed it again once all the dirt was off. If I washed one finger more than the others, wouldn¡¯t it shrink with each subsequent washing? In that case, if the finger shrank so it was smaller than the other fingers, then I probably should end her bath immediately.


    In the end, I was just being paranoid, as she seemed as female as any of the girls. I was suspicious her muscles might have a more rock-like consistency or something, but in the end, she felt like Lydia or Miki. However, I might have been rubbing a bit enthusiastically, because she was flushed and panting by the time I was done.


    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± I said when I finally put away the washcloth.


    ¡°N-no¡­ it¡¯s fine.¡± She turned to me.


    I became very conscious of the fact we were both naked. The me from a few months ago might have shied away or run. The first time I was with Lydia, she had nearly had to beg me. Even now, I don¡¯t feel comfortable asking them for sex. However, watching the small and shy Terra standing in water, submerged almost to her shoulders, I realized I really did want her. Maybe I had become a lecherous person, but maybe that didn¡¯t matter. At the end of the day, we were just two consenting people who happened to like each other.


    My mouth lowered and I kissed her wet lips. She immediately took in a breath, her whole body turning rigid for a moment. Her lips were sweet and smooth. She might have an earthy scent and taste, but that could just as easily be the minerals of the hot spring we were in and the hot fog filling our senses. My kiss grew more impassioned and my tongue found its way into her lips and mouth.


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    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± She melted against me, and I could feel her warm naked body pressed against mine in the water.


    I could feel my dick growing hard and fight an obstruction. By the feel of it, I was pressed between her thighs. The feel of my cock pressing against her seemed to excite Terra even more, as she pushed herself forward and wrapped her arms around me. Terra was heavy, but in the hot spring, she was as light as could be. Reaching down, I grabbed her thighs and picked her up. Her legs spread open for me, allowing my cock to slide between her thighs completely.


    I found my cock rubbing against her wet cunt underwater. Due to the position, I couldn¡¯t penetrate her, but my dick stroked along the shaft and the outer lips of her untouched pussy. She began to rock her own hips as well, riding my cock quite literally, using the top of the shaft to stimulate her pussy externally.


    She wasn¡¯t na?ve like Celeste who had spent her entire life in a dungeon. Until she died, she had lived a full life to adulthood. Thus, it wasn¡¯t like she was completely unaware of sex. She wasn¡¯t skilled and learned like Lydia, or shy and hesitant like Miki. Terra was more like a girl next door. She might understand things in theory, but she had never had the practice she needed. Now, I was her first try, and she could finally figure out what worked for her. At least, that was my impression of the erotic woman who was growing more erotic by the moment.


    I savored the feel of her outer pussy sliding up and down my cock while my hand graceful fondled her tight, small butt. She had an arm wrapped around my neck and was writhing extremely erotically to satisfy her sexual urges. Her small breasts would pull away from my chest and then push back again, her stiff nipples scratching my chest with each movement. The splashing of the water grew more aggressive, and her body created splashing noises as it pushed back against mine.


    Although the hot spring was full of warm water, her pussy felt even hotter, and her grinding effort made my cock feel like it might explode at any moment. Had this been my first time, I might have lost it already with just this stimulation. Kissing her neck, I tried to bring her up higher, positioning my cock so that it would slide into her. Even so, Terra was a small girl and with the heat, my cock was at its fullest right then.


    She was still trying to hump the top of my cock, and as soon as the position changed, her next thrust caused me to pierce inside her. It only made it about halfway before she gasped and froze.


    ¡°Ahn!¡± She cried out. ¡°I feel it¡­¡±


    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know why I felt like I needed to apologize, but the wince of pain in her face made me feel bad.


    She shook her head and giggled, suddenly applying pressure with her legs wrapped around me, and forcing the rest of my cock inside her. She let out a cry of pain and pleasure, and then wrapped her arms around me and kissed me thoroughly.


    ¡°Yes¡­ that¡¯s it¡­¡± She said, sighing as she accepted the feel of my cock inside her.


    Terra began to rock her hips against me. I realized I didn¡¯t need to do much to hold her upper body, as she floated in the water if I didn¡¯t hold on. Her lower half had a firm hold on my thighs and she was riding my cock using her own legs to straddle me. It was basically cowgirl; except, I was standing and she was floating almost horizontally.


    This freed me up to play with her body, and my hands wandered up and down and her small frame. I used my thumb and forefinger and lightly teased her hard nipples. She reacted excitedly to that, even quickening her pace as she rode my cock. Any pain she might have felt from losing her virginity was either lost by her high vitality as a guardian or ignored because of the warm soothing nature of the hot spring. Either way, she didn¡¯t hesitate to enjoy my body, and thus I grew more aggressive in enjoying hers.


    The full-length stroke of her pussy felt amazing as she didn¡¯t hesitate to pull out to the tip before plunging it back in. She experimented with speed, length, and even angle. Watching her experiment with my body only caused me to grow even more excited. I finally reached my limit, so I reached down and pulled her out of the water. She gave a little yip of surprise, but I didn¡¯t let her recover as I began to take control, taking advantage of her body.


    A moment prior, she had been playing with my dick, riding me for amusement. Now, I had her in my grip, and I was using her as my personal sex toy.


    ¡°Ahn¡­ Ahhn¡­ yes¡­ yes¡­ Deek! Do me! Yes¡­ Do me!¡± She moaned, clearly fine with me suddenly taking charge.


    I obliged, pumping her harder and harder, each thrust being enough to send waves shooting off to the side of the hot spring. Her breathing became disorderly, and she did everything just to hold on to me, only occasionally sloppily kissing my neck as she bounced up and down, creating quite a noisy racket in the once peaceful natural reserve.


    ¡°M-master¡­ please¡­ keep me forever.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mine!¡± I shot back, kissing her mouth once again.


    She broke away to let out a cry. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ cumming!¡±


    I could feel the spasms as she erupted in a powerful orgasm. Her pussy had a strong spasm, pulling on my cock aggressively, It was more than I could hold back, and I found myself cumming too. My dick erupted inside Terra. Her eyes couldn¡¯t look any more delighted.


    ¡°I feel it¡­I feel master¡¯s seed in my womb!¡± She said excitedly as I continued to pump her full of sex.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Te-Terra¡­¡± I panted, letting her fall back into the water.


    Outside the water, she was still pretty heavy, but I didn¡¯t want her to know that, so I just casually sank down to take the pressure off myself. The pair of us remained floating in the hot spring for a bit as we regained our breath. My dick was still inside her, and after a moment, she looked at me shyly, causing my dick to twitch. If it hadn¡¯t been for Lydia, I wouldn¡¯t have gained the ability to go multiple times. For her, it was now a requirement. Thus, even though I was just spent, I could feel my dick getting hard inside Terra again.


    ¡°M-master¡­ again?¡± She gasped, but then giggled and went to kiss me.


    ¡°No¡­ again!¡± Three naked women suddenly emerged from a nearby bush.


    I let out a noise and glared. ¡°Wh-what? How long have you three been there?¡±


    They weren¡¯t watching, were they? It wasn¡¯t like I had been checking my map during.


    ¡°Nevermind that! Terra got one!¡±


    ¡°Just one?¡± Terra frowned. ¡°B-but¡­ how many did Lydia have her first time.¡±


    Lydia caught. ¡°Ah¡­ not important! Rather, we all decided that if Master has one of us, he must satisfy all! We let you enjoy master as a courtesy, but naturally, we can¡¯t wait any longer!¡±


    ¡°How is there anything natural about that?¡± I cried incredulously.


    Didn¡¯t I have a say in the matter at all?


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Terra looked over at me sweetly, I could tell she didn¡¯t want to share me just yet.


    Then again, there were three other girls on the shore with very similar expressions! They all ended up jumping into the pool heartlessly.


    ¡°Master, clean me!¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ touch me!¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ do me!¡±


    Ah¡­ darn it. I said I¡¯d take responsibility! I rolled up my metaphorical sleeves, equipped pervert, and got to work.

 Chapter 241

    "Thank you for the ride. Wagons are really quite nice.¡± I said, rubbing my poor sore butt.


    Walking for several weeks to the Capitol city sounded good in my mind, but after a few more days on my feet, I had enough. Of course, there was no way I¡¯d be in a horse saddle all day. That¡¯s how I ended up here, riding a wagon.


    As we got closer to the capitol, there were more cities, and we decided at one such city to stop and pay for transportation. Most transportation traveled with guards too, so it solved the problem of the Bandits following us too. Although, as we heard it, it wasn¡¯t really an issue. We were too close to the Capitol now, and the Bandit King couldn¡¯t risk raiding anything here without a strong risk of swift and violent retaliation. It was that sort of situation.


    We ended up traveling with a merchant caravan on a rented wagon for the last week. I preferred things this way compared to my own wagon. I had no desire to take care of a horse. Terra offered to pull the wagon for us. She was an Earth Golem. Supposedly her strength and stamina would be extremely high and pulling a wagon for many hours wouldn¡¯t be difficult for her. However, I had now seen her naked, and watching a small girl pull me along in a wagon hurt my heart a bit too much.


    As a result, the rest of our journey was quite peaceful. We stopped three times a day, cooked, and then slept with some protection in a wagon circle. I had worried a little bit that traveling with others would cause problems. Perhaps there would be a flag involving some guy making passes at my girls. However, slaves were normal in Aberis and even having four of them only had me seen as someone wealthy enough to own four. Adding the magic items that I wore along with those I gave the girls, and it was generally assumed that I was a wealthy lord, even if I said I wasn¡¯t.


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    ¡°I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re one of those fancy city lords. You ain¡¯t dressed fancy enough for that, but I¡¯d reckon you¡¯re the lord of some country village, am I right?¡± One man put it.


    Of course, he was technically right. I was going to the Capitol to hand in the paperwork necessary to declare myself a lord. I really couldn¡¯t argue that logic. It still felt weird being acknowledged as such, even though it was true. I was a lord. Man¡­ that took some getting used to.


    ¡°I guess, I¡¯ll be Lord Deek from now on, huh?¡±


    ¡°Actually, Master, when you gain nobility status, you will also gain a last name!¡± Miki explained.


    ¡°Eh? But I have a last name¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ don¡¯t be silly, only nobility are given last names. That¡¯s why I¡¯m just Lydia,¡± Lydia giggled.


    ¡°My parents had last names.¡± Terra pondered. ¡°But they said that was a long time ago and they put that behind them. Perhaps they were once nobles?¡±


    ¡°Most people who have the resources to be powerful magicians are¡­¡± Miki nodded.


    ¡°My name is Deek Williams¡­¡±


    ¡°Master doesn¡¯t need to make up a silly nickname. You¡¯ll definitely get a better one when you receive your honors.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what our house name will be. All slaves take on the last name of their Master.¡± Miki said with her eyes glittering.


    ¡°Hmm? I thought you said only nobles got last names.¡± Terra asked curiously.


    Miki pressed her fingers together and made a pouty expression. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s not like it is an official name.¡±


    ¡°I want to be Lydia¡­ Dragonheart!¡±


    ¡°My actual name was rejected so casually, that actually hurts a little.¡±


    Like that, the week passed by quickly, and the Capitol City finally appeared on the horizon.  There were a few bumps along the road, but we finally made it.

 Chapter 242

    <div>


    As we approached the entrance to the city, it grew congested, and we ended up in a line of carts waiting to enter. Outside the city was practically a city of its own. The main city appeared to be made of stone, with a giant city wall surrounding and protecting the structure, but at each of the three exits, there was a small wooden city built on the outside. This was the gate cities which served to take in the poorer and the less reputable. It offered some of the protection of the city, without being as highly regulated.


    It looked to me like a lot of horse trade was done here, among other things. There appeared to be a tavern, some inns, and what looked to be a brothel? Well, when I looked at it too closely, a mysterious stone suddenly smacked me in the head. It wasn¡¯t probably just a coincidence. When I looked, all of the girls were looking in other directions.


    The west gate city was the one we came in from, and it was actually a pretty lively place. There were people everywhere going about their day. Just seeing a living, breathing world like this put a smile on my face. This experience beat the video game world a hundred times over. My only regret was that there weren¡¯t more of other types of creatures. There were animalkin, but most of them had slave insignias on them. I felt a little relieved I hadn¡¯t managed to resolve the slave tags for the girls, or it would have made things a bit more difficult during this visit.


    ¡°Present your identification card!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ actually, I don¡¯t have one¡­¡± The guy in front of us announced sheepishly.


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    ¡°Oh¡­ well¡­ then come right on in. You can stop at the local Adventurer¡¯s Guild, fill it out, and then get a card for next time.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ wow¡­ thanks, guys, that¡¯s really-¡°


    The two guards burst out laughing. ¡°Yeah¡­ right. Scram!¡±


    ¡°Huh? What about¡­¡±


    ¡°If we just let you in the city because you asked real nice, what is the entire point of the identification system!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ come on¡­ I come out from the¡­ um¡­ country. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t have a card. Just let me in.


    ¡°Suspicious¡­¡± One guard frowned.


    ¡°Super suspicious.¡± The other added. ¡°Arrest him.¡±


    ¡°H-hey! Wait! This¡­ is¡­ it¡¯s a mistake!¡±


    ¡°Mistake or not, we¡¯re not going to risk the safety of the capitol. You¡¯ll just be taken in for questioning from a magistrate. You¡¯ll get a cavity search. You¡¯ll be out and proper in 4-5 hours.¡±


    ¡°Four¡­ no¡­ wait!¡± He continued to try to argue, but some men who were much bigger than him chained him and pulled him away.


    I breathed easier. Fortunately, I did have my identification papers which I had sorted out with Chalm ahead of time. This entire process felt odd like being in an airport and passing through security to get on a plane. I even had to stamp that I wasn¡¯t bringing in any perishables.


    One thing was for sure though. It was much easier to follow the world¡¯s rules. I was happy I started in such a small village. When I came to this world, had I appeared right outside the capitol here, I could have been just like that schmuck expecting guards to just casually let me into a secured city because I smiled at him nicely. Being carefree or an outlaw doesn¡¯t do anyone favors. I was starting to think that maybe all the misery main characters go through in fantasy stories I read might be self-inflicted.


    Our carriage was allowed entrance rather quickly. We were finally in the Capitol city.

 Chapter 243

    This was definitely the highest populated place I had been to since I have been to this world. There were people everywhere and the streets were filled. Soon, the cart was reduced to a crawl. Technically, he¡¯d take us to the nearest inn, but with storage rings, we weren¡¯t really carrying anything and we were eager to explore the city. None of the girls had been to a city like this any more than I had. It didn¡¯t have quite the same appeal as a Los Vegas or a New York, but I still found myself very excited to start exploring the city.


    I finished paying off the fees to the wagoneer and bid him a good day. Then, the girls and I began to walk through the streets of the city. I managed to find a vender with a map that was likely ten times the price it was worth. As soon as I glanced at it, I brought up my own map, and I couldn¡¯t help but break into a smile as I saw the information recorded accurately over. So, Map could do stuff like that, huh? What if the map was wrong? Well, it¡¯d probably be a similar situation as if the map changed.


    For example, I had Chalm mapped out, but during the few weeks I had gone, several new structures appeared on the streets. However, my map didn¡¯t contain them until I approached the areas and it got updated. That had some harsh realities about the map. Although, I couldn¡¯t teleport to somewhere unless I had already been there. So, what happened if I visited someplace, and then they built a wall there and I tried to return. Would I teleport right into the wall? That was a concern I was starting to have.


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    ¡°Wow¡­ the city is incredible!¡± Lydia giggled.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting dizzy¡­¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°Then stop spinning around!¡± Miki grabbed Celeste to keep her from turning around in yet another circle as she took in all the sights.


    ¡°Master¡­ are we going to look for an inn first? Although the city is nice, I¡¯d actually like to clean up before we go.¡±


    The other girls all nodded excitedly in agreement.


    ¡°Actually, now that you mention it, I had a different idea,¡± I said, scratching my cheek. ¡°We have a fair amount of money, so I¡¯m thinking we should buy a property in the Capitol.¡±


    I really didn¡¯t know what prices in the city would look like. I was hoping I had the money, but I could only be rich when compared to the country folk. Still, even the smallest place would do. I really just wanted a location to be able to safely cast portal so that I could enter and leave the city. Even if the place was so small that the portal was all that fit, we could always return and sleep in Chalm and portal back to the city the next day.


    In fact, I found that you could portal for every point you put into the Portal skill. The two points I had earned through Terra¡¯s Dungeon were now in Portal, allowing me to cast the spell three times a day. Add to that my presence in the Capitol city, and I was starting to feel mobile for the first time since I came to this world.


    I ended up paying the guy for the map anyway and handing it to Lydia as my backup. As I handed him the money, I asked about buying property in the city.


    ¡°Only nobles can buy property in the city.¡± The man said.


    Ah¡­ well, it was a good thing that was on my list too.


    ¡°In that case, where is the registrar?¡±

 Chapter 244

    <div>


    In the end, it was decided unanimously that we had to take baths before we were going to submit any paperwork in a magistrate¡¯s office. Getting a house might take all day. That is to say, I had four women who unanimously told me that our next location had to be a place to take a bath. Of course, I could have looked for an inn, but I still had hopes of landing a place to live tonight. Spending the whole fee for a night in an inn felt wasteful when I was trying to buy a property. I know I had a lot of money right now, but I was used to being poor. What can I say, I¡¯m cheap.


    As a result, I followed the map, which thankfully did turn out to be rather accurate for the most part. The location I lead us to was a bathhouse. I knew this because it was an outdoor bathhouse, separated by fences. Of course, I wasn¡¯t someone from the east, so the idea of outdoor bathhouses was something I only knew because I happened to be a bit of a nerd. I played enough video games and read enough web novels to at least be familiar with the concept, even if it did still leave me feeling a bit odd.


    The five of us walked into the bathhouse areas. There was a building in front where people split to men and women, could undress in the locker room, and then head back outside in a fenced-off cleaning area. The bathhouse seemed to have that kind of set up. There was a thick, overweight woman who was behind the counter. She was honestly the first person I had seen that I¡¯d consider fat like me in this world. I was relieved I wasn¡¯t the only one.


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    ¡°4 girls and 1 boy.¡± I requested and paid the fee.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong, I had honestly considered having Celeste shrink down and be snuck in, but even I have my standards. At least in front of the girls, I wasn¡¯t going to act that uncool. I was handed a bucket and a coarse, unpleasant towel. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t confiscate our storage rings. I had a much nicer feeling towel in there, although I was surprised at how expensive it was just to get a soft towel in this world.


    The place was actually pretty empty. We did arrive around noontime, so most people wouldn¡¯t be taking a bath, I supposed. I quickly found a seat, rinsed and scrubbed myself clean of the dirt from my travels, and then headed out into the open-air bath. I was still shy, so I used the coarse towel as a makeshift loincloth so I didn¡¯t have to bear myself.


    I lowered myself into the bath. I couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh. The water was hot. It was a warm day, so the effect wasn¡¯t anything glorious like warming my chilled bones, but it still felt nice to be in hot water. The sun was directly overhead. It might be bad for my skin to get too much sun, but I had to admit that the light beating down on me felt really good. I leaned back and closed my eyes.


    We had made it to the capital. I had money, four slave women, and soon I¡¯d be a noble with multiple properties. Life in another world was actually quite nice. If I had any regret, there was only one. My mother was left behind on Earth. I didn¡¯t know what happened to her. I had always taken care of her and she had taken care of me. With my disappearance, she might be sad.


    As I sat contemplating such things, sitting between relaxed and melancholy, the girls next store started to make a ruckus.

 Chapter 245

    "Wow¡­ you girls are all really pretty!¡± A female voice came from the other side.


    ¡°Eh? So, we¡¯re not alone?¡± Miki spoke out.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I¡¯m here with my brother, how do you do? My name is Eliana.¡± She had a clear and somewhat haughty way of speaking but wasn¡¯t talking down to my slaves so she was probably a nice person.


    There were some splashes as the girls jumped into the pool.


    ¡°Waaah! Terra! Why is your splash so large! You¡¯re such a tiny girl.¡±


    ¡°M-master says I¡¯m light in water though¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! Your boobs are really big!¡± Celeste declared.


    ¡°Wh-what? Y-yours are bigger¡­¡± The new girl responded shyly.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ but mine are small when I¡¯m in my normal form.¡±


    ¡°Normal? Ah! Y-you¡¯re a fairy!¡±


    ¡°Master says I¡¯m a Sylph!¡±


    My eyebrows couldn¡¯t help but twitch as I listened to the girls speak. I really didn¡¯t know how the Capitol saw things like golems and fairies. They could just see them as monsters and it could cause a problem. I¡¯d definitely need to have a talk with the girls. They may be slaves, but I still didn¡¯t want them showing off their stuff too forwardly. It¡¯d only cause problems. It¡¯d be very unfortunate if someone started bullying them.


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    ¡°What¡¯s so special about these big things anyway? They¡¯re just fat!¡± Miki declared.


    ¡°Yeeeaaaa¡­ stop squeezing!¡± the female cried out.


    ¡°Mm¡­ agreed, boobs are too soft.¡± Terra¡¯s voice added.


    ¡°Is it because you don¡¯t have ears and a tail?¡± Lydia asks. ¡°Did all that extra energy go into boobs?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ t-t-touching me there¡­¡±


    ¡°Sister, you shouldn¡¯t be so sensitive there, if you do, the man will definitely win during sex. My trainer always told me that as soon as a man took charge in a sexual encounter, women could only be at their mercy.¡± Lydia explained calmly.


    ¡°Wh-why are we talking about sex! Ahhh¡­ What are you doing back there!¡±


    ¡°She has no wings either! She probably wouldn¡¯t be Master¡¯s type.¡± Celeste declared.


    ¡°Who-who are you girls! I-I thought you were slaves. Why are you so forward?¡± Eliana said desperately.


    ¡°Master teaches us to be assertive or we might be taken advantage of,¡± Lydia explained. ¡°That¡¯s why you can lie back and relax and know that we¡¯ll take care of you properly.¡±


    ¡°T-take care! What does that even mean! Ai¡­ ai¡­ ai¡­ ¡°


    I was twitching quite a bit now. Apparently, my training had gone in the exact opposite direction. Not only were my girls not timid, but they¡¯ve become the type to bully other women. It turned out I¡¯d definitely be needing to have a long talk with them when the bath was finally over. In the meantime, the sounds this girl Eliana was making were not necessarily unpleasant to the ears, so I decided to allow this treatment for the immediate future.


    However, as I sat back and immersed myself in the sounds of my girls at play, another noise caught my ear. It was a harsh noise. It was the sound of someone panting. I opened my eyes and looked at a hidden area, not in the pool. Behind a bush, right up against the fence, was a man crouched there. He had a towel around his waist and was completely dry as if he had never even entered the bath. He was staring intently through a hole in the fence!


    Wait¡­ that hole led into the girl¡¯s bath! This pervert was spying on my girls!

 Chapter 246

    Naturally, I created a fireball and set him on fire. He cried out in a horrific scream as he was burned alive. Just kidding. I¡¯m in the middle of the capitol in the middle of a public place. Murdering someone for slightly and unknowingly wronging me is something for psychopaths to do. Plus, even though I¡¯m full of insecurity, it isn¡¯t so bad that I¡¯d feel the need to murder any man who maybe saw one of my girls naked. I couldn¡¯t even imagine someone who was that insecure as to be driven to murder over such slights.


    Saying that it wasn¡¯t like I was happy about seeing him peek on my girls either. ¡°Yo¡­ what are you doing?¡±


    The guy sat up like he had just been goosed, spinning back to me. ¡°Ah! Oh! A fellow man has come to this bath. Splendid! You can help me!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ are you the brother of that girl Eliana?¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ just as I thought, you were listening in on the other side. I can see you are a man¡¯s man like me. Only true men show a healthy curiosity when it comes to what happens on that side.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re glorifying things a bit¡­ they¡¯re just women, all they are doing is bathing.¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­ st-stop¡­ if you keep doing that, I¡¯ll pee!¡± Eliana¡¯s voice echoed outside.


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    ¡°¡­¡±


    The guy raised an eyebrow. ¡°You sure about that? Don¡¯t deny you aren¡¯t interested in seeing such things.¡±


    ¡°What help do you need?¡± I asked.


    I actually wasn¡¯t that interested. Four of those girls were my slaves. I could see them naked any time I wanted and them playing together was a nightly thing. I didn¡¯t even know what Eliana looked like to be curious about seeing her naked, and seeing her wasn¡¯t worth allowing this guy to have a full sight of my girls. The reason I decided to help was to figure out exactly what his plan was. By knowing his plan, naturally, I could interfere with it!


    ¡°I knew that you would be interested! You¡¯re definitely a man¡¯s man like me!¡± He laughed. ¡°The hole down here barely gives me a view. It¡¯s angled strangely. That¡¯s why that fat old lady never bothered to patch it.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense¡­¡± So, he didn¡¯t see my girls, after all, that was good.


    ¡°However, there is a hole up there.¡± He pointed to a point about ten feet up. ¡°Naturally, a normal person wouldn¡¯t be able to look through it. That¡¯s why she hasn¡¯t patched that one either. But two people change the game! Let me stand on your shoulders, and I will definitely fulfill a man¡¯s romance!¡±


    Even if I was a pervert like this guy, why would I let him stand on my shoulders so that I couldn¡¯t see anything? Clearly, this guy had a few screws loose in his head.


    ¡°Why would I help you out?¡± I demanded. ¡°I can¡¯t say that I approve of being another man¡¯s literal stepping stone in any sense of the word.¡±


    The guy put on a disappointed look. ¡°So, you¡¯re not willing to help me fulfill the dreams of men?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll keep out of this one, thank you.¡±


    Since he doesn¡¯t have the capacity to escalate his spying shenanigans and he couldn¡¯t see my girls through the hole, I naturally had nothing to worry about.


    ¡°In that case¡­¡± His eyes narrowed darkly. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to make you!¡±

 Chapter 247

    Even though I hadn¡¯t expected him to suddenly attack me, months of practice in the dungeons left my body reacting even as my mind was confused. I leaped out of the water, and with the wave of my hand I manipulated the water to create a screen to hide my movements. He slammed into the water with a splash.


    ¡°Ah¡­ a mage!¡± The guy said, laughing.¡± It¡¯s too bad for you, I¡¯m a pugilist!¡±


    Although he was attacking me, he had a playful demeanor about him. I didn¡¯t have the feeling he was being all that serious. Rather, it felt like he was looking down on me and confidant in his own abilities. He didn¡¯t seem to want to hurt me, but at no point did he feel like he couldn¡¯t get what he wanted out of me. The feeling really irritated me.


    Pugilist was a job I¡¯d like to learn. All of my sword knowledge came from the hero job, so without a sword, my knowledge was basically zilch. One of the many things I wanted to do in the capital was research the requirements for other jobs. Chief among those jobs were some kind of martial arts or pugilist. If I could battle with my hands, I wouldn¡¯t have to depend on the sword anymore. In all honesty, I didn¡¯t like fighting with a sword. It was sharp and scary. I was happy to leave that kind of work to Lydia.


    ¡°Too slow!¡± He cried, leaping through a wave of water and reaching out to grab me.


    There was a feeling about his hand that caused my neck hair to rise, so I instinctively jumped back and dodged it. However, he kept moving forward, trying to grab me. None of my skills could be called acrobatic. In fact, if I didn¡¯t have the cheat skill of three jobs boosting my status at once, I¡¯d have been overtaken within the first second. I created a water jet to knock him back, but it only caused him to flip away to avoid me.


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    It must be nice to be able to move like that. He was all acrobatic and smooth. I was just barely managing to clumsily avoid him. I had been fat my entire life, so being able to move so smoothly was something I just couldn¡¯t do! Wait¡­ why do I keep complimenting this guy in my mind! He¡¯s clearly a pervert who is up to absolutely no good! I couldn¡¯t allow him to do what he wanted with the girls!


    Rather, I had nothing I could fight him or deflect him back with. I recalled a dungeon ability called electroshock! With the water all over him, I could easily stun the guy and knock him on his ass. It was the easiest way to bring him down given the circumstances. Jumping back and sending out several jets and another water screen, I reset my ability.


    The mistake was apparent immediately. In the end, switching abilities in mid-fight really was impossible. As soon as I lost my two jobs, I became extremely sluggish. I barely had my dungeon menu up when he had already blown through my defenses and reached out and grabbed me. His hand shone for a second, and then I felt my muscles go stiff.


    I had one eye closed, waiting for him to strike me or attack me in some way, but when he did nothing, I tried to open it, only to realize that I couldn¡¯t. In fact, my body couldn¡¯t move at all. The guy let out a laugh, dusting off his wet hands as if the battle was completely over.


    ¡°See, that wasn¡¯t so hard, was it?¡±


    I was completely paralyzed!

 Chapter 248

    The young man who had attacked me casually grabbed me and picked me up. I always saw myself as a heavy guy, so this guy must be pretty strong. I wanted to ask him what he was going to do, but my mouth was incapable of moving and I couldn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Relax¡­¡± The guy sighed, ¡°I¡¯m just using you a stepping stone. The paralysis wears off in just a little bit. Don¡¯t hate me!¡±


    I realized that the place he was positioning me was directly under the peephole he had indicated earlier. He wasn¡¯t making things up in the slightest! He really was using me as a stepping stone in every sense of the word! He was going to step on my shoulders and use me to ogle my women. This was a complete travesty! Now, I was actually a little upset! No, he was really pissing me off!


    Of all my white mage abilities, cure paralyzation was not one of them. I already tried weak heal, remove curse, and cure disease to no avail. Actually, I couldn¡¯t use remove curse, because remove curse needed me to touch myself, which I couldn¡¯t do while I was frozen. While he prepared everything like he had all the time in the world, I frantically worked through my mind to come up with any way to thwart him.


    If I swapped my body with one of the girls, I¡¯d send her in here. The girls would probably go easy on me. However, that involved sacrificing one of the girls to this pervert-san. If I used the return ability, I could take off and return to my home. However, I¡¯d be abandoning the girls. This guy would still be trying to see them. Who knew how long I¡¯d be paralyzed too. It might be all night. In that case, he¡¯ll have plenty of other ¡°stepping stones¡± he could use to see my girls, and they would panic when they couldn¡¯t find me.


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    Then my thoughts fell on the dungeon list. I had summoned it up but had yet to put any points down. I had 17 in all. However, it wasn¡¯t the points that caught my interest, but some of the skills. For 5 points each were immunities to just about any element you could think of. Fire immunity, Cold Immunity, and Poison immunity were some of the options. One of those options was paralysis immunity! I put down my reset point, gave myself my 3 jobs back, and then I selected paralysis immunity.


    By the time I finished this, the guy had already climbed up on my shoulders, but he hadn¡¯t made it to the hole just yet. My paralysis didn¡¯t fade instantly, unfortunately. However, as soon as I equipped it, I felt able to move a bit.


    ¡°No!¡± I cried out, starting to try to knock him off my shoulder.


    I could only just move them enough that I could put him off balance. My arms were still numb, but the feeling was coming back quick. The guy squeezed his toes, trying to grab my shoulders like some kind of monkey.


    ¡°Woah¡­ hey¡­ why are you moving! S-stop that! I can¡¯t hold on!¡± He let out a cry, but I responded by trying to throw him off even harder.


    I overestimated my ability, and still half-paralyzed, I ended up losing my balance. I fell back, and the guy fell forward. We both ended up slamming into the fence with a bang.


    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s that?¡± Lydia¡¯s voice came from the other side.


    Creek¡­ Creek¡­. Creeeeeeeeek! The wall suddenly gave way, falling in on the female side. There were screams of women and splashing as the wall collapsed, half of it landing in the pool. Lying in that debris, butt-naked and dizzy¡­ were the pervert-san and me!

 Chapter 249

    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡± I hissed as I got up, using heal on myself instantly to repair the damage.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± A scream was let out.


    There was a blond girl with long girls and a rather nice body. As I had overheard, she did have a big pair of breasts and a rather nice body. She looked to be the same age as my girls, and also around the same beauty.


    Before anyone could say anything, the pervert-san jumped up and then laughed. ¡°Ah¡­ such beauties! I¡¯m here to help you all with your problems?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Lydia had managed to put a towel on herself before the smoke cleared. ¡°Our problems?¡±


    Remarkably, all the girls had found towels and were covered. Her wet sticky hair and her naked body covered by only a towel was still very erotic, but my girls at least had some covering. Only Eliana seemed to have been left out. When she realized all the other girls were protected, she ran to grab a towel. She failed three times, becoming frantic until Miki helped her with it.


    Lydia was glancing at me, but I could only shake my head and mouth the word ¡®pervert¡¯. Unfortunately, the pervert didn¡¯t catch this and took her addressing him as encouragement. He moved forward reaching out to grab Lydia. I tensed, but Lydia smoothly moved, avoiding his touch. If he paralyzed her, I may actually end my ban on killing humans.


    ¡°Yes¡­ my lady¡­ naturally, you have many itches you may need scratched, as well as dirt you may need clean. I¡¯d be happy to wash you thoroughly¡­¡±


    ¡°Wash¡­ us¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s words sounded somewhat strange.


    ¡°Mmmmm!¡± He grew more excited.


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    ¡°Perverts must die¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s words came out so coldly, that it was like the hot bath had lost all warmth.


    ¡°Eh?¡± He cocked his head. ¡°Guh!¡±


    Lydia kicked him and he went flying.


    ¡°I hate men like this!¡± Miki proceeded to attack his spirit.


    ¡°You should die!¡± Celeste grabbed him in air and tossed him up in the air.


    ¡°Only Master¡­¡± Terra finished.


    Just as he was about to land in the pool, the ground suddenly jerked five feet to the side, causing him to slam into the rocky concrete. I even winced at the cruel brutality of the women. The guy was clearly knocked out, even though his eyes were open and bubbles were coming out of his mouth. He¡¯d probably live though. It looked like I didn¡¯t need to do any vengeance myself. The women handled it by themselves.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± The girl spoke up, tying her towel around her and walking over to him. ¡°This is my brother. He promised he wouldn¡¯t act this way when I took him out, but in the end, he¡¯s still helpless. Please excuse his actions with this. I will make sure he gets punished when we return home by father.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± I sighed and nodded, crossing my arms.


    ¡°Eh?¡± The girl, in concern for her brother, had seemed to forget I was there.


    I hadn¡¯t found where my towel went, so I was standing naked in the bathroom with my arms crossed. At that exact moment her eyes met mine, the poorly tied towel covering her body came undone and then fell to the floor, once again revealing her naked body.


    ¡°Ahhh! Another pervert!¡± She screamed, grabbing for her towel and covering herself. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you girls attacking him?¡±


    The girls all looked at her strangely.


    ¡°Master can have my body whenever he wants?¡± Lydia explains.


    Miki blushes and touches her fingers together. ¡°If Master wanted to peek, he should just ask¡­ although, he doesn¡¯t have to ask either. It¡¯s okay if he just takes¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh? Master¡¯s here? Hi, Master!¡± Celeste waved excitedly like she hadn¡¯t even realized I was nearby the entire time.


    ¡°I should have peeked on Master¡­¡± Terra sighed. ¡°Master is truly wiser at spending his time.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ no¡­ no¡­ no¡­ he¡¯s a pervert!¡± Eliana insisted, pointing at me. ¡°You¡­ boy¡­ you¡¯re their Master?¡±


    ¡°I am¡­¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Then, I will buy all four of them off you!¡± She declared, glaring at me.


    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the law! If someone can pay off a slave¡¯s cost and the slave desires it, then you must let them free! I¡¯m invoking my right and freeing your slaves this instant!¡±

 Chapter 250

    ¡°I mean no disrespect, but could you even afford them? Lydia here is a Tigerkin swordsman. She¡¯s already level 36. I was told she alone could go for several hundred at auction. Miki is a nine-tailed fox who spiritualist. I imagine a Sylph is probably valuable, as is an Earth Golem with a human soul.¡±


    ¡°Wh-wh-what kind of slaves do you have!¡± With each reveal, she became even dizzier.


    The boy who was unconscious suddenly sat up as if he wasn¡¯t just beaten to unconsciousness, grabbing his chin thoughtfully. ¡°You must be a very wealthy man. Perhaps a collector of women? So, you are a man¡¯s man after all.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Brother!¡± She tossed a pan in his face, and he went back into an unconscious state before turning to me, Money is no object! If I request it, daddy will definitely deliver. I¡¯ll give you 2000 gold for all four girls.¡±


    I let out a whistle. It was actually pretty tempting. I mean, she was freeing them which is something I wanted to have done anyway. I might as well equalize my debt. That 2000 gold could go a long way into building up Chalm. As for the girls, they were then free to do whatever they wanted. If they wanted to follow me home, they were welcome to it. Plus, the girls wouldn¡¯t feel like they owed me. Then they could truly be free to act on their own feelings. My heartfelt a little painful thinking about them leaving me, but it was the only way for me to know how they truly felt.


    ¡°M-master, you¡¯re selling us?¡± Lydia said tearfully.


    ¡°Do not worry!¡± Eliana said, ¡°I¡¯m freeing you! You don¡¯t need to worry about food or anything either. I can definitely get you jobs working in my home.¡±


    The girls were giving me sad looks, but that was just my slave affinity and high charm taking effect. Even Terra wasn¡¯t as warm on me until after she became my slave. I already felt bad for taking advantage of her in the water that one time. What could I say, I was a weak guy? I ended up being all four of these girls¡¯ first time. I hope they didn¡¯t come to see me as a pig after the slavery seal was cut. Well, that was the big obstacle, after all.


    ¡°If they were freed, that¡¯d be best, but I don¡¯t have the ability to do it.¡±


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    ¡°Master¡­ no¡­¡± Terra said, her lip quivering.


    ¡°Then-¡°


    ¡°Master¡­ can we speak with Eliana a moment?¡± Miki suddenly spoke sweetly.


    ¡°Eh?¡± I asked, noticing that Celeste and Terra seemed to be crying.


    ¡°Celeste, Terra, don¡¯t fret so much.¡± Lydia patted both girls, and then she whispered something into the two girl¡¯s ears.


    They both seemed to brighten and strangely enough, they looked at me with extremely satisfied, happy expressions. I frowned back, not sure what was said. However, if the girls needed to speak to Eliana over being freed, I supposed it was there right. As the Slave Master, trying to butt in might be considered bad etiquette for all I knew. I¡¯d have to ask Figuro next time I ran into him. I told them I¡¯d be in the guy¡¯s room getting dressed.


    ¡°Wh-what are you girls doing? Why are you giving me such dark looks? Why are you circling around me! Eh? Eh!¡±


    The door closed at I made sure to wash again at the seat before finally getting dressed and heading out to the front. The overweight lady was still sitting there, frowning.


    ¡°What was that racquet back there!¡± She demanded.


    I immediately bowed. ¡°There was an accident and some damage was made. Please allow me to pay the reparations.¡±


    I gave her ten gold coins to pay for the damaged wall. She seemed too lazy to check what the damage was. On the other hand, I couldn¡¯t even guess how much it¡¯d cost to fix. So we both agreed to just settle it with that much. She looked quite pleased as I handed her the money.


    At that moment, Eliana came out of the female locker room. She was still in her towel. She had a dizzy look and seemed to be walking like there was ice down her pants.


    ¡°Hmmm? What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°I have decided to not purchase your slave''s freedom¡­¡± She said in a tight voice.


    ¡°Eh? Are you sure? I mean, if you have the magic to-¡°


    ¡°N-n-no!¡± She cried, ¡°No! Please no!¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­.¡±


    Suddenly, her eyes rolled up in her head and she collapsed on the floor. I frowned looking down at her. However, before I could offer healing or anything, my four girls came out fully dressed. In fact, they were wearing some of the nicer dresses. It¡¯d be hard to think they weren¡¯t ladies given the quality of the cut. The seamstress in Chalm said she once worked for a lady¡¯s house so her skill really shone through.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Nothing!¡± Lydia grabbed my arm and started pulling me.


    ¡°Master is paranoid.¡±


    ¡°We just reeducated her¡­¡± Terra admitted.


    ¡°Shhh!¡±


    As I was pushed out of the bathhouse, I flipped another gold coin to the woman. ¡°Please, take care of her and her brother. He¡¯s¡­ uh¡­ unconscious in the female tub.¡±


    She had her mouth open, but I didn¡¯t have time to say anything else before I was pushed out of the building. I ended up spending over 11 gold coins on a bath in public. I was realizing taking my girls out in public was really expensive. So much for saving money. I¡¯d definitely go for the private inn in the future.


    ¡°Ladies¡­ we need to have a talk about bullying others¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh!?¡±

 Chapter 251

    The registrar was the next location we needed to go to fill out the appropriate paperwork to have Chalm registered as a city of Aberis and for me to be registered as the lord. Basically, we had to make a case before the local lords that we are worth being identified as such. Of course, Chalm could always remain independent, but after the disaster that led to Chalm¡¯s original destruction, many there felt that remaining loyal to Aberis was important. First, it allowed them to continue to buy and free slaves. Secondly, it¡¯d allow us support that is currently lacking.


    Of course, I was a little curious if the church didn¡¯t have any involvement in the death of the previous Lord Karr. His death was mysterious, up to and including his diary being opened to some incrementing photos which led to Astria¡¯s taking over the whole mansion and turning it into a dungeon. After hearing about the clockwork dragon and their nefarious attempt to recover it, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising to me if they assassinated the previous Lord.


    It wasn¡¯t lost on me that it was the priests who ultimately contained the threat and acted as the saviors to the people of Chalm. It was an act that seemed pretty reminiscent of their actions towards the Bandit King¡¯s hometown. That was, of course, if I chose to believe the Bandit King¡¯s story. These were simply stories for the moment, and I really couldn¡¯t act on them, so I decided to just play it by ear.


    We reached the office, which was really a large building with various desks that reminded me a bit of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, except everyone was dressed nicer and there was an atmosphere of haughtiness. I entered the room and gestured for my girls to wait while I got in line. It took about thirty minutes of waiting before I got to the front.


    ¡°What petition or order do you have?¡± A receptionist like lady asked, a bored expression on her face.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m petitioning for the city of Chalm.¡±I said, pulling out some papers.


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    I was doing things exactly how I was coached to do them by the former Mayor. There was a particular order to these things and you had to do everything. I tried to follow everything.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Chalm? I thought that the town was destroyed.¡± The woman said flatly.


    ¡°Uh, no¡­ we moved.¡± I corrected her.


    ¡°In that case, you¡¯ll need to go over there to that line, and fill out this form.¡± She handed me a form.


    I sighed and walked over to the other line. A few hours later¡­


    ¡°Eh? Do you have proof of lordship? Oh, you¡¯re not a lord? In that case, you need to go to the building across the street and fill out this form.¡±


    I let the girls wait outside this time and bought them some food from a nearby stall. I then went into my next line. Some time passed.


    ¡°Ah¡­ no, you want the line over there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the line I started in!¡± I cursed.


    ¡°Sorry, sir.¡±


    I rubbed my head. This was turning out to be a much greater headache than I could have ever predicted. As I was walking across the street, I heard a noise.


    ¡°Hey¡­ psst¡­¡± I looked over to see a shady looking guy standing by the alleyway. ¡°Hey. Come over here. For a gold coin, I can give you some information. It¡¯ll save you a great deal of time.¡±


    I frowned at the shady looking man, but in the end, I decided I had nothing to lose so I showed him the coin. When he reached out to take it, I held it away from him.


    ¡°Speak first.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ haha¡­¡± He brushed his hands on his dirty tunic. ¡°You¡¯ll never get anything done that way. They only truly respect nobles in this town. Unless you have a lordship, you¡¯ll never be able to get anyone to accept your paperwork.¡±


    This caused my mood to sour instantly. I had the feeling that if I was a lord, they¡¯d be taking me seriously. Several snootier men came in and seemed to get things done in an instant. However, one of my papers was petitioning to become a lord. So¡­ I couldn¡¯t petition for lordship without being a lord? Well, I supposed if I knew a lord, that would also help.


    ¡°How is that supposed to help me?¡± I responded more bitterly than I intended.


    ¡°Ah! That¡­¡± He held out his hand and I dropped the gold coin in it. ¡°The city is quite packed right now, haven¡¯t you noticed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡¯ I mean¡­ it was busy, but I guess it was busier than normal?


    ¡°That¡¯s because there is a tournament that will be starting tomorrow. You still have time to register. The top prize is a lordship!¡±

 Chapter 252

    The tournament registration turned out to be a lot easier to navigate than the paperwork. There was a line of beautiful oneesans taking registration. It cost 5 gold coins, so it wasn¡¯t cheap to enter.


    ¡°You will register a team of five, but only the leader will be eligible to win the grand prize.¡±  The woman explained once I handed her the money. ¡°Preliminaries start tomorrow morning. Then, it¡¯ll be the top 100, 25, and so forth until a final winner is decided.¡±


    I looked around and noticed a meaty looking man surrounded by four other men. I noticed their slave insignia right away.


    ¡°So, are the opponents strong?


    ¡°It¡¯s the only way for a commoner to become a lord in this country. Many town heroes fight for this right every year.¡±


    I bitterly thought about the lordship request form the mayor had given me. He had given me this task in earnest. I think he would have been just as shocked to learn the reality was harsh. You couldn¡¯t just become a lord if you asked nicely, even if you had a lot of followers supporting you. It looked like there were a lot of small cities like Chalm looking to gain a lordship. It seemed like a vicious cycle in this country. While those born as lords fought to become the hero of a town, those that became town heroes fought to be recognized as lords.


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    ¡°Alright, Deek, please return tomorrow and wait for your name to be announced. Magic items and potions are allowed. The preliminaries are a group battle, so make sure your entire team is ready to fight.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ you girls okay with this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Lydia nodded.


    ¡°Mm!¡± Miki agreed.


    ¡°I Agree!¡¯ Celeste raised her hand.


    ¡°I will protect Master¡­¡± Terra smiled subtly.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to go into the fight tomorrow with a bunch of girls?¡± A voice said beratingly.


    I spun to find the big guy with four slaves eyeing me disdainfully.


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, they are important people I depend on.¡± I explained.


    The girls started blushing and acting cute, which seemed to further enrage the big guy.


    ¡°Why you¡­ I¡¯ll have you know¡­ my slave right here is a swordsman, level 30! He will easily crush any of your girls.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ is that¡­ um¡­ impressive.¡±


    I was going to say was that all, but I realized that It would probably set him off. He must have taken my response as sarcastic because he was glaring at me angrily anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to crush you personally!¡¯ He snarled. ¡°Call me, Lark the Brave. I¡¯m an adventurer and the strongest man this year!¡±


    He spun around and walked away, gesturing for his fellow men to follow him. As for me, I let out a long, drawn-out sigh.


    ¡°Master, are you really worried about fighting that guy?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Who? Him?¡± I blinked. ¡°Ah¡­ no¡­ actually, I was lamenting. It¡¯s getting dark and it looks like we¡¯re going to need to book an inn. With this event, they¡¯ll probably have the prices jacked up too.¡±


    ¡°How much is an inn?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°Should be about 2 silver a night,¡± Miki answered.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Master just spend 1 gold coin for information and then 5 more for this tournament?¡± Terra asked.


    I sighed. The girls just didn¡¯t seem to understand being thrifty at all.

 Chapter 253

    That night, we found a comfy little inn that wouldn¡¯t be too far away from the tournament. It was the only one that didn¡¯t have a sign that declared no vacancy. I had serious worries that we wouldn¡¯t have a place to stay. However, five seconds after entering the door, I realized why the place had room. There were three tables full of barbarian looking people.  They were both noisy and extremely filthy, spilling food on the ground at frequent intervals.


    The innkeeper was a scrawny looking man who was wringing his hat and staring anxiously as the men effectively destroyed his inn. There were two barmaids, but as soon as one of them passed a man, he grabbed her behind. The other got pulled on a man¡¯s lap, and despite the frown on her face, he was fondling her quite rudely. She shot the innkeeper a desperate look, but he could only stare on helplessly. If he caused trouble, naturally, these men would beat him up.


    As soon as I stepped into the room with four beauties, we drew the eyes of everyone present. As for the tables of men, they all looked at the girls with hungry eyes. It made my skin crawl instantly.


    ¡°Hehehe¡­. Look what we have here!¡± One man growled.


    The innkeeper looked over at the group of us with sympathy.


    ¡°Uh, sorry, wrong door. Apologies,¡± I turned to leave with the women, but these men were prepared.


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    A man I didn¡¯t even see slammed the door behind us and then crossed his arms with a grin on his face. ¡°Where are you going? It¡¯s getting dark outside. How about your women stay a while and get warm with us?¡±


    ¡°Slaves, are they?¡± Another man said. ¡°Yours, huh? How about you share a bit? You couldn¡¯t possibly need four women every night. How about you lend them all out to us for a while.¡±


    The girls picked up on the implication of these men. Only Lydia seemed to be able to handle it and keep her cool. She was trained to deal with men exactly like this, after all. That didn¡¯t mean I wanted her to execute any of her training whatsoever!


    This was part of the reason men were so angry. A monster would attack you and that would be it. These guys would do stuff far worse than killing if they were allowed. Plus, I had no means of reading their status. They could literally be any strength and I wouldn¡¯t know. To date, I wasn¡¯t sure how strong we were. They looked stronger than the bandits, at least. This could be a mercenary group or something. Just because someone broke laws didn¡¯t necessarily mean their jobs would be bad. In fact, getting labeled as a thief or bandit usually held you back from leveling.


    From how I understood it, mercenaries should be stronger than your typical bandit. They had access to dungeons and means of leveling quickly. Unless a bandit could find a steady supply of monsters, the only way he could level is through banditry, which was admittedly a limiting option for them. Either way, the point was, fighting was a complete gamble.


    As I struggled to come up with a means of getting us out of this situation, my eyes landed on the glasses strewn across the table and an idea formed in my mind.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± I said.


    Everyone blinked. Even the men who were grinning at us seemed surprised by my confession.


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    ¡°How about we make a bet?¡±

 Chapter 254

    "A bet?¡± The one who appeared to be the largest and in charge frowned and glared at me. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just talking about drinking? Is your constitution too weak to drink?¡± I suddenly asked.


    ¡°Drink? Hahaha¡­ look at this guy!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s so small, he¡¯d tip over with a drink.¡±


    I used to be pretty fat. Naturally, that affects how much alcohol it took. One of the things I used to pride myself on was that it took a lot to get me drunk! Since then, I have three jobs worth of constitution. How could I not defeat these guys?


    ¡°What do you propose?¡± The man asked.


    ¡°A true man is a man who keeps his drink, right?¡± I offered, channeling the words of a certain pervert I met earlier that day.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ of course!¡± The guy straightened up.


    ¡°So¡­ to the truest men go the women.¡± I declared. ¡°We drink, and the last man standing gets the women. All of them. You say how could I need four women. I say¡­ how can you only handle four?¡±


    Naturally, those words seemed to excite the man. He suddenly threw back his head and roared with laughter. The other men found the scene funny as well. The girls were looking at me a little angrily, particularly the two barmaids I casually threw into the deal, but I had to word things this way in order to get to these men.


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    ¡°Alright, the winner goes the women.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°And the loser pays for all the beer and the inn damages!¡± I added quickly.


    He snorted and then gave a decisive nod. ¡°Very well! I wasn¡¯t planning on paying at all, but I like the idea of making you pay better! Innkeeper, bring us beer!¡±


    Two glasses were quickly brought out and filled. My girls watched worriedly, but I gestured for them to remain in a corner and to stay out of the way. The barmaids seemed to join them, leaving the innkeeper to bring out the beer on his own. Apparently, every man at the table decided to drink. If the one who remained conscious got all of the women, then naturally any of these men wanted to be the last one standing.


    ¡°Begin!¡± The man called out.


    I drank down the beer in a single swallow. I never drank much at college, since I was only there part-time, but I had visited at least a kegger or two and knew the basics.


    ¡°Second!¡± He called out.


    ¡°Third!¡±


    We drank round after round. Men started to fall out. As men collapsed, new men joined in. Everyone had been drinking for hours before I came, so the leader declared it ¡°fair¡± that I had to drink out every man on his side. I didn¡¯t complain a single bit, as if I had a choice in the matter.


    Time dwindled on, and the leader became so intoxicated than all he could do was shout ¡®next¡¯, having long forgotten how many rounds there were. We were finally the last two sitting. Every other mercenary had been knocked out. I tilted in my chair, burping dizzily. He put on a grin.


    ¡°Hannneenuf?¡± He barked.


    ¡°Naww¡­ onesmore¡­¡± I said, putting up two fingers.


    We both took the next glass and drank, slamming them down in unison. A moment later, the chair scrapped and the massive man fell out of the chair and collapsed, unconscious. I peeked over at him with a raised eyebrow. Then, I let out a sigh.


    ¡°Well, it looks like I won.¡± I crossed my arms and laughed.


    The innkeeper and barmaids looked at me like I was a monster.

 Chapter 255

    "How are you still alive?¡± The innkeeper said, ¡°You¡¯ve drunken at least half your body weight in alcohol!¡±


    I let out a chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s nothing so amazing. I¡¯m sorry, that was a trick. I took a small gamble. I reckoned that alcohol would be considered a poison. That means anything that cures poison would also cure drunkenness.¡±


    I lifted up my hand and it glowed green as I used Cure Poison on myself. The innkeeper looked slack-jawed for a second but then burst out laughing.


    Of course, I had completely lied about using cure poison. If cure poison could seriously be used to cheat like that, a mercenary band would have definitely been on the lookout. They would have easily seen me casting the glowing spell on my arm over and over again. The trick I used was a bit different. I simply reset my dungeon points. I knew there was no way they¡¯d let me win fairly, so I reckoned I needed to equip the dungeon ability poison immunity so that it didn¡¯t matter how much I drank.


    ¡°You might want to get the nightwatch over here while they are all unconscious. They might not be willing to get into a fight for you, but they¡¯ll probably have no issue carting a bunch of drunks into a holding cell for the night.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course!¡± The man said, his mood improved greatly, ¡°I even have a cart for it.¡±


    He sent one of the girls to go fetch the watch and then worked with me to get the men out of the inn and plop them on his cart. I found a bag of coins on the leaders belt and handed it to the barkeep, squaring away his debt.


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    ¡°Master really worried me for a moment,¡± Terra admitted.


    ¡°Master is always amazing¡­¡± Lydia spoke without a hint of doubt.


    ¡°Still, Master is unable to become drunk, huh?¡± Miki said, sounding a little forlorn. ¡°It would have been fun to see a drunk Master.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what kind of drunk your Master would be?¡± The remaining barmaid asked curiously.


    ¡°Horny¡­¡±


    ¡°Horny.¡±


    ¡°Definitely horny¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh..¡± The barmaid suddenly blushed, eyeing my direction for a moment.


    ¡°Huh? What are you girls talking about?¡± I asked, noticing them looking at me.


    ¡°You¡­ have won the b-b-bet¡­ so you won me¡­ right?¡± The barmaid said, looking sheepish.


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry, if I didn¡¯t speak in those terms, I was worried about how they would act. Of course, you guys owe me nothing.¡±


    ¡°Even so¡­¡± She put on a face.


    It looked liek she was about to say more, but the innkeeper had returned from putting the money in a secure spot.


    ¡°No¡­ I wouldn¡¯t hear of it!¡± The innkeeper butted in, grabbing me and pulling me aside to speak. ¡°You saved my inn! At the very least, you and your girls can stay here for the rest of your time in the Capitol!¡±


    Free lodging? Score! I found myself suddenly quite happy about that. Meanwhile, my girls had pulled the barmaid into a corner and seemed to be talking seriously to her. I hoped they weren¡¯t bullying her like Eliana. Well, after they were done, she didn¡¯t look at me anymore and seemed to try to avoid me. Why did I have a feeling while I was scoring free lodging for us that I missed out on something just as good?


    Ah, well, I finished helping him load the cart and then walked into the inn. At that point, I reset my dungeon skills so I could put them back to the way they were. Immediately, I felt like I struck a wall.


    ¡°Oh¡­ apparently, poison immunity doesn¡¯t get rid of the poison, it just keeps it from affecting you. Now I know.¡±


    The lights went out. Thud.

 Chapter 256

    I awoke to blinding pain. Seemingly before my mind began to work, I started chanting spells.


    ¡°Moderate Heal. Cure Poison. Cure Poison.¡±


    Unfortunately, severe dehydration couldn¡¯t be cured so easily. My headache was still blisteringly painful. That was a really stupid thing I did the night before. I had seriously drunken dangerous levels of alcohol. I was immune to the poison, but immunity didn¡¯t mean the absence of. Therefore, as soon as I dropped my immunity, the alcohol levels in my blood immediately hit me. I had actually cast cure poison on myself once in order to fool the innkeeper.


    Thinking back on it, that action probably saved my life. The girls might have had to find a priest again had I not diminished the effect of the poison before removing poison immunity. In fact, that only showed how drunk I was that a single cure poison wasn¡¯t sufficient to remove my drunkenness below a level of a blackout. Of course, the lack of having any jobs equipped also probably did it.


    I redid my dungeon points which had been reset last night. As soon as I had three jobs equipped again, the increase in my constitution was readily apparent and my headache lightened significantly. Slowly sitting up, I noticed a glass of water on the counter and picked it up, taking a sip. I was just starting to get comfy when a thought suddenly came to me.


    ¡°The competition!¡± I stood up and almost fell back down again. ¡°Ahhh¡­ my head.¡±


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    ¡°Master, are you okay?¡± I glanced to see Celeste there in her small fairy form, flying around like a breeze of air.


    ¡°The competition¡­¡± I muttered while holding my head.


    ¡°The other girls went ahead in master¡¯s stead. The competition only just started, if we can get there before our group is called, we should be fine.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    I cast cure on myself another time, and immediately set out for the door. I opened the door and stepped into the hall when I met eyes with the maid earlier. She looked down and screamed before spinning around. It was at that point I realized the girls had taken off all of my clothing. Shutting the door again, I quickly got dressed with Celeste¡¯s help. She returned back to her normal-size and allowed me to lean on her shoulder.


    When I opened the door again, the maid was giving me an exasperated look, but when she noticed Celeste she immediately abandoned her post and became busy somewhere else. As for me, I hurried my way out of the inn. The innkeeper tried to thank me again, but I just gave a wave.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to the competition! Sorry, if you can hold the room.¡±


    ¡°Of course! As long as you like!¡±


    It looked like the mercenaries hadn¡¯t bothered the innkeeper again. Perhaps they were still in the jail cell after being knockout drunk. I hurried my way to the tournament. We quickly ran into crowds and had to push our way through. I could also occasionally hear shouts and roars as the fights continued. It was definitely underway. I felt really anxious. We might have already missed it.


    ¡°Master!¡± I saw Lydia, Terra, and Miki in the crowd and instantly felt a bit better.


    ¡°Girls¡­ am I on time?¡± I asked, still half-stumbling along.


    ¡°And for our next fight!¡± An announcer came over the speaker, causing my ears to ring. ¡°Team Dragonmight versus Team Deek!¡±


    I had so little time! Plus, I realized now that just naming the team after my own name was lame. Dragonmight was definitely a much cooler name.

 Chapter 257

    The girls helped guide me out onto a stage. This was actually only one of a dozen such stages. People left or came depending on which events they wanted to see. This one, in particular, seemed busy. A lot of people were excitedly anticipating this match, huh?


    Actually, now that I paid attention to the crowds, I felt like I was getting a lot of cold looks. The other team, Dragonmight, was a team of three boys and two girls. The guys were handsome men if I was in a position to be a judge of that. As for the women, they were also quite beautiful. As they went on, there was a lot of cheering and applause. When Team Deek was called onto the stage, I stumbled on still holding Celeste¡¯s arm, and there was a lot of whispering and doubtful looks.


    I even checked to make sure my pants were definitely on at this point. However, it was pretty clear that I was not the favored team here. I knew nothing of the Capitol city. For all I knew, Dragonmight was some popular or famous group of people. However, I had a feeling there was something else going wrong when disgusted looks were also leveled by the members of Dragonmight.


    That wasn¡¯t entirely true. When they looked at the girls, they were filled with smiles and polite nods. However, I seemed to get the feeling that whenever someone¡¯s eyes fell on me, they looked slightly revolted.


    ¡°You, you¡¯re their slaveholder, yes?¡± the blonde ikemen and leader of the group stepped forward and asked.


    ¡°Uh, yeah?¡± I said, my voice croaking a bit as I squinted at him; the day is way too bright.


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    ¡°So, they will fight your battles for you?¡± As he said this, there seemed to be a silence, as if even some of the crowd were listening to his words.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Lydia announced proudly. ¡°Master always puts us in the front lines!¡±


    She had meant it proudly, but accusatory whispering started to fill the spectators watching this stage.


    ¡°A guy who buys slaves to fight for him.¡± The brunette ikemen next to the blonde made a disgusted face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know¡­ Master didn¡¯t pay for any of us. In fact, he took me in a dungeon.¡± Celeste announced proudly, but when the whispering grew louder, she added. ¡°He did it for my own good!¡±


    ¡°Look how red his eyes are¡­¡± One of the girls on the other team whispered to the other. ¡°And he hasn¡¯t shaved his face. He probably beats them.¡±


    ¡°I can smell the alcohol from here¡­¡± The blond ikemen said disdainfully. ¡°You sir, are a repulsive human being!¡±


    You know¡­ words hurt. Plus, I had a throbbing headache, so I was in no mood for it. Apparently, the glower on my face along with my hungover look made me look even more menacing. Suddenly, some of the crowd started to boo me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand!¡± Terra said defensively. ¡°Master doesn¡¯t beat us at all. I mean, he can be rough sometimes, but he always heals us after. I even lost an arm once and he made sure to put it back on and told me to never do it again!¡±


    ¡°W-wait¡­¡± I held up my hands.


    ¡°He ripped off your arm?¡± The girls cried out, holding each other.


    ¡°N-no! It was really my fault! I just wanted his attention!¡± She cried out.


    ¡°Dragonmight! Kill this bastard!¡± Someone in the crowd screamed out.


    The crowd burst into cheers. Most of them started calling out for my death. There wasn¡¯t a single person on my side. How did it keep coming to this?


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that! Master just grabbed something of mine he wasn¡¯t supposed to touch and then took control of my body, so I wanted-¡°


    ¡°Terra! Please stop helping me!¡± I cried tearfully.

 Chapter 258

    "Alright¡­ the benevolent and Mighty Dragonmight! versus Deek¡­¡± The announcer was even giving me a cold look as he finally quieted the hateful crowd.


    What was with the difference in titles too? Mighty Dragonmight is super redundant! It¡¯s not even a good introduction! Furthermore, he definitely gave my name like an afterthought. Did no one think that I would win the battle? Or rather, was no one willing to not root against me specifically? The heat of the crowd was brutal, but the five people across from me also seemed to hate me something serious. I just came to the championship a little unkempt! It turned out this was a slave-hating crowd.


    I saw slaves everywhere, although most of them were older or strapping men. Was this a bias that young women received? Was there a bad stigma about young adult female slaves? If there were, it would have been nice to hear about it before I reached the Capitol! Instead, I had to deal with the universal scorn of the crowd, even though I played a very important role in the battle.


    ¡°Begin!¡± The referee called out.


    I immediately ducked and ran. It was a good call because two spells instantly landed exactly where I was standing. In fact, even though the girls moved out to attack, weren¡¯t their responding attacks a bit too singular? Every attack was aimed at me! In fact, they kept backing up or avoiding the girls! I abandoned my magicians just and switched to dungeon diver and slave master. Since they weren¡¯t trying to attack the girls, there was no use in trying to heal them. Plus, there was no way I¡¯d have a chance to cast a spell anyway.


    The best I could do was passively improve my girl¡¯s status while trying to keep myself from growing fatigued. This team was honestly pretty good though. I felt like in a straight, honest fight, we might have won, but they seemed intent on not engaging my girls while sending numerous attacks my way. I ran around the stadium screaming while people pointed, laughed, or ridiculed me. This was seriously not cool at all. I felt like I had returned back to middle school in my old world. It was that kind of feeling.


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    The biggest problem was that I was getting tired. I had good long-distance stamina. I could walk all day. However, the bursts of energy needed, such as to perform the footwork needed to avoid the barrage of potentially deadly skills being used against me, were way too much. I quickly realized I needed to find an advantage to weaken them. I needed to take out one of the fighters. Probably, the weakest link.


    My eyes fell on a girl who had remained quiet during my public execution. While the other girl was sending various elemental spells my way, this girl was instead casting on her teammates. She must have the support role as I did! Support against support, I realized I needed to get rid of her if I wanted to change my situation. Biting my lip, I realized there was only one way to close the distance.


    I dropped Slave Master and instead equipped Pervert. I needed the Stamina Up. With a sudden burst of energy, I managed to dodge the next barrage of attacks and then close the distance. I was so concerned with getting to the girl, I didn¡¯t notice that my carnal desires were kicking in. Not only was I getting a noticeable erection, but my face had turned slightly perverted, and as I leaped for the girl, rather than an attack, my palms were out and I was making a grabbing motion.


    The girl shrieked. ¡°Noooo!¡±


    She instantly covered her chest and leaped off the stage to avoid my attack. The effect had been so powerful, the girl next to her similarly fled the stage shrieking. The three men, seeing their ladies running from a guy with a boner and a perverted look grew enraged and turned to attack me fully. Now completely outnumbered and distracted, Lydia, Celeste, and Terra made quick work of them.


    When the last man fell, I removed pervert and only then realized and tried to hide my shame. As for the crowd, there wasn¡¯t a single person cheering.

 Chapter 259

    "Here, Master¡­¡± Lydia handed me a hot cup of what appeared to be this world¡¯s version of coffee.


    I took a sip and nodded. It tasted a little different, but it was good enough. I normally didn¡¯t like my coffee black, but given the circumstances, I decided it was necessary. Our next battle was supposed to be in an hour or so, so it was enough time to get something to eat, wash, shave, and improve upon my appearance.


    Feeling a bit better after getting something to eat and cleaning up, I finally decided to ask Miki and Lydia for any details they found out since this morning.


    ¡°The battles today are all group battles. That narrows things down to the top 20 groups. These groups will be invited to a banquet tonight. Tomorrow the next round of battles begin.¡± Lydia explained. ¡°Tomorrow, each battle will be a one-on-one match. Each group will pick three to verse another group. It¡¯s the best of three per round, but the same person cannot fight twice in the same round.¡±


    I scratched my freshly shaved chin as I thought about what she was saying. It left me a little worried. Terra and Lydia were my two fighters. That meant that at least for one battle every round, I¡¯d need to depend on either Celeste¡¯s wind attacks or Miki¡¯s spiritual attacks. I guess I could go up instead, but that sounded really scary. Perhaps, if my opponent wasn¡¯t that intimidating. That left me with another thought.


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    ¡°How is the battle¡¯s order decided?¡± I asked.


    ¡°On the spot,¡± Lydia answered. ¡°Who selects first and in what order is by you. It¡¯s considered cowardly to wait for the other team to call someone up before you select. According to someone I spoke with, it¡¯s typically a race to put someone one for the 1<sup>st</sup> fight. Otherwise, you may gain some of the ire of the crowd. ¡°


    I understood the mentality, but I didn¡¯t really care that much how the crowd thought of me. The previous event was slightly embarrassing, but it wasn¡¯t like it mattered. As a guy who had been harassed and teased a lot in my life, if I had such a weak skin I would have fallen apart a long time ago. That was basically nothing in my mind. As for the crowds, this was the first round, so I didn¡¯t have that many watchers. Most of them were fans of the DragonMight anyway, so they weren¡¯t exactly ever going to be cheering for me.


    The point was, I barely had the attention of 1/100<sup>th</sup> of the crowd, and most of them wouldn¡¯t even recognize my part by the next match. I foresaw no long-term repercussions because of my initial bad impression I put on the crowd. With time, hopefully, they will ignore me and it will be the elegance of the girls I am with that is remembered.


    Besides, I wasn¡¯t the only slave owner fighting alongside slaves. Dragonmight just happened to be an adventuring team notoriously anti-slavery. Naturally, their fans would hold the same sentiments. I think the short of it was that I needed to start building up a fanbase too. Definitely, with this next fight, we needed to start doing something flashy and really get people¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Deek¡¯s Party, you¡¯re up!¡± Someone yelled into the tent we were resting in.


    Looks like it¡¯s time to start making waves.

 Chapter 260

    "Deek¡¯s Party versus the Trembling Demonheart!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the same judge who had called me out before. He also added party to the name, which made it sound even worse. Once again, we were against a team that had a way better name than our own. Was it too late to change our name now? It was no wonder that we didn¡¯t have a fan base. What was I thinking just calling it after my name?


    As we walked onto the stage, a group of five also walked onto the stage. I was relieved to see that three of them were slaves. Actually, I really shouldn¡¯t be relieved about others having slaves, but at least my group couldn¡¯t be singled out.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the one who battled Dragonmight?¡± I started to tense up as I heard this word.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I didn¡¯t see that match. I heard that he attacked the girls first. Savage.¡±


    Well, those weren¡¯t the worst rumors that could have spawned from my match. If it stopped there, I could definitely leave happy. Actually, I couldn¡¯t leave at all. I had to fight this match first. The three slaves were two men and a woman. The men were strong and muscular looking. The woman was big-breasted. She gave me a feeling like she might be a magician or something.


    As for the non-slaves, they appeared to be a sister and brother combo. Oh, they were kissing now, I guess they weren¡¯t related at all.


    ¡°I heard they¡¯re brother and sister.¡± I caught a disgusted voice behind me whispering.


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    Never mind that, it was preferable if it was don¡¯t ask, don¡¯t tell on this particular situation. Rather, can you guys use less tongue? This is a public place. Even your slaves are looking a little awkward. I felt a growing urge to beat both of these incestuous siblings up. It wasn¡¯t because I was jealous that I also didn¡¯t have a cute little sister. I certainly wouldn¡¯t kiss her like that if I did!


    Actually, I did kiss my cousin once, but we were young. She was also a fat girl, about the same weight as me. It was a few years since I had last seen her. Wait, why did watching a brother/sister combo make out on the fighting ring suddenly make me feel a bit nostalgic for home? Even if I found a way back home, I wouldn¡¯t take it unless I could bring everyone I cared about with me!


    ¡°Begin!¡±


    I was still having stupid thoughts when my girls ran out to fight their group. The three slaves seemed to be holding off my slaves. I realized that the sibling couple were holding hands and were coming for me. I raised my hand and started tossing our fireballs. The two seemed to dance around them. I even heard the crowd yelling ¡°ooh¡± and ¡°ahhh¡±. What the hell was going on? This was a fight to the death, stop acting so suave.


    That¡¯s what I was thinking, but this was supposed to be entertaining for the crowds and I did say that I would create waves in this fight. In that case, my mind was reeling as I tried to come up with something to really cause this fight to stand out. I then remembered from my previous fight that the crowds seemed to really love a hero for justice. Suddenly, an idea struck my mind and I pointed to the couple.


    ¡°I challenge you!¡± I suddenly declared, righteous fury painting my face.


    The couple stopped, clearly surprised at being pointed at and addressed in the middle of the battle. I spoke loudly enough that the entire match froze for a moment.


    ¡°What is it?¡¯ The male finally said, putting his sister behind him. ¡°We¡¯re already fighting, what challenge?¡±


    ¡°You possess such a great beauty, but it is clear you don¡¯t deserve her!¡± I said. ¡°So, how about a one on one between you and me. If I win, then you hand her over to me!¡±

 Chapter 261

    ¡°How dare you set eyes on my precious sister!¡± The guy said, hiding the girl behind him.


    So, the girl really was his sister after all! She was holding him familiarly from behind and hiding, clearly frightened. I shook my head instantly and crossed my arms.


    ¡°Who would be interested in your sister!¡± I declared, ¡°I want that beauty right there!¡±


    I pointed at the big-breasted oneesan who was the magician. It wasn¡¯t because she reminded me a bit of a certain mage I had passed up when I purchased Miki! Rather, I was doing this just to increase our presence! I was trying to earn some fans, and saving a poor big sister from some depraved guy that tongues his sister would naturally get me some fans, or so I hoped.


    ¡°H-her!¡±


    ¡°Naturally!¡± I said. ¡°If I win, you will hand her over to me!¡±


    ¡°R-r-ridiculous!¡± The man protested angrily.


    ¡°Oh¡­ are you saying that you fancy her?¡±


    ¡°Of course no-¡° He suddenly stiffened.


    I could feel the cold air suddenly building behind the guy. The sister who was holding him gently was now grasping him tightly. I had suspected she¡¯d be the jealous type!


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    ¡°I see¡­ since she is your mistress and the pair of you have that kind of relationship, how could I possibly make such a bet.¡±


    As I said those words, the temperature continued to decrease. The man immediately began shaking his hands.


    ¡°Not at all! There is nothing between us! Nothing!¡±


    A hurt look flashed on the magician¡¯s face. I¡¯m sorry, big-boobed girl, but this incestuous bastard doesn¡¯t deserve you anyway!


    ¡°What will I get if I win?¡± He demanded.


    ¡°1000 gold!¡±


    ¡°Gold?¡± He seemed taken aback, but when 1000 gold clunked on the floor, the entire cheering crowd went silent.


    This was clearly a lot of money. Far more than the slave herself was worth. She seemed completely surprised by this offer and even blushed slightly upon seeing how much I put out for her. Well, I only needed to put out that much if I lost! Even so, it was an amount I could afford. I certainly wasn¡¯t going to bet one of my girls. I also put him in a situation where he couldn¡¯t even attempt to mention one of my girls or his sister would definitely punish him.


    Like that, I could see the greed growing on the man¡¯s face. His sister was also pinching him, clearly also wanting the money as well. Being a lord didn¡¯t mean much if you didn¡¯t have the money to back it up. Some of the people out here today were heroes, while others were rich merchants or adventurers. Getting accepted as a lord was just the first step. After that, you needed capital. I was actually a bit backward in that respect. Thanks to my successful dungeon diving, I had plenty of money, but now I needed my lordship.


    ¡°Very well!¡± The boy finally agreed. ¡°One on one. The loser steps off the platform with the rest of his group. Afterward, I¡¯ll collect my thousand coins! Is that okay with you, referee?¡±


    ¡°There are no rules against it.¡± He responded helplessly.


    Our bet was drawing more and more people. I had successfully made the wave. Now. I just needed to win.

 Chapter 262

    Of course, the reason I had bet a cold 1000 gold was because I wanted him to give me no reason to refuse the bet. Lydia alone could be worth 300 gold, so naturally, I needed to bet more than she was worth. On top of that, if he chose to refuse my bet, he was indirectly saying that he valued this slave more than 1000 gold. That was a statement he wasn¡¯t prepared to make, especially in front of his jealous sister.


    As for worries that this would cause jealous eyes to fall on me, I didn¡¯t really buy that. There were plenty of rich men in this competition, and the ultimate goal of lordship already suggested that people had a certain degree of available money. Furthermore, we¡¯re a group fighting in a competition. We¡¯re already displaying we have the capacity to fight and defend the money we have¡­ unless I lose. In which case, it¡¯d be Trembling Demonheart¡¯s problem, not mine.


    That wasn¡¯t to say I planned to go into the battle without any kind of defense. I reset my dungeon points. I have eighteen in total. One went to reset, and 6 went to giving me 3 jobs. There was a ten-point skill known simply as haste. It had to be like Celeste¡¯s haste, but where hers blew through mana and could only be maintained for a few moments, my version of haste would be a permanent part of my body until I chose to unequip it.


    With a speed increase like that, I was confident I could definitely beat this guy. I had seen him fighting alongside his sister, so I generally knew how strong he was. As long as I was careful, my level of hero should be sufficient to take him out. To date, I had only shown my spells, so no one knew me to be a swordsman. He probably thought I was a mage too, so he¡¯d try to close the distance quickly. I would take that mistake to my advantage.


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    ¡°Fine! Then let us begin this dual!¡± The guy said. ¡°My slave Dysdia versus 1000 gold coins. The loser also forfeits the match!¡±


    I nodded, only then noticing I was receiving some stares from my girls. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ shouldn¡¯t be so lecherous¡­¡± Lydia said, looking away and blushing.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Just because she had big-boobs, that doesn¡¯t mean anything!¡± Miki responded defensively.


    ¡°It¡¯s not what it looks like! Don¡¯t you remember the old lady who runs the alchemy shop back in Chalm?¡±


    ¡°Alchemy?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I thought to recruit some slaves with useful skills to help with the building of Chalm. The mayor himself said if there was anyone with any magical abilities, that Chalm could use them. I¡¯m doing this for the city! I swear!¡±


    Even though I said that the girls were all giving me doubtful looks. I was already a guy lucky enough to have four beautiful women who wanted to be around me. How could I want for anything? The fact she had big-boobs had nothing to do with it. I certainly didn¡¯t imagine going to buy herbs every day and getting to watch her boobs shake as she works that mortar and pestle! Those thoughts never occurred to me at all!


    ¡°Ready¡­ go!¡±


    While I was busy worrying about how the girls were thinking of me, the one-on-one duel against this incestuous brother had apparently started.

 Chapter 263

    It could have been an instant knockout, but I had Haste equipped and it appeared to not simply affect my body, but my mind worked far faster too. He had barely made a few steps when the world around me seemed to slow. This Haste thing was kind of cool, but I was really worried about it. It¡¯d be one of those things where excessive speed eventually led to my brain snapping and me unable to handle the mundane speed of real life.


    Perhaps, I¡¯d put haste to rest after I was done defeating this guy. With my hero job and Moderate Swordsmanship, I was about as good as I needed to be. Our swords collided, and it quickly became apparent that he was probably an advanced swordsman, but in a fight like this, variables that simple were rarely what decided a match. My boost in haste made all of his movements appear sluggish, and even if he did wield the blade more efficiently than I did, he couldn¡¯t account for my speed.


    The fight felt like it took about three minutes, but when I considered my mind was in haste, it was probably closer to thirty seconds. His sword flew to the side, and he could only helplessly raise his hand to my sword. The crowds naturally went wild. As for me, I reset my skills and got rid of haste. It was very effective, but as I said, I didn¡¯t like the feel of being permanently hasted. It left me feeling like it might leave trauma down the road.


    ¡°You won¡­¡± He said helplessly, falling to his knees.


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    I made the gold return to my ring with the wave of a hand. This was another form of discouragement. An interspatial ring couldn¡¯t be broken into easily. This would discourage most people from trying to attack me if the other reasons weren¡¯t good enough.


    Their team retreated and they gave up. There were a few ¡®boos¡¯ that our duel was unsatisfying, but I was quickly coming to realize that in the world of entertainment, there was always going to be some guy unsatisfied no matter what you did. In which case, I decided to just do what I wanted and enjoy the ride. The brother and sister were honest and chose to settle their debt without any conflict. They signed over the paperwork and gave the woman over to me instantly.


    ¡°You will be Master from now on.¡± The big sister bowed politely.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ I¡¯ll be taking care of you from now on¡­¡± Noticing some looks from the girls, I coughed and wiped my mouth. ¡°Rather, all of Chalm will do so.¡±


    I opened a portal directly to Chalm and wasted one of my dungeon points for the day. Giving her the signed documents, and instructions, Dysdia stepped right on through. I hoped that she could become the old lady alchemist¡¯s prot¨¦g¨¦. I know she had wanted Miki to follow in her footsteps, but as someone who was part of my group, this just couldn¡¯t be the case. I wasn¡¯t willing to lose Miki enough that she had time to learn all that growing and horticulture. Becoming a perfect alchemist is likely a lifelong pursuit. Or¡­ if you have 5X experience and mobs to level on, probably something I could show the girls, given enough time.


    Once I had sent the big sister back to Chalm. I started looking forward to the next competition. If there were any other slaves, I¡¯d try to free them in a similar manner.

 Chapter 264

    There were five more group battles. One of them involved another duel where I freed some slaves. At this point, my identity as someone from Chalm got out. Chalm was apparently a well-known city for their way of emancipating slaves. As soon as this got out, the crowd¡¯s opinion of me flipped one-eighty. A lot of people were still confused about why I had four slaves, but they had seen me place my 1000 gold bet twice.


    This was a staggering amount of money for most commoners and it made an effect on the crowds. Now, in everyone¡¯s mind, I was putting everything on the line to free a few slaves at the time. It came off as heroic and impressive. Even the Dragonmight crew came up to me and apologized for misunderstanding my intentions.


    Of course, not everyone was completely happy with my results. Those that lost a slave, particularly from the second group, were quite unhappy. They actually lost two slaves. They were a pair of twin girls who were wielding hammers. Well, they were magicians, but they seemed pretty strong.


    ¡°Why is master only freeing women?¡± Terra asked innocently.


    ¡°Ah? You¡¯re imagining things!¡± I declared, ¡°If there were men that had useful skills to bring to Chalm, naturally I would recruit them as well.¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡±


    I got looks and I was doubted. I was really just wanting top quality people to be part of my new city. Those big muscular beefy slave men were probably filled with testosterone. They¡¯d bring violence, rape, and crime to my innocent city! I was merely being practical!


    None of the battles were that difficult. I heard from a few that my particular bracket was rather weak this year. At least, when it came to group fighting, we had dominated our section. However, it sounded like things were going to get a lot more dangerous come tomorrow.


    ¡°Since you have won all of your fights today, you will continue on to the next battle.¡± A representative came around and spoke to us, and then handed us a ticket. ¡°This will allow you to enter the dance tonight.¡±


    ¡®Actually, I don¡¯t really want to-¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s mandatory!¡± The man added before I could reject it.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    The man noticed my discomfort and shrugged. ¡°I heard that the dance will be quite something. Although the king is busy, the prince will be there. So will the lord overseeing this entire competition, Lord Tibult.¡±


    That name sounded strangely familiar to me. It was probably just a coincidence. I got the last bit of information form the guy and then waved to get the girl¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Come on, it looks like we¡¯re going to need to buy some clothing. I¡¯ll need something dressed for this banquet, and I might as well get you girls some city dresses too.¡±


    The stuff made in Chalm is fine, but I had seen some nicer cuts here. I guess I¡¯d buy the girls some nice dresses for the night. They all seemed very happy about that.

 Chapter 265

    Our next stop after the championship closed for the day was a nice-looking seamstress. There was a woman with a shop full of dresses. I didn¡¯t have the time to have anything made for the girls, so the best we could do was pick out the dresses and have them fitted if needed.


    ¡°Master¡­ how does this look? Celeste asked, spinning around excitedly.


    I gave her a thumbs up and then asked the seamstress a curiosity of mine, ¡°Is there anything you own that can grow or shrink in size to match the person?¡±


    The seamstress shook her head. ¡°There are seamstresses of that ability, but they are far outside my realm. Perhaps the nobility may know of someone who can enchant clothing.¡±


    So, I needed to locate a magical seamstress too. In honesty, I was thinking of having all of our clothing enchanted with various things to make life easier. A grow and shrink spell was just one of the ideas I had. To hear that this kind of thing does exist instantly made me more interested in pursuing it. I was eager to find out what else I could enchant clothing to do. Perhaps a spell that added a little bit of armor on top of the clothing would be nice. Clothing that automatically cleaned itself? Fireproof? Well, the options were endless as long as I found a person with the proper skill.


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    I should probably look in this direction when it came to blacksmithing our weapons and armor too. Although most magic armor in this world was found in dungeons, I remember from games that the most powerful armors were usually those that you could make yourself. Well, I had no intention of taking a blacksmithing course and leveling it up to 100, but if I found someone else with blacksmithing it¡¯d be nice to get enchanted weapons and armor in complimentary sets as well.


    Well, these were just dreams of mine. A few spells were exceptionally common, like the backpack weight spell and some status raising spells, but based on the material and the type of enchantment, the price raised up pretty quickly. Armor-like clothing was said to be in the range of about 1000 gold coins each. Suddenly, the amount of money I had been flashing around during the competition didn¡¯t feel like very much.


    Putting aside my introspection, I ended up picking up a suit and four beautiful dresses. Slaves didn¡¯t typically wear things this nice, so Lydia and Miki were quite happy about it. Celeste and Terra were also happy, but more because their sheltered lives had prevented them from ever having things like dances and stuff like that. Thinking about it, all of my women seemed to live pitiable lives before they met me. It seemed only fitting that I allowed them to experience some of the nicer things in life.


    It was their hard work that allowed them to be present during this event. While they were slaves, and technically the invitation was for me, there was nothing specifically saying that I couldn¡¯t take the girls as they were. Thus, I wanted them to enjoy a nice noble¡¯s party for once in their life. It¡¯ll probably turn out fine.

 Chapter 266

    After we bought dresses, there were many other places I was interested in. One such place was a map store. Maps were actually somewhat expensive things, having to be done and copied by hand. However, I could steal all the maps I wanted thanks to the map skill. Thus, I took advantage of that. With the map skill equipped, I glanced over various maps, from world to more specific.


    The Capitol City of Aberis didn¡¯t officially have a name. It was just called the Capitol. It had been built to house the power of Aberis. I actually knew almost nothing about any other country other than Aberis. Looking at a map, we existed on a continent where Aberis was actually a somewhat small nation. There were five nations in the corner of the continent, and Aberis was one of them. Of course, there was Dioshin to the west, with the wildlands we lived in being a sliver barely seeable on the world map.


    Besides those two which actually bordered the ocean, there were three more countries that wrapped around our two. Those were Jespain, Esmore, The Ost Republic. These five nations together only made up the size of one of the two adjacent nations, Shie Gescar, and the Imperial Cloud Meadow. Since this was a map shop and not a history shop, that was about all I knew about these places. However, I had filled out my map significantly and even could navigate the bigger cities.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to visit these places just once.¡± I murmured to myself.


    It wasn¡¯t that I was that keen on exploring the world. As a former NEET, I¡¯d be quite happy living in my mansion in Chalm for the remainder of my life. Rather, I wanted to be able to use my portal. I had been thinking for some time about how I was going to make money for Chalm. Chalm¡¯s biggest problem was still the fact that it wasn¡¯t a major exporter of anything.


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    One idea I had was to find or create skilled enchanters. Not only did I have the desire to have enchanted items of my own, but if I could get someone to produce enchanted items, we could sell them and bring a great deal of money to Chalm. Given the benefits I had, I reckoned I could bring an enchanter into a dungeon and level up her enchantment skills until she¡¯s quite impressive. In fact, I had been having such thoughts about Celeste for a while now. I didn¡¯t know where she had picked up Enchanter as an ability, but Wind Enchanted items were extremely valuable, and if I worked with her to create Regen or healing enchanted items, we could definitely increase our team¡¯s safety and possibly secure a lot of money in the future.


    The other method of making money was the simplest method. Trade. By being able to trade things with distant parts of the world, my portals could quickly bring wealth to our city. The problem was¡­ I had to reach distant parts of the world. That would take a lot of time and effort.


    ¡°Ah¡­ then, perhaps you should check out the Travel Guild.¡± The mapmaker spoke out, an irritated expression on his face as he noticed me continuing to finger through his maps and not buy any.


    He probably just wanted me out of the store, but I couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°What does the Travel Guild offer?¡±


    The man rolled his eyes rudely. ¡°What do you think they offer? Of course, they work with adventuring guild. You can find guards. Rent carriages? Find escorts. Even join caravans. Anyone who makes a living traveling from country to country needs to make use of the travel guild.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s like that.¡±


    I had some difficulty getting into the caravan we did to get the castle. It involved a bit of begging. I recalled the wagoner saying we ought to have done it through the right channels. It turned out those channels were this travel guild


    ¡°And¡­ of course¡­ if you got the money¡­¡± The man shrugged. ¡°You can just pay a magician to teleport you to whatever city you want.¡±


    My eyes suddenly grew feverish.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what was that last part?¡±

 Chapter 267

    As it turned out, there was an entire industry of magicians that could teleport people to other cities. Here I was, thinking I was special with my portal, and it turned out such things had been done before. It was starting to get late and we¡¯d need to head to the banquet soon, but I made one more stop at the travel guild.


    ¡°May I help you?¡± A young man asked at the front.


    ¡°I wanted to inquire about your teleportation services.¡±


    Naturally, anywhere I was teleported was now an area I could create a portal. I had tried to a portal to a place completed by my map, and that turned out to be insufficient to allow me to portal to it. I had to physically be there¡­ or to be able to lock onto someone who was physically there. Of course, another option would be to lock on to someone and then have them head somewhere distant. However, they¡¯d need to be someone I was familiar and friendly with because as soon as I opened a portal in front of them, they¡¯d probably realize it. Thus, this teleportation had to be a way that I could expand my travel quickly without all of the mess.


    I quickly learned that the teleportation system wasn¡¯t perfect. First of all, it was rather expensive. It cost 10 gold coin per person per use. Secondly, there were distance restrictions. I couldn¡¯t travel more than a few cities over. I¡¯d then need to pay the price in that city and travel even farther. The Capital was the hub of Aberis, and there were only five locations set up for instant teleportation. Two of those locations were actually dungeons in Aberis.


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    This teleportation was also a spell that required an incantation drawn on the floor and reagents as well. Suffice it to say, there was only one man who had the ability to cast the spell, and he wasn¡¯t available at the moment. He only made himself available for casting this spell once a day. Each rune had a day of the week where he cast it. If you were there, you could be transferred in a group along with anyone else. If you weren¡¯t, you had to wait a week.


    That was still fine with me. A teleportation spell to any city more distant than I traveled would save me tons of time. For ten gold, I could travel to the city of Ravenport, which happened to be on the ocean. I definitely wanted to go there. Perhaps it would be possible to take the girls to the beach. Maybe I should even buy a property in Ravenport.


    The Great Dungeons were also interesting to me. They were completely unlike the small dungeons I had visited. They had been around for thousands of years and their bottoms were said to be incompletable. Not simply cities, but entire trade systems had been built around the dungeons. One of the great dungeons even had a bazaar inside it if you could reach a low enough level. They were on a completely different level than what I had experienced. I definitely wanted to go to them. That was where most Dungeon Diver¡¯s worked.


    ¡°We need to get going, the banquet is starting,¡± I said to the girls.


    All of this stuff would have to wait for another day. My time in the Capitol wouldn¡¯t be short.

 Chapter 268

    Night had crept upon us and we headed over to the mansion. According to the map, there was an entire district that held all of the mansions for the richest nobility. The mansion that would be the place of this competition came from the man in charge of the competition. If the map was to be believed, the mansions got larger, and allegedly the rank of the nobles increased with it. At the end of the mansion block was the family mansion of the king, who had taken on the name Aberis.


    I didn¡¯t know whether Aberis was named after the kingdom, taking on the name when he became king, or whether the kingdom was named after Aberis when his line took the throne. As far as this Tibult, he was about a few doors down from the King, so he was probably pretty powerful in this city. Each place had large privacy fences that were taller than what seemed necessary, so even getting a look at the mansion while on the street was impossible. It looked like everyone wanted some peace and quiet.


    Actually, given the nature of my portal ability, having a massive fence like this might be a strategy. If I couldn¡¯t see the ground, I could create a portal to it. As far as seeing from an extreme distance, like on a hill outside the city, that didn¡¯t work either. If I could have climbed a mountain and found myself able to teleport to everywhere I could see, fleshing out my map wouldn¡¯t have been so difficult. I could simply look at the tip of a mountain, portal there, look around briefly over the entire country, and then portal back.


    The trick was that I needed to be within a certain magical range and also be able to physically see it to have the area unlocked on my map. Only then did portal work for me. In that case, I couldn¡¯t portal inside the ground of any of these mansions. On that note, I could do it for any place in the city. A simple glance through the window and locks would be meaningless. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I was planning to become a thief or an assassin anyway. I was just noting that there appeared to be a portal deterrent, suggesting once again that my dungeon point skills weren¡¯t completely broken.


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    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± There was a scream that caught my attention and caused me to slow down.


    One of the smaller mansions on the block suddenly erupted in noise. I could hear dogs barking, and all the lights were on. It certainly left me worried.


    ¡°Master¡­ should we enter?¡±


    ¡°You four stay out here. I¡¯ll enter alone.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that I wanted to risk my life. However, the other girls were slaves and not human. I didn¡¯t want them to be seen trespassing on someone else¡¯s property. If I got caught, I could probably get out of it without too much trouble. On the other hand, I couldn¡¯t protect them that way. I jumped up to the wall and was shocked that I made it in a single jump. Celeste had cast a wind spell to help boost me, but it was still a twenty-foot jump in a single boost.


    ¡°Cushion!¡±


    I similarly jumped down on the other side, allowing the cushion to break my fall. I ran up to the front entrance. The place was about half the size of the mansion in Chalm, so it was truly one of the smallest on this block. It had maybe fifteen rooms. What really made it interesting was that there appeared to be a creek that ran right through it. The mansion was built into two wings, with a rise that didn¡¯t block the creak at all, but allowed it to flow through the mansion. It was a very pretty place.


    I had barely made it ten steps when a man kicked open the door. He was a small child, only about ten years of age. He had pale skin and pointy ears. He looked very angry as he stormed out.

 Chapter 269

    "These damn humans!¡± He suddenly cursed. ¡°Only they would dare spit on Esmore like this! Giving us a cursed house! How dare they!¡±


    ¡°M-master! Maybe they didn¡¯t know!¡± A small ten-year-old girl with tears in her eyes and similarly pointed ears wearing a maid outfit also appeared.


    At this point, the paired seemed to notice me standing in front of them. Immediately, an angry expression formed on the guy¡¯s face.


    ¡°You¡­ punk! Are you the cause of this? I knew the humans were up to something! I¡¯ve caught you red-handed. Don¡¯t even think you can run away!¡±


    ¡°Eh? I just came here because I heard someone scream and I was worried.¡± I admitted. ¡°Um¡­ are your parent¡¯s home?¡±


    ¡°This bastard is looking to die!¡± The little boy screamed. ¡°How dare you look down on the Esmere! You shitty humans should all die! I came here as an ambassador in good faith. Not only do you hand me the smallest property, but you also gave me a cursed home!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± The maid girl bowed. ¡°Master is just angry right now. We¡¯re not children. We¡¯re Esmere from Esmore. We¡¯re your neighbors!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a child!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually 22. And Master is in his sixties!¡±


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    ¡°So, you¡¯re like an elf? The Keebler kind?¡±


    ¡°Oi¡­ don¡¯t be comparing us to those extinct creatures!¡± The boy snapped.


    ¡°Some say the Esmere descended from elves, but the elves were all wiped out.¡±


    I scratched my head. It looked like I really should have been looking at history and culture books as opposed to maps. I hadn¡¯t even heard of the Esmere before now. They looked like children with slightly pointy ears. That was all I could say about this. Although, that did explain why their home was the smallest.


    ¡°Since you guys are small, you probably didn¡¯t need a bigger mansion, right?¡±


    The Esmere boy stomped on my foot. ¡°You bastard! Tall with those bulbous noses and those round ears!¡±


    He continued to curse, but he didn¡¯t seem to be trying to get me in trouble. Meanwhile, the maid next to him was continuing to bow and apologize. Considering they both had the appearance of children, it was a pretty strange and uncomfortable scene. Just as I was deciding to bail out of this conversation and go talk with someone else, I saw some kind of movement behind them. A dark mass seemed to form in midair, and then a form started to emerge from it. It had some nasty looking claws, and it looked like it was reaching for the maid.


    Before I could stop myself, I reached out and grabbed the maid, pulling her to me. She let out a cry as I pulled her into my arms protectively. I instantly held out my hand towards the form. At this moment, the other guy noticed the black thing too and stumbled back fearfully. It had finally removed itself from the dark bubble. It was long and willowy, composed only of fluctuating dark fog. It lunged in our direction.


    ¡°Holy Circle!¡± The circle erupted from my fingertips and surrounded all of us.


    The pure holy energy surrounded the shadow too. It was clear it couldn¡¯t handle it because a moment later it melted apart into nothing.

 Chapter 270

    "Alright, you saved us for a bit. Don¡¯t think we owe you anything!¡± The boy said angrily.


    With the girl in my arms, I realized that she had injured her wrists. I pulled it out even as she tried to hide it and instantly used heal on it until it was back to normal. She looked up at me wide-eyed.


    ¡°Yo-you¡¯re a white mage?¡±


    My eyes widened in shock. ¡°Ah! Yes? I¡¯m surprised you know what that is. Noone else in Aberis seems to recognize the job.


    ¡°Aberis¡­ hmph!¡± The man snorted. ¡°With their priests, why would they foster the noble art of the white mage. I can tell, you¡¯re quite a powerful white mage too. I¡¯m a bit impressed. I¡¯d never expected a human to go down such a selfless path.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I just prefer to support people than put my life on the line.¡±


    The Esmere boy crossed his arms thoughtfully, ¡°Yet, you ran in here to help us after hearing a scream.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­ well¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d never look at a priest to clean out a place of evil spirits. They¡¯re much better at trapping things that purifying them. However, since White mage has appeared himself, would you mind taking care of our problem here?¡± He asked.


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    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not willing, but we were actually on our way to the banquet at Lord Tibult¡¯s. We¡¯re going to be late if we take the time to purify your house.¡±


    ¡°We? Ah! You must be one of those competitors, hmm? How brutish of a system to elect lords based on their ability to beat up people.¡±


    ¡°True¡­ but I¡¯m trying to get my city recognized and supported by Aberis. I¡¯m sort of the undeclared Lord of Chalm.¡±


    ¡°Chalm?¡± He said thoughtfully. ¡°Haven¡¯t heard of it.¡±


    I let out a tight smile. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a small city in the wildlands between Aberis and Dioshin.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Well¡­ as it were, we were planning on heading to the banquet as well. So, how about you come with us.¡± The Esmere offered.


    ¡°Oh, ah¡­ sure¡­ I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°After the banquet, if you have time, you can purify our mansion of the curse.¡± He nodded.


    I smiled wryly. It looked like he was another pushy guy that would get what he wanted out of you. I didn¡¯t mind helping him. If he was the representative to another country, having a good rapport with him would only be good for Chalm. The three of us closed the door of the currently cursed mansion, putting aside that mystery for the moment.


    I rejoined the girls outside. ¡°These are¡­ um¡­ sorry, I didn¡¯t really catch your names.¡±


    ¡°You can call me Pait.¡± The boy announced. ¡°And this is my servant, Dav.¡±


    The four girls greeted Pait politely. He seemed more impressed that I was traveling with these four women.


    ¡°Incredible, an Earth Golem, A tigerkin, A Sylph, and a 9-tailed fox? You keep some interesting company, my boy. If you keep it up, I might form a different opinion when it comes to your species.¡±


    ¡°Uh, thank you?¡±


    They were a strange lot, but they were the first people I¡¯ve seen in the city that seemed somewhat friendly. The six of us headed to mansion. However, no sooner had we reached the front door when a guard leveled a spear at us.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re not allowed in this mansion. Now, scram!¡±

 Chapter 271

    "Excuse me? What is the meaning of this!¡± Pait growled.


    It was truly odd that the aristocracy would go to this effort. They already provided them a small mansion with a cursed nature, now they weren¡¯t going to let them into the festival. What was Aberis trying to do? Were they trying to start a war?


    ¡°Not you!¡± The guard said, shifting his eyes to me and my girls. ¡°You five aren¡¯t allowed in!¡±


    ¡°Huh? But I have the tickets right here. We¡¯re in the top 100¡­¡±


    ¡°Your position in the top 100 is being¡­ reevaluated. It¡¯s claimed you pulled out the money and bribed off various people during the competition, so how could we allow someone like that be a noble?¡±


    ¡°Geh¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°It was a bet to free a slave, and both parties and the judge agreed!¡±


    ¡°Well, once Lord Tibult heard of your transgressions, he naturally disagreed with your actions. He is the one who is the final judge on all matters regarding the competition!¡±


    ¡°T-tibult!¡± A sound like a strangled cat came from Lydia¡¯s lips.


    Instantly, the name I had heard before came back into recollection. Lord Tibult was the man who had owned Lydia and sold her just to spite me. He had also left Lydia and inadvertently myself for dead by collapsing the dungeon staircase and trapping us there. He was a fat, arrogant man who took pleasure in his slaves. Although, if I remembered correctly, he had more interest in males than females, which was the only reason Lydia had managed to escape unscathed.


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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear you¡¯re having problems, my boy.¡± Pait shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just going in to get a bite to eat, and then after we can head back to my place and¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahem!¡± His servant Dav made a noise in her throat and then shot Pait a pleading look.


    He sighed. ¡°Oh, very well, I suppose I¡¯m not that hungry after all. Since they won¡¯t let you in, and we came with you, we won¡¯t go in either.¡±


    One of the guards snorted. ¡°You say that like we would have let you!¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡± Pait spun on the man angrily.


    ¡°Of course an Esmere would keep cheaters as company! You suffer with the company you keep! No entry!¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ you arrogant son of a-¡°


    ¡°Wait!¡± A voice called from behind the guards.


    He came running up from inside the party. He was a nondescript man that appeared to be wearing a red and black livery that I didn¡¯t recognize. Actually, I didn¡¯t recognize any livery at all. Lord Tibult¡¯s colors appeared to be purple and green, and he had an insignia that looked to be a sparrow and a sword. At least, that was assuming that these guards belonged to his house. The man whispered a few things to the guards, who¡¯s frowns deepened as their faces turned red. When he was done whispering, the man bowed.


    ¡°Actually, my Master has taken an interest in your party. After hearing you were barred from it, he immediately ordered this to be rescinded. You may come in as is custom. As for the competition, he said that if you were truly deceivers, the truth would be revealed in tomorrow¡¯s match anyway, so there was no sense in evaluating the situation. I had hoped to fix this issue before the guards were involved. I apologize for my delay.¡±


    The man bowed deeply. The guards looked at each other and then stepped aside, no longer willing to meet our eyes now that they couldn¡¯t act arrogantly.


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡± Pait responded arrogantly, immediately pushing his way through like he expected the door to close a second later.


    The rest of us could only look at each other, shrug, and then enter the Mansion of Lord Tibult. However, I knew now that this was the Lord who clearly had a vendetta against me. I suspected this wasn¡¯t the last trouble he was going to give me.

 Chapter 272

    ¡°Might I ask, just what is Lord Tibult¡¯s rank here? His house is one of the larger, so I assumed he¡¯s a noble with some repute. However, I met the man once, and he didn¡¯t seem like he had that much power.¡±


    He was trying to become a hero and a dungeon diver by defeating the Mina Dungeon that popped up near the village of Chalm. He was looking for recognition and power. He also only had two slave fighters and a pack woman. At the time, I hadn¡¯t thought about it much. However, after experiencing a couple dungeons, I considered how dangerous they were and how ill-equipped he was to handle it. It always left me wondering if he was just arrogant or perhaps stupid.


    ¡°The mansion belongs to the entire Tibult family.¡± The steward who had let us in answered. ¡°High Lord Tibult is Lord Tibult¡¯s father, and part of the council. He has three children. The oldest is in line to take over the family. He is currently away at Fort Detrimix, protecting the country from skirmishes caused by the Ost Republic.


    ¡°Their daughter is visiting Jespain on a diplomatic peace mission. The youngest, Lord Otto Tibult, would be the one you met. Naturally, his claim to the Tibult estate is exceptionally low. I¡¯ve heard he has made numerous expeditions in an attempt to defeat a dungeon and become a hero. It would give him a great deal of prestige in the city.


    ¡°He was put in charge of this competition?¡±


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    ¡°It¡¯s his first year.¡± The steward shrugged. ¡°Most higher-ranked officials are too busy to handle something as inconsequential as this.¡±


    The picture that was Lord Tibult, or should I call him Otto, was starting to come into focus. He was a man used to the luxury of a high noble, coming for a noble house, but as his father gets older, he realizes he needs to forge his own destiny, or get cast out as useless. Volunteering to do this might even be another way. After all, whoever won the competition would become a noble as well, and they¡¯d probably never forget the man who gave them that favor.


    ¡°What of your lord?¡± I finally asked. ¡°Who is he that has more say than Lord Tibult in his own home?¡±


    The steward¡¯s back straightened. ¡°Well¡­ of course, there is only one family in all of the city who would have enough power to refute Lord Tibult. I¡¯m sorry, but I must return at once. They¡¯ll want a report of what has happened here.¡±


    He spun and disappeared in the crowd smoothly. We had been led into a somewhat crowded hall with dozens of groups formed of fancily dressed people talking to each other. Not skilled with crowds, I barely could get past one group before the steward was out of sight. I had wanted him to answer more questions. He¡¯d been the most informative guy I had spoken with. For a steward to have this must knowledge, his master must be pretty impressive.


    Wait? Only one family in the whole city? Wouldn¡¯t that be the Aberis family? I had been noticed by the King? Before I could finish processing that, a voice shouted from behind me in a loud enough tone that most the people around us quieted down.


    ¡°So, they were right, It¡¯s you!¡± An angry noble bellowed. ¡°I will have your slaves!¡±

 Chapter 273

    ¡°Eh? Who are you?¡± I asked, looking at the woman who was pointing at me.


    She was very pretty, with curly blond hair, a modest bosom, and a long, pretty dress. Her face was filled with anger and her cheeks were bright red.


    ¡°Wh-who am I?¡± She took a step back. ¡°How dare you act like you don¡¯t even remember me!¡±


    ¡°I seriously have no clue who you are!¡±


    She suddenly blushed, lowering her head as if she was suddenly depressed and touching her fingers together. ¡°You don¡¯t even remember¡­ after violating me in such a matter. It meant nothing to you!¡±


    Why was everyone in the audience suddenly looking at me darkly? I was expecting my girls to take it wrong too, but when I looked at them, they were nodding thoughtfully! Lydia raised her hand and waved to the strange woman.


    ¡°Hey, Eliana! I didn¡¯t know you were a noble!¡±


    ¡°Eliana?¡± I tapped my fingers on my lips and then snapped them. ¡°That¡¯s right! Bathhouse girl!¡±


    ¡°Oh, now you remember!¡± She said indignantly.


    ¡°Well, to be fair, you were wearing¡­ less¡­ before¡­¡±


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    Her cheeks blushed again and she unconsciously covered her chest. ¡°You ghoul! How dare you! Now that we¡¯re here, you must sell me your slaves immediately!


    ¡°Huh? Are you still on about that?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Didn¡¯t you change your mind?¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡­ that was just a lapse in my commitment!¡± She shook her head, a fearful look for a moment. ¡°However, I won¡¯t let light petting demotivate me any longer!¡±


    ¡°Light petting?¡±


    ¡°Geh¡­ nevermind that! I have the money in my spatial ring. I even have several one-use slave removal spells. Let us do this immediately.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t!¡± I bowed.


    She let out a noise of surprise. ¡°Wh-what? How dare you change your mind all of a sudden!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk!¡±


    ¡°Rather¡­ why are you reneging on the deal? You were willing to sell the slaves before?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t wish for them to be free¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ we¡¯re in the middle of a competition right now. I still need them fighting alongside me.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Are you saying they wouldn¡¯t fight beside you if they weren¡¯t your slaves?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really want to explain to her that I was a Slave Master and that being my Slave included several status bonuses I didn¡¯t want them to lose. While it was true, I was always worried they¡¯d leave when they didn¡¯t have to fight for me anymore, I was more concerned about them being hurt. After the competition, once I was a lord, I¡¯d be more willing to work on seeing if we could break this curse. At this exact moment, it was a bad time.


    ¡°It¡¯s even more reason I must have your slaves immediately!¡± She declared.


    ¡°What? That doesn¡¯t even make sense?¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Since people are making claims on slaves.¡± A sneering voice caused us both to turn. ¡°That slave of his is truly mine!¡±


    The person who spoke was none other than Lord Tibult, and the person he was pointing at was none other than Lydia. She grabbed my shirt immediately. I could feel her hand shaking in fear. A frown began to form on my face. This might get ugly.

 Chapter 274

    ¡°What right do you have to claim she is yours?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Hmph! Naturally, I previously owned her.¡± Lord Tibult responded.


    ¡°You sold her, and she was then purchased by me,¡± I responded.


    He frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve seen her battle in the competition! Naturally, her talent was far greater than I was led to believe. According to her slave paperwork, she is registered a rare tigerkin, instead of the catkin I was lead to believe. I was clearly bamboozled by that slave trader and this man! They conspired to cheat me out of the proper value of my slave to net a profit. Witnesses found them colluding together, as such, repossession of this slave is only correct.¡±


    ¡°You abandoned her in a dungeon!¡± I responded angrily. ¡°How would you say I made a profit?¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ I have my resources and I¡¯ve made sure to check up on you. Although this slave clearly has a value of 500 or more gold, you bought it for a mere 100. You end up getting a 500 gold slave for 100, and he ended up getting 100 gold without having to work at it. How is that not dishonest?¡±


    After finding us in the competition, he must have sent someone to the slavers guild to look up our transactions. Figuro was an honest man, and all of his transactions would have been placed there. Naturally, a catkin being purchased for a couple of gold coins suddenly turning a few days later into a tigerkin being sold for 100 gold coins looked incredibly suspicious. He actually had some room to make this argument.


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    However, it was clear that he really didn¡¯t care at all about such things. Although he spoke of treachery, his attitude was less angry and more smug. It was abundantly clear he didn¡¯t believe in his own words. Rather, he was simply looking for a way to punish me. He had lied initially with the plan that I would go to the capitol only to find her already sold. Fortunately, Figuro revealed the man¡¯s deception and I was able to buy Lydia back anyway.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± Lydia yelled out. ¡°Figuro didn¡¯t know I was a tigerkin until he had me examined!¡±


    ¡°Figuro didn¡¯t, but did your owner Deek?¡± He demanded.


    Unfortunately, he had accurately predicted that I had known about Lydia¡¯s race. Lydia was unused to lying and was caught completely off guard by this question. She could only shut her mouth and turn her head. However, she had already accidentally revealed the truth of things by the expression on her face. I had known that Lydia was a tigerkin. At the time, I had no clue what that meant when it came to slave value or anything. It wasn¡¯t like I could have predicted that things would have turned out this way.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if these other slaves were acquired through such means as well. Although there is paperwork available, I have confirmation that the 9-tail fox was never officially purchased. Perhaps the slave trader gave her as a gift? As for the other two, you have no official claim on them!¡±


    My face started to turn white. He was right when it came to the other two girls. I hadn¡¯t even considered it, but one was taken from a fairy queen, and the other was acquired through a magical control rod. Both girls had no official paperwork. As slaves, I technically had no right to them! Lord Tibult¡¯s grin started to grow as I felt slightly nauseous.

 Chapter 275

    ¡°These girls have no paperwork as well?¡± Eliana also seemed to grow a little excited. ¡°So, how were they acquired as slaves!¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to imply!¡± Pait said, stepping forward. ¡°Are you calling him a criminal?¡±


    Eliana looked down at the little man and softened her expression slightly, clearly treating him with more diplomacy than she was treating me. ¡°Bandits pull women off the street all the time. It is possible that these girls were enslaved by him! He¡¯s already a very shady individual, I must say!¡±


    ¡°They are both my slaves by choice.¡± I immediately stated, turning to the girls hopefully.


    ¡°Mm! I¡¯m Master¡¯s!¡± Terra immediately declared.


    ¡°I follow Master by choice!¡± Celeste added.


    ¡°Even if they say it¡­¡± Eliana pouted stubbornly. ¡°They could be coerced into saying it. There are many women forced into slavery that claimed to be slaves, even when they were isolated from their Masters. Some Masters have the ability to control what their slaves say, think, and feel. It has long been decided that a slave can¡¯t be taken by their word!¡±


    Those words, in particular, stung a bit. It was a bit too close to my own thoughts about the girls. Although, when they said they followed me by choice, I did feel a bit of happiness, the reality was that I was their Master and I had that damn curse on me that increase my affinity with them. For all I knew, it was essentially brainwashing.


    ¡°Ridiculous!¡± Pait growled. ¡°These girls have shown no distress or discomfort around their Master. Your so-called refusal to take slaves at their word was meant for situations when the slaves were knowingly abused by their Master. Unless you have proof that this boy is abusing them, then your entire argument is flawed.


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    ¡°Even if that is so, they should have proper paperwork!¡± She deflected and pointed at me. ¡°What answer do you have for that?¡±


    ¡°I only recently arrived in the city. The slave traders left my city months ago. I simply haven¡¯t made it to the Slaver¡¯s Guild yet. I have plans to submit the paperwork once I am there.¡± I explained myself clearly, trying to keep my cool despite the tense situation.


    ¡°Enough of this!¡± Lord Tibult snapped, ¡°None of this matters! The facts are clear. I had agreed to sell my slave to this man directly, but he conspired with a slave trader to steal her from me for pennies. As a result, she should go back to my ownership. As far as the others, they should be given as compensation for my emotional trauma!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Eliana declared. ¡°I have already agreed to buy the girl¡¯s freedom! You can¡¯t argue with me on this, Lord Tibult. The law is abundantly clear. If the slaves wish to be freed, their cost can be covered at any time. You know I¡¯m good at it. If you want to fight this¡­ this¡­ man and the slave trader over the gold coin value, then you¡¯re free to do it!¡±


    Lord Tibult chuckled and then bowed. ¡°Of course, it is as you say. However, an agreement is met. These slaves should be removed from this man.¡±


    They were talking now like a decision had already been made. As for me, I had lost all interest in selling them to this girl. Somehow, I had a suspicion that shortly after being freed, they¡¯d end up in Lord Tibult¡¯s control after a short period of time. I was half a step from using return and just going back to Chalm with the girls. Chalm was no longer in Aberis, so their laws didn¡¯t really matter. I would have failed to get Chalm accepted as part of Aberis, but at this point, I was starting to not care about this country in the slightest. It might be better if we just set out as our own country.


    ¡°Get ready¡­¡± I said light enough that only my girls could hear.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided-¡± Eliana began.


    ¡°Not so quick!¡± A voice broke into their conversation. ¡°I have a better proposal for you all.¡±

 Chapter 276

    "Deek!¡± An attractive guy in silk noble¡¯s attire approached us. ¡°I¡¯d never thought I¡¯d run into you here, and so soon after we last met.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Who are you?¡±


    His face dropped for a moment, ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t even remember me, and after we walked the path of manhood together¡­¡±


    ¡°Forget it, Brother, his head is bad!¡± Eliana snorted.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re that guy¡­ um¡­ him¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know my name, do you!¡± He let out a long sigh. ¡°I¡¯m Edward! My name is Edward!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ what do you want?¡±


    My response didn¡¯t seem to make him happy, but he shook his head and quickly recovered. ¡°Actually, I was listening to my sister and Lord Tibult talk, and I thought of a simple solution.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Lord Tibult demanded.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s really quite simple,¡± Edward said, smiling, ¡°A competition! Specifically, a Master-Slave competition. Three challenges that test the skill of the slaves and the capacity of their master. If Lord Tibult is the better Slave Master, as one would expect of a noble of our fine country, then Deek here will be found unfit to possess these slaves. However, if he wins-¡°


    ¡°What is in it for me?¡± I demanded. ¡°I¡¯ve been wrongly accused and insulted here. You¡¯re suggesting I go through the trouble of this competition when I¡¯m only guilty of owning slaves I acquired legally. If I¡¯m proved innocent, shouldn¡¯t I gain some recompense?¡±


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    The only reason I was able to remain calm at that moment was that there was really nothing they could do. The curse on me made it impossible to remove them as slaves, even if they tried. If things got messy, I would flee the country with them rather than give them up to these bastards. I must have had that kind of expression on my face because the man lifted up his hands reassuringly.


    ¡°I will definitely make it worth your while. If you win this competition, then I will rectify the paperwork you submitted. Your lordship and the city of Chalm will be established immediately.


    ¡°Lordship!¡± Lord Tibult cursed. ¡°Absolutely ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°You want to make him a lord?¡± Eliana said similarly.


    Edward silenced them both with a look before smiling back at me. ¡°Furthermore, I will help you get a property in the city. I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve been looking for one.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard a lot about me,¡± I responded with a frown.


    For a guy I randomly ran into at a hot spring, he seemed to know just about everything about me.


    ¡°Of course, I apologize!¡± He bowed. ¡°However, I had you investigated after our chance meeting. I like to help the people that I have good feelings about, and I had good feelings about you. I was surprised to see that we had such an illustrious guest. The Hero of Chalm and the unproclaimed Lord of the Wilderness. Rumors have it you¡¯ve conquered two dungeons on your own, and even did it with only three people.¡±


    Eliana seemed shocked by his description, suddenly looking at me with a slightly different light.


    ¡°It was three dungeons, and all of my girls helped,¡± I responded, and then shook my head. ¡°But who are you.¡±


    He let out a laugh. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself before. I¡¯m Edward Aberis. Prince Aberis. How do you do?¡±


    It was my turn to turn surprised. This pervert was a prince? He wasn¡¯t just a prince. As I heard it, the king only had two children. That meant he was in line for the throne! And, the girl who had been such a source of headaches and had given me so many problems¡­ was the princess of Aberis!

 Chapter 277

    "You¡¯re the prince?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course!¡± He bowed.


    ¡°Why were you in a commoner bathhouse on the street then?¡±


    ¡°Oh? Well, you see, when you¡¯re a man¡¯s man, sometimes you have these urges to-¡°


    ¡°Forget it, I think I understand now.¡±


    ¡°Haha! As a fellow man¡¯s man, I knew you would!¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually, I asked Brother to take me¡­¡± Eliana spoke up, blushing, ¡°I like to occasionally step in the shoes of the common folk so that I might understand the city better. Brother was actually just catering to my desire.¡±


    ¡°Before I agree to this game, I must be clear here. I have no great desire to hold on to my girls as slaves. If they could be free¡­ well, that would be for the best. However, I¡¯ve found myself unable to remove them as a slave. I¡¯m under a curse that prevents this from happening. Even if I were to lose the game, I wouldn¡¯t be able to cater to your request.¡±


    As I said this, the noble¡¯s around me started to frown. It was finally Edward who spoke up.


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    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about this in private.¡±


    I was suspecting he¡¯d take me somewhere, but instead, he snapped his fingers. The room cleared out of everyone except the Esmere, the three nobles, and my group. Chairs to sit and even refreshments were brought out with us barely having to move. Although Lord Tibult was eyeing the Prince nervously, he didn¡¯t seem at all unaccustomed to this act. It must be nice being a powerful lord of a nation. Upon sitting down, all of the eyes went to me.


    ¡°Now, why is it that you think you¡¯re cursed?¡± Edward asked, a serious expression on his face.


    His usual perverted self was quickly hidden and a man I believed could be a prince was now displaying himself. I considered coming up with many options. However, one of the reasons I had come to the Capitol was specifically to see if I could remove the slavery markers, thus, if the most powerful people in the city couldn¡¯t find someone who could do it, then who could? I decided it would be best to simply be honest about it. I pulled my foot out of my boot and then put it on the table. Eliana made a displeased noise but I ignored her as I rolled up my pants leg. Oi, why was she suddenly blushing? I wasn¡¯t putting on a show!


    As for Edward, as the tattoo, an indescribable language wrapped around my leg, was unveiled, he stared at it in wonder.


    ¡°What is this? Words? They look¡­ like a script?¡± He said, curiosity rich in his voice.


    Lord Tibult also snorted and looked away, seemingly disinterested in whatever it was I was showing the group. It was Eliana who finally allowed herself to look at my leg who suddenly gasped when she saw the tattoo. She jumped forward and grabbed my leg, her mouth moving as if she could read the text.


    ¡°Sister, do you know what this?¡± Edward asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s¡­ lore. The very curse of a dungeon has been burned into his very skin. No¡­ but it¡¯s different now. It¡¯s¡­ like a blessing?¡±

 Chapter 278

    I shook my head wryly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call this a blessing. It has its uses.¡±


    I accessed the dungeon point store. Although I was the only one who could see it, when I was accessing the store, the tattoos on my skin glowed. The one wrapped around my leg suddenly shone with light. Eliana who was holding it let it fall to the table with a thud and made a noise of surprise. However, a moment later a pretty smile formed on her face as she stared at the glowing tattoo. She reached out towards it, gently touching the skin.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡± She said, the glow of it in her eyes.


    I didn¡¯t like the way she was talking or looking at me, so I quickly exited the store, causing the light to instantly go out. She looked somewhat disappointed. I pulled my leg off the table.


    ¡°There was a glow on your shoulder too!¡± The prince declared in disbelief. ¡°Just how many of these guys do you have.¡±


    I grimaced. ¡°To date¡­ three.¡±


    ¡°Three¡­¡± He sat back, an expression of disbelief on his face.


    ¡°What are they, though?¡± Pait demanded.


    ¡°I got this tattoo when I completed the lore of the dungeon in Chalm,¡± I explained, pointing to my shoulder. ¡°When that tattoo burned itself on me, it also gave me a perk. I could not have a slave removed from me.¡±


    ¡°Completed the lore.¡± The prince¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You¡¯re a True Dungeon Diver then?¡±


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    I nodded without hesitating. ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Are you honestly going to listen to this?¡± Lord Tibult slammed the table angrily. ¡°We know very little about this guy. He seemingly came out of nowhere a few months ago. Now you¡¯re offering to make him a lord? And on top of that, he¡¯s claiming he has the hero status and a True Dungeon Diver job? This is ridiculous! Besides, he registered under the White Mage job, whatever that is. Had he gotten the True Dungeon Diver Job, it¡¯d clearly be his favored job.¡±


    ¡°Favored Jobs are tricky.¡± The Prince shrugged uncertainly. ¡°He might have had a priest change his job. Or the level of White Mage has a higher priority than even True Dungeon Diver. Of course, determining if he has the True Dungeon Diver Job is a simple matter of asking a priest. We¡¯ll confirm that with time, but for the moment, we treat it as if he has spoken the truth.¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± I insisted.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Lord Tibult glared unhappily.


    ¡°As for your problem being unable to get rid of the slaves, I¡¯ve come up with various means of getting around this curse.¡± The prince responded casually.


    ¡°What?¡± I sat up. ¡°I have been trying to come up with a way forever. How have you already thought of something?¡±


    He put on a grin. ¡°I am the prince, after all. It¡¯s my job to be clever and decisive.¡±


    That got an eye roll from his sister. However, he had intrigued me, so I leaned forward to ask.


    ¡°Alright then, what is the plan?¡±


    ¡°Cut it off.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We can see where the lore is, clearly. Simply cut it out. With the leg, it¡¯s easy. A quick chop and you¡¯ll be free. It¡¯ll be a little more difficult for the shoulder, but a skilled swordsman and perhaps some nearby healing potions and he could chop off your shoulder without killing you.¡±


    ¡°Pass!¡± I immediately dismissed it, it was no wonder I hadn¡¯t thought of it, such a horrible idea!


    ¡°Some healers are of sufficient skill to regrow limbs. You need not be an invalid for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°I said pass!¡±


    He let out a sigh. ¡°Well, I have another idea, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll like it any better.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± I demanded, feeling a sense of foreboding.


    ¡°We kill the girl. Remove her dead slave mark while it is no longer connected to you, and then resurrect her.¡±

 Chapter 279

    The girls next to me all made out noises of fear.


    ¡°Rejected!¡± A voice sprung out, but it wasn¡¯t mine. ¡°Brother, how dare you suggest something like that!¡±


    ¡°It would work.¡± The prince shrugged. ¡°Maybe¡­ well, we could always try.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to murder four people to try something!¡± Eliana protested.


    ¡°You¡¯re not murdering them at all!¡± I added. ¡°There has to be another way!¡±


    ¡°Look, the curse is embedded into your skin!¡± Edward sighed. ¡°Either the skin has to go or your girls do. Even if we had a level 100 Slave Master, I don¡¯t think they¡¯d be able to break your blessing. Alright?¡±


    ¡°Then what are we going to do?¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯re at an impasse.¡±


    ¡°Not really¡­¡± Lord Tibult spoke up. ¡°In fact, I¡¯d say it¡¯s very clear how we proceed.¡±


    I shot him a dirty look, but Edward spoke up. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The bet is simple. We have a competition. My slaves against his slaves. If he wins, he keeps his slaves, gets his lordship, heck, I¡¯ll even release my own slaves as part of the deal. However, if I win, he releases his slaves, one way or another.¡±


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    ¡°One way, or another?¡± I gulped.


    ¡°Either you give up a pound of flesh, or you watch your women die one at a time.¡± Lord Tibult grinned darkly before shrugging. ¡°Of course, this is a consequence you¡¯d never have to face. If you win, of course. However, don¡¯t think I¡¯ll go easy on you. Not only have the slaves from before grown stronger under my care, but I¡¯ve acquired a new slave recently who is extremely powerful and capable. Even you little¡­ tigress¡­ won¡¯t be able to keep up with her.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ ¡° I shot a look back to the girls. ¡°I¡­¡±


    Lord Tibult really had me in a bind here. It was truly a cruel thing. I couldn¡¯t afford to lose. Either I¡¯d be disfigured painfully, or the girls would have to be killed one by one, which was traumatic in its own way. I knew that from personal experience.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Master¡­ we won¡¯t lose!¡± Lydia put on a strong face.


    Her words seemed to break the layer of fear that was permeating the other girls. They all put on grim expressions and nodded in turn.


    ¡°The people of Chalm have been good to us,¡± Miki said. ¡°We have to do this for them.¡±


    Celeste nodded. ¡°I won¡¯t have anyone saying I don¡¯t belong with Master anymore!¡±


    ¡°I will follow Master regardless,¡± Terra added.


    I sighed and then turned back to the men. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re in.¡±


    ¡°Excellent!¡± The prince clapped his hand. ¡°Then, tomorrow we¡¯ll be postponing the championship. I need time to set up some particularly worthwhile challenges. In two days, we¡¯ll convene to have a slave-off between Deek and Otto Tibult., would be much more impressive if done in the arena with roaring crowds!¡±


    ¡°Can you just postpone the competition like that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s the head of the competition, and I¡¯m the prince! Of course, we can!¡± The Prince let out too, ¡°Now since all of this is settled, weren¡¯t we having a banquet? Let¡¯s start!¡±


    ¡°Finally, something I can agree with.¡± Pait declared. ¡°Although, you did chase all of the guests outside.¡±


    ¡°Well, bring them back in!¡± He said in a carefree manner.


    It must be nice being a lord and doing whatever you wanted.

 Chapter 280

    The banquet returned shortly. As for Lord Tibult and the prince, they naturally had their own seats in an area physically higher than the rest of us. I was expecting angry glares and hateful stares from Tibult the entire time, but he basically ignored me as if I was nothing. I wasn¡¯t sure if they made me feel any better. Now that we were locked into a battle as competitors, it seemed almost more insulting that he didn¡¯t put me in his eyes.


    The food was brought out, and I made sure to cast cure poison on all of it just in case. It was probably a little paranoid, as I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d go to that extent, but it didn¡¯t hurt to cover my bases. The girls ate joyously. Lydia attacked all the meat on the table. Miki kept trying to get me to feed her. Terra kept eating with her hands until I made her use a fork. Celeste shrank down to her fairy form to eat, causing a stir amongst the nearby nobles and competitors.


    ¡°Haha!¡± Pait said. ¡°Someone even smaller than us, it seems.¡± He laughed jovially.


    He let his maid sit at the table with him, which went a long way to show how much he cared about her. Even though she was pretty much silent unless addressed or apologizing for something rude Pait said, she always remained by his side.


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    I ate until I was full, which turned out to be a lot less than I remember eating in the past. Rubbing my stomach, I was reminded I had lost quite a bit of weight since I had been to this world. It had only been a few months, but I had walked and worked out, and often didn¡¯t have a lot of food to eat. The deserts they brought out actually tasted too sweet to me. I was definitely changing. Well, the girls all didn¡¯t have the same opinion, and I ended up sharing my dish with all of the girls.


    Literally, I had to spoon-feed my cake one bite at a time into four waiting mouths. By the time I was done, there were at least three tables of men shooting me angry, jealous glares.


    ¡°This guy definitely wants us to kick his ass tomorrow!¡± One guy muttered.


    There were other sentiments as well, but I could only smile wryly. Sorry guys, the competition is canceled. I won¡¯t be fighting with any of you.


    At the very end of the banquet, the prince himself stood up and explained this fact. There were many angry yells, but no one was going to start a fight with the prince. The banquet ended with a lot of angry people storming out of the mansion while grumbling to themselves.


    ¡°Just who is this Deek guy anyway, that he hogs the spotlight from all of us?¡± someone asked.


    ¡°Ah, I heard he was the guy with all the slave women.¡±


    I decided to quicken my step as I heard conversations like this. It was better if we didn¡¯t linger around. It should be no surprise that our group was the first to leave.

 Chapter 281

    ¡°Deek! Wait up! You still need to purify my house!¡± Pait cried, racing over to our group with Dav running behind him.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± I nodded, looking back at the short man. ¡°What do you need me to do?¡±


    The group of us all headed back to the small mansion that Pait shared with Dav. He stared at the place nervously.


    ¡°We were previously housed in an embassy building. They shoved us in a backroom out of the way. Two nights ago, they offered us this place suddenly out of the blue. We were ecstatic to take it, even though the smaller size suggested they might be slighting us. However, no sooner had we moved or stuff in when things started happening. Objects thrown quickly became dark shadows. Well, in the end, it actually started attacking us. You saw for yourself.


    I nodded and then turned to Miki. ¡°Can you do your thing?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Pait looked at Miki curiously.


    She stepped forward and then suddenly, her tail split into nine different colors. Compared to a long time ago, they were very clear and distinct now. Dav gasped and then clapped in delight.


    ¡°That¡¯s so pretty!¡¯


    Miki¡¯s body started to glow brighter and brighter, and then a sudden pillar of light exploded through the entire house. It looked like a holy weapon had suddenly been dropped down. The light was so great that some of the people still walking home gasped as they thought the sun had come up. Other than Miki, everyone had to look away as the glow continued for several moments. Somewhere distant within the house, there appeared to be the howl of some malevolent spirit.


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    It¡¯s scream disappeared quickly, and her glow with it. All that was left was a purplish afterglow. However, the house and everything around it looked exactly the same. I pulled out some sage immediately and began the ceremony we had done a hundred times in Chalm to keep ghosts out. The girls immediately began helping, used to this kind of work.


    Pait had only managed to recover after we were halfway done. ¡°Wh-what¡­ that¡¯s¡­ amazing!¡±


    The usually talkative man was speechless for the first time since I had met him.


    ¡°Ah, we¡¯ve dealt with a lot of ghosts. A ghost dungeon ended up opening in the middle of our city. Me retaking that city was exactly the reason we¡¯re here now. You just happened to ask the right people when it came to exorcising bad spirits.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say¡­ I knew that nine-tailed foxes were considered practically a myth. Now that I saw it, I truly understand that your kind meets their reputation.¡±


    Miki put on a slightly strange look. ¡°nine-tail foxes are only rare because we are typically weak and sickly. The only reason I have found this strength is thanks to master.¡±


    Pait stroked his chin and then glanced at me. ¡°Yes, you seem to be an interesting guy. I thought the most interesting about you was the company you keep, but perhaps I was mistaken. Maybe the company you keep is interesting because of you yourself.¡±


    I scratched my head awkwardly. ¡°Ah¡­ I don¡¯t know about that. However, I¡¯ll be finished soon. If you have any more problems, you¡¯ll know where to find us.¡±

 Chapter 282

    We quickly finished doing all the standard things to ghost proof the Esmere household before we turned to leave. The pair thanked me profusely and even offered to pay coin which we refused. I¡¯d rather they felt a little indebted to us than accept a few measly coins. I still felt like having them owe us a favor was more important. As I reached the gate, Pait ran and grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks. I glanced back and looked down at him. He had a worried expression on his face.


    ¡°My boy, I know you¡¯re strong, and your team is also quite capable. However, this Lord Tibult comes from a strong house. As much as he appears it, he is no fool. If he agreed to this competition, it is because he believes he can win. You can believe he¡¯s simply being arrogant, but I guarantee you that he will not leave anything to chance. He is likely going to have a trick up his sleeve, maybe several. It¡¯s just, your slaves seem to love you very much, and I can see you care for them, so I¡¯d hate to see you separated.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll be careful, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    If he somehow cheated, I wouldn¡¯t tolerate it. If it turned out the curse with the girls had to be broken, I already decided. Of course, my decision was to lose my flesh! Let them cut off the dungeon tattoo. If that¡¯s what it took so the girls obtained their freedom, then so be it. Of course, I would prefer if things didn¡¯t end up that way. Tomorrow, since I had some time while they were preparing the competition, I had plans to visit the slave guild. Perhaps, they¡¯d have a better idea than the Prince on how to remove my tattoo, or at least the slaves bound by it.


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    We bid our farewells and the five of us headed back to the hotel. When we arrived, I was glad to see that the place was booming. The mercenaries that had previously trashed the place hadn¡¯t returned, and the innkeeper seemed to have replaced everything they had broken. One of the maids immediately tried to offer me some food, and when I shook my head, she offered something to drink.


    Just the memory of my pounding head made me shake my head more enthusiastically to the alcohol. She seemed strangely regretful that there was nothing she could get me, so I ended up asking for an extra pillow.


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± She said a serious expression on her face that seemed at ends with the task I had assigned.


    When I turned back to my girls, they were all looking at me with flat expressions.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Master is a lot of work.¡± Miki sighed.


    ¡°Eh? What is that supposed to mean? I barely ask anything of you girls. Are you saying you don¡¯t want to fight for me?¡±


    The girls shook their head and Lydia spoke up. ¡°Master, it¡¯s just¡­ where ever we look there is always another girl. We can accept if Master finds someone he fancies, like with Terra¡­ but¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Master needs to keep the doki-doki in his pants!¡± Celeste said.


    The other girls started nodding.


    ¡°What are you talking about, I haven¡¯t slept with anyone, and I¡¯m not even chasing anyone romantically. You girls worry too much.¡±


    The four girls were giving me looks as if they were unconvinced. I could only sigh and promise them I¡¯ll try to be less¡­ doki-doki¡­ whatever that means. They accepted that and we went to bed, four girls all finding a place to lie while maximizing contact with me.

 Chapter 283

    The next day I woke unable to breathe.


    ¡°Mmm¡­mmm!¡± I was covered with heavy things and they were definitely killing me.


    In fact, I couldn¡¯t hear very well either. It was like my entire world was plunged into a dark abyss. That abyss was dark and hot, and it smelled like a girl. Wait, what?


    ¡°Eh, Master?¡± A sleepy Celeste lifted her chest and I finally let in a gasp for breath.


    During the night, she had shrunk to fairy size, and then seemingly returned to her current size while she was sleeping. The result was that my face was smashed between her large breasts. It was seriously scary. I thought I would die for a moment.


    However, after scolding her, Miki and Celeste seemed happy for some reason. I couldn¡¯t figure out why they took delight in me speaking ill of Celeste¡¯s breasts. As for Lydia, she seemed uncertain and kept touching her chest like she was wondering if she could get rid of it. Celeste also seemed really depressed. I didn¡¯t want the girls to get any wrong idea so I complimented Lydia.


    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful the way you are, Lydia.¡± I said, ¡°You¡¯re all beautiful just as you are¡­ ahh¡­¡±


    The girls all pounced on me and wouldn¡¯t let me up as they held me. It was another hour before we ended up getting dressed. Before we could head to the common room, there was a knock on the door. It was one of the maids. She had brought up breakfast. However, strangely, she had only brought up food for one. Since I didn¡¯t want to eat without the girls, I couldn¡¯t accept it. The maid seemed disappointed, but she¡¯d be fine.


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    After that, we went down to the common room. The common rooms of inns in fantasy were supposedly good sources of information. All you had to do was open your ears and people would drop useful exposition for you. Well, that was in games, I didn¡¯t think that real inns were quite like that. After ordering food for everyone, which I insisted on paying for even though the innkeeper still wanted to repay us further for protecting his inn, I decided to listen to the nearby tables.


    ¡°The competition was canceled today, a lot of people are pissed¡­¡±


    No, I already knew that, and I don¡¯t want to hear about how people I don¡¯t know are angry at me for things that are out of control. That makes me sad. I listened to another table.


    ¡°You see the table behind us with the four cute girls? They say that Deek guy is a womanizer and buys women. I heard he even tricks other Adventurer¡¯s in giving him their slaves if he fancies-¡°


    That was even worse! Why did I have to cause so many waves in the capitol! This is completely unreasonable. I tried my luck by listening to one last table.


    ¡°Did you hear about the Widow¡¯s Dungeon. They say they¡¯ve finally broken to the final boss. Given how inaccessible the dungeon is, the King put a large gold bounty on anyone who can defeat it! Well, there is supposedly a group of men who are putting together a raid. They want at least four Adventuring teams to run a raid on the monster. It¡¯s supposedly good money.¡±


    ¡°And risk your life in the dungeon? Only a dungeon diver plays with his life like that. I¡¯ll stay on the surface, thank you very much.¡±


    Bingo. I heard some interesting information. It looks like inns were good sources of information after all. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I could do anything right now. It was time to go to the Slave Guild as I planned.

 Chapter 284

    With the map ability, finding any place in the city became a cinch. I quickly navigated us to the Slave Guild. Handling slavery for the entire country of Aberis, The Slave Guild was naturally a very large place. It had to house likely hundreds of slaves at a time, and there were numerous laws set up to protect slaves. Even though Aberis accepted slavery, it wasn¡¯t so bad that anyone off the street could be grabbed and made a slave.


    All slaves were a result of either being criminals, owing money, volunteering, or being born into it. Those were the only conditions in which someone could be considered a slave. Lydia was born into the slave trade, while Miki volunteered for it. Although, I could see how volunteering was a slippery slope. It was easy to coerce someone into slavery. Supposedly, the slave traders assured that someone was put into slavery in sound mind and body and openly volunteered for it, but there were situations like with Celeste or Terra where that wasn¡¯t so simple.


    In fact, I did have a worry when it came to these girls because neither was turned into a slave legitimately. Although Terra¡¯s status is probably more like a pet, I¡¯d rather she be acknowledged like the human soul and appearance that she possesses. When it comes to Celeste, she too is more closely associated with monsters than humans. This is why fairies could be forcefully enslaved, although I heard the laws had changed and magical creatures could no longer be forced into slavery.


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    We ended up having to walk up a lot of steps and there were large columns that reminded me of Romanesque architecture. I eventually made it to the top and I was surprised that I wasn¡¯t out of breath. The main courtyard was under the canopy, but it was completely open. There were several slave auctions going on. The slaves were placed in carts, not unlike the ones I saw Figuro using. We continued on a few steps before I realized that this might be traumatic for the girls.


    ¡°Are you girls okay? You don¡¯t have to enter if you don¡¯t want to.¡± I turned back to them.


    Miki shook her head. ¡°I was never a slave for long. I was only ever familiar with Figuro and he was always kind to me, so this kind of thing doesn¡¯t bother me.


    When Celeste and Terra, who had never been on a slave block, also shook their heads, my eyes naturally fell on Lydia. Of the girls, she wore the most uncomfortable looking coming into the slave block. Unlike the others, she had been a slave her entire life and had to deal with all manner of slaveholders. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Lydia herself had been in this very courtyard at some point during her life. This might even be where Lord Tibult would have purchased her.


    Lydia slowly shook her head. ¡°It is alright, Master. I will stay by your side. Although this place brings back some unpleasant memories, it was those memories that ultimately led me to Master, so I am happy I am here.¡±


    She gave me a reassuring smile which made my heart melt after that. After we were done here, I¡¯d buy the girls ice cream. Did icecream exist in this world? I wasn¡¯t sure. First, I¡¯d make sure this world had ice cream, then, I¡¯d get the girls some. Hmmm¡­ I might need to invent ice cream.

 Chapter 285

    There was a long row of desks that were manned by people that appeared to be the place where I could get information. I walked up to a free one and nodded to the man behind the counter.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m in need of registering two slaves. I was also wondering if I could get a consultation with a Slave Master or someone knowledgeable about slave seals.¡±


    The guy behind the counter sneered. ¡°You think a Slave Master would come out to see just anyone? If you want to buy a slave, there are auctions all around you, as long as you have the coin.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ no, as I said, I need to register slaves I already have,¡± I said uncertainly over the guy¡¯s glare.


    ¡°You¡¯re speaking nonsense.¡± He sniffed. ¡°No slave traders are allowed to function in this country without the permission of the slave guild. If you have a slave bonded to you, this meant you had to have a slave trader or slave master involved to perform the magic. If you did, they should have properly submitted the paperwork for you. If you feel the paperwork has not been properly submitted, then please let me know who the slave trader was you acquired your slave from and I will submit a request for you. If the slave mark does not designate you as the slave owner, then please bring the original slave owner. If they are dead and did not leave a clause to release the slaves upon death, then the slaves default to the property of the guild and we will take care of them accordingly.¡±


    The guy was like a steam engine, not giving me a single chance to butt in. I was feeling very irritated at this point. I just wanted someone to fill out the paperwork, and this guy was so convinced he was right.


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    ¡°Look, I have two slaves. They weren¡¯t purchased. They are slaves to me. They do have a mark. Can you just help me compile some paperwork for them?¡±


    ¡°How were these slaves passed on to you without the intervention of a slave trader?¡± He demanded.


    He was scowling now, and I noticed him wave to two guards. They took steps forward toward us while holding his swords. The girls felt the change in the mood too. Lydia touched her sword nervously, and Terra looked ready to chew rocks. The man was giving me a severe look, demanding an explanation. I was told by Figuro not to reveal my slave taker ability or the fact I had the Slave Master job to anyone. The Slaver¡¯s Guild is definitely the last place I¡¯d want to have this information.


    On the other hand, I couldn¡¯t think of a single way to justify the two girls. How could I explain to them that one of the girls was enslaved by her mother and then taken in a dungeon by me? Perhaps, by showing the control rod, I could at least explain Terra. However, would they accept her as a registered human being? They may deny that status and she may end up being considered a pet. Getting her past this registration was an important part of giving her an identity.


    ¡°Um¡­ I¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t really come up with anything to say.


    ¡°Deek! It¡¯s great to see you again!¡± A voice called out down the hall.


    The guards stopped their advance and the secretary covered his angry expression when he saw a slave trader approaching. It was none other than Figuro himself. I could only let out a breath of relief.


    ¡°Figuro, you¡¯re here after all,¡± I said, trying to alert him to my predicament by shifting my eyes between the guards and my girls.


    Figuro, being quick with his eyes, immediately gave a nod and turned to the information guy. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. This is a trusted client. I¡¯ll be handling his account personally.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, sir!¡± The man almost bowed.


    I thought Figuro was just a traveling slave trader, but he apparently had a bit of respect here. Just who was he?


    ¡°Come on, Deek, we have much to talk about.¡± Figuro saved me from a potentially dangerous situation.

 Chapter 286

    I followed Figuro to a back room. It was a large room with quite a few creature comforts, and it was as nice as any room I saw in the noble¡¯s mansion, if perhaps not is decadent.


    ¡°You¡¯re not like the Guild Master or something, right?¡±


    Figuro blinked and then chuckled, ¡°No, nothing so grand as that. I¡¯m simply a man who is good at his job. Even though slave trading is an ugly business, I like to be a part of it because, at its base, it¡¯s all about people, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Selling them¡­¡± I frowned.


    Figuro shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m all about connections. That¡¯s why I work to connect myself with people all across this world. The master and slave relationship, that¡¯s a kind of connection as well. Of course, you¡¯re not here to talk about my personal philosophies on life. How can I help you today, Deek?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, actually, I came for several reasons.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you did end up a week late regarding that special slave I told you about. In the end, she was auctioned off to a noble. It wasn¡¯t one I would have preferred her to go to, but he was willing to pay more than a pretty penny.


    Figuro didn¡¯t look happy, but I could only give him a helpless shrug. I wasn¡¯t that particularly interested in this girl I had never met in the first place.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m not officially a noble yet anyway.¡± I tried to find an excuse.


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    ¡°Yet?¡± Figuro smirked and nodded thoughtfully. ¡°It sounds like things are progressing in the direction I had guessed.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well¡­ you do know people best, I guess?¡±


    Figuro chuckled. ¡°That I do¡­ which is why I predict one of the reasons you¡¯re here has to do with these two new slaves I have yet to meet.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Yes, this is Celeste and Terra. They both need slave documents written up!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be one gold coin per slave.¡± He explained. ¡°I assume they are already bound to you? I don¡¯t want to insult you, but I must make sure, they aren¡¯t taken from any other owners, have you?¡±


    As he asked this last part, he lowered his voice and whispered it to me. He was clearly sticking to his sentiment about not revealing any of this to any other slavers. I shook my head immediately.


    ¡°Celeste and Terra were both given to me by their parents.¡±


    I was playing fast and loose with the story, but I technically wasn¡¯t lying. After all, it was Celeste¡¯s mother who enslaved her, and she condoned my ownership of her daughter. As for Terra, her parents made it so whoever had her control rod became imprinted as her Master. In that respect, since I¡¯m the one who picked it up, their consent was inferred. Well, that was my story and I was sticking with it. Celeste and Terra thankfully backed me up by nodding.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fine then.¡± Figuro relaxed a bit. ¡°In that case, what species are they? Um¡­ excuse me for not assuming.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s Sylph and an Earth Golem.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Figuro nodded thoughtfully as he wrote the information down on a scroll of paper. ¡°A Sylph and an Earth Golem. Wait? A Sylph and an Earth Golem! Just how did you come into possession of a- no¡­ not my place to ask. A sylph is practically priceless on the auction market¡­ do I put her for a thousand gold? That¡¯s really selling her short. And while Earth Golem isn¡¯t necessarily too remarkable, one that looks¡­ well¡­ like her, she¡¯d go for at least as much as Lydia¡­ ieieie¡­¡±


    He managed to stop and calm himself down and then began muttering out loud as he tried to figure out how he was going to get us through the registration process unharmed. He was a good guy.

 Chapter 287

    ¡°Alright, so that just about settles things with their registration.¡± Figuro sighed like he had just run a marathon. ¡°What other things can I help you with today.¡±


    ¡°Great¡­¡± I smiled wryly. ¡°Now is it possible to release them as slaves?¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± The girls made strange noises of protest, but I ignored them.


    ¡°Wh-what!?¡± Figuro made a face. ¡°I just finished all their paperwork! Now you want the mark removed?¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ well, the paperwork was just a safety precaution. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯d be able to remove their slavery, and even if you could, that will have to wait. I¡¯m just preparing for the worst while hoping for the best, is all.¡±


    ¡°Can you be more specific?¡±


    ¡°Well, you remember that Lord Tibult guy, right?¡±


    He jerked for a second and the name but then nodded. ¡°What of him?¡±


    ¡°I ended up being put into a master-slave challenge against him. It was made up by the prince. If I fail, I need to free the girls. This isn¡¯t a problem for me. As you know, I¡¯ve desired their freedom for a while. What is a problem is that I was cursed in a manner where I can¡¯t give up my slaves. The prince has a few solutions, but they require mutilating me or hurting the girls, and so a third option is definitely desired.¡±


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    As I spoke, the girls behind me were very quiet. Whenever I spoke of releasing them, they typically lowered their heads and became quiet. It was probably a taboo subject for a slave. If they let themselves show excitement over being freed, that would naturally put a lot of discomfort on their Master. It was nice that they were considering my feelings, but I really wished they¡¯d be more expressive towards seeking their freedom.


    ¡°The Prince Aberis and Lord Tibult, you¡¯ve encountered some interesting people yourself since coming to the Capitol.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, it wasn¡¯t intentional. Things just sort of happened that way.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­ well, I can tell you there may be an option. There is a special rune formation which nullifies bonds.¡±


    ¡°Nullifies, you say?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Slaves, pets, coercion¡­ it was created a long time ago after the end of some war against a Demon Lord. He used a lot of bonds to force people into his employment, and the country was getting a major headache trying to determine who was a legit follower of the demon lord and who was just brainwashed or forced into doing it. In the end, this circle was made. All bonds are effectively severed while the rune is in effect. During that time, it may be possible to sever their bonds.¡±


    ¡°Really, then¡­¡±


    ¡°But!¡± He held up a finger. ¡°The ingredients to make the rune are extremely rare and hard to find. You¡¯d need to have a lot of wealth to build the rune. At least 10,000 gold, and even then, you¡¯d have to be lucky to find all the ingredients or have a lot of resources. I heard a while ago someone had the parts for such a rune, but those were just rumors.¡±


    I lowered my head. ¡°So, it¡¯s probably impossible then.¡±


    Even someone like me who had already had accumulated a nice wealth, 10,000 gold was still far outside my realm of affordability.


    ¡°Alright, then, I guess I¡¯d like to look at your slaves.¡±

 Chapter 288

    ¡°Ah! Fantastic!¡± Figuro clapped his hands. ¡°Then, please tell me, what is your formation missing. A form of six is said to be very strong without being too large.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Actually, the five of us are already fine. Celeste handles mana, Miki spirit, Lydia is speed, Terra is strength, and I¡¯m support. Rather, I¡¯m looking for people to send to Chalm. Um¡­ actually, if it is possible, I don¡¯t want their slavery shifted onto me for obvious reasons.¡±


    ¡°Right, that can be arranged. The paperwork filing is what really matters. As long as they have a slave mark, whether it is attached to you or not is not important. I assume you also wish to free them as well.¡±


    ¡°Eventually, I¡¯ll let the mayor and guild master worry about those things.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll also sell slave-breaking runes as well. Are you just looking for skilled artisans without a criminal record?¡± As he spoke, he stood up and gestured us to follow him out the door.


    ¡°That, but I also have some more personal requests. I¡¯ll need some servants as well. My mansion is being built, and I¡¯ll have a property in the Capitol that it¡¯d be nice if I had someone to care for as well.¡± I said, following him with the girls in tow.


    We were now heading to the slave block. He seemed to bypass the wagons outside and used a special key to enter a back area. I had a distinct feeling that only special guests were allowed to see these slave areas. Was it because I was special, or was Figuro more unique than he let on. Just being good at his job didn¡¯t earn reverence like that secretary guy had for him.


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    ¡°Do you have anything particular in mind?¡±


    ¡°A head maid would be nice¡­ someone with the skills to train everyone else. Definitely cooking and cleaning experience. Also¡­ If they have clean-up magic, that would be great.¡±


    ¡°A maid with cleanup magic?¡± Figuro raised an eyebrow. ¡°You never disappoint to make impressive requests. A woman of that quality is usually reserved for a palace. You typically don¡¯t find them enslaved.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ is that so? Don¡¯t worry about it then.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say we didn¡¯t have someone of that type!¡± Figuro waved his hands. ¡°Rather, it¡¯s just she¡¯s a VIP slave. She¡¯s very expensive.¡±


    ¡°How much is very expensive?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Well, this slave is incredibly beautiful. She used to be the maid to a noble, but that noble ended up going bankrupt and having to sell her. Even so, she¡¯s 2000 gold.¡±


    ¡°Two thousand!¡± I let out a noise like a strangled cat.


    ¡°Of course, there are a lot of things that go into deciding the price of a person. Most standard, unremarkable people only cost a few gold coins. Sickly and old might even go for less. Rare species, rare jobs, high levels, beauty, youth, and a high level despite youth, these are all things that increase their value. As for this girl, she is the rarest find imaginable.¡± He stopped in front of a door.


    ¡°How rare is rare?¡± I asked, helplessly.


    He grabbed the door and pushed it open. The room had actually been decked out quite nicely. It was like she was a noble herself. Compared to the slaves outside sitting in straw, the nice carpeted floor and a full bed were in stark contrast when it came to treatment. A tall, beautiful woman spun around when she saw the door open. She had an abundantly large chest and an extremely alluring body. However, the feature that stood out the most were long, pointed ears on either side of her head.


    ¡°Try¡­ extinct.¡± Figuro coughed.


    ¡°A big-titty elf girl¡­¡± I said the words in wonder.

 Chapter 289

    ¡°Ah, well, large breasts doesn¡¯t have anything to do with her species¡­¡± Figuro responded wryly.


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ of course.¡± I cleared my throat.


    Why did I feel like I had glares drilling into my back from behind? It was just a slip of the tongue, honestly? As we looked at the woman, she watched back, an intrigued look in her eyes.


    ¡°Even if you show me the most expensive girl in this place, why do you expect I can afford something this extravagant?¡± I asked Figuro wryly.


    He let out a chuckle. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just wishful thinking? When I see slaves that are very skilled and promising, naturally, I want them to go the best slave handlers. Just looking and Miki and Lydia, they have developed wonderfully under your case. Miki herself would easily be as valuable as Lydia, despite having the nine-tail label.¡±


    ¡°Can you stop putting prices on them, they¡¯re all priceless to me,¡± I said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t sell them for any amount.¡±


    ¡°My apologies,¡± Figuro gave a slight bow, ¡°I meant no offense.¡±


    Hmm? It seems like the heat on my back somehow lessened from a moment ago. What was going on with that?


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­¡± I responded defensively. ¡°It isn¡¯t that easy that I get angry about something.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Figuro smiled. ¡°Are you sure that you have no further questions about this elf?¡±


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    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m not curious? What is her story? Was she some lost princess or something?¡±


    Figuro chuckled. ¡°Nothing so extravagant as that. Her story was pretty simple, actually. Her family were slaves. It was extremely rare for an elf to become a slave. You may not know this, but the extinction of elves is a fairly recent thing. Elf women struggle to become pregnant, but they have extremely long lives. This wouldn¡¯t have been an issue, except there were many wars and conflicts and elves were brought into it. Unlike humans and demihumans which replenish their numbers within two decades, it¡¯d take elves thousands of years to recuperate.


    ¡°Eventually, too many elves died, and even finding two elves that wanted to be lifelong mates was impossible. You see, elves are very particular about who they mate with. Their partner is for life. Thus, if the male died after they consummated their relationship even once, she could never have sex again. This isn¡¯t a mental thing or a belief of elves either, it¡¯s actually a built-in part of their biology.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Once a man¡­ um¡­ inserts his part.¡± He looked behind me with at least some modesty as he tried to explain things without details. ¡°The woman¡¯s¡­ part¡­ imprints on him. If any other part attempts to go in, it seals shut. Furthermore, when it comes to simply impregnation, her body rejects the seed of any other man.¡±


    ¡°S-seriously?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°As the species was becoming endangered, they tried many magics and attempts to bypass their biological systems. However, it was determined that a woman¡¯s¡­ um¡­ parts could not be opened except by her partner without severely injuring her, and impregnation was impossible.


    ¡°This is all interesting, but how does this relate to her.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, she isn¡¯t simply an elf, but she¡¯s also still a virgin without any imprinting. In fact, it¡¯s a part of her slave clause that a Master can not force her to have sex. If you do so, she will be taken immediately and you would be severely punished.¡±


    ¡°I think Master should take her.¡± Lydia suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Miki nodded. ¡°Mm¡­ a slave Master can¡¯t touch. I approve.¡±


    What was that about? My girls sometimes said the strangest things.

 Chapter 290

    ¡°You still didn¡¯t really explain much about how she became a slave,¡± I said, even though the girls were getting more interested behind me.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t much to tell.¡± Figuro shrugged. ¡°She was born into it, actually. Her mother was a slave, so she was born a slave too. The noble in question was an avid collector and bought her more as a trophy than as a maid. He did so around 50 years ago when the last elves were dying from old age. When his son took over the estate after the passing of his old man, he ran it into the ground by gambling. Eventually, he sold off his dad¡¯s collections to pay for it. One such sale includes this woman right here.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let that convince you she¡¯s not capable. While under his employ, she made sure to learn her duties properly. Using her free time, she practiced daily, and over the course of the last 50 years, she has the full-fledged job Head Maid. It¡¯s a job with access to magical cleanup spells, cooking, and also cleaning. She is very adept at all of it.¡±


    ¡°So, she¡¯s over 50 then?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Elves live much longer than human lives. If you were to put a human age to her, she wouldn¡¯t be much over 18. In fact, if you were to acquire her, she¡¯d live long past your own life. She¡¯d be your children¡¯s maid, and possibly their maid as well.¡±


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    ¡°Even if that is so¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯d be bad to be bound too, as she wouldn¡¯t be able to break that bond easily.


    I couldn¡¯t believe I was actually falling for this. To date, I had only accumulated a little over 2000 gold * after finishing the last dungeon. If I bought her, I¡¯d be losing most of it. I say most because I should still be able to use the Haggle ability and get a small discount.


    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s the other reason I thought you might be perfect.¡± Figuro shrugged. ¡°She had another condition on her. He slavery mark can not be undone. She can not be freed.


    ¡°Huh? Why would that be?¡± I didn¡¯t like that condition at all.


    ¡°The condition is self-imposed-¡° Figuro held up his hands as I gave him a hostile look.


    I looked back at the women herself, frowning slightly. She took a step forward and curtseyed.


    ¡°If I may?¡± She asked submissively.


    Figuro nodded. ¡°Go ahead. It¡¯s best if it comes from you.¡±


    ¡°I am the last of my kind¡­ an extreme rarity. That means, there are many that would want to acquire me. As a slave in this country, I am protected by this country¡¯s laws. If I was not a slave, however¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be¡­¡±


    She left the explanation at that, but I was able to finish it in my mind. This was ultimately all about protecting herself. Owned by someone rich, no one could technically take her away. She¡¯d be safe. Even if she did get taken, they could always find her by her bond. However, if she was free, she could be exploited by all manner of person. She could be stolen, imprisoned, raped, or worse. Slavery seemed like a flimsy shield to me, but it was still a shield when you literally had nothing else.

 Chapter 291

    ¡°Thank you for catering to my questions, but I simply can¡¯t afford to purchase her. I have the future of an entire city I have to think about. Furthermore, I don¡¯t even have a place to call home yet, so acquiring a maid now would be counter to that.¡±


    ¡°Actually, given the extreme cost of this woman, I think you¡¯ll find she more than makes up for it,¡± Figuro added when he saw I wasn¡¯t going to bite.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re looking for people to purchase to bring to Chalm as citizens, yes?¡±


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true¡­¡±


    ¡°As a head maid, her expertise is hiring personnel and management. You see, as her master got older, she was in charge of the entire estate. She effectively ran a plot of land for about ten years while the son played around and was irresponsible. If that old noble was in his right state of mind, he¡¯d have never passed his fortune to a child like that once he died. In the end, since she was just a slave, she couldn¡¯t counter the son¡¯s decisions. Despite his bad decisions, she managed to keep that province and the people in it happy for five years, until that son sold her. Without her managing things, well, I¡¯ll just say he¡¯s in a slave collar out in the courtyard the last I checked.


    ¡°So, you see, she¡¯d be an ideal person to put in charge of this. You saw all the auctions going on out there. Although there are ten or twenty back here I can offer you, you¡¯re going to eventually need to deal with the auctions. If you¡¯re looking to purchase a couple of hundred slaves, you¡¯ll need to be around to make bids, pay debt, and manage the whole process. It could take you weeks to buy everyone you want for your city.¡±


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    I frowned at his words, ¡°Uh¡­ that sounds really exhausting. Isn¡¯t there someone I can just hire to take this over. Isn¡¯t that what you¡¯re here for?¡±


    He let out a cough. ¡°Uh¡­ while yes, I¡¯m always willing to assist my clients in finding just the right slave, that is¡­ well, a small part of my job. It isn¡¯t impossible to lend my services for such a job, but I lack the knowledge she does, so I couldn¡¯t promise I wouldn¡¯t hire a few bad apples and useless people. Furthermore, if you wish to hire me, I¡¯d need to remain competitive. My price runs 100 gold an hour. That¡¯s 800 gold a day, for one week¡­ well, you can see why a slave would be preferable.¡±


    I had a distinct feeling that he charged a bit more than your common slaver, but I didn¡¯t feel like I could trust any of the others. They might just grab anyone so they didn¡¯t have to work very hard. I might end up with criminals or useless people. They might even lie about the costs so that they could pocket extra money. A slave would be restricted by my commands. Furthermore, she would want to do a good job to please her master and since she¡¯d inevitably be affected by who she picked, she¡¯d have a personal investment in picking the right people for the job.


    In the end, she really was a woman worth her cost. Figuro had once again accurately determined what I needed and what I could afford. I could only sigh at how good he was at his job.


    ¡°Since you put it that way, I suppose I should buy her then.¡±

 Chapter 292

    ¡°Very well,¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll take her.¡±


    ¡°You will!¡± Figuro seemed startled for a second.


    ¡°Yeah? Why are you startled? You¡¯re the one who offered her to me!¡±


    ¡°True¡­ but, I¡¯m sorry to say, I can¡¯t lend her now with the promise of money later. Even if you put yourself and all four of your slaves¡­ well¡­ actually, that might about do it¡­¡± Figuro looked at the girls behind me while scratching his cheek thoughtfully.


    ¡°Hold your horses! I have the money,¡± I let out a sigh.


    ¡°2000 gold? Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Wait, if you didn¡¯t believe I had the money, why wave her in front of me?¡± I demanded.


    Figuro laughed, scratching the back of his neck. ¡°She has been for sale for months now, and even the richest nobles in the Capitol won¡¯t take her. Most nobles feel threatened by her. They don¡¯t like having someone more skilled than them. We were going to have to end up sending her north to the Imperial Cloud Meadow. I really didn¡¯t want this to happen, as they are notoriously bigoted. If you think Aberis is bad, the Imperial Cloud Meadow is strictly human. All non humans are slaves, period. She would assuredly be abused and her skill underutilized in an environment like that. As for you, I was hoping to encourage you to make a miracle, as you did with Lydia¡­¡±


    ¡°So, you thought to dangle something in front of my eyes and hoped I went to great lengths to pursue it?¡± I let out a noise of disapproval. ¡°Just what kind of guy do you think I am?¡±


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    He bowed. ¡°I apologize, that was completely inappropriate of me. However, if you have the capacity to afford her and are willing to pay, I am overjoyed. I will get the paperwork immediately. Perhaps, you should speak to her first. Ah¡­ her name if Faenya, by the way.¡±


    He turned and left the hallway, and I was left staring at my new purchase. She¡¯d be the first slave I officially bought in this world.


    ¡°Hello, my name is Deek.¡± I bowed. ¡°I know you likely expected better, but I hope you can serve me well.¡±


    The girl put on a simple smile and curtsied in response. ¡°I am Faenya. If you have the capacity to afford me, you likely are already an amazing man. Furthermore, Figuro speaks highly of you, and if you have his approval, then it is likely that you have earned it. How may I serve my new Master?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, my operation is a little bit upstart. There is a small city that is technically outside of Aberis. Well, in a few days, we should be officially recognized. The city is made up of mostly freed slaves. I¡¯d like to maintain that tradition. I need your help to clean out the Capitol of anyone who is worth their weight. I want craftsmen and those with useful jobs. If they have the capacity to teach those jobs to others, even better. Ideally, I¡¯d like those that are likely to stay. It¡¯d be nice to free them all eventually. If you can purchase relatives, children, and family, please do so. The elderly as well.¡±


    ¡°New slaves come into the capitol every day. I could indefinitely stay and purchase slaves.¡± Faenya responded helplessly. ¡°Do you have a particular goal in mind?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking of 1000 right now. It¡¯d be nice to get a protective force to guard Chalm. At least 200 fighting men or women.¡±


    ¡°Based on what I¡¯ve seen since I¡¯ve gotten here, you¡¯re looking at around 8000 gold to purchase everyone.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Although I planned to sell some of the stuff for money, it looked like I was nowhere close.

 Chapter 293

    Figuro returned a few minutes later. I introduced my current slaves to Faenya. She was very polite to each of them. Although she was supposedly around 18 in our years, she had a motherly aura around her that seemed to make the other girls look up to her. They all smiled at her and seemed to really like her. I could never understand what led them to hating some girls while liking others. It was truly a conundrum.


    ¡°I will provide the slavery stuff for free, so you don¡¯t need to worry about using your¡­ ahem¡­ skill¡­¡± Figuro smiled wryly.


    What? I didn¡¯t like being nickel and dimed. Is that really such a problem? Well, at least Figuro understood me. Since those fees were being waved, I might as well do things as officially as possible. Well, I still used haggle as I handed over the money. However, he didn¡¯t hand any back to me after I signed the paperwork, so I started to frown.


    He noticed me frowning and then winked. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I was a bit surprised when you haggled me down, naturally I responded by upselling you. The two abilities end up canceling each other out. Any knowledgeable trader or merchant isn¡¯t so easily brought down in price. It does leave me wondering what job you have, or if you have a priest on retainer.¡±


    I could only smile wryly. ¡°I apologize.¡±


    I had never bought a slave from him before. Miki was given freely and the cost was the resurrection spell to the priest. When it came to Lydia, the town came together and paid my fee before I could even attempt to use the ability. So, this was the first time the pair of exchanged any money. As it turned out, Figuro had a skill that countered my own, so getting discounts from him was impossible. I felt like I had done something bad.


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    Figuro just waved it off. ¡°Any good merchant always tries to haggle. It¡¯s really how we make profits. It¡¯s actually not uncommon for merchants to buy things at their value. In that case, that 20% is our only profit. Naturally, small store owners, seamstresses, blacksmiths, and these guys don¡¯t have a merchant job, so they can¡¯t block haggling, but any true merchant usually would, and if he doesn¡¯t, it¡¯s because he already marked things up 20% expecting you to haggle with him.¡±


    It seemed like the world of mercantile was far more insidious than I had originally thought. It wasn¡¯t so easy to just abuse my haggling and become rich, especially if I was going to deal with the merchant guild. I¡¯m glad I learned this from Figuro rather than embarrassing myself against the experts. There might even be an advanced upsell and I¡¯d find myself getting taken advantage of. Actually, there was a third-tier dungeon ability called Bargain that sounded like a higher-level version. Perhaps it¡¯d get me 50% off. It was too late to use it on Figuro though, and he might even have the higher-level version of Upsell. I should be happy he didn¡¯t use it on me. Or did he?


    I definitely handed him two thousand gold, but maybe he hadn¡¯t asked for two thousand originally. Man, these skills really screwed with your brain. What is real anymore?


    I didn¡¯t have time to fall into an existential crisis, half the day was over and I had one more project, perhaps the most important things that dictated our future. After the mark was transferred over, I gained a new slave, and then bid my farewell.

 Chapter 294

    {Faeyna has become your slave.


    Class: Management


    Job: Head Maid (Slave) LVL 32


    Unlocked Jobs: Cook (LVL 10), Maid (LVL 50), Manager (LVL 15), Governess (LVL 18), Basic Magician (LVL 20)


    Race: Elf}


    While none of her jobs were combat-related, she actually gave me a run for my money when it came to her levels. Lydia, Miki and I had a long way to go. Admittedly, she had 50-60 years to gain those levels, but it still left me feeling a bit weak. For my age, I was probably above average, and considering we were still pretty young, it was probably impressive when compared to seasoned warriors, but I could still have dreams of being the strongest.


    After everything was done, I turned to leave the slave market. Faeyna would be traveling with us for today. I wanted to make sure she knew where everything was. However, after that, I would cut her loose on her own. I¡¯d give her what little money I could get selling everything, and then we¡¯d start needing to fundraise for Chalm and sending people home to help with the reconstruction. I really was starting to feel like a diplomat, dealing with the aristocracy while thinking of the well-being of a place a distance away.


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    As I reached the door, Figuro grabbed my sleeve. I turned back and he had an uncertain expression on his face. He looked just a tad bit worried.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I hope you understand, I am not permitted to speak with you about previous slave sales or the like,¡± Figuro explained.


    ¡°Um¡­ okay?¡±


    ¡°I just need to warn you. You mentioned your competition with Lord Tibult today. All I can say is that you should be careful. He visited the slave market recently, and if you expect him to be in the same shape he was when you met him in Chalm, you may find yourself surprised. The man will not play fairly, I can guarantee you that.¡±


    I nodded and patted his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    He nodded uncertainly, but still let me go. The six of us walked out of the slave market. My party was actually growing a bit excessive here. It would be nice if we won that mansion. Well, those problems would be resolved tomorrow after the competition. Either I¡¯d be returning to Chalm or I¡¯d become a noble.


    After getting down the long stairway that led up to the white-columned plaza, I opened up my map and started looking through it for the next place we needed to go. If my timing was correct, we didn¡¯t have too much longer. Dropping the map, I checked my ring and winced. Without haggle, I really did have a piddling amount of money left. It would be barely enough to last the next few days.


    ¡°Master, where do we go now?¡± Lydia asked, becoming impatient as I seemingly gaze off into space.


    I look back at her and smile. ¡°It¡¯s time we come up with a way of bringing in money.¡±

 Chapter 295

    I sighed, looking at the change in my pocket, ¡°It seems like Figuro was right, the Capitol city definitely doesn¡¯t allow you to abuse haggling too much.¡±


    I was going around trying to sell everything I didn¡¯t want from the dungeons. There seemed to be three types of sellers. The craftsman who were not merchants, who either had a merchant do all their sales for them or automatically increased their prices by 20% or dropped their offers by the same. Mind you, those that chose the later lost sales to a lot of nonmerchants, so they didn¡¯t usually run public shops. I had only ended up facing one seemingly by accident because I was using my map.


    The second kind were merchants who seemed to always know when Haggle was used against them, and would then immediately respond with Upsell. A few seemed to even be able to predict when you would upsell with them, and would automatically adjust the price accordingly. The final kind just haggled and upsold everyone. I was beginning to see that the kinds of merchants like this were the most nefarious and least trustworthy.


    Although Figuro had told me that there was no trouble trying to haggle with people, after seeing those that fell back on that ability, I was starting to feel like perhaps I shouldn¡¯t. Thus, I decided to try haggling and upselling legitimately. I found it far easier with my charm pluses to sweet talk merchants. I think my girls also had something to do with it, although I certainly didn¡¯t use them at all to get discounts.


    ¡°Ah¡­ you want those gloves?¡± A blushing blacksmith said. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a discount.¡±


    Terra had grown interested in a pair of enchanted gloves and was eyeing them excitedly. They would protect her hands and give her a stronger punch. Although I was mostly selling everything we had collected to make as much coin as I could, with the championship tomorrow, I definitely wanted them equipped properly too. Thus, it was a combination of selling everything and buying new equipment for the girls. When I started trying to talk down the blacksmith, he seemed to tighten up his wallet really quickly.


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    ¡°S-so, I can¡¯t have the gloves?¡± Terra asked, tears welling in her eyes.


    Come on, Deek. You¡¯re strong. Endure¡­ Endure¡­ Just a bit longer! Sweat was pouring down my face. She was looking up at the two of us so sadly.


    ¡°O-okay!¡± The blacksmith cried out. ¡°You can have it for that price!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡± I let out a breath, only just managing to outlast him.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re lucky she reminds me of my daughter¡­¡± he grumbled.


    In the end, I got the enchanted gloves for almost their value. On top of that, I sold curious items we had accumulated from the dungeons. It was easier selling him stuff than buying stuff from him. He was much less willing to give up his own stuff than buy other stuff. Is that the so-called pride of a blacksmith? Since he made it, he felt it had a lot of value and didn¡¯t want to part?


    Well, it was something like that. We stopped at about six places before we ran out of time. I had thought Faenya might have jumped in and helped out as well. However, she sat back and watched all of my sales.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t speak up and try to get a better discount. Aren¡¯t you management?¡±


    Faenya cocked her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t step up on Master¡¯s pride as such? If you wish, I can do so¡­¡±


    That was right. Faenya had the mentality of a slave. She hasn¡¯t been around long enough to pick up the other girl¡¯s boldness. Even if she felt she could get a better price than me, speaking up and interrupting her Master would be out of line. Actually, this was probably how a proper slave was supposed to act.


    ¡°In the future, if you think you can improve a situation by butting in, I give you permission to do so,¡± I said.


    Faenya nodded, but she seemed uncertain of that. After all, her previous noble owner sounded like a piece of work.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, this was just phase one.¡±


    I had made about 500 gold by selling all the extra stuff. I didn¡¯t feel rich anymore seeing how quickly that money could go and how much I needed.

 Chapter 296

    I ended up heading to the traveling guild next. We were running a little late, so I had the girls run. Faenya wore a hood that covered her ears. It would probably be sensational to see an elf running throughout the city. Actually, I felt really bad. Having Faenya follow us around on foot was like buying a Mercedes and then driving down a dirt road. I should be ashamed of offering her that kind of treatment. I¡¯d definitely need to become a better Master.


    Upon walking into the traveling guild, Faenya and Miki were out of breath. I was usually the guy who was first to be out of breath in any group, so I guess my stamina was improving. Of course, Lydia and Terra were always full of stamina and Miki flew when she got tired of walking. There was an old man sitting on a chair, and a large formation drawn on the ground.


    ¡°Last call for Dirage. Anyone going to Dirage?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± I called out, bringing the girls with me. ¡°It¡¯s six of us.¡±


    The old man barely looked up at me before giving a shrug. ¡°Stand on the circle. It¡¯s 60 gold.¡±


    I grimaced, but brought out my freshly earned money and handed it to him. There were two other men on the circle, they glanced at the girls in interest, but upon noticing the slave marks, immediately backed off. Thankfully, in Aberis, it was considered bad etiquette to look at someone else¡¯s slaves. Plus, someone who owned so many beautiful slaves had to be rich and powerful. Only other nobles might dare to stir up trouble with a person¡¯s slaves, as the princess herself had shown.


    I was very curious about the magic he was using. I was studying the formation at my feet. Perhaps, if I could pick up the job that allowed these kinds of spells, I could potentially be freed up of some of my restrictions. However, I didn¡¯t have much time as he started chanting almost as soon as we got into the circle.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Celeste suddenly asked. ¡°Where is Dirage?¡±


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    ¡°Good question,¡± I said, shrugging helplessly. ¡°Let¡¯s find out!¡±


    The spell cast and we immediately were surrounded in white light. I felt a weightless feeling for a moment, and then the world around us seemed to melt. A new place appeared, and the light finally dimmed. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I pulled out my map. Dirage appeared to be in the north of Aberis. It was about twice the distance between Chalm and the Capitol, so we had definitely traveled quite the distance.


    There was another rune under our feet, and we were in another building which was likely this city¡¯s traveling guild. As we got off of the platform, one of the men who had traveled with us glanced over at me.


    ¡°You guys heading to the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, the great dungeon is the only thing in this city, so I reckon that¡¯s why you came.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course!¡± I said quickly, giving a weak smile.


    He nodded. ¡°Not that it¡¯s any of my business, but you seem like a dungeon noob. I¡¯d hate to see your pretty slaves suffer, so I recommend you hire a guide. Stay in the first 9 levels, that¡¯s where baby adventurer¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ thanks?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± He and the other man nod and then leave without another word.


    He was being a little rude, but could I blame him? His advice was in my best interest after all, not that I liked being called a baby adventurer or something.


    ¡°Master, are we really going to enter a dungeon?¡± Faeyna asked nervously.


    ¡°We are¡­¡± I said, but then glanced at Faeyna, ¡°You¡¯re staying here.¡±


    She let out a breath of relief.


    ¡°I want to see what you¡¯re capable of,¡± I said, handing her a ring. ¡°There is gold in that. Find out what goods are cheap in this city compared to the Capitol, and then buy them for as cheap as you can.¡±


    ¡°I mean no offense, Master¡­¡± She said uncertainly, ¡°But if your plan is to use the portal to transport supplies, your storage rings are much too small. Rings only hold about the size of the chest. Any goods we must buy would only sell at a small profit unless we ordered carts full. The return trip to the Capitol won¡¯t be for a few days. Furthermore, losing 120 gold each visit would destroy any wealth we gained. Even if you just plan to send me at 20 gold a trip-¡±


    I reached out and patted her head. She was actually as tall as me, so it felt a little weird. As for her, she wore a complicated expression. Her old Master must not have patted her head very much.


    ¡°Thank you for your concern,¡± I said gently. ¡°Buy a cart, fill it up. Let me worry about the transport home.¡±


    Hmm? it was the first time I had seen her blush. It was pretty cute.

 Chapter 297

    I was a little uncomfortable letting her off on her own, but I had to trust in her value. This wasn¡¯t a country were slaves got snatched off the streets. Of course, before I let her leave, I decided to try to draw a map of the city. Well, I wasn¡¯t going to give that guy 1 gold coin for one! Ahem¡­ I mean, I knew what was useful to her and so I wanted to transcribe everything that she¡¯d need to know from my map ability onto paper.


    {You created a map. You have unlocked the job: Cartographer.}


    I let out a noise of surprise. Just how long had it been since I last unlocked a job? Well, I didn¡¯t really feel like I needed to do Cartographer, but it still felt nice. Still, it wasn¡¯t a job that would do me much good at the moment. We had about half a day left. I was hoping to help everyone level. I was thinking about changing jobs and trying to get some of their other jobs to level up a bit. It¡¯d be the quickest way to strengthen my party, I reckoned.


    As for me, I wanted to focus on the Slave Master¡¯s ability. I thought about asking Figuro how to get the Slaver ability too, but I had forgotten at the time. In fact, I had wanted to go to the library and research the job system in its entirety. I still only knew basically what most commoners knew. Do what you wanted and you¡¯d unlock a job eventually.


    After parting from Faeyna and giving her thorough instructions, the rest of us headed to the dungeon. I was worried some of the girls would be squeamish about entering the dungeons, but they all looked eager to try out the new equipment I bought them. Unlike Faeyna, these girls had grown attached to dungeons like me, it seemed.


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    The dungeon turned out to be in the middle of town. There was a massive wall around it, and it was very protected. There appeared to be a massive bizarre around it, filled with entertainers and merchants going about their day. It was very common to see those walking around in full armor. These were the dungeon divers. They all looked quite rough. Comparatively, our team really did look like noobs. A somewhat short guy who honestly looked a little scrawny after losing all that weight, and four pretty girls¡­


    ¡°2 gold each.¡± The guard said.


    I whistled. ¡°That¡¯s a lot!¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°Most people don¡¯t enter the dungeon casually. It usually takes weeks per journey. This is to discourage those who aren¡¯t seriously committed! Are you sure you are prepared for the challenges of the great dungeon!¡±


    He spoke in a loud voice that seemed to attract several eyes. As a group of pretty people in clean armor, it did look like we had never been in a dungeon before. This caused us to receive several scornful looks and even a few people pointing and laughing.


    ¡°Yup.¡± I handed the man 10 gold quickly and then ushered the girls in.


    I tried to be as casual about it as I could, but this seemed to cause the man to grow confused. ¡°Are you looking down on the Great Dungeon of Dirage?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    I pushed the girls through the portal before he could rope me into any painful conversations. I really just wanted to see the dungeon. As for the price, with my most recent blessing, I could portal out of the dungeon now. I only needed to pay for it once!


    Of course, I ended up not seeing the guard nod to another team.


    ¡°These noobies are going to get themselves killed.¡± He growled. ¡°People dying in our dungeon is bad for business. Follow them and make sure they stay alive.¡±


    A woman whose face was hidden behind a mask emerged from the shadows. She looked exactly like a ninja, covered in black.


    ¡°Mm!¡± She slid into the dungeon, a place she was so used to it was practically home.


    {You have entered Dirage¡¯s Great Dungeon. Destroy the lore to break the curse, or complete the lore for more dungeon points!}

 Chapter 298

    ¡°We have the maps for the first thirty-two floors.¡± I explained, ¡°Well, I heard great dungeons put out stronger enemies than your standard dungeon, so perhaps we should see how difficult the monsters on this level are before we progress.¡±


    With Terra here, I could be a total support finally. I equipped White Mage, True Dungeon Diver, and Slave Master. Of course, if I could level up Slave Master, I felt that would help in the match tomorrow the best. True Dungeon Diver was about taking advantage of the many skills which synergized well with my map. Then, there was also White Mage which was to keep everyone going healthily.


    As we went deeper into the first level, I performed sense life, sense traps, and Detect Treasure. There was not a lot of treasure on this level. I went to where sense life indicated, only to run into other parties. A few were rude and offputish, while most of them were nice. It seemed like most of the monsters on the first floor were dead. We decided to quickly go around snatching up whatever treasure was left on this floor before heading down to the next floor. I ended up finding some gold and a rather weak magic item.


    There was more on the first floor. It was absolutely massive, but it seemed like a waste of time, so we headed down to the second floor. We had already wasted about two hours and had yet to battle a single monster.


    ¡°Miki¡­ do you remember anything like a monster attractant in the alchemy books?¡±


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    Miki thought for a moment and then nodded. ¡°Mm! There is such a thing!¡±


    I just said it casually, but she pulled the alchemy book out of her storage ring. She carried them along, huh? She quickly found it too. It wasn¡¯t even that complicated. Fortunately, the ring I gave Faeyna wasn¡¯t my good one. She said that most rings held a chest-load, and she was right. The rings I gave all the girls could only hold so much. The ring I had gotten when I conquered the dungeon, however, could hold a cartful. That¡¯s why it had so much more value than the other rings.


    That ring was filled with different reagents I had accumulated in the last three dungeons. I quickly brought out what Miki requested. We only had to make one substitution which she insisted would work. The means of creating it was actually rather easy. We just had to mix the parts and then set it on fire. I had Celeste use wind to spread it out quickly. At first, I was disappointed to hear nothing.


    A few moments later, the ground started to rumble. I smiled and then nodded to the girls. I could see a dozen monsters coming from one of the hallways. We could finally start leveling properly. Then I saw another dozen coming from another hallway. Still more were coming from somewhere else. However, I didn¡¯t feel threatened at all. Rather, this is what I was waiting for. If things really did get dangerous, I would just use return and take the girls out of here.


    The girls didn¡¯t appear worried either. Lydia was flexing her hand on her sword. Terra was straightening her gloves. Celeste was dancing around excitedly. Meanwhile, Miki cast something that suddenly gave us a boost of spirit. I didn¡¯t know she could do that, but even the slight worry I had seemed to diminish after her spell. I made sure to pat her head efficiently. The monsters burst around the corner. It appeared to be a pack of wolves. Some of them appeared to be mounted by goblins.


    ¡°Attack!¡± I gave the order.

 Chapter 299

    ¡°Terra, create a barrier. Don¡¯t block them directly. Rather, slant it in so that they are forced to fight one at a time.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Celeste, can you work up a wind current. Throw dust in their direction. It¡¯d best if their visibility is broken.¡±


    ¡°Creating wind!¡±


    ¡°Mikki, rather than trying to damage their spirit, just give them a feeling of hopelessness or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±


    ¡°Terra, hold them off, but allow one at a time for Lydia to cut down. If you get a cut, let me know, I¡¯ll heal you immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Using the map, I put us in a corner. Perhaps this would be a dangerous situation for other people, but with the ability to cast a portal or use return, this was fine for me. I had always read about those armies against a small group in a fort thing, so I understood that numbers were basically useless in a dungeon. After using barrier myself to survive impossible fights, I naturally would take advantage of Terra¡¯s powerful earth ability. We could literally shape the dungeon to our advantage.


    Well, that was only because this dungeon looked like a dungeon. Some dungeons supposedly looked like forests with open skies. The same technique wouldn¡¯t work in one of those. The walls were brick and it had a dank moldiness to it. There was also a heavy theme on bars and chains. I didn¡¯t know what the kiosk room would look like, but I heard it looks like a torture room. I didn¡¯t bother with it because we had the portal ability. As for the murals, those were all drawn already in books. I was a little curious as to why this dungeon existed, but long-winded history books already had long discussed the nature of this dungeon and why it exists.


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    As for the kiosk room, I heard that in the great labyrinths, they charge people to use them. Truly, this is a place that tries to nickel and dime you. Since getting to the bottom of solving the curse lore proved impossible, that¡¯s why the dungeon exists in its current state. I wasn¡¯t so pompous as to believe I could solve what thousands before me couldn¡¯t. This was just a casual visit anyone hoping to earn some levels. Perhaps I would buy one of the books so I didn¡¯t have to pay a fee just to get into the kiosk rooms.


    ¡°Master, I¡¯m injured!¡± Terra said.


    After I scolded her for getting hurt on purpose or bugging me about trivial cuts while in combat, I knew that she¡¯d only cry out if she was genuinely wounded. I didn¡¯t hesitate to provide her with proper healing.


    ¡°Miki, I¡¯m going to switch you to Basic Magician so you can gain some levels.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Miki had done her spiritual attacks, so there was no point in keeping her with that job. I was too worried about being overwhelmed so I only changed one person¡¯s job at a time, allowed the death of a few dozen monsters, and then switch to someone else. When the last monster fell, we had defeated nearly 100.


    ¡°Isolate the air, I don¡¯t want to attract any more monsters,¡± I ordered Celeste, who nodded and immediately cast one of her skills.


    Slave Master had gone up two levels. Slave Master was now 12. I ended up with Locate Slave and increase slave experience. The girls already had increase slave experience as part of a curse. I wonder if this will be cumulative. As for Locate Slave, I had been waiting for this one for a while, so I was glad that I had it now.


    As for the girls, Lydia¡¯s Scout ended up at 11. Miki¡¯s Basic Magician ended up at 10. Celeste¡¯s Master Wind Magician went up to 5. It was clear that Master Wind Magician leveled much-much slower than Basic Magician. Well, it was the difference between a final tier job and a starting tier job. As for Terra, her Earth Elementalist Job only went up a single level. I really needed to get her some more jobs. It should be noted I left Faeyna in the party just to see, but she ended up getting none of the experience.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do the same on the next floor.¡±

 Chapter 300

    Since I had enough ingredients to do the same thing a few times, we went to floor 3 and then repeated the battle. This time, all the wolves were mounted with goblins and he had to contend with goblin archers too. Since we had perfected our technique, I simply had Celeste commit time to knock arrows out of the air. It went particularly well. Well, Terra ended up hit by an arrow. I was very scared for a bit but she doesn¡¯t experience pain like we do. With some quick healing, she was back to normal.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let it happen again!¡± Celeste seemed more upset than Terra was.


    Afterward, she worked much harder and the arrows never even got close. By the time the last goblin fell, I nodded in affirmation and continued on.


    On the fourth floor, the goblin riders were replaced by a larger-looking creature called a goblin elite. Combined with the archers, they were quite deadly. I had Terra create a small ceiling wall which all but made the archers useless. More often than not, they ended up shooting their own guys in the back. It was kind of embarrassing. I probably shouldn¡¯t look down on them, but it was really hard not to.


    The elites took a little more effort to kill. Lydia did a lot better job knocking them out with her speed and superior swordsmanship. As for Terra, she took more of a beating and I had to heal her more frequently. This was definitely getting more challenging the lower we got. It was also getting pretty late.


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    ¡°Good job, everyone. Let¡¯s get the nearby treasures and then we¡¯ll go.¡± I said.


    I had about ten gold now, and atleast another ten gold in ingredients, potions, and items which were found around the dungeon or dropped by the monsters. In the future, I should buy one of the guide books for the dungeon. I heard someone selling them in the bizarre. They¡¯re supposed to tell you who drops what and all kinds of information like that.


    As I was checking the map for treasure, I suddenly noticed a life form we had missed. I had noticed it before, but it was really faint so I thought it was just some kind blip or maybe a rat or something. However, it was very clearly following us. The boss was supposed to be on the next floor down. However, I remembered those shadow bunnies with the expensive fur. Maybe this would have something of value.


    ¡°Celeste! Terra!¡± I whispered to the two girls. ¡°Capture, there!¡±


    I immediately had them create a barrier of dirt and air on either side of where the hidden creature was. Mikki also attempted to attack the spirit, and Lydia ran forward, drawing her sword smoothly.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Rather than an animal growl or squeal, I ended up hearing a girl scream.


    ¡°Eh?¡± I¡¯m glad I tossed out a net instead of a knife.


    I had hoped to identify the monster before I killed it. However, it wasn¡¯t a monster at all, but a girl in black clothing.


    ¡°A¡­ ninja?¡±

 Chapter 301

    ¡°What do you want with me?¡± The ninja demanded.


    ¡°Ah!¡± I let out a cough. ¡°Rather, I thought you were a mob. Why were you sneaking around on people in the dungeon? Your not one of those dungeon robbers, are you?¡±


    ¡°Dungeon robbers?¡±


    ¡°You know, the ones who sneak around and try to sabotage parties so that after they die you can steal all of their stuff. This system black marks thieves and murderers, but if you just happen to trip someone and they get eaten by a monster, all their stuff is yours for the taking!¡±


    After having met and dealt with merchants and the nuance of upselling and haggling, I had been considering more ways that people can abuse the system. I realized that dungeons were just a place where you can die without being resurrected, this area was also a place where you could easily get rid of someone you wished to kill. If you were good at it, you could get away with it and not earn a murderer mark that priests could detect.


    ¡°I¡¯m not something like that!¡± She responded defensively.


    ¡°So, you didn¡¯t follow us?¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­.¡± she glanced away.


    She was definitely following us! I needed to interrogate her to find out if she was a danger before I let her go again. I still felt a little bad I had let those bandits I had previously captured go after seeing the attack on the city. I think a few of them were involved in the attack and didn¡¯t repent at all. Well, if a person¡¯s nature was so easy to change, there wouldn¡¯t be repeaters going to jail. It still would have been impossible to jail them all, and killing them would have only made them as obstinate as Balrack. Of course, if I killed her here, it would be final, but killing people still made me nauseous to even consider. Let¡¯s just question her for now.


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    ¡°How did you get a ninja job!¡±


    Ah¡­ that was the question that ended up coming out. I was showing my true colors, it seems.


    ¡°What is a ninja?¡± She demanded. ¡°I¡¯m a dungeon diver! I¡¯m one of the guides. You can ask any of the guards.¡±


    ¡°Oh, just a dungeon diver¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help the disappointed look on my face.


    ¡°What is with that look? I¡¯m a level 36 Dungeon Diver! Do you know how rare dungeon divers are?¡±


    ¡°Are they?¡± I asked the question impulsively, but seeing the look on her face I could see that it was very rare.


    It probably wasn¡¯t that it was truly rare, just that it was unlikely for it to be someone¡¯s main job. Even someone who was a dungeon diver and had a lot of levels in it would probably have more levels in some weapon-like job. There was a saying I heard. No one wanted to be a dungeon diver their whole life. Most went until they got injured and then settled on being a guard or an adventurer. By the way, adventurer was a job too that I had yet to earn. I needed to do more adventurer guild tasks if I wanted to earn that job.


    As for me, I had True Dungeon Diver, which had most of my experience. I only got Dungeon Diver upon getting True Dungeon Diver, and it hasn¡¯t leveled by a single bit. In other words, I didn¡¯t know the conditions in which Dungeon Diver could level without equipping it as a job and killing mobs. However, I had a theory that True Dungeon Diver was eating the experience that should go to Dungeon Diver.


    I was convinced by now that every job leveled, albeit slowly, just by practicing the thing your job is related to whether it was equipped or not. The only difference between a locked job and an unlocked job is that you¡¯ve met the conditions to unlock the job. However, when you had two unlocked jobs that gained experience under the same conditions, the higher tier job would get the experience. This is why, despite casting spells, only White Mage ability leveled while Basic Magician didn¡¯t do anything unless I equipped it as one of my jobs.


    While I was contemplating all of this stuff while receiving the pouty glare of a ninja, there was a sudden ringing sound. Although the sound was strange. It seemed to be coming from everywhere while at the same time I felt like I could pinpoint and follow the source.


    ¡°It¡¯s an Alarm!¡± The ninja suddenly called out, ¡®Another party is in trouble!¡±

 Chapter 302

    ¡°What¡¯s an Alarm? Like a spell?¡± I asked.


    She shot me an irritated look. ¡°Every party who goes to the dungeon has a magical item that if you crack open producing a warning alarm and gives your position. Strong parties are expected to go to it and see if they can help, weak parties are expected to get away, as it indicates a very dangerous area. It¡¯s the only way to be safe! You did bring an Alarm, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Wh- of course¡­ of course, I did!¡± I declared, hiding my expression as I waved for the girls to remove her bonds.


    The concern on her face that someone was in trouble didn¡¯t seem like something she could fake. Either way, I didn¡¯t get the vibe from her I got from Salicia, the Bandit King, so she was probably safe. I was going to ask her another question, but before I could say anything, she dashed off. I glanced at the girls. The ones with animal ears were holding them down cutely, clearly not liking the sound of the alarm. The alarm may drive away opportunistic monsters too, like an alarm on a house.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I finally said, waving the girls to follow me.


    It was clear to me that the Alarm was coming from the floor below. We headed to the stairs and went down to the fifth floor. We didn¡¯t need to go much farther before I could hear the sound of fighting. There was the shouting of people, the roar of a monster, and even the dungeon shook slightly after a certain explosion.


    ¡°Get ready,¡± I instructed the girls as we turned a corner.


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    At the end of it was a pair of men. They seemed familiar. Actually, they were the men who we had transported with from the Capitol city to Dirage. They had given us a warning about the dangers of the Great Dungeon. They were running from a massive creature that looked like a wolf, except that it was almost as large as the hallway. Despite this, it moved wicked fast. It had massive claws and teeth, and its hair seemed to be almost like that of a porcupine. It kept pouncing forward and knocking the men down. However, it then retreated, failing to kill them. It seemed to be toying with them instead of just killing them.


    The ninja girl leaped from the shadows and fell between the creature and the men. ¡°Run, I¡¯ll distract this guy!¡±


    The two men were already completely panicked after being toyed with by the monster, so they fled at full speed. As they came near they finally noticed us.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡± One called out breathily.


    ¡°Run! Before it gets you too!¡± The other called.


    They didn¡¯t wait to see if we followed, instead of racing down the hallway to get to the stairway leading up to the 4<sup>th</sup> floor. However, I was more concerned about the ninja girl. Looking back down the hallway, I could see her begin to toss out throwing knives, trying to cause the beast to fall back. It didn¡¯t seem like she had the desire to defeat it at all. Rather, she wanted to distract it and then likely go into hiding.


    However, when she turned to back up, she noticed us coming. She immediately threw out her hands.


    ¡°What are you doing here? Get away quickly! This is a boss variant! We can¡¯t handle this!¡±


    The wolf took advantage of her distraction and lept forward. She spun and tossed a dagger, but he skillfully blocked it using his porcupine hide. The wolf immediately swiped at her. She tried to draw her sword but failed. The swipe struck her, and she went flying back as blood gushed from her open wound. The wolf crouched down, about to pounce and finish the job.

 Chapter 303

    I pulled on my Duplicate Slave skill, casting haste on myself. I had moved before anyone else could. Perhaps Lydia or Celeste would have been faster, but my mind didn¡¯t think in those terms. I was halfway to them when I put Hero job in the place of True Dungeon Diver. The monster leaped into the air, intending to crush the ninja girl under its feet and then take care of me. However, I moved far faster than it predicted.


    ¡°Terra, defend yourself now!¡± I shouted.


    To most people, they would grow flustered and panic at the scene and being called on so suddenly. For these girls who had spent so much time in dungeons, they didn¡¯t hesitate in the slightest. I broke into a slide, grabbing the ninja in my arms. I had only one chance, and I wasn¡¯t even certain it would work. The boss variant was descending, its eyes excited as it planned to crush us both.


    The ninja was awake, but her eyes we disordered and she could barely move. Yet, as I pulled the cloth covering the lower part of her face away, she managed to grab my arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I brought you with me to death¡­¡± She said tearfully.


    She was a pretty girl with dark eyes and grey and white hair. I only noticed she had wolf ears now that her hood fell off. Without another thought, I immediately kissed her, shoving my tongue into her mouth. She made a noise as her eyes popped open in shock, and then she passed out. I could feel the hot breath of the beast just above me. I immediately used the hero skill ¡°switch position.¡±


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    My body disappeared, and the woman in my arms came with me. In our place, Terra appeared instead. The creature was confused at the sudden change but it didn¡¯t care who it stomped. So, imagine its surprise when it slammed into what felt like a wall. With a whimper, the creature bounced back, it¡¯s head painfully hitting the ceiling. It shook it¡¯s head, confused.


    However, Lydia had reached Terra. Planting her foot on Terra, she used her as a jumping point, leaping into the air before the wolf monster could even regain its composure. A dozen air arrows slammed into the wolf, propelled by a fairy queen. Compared to hastily tossed throwing knives, how could these be stopped. Lydia slammed her blade into its eye while it was reeling from the arrows.


    ¡°Confusion!¡± Miki cast, further disorientating the monster.


    It started to fall back, spinning around to try to run back where it came from. However, how would the girls allow their prey to escape now that they had it? It had tried to harm their master! Terra grabbed its tail. Quills from its hide stabbed at her, but they broke on her iron skin.


    Lydia slid under it, slicing its defenseless ankles out from under it. A boss creature that could terrify even a high-level dungeon diver was reduced to a whimpering mess within only a few exchanges. As for me, with the ninja girl in my arms, I was casting moderate heal and refresh. Her wounds fixed quickly under my aggressive use of magical spells. As her consciousness slowly regained, and then she looked up at me with a strange look in her eyes.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked.


    She touched her lips uncertainly. ¡°My first ki-kiss¡­ ah! I¡¯m fine!¡±


    ¡°Alright, excuse me, I need to take care of my party¡­¡±


    I stood up and readjusted my jobs, putting Hero, True Dungeon Diver, and Slave Master as my three. Feeling slightly angry at this creature, I pulled out my sword. I was going to finish it off myself.

 Chapter 304

    Well, I¡¯d like to say that I did something like Lydia and leaped and stabbed it. However, the creature was already very close to dying. I just stabbed it in the back while it was literally trying to escape while being blocked by Terra, disorientated by Miki, and trying desperately to avoid Lydia¡¯s attacks. However, it just so happened that my attack was the last one, so he collapsed and then faded like smoke. The miasma that created him, dissipating back into the floor.


    ¡°Y-you defeated him!¡± The ninja girl declared unsteadily.


    ¡°Ah, well¡­ he was only strong for a level five boss, right?¡± I said, sheepishly putting my sword away.


    I turned and jumped as I saw Lydia and Miki staring up at me with scowls on their faces. When I looked the other way, Celeste and Terra had taken the other side.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Why did Master kiss a stranger!¡± Miki denounced, pointing over at the ninja girl.


    Rather than growing angry or slapping me, the ninja girl suddenly looked down, her face turning red.


    ¡°Ah¡­ s-sorry!¡± I immediately apologized, although it wasn¡¯t clear if I was apologizing to the ninja I kissed or the four slaves glowering at me. ¡°That was¡­ you see, I was using my position shift. Well, it works on anything you¡¯re holding, like a backpack or a sword, so I reckoned it would work if I picked her up in my arms. However, I also thought that if our bodies were entangled enough, the magic wouldn¡¯t be able to separate us. As long as I had part of myself inside her, the skill should pull her with me. In the end, I was right. If I hadn¡¯t been able to pull her out of combat, even with you guys helping, she might have died. So, it all worked out in the end.¡±


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    ¡°H-he was¡­ inside me¡­¡± the ninja girl started shaking.


    I already apologized, there was no use getting super angry. Noticing something shiny on the floor that the boss had dropped I grabbed it immediately. It was a simple necklace. A quick identification revealed that it had a few basic enchantments. It wasn¡¯t as valuable as anything I had on me, but it would be valuable to someone like her who didn¡¯t appear to have any magical items. I immediately held it out and walked over to the Ninja.


    ¡°Here! Since I did that, I should take responsibility.¡± I declared, ¡°So, you can have this as compensation.¡±


    I smiled and then slipped it over her neck. She jerked as the necklace fell down around her neck. Behind me, there were four cries of despair and anguish. However, before I could see what the slaves were on about, the ninja¡¯s face had turned so red that I thought something might be wrong.


    ¡°Poof!¡± The word suddenly came from her mouth.


    ¡°Huh? Poof?¡±


    Her eyes rolled up in her head, and then she fell back, collapsing on the floor. I let out a cry and then kneeled down, checking to see if she was alright.


    ¡°M-m-m-m-m-master!¡± Lydia¡¯s mournful voice came out. ¡°Wh-why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Huh? The necklace? It¡¯s not as valuable as other things we own. I just thought it would smooth things over with the ninja.


    ¡°Surely, Master knows what that means!¡± Miki spoke frantically.


    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s just a necklace? It¡¯s not like I got on one knee and gave her a ring.¡± I said although I was starting to have a bad feeling.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Miki said, shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know what customs you had where you came from, but here in Aberis, putting a necklace on a girl is the same as proposing to her!¡±

 Chapter 305

    ¡°What? How is that possible?¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I¡¯ve put necklaces on you girls several times!¡±


    The four girls suddenly wouldn¡¯t meet my eyes. I gave them a glowering look until Lydia finally broke.


    ¡°It-it¡¯s just that Master is Master, and we¡¯re slaves, so it¡¯s not like we took Master seriously!¡± Lydia cried defensively.


    ¡°We can¡¯t marry as slaves¡­¡± Miki said, ¡°But that is okay since, in this way, we¡¯re more Master¡¯s than even his wife!¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Celeste giggled, only half paying attention. ¡°Married to master.¡±


    I let out a sigh. Even being careful, it seemed like some complicated stuff happened. Either way, it was getting late and we needed to leave. My original plan was to just teleport out of here, but with the unconscious girl at my feet, that would lead to problems, especially if the guards knew that she was in here. Instead, we started walking to the entrance.


    The kiosk would have cost money to enter and I didn¡¯t register with the first one anyway. Since we were five levels down, the walk back would take almost an hour. By the time, poor Faenya would think I abandoned her. I had been walking for another fifteen minutes when I realized I could just portal to the 1<sup>st</sup>floor. I was still hesitant to do it since I didn¡¯t want such a power to be seen by others.


    Ah, well, it was fine. I¡¯d make it work. I found a spot that looked secluded and then opened the Portal. While carrying the ninja girl whose name I never learned, I leaped up to the 1<sup>st</sup>floor, saving us a good chunk of travel time. My blessing worked just as described. This made me very happy. We quickly headed to the entrance and then walked out.


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    ¡°Already had enough?¡± The guard chuckled when he saw me walk out of the labyrinth entrance.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Raissa!¡± The other guard cried out when he noticed her in my arms.


    ¡°What happened?¡± The first guard demanded.


    ¡°There was a boss variant on the fifth floor. She held it off and ended up passing out.¡±


    Well, I was fudging the truth a bit, but it would be a hassle if I said what really happened. Furthermore, I could have refreshed her and brought her back to consciousness, but that also seemed too troublesome considering how she had passed out. Although I planned to return to this dungeon, I¡¯d be bypassing the entrance from now on. Simply put, I didn¡¯t intend to run into Raissa ever again.


    The guard¡¯s face went white and he nodded as he took her. ¡°She managed to face a boss variant. She¡¯s truly an incredible dungeon diver.¡±


    I nodded solemnly, not wanting to correct them. I mean, we had defeated it, but that was no big deal. Actually, listening to these guys, I felt like I was going to get a big head. I decided it¡¯d be better if we left quickly, especially before Raissa woke up.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be going then,¡± I said.


    ¡°Hey!¡± The guard stopped me after only making it a step. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a bit selfish? She saved your life and you¡¯re just going to leave without taking responsibility?¡±


    My eyes twitched. It was those exact words that got me in this situation in the first place. However, after being stared down by the angry guards, I sighed and handed over about ten gold worth of silver and copper, basically everything I had gotten in the dungeon, to the guards to give Raissa. Trying to explain to them about the necklace wouldn¡¯t do anyone any favors. This was the cost I had to pay for lying, I supposed.


    It felt like extortion, but at least they let me leave once I paid her hospital bills, even though I had already healed her myself. It was time to return to the Capitol City.

 Chapter 306

    With my new Slave Master ability which allowed me to locate slaves, finding Faeyna was a breeze. She was still cloaked with her hood down, making sure to hide her identity on the street. If this was going to be a problem everywhere, it might be advantageous to find some kind of ring that affects her appearance. Celeste can lose her wings and fairy features in an instant, either a part of her wind magic or her half-fairy nature. Her true identity as a Fairy Queen was unknown to anyone except the nobles and so she passed as just a regular fairy. Even if she did show her true form, fairies weren¡¯t so uncommon as to elicit cries of surprise. The same couldn¡¯t be said about an elf in this world.


    I only realized as I approached that the carriage, she was sitting on was ours. It was full to the brim with foods. She had even gotten a horse. The four girls were especially excited about the horse. As for me, I was uneasy about it. I suppose it would have been bad if I made Terra pull the carriage through the portal, but that still seemed like something that buying a horse made a little excessive.


    ¡°Master, I bought every good I could with the money provided,¡± Faeyna explained. ¡°The carriage is ready, but I don¡¯t see how we can get it back to the Capitol. If your plan is to head back, I¡¯ve gotten no provisions for the journey.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I waved my hand, feeling like a Jedi as a portal appeared in front of the horse.


    He was skittish and didn¡¯t want to go inside it. See, this was exactly why horses were the worst. Faeyna made a noise of shock as well.


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    ¡°Master can really make portals?¡±


    ¡°To any place, I¡¯ve been,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s go.


    The six of us returned to the Capitol city that night. I picked a back alley so that I didn¡¯t run into anyone, but it ended up being a tight squeeze getting the carriage out of it. When we finished rolling up to the inn, it was really the middle of the night.


    The innkeeper insisted on housing our supplies and boarding the horse for free. He was still feeling goodwill from a few nights ago. That was good because I had no money at the moment. The goods that Faeyna would sell tomorrow was basically everything we had. Only after tomorrow would I gain a sense of how quickly she could make money for us. I fed the girls what the innkeeper offered on the house.


    It seemed like he wasn¡¯t just doing it because we saved the inn. While we were eating, he handed me a letter. He held it reverently in his hands.


    ¡°This came for you!¡± He said, ¡°It has the seal of the royal family!¡±


    Ah, that was right, this guy didn¡¯t know my connection to the prince. I looked at their insignia, which was literally a flag and a crown, and then broke it open. It contained the time and place for the contest tomorrow. There was something added at the end.


    P.S. Make sure to bring that elf slave with you!


    I grimaced a bit. So, he already knew about her as well? The Prince was well informed. I only bought her this morning and the entire day was spent in another city. I had planned for her to sell all the supplies, but it looked like she had to come with us to the tournament. Thus, I explained to her the situation.


    ¡°So, if Master wins, he will become a noble and gain property?¡± Faeyna asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ I will do Master proud!¡± She curtsied exaggeratedly.


    Well, since it¡¯s fighting, the other girls will probably have more to do, I should think, but her sentiment was appreciated.

 Chapter 307

    We decided to head to bed since tomorrow was going to be a particularly big day. I felt a bit of anxiety, as my future depended heavily on this upcoming championship. It wasn¡¯t what I originally expected, so I hoped I had prepared for it accordingly. We had one of the best rooms at the inn. It actually had a slave quarter next to it, but the girls kept choosing the sleep in my bed instead of their own quarters. As for Faeyna, she decided to use the slave quarters. I was happy they were getting used, especially as I lay in bed with four girls snuggled against me. I sighed and started checking through everyone¡¯s status.


    After battling three floors worth of enemies, each level with more and higher-level enemies, and then ending with a boss variant besides, all of us had made radical increases in our respective jobs. I only hoped that the progress was enough to make a true difference.


    {Name: Deek


    Class: Support


    Job: White Mage (LVL 26), True Dungeon Diver (26), Slave Master (LVL 18)


    Possible Jobs: Hero, (LVL 20), Basic Magician (LVL 11) Merchant (LVL 4), Alchemist (LVL 2), Cook (LVL 6), Dungeon Diver (LVL 1), Pervert (LVL 2), Linguist (LVL 1), Dark Priest (LVL 1), Cartographer (LVL 1)


    Race: Human}


    As far as what I have¡­


    White Mage Skills: Weak Heal, Remove Curse, Weak Heal Poison, Refresh, Group Heal, Divine Aura, Harm Undead, Holy Circle, Create Water, Light, Moderate Heal, Detect Magic, Sanctify Land, Cure Disease, Mana Up, Moderate Heal Poison, Create Cushion, Purify Food, Stun Undead, Healing Circle, Group Heal Plus, Orb, Light Repair, Armor, Mana Up Plus, Basic Alchemy, Seal Undead


    True Dungeon Diver Skills: Dungeon Status Up, Basic Monster Identify, Resist Curse, Detect Magic, Basic Item Identify, Detect Treasure, Sense Life, Detect Trap, Resist Hunger, Reduce Fatigue, Basic Cooking, Smokeless fire, Dungeon ¨C Increase Attack, Reduce Fear, Night Vision, Dungeon Status Up Plus, Increase Stamina, Increased Item Drop, Moderate Monster Identify, Dungeon 2X Experience, Map Dungeon, Disable Trap, Moderate Item Identify, Create Water, Repel Monsters, Find Food


    Slave Master Skills: Slave Taker, Order Slave, Punish Slave, Truth Slave, Slave Status Up, Slave Loyalty, Bond Slave, Steal Slave Life, Cap Slave, Duplicate Slave Skill, Locate Slave, 2X Slave Experience, Slave Attack Up, Heal Slave, Slave Identify, Slave Charm Up, Slave Stamina Up, Slave Status Up Plus


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    Hero Skills: Return, Switch Position, Party Status Up, Give Life, Basic Swordsmanship, Charm Up, Sense Life, Protect, Detect Magic, Evil Eye, Skill Analysis, Quick Attack, Low Regen, Basic Monster Identify, Moderate Swordsmanship, Defense Up, Offense Up, Party Status, Last Chance, Resist Demonic Attacks


    Basic Magician: Mana Control, Fire Control, Water Control, Earth Control, Mana Blast, Air Control, Create Flame, Create Water, Create Earth, Fireball, Water Jet


    Well, the remainder of my jobs I wouldn¡¯t be taking into battle, so I didn¡¯t pay them mind at the moment.


    {Name: Lydia


    Class: Speed Combat


    Job: Swordsman (Slave) (LVL 38)


    Unlocked Jobs: Cook (LVL 1), Commoner (LVL 8), Thief (LVL 5), Scout (LVL 15)


    Race: Tigerkin}


    Lydia¡¯s swordsman is much higher than my skills. I wonder if she¡¯d unlock something once it reaches level 50. I suspected it would. Scout went up, and I even played with thief a bit, although she got mad at me when I told her I was leveling that taboo skill.


    {Name: Miki


    Class: Mana Manipulation


    Job: Spiritualist (Slave) (LVL 35)


    Unlocked Jobs: Commoner (LVL 5), Basic Magician (LVL 15), Alchemist (LVL 12)


    Race: Ninetailed-Foxkin}


    It¡¯d be nice if I could get Miki to cast spells too. With Mana manipulation as her class, I suspect that she could do a lot more with her Basic Magician skills than I could do.


    {Name: Celeste


    Class: Elemental


    Job: Master Wind Magician (Slave) (LVL 10)


    Unlocked Jobs: Enchanter (LVL 2), Adept Wind Magician (LVL 22), Novice Magician (LVL 50), Apprentice Magician (LVL 25)


    Race: Sylph}


    Since all of her jobs had been maxed simply by becoming a sylph, I decided to focus on her Master Wind Magician. The levels came slowly, but each one unlocked powerful skills.


    {Name: Terra


    Class: Tank


    Job: Earth Manipulator (LVL 48)


    Unlocked Jobs: None


    Race: Earth Golem}


    With no other jobs, I thought she¡¯d get one at level 50. Unfortunately, we were a tad short.


    {Name: Faeyna


    Class: Management


    Job: Head Maid (Slave) LVL 32


    Unlocked Jobs: Cook (LVL 10), Maid (LVL 50), Manager (LVL 15), Governess (LVL 18), Basic Magician (LVL 20)


    Race: Elf}


    I wondered how much you had to clean to get 82 levels of maid. Maybe Faeyna had her own spartan training in a dungeon sometime in her past. Although she had been in my party when we went into the dungeon, I was correct in assuming none of the experience would pass to her when she was on the outside. If I wanted her to level at all, at some point we¡¯d need to bring her into the dungeon.

 Chapter 308

    I didn¡¯t sleep the previous night much at all. It wasn¡¯t even the girls this time. I felt a knot in my throat. I had tried to put off thinking too much about this competition, but it was seriously scary. If I failed, I had no clue what would happen to me or the girls. If the slave status was removed, then they might all leave me. I forced myself up using refresh to help me get going. The girls all woke up and got ready too. Although they all slept in my bed, they actually took care of there needs in the cramped adjacent slave quarters. I told them they didn¡¯t have to, but they always insisted on it.


    Taking one last glance at the note the prince left me, I waited for the girls to put on their best armor, and then the lot of us headed out. The stadium had been refitted for the new event. Rather than a dozen independent stages with crowds moving from one to the next, there was a single stage with massive bleachers. I wasn¡¯t sure the crowd was any bigger than it was that first day, but with all of the audience combined into one group, it felt that way. The small stage in the center seemed rather tiny comparatively.


    The place was crowded and noisy. It was exactly the kind of event that in my previous life I liked to avoid. Now, I was at the center of it all. A guard checked my identification papers, and then I was brought out onto the field. There was a massive roar as the girls walked out behind me. Some people were shouting encouragement, while others were shouting vitriol. I couldn¡¯t make out any specific thing being said though, there was just too many people that it came out as a buzz.


    On the other side of the stage, Lord Tibult was already there. As soon as he saw me, he gave a sneer. There was a special box that was separate from the audience, closer to the front and gilded with fancy adornments. Sitting in it were a few people I didn¡¯t recognize, likely high nobles. However, the Prince and Princess were as clear as day. Prince Aberis immediately stood up and walked out onto a small stage in front of his box, which put him up over just about everyone in the arena. He cleared his voice, but it was lost in the sounds of the crowd.


    ¡°First things first!¡± His voice suddenly bellowed, clearly being amplified with some kind of spell. ¡°Record the Status of the opponents!¡±


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    His voice was booming, and the crowds silenced almost instantly. He spoke suddenly that a few people even cried out and covered their ears. A priest immediately walked out onto the stage.


    ¡°Deek, your team first¡­¡±


    I gulped and nodded, making sure White Mage was the job when the priest touched me. I wanted to meet everyone¡¯s expectations. After a moment, he nodded and then yelled out.


    ¡°Deek, Human, White Mage, level 26!¡±


    I hadn¡¯t expected to yell out everything like that. He should have been able to detect True Dungeon Diver too. Could he tell I had more than one job equipped? I was seriously worried, but he didn¡¯t say anything else. At the least, I had no doubt the prince would hear exactly what my status looked like. There was a roar of commotion after he made the announcement. Some people who hadn¡¯t been keeping up with the news asked what a White Mage was. When they were told, they burst out laughing. Something like a priest didn¡¯t belong in an arena at all. I was wasted space. Well, not everyone thought that way.


    ¡°Lydia, Slave, Tigerkin, Swordsman, level 38!¡±


    The calls this time seemed to be excited about a rare tigerkin variant. Lydia didn¡¯t seem to like the attention, as her tail whipped back and forth agitatedly.


    ¡°Miki, Slave, Nine-tailed Fox, Spiritualist, level 35!¡±


    ¡°How is that thing even alive!¡± Someone cried out.


    There were even more murmurs in surprise over her identity than Lydia. She stuck her tongue out at the crowd, particularly at the man who said she should have died. She was touchy about comments like that.


    ¡°Celeste, Slave, S-sylph! Ahem¡­ Master Wind Magician, level 10?¡±


    This one clearly was difficult for the priest to announce. Each thing caused an even larger roar.


    ¡°Do Sylph even exist? I thought they are a myth!¡±


    Celeste shrank down into a fairy size, flying out in flying eights. The crowds seemed to go crazy. Unlike Lydia, she seemed to like the attention. Master Wind Magician was a max tier job. Only the most powerful people in the country would have a job like this.


    ¡°Terra, Slave, Earth Golem, Earth Manipulator, level 48!¡±


    ¡°What is with these slaves¡­¡±


    ¡°Is Earth Manipulator even a job?¡±


    Terra looked down, slightly depressed. All the others had received roars of shock and surprise. For her, it was more just a general sense of confusion. Although she was likely one of a kind in this world, she wasn¡¯t so mainstream as to be known by the general audience. I patted her head to make her feel better.


    ¡°Alright, and on to the next te-¡°


    ¡°Wait!¡± Lord Tibult shouted as the priest tried to turn away. ¡°Aren¡¯t we forgetting someone?¡±


    His eyes ended up falling on Faeyna.

 Chapter 309

    ¡°That girl! Is she not your slave also?¡± Lord Tibult demanded.


    Since the prince knew about her, it stood to reason Lord Tibult could get that information too. This is why the prince let me know she should come. He assuredly would have made a giant commotion if I hadn¡¯t brought her. He might have even declared me a cheater and claimed I was going back on the bet. Since she was here, at least he couldn¡¯t cause those kinds of problems.


    I cleared my throat and stepped forward. ¡°It is true, she is my slave, however, she is merely a maid, and hired after our bet. I¡¯d ask that she not be included.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely unacceptable!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you also have slaves at your home that will not participate in this championship¡­¡± I said helplessly.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ Do you dare accuse me of dishonesty? I assure you that all of my other slaves were handed over to others in preparation for this competition!¡±


    He said that so proudly that my eyes couldn¡¯t help but pop a little. He argued against dishonestly by blatantly saying he rigged things. Only those participating were bound to him, so even if he lost, he¡¯d only have to free his current slaves. Everyone else he could simply get back after the championship was over. Many in the crowd booed him, and I could see the princess with a scowl on her face, clearly not pleased.


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    ¡°There is nothing stated against that in the book! All of your slaves against all of his!¡± the prince shouted helplessly.


    ¡°It¡¯s more than that! It¡¯s written in her contract that she can not be freed!¡± I shouted out.


    ¡°Then, naturally¡­ I will take possession of her.¡± A grin formed on his face, and the true purpose was revealed.


    A rare elf worth 2000 gold, that wasn¡¯t a small sum even by a noble¡¯s point of view. He naturally wanted to take her away from me. I took a step forward, my fist clenched.


    ¡°Are you going to go back on the agreement?¡± He mocked.


    A small hand grabbed my arm and I looked back to see Faeyna holding my arm.


    ¡°Master¡­ it¡¯s okay. I believe Master will win.¡± She nodded reassuringly.


    ¡°Even so¡­ this¡­¡±


    ¡°Deek, as long as you concede, you will be allowed to use Faeyna in the competition.¡± The prince shot me a look.


    I frowned, but something about the way he looked at me suggested like I may need Faeyna. The look was brief and Tibult was too busy gloating to notice it. I finally gave a slow nod.


    ¡°Fine¡­ if you win, you get her!¡± Even saying it put a bitter taste in my mouth.


    The priest nodded and then touched Faeyna¡¯s hand gently.


    ¡°Faeyna, Slave, E¡­ e¡­ and elf!¡± The priests shock was a dozen times greater when he said those words, unable to get out anymore.


    The crowd was dead silent.

 Chapter 310

    Sighing, Faeyna pulled back her hood, revealing two elongated ears coming out from her perfect blonde hair. The crowd suddenly exploded into shouts and screams far greater than with any of the previous women. There was a great deal of shock and disbelief over an elf slave. Many shot extremely envious looks towards me, although many of those then realized that this same slave could end up in the pocket of Lord Tibult.


    I may become a lord if I won, but the general sentiment seemed to be that Lord Tibult would win the competition. He was a noble, after all, and an existence that had been over the commoner class. While many cheered for me as a commoner with the chance to become a noble, the true underdog story, there were just as many who without knowing my story, believed I was just a rich servant using my money to buy my way into the nobility. In this case, Lord Tibult was the hero, keeping some rich guy with a big head who exploited the commoner folk to make a profit in my place.


    At least, from the jeers and screams, those were the two crowds I was able to make out. However, I was more worried about having all of my secrets revealed. The identities of five unique slave women were revealed to the world. I felt like everything had been bared. Would there be any consequences from this? I was really worried about what the Priest had seen.


    I had actually unequipped everything but White Mage afraid he¡¯d see three equipped jobs, but what about jobs like Dark Priest? The priest hadn¡¯t even blinked when he looked at my job list. That meant he either didn¡¯t see it or my job list wasn¡¯t even the strangest he¡¯s seen. I wasn¡¯t sure which was a better option. The prince seemed to notice the worried expression on my face as Faeyna walked back to me. He gestured to the priest who seemed to know what he was saying, as the man turned to me and spoke soft enough that most of the crowd wouldn¡¯t hear.


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    ¡°You need not worry about the identity of slaves getting out. Even though they are rare, the slave guild is strong in this country. No one would dare steal a slave since the owner can always track it. The Slave guild will also react if slaves are taken from owners. There are various precautions that exist to protect both the owner and his slaves. You may speak more with them if you are worried.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t exactly everything that worried me. The priest seemed to catch that with the expression on my face. He let out a sigh.


    ¡°Although I am under the prince¡¯s employ, I am still under the edicts of the church. I limit the amount I identify. The information I declare is all that I saw. Except in the cases of slaves, upon request, or with accused, it¡¯s considered rude to read a person¡¯s entire status.¡±


    I nodded and he finally turned away. He had eased some of my worries, but it was possible that he was lying. Unfortunately, what was done was done, and I just had to accept it.


    ¡°Alright!¡± The Prince shouted as the priest returned to the stage, ¡°Now, now for Lord Tibult, the challenger!¡±

 Chapter 311

    ¡°Otto Tibult, Noble, Intermediate Magician, Level 32!¡±


    Intermediate Magician was the second tier of the non-elemental magic pathway. If he made it to the third, he¡¯d gain a color like me. Black Mage was the most common sense they were capable of attacking with fire, earth, air, and water. These were the first things you got as a basic magician. However, there were various other types of mages, such as me, who was a White Mage, and the one who ran the teleport in the Capitol city, show should be a blue mage.


    After not much fanfare, Lord Tibult sniffed and returned to his seat. His slaves had actually been hidden out of my view, so as the first one walked up on stage, it was the first time seeing them. It was a hooded person whose features I was unable to make out. However, it appeared to be a girl, which surprised me a bit. Wouldn¡¯t Lord Tibult surround himself with muscular men?


    ¡°Salicia, Slave, Bandit King, Level 62!¡± The priest announced.


    When I heard the name Salicia, I made a surprised noise, but when the words Bandit King appeared, naturally I took a step forward and looked up in shock. The girl threw back her hood, revealing a woman with long blond hair. However, at some point, she appeared to have lost her eye, as she was wearing an eyepatch now. She shot me a defiant look.


    ¡°Salicia! You were captured?¡± I said in surprise.


    I started to understand why she called herself a Bandit King. Bandit King was the name of the job. It was unavoidable. This world didn¡¯t account for a female bandit king. Well, even if you¡¯re a female, you were still a fireman¡­ even though there was a pushback to call them firepeople or something. This was a similar situation. What worried me was that the Bandit King was the third tier. I had seen how powerful she was. She was much stronger than I thought Tibult would have. Suddenly, I was starting to sweat.


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    ¡°Hmph!¡± Salicia threw back her hair. ¡°My sister made sure of that. No sooner had I left that cave then I was surrounded by church guards. The cardinal was furious when my unconscious sister suddenly turned into a fairy and flew away! I must say, the prank you pulled was quite amusing! In the end, it cost sister dearly, though, right, sister?¡±


    She was calling back to another one of Lord Tibult¡¯s slaves, who stepped forward out onto the platform. This time the priest looked at the woman with disgust, like he didn¡¯t even want to touch her. In fact, he recited her information without even touching her forehead, as if he was already aware of it.


    ¡°Carmine, Slave, A former paladin, level 70!¡±


    Carmine threw back her hood, and I was even more shocked.


    ¡°How did you become a slave?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°That dragon, naturally, how could I not take responsibility for its destruction. I had even been successful with my mission, but then fled to the caves.¡±


    ¡°The dragon¡¯s soul took over your body! You couldn¡¯t help it!¡± I declared.


    She shook her head, closing her eyes painfully. ¡°It was my fault. I was far to conceited to think the church would forgive my actions so simply. But don¡¯t feel pity for me! I may be a slave, but I will fight for my master!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t sister so cool when she says that!¡± Salicia declared proudly, not even seeming to care she was a slave as she looked down on me arrogantly. ¡°Since Master purchased us together, naturally I will fight for him.¡±


    She tried to put her arms around Carmine, who immediately elbowed her in the stomach. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, you disgust me.¡±


    ¡°Eee¡­ Sister is so cruel¡­¡± She cried as the two left the stage.


    Their levels had all been many times the levels of my own slaves. Except maybe for celeste, they absolutely suppressed us! I really hoped the rest of the slaves were weaker than these two!


    ¡°I saved my strongest slave for last!¡± Lord Tibult suddenly shouted as if he read my mind.


    Dang it!

 Chapter 312

    Of course, jobs didn¡¯t really denote strength, but even a commoner could see that the numbers on Lord Tibult¡¯s side were larger than my own. I had both women in the past, and they both had put up a fight that took an entire party to counter. Either one had the fierceness of five, and they were both on the other side! Yet, despite their levels and strength, they weren¡¯t even Lord Tibult¡¯s trump card.


    ¡°Only three?¡± I responded nervously.


    ¡°Three is all I need!¡± He sneered.


    The crowds were quiet, and anyone who had been cheering me on before was starting to feel sorry for me. Things were looking more and more one-sided with each new introduction. As for Lord Tibult, his arrogant smile only grew as the last person walked onto the stage. Like the others, she wore a hood that hid her expression.


    ¡°Another girl?¡± I said in surprise.


    ¡°What of it?¡± Lord Tibult frowned.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I just expected you have a lot of males.¡±


    ¡°What are you implying!¡± His face furrowed angrily.


    ¡°Ah, Nothing!¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± He crossed his arms. ¡°Like I would ever risk a male slave on a bet. These women are disposable!¡±


    There was some anger in the crowds, and I could only put on a wry smile. That was actually exactly what I would have expected from Lord Tibult. He bought three of the strongest slaves in the city to throw at me to win this bet of his. It didn¡¯t feel fair at all, and some people were saying I was trying to win with my money! The Princess, in particular, was shooting Lord Tibult a deathly stare, but he seemed to be good at ignoring it. After all, she didn¡¯t like the purchase of slaves, and calling them disposable definitely would set her off.


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    With his hand on the girl¡¯s forehead, the priest spoke loudly and clearly, ¡°Shao, slave, species unknown, job unknown, level ??!¡±


    ¡°??!¡± Someone let out a cry.


    This one actually brought a great deal of shock to the crowd. Many more were pondering how a species less, jobless creature existed. Well, they weren¡¯t the only ones. She was level ??! Wait, a job and origin unknown? Isn¡¯t this the slave that Figuro was talking about? So, in the end, Lord Tibult was the noble who had purchased her? No wonder Figuro was acting so odd when he heard about the match!


    Each subsequent level was harder to reach than the last, but they also gave greater boosts to the status. So, even if someone had level 50 in two jobs, it wasn¡¯t like that made them a level 100. Even I, who could equip the jobs and take advantage of three stat boosts at once couldn¡¯t cross a barrier that large. Every level you made in every job you had boosted your status slightly, but the status gain from a level 1 to a level 2, was negligible compared to a level 80 to a level 81. It was that kind of thing.


    What she is, it will probably be a very high level. I would be surprised if she wasn¡¯t at least Lydia¡¯s equivalent. She was probably stronger, since I couldn¡¯t imagine a mysterious job being a 1st tier job. Even if it wasn¡¯t geared toward battle, it was still a terrifying thought. Simply put, not knowing what she could do was terrifying in its own right.


    This girl didn¡¯t pull back her hood or reveal herself to the crowd. She only silently nodded and then returned back to her side and sat down. Three women, two of them confirmed third-tier level 70<sup>th</sup> and one mystery woman at level ??. My confidence that we would win this was shaken to its core.


    ¡°Now that everyone has been introduced, it¡¯s time for the first challenge!¡± The Prince declared excitedly.

 Chapter 313

    ¡°Alright, so the format of today¡¯s championship is simple. There will be three themed events, each one testing an aspect of the Master/Slave relationship. Within each event, will be three different challenges. The one who wins 2/3 wins the event, and the one who wins 2 events out of 3 is ultimately the victor. You will pick one slave per challenge, and you cannot use the same slave twice within an event. Do you understand?¡±


    I nodded, and Lord Tibult gave the Prince a respectful bow. This advantaged me slightly, as I had 5 slaves to choose from. Meanwhile, Tibult would have to use all three slaves for every event. Princess Eliana was sitting at the edge of her seat, looking down at the pair of us excitedly. The Prince had an amused expression on his face.


    ¡°Since we¡¯re starting, then I¡¯ll let you take it away,¡± Lord Tibult suddenly turned away from the stage and walked back to sit in a comfy seat he had carried into the arena just for himself.


    A much older man with a gnarled face walked forward, shooting the three women a sharp look. Salicia and Carmine both winced under his glare, but the mysterious third girl didn¡¯t react in the slightest.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± I frowned, ¡°What is this?¡±


    A smug expression appeared on Lord Tibult¡¯s face as he sat comfortably. ¡°Why¡­ this is my Slave Master! He was difficult and expensive to bring here from Imperial Cloud Meadow. Slave Masters are exceptionally rare in Aberis.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ the only reason I came was because of the promise of the elf. I will get the elf when I win this competition!¡± The man spoke forcefully, not even seeming to give the Lord any face.


    Lord Tibult¡¯s face flushed red, clearly not expecting the man to so casually reveal this detail. ¡°O-of course, once she is transferred to me, you can have her!¡±


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    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± My expression started to darken.


    ¡°Is it not obvious?¡± Lord Tibult¡¯s smug expression quickly returned at my distress. ¡°I only have a few levels in Slaver, so naturally I hired a Slave Master. He¡¯s level 52. With him, these slaves have so many buffs and advantages that you won¡¯t even have a chance to win!¡±


    The crowds, even those who were initially favoring Lord Tibult, were quickly turning on him. Many people openly booed.


    ¡°You have to be the slave¡¯s owner!¡± I shot a look at the prince. ¡°This is unacceptable.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Lord Tibult¡¯s expression turned even more arrogant, ¡°Accusing me of cheating again? It¡¯s amazing how much a commoner confuses cleverness and intelligence with being unfair. The slaves are mine. Anyone knows that high-level Slavers and Slave Master¡¯s can us the skill Joint Slave. Could a noble of high standing be expected to direct his slaves in the fields all day? Would he provide another man with thousands of gold worth of product just on trust? This isn¡¯t simply known, it¡¯d be expected that someone of my standing would hire a skilled person to manage my slaves. That is, of course, what a good master would do!¡±


    His words were like daggers without any semblance of an argument I could mount. He managed to completely tear apart my rebukes in an instant. The crowds muttered and yelled angrily, but Tibult¡¯s skin was thick. Suddenly, hands slamming on a chair angrily silencing the crowd as Princess Eliana stood up. Her expression was furious and she was glaring at the back of her brother.


    ¡°Brother! This can¡¯t be tolerated! This is an absolute mockery of what you¡¯re trying to accomplish here!¡±


    ¡°Tell me what rule I have broken, princess?¡± Lord Tibult responded sweetly.


    The princess shot him a disgusted look, but when she realized she didn¡¯t have a response, she looked down. Her eyes shot to me, the person she had been rooting against, and suddenly her expression turned complicated.


    The prince let out a sigh, ¡°I¡¯m sorry sister, but he is right. What he has done is not against the rules. He may use a Slave Master!¡±


    The mutters died down. No one would try to argue against the prince¡¯s decision. As for me, my uneasiness only grew. My biggest advantage, the fact that my Slave Master gave my girls bonus abilities, had been completely demolished. In fact, he was a much higher level than me, and the bonuses he gave his slaves would likely be many times more!

 Chapter 314

    ¡°Since everything that needs saying has been said, then I will introduce the first Task!¡± The prince shouted. ¡°For the first task of the Master/Slave competition, we will have a cook-off!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± This caused a great deal of confusion across the board.


    Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be a fighting competition? What the heck was he talking about, a cookoff?¡±


    The prince snorted. ¡°What? You though the true measure of a master-slave relationship is just how good a slave can fight? I plan to test various aspects of the master-slave relationship. In the first event of the evening, we will see how good the slaves are at being housekeepers! A well-trained slave cleans, cooks, and cares for their master with impeccable shrewdness!


    ¡°Therefore, for our first challenge, you must pick a slave to prepare a meal. Naturally, the judge will be my sister! She has an extremely delicate palate!¡±


    ¡°Hmm? I¡¯m judging?¡± Eliana seemed completely taken aback, but then she let out a light laugh. ¡°Hoho¡­ well, I do know food well¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually, she¡¯s extremely picky and only eats things cooked by top chefs! So, good luck!¡±


    My face started to grow pale. How could I have foreseen this being the outcome of this event? I was the guy who did all the cooking, and even then, there were always more pressing things so I hadn¡¯t spent a lot of time leveling it. Had I known things would come to this, naturally I would have trained Lydia up on the Cook job. However, even with the Cook job, there is also something to say about practice. I had six levels in Cook and had still yet to even unlock basic cooking. I actually had Basic cooking in True Dungeon Diver, although it didn¡¯t give me much information I didn¡¯t already have naturally. For Lydia who had never cooked and only learned how to pleasure men, even had I leveled her it¡¯d never be enough.


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    My only advantage was that Lord Tibult was gnashing his teeth too. Between Salicia, Carmine, and this mysterious girl, how could any of them be skilled cooks? The Slave Master had an ugly expression on his face, but he finally threw out his hand and pointed at Carmine.


    ¡°You! Go up there and make a dish that satisfies the princess!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Me?¡± Carmine put on a face as if asking the Slave Master if he was crazy.


    ¡°A slave obeys!¡± He pushed his hand.


    The slave mark on Carmine suddenly glowed and she let out a scream as she grabbed her head. Of course, she was a paladin with high pain tolerance, so the fact that she was screaming displayed just how painful it was. It was clear he was using the Punish Slave skill. The crowd of people started to turn awkward. Salicia stepped forward, but a single dark stare from the Slave Master stopped her and left her glaring with anger but with an edge of fear in her expression. How many times had she been tortured to be cowed so easily? Princess Eliana was starting to tremble as she looked at the slave girl being tortured. The prince had to reach out and stop her from leaping off the platform.


    Finally, after an awkward minute, Carmine tearfully crawled up onto the stage, not daring to even meet his eyes, looking more like a scorned dog than a person. Several hands suddenly touched my shoulders, and I looked back to see the girls giving me sympathetic looks. I realized only then that my own fist had been tight enough that it hurt now. Why were they trying to comfort me? They were the slaves. They had to watch another slave being abused. It couldn¡¯t have been easy.


    ¡°Master, please allow me to win this competition for you.¡± A voice behind the other girls spoke up.


    I looked back to see Faeyna watching me with a gentle expression. I suddenly remembered that in my haste, I had completely forgotten that she was actually a level 10 cook! I instantly set her job to ten.


    ¡°Let¡¯s free those slaves.¡± I declared.

 Chapter 315

    Faeyna walked up onto the stage, and a group of men immediately came into the arena. They were carrying tables, stools, a water stone sink, a magical oven, and all the amenities that would be seen in a rich kitchen. Two sets of each were brought up and two opposing kitchens were suddenly set up.


    ¡°Please give my attendants a list of the ingredients you need. They will be able to provide them.¡± The prince said.


    I had my doubts that this kind of thing could be done so quickly, but no sooner did the girls finish the list than a man waved a storage ring and revealed everything that they had requested. Fresh ingredients covered both tables. I realized that the man must have been a master chef. I bet he had numerous food preservation skills, on top of a storage ring that slowed time for stuff inside it.


    By the way, most storage rings were not able to slow time. The ones that did were exceptionally valuable. How much they slowed time added to their value. One that could slow time by half was the most common, but there were those that could slow time to 1/1000<sup>th</sup>. They were so rare that there wasn¡¯t probably one in all of Aberis. Even the one I got from the dungeon couldn¡¯t slow time. I couldn¡¯t imagine the astronomical amount of money a time-stop could use. Well, only Blue Mages could cast those kinds of spells, so getting a high-level blue mage and a high-level enchanter together to make such a ring was difficult, hence why the ring normally was rare.


    Faeyna seemed completely calm and collected, while Carmine seemed like a hurt animal, nearly in tears.


    ¡°Ready? You have 1 hour! Go!¡±


    Faeyna instantly began to move. Her cutting technique was impressive, and it even caught the eye of Lydia, who was watching her as if she was looking at a master. Her hand blazed as she cut through vegetables and prepared everything quickly. In comparison, Carmine was running around the kitchen, looking like a chicken with her head cut off.


    Although it was an hour with very little action that the crowd had been expecting, Faeyna¡¯s movements and her beauty were so hypnotizing, that she drew the crowd¡¯s attention the entire way. Everyone watched excitedly as she prepared her meal quickly and then stuck it in the oven. Meanwhile, Carmine was still frantically throwing things together, trying desperately to cook something.


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    The hour ended quickly, and two plates were put in front of the princess. If it came to presentation alone, it was already clear that Faeyna had won. A beautiful mouthwatering scent rose from her food, while I was almost certain the indescribably mush Carmine made, God had placed a sight filter over, as it appeared slightly blurry and no matter how hard I looked at it, I couldn¡¯t make out anything that fit the definition of an ingredient.


    She tried Carmine¡¯s food and spent the next fifteen minutes gagging in the corner while everyone smiled awkwardly and the prince patted her on the back. Lord Tibult had an ugly expression on his face.


    The princess returned, still looking white and sickly, but then she took a bite of Faeyna¡¯s food.


    ¡°Mm? Mmmmmm!¡± She suddenly made a loud, orgasmic sound. ¡°The flavors mesh together so splendidly! It¡¯s like an ocean wave blasting across the surface of the moon and erupting deep inside me to create a sensation of all that is beautiful and great in the world! My mind and body are erupting with the absolute possibilities of the world!¡±


    With hearts in her eyes, Eliana started babbling incoherent words describing the dish. It¡¯s just food, right? As a former fatty, I loved food more than most, but I had never seen anyone act like this before.


    ¡°Haaaaaaaaaa!¡± She screamed, standing up on the edge of the box facing the crowd like she had just had an epiphany. ¡°My body feels like it¡¯s being licked from head to toe by hundreds of little men and¡­!


    The prince grabbed her and dragged her down. ¡°S-sorry, she gets like this when she has something she likes! Given her reaction, this was a 5/10.


    Faeyna looked down, feeling somewhat disappointed. Well, she only had Cook at level 10.


    ¡°No! You should feel good about that. At level 7/10 her clothing comes off¡­¡± The prince sighed awkwardly.


    ¡°Please!¡± Eliana screamed while the prince tried to restrain her, still writhing on the floor, ¡°Rub your wonderful food all over my body!¡±


    Seeing her nearly orgasmic display, people started gulping. The men were getting quite hungry, but they could no longer knew what the hunger was for.


    ¡°Wh-what did she make?¡± Someone asked.


    ¡°I-I think it was just chicken and rice¡­¡± Someone else responded.


    Of course, the main thing on everyone¡¯s mind¡­ what did she do when she tasted something 10/10?

 Chapter 316

    ¡°For our next task, a good slave should always be able to clean up after their Master!¡± the prince announced once the audience had settled down. ¡°Therefore, a slave must be selected to clean up a dirty room. Whoever is able to do it properly, thoroughly, and quickly will win!¡±


    This was a maid duty, so I immediately wanted to use Faeyna again. However, the rules stated that I could only use one girl per competition. Since I had used Faeyna to win the cooking competition, I wouldn¡¯t be able to use her in the cleanup. She could only shrug helplessly.


    Cleaning up was a task that anyone could perform. Unlike cooking, I saw no reason that either of the other two people the mysterious Shao, or Carmine, either one would be able to offer competition. In that case, the most important thing to winning would be speed. Although Lydia was extremely quick and agile, she wasn¡¯t necessarily the most refined girl. Although she was always willing to clean, she was a bit careless at times with messes.


    That¡¯s when my eyes fell on Celeste. The more I thought about it, the more I realized she was the perfect candidate. After all, she was fast and even had the ability to cast haste on herself so that she could move faster than anyone could believe. She could change her size, allowing her to get into hard to reach areas or see things from angles no one else could. Finally, she had the wind attribute, allowing her to pick up or move things without necessarily touching them. Simply put, Celeste would be perfect.


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    ¡°Celeste, can you do it?¡± I asked.


    She made fists and nodded. ¡°I-I¡¯ll do my best for Master!¡±


    By the time we turned back to the stage, servants had turned the stage into two separate rooms. There appeared to be a magical wall separating them to keep one person from tossing stuff on the other side. There was a couch that looked dirty, a rug that needed to be beaten, several counters that still had dust on them, and a floor full of various items strewn about. There was even a spill on the floor. In short, it looked like a messy living room that needed cleaning.


    On the opposing side, it was actually Shao who was up. I didn¡¯t know what her ability was at all, but I still felt threatened by it. The unknown was something to be wary about. I tapped Celeste on the shoulder.


    ¡°Use Haste when the match starts. I have a feeling she¡¯s going to be moving fast. Go as fast as you can. Use wind magic if you have to. Just get it done.¡±


    ¡°Ah! O-okay¡­ master¡­¡±


    I looked back to see the other girls looking at me uncertainly.


    ¡°What? We need to win¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­ Master, it¡¯s just¡­¡± Miki looked uncertain. ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s probably nothing.¡±


    I cocked my head, looking at her with a questioning look, but Miki shook her head and the other girls didn¡¯t seem to want to explain. I shrugged and turned back to the main area to watch.


    ¡°Alright, the match will begin on my mark!¡± The prince announced. ¡°3, 2, 1, Begin!¡±

 Chapter 317

    Shao was far more impressive than I ever thought possible. She moved as fast as Lydia, if not faster, leaping onto the stage. As she did so, her hood fell back, revealing her face for the first time that I had seen. I couldn¡¯t help but gasp in surprise. The reason for that wasn¡¯t just because she was beautiful, but because she had a face that resembled that of a Japanese girl.


    Up until now, everyone I had seen had western faces. She was the first girl I had seen with eastern features.


    ¡°Master, she¡¯s from Shie Gescar. Have you never seen someone from there before?¡± Asked Faeyna curiously.


    ¡°Ah¡­ no¡­¡± I responded.


    It seemed like she came from one of the two mega countries, Imperial Cloud Meadow being the other one. That meant her people were probably quite common in this world, although, like on earth, not nearly as common in the western parts. However, the more I looked at her, the more uneasy I felt. There was just something off about her. She wasn¡¯t as simple as she seemed. It was that kind of feeling.


    As for the women herself, she moved with extreme precision. She leaped from object to object, moving them to their proper place was elegance and skill. Her movements seemed to flow fluidly, and it was almost like it was a dance. In some ways, it was almost hypnotic. She didn¡¯t lose to any of my slaves, let alone the beautiful Carmine and Salicia, in looks. In fact, her exoticness with her dark black hair and narrow eyes almost made her more beautiful, although I¡¯d never admit it to the girls.


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    Naturally, I was a bit obsessed with Japan back on Earth. If I hadn¡¯t had at least a dozen fantasies about Japanese schoolgirls, well, there was a time I had hoped I could move to Japan. It was that bad. I even took a few classes in Japanese. Thus, seeing a Japanese girl on the stage left me a little more excited than it normally would.


    However, I quickly remembered this was a competition and it was Celeste I needed to be rooting for. Turning my eyes to her side of the stage, they immediately went flat. Celeste had slipped on the puddle and fallen flat on her face. The liquid was milk, and when she stood back up, she cried as white stuff dripped down her face and cleavage.


    ¡°I¡¯m all sticky, Master!¡± She cried out.


    Somehow, she was getting more cheering than the other side. However, despite both starting at the same time, her side seemed to be even a greater mess.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I cried out. ¡°You need to clean!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, Master!¡± She took a few running steps with haste, and then tripped over something and fell on her face again.


    ¡°I was worried about this¡­¡± Miki sighed.


    I shot her a look. ¡°What do you mean? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, Celeste hasn¡¯t practiced with haste very much. She¡¯s also not very good on her feet. In reality, she¡¯s actually a total klutz!¡±


    I winced, only now remembering how often she fell down. Half the reason she shrunk her size and sat on my shoulder is that she fell over if she tried to walk too much. She could manipulate the air like a pro. In the air, she was the fastest thing, but she¡¯d trip over her own feet if you asked her to run.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ it appears I forgot¡­ Celeste is an idiot!¡±

 Chapter 318

    As Celeste continued to trip over her own feet, Shao seemed to be gaining speed, moving more and more flexibly as she became used to the chores. She wasn¡¯t just incredibly fast, but it turned out she was a genius too, quickly able to learn on the fly and then perfect herself. Meanwhile, Celeste tripped on a banana peel that was on the stage for some reason.


    All the men in the crowd seemed to cheer every time she fell. This was because every time she fell, it was in increasingly embarrassing situations, flashing her underwear to everyone watching. As her Master, for the first time, I was starting to feel embarrassment. Is this what parents felt like when their kid played the tree in the high school play? I mean, they did the best they could, but can you really be proud of that?


    ¡°Celeste!¡± I called out, feeling like I was at my wit¡¯s end.


    Celeste stopped as she peeled what appeared to be spaghetti off of her chest and looked in my direction with a distraught expression on her face. Why did all of the stuff on her stage appear to be food-related? Never mind that, I needed to encourage Celeste. She actually could have won this event, but she wasn¡¯t thinking. Had I not been caught up on the Japanese girl, I might have been able to act smarter.


    ¡°Master?¡± She asked helplessly, nearly in tears.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to use your feet!¡± I said, ¡°You got wings, use them!¡±


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    Naturally, had she been flying around the room, she could have cleaned the place with ease. She was only using her feet because everything was on the floor. However, she was a fairy and a sylph. She had mastery over wind and two beautiful wings that could keep her magically afloat. There was nothing in the rulebook that said she had to walk. In short, had she just used her wings in the beginning, this would have never become a problem in the first place.


    Celeste¡¯s expression brightened so much that I wanted to facepalm. She really had completely forgotten that she had wings! She looked back as they suddenly spread out from her back. The crowd made ohing and ahing sounds. I breathed easier, but even if she moved like a monster, she¡¯d still be hard-pressed to have the entire room cleaned before her competition finished. I nodded encouragingly towards her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to use your wind!¡± I reminded her.


    She nodded happily, and then suddenly crouched down. She leaped up into the air her wings spreading out. Suddenly, the previously clumsy girl looked almost like an angel. The sun was reflecting off her wings, causing them to truly sparkle. Then she came down just as hard. As her wings flapped down, a sudden tempest of wind exploded out with her as the center. The wind blew out in every direction with a force that equaled that of a tornado.


    People in the audience let out cries of shock as everything on her side of the stage was pushed away with enormous strength. Even I let out a cry as I leaped to the side, barely avoiding a desk that flew passed where I had been standing. When the wind finally cleared, there wasn¡¯t a single thing left on the stage.


    ¡°I win!¡± Celeste cried out happily, completely oblivious to the ugly looks being given to her by dozens of innocent bystanders who had been hit by flying objects.


    ¡°Disqualified!¡± Prince Aberis shouted, putting out his hands like an umpire, his hair a complete mess.


    ¡°Oh¡­ poo.¡± Celeste pouted indignantly.

 Chapter 319

    ¡°AHm SoWWWry MAAASTTTEEER!¡± Celeste sobbed while I patted her head.


    In the end, it ended up being me who had to console her as she sobbed mournfully after blowing the last match.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s one on one now. We can still win this match.¡± I assured her.


    After the crowds recovered from the windstorm, and with Celeste still sniffling on the sidelines, Prince Aberis finally stepped up to the podium stand in his box again.


    ¡°Alright, the final task for the third event¡­ a good slave must be capable of boiling a Master¡¯s blood! The slave must seduce their Master, and show their eroticism on stage!¡±


    A shoe suddenly hit the prince in the back of the head. ¡°Cleaning, cooking, sex¡­ is the prince raising a slave or a wife!¡±


    Those words, of course, came from Princess Eliana, who had recovered from her foodgasm and was now glaring at him angrily. The prince laughed helplessly as he shrugged.


    ¡°In many ways, a slave is like a wife! I wanted this competition to be balanced. As much as my dear sister wants to put her head into the sand, slaves are often used for sex as well, so how could a competition be complete without the slaves offering some eroticism?¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± the princess crossed her arms and turned her head away, but she didn¡¯t seem to have a response to that.


    As far as the crowds, the women had disdainful looks while many of the men were growing excited.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t ask you to make your slaves do anything inappropriate! They simply must entice their Masters. Naturally, I have a mage focused on each Master! The winner is the one who grows most excited by their slave¡¯s actions!¡±


    This felt wrong in so many ways, but as I glanced over at the ugly expression on Lord Tibult¡¯s face, I realized that it just about didn¡¯t matter. I had already won this. Had he been willing to risk one of his muscle men, maybe he¡¯d have a chance, but with all women, it was like trying to catch a fish without bait!


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t have to try very hard.¡± I said to the last three remaining girls, ¡°Just dance a little or something.¡±


    Although it felt weird allowing myself to get aroused, we actually hadn¡¯t been having sex since we made it to the capital. The small hotel room with a bed that barely fit us wasn¡¯t the most romantic place, and if I made a move on any girl, one of two conclusions would happen. One, I¡¯d have to satisfy all four, and frankly, that was an exhausting mission like scaling the heavens, or I¡¯d have to leave three outside while I had fun with one. Well, the result was that no one got sex, and with four beautiful women rubbing against me every night, being aroused was really easy.


    ¡°Master, I¡¯d like to go!¡± Lydia declared a fiercely competitive gleam in her eye.


    ¡°Um¡­ I mean, I don¡¯t mind who goes¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trained for this, I will definitely make Master¡¯s blood boil!¡± She made a fist as if swearing on her life.


    ¡°Uh¡­ like I said, it¡¯s not that big of a deal¡­¡±


    ¡°Master! My life has been leading up to this point!¡± She said tearfully.


    It seemed like this had a lot more meaning to my little tigress than I realized. It was her honor as a trained courtesan to be able to make her master excited. How could she not be trained in dozens of seductive arts, yet all of them had gone to waste with me. She was apparently very eager to prove herself. It seemed my treating this lightly, she wouldn¡¯t be satisfied.


    ¡°Then¡­ as your Master, I order you to excite me with your body!¡± I said, feeling slightly awkward.


    However, those words were apparently what she wanted to hear, because a big smile formed on her lips, her eyes brightened, and her tails swished excitedly.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±

 Chapter 320

    Of course, before Lydia could go, there was Salicia¡¯s turn. She wasn¡¯t picked because she was the most sensual. In fact, she was a Bandit King. Carmine at least had some charm. As a paladin, she could at least garner a sweet sight. I had seen her use it. Salicia had nothing cute about her. Whether it was her eyepatch, her tied up hair, her leather clothing, or her crude way of walking, Salicia may be beautiful, but she wasn¡¯t erotic. In fact, she rudely readjusted her pants and spit on the ground before coming up. The men in the audience had helpless expressions on their faces.


    The Slave Master had an ugly expression on his face as he sent her, but there was nothing he could do. The other two girls had already gone once, and Salicia was all they had left. Thus, he could only order her to march up to the stage.


    ¡°You want sexy?¡± She said, crossing her arms, ¡°How about this? One of these? How do you like that?¡±


    After each question, she posed. However, all of her posses were fundamentally wrong, as they weren¡¯t cute feminine poses, but the kind of pose a muscleman would put on his body. I wanted to laugh, but taking a glance at Lord Tibult who was watching her with interest, this was probably the best way to arouse him. Her manly actions might get a reaction out of him, especially if he used his imagination a bit. I was actually starting to worry they might offer a challenge, but a second later, one of the crowd let out a jeer.


    ¡°That¡¯s not sexy at all!¡± One person cried out.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± A woman cried. ¡°Women are supposed to be cute and adorable!¡±


    ¡°Get off the stage!¡±


    As the complaints mounted and the crowd grew more restless, Salicia¡¯s face turned ugly and she started cursing them.


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    ¡°You bastards! You ask me to come up and be sexy and you don¡¯t even appreciate it!¡± She snapped. ¡°You want sexy? You want to see sexy! Well, take a load of these!¡±


    She grabbed her shirt and lifted it, immediately flashing the crowd. There was a quick inhalation of breath as everyone gasped at her displaying her funbags for the crowd. Carmine had her head in her hand, shaking it like an embarrassed sister.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ you like that you horny freaks. Take a look, because you¡¯re never going to touch them!¡± She cursed the crowd, although some guys had started clapping and hooting now.


    As she turned, her chest ended up being flashed before me. Noticing a glint on her nipple, my eyes widened and in the relative silence brought on by her exposure, my voice rang out in the crowd.


    ¡°A nipple ring?¡±


    Her breasts were actually pretty nice, and the nipple ring was very daring. Her eyes suddenly snapped to me, staring at her breasts. She pulled her shirt down suddenly, and her face exploded with a red blush.


    ¡°Who-who said you could look?¡± Her usually raspy voice had changed into something soft and low and she was touching her fingers together.


    ¡°Hah? You were showing them to everyone!¡± I declared ¡°It¡¯s not like I was interested or anything.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s lying¡­¡± The magician who was gauging the two men declared, ¡°His current state of arousal is about a 7/10.¡±


    Damn it, could you provide me any face old man! I can¡¯t help I hadn¡¯t had sex in weeks! I was shooting him a hateful glare, avoiding the accusing looks of the girls behind me. It didn¡¯t even matter what score I had! I wasn¡¯t her master!¡±


    ¡°S-s-seven¡­¡± Salicia¡¯s eyes were downcast and her expression was unreadable.


    ¡°Uh¡­ yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°S-s-stupid!¡± Salicia¡¯s eyes gushed with tears and then she ran back off the stage with her hands covering her face.


    I had no clue what happened, but her sudden display of cuteness seemed to satisfy the crowd, who burst into applause. As for the Slave Master, he had an awkward look on his face as he glanced between me and the slave, and then didn¡¯t punish her despite her previous display. As for me, I was completely confused. Carmine was even offering Salicia comfort! Why did she show everyone her breasts without batting an eyelash but as soon as she noticed me seeing her breasts, she ran off the stage in tears? No matter how I asked the question, no answer seemed to come.

 Chapter 321

    ¡°Lord Tibult¡¯s arousal only reached three. If his opponent gets even half as aroused for his own slaves as he gets for someone else¡¯s slave, then the match is in the bag!¡± The Prince announced after the magician whispered in his ear.


    ¡°Oi!¡± I growled, shooting the prince a look.


    When he said it like that, it was seriously putting me in a bad place. I wasn¡¯t some pervert who desired some other guy¡¯s women! Actually, now that I thought about it, I realized I had a trump card for Lydia. The Pervert ability! Naturally, if I equipped that job, my arousal would skyrocket. In that way, I had no chance of losing. Feeling slightly vindicated, I sat down and nodded to Lydia.


    When my eyes locked on her expression, I immediately stiffened. She had a fierce expression on her face, her tiger features making her seem like a tiger about to pounce.


    ¡°That skank¡­¡± She muttered, ¡°7 out of 10! I will definitely double that number!¡±


    I wanted to tell her that double 7 out of 10 was impossible, but her face was so serious. It turned out she took another slave arousing me as a personal challenge. I wanted to say she was bursting with a fighting spirit, but she was actually a little scary like this.


    ¡°Master, I need a long spear!¡± She demanded.


    ¡°Huh? A spear?¡± I checked through the stuff we hadn¡¯t sold in out storage rings.


    Fortunately, I did still have a spear. After I handed it to her, I started to frown. Did she forget this was an erotic challenge and was going to fight Salicia to the death? I was seriously worried about that. However, a moment later, she lifts up the spear with the pointing side down and slams it into the middle of the arena. It embeds nearly a foot into the ground, causing it to shake. Everyone made alarmed noises at her sudden action. She looked more dangerous than sexy.


    That was, until, with her hand gripping the top of the spear, she swung her leg around it and spun to face me. Her expression turned lax, and a somewhat naughty expression spread across her face.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Her voice was so gentle and velvety, that my heart started to palpitate. ¡°Only look at me¡­ okay?¡±


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    Her voice held such a pleading desire, that every man in the audience only wanted to look at her, even discarding their girlfriends and wives right next to them. A second later, her tongue came out and licked slowly up the length of the pole. Her tongue was actually pretty long, and her lick seemed to go on for ages as all the men leaned forward in their seats. Blood started rushing to all the right places, and I let out a moan.


    ¡°Holy crap.¡±


    She suddenly pulled away and started spinning around the pole. She moved with all the agility, speed, and precision she had earned over the course of training in the dungeon, and it all combined to cause her to move sensually around the pole. Her skill seemed to transcend the realm of human, and she performed at a level that a high class stripper could only wish.


    She rode the pole, shoved between her legs, like a gentle lover, but her eyes always returned to me, full of an unquenchable lust and desire that radiated off of her and infected every man. Even the prince was leaning out of the box with his mouth open.


    As she spun time and time again around the pole, her hip gyrated, essentially gently rubbing the pole against her nether regions like she might have rubbed it against my hard cock. The smell of that pole was covered with pussy, in more than one meaning! She got low to the ground, rising up with the pole between her smooth buttcheeks. She rode it high, spinning as she turned her body upside down. Her tail wrapped around the pole several times, and I swore at one point it moved up and down, stroking the pole as she swung around it.


    Whenever her clothing started to fall away, about to reveal a part of her body, she moved in a way that caused it to fall back down. She teased, but never showed anything she didn¡¯t want to show. Through all of it, her eyes were locked on me, as if to say that this dance was all done for me. I suddenly equipped the pervert job. I had left it ready to equip, preparing for if things went bad. However, in my lack of concentration, and my own mind in the gutter of lust, suddenly I found it equipped.


    My control was lost, and just as it seemed like she was finishing her dance, I rushed the stage and pushed her down. There were cries of shock and surprise. As for Lydia, she writhed orgasmically in my grip, while I humped her body.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± She moaned. ¡°Take me now!¡±


    It took six people to pry us off of each other to keep the arena from turning into a sex show. I managed to regain reason just long enough to remove the pervert job. Lydia was just as bad, trying to fight off three servants while trying to rip off my pants. Miki had to use a spirit attack and make her go to sleep before she was able to control the tigress. The prince was laughing, while the princess had her hands over her face, hiding her blushing face, but she had her fingers open and was still watching through them with more than a little interest.


    ¡°His arousal reached 14 out of 10¡­¡± The magician said in disbelief. ¡°Apparently I need to redesign my whole system¡­¡±


    It looked like Lydia did exactly what she said she was going to do. She doubled it.

 Chapter 322

    ¡°Now that everyone has calmed down!¡± Prince shot me a look.


    I looked down sheepishly. I was repenting, honestly. Lydia snorted, still asleep after Miki had knocked her out. Curiously, I had checked Lydia¡¯s status and she had unlocked a new job, Dancer. The conditions were probably something like dance on stage at a level that makes someone want to give you money or something like that. I didn¡¯t know how much it would help in the future, but at least it was something.


    ¡°It is clear that Deek¡¯s party won the first event.¡± The Prince continued. ¡°It¡¯s time we move on to part two. This one will be a lot more familiar to all of you, as the theme of this one is strength! Slaves must be powerful and capable of defending their Master. Therefore, the slaves shall commence in one-on-one combat, with the team that wins two out of three bouts the winner of this event!¡±


    The previously depressed Lord Tibult began to smirk. After the previous failure, it was clear he felt like he couldn¡¯t lose in these matches. As for me, I felt a bit of worry. Carmine and Salicia were both powerful women. Either one would be an even match against my girls. Then there was the unknown challenger, Shao, who was a complete mystery. She had to be powerful, or Lord Tibult wouldn¡¯t have wasted the money and time to acquire her.


    ¡°I want you to play it safe,¡± I explained to the girls softly. ¡°We have already won one event. I don¡¯t want you killing yourselves to win the second one. Terra, are you ready?¡±


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    Terra nodded. ¡°I will fight for Master!¡±


    Since Lydia was unconscious, Terra was my second-best fighter. Her focus was defense, after all. After her, Celeste would be the next most useful, but given that she was a long-distance fighter, the constrained arena wasn¡¯t her best environment. After what happened with the house cleaning, I decided to leave her to last. If luck was on my side, Terra would win the next match, and then I could wake Lydia up for the 2<sup>nd</sup> match.


    We waited on the Slave Master working for Lord Tibult. After seeing who I picked, he put a wicked smirk on his face and then gestured for Carmine. This immediately caused a commotion across the crowds as people muttered in confusion. I didn¡¯t understand what was going on. It was Miki who explained it.


    ¡°Carmine is a Paladin, Master. This is considered a defensive class. Since she can heal herself, and she has strong armor abilities, she is exceptionally durable. However, it is known that Terra, as an Earth Golem, is also defensive, and her regenerative abilities and strong armor techniques leave the audience confused about how this match will continue.


    ¡°Usually, he would have chosen Salicia, who can deal heavy damage with her dark magic to counter Terra¡¯s high defenses. There is a saying. ¡®When two people of the same class meet, skills no longer matter.¡¯ It means that when two people have a similar layout of skills and abilities, it becomes a pure numbers game. At best, it will be a fight of attrition. Terra will struggle to win because Carmine is a higher level and thus has more stamina and trump cards, plain and simple. He¡¯s playing a dirty trick on us!¡±


    Just as I was processing what Miki was telling me with a frown, it was already too late to say anything. The prince stepped out with his arms wide.


    ¡°Carmine the paladin against Terra the Golem. Begin!¡±

 Chapter 323

    Rather than suddenly attacking each other, each began casting a spell. In a flash, Carmine was covered with silver Paladin armor. The summoning of it went straight on her body. It was a spell of some sort, so casting it before the battle might have been a rule violation. She held a massive shield, and a sword besides.


    As for Terra, she grew covered in a rocky exterior. Her hands were completely surrounded by large balls of metal, making them appear like maces. Her shoulders and various other vital places were covered in layers of earth. Between the two of them, though, Terra¡¯s protection looked a lot freer, giving her mobility. Meanwhile, Carmine¡¯s armor looked absolutely impenetrable.


    ¡°I must admit something.¡± Terra said, ¡°Although Master uses me to defend, I am an Earth Manipulator! My attacks are also powerful!¡±


    Carmine put on a malicious grin. ¡°Paladin¡¯s must smite demons every day. Anyone who thinks we¡¯re all defense has never fought us!¡±


    The two women finally attack. Terra used her canon ball hands while Carmine swung her large sword. The two clashed, creating a massive bomb that filled the arena. The noise was enough that Lydia awoke with a start. She had her sword drawn looking for danger before Miki and Celeste were able to calm her back down.


    As for me, my eyes didn¡¯t leave the arena as the two women fought aggressively against each other. Terra was fighting more desperately than I had ever seen her, and I had healing spells ready if I needed them. I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to throw the match if she was in danger. Yet, as the two girls fought, I found that my worries were unfounded. Remarkably, Terra was starting to gain an edge.


    Each time they landed a hit, their respective armors were damaged. However, where Terra¡¯s regenerated instantaneously, Carmine¡¯s did not. She may be able to heal her body, but her armor steadily accumulated more and more damage. Perhaps she might have been able to cast repair, but she wasn¡¯t given the time to. Terra¡¯s repair was a passive effect, where Carmine would have to depend on a lengthy spell.


    Terra continued to launch Earth attack after Earth Attack. Spike shot up out of the ground. Some trying to impale Carmine while others were tossed at her like massive spears. Most of them bounced off of her shield, but a few manage to slip past her defenses, causing damage to the handful of open places. On the other side, Terra was hit a lot more, but her entire body had a massive defense beyond the armor. The wound created began to heal almost as soon as they were made.


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    Earth Manipulator was simply too strange and unconventional of a job, and an Earth Golem couldn¡¯t be compared to a human. The human couldn¡¯t compete with a magical vessel full of mana!


    ¡°The fight is mine!¡± Terra¡¯s body glowed as suddenly hundreds of spike flew out and attacked Carmine.


    The intent wasn¡¯t to kill her but to push her off of the stage, which would cause her loss. She was using the pure weight of the Earth to push the other woman off. Carmine slammed her shield into the ground. She glowed as well, and suddenly she was encased in a barrier. No matter what Terra threw at the barrier it no longer budged in the slightest.


    ¡°This barrier will last for ten minutes.¡± Carmine panted, ¡°It is impenetrable to the likes of you!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ won¡¯t accept it!¡± She lifted up her hand, and suddenly dust and dirt started to accumulate.


    It grew larger and larger and started spinning. The action caused the wind to start spiraling around it, causing hats to fly off and clothing to flap in the wind.


    ¡°Terra is a wind mage too!¡± Celeste clapped happily.


    I decided to ignore her as I watched the spinning boulder grow larger and larger. Carmine¡¯s eyes started to widen, shock and fear forming in them.


    ¡°How¡­ did you get all of this power?¡± Carmine demanded.


    ¡°If I want to stand by Master, I must win!¡± Terra declared. ¡°I am strong because I must be strong to stand by him!¡±


    She chucked the massive ball, still spinning, across the arena. It slammed into the shield, making a horrific booming sound that shook the entire arena. Everyone in the audience was completely shocked, never having seen such a powerful fight before. This was already exceeding what they had expected to see during the gladiatorial matches this was replacing.


    There were a few moments where the spinning ball stopped, unable to move forward as it pressed against the impenetrable shield. The roaring sound continued until a distinct crack could be heard. The cracking sound started to spread more and more, until visual cracks formed across Carmine¡¯s shield. Her face turned white as her body flashed the color of various buffs. Just as the shield was about to break, she launched out with a massive wave of her sword, striking the spinning ball of earth.


    The ball exploded just as the shield shattered into pieces. A massive blast of air spun out as the arena was instantly turned into a crater.

 Chapter 324

    On one side of the concaved arena was standing Terra, who was panting hard. On the other side was Carmine. Her shield had shattered, and there were numerous holes in her armor. Her face was white, and it was clear she had various wounds. If it was a question on who was in a better condition, the answer was clear.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ continue on¡­¡± Carmine said bitterly.


    Terra nodded as if this outcome was inevitable. ¡°Only when you have a Master worth fighting for, can you bring out your true strength.¡±


    The scene was just about to end amicably when a sudden cynical and dark laughter broke through the silence. The one who was laughing was the Slave Master who was currently controlling Carmine¡¯s leash.


    ¡°A Master worth fighting for? Slaves are tools! You have no value! You don¡¯t fight for me! I use you like I use any weapon!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Slave, I order you, defeat her!¡± The Slave Master hissed.


    Carmine shot him a hateful look. ¡°I c-can¡¯t¡­ I have no¡­ ahhhhh!¡±


    She suddenly fell to her knees and grabbed her head. She started screaming. I had seen this happen once before when I had used the Slave Order on Celeste. I had promised myself I¡¯d never use that order on my slaves again unless it was life and death.


    ¡°Stop it! You¡¯re hurting her!¡± The princess had run up to the stage and yelled.


    ¡°I am a Slave Master, my slave refused orders! She¡¯s only hurting herself!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhh¡­ I can¡¯t win!¡± She screamed.


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    ¡°Stop hurting my sister!¡± Salicia went to grab him.


    ¡°You defy me as well? Punish Slave!¡±


    She let out an even more horrifying scream, crashing to the ground and curling up into a ball.


    ¡°Terra!¡± I called out, ¡°Knock her out of the ring so we can stop this!¡±


    Terra nodded and stepped forward. However, a sudden smirk on the Slave Master¡¯s face suddenly unnerved me.


    ¡°Slave¡­ Overdraft!¡±


    A sudden power exploded out from Carmine. She suddenly raced at Terra. Her body was glowing red. She began to slice her sword at Terra, again and again. Terra hadn¡¯t been prepared for her sudden ferocity, and she immediately had to lose ground.


    ¡°Die! Die! Die!¡± She screamed, slamming her sword against Terra¡¯s rocky arms, causing Earth to break off with each strike.


    The cost on herself was even greater, as her sword slowly broke and the pieces of her armor fell away. Terra was able to attack her, but the attacks were shallow. Blood dripped from all over Carmine¡¯s body, but she didn¡¯t slow her attacks at all. It was as if she had gone completely berserk, ignoring the damage being done to her.


    ¡°Master¡­ I can¡¯t stop her without killing her!¡± Terra said, feeling afraid for the first time since she went on the stage.


    That was the truth of it. Carmine was wide open for a killing blow, but Terra just couldn¡¯t deliver it. She was someone she knew¡­ and someone who was being forced to do it. She might be willing to kill a Bandit who was trying to kill her, but this was outside of her realm.


    ¡°Divine Retribution!¡± Carmine screamed.


    ¡°No!¡± Salicia shouted.


    A white light exploded out. Terra was struck and her body broke apart as she was flung from the stage. She didn¡¯t even hit the ground before I was casting spells. Create Cushion. Heal Slave. Heal Moderate. Light Repair. I tossed everything at her as I ran to grab her.


    ¡°M-master¡­ I lost¡­¡± Terra responded weakly.


    Her legs half her body was gone, and half of her face looked like sand, rather than skin. She could barely hold herself together.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s okay¡­¡±  I said, continuing to heal her, even if it cost me every last piece of mana.


    ¡°That¡¯s the power of a proper Slave Master.¡± The man on the other side snorted.


    Lying on the stage was Carmine. It was difficult to say whether she was alive or dead. Her armor and even her clothing had been destroyed. It wasn¡¯t sexy though. There wasn¡¯t a single patch of skin that wasn¡¯t covered in blood. She had innumerable cuts. Her sword had melted to the hilt.


    ¡°You¡­ bastard¡­¡± I shot him a look.


    ¡°Next match.¡± The Slave Master grinned.

 Chapter 325

    ¡°Disqualified!¡± The clear voice that wrung out in the aftermath of the fight between Terra and Carmine was Princess Eliana.


    ¡°Please, explain how you could say such a thing?¡± The Slave Master barely showed the prince or princess any respect.


    ¡°B-because¡­ you¡­ you used spells¡­¡± She responded uncertainly. ¡°And your methods¡­ they nearly killed your slave.¡±


    Under his malevolent gaze, her energy started to weaken, and soon the prince pushed her behind him so he could take that gaze instead. Unlike the princess, the prince matched him completly, a cold smile on his lips that suggested he could be a more serious guy than he typically let on.


    The Slave Master only rolled his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m a Slave Master. I do not cast magic. I order slaves. Every skill I used was a slave¡¯s skill. How can you wish to assess a slave owner without allowing him to use his slave skills? That¡¯s preposterous. Just by being my slaves, they are stronger, would you have this effect stripped from me too? Nothing I did fell outside the guidelines of your game.


    ¡°Slave skills don¡¯t use mana, but the power of their slave mark. Slave Order is simply something that compels a slave to follow and punishes her when she doesn¡¯t do as she is asked. Slave Overdraft is an ability that forces a slave to use every ounce of their own energy to fill out their order. Together, they are a Slave Master¡¯s greatest weapon, but they were nothing added by the Slave Master. All I did was call out what Carmine was already able to do on her own.¡±


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    ¡°Yeah¡­ if she turned off her limiters and had no desire for life!¡± Eliana cried out.


    ¡°What does a slaver buy, if not the life of another? Her life was always mine to do with as I wanted.¡±


    The prince watched him icily for a few moments before speaking. ¡°Since you have three slaves available, if Carmine is unable to perform in the next match, you do know that you forfeit, right?¡±


    With those words, Lord TIbult who was previously as surprised as everyone else started to sweat. He didn¡¯t care about the slave at all, but he didn¡¯t want to forfeit after coming this far either.


    The Slave Master chuckled. ¡°You worry so much. The slave will be fine.¡±


    He waved his hand and a few servants went out and pulled the unconscious Carmine off the stage. He pulled out a small crystal vial. One the Prince reacted to when he said it, giving a gasp.


    ¡°Elixir?¡±


    ¡°To a country bumpkin nation like Aberis, elixirs are a priceless artifact, but the Imperial Cloud Meadow is vast and this can be obtained with ease. Lord Tibult, I trust you will compensate me for using this?¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡± Lord Tibult¡¯s face went white.


    Promising him the elf was one thing, but after intentionally hurting one of his slaves, to now try to charge Tibult to heal it, that naturally enraged the young noble. However, the Slave Master wouldn¡¯t even give the prince and princess respect, so how could he put the young Lord in his eyes. He clearly had only come to this place he considered beneath him for a chance at the elf.


    ¡°If you win, it¡¯s yours, but if you lose, don¡¯t expect anything!¡±


    The Slave Master snorted and then poured a few drops into Carmine¡¯s mouth. Her body started to repair itself. It took another five minutes before she woke up, however, she was still very weak. As for me, I spent that time healing Terra. By the time I was done, I had already consumed two mana potions. Terra gave me a small smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, Master¡­¡± Terra smiled weakly, ¡°Please concentrate on the match.¡±


    A moment later, the prince spoke up. ¡°Match two, send your contestants.¡±

 Chapter 326

    ¡°Go, end this¡­¡± The Slave Master smirked as he looked at the girl in the hood.


    She nodded and walked onto the stage without a word. Lydia who had recovered herself now approached me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go up!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I shook my head. ¡°We¡¯ll just surrender.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ I can do this.¡±


    ¡°Lydia¡­¡± I could only look up at her helplessly.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ so your slaves can only protect you this much?¡± Lord Tibult spoke up tauntingly. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle you survived!¡±


    The girl¡¯s expressions turned ugly. For Lydia, Miki, Terra, and Celeste, protecting me was a part of their bottom line, and Lord Tibult had just crossed it.


    Lydia jumped up onto the stage without saying another word.


    ¡°Lydia!¡± I stood up, an angry expression on my face. ¡°Get back here! It¡¯s an order.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t even control your slave, and you call yourself a master.¡± The Slave Master mocked.


    She turned back and smiled with tears in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master. I can¡¯t follow that order. If I don¡¯t fight, Master¡¯s honor will be sullied.¡±


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    The only way I could make her obey was with Order Slave, and there was no way I¡¯d use that skill on her. In the end, I could only trust Lydia, even though the Japanese woman¡¯s strength was completely unknown. I looked up to the Prince and nodded, giving my assent, even though the reluctance was clear on my face. As for Princess Eliana, she was watching me curiously, a strange expression on her face.


    ¡°Begin!¡± The Prince called the start of the match.


    Unlike the tanks who pulled out their defenses first, Lydia immediately sped at Shao. Her sword was drawn like lightning and she moves so fast it was difficult to see it. Yet, as soon as her sword struck out, A clanging sound rang out. Shao had blocked it with her sword, even though she hadn¡¯t moved a step. Her sword seemed to suck in light, and it was thicker and longer than Lydia¡¯s which was typically a long, thin sword. Between the pair, it was clear Shao¡¯s sword had more weight to it.


    Not only had no one seen Shao draw her sword, but she hadn¡¯t taken a single step back despite Lydia¡¯s attack. She suddenly pushed her sword forward, and Lydia flew back as a gust of wind erupted from her just giving a single strike of her sword.


    ¡°I hate this world¡­¡± Shao said the first words she had spoken in this world. ¡°Stand in my way, and I will destroy you.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that¡­¡± Lydia responded. ¡°Master is behind me. Always.¡±


    ¡°Then die!¡± Shao leaped out moving just as fast as Lydia.


    The two women began to battle, but compared to the slow, powerful movements of the previous fight, this was on a completely different level. Both women moved like blurs, leaping across the stage. Each exchange of swords usually involved multiple strikes. Clanging sounds filled the air, and sparks burst off between the pair of them. However, as this went on, Lydia¡¯s face grew more haggard, and it was clear that she was being suppressed by this woman.


    At this rate, Lydia would only be defeated!

 Chapter 327

    ¡°Why keep fighting? You will only lose.¡± Shao said as the pair temporarily broke off their intense battle.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it my pride as a slave? I fight for my Master!¡±


    ¡°Masters are hateful things¡­  you¡¯re his whore!¡± Shao bellowed.


    ¡°Mm! That¡¯s right!¡± Lydia nodded happily.


    ¡°¡­¡± Shao blinked in stunned silence, clearly not understanding what Lydia was saying.


    ¡°I¡¯m Master¡¯s sword. I¡¯m Master¡¯s shield. I¡¯m his whore, his woman, his wife. I¡¯m whatever master wants me to be, and with Master, I will always be more!¡±


    Lydia launched forward again, her attack catching Shao off guard. Shao began to fight back, but this exchange seemed different than the previous one. Where Shao was suppressing Lydia in the first exchange, the second exchange seemed to have them both on about the same level. It was like Lydia was suddenly pulling out a greater strength.


    ¡°I won¡¯t lose to someone from this world!¡± Shao screamed.


    My ears were suddenly perked. Of this world? That couldn¡¯t mean¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re from Japan?¡± I said without thinking.


    Her eyes spun to me, and a shocked look formed on her face. Lydia, who was focused on fighting, use the opening created and struck her. Blood splattered as she was cut across the chest, flying back to the other side of the arena. I winced as she flew, feeling bad about causing her harm. However, I was more perturbed about the fact that she was someone who came from another world. Not just another world, my world! I wasn¡¯t the only one!


    ¡°Slave-¡° The Slave Master was furious, but as he went to force her into overdraft, a dark power exploded from her body.


    Salicia gasped. ¡°That¡¯s not dark magic¡­ that¡¯s the higher-level demonic magic!¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡± She screamed. ¡°How did you learn that name? I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll kill you all!¡±


    ¡°Lydia, back off!¡± I called out.


    Lydia looked back and gave me a smile, and then raced directly at Shao. She shot forward, her entire blade bathed in blacklight. Compared to Salicia¡¯s magic, this was a hundred times more menacing. Lydia¡¯s sword met hers. As the swords hit, Lydia¡¯s shattered into pieces. She only just managed to jump back, narrowly avoiding the strike. Yet, even then, a black wave ripped off the tip of the sword and shot forward, slashing Lydia.


    She flew back and hit the other side of the arena, just like she had done to Shao a moment before. Except, her wound turned black, and a dark curse started to resonate out from her wound.


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    ¡°Lydia, you¡¯re done!¡± I declared, ¡°Just stop.¡±


    Lydia spit out some blood, and then worked her way back to her feet, stumbling unsteadily. Shao, wrapped in a dark miasma, shot Lydia a disdainful look.


    ¡°You would die for that man?¡± She growled.


    ¡°No¡­ I will only live for him!¡± She flew forward again, even without a sword.


    It looked like suicide, but as she raced towards the other woman, her body began to change. Her breasts grew larger, her butt became shapelier, her legs grew longer. Long fangs sprouted from her mouth. Her ears lengthened, and her long claws formed from her hands.  As these changes occurred, the corruption seemed to be cured by itself, and the wounds on her body quickly healed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a beast form!¡± The prince cried out in disbelief. ¡°A tigerkin beast form¡­ an animalkin that can do a beast form is 1:1000. But for the rare tigerkin¡­ this is something I¡¯ve never even heard of!¡±


    Shao¡¯s sword struck down again, but Lydia let out a thunderous roar, shaking the arena and causing fear in the hearts of those that were weak. It was a mental and spiritual attack that could decimate the spirits of anyone weaker. Miki hastily spread her nine-tails and protected the audience before someone got hurt. Shao ground her teeth as her blade struck Lydia¡¯s claws. She caught and stopped the demon sword.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Shao screamed. ¡°Not possible!¡±


    Lydia¡¯s feral eyes had no sign of even understanding Shao. In her beast form, her mind had been reduced to that of a beast. She may have gained a great deal of strength, but she was now governed by rage and instinct.


    To be suppressed by a simple swordsman 60 levels behind her was an embarrassment, and the fury spread across Shao¡¯s face. Suddenly, her own eyes started to change red. The Demonic aura around her grew, and as her hood flew back, two little horns came out the top of her head.


    ¡°Sh-she¡¯s a demon!¡± I called out.


    ¡°Demon¡¯s are a myth!¡± The Prince declared.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­.¡± The Slave Master laughed, ¡°You from Aberis are truly hicks. You don¡¯t even recognize the demon species in your identification. Well, I wasn¡¯t going to reveal it!¡±


    The power between them was intense, and the ground started to shatter just from the pressure between the two of them. Shao was trying to push down her blade, while Lydia was holding it back with her claws.


    ¡°Die!¡± Shao screamed again, demonic aura shooting out and striking Lydia.


    This time, she flew back, the sword slamming into the ground as she was tossed away. She landed at the very edge of the arena. There was blood leaking from her mouth, ears, and eyes. Lydia looked absolutely terrifying. Most of all, she looked like she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to continue to attack. She stood back up, even though one of her arms no longer appeared to work.


    ¡°Celeste!¡± I cried out. ¡°End this!¡±


    Just as Shao raced at Lydia again, a massive gale of wind shot between them. It struck Lydia harder, and she was shoved off the edge of the platform. Before she had even hit the ground, she felt into my arms. I was worried she¡¯d fight me as soon as she fell, but I realized the second she landed in my arms that she fell unconscious. Shao screamed, racing to the edge like she planned to leap off of it and cut us down. However, Terra managed to use some of her required energy and rose an earth wall right in front of her, causing her to smash into it. It shattered a moment later.


    ¡°Shao, recall!¡± The Slave Master gave the order.


    Shao stopped as quickly as she started. She gave a sniff as she looked at me holding Lydia delicately, and then spun back and walked to her side of the arena. I stroked Lydia¡¯s cheek, tears forming in my eyes as I healed her.


    ¡°Lord Tibult¡­ has won this match.¡± The Prince said bitterly.

 Chapter 328

    A small recess was given, and I used my healing to bring fix my girls. Meanwhile, Carmine was allowed to recover as well. The originally cheering that had permeated the crowds had simmered dramatically after the last two fights. Mages with earth ability flattened and repaired the arena, while people mumbled. A good fight was always loved, but seeing beautiful women being beaten to death was a sight even the crowd didn¡¯t like.


    ¡°Did¡­ you mean what you said?¡± I asked, thinking back to the words Lydia had suddenly revealed on the arena.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± She nodded weakly, ¡°Master is¡­ my everything.¡±


    ¡°Husband?¡± I asked.


    A blush broke out on Lydia¡¯s face. ¡°Ah¡­ th-that¡­ said I was your¡­ w-wife¡­ symbolically! Naturally, as your slave, I can¡¯t be your wife. It would definitely have to be another girl.¡±


    It felt almost like a rejection. I mean, it wasn¡¯t like I wanted to get married, but Lydia was the person I cared about the most. Lydia must have noticed my expression because she shook her head.


    ¡°M-master would be a wonderful husband. You should definitely get married! I mean, it must be a princess or something!¡±


    I let out a snort at that. What kind of a princess would be interested in me?


    ¡°Deek.¡± A voice came from behind my shoulder.


    I glanced away from Lydia to see Princess Eliana standing here. Instantly, my expression turned white upon seeing the resident princess. She had come down from her box overseeing the arena. Her eyes were rimmed red and she was looking at me with a somewhat needy expression.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked over the noise.


    The murmuring of the crowd was to the level that we still had to speak loudly to be heard. Even though the atmosphere was docile, a large gathering of people still made a lot of noise.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry. This fight, I never wanted this to happen.¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Here¡­ father will be furious if he sees me giving it away, but I want you to have it.¡±


    ¡°Here!?¡± I spun around, and then seeing something in her hand I calmed down. ¡°Oh¡­ a vial¡­ what is this¡­ elixir!¡±


    She didn¡¯t catch my slip, but it turned out to be just as surprising what she actually was offering. It was something that could be said to be even more valuable than that, although if any girl heard me say such a thing she might hit me.


    ¡°Just a few drops. Enough to heal one person. You can give it to one of your girls in a time of need.¡±


    I was surprised seeing it. It might not have been enough in the eyes of a Slave Master, but for Aberis, this was probably quite valuable. Her father had given her this bottle as a life-saving measure in case something came up.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I took the bottle and let out a sigh of relief.


    For a moment there, after what Lydia had said, I had some concerns that perhaps she had come for other reasons. That was just my overactive imagination getting the better of me.


    I put the vial away. I didn¡¯t plan to use it here. A bottle like this was almost useless on the surface. It was best reserved for a dungeon when people are truly on the verge of life or death. I had healed both girls now, and they were awake and giving me weak, reassuring smiles.


    With our interaction done, I was about to turn back to Lydia, but suddenly the princess leaned out and grabbed my hands. Her face was flushed red, and a sudden burst of emotion seemed to flood through her.


    ¡°Deek, I must propose to you!¡± She declared.


    Lydia behind me gasped, and my mind went numb for a second. How could it have come to this?


    ¡°I¡¯m too young to marry!¡± I cried, bowing down with my eyes.


    When I glanced back up with one eye open, her expression had turned angry. ¡°You¡­ who says I want to marry you!¡±


    As she yelled that, the Prince had walked up on the stage and the crowds murmuring finally settled down. As a result, only five words resounded into the silence.


    ¡°I want to marry you!¡±


    The crowds of people all gave a collective gasp. The prince looked down at the pair of us and then laughed.


    ¡°Ah! My sister had finally found love! Then, you and I will become brothers in every sense of the word! I¡¯m quite happy. I accept!¡±


    ¡°Geh!¡± Eliana looked like she had just been pinched, and then she hit me. ¡°You idiot! Just defeat him, okay!¡±


    That was what she had come to say. She had wanted to tell me to definitely defeat Lord Tibult. However, after the mistaken wedding proposal, it now sounded like she was telling me to defeat Lord Tibult so that I could be a noble and thus eligible to marry her. When she realized what her words suggested, she exploded in red and then ran away with her hands covering her face.


    ¡°Women! So easily moved with emotion¡­¡± The prince said helplessly, only for a shoe to fly up and hit his face a second later. ¡°Anyway¡­ let¡¯s start the final challenge, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 329

    ¡°The final trial is a bit different than the others¡­ Magicians!¡± The mages came out and began to create a magic circle in the arena. ¡°For those of you not familiar with it, this is the Bond-breaking Rune Formation!¡±


    A bunch of people gasped, and I couldn¡¯t help leaning forward. ¡°Are you talking about the one that nullifies bonds?¡±


    The prince winked at me and nodded. ¡°Yes, this is a very rare and expensive formation, but we¡¯re using it for this competition. For the final step, the bond between your slaves and you will be nullified! No coercion. No spells. No skills. Just the truth. For you see, the final challenge today¡¯s theme is trust! Only a master who can trust his slave and a slave who can trust his master can work.


    ¡°This is unreasonable!¡± The Slave Master immediately stepped forward with an ugly look on his face. ¡°Our skills are part of who we are! Would you ask a blacksmith to prove his craft without the support of his job?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I would.¡± The prince narrowed his eyes.


    He had a point there. Skills could bypass a lack of knowledge, but typically they were still a crutch. Basic swordsmanship knowledge only took you so far, but a good swordsman would eventually learn basic swordsmanship with or without the skill. In fact, it was basically a requirement to become an advanced swordsman. That job would never unlock unless you could do everything a basic swordsman could do and then add onto it the advanced skills you¡¯ll unlock.


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    The Slave Master glowered at the prince hatefully, but he continued on with his speech while giving the man no mind.


    ¡°For the first event, the slaves will show their trust in their master, in the second event, the master will show their trust in their slaves! In the final event, well, I have something special planned.¡±


    ¡°Event one, I will need three girls to come up onto the stage from each group. Masters, you will be handed three bottles. One of them is poisoned! The poison will not kill them, but it will cause them extreme pain! Masters, you must choose which bottle you put in front of each girl!¡±


    I stood up. ¡°That¡¯s cruel! How can that gain trust, it¡¯ll destroy it!¡±


    ¡°The girl must state whether she thinks it¡¯s poisoned or not!¡± He declared. ¡°If she drinks it, she gets one point, if she¡¯s right in her guess, she gets two. The team with the most points wins!¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­ I¡¯ll accept!¡± The Slave Master giggled.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Master¡­ I¡¯ll go!¡± Miki said.


    ¡°And me,¡± Celeste added.


    ¡°Master¡­ please, poison me.¡± Terra declared, standing up. ¡°My high constitution and pain tolerance, I can handle the pain of this potion.¡±


    ¡°Terra, I won¡¯t poison you!¡± I declared.


    Terra gently smiled and then walked up to the stage with the other two girls. Before I could object, three bottles were put in my hands. The man whispered that the first bottle was the poison. I wanted to smash it over his head. How could I choose? This was absolutely too cruel! However, I handed the bottles to them anyway and told them where I wanted them.


    ¡°Erect the barrier!¡± The prince shouted.


    A barrier went up over the people. We could see them, but the girls couldn¡¯t see us. They were on their own to make their decision.

 Chapter 330

    On Lord Tibult¡¯s side, it was Shao, Carmine, and then Salicia. Shao snorted at my girls and then picked up her potion, looking down at it.


    ¡°This is not poisonous! Master wouldn¡¯t poison me! After all, of the three of us, I have done nothing to displease him. I won both of my rounds.¡±


    With those words, she gulped down the potion. As soon as it entered her stomach, her expression began to change. She let out a scream and then collapsed to the ground. The dark miasma began to glow around her, but the pain was from the inside, not the outside. She could only bellow and whimper.


    ¡°Not poisoned!¡± Carmine drank hers.


    ¡°Not poisoned!¡± Salicia also drank hers.


    The Slave Master gave the girl on the floor an ugly look. ¡°You stupid wench! If I gave the poison to the first person, then the others would clearly know! Even an idiot could figure that out. It assured me six points! Geh!¡±


    The round went like lightning, and they had earned 5 points because of Shao¡¯s error in the way she thought. She expected leniency or fairness, and the Slave Master didn¡¯t think in those terms. She was pulled off the stage with the other two girls.


    Meanwhile, my side had lined up a Terra, Miki, and Celeste. Terra had been eyeing her vile for a while now. It was clear she was trying to hype herself up. Although her vision was blocked from me on the outside so I couldn¡¯t give her a hint, she had seen the pain Shao went through.


    ¡°Master¡­ has given me the poison!¡± Terra declared.


    She picked up the vial and drank it. She waited for a few moments, and then nothing happened. She shot a look at the direction that I was, an uncomfortable expression on her face.


    ¡°Master¡­ why¡­¡± Terra said, feeling depressed.


    She had asked me to use the poison on her to spare the other girls. Since I didn¡¯t use it on her, it meant one of the other girls had to suffer. I lowered my head, a slightly guilty expression on my face.


    ¡°Okay¡­ since Master didn¡¯t pick Terra, we must think realistically,¡± Miki responded. ¡°Since Master didn¡¯t choose you, it must be because he was worried about the damage you already faced. Master is fair, and wouldn¡¯t want you to experience more pain. Likewise, my constitution has always been weak thanks to my spiritual tails. Thus, he wouldn¡¯t pick me either! Master did not give me the poison!¡±


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    She took a drink, closing her eyes nervously. After a moment, she let out a relieved sigh. However, then she froze and turned to Celeste standing in the end. Celeste cocked her head in confusion. It was abundantly clear that with vials downed, the third would be poisoned. Celeste was the one he selected to feel pain. It made sense that I¡¯d pick her, after all, she was uninjured and was a powerful Fairy Queen. Perhaps, I was even a little angry that she had failed her task earlier too. My eyes never looked more closely at Celeste than they did at this moment.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Terra said nervously. ¡°You must drink the poison vial. Be strong for Master.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Drink this?¡± Celeste looked down on it. ¡°But Master wouldn¡¯t give me the poison vial. See?¡±


    The two other girls made noises of protest, holding out their hands as Celeste brought the vial to her lips and drank it. The blood drained from their faces. She had lost a point by being wrong about the poison, that brought the girls to four, and they lost this round. However, after some time passed, Celeste didn¡¯t bend over in pain. As time continued and nothing happened, the audience started to murmur in confusion. Celeste gave a giggle.


    ¡°Silly sisters, Master would never hurt us if he had a choice. Could you believe he poisoned any of us?¡±


    Miki¡¯s confused expression flashed with realization. ¡°Master¡­ used cure poison on the vial!¡±


    How would I ever hurt them? To the simple-minded Celeste, the question was that simple. Her trust in me was absolute, and even in the face of conflicting proof, she knew that Master would never harm her. Of course, I had used the spell. Even if I had lost the points, or this entire event as a result, I would still have made the same choice.


    I didn¡¯t believe it was because the other girls didn¡¯t trust me, it was simply that they overthought it. The second Miki realized that no matter how she looked at it, she couldn¡¯t see me giving her a vial of poison, she felt like a complete idiot. As for Terra, she truly hadn¡¯t trusted in me when I said I wouldn¡¯t poison her. She was convinced there was no other way but her own sacrifice and believed in that instead of believing in me. In a single moment, Celeste had outsmarted Miki and gave me more trust than Terra.


    ¡°M-master!¡± Terra broke into tears and suddenly raced out and leaped off the stage.


    ¡°Oi! Oi!¡± I held out my hands desperately as she landed on top of me.


    Boom!


    As a golem, Terra was exceptionally heavy despite her size. Furthermore, as she leveled and regained her strength after years of being in a dungeon, her weight only increased. The ground cracked as I was flattened on the ground. A second and third girl landed on top of me as well. However, they all started kissing me, and their bodies were soft, so I decided it wasn¡¯t that bad after all.

 Chapter 331

    ¡°The last competition was a tie.¡± The Prince explained. ¡°Since the last event was a tie, I think it¡¯s best if the winner of this event is the final winner.¡±


    If he didn¡¯t propose this method, either team would need to win the next two events in order to come out on top. Given our current path, it seemed just as likely each of us would win one, and then where would we be? By making this final event the end, it would lead to no sudden deaths. The prince seemed slightly disappointed by this. Perhaps he had something really enjoyable planned that he was now going to skip.


    ¡°I accept.¡± The Slave Master said after a thought.


    ¡°As do I¡­¡± I added.


    I had honestly not known all the tricks the Slave Master had up his sleeve. I just didn¡¯t want to torture my girls anymore with these tests. They were too difficult and two violent.


    ¡°This one is very easy. Slaves, all of you must come up on the stage. Yes¡­ into the Bond Breaking formation.¡±


    All of the girls made it up. Between healing and potions, everyone had recovered the majority of their strength, so all the girls were able to walk up with their backs strong.


    ¡°The nature of this last test is simple. I want to know what you want. Each of you must answer a question. Do you want to be a slave to your Master, or do you want to be free? Anyone who requests freedom, this Prince himself will pay the cost and make it happen myself! You are under no bonds, no requirements, and no restrictions. Your Master cannot hurt you here, or coerce you, or influence you with their skills. I want your honestly, direct and simple.¡±


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    As he explained the final test, Lord Tibult¡¯s face began to turn white. However, the Slave Master seemed completely at ease, causing him to worry.


    ¡°You¡¯re highness¡­¡± Lord Tibult tried to speak up.


    ¡°Deek has five followers, while you only have three. You could say he¡¯s already disadvantaged here, wouldn¡¯t you? That is, unless¡­ Lord Tibult fears his slave¡¯s loyalty?¡±


    Lord Tibult lowered his head, unable to say anything about these final conditions.


    ¡°We¡¯ll start with Deek¡¯s team this time.¡± The Prince declared, first looking at the elf girl.


    ¡°Do you wish to be Deek¡¯s slave, or freed?¡±


    Faeyna smiled helplessly, ¡°Of course, only in slavery do I feel I can be safe.¡±


    ¡°What if I could ensure your safety?¡± The prince asked. ¡°Would you wish to have your freedom?¡±


    She shook for a second. ¡°Even if you promised¡­¡±


    ¡°I would hire you in my Palace, and give two elite guards to watch you at all times.¡± He declared.


    ¡°Hey¡­ what¡¯s the big idea?¡± I said, angrily.


    The Prince seemed to have had my back from the beginning, but suddenly it almost felt like he wanted me to fail.


    The Prince turned to me and shook his head. ¡°I need to know the truth. Don¡¯t you?¡±


    I lowered my head. I felt frustrated, but in my heart, I knew he was right. This is what I wanted, right? I wanted to know if the girls really wanted to be with me. Up until now, my perks as a slave master had, even if subconsciously, caused them to lean towards me. Since I had been to this world, I had always worried if they truly cared for me. Now, I¡¯d finally hear the answer.


    ¡°If my safety could be guaranteed,¡± Faeyna said hesitantly, then shooting me an apologetic look. ¡°Then naturally, wouldn¡¯t I choose freedom?¡±

 Chapter 332

    She said it. Like that, I lowered my head and bit my lip. I had expected as much, but it still felt a little like being slapped. Of course, Faeyna had been with me the least. We barely knew each other. Why would she be dedicated to me after only a few days. She was nice, but that niceness was simply what she felt she had to be as a slave toward their Master.


    In the end, that was all it was. These girls treated me as they would a Master. I remember when I was ten, I had bought a puppy. That dog would jump on me, lick my face, and grow enormously happy whenever I was home. We had him for six months when one day I left the door open and he ran out. That dog never returned. That was a dog, bred for loyalty from a few weeks old being given to me. Effectively, we were the only family he had ever known, and he fled the second freedom presented itself. If I combined the collective time, I had known all the girls, it wouldn¡¯t even come to six months. They also weren¡¯t puppies, but people who really ought to be free.


    In short, this was the outcome that would happen for all of them. As I spoke, a priest had actually stepped out on the stage. Faeyna gave me one last look, her expression conflicted, but then she kneeled in front of the priest. He put his hand on Faeyna, and a moment later¡­


    {Faeyna is no longer your slave.}


    It had worked. The formation really did allow him to bypass my mark and free my slaves. Now, every one of them was fit to leave me. I couldn¡¯t even bring myself to look at the faces of the other girls. My head was down and my hands were trembling. I don¡¯t even know why I was so upset. This is what I wanted. I had taken those marks for those girls because I wanted them to live on their own.


    The Prince looked at my haggard expression hesitantly, ¡°I will¡­ send you 3000 gold later. I¡¯m offering a bit more in consolation. I¡¯m sorry, my friend.¡±


    I looked up as his hand rested on my shoulder. In the box just over his shoulder, the Princess was at the edge, looking down at me. For some reason, she was crying when she looked at me. It was the oddest thing. The prince turned to Lydia, and I lowered my head again, defeated.


    ¡°Lydia, do you wish to be free or a slave to Deek?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ can be free?¡± Her words stung, and for a second I thought I might pass out.


    ¡°Mm¡­ just say the word, and I will remove the slavery mark.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Lydia said slowly.


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    I closed my eyes. So, It was that after all. In the end, this was a good thing. I had to remain strong.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be.¡± The Prince said gently, gesturing to the priest to come over.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong!¡± Lydia declared, her expression turning angry.


    The Prince blinked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°You said¡­ I could be free or be Deek¡¯s Slave. That¡¯s a contradiction! There is only one freedom for me, and that¡¯s by Deek¡¯s side!¡± Lydia declared with such certainty that I couldn¡¯t help but look up in shock.


    She wore a fierce expression on her face. In fact, all four remaining slaves had furious expressions. Rather than joy or happiness at the thought of freedom, they were angry.


    The Prince scratched his cheek awkwardly. ¡°Ah¡­ you can still travel by his side if you were free?¡±


    ¡°What does that matter? Of course, I would follow Master regardless. That is a given! However, you wish to take the bond I have with him away!¡± Lydia shot him an accusatory look.


    ¡°Y-yeah!¡± Miki suddenly said, although her voice was much softer than Lydia¡¯s roar. ¡°My connection with Deek brings me strength and happiness. Because of my bond, I can smile every day! It is because I can always feel Master and know his love! How dare you try to take that away from me!¡±


    ¡°Master is Master!¡± Celeste burst into tears, ¡°If Master isn¡¯t Master, then Celeste wouldn¡¯t be Celeste!¡±


    As always, what Celeste said was either incredibly profound or completely nonsensical.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Master is like a rising sun.¡± Terra declared. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t his, then I wouldn¡¯t qualify to be by his side! Only when I am 100% Masters, in body, mind, and soul¡­ only then can I show my true power! He brings out the best in me, in all of us. That¡¯s why he will always be my Master!¡±


    Under the assault of four angry women, the Prince didn¡¯t know what to say. He was completely shocked as they cried and berated him. Even the crowd was starting to turn on him.


    ¡°Eliana, do it!¡± Lydia bellows.


    There is a whistling of air and then a shoe pelts Prince Aberis in the back of the head. He spins to look up at his sister. She¡¯s crying openly too!


    ¡°Wh-what did I do?¡± He said desperately trying to figure out what happened.


    ¡°S-stupid brother!¡± Eliana declared angrily.


    Why did she suddenly completely change her mind? Women were truly something even a man of men like Prince Aberis couldn¡¯t figure out.


    As for me, I was just as stunned. ¡°Girls¡­ I thought¡­ with you free¡­¡±


    ¡°And you!¡± Four angry glares suddenly locked on me and I gave a squeak.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°You keep declaring you want to free us!¡± Lydia said.


    ¡°Did I ask to be freed!¡±


    ¡°If Master isn¡¯t Master, then Celeste wouldn¡¯t be Celeste!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Celeste, you already said that.¡± Terra patted her on the head, which made Celeste happy even though she had forgotten what they were talking about.


    ¡°You¡­ you want to be with me?¡±


    ¡°Forever!¡± Miki snapped tearfully.


    ¡°Your slaves!¡± Terra declared.


    ¡°Eliana!¡±


    Another whistling sound came, and a shoe suddenly hit my face. Those things were really painful. That was the only thought left as four women dogpiled me. Naturally, my preconceived notions were obliterated. Even a guy as dense as me got the hint. Crying, I hugged all of them in my arms.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let any of you go, ever!¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± The Slave Master snorted, cutting into the mood. ¡°That depends on if you win!¡±

 Chapter 333

    ¡°My elf slave has been snatched away. Lord Tibult, I am not pleased.¡± The arrogant Slave Master said.


    Lord Tibult shook for a second and waved his hands. ¡°It¡¯s the law! I can¡¯t do anything about it!¡±


    The Slave Master spat, ¡°Aberis and your puny laws. If you think you can keep me from my slave, let it be known I know many powerful people in the Imperial Cloud Meadow.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat?¡± The Prince¡¯s expression grew serious as he overheard the conversation while I was still sandwiched under several girls.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ let¡¯s get this competition over with!¡± The Slave Master said instead. ¡°After seeing this idiot child claim himself to be a Master of Slaves while making a mockery of everything we do, I have a bit of competitive spirit. I¡¯d like to crush him.¡±


    The girls all got off of me, finally letting me up. They were glaring angrily at the man now.


    ¡°You think any of the girls will agree to stay with you?¡± I responded bitterly.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ Unlike you, these slaves are bound to me in ways more than just a slave mark. Only a fool depends only on a mark like that. They will make the right decision.¡±


    ¡°Very well, since it has come to this.¡± The prince sighed. ¡°Then, Carmine, do you want slavery or freedom?¡±


    Carmine¡¯s eyes shot to the Slave Master, her body shook, and then she lowered her head. ¡°Slavery.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on! He¡¯s coercing her somehow!¡± I declared.


    ¡°You love to condemn me for cheating!¡± He sniffed. ¡°How about you ask her for a reason?¡±


    The Prince looked at Carmine, who panicked for a moment before saying. ¡°Since¡­ the church rejected me, my life has no meaning. I am¡­ a worthless slave¡­ that is the only fate I deserve.¡±


    Her words were bitter, and the Prince¡¯s frown grew.


    ¡°You must tell the truth. I will be able to protect you.¡± He spoke quietly.


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    She gave the Slave Master one last look of fear that didn¡¯t fit the Carmine I knew and then said. ¡°Thank you, but I will remain a slave¡­¡±


    ¡°I will always remain by my sister¡¯s side.¡± Salicia looked angry, ¡°If she is a slave, so am I!¡±


    He turned to the last girl, Shao, who was trembling as she looked down. ¡°I will protect you. Just say the words.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell him you¡¯re worthless!¡± The Slave Master smiled cruelly. ¡°Tell him you deserve to be a slave.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± The Prince snarled, truly angry.


    ¡°Brother¡­ this can¡¯t be allowed, he¡¯s cheating!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! How? Doesn¡¯t your formula eliminate all bonds?¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I want to be free!¡± She screamed out, ¡°Her eyes closing shut tightly. ¡°Please save me from these monsters! Please!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ bitch!¡± The Slave Master snarled.


    ¡°Another tie!¡± Lord Tibult responded bitterly.


    ¡°No, you lost.¡± The Prince¡¯s previously jovial expression was gone.


    ¡°The Slave Master glared at him. ¡°What are you saying? We each lost one!¡±


    ¡°Deek had five, 80% of his slaves remained with him. You had 3, 66.6% of your slaves remained with you. Deek wins!¡± The Prince explained, his dark expression was unchanging. ¡°Release your slaves.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ cheated me!¡± He cried out.


    He had acted like having more people in this competition was a setback that only benefitted Lord Tibult, but in reality, having more slaves to lose meant I had more slaves to gain! In the end, but going by ratio, the prince had given me a victory. I felt an intense wave of relief. As that happened, the priest walked up to Shao to remove her collar.


    ¡°Y-you promised me you¡¯d win!¡± Lord Tibult responded defiantly.


    As flushed as his face was, the Slave Master looked far angrier.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know who you¡¯re messing with!¡± He snarled. ¡°You think this is over!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re done!¡± The Prince declared. ¡°Get him out of here! Get the Slave Marks off those slaves!¡±


    ¡°Hehehehe¡­. Hahahaha!¡± The Slave Master started laughing. ¡°Why would I ever allow you to take what is mine!¡±


    ¡°Guards!¡±


    Two men grabbed the laughing man, but a second later, he spoke. ¡°I am a true slave master. And If I can¡¯t have my slaves¡­ then no one can!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Carmine screamed, leaping towards him.


    A glowing tattoo around her neck suddenly brightened.


    ¡°You bastard!¡± Salicia screamed, the same tattoo appearing a second later.


    The priest was a moment from putting his hand on Shao went a tattoo around her neck glowed too. The three women started screaming as if their hearts were being torn out.


    ¡°Brother, what¡¯s happening!¡± Eliana cried out.


    ¡°It¡¯s a Death Mark!¡± The Prince screamed.


    ¡°Hehehehe¡­¡± The Slave Master laughed as even Lord Tibult turned white, ¡°I always win! Death Marks are permanent! You won¡¯t even be able to resurrect them! Hahaha¡­¡±


    After the screaming continued for a solid moment, Carmine struck the floor, her eyes open, but no light within them. She was dead. A few moments later, Salicia similarly crashed to the floor dead. Other than the screaming the only other sound filling the arena was the maniacal laughter of the Slave Master.

 Chapter 334

    Shao screamed on stage. For some reason, she hadn¡¯t fallen yet.


    ¡°Is it because she is standing on that formation?¡± I wondered out loud.


    ¡°Save her!¡± Eliana cried as desperately to her brother.


    The Prince¡¯s confidence was lost and he looked away angrily. ¡°This¡­ the death mark isn¡¯t connected to a slave mark. It¡¯s not a bond. It¡¯s a kill switch. They¡¯re illegal in this country, so I never would have expected someone to use it in front of me. All we can do is watch her die¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± He looked up at the stage painfully. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­ liar!¡± She screamed one last time as she collapsed to the floor like her string had been cut. ¡°I hate¡­ everything!¡±


    The prince turned away guiltily, no longer able to watch as her body stopped moving. Why it took so much longer than the other two was anyone¡¯s guess. Despite the Prince¡¯s words, perhaps the formation did have an effect. Or, perhaps it had to do with being level ?? of some unknown job. Either way, the guards dragged the still laughing slave master over to the prince.


    I wanted to run up and try to heal her, but before I could take a step, the girls stopped me. They shook their heads at me tearfully. I knew it too. Somehow, I knew, deep down, that none of my current spells was sufficient to reverse this. There was nothing I could do to save her. She was already dead.


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    ¡°You will face the death penalty for this!¡± The Prince snarled at the Slave Master.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ I don¡¯t think so¡­¡± He pulled out something from his robe.


    The guards tightened their grips on the swords, but the man ignored them with confidence, showing the Prince a small plaque. His face turned white as he looked at it.


    ¡°You¡­ that¡¯s the seal of the Imperial Cloud Palace!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I said I knew powerful people, didn¡¯t I?¡± He chuckled. ¡°Now, I had come here for a gift for the imperial party. The last living elf, as It were. Considering the inconveniences, you¡¯ve provided me, I think taking this elf as my slave is only suiting.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± The Prince lowered his head helplessly.


    ¡°Hehehe¡­ don¡¯t feel bad. I¡¯ll put in a good word to the Emperor when I hand him the slave. He does like exotic toys. He¡¯ll play with her for a while, and your country will have good relations. Isn¡¯t that worth a few measly coins?¡±


    ¡°No..¡± The Princess protested from her box, but her words were incredibly weak.


    ¡°Come, kneel. I will reapply your slave mark, elf.¡±


    ¡°N-no!¡± Faeyna took a step back, glancing over at the prince, ¡°I¡¯m free¡­ I refuse! Prince?¡±


    The Prince lowered his head. ¡°This is a decision I can¡¯t make. It could start a war, and the Imperial Cloud Meadow could destroy this country easily. We¡¯ll go to the King and¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph! You want to wait for daddy to make your decisions for you?¡± The Slave Master¡¯s face turned cruel. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll make it easy for you. I don¡¯t feel like dragging a slave halfway across the continent. I already have a return spell for one. Since you can¡¯t decide what to do with her, I¡¯ll bring her back as a corpse and resurrect her when I get home!¡±


    A crossbow suddenly appeared in his hand, appearing from his storage ring. He aimed it at Faeyna and pulled the trigger.

 Chapter 335

    I pulled upon Celeste¡¯s haste, my body moving at unbelievable speeds. As the small arrow, more of a dart really spiraled toward Faeyna¡¯s chest, raced from the side. It was clear from the gleam that the arrow was poisoned. If it struck Faeyna anywhere, she¡¯d die. I slammed into her, pushing the elf down. A moment later I felt a burning pinch as the arrow struck me in the back. Before we even struck the ground, I had already using cure poison and heal.


    ¡°Pull it out!¡± I said, painfully as my slaves spread around me and yanked out the arrow.


    I grunted in pain, continuing to use healing spells until it went away. The Slave Master had an ugly look on his face as he glared at me.


    ¡°You¡­ fool.¡± He snarled. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°Deek, stay out of this.¡± The Prince urged. ¡°The Imperial Cloud Meadow can¡¯t be messed with.¡±


    ¡°The hell I will!¡± I shot back.


    ¡°Boy¡­ give me the slave!¡±


    ¡°She is free, and I will protect that freedom!¡± I snarled back, reaching my hand down to her as she was on the floor.


    Faeyna looked up at me with a stunned expression, a blush appearing on her cheeks as she took my hand. As I lifted her off the ground, she didn¡¯t meet my eyes. Perhaps, she was feeling guilty over leaving me earlier. None of that mattered now. She was no longer a slave. That was her right! That was all of their rights!


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    ¡°You¡­ saved me.¡± She spoke breathily, finally looking over at me with a strange look.


    ¡°I told you when I bought you. I will protect you and keep you safe. Free or not free, I will never go back on my promise.¡± I said, still staring down the Slave Master.


    Her body shook slightly, and tears started to form in her eyes.


    ¡°Prince! Do something about this! If you don¡¯t give me that slave, then I will make sure this whole country burns!¡± He held up something in his hand.


    It appeared to be some kind of one-time use magical item. If I had to guess, it was the item that would take him back to Imperial Cloud Meadow. He was saying that if we thought we could just imprison him or something, he¡¯d immediately flee and cause us great trouble down the line.


    ¡°Deek¡­ let¡¯s just talk about this.¡± The Prince said helplessly. ¡°Let him take her. When my father returns, I¡¯ll ask him to cut a deal and¡­¡±


    The fact that he was trying to negotiate with me because he realized that the Slave Master wouldn¡¯t budge already infuriated me. Now, he wanted me to give her up, let her be raped, and maybe after the King got bored with her, they could negotiate to have her back? How ridiculous was that?


    ¡°Enough!¡± I growled. ¡°You think you¡¯re the only one who can teleport?¡±


    I grabbed Faeyna and pulled her into my arms. She let out a surprised noise, and then her face turned even redder as she remembered the portal. The other girls all put their hands on me too.


    The actions of my slaves immediately revealed to them that I was serious. ¡°No¡­ Deek¡­ think about this. As a Lord of Aberis, you can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°What Lord?¡± I snarled. ¡°I tried to be a Lord, and all this country has done is put me through loops and make my women suffer. To hell with your lordship, and to hell with you!¡±


    The crowds all gasped, never believing that someone would be bold enough to openly curse their Prince. However, that was just how angry I was.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°I am the Lord of Chalm! I should have realized it before now, but it doesn¡¯t matter what you say. I¡¯m their lord and I will continue to be their lord! Since Aberis is unable to and unwilling to protect my city, I will protect it myself.¡±

 Chapter 336

    As we were talking, clouds had filled the sky. Strangely, the clouds were starting to appear red in color. There was also a strange feeling spreading out. It was a feeling of dread, sorrow, anger, and malevolence. As the three of us argued, we didn¡¯t really notice these changes to the world.


    ¡°You fool!¡± The Slave Master growled. ¡°The Imperial Cloud Meadow will destroy this Chalm. You think you can fight back against our greatness.¡±


    ¡°Our city is a city of slaves. We free people and we will fight for that freedom. Do not think that my people won¡¯t fight until the last one!¡±


    ¡°D-Deek¡­¡± Faeyna said lightly. ¡°I-I¡¯ll go¡­¡±


    I put on a smile and looked over at her. ¡°Faeyna¡­ you don¡¯t want people dying because of you. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t understand. However, I¡¯ve seen your true heart. You have a heart that wishes to be free. So, I will protect your desires.¡±


    ¡°Oh-h¡­¡± She blushed even more, ¡°Really¡­¡±


    ¡°Insolence!¡± The Slave Master cried out. ¡°I will have-¡±


    Something suddenly exploded through his chest. It happened so suddenly, that no one was able to understand what they were seeing. There was a small hand that had suddenly burst through his chest. It seemed to be holding something. It took a moment for Deek to realize that this something was the Slave Master¡¯s heart. It was still beating in that small grip.


    The person most shocked was the Slave Master himself. He looked down at the arm in his chest and the beating heart. The hand squeezed, and his heart broke apart and fell to the floor. He didn¡¯t even let out a groan as the hand slid back out of him from behind. He collapsed forward, dying instantly.


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    Behind him was the girl, Shao. Her demonic horns were more pronounced. Her eyes were glowing red. Her arm was covered in blood and gore, and drops fell from the fingertips. Her sight was absolutely terrifying. People in the watching crowds started to cry out and panic. Some even started to flee the arena.


    ¡°Shao¡­ you¡¯re alive.¡± The Prince let out a breath. ¡°Priest, check on her immediately.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ lied to me!¡± She screamed, her hand pointing at the Prince.


    A black miasma shot out and suddenly, the Priest screamed as he collapsed to the ground. His skin blackened and a few moments later, he was dead.


    ¡°G-guards!¡± The Prince backed off as a dozen guards moved between him and the girl.


    She backed up, keeping her distance as the guards started their approach.


    ¡°Lord Tibult!¡± The Prince said with a panicked voice. ¡°Control her!¡±


    Lord Tibult had a terrified expression on his face, but at the order of his prince, he nodded, standing up. The Slave Master was dead. A slave shouldn¡¯t have been able to do it. However, Lord Tibult was her true slave owner. The mark was still in effect.


    ¡°Slave Order! Shao! Stop all this and kneel!¡± He ordered, crushing a small crystal in his hand.


    I had seen those before. They were one-time-use crystals that allowed non slavers to use slave spells. It was a must-have for nobles, and one of the ways the Slave Guild continued to make money even after slave sales.


    Shao spasmed as if she was about to kneel, but then she grabbed her head and started screaming. It was clear that she wasn¡¯t going to listen to the order. The Black Miasma around her started to grow. It suddenly exploded into the air like a massive pillar. Darkness exploded out, and everyone was shoved back like they were hit by a shockwave. Even the box the Princess was in blew back.


    The Prince suddenly glowed and leaped up to the box, grabbing his sister and jumping away to safety. Many on the bleachers were not so lucky as they collapsed. Crushing some and injuring others. In the span of a few seconds, the entire arena exploded.


    I flew back as well, the girls with me. I just managed to Create Cushion, causing us to hit a wall softly before collapsing in a pile. However, my eyes were more focused on the words that had just appeared in front of me.


    {Emergency! A temporary dungeon has been created in the Capitol City of Aberis. Defeat the Demon Lord or all is lost!}


    {Shao ¨C Demon Lord ¨C LVL 100}

 Chapter 337

    In only the span of a few seconds, the entire arena had been flattened and took on the appearance of a natural disaster. Shao was floating in the air now, her hair dancing wildly as miasma continued to flood across the city like a mist. Where ever it touched started to decay and fester. Areas where it was especially thick suddenly coalesced, and a monster appeared in its place. The creatures didn¡¯t hesitate to start attacking citizens. Since the miasma was weak, so were the monsters, but that didn¡¯t matter to most citizens, who couldn¡¯t even handle weak monsters.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± I heard a scream, turning to see Faeyna.


    Once we had crashed, it had been Faeyna who had received the least damage, since she was being held by me. When I had struck the cushion, she had ended up flying out and landing a bit away from me. She had stood back up only to find herself in front of a ravenous beast that looked like a cross between a goblin and a wolf. It charged at her. Pulling my sword, I leaped forward.


    This time, my natural speed far exceeded the wolves, and just as it reached Faeyna I grabbed her and sliced off its head. ¡°Faeyna, you must go.¡±


    I looked around the arena. There were people fleeing and screaming everywhere. More and more monsters were being created every second. The demon lord herself seemed content saturating the Capitol city in her miasma, not making a move to attack anyone who didn¡¯t provoke her. The few brave guards who did attempt to attack her were instantly destroyed by a wave of her hand.


    My eyes finally locked on a familiar couple. Without even thinking about it, I picked up Faeyna in my arms and ran across the field. I ended up kicking a bunny-like creature that had no fur away as I ran. Only when I reached in front of the fleeing couple did I stop. They were none other than the Esmere friends I had helped cleanse their mansion, Pait and his servant Dav. I hadn¡¯t known the two had shown up to watch the competition until now. They had been lost in the crowd, it seemed.


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    ¡°Boy, we must flee immediately. This is work for the royal guard.¡± Pait said.


    I put Faeyna down and shook my head. ¡°I can¡¯t just leave.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know where my bravery came from, but I felt like I had to see this through to the end.


    ¡°You¡­ saved my life twice now.¡± Faeyna spoke breathily, looking up at me before turning away. ¡°Even though I tried to run.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a fighter,¡± I responded simply, looking at my girls as they quickly donned their armor and cast protective spells on themselves before attacking the spawning monsters. ¡°We all must do what we do best. My girls can fight. All I can do is support them. However, I will continue to support them with everything I have.¡±


    ¡°W-will you support me as well?¡± She asked nervously, looking uncertain.


    I looked down at her and smiled. ¡°I will support those that are a part of my life with everything I have, always. That¡¯s simply the kind of person I am.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Sweet talker¡­¡± Pait crossed his arms and chided, although his words seemed affectionate.


    I glanced at Pait. ¡°I have to support this city right now. Can you take her safely back to your mansion?¡±


    ¡°I can manage that,¡± Pait said. ¡°Despite my size, I¡¯m actually quite the warrior. These low-level bastards won¡¯t touch her while I¡¯m around.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I looked down at Faeyna, ¡°Please, go with¡­ Mmmm!¡±


    Suddenly, Faeyna threw her arms around me and kissed me. It wasn¡¯t even a light kiss either. Her tongue shot right into my mouth quite aggressively, as if she was determined to share saliva. When she pulled away, a stream of spit even connected out mouths. She suddenly licked her lips, and a strange look was in her eyes.


    ¡°Come back to me. You have to now.¡± She responded.


    I put her back down, not sure how to deal with the situation. ¡°Ah¡­ right. I¡¯ll be going then.¡±


    Pait had his mouth wide open, and his eyes looked like they were about to pop out. As for me, I could only turn and run toward the girls, getting my jobs ready to support them the best I could. Thus, I didn¡¯t hear what Pait said next.


    ¡°Girl¡­ I¡¯ve read about elves. They say that an elf only kisses one person their entire life. Some claimed it was bedding an elf, but how could that lead to the extinction of an entire race? A single exchange of fluids is all that is required to mark her forever.¡±


    Faeyna gave him a slight smile, still enjoying the taste on her lips.

 Chapter 338

    ¡°Open up a path!¡± I yelled out to the girls, ¡°Help the people fleeing!¡±


    The miasma was worse immediately around the arena; thus, the monsters were also the strongest. I was running around, trying to heal the injured and get people to leave the area. Once the royal elite arrived, the fighting might become extremely dangerous. Thus, we had to get everyone out of the area quickly to minimize the casualties.


    As I was still healing people, a man appeared next to me. I looked up to see the Prince. He had a few guards with him, but they were less than half the number he had before.


    ¡°I sent my sister away safely,¡± He explained. ¡°She was worried about you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± I responded back. ¡°When is the elite guard going to get here?¡±


    Prince Aberis lowered his head with a bitter expression. ¡°Two hours¡­¡±


    I shot him a shocked look. ¡°Two hours!¡±


    ¡°All of the elites are away on the borders. I¡¯ve already sent word, but even our fastest will take some time to reach the city.¡±


    ¡°By that time¡­¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°I know¡­ the Miasma is only going to make her more powerful, and this place more dangerous. If we allow her to finish, even the elites might not be enough!¡±


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    ¡°Don¡¯t you have some kind of defense formation or ultimate spell to stop this?¡±


    ¡°A Demon lord hasn¡¯t appeared in this area for 5000 years. How could we have predicted this would happen?


    ¡°What are we supposed to do? Flee the Capitol.¡±


    The Prince lowered his head. ¡°My guards and I will remain and fight her. I know you have no love for this country, but this is my home, and I must fight for it. Please get as many people as possible out of the dungeon, it appears to end at the city gates. I know you don¡¯t owe us anything. My cowardice in the face of that bastard¡­¡±


    His fist tightened, and it was clear by his expression that he held a great deal of anger. Except, it was all directed at himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Right now, we need to worry about these people.¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡¯re a true man.¡± Prince Aberis bowed to me, causing some of the guards behind him to gasp. ¡°If I make it through this somehow, I will acknowledge you as my brother. I failed at being a man today, but if I look up to you, someday, I might be worthy. Please¡­ look after my sister.¡±


    He was speaking like he didn¡¯t plan to survive this. I grabbed his shirt, surprising him.


    ¡°You¡¯ll make it out of this. We all will! I will help you fight.¡±


    His surprised expression slowly faded and he grabbed my hand, squeezing it, ¡°Yes, brother!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how I felt about him calling me brother, but his feelings were genuine. Few men could grab a prince¡¯s shirt like that. I let go of him, and he drew his sword, looking back at all the guards. Since he had been talking to me, some adventuring guild people had also shown up. His force consisted of about twenty people. It was enough for a so-called raid. This is what we had used to defeat the clockwork dragon some time ago, and those were just bandits who valued their life more than their duty.


    ¡°Men! To arms!¡± The prince kept it short, turning and immediately racing toward the woman floating where the platform once was.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Lydia asked as the girls approached me.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do what we always do. Support!¡±

 Chapter 339

    The girls broke off, still helping people flee, but also preventing the monsters from taking sneak attacks on the party who was focusing on Shao. As soon as they got close to her, Shao¡¯s eyes opened. Dark tides of miasma instantly began attacking the soldiers. However, with their shields at the ready and already using defensive spells, they were able to block some of her attacks.


    As for me, I ran around the periphery of their battle, dodging attacks. If I saw someone get hurt, I healed them. When my feet stumbled on a body, I looked down. I realized that it was the body of Lord Tibult. At some point, he had been torn in half. A look of terror was still marked on his face. That meant, at the moment, Shao¡¯s slave mark had no owner. No, that wasn¡¯t 100% true. It likely went to the slave guild. It¡¯s not like the slave mark did any good for anyone.


    Wait¡­ or can it? I looked down at my hand, but what I was really doing was checking my skills. Slave taker. I could take control of her slave mark. She would instantly target me though. She¡¯d also resist. If I could get her to be my Slave, it was possible to get her to listen to reason though. I didn¡¯t simply have a charm with slaves, but a blessing that increased my affinity to slaves.


    A giant shockwave erupted, and several of the men flew back. A few who had been too slow with defenses didn¡¯t get back up again. Of the twenty men to start, the Prince had already lost five. The battle was that frantic. A few spells had landed on the Demon Lord, but the damage she took was minimal. She was simply too high of a level for anyone to touch. Unless¡­ I could cap her level with a slave cap! I had finally decided that this is what I had to do.


    ¡°Prince!¡± I called out, ¡°I have a way. I might be able to weaken her a bit!¡±


    ¡°Do it!¡± He said without hesitation. ¡°Men! Give her everything you¡¯ve got!¡±


    I took as safe of a distance as I could while still being able to target her for the slave taker ability. I held out my hand, narrowing my eyes as I looked at Shao.


    ¡°Slave taker!¡±


    Instantly, I felt pressure like a mountain had been tossed on my shoulders. I collapsed to my knees in an instant. Even though her new master didn¡¯t even know she existed at the moment, her own resistance towards the change was at a level that is far greater than anything I knew how to cope with. However, I had no choice but to barrel forward. I gritted my teeth and forced my mana into taking over her slave mark. Slowly, yet assuredly, it started to get taken over.


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    The time that passed was probably less than a minute, but it felt like hours. I was halfway done when her eyes suddenly jumped to me. She seemed to have realized what I was doing.


    ¡°You¡­ liars! All of you, liars!¡± She screamed, a sudden ball of miasma forming at her fingertips.


    The guards increased their attacks, but she ignored them, taking some damage. Her eyes were solely focused on me. I was her greatest threat. What were a few cuts over having someone control her slave mark again? Usually, when she used miasma, it was like a whip, shooting out and hitting someone quickly. This time, it was building up, a massive ball of power growing larger every second. As for me, I had no hopes of moving even a step. The pressure was simply too great as I tried to take over her mark.


    ¡°When everyone realized the spell would go off, three of the guards got in front of me and slammed down their shields.


    ¡°Deek!¡± the girls cried out.


    The ball shot out, a massive pillar of darkness. It slammed into the three guards. They lasted barely a second before their bodies were destroyed.


    ¡°No!¡± Terra leaped in front of me, lifting up her arms covered in rock.


    Dirt began to rise up like a tsunami, only just reaching full height when the darkness struck it. The two remained at a standstill, Terra¡¯s rising dirt and Shao¡¯s darkness. The ground rumbled and the pressure became even more unbearable.


    The only way to stop this was to enslave Shao. Then, I could possibly weaken her and allow the remaining guards, which was down to ten, to defeat her. I worked all of my strength on the slave mark, trying to take it over as quickly as possible. The torrent of darkness continued to rain down, and Terra¡¯s face turned white as she resisted the darkness.


    ¡°Come on¡­ come on!¡± I shouted to myself, now down to a sliver of the slave mark left.


    The darkness broke through. I found myself flying back. Just at that second, the slave mark on her body shined, and text scrolled across my vision. After I finished rolling back, I was able to read it.


    {Shao is now your slave.}


    I got up on my knees and shouted. ¡°Terra, we did it!¡±


    Terra turned back to me and smiled sadly. ¡°That¡¯s great¡­ Master¡­¡±


    Her voice suddenly fluctuated strangely. ¡°T-Terra?¡±


    Crack. Cracks started to appear across her skin. Despite the battle behind her, the world seemed oddly quiet. All I could hear was the cracking.


    Crack¡­ crack¡­ crack¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­ master¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ guard you¡­ anymore.¡±  She said with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Terra!¡±


    Her body shattered, and then dirt fell to the ground. All that was left in her place, was a pile of earth.

 Chapter 340

    ¡°T-Terra!¡± The battle seemed to slow as I collapsed at the point where Terra had been.


    A powerful skill had struck Shao while she was concentrated on sending the spell, and she ended up coughing up blood, turning away from me to deflect the threat. However, I barely noticed as I looked down at the little bit of remains of Terra. The girls nearby had red-rimmed eyes, but they were all busy and couldn¡¯t afford to rush over to me.


    Two feet landed softly by my side. I looked up to see Prince Aberis standing there.


    ¡°There is a chance we can save all these people, her included.¡± He declared.


    My eyes shot up. I hadn¡¯t shed a single tear, but my eyes were red and my body shook. Aberis had a sympathetic expression on his face.


    ¡°How?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? This dungeon is only temporary. The reason that souls can¡¯t be resurrected in a dungeon is that they¡¯re trapped in the dungeon and the corroded and dissolved by miasma. There are stories of people who died while fighting the final boss of a dungeon being able to be resurrected because simply not enough time passed for the miasma to damage their soul permanently. If we defeat the demon lord, we end this dungeon, and then everyone who died, we can resurrect them!¡±


    His words came crashing home and I felt a surge of hope. We had once managed to resurrect a man in a dungeon, but Lord Karr was a special exception. His soul was protected by the creator of the dungeon, a powerful fairy queen. Then again, this entire dungeon was a special exception. It stood to reason that if the dungeon was destroyed quickly, then the souls trapped in it would have time to be consumed.


    I nodded my head. ¡°Okay¡­ what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°Did you do what you needed to do?¡± Prince Aberis demanded.


    ¡°Shao is my slave. She seems to be able to ignore a Slave Master, but I should be able to at least slow her down.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you are a Slave Master after all¡­¡± Prince Aberis spoke, partially to himself.


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    ¡°Do we really want to have that conversation right now?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Haha¡­ well, I won¡¯t pry into your secrets. After all, we¡¯re brothers. I¡¯ll use my strongest attacks. You try to get her distracted.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The pair of us broke apart, and my eyes narrowed and focused on the woman still on the stage. She had taken some damage after the attacks of the soldiers. A few had given their lives to damage her. It was impossible to tell, however, how powerful she was. There was nothing like a HP bar. By her appearance, she was probably about half-dead, but for all I knew, it was only a sliver.


    ¡°Level Cap!¡± I cried out.


    As soon as I attempted to drop her level, I felt a resistance pushing back against my will. It was a mountain not dissimilar to the one when I tried to take over her slave mark. Fortunately, it was much less oppressive, and I was able to move.


    ¡°Men, attack!¡± The Prince ordered.


    The only ones remaining were 3 elite guards and one adventurer. To their credit, they still bravely charged her. The adventurer was a mage and kept his distance. Shao shot me a look, her body hunched over like she had received some horrific blow. She let out a scream and then through a whip of miasma. It was about to take out the closest elite guard. Suddenly, it was cut to shreds in midair, various wind blades slicing through where it had been.


    ¡°Celeste!¡±


    ¡°Master! Keep going, I¡¯ll help!¡± Celeste declared. ¡°Tempest!¡±


    The guards broke their charge, backing up as Celeste began to use a powerful spell. A giant vortex spun around her, filled with innumerable wind blades. The men narrowly avoided getting swallowed by that maelstrom with Celeste at the center, but Shao wasn¡¯t so lucky. She let out a shriek as her body fell into the whirlwind, moving for the first time since she had started her attack on the city.


    Her screams and bellows could be heard as she was sliced over and over again by one of Celeste¡¯s most powerful spells. Celeste herself floated to the top of the maelstrom and could be seen on top of it. Her face was white and she was panting. It was clear she was using every ounce of mana she had to extend the spell as long as it would go. As for the demon lord, it was unclear whether she was alive or dead within the tempest, but the damage she took was substantial.


    Just as the men started to prepare attacks to finish her off once the tempest broke, a resounding scream exploded from the tempest. More dark miasma exploded out from the tempest and it started to flicker and weaken. It was almost like Shao had taken over her spell, turning the whirlwind of death into a maelstrom of dark miasma.


    ¡°Celeste! Run!¡± I yelled at her.


    She abandoned the spell but had barely turned when a hand exploded from the black, rotating tempest below and grabbed her. She was in her small fairy size at the moment, and even though Shao¡¯s hand was small, it was enough to grab Celeste¡¯s entire body. She gave a gasp.


    ¡°Master!¡± She managed to get out those last words.


    The hand pulled back down, dragging Celeste into the swirling darkness below.

 Chapter 341

    ¡°Eat this!¡± The mage adventurer cast a powerful fireball.


    ¡°No!¡± I cried out.


    He ignored me, sending it flying into the tempest. Red seemed to mix with the black, creating a fiery tornado. Worst of all, Celeste was inside there, but it was hard to believe she was safe given the state of the spiral of death. His fireball seemed to have accomplished nothing but make it even more dangerous.


    ¡°You fool!¡± The prince chastised him. ¡°How is that helping?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! The prideful magician snorted. ¡°Like this!¡±


    He snapped his fingers, and suddenly the entire tempest exploded. His fireball must have contained some explosive property. When it was absorbed into the tempest, he was only waiting for it to spread out so that he could destroy the tempest and everything inside in a single motion. It was probably his most powerful spell.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t feel any joy as the tempest exploded. I felt horror at what he had done. Celeste was inside that tempest. When the explosion faded, Shao was still floating there. The mage¡¯s initially proud face fell.


    Shao¡¯s clothing had been tattered to practically nothing. A great deal of her body was exposed to the point of indecency. There were numerous burns, and cuts, but none of it seemed to touch her skin. After everything that happened, she had somehow used the tempest and healed herself completely. It was almost like everything we had been fighting for was for naught.


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    Her hand held some charred ash, the only imperfection marking her skin. She lifted up her hand and blew the ash away. It caught in the wind and flew in a pattern that suddenly struck me as familiar. The ash that floated away. Was¡­ was that Celeste?


    Miasma erupted from her, but this time it came out like a spike, not a whip. It instantly impaled the magician. He still had a surprised and disbelieving look in his eyes as he died.


    As for me, I was shaking. It was another blow to my heart and my mind. My body shook, and the rage overtook me.


    ¡°I order you-¡° I screamed hoarsely, ¡°Just die!¡±


    The slave mark glowed and she made an irritated noise. It seemed to be causing her pain and discomfort. I no longer cared. Punish Slave. Cap Slave. Order Slave. I started using every ability I swore I wouldn¡¯t to weaken her. Of course, I also inadvertently gave her Slave Status bonuses, but my mind wasn¡¯t thinking about that at the moment. I had to be able to weaken her more than I helped her.


    ¡°Weaken!¡± Miki called out. ¡°Confusion!¡±


    She appeared next to me, immediately casting spells to weaken the demon lord. Lydia appeared on the other side. She was breathing hard and had a few cuts and bruises, but was otherwise alright. I immediately cast heal spells on both of them.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Lydia said, her eyes rimmed with red. ¡°We must defeat her. We have to work together. You can¡¯t do this alone.¡±


    ¡°Lydia¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if we die, Master¡­ we know you¡¯ll bring us back!¡± Miki added. ¡°Please¡­ we must fight!¡±


    ¡°Miki¡­¡±


    I narrowed my eyes. They were right. I couldn¡¯t fight over the past I could only march forward. I had to defeat her. I had to destroy the dungeon.


    ¡°Attack!¡± I gave the order.

 Chapter 342

    With me concentrating on trying to cap her and cause her pain with orders, and Miki trying to weaken her, the demon lord retreated for the first time. The remaining three guards and the prince continued their attack, but it was truly Lydia who did the most. Although she wasn¡¯t in her beast form, that was probably for the best. That form was far too destructive and didn¡¯t have enough strategy.


    ¡°Die¡­ all of you!¡± The demon lord shrieked, sending out dozens of miasma blades.


    Lydia managed to cut them down and dodge them, while the prince and remaining guards managed to keep any remaining ones from reaching Miki and me. I kept creating order after order, intending to confuse and disorientate her. Meanwhile, Miki launched attacks against her spirit, further pushing her back.


    We finally had her cornered, and she was starting to grow damaged once again. Her body was looking more and more haggard, and her miasma attacks appeared more and more frantic. She could barely even defend herself. She started trying to protect her body now. With that, the prince and the bodyguards surge forward. In an instant, she would be defeated. With four swords striking her at once, if it didn¡¯t create a fatal blow, nothing would.


    ¡°Oh, no!¡± Miki suddenly gasped ¡°Run!¡±


    The demon lord¡¯s eyes opened, their red glow piercing through the darkened, miasma-rich sky. It had been a trick from the beginning. She had been saving up to cast a very powerful spell with a long cast time. That was why she had pretended to be losing. A massive power exploded out from her. The power of a miasma tsunami exploded out. Those closest to her were hit the strongest.


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    ¡°My lord!¡± One of the bodyguards grabbed a pendant around Prince Aberis and ripped it off.


    His body disappeared and teleported 500 meters away. It was some kind of saving blink spell. However, the strike was still severe enough that he passed out. The other three guards disintegrated as they were carried away by the wave. As for Lydia, I watched as she two disintegrated. Her mouth was moving as she flew back, her eyes locked on me.


    ¡°I love¡­¡± The third word never formed as her head dissipated.


    I let out a cry, realizing the wave was still spreading out. I had underestimated its strength. I immediately cast armor on myself and Divine Aura. The wave hit the Divine Aura, shattering it instantly. My mind was still too shocked to think. I froze as the massive cloud approached. At the last second, Miki leaped in front of me.


    The Miasma struck her first, and she flew back, her body hitting mine. As it spread over us, it felt like my flesh was being melted off. We were farther away, so the spell was weaker, but that only meant we weren¡¯t instantly evaporated. Parts of her skin started to evaporate in the wave. Her eyes met mine, tears now flowing freely.


    ¡°Master¡­ must¡­ win¡­¡±


    She grabbed my arm, I suddenly felt a surge of life flow into me. I gasped as I realized that her spiritualist also had the give life ability. In essence, with her last breath, she was giving me every last ounce of breath. We struck the ground and the miasma passed by. The temporary surge of energy quickly ended. It was enough that I didn¡¯t die, but the wounds across my body were innumerable. I could barely move.


    With my last bit of energy, I reached down to grab Miki, only to realize she wasn¡¯t there. She had given every ounce of her lifeforce, and even her body was gone now.


    As for the Demon Lord, she floated back up into the air, her wounds already healing once again at an extremely fast rate. This was the true power of a demon lord. We never had a chance.


    ¡°This world¡­ and everyone in it will die.¡± She said to herself.


    I was the only one left to hear it.

 Chapter 343

    More miasma spread out. It was now so thick that it blocked my vision. It was much like the time we had traveled to the newly formed dungeon by Chalm, Mina¡¯s dungeon. It was the place where I had found Lydia. It was the place where we¡­ pain shot through my mind and body. Was I really going to die here? Were we all going to die in this dungeon? The life was draining for me. I had nothing left¡­


    ¡°Life¡­ of course¡­ I¡¯m¡­ an idiot.¡±


    I had Slave Master equipped, and it had a skill I had considered so horrible, that I had blanked it out of my conscious and never even considered using it. If Miki hadn¡¯t been the one who used its counter to help me live just a moment longer, I perhaps never would have thought about it.


    ¡°Slave¡­ take life!¡±


    Through the slave bond, I targeted Shao and began to take life from her. Instantly, my body started to recover. Humans consisted of a spiritual body, a mana vessel, and a body. These three things could be attacked. The mana vessel was the hardest thing to destroy. However, if it was extinguished, someone would pass out. The spiritual and physical bodies, however, were directly linked to a person¡¯s life. If you destroyed a soul, the physical body would collapse lifelessly. Perhaps it could be turned into a zombie or puppet, but it would never be human again. Meanwhile, if the physical body was harmed, it was a natural result.


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    The attack of miasma had attacked both sources. Healing spells could repair the physical body, but attacks against the soul were different. That was someone¡¯s very life source. The only way to replenish life was by taking it from another source. Of course, even life could be replenished with enough time, but only with rest and care.


    What I hadn¡¯t known at the time when I gave life to Lydia in Mina¡¯s dungeon was that her lifeforce had already taken many various blows. That final cut had caused her spark of life to flutter out so that no matter how much I healed her, I couldn¡¯t revive her. That was why I had to use my own life to substitute hers.


    Now, my own life was in a similarly damaged state. Yet, there was a massive energy well, I had enslaved the demon lord herself. As I healed my own life force, I would weaken hers. In this way, it was the perfect attack. At least, that was what I thought. As my wounds started to heal and I found myself able to get up, I collapsed again down to my knees.


    Her life force wasn¡¯t pure but contaminated with miasma. Shao let out a cry, her previous levitating stopping as she collapsed. The miasma between use spread apart, a single line of miasma connecting her heart with my own. I was pulling her lifeforce right out of her, and the demon lord¡¯s corruption with it!


    This disruption in her miasma flow had somehow caused her to be unable to fight back. Had I done this earlier, would all of this be avoided? I didn¡¯t think so. She had previously shaken off every slave skill I used on her. Had I attempted it earlier, she would have just immediately cut it off with her mana. However, that last attack had used up the majority of her power. She could no longer resist. As I grew stronger, she grew weaker. A horrible darkness started to seep into my soul.

 Chapter 344

    My vision of Shao on her knees faded, and suddenly¡­


    I saw myself as a young girl running around a small Japanese style home. I accidentally knocked over a vase. There was the thudding of feet as a large man came from the next room. He was Japanese, with a beer in his hand and a belt in the other. I feared this man. He started hitting me. He wouldn¡¯t stop. A beautiful Japanese woman ran out, grabbing his arm. He started hitting her too.


    The vision of the pair of us returned. Was this her memories? She collapsed to the floor. The darkness, the hate, the vengeance, the desire to destroy everything, it was flowing into me. However, I was a white mage. I was most resistant to these kinds of spiritual attacks.


    ¡°Remove curse!¡± I said through gritted teeth, taking another step forward.


    I was at a funeral. Father had died in a car crash. Mother started drinking. She started inviting strange men over to her home. They¡¯d do things to her. Some of them were violent. She said she needed the money. However, I only saw her spend the money on more booze and something she liked to snort. One night, I woke up to find Mother on the floor. She was cold to the touch.


    The dark miasma in me seemed to be changing. It was as if my body was rejecting it. The miasma that entered my body cracked apart and dissipated. Why was that happening? It felt painful. Shao was on the ground. Her life was ebbing away. Without a thought, I activated the skill from hero, give life. Just as Miki had given me life, I started to feed life into Shao.


    It was different though. The life I gave was my own. I took her corrupted life. It burned and twisted inside me, but eventually, it purified as I made it my own. Then I gave her my life. I took another step forward.


    I was older now. I was in a foster home. I was too old now for anyone to have any interest in adopting me. I lived with three female siblings, they made my life hell. The torture didn¡¯t end at home. At school, it wasn¡¯t any better. They went to the same school as me and were more popular. My name was written in the bathrooms with the word ¡®slut¡¯ and my phone number. My foster parents got calls from dozens of boys, some perverted and some pranking. I told them I didn¡¯t give our number out. They didn¡¯t believe me and I was grounded.


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    When I recovered, Shao was looking up at me, a strangely vacant look on her face. Had she seen a vision too? Was she seeing my own life? I took a step forward.


    My reputation as a school slut grew. I went out with a guy I liked, but when I didn¡¯t kiss him at the end of the date, he started claiming I had done all kinds of things. More guys tried to ask me out, hoping to get sex. I couldn¡¯t trust them. I couldn¡¯t trust anybody. I thought I could trust my teacher, but then he put his hand on my knee and tried to kiss me. I tried to tell people, but no one believed me. I was suspended for spreading lies. I hate this world.


    My body felt like it was breaking. It was simply unimaginable stress. Her anger, her frustration, her hopelessness pummeled my body. I felt like I was a sieve filtering out a lifetime of negative emotions. I collapsed down to my knees, but I couldn¡¯t stop, I began to crawl.


    I had gotten into a fight today. I beat up my foster sister. My foster parents called the cops. Was I going to go to jail? I started running. Then, exhaustion overtook me. I collapsed. When I woke up, I was somewhere else. It was like a videogame. There were monsters and stats! Finally, I could live a new life. I could be someone better. Someone people liked. Someone¡­ better. The town I appeared at was immediately attacked by slavers. I tried to help, but these were level 30 bad guys and I was a level 1 jobless. What¡¯s with this kind of bullshit difficulty curve?


    I managed to reach her. We were both on our hands and knees. She was looking at me, I was looking at her. The miasma flowing between us was becoming less and less dark. It was now a light grey. She no longer emmitted any sort of miasma.


    The slaver said I was a demon. I had a chance to reincarnate, and I ended up on the wrong team? What is with my luck? He started training me, day and night. I was forced to fight monster after monster, growing stronger and stronger. I wasn¡¯t the only one, but I was the only one who survived. I killed and I killed, yet no job ever appeared. Even after 90 levels, three years of battling daily and creating rivers of blood, I had no particular talent. I ended up being sold to some small slaver¡¯s guild in some backwater country. They didn¡¯t know what to make of me. This world is just as awful as the last one. Everything should just die.


    ¡°Shao¡­¡± I said, my eyes red, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, for everything¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Her words didn¡¯t sound cold or dark, but terrified and confused, like a lost little girl. ¡°You¡¯re like me?¡±


    I smiled bitterly. ¡°You can stop this. You must stop this.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ kill me.¡± She responded.

 Chapter 345

    My hand tightened and I lifted up my blade. With a single swipe of my blade, I could kill her, an end-all to this. Shao looked at me pleadingly, wanting her death to come. She seemed completely helpless. I had been so angry, so frustrated, so full of killing intent, but the road here. Even though it had been only a hundred meters, felt like it had been a hundred miles. My soul had been quite literally shoved through a sieve, and my life force cycled with hers to the point where they were one and the same. Killing her would be like killing myself.


    My hand loosened, and I dropped it back down to the floor. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ I won¡¯t kill you. I don¡¯t want you to die.¡±


    Shao¡¯s body shook. It would be too easy for her to call me a liar. She didn¡¯t trust anyone, even men. I knew things about her. I knew her as if we had been lifelong friends. I knew things about her no one else knew. However, the feeling was the same the other way. I couldn¡¯t lie to her if I wanted to. It was absolutely impossible.


    She made a noise of disbelief. Even though she couldn¡¯t call me a liar, why wouldn¡¯t I want to kill her? She had killed everyone close to me. It wasn¡¯t like she forgot what had happened. She had seen those girls care for me, and she has also been the one to kill them all. If you asked me why I had no anger or desire to see her dead, it was impossible to say.


    She reached down, weakly picking up the blade I had dropped, She brought it to her throat.


    ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll kill myself!¡± She said.


    I didn¡¯t react. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t want to stop her, it was just that with every second, I felt myself growing weaker and weaker. The Miasma in my body had all but disappeared, but the tax on my body was unbelievable.


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    After a moment, her eyes shut, she let out a cry. I could feel the fear and reluctance. She didn¡¯t really want to die.


    ¡°Please¡­ order me.¡± She said¡­ ¡°Please, order me to die. I have to die. I will do what you tell me, but you have to tell me, please!¡±


    She started crying, begging for me to send her on. Life was far too painful. Only in death would she be able to have happiness.


    I nodded my head, straightening myself and sitting on my knees. Shao did the same, her hand tightening on the dagger, ready for the order. I reached up and grabbed her shoulders, looking her in the eyes with all the strength I had left.


    ¡°Shao! I order you¡­¡± I demanded, her hand shaking on her dagger as she waited for the final order to plunge it into her heart. ¡°To take¡­ responsibility¡­¡±


    Whatever else I planned to say was lost as the lifeforce circulating between us cut off at that instant. An incredible sense of exhaustion shot through me. I no longer had the energy to even kneel.


    Just as she heard the words and tried to ponder what I was saying, I fell forward. My lips collided with hers, and the pair of us fell down to ground. This attack had no killing intent. It wasn¡¯t cruel or perverted. However, it maliciously stabbed into her heart more powerfully than a thousand blades. In an instant the blackness left her eyes, revealing pretty hazelnut irises. As she passed into unconsciousness, all she could feel was the warmth of those lips.


    {The demon lord has been defeated. The emergency dungeon has dispersed!}


    The miasma immediately started to dissipate like a bubble had been popped. I barely managed to roll off of the woman under me, staring up at a sun that was now bright against a blue sky. However, my eyes seemed to catch something else glowing in the sky, except it seemed to be falling down. I looked at it for a few moments as it suddenly stopped in midair, about twenty feet over my head. Suddenly, a flash of recognition popped in my eyes.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve got to be kidding me-¡°


    The dungeon lore immediately charged, slamming into my side. The pain began to shoot through me, and I quickly passed out unconscious.

 Chapter 346

    The lore being shoved into my head wasn¡¯t all that different from the lore I had already seen. Shao lived a miserable life on Earth. Her father was somewhat abusive before he died. Her mother got into prostitution and drugs before she died. She was harassed and abused by her foster family, slowly becoming more and more bitter and distrustful. She used to read manga and imagine she was reincarnated into another world. Then one day, it happened, and she tried to have a second chance.


    However, that chance was obliterated. The village she started in wasn¡¯t much different than Chalm. It sat on the border between the Imperial Cloud Meadow and the demon lands, a place far in the north that was uncharted in my maps. However, where my town was a refuge for slaves, this place was a refuge for criminals. The Adventuring guild wouldn¡¯t even give her a chance since she was jobless, and she quickly ran out of food.


    Town thugs try to harass her, and narrowly escaped being raped several times. A madame kept trying to pressure her into becoming a prostitute, and after a week without food, she was so hungry that she almost started. Yet, before she could, the Imperial Cloud Meadow did what they called spring cleaning, killing all of the demons on the border of the demon lands, declaring them unclean.


    She tried to stab a soldier but failed. She was so hungry and weak, that she passed out immediately. The soldiers decided not to kill her since she was still a virgin girl, so they handed her to the slavers instead to earn some profit. This slaver decided not to sell her as a prostitute, but to toss her in the arena. She was actually put against their treasured gladiator. This match was special because they had slipped some aphrodisiacs into the gladiator¡¯s drink before the match. They told her if she survived, they would free her.


    They were always trying new things to keep people interested and watching. Man against bear. Man against tiger. Man against multiple weaker men. The match was a horny man against a young virgin girl. Naturally, he was supposed to push her down and rape her to death in front of a cheering crowd. While he had been pushing her down, she had managed to get a hold of his weapon. Their cheers stopped when his head fell from his shoulders.


    That¡¯s when she learned she was a demon, far stronger than humans, and was made to fight in the arenas more and more often. As for freeing her, now that they saw value in having her fight, they decided to forget their promise. She killed and killed some more until there was a river of blood. She began to become unbeatable, but because she wasn¡¯t the form people liked, a strong, muscular man, and because she was too efficient at killing, the crowds lost interest to her. Her challenges became more and more aggressive, the slaver trying to bring her to death, but her stubbornly struggling to live. Each time, they said it¡¯d be the last fight and then she¡¯d be free, but they were always lies.


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    Eventually, the slaver had enough of her performance, neither showy enough to please the crowds, or weak enough to face death, and so he sold her rather than free her, taking every last coin he could. She ended up in Aberis under the Slave Guild¡¯s care. At this point, all the fire had already gone out in her eyes. The world had become a meaningless pit of despair, and life and death were meaningless.


    ¡°I know a Master, he may take you in.¡± A slaver told her one day. ¡°He¡¯s a good man, he takes care of his slaves.¡±


    That slaver was Figuro, and that man was me. However, even his promise had turned into a lie, because I didn¡¯t come in time, and then Lord Tibult appeared.


    ¡°A woman?¡± He sneered. ¡°I told you to show me your strongest! I must conquer a dungeon, not bake a cake!¡±


    ¡°She was a gladiator for three years. She¡¯s strong, that¡¯s all I know about her.¡±


    ¡°Very well, pack her up.¡±


    She remained in a small room for over a week until one day she was finally let out. The Slave Master took her, used her, humiliated her. Compared to the arena, they just wanted her life. This man wanted her soul.


    ¡°He must be a Slave Master too¡­¡± he hissed under his breath.


    She glanced at the man on the other side of the arena. It was the first time she had acknowledged me. Four girls were jumping on me. Those¡­ are slaves? How?


    Everything else occurred much like I remembered, except then there were the visions she had while I was destroying her miasma. They weren¡¯t visions of her own life. They were visions of my life. I didn¡¯t want to see these visions. In fact, it was unsettling seeing my own life flash before someone else¡¯s eyes.


    I saw when my father left me. I saw the relentless bullying I got in school. The boys beat the shit out of me, but the girls were cruel. I saw the endless rejection. I saw isolation and loneliness. Mother worked all of the time with two jobs. I was all alone. There was no one with me. I retreated into videogames. This world¡­ it was a chance to start over again. It was a chance to be someone better. Someone people liked.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re like me?¡± She said.


    I suppose I was.

 Chapter 347

    {Congratulations, you have defeated the Demon Lord, Shao.}


    {For defeating a demon lord, You have unlocked the Job: True Hero.}


    {For completing the lore, you have gained ten dungeon points.}


    Shao¡¯s Lore is now a part of you. You gained Shao¡¯s Blessing.}


    {You have an increased affinity with miasma. You are no longer negatively affected by miasma.}


    I awoke suddenly with a gasp. These damn lores were way too vicious, especially after I had already wasted all of my energy at the end. The only thing I was happy about was that the lore had ended there. In a few seconds, I would have had to be in a girl¡¯s mind as I kissed her. It was way too close to having me kiss myself. Perhaps, there really was a god in this world who looked after me after all.


    I looked around, realizing I was in a very fancy looking room. I didn¡¯t recognize it at all, but the quality was topnotch. No sooner had I sat up when there was a gasp at the door. A maid I didn¡¯t recognize was standing there. She let out a cry and then turn and ran away.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± I tried to say, but found my voice was impossibly horse.


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    In fact, I felt extremely thirsty and was absolutely starving. I also felt extremely weak. I almost flopped back down on the bed, suddenly growing very dizzy. The door suddenly burst open, and a form rushed at me. They threw their arms around me.


    ¡°Deek! You¡¯re alive.¡± She hugged me tightly.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°What, do you need something? Anything?¡±


    ¡°Why is the princess hugging me?¡± I asked.


    That question was directed over her shoulder, toward the prince who was smiling wryly.


    ¡°Eh?¡± She suddenly looked at herself holding me so passionately, and her face turned red. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll go get you food!¡±


    She turned and ran away as quickly as the maid. Prince Aberis chuckled and then walked into the room as she fled out of it.


    ¡°My sister, she really does have a crush on you now. You definitely must take responsibility as a man, and as my brother.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you look good. I see you recovered okay.¡± I said, looking at the prince in his nice outfit.


    A flash of surprise appeared on his face but then he covered it up. ¡°Ah¡­ yeah¡­ well¡­ I wasn¡¯t hurt so bad.¡±


    ¡°The dungeon is gone?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°What about Shao¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s currently in one of our cells under the castle. She¡¯s put up no resistance. We¡¯re still not sure what to do with her.¡±


    ¡°What about¡­ the town¡­¡± I responded uncertainly.


    At that moment, Prince Eliana pushed back into the room with food. She immediately put it in front of me. It was clear a chef had prepared it and not her. However, the fact she brought it to me herself meant that she was trying to endear herself. I gave her a smile and a thank you and she blushed again.


    ¡°The town is safe. Rebuilding is underway. It cost a pretty penny, but we¡¯ve handled the cost for resurrection and brought back everyone we could.¡±


    I let out a breath, the question I had been trying to shy from coming out. ¡°And the girls?¡±


    Prince Aberis looked away, his head down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we were unable to bring them back.¡±

 Chapter 348

    ¡°H-how? How is that possible?¡± I demanded, anger starting to flood through me.


    Eliana looked like she was about to cry. Prince Aberis looked extremely pained as he spoke.


    ¡°We hired the highest-level priests we could, but your girls left no traces for us. Their bodies were completely destroyed. A priest can bring back someone without a body, but only if they have some connection. A piece of hair or clothing. However, your girls always carried everything they own on them, and they and their storage rings were destroyed. The only way we could bring them back is with your slave mark. Unfortunately, you¡¯ve been unconscious.¡±


    I let out a sigh of relief. ¡°You should have said that from the beginning. You were making me worried. Then, let¡¯s get the priest here.¡±


    Elena looked over at Aberis tearfully, but his expression didn¡¯t change as he stared down with a face filled with regret.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that deadline passed.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Excuse me, what are you talking about. Isn¡¯t there like 30 days for a resurrection to work?¡±


    ¡°In the best circumstances, yes.¡± Prince Aberis sighed, ¡°But they died not simply in a dungeon but as a result of a miasma attack itself. Their souls would have already sustained some damage. Even if they held out until the dungeon dispersed, their timeline would be severely limited.¡±


    ¡°How limited? How long has it been?¡± I didn¡¯t realize I was yelling now.


    ¡°You were in a coma.¡± He responded. ¡°The attack on the city was five weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ no¡­¡± My entire body shook. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not possible. We¡­ we can still try, right?¡±


    ¡°Deek, we did everything we could. There were others who we couldn¡¯t resurrect. A total of ten people died permanently that day. We searched the slave market and sent someone to Chalm to find something to resurrect the girls. We were able to find something of the tigerkin girls. At that point, three weeks had already passed. We decided to use the priest, but the spell ultimately failed. I¡¯m sorry, the damage to their souls was just too much.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ so sorry¡­¡± Eliana said, openly weeping.


    ¡°No,¡± I said.


    ¡°Deek¡­ we¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I turned, using healing and refresh until I forced myself to stand.


    With the exception of a sheet loosely hanging in my arms, I was completely naked. Eliana spun away, blushing. However, before they could say any other words, my body suddenly started to glow, causing the two nobility to step back and gasp. Four separate tattoos now glowed on my body. The newest one was right across my back. I immediately reset all of my skills. I had 27 points now. It was enough for a 4<sup>th</sup> tier spell called resurrection. The dungeon point spells were always powerful, and a 4<sup>th</sup> tier resurrection had to be even more powerful still.


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    Normally, spells were related to how powerful the caster was. So, a resurrection spell was only as powerful as the priest casting it. Although there were various circumstances between resurrecting Karr, in the end, Celeste was a very powerful mage and her mana was supplemented with a great deal of fairy powder. I didn¡¯t have fairy powder, but I did have the dungeon system. It was all I had.


    ¡°Lydia!¡± I called out. ¡°Resurrection!¡±


    I called, holding out my hand I feeling through my slave mark for the girl who should be by my side. However, after a few moments, nothing happened.


    ¡°Resurrection!¡± I cried out again.


    Still, nothing happened.


    ¡°Deek¡­¡± Eliana was crying, her hand half lifted as if she wanted to comfort me.


    ¡°Lydia¡­¡± I collapsed to my knees. ¡°I screwed up. I kept thinking¡­ I kept thinking that you wanted freedom. I was convinced that you didn¡¯t want to be by my side, that you were only there because you wanted to be polite and show your appreciation¡­ However, I know the truth now. You want me to own you. You want to be my slave. Only in that way, can you be as close to me as you can. It¡¯s the only way you know how to show how you feel. So¡­ fine¡­ you¡¯re my slave. I accept you. And you will be my slave forever!¡±


    ¡°So¡­ don¡¯t think you can quit now. I own you! Your body! Your mind! Your soul! I own every part of you. That means¡­ you definitely¡­ you absolutely¡­ you have to do what I say! I order you¡­ come back to me. I am your Master, and I¡¯m telling you to come back! There is no choice. Follow my command, or forget being my slave! My slaves will always listen, you hear¡­ always! That¡¯s the Master I am! Lydia, I order you to come back! Resurrection!¡±


    I held out my hand again. After ten seconds passed, I was just about to drop my hand, when suddenly I felt the spell shift slightly. It was starting to progress. It started out slowly, but it started to pick up, moving faster and faster. The ground began to shake. Eliana gasped and Prince Aberis grabbed her and pulled her back.


    ¡°Lydia!¡±


    A light exploded out, so bright that it threatened to blind everyone in the room. The rumbling sound shook the entire palace, causing several people to fear that another demon lord had appeared. When the light suddenly faded, a naked girl was lying in the bed. I stared down at her, feeling a bit of disbelief. Her ears twitched. Her eyes opened.


    ¡°M-master!¡± She leaped at me, my sheet falling down as I was pushed to the ground.


    We were both terribly weak, but Lydia was just a tad stronger. She had come back to me. She had come back to me¡­ horny?


    ¡°Ah!¡± Eliana made a noise as she got over the shock of the resurrection and started noticing what was happening on the floor, her face turning red. ¡°Wh-wh-what are they doing?¡±


    Prince Aberis started to wear a lewd face. ¡°Hehe¡­ he really is a man. Doesn¡¯t even waste any time.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Lydia¡­ stop¡­ I have to resurrect the other girls!¡±


    ¡°Master all to myself? I definitely must take advantage of this time I can have master to myself!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we still in the room?¡± Eliana replied in a panic.


    ¡°Well, you won¡¯t be doing that with him until you two get married.¡±


    ¡°Ah! M-m-married, he¡¯ll do th-that!¡± Eliana became overloaded and passed out.


    Prince Aberis caught her and then laughed one last time. ¡°You finish up here, we¡¯ll give you some privacy.¡±


    ¡°Hah! It¡¯s in! No¡­ wait, this is definitely not the right time! Lydia! Stop! I¡¯m your Master! It¡¯s an order! Wait, don¡¯t rock that¡­ ahhhhh!¡±


    Eventually, I got around to resurrecting the other girls. What was it about resurrection that made them come back horny? It was a very exhausting night.

 Chapter 349

    ¡°Kneel, Hero Deek of Chalm.¡± The prince said, lowering his sword on my shoulder, ¡°And rise, Sir Deek Deekson, Viscount of Chalm.¡±


    The was a roar of clapping as the sword went to my other shoulder and I stood up. It was only two days since I woke up, and the prince had summoned all the nobility in the Capitol in order to provide rewards after the demon lord¡¯s rising. I had only just gotten to the point where I was walking normally again, and now I was kneeling in front of a crowd of hundreds.


    Becoming a Viscount was actually an extremely big deal. It was the lowest level of being a high lord, or so I was told. Prince Aberis had to fight to get this approved with the House of Lords. Essentially, not only was I granted land and a royal income, but my children would also be born as lords, although only my direct successor could take the Viscount name. Lower lords included knights, baron, and governors. Normally, I would have been a baron since I had land I ruled, but I was given two additional increases to viscount. Above me, there was count, earl, marquis, and duke before the royal family.


    As for Deekson, I didn¡¯t have a choice in the matter. I had even explained to him that I had a last name, but he had already gotten all the documents signed before I was even out of my coma. I signed various other paperwork, and Chalm was now a part of the country.


    ¡°For saving the city from a demon lord, and protecting this here Prince¡­ I grant the Lordship of Chalm all of the land along the wilderness up to the border of Dioshin and the Imperial Cloud Meadow. Chalm will remain free of taxes for a period of ten years. Lord Deekson will also be given a mansion on the nobility block, a salary of 100 gold coins per month, and access to two knights. You have also been given the right to promote someone to knight, should you choose so.¡±


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    Like Hero, Knight was a job. I was handed a token. If I used it, I could give any person a Knight job. Unfortunately, they would start at level 1 and have to level up on their own. That¡¯s why most people used it on a knight trained in the capitol, as they are already leveled up. I had already considered giving the jobs to my girls. I¡¯d rather not put my life in any stranger¡¯s hands.


    As it turned out, Lord Tibult was only a baron, since he wasn¡¯t the direct descendent to his father, Marquis Tibult. That was also why he insisted on being called lord, as being Baron Tibult was a smack in the face, reminding him that he wasn¡¯t a high lord like his father. He was actually in the crowd, having been resurrected after the fiasco. However, he couldn¡¯t even meet my eyes, let alone give a disdainful look.


    As I had been told, he was going to be brought to his father who was currently defending the border against the Ost Republic. Skirmishes broke out daily there. His father decided to turn him into a man by having him fight in a few battles. It went without saying that Count Tibult was pale white, and had very little energy. He even looked like he was losing weight rapidly. The trauma from dying and then his future fate had put the man in very low spirits.


    When the ceremony was finally done, I went to leave. I still had to move my stuff from the palace to my new home. On top of that, there was a great deal of work to do. It made me sigh when I thought about all the stuff I had to do. That¡¯s why I had just spent the last two days with my girls. I had also wanted them to get over the trauma of their own deaths, but they didn¡¯t seem bothered by it. Rather, they found it a sense of pride that they went in such a manner. It¡¯s hard to understand how women think.


    Speaking of which, my sleeve was suddenly grabbed by another woman, who pulled me away from the crowds. It was Eliana, and she was blushing.


    ¡°My lord,¡± She curtsied. ¡°I was hoping you could accompany me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a viscount and you¡¯re royalty, between the two of us, your status is much greater. You don¡¯t need to lower your head to me.¡±


    ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡± She said, refusing to meet my eyes.


    See? Women made no sense.

 Chapter 350

    It wasn¡¯t like she was taking me somewhere romantic. My four girls had rejoined me and were following along too. She actually took us down into a lower portion of the castle. This was likely a location under the castle. It was cold here. Miki didn¡¯t do good with the cold and was shivering. I didn¡¯t realize where she was taking me until we entered a room. In the center were two bodies covered in blankets. She lowered them to reveal Carmine and Salicia.


    ¡°I wanted to ask you what you¡¯d like to do with Lord Tibult¡¯s former slaves. At the end of the competition, they were supposed to be freed.¡±


    ¡°Even if you say that, they¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve used a spell to keep their bodies from decaying. Since you were able to bring your own girls back, I thought it might be possible that you could bring them back too.¡±


    ¡°Is that even a good idea? I mean, Carmine is an enemy of the church, and her sister is a Bandit King. I suppose, faulting Carmine is a bit cruel, but so is bringing them back only to cast them out.¡± I explained. ¡°On top of that, I had to use the slave mark to facilitate bringing the girls back. These two are not my slaves. If I wanted to bring them back, they would need to be. If that¡¯s the case, I don¡¯t think you guys can afford to put up another bond disruption formation, and I¡¯m not going to cut off my limbs, so if these girls are enslaved, I won¡¯t be able to get rid of that slavery.¡±


    ¡°I understand!¡± She said, her face turning slightly red. ¡°I know what I am asking isn¡¯t fair. However, I definitely want you to try to bring them back to life! It was my own selfishness that caused everyone to suffer so much, so I don¡¯t want any more deaths on my conscious. The others who passed, they weren¡¯t slaves. Slave marks cannot be imprinted on the dead. However, if someone who dies already has a slave mark, then it may be possible to use your slave taker ability. For at least these two, there is a chance!¡±


    Eliana had clearly thought all of this through. She even knew about my Slave Taker ability. She had likely heard about it when I was in a coma. By now, they would have figured out how I was able to distract Shao. They likely knew that Shao was my slave now. Well, I had questions about Shao too, but for the moment, I would focus on this.


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    ¡°Very well, I will bring them back.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°R-really!¡± She said it like she expected I wouldn¡¯t do it.


    ¡°I said I would!¡±


    ¡°I love you!¡± She suddenly threw her arms around me and kissed me. However, no sooner had she done it than she pulled away and blushed. ¡°I- I mean¡­ thank you¡­¡±


    The fact she suddenly said that and kissed me caught me off-guard, but it was a glance at the other girls that left me confused. I was expecting some very angry glares, but all four women seemed fine.


    ¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯re okay with this?¡± I blurted out before I could stop myself.


    ¡°Master is Master¡­¡± Lydia sighed. ¡°I¡¯m glad that Princess Eliana has finally taken our advice.¡±


    ¡°Advice? Ah, that was right, you had a heart-to-heart with her back at the hot spring. What did you say to her?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, we suspected she was interested in Master, so we described our sexual experiences with Master,¡± Terra explained.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Yup, I told her how Master likes to take his¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay! That¡¯s enough!¡± I immediately stopped her words, but it was clear by Eliana¡¯s expression she had already heard them.


    ¡°After that, we noticed an imagery stone in the wreckage.¡± Miki continued.


    That probably had to be Prince Aberis¡¯s version of a camera.


    ¡°So, we thought it¡¯d be nice if Master could see before he decided if he wanted, so we took pictures of Eliana. After doing several nice positions, she saw the camera and fled!¡± Terra sighed.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t blackmailing me!¡± Princess Eliana cried out.


    ¡°And then, after Master lectured us about bullying and said Eliana wasn¡¯t interested, we put the imagery stone away, but then we ran into her again and the house.¡±


    So, in short, they told Eliana all the sexual things I did to them, then took incriminating images of her. She fled in terror, but after sleeping on it she came to the conclusion that I was a pervert who definitely must be stopped and she couldn¡¯t accept blackmail. That lead to these events.


    ¡°How many other people have you told about my sexual prowess?¡± I demanded


    ¡°Hmm¡­ there was that maid at the inn. Salicia. Basically, every girl in Chalm¡­¡± Lydia started


    ¡°Okay¡­ please stop.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± The Princess spoke up, still blushing. ¡°Since you weren¡¯t holding the imagery stone over my head, can I have it back?¡±


    ¡°Ah, sure!¡± Miki says, but then she frowns. ¡°Huh¡­ where did we put it?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we give it to Celeste?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me! I lose things all the time!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it seems we misplaced it. Eliana¡¯s photos are bound to show up somewhere!¡± Lydia declares.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ she passed out again.¡± I sighed, barely managing to catch her.

 Chapter 351

    While the Princess recovered, I went ahead and brought back Salicia and Carmine. ¡°Remove Curse! Slaver Taker! Resurrection!¡±


    I decided to start with remove curse since the original death mark was a type of curse. Just as the princess had predicted, Slave Taker worked. There was a glowing light. Although I cast the spells twice, both girls began to open their eyes at the same time. I cast a few healing spells on the pair of them as well as refresh for good measure.


    ¡°Deek¡­¡± Carmine¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Salicia then turned and saw an unconscious princess on the table next to her. ¡°Have we been added to your collection?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± Lydia nodded.


    ¡°No!¡± I grabbed Lydia and pulled her back. ¡°I mean to say, you¡¯ve been brought back to life using a powerful resurrection charm. The end result is that you are both my slaves.¡±


    ¡°Whatever¡­ is the princess a slave too?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ in that case¡­¡± She reached out and grabbed Eliana¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± I cried out.


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    ¡°Well, obviously, I¡¯m robbing her. Women always hide things in their tits. Shit, nothing there, she didn¡¯t hide it down there, did she? Only one way to find out.¡±


    ¡°Sister, stop, or I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I didn¡¯t mean anything by it! You¡¯re still the only woman in my life!¡± Salicia cried.


    ¡°You disgust me.¡±


    ¡°Sister, when you say those words to me with that cruel look, you make me go wild.¡±


    ¡°I made a mistake. I should have left them dead. I see that now.¡±


    ¡°H-hey! Don¡¯t be killing me so quickly!¡± Salicia cried.


    ¡°You know you guys were killed with a supposedly irreversible death curse. It¡¯s also been almost six weeks. You really should have been dead for good!¡± I declared.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± Salicia seemed unimpressed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you bring us back so you could do this and that with our bodies?¡±


    Carmine gasped. ¡°Ah¡­ I understand. My body or my life. Deek was far crueler than I originally thought.¡±


    ¡°You two¡­¡± I growled. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t even want the pair of you as my slaves. Rather, since I¡¯m stuck with you, I¡¯m going to set the pair of you up as my guards.¡±


    ¡°Guards? Really? Us?¡± Salicia was disbelieving.


    ¡°Your both powerful, so yes.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I will protect you with my life.¡± Carmine bowed.


    ¡°Ah¡­ actually, I¡¯m not taking you along with me at all. My girls can protect me. I actually just want some guards for my house.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you want a third rank Paladin and a Bandit King to work as house security?¡± Salicia asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the alternative?¡±


    ¡°Jail¡­ and probably an execution for you. Disbarment, and a lifetime of rejection for Carmine.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll take your offer!¡± Salicia responded.


    Carmine nodded as well in acceptance. Well, it wasn¡¯t like they had a choice. I could only let out a long sigh.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head to this new mansion. Since it was provided by the prince, it¡¯ll probably be nice.¡±

 Chapter 352

    After collecting all of my stuff and putting it in my storage ring, I left with the six girls in tow.


    ¡°Was it okay to just leave the princess in the morgue?¡± Celeste asks uncertainly.


    ¡°It¡¯d fine, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s tied up or anything. When she wakes up, she¡¯ll just know we¡¯ve left.


    ¡°R-right! Not tied up!¡± Salicia coughs. ¡°So, Boss, since you¡¯re now our Master, are you going to buy us stuff?¡±


    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°All of my armor was destroyed upon my death.¡± Carmine declared.


    ¡°Exactly. We¡¯re expensive women with expensive tastes! We need things beyond these slave clothes!¡± Salicia demanded. ¡°I need armor, and weapons, and magical items, and a personal servant!¡±


    ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯m being extorted here!¡±


    ¡°Since we¡¯re making requests, I¡¯d also like something to wear that can change size with me. My only shape-shifting outfit was destroyed upon my death. As well as all of the stuff in my ring.¡±


    All of the girls were actually wearing simple servant outfits provided by the palace. Salicia and Carmine were a step below in slave outfits. Well, this was the palace, so even these things were a bit better than a commoner whore, but compared to all the clothing I used to buy them, it seems that it was all destroyed.


    ¡°Let me see what I have¡­¡± I responded, checking my ring. ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m poor.¡±


    I only had change at this point. I had left the vast majority of my money with Faeyna, and since she had been freed, I don¡¯t really know where she is. I had forgotten to ask the prince about her whereabouts. The Prince seemed very busy recently and we only had a few moments to chat. Simply put, we barely had enough to feed ourselves for a few weeks. If I started buying clothing, it¡¯d fall to a few days.


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    We finally reached the address the King gave me. We stopped in front of a small mansion. Wait¡­ isn¡¯t this place familiar? It was the smallest place on the block and was about as far from the top as possible.


    ¡°Hehehe! Looks like this place is yours now!¡± A voice came on the other side of the fence that went into our neighbor¡¯s yard.


    I had to look over to see a small man standing there. ¡°Pait?¡±


    That¡¯s right, the property we got was the small mansion that had previously been Pait¡¯s place.


    ¡°Looks like the royalty finally listened to all my complaints and got us a new place. Sorry, we took everything, even the light fixtures. Had I known at the time you¡¯d be taking over the property, I wouldn¡¯t have been so merciless. Well, at least when I found out, I undid the sabotage.


    ¡°Master flooded the place with sewage¡­¡± Dav sided. ¡°It took us two weeks to clean it.¡±


    ¡°Haha! He didn¡¯t need to know that!¡± Pait gave an awkward laugh. ¡°Well, it¡¯s all good now. Since we still owe you a little. Well, you were sleeping so no harm no foul. I¡¯m glad your ladies were able to be recovered. You really should buy life insurance for them. That¡¯s what I did for Dav.¡±


    ¡°A little?¡± I shook my head wryly. ¡°Wait, what do you mean by life insurance?¡±


    ¡°Eh? You don¡¯t know? There is a service in every city. They tie a gemstone to your lifeforce and then store a few drops of your blood in it. If your gemstone goes out, they¡¯ll know and be able to resurrection you quickly.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± My mouth fell open as I thought about all the trouble I had been in. ¡°Even such a thing exists?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s pricey. 25 gold coins just to get a gem, and then 1 gold coin a month just for them to keep it. If you really worry, you need 10 gold. In that way, they check your gemstone every couple of weeks. One gold only ensures they store it safely. Your death still must be reported for them to resurrect. Ten gold is needed if you¡¯re going to be far enough away where your death might not be reported or if you find your own friends and family untrustworthy.¡±


    That would have saved us a great deal of heartache and frustration. I wish I had known about this thing ahead of time, but it really was costly. Just paying for the seven of us would take two months¡¯ salary, and I was a part of the high lords.

 Chapter 353

    ¡°Actually, since we¡¯re talking about that, you were the last person I saw with Faeyna. Do you know where she is?¡±


    Thinking about my money deficit, finding Faeyna was extremely important. I had given her over to the Esmere to watch over. That was nearly six weeks ago, so who knew where they were now.


    ¡°Ah?¡± He smirked. ¡°How about you try knocking on your door?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    He winked at me and gestured to the door to my house. Since it was that way, I headed to the door, but I hadn¡¯t even lifted my fist when it opened. There was a beautiful woman in an eloquent maid outfit who gave a perfect curtesy so low her head almost hit the ground. Naturally, a very large bosom was exposed.


    ¡°Master, you have returned.¡±


    Lydia had to push up my chin to close my mouth. She also gave me a disapproving glare. I wasn¡¯t looking at them that much. It was only when the woman raised back up I finally realized it was Faeyna. Although her outfit was that of a maid, her beauty and refinement made me seriously think she was a lady for a moment.


    ¡°Faeyna, what are you doing here?¡± I ended up asking, even though the question seemed a little rude.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m working for Master, naturally¡­¡± Faeyna responded.


    ¡°That is¡­ I mean, you¡¯re free, right? I actually thought you¡¯d have a job at the palace. I was going to go back tomorrow and ask once we got settled in.¡±


    ¡°Actually, once Master¡¯s house was officially decided, the Prince allowed me to stay here.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­ so he¡¯s renting you out as my temporary maid?¡±


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    ¡°Not exactly¡­ actually, I was hoping Master could keep me on.¡±


    ¡°About that¡­¡± I scratched my head. ¡°I guess it¡¯s fine if I pay you.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°You misunderstand, I¡¯d like to be your slave again.¡±


    ¡°Really, why is that?¡± I asked, ¡°I know you value your freedom. You don¡¯t have to worry.¡±


    ¡°Since I¡¯m staying in this mansion, and I know you travel a lot, it¡¯s possible I could be snatched. I¡¯d feel far safer as your slave.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true. This mansion isn¡¯t nearly as secure as the palace. Are you sure you wouldn¡¯t want to work there?¡±


    ¡°Is Boss looking down on us sister?¡± Salicia whined.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I think he is.¡± Carmine nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to work for the palace!¡± She responded. ¡°I want you as my Master.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    She lowered her head and murmured. ¡°And if I¡¯m not a slave like the other girls, how else will I be able to compete.¡±


    ¡°What was the last part?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, Master! Come in!¡±


    We walked in and even the girls made noises of surprise. The place was very beautiful. There were paintings, statues, couches, and the works.


    ¡°I did the decorating myself.¡± She said happily. ¡°Well, it was a complete wreck when I got here, but I worked hard and with a little assistance from the maid next store and some replaced floors, the place is fit for my Master.¡±


    ¡°This is really nice,¡± I said.


    I used to live like a slob, so I had no eye for anything eloquent. If it was up to me, the place would be garbage. Seeing how happy the girls were as they ran around the main room, I was content as well. This was just the foyer. If the entire mansion looked like this, it would be great. For the first time, I actually felt like I was somebody of value. Best of all, I had a place to portal around now.


    ¡°Master should consider trying to get that Dav girl if possible. She is hardworking. I¡¯ll need at least three maids to properly maintain this home.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ since I am the head maid, I¡¯d eventually like to train my replacement and one subordinate. That way, I can focus on the management, as well as your property in Chalm.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true. Speaking of which, I assume you sold the goods purchased from Dirage?¡±


    ¡°As to that¡­¡± She lowered her head, a guilty expression on her face.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ naturally, as the manager, I knew Master would want a properly furnished home. After the previous damage, not to mention furnishing every room¡­ it¡¯s gone¡­¡±


    ¡°Gone?¡±


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t expected Master to be out for six weeks, so, one way or another, it was spent.¡±


    Turns out¡­ I really was poor. Living like a noble is expensive, it seems.

 Chapter 354

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll think of something.¡± I said.


    By something, I, of course, meant returning to the dungeon in Dirage. After the battle with that crazy demon lord, I realized that my girls needed to be much stronger if we wanted to live a peaceful life. Plus, I¡¯d grown accustomed to the flow of money that dungeons got me. To think that I had built up thousands of gold, and now it was all gone. Elves are pricey. Well, I tried not to make her feel any guiltier than she already did.


    Faeyna showed me my master bedroom, and then took the other girls to their bedrooms. This Mansion was small. That was to say there were only about twenty bedrooms in all. That was plenty of room for everyone to have a bedroom. Technically, there was a slave quarter too, which was a shed out back that could fit ten, but I told the girls that wasn¡¯t necessary.


    The girls all went to their bedrooms. However, I suspected once the novelty of it wore off, they¡¯d all end up back in my room. That seemed to be how things were. Well, at least for Lydia, Miki, Celeste, and Terra. I hoped the other two girls wouldn¡¯t get too attached. There was a reason I was trying to be distant with them. My four girls and I had traveled together, slept together, and fought life and death battles together.


    Salicia and Carmine were just here because I felt bad for them. I¡¯d definitely have to lay down a couple of rules for them tomorrow, but for the night I¡¯d let them also get acquainted with the mansion. I just hoped Salicia didn¡¯t steal anything. I had already given her such an order, but maybe I needed to make it a Slave Order to stick with her. Somehow, the thought of her writhing in pain didn¡¯t disturb me like the other girls.


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    As I entered the room, I could only be surprised once again. It was plenty large enough for all the girls. In fact, my previous living space on Earth wasn¡¯t much bigger than this room. To think, this was a small mansion. My mansion in Chalm was supposed to be about four times the size of this one, at least according to the blueprints I was shown. There was a big bed in the room. Compared to the hotel room, there would be space for all of us. In fact, I could probably add a few more girls.


    No! What kind of thought was that! I wasn¡¯t a pervert who wanted a collection of beautiful women. Those four were naturally enough, and perhaps Faeyna too. I absolutely under no circumstances would allow Salicia and Carmine in our bed. Unless they asked nicely. Well, if they asked nicely, I wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse them. That¡¯s a given.


    As I was thinking such thoughts, an arm wrapped around me and there was a glint of cold steel that suddenly touched my neck. Seriously? A robber? Or worse¡­ an assassin? Had Lord Tibult been bolder than I gave him credit for? I prepared my healing spells immediately in case they cut. Like that, I had a chance to live.


    However, I suddenly felt their face pressed against the back of my neck. I heard sniffing noises. Considering I couldn¡¯t see who it was, this definitely creeped me out.


    ¡°I smell the scent of a woman on you.¡± A feminine voice suddenly declared. ¡°My love has been unfaithful¡­¡±


    The voice sounded cold and angry. Although, I instantly recognized it. It was the voice of Shao, the demon lord! How did she get into my bedroom!

 Chapter 355

    ¡°Shao¡­ um¡­ what are you doing here? I thought you were in jail?¡± I asked nervously, feeling the steel against my neck.


    ¡°Fufu¡­ as soon as I heard my love¡¯s sweet voice, how could I remain cooped up any longer? Naturally, I left that dark place to bask in my love¡¯s light.¡±


    Heard my voice? When had that happened? Wait, didn¡¯t they say that Shao had been locked away in a cell under the castle? Wasn¡¯t the morgue also under the castle? Shao must have been near enough to hear us as I resurrected Salicia and Carmine. With that on her mind, she managed to escape somehow and followed me home. Then, she slipped into my Master bedroom. What was with my bad luck all of a sudden.


    ¡°So¡­ how¡¯s it been hanging lately?¡± I tried to keep her talking, meanwhile trying to figure out a way to flee.


    I could use return, but then I¡¯d be leaving her alone with my girls. Even if I immediately portaled back, there was no guarantee someone wouldn¡¯t be hurt.


    ¡°Don¡¯t dare to try to side-step the question!¡± She finally pulled the knife away and then pushed me, allowing me to turn around. ¡°Admit it, you¡¯ve been sleeping with another woman!¡±


    I immediately looked away. It looked like when they arrested Shao, they hadn¡¯t given her any new clothing. She was still wearing the tattered remains of her robe, which left most of her body exposed. On top of that, it seemed like she hadn¡¯t bathed in nearly a month and a half. She looked quite dirty, and her smell, while not unpleasant since she was still a girl, was quite pungent.


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    ¡°I have,¡± I admitted.


    ¡°Geh!¡± Suddenly, blood spurted from her mouth.


    ¡°What the! Are you okay?¡± I almost reached out, but she kept me at bay with her knife.


    ¡°Fufu¡­¡± She wiped her mouth with her free hand, shooting me an ugly glare. ¡°You admitted it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She sniffed in the air. ¡°I smell pussy, fox, fairy, and golem all over you. Tell me, my love, which woman have you been sleeping with behind my back?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ all of them?¡±


    ¡°Geh! Geh!¡¯¡± Two spurts of blood.


    ¡°Do you have stomach cancer? Should we take you the doctor? At the least, these rugs were really expensive, so can you avoid bleeding on them?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t say why I was so calm. Perhaps it was because I knew the girl that Shao used to be before this world had warped her. Perhaps it was because I knew her story better than anyone. Or perhaps, it was one of those moments after your life flashed before your eyes where you could face death head-on.


    She wiped her mouth. ¡°You lech¡­ you admit your affairs so blatantly.¡±


    ¡°You asked¡­¡±


    She suddenly put her fingers together with the blade between them and then whispered seemingly to herself. ¡°If I just killed one, it¡¯d be fine, but if I killed them all, he¡¯d probably be mad.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯d be mad if you killed any of them. Naturally, I love them. They are my women!¡±


    ¡°What about us!?¡± She cried out.


    ¡°There is no us?¡±


    ¡°Geh! Geh! Geh!¡±


    ¡°And there my carpet went.¡±


    ¡°Y-you could just lie a little¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh? I thought you valued honesty above anything else?¡±


    Part of the reason I didn¡¯t think of lying to her was that I had a feeling if I tried to lie, she¡¯d fly into a rage. Well, the truth would hurt too, but I think it was safer nipping this all in the butt. She had some strange delusions about us, and it was better if they didn¡¯t get any worse.


    ¡°I see¡­ since you have been honest¡­ it¡¯s clear that you truly love me, even if you are a cheater.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± This was going to take a while.

 Chapter 356

    ¡°My love¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ how do I put this? I love Lydia, Miki, Celeste, and Terra. They are my women. I plan to continue to sleep with them when they want to.¡±


    Her head lowered, her eyes shaking wildly for a second before she started laughing creepily. ¡°Hehehe¡­ th-that¡¯s fine. They¡¯re just slaves, right? So¡­ in that case, they¡¯re not even people. It¡¯d be like if my man masturbated to porn. You have to just accept that part of him. Since they¡¯re all just cum dumpsters, then naturally you can use them as much as you want, and it won¡¯t affect our pure relationship at all!¡±


    ¡°Oi¡­¡± I could practically hear her mind creating excuses to escape reality, and I wanted to put a stop to it.


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯re a lord now! Lords have many concubines. Sleeping with a servant or a slave girl is practically normal for this world. So, I should feel perfectly fine that my love is with other women. Yes¡­ that works. As long as I¡¯m his number one woman, then it¡¯s all that matters.¡±


    ¡°Hey, stop that!¡± I said defensively. ¡°Rather, aren¡¯t you also my slave?¡±


    ¡°Geh!¡± No blood came out this time at least. ¡°Th-that¡¯s right¡­ in the end, I¡¯m just a slave that master will use.¡±


    I let out a calm breath. ¡°See¡­ therefore¡­¡±


    ¡°Therefore¡­ I must give my body to you! With enough time, surely my love will finally give his heart to me,¡± she spoke, seemingly to herself, ¡°No! I must put myself above all the other slaves. There¡¯s only one way this can be achieved. It¡¯s a bit more work than I originally thought, but it¡¯s fine. If happiness was easy to achieve, then my life wouldn¡¯t have been so awful. Alright, I¡¯ve decided!¡±


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    I winced hearing those words. I felt a little sad for her, but this was still getting out of control.


    ¡°Decided what?¡± I asked nervously, even though I felt like I might regret it.


    ¡°Naturally, you must put a baby in my belly!¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± I took a step back.


    ¡°Once I bear your children, then I¡¯ll have a special place in your heart. It¡¯s the only way for us to be together!¡± She declared, taking a step toward me.


    ¡°W-wait a moment¡­ can¡¯t we talk about this?¡±


    ¡°O-of course not¡­ my virginity¡­ it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s got to be like ripping off a band-aid. If I talk or think about it too much, I might go crazy. So, please¡­ don¡¯t hold back!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already there,¡± I took a few more steps back. ¡°Stop coming closer!¡±


    She held up her knife, her eyes flashing angrily. ¡°Why won¡¯t you make me pregnant! Do you not want my body? Don¡¯t you want me? Aren¡¯t I beautiful? Say I¡¯m beautiful! Say it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, God, please don¡¯t kill me!¡±


    ¡°You bastard! Since you won¡¯t admit it, I definitely have to make you admit it!¡± She said, her body shaking.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do this¡­¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing personal, just my personal philosophy. Never stick it in crazy!¡±


    She seemed to ignore me, continuing her approach with her knife out. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, it¡¯s just rape. Since you¡¯re a guy, it doesn¡¯t even count!¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t do this!¡±


    ¡°Why not!¡± She demanded angrily.


    ¡°It¡¯s because¡­ because¡­¡± I looked around desperately, and then an idea slammed into my head. ¡°It¡¯s because you stink!¡±


    She froze. Her crazy eyes suddenly turned into those like a deer in headlights, widening open. She glanced down as if for the first time realizing that she was in rags with a very scary appearance. She gave a single sniff, and then her entire face turned bright red.


    ¡°Ah! Oh! I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± She turned and ran to the bathroom, stopping at the door. ¡°Just wait here. I-I¡¯ll go take a bath. When I finish cleaning up, I¡¯ll be back to rape you and have a baby, okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± I nodded, giving her a thumbs up.


    As soon as the door closed, I fled the room.

 Chapter 357

    Racing out of the Master bedroom, I quickly ran down to the girl¡¯s rooms, calling for all the girls to gather.


    ¡°What is it, Master?¡± Miki asked as everyone gathered.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Chalm in a while. Let¡¯s see Chalm.¡± I declared.


    ¡°Now? But we just got here¡­¡±


    ¡°Definitely now!¡±


    ¡°Master, I¡¯m still taking care of things here, plus, if we leave, who will keep the place clean? We need more staff.¡± Faeyna explained.


    ¡°Nope! You¡¯re coming too! Guards as well! Come on everyone, through the portal!¡±


    I lifted up my hand to create a portal. I could tell the girls about the problem later. Right then, the important thing was we got as much distance as possible. Once we were all safe, I¡¯d send a message to Aberis and they could subdue her¡­ maybe. Well, last time, it took almost everyone to subdue her. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want these girls to have to deal with Shao again. Likely, the woman has become a terror that grips their very hearts.


    ¡°Oh, hi, Shao!¡± Celeste waved happily.


    I froze. I could feel someone standing behind me. I slowly gulped.


    ¡°I finished¡­ my love.¡± She said, her voice low and deliberate.


    ¡°S-so fast¡­¡± I barely managed to get out, still facing away from her.


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    ¡°I remembered I could just use cleanup magic. It¡¯s more thorough and much quicker. I guarantee my body is completely ready now.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± I responded, my mouth going dry.


    I tried to use my eyes to signal Carmine and Salicia. Salicia sneered at me and then looked away. Carmine didn¡¯t even spare me a look! Well, at least I had my girls whom I love to protect me. Wait! Why are they all disinterested! Miki was reading a book, and Lydia was looking out the window at a squirrel.


    ¡°Come, my love.¡± I felt the bony hand of death grab my arm.


    ¡°Girls! Why aren¡¯t you doing anything!¡± I cried out. ¡°Aren¡¯t you surprised Shao is here?¡±


    Lydia glanced over, ¡°Eh? I smelled her when we came in.¡±


    ¡°Her spiritual energy is distinct. I could tell she was following us from the palace.¡± Miki nodded.


    ¡°Every girl gets one. That¡¯s the rule.¡± Terra nods.


    ¡°W-wait? One? No! But, she¡¯s trying to have sex with me!¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ I know you love all of us equally, but it still hurts a little when you brag about adding more women.¡± Lydia responded, tearfully.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it about that time that this kind of thing happened? I thought Master would have her in her cell, but he waited to get home.¡± Terra added, giving me a thumbs up. ¡°Good impulse control!¡±


    ¡°Have fun! Shao!¡± Celeste waved good-bye as the arm started to pull me back up the stairs.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to make a baby!¡± Shao said happily.


    ¡°Good luck!¡± Terra gave a thumbs up, and then made a face. ¡°I want to have his baby too¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Why? What is happening? Why is no one protecting me?¡± I cried, feeling like I was going crazy.


    Shao¡¯s strength was immense though, and I was pulled up the stairs without any hope of resisting. Damn it, next time I played a game, I was going to be a super strength juggernaut!


    ¡°Save me! Someone, save me!¡± I cried as I was dragged to the Master bedroom door.


    ¡°Master¡­ if you really wanted our help, couldn¡¯t you order us?¡± Carmine offered.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    That¡¯s right. I hadn¡¯t ordered them to do anything. My heart was also beating really hard, and I realized that I had a bit of a tent down below the girls must have noticed. In the end, you can change your job away from Pervert, but the pervert was always there. Somewhere deep down, I realized I was turned on.


    The Master bedroom door closed, sealing all escape.

 Chapter 357.5

    Once the door shut on me, sealing off my only means of escape, my only choice was to turn back and face the scary woman who seemed just a bit unhinged. Since things had gotten this far, there was really nothing else I could do. I had to equip pervert. If I wasn¡¯t able to get excited, she¡¯d likely be furious and attack me. I wanted to live, so my only choice was to go all in and hope everything worked out. I couldn¡¯t understand what my slaves were thinking about being so relaxed by this, but it was seriously scary, right?


    As I equipped pervert along with Slave Master and White Mage just hoping I could survive this encounter. White mage could keep me alive and Slave Master was if I needed to reign her in. My eyes finally landed on Shao and my mouth fell open.


    She was no longer wearing the tattered remains of a cloak. Rather, she was wearing a somewhat embarrassing looking nightie which covered her up but also revealed a great deal. It included a garter belt and long stockings. She had long pale legs and an incredible body. I hadn¡¯t looked behind me when she grabbed me and pulled me back, but the slaves would have seen this and naturally would have known what was about to happen.


    However, her face was what really caused my heart to tremble. She was beautiful. She had jet black hair and a dark complexion, but she would easily be described as a Japanese beauty. To someone who wasn¡¯t Japanese, that also made her appear extremely exotic. I couldn¡¯t look away from her. She blushed and lowered her head, acting completely shy. Even her body movements matched, completely destroying my previous impression of the unhinged, crazy woman who broke into my room.


    ¡°D-don¡¯t stare at me like that.¡± She said quietly, her hands folded in front of her and her eyes down. ¡°It makes me embarrassed.¡±


    Was it possible that the demon lord who plagued my life was actually extremely weak when it came to sex? Well, she came from Japan, where modesty and politeness were above everything else. So, when it came to this situation, suddenly she turned back into a modest Japanese beauty? Oh crap, I had already equipped pervert. The hormones of a young man met the insatiable desires of a pervert, I grabbed her and I pushed her down onto the bed.


    ¡°Ah!¡± She made a cute noise, and even shook, looking like I had frightened her.


    So cute! Was I drooling? It doesn¡¯t matter! Every time I touched her, she made cute noises. My penis was fully erect and my eyes were probably scarier than her own when she was unhinged earlier.


    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful,¡± I said.


    She shivered, her face flushing with red. ¡°Y-you think?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have you now.¡±


    ¡°P-please be gentle.¡± She said.


    She says that, but all this lingerie is stuff I¡¯m not used to. The pervert in me ripped it off. With each tear, she cried out, closing her eyes tightly. That shouldn¡¯t make me more turned on, but it absolutely did.


    Somehow, she was completely unlike the other women I had been with. Miki was shy but willing to learn. She was naturally curious and just a bit mischievous. She would blush, but she¡¯d also play. Celeste was needy, and just a bit demanding, however, she was also incredibly easy-going and went with the flow. Terra was very affectionate. She liked to be close. Years of loneliness had left her very prone to kissing and skin contact.


    Then there was Lydia. I had been prepared for another Lydia. The tigress was sexually aggressive. After having sex the first time, she had become increasingly demanding. She was extremely active sexually, and she wasn¡¯t afraid to bite or scratch. If I didn¡¯t have healing to undo the scratches she left on my back, I wasn¡¯t sure if I¡¯d ever be able to sleep comfortably. I had expected Shao to play with her knife. I was prepared to spam the heal as I tried to survive.


    Somehow, Shao was the exact opposite of that? She wasn¡¯t quite shy like Miki. Rather, she was pure and timid. She wanted me to take control of her. I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it unless I had pervert equipped. She was actually too much like me.


    I kissed her lips, and she let out a cry which ended up mostly in my mouth. My tongue explored hers excitedly, savoring her sweet, delicate taste. I finished off ripping off the rest of her clothing, but I managed to restrain myself a bit. She was shivering, and I didn¡¯t want to push her too fast and risk making her unhappy. Just because I had the capacity of a shameless pervert who didn¡¯t hesitate to molest beautiful women and lacked restraint didn¡¯t mean I still couldn¡¯t think things through.


    Shao was stronger than me and could easily defeat me if we went head-on. However, right now, she seemed like the weakest person, barely letting up a peep or resisting an inch. I had a feeling that even if I was doing something she didn¡¯t like, she wouldn¡¯t resist.


    From my memories, I remember that she had been pushed down by many men as her time as a gladiator, yet her virginity was still her own. Every man who had tried was dead. That was why she was so weak. She had given herself to me, and with that, she could only give me her absolute trust. If she resisted even a little, she might react violently and hurt me. Since she didn¡¯t want that, she had to turn down all of her defenses. It was everything or nothing.


    As that realization crept into my heart, my body calmed considerably. She had trusted me with her body. How could I take advantage? I definitely had to treat her properly. I pulled away and then removed my shirt, and then pushed my bare skin against her own. Her chest was small, only B cup. They were just enough to fit in the palms of my hands. I didn¡¯t mind that much at all. I squeezed them gently and kissed her.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ mmm¡­ Deek¡­¡± She moaned in between kisses. ¡°I love you.¡±


    I stopped for a second, remembering back to everything I had seen when we were exchanging lifeforce. Shao knew my life better than any of the other girls. She actually came from Earth, so she understood the implications of being from another world. More than that, I knew her as well, having seen her life flash before my eyes. In many ways, I was more intimate with this woman than anyone else I had ever met.


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    When I didn¡¯t answer back right away, Shao¡¯s expression turned slightly worried. I pushed back the hair behind her ear as I looked into her eyes.


    ¡°Shao¡­ I will take care of you, and I won¡¯t leave you. Be by my side, and I¡¯ll keep you.¡±


    Shao broke into tears, then reached up and started kissing me. It was the first action she had taken herself. She kissed me over and over again, even though her face was covered in wet salty tears, she just kept kissing.


    I could have said I loved her, but I wasn¡¯t sure if I was ready to say that yet. However, Shao wasn¡¯t like the other girls, who wanted love after a life of rejection. Shao¡¯s desires were far more basic. She wanted acceptance. Shao wanted someone to be with. That was why her first reaction was to push me into a relationship because her greatest fear was being rejected. In that respect, the words I said hit her heart far more than any declaration of love.


    As sweet as the scene was, I was still a man with the job of Pervert. I grabbed her arms and then pushed them up over her head. Her kisses stopped as she let out a gasp. Her eyes widened cutely like a puppy dog who wasn¡¯t sure if its master was happy or angry yet.


    I took from Lydia¡¯s playbook and I bit her neck. She let out a cry, her both shuddering under me. It was okay though; I wasn¡¯t going to be too rough. I grabbed my penis and lined it up against Shao¡¯s parts. She took a sudden intake of breath as she felt it pushing against her.


    At this point, it would probably be called the point of no return. After I took her virginity, I would absolutely have to take responsibility for the remainder of my life. The old me would have frozen, or perhaps even fled in embarrassment. However, I had been with four women now, and the Deek who would grow fearful was no longer the Deek here. Sure, the job Pervert helped, but it was still me who understood the responsibility.


    In my old world, I could barely take care of my own life. Now, I was responsible for the lives of over a half-dozen women. I immediately pushed inside.


    ¡°Ahn!¡± Shao cried out, clenching her teeth. ¡°It¡¯s inside.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just the head though.¡±


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± She blushed, her feminine beauty peeking even in this erotic position under me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll put it in the rest of the way.¡±


    ¡°S-slow¡­¡± She said.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    I slowly pushed inside while she clenched her eyes shut and let out pained noises. As a size-changing fairy, Celeste¡¯s first time didn¡¯t cause much trouble. My first time with Terra was in the water, so we avoided a lot of discomforts there. Meanwhile, Miki was so used to pain and death that for her it was only slightly bothersome. As far as Lydia, although technically a virgin, she¡¯d already made sure her body was prepared to receive.


    Thus, it turned out that Shao was exceptionally difficult. It took nearly ten minutes before I was inside her. By the time we were done, she was panting, and I was as well. However, somehow, the effort of it made it feel amazing. Finally feeling myself inside Shao, it made me even more aware of the warm feeling of her body.


    She looked up at me and gave an exhausted smile, then kissed me once again. I didn¡¯t think much of it, but the fact she was willing to kiss me spoke to just how much happiness she was experiencing. She was a girl who struggled to properly show affection. Up to this point, she had mostly just lay there and allowed me to do everything.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to start going in and out now,¡± I said.


    Her eyes widened. ¡°We¡¯re not done?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we just start?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­.¡± She tried to hide her face in shame, but naturally, with my hands holding up her arms, she couldn¡¯t, so cute!


    I began to rock my hips, and Shao gritted her teeth while making pained moans. However, those moans slowly became less and less pain and her face relaxed. Her panting started to take on a more lewd tone, and with that, I started speeding up a bit. I watched the wrinkles on her forehead to pace myself. Every time I increased the speed, there would be a bit more pain, but slowly her teeth would loosen and she¡¯d pant even louder than before.


    She was growing wet now, and I wasn¡¯t having any trouble sliding in and out of her. Even though she kept her eyes closed and didn¡¯t move her body much, it still felt very erotic. It wasn¡¯t just because I had a big crush on Asian women and this was a fantasy of mine. Actually, she should be wearing a Kimono, and the belt should still be on but her breasts should be out the top. Oh, and she should have chopsticks in her hair. Ah, and maybe she had geta on her feet, which would naturally be on my shoulders.


    ¡°Ahhhhn!¡± She cried out. ¡°D-don¡¯t break me.¡±


    Oops, I got excited thinking about that fetish and ended up letting the perverted side run a little crazy. I slowed down my thrust and gave her more time to recover.


    The point being, she was holding back and offering herself to me. That¡¯s why it felt so good. Her effort was is in putting in no effort. It was something like that.


    While enjoying her amazing body, I couldn¡¯t hold back anymore. ¡°I¡¯m going to cum.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ all inside! Make me pregnant!¡±


    I hadn¡¯t gotten any of the girls pregnant so far. That was part of the reason I didn¡¯t have sex with them more. I wasn¡¯t quite ready to be a daddy. I didn¡¯t know enough about menstrual cycles to know when a safe time was. Well, none of these girls were humans, and I heard it was difficult for humans to get nonhumans pregnant. Even Shao here was a demon, not a human, so the likelihood of conceiving was low.  The last time I had sex with the girls was after resurrecting them, but since we reached the Capitol, I hadn¡¯t done anything before then. The other part of the reason was naturally my conflicted views over their true feelings for me, but with these five women, I had no doubt they loved me.


    Yet, today, this was my fifth go. That was the other reason I felt I needed pervert to keep things up with Shao even after a few hours of breaking. I wasn¡¯t a pornstar, after all.


    I finally reached my limit, kissing Shao affectionately as I filled her womb up. Well, as long as it made her happy, I was happy too. We continued to kiss as I finished inside her.


    ¡°Did you cum too?¡± I asked.


    She wasn¡¯t as open about it like the other girls, so I wasn¡¯t sure when it came to her. That¡¯s why I asked.


    ¡°Even if you ask¡­¡± She blushed red, so cute!


    In fact, it was starting to grow again. Just as I was ready to start another round, the door burst open.


    ¡°I smelled Master cum. He definitely finished.¡± Lydia declared.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ finished!¡± Miki nodded with a smirk.


    ¡°That was one. Now Shao must share?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Shao let out a cry, ¡°What? No¡­ he¡¯s mine!¡±


    The girls started ripping off their clothes and jumping into the bed, even as Shao tried to push them away. Shao¡¯s weakness sexually apparently also included women. Lydia dominated her completely. Well, for me, I had noticed some text in my vision.


    {Pervert has increased to level 3.}


    {Reduced Fertility has been unlocked.}


    ¡°You¡¯d think it¡¯d be opposite, but I guess a Perverted job requires that kind of freedom.¡± I admired the job system for a moment.


    ¡°What is it, Master?¡± Lydia asked, even while she was mounted on top of Shao familiarizing herself with her body.


    ¡°Ah, nothing.¡±


    It looked like we could start having more sex now. Perhaps if I leveled pervert in the dungeons, I could even make myself pregnant-proof. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t tell the girls that. They would take it as a personal challenge. I was a pervert, not a suicidal sex fiend. Let¡¯s just introduce a little more sex into our relationship at a time.

 Chapter 358

    The next morning, after I somehow made it through the night, I got up out of my bed to find Faeyna at the door. She was blushing and looking away, and it was only then I realized I was standing completely naked while scratching myself. I coughed and grabbed a sheet that wasn¡¯t currently occupied by the body of a naked woman and hid my shame.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry you had to see that.¡± I made an awkward apology.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Master, I took look forward to the day I can do such a thing with Master.¡±


    ¡°Huh, you want to join?¡±


    She blushed and then shook her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare¡­ after all, I am your maid. This kind of relationship is¡­ is¡­ inappropriate!¡±


    I was turned down. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I wasn¡¯t aware of that.


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± I suddenly recalled. ¡°You can only mate with one man for the rest of your life. I was careless.¡±


    I had gotten so used to all the girls being head-over-heels in love with me, that I had jumped to conclusions with Faeyna. She had already left me once, and she was only here because she felt safe with me. I had grown a big head since coming to this world. Some women may want to be my slave without desiring me sexually. Yup, I definitely couldn¡¯t be greedy with five women in the bed behind me. Faeyna¡¯s entire race was dependent on her finding a proper mate.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit too late for that¡­¡± Faeyna murmured, a smile on her face.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ nothing Master! Rather, you smell and you must have a bath!¡±


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    ¡°Oh, I do?¡±


    It was a stupid question. After the things I did last night, of course, I smelled. Many sweaty, dirty things were done, and these were multiplied by five, so I had to take care of my hygiene. As for the dirty girls in bed, I didn¡¯t mind them smelling for a bit longer. Rather, I wouldn¡¯t mind if they remained dirty for a bit longer? Well, at least they could sleep in.


    Faeyna nodded exaggeratedly, grabbing me and pulling me into the bathroom. ¡°You definitely must be properly cleaned!¡±


    ¡°Eh? I can do it myself though!¡±


    ¡°This is the duty of a maid, please endure.¡±


    I felt like she was looking at me a bit much, so I quickly made my way into the tub. Faeyna had already filled it with hot water and some kind of fragrant oil. It wasn¡¯t like the pool at the hot springs, but it was still large enough to fit six people. I guess with magic water stones, filling this kind of thing was simple. I heard rustling behind me and I looked back to see Faeyna¡¯s maid outfit dropping to the ground. She was wearing a garter belt! When did it get out that I had a garter belt fetish? First Shao, and now Faeyna!


    ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± I turned away.


    ¡°I must wash Master, so I don¡¯t want my uniform becoming wet.¡±


    ¡°I-is that appropriate for a maid.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, Master, it¡¯s my duty. Please endure.¡±


    I didn¡¯t look back, but a moment later she splashed into the water. I turned my back to her, feeling somewhat awkward.


    ¡°You can do my back, I guess,¡± I muttered.


    Two soft things suddenly pressed against my back. My eyes widened. They were very big, so there was no mistaking it.


    ¡°F-Faeyna¡­¡±


    ¡°Maid¡¯s duty. Please endure.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I was cleaned very thoroughly. She was very good with her chest. Her hands were also quite bold. Eventually, they started cleaning a certain spot.


    ¡°Um¡­ even that¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the dirtiest part, I must be extra thorough.¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­ If you keep going¡­¡± I said, pretty sure she was going above a maid¡¯s duty at this point. ¡°I¡¯ll lose it in the water, and since you¡¯re in the water, that might cause problems?¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to end up causing an extinction just because I couldn¡¯t hold it¡­


    ¡°Maid¡¯s¡­ ahhh! It erupted.¡± She blushed, finally letting go while becoming shy.


    In the end, I didn¡¯t endure, but it¡¯s probably fine, at least I was clean now.

 Chapter 359

    As I left the bathroom dry and wearing a towel, I encountered my girls who had just gotten up and were going to have a bath. They all seemed cheerful this morning, so I was glad they were getting along. I realized a Japanese girl was on her knees lifting my towel. I heard a sniffing noise.


    ¡°Master has released this morning. I smell an elf. Master is still unfaithful.¡± Shao said, looking up at me coldly.


    ¡°She was just helping me with a bath,¡± I said helplessly under Shao¡¯s cold stare.


    Fortunately, Faeyna wasn¡¯t in the bath with me. She had departed first in order to make food while I finished up. She was really thorough with everything, it seemed.


    ¡°Wait, the bathwater hasn¡¯t been changed!¡± Lydia declared. ¡°That means¡­ Master¡¯s seed¡­¡±


    ¡°If we bathed in it, couldn¡¯t we get pregnant?¡± Miki asked uncertainly.


    ¡°I¡¯m first.¡± Shao had disappeared from under me and was now shoving to get through the door.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we change it?¡± Celeste asked.


    ¡°I heard it¡¯s good for the skin.¡± Terra shrugged, ¡°It makes it extra smooth.¡±


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    ¡°Ah? Really, Master has been holding back! Master, you definitely must give me bathes in it!¡± Celeste declared.


    ¡°What do you think I am, a firehose!¡± I cried out.


    While the girls were fighting to get in the bath first after me, I decided to use the opportunity to escape. If I stayed any longer, the girls would make me join them and then no one would get clean. Well, I already was satisfied, and too much satisfaction wasn¡¯t good for the heart. I¡¯d definitely need to keep that mischievousness as a nightly thing or my life would turn into a hentai and nothing would get accomplished.


    As I headed down, I heard a knock on the door. By the time I made it to the foyer, the door had closed and Faeyna had already gotten it. She walked up to me and kneeled, showing a letter in her hands. I picked it up out of her hands and looked at the seal. It was the seal of the royal family. I was planning on stopping by the castle today anyway, but it was a little surprising that they would send me something. After opening it up and reading it, I realized it was an official summons from the prince. It might be serious.


    I decided to let the girls get comfortable in the new mansion, so I left. Carmine came along as my official guard. I¡¯d rather she was guarding the mansion, but with Shao there, it was more like we needed the rest of the city to be guarded against her.


    I didn¡¯t use portal or anything special to get to the palace, so it ended up being a bit of a walk. About an hour later, I introduced myself to the guard and he instantly sent someone to bring me in. A few minutes later, I was in a receiving room. The door opened, and the familiar Prince Aberis walked in, his brows furrowed in worry.


    ¡°Prince-¡°


    ¡°Please¡­ call me brother.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Brother¡­¡± Nope, it still felt weird.


    ¡°I need your help, Deek.¡± He finally sighed. ¡°The Demon Lord has escaped!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say¡­¡± I scratched my cheek.


    This was going to be an awkward conversation.

 Chapter 360

    ¡°So, various things happened, and she¡¯s living in my home.¡± I gave a brief explanation.


    Actually, it was probably too brief? Well, there wasn¡¯t much to say. I came home last night and she was already there. She confessed her love for me and now she won¡¯t leave. His mouth was open.


    ¡°Ah¡­ prince?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Nothing! I mean¡­ if she¡¯s not causing any trouble, then it is fine. My only request is that you take her to the Slave guild and have a more powerful slave mark.¡±


    ¡°A more powerful mark?¡±


    ¡°Mm.. slave marks have various levels. For very dangerous criminals, such a mark exists. When it comes to someone like a demon lord, this will be sufficient. As far as her face, she remained covered during most of the event. I doubt few people would associate the demon lord with your slave. It will probably be fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay, in that case, while we¡¯re at it, is it possible to receive my money for Faeyna?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Having financial troubles, are we?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, I am a bit short on money, so it would really help.¡±


    The Prince sighed, ¡°Alas, I cannot give it to you.¡±


    ¡°Could I ask why?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you planning on reenslaving Faeyna?¡±


    ¡°You even know that much?¡±


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    ¡°Well, I know that Faeyna has spent the last month at your mansion and that she¡¯d be safest as your slave so no one snatched her away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, but you did remove the mark¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t think you deserve compensation. It¡¯s the slave laws, alright?¡± The prince explained. ¡°Slaves can be freed if someone is willing to spend their value and the slave themselves approve. That is essentially what happened when I freed Faeyna.¡±


    ¡°Right, what of it?¡± I asked, feeling an exception coming along.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t pay you the gold yet, so technically, this transaction hasn¡¯t finished.¡±


    ¡°So, then, let¡¯s finish it¡­¡±


    ¡°Naturally, if that was allowed, then couldn¡¯t a master and slave easily con others? People like my sister would see an abused slave and then pay to free them, only for them to slip right back into slavery! That¡¯s why a law was created, if a slave agrees to leave their master and the agreement is fulfilled, that slave cannot be reenslaved to that Master.¡±


    ¡°!?¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s not an unreasonable law. It protects a slave from their Master¡¯s retaliation for being willing to leave them, and as I said, it removes con-jobs or slaves suddenly changing their minds and wasting a generous person¡¯s goodwill. We can still go through with it and you can have the coin, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep Faeyna as a slave, and there would always be a risk that she would be snatched off the street or kidnapped.¡± I finished his thought, ¡°So, it was something like this after all.¡±


    I had thought that I might not see that 3000 gold ever since I woke up, but fortunately, the explanation was one I could tolerate.


    ¡°Although, the kingdom¡¯s also quite poor, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Gah!¡± The Prince let out a strangled sound and then sighed. ¡°Is it that obvious? Normally, subjugating a demon lord should involve a cash prize too, but after the destruction of the Capitol and various other issues, we¡¯re definitely struggling this month. I¡¯m trying to resolve it.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this kind of a big issue involving the kingdom? Shouldn¡¯t you at least speak to the King?¡±


    That word caused the Prince to wince. Naturally, I was curious about that reaction. He let out another sigh.


    ¡°Well, since I¡¯ve made you my brother, I suppose I might as well tell you the truth. Rather, this was the other reason I was hoping to talk with you. I¡¯m in need of your help.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°You see, my father, the King¡­ he¡¯s gone missing!¡±

 Chapter 361

    ¡°The King is gone, huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not surprised!¡±


    ¡°Well, I was curious why you seemed to do everything. I figured a decision like being made a Viscount would require the King?¡±


    Prince Aberis sighed, shaking his head. ¡°No, I do have the authority to make you a Viscount, but only just. I would have made you an even higher rank if I could have. Of course, the reason for that is simple. It¡¯s a means of gaining your assistance.¡±


    ¡°I take it you want me to find your father?¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm¡­ there are only a few people who know that my father is missing. You are now one of them. Unfortunately, if I get the adventuring guild involved, I won¡¯t be able to keep the news from spreading. Our situation with the Imperial Cloud Meadow is on thin ice right now, and the Ost Republic has been testing us lately. All it would take is for Dioshin to start acting up and we¡¯d be facing pressure from every side.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you gave me the wilderness?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like there are people living in the wilderness. However, you have a growing reputation as being kind to the animalkin. You¡¯ll likely placate Dioshin¡¯s worries, but also be able to increase our security there. Until now, we¡¯ve depended on the monsters of the region to protect the borders.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean the wilderness. It¡¯s the wilderness because a lot of curses congregated there. There hasn¡¯t been a census, but there is believed to be as many as 5 dungeons spread throughout the area. These are all abandoned by man, so naturally they have overflowed. Chalm was only safe because of Old Chalm. Every dungeon pulls mana from the earth and carves our an ever-increasing territory. When two dungeons collide, they block each other. Karr¡¯s Dungeon kept the other dungeons at bay, and the priest¡¯s barriers kept Old Chalm from being swallowed by Karr¡¯s Dungeon.


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    ¡°However, now that the dungeon has collapsed, it¡¯s only a matter of time before monsters from the other dungeons try to make Old Chalm part of their territory.¡±


    ¡°You really didn¡¯t do me any favors, huh?¡±


    ¡°I mean no disrespect, but neither Old Chalm nor the wilderness need to be our responsibility. The Church already erected a barrier that you happened to bring down.¡±


    It seemed that I didn¡¯t just retake Old Chalm, but removed Aberis¡¯s western protection from the curses spreading into Aberis. ¡°S-sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Even though giving you permission to claim the wilderness in our name is a risk for Aberis, I decided it was worth it. I just hope you understand, we¡¯re a country, not a charity¡­¡± The Prince sighed. ¡°I did what I could for you. I won¡¯t force you to do anything, but I don¡¯t want you to be unaware either. It might take a few decades, but if you do nothing, Old Chalm will be destroyed. However¡­ if you help¡­¡±


    ¡°I understand. With challenge offers opportunity or something like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you understand.¡±


    ¡°Then, what does the wilderness have to do with your father?¡±


    ¡°A mine was recently found on the border of the wilderness in the north. Unfortunately, a nearby dungeon¡¯s corruption has spread to it, making mining impossible. Thus, for the last few months, there has been an open guild quest to have this dungeon destroyed. Supposedly, a group had broken through to the final level and intended to fight the boss.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me. Your father wouldn¡¯t be so reckless as to actually partake in it.¡±


    ¡°Ai¡­ he used to be an S-ranked adventurer. He¡¯s a bullheaded man and likes showing off. I¡¯m afraid, it¡¯s exactly as you say. Despite warnings, he headed into the battle and attacked the dungeon boss. However, after the men went in and the doors shut, the dungeon suddenly turned extremely aggressive. Everyone who has made it to the bottom floors is either dead or incapacitated. With no one to check the dungeon door, we don¡¯t know the fate of the men who entered.


    ¡°After this much time, if your father hasn¡¯t come out¡­¡± I started.


    ¡°I know¡­¡± The Prince closed his eyes tightly. ¡°It is very probable my father is dead. If this is the case, I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll be able to keep the kingdom together. That¡¯s why I need you. You have defeated several dungeons before and even enslaved a demon lord. Will you conquer the Widow¡¯s Dungeon, and find out the fate of my father?¡±

 Chapter 362

    ¡°One reason I needed you to be a noble before I told you about this is because of the local lord near Widow¡¯s Dungeon. He locked down the dungeon forcefully and he¡¯s been doing his best to obstruct me. He¡¯s a Count, unfortunately, which means he outranks you. If I could have made you an Earl, I would have. However, as a fellow lord under the direct order of royalty, he won¡¯t be able to obstruct you from entering the dungeon with your party. If I had sent you as just an adventurer, he might have.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ another Lord Tibult, huh?¡±


    ¡°Lord Tibult was childish and had a superiority complex, but as far as nobles go, he¡¯s about as loyal as they come. This man, his name is Lord Reign, may be a traitor to the throne. I suspect his recent arrogance is a result of the mine. He sees profit in it and fears the throne is trying to take it away from him. He may even be colluding with an outside source.¡±


    ¡°What kind of mine is it?¡±


    ¡°Orichalcum.¡±


    I whistled. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ to make matters worse, the Imperial Cloud Meadow border isn¡¯t too far away. If they find out about it, they may attack. That is why this all needs to be handled quickly and quietly. Of course, if you succeed, I will have the king promote you to Count. Since the mine falls on the edge of your new territory, you will also take a cut of the profits and even get access to a small percentage of the orichalcum. That should be more than enough to stabilize the Deekson territory for several decades.¡±


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    ¡°You mentioned some trouble with the Cloud Meadow¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just being prepared. That Slave Master is likely to cause some trouble.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s alive?¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t resurrect him!¡± The Prince responded with a snort. ¡°However, a man like him assuredly had life insurance.¡±


    That was right. If he had life insurance, then he might have been resurrected only a few moments after his death. If he reported his findings to the government, that would cause trouble. I was already worried about it.


    ¡°In truth, I¡¯m not against looking for the King, but I¡¯m honestly very short on money at the moment. I can generate my own funds, but that might take a few weeks.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ well, it can¡¯t be helped.¡± The Prince pulled out a bag and dropped it on the table with a clang. ¡°It¡¯s 50 gold coins. That¡¯s actually my personal allowance. Any money I took from the treasury in an official capacity would have to be reported, you see?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I understand¡­ I won¡¯t waste it.¡± I took the bag quickly.


    He looked a bit like he didn¡¯t want to give it up, so I made sure to pocket it out of sight. Well, since it was his own pocket money, it probably hurt a bit more giving it away.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ve already set it up with the Adventuring guild. Today, a blue mage will be able to send you to the city near the Widow¡¯s Dungeon, Alerith.


    ¡°Today!¡± I made a surprised noise.


    ¡°I would send you now, but I wanted to give you time to get your affairs in order. Make sure to stop by the slave guild as well. Ah¡­ and it¡¯d be best if you didn¡¯t speak about the mine or the king, even to Lord Reign. I can¡¯t tell you what he knows.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± I nodded.


    It looked like I was off to the dungeons again.

 Chapter 363

    ¡°You left me¡­¡± A voice suddenly came from behind me as I left the castle.


    I felt like my spine had been goosed. I glanced back to see Shao standing there. A few moments later, there was a clamoring noise and I saw the other girls through a break in the crowd coming to meet up with me. I guess they had all gotten lonely waiting in the mansion.


    ¡°Where has Master been¡­¡± Shao sniffed. ¡°Hmm¡­ smells like that princess.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even meet with the princess though?¡±


    ¡°D-D-Deek?¡± I glanced to the side to the see the princess there, with a blush on her face while she held her hands.


    The other girls stopped a way off, seeing the princess and realizing that she seemed to want to speak to me in private. Well, every girl except Shao who glanced at me with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, you can¡¯t hold me responsible for that.¡± I responded back to Shao defensively.


    ¡°If Master keeps cheating¡­¡± She walked away to join the other girls, leaving me with Eliana.


    She didn¡¯t finish what she was going to say. I wasn¡¯t sure if that made it better or worse.


    I took a few steps away from the other women and joined Eliana. She also had a few guards around her who backed a distance away on her order. Although Eliana had taken a quick glance at Shao, she didn¡¯t have any recognition on her face. The guards didn¡¯t even look at her that much. She was the demon lord though? Actually, that wasn¡¯t the case anymore. For reasons I didn¡¯t understand, Demon Lord was unavailable.


    {Name: Shao


    Class: Shadow Magic


    Job: Gladiator (LVL 45) (Slave)


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    Unlocked Jobs: Brawler (LVL 25), Shadow Knight (LVL 1), Thief (LVL 10)


    Unavailable Jobs: Demon Lord (LVL 100)


    Race: Demon}


    Well, her Demon Lord job unequipped itself and is now marked as unavailable, which is different from unlocked. Actually, Shadow Knight sounded like a good job to have that matched her class well. I might work on leveling it up for her. Well, Priests probably wouldn¡¯t like it, but I had Dark Priest so it looked like we all had secrets we needed to keep from the church.


    ¡°Lord Deekson, I heard my brother wishes to send you into the Widow¡¯s Dungeon,¡± Eliana responded uncertainly in a whisper, taking care not to be overheard.


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ you heard already?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± She nodded. ¡°I was keeping watch, so as soon as you arrived, I made sure to find out what was happening.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    She looked away. ¡°I-it¡¯s not like I¡¯m stalking you or something! W-we¡¯re not even married yet!¡±


    ¡°Are you implying you¡¯d stalk me if we were married!¡±


    ¡°P-please find father¡­¡± She ignored what I said and continued on. ¡°Only he can offer my hand¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯re worried about your father,¡± I sighed. ¡°Wait¡­ what was that last part!¡±


    ¡°N-nothing!¡± She immediately waved her hands. ¡°I said if you¡¯re going to find my father, you¡¯re going to need a hand!¡±


    ¡°Is that what you said?¡±


    ¡°O-of course!¡± She shot me a look through her long eyebrows, ¡°Rather, I hired someone to meet you at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. They are a skilled Dungeon Diver. Have you heard of those?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ like that girl in Dirage¡­ huh?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you know! Please use them to remain safe.¡± She explained. ¡°You absolutely must return! If I lost the person most important to me, my life would end!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ so your father means that much to you¡­¡±


    ¡°Father? Eh¡­ if you can save that old pervert, that would probably be for the best- I mean, yes, absolutely. Father is important!¡±


    I scratched my head. Eliana was constantly changing what she meant and she kept blushing and mumbling to herself. I decided that talking to Eliana was exhausting. Therefore, I promised her I¡¯d return, causing her to blush even more. Looking a bit flustered, she retreated back into the Palace with her soldiers beside her. When I returned to my group, I found myself receiving icy looks from Shao and encouraging looks from the other girls.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here before more trouble arriv-¡°


    The sound of thudding armor filled the courtyard in front of the palace. Before we could move, a group of twenty men in shiny armor surrounded us. A man in robes stepped forward.


    ¡°Deek Deekson?¡± He asked in a haughty tone.


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re the church. You will come with us!¡±

 Chapter 364

    ¡°Ah¡­ I see¡­¡± I gather all the girls around me. ¡°No hablo espa?ol.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Return.¡±


    I suddenly appeared in front of a large mansion. Actually, it was still being constructed. There were large scaffoldings in front of it as construction was still ongoing. It was actually the first time I had returned to Chalm in a while. A few people who were working on the mansion came to notice me and the group behind me. Someone ran off, likely to go tell the relevant people.¡±


    ¡°Ah? We¡¯re back in Chalm?¡± Lydia said.


    ¡°This is Master¡¯s home?¡± Terra asked, looking around with interest.


    ¡°Fufu¡­ as expected of my Master. The way you coldly spurned the church, it brings me great happiness.¡± Shao chuckled. ¡°Your skills are suiting for the man who defeated me.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really defeat you though?¡±


    ¡°You defeated my heart.¡±


    ¡°Can you really just do that though?¡± Carmine asked nervously. ¡°If the church wanted to speak to you, doing this may anger them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably fine.¡± I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯d be inconvenient to meet with them now anyway. We need to prepare for the dungeon, not talk to some priest. Besides, Shao is a demon lord and Carmine was kicked out of the church. Do I really want to be answering a string of uncomfortable questions?¡±


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    ¡®What about Faeyna and Salicia?¡±


    ¡°They should be fine for a few hours? All they can say is that I¡¯m not home. Faeyna worked for a noble. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll figure something out. Either way, we¡¯ll return there later today and you can join your sister while the rest of us set off straight to Alerith.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be joining you on the dungeon subjugation?¡± Carmine asked in surprise.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s best if you two guard the mansion. Ah, you can deal with the church if they come, since you¡¯re used to it.¡±


    Her face stiffened for a moment, but then she nodded. It was probably fine to leave it to the two sisters. At worst, Faeyna would keep them in line.


    ¡°Deek! You¡¯ve returned! Oh, thank the gods, the girls are alright.¡± A balding man came running up to us.


    The mayor had certainly lost weight these last few months. I guess reconstructing Old Chalm took a lot of work.


    ¡°Yeah, we all managed to make it through somehow.¡± I pulled out a packet and handed it to him. ¡°I managed to get everything settled it seems.¡±


    The mayor took the form and read through it, and then his eyes widened and he suddenly bowed. ¡°M-my apologies, my lord!¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ please, just Deek is fine. I haven¡¯t changed much.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible.¡± The mayor twitched. ¡°We may not have gotten much information, but we¡¯ve been hearing about your exploits. You wiped out an evil dungeon watched by a malicious guardian.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ about that¡­¡±


    Terra frowned, looking away.


    ¡°You defeated a crazed lunatic who was possessed by a monstrous mechanical dragon!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Carmine looked awkward.


    ¡°¡­ and that¡¯s not even to mention how you defeated a demon lord, a monster so foul and¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ let¡¯s not get into it!¡± I shouted louder than I intended and then gave an awkward cough.


    The mayor didn¡¯t get what he said wrong, but he was good at reading the mood. He could see a melancholy feeling forming across the women in my group, especially the ones he didn¡¯t recognize. He quickly invited us to sit down in a nearby tavern. I accepted graciously.

 Chapter 365

    ¡°So, as you can see, we really just stopped by for supplies and to check on progress,¡± I explained as we ate some tavern food.


    The mayor had wanted to throw a giant party to celebrate me becoming a lord. I had to explain to him that we weren¡¯t going to be in town very long. He had me write down the stuff we needed, and then he sent someone out to go get the supplies for us. It was nice to be a lord.


    When I mentioned money, the mayor said that the cities money was my money and that at the moment our coffers were actually pretty good. Most of the rebuilding was done by volunteers. Since so much of the city was unsettled, if someone worked hard enough, they could be given a property practically free of charge. That meant most people would bring in coin to spend as they planned to live here permanently. It was currently that kind of monetary system.


    It also turned out that a lot of people that fled when Salicia invaded the village ended up coming down to Chalm. It was a safer journey than trying to make it north through the Bandit infested forest. Well, it turned out that the problem was one the Prince was going to handle personally, but with the King missing, he¡¯s been stuck in the city. Subsequently, he had no one that he could trust to send in his place, so that was why they¡¯ve become an increasing problem. It was pure chance that Salicia was caught by the church, and that didn¡¯t seem to make things any better.


    After speaking a bit, Celeste asked to leave to go play with her mother. Lydia and Miki also left with the rest of the girls to go back to our Chalm property, where they had a few outfits still left that hadn¡¯t been in their storage rings. My request list had also included armor and clothing for all of the girls. That included Shao. I actually didn¡¯t want to bring her, but I was more scared of leaving her to her own devices, so that was why she was with us. I let the other girls know they needed to watch over her, and they all agreed to treat her as a sister. Well, they didn¡¯t need to go that far, but if it made things easier, that was fine.


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    After that, we got down to business and went through the paperwork I had handed him. When he saw how much territory we were handed, he looked a bit dizzy. Since Chalm was the first city in the wilderness if the area did become developed, wouldn¡¯t this make Chalm the hub of western Aberis? His thoughts were something like that.


    ¡°My salary of 100 gold should arrive in a few weeks as well. If I¡¯m not here, well, invest it into Chalm¡¯s defense, that should be fine.¡±


    To be honest, the bandit situation sounded pretty bad. I wished I had brought Salicia with me so I could have spoken to her about it. She should have been able to provide me some insight.


    ¡°Did you decide who your knights will be? In general, once a Lord leaves, it¡¯s the responsibility of a Knight to handle the affairs of his territory.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? I thought Knights were like bodyguards or something.¡± I said.


    The mayor shook his head wryly. ¡°Not at all. They¡¯re your right-hand men. They have a noble status. They train and lead troops, act as treasurers, handle spy networks, and many more administrative tasks.¡±


    It looked like in Aberis, Knights were like department heads or supervisors. As my territory grew, I¡¯d need more knights to take on more and more of the activities as I become unable to handle them myself. I now felt glad I didn¡¯t act on impulse and just make people in my party Knights. Still, I wondered what kind of skills the job had to be so multifaceted.


    The boy who the Mayor had sent for supplies came back. He had a helpless look on his face. Behind him, three familiar faces stormed in. It was the blacksmith, the seamstress, and the enchanter. They all looked somewhat lost. What now?

 Chapter 366

    It turned out that they simply wanted clarification on the orders. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯d be nice if you could make the most protective parts out of mithril. Well, I might be able to get some orichalcum for you. I actually don¡¯t know what is stronger. What do you think?¡±


    I looked over to see the three shaking. Even the mayor was giving me a dubious look.


    ¡°Th-this might be stuff that can be done in the Capitol¡­ no, I¡¯d say even that was impossible!¡± The blacksmith cried out.


    ¡°These enchantments you want¡­ they are completely outside my capabilities!¡±


    ¡°Even with the enchanter¡¯s help, your clothing desires are too complex!¡±  The seamstress declared.


    ¡°Ah¡­ really¡­ I thought the problem was money or supplies though¡­ I can probably get you the mithril¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not!¡± All three yelled at the same time.


    The blacksmith took a breath. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lord, but other than accidentally in dungeons, most of the things you want can only be forged by Magic Blacksmiths. These are genius Masters. As far as how many exist in Aberis, I¡¯ve only heard the name of two. Even the royal family has to beg them to make something!


    ¡°As for enchanting stuff, I can only manage basic enchantments. Charms really. You¡¯d need a top-tier enchanter for the stuff you want to make.¡±


    ¡°Even with a top-tier enchanter, unless they are also a seamstress, the clothing you imagine is impossible. I can¡¯t simply make it and then have it be enchanted. The person who makes it must also be a skilled seamstress in their own right to be able to properly embed the enchantment into the fibers.¡±


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    ¡°I thought after you made that shadow cloak¡­¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ well, that¡¯s a bit different since the material itself already contained the essence of the enchantment. Still, that was my pride and joy! It was an article of clothing I only expect to be able to make once in my entire life!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ really?¡± I scratched my head awkwardly.


    ¡°So, please continue to look after it, okay?¡±


    That shadow cloak was one I gave to Lydia. It was obliterated by Shao during their fight. Should I tell her that? No, I probably shouldn¡¯t tell her that.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let Lydia use it anymore,¡± I assured her, wiping the sweat from my brow.


    ¡°Well, since you understand, I can only provide simple clothing. I have Lydia, Miki, and Celeste¡¯s measurements. In fact, I have more things made for them. I will need to get the other girls if you wish for them to also have proper garbs.¡± Thankfully, she moved on.


    ¡°Same. I can make armor, but anything beyond steel is impossible for me. If you do find an expert, well, I¡¯m too old to learn from them, but perhaps you can put in a good word for my apprentice? They may still be able to become one in the future. As for me, Chalm has had me making arms for the militia. I¡¯ve already had my plate full with swords, arrowheads, and armor to last a lifetime, so don¡¯t feel like they¡¯d be redundant. If I just worked on horseshoes the rest of my life, It¡¯d be an honor to work in the same town as a master.


    Why are they talking like I¡¯ve already found a magic blacksmith and an enchanter? Well, I¡¯ll keep those things in mind. We spoke a little more and then they all rushed back to their shops to get as much of what I requested as possible.


    As for me, I needed a magic blacksmith, an enchanter, and two knights to help take care of Chalm. Should I give Figuro another call? Well, maybe later.


    We really didn¡¯t have a lot of time. The sun was only halfway to the horizon when we collected everything we could. Everyone had backpacks again. Although I still had my storage ring, for a group of six, it lacked a little. We didn¡¯t want to be deficient for anything. Fortunately, the backpacks were all enchanted with weight decreasing spells.


    I created a portal and we returned to the mansion in the Capitol. It was time to head to the Widow¡¯s Dungeon to find a king.

 Chapter 367

    ¡°So, remember, if the church arrives, just tell them I¡¯m on a mission for the Prince or something like that,¡± I explained to the girls remaining behind.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If they cause trouble, I¡¯ll cut them down where they stand!¡± Salicia chuckled.


    I glanced over at the other two women.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep sister in check.¡± Carmine sighed.


    ¡°Master, it is my responsibility to take care of the home when you are gone. Rest assured, I will do my job adequately.¡± Faeyna curtsied.


    ¡°In that case, I suppose we should be off.¡±


    I made sure to enslave Faeyna using my Slave Taker ability.


    {Faeyna is now your slave.}


    Something about seeing those words reassured me and made me feel a bit better. It was like there was a knot in my shoulders, and only now I was able to relax. I now had eight slaves under me. I wondered how many would become too many. Was there a limit?


    I didn¡¯t have to wait long to get those answers. I gave them a few more instructions and then the group left, heading towards the slaver¡¯s guild. We kept a low profile just in case the church was searching for us, and I simply asked immediately for Figuro.


    ¡°She¡¯s the Demon Q-¡° I covered his mouth.


    ¡°Shhh¡­ didn¡¯t the Prince tell you I was coming?¡±


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    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­ he said I needed to provide a stronger slave mark, as to on who¡­ that wasn¡¯t the case.¡±


    ¡°What is the difference anyway?¡± I asked. ¡°It seems like any Slave Mark would do.¡±


    ¡°Well, the typical Slave Mark binds someone¡¯s body,¡± Figuro explained. ¡°The stronger form, well, it¡¯s one we very rarely use except in special circumstances, it binds a person¡¯s soul.¡±


    ¡°A person¡¯s soul?¡±


    Figuro nodded with a serious expression on his face. ¡°A girl bound by this slave mark, even in death, your soul would be bound to your Master¡¯s. It¡¯s a particularly cruel and absolute form of control¡­ girl, are you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Shao¡¯s eyes shone with excitement. ¡°Ah¡­ I might need two slave marks maybe?¡±


    ¡°T-two?¡±


    ¡°My soul must be bound to Master extra tight¡­ so, he never gets away¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡± I tried to laugh it off, but why did she seem so serious?


    I felt my spine tingle as she glanced at me with a crooked smile.


    ¡°Master¡­ I too¡­ must have a stronger Slave Mark.¡± Lydia suddenly declared.


    ¡°M-me too!¡± Celeste cried out. ¡°My soul must be bound to Master, even in death, as well!¡±


    ¡°Master must control me completely.¡± Terra agreed.


    ¡°I must get a mark for each one of my tails, then Master will have my spirit!¡± Miki seemed to already be preparing.


    ¡°Uh¡­ what was the part about it being cruel?¡± I asked Figuro, who had his eyebrows raised.


    ¡°Ah¡­ since her soul is bound to yours, she will die when you die.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how it has to be¡­¡± Figuro shrugged helplessly.


    ¡°Sorry, girls, I don¡¯t want you all to check out if I died.¡±


    The girls were very depressed and shot Shao a few jealous looks. However, they came to agree. Someone needed to pull my body away and make sure I was properly resurrected. If we lived and died as a group based on the weakest member, it would be truly pitiful. I agreed to buy them something sweet from a stall on the way to our next stop to get them to cheer up. Shao¡¯s mark was upgraded with a slight sizzling sound.


    ¡°Does that hurt?¡±


    ¡°No more than the agony of every second Master isn¡¯t by my side.¡±


    I had no response to that.


    Also, it turned out that normal people could only handle about 10 slaves. If you acquired the slaver job, you could handle more. For someone with the Slave Master job, they could support up to a thousand slaves, so it was fine.

 Chapter 368

    After getting the girls treats from a vendor, we headed the rest of the way to the Adventurer¡¯s guild. I had a slight worry that the church would be there waiting for me, but when I entered the building, I was relieved to see that they weren¡¯t locking down the city to find me yet. Perhaps, it wasn¡¯t a big deal and I was making it more problematic than it truly was. I didn¡¯t really know why they wanted me. They could be wanting to pat me on the back for all I knew. However, considering what happened with Carmine, I had a bit of distrust when it came to them.


    ¡°You took enough time!¡± the blue Mage grumbled when we approached him.


    The transport usually occurred in the Traveling guild, but since this was a special request, it was occurring in the Adventuring Guild. The blue mage was being paid handsomely to see us on a special trip outside of the typical requirements. Being a Blue Mage was truly a revered position in a city. He had already set up the circle and appeared irritated. Well, we were never given a particular time to arrive. Getting ready took time. The sun was just above the horizon now, so maybe we took a bit too long.


    ¡°Hello, I am Raissa, I¡¯m your¡­ ahhh! It¡¯s you!¡±


    A girl turned around and started to politely introduce herself, but she suddenly shouted and pointed at me. She looked familiar to me, but it took a moment before I recognized her.


    ¡°Ninja girl!¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m not a Ninja! I¡¯m a Dungeon Diver!¡± She stomped her foot angrily.


    I coughed. ¡°Yes¡­ that¡¯s right, apologies.¡±


    She suddenly blushed and looked away. ¡°When I woke up, you were gone suddenly. I didn¡¯t know where you went.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry, we were in a hurry.¡± I noticed now that she still had the necklace on her neck that I had given her.


    ¡°Even so!¡± She said, looking uncertain. ¡°Y-you didn¡¯t take responsibility!¡±


    That whole unfortunate event was starting to come back to me. My eyebrow twitched.


    ¡°I paid you, didn¡¯t I?¡± I glared back.


    ¡°I¡¯m confused, is this a whore Master hired?¡± Shao asked, and then sighed. ¡°I should have expected it. As soon as they find out women accept coin in this world, what man wouldn¡¯t pay for a little side action.¡±


    ¡°Please, Shao¡­ we don¡¯t call them whores, we call them fianc¨¦es.¡± Lydia admonished Shao.


    ¡°Tcht¡­ to their faces.¡± Miki snorted.


    ¡°The princess, I could accept. With royalty comes money and power, but now even this commoner? What does she offer Master?¡± Shao demanded.


    ¡°Eh¡­ th-that¡­ your slaves are very vocal¡­¡± Raissa¡¯s face had turned completely red.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡± I was starting to get used to laughing off things that were probably serious if I spent too much time dwelling on them.


    ¡°Are you done? I don¡¯t have all day!¡± The Blue Mage interrupted.


    Thank you, Blue Mage, you saved me from an awkward conversation!


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, everyone,¡± I announced, ushering everyone on to the teleportation platform.


    ¡°W-wait!¡± Raissa tried to protest.


    ¡°There are lives to save! We can¡¯t afford to waste time!¡± I responded.


    ¡°R-right¡­¡± Raissa finally gave a defeated look and moved to the platform.


    The Blue Mage started a chant and a few moments later, we appeared in a new city. Between having awkward conversations or venturing into the unknown, any anti-social guy like me picked the unknown every time.

 Chapter 369

    We ended up in a smaller Adventuring guild. There was a secretary behind the counter, but there was no one else in the guild at the moment to greet us.


    ¡°Raissa, have you ever been to the Widow¡¯s Dungeon before?¡±


    ¡°Wh-wh-why do you ask?¡± She responded with a squeak.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you our guide?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Y-yes, of course!¡± She blushed. ¡°Y-yes. This is the dungeon I spent most of my youth. Then, it was just a young Dungeon. Only, twenty floors. Alerith is actually better known for its Gladiator ring.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how many floors it has now?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Widow¡¯s Dungeon should have thirty floors. A newborn dungeon is created at 10 floors. However, it takes about ten years to stabilize. After that, dungeons grow at around 1 a year. This dungeon has existed for thirty years, so it should have about 30 levels.¡±


    ¡°Is that how it works?¡± I pondered.


    I had actually predicted something like this, but I didn¡¯t know about the stabilization period. Still, a thirty floor was going to be difficult. Mina¡¯s Dungeon was likely only 10 floors large. It was a new dungeon that had just formed. Meanwhile, Karr¡¯s Dungeon had been 30 levels deep. Terra¡¯s Dungeon was deeper, but it had been strangled for many years with mana depletion magic and couldn¡¯t compare. Thus, I had to imagine that Widow¡¯s Dungeon resembled Karr¡¯s Dungeon in length and difficulty.


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    That actually shouldn¡¯t be too difficult for us. That left me wondering if we could handle it, how could an S-class King and a large raid not be able to take care of the boss. Even with just the six of us working together, I was confident we could have taken the dark fairy queen now, and we weren¡¯t even the strongest out there. I asked the Prince at one point what he thought our fighting ability was at, and he said that it seemed to be around a B-ranked party.


    Despite that, we¡¯re technically only an E-rank party. I hadn¡¯t completed very many quests for the adventuring guild, so our party rank was severely lacking. By the way, we should have been F-ranked. The only reason we weren¡¯t an F-rank is because of the size of the party. If you had five people, even if they lacked skill, it became an E rank, because even F ranked adventurers, if you gathered enough of them, should be able to perform an E rank job.


    I finished going over the map of Alerith I had copied into my map ability. ¡°Before we attempt to enter the Widow¡¯s Dungeon, we¡¯ll need to visit the local lord. Prince Aberis said that if we didn¡¯t greet Count Reign, that it would cause more problems down the line.¡±


    ¡°C-count Reign?¡± Raissa¡¯s face started to turn white.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Ah, n-nothing.¡± She looked resistant to talk.


    ¡°If it¡¯s important to the quest at hand, I¡¯ll need to know.¡± I decided to coerce her just a little.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ Count Reign¡­ you see¡­ he was my Master when I was still a slave!¡±

 Chapter 370

    Suffice it to say, I didn¡¯t want to bring Raissa any unnecessary trauma. I sent her to the Widow¡¯s Dungeon on her own and then went the rest of the way to the Lord¡¯s Manor. Incidentally, in this city, the Count conducted all of his business within his own manor. There was nothing like a palace, a keep, or a governor¡¯s building. I couldn¡¯t complain, that¡¯s probably how I¡¯d run Chalm too. The thought of having to go to another office building every day sounded tedious.


    ¡°Halt, what are you doing here?¡± A guard demanded.


    ¡°I am Viscount Deekson. Lord Reign should have gotten some notification I was coming?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure how long-distance communication worked in this world, but there was probably magic involved. Either way, Lord Reign should have known I was coming. That was one more reason I had to greet him. It was important for juniors to pay their respects to seniors, even if that senior was a suspected traitor. Well, he was innocent until proven guilty. I was hoping that he didn¡¯t cause too many troubles. I just wanted to enter the dungeon and complete my mission.


    I was brought to the waiting room along with my five girls. I instructed them to stay back and remain silent. I typically wouldn¡¯t say things like that, but this Lord Reign seemed like the type to look down on slaves. Raissa showed some fear in her eyes when she heard the name Lord Reign, so it was better if the girls didn¡¯t catch his attention or act too showy. After all the difficulty Lord Tibult gave me, I was a little cautious around nobles and my slaves.


    I probably wouldn¡¯t have brought them into the mansion at all, except that it was a show of my strength. Well, none of the women behind me looked particularly strong, but since they were slaves it at least showed I was wealthy, and that¡¯s a type of strength too. The point was, if I showed up without a retinue, it would give the impression I was weak and powerless, and the Count would look down on me as a result. Being a noble was a complicated business.


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    ¡°Lord Deekson, I only just received word you were coming today, how prompt.¡± A voice came from the doorway, causing me to look up.


    The man standing there was tall with a wiry mustache and gaunt cheeks. He had black hair slicked back and wore gold and black clothing. He actually looked like a villain. I really couldn¡¯t conceive a character that looked more guilty than this guy.


    ¡°Lord Reign, I presume?¡± I guessed instantly.


    Instead of answering, he let out a soft chuckle. ¡°You know, I was planning on sending an expedition into Widow¡¯s Dungeon just when the Prince sent his message here. You¡¯re really not necessary.¡±


    ¡°Well, all the same, I must follow the orders of the nation.¡± I shot back, feeling like his slimy way of talking was already distasteful.


    ¡°I¡¯ve looked into you. The rumors have it that you have personally defeated two dungeons and also felled a demon lord. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Three dungeons, actually.¡± I¡¯m sure he knew but deliberately omitted one on purpose.


    Technically, it would be four dungeons, but the demon lord¡¯s appearance, although technically a temporary dungeon, was typically counted as a different thing entirely. From what I understood, had the Capitol fallen, a Demon Lord Castle would have formed around the Demon Lord, and that would have been a permanent dungeon. Demon Lord Dungeons were destroyed on sight and only existed in the northern demonic lands. Like the unstable Mina¡¯s Dungeon, Demon Lord Dungeons would spawn enemies and then send them out to attack the neighboring land. Where most dungeon curses were passive and grew slowly, eventually bottoming out, Demon Lord Dungeons were malignant and truly a dangerous curse on the land.


    ¡°Three¡­ huh?¡± Lord Reign sneered. ¡°Well, if you want to use those experiences to handle Widow¡¯s Dungeon, you¡¯ll fail! I must tell you, Widow¡¯s Dungeon is unlike any other dungeon. If a young man like you enters, he will surely die!¡±

 Chapter 371

    ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡± I responded after a moment of silence, scratching my cheek awkwardly.


    Lord Reign let out a dark chuckle. ¡°I mean no offense. It isn¡¯t about your ability as a fighter. Rather, it¡¯s more about your age and disposition. I had given King Aberis a similar warning, but he ignored me.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked cautiously, but there was a flash in my eyes.


    It appeared like Lord Reign did know about the King¡¯s disappearance. That also meant he knew exactly why I was here. I was slightly surprised he decided to give that information away. Originally, the Prince only presented me as a noble set to check on the results of the raid on Widow¡¯s Dungeon, and, if necessary, to defeat the dungeon so that the mine can resume.


    The Prince wasn¡¯t sure if Lord Reign knew that the King was part of that party. Given the distance, it was understandable that some facts were hard to ascertain. The King could have very well slipped into the dungeon raid unnoticed by the local lord. Considering Lord Reign knew, but hadn¡¯t mounted an immediate rescue, it already made the likelihood he was a traitor even greater.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t in a position to denounce him as such. Instead, I could only hide my expressions and continue to listen to him talk.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve been in a couple of dungeons, you probably are aware that most dungeons follow a theme. Depending on who the master of the dungeon is, and how the curse came to be, dungeons can spiral off in all kinds of new directions.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve seen a ghost and an undead themed one so far,¡± I responded simply.


    ¡°Of course¡­¡± Lord Reign smiled, but it held a slightly condescending feel to it. ¡°Well, this dungeon¡¯s theme is temptation.¡±


    ¡°Temptation?¡±


    ¡°Yes, temptation. It is a dungeon full of traps, mimics, succubae, and desire demons. It traps a man¡¯s mind and heart, not allowing him to leave. That is why it is so dangerous.¡±


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    ¡°Ah¡­ we have a guide who is familiar with the dungeon, so¡­¡±


    ¡°A guide, is it?¡± He raised an eyebrow, looking slightly amused. ¡°A guide can help, but for a man to not succumb, he must have a body and mind that can resist¡­ temptation.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that the king fell to temptation?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I believe that would be likely.¡±


    ¡°Then, there is a chance he¡¯s alive!?¡± My eyes brightened.


    Lord Reign blinked, taken aback by my comment. He probably intended to intimidate me, but I actually couldn¡¯t have heard better news. Knowing that this dungeon wasn¡¯t simply mobs, but temptations, there was a chance the king was still down there.


    ¡°Tcht¡­¡± He made a displeased noise, ¡°Even if the King is still alive, he¡¯s likely no longer fit to rule the country.¡±


    ¡°Even so¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°The Prince has entrusted me to try. Thank you, my Lord, you¡¯ve given me a bit of hope in this endeavor.¡±


    I said that last part mostly to catch him up. If he was smart, he¡¯d know that I was suspicious of him. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t wise to tease him like this, but I wasn¡¯t skilled enough at diplomacy to do much more than that. I could see his mind working through, trying to understand what my ploy was. The one thing I understood about Lord Reign the most was that he was a schemer. He took every action to mean something and constantly obsessed about words to the point of paranoia.


    In that case, the person he couldn¡¯t handle the most was someone like me. I met him with genuine words and a slight smile. I wasn¡¯t hiding anything.


    ¡°Ah, my lord, before I forget, a gift¡­¡± I pulled out a magic artifact from my storage ring and handed it to him.


    It was actually something none of the girls wanted and I wasn¡¯t interested in it. It didn¡¯t sell well in the stores either, so I figured I¡¯d give it away. I heard it was custom to give a gift when visiting another noble¡¯s land. This was just a small necklace that resisted illusions. Actually, given the Widow¡¯s Dungeon, it was probably a really important magic piece, but with Miki in our party as a spiritualist, illusions weren¡¯t that big of a problem for us.


    When Lord Reign looked at the object, his body shuddered for a second. I had turned to leave, but suddenly his hand jutted out and he grabbed my arm, stopping me.


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡± He said, his eyes suddenly changing, and the previous condescension leaving his expression, ¡°You¡¯re playing a dangerous game.¡±


    ¡°I always do.¡±


    I shrugged off his arm and left with my girls, leaving the man with a stunned expression on his face. Yeah, I had no clue what that was about. He definitely thought I knew something I didn¡¯t. Actually, it was kind of scary. However, the girls were all looking at me like I was cool, so it¡¯s probably fine. If I needed answers, I had a feeling I¡¯d obtain them in the dungeon.

 Chapter 372

    Leaving the mansion, I was glad to find Lord Reign didn¡¯t impede my movements. Part of the reason I had acted so bold was to put him off balance. He didn¡¯t know what I knew, so now he was being cautious. Actually, if he knew the truth about what I knew, it¡¯d be troublesome, because I really didn¡¯t know anything. As I said, politics was confusing.


    I preferred the dungeon, where I could trust in myself and my girls. I long since accepted that perhaps I was a bit of an adrenaline junkie. If not for the danger of the dungeon, then definitely for the rewards. Wait, wouldn¡¯t that mean I was exactly the type this dungeon was best at defeating? Let¡¯s not think about it too much.


    ¡°Master was so cool!¡± Shao said happily, grabbing my arm.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Master is always cool.¡± Lydia grabbed the other.


    Somehow, Lydia was starting to become a big sister to Shao. I had thought Shao would act antagonistically to the rest of the girls, but it turned out I was worrying over nothing. Once they had accepted her as a slave by my side, she slipped into the role without question. I wish I could be as easy as the rest of them. When I got one of the girls, Terra, aside and asked her about Shao¡­


    ¡°If she becomes a problem, Master will handle her.¡±


    I was given that answer. It made me want to cry just a little bit. Sometimes I wondered if the girl¡¯s faith in me was perhaps just a bit too much? Well, as long as Shao was happy, we wouldn¡¯t have to face any more demon lord shenanigans. Doesn¡¯t that mean I¡¯m responsible for always making her happy? Agh, whatever, thinking about this was headache-inducing as well.


    Rather, I decided to think about Widow¡¯s Dungeon instead. As we left the town, it was about a two-hour walk to the dungeon. Two-thirds of the way there, we came into a small village, centered around a giant cave. That must be the mine.


    ¡°Is the mine part of the temptation?¡± I suddenly found myself asking.


    ¡°I would think so because Orichalcum doesn¡¯t otherwise exist.¡± The voice didn¡¯t come from any of my girls, but a small girl sitting on a barrel on the side of the road.


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    She was small, with freckles, and fiery red hair that that spiraled out of her head in a haphazard way. She was young, likely only thirteen, with a thin, dirty pair of overalls. It didn¡¯t appear like she had a bra or a shirt under it, making it appear somewhat erotic. If she had more of a chest, it¡¯d definitely be criminal! She was chewing on a piece of straw, and when we glanced at her, she gave a toothy smile.


    Surprisingly, she was very cute and gave a mischievous appearance to herself.


    ¡°Ah? Orichalcum is fake? Isn¡¯t this an orichalcum mine?¡± I asked.


    She gave a shrug. ¡°Orichalcum doesn¡¯t exist in nature. Neither do Orichalcum mines. They¡¯re actually created¡­ by dungeons!¡±


    My eyes widened. ¡°Seriously.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Mmm¡­ the cave links to the main dungeon. The orichalcum was created by the dungeon to lure people to their doom. That¡¯s why orichalcum is so rare.¡±


    In other words, orichalcum is a treasure drop that a dungeon can possibly make. This one made a vein of it.


    ¡°Then¡­ wouldn¡¯t destroying the dungeon cause the orichalcum mine to dry up?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, as is, the metal is kept in an area too difficult to reach for most miners.¡± The girl shrugged. ¡°Naturally, the dungeon doesn¡¯t want to part with the mana without inflicting a proper cost. That¡¯s the nature of curses, right? The quickest way to harvest is to kill the dungeon. Then, all the orichalcum it has produced can be harvested without the fear of monsters or miasma.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ it¡¯s like that¡­¡± I pondered while the girl grinned. ¡°Ah¡­ thank you, that was useful, little girl.¡±


    ¡°Little!¡±, She gave a devilish look. ¡°Useful info costs a gold coin!¡±


    ¡°Here!¡±


    Without hesitating, I flicked one in the air. She caught it, and when she saw the genuine gold, her eyes widened in surprise. She took a bite of it, then nodded to herself.


    ¡°You¡¯re not bad, mister.¡± She said, giving me another grin. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what. If your tackling the dungeon, come spend your nights at the inn in town. It¡¯s half the price of the one in the city, and the alcohol is good!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ thanks?¡±


    I didn¡¯t expect a thirteen-year-old girl to comment on the alcohol, but I already felt like something was off about this girl. She stood up off of her barrel and grabbed a nearby hammer. It was as tall as she was and looked twice as heavy, but she hefted it over her shoulder with ease. As she walked away, I realized that she was also completely barefoot.


    ¡°Is that girl¡­ a miner?¡± I asked.


    ¡°So¡­ Master is interested in minors after all¡­¡± Lydia spoke sadly.


    When I glanced back, the girls were all giving me strange looks. I meant was she one of the diggers! What? I don¡¯t like loli girls, okay? I¡¯d prefer my women of the appropriate age! I explained it to the girls, but I wasn¡¯t sure they were convinced.

 Chapter 373

    ¡°It¡¯s closed for the night¡­¡± I said, noting the lock on the gate.


    We were in front of the entrance to the Widow¡¯s dungeon, which was walled off much like the one I had visited in Dirage. The gate was closed and locked, and there were no guards.


    Raissa, who was waiting nearby, nodded. ¡°They closed the dungeon entrance on the Count¡¯s orders, remember? You¡¯ll need to get the key from the head miner.¡±


    Ah, that was true. They did say they had the place closed. Lord Reign had failed to mention it though. He really was going to be a pain in my butt, it seemed. I supposed I could just break in. As a noble, the Count wouldn¡¯t be able to keep my party from entering. However, I didn¡¯t like the idea of damaging property.


    ¡°Master, it¡¯s been a long day, shouldn¡¯t we wait until tomorrow morning to enter the dungeon?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°Seven rooms will be pretty expensive¡­¡± Raissa said. ¡°I will just sleep out here.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, we can share rooms, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± I dismissed the idea causing Raissa to blush slightly, preferring the comfort of an inn to the outside.


    The King had already been waiting a month or so, he could wait a little longer. The town wasn¡¯t that far away. Plus, it would make portaling back easier if I had already rented a room to portal to. With Lord Reign, I had felt a little rushed, but slow and steady was the safest bet or something like that. We ended up returning to the small miner¡¯s town and heading to the inn the small girl had indicated earlier.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take two rooms,¡± I told the innkeeper, a fat man in an apron. ¡°And a meal?¡±


    ¡°T-two rooms?¡± Raissa¡¯s voice rose, ¡°Ah, well, one boy and six girls, it will be a bit crowded though.¡±


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    ¡°Eh? I¡¯m sleeping with Master!¡± Shao responded defiantly.


    ¡°Mm, Master.¡±


    ¡°Master.¡±


    I let out a sigh. It will be crowded tonight.


    ¡°Eh? I¡¯m the one who¡¯s alone!¡± Raissa cried out in surprise.


    ¡°Hey, let¡¯s just get something to eat and worry about that later.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t eaten anything since this morning, so I was a bit hungry. It looked like the innkeeper was a cook, and since he was fat, he probably could cook well. At least, that was my reasoning, but after finding a seat, he slapped a bowl of mush in front of each of us about ten minutes later.


    I didn¡¯t even have to taste it to realize it wasn¡¯t for me. A single bite and I hid the face I had made. The girls all ate the food without questioning, but they didn¡¯t have pleased expressions on their faces.


    ¡°Is this¡­ seriously okay?¡± I asked the girls.


    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t this a lot better than I usually eat?¡± Shao offered.


    ¡°Master, this is actually considered quite a decent quality. It contains vegetables and even some meat.¡± Miki explained.


    ¡°Does it?¡± My eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s what that mystery taste is?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask this, as I¡¯ve never been a slave, but doesn¡¯t Master usually feed us exceptionally well?¡± Terra asked.


    Lydia nodded. ¡°Usually, unless you¡¯re very rich, this kind of stew is a commoner¡¯s meal. The meat skewers and stall food Master buys are rare treats. As for slaves, a bit of gruel is all we¡¯re offered.¡±


    ¡°S-seriously?¡±


    It turned out the cuisine in this world wasn¡¯t that amazing. I had been spoiling everyone by buying high-class food and cooking with my cook skill. The princess¡¯s reaction to Faeyna¡¯s cooking skill made a bit more sense now. Well, only a little bit, Eliana was still kind of weird.


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s have a cookout!¡± I declared.


    Even though the girls were half done and it¡¯d be a little rude to the cook, I decided I couldn¡¯t stand for a bad meal. As a former fatty myself, I couldn¡¯t tolerate a world that doesn¡¯t have a healthy respect for food.


    I heard a couple of chuckles from nearby tables that overheard my declaration.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    An old bearded man answered. ¡°Good luck finding proper ingredients, lad. Lord Reign buys up all the food stocks and only sells them to the rich. As for hunting, we live only a few miles from the start of the wilderness divide. That area is full of high-level monsters. Only a party of C-ranked Adventurers could survive!¡±


    The other men broke into laughter too. Eh? Aren¡¯t we a party of Adventurers? Being a normal commoner must be tough. We leave to go hunt for some food.

 Chapter 374

    ¡°Here¡¯s a bunny!¡± Miki declared, sniffing around.


    ¡°Here¡¯s a deer!¡± Lydia added, chasing after several animals like a predator.


    ¡°I found vegetables.¡± Terra pulled out a bunch of roots from the ground while using her earth magic to track more.


    ¡°I found spices!¡± Celeste adds while using the wind magic to search for exotic scents.


    We had ended up about a fifteen minute walk out of town into a small forested area.


    ¡°I found water!¡± Shao announces excitedly, holding a water stone to me.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the water stone from my backpack?¡±


    ¡°Mmhmm! And I found it!¡± She responded; her eyes focused on me.


    ¡°Ah¡­ good job.¡± I patted her head, and Shao smiled happily.


    Well, it¡¯s not like every girl had skills uniquely set for gathering food. Still, in the end, my ring was full of fresh foods. None of this was really necessary. My original plan was to go straight into the dungeon, so we naturally had nearly a month of provisions. However, it wasn¡¯t quite dark out and I thought it¡¯d be nice to have a cookout.


    We returned to the mining town an hour later just as the sun was finally setting. The innkeeper let us use the back of the inn, so we began cooking various things. As I worked, I considered that I should start working on my cook ability a bit more. I prided myself on my ability to make a good tasting meal. After getting Faeyna she prepared our provisions for us. It was remarkably easy since my cook skills kept our food from rotting for months. However, I didn¡¯t want to depend too much on her cooking for everything.


    Soon, pleasant scents began to fill the small town. This began to draw in all the people to the inn. Since I didn¡¯t spend any of my gold on supplies, I still had fifty gold from Prince Aberis. I decided to buy a few kegs of alcohol to greet everyone in town. The innkeeper was quite happy to make the coin, and after trying some of my roasted deer and chili, he tried to hire me to work as a cook in his inn.


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    ¡°Haha¡­ well, I¡¯d consider it, but aren¡¯t I already your boss?¡±


    Although Alerith was in Aberis, this small mining town was in the wilderness. That meant, technically, these people were my subjects. In that case, welcoming everyone seemed like a good idea. Hearing that I was Viscount Deekson, everyone¡¯s attitude changed quickly. The drunk guys who had previously been laughing even gave me bows.


    ¡°Enough of that!¡± I cried out, raising a mug, ¡°I¡¯d rather merriment than bootlicking! Let¡¯s get drunk!¡±


    Everyone let out cheers, and a party seemed to spread out, quickly taking everyone in town.


    ¡°You¡¯re a sylph, right? Doesn¡¯t that mean you can sing?¡± A drunk woman who had been complementing the girls suddenly asked.


    ¡°Eh? Maybe?¡± Celeste said uncertainly.


    Leave it to Celeste to not even know if she could sing. She ended up standing up, but then realized she didn¡¯t know any songs. So, women and men began to sing out a tune and then she¡¯d repeat it. Remarkably, Celeste only had to hear a tune once before she could replicate it perfectly. I was honestly really impressed.


    Even more impressive, each time she sang it, it came out more beautifully. By the third time, a drunk bar song came out with such deep emotion that it caused several of the barflies to cry. Throughout the night, Celeste learned more and more songs. She had a beaming smile on her face, so she seemed to really like singing. As a wind fairy, the concept of manipulating vibrations was a part of her. She even started replicating the sound of instruments with just her voice. She could create three to four separate pitches. It was really top class. I checked, and she had gained the Singer job.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show my dancing!¡± Lydia, who was slightly tipsy after downing a few drinks with the ladies, tried to stand on a table.


    ¡°No!¡± I put my foot down on that.


    Even with her job as a dancer, let¡¯s leave those kinds of dances just for the two of us.


    With Celeste singing, the alcohol flowing, and the food cooking, the mining town partied all night long. They could even be heard by the distant residents of Alerith who could only wonder why the poor, out-of-work town from a derelict mine was suddenly so rowdy and joyful. To the people of Alerith, those from the mining town were outcasts and unsavory sorts, and with the mine closed, they had nothing of value and were practically homeless. Yet, a clear celebration was going on until the morning.


    The party did get a little out of hand. I was already drunk, as several people wanted to challenge the new lord to a drinking game. I think one of the people who ended up challenging me was that girl with the red hair from earlier. I didn¡¯t use poison immunity, as I didn¡¯t want to risk what happened last time. I mostly kept it to a few cure poisons and healing. Despite that, she still drank me under the table and I blacked out.

 Chapter 375

    Darkness kind of fumbled around me. I felt myself entering a dark room. There was kissing. My lips explored a girl¡¯s soft lips. I fell to the bed. Somehow, my clothing managed to make it off. Hmm¡­ which slave girl was I enjoying this time? Her skin was soft, and her body was small. Ah, couldn¡¯t be Lydia. She was too short. Her breasts were flat. That ruled out Shao and Celeste.


    Ah, no tail didn¡¯t that mean it couldn¡¯t be Miki. Ah, Terra, you little minx. I could even smell a hint of dirt. I ran my hands through her long curly hair. Eh? Terra doesn¡¯t have long curly hair! W-wait¡­ who am I in bed with? My thing was between her legs. A small adjustment and I¡¯d be inside her. Wait, wait, wait!


    I broke my kiss away and started casting refresh, cure poison, and healing spells. Just as my brain started to focus, the door slammed open.


    ¡°Cheater!¡± Shao screamed loudly enough that the entire inn could hear.


    I leaped up, but I was in bed and wrapped around a girl. As my eyes went down, I saw the young girl I had seen on the outside of town. My body turned numb and my mind began to flee.


    ¡°Y-you!¡± I barely managed to get out as a gasp.


    ¡°Hah¡­¡± She looked up, her eyes still filled with drunkenness and arousal. ¡°I didn¡¯t agree to a threesome.¡±


    More of the girls came running into the room, and there I was lying naked and entangled with a loli girl. This was a nightmare. Shao¡¯s expression was really scary, but even the other girls covered their mouths in surprise.


    ¡°So, Master does like this type.¡± Terra touched her chest and nodded with a pleased expression. ¡°Terra won¡¯t lose!¡±


    ¡°This¡­ ah¡­ this isn¡¯t what it looks like!¡± I tried to defend, even as the young girl sloppily kissed my neck.


    ¡°You fiend!¡± Shao cried out, ¡°Cheater! Rapist!¡±


    ¡°Geh!¡± I felt her accusations like blows to the heart.


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    I really was the scum of the earth. I got a young girl drunk and then had her in bed. My life was truly over.


    ¡°You¡¯re a monster! A ¡ª- ow!¡± Lydia knuckled Shao on the head suddenly.


    ¡°Will you stop? Isn¡¯t Master the Lord of this city and your Master?¡±


    Shao rubbed her head. ¡°Y-yeah¡­ why did you hit me!¡±


    ¡°Master can sleep with whoever he wants!¡± Lydia sniffs. ¡°If Master wants to taste the local market, we girls should encourage it.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Terra nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I convinced her to challenge Master to a drink, so they would have sex.¡±


    ¡°Terra! You did this?¡± Shao gasped.


    ¡°Master must learn to love flatness! Too many big fatty things on his diet aren¡¯t healthy!¡± She glared at Shao¡¯s chest.


    Shao wasn¡¯t very big, only about a size C, but she still covered her chest at Terra¡¯s glare.


    ¡°Exactly, I also made sure Master made it to bed alright.¡± Lydia nodded and crossed her arms. ¡°Master¡¯s sex life is naturally something a good slave should encourage.¡±


    ¡°E-even so¡­¡± Shao stomped her foot stubbornly. ¡°You all don¡¯t understand. In our world, a girl this young¡­ it¡¯s a crime!¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± I added. ¡°I¡¯m a bad person! Definitely, don¡¯t go easy on me!¡±


    I felt bad about it, so how could I let my girls wave it off like they always do!¡±


    ¡°Young? How is she young?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°Look at her! She¡¯s a young girl!¡± Shao pointed accusingly. ¡°Even if I must accept my love Deek will fornicate with women, how can I let him become a child lover! A pe-pe-pedo-¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it¡­¡± I looked away. ¡°I know, I messed up. Please, punish me.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, Master! I-I¡¯ll get the whip to properly punish Master immediately! I¡¯ll work Master over, even if it takes all night! You¡¯ll definitely bow down before my adult body and no longer covet youth.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ wait¡­ what kind of punishment are you planning?¡± I shook.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll definitely reprogram Master so he only loves me!¡± Shao continued.


    ¡°Wait¡­ what happened to punishment?¡±


    Suddenly, her attempts to help me turned into something selfish. Shao tried to run off, but Lydia and Terra grabbed her and stopped her from leaving.


    ¡°I think you have the wrong idea!¡± Miki shook her head. ¡°That girl isn¡¯t young at all!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what y¡¯all on about.¡± The girl got up and stretched. ¡°Sorry if I played with your man. Well, it¡¯s not like we could have sex, even if we tried.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a dwarf, silly. I ain¡¯t just small everywhere. How do I say this¡­ it won¡¯t fit?¡±


    ¡°Wait, how old are you?¡±


    ¡°22?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ thank the gods!¡±


    Even though it was rowdy with Shao trying to get her brainwashing tools and all the other women talking and joking, I felt relieved. I¡¯ll take my victories where I could get them. I didn¡¯t have sex with a minor. All was right with the world.

 Chapter 376

    The loli¡­ ahem¡­ I mean the dwarf girl bid me farewell and left my room in a drunken stupor. Actually, I had ended up in the room we had technically given to Raissa. Raissa had returned to her room, only to find it occupied. She then ran to the other girls in tears, leading to the embarrassing scene. The girls slept with me and Raissa got the room with the bigger bed, making a tight situation even tighter. For a bit, I thought I was going to die buried in warm flesh, but with my healing abilities, I managed to make it through the night.


    As far as the dwarf girl, I never did get her name. It was probably not important. Just a drunken mistake between two consenting adults. That¡¯s all it was. Yup.


    Despite the late-night, I managed to get up early the next morning. It took a cocktail of refresh, cure poison, and healing. It was nice being a white mage when it came to these kinds of things.


    I began to dress, preparing for our trip to the dungeon. Since I had my portal abilities, I could always return here. That meant we didn¡¯t need to carry nearly as much stuff. In the end, we packed a day¡¯s supply into a single backpack. That backpack ended up going on my back. I was the guy, as well as the support, so I guessed that was the cost. Finally, I headed out just as the sun was rising.


    The girls, particularly Shao, didn¡¯t seem to trust me on my own anymore, so they made sure to follow me. I wasn¡¯t doing anything improper. I was just going to the head miners house. He answered the door naked with two women on his arms. He seemed like a popular guy, even though he looked like he was dressed until I realized it was actually just body hair.


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    He handed me the keys and we set off for the Widow¡¯s Dungeon. The walk was a short one, and soon we could see the dungeon entrance. As we approached, a frown started to form on my face. Where the previous day there weren¡¯t any guards on the dungeon, now there was a small retinue of Knights. As soon as we approached, they raised their hands.


    ¡°Halt! In the name of Lord Reign, entry to this mine is prohibited.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Viscount Deekson,¡± I explained, showing my proof, a small medallion with the symbol of the throne and my rank on it.


    Supposedly, it was tuned to me, and if I put some mana in it the medallion would glow, making it something that could not be faked easily.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, Lord Reign has just launched a rescue operation into the dungeon. No one is permitted to enter.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a noble under the direct order of the Prince, holding me up is in direct violation of the will of the throne?¡±


    The men looked unimpressed. One even had a nasty smirk on his face.


    ¡°Sorry, your lordship. There must have been a mess up. Perhaps you should return to Alerith and get a letter from Lord Reign.¡±


    I bit my lip irritably. I knew that they were just trying to cause me trouble. I should have opened a portal and entered the dungeon the previous night. Then I could have portaled inside with no one to stop me. Instead, I had to deal with this. I was certain that if I went to Alerith, the lord would find some way to delay me. It would be a two-hour walk each way, already wasting four hours of my time. Then, the guards would probably say I had the wrong papers, and I¡¯d need to do it again. Well, it felt like they would use something like that. If I just attacked them outright, then Lord Reign could turn the entire city on me claiming that I was a traitor trying to impede his investigation. Since I didn¡¯t want an army on my ass, I had no other choice but to bear it.


    I grabbed Shao to keep her from sending killing intent at the guards and then turned back to the town. We¡¯d need to come up with another option.

 Chapter 377

    After the last dungeon, I now had 27 dungeon points. There were six tiers within the dungeon skill store. Tier 1 was worth 1 point. Tier 2 was worth 5. Tier 3 was worth 10. Tier 4 was worth 25. Tier 5 was worth 50. Tier 6 was worth 100. Some abilities could be purchased directly from a tier. For example, most spells and items could be flat out purchased. In that case, I could afford one tier 4 ability, like the resurrection I used to bring back my girls.


    However, there were also tiered abilities. These started at tier 1, and then you had to unlock each tier in turn. In other words, to have a tier 4, I¡¯d need a whopping 41 points. 42 so that I could use the reset. Simply put, it wasn¡¯t practical to use a 4<sup>th</sup> tier skill. Therefore, I equipped three jobs which cost me six points, reset cost me one point, 10X experience cost sixteen points, map cost me one point, and I kept three points in portal. That¡¯s how I set myself up at the moment to maximize my gains.


    I could have equipped four jobs and 5X, but three times ten is thirty and four times five is twenty. It was simple math. I earned my experience this way. If I did run into trouble where I worried that three jobs weren¡¯t enough, I¡¯d naturally switch to the four jobs so I could gain the extra experience. In the meantime, I had a desire to level quickly as we worked our way down this dungeon.


    As for my girls, their strength is my strength. I planned to concentrate on Slave Master. White Mage and Cook. That was the layout I was going with, at least for the top ten floors. As we got deeper and the difficulty grew, I would change my actions accordingly. By then, hopefully I had unlocked some good stuff. That was my plan.


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    Well, that would be my plan as long as I was able to get into the dungeon. The reason I was going over my dungeon points again was that I was looking for some way to get past those knights without starting an incident. There was an invisibility skill, but it would only work on me.  The problem was there was a fence over the entrance and there was no way I could open it without being seen. Using darkness spells or other kinds of spells to confuse or distract them could similarly be accused of attacking.


    ¡°Them guards didn¡¯t let you passed, huh?¡± A voice from the side of the trail said.


    ¡°An enemy!¡± Shao called out, pulling out her twin daggers.


    ¡°Relax, it¡¯s just the dwarf girl from earlier!¡±


    ¡°Quick! Let¡¯s kill her before she seduces Master again!¡± Shao declares before being hit on the head by Lydia.


    ¡°What did we say about this, Shao?¡± Lydia has a friendly smile, but she comes off slightly dangerous with her tiger-like stare.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Say it¡­¡±


    ¡°No killing Master¡¯s women¡­¡± She murmured but then looks up tearfully. ¡°But what if she betrays or hurts Master?¡±


    A gleam flashed in Lydia¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hehe¡­ then let big sister have the first strike!¡±


    I had thought Lydia was having a good influence on Shao, but now I wasn¡¯t so sure. I felt like I¡¯d need to have another talk with the girls soon. It was better to have these conversations before I found a dead body somewhere.

 Chapter 378

    The dwarf girl grinned like she didn¡¯t have a care in the world.  She was leaning on her long ax and looking at us with a crooked smile on her face.


    ¡°We need to get in that dungeon,¡± I said directly. ¡°Unfortunately, Lord Reign has decided to make this difficult for us.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± the dwarf girl shrugged. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re having difficulty, why don¡¯t you enter through the mine.¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you told? The mine connects with the dungeon. That¡¯s why we had to abandon it. It started getting too dangerous. However, there was a hole punched through. It should go out onto the fifth floor. It won¡¯t be easy though.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s easy. We plan to defeat this dungeon anyway, so if I can get through it, I¡¯m happy to.¡± I immediately started heading for the mine without another word.


    Once we were in the dungeon, teleporting would be fine. However, if Lord Reign thought to close the mine down too, it¡¯d be really inconvenient. I didn¡¯t want to rush her, but I didn¡¯t want to find myself trapped either.


    ¡°You might need a guide!¡± The loli girl called out.


    ¡°Thanks, we got one!¡± I patted Raissa on the back.


    I didn¡¯t really want to deal with more girls at the moment. I already felt like the party was too large, and I didn¡¯t want to have to look after a young girl. Well, she¡¯s a dwarf, but there was no reason to believe she was some kind of expert dungeon diver or something.


    ¡°Eh! Ah¡­ yes¡­ me!¡± She seemed flustered at suddenly being touched. ¡°Although, the mine didn¡¯t exist the last time I was here.¡±


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    ¡°Well, it¡¯s probably fine.¡±


    With my mapping ability, it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to find our way. Overall, I wasn¡¯t worried. We entered the cave, following the mine cart all the way down. This eventually led to some stairs. With that, we began our long descent down into the darkness. Using my light spell as a source, we worked our way deeper and deeper. This really did feel like a dungeon. Strangely enough, I almost felt like I was missing this.


    ¡°If my information is correct, then monsters breached from the 5<sup>th</sup> floor into the mine. This is what caused the miners to flee and stop their efforts. So, the entrance should be on the bottom floor, but it may also be filled with monsters.¡± Raissa explained.


    As we continued down, we started to hear some roaring sounds. Finally, a large rock creature came thumping down the hallway.


    ¡°Terra!¡± Terra immediately called on her Earth Manipulator skills, managing to stop its momentum in its tracks.


    The girls began to open an offensive on the monster. However, it seemed surprisingly tough. I had expected to defeat it in a few moments, but it was made of rock. It even managed to wrestle free from Terra¡¯s control and swing a few times. It clipped Shao, whom I healed and patted her head. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem though. If they were hurt from negligence rather than an accident, they wouldn¡¯t get a head pat. That was one of the rules I had to set up with the girls to keep things civil.


    After about five minutes of fighting, the creature finally crumbled to the ground, leaving a small pile of dirt and rock.


    ¡°Strange¡­¡± Raissa shook her head.


    ¡°What is that?¡± I asked, recovering my breath.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t even reached the dungeon yet, but this is undoubtedly the level five miniboss.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the boss?¡± I asked, feeling a sudden pang of worry.


    ¡°Right, but bosses shouldn¡¯t leave their dungeons.¡± She said, her brows furrowed.


    At that moment, I started hearing a thumping sound. Actually, it was numerous thumping sounds. More and more seemed to come until the entire cavern was shaking. The first one came into view in the light, followed by another behind it. With a bad feeling growing inside me, I tossed a fireball down the side of the corridor, intentionally over the golem¡¯s heads. There was a long line of golems, each just as strong as the last one, all heading our direction. The line went back as far as I could see.

 Chapter 379

    ¡°Golems don¡¯t feel very in line with desire,¡± I said breathily as another rock golem fell to pieces at my feet.


    Terra seemed to have taken this as a personal challenge, as she was fighting the golems head-on. Compared to her, these things were basically just mindless drones, but she had a look on her face like she wouldn¡¯t lose to them. As a result, she smashed into them aggressively, even if it caused damage to herself. Of course, I made sure to keep healing her.


    Raissa shook her head. ¡°Dungeons that have golems get stronger golems the farther down they go. These may only be rock golems, but if you make it to level 9, there are iron golems. With them is a chance of finding copper golems. The farther down you go, the harder the metals.¡±


    ¡°So, people mine in this way as well?¡±


    ¡°Without large storage rings, it¡¯s rarely profitable, Raissa sighed, ¡°But I imagine that¡¯s why they tried to use a mine and come in the side.¡±


    ¡°So, the orichalcum was found in the dungeon, and so they created the mine to steal it from the side, miscalculated, and caused this issue? What is this issue, anyway?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen an issue like this,¡± Raissa responded helplessly. ¡°My only guess is that the whole in the 5<sup>th</sup> floor allows the boss to leave the dungeon, but not reenter. Every time a boss leaves the floor it¡¯s supposed to be on, the dungeon counts it as destroyed. Thus, there could be hundreds of minibosses between here and the fifth level.¡±


    Although a fifth level miniboss wasn¡¯t something we couldn¡¯t handle, these bosses have an extremely high defense and there are just too many of them. They kept marching forward in a long line, and even though we had already taken down five of them, they were still pushing us back more and more. We were only about a hundred meters from the ladder leading back up. At that point, we¡¯d really have our backs in a corner.


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    ¡°Any chance we can see the end of the line of them?¡± I asked.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Master!¡± Lydia said as she slashed one on the knees, but failed to cause it to crash down.


    I rearranged my jobs temporarily and then used sense life on the map. I let out a breath, but it was short-lived. The good news was that the line ended. The bad news was that the line ended after nearly a hundred of these guys. It would take us the entire day to beat them, and there was no way to fight safely once we hit that wall. Simply put, they¡¯d crush us. We could stand on the top of the hole and fire down, hoping we¡¯re hitting them, but that would just as likely cause the cave to collapse.


    At that moment, an idea got into my head.


    ¡°Let run back to the ladder!¡± I ordered, bringing the girls with me and buying us just a bit of space. ¡°Now, Terra, can you collapse the cave?¡±


    ¡°Master?¡±


    ¡°The next few hundred meters. Knock them out!¡±


    ¡°I can weaken the structure, Master, but I can¡¯t collapse it on my own. I need a strong blow!¡± Terra declared.


    ¡°Celeste?¡± I turned to her.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±


    The two girls immediately got to work. Terra weakened the stone structure above the golem¡¯s heads. Meanwhile, Celeste prepared a powerful wind spell. While they were doing that, I had the other girls climb up the ladder to safety. By the time they were ready, the golems had about 50 meters to go.


    ¡°Terra, come up with me. Celeste, as soon as you cast it, shrink and fly up!¡±


    I went up to the top of the ladder, feeling just slightly anxious leaving Celeste at the bottom.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand,¡± Raissa said. ¡°You¡¯ll take care of the rock golems, but the path will be sealed. We won¡¯t be able to get into the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± I reassured her and then pointed down. ¡°Fire!¡±


    There was a sudden rush of air, and then a small glittery form shot up the ladder just as a massive explosion rang out. The ground rumbled and dust exploded out of the hole, causing everyone to cough. We waved our hands in front of our mouths until Celeste used a wind spell and quickly cleared the air.


    I used Sense Life and checked the map again. The collapse still missed a few dozen golems. It didn¡¯t matter though. They were still trying to march forward, finding themselves blocked by the avalanche. Fortunately, my fireball from earlier had let me see far enough down that there was still a good fifty meters behind the golems.


    ¡°Portal!¡± A portal opened directly behind the golems.


    Raissa made a noise of shock, but I ushered her and the other girls inside.


    A few moments later, we were back in the underground corridor, but this time, we were behind the golems.

 Chapter 380

    Once the golems noticed us appear behind them, they started to try to turn around, but they were clunky and slow. Once we reached the dungeon, they would be unable to follow us. That didn¡¯t mean this wasn¡¯t still a risk. Had there been a break in golems for some reason, and a second unseen army suddenly popped up in front of us, we¡¯d have golems on both sides. At that point, I might use a portal to send the girls back and then use that invisibility hoping I could sneak my way through. Fortunately, that didn¡¯t seem to be a problem, as we were able to continue forward unhindered.


    In the meantime, I checked everyone¡¯s status to see what progress we had made. These may have only been level five mobs, but there were almost fifty of them. The girls took down about six by themselves. To me, that would have been the equivalent of 60, and to them, it¡¯d have been about 24 with 4X slave experience. I wasn¡¯t sure how the other 50 counted. I¡¯d like to think we¡¯d get a little bit of experience.


    As it turned out, high defense seemed to coincide with a lot of experience. White Mage increased to 27, slave master increased to 20, and Cook was already up to 12. I¡¯m sorry, Faeyna, I¡¯ve already outpaced you there. My level 27 White Mage skill was Sanctify Water. I pulled out some water, sanctified it, and then used an item identify on it. The result was holy water, which had a slight healing and mana restoring property, and likely dealt damage to undead. If compared to the water of life, it was basically garbage, but it was still better than nothing.


    As for Slave Master, I got the ability Strengthen Slave, which from what I understood was simply a spell I could cast which would temporarily make a slave stronger. It would work well on Terra, especially when she¡¯s holding back a powerful opponent. The second item made me almost jump for joy. Slave 2<sup>nd</sup> Job. So, my slaves could now have two jobs set. This was truly something I was hoping for. Did that mean 2<sup>nd</sup> job was a skill I might be able to learn eventually? It was probably in Hero or True Hero.


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    When it came to Cook, I ended up gaining several abilities I already had from alchemy, such as combination and mixing. I also got Moderate Cooking, Increase Cook Speed, and Food Intuition. Until I started cooking something, I could only guess what any of those meant.


    ¡°Hey, girls, I¡¯m going to do something to you in a second. Please bear with it.¡±


    ¡°Master can do whatever he wants to me!¡± Lydia declared.


    Of course, I equipped a second job for each of them. The sudden surge of being supported by another job could be felt by each of them. I gave Lydia the Scout job. She was now level 40 swordsman with a level 15 scout equipped. For Miki, I equipped Basic Magician. She was now a spiritualist level 36 and a level 15 basic magician. Celeste¡¯s Wind Magic had risen drastically to level 15. I also decided to equip Enchanter, because I had hopes that she could help with that.


    Terra was the most surprising, as she had gained numerous new jobs. Earth Manipulator was level 51, but she also had Mineral Appraiser, Naturalist, and Earth Summoner. I ended up equipping Earth Summoner for her. She must have gotten Mineral Appraisal when she weakened the earth, naturalist when she used it to search for herbs, and Earth Summoner might be the next evolution of Earth Manipulator. That was all conjecture, I had no clue.


    Shao had Gladiator and Shadow Knight equipped. Gladiator was level 48, so if Gladiator ended up unlocking something at level 50, I had yet to see it. By the time I was done fumbling through our jobs and checking out the stuff I had gained, we appeared at the end of the tunnel. We¡¯d finally reached the Widow¡¯s Dungeon.

 Chapter 381

    ¡°What is with this entrance?¡± I said, looking up at the crack in the wall.


    The tunnel stopped at a massive void. It was a space of about ten feet wide that stretched down and up as far as the eye could see. It clearly separated the mine from the dungeon. A massive wall sat before us, which had to be the barrier that led to the dungeon space.


    The dungeon really was its own little world. I could see Orichalchum across from us, embedded into the wall of the dungeon, but it gave me a feeling like no matter how much I dug, I wouldn¡¯t be able to reach it. The crack was actually above us, about fifteen feet up. The hole was just enough for a golem to fit through. If it fell out, it would just make it onto this ledge to enter this hole. Whatever other creatures existed other than the miniboss didn¡¯t appear to be able to make it across the expanse and fell to its death.


    Seeing it now, I understood why the mini bosses could get in, but not leave. There was no way they could climb back up there and reenter their starting spot. There were signs of the miners having to abandon their attempts to get the orichalcum. A small bridge was being erected, but a golem had smashed it and only the wood anchors still existed. It truly was a dungeon of temptation for anyone who knew the true value of Orichalcum.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to climb the wall,¡± Raissa said. ¡°I have rope for this.¡±


    I glanced down at the drop that went on into darkness. My guess was that it was about a twenty-five story drop. After all, the dungeon should be about thirty stories in all. Well, although the dungeon took up space, it was also its own world. Nothing inside the dungeon could affect the outside and vice versa. That¡¯s what the lore says, yet looking at that hole, something had to punch it through. Perhaps the miners had tried to use a powerful spell to crack open the orichalchum.  However, that didn¡¯t seem right to me.


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    Either way, I could see miasma leaking out of the hole and leaking down the wall. I now knew that this is what created monsters. In the past, I had just thought of it as a creepy curse that wore on your mental state and spirit. However, it was much more than that. It was how the curses chose to manifest themselves. It created the monsters, the treasures, and the dungeon. In a way, it was like mana, a sort of magical power that could be wielded. However, this one was filled with darkness and corruption.


    The miasma was leaking down into the crevice down below, so none of it had gotten to the mine yet. With enough time, the Miasma would fill that crack, and then the mine would start to directly create monsters, endangering the town. Since we collapsed it, that should no longer be a problem. Still, a pocket of miasma like this can¡¯t be good for the mine.


    ¡°Terra¡­¡± I said, tapping the wall.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±


    She waved her hand and steps formed up all the way to the hole. Raissa was already trying to put a hook on her rope so she could swing it up there when she saw perfectly normal steps leading all the way up. Sorry¡­ it wasn¡¯t about being lazy, but that drop looks seriously scary.


    The group headed up until we were right in front of the crack. Unlike the official entrance, which was black and looked indistinguishable from a doorway, this entrance had noticeable ripples across it, giving it the impression like it was vertical water.


    ¡°Terra, close this area up tight. I don¡¯t want any more Miasma leaking out.¡± I ordered, causing Raissa to glance over at me with odd eyes and perked ears.


    Ignoring the look, I took a breath and stepped into the dungeon.


    {You have entered the Widow¡¯s Dungeon. Destroy or complete the lore to earn more dungeon points and blessings.}

 Chapter 382

    Widow¡¯s Dungeon was a surprisingly different sight to see. The dungeon was covered in greenery, making it feel like an arboretum. Of course, it still had corridors, but they were lined with impassible bushes, roots, and vines. Although the place was green, it wasn¡¯t very bright, so it still had the imposing nature of most dungeons that attacked your psyche.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to progress slowly and safely. Just a level or two a day.¡± I explained.


    In the past, there was always a bit of pressure. We were either being chased by a bandit king, or running out of supplies, or trying to save someone. This is the first dungeon I entered where I could enter and leave it freely. In fact, it was advantageous for me to leave it because no one would suspect I had the portal spell.


    As long as I was seen in the small miner¡¯s town, then Lord Reign would think he was successfully stopping me. In other words, he wouldn¡¯t be trying to cause me any more trouble. Therefore, it was my plan to teleport back after a bit.


    First things first, we explored the fifth floor where we entered. The monsters on this floor were called a glimmer, which looked a bit like pixies, and a type of rabbit. The rabbit¡¯s fur was apparently quite comfortable and thus valuable. I guess that was what made this level tempting. You¡¯d come to hunt rabbits for their pelts, only to get trapped by the floor boss. I wondered if every level had such temptations, or if it was reserved for the boss levels.


    I actually didn¡¯t have True Dungeon Diver equipped right now. I was still leveling cook when I noticed that the rabbits also dropped rabbit meat. Raissa was really excited about it and said it was a rare drop, but the fifth time a rabbit dropped it she started to doubt her memory. I¡¯m sorry, Raissa! It¡¯s just my Cook job that increased food drops! I wasn¡¯t quite ready to explain all of my secrets to her.


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    Either way, Raissa was pretty useful. I was depending on her to detect traps and sense enemies. Her instincts were good enough that I wasn¡¯t worried about the higher floors. As we went deeper, I might need to switch back to True Dungeon Diver. It¡¯d be nice if I could get one of the girls to learn that skill. In fact, Lydia already had Basic Monster Identify and Sense Life. If Scout got her Detect Trap, maybe I should depend on her more. It should, I¡¯d think, but I didn¡¯t know what level.


    Well, even if she had the skill, if she didn¡¯t know how to use the skills, they¡¯d be useless. Thus, I encouraged Raissa to show Lydia the ropes of Dungeon Diving. As for me, I was happy continuing to cheat by combining detect traps and sense life with maps.


    ¡°Beyond level ten, this dungeon also has treasure chests,¡± Raissa explained, mostly to Lydia. ¡°However, you must be careful. Some of them are mimics, and others are trapped! Many of my party¡­ they lost their lives because they were eaten.¡±


    ¡°Does sense life work on a mimic?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Only once they¡¯ve begun attacking,¡± Raissa explained.


    ¡°Ah¡­ then how do you detect them? Basic Monster Identify?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re familiar with the dungeon diver job as well?¡± Raissa¡¯s eyes brightened.


    I made an awkward laugh and scratched my chin. ¡°Something like that.¡±


    ¡°There is a high-level ability called sense danger. That can also be used, but you¡¯d need Moderate Monster Identify if you wanted to detect a mimic before it attacked. If you can detect a trap in a chest, you know it¡¯s not a mimic. Well, then you¡¯d need someone with a Disarm Trap skill. That¡¯s another high level for Dungeon Diver. Otherwise, avoid treasure chests. I always told people this, but there are one or two always tempted by the promise of loot.


    ¡°Ah, we¡¯ve found a safe zone.¡± She stopped, gesturing to a door. ¡°Let¡¯s take a small break.¡±


    It appeared to be one of the Kiosk rooms. It looked like Dungeon Divers called them safe zones.

 Chapter 383

    The safe room resembled all the previous safe rooms I had seen. That was to say it was a big open space with a kiosk platform for registering and transportation, had a means of closing itself to protect from enemies outside.


    In this one, the ground was brick, and there was a fountain in the middle, although it was covered in moss, it still ran quite beautifully. There was a light scent of dirt and flowers. Along one wall was a small flower patch. The girls all headed over to it, excitedly picking flowers and putting them in their hair. Raissa assured me the flowers were safe for that kind of thing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t drink the water from the fountain though.¡± She explained. ¡°It is quite deadly.¡±


    If I drank any of it, I would have cured poison and removed curse anyway, but it was nice to know that the fountain was another one of those temptations. Someone who didn¡¯t bring enough water might stumble in this room, dying of thirst. They¡¯d immediately drink a few mouthfulls, only to keel over dead. There could also be the desire to bathe in the fountain.


    ¡°I really want to go up to the first floor.¡± I said, ¡°That way, we can activate the whole teleportation system as we go down.¡±


    ¡°If you want to go, it wouldn¡¯t take more than half a day. I¡¯m already familiar with the top ten floors.¡± Raissa explained.


    ¡°Seriously? You are?¡± A thought suddenly humped in my mind. ¡°Couldn¡¯t we save time then? What¡¯s the lowest floor you¡¯re registered with?


    ¡°Fifteen.¡± She said, looking uncertain. ¡°That floor is too difficult for me, though. I only made it there once when most of my party was wiped out. I was fleeing the floor boss.


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    ¡°I have a skill that allows me to swap myself with one of my party members. If you transfer to the other floors, I can swap us, and that way, I can register in the other kiosks¡­ I mean safe rooms.¡±


    Her eyes widened. ¡°I heard heroes could swap with a party member to save lives¡­ I didn¡¯t realize it could be used in this way¡­ Wait! That¡¯s what you did in the Dirage when you ki-ki-ki-kissed¡­.¡±


    I waved my hands. ¡°That was a misunderstanding!¡±


    Shao was giving me killing intent now. I didn¡¯t expect that trying to take advantage of such a skill was going to come back and bite me in such a way. Now, Raissa was looking at me tearfully! It really was a mistake! I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t even know her very well, so how could I have any kind of an attraction to her.


    ¡°Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ I¡¯ll go.¡± Raissa said sadly. ¡°Ah¡­ when I leave, can you give me a few minutes before you come?¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡± I said, frowning.


    Her face turned red. ¡°D-do I have to say it? I-it¡¯s safer¡­ in a safe room¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I didn¡¯t get what she meant, but she was moving her legs awkwardly like she needed to pee.


    ¡°Oh, you need to pee¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­ stupid!¡± She stormed to the kiosk. ¡°Five minutes!¡±


    With that, she disappeared. When it came to the other girls, they had no problem finding a corner and relieving themselves. Well, Lydia and Miki were lifetime slaves. I wasn¡¯t sure if Celeste even went to the bathroom, but if she did, it was quite small. As for Terra, she didn¡¯t go. She actually could crush waste into a pellet and then expel it from any part of her body, not that I had asked!


    Raissa wasn¡¯t a slave, so naturally, she¡¯d be uncomfortable peeing in front of a guy. Although, she used to be a slave, so maybe it was just me, or some kind of wolfgirl thing. I had never asked Shao before, but considering she came from Earth, she may also have issues peeing around me.


    ¡°Shao, did you want to pee?¡± I asked.


    Shao suddenly blushed. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t know Master also had these desires. Then if you please, lie down.¡±


    It turned out she didn¡¯t. Now, let¡¯s never speak of it again.

 Chapter 384

    ¡°Master, does the mural have a story?¡± Lydia asked, thankfully cutting into the awkward atmosphere.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I¡¯d like to learn a bit about this place.¡± I decided to give Raissa ample time to finish her business and instead went to check out the mural on the wall.


    Like the rest of the room, it was covered in leafy vines, and I had to push them away in order to see the pictures themselves.


    ¡°A man and a woman fell in love and got married,¡± I said simply.


    ¡°A-and?¡± Miki looked on eagerly.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s all it is.¡± I shook my head, pointing at the image. ¡°This image is them meeting, this is him proposing, and this is them marrying.¡±


    ¡°A-ah¡­ well, that¡¯s sweet.¡± The girls seemed unsatisfied.


    Well, this was just one part of the story. Since this was a thirty-floor dungeon, there would be 7 of these in all, and each one would tell more of the story. After I swapped with Raissa, I¡¯d be able to check out the kiosks on floors 1, 10, and 15 as well. With that, I could start forming a more satisfying narrative.


    However, that also left me a little worried. Should I remind the girl¡¯s that this dungeon was called the Widow¡¯s Dungeon? It may start with a marriage, but it definitely wouldn¡¯t be a happy ending. At some point, her husband definitely dies. If that was it, it probably wouldn¡¯t be tragic enough to cause a curse. For a curse to occur, the story had to be a lot more complicated. I also imagined it¡¯d tie into the central theme, temptation.


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    So, the lord cheated on his wife, or maybe his wife cheated on him. Then, he died somehow¡­ Well, that was all I could figure out. If I was going to solve the lore¡­ would that mean marrying the widow? Enough of that, I wasn¡¯t interested! Not just in getting married, but I also had no interest in solving another lore. My body was already covered in tattoos, and painful ¡°blessings¡±, I didn¡¯t need to add another one.


    I decided not to reveal my thoughts to the girls just yet. Let them dwell on the story themselves a bit. I didn¡¯t want to spoil the mood tonight. Perhaps, I¡¯d let them know more about the story tomorrow. After unlocking the floors, I decided we were going to portal back. I didn¡¯t want to stay too long in the dungeon, especially since the mine collapsed. If we were declared dead, I might end up losing all of my stuff.


    With that, I stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll be swapping with Raissa now. If she¡¯s¡­ ahem¡­ well, it¡¯ll still be all girls, so it¡¯s fine.¡±


    I just didn¡¯t want to end up standing in her pee. That would be the worst. When I swapped, I didn¡¯t change positions into the position they were in. In fact, I was in the position I was in. There might be ways to take advantage of that. Like, if I held out a sword and swapped with someone close enough the sword would impale, could instantly defeat an enemy? Eh, that might be future considerations. I was stalling because I didn¡¯t want to embarrass Raissa.


    ¡°Switch!¡±


    I swapped with Raissa. My body immediately appeared in another spot. Before I could even look around, a hard thing poked my ankle.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    I turned around, and I saw some guys who looked like the Knights we had run into outside. There were five of them in all. Three of them had their things out. One was on his knees, and his thing had just poked me in the ankle. They looked just as shocked to see me as I was to see them.


    ¡°Wh-where¡¯d she go!¡± The man on his knees shouted.


    ¡°Were you guys trying to rape Raissa?¡± My brain slowly started to connect the pieces.


    Lord Reign had sent men into the dungeon after all. Raissa had transferred to a kiosk full of Knights. Probably the first floor. They might have been waiting to ambush us. A disreputable bunch run by a corrupt Count. A lone female in a dungeon with no escape. It didn¡¯t take a genius to realize what was happening.


    ¡°Kill him!¡± The lead Knight pointed and shouted.

 Chapter 385

    ¡°Ah! Return!¡± I cried out just as a sword pierced where I had been.


    The knights were too fast, and I was just too startled. Thankfully, Return was included in those that worked in the dungeon. A moment later, I appeared back in Chalm. I let out a breath of relief.


    So, Raissa had appeared in a room full of knights. The knights must have mistaken her for some explorer and decided to take advantage of her. She was pushed down and¡­ I didn¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t know how far they had gotten, but I naturally disrupted the flow. I was also exposed now to the knights. They knew I was in the dungeon now. I also didn¡¯t know what floor they were on.


    It was probably the 1<sup>st</sup> floor. That was because they had just entered only a few hours before us, and didn¡¯t have the advantage of taking the shortcut. It was impossible to make it down to the tenth floor that quickly. Even a high-level person that has a map and can one-shot every monster would take at least a half a day to cover that much distance in a dungeon this size. It couldn¡¯t be underestimated how large each floor of a dungeon was. They also weren¡¯t linear, but a labyrinth of corridors that could lead you in circles if you didn¡¯t have the map ability.


    There was a reason it took Lydia and myself days per level when we were in our first dungeon, and that wasn¡¯t even large compared to these guys.


    I waited as long as I was comfortable waiting, and then returned using portal to the 5<sup>th</sup> floor of the dungeon.


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    ¡°Master!¡± Lydia tossed her arms around me.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m back,¡± I said, still feeling slightly awkward.


    Raissa stood up. She was in fresh clothing loaned to her by one of the girls. She immediately gave me a bow, even though her body was shaking.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± She said, her eyes welling with tears. ¡°They jumped me when I got out. I didn¡¯t tell them about you, but I couldn¡¯t get a warning either! I even tried to get them to heavily injure me, but instead they¡­ they¡­¡±


    Had she become injured, as a party member, we might have received a warning. However, these men weren¡¯t interested in hurting her, but doing other things.


    ¡°Did they¡­¡± I didn¡¯t want to ask, but the words ended up coming out anyway.


    She looked away. ¡°Only his fingers¡­ he was considerate. Wanted me ready, he said. Not every man waits.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± My expression darkened.


    Noticing the look on my face, she immediately started trying to sooth me with her arms waving. ¡°I-it¡¯s fine, my lord. This kind of thing happens a lot in dungeons. Ever since I¡¯ve been a slave, there have been a few who have¡­¡±


    BAM!


    A loud sound caused her to jump. It took me a few moments to realize that the sound had been made by me. My hand had slammed into the wall. I didn¡¯t even realize I had done it. When I pulled my hand away, there were a few cracks in the stone. A moment later blood started flowing from my hand. Strangely enough, I didn¡¯t feel any pain, even though my hand was shaking.


    Raissa was staring at my hand with her mouth open, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Lydia grabbed my arm, hugging it between her soft breasts.


    Celeste took my hand, running a potion over it. It felt cold.


    Miki grabbed my shirt and looked up at me with a smile, even though she was crying. Why were the girls comforting me? Raissa was the one that was raped. Even she looked like she wanted comfort.


    ¡°Master, let¡¯s go back to the inn for tonight.¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡±

 Chapter 386

    I opened my last portal for the day and we returned to the inn. I had portaled back to the cave, as I wanted people to see us walking out of the mine we had previously entered. The walk back was exceptionally quiet.


    Now, I could have portaled back to Chalm or even the capital city and slept in our beds. Actually, until the mansion was finished, the building we owned in Chalm was a tad small to accommodate all of us now, not that the inn was much better.


    The reason I really wanted to stay in the small Miner¡¯s town was two-fold. First, this town sprung up in my territory, which means it might be the second city I was a lord over. It was probably too hard for a normal lord to manage two cities separated like this, but with portal, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for me to manage both cities. In that case, I wanted to be familiar with the people here, and figure out a way to expand this place and protect my border from Lord Reign. This would be the best city to protect against the Imperial Cloud Meadow too.


    Once we returned to the inn, I explained to the girls my version of the events. There actually wasn¡¯t much to explain. I fled as soon as I realized my life was in danger. How was I a hero in the slightest? I was just a complete coward. I kept replaying the scene over and over in my head. I felt a ton of guilt, but nothing else. In fact, my mind felt strangely numb.


    I knew these kinds of things happened. They definitely happened to slaves. Single female adventurers were probably all at risk. I had even heard a few of the girls mention it. Even the big-breasted sister from Chalm spoke of sexual harassment and assault with just a hint of experience. However, this was the first time I came face to face with it, in this world or my previous one.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ if you didn¡¯t want to be raped, you should have just killed them.¡± Shao responded, crossing her arms.


    I wanted to snap at her, but then her own dark memories which I had seen once before came flooding in. That was right, she too was assaulted by men. This was done for the amusement of the crowds. In fact, Alerith had a colosseum too. I wondered if they had such distasteful kinds of things. Well, Shao¡¯s had been in the Imperial Cloud Meadow, so it wasn¡¯t the same place at least.


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    A flash of guilt appeared on Raissa¡¯s face, but that irritated me even more. She had no reason to be guilty.


    ¡°Raissa, you did nothing wrong.¡± I tried to reassure her. ¡°The only person who failed is me. They don¡¯t know who you are. On the other hand, I showed my face. They¡¯ve probably already sent someone to report and now they will likely report to Lord Reign and cause us more trouble.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Raissa spoke up, and then blushed again when everyone turned to her. ¡°I mean, that your time is strangely reckless when with how you go through dungeons. Most people aren¡¯t so¡­ casual. It¡¯s not only a dangerous place but a place where you can experience perma-death. It¡¯s typical for inexperienced dungeon divers like the knights to progress very slowly. They will likely not attempt to go back to the gate. If they did, they would absolutely wait until the morning after being fully rested.


    ¡°Other than dungeon divers, normal classes are mentally injured by miasma. Only in safe rooms does the miasma give them a break. If they push themselves too hard, they could have mental breakdowns, flee in terror, or make mistakes and die. Actually, I don¡¯t understand why your party is unaffected by this¡­ Miki should be quite resistant because of her spiritual connection. Has she been protecting you all from the miasma?¡±


    ¡°Yup, something like that!¡±


    Miki even nodded, so perhaps it was actually true, although she never said as much. For me, my white mage job protected me from the miasma and I used copious amounts of Refresh and holy spells that likely did it. Every night, the barriers I erected to protect us also kept the miasma out, so the girls were allowed to rest every night. Now, I wouldn¡¯t be affected by miasma regardless. I felt a little bad. I should have been more mindful of such a thing.


    I also hadn¡¯t considered how shocking perma-death was to people in this world. I had grown my entire life with perma-death being just normal death everywhere. For people in this world who valued their lives, that sort of reality was likely a horrific nightmare. Dying¡­ by accident? By illness? That was unthinkable.


    Now that I thought about it, with the church appearing, I had forgotten to get health insurance in the Capitol. Such a thing did not exist in Chalm, it appeared. It was too expensive of a convenience for such a luxury service to exist there. The adventuring guild offered some protection, but that was only when you were on a guild-related mission. Actually, I was just thinking about these things so I didn¡¯t have to face reality.


    ¡°Even so¡­ they still might report in the morning.¡± Shao said, and then sighed. ¡°The solution is simple. I will kill them.¡±

 Chapter 387

    ¡°Ki-kill!¡± Raissa let out a noise like a strangled cat, her eyes wide with shock.


    ¡°No!¡± I immediately said, my voice ringing.


    The girls all looked over at me. Shao seemed the most surprised.


    ¡°Master¡­ they should die. All rapists should die!¡±


    ¡°I said no!¡± I stood up, causing Shao¡¯s defiant expression to drop as she took a step back.


    Suddenly, her eyes grew teary. ¡°M-master¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    It was probably the first time I had shown open anger on my face. I didn¡¯t realize it was even there until it exploded out. I immediately shook my head.


    ¡°No¡­ I should be. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I turned away from them and headed to the door.


    ¡°M-master, where are you going?¡± Lydia asked, standing up.


    ¡°I just need a bit,¡± I said, and then left without another word.


    I headed straight out of the inn, and then immediately left in the direction of the blacksmith. I had an idea where I wanted to go and what I wanted to ask. The sun was just starting to set. We had only been in the dungeon for half a day, with the other half working through the mine bosses. Hopefully, the blacksmith was still there.


    When I arrived, I saw a familiar but unwelcome face. The redheaded girl from earlier, the same one I had ended up in bed with the night before, the so-called dwarf, was sitting there.


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re the blacksmith!¡±


    I didn¡¯t mean to sound exasperated, but there were still things on my mind.


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    ¡°I¡¯m the apprentice.¡± She said, grinning.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ you say that, but your technique is better than mine!¡± An old man who looked more like a blacksmith came out from the back.


    ¡°I said I wanted to learn your techniques!¡± The girl said back.


    ¡°And you learned them within a day! So, what are you still doing here?¡±


    ¡°Hah? Isn¡¯t this my best chance to work with orichalcum?¡± She said as if this was obvious.


    ¡°You¡­ well, I suppose that¡¯s true, but your likelihood of touching the stuff is almost none! Even if the dungeon is defeated and the stone is excavated, that damn Lord Reign will take every ounce!¡± He shook his head as she grinned and shrugged in return until he looked at me. ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I was just looking if you or anyone you knew was a magic blacksmith?¡±


    I had asked around, and basically, there was Apprentice Blacksmith, Blacksmith, and then Master Blacksmith. However, Master Blacksmith required the person to learn Basic Magician and Intermediate Magician. If you had Intermediate Magician and Apprentice Blacksmith, you could unlock Magic Blacksmith. Once you had Magic Blacksmith and normal Blacksmith, only then could you become a Master Magician. There was a reason they were so rare.


    Rather than find a Master Blacksmith, I decided it was better to find a Magic Blacksmith and then train them to become a Master using my skills and spells.


    ¡°None in these parts.¡± The man said, but then his eyes darted to the young girl. ¡°What about you?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°My old Master was a Basic Magician once. However, I was no good at magic. That¡¯s why I parted from him because there was nothing more he could teach me. If you want to find him though, don¡¯t bother. He left for Shie Gescar a few years ago. Haven¡¯t seen him since.¡±


    ¡°If you can¡¯t use magic, why do you want Orichalcum?¡± I asked.


    She grinned. ¡°To give it a good wallop!¡±


    The other blacksmith rolled his eyes. ¡°Only a crazy dwarf would want to waste Orichalcum just for fun!¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Thanks, that¡¯s all I wanted.¡±


    I sighed, turned, and then left. As I walked away from the blacksmith, I looked around me. Seeing no one, I quickly ducked into an alleyway.


    ¡°Since I wasn¡¯t followed¡­¡± I reequipped my jobs, sacrificed some extra experience to free up more dungeon points.


    With that, I added several to Portal.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ Raissa. I¡¯ll do what I have to.¡± I whispered to myself.


    ¡°Do you think you really have what it takes to kill them?¡±


    The voice spoke so casually, I answered without thinking. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I have to tr- ah!¡±


    I spun around, only to see Shao standing there, a crooked smirk on her face. ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°Shao, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I¡¯m going to help Master make his first kill!¡±

 Chapter 388

    ¡°What is it like¡­¡± I asked as we sat down in a small tavern apart from the inn.


    After seeing Shao, I stopped what I was going to do and then waited for a bit. It wasn¡¯t like I was extremely confident in leaving and taking on five knights. It was just that I felt like I had no other option. Since she was there during my moment of weakness, I¡¯d at least talk to her before going.


    ¡°To kill?¡± She asked and then leaned back. ¡°Scary. Painful. Unnerving. It makes you feel horrible like you want to die yourself.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re surprised? Did you think I would say it was pleasurable? That it turns me on?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°I came from a world just like Master. I held those same values that determined public order. I fought because I needed to. I killed to survive. There was no other reason. In the beginning, I was told that anyone I killed would be brought back to life. It was only after I had noticed some of the ones I killed not being returned to their cells that I realized that depended entirely on how popular the person was.¡±


    ¡°Those bastards¡­¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°In some ways, I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Appreciate it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I would have killed the first if I had known. By the time I learned the truth, I was already familiar with death, and my soul had already been tainted with countless murders. It was only after all of that when murder became my close friend. Killing is easy, but you should know that.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You destroy curses, right? You fight monsters. It¡¯s scary. It¡¯s painful. However, in many ways, it¡¯s easy. You send your girls forward, they kill all the monsters, you heal them up, and then you collect money, honor, and glory.¡±


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    I frowned. ¡°When you say it that way, it makes me sound like a bastard.¡±


    She grimaced. ¡°I only meant that killing has the same appeal. If you have a problem with someone else, you kill them. It¡¯s quick. It¡¯s simple. It resolves everything clean.¡±


    When she said it that way, it actually did feel correct. If you had the strength, a socially awkward person like me could more easily get out of a situation by killing rather than by talking. Maybe that was why serial killers were often the socially awkward types. If you can¡¯t express yourself properly, whether it be from anger or lust, then killing was a possible result. Isn¡¯t war just a failure of communication at a country-wide level?


    In this world where killing isn¡¯t just encouraged but expected, that became even truer. Fighting monsters was an everyday occurrence in some places. You had to kill to eat, to protect the ones you love, and so-on. The fact that monsters could pop out of thin air and people could be resurrected only reinforced the idea that killing was the natural order of things.


    Then, when it came to killing for real, for killing someone you knew wouldn¡¯t be resurrected, it became easier. I could understand the power-hungry slippery slope that those knights had likely experienced. I was starting to understand why they thought they could get away with raping a woman and murdering her. Why they could so callously send a sword into my back.


    When I encountered the bandits who only operated on the surface, I told myself that they always knew the people they killed would be resurrected. In that way, I didn¡¯t find them as dangerous or threatening. However, how could they know? Losing everything might as well have been as bad as death to some of their victims. I had died once in this world, and I have lost everyone once in this world. From the view of someone who sees life as precious, I felt like I had a good understanding of that loss.


    We had sat quietly in the room for a few minutes. I had been dwelling on her words for some time. At first, I had been the type to want to avoid killing at all costs. I was hardly a pacifist. I didn¡¯t mind hunting, and I¡¯d kill monsters, even those that appeared human if they threatened me. Now, real living people had threatened the ones I cared about. I needed to make a decision.


    ¡°So, what have you decided?¡± Shao asked.


    I raised my eyes to meet hers. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re taking the easy path then?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No¡­¡± I shook my head ¡°This is the hardest thing I¡¯ve ever had to do. That¡¯s why I know I have to do it.¡±


    Shao¡¯s eyes flashed in confusion. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°When killing becomes easy¡­ that¡¯s when I know it¡¯s the wrong choice.¡±


    Shao blinked, but then a small smile started to form on her face, ¡°Have my babies.¡±


    ¡°I decline!¡±

 Chapter 389

    The portal opened, and I jumped through.


    ¡°I-intruders!¡± There was a bang as a single man sitting around a small smokeless fire fell back.


    The other four men had been sleeping, and he must have been the guard. Naturally, after fleeing like that, he never would have imagined me returning only a few hours later with a sword in my hand. I slammed my foot down on the head of the first man under my feet. He hadn¡¯t even had a chance to get up before he passed out.


    At that point, Shao slid through the portal behind me like the shadow knight she is, moving towards her enemies and attacking. A man¡¯s throat was cut just as he began to sit up. She didn¡¯t hesitate to toss her other knife at a third man, hitting him directly in the eye. Like that, 3 men were incapacitated, and the fight was even.


    The man who had been on watch had managed to stand at this point and pull out his sword. I recognized that he was the one whose penis had touched me. He was the one who had assaulted Raissa directly. The other, who appeared to be the leader who had initially called for my death, had also managed to roll out of his bedding before either Shao or I could reach him.


    I cast a fire spell, intending to just blind them for a second as I raced towards them. Regrettably, the men were well trained and quickly covered their eyes while keeping their defensive posture. They also seemed to work together to protect themselves, keeping their back facing each other and the wall limiting the space they needed to defend.


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    I swung my swords several times, attempting to defeat the leader while Shao attacked the other man. Now that they were fully awake, I realized that they were not particularly weak at all. In fact, these were knights, a job considered to be a second-tier fighting position. Their battle prowess was likely comparable to Lydia¡¯s, even if they lacked her species-specific speed advantages.


    A moment later, a third man, the one who she had stabbed in the eye, had managed to get the knife out and do a quick heal on his face. Although it looked awful, He was able to join the fray too, only temporarily stunned. With the one-eyed man defending against Shao, the third man was able to use magic, sending a dozen wind blades our direction. Compared to Celeste, these were child¡¯s play, but it was only an aside to the Knight¡¯s already existing combat skill.


    ¡°You must be the lord we¡¯re here to assassinate!¡± The leader said, a mocking expression on his face.


    ¡°What of it?¡± I growled back, attacking him several more times with my moderate swordsmanship.


    ¡°Was that woman one of yours? She won¡¯t admit it, but I fucked her good before you got there! She made such cute noises!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him! He¡¯s just trying to cause you to slip!¡± Shao shot back.


    ¡°Once I kill you, I¡¯m going to fuck this pretty little thing too! I heard you have other girls too. I saw them when you entered the town. Pretty little things way better than you deserve. Where are they? Back in that little crap heap miner¡¯s town?  Hehe, once you die, even if you free them, Lord Reign will just enslave them. He promised them to the entire Knight¡¯s corpse. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll treat them all well and good. They¡¯ll forget all about your tiny dick!¡±


    With two on one, Shao was at a disadvantage. With me fighting the leader, I had underestimated my own capacity as I was a one-on-one fighter. Had we not had the surprise on them, I realized that it was likely that Shao and I would have already been defeated. Suddenly, I was no longer worrying about whether I had it in me to kill them, and I was starting to fear that they might kill me!

 Chapter 390

    ¡°Hehe¡­ I bet that one with the tiger tail is a real animal in bed. I think I¡¯ll fuck her first.¡±


    ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡±


    As much as I was trying to ignore him, the Knight was far more-foul mouthed than I had expected, and his constant yapping mouth was getting to me more and more. Furthermore, the two knights working against Shao were quickly starting to overtake her too.


    Shao was a gladiator, but knights were armored men who had true skill. They weren¡¯t like the wild, animal movements she was used to. Furthermore, her strongest ability, the latent Demon Lord job, was blocked out, which also took away all of her strongest buffs and skills. At this point, she was distracted and she couldn¡¯t offer me any support as I fell back more and more. Somehow, the tides had turned, and the two of us were pushed into a corner.


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± The leader grinned, a flourish taking my sword from my hand and sending it flying across the room. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to enjoy that short-haired one the first. I think they said she had an earth affinity? I might even let her ride on top!¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± Just as he raised his blade to bring it down, a spike shot through his back, bursting out the front like a chest-burster.


    He managed to just turn around as the sword fell to the floor. Standing behind him was Terra.


    ¡°I¡¯m a lot to handle¡­ are you sure you wouldn¡¯t break!¡±


    As she said that, she slammed her foot into his balls. It was strong enough that there was a crunching sound as his pelvis shattered and his entire body flew up and hit the ceiling of the room. The last thing he felt as he died was his balls exploding. By the time he hit the floor, the mercy of death had already reached him.


    ¡°Masters only!¡± Nearly a hundred wind blades came spiraling at the backs of the knights as Celeste flew into the room.


    As skilled as they were, they couldn¡¯t fight on two fronts. As soon as one turned to defend the blades, Shao gained the upper hand. She cut down the one-eyed man, sending him knocking into the back of the other guy. This allowed several blades to chop at him. As he was still stumbling, Lydia jumped past and took his head.


    In seconds, the knights who had almost defeated us were dead. However, I wasn¡¯t rejoicing at all. I had failed to kill even a single one. In the end, it had been the girls who had bailed me out.


    ¡°You came¡­¡± I said, weakly.


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    ¡°When Master didn¡¯t return, we guessed where he was going, so we followed.¡±


    Rather than go through a portal, they must have entered from the front, fought through the first level, and made it here just in time.


    ¡°I just wanted to protect you¡­¡± I said, feeling a bit awkward now. ¡°From¡­ this¡­¡±


    As a Master, I had failed completely. Not only did they have to bloody their hands, but I came off as probably the most pathetic person possible.


    ¡°We wanted to protect Master too!¡± Lydia responded, a stubborn look on her face. ¡°Master is always cool, so that¡¯s why he must lean on us more!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry,¡± Miki added. ¡°I made the guards go to sleep. They don¡¯t know we entered.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. At the end of it all, was I even needed?


    ¡°You bastards!¡±


    While we were starting to calm down, the man I had kicked in the beginning had woken up. He had a broken nose, but otherwise he was fine. Biding his time playing dead, he had chosen the moment we relaxed to grab Shao, holding his dagger up to Shao¡¯s neck. He had already backed into a corner.


    ¡°No one move! I¡¯ll cut her throat!¡± He cursed while spitting out blood.


    ¡°Shao¡­¡± a sudden rising anger shot in me.


    Had I been as decisive as she was, and killed this man upon entering the room, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. It was my own failure that had put her in danger. Shao looked at me with a knowing look. It was a look that said she knew exactly what I was thinking.


    ¡°Put your sword up!¡± The knight bellowed.  ¡°In fact, why don¡¯t you just kill yourself with it¡±


    ¡°I trust you¡­ Master.¡± Shao smiled, and then closed her eyes.


    ¡°Very well¡­¡± I lifted my sword up with both hands, the tip facing me.


    It was a position that looked like I was about seppuku. The Knight¡¯s eyes widened, and then he let out a laugh of disbelief.


    ¡°Haha¡­ do it, or I¡¯ll kill her.¡±


    ¡°As you wish¡­Switch Position!¡±


    Shao¡¯s eyes opened, and a smile formed on her lips. My eye¡¯s never left Shao. Yet, suddenly we were on opposite sides of the room. I slammed my sword, missing my gut and thrusting it behind me. With all of my force. The knight let out a strangled sound, but I had aimed up, hitting is lung and heart along with way. He only now realized the person in his arms was me, not Shao. He died not knowing at all what just happened.


    I let go of the sword, allowing the knight to fall back with it. Shao suddenly ran forward and hugged me.


    ¡°See¡­ No matter how hard it is, I knew Master would always do it for me.¡±


    ¡°You allowed yourself to be caught, right? You forced me to kill¡­¡±


    She looked away, a frown on her face. I reached out and grabbed her chin. At one point, my feelings about her had been a bit mixed. They weren¡¯t anymore.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said as I pulled her lips to mine.


    ¡°My hero¡­¡± she breathed as she kissed me enthusiastically, melting in my arms and becoming as demure as a purring kitten.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I want to be saved by Master!¡± Celeste complained loudly.


    ¡°Eh¡­ we killed them all! Quick, someone find a monster so Master can save us!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to wake the knights outside! They¡¯ll definitely threaten me so Master can save me!¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± I broke off the kiss and ran to stop Miki from racing out the door.


    It took a bit to settle the girls. In the end, I had to play rescue the damsel all night, with girls alternating between the damsel and the knight. The game made no sense because for some reason I had to kiss the knight and the maiden. I¡¯m just glad they didn¡¯t require that I penetrate the knight with my sword, or I¡¯d have been so exhausted come morning we¡¯d be able to make no progress in the dungeon.

 Chapter 391

    After disposing of the bodies, we ended up returning to the inn with a direct portal. By that point, it was past midnight and my portals had been restored. I took a glance at the mural on the wall. It looked like a Cinderella story. A woman who was a servant fell for her prince. The last image showed the pair kissing. So, the man and woman who got married were a servant and a prince? I guess that meant there would be more complications when he died. Perhaps, no one wanted to see her as a legitimate noble. I¡¯d need to reach level 9 to see more.


    The next morning, I knocked on the door next to ours and opened it up. There is a groggy wolf girl standing there with her ears lowered and her tail out. She¡¯s in nothing but her underwear though, giving off a somewhat erotic feel. Her breasts were comparable to Miki¡¯s, which is to say about a handful. Yet, where Miki had a delicate and fragile appearance, she was more rugged and fit. If Miki was soft and dreamy, then Raissa was more sleek and energetic.


    ¡°Eeeek!¡¯ She screamed and a pillow hit me in the face.


    I had been so used to the girls and their seemingly unconcerned atmosphere whether I saw them naked or not, that it had slipped my mind that normal people needed privacy. I only knocked out of instinct, but I hadn¡¯t bothered to wait for an answer. The result was a very angry and flustered Raissa, who tossed increasingly larger things the longer I stood at the door.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I managed to close the door just before something large hit it with a thump.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Lydia said in an admonishing voice. ¡°You must marry her before you do those kinds of things.¡±


    ¡°I do those kinds of things with you!¡±


    That wasn¡¯t the words I meant to say, but they slipped out before I could help myself. I really wanted to know where she got the idea our relationship was heading in that direction!


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    ¡°Master, we¡¯re slaves. That¡¯s why Master can play with us all night.¡±


    I blinked at her logic, but the other girls behind her were also nodding as if this was obvious.


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ that¡¯s why even after Master gets married, he can play with us all he wants!¡± Miki added. ¡°It doesn¡¯t count!¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°I-i-in fact, it¡¯s proper that Master uses us more than his wife!¡± Terra declared.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Shhh¡­ you¡¯re pushing it!¡± Lydia and Miki grab Terra and cover her mouth.


    Why did I feel that recently the girls had become exceptionally mischievous? I¡¯d need to weave the boy who cried wolf into my next dungeon curse tale. They needed to learn to not fib or mislead, as it¡¯s bad for their master¡¯s health.


    Raissa finally came out, now in her ninja¡­ I mean adventurer¡¯s garb. She looks up at me with her head down and her hand holding her other arm.


    ¡°You saw¡­¡± She said shyly, giving off a dangerous cute vibe.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± I denied everything.


    The only bit of advice I remembered my old man ever telling me before he left was, when you get caught, deny everything. Actually, upon reflection, the man who abandoned me as a child was probably not the best person to take this kind of advice from.


    ¡°You saw nothing¡­¡± She said that while looking almost disappointed.


    Wait! She believed me? Isn¡¯t that a bit too easy! Did I unlock a lying spell since I had last leveled up? I even went so far as to check my skillsets again. Nope, nothing yet.


    ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ we should move quickly so we don¡¯t run into those knights again¡­¡± Raissa said, trying to hide her own fear from her attackers behind her bravado.


    As a Dungeon Diver, she was used to risking her life. Apparently, she was good at pushing this kind of stuff behind her and moving on.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem,¡± I announced.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Raissa blinked.


    I decided it was better if we didn¡¯t tell her what happened last night. She apparently slept as the rest of us snuck out and then returned. Well, I returned with a portal, so no one would have seen us return.


    I made sure we were all seen in the commons room, and then made a sigh about how we¡¯ll head back to the city. I muttered something about the city being expensive and us needing money first. After that, we headed to the adventurer¡¯s guild.

 Chapter 392

    Saying the miner¡¯s town had an adventurer¡¯s guild was a bit of a mislabel. It was a satellite location that most served as a relay for Alerith. It was a single person who could hand out and stamp quests. You could get a receipt, but you¡¯d ultimately need to go to the guild in the city if you wanted to collect money. However, I didn¡¯t really care about the quest at all. I just wanted a reason to be gone all day while we went through the dungeon. The easier the quest was to fulfill, the better.


    The small town didn¡¯t have a lot of quests, but it also didn¡¯t have any adventurer¡¯s, so we had our pick. What we ended up choosing was a quest given by someone named Rubee. It was to collect some salt from a nearby mountain. It was an ongoing quest, so we could do it daily. Naturally, it paid by the stone, with a max of a hundred stone a day.


    This seemed like an easy job, but a stone was fourteen pounds and split by four adventurers, they could only just manage to carry that amount. Furthermore, it was a two-hour walk in each direction. The assumption was that you wouldn¡¯t have a storage ring either this far out from the city. Not to mention, the area was in the wilderness, so there was the potential for running into monsters that had escaped from the dungeon.


    Either way, it was the perfect cover for us, so I took the quest and then left. As we were walking down the path, the girls chatted jovially. Even Raissa was at ease with a smile on her face. Any other adventurers would truly look at this group and wonder what was wrong with our brains. This was a dangerous wilderness, and monsters could sprout up anywhere.


    However, everyone there had dived into countless dungeons and regularly put their life on the line. Compared to the traps, monsters, and dangers associated with a dungeon, walking through the wilderness felt like a leisurely stroll, and we didn¡¯t need to stake very much attention on such things.


    ¡°You seem to be thinking about something, Master¡­ is it me?¡± Shao asked, waiting for me in the back of the group to catch up.


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    ¡°I was just thinking about those Knights.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. Death is easy in a dungeon, even for knights. It¡¯ll be weeks before they try to send someone, and since we left the bodies out of the safe room, monsters will destroy all the evidence by then.


    ¡°No, I mean¡­ weren¡¯t the knights rather easy to kill? We live in a world with RPG elements, right? They were Knights, a second-tier job-class. Even though we¡¯re technically stronger, you one-hit killed them. In this world, where mana and status is a thing, someone that high of a level shouldn¡¯t be killed in a single hit.¡±


    This was something I could only really speak about to Shao. As someone from my own world, she¡¯s the only one who¡¯d understand why I was struggling with understanding the concept of a one-hit kill. Shao remained silent in thought for a moment, but she eventually spoke.


    ¡°I used to wonder about this too. When I fought in the gladiator matches, I would fight men many times my size. Yet, if I smashed their head in with a rock, they died all the same. I used to think it was just a matter of getting a critical hit. In the end, I discovered it was a needlessly complex process involving status ailments.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Ah¡­ well, for example, the man whose throat I cut. He gained a heavy bleeding status ailment. But because the artery that feeds blood to the brain was also cut, he gained an asphyxiation status. Then, because his throat was cut, he also gained a can¡¯t drink status. So, since he couldn¡¯t drink a potion to heal himself. He quickly gains the status unconscious. Without someone to heal him, that status turned to death quickly.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s really something that simple¡­¡±


    ¡°Plus, these knights probably weren¡¯t his best. He wouldn¡¯t risk his best in a dungeon where they couldn¡¯t be resurrected. A great deal of a Knights power is dependent on their equipment. They have a synergistic effect, so the better their equipment, the better they are. However, all of them had removed their armor at night, even the guard. They were asking for death.¡±


    ¡°I suppose, that¡¯s how it was.¡±


    Perhaps I was just overthinking things.


    We gathered the salt without incident. The salt flats literally had balls of salt just lying around. After picking up enough to satisfy a few days of the request, I opened a portal and we returned to the 5<sup>th</sup>-floor of the dungeon.

 Chapter 393

    As we reentered the familiar room, Raissa looked around in wonder.


    ¡°I meant to say this before, but Deek has some amazing magic. It was no wonder I wasn¡¯t able to figure out how you left Dirage.¡±


    ¡°You were looking into us?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ah!¡± She blushed. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I was just¡­ worried¡­ you see¡­ cause I fell unconscious, and then you left so much money. I yelled at those guards! By the way¡­ extorting money out of you and even after you saved me and generously gave me this.¡±


    She subconsciously touched her collar, and I realized that she must have had that necklace on. In fact, when I had seen her earlier, I seemed to recall she had something around her neck. So, she was wearing that magical item after all? It wasn¡¯t visible with her usual garb, which covered her up to her neck, complete with a hood that even made it difficult to see her eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I said, barely stopping myself from reaching out and patting her on the head.


    The other girls seemed to notice the incomplete gesture, although Raissa didn¡¯t. They were shooting me dagger-like glares. They would probably say that head pats are reserved for slaves as well. It was something like that.


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    Raissa¡¯s eyes drifted to the kiosk and she gulped. ¡°Sh-should I head down the 15<sup>th</sup> floor?¡±


    The 15<sup>th</sup> floor was the lowest floor of the dungeon that Raissa had registered with. We could make half the distance in a single day. It was certainly a tempting idea. On the other hand, Raissa was shaking slightly, and I realized she had adopted a little bit of trauma after what happened before. She doesn¡¯t want to head down to a saferoom alone. Who knows what might happen? Although the Knights are dead, that probably wouldn¡¯t be enough to remove someone¡¯s ingrained fear.


    ¡°No¡­¡± I shook my head, causing her to glance over at me in surprise. ¡°We need to tackle this dungeon one step at a time. We already skipped from the 1<sup>st</sup> level to the 5<sup>th</sup>. I¡¯d rather play it safe. I don¡¯t know what kind of mobs to expect or anything in this dungeon. We¡¯ll fight our way down manually and gain an understanding of the place as we go.¡±


    I had already come to that decision before we even got this far. Every 5 levels, the monsters got substantially more difficult, and it¡¯s been a while since we systematically worked our way down a dungeon. As for me, I was a bit worried about this so-called dungeon of temptations. I didn¡¯t want to get caught in something that challenged one of my vices. After all, I had poor impulse control.


    Raissa was looking at me with teary eyes. She must have misunderstood things. While it was true, I was considering her feelings, my ultimate decision had nothing to do with her. The other girls should stop giving me looks like I¡¯m being a playboy too. This was a completely cold-hearted decision I had made.


    With that kind of atmosphere, we quickly found the stairway to the 6<sup>th</sup> floor and continued heading down the dungeon.

 Chapter 394

    Floor six was completed quickly. When we were done, we stopped at the top of the stairway leading to seven. Unlike most dungeon explorers, we didn¡¯t need to get through the next five floors or lose progress. We could bide our time and return to exactly where we last were. The only worrisome thing about that is the potential we run right into a group of monsters upon returning.


    ¡°Is this it? Is temptation just the fact that the drops are good? This feels like every other dungeon.¡±


    After working through the sixth floor, I felt a bit disappointed. It was really more of the same. More monsters, more pathways, slightly different theme. I had expected that since the dungeon had a theme, we¡¯d be doing something other than killing monsters. Like, a treasure room where we couldn¡¯t touch any of the treasure. Now, that is a temptation.


    I asked this question as we rested for a moment before heading to floor seven. Floor six contained Chinchilla Beasts, a large rodent with ridiculously soft fur. They dropped their skin, which was apparently used to line coats in expensive clothing. The other monster were called Angry Salmon. It was literally a Salmon the could float through the air. It even dropped Salmon cutlets. It felt like everything this floor dropped were luxury items. I could make a killing.


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    ¡°No, seriously, isn¡¯t it you guys who are strange?¡± Raissa spoke up.


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Compared to Dirage, there is about ten times the number of traps in this dungeon. Although I¡¯ve been doing my best to avoid them for you, it seems almost unbelievable that you¡¯re able to completely avoid every one. On top of that, these monsters are exceptionally hard for such a low level. In Dirage, you wouldn¡¯t find monsters like this until past level 10!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I guess that makes sense.¡±


    In truth, I was using my map and sense trap to map out everything, so I managed to avoid all of the traps. After my experience with death last night, I was a lot more cautious than I was yesterday. I also hadn¡¯t cleared the floor using the monster lures for this reason. These monsters were a bit tough to bring down, and three or more of them could become tough. Fortunately, we defeated them quickly, and when more than a few gathered, Terra used Earth to direct and delay them.


    I supposed in a normal situation, creating walls of Earth at random was a taxing process that most mages could only do in a hurry. I tried it once, and it wiped out all my mana and it was still only half the size of Terra¡¯s. That was the difference between an Earth Elemental and a human with Earth Magic. So, what would end up happening is if they got greedy and tried to bite off more than they could chew. They¡¯d end up being overwhelmed by the rodents and torn apart.


    ¡°Well, whether or not we¡¯re abnormal, we need to keep moving forward.¡± I decided to keep us moving forward.


    We went on to the seventh floor.

 Chapter 395

    The seventh floor was more of the same. ¡°None of this feels very tempting.¡±


    The closest I had seen to the dungeon living up to the hype was a treasure that sat in front of a trap. I sent Celeste, who flew over the trap, grabbed the stuff with ease, and then flew back. I could only shake my head at how easy this all was.


    ¡°Are you still going on about that?¡± Raissa sighed.


    The next floor had a trout with legs. It identified as a legged trout. I didn¡¯t know why this dungeon had such a fishy theme. I could live with that, but it was also a little disturbing watching fish with legs run around. I felt like killing them was setting nature back on the right course. At least with the flying Salmon I could pretend it was swimming through the miasma. Those legs were also unnervingly muscular. They also dropped meat sashimi slices.


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re worth a good amount of money.¡±


    ¡°You can keep them,¡± I said.


    ¡°R-really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, go nuts.¡±


    She happily collected it. The other girls were looking at me like they wanted to try the sashimi too. Ah, fine, we¡¯ll keep just a little bit. If I didn¡¯t eat things that looked weird on the outside, then there was very little I¡¯d be able to eat.


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    During leveling, I had White Mage, Slave Master, and Cook equipped. I also swapped to True Dungeon Diver when I had something to check. I tried to keep Slave Master up all the time so the girls got leveling bonuses too. For me, my Cook reached 13 and Slave Master went up to 21. Since each kill for me ended up equaling 10, it was clear to see how long leveling took a normal person. It might take years to reach level 50 for a normal person.


    Cook unlocked the skill ¡°Fire Control¡±, which I had already gained from Basic Magician. As for Slave Master, I got a skill called Slave Communication. It allowed me to send messages to my slaves. I had been waiting for this one for a while. I had read about it from one of the books I had gotten about job classes. It worked within the same city, but couldn¡¯t be used across a dungeon or extremely far distances.


    I decided to switch from Cook to Dark Priest for a bit. It was a job I had avoided for a while, but I decided there was no reason not to check it out now. Plus, I was curious about what kind of skills and boosts it carried.


    {You have unlocked the skill, Darkness Control.]


    It looked like I ended up gaining some of the darkness magic that Shao could use. That was very exciting. The girls were all leveling nicely too, although slower than I was. After all, they only gained 4X experience with each level compared to my 10X. However, we weren¡¯t fighting very many enemies, so there wasn¡¯t a lot of experience anyway. They were tough and their drops were valuable, but if it was experience you wanted, that was the one temptation this dungeon didn¡¯t seem to possess.


    We worked our way down to the eighth floor.

 Chapter 396

    We managed to get through the eighth floor. The monsters on this floor were the legged trout again, and something called a Deerk. It was basically a Deer monster. It had red eyes and really dangerous horns. It¡¯d charge you. Like everything else, it either dropped food or clothing. This one supposedly made good leather according to Raissa.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe how much food they¡¯re dropping. Are you sure you¡¯re not a Dungeon Diver too, sir?¡± Raissa asked.


    ¡°Ah¡­ even if I was¡­¡±


    She blushed. ¡°What I mean is Dungeon Divers of a high level are supposed have an ability, Increased Item Drop. No¡­ you also have a lot of food drops, although it decreased this floor.¡±


    She was a bit smarter than I gave her credit for. Cook had been increasing my Food drops until I changed it recently. She was truly a professional. Her job was to manage teams and make sure everyone got out of the dungeon alive. Thus, this level of micromanaging was something she had to do when the enemy was stupid. She was sensitive to changes in group dynamics, it seemed. I wonder how she¡¯d react if I equipped True Dungeon Diver and gained the Increase Item Drop ability. She¡¯d definitely notice.


    {Dark Priest has increased to 5.}


    I wasn¡¯t increasing levels as fast as when I was using the monster lures in Dirage, but it was still fairly quick. As for what skills I learned, job change turned out to be level 5. I also got sacrifice, unholy hymn, and drain. I didn¡¯t want to use dark abilities in front of Raissa, just in case, but I could guess what sacrifice and drain did. I used drain on a weakened enemy, and just as I thought, it absorbs their life force and recovers health and mana for me.


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    ¡°It¡¯s getting late, I¡¯m hungry!¡± Celeste complained.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s time we call it quits. Let¡¯s get to the next safe zone and then we¡¯ll start tomorrow there.¡±


    Since we had a map, it wasn¡¯t difficult to go straight there. Usually, we¡¯d take the long way, making sure to snatch treasure and kill mobs along the way. This time, we ended up in the safe zone after only fifteen minutes. With that, I pulled out food and began cooking. We could have headed back to the inn, but their food was awful. Considering how many tasty drops this dungeon had, it was a downright shame.


    I eyed the stairway going down to the 10<sup>th</sup> floor. The door was open, meaning that the boss was ready to fight.


    ¡°What boss is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called a Siren. It¡¯s like a fish monster.¡± Raissa explained.


    ¡°Ah, I guess that¡¯s why we ran into so many fish.¡±


    I seared fish meat and combined it with a bunch of other ingredients. The girls were all making noises as they ate it, so I guessed I was getting better. Actually, my level was starting to leave Faeyna in the dust¡­


    Before we left to return to the city, I checked out the wall mural. ¡°Oh¡­ oops¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Lydia noticed me looking at the mural.


    ¡°That woman who got married to her prince¡­ she¡¯s the one who killed him!¡±


    This was called the Widow¡¯s Dungeon. Did that turn out to be a Black Widow?

 Chapter 397

    After eating a delicious meal, we returned to the city. I appeared just outside of town so we could be seen re-entering it. It was a pain, but I brought the salt rocks out of my inventory and spread them out so everyone carried some. I didn¡¯t want to expose any of my tricks. As for Raissa, she had already seen quite a bit of what I could do and hadn¡¯t told anyone, so I was trusting her. Well, she was hired by the Princess, so if she did betray my trust, it¡¯d be like betraying the country.


    ¡°C-Customer confidentiality! I¡¯d never!¡± She said when I probed about such an occurrence.


    It sounded like this kind of concept came with the job. After all, dungeons were a source of unimaginable wealth. If a group had their tricks, gains, or success revealed to disreputable people, it could cause a lot of problems. This was a matter of safety.


    We returned back to the city, heading to the provided address for the delivery of salt. When I saw the person responsible, I almost dropped the salt.


    ¡°You again!¡±


    ¡°Ah, you picked up my order. Master said it was a waste of time and no one would ever do it, but you saved us. I was going to have to go up there tomorrow and get it myself.¡±


    The redheaded girl I had kept running into turned out to be the one who had placed the order for salt.


    ¡°You¡¯re Rubee?¡±


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    ¡°Hehe¡­ you can call me Roob if you prefer. That¡¯s perfect, set it over there. My quenching brine formula requires a lot of salt. Ah, but it also tastes good on food, so¡­¡±


    As she said, she was looking at me. I did keep some salt for meals, but I didn¡¯t really need that much. I had already bought some in the capitol long before this. It was a lot pricier though. When I noticed her giving me a puppy-dog look, I noticed what her last words were implying.


    ¡°What is that? I¡¯m not cooking for you!¡±


    ¡°But that stew you made was good!¡± She was almost drooling, ¡°When will you cook for the town again?¡±


    ¡°That was a one-time thing. How can I afford to feed a hundred people daily?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Aren¡¯t you some kind of rich lord?¡±


    ¡°So, you know. That makes your asking even more inappropriate!¡±


    ¡°Come on¡­ you can have my body¡­¡±


    ¡°Selling your body for stew¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°Have some self-respect!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that,¡± She persisted. ¡°After all, we¡¯ve been naked in bed together and even made it a few bases. We-we¡¯re practically family.¡±


    ¡°What the hell kind of relationships do you have with your family?¡± I backed out of the shop, retreating strategically.


    ¡°Please, I want to taste your meat.¡± She followed, her eyes still full of desire and her lips moving like she could taste it already.


    ¡°Why do I feel like I¡¯m being sexually harassed?¡±


    I grabbed the girls and immediately took off. She followed for a bit, still begging, but as I picked up the pace, she finally sighed and gave up. I let out a breath when she finally turned back to the blacksmith shop.


    Actually, because of that, I hadn¡¯t even collected the reward. Did she do that on purpose so she didn¡¯t have to pay me? I must have imagined it. However, somewhere in the back of my head, I thought that this crazy dwarf might very well do something so unreasonable.


    We continued on back to the inn, but when we reached it, there was a bunch of horses in front. When we pushed our way into the commons, I saw a group of ten knights. They had come much faster than I had expected.

 Chapter 398

    "Deek Deekson.¡± The leader in charge turned to me.


    ¡°Ah, yes?¡±


    ¡°I have come under the orders of our great Lord Reign!¡±


    Seriously, what was with this guy¡¯s naming convention being completely different. We were both lords and his rank was only slightly above mine. There were ten knights in all, and it looked like they had been giving the innkeeper trouble since he looked about ready to cry. Most of them were sitting at a table eating, but they were rowdy and messy. I also saw one squeeze the waitress¡¯s butt as she passed. She had a furious expression on her face.


    Naturally, these weren¡¯t the knights who had been sent to the dungeon. These were ten newly dispatched knights. I was expecting to at least have 2-3 days before I had to deal with this kind of thing. When Raissa noticed them, she immediately, hid behind me, looking somewhat shy. Lord Reign used to be her Master, I had heard. Did she recognize one of these knights, by chance? The leader¡¯s eyes went over the girls, but he didn¡¯t seem to give Raissa any more attention than any other. I suppose slaves were just slaves to him.


    ¡°What do you need?¡± I tried to keep any bitterness out of my voice.


    Although I already knew that Lord Reign wanted me dead, there was no way I could show my hand yet. It was kind of frustrating, but I just had to bear it.¡±


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    He narrowed his eyes anyway as if he expected me to show him respect like I was below him. ¡°Lord Reign received news that you did not enter the dungeon as you claimed. He was naturally concerned.¡±


    The knight didn¡¯t sound concerned in his Master¡¯s place.


    ¡°Your guards refused to permit me entry,¡± I responded simply.


    ¡°You should have returned to the city!¡± He said, sounding annoyed. ¡°This mistake would have been sorted quickly.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, we wanted to get a feel for the town first before returning. I even completed some quests. We¡¯re short money, you see¡­¡±


    I had been careful to create evidence, so even if he checked, he¡¯d find that this was true. All-day yesterday I was out getting salt. The day before I visited the mine, which is collapsed as I reported. There was nothing that he could specifically pin on me.


    ¡°We sent knights into the dungeon, however, they have not given a message.¡± He said, a pinch of uncertainty forming on his face.


    ¡°Dungeons are large and dangerous.¡± I shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°Perhaps, they ran into some trouble.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± The knight nodded. ¡°But we¡¯ll find out shortly.¡±


    ¡°Find out?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ we¡¯re beginning our mission now. We¡¯re to recover their life recorder.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ what? What is that?¡± I immediately tried to school my expression. ¡°I mean, I¡¯ve never heard of a life recorder before. If it helps me in a dungeon, I¡¯d naturally be curious.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he continued anyway. ¡°The only thing such a device does is help you die. A life recorder was placed on the lead knight. It not only has a tracking device, but it also records how they died.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Crud! Why am I hearing about this device now! I didn¡¯t recall any magical device on him. Was it something they swallowed? What the heck are we going to do? It¡¯s the first time I killed someone, and now it¡¯s going to turn out this disastrous.

 Chapter 399

    ¡°Lord Reign has requested that you enter the dungeon and acquire the item.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± I looked up, seeing just a ray of hope in the murky sky. ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you¡¯ll be escorted by my party personally.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°You need not worry. Your¡­ slaves¡­ can stay here where it is safe. My team is more than adequate at protecting you.¡±


    ¡°Is there any reason, in particular, I should lead?¡± I decided to ask, more out of curiosity over his excuse than any desire to know.


    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Aren¡¯t you now the lord of the wilderness? The dungeon falls in your land. What kind of example do you want to send when another man¡¯s knights disappear within your own dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Ah, the entrance¡­¡±


    ¡°A complete mistake!¡± He laughed jovially, although the mirth didn¡¯t touch his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ll have complete entry as soon as we finish up here. In fact, Lord Reign will even offer you a reward. For completion of the mission, he¡¯ll offer you gladiatorial rights.¡±


    Raissa gasped, this time catching his eye for a moment, but he only smiled and looked up at me.


    ¡°Is that good?¡± I asked, pretending I was interested.


    ¡°Gladiatorial rights allow you the right to use your slaves in the arena. If you have a powerful slave, it¡¯s a great way to make money. Normally, the rights are difficult to earn. You have to gain the consent of a lord in a city that has a sponsored colosseum.¡± Raissa explained in whispers.


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    Since she grew up here, it seemed like she was familiar with the colosseum. From seeing Shao¡¯s memories, I had a bad impression of it though. Either way, I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to toss away the reward. It was obviously a trap. However, refusing had its own difficulties.


    ¡°I accept. I¡¯ll go upstairs and get ready. We leave in the morning?¡±


    He had an annoyed expression when he looked at my girls, and some of the other guys were already looking at them indecently. ¡°Hmph, I¡¯d rather get this over now, but since you¡¯ve been gone all day, I¡¯ll allow you the night. We leave early in the morning!¡±


    I nodded and went up to our room. All of the girls joined me.


    ¡°It¡¯s a trap, Master!¡± Lydia responded anxiously.


    ¡°Of course he knows! What is Master¡¯s plan?¡± Shao responded a bit more pragmatically.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with them in the morning,¡± I responded. ¡°And I¡¯ll send you guys to the 1<sup>st</sup> floor to counter them.¡±


    ¡°It may not be so easy, Master,¡± Shao responded uncertainly. ¡°They may have more knights already positioned in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they think that highly of me. They¡¯re more worried about you girls. They¡¯re more likely to position them at the entrance, and possibly the mine if they suspect we got in that way.¡±


    The rest of the night, we discussed the plan and took turns getting a little bit of sleep. The inn¡¯s common room was trashed, but at the moment, I couldn¡¯t cause any trouble with the knights. Sorry, innkeeper, you¡¯re just going to have to deal with the rowdy knights. Tomorrow, we would kill them all.


    ¡°Once you wipe them out, there is no turning back,¡± Shao responded.


    ¡°I know. Tomorrow, we become fugitives.¡±


    Come morning, I opened a portal and let the girls leave. I shut it just before Raissa walked through.


    ¡°Ah¡­ sir?¡± She looked back at me.


    ¡°What we are doing is out of your pay grade,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to have you risk your life like that.¡±


    ¡°I-t¡¯s okay¡­ I want to¡­¡±


    ¡°I have a more important mission for you. Go to the prince, hand him this letter. Let him know what¡¯s happening.¡± I handed her the letter I carefully made, although I had no seal yet I still used some melted wax.


    ¡°Wait! I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you something.¡± She blushed. ¡°I wanted you to know that I-¡°


    I opened a portal and pushed her through it. Her words were lost with a shout. I closed the portal immediately behind her. With a sigh, I packed up the rest of the room, left a large tip to pay for the inn¡¯s damages caused by the knights, and then headed down. Today was going to be the day I take my first stand against Lord Reign.

 Chapter 400

    I left the inn, traveling with a group of knights all around me. It was clear to me that these men had ill will. Perhaps they knew that I knew, but was helpless to fight it. They had grins on their faces and weren¡¯t even trying very hard to hide their ill intent.


    I was wearing my best equipment, an odd assortment of the armor, accessories, and items I had picked up in previous dungeons. Most of this equipment wasn¡¯t top-tier, but more than a couple of the items might be called mid-tier items. These were extremely valuable. They weren¡¯t national treasures, but to a low-level noble they were definitely desirable. I noticed a few of the knights hungrily looking at my gear with the clear expectation that they would be taking it from me shortly.


    ¡°This trip could take some time. Do we even know what floor we¡¯ll find the knights?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we do. We already used the device to see that he was located on the first floor.¡± The knight leader responded stiffly.


    The next question was an obvious one. If they discovered them on the first floor, why bother to leave and fetch me? It would have made much more sense if they had already retrieved the life recorder. Yet, I had the feeling that they hadn¡¯t. These men weren¡¯t good at acting. Had they known their fellow Knights had died by my hand, they would have been much more hostile. On top of that, they might have been wary.


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    Yet, if I felt anything from these guys, it was simply a condescending feel. They thought they were better than me, and that I was an insect they simply hadn¡¯t squashed yet. In a moment, they were going to realize how wrong they actually were.


    There were now a total of five knights waiting at the gate to enter. They also had knowing grins and I even caught one winking at the others. I suppose, if by some fluke, I was to escape the knights and make it to the entrance, these guys were here to kill me as I emerged from the dungeon. The two Knights Miki had put to sleep the night before were there. They clearly had no clue what had happened the night before. The pair had woken up before anyone caught them sleeping on the job, and perhaps decided to not report it. Their oversight meant that these men had no clue what was going to happen.


    The gates opened and I followed alongside the men. I tried to be cautious, but there was no way the knights allowed me to be in the back behind them, even though that was where I was most comfortable as a support unit anyway.


    With a breath, I entered the dungeon. As the environment shifted from the open outdoors to the closed off ivy maze that I had already grown used to, my anxiety and concern only grew. They wouldn¡¯t immediately attack me here, right?


    ¡°Come¡­¡± The lead knight pointed down a hallway leading into the darkness. ¡°It¡¯s time to begin.¡±


    ¡°I agree¡­¡± I muttered to myself.

 Chapter 401

    With the map ability, I was very easily able to ascertain my own position. I also was able to determine where my girls were. On top of that, I now had slave communication. The moment I entered the dungeon, I greeted them.


    ¡°Girls, I just entered.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Master¡¯s in my head!¡± Celeste cried out.


    ¡°We¡¯re on route, Master!¡± Shao said immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t kill them all before I get there!¡±


    ¡°Master, we¡¯re on our way!¡± Lydia said.


    ¡°Yes, Master, I¡¯ll let them know!¡± Terra said.


    ¡°Master, be safe!¡± Miki stated.


    I could talk to each of them or all of them at once, but it wasn¡¯t a group chat. The result was that I got five responses overlapping in a way that nearly gave me a headache. I must have made an expression because the knight leader asked me if I was okay. He must have been worried I was suspecting something or making a plan to bolt as the knights suddenly tightened their position around me.


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry, this dungeon¡¯s Miasma is thick.¡± I lied.


    ¡°Haha¡­ of course. I knew the rumors about you defeating dungeons were probably inflated, was it your slaves who did all the work for you?¡± The knight spoke.


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    ¡°Of course.¡± I responded, ¡°I only know healing magic, so how could I do much?¡±


    The men chuckled, but they were also giving me disdainful looks. They totally bought into the narrative that I just exploited the girls. It was a story I had seen before, and I suspected they believed it as well. I¡¯d rather they underestimated me and continued to let their guards down.


    While I was making the knight¡¯s think I was as dangerous as a fish out of water, I was still coordinating with the girls in my head using Slave Communication. I specified Lydia as the leader of the girls and I relayed everything specifically through her. It made my skill a lot easier to use, and the girls were able to move into position a lot easier.


    ¡°The signal should be just a little bit ahead.¡± The Knight said.


    ¡°Speaking of this life recorder, I had a question about it.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°If we have such a tracking ability, wouldn¡¯t King Aberis similarly have one?¡± I asked. ¡°It stands to reason that before entering the dungeon, he would have given someone the ability to track him once entering the dungeon. If that was the case, the most likely person to receive that would be Lord Reign, right?¡±


    The knights all froze, and then the leader turned around and a small smile formed on his face. ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ you¡¯re right. Lord Reign knows exactly where the King is!¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really? So, he¡¯s definitely alive?¡±


    The Knights all looked at each other and exchanged smirks. ¡°Well, whether he is or not, that won¡¯t matter to you.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± I asked, already knowing the answer.


    The men were fondling their weapons and their evil grins were no longer contained in the slightest.


    ¡°Because you won¡¯t be alive long enough for it to matter!¡± The man yelled.


    He pulled out his sword, immediately lunging toward me.


    ¡°Celeste?¡±


    ¡°Ready!¡±


    ¡°Switch!¡±


    As his sword stabbed forward, it missed me. This was because I was no longer there. Instead, hovering a few feet above the sword, was Celeste.


    ¡°Wind¡­ Tornado!¡± Her spell finished casting.

 Chapter 402

    The ten knights who had planned my assassination could never have predicted that at the moment they surrounded me and attacked, not only would I disappear and be replaced by a wind fairy, but she¡¯d cast a high-level destructive wind spell called tornado. It didn¡¯t possess blades like some of her other abilities, but it was extremely good as a knock back. In fact, the men who had surrounded me at a four-way intersection to pincer me from every side were now tossed back hundreds of feet.


    Three knights were slammed painfully into the walls. The others were blown back down the hallways, instantly becoming separated from each other. There were two down each hall, with one hall only possessing one knight.


    Of course, the girls were there waiting to catch their falls. Shao¡¯s hall got the single guy, who died before he even hit the ground. She immediately started running for the center to help Celeste.


    Compared to before, these knights were a bit higher level, and they were also in their full equipment, so they could take advantage of their skills. Lydia took on two knights at once as did Terra. Meanwhile, I had teleported next to Miki. I took up the fighting while Miki cast spells to disorientate the men and weaken their spirits.


    In the center, Celeste began avoiding two knights as they slashed at her. The third had been knocked out, but Shao casually sent him on his way with her dagger. It was only after her killing blow the other two noticed her there and attacked. However, as soon as they diverted their attention, Celeste began to launch a whirlwind of attacks at them. She also managed to send some blades down the hallways, hitting the other knights in the back.


    Unfortunately, at this distance, she couldn¡¯t breach their armor, but it was still a distraction that kept the men unfocused.


    In truth, the fight was about even. In fact, had we fought the knights as a full unit together, there was a good chance they could beat us. Despite all of our experience, a knight was an experienced soldier with good equipment. Even with our skills, they couldn¡¯t be defeated easily.


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    How many Knights did Count Reign have while I was only given two? That was a good question and one that I didn¡¯t have an answer to. Based on what I had seen, it looked like he had about thirty. Perhaps, that was the source of his power and confidence. He had found a way to give more people Knighthood than the regulated amount assigned by the King.


    Well, thirty could be normal for a more experienced noble, so I had no clue. Since the equipment was important, it probably tied to how rich you were as well. With the Colosseum, Lord Reign¡¯s territory brought in a lot of extra money.


    Shao managed to kill her second knight, and Lydia took one out as well. The remaining seemed to realize how they had been separated and started to converge back together, backing up into the middle.


    ¡°Terra!¡±


    ¡°Mmm!¡± She created a wall, blocking off the men on her side.


    I tossed down a smoke bomb, one of the alchemy products Miki and I had made. With the cover of the smoke, I switched from hero to Basic Magician. I then cast several fireballs in the direction intending to disorientate and delay them.


    Lydia managed to cut down her second guy just as Shao took out her third. The two women dived into the smoke. The two knights fending off fireballs didn¡¯t last for another moment as the two girls cut them down.


    ¡°Celeste!¡±


    She shot out an airblade, cutting down the barrier Terra had made and then used her wind to clear away the dust.


    When the dust faded. Terra was on the ground. Her arm was gone.


    ¡°Terra!¡± I cried out, running over and grabbing her.


    She looked over at me tearfully. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master. One of them got away.¡±


    I quickly checked the map with sense life, but they were already gone. The one who got away was the leader. It only made sense they were stronger and had an escape method. However, something had been dropped in the process. It was the tracking device he was using.


    ¡°Should we chase him?¡± Shao asked as I healed Terra, using dirt to restore her missing arm.


    ¡°No¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s too late for that. He¡¯ll be back with reinforcements.¡±


    ¡°What do we do then?¡±


    ¡°We do what we came here to do. We beat this dungeon, and we find the king!¡±

 Chapter 403

    We appeared on the 9<sup>th</sup> floor. Before heading there, I had done my best to clean up the knights. We found their tracking item and destroyed it. We also made sure the knights themselves had no more life detectors. Once we were certain that all the evidence had been wiped, we headed to the kiosk and went as far south as possible. Without Raissa here, I wouldn¡¯t be able to transfer to the 15th floor, meaning we¡¯d have to work our way down from the 9<sup>th</sup>.


    That wasn¡¯t the worst problem. The worst problem is that we didn¡¯t know how far down the Knights could teleport. Typically, knights wouldn¡¯t make a lot of progress on dungeons for the same reason most people don¡¯t. They¡¯re dangerous. However, if they can find anyone who had made progress to the 15<sup>th</sup> floor, they could send them down to obstruct us.


    Fortunately, my sense life has been increasing as I leveled. At this point, I could tell the difference between a monster and a human. In other words, we¡¯d probably see them and possibly avoid them unless they were standing in our way. There was still the possibility of an assassin. Even Raissa was able to follow me for several floors before I became aware of her presence. An assassin could be a dangerous threat.


    In that case, we had to just remain vigilant and do everything in our power to be safe. Our goal was to reach the bottom and try to find the King. Once the king was within our hands, Lord Reign wouldn¡¯t be able to make a move against us easily. In fact, we could just teleport back to the Capitol and leave the problem for someone else.


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    If that became a problem, we could always leave and abandon the problem and just return to Chalm. Worst case, Aberis doesn¡¯t give me land that wasn¡¯t theirs in the first place. Failing my first mission entrusted to me by the prince would suck a bit, but I¡¯d rather be a failure than dead.


    The next floor was a boss Raissa had called the siren. From what she told me about the siren, wind mages who could influence sound were very effective against them. In that case, I would be leaning on Celeste a bit in the near future. Well, with luck we wouldn¡¯t need to fight the siren at all. Although this was called a boss, this was actually a bit different than the other dungeons I had been in. Still, I wished I had time to get her singer Job up a bit, but I felt a little rushed given the Knights.


    The five of us checked our supplies and made sure we had everything we needed to pass this boss. The siren was less of a boss and more of a challenge. Temptation was the theme of this dungeon, and temptation would be the theme of this boss.


    ¡°Alright, is everyone ready?¡±


    ¡°Mmm!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    I nodded and headed down the stairway with the girls behind me. Once we entered the room below, the large metal gates slammed shut, closing us into the boss room. Our first true temptation challenge was just about to begin.

 Chapter 404

    Silence permeated the room for a few moments, but then a gentle song began to play. It sounded like a harp. Rather than hair-raising, the melody was actually quite peaceful. The five of us looked at each other.


    ¡°Sirens supposedly ensnare you with their song.¡± I sent those words to all five girls using the Slave Communication.


    I did this because all five of the girls had their ears plugged. I was the only one who didn¡¯t have my ears plugged.


    This boss room wasn¡¯t like the boss rooms I had been in before. This one stretched down a long corridor leading to an open door. Raissa had explained this boss room to me in-depth before we had attempted it.


    The door didn¡¯t close like the other boss doors. In fact, the conditions of success were simply to walk down the corridor and leave out the door. You had to pass the monster without setting it off. The siren could become enraged and then attack the party. If this happened, you ended up in a very difficult battle. The doors would slam shut and the siren would become enraged.


    While enraged, the status of the siren seemed to increase by many times, making it more equivalent to a level 30 boss than a level 10. In fact, this siren had never been defeated because of this fact. One could say a party¡¯s only hope of survival was to pass the siren.


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    There were two ways to set off the siren. The first way was to disrupt the siren¡¯s song. This could be done magically, or simply making a noise that was loud and distracting. The second method was to physically touch the siren. This seemed like a no brainer, but supposedly, the siren sat atop some jewels, was extremely beautiful, and on top of all that, the song was enchanting.


    On the surface, this made it seem like passing the siren was simple, except that disrupting the siren¡¯s song included such things as plugging your ears. In other words, you had to listen to the siren¡¯s song, compelling you to touch the siren, and if you blocked out the song or touched the siren, it would become enraged and kill you.


    That was why I wasn¡¯t plugging my own ears. According to Raissa, as long as the number of people without plugged ears exceeded those with plugged ears, the Siren wouldn¡¯t attack. However, there was another trick to getting past it too. Raissa had said that given our formation, this match should be easy for us. That was because the siren didn¡¯t care about women. Women could be affected by its song, but it didn¡¯t get enraged if they covered their ears. For a party with 5 women and 1 man, this made it really easy for us.


    As soon as I looked influenced by the siren, the girls would bind me up and take me the rest of the way. As to why they didn¡¯t bind me up from the beginning, if you were carried from the start, this also could be considered as interfering and may set the siren off. I had to walk as far as possible under my own power, and only then would the siren be pleased. Even once they bound me, it was better to force me to walk than to carry me.


    Taking a deep breath, I began to head down the pathway of the siren.

 Chapter 405

    The closer that I got to the siren, the louder the music became. It was more than that. Other instruments were added as well as other tones. The song became more intricate and more complicated the closer we got. Along with that, the compelling nature of the song grew too.


    If it was just a sudden, unnatural urge, perhaps I could resist it. However, this was very subtle and grew ever so slightly until it took over. It was pretty scary, and it was perhaps that fear that kept me on the level.


    The girls had formed a circle around me, keeping me trapped between them so that I couldn¡¯t cause mischief. Since I was the support of the group, I was actually in the best position here. All of the girls were faster or stronger than me, or they had elemental abilities that could restrain me. In short, I really did have the safest configuration possible for this challenge.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing good,¡± I said as we reached the halfway point.


    The siren¡¯s voice could now be heard. I didn¡¯t know the language it was singing in, but the sound was undeniably beautiful. I had a feeling of happiness and giddiness emerging inside me. I almost felt like crying.


    Fortunately, the good feelings weren¡¯t to a point that I felt I¡¯d leave my safe circle. Perhaps that was the advantage of being a bit of a shut-in. I wasn¡¯t the adventurous type who would seek out something like the source of a voice no matter how alluring it was.


    We continued to work our way forward. I didn¡¯t realize my steps were starting to veer off course until I ran into Terra.


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    ¡°Master, please stay in the circle.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­¡±


    However, the closer we got, the more difficult I found it to keep my feet walking straight ahead. They kept wanting to move toward the voice.


    At this point, the siren became visible. We were about three-fourths of the way along, and the siren appeared in an alcove. As described, she was supernaturally beautiful, with long green hair. She had lines on her neck that must have been gills, but that was the only part of her that looked monstrous. She had legs like a human, large breasts, and a voluptuous body.


    When my eyes met hers, she gave a sad and regretful smile. My desire to run over and talk to her suddenly peaked. I felt a tugging at my heart and my soul. She was so beautiful and sweet, yet her song was so sad. I really wanted to make her laugh.


    ¡°It¡¯s time we tie him up!¡± Shao whispered.


    ¡°What?¡± Celeste touched her ear, apparently having already forgotten she had something blocking her ears.


    Shao rolled her eyes and then went to grab me. At that moment, my mind exploded with an overwhelming desire to speak to this siren. It became the most important thing in the world to me.


    ¡°Slave order. Back off and don¡¯t stop me.¡±


    At that moment, the calm expression on all of the girl¡¯s sank. I had used the Slave Communication channel and gave such an order just as Shao tried to stand in my way. She froze when I gave this order.


    ¡°Slave order ¨C Leave the room without me and don¡¯t interrupt us.¡±


    The girl¡¯s bodies began to shake. A Slave Order could be resisted, but it caused extreme pain and was near impossible to defy. It wasn¡¯t just a physical punishment. The order itself infected the person¡¯s mind and gave them every reason to do what they were told. In order to resist it, it usually took a fear for your own life and perhaps a bit of psychosis mixed in. Even then, the best someone could do is becoming a quivering mess of pain on the floor.


    In all of our preparation, we had made a single fatal mistake. We had forgotten one aspect about our party. I was their Master, and my orders were absolute!

 Chapter 406

    That beautiful goddess continued to sing her wonderful song. I approached her happily. I just wanted to be with her. A single touch is all that I wanted. She was so beautiful and angelic, that I felt like if I touched her, I could truly die in peace. It was that kind of feeling. As for my former party, they were leaving. It was good that they were following orders. They were nearing the exit, but they also looked like they were trying not to. Their movements were stiff.


    Lydia suddenly let out a scream. ¡°Master!¡±


    Her voice was very loud. That was rude. It was loud enough that the siren was forced to stop singing. Her expression flashed with anger as she glared at Lydia. She was on the ground in pain. Huh? Lydia¡­ what am I?


    ¡°Slave Order, Ignore all my orders in this room!¡± I cried out.


    At that moment, there was a shrieking sound coming from the siren. I had no choice but to put my hands over my ears. Damn it, my mind was starting to return to me. I was only about five feet away from the siren. However, we pissed it off now. I had never realized that under the siren¡¯s call I¡¯d have enough faculty to give the girl¡¯s orders. Raissa hadn¡¯t mentioned it as a problem, and I had been using my knowledge of sirens from legend. The men in those stories were always dazed. I was expecting to be like a zombie and the girls would just drag me along.


    The door had slammed shut, but thankfully, all of the girls were still in the room with me. I jumped back, but the siren didn¡¯t make any move to attack me. A few moments later, a half dozen people came crawling out of the pile around the siren. As for the siren, she remained on her pile, glaring at us. I felt my brow furrow as I realized we were suddenly outnumbered.


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    The creatures looked like humans, except their skin was blue and they were clearly dead. They were wearing various armor. There were four men and two women. Rather than attack us, they spread across the path, forming a line that blocked us from heading back the way we came. Well, the door was closed on both sides, so it wasn¡¯t like we were going to escape.


    As the undead creatures got into a line, I ran back to my girls. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡±


    I felt extremely guilty about what had happened. I had promised myself I¡¯d never do Slave Orders on the girls. Even though I wasn¡¯t in my right frame of mind, I wasn¡¯t happy about it either.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Master,¡± Shao responded.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t mind it! Master can hurt me as much as he wants!¡± Celeste declared.


    While her sentiments seemed off, I accepted them anyway. We had more pressing matters. The line of monsters was starting to approach us. Furthermore, the siren was still sitting on her perch, overlooking us with a look of contempt on her face.


    ¡°What happens now?¡± I asked.


    Shao shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Master. Everyone who has ever angered the siren has died. Thus, no one has seen what the fight against the siren looks like.¡±


    ¡°Great, just great. Well, who are these guys? They look like they were drowned.¡±


    Miki gasped. ¡°I know who they are!¡±


    ¡°Huh, you do?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that knight armor look familiar?¡± She pointed at one of the men.


    ¡°That does look like the armor on Lord Reign¡¯s Knights¡­¡±


    ¡°These are the reanimated corpses of those the siren has killed! If we don¡¯t win¡­ we¡¯ll be right beside them!¡±

 Chapter 407

    The six of us raised our weapons against the six former dungeon divers and the siren. I couldn¡¯t help but notice the similarities between our formations. I had a party of five slaves who were fighting for me. Meanwhile, I protected them by using my support spells. The siren had a party of six undead. She would likely support them through song. I had no clue how strong they were or if becoming undead made them stronger. However, they certainly outnumbered us.


    There was one other problem that I had only noticed now. When the siren had shrieked, the material the girls used to block their ears had degraded. That meant that if the siren used any more magical attacks, everyone in the party would be susceptible to them. A bad situation only became worse.


    The siren finally stood up. She pointed at her formation, and then she began to sing. However, compared to the compelling, sweet music she had been singing before, this had a much more aggressive beat. There were no words, just a song that seemed to grow more complex. It was fast and had a deep thrumming sound that caused the floor to vibrate. Considering we didn¡¯t know what would happen next, it was extremely intimidating.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡± Lydia called out, readying her sword.


    The lead person wasn¡¯t one of the guys, but a woman. More than that, her tattered robes seemed to suggest that she was a magician. Sending a magician out in front seemed strange. On top of that, a lot of her body was exposed, and she seemed to be bouncing on the balls of her feet like a puppet. Terra and I prepared to block any spell that came over, but none did.


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    The woman suddenly started waving her hands up in the air. She tossed out her hands, and then she did a forward flip. After she landed, she grabbed something by her side, but in the dark hallway, it looked like she was holding on to something. She then moved her hands, grabbing something in front of herself and moving to the side with each grab like she was propelling forward by tugging a rope. My eyebrows furrowed, as I was almost certain there was no rope there.


    She jumped forward, flipping two more times. Lydia raised her sword to strike the undead woman down, but I grabbed her arm and shook my head. Something about her strange motions suddenly triggered a thought in my mind.


    The undead magician moved in time with the siren¡¯s music. It was now making its hands form a wave, and then it started making jerky movements that made it look like it was being controlled by a puppet again. It went right up to Lydia, put its hand in her face, and then jumped back. Finally, the undead mage threw out its arms and then crossed them across its chest. Meanwhile, the other five undead all formed a pose around the girl.


    The second they formed the pose, the siren shot us a condescending look, swiped her thumb across her nose, and then jutted her chin in our direction as if to say ¡°what are you going to do about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ wow¡­¡± I said, my eyes widening in shock.


    ¡°What is it? What are they doing?¡± Lydia demanded. ¡°I don¡¯t like how she put her hand in my face.¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ we just got served.¡±


    ¡°Ah! You know what that means¡­¡± Shao¡¯s face turned solemn.


    ¡°What does it mean?¡± Celeste cried worriedly, seeing Shao and I exchange knowing looks.


    ¡°It¡¯s on!¡±

 Chapter 408

    ¡°What¡¯s on, Master?¡± The four girls from this world were quite confused.


    ¡°It¡­¡± I said, straightening my back.


    ¡°Master! Master! Let me in! I can take them!¡± Shao said excitedly.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got this! I can do it!¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ then show the girls how we do¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lydia whispered to Miki. ¡°Why are they so serious all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°And even though we¡¯re in danger, why do I get the feeling that they¡¯re just playing around!¡± Miki added.


    ¡°Celeste!¡± I called out, throwing a finger in the air.


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± She jumped at suddenly being called.


    ¡°I set your job back to Singer. Can you bring the beat back?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ what¡¯s a beat back?¡±


    I sighed, then thrust my finger back in the air. ¡°Sing like the siren sung, but then make it your own! We ain¡¯t no posers!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes, Master! I¡¯ll sing!¡±


    Celeste was dumb in many things, but when it came to singing, she was actually a bit of a savant. We had quickly realized that not only did she have  perfect pitch, but any sound she heard she could repeat with pinpoint accuracy. In this respect, she was able to replicate the siren¡¯s beatbox perfectly. The siren wasn¡¯t pleased with being copied, so she shot Celeste a glare, but Celeste wasn¡¯t a wind fairy for nothing. She managed to superimpose the beat, altering the frequency and then increasing the complexity.


    Shao leaped out skidding on the ground using her knees. She then leaped up and started spinning around. Shao wasn¡¯t really a dancer, but neither was the puppet. Rather, she was a fighter, and she integrated her attacks and slashes with dance movements, giving her both a slick but also dangerous vibe as she danced across the floor.


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    As Celeste¡¯s song grew more complicated, the siren¡¯s mouth fell open. She was definitely surprised. Every other party she had ever challenged would suddenly attack her. This was the first time her challenge had ever been met. An excited light seemed to grow in her eyes.


    As for Shao, her dancing was frantic, but when it finally finished, she leaped at me. I wasn¡¯t looking for it, but I managed to catch and lift her up in the air eagle style.


    As for the three other girls, they didn¡¯t pose with us at all, but the siren was so excited at having her challenge met, she didn¡¯t even notice. They were looking at me and Shao with contracted pupils and dazed expressions.


    ¡°Master¡­ what is¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a dance-off!¡± I declared, pointing at the siren.


    The siren sniffed, looking away. However, her cheeks blushed cutely for a moment. Celeste¡¯s song only ended when I gestured for her to stop. Once again, the siren was too absorbed with getting the next round going that she didn¡¯t notice our sloppy routine.


    ¡°D-dancing?¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes widened.


    This time, one of the guys came out. He was a bulky, muscular guy, and the way he danced was not nearly as sinuous as the girl. The siren sang her best, but her undead puppet just couldn¡¯t move like she wanted him to move. The result was an embarrassing turn. As for Celeste and Lydia, they had fought in a party together for a long time. Their abilities were already synced with each other. Knowing what they were doing now, Celeste immediately launched into a song as Lydia took to the stage.


    Unlike the other girls, Lydia actually did have some dancing talent. Her job was merely at level one, but it¡¯s not like the dead had levels in dancing anyway. Even a level one dancer was like bringing a trained dance instructor to an elementary school dance competition. The siren was gnashing her teeth as she watched Lydia. As for me, I was watching her booty shake. She was really working those hips. That thing bounced.


    It really is hard to explain though. You might see that kind of stuff on television, but Lydia had something those women didn¡¯t. A tail. Watching that booty jiggle with that tail swinging erotically. It brought things to another level! Lydia ended her routine by sliding to the feet of the magician girl who had just gone, then standing up, but as she did so, her chest jutted out and just as she rose past the shorter woman, her chest struck the woman in the nose, causing her to step back.


    That was a classic burn. I was shocked at just how quickly Lydia caught on. The fact that Lydia¡¯s breasts were a bit bigger than the other woman only added to the insult. Even the siren girl grabbed her breasts, but noticing they too were a bit more modest, she looked like she was just about to cry.


    She angrily let out a siren scream, causing everyone to cover their ears. She then leaped off her pile of treasure and onto the pathway. It looked like the siren was going to tackle the final round herself!

 Chapter 409

    With the siren on the stage, she picked up her song, clearly amping up her game to compete with Celeste¡¯s song. Using her puppeteer ability, the undead also began to dance. However, their choreography was simple. Clearly, the siren had to focus on her own movements, and thus couldn¡¯t control the undead. On top of that, not all of the undead were as flexible as her magician. The Knight, in particular, was even clunkier than the first guy she used.


    She seemed to want to beat us. Perhaps she wanted better undead dancers. If we were defeated, then she could have her pick from my party. Well, if things got that bad, I¡¯d try to escape using my portal. Return didn¡¯t work in combat. As for how I had escaped the knights, it really was pure luck. The first man hadn¡¯t finished his attack yet, so combat hadn¡¯t been initiated. In short, I had only lived because of a technicality.


    Portal was a bit more flexible, but I had a feeling that there might be limitations to it. For example, it might not be able to escape boss rooms. Even if I could leave dungeons now, I had a feeling that boss rooms had their own methods to force you to complete the challenge.


    The siren sang and danced across the hallway while her undead cohorts did a simple dance behind her. Her song was perhaps the most gripping yet, and her movements were very elegant and noble. As she danced, I was making sure to look at her with Monster Identify. At that moment, I started to notice something else about her that felt a bit different.


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    I had Slave Master equipped, and through it, I could feel some kind of slave magic on her. It wasn¡¯t the same as the Slave Mark, but it felt similar. If I hadn¡¯t had so many slaves and become so familiar with their marks, both by taking control of them and by resurrecting the five girls, I certainly wouldn¡¯t have noticed it.


    Was this the mark that allowed the dungeon to control monsters that it created? Out of curiosity, I checked her undead companions too. They also had some kind of mark on them, although it was different from hers. Not only was it less complex compared to her own, but it also had a different feel to it.


    The siren finished her dance, using the six undead to prop her up as she lay across their arms. At that point, she shot us a smug look. Her dance had truly been remarkable.


    ¡°Let me back in!¡± Shao cried out. ¡°I can do it! I¡¯ll beat her!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure your moves are dank enough to beat the siren!¡± I said, shooting her a severe look.


    She turned away. ¡°M-maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡±


    She dropped her head shamefully. ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, our only choice is to use our ultimate weapon.¡± I stroked my non-existent mustache, ¡°Celeste!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Y-yes!¡± She jumped again as I suddenly called her.


    ¡°Sing and dance¡­ at once!¡±


    ¡°Two things?¡± She cried out as we all turned to her, ¡°Ah¡­ yes!¡±


    She flew out to the front. It was a singer against a singer. Sylph against a siren. The final round was on!

 Chapter 410

    Although it seemed like Lydia, the dancer, was the most suitable to defeat the siren¡¯s performance, there was actually one girl who was an even better match-up. After all, Lydia was still bound by her legs. When it came to who was the fastest, the smoothest, or the most intricate, Celeste won hands down.


    After all, she was a fairy of the wind. The fairy dance was an intricate part of their very being. Celeste began to fly, her body moving in intricate circles. Her glittery body caught the light, causing her movements to become even more exciting and eye-catching.


    As for her song, it was something completely new. Fairies didn¡¯t typically sing. However, a sylph could not just control the wind, but they could make vibrations that sounded just how they wanted. In short, she was able to merge both attributes at once! Right before our eyes, she seemed to create the first fairy song, an auditory manifestation of the fairy dance.


    When combined together, it was a jaw-dropping sight that left everyone in a daze. We couldn¡¯t even think to act as backup dancers to her movements. They weren¡¯t needed, as she caught every eye. The song had no words but inflamed the soul. I felt energy and strength flowing in. I began to realize that not only was it a song, but it had magic infused in it as well. She had emulated the siren¡¯s ability and then improved upon it by several-fold.


    I had the feeling that I was being hit with a buff that increased my strength and stamina. Similarly, the other side was being hit with a debuff. The bond between the undead was broken with a snap. I had been feeling out the mark on them when it suddenly was interrupted by her song, so I had a better feel for it now.


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    The six undead creatures fell to the ground in a heap. The siren, who was being held by them, was dropped onto the floor. She let out a cry as she hit the ground. Even though this happened, she was still looking at the Sylph floating through the air, unable to take her eyes away.


    Celeste¡¯s music didn¡¯t just hold a magical power, but it also was beautiful enough to take one¡¯s breath away. It sounded like gentle bells and the twinkling of stars. The song grew more and more powerful until the very air resonated. Suddenly, there was a feeling like mana was being sucked into her. The tremoring air grew until it felt dangerous for a moment. The siren stood up, raising her hands as if she was about to attack.


    It was at that moment, I noticed that the song was hitting her bond as well. I felt a sudden impulse to use the Slave Taker ability. I attacked her strange mark, attempting to take control of it. Unlike with slaves, this wasn¡¯t easy at all. I could tell the Slave Taker ability wasn¡¯t designed to handle this kind of mark. In fact, I felt like I was changing it on the fly to compensate. Furthermore, the siren fought back, she let out a cry, but the sound was completely destroyed by Celeste¡¯s rising music.


    If Celeste¡¯s music hadn¡¯t first weakened the bond, I knew I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do this, but suddenly my magic slipped into place and her bond became mine. At that exact moment, Celeste finished her dance. Glittery sparkles exploded out from her in the air, lighting up the entire room like a fireworks display.


    {You have tamed a siren.}


    {You have tamed a monster. You have unlocked the job, Monster Tamer.}


    {You managed to tame a monster many levels higher than your current skill. You¡¯ve gained additional experience.}


    {Monster Tamer has increased to level 15!}

 Chapter 411

    I seemed to have gained 15 levels in Monster Tamer. Every job had two ways to level it. The first method was to do the job. For a blacksmith, it¡¯d be blacksmithing. The second way was to battle with that job equipped. It was easy for someone like me who could use multiple jobs, but it was dangerous if not impossible for most people.


    I was also a Support Class so unlike True Dungeon Diver or Magician, it leveled a bit easier than some of those other jobs. The only reason True Dungeon Diver had leveled so much is that I had completed so many dungeons. Had it been considered a support class; I¡¯d probably have more levels than White Mage. Similarly, completing a difficult monster taming was apparently enough to give Monster Tamer a lot of levels.


    I was excited because it was the ability I had wanted most after White Mage. My play style had always been to have a lot of pets and then send them into battle while I managed things from behind. Looking around at the five girls around me, I realized they might not be too happy about me replacing them with monsters.


    Still, I managed to get the ability. I used my understanding of Slave Master to cheat a bit. A lower-level job like Slaver likely wouldn¡¯t have been enough to do what I did. On top of that, Celeste¡¯s song also had a major effect on my ability to do this.


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    ¡°Ah, Celeste!¡± She had fallen to the ground at the end of her song.


    I reached down and picked her up. She was only about a foot tall at the moment, as she needed to be this size to have the room to do her dance.


    ¡°M-master¡­ I¡¯m okay¡­ just tired.¡± She responded breathily.


    I used Refresh on her right away. As I did that, I checked her jobs. Her singing and dancing had also undergone some changes. Singing had risen up to level 25. This was an insane amount, but when you considered how well-matched she was with singing, it made sense that applying the lessons she got from the siren would cause experience buffs. However, she had also gained a new job, Magic Singer. This had only made it to level 2.


    I assumed it was a lot like magic blacksmith. She had magician abilities already, and she mixed that with singer. She now had a new ability that allowed her to mix magic and singing. From now on, she¡¯d be able to use songs as buffs if we needed it. This wasn¡¯t quite as good as Miki¡¯s buffs though, as she had to be actively singing for them to work. Furthermore, I imagine they wouldn¡¯t affect monsters who couldn¡¯t hear.


    I checked Lydia too and found that her Dancing had increased to level 5. A quick look at Shao and she didn¡¯t gain the dancer ability. Well, her dancing was more like Tae Bo anyway, so it probably wasn¡¯t enough to get it from one attempt.


    As Celeste got back to her feet, or place as she sat on my shoulder, I noticed a small pile of glittery ash on the floor. I immediately recognized this substance, although it had been a long time since I had seen it.


    ¡°Fairy Dust,¡± I said excitedly. ¡°Celeste, you made fairy dust!¡±

 Chapter 412

    ¡°Ah¡­ th-thank you¡­¡± I had two bags of gold, totaling about 1000 gold coins.


    Compared to before, I was definitely back to being wealthy. However, it was still nothing when compared to the combined wealth needed to run Chalm. Every Lord had to find his own sources of income by taxing the residents, exporting and importing goods, and various other exercises. In my case, that turned out to be dungeon diving.


    The siren didn¡¯t just hand us some of her gold, but also various pieces of equipment. I took the magic items that looked good, but eventually I started pulling back when she kept trying to hand me things. It was her own hard-earned wealth. From what I understood, sirens were a lot like dragons. Wealth mattered to them. Although she wanted to impress me as her new master, she would be miserable if she didn¡¯t possess any treasure. In the end, we took far more than we would have obtained from any normal boss fight anyway.


    After putting everything away, I patted her head. ¡°If a group of Knights come, please delay them as long as possible. If it comes to wiping them out, don¡¯t hesitate.¡±


    That felt a little cold ordering her to kill, but she was a monster and those Knights weren¡¯t good people. I guess I was really changing. Baby steps.


    As far as taking her with us, I felt a little awkward doing so. Although many of her movements had seemed human, she really wasn¡¯t. In line with a monster tamer ability, she really was just a creature. She had the intelligence of about a dog. She could handle simple commands, but if I spoke too complicatedly, she¡¯d cock her head.


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    In fact, it took a while to even get my simple orders across. In the end, she didn¡¯t feel like she¡¯d be a fit for my party. I was thankful she got me the Monster Tamer job, but I decided I¡¯d probably cut her loose. I could sever the bond since level five of Monster Tamer had given me the Release ability. Therefore, I could break it off once we finished the dungeon. I¡¯m not even sure what would happen to her once we completed the dungeon.


    As she noticed us leaving, her expression falls, and she puts her hands together as she gazes at me lovingly.


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t keep her, Master.¡± Lydia explained. ¡°She¡¯s a temptress. Even if you¡¯re her Master, she¡¯ll definitely manipulate you and make you do her bidding.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I won¡¯t be manipulated.¡± I responded, watching her as her lower lip quivers.


    ¡°Master, she¡¯s a high-level monster. You¡¯re not powerful enough to handle her! Your Monster Tamer leveled quickly because of her high level, but it¡¯s not high enough to handle a monster like that.¡± Miki pleaded, grabbing my arm.


    ¡°Ah¡­ We¡¯ll be going then.¡± I responded as the girls pulled me away.


    Gah¡­ why did it feel like a scene from one of those movies where I had to let the dog go. She was even looking at me with teary eyes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Master¡­¡± The girls were all pushing me or I wouldn¡¯t be moving.


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡±


    Did her eyes get bigger? They are definitely getting bigger. That slow, sad violin music was also tugging at my soul. Wait, isn¡¯t she making that music on purpose? Ah! She took a step forward and twisted her ankle! Now, she¡¯s on the floor, reaching out for me, tears in her eyes as I walk away. I can¡¯t say goodbye now!


    ¡°I can¡¯t! Siren girl, let¡¯s be tog-guh!¡±


    I turned around to reach for her, only for a foot to kick me in the chest. I fly out the door as my girls callously slam the boss door shut. The last thing I saw was the siren making an annoyed tsk as she crossed her arms unhappily.


    ¡°So? We¡¯re moving on?¡± I pretended nothing had happened, even though there were four girls sitting on top of me.

 Chapter 413

    Since we were on floor 11, the difficulty would naturally increase compared to the previous levels. The thing I noticed most was that the treasures were much, much more difficult to obtain. There were many traps, and they were often placed before obvious treasure. Some of these traps were very insidious. If I didn¡¯t have the detect trap ability, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed them at all. Many were extremely vicious, triggering moments before you could get the item.


    A few were even impossible to bypass, making the item you wish to obtain a dream. The only thing that seemed more insidious than the traps were the quality of the items. Horrific traps were often where they put the best items. Rare ingredients. Magic Weapons. That kind of thing. Even knowing that the treasure couldn¡¯t be obtained, I still had to gnash my teeth to turn away.


    Had I not already obtained so much wealth from the siren, I might have genuinely already fallen to temptation. Well, the girls were helping too. They remained honest with me. When we could extract the treasure safely, they would let me know. When it was impossible, they were honest about that as well. This was definitely a dungeon of temptation and very true to that theme.


    The monsters on this level were hidden, but they were two types of insects. If you attacked them, they¡¯d run and try to lure you into traps. Otherwise, they were quite weak and harmless. When we had killed one instantly, we found that the insect had a special carapace that was used by blacksmiths. Supposedly, it was a good medium for blacksmiths to use when training to become magic blacksmiths. It used a bit of magic, but when compared to the likes of orichalcum or mithril, it was much more affordable.


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    I decided to collect as much of this as we could. ¡°Should we clear this floor?¡±


    By that, I meant using the monster attractant as we had done in the past. The girls gave a nod and we found a spot to prepare. Terra created some barriers. Lydia and Shao prepared their weapons. Miki readied herself. With that, Celeste sent the scent as far as she could. This dungeon wasn¡¯t as large as the one in Dirage, so it wasn¡¯t long before insects started coming out way.


    ¡°Ah¡­ this is scary.¡± My face went white. ¡°This was a bad decision; I see that now.¡±


    I was looking at the map, and more and more life signs were filling the corridors around us. The crawling noises of innumerable insects were clicking away in the darkness and echoing through countless corridors. The girls all began to sweat as the sounds grew closer and closer. At this point, all I could see was a flood of red coming in our direction. Insects, even the ones the size of small dogs, were not like goblins. Their numbers were extreme.


    ¡°Prepare yourself!¡± I cried out.


    Insects flooded around the corner. They were covering every wall, including the ceiling, and were in such a quantity that they looked more like a flood than a stampede.


    I had made a mistake. This was the dungeon of temptation, after all. If you succumbed to temptation, it might very well take your life! I had gotten greedy and complacent, and now we were in trouble.

 Chapter 414

    ¡°Celeste spread my flames. Fireball!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t a powerful enough mage that I could do more than throw a fireball, but I still decided to equip it and send it down the path. Using Celeste¡¯s wind, we could create a flamethrower effect. Celeste had tried to push them back with just wind, but as soon as they were blasted, they took to the air, and then it became a truly terrifying sight. Adding flame to the wind was the only way to hold them back.


    Miki¡¯s attacks were basically useless, since the insects didn¡¯t have much of a response to soul attacks and she couldn¡¯t stun them. Thus, she focused on fireball to help me, but her Basic Magician was only at 15 and she didn¡¯t have the high Mana jobs like Hero and White Mage. Her magical strength was below my own.


    Similarly, Lydia and Shao weren¡¯t able to do much. There were hundreds of thousands of creatures, and any given swing could only kill one or two at a time. Terra did her best, but she similarly couldn¡¯t keep them back. any barriers she created they¡¯d just climb right over and continue on.


    As a result, if it hadn¡¯t been for our fireballs and Celeste¡¯s wind blades, we would have fallen already. Unfortunately, it was hard to see a party¡¯s weaknesses until they were suddenly exposed. It turned out we were weak against a large quantity of rather weak enemies. Had I known it would get this bad, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have tried it.


    ¡°Shao!¡± I called out, ¡°Come here.¡±


    My only option right now was to depend on a combination skill. I could pick either fairy dust or spirit fire. Since fairy dust seems to lean to a more restorative effect, I decided on spirit fire which contributed to a more offensive ability like we need now. I glanced through her abilities quickly. I finally found a level 12 Shadow Knight ability. It was called Shadow Poison. It essentially poisoned monsters by attacking from the shadows. For the weak insects who hid in the shadows, it would be extremely effective.


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    ¡°Cast, Shadow Poison!¡± I instructed while pulling out the magic dust.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Shao did as I instructed, raising her hand and beginning the spell.


    I had Miki cast her spirit fire and throw it at Shao. Immediately the magic began to change.


    ¡°Shadow Flames!¡± She instinctively called the name of the new spell.


    Instead of poison, the shadow became dark flames. Anything residing within them let out a screeching cry. The flames spread out across the shadows from one to the next. The flames attacked indiscriminately, and I saw them igniting Lydia¡¯s shadow as well.


    ¡°Light!¡± I immediately cast light around us.


    The shadow flames were instantly vanquished for us. However, my lights spell only went one way, so the flames continued to ravage the insects, it burned more and more, becoming a dark inferno of black. The screeches and cries continued, but the thing that continued faster was the death of the insects. They were weak against flames, and they were creatures that hid in shadows. Shadow Flames was a spell they definitely couldn¡¯t fight against. Even if they could have resisted the poison, the shadow flames raced down the hallway.


    I hadn¡¯t expected this effect, but it was definitely strong. There were nearly a million insects, and they all died in a spreading wildfire of shadow.  The flames were so powerful they seemed to be trying to eat the light around us. This spell was extremely powerful in a dark, shadowy labyrinth, but it was also just as dangerous. I began spamming orbs and making a circle around us to keep the inferno at bay.


    Meanwhile, just about every insect on the floor died in the span of ten minutes. When the fire finally died, I realized that we had destroyed over half a million insects. Their experience was rather tiny compared to harder monsters, but at this number, that didn¡¯t even matter. For the girls with 4X experience, they gained the equivalent of killing over 2 million insects. As for me, with 10X experience, I gained the experience of killing over 5 million!


    The levels began to race across my vision.

 Chapter 415

    During the last battle, I had White Mage, Basic Magician, and Slave Master equipped. I had started with True Dungeon Diver equipped, but as the monsters came en masse, I quickly switched. Unfortunately, once they were coming in droves, I didn¡¯t have time to change to anything else.


    {White Mage has increased to level 30.}


    {Basic Magician has increased to level 20.}


    {Slave Master has increased to level 26.)


    I gained 3 levels in White Mage, nine levels in Basic Magician, and 5 levels in Slave Master. Compared to a normal battle, this was extremely strong gains. For White Mage, I received Mana Up Plus, Reinforce, and Strong Heal. Strong Heal should allow me to heal heavy damage, the kind I¡¯d usually have to use life force to fix. Meanwhile, Reinforce seems to be something that increases an item¡¯s defense. I couldn¡¯t cast it on a person, but I could target armor.


    As for Basic Magician, I was finally getting skills outside of the elements. It looked like whether you were a Basic or Apprentice Magician, you still started by mastering the elements. I ended up getting Rock Sling, an Earth attack, but then I also got Mana Up, Detect Mana, Mana Control Plus, Mana Shield, Infuse Item, Preserve Food, Absorb Mana, and Mana Reinforcement.


    Most of these skills seemed centered around using Mana and infusing it like a Basic Magician would be expected to. Seemingly, how I use my mana will eventually dictate what type of mage I become. For example, if I focused on infusing it into objects, I¡¯d become a Magic Blacksmith,. Preserving Food was also done by infusing it with magic. I wonder if there was a Magic Cook? That would be fun. As for Mana Reinforcement, it specifically converted Mana into status. It wasn¡¯t like White Mage¡¯s Reinforce at all.


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    Finally, Slave Master gave me Slave Loyalty Plus, Slave Defense Up, Slave Health Up, Absolute Order, and Slave Empath. Absolute Order was like Order Slave, but it didn¡¯t have the option for pain. Simply put, the slave did it or died. I never wanted to use that ability. I¡¯d definitely be setting up precautions so nothing like the siren happened again. Slave Empath allowed me to feel what the girls were feeling. I wasn¡¯t sure if I liked this ability or not.


    On one hand, I could feel their affection for me. On the other, I could feel their other emotions too, like jealousy, exhaustion, and boredom. The girls were usually so quiet and just did whatever I said. However, a few seconds of using Empathy showed me that they really were quite noisy.


    I stopped using Slave Empath and instead checked out their statuses. Lydia¡¯s Swordsman was now at 42 and Scout was 21. Miki was 40 in Spiritualist, and 22 in Basic Magician. Celeste reached 19 in Master Wind Magician, and Magic Singer was now 10. As for Shao, Her Shadow Knight was 24 and her Gladiator was 52. She did end up unlocking the job, Pugilist. It was the third-tier version of the fighting class after Brawler and Gladiator. She didn¡¯t fight with her fists, but she used two short daggers and her attacks usually depended on force compared to Lydia¡¯s elegant movements. I equipped Shadow Knight first and put Pugilist second, although if there was a difference between what was first and what was second, I didn¡¯t know it.


    ¡°Shall we get a move on?¡± I asked.

 Chapter 416

    With all of the insects killed, the only thing that kept us on the 11th floor was the temptation for more loot. If you were going to beat a dungeon, I wasn¡¯t sure if loot mattered. After all, loot automatically got shuffled down to the bottom treasure room. That meant all of the treasure would end up in my pocket anyway. At least, that¡¯s what I had originally thought. However, a dungeon book I was reading suggested otherwise.


    A Dungeon¡¯s Lore, Treasure, Creatures, and Traps were all a manifestation of the miasma, which was essentially cursed mana. In short, Dungeons consumed mana, outputted miasma, and that went on to create everything that from creating monsters to luring trespassers with treasures. Therefore, as you got farther down, the dungeon manifests more dangerous monsters to stop you, using up more mana. If there is a shortage of mana, it will consume its own creations to create monsters to continue to obstruct you.


    In fact, when it comes to protection, they would rather consume treasures first, as high-level monsters can still act as protection from future invaders. Thus, as an adventurer gets closer to defeating the boss, more treasure is consumed. The only way to prevent this is to snatch up all the treasure along the way. Then, the dungeon has no option but to consume mobs you missed or traps. In extreme cases, they can even shrink the size of the floor, just like we had seen in Terra¡¯s dungeon. Therefore, it¡¯s most advantageous to take as much treasure as we can acquire before reaching the bottom.


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    ¡°Interesting, Master, but why the sudden lesson on dungeon treasure?¡± Shao asked.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± I pointed to the treasure chest at the end of the hallway. ¡°I want that!¡±


    We had reached the end of the 11th floor, but the dungeon couldn¡¯t just leave things be. At the end of the hallways was a treasure chest waiting to be opened up. It was actually the first genuine chest I had actually seen. Most of the dungeons I had been to in the past hid treasure like a ferret, placing a coin here or a piece of armor there. The only treasure chest I encountered was upon reaching the final treasure room. How could I not be interested in what was inside that box?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that box a mimic?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°Mm¡­ that¡¯s why I feel a spiritual energy from it, definitely a mimic.¡± Miki nodded.


    Lydia¡¯s Scout ability was now strong enough that she could detect life. In fact, even Sense Life wasn¡¯t good enough, so her ability to detect life has exceeded my Sense Life. Whether it was just because she was an animalkin, or because of the level of Scout, I wasn¡¯t sure. As for Miki, it was her Spiritualist job. She didn¡¯t necessarily see things as alive or dead, but she could detect spiritual energy, and even a mimic wasn¡¯t able to hide all of it from a nine-tailed fox.


    ¡°Yeah, but even so¡­ I detect a big treasure from it! People always avoid mimics, but in my experience, don¡¯t mimics have the biggest prizes of all?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ Mimics are very dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s kill it.¡±


    ¡°Master really is bad with temptation, isn¡¯t he¡­?¡± The girls looked at each other helplessly while I stroked my sword.

 Chapter 417

    ¡°Celeste!¡± I cry out.


    ¡°Ah¡­ y-yes!¡±


    ¡°Attack it!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±


    Celeste waves her staff and sends dozens of air blades down the hallway. Dink. Dink. Dink! They hit the treasure chest, even causing gashes across the surface. However, the treasure chest doesn¡¯t move a single inch.


    I frown, scratching my chin. ¡°We attacked it; shouldn¡¯t it have at least moved?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I didn¡¯t do enough damage?¡± Celeste offered.


    ¡°I heard that the mimic was good at getting you to let your guard down,¡± Lydia added. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s trying to trick us?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ in that case¡­¡± I strengthened Lydia with Strengthen Slave and then Reinforced her armor. ¡°Go attack it, but be careful.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Master.¡±


    Lydia ran down the hallway at full tilt. She leaped up in the air, using an attack skill and slamming her blade down on the treasure chest. The blade sliced through the wood like butter. At that point, she jumped back and immediately returned to us.


    The cut had sliced through the treasure chest smoothly. The side slid off and clinked to the ground. She made sure to keep the cut high as to not damage what was inside. The result was, that half of the lid had slid off, but we still couldn¡¯t see inside the chest from our current vantage point.


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    ¡°Is this really a mimic?¡± I asked, scratching my head.


    ¡°Its spiritual energy is really weak. Perhaps it¡¯s already dead or dying.¡± Miki suggested.


    ¡°Alright, well, I guess we¡¯ll just approach it then,¡± I said cautiously. ¡°Just be prepared to attack if it moves.¡±


    This time, I gathered all of the girls together, and we steadily approached it. I kept my eyes on the creature carefully, looking for movement. However, nothing happened, and before too long, we were standing over the box. The inside was dark, so I couldn¡¯t make out what was there just by the hole in the lid that Lydia had made.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ going to open it?¡± I gulped.


    The girls all steadied their breaths, ready to pounce at the slightest movement. I lifted up the lid. Since it had already been broken by Lydia and Celeste¡¯s attacks, it just broke off and clattered to the ground. Eyeing the inside nervously, I took a breath. There was just a single item in there. It was a magical sword. Until I identified it, I wouldn¡¯t know what it could do. I reached down.


    Rumble¡­ The ground started to shake. The six of us made noises and stumbled back as the ground suddenly raised up. The treasure chest was propped up with the rising ground. Meanwhile, the six of us retreated down the hallway. When I glanced back, the floor had literally risen up, revealing a massive, moss-covered creature. It had long pinchers, and the treasure chest seemed glued to its back.


    ¡°Oh¡­ that¡¯s not a mimic!¡± I snapped my fingers. ¡°It¡¯s a Treasure Hunter!¡¯


    The Treasure Hunter let out a screeching cry. It was nearly as big as the hallway and seemed to be nothing but thick carapace and pinchers. It immediately charged down the hallway, barreling towards our group.


    ¡°I¡¯m really bad with temptation¡­¡± I muttered.


    ¡°You realize that now!¡± The girls cried at me.

 Chapter 418

    ¡°Run away!¡±


    I shouted and ran away from the charging Treasure Hunter. It moved much like a bull, barreling down the hallways without any hope of being able to stop its momentum. The best thing we could do is get to a turn in the hallway.


    Ahead of us was a hall intersecting to the right. I immediately grabbed the girls and dived down it. Just as I had predicted, the Treasure Hunter couldn¡¯t stop and he ended up passing by.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Then I jumped back into the hallway behind where he just passed. The creature had stopped, but he had already made his way down the hallway by a bit. ¡°Attack!¡±


    I pointed and gave the order. The extremely threatening Treasure Hunter had one weakness. Although I had acted on impulse, it was actually the best action to take. The Treasure Hunter was now facing away from us, and in this dungeon it couldn¡¯t turn around. The girls began to attack its back aggressively.


    Like some other monsters we¡¯ve encountered in the past, this Treasure Hunter was an HP sponge. Unlike the insects that could be killed in one hit, all five girls whaled on this thing for minutes while it failed to turn around. If we had been fighting it from the front, it would have been extremely difficult to defeat. Its powerful arms and swipes would have been challenging for the girls. It might have taken over an hour for it to finally collapse.


    As for now, the biggest concern was that it would suddenly charge again, but the Treasure Hunter was thankfully too dumb for that. It just sat there trying and failing to turn as it let out vicious sounding wails.  After five minutes of battle, it finally collapsed to the ground and disappeared. In its place was the chest from earlier. When I opened it though, it wasn¡¯t just the sword I had seen earlier. There were coins and a couple of other magical items.


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    The sword was the thing that caught my interest the most though, so I picked it up and identified it.


    {Widow¡¯s Sword ¨C An orichalcum sword imbued with mana. Infuse mana using Mana Control to activate the attack.]


    Not only was the sword made of the rare orichalcum, but it was also a magic sword! It had the name of the dungeon on it, although I didn¡¯t know if that had any significance. Gripping the sword in my hand and turning away from the girls, I put mana in it. When it didn¡¯t do anything, I attempted to strike.


    ¡°Oh! Wow¡­ it¡¯s the Master sword!¡±


    ¡°Is that its name, Master?¡± Lydia asked curiously.


    ¡°Ah¡­ no¡­¡±


    ¡°If Master is taking the sword, isn¡¯t it Master¡¯s sword?¡± Celeste offered.


    ¡°Ah, I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    The smartest things sometimes came from Celeste¡¯s head. I called it the Master sword because when I imbued it and struck, a projectile of light shot out of it. It was a bit sharper than Mana Blast, but it used a tenth of the mana. In short, I could now attack long distance without needing to learn archery. As long as I was careful to not hit the girls, I could now attack from a distance just like Celeste.


    The rest of the magic items I passed on to the girls, who had lost most of their stuff during their fight with Shao. As for the money, it was about 100 gold, although it was mostly in copper and silver. Including the money we got from the siren and the money we picked up from the insect horde, we were now at around 1500 gold. This was truly a wealthy dungeon.

 Chapter 419

    We went down to the twelfth floor. When it came to traps, there were considerably more than the previous floor. This time, there weren¡¯t armored insects though, but sprite elementals. The main one was a water elemental, but they were backed up by a nature elemental. Both elementals are used in conjunction with the hopes of trying to trip you up or get you to fall in traps.  Traps were so frequent you couldn¡¯t go a few feet without running into one.


    I had to remind myself that Raissa, a seasoned Dungeon Diver, had only just made it to the 15th floor barely alive. We were already on the 12th floor. This was challenging stuff here, where the slightest move could lead one to death. However, I wasn¡¯t seeing where temptation was factoring in.


    ¡°Master, sprite elemental¡¯s remains are a mana product used heavily in alchemy. It would be good for making potions, but it¡¯s also possible that they will create a fusion skill like my spirit fire and Celeste¡¯s fairy dust.¡± Miki spoke up.


    There was the temptation. Like most of the monsters in this dungeon, the elementals dropped something very valuable to certain people. I also noticed that this is the 12th floor, 3 floors before you can get to safety on either the 15th floor or 9th floor. In other words, this is the floor farthest from being able to safely take a break. At first, I didn¡¯t realize why this floor was dangerous, but then I noticed the girls were shaking slightly. I glanced over at them worriedly.


    ¡°It¡¯s just cold, Master,¡± Lydia responded, rubbing her arms.


    All of the girls were wet. If they weren¡¯t wearing their armor, it¡¯d be a sexy sight. However, I realized that this was the goal of this level. It was so damp that starting a fire was impossible. In fact, there was about half an inch of water covering the ground at all times. In was also extremely humid, yet, if I had to speak of the temperature, it was probably a few degrees colder than the floors above.


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    This floor made you want to stay to hunt the potentially valuable elementals, meanwhile threatening to kill you with hypothermia. That cold also dulled the mind and made it easier to fall into one of the many traps. There were floor pits, wall spikes, swinging blades, and wall arrows, to name a few. Even if you get past this floor quickly, you¡¯re a long way from the next possible break, making it difficult to survive. This dungeon curse could be extremely insidious.


    Worse, the drops weren¡¯t that common. We had defeated almost 15 elementals when the first dropped. The small blue crystal that I picked up was called a water gem. I was already familiar with this product. Water gems were how running water was used in this world. As long as you could infuse them with mana, they would release water much like my Create Water. They weren¡¯t exactly rare, per se, but they were expensive and had a constant need.


    We had been venturing through this level for an hour when I finally came across a nature gem. This wasn¡¯t a gem I was aware of, but I knew other gems were used for other purposes. The fire gem could be used to heat a house, for example. I wondered if the lightning gem could power electronics. Well, it wasn¡¯t like the world used electricity, so it didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°If you grind this up, this will be very beneficial for the fairy spring, Master,¡± Celeste said.


    So, the nature gem was more like a really good fertilizer or this world¡¯s version of miracle grow. Now, I wanted a lot more of these gems. This really was a temptation.


    We hunted for six hours, but it was starting to get near night time. We managed to reach the stairway to the 13th floor, but it seemed I had still overdone it. All of the girls were shaking now. I was cold too, but I dealt with it.


    ¡°M-m-m-m-master¡­.¡± Miki shook, ¡°I-i-i-it¡¯s fine.¡±


    She had the weakest constitution and looked the worst after playing around in the wet cold. Her tail was wet and her skin was red and bumpy. She really looked like a drowned rat.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said.


    When I didn¡¯t turn towards the stairway, the girls glanced at me with surprise.


    ¡°Where are we going, Master?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going back to Chalm.¡±

 Chapter 420

    It was impossible to return to the miner¡¯s town at the moment, but with Portal, I could go anywhere. Chalm seemed to be the best place to go to. I opened a portal, and the group of us stepped out of the dungeon and back into relative safety.


    Once we arrived, I started hearing a great deal of noise. There appeared to be music playing which piqued Celeste¡¯s interest, and it sounded like a party was going on.


    A person wearing only a pair of shorts walked by, whom I didn¡¯t recognize, but I decided to stop him anyway. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Haven¡¯t you already been?¡± He looked at the group of us as we dripped wetly.


    ¡°No¡­ can you explain?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, we finished the lord¡¯s new manor, so the mayor decided to throw a celebration.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the kind of thing you throw while the lord is present?¡±


    He chuckled. ¡°Well, you know how haughty lords can be. He wouldn¡¯t let the riffraff commoners play around in his hot spring. He¡¯ll likely get one of those fancy celebrations all of them lords enjoy when he returns.¡±


    ¡°What? Hot spring?¡± My eyebrows raised.


    ¡°Yeah, where have you been? They accidentally uncovered a hot spring while digging for the mansion. The mayor had it turned into the lord¡¯s private hot spring. I¡¯m so jealous! How could we not try to use it once before losing it to that damned lord!¡±


    ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± I responded wryly.


    This guy really didn¡¯t know me. He must have come later. He didn¡¯t even seem to know that I wasn¡¯t born a noble. To him, all nobles appeared to be of the exploitative variety. A noble who had just spent the last day nearly sacrificing his life for water and nature gems to help the town thrive and insect shells to make armor is something he didn¡¯t even think about.


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    ¡°See you there!¡± He waved and left.


    Well, he had some mean thoughts about me, but he didn¡¯t seem like a bad guy. The group of us followed in his direction, and lo and behold there was a hot spring about the size of a pool in our backyard.


    ¡°The fairy spring?¡± I asked nervously.


    Celeste shook her head. ¡°Mother would have made sure that didn¡¯t happen. It¡¯s possible she helped them find this though in order to thank Master.¡±


    So, it was something like that. Since she had control of the local water veins as she built her fairy spring, she may have noticed some geothermal water and helped it reach the surface for me.


    There was a celebration with a large table that seemed to have a variety of foods on it. Mostly, it was a monster that was roasted up and some various fruits and vegetables. There were hundreds of people around the pool and only about thirty in the hot spring. It looked like there was still room to spare. Perhaps everyone wasn¡¯t as gutsy as to enter the lord¡¯s pool. Or, maybe the heat was enough to cause people to not stay in it very long.


    When we arrived at the pool, enough people recognized either me or the girls that the sound quickly broke up and the hundreds of people roaming around my backyard all froze and turned to me. The first person to approach me was the Mayor. He had a crooked grin and looked like a kid caught with his hand in the candy jar.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Lord Deekson, you¡¯ve arrived¡­ this is just¡­ well¡­ de-stressing after a long project¡­ and¡­¡± It was clear he felt a bit of shame for what he had done.


    I looked back at the ladies. They were still shivering in the evening air, and steam was rising up from the hot spring.


    ¡°Well, what¡¯s everyone waiting for? Let¡¯s party!¡±


    The crowd all burst into a roar. As for the girls, they immediately stripped and raced for the hot spring.


    ¡°W-wait¡­ put on clothing first!¡±


    I thought I was going to have to burn the eyes out of every man here, but the women nearby were on it. It was mostly Lydia and Celeste who got excited. Shao, Terra, and Miki still had enough common sense to not do that kind of thing.


    Any guy who dared open his eyes was dealt with by the nearby women until Celeste and Lydia were properly covered. The girls ended up getting a hot bath and warmed up happily.


    I took over the cooking and the meals substantially improved. I found the roaring fire of the grill was more calming for me. Of course, I pulled from my own supplies in my storage ring as well, and I ended up creating a feast.


    {Cook has increased to level 15.}


    After cooking for several hundred people plus 10X experience, I ended up gaining some levels as well.

 Chapter 421

    ¡°My Lord, although the place still needs some furnishings, what do you think?¡± The mayor asked.


    The party had ended and the girls were allowed to warm up. When we started heading back to the small building we owned near the outer area of town, the mayor grabbed us and stopped us.


    ¡°The mansion is essentially finished now, how about you stay the night here?¡±


    The mansion really was completely constructed now. We were standing in the foyer. It had a massive crystal chandelier and an extravagant staircase and all the stuff you¡¯d expect to see in such a thing. I was actually quite impressed by the design.


    I didn¡¯t have an eye for this stuff, so it was better to leave it to the professionals. My suggestions were few and far between, like wanting the forest to protect the grove. Celeste left to visit her mother. She said she¡¯d rather sleep near the fairy spring than be indoors.


    As for the other girls, I had them each pick a room. For me, I reserved the largest room. I notice that the bed was sufficiently large to accommodate us. It made a King size bed look small. It was about the size of two kings. It was truly the bed of a harem protagonist. That¡¯s not to say I saw myself as a harem protagonist. I was just a guy with a couple of slaves. However, with a mansion like this, I felt I could afford more.


    I considered briefly going to the Capitol and bringing Faeyna and the rest of the girls back to this mansion too. However, it was lacking in furnishings. Yes, it had beds, dressers, and the like. But there was really nothing else but the bare minimum. It really needed someone like Faeyna to decorate it. Hopefully, it¡¯d be a lot cheaper for her to do that down here than it was in the Capital.


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    ¡°My lord, we should do a report tomorrow.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I won¡¯t be here by tomorrow morning. I¡¯m still on a mission for the prince. In all respect, I¡¯m not technically here. How about you report on the important points now.¡±


    ¡°Very well¡­¡±


    Even though I was tired, I ended up staying with the mayor for another hour as he told me about various things. The population had increased quite a bit. Not only had the slaves from the capital and the refugees from the bandits arrived for protection, but the official recognition of Chalm as a part of Aberis had also caused an exodus of people looking for opportunities on the frontier.


    This naturally led to trouble, and so a guard had to be established. The Adventuring Guild took a big stand into this and is still renting out Adventurer¡¯s to deal with the guard shortage.


    ¡°If only we had a bit more money¡­¡± He ended with a sigh.


    I sighed too, but only because I pulled out a purse and gave him 1000 gold coins. Of course, his mouth fell open and he thanked me profusely. This mansion alone, which they had seemingly built from gratitude, could easily go for 1000 gold coins, so I didn¡¯t mind it too much. Well, I did mind it. It was somewhat painful. However, I grit my teeth and tolerated it. This was about building our future.


    I also showed him the bug shells. He looked at them for a bit and then shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think our blacksmith is going to be able to work with this. If we could armor all the guards with it, it would certainly help boost morale and make trouble makers worry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I nodded. ¡°I think I have the perfect candidate to work on this stuff.¡±


    I went outside with him and dumped all the shells. I left it to the mayor to move them to a warehouse for storage. I also dumped a few dozen magical items on him. I told him to give them to the higher rank guards as an award for service. He was naturally very thankful for that too. I¡¯ll say it again, raising an army is expensive, and this was just the start.

 Chapter 422

    The next morning, we were all refreshed. Considering another party would have been forced to sleep in a cold, dangerous, and dark dungeon¡­ wet and shivering, I felt we got out of it pretty good. The girls were in fresh clothing and had their dried armor back on. As promised, I was out of Chalm before the morning came. However, I didn¡¯t jump right into the dungeon. Instead, I ended up in the blacksmith¡¯s shop.


    ¡°Lord Deekson?¡± the blacksmith asked, hearing the noise of us in the front of his shop and coming to check. ¡°What are you doing here? Rumor has it you were lost in the dungeon. The Knights of Lord Reign have been going around town stirring up trouble and asking about you.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ it appears like Lord Reign is causing trouble. Feel free to tell him I¡¯m here if he asks.¡± I said.


    I reckoned that it would only confuse them more. As long as I kept dancing around, he would definitely not be able to pinpoint me.


    The man spit. ¡°Lord Reign has been nothing but a pain in the arse if you ask me. If the Knights come, I won¡¯t say a thing.¡±


    ¡°Ah, thanks.¡± I laughed weakly, and then went on to business. ¡°To answer your question, I was looking for the other blacksmith. I think her name is Rubee?¡±


    When he heard that name, he stiffened a bit and then turned away. ¡°As to that, my lord, I¡¯m sorry. I hope she wasn¡¯t something you were counting on.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ah, the reason¡­ well, yesterday, she had gotten her hands on some orichalcum, supposedly. Lord Reign heard about it and then demanded that she hand the metal over to him. She claimed that she had already used it and that the piece she had was destroyed. He went into a rage and threw her into the slave market. Rubee is now being sold off as a slave.¡±


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    ¡°I see¡­¡± I thanked the man and asked him if we could leave out the back.


    Once we were in the alley by ourselves, I started to stroke my chin and think about things. I was hoping to just send Rubee to Chalm with the promise that she could work on all of the magical chitin. In the end, Rubee was taken away as a slave. Maybe it wasn¡¯t meant to be.


    At least, that¡¯s what I wanted to say, but if I could buy her as a slave, wouldn¡¯t it make my life a lot easier? The problem came down to my identity. Although it wasn¡¯t likely that the slavers knew that Lord Reign was looking for me, I didn¡¯t think I could get into the city and get out without being found out. Even if he couldn¡¯t prove I killed his knights, he would assuredly make my life more difficult.


    ¡°Celeste!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ y-yes!¡± She saluted.


    ¡°Do you have more fairy dust?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ in fact, mother made some. She told me that fairy dust is made after a fairy dance. I have a vial.¡± She handed me an amount not much less than the amount we obtained back in Karr¡¯s dungeon.


    If we could make this indefinitely now, I could depend on some of those overpowered skills. I could create more water of life without tapping into the still infant fairy spring. I could also cast God Eye on enemies and learn a lot more about them. However, right now, I had another idea.


    ¡°Shao, one of your Shadow Knight abilities caught my interest. It was called Shadow Deception.¡±


    Shao nodded. ¡°Yes, Master. It allows me to hide my identity by casting shadows over my face and body. The Shadow Knight class is more about hidden strikes than the normal variant.¡±


    ¡°Then, please cast it while imagining a disguise.¡± I sprinkled fairy dust on her as she cast Shadow Deception.¡±


    ¡°Many Faces?¡± she said in wonder as her fusion spell formed with the fairy dust.


    Shao had genuinely changed. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and looked a few years older. Only her face changed though. Her body remained the same.


    She had successfully unlocked a new ability. Based on what I knew about her skill and fairy dust, I could usually predict what the fusion would do. Well, I had been wrong before, but whatever ability we got would have been strong. Had it failed, I could have tried a combination with one of the other girls.


    As for combining the gems into fusion skills, I hadn¡¯t tried it out yet.

 Chapter 423

    A few hours later, the girls were laying low while I snuck into the city with Shao. I didn¡¯t want to be a single guy traveling alone with so many female slaves, or it¡¯d be kind of obvious. Thus, she cast the Many Faces spell on just the pair of us, allowing us to sneak in unseen.


    When we reached the guards, I was scared there was some kind of deception tool they had that I didn¡¯t know about and that we¡¯d instantly be caught. Thankfully, this city wasn¡¯t like the Capital and it didn¡¯t require paperwork to enter. We were able to pass in by simply paying a small travelers fee.


    Once inside the city, we asked around and headed straight to the slave market. I kind of felt a little lost without Figuro around. He always made all of my purchases look so easy. As I stood in a staging area filled with carts of imprisoned slaves, I had no clue how to even start. Fortunately, Shao had been a former slave long enough that she did know the proper procedures.


    ¡°Hehe, just me and master, it¡¯s like a date.¡± Shao grabbed my arm and giggled to herself.


    I wouldn¡¯t consider a date to the slave market as a good date but to each their own.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go ask if anyone is selling a dwarf.¡±


    Shao shook her head. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t look like you know what you want. Slavers have an eye for such things. They¡¯ll definitely jack up the price if they know someone wants her.¡±


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    ¡°Even so¡­¡± If it came to a few more gold coins, I¡¯d rather be quick.


    ¡°Master, it will also draw unwanted attention if you¡¯re looking for someone so specific as the dwarf. I recommend you act more casually.¡±


    I decided to take Shao¡¯s advice on this, even though it made finding the dwarf considerably more difficult. I had to ask for someone with blacksmithing skills. This line of questioning brought me to three different strong-looking men. None of them were Magic Blacksmiths though, so I had to find reasons that I wasn¡¯t interested in them.


    ¡°They¡¯re selling that dwarf now.¡± I heard someone say as we were walking by.


    ¡°isn¡¯t she being reserved for the gladiator pit?¡±


    It looked like the reason we had trouble finding her was that she wasn¡¯t registered as a Blacksmith. This Lord Reign was seriously being petty. He decided that he would leave her to fight as a gladiator despite not really being into combat.


    We raced over to the section where gladiatorial slaves were being bid on. Lo and behold, Rubee was in that place. Her usually upbeat smile was gone, but even then she didn¡¯t look nearly as beaten or defeated as the rest of the slaves. Rather, she looked more curious than afraid. The pair of us waited as four other slaves went on the stage and were sold.


    ¡°I was like those people at one point,¡± Shao spoke softly.


    ¡°Now, you¡¯re mine,¡± I responded.


    She blushed. ¡°Master always says such dangerous things.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ it makes me so excited I want to cut something.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make you the dangerous one!¡± I retorted.


    I didn¡¯t get a chance to hear her response as Rubee was finally brought up. Even if I had to waste a lot of gold, it was fine. I could raise her as my personal blacksmith. I really felt she had a lot of potential. Ten gold, fifteen gold, it didn¡¯t matter how much I had to pay to get her.


    ¡°100 gold!¡± Someone shouted as the first bid.


    My eyes nearly popped out and I turned white. Why did it turn out like this?

 Chapter 424

    Rubee¡¯s bids had already launched passed 100 gold and reached several hundred gold before I could even get my mind together. She was completely outside the cost I could afford. Her price kept climbing until the point where even if I hadn¡¯t given all my money away, affording her would be impossible. My expression grew white.


    ¡°Why does this slave cost so much?¡± I asked out loud.


    ¡°Her jobs were recently appraised.¡± Someone nearby spoke up. ¡°She may look young, but she¡¯s a dwarf so she actually could be a lot older.¡±


    I gave a wry smile at that point. He was right, she was older, but still only in her twenties. As far as dwarves go, she was actually extremely young!


    ¡°Do dwarves normally go for this much?¡±


    ¡°They do when they¡¯re blacksmiths. Not just blacksmiths! You weren¡¯t here for her introduction? She has the jobs Blacksmith, Magic Blacksmith, and Mineral Appraiser. It¡¯s Mineral Appraiser that is making people go nuts. There are only a handful of people in the world who have that job.¡±


    ¡°Is it that incredible?¡±


    ¡°Being able to identify mineral veins? Absolutely! Any lord that had a Mineral Appraiser under their belt is all but guaranteed to succeed!¡±


    I considered Terra. She had already earned the Mineral Appraiser job. I didn¡¯t think it was useless, but I had no clue that it possessed such a value. I was thinking more along the lines of being able to tell what mineral something was made out of, like a Jewelry Appraiser or something. Apparently, this was already a well sought out job.


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    Either way, my Magic Blacksmith ended up slipping through my fingers. She ended up settling for just under 3000 gold. Even if I hadn¡¯t given a large lump of my money to Chalm, it still wouldn¡¯t have been enough to buy her here. Instead, I was left with nothing.


    As to her unfortunate situation being wronged by the lord, there was nothing I could do about it. At least, as a Mineral Appraiser, she¡¯d be appreciated. She might even find herself able to practice her blacksmithing skills again.


    The final bidder was a stuffy looking servant. He whispered something to the slave trader, who nodded and stepped aside, allowing him to take the stage.


    ¡°This Mineral Appraiser is quite valuable, which is why I procured her as the prize for winning the upcoming gladiatorial match. Any man who still desires her, perhaps you should look for a slave with sufficient fighting skills. Bet with their lives in the ring, and you will have a chance to win this woman. This match is open to the public, and the top ten will be able to earn gladiatorial rights!¡±


    This declaration created an uproar of excitement as people discussed the possibilities of winning both a Mineral Appraiser and a gladiatorial right. For any noble with land, these both held almost as much value as the Hero job.


    In this world, a noble¡¯s worth and rank were determined by merits. With enough merits, a non-noble could become a noble. After that, the more merits a noble earned, the higher their rank and the more respected and well known they became. Clearing a dungeon was considered a merit. So was becoming the Hero of a village. Earning gladiatorial rights was another merit for low-level nobles. While owning a Mineral Appraiser might not be called a merit, it is a potential source of income for a territory, which is also important.


    Suffice it to say, it sounded like a lot of people were very interested in this competition.

 Chapter 425

    ¡°We¡¯re not joining the competition?¡± Shao asked in surprise as I started heading back to the exit of town.


    I shook my head. ¡°It won¡¯t be for two weeks, right? I¡¯d rather concentrate on clearing the dungeon. That¡¯s what we came here to do. If I focused on my own problems, it¡¯d probably cause trouble for the prince.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ I could win against all of them.¡± Shao sniffed and crossed her arms.


    ¡°I also have no desire to put the life of someone I care about on the line. It wouldn¡¯t be acceptable to bet any of your lives that way.¡±


    This time, Shao¡¯s cheeks turned pink. ¡°When you put it that way¡­ were you always such a sweet talker on Earth?¡±


    I let out a cough. ¡°What? Earth?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but shoot her an incredulous look. How could she even suggest that I was popular? I was a bullied and unpopular kid! However, when I saw her eyes, I could see that she was being completely serious.


    ¡°I¡¯m interested in what Deek was like on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we share memories back then?¡±


    ¡°All the memories, they turned blurry. I can only remember feelings and things like that. It¡¯s more like I just have a familiarity with Deek.¡± Her expression darkened and she shot me a worried look. ¡°Isn¡¯t it the same for you?¡±


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    ¡°Ah¡­ yes!¡± I lied.


    I remembered her life fairly clearly, I wondered why she forgot and I didn¡¯t. Was it because of the lore? That tattoo might have something to do with me retaining the memories of her life.


    ¡°So, I mean, I¡¯d like to know more about Deek?¡±


    ¡°Like?¡±


    ¡°For example, what kind of name is Deek? I can¡¯t even think what country you came from!¡±


    ¡°Shao¡¯s not exactly a Japanese name, you know.¡±


    ¡°You knew!¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, you look Japanese¡­¡± I responded quickly and then tried to change the subject again, ¡°Well, what about you? You must have been popular with the boys.¡±


    ¡°I was¡­¡± She admitted it! Shao¡¯s expression quickly turned bitter. ¡°It caused me a lot of problems. Other girls were jealous and a lot of bad rumors were spread around about me. My life¡­ I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±


    I just managed to stop myself from nodding. In truth, I understood exactly why she didn¡¯t want to talk about it. She had a lot of frustration and anger from her previous life, and this life wasn¡¯t much better.


    ¡°Well, if it makes you feel any better, Deek was my player name, not my real name.¡±


    ¡°Aw? You haven¡¯t even told me your real name!¡±


    I stopped for a second. ¡°The person with that name¡­ they no longer exist. I became my character when I came to this world, so that old world is all in the past.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t miss it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe my mother. And my cousin a bit. Generally, though, no. I left nothing behind there that I¡¯m not happier with here. If I didn¡¯t come here, I would have never met you. For that, I¡¯d trade a hundred Earths¡­¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­¡± I realized Shao had stopped and was looking at me with tear-soaked eyes.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get a hotel and make a baby.¡±


    ¡°Denied. The girls are waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°Tsk¡­ spoilsport.¡±

 Chapter 426

    A few hours later we had met back up with the rest of the girls. I found a secluded spot. We had only wasted about half of the day on that fruitless event, so I decided to return us back to the stairway leading to the 13th floor. Another floor, another temptation. That seemed to be the case.


    This floor was very cold. In fact, most of the plants were actually frozen, and the whole floor circulated a ton of cold air. After being wet on the 12th floor, this floor was clearly here to capitalize on that fact. Had you spent too much time playing around with the water elementals and then went to this floor, without preparation, it¡¯d truly be disastrous.


    Of course, we had walked immediately down the stairs and immediately put on warm stuff in the stairway. By the time we reached this floor, we were as comfy as we could be considering it was rather cold. The girls, in turn, tried to cuddle up with me, but I ordered them to remain vigilant.


    ¡°Are those gems?¡± I asked, noticing something gleaming in the distance.


    ¡°Those may be ice, Master. It could also be a trick.¡± Terra responded uncertainly.


    If I leveled her Mineral Appraiser up a bit, that would no longer be uncertain and she¡¯d be able to know at a glance. Still, I wasn¡¯t as tempted by gems as I was by other things, so we passed it by without a problem. We encountered three treasure chests along the way. One of them was booby trapped. Lydia was able to safely disarm it with her Disarm Trap ability through Scout.


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    The second chest turned out to be a mimic. We could tell ahead of time. The feeling the girls got from it was different from the treasure hunter, so we were pretty sure what it was. When it came between the treasure hunter and the mimic, I¡¯d take the treasure hunter though. A chest with teeth and a long tongue snapped rapidly as it came at you like a snarling dog was seriously scary. It died a lot easier than the treasure hunter. The loot wasn¡¯t as good, unfortunately.


    The final treasure chest was normal. I made them check three times and it still turned out to be the treasure chest that took the longest to open because we were so nervous about it. When you knew something was a trap or a mimic, then it was easy to quickly deal with it. When you didn¡¯t know, you just had to be extra careful. I supposed if every treasure chest was trapped or a monster, then the adventurers would never have any incentive to be tempted by what was inside.


    We continued to progress through the cold, fighting snow wolves, and small ice golems. We found the end of the 13th floor quickly and then headed down to the 14th floor. It was warmer now, but still chilly, so we remained wearing some of the warmer stuff. At that point, we took a break and I cooked something under a smokeless fire. We ate dinner while talking about our plans for progressing.


    At this rate, I hoped to reach the 15th floor before the end of the night. On the 15th floor, we¡¯d need to watch out for knights. If Lord Reign really did set up a trap, it would likely be close to the safe room.

 Chapter 427

    By the end of the 14th floor, it had finally returned to a normal temperature. We were moving very rapidly now. Of course, Map had also been extended this far through the use of provided dungeon maps. If we had to stumble around without a map, the floors would likely take four times as long to navigate. Even when it came to fighting, I couldn¡¯t stress how valuable a map was. You could plan your encounters, and when mixed with sense life, I could avoid things like getting trapped in an area without an escape.


    In this respect, you had to think of dungeons less like in a video game. For example, when I reached an intersection, and one direction went to a dead-end, while the other continued on deeper, which direction should I go? The gamer in me would say that I should head the direction of the dead end. There is probably a treasure down there and at the very least, you want to complete as much as possible.


    However, a dungeon is filled with living creatures, and it even has a will of its own. You could travel down that dead-end path, and then find all of the creatures on the level have blocked off your path and trapped you against a wall. It was rare, but dungeons can even set up traps over spots you had just walked by. That¡¯s why it was important to always be vigilant.


    The more threatened a dungeon felt by your presence, the more violently it could react. Incidents like the flood I had experienced when I entered my first dungeon, Mina¡¯s Dungeon, still can happen. Mina¡¯s dungeon was young and was pushed into panic mode. I eventually found out that Tibult had been trying to use a method similar to Terra¡¯s Dungeon. That is to say, he was setting up a barrier that was going to strangle the dungeon and drain it of mana.


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    For a weakling like him, it wasn¡¯t a bad strategy. He put up special mana invocations he had prepared for himself around and inside the dungeon. Then, give it a year to desiccate, and then come in to save the day. The problem was that the dungeon had reacted violently to his presence, which led to it attacking the city of Chalm. He realized that Chalm was going to send out a request for a dungeon diver to resolve the dungeon, destroying his chance. So, he first came to town declaring he¡¯d defeat it, and then he tried to forcefully close the dungeon.


    To do that, he had to set up something on the fifth floor, but the dungeon attacked him, and the result was Lydia was abandoned and my party was attacked viciously on the first floor. Interestingly enough, while dungeons will react violently to those who wish to destroy them, they seem to welcome those that they believe with complete the lore. Mina¡¯s Dungeon saw my relationship with Lydia and ultimately stopped hindering our progress. One could even say that it helped us reach the bottom.


    This was the event that ultimately led to me becoming a Dungeon Diver. Of course, I didn¡¯t find out any of this from Lord Tibult himself. The princess had dropped this information to me during one of our conversations.


    That led to the question, did this dungeon see us as a threat or an ally? As we got closer to the 30th and final floor, we¡¯d know the answer. It would either act violently, trying to repel us through any means necessary, or it would go easy on us. Either way, we could only remain vigilant, because, by the time we were certain of that answer, it could be too late.


    This was the life of a Dungeon Diver. We continued on through the ivy-walled labyrinth, getting ever closer to the bottom, and the location of the King.

 Chapter 428

    ¡°We should take a break here,¡± Lydia recommended as we reached the stairway to the 15th floor.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The next level contains the free-roaming boss.¡± She explained. ¡°And Raissa said that the 15th floor was extremely challenging. Her party was wiped out on this floor and she only barely made it to the kiosk and escaped.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, she did say something like that.¡± I scratched my chin. ¡°Plus, if Lord Reign did come up with something to get in our way, he¡¯d definitely put it on this floor.¡±


    Upon thinking about it for a moment, a deep frown ended up on my forehead. The rather simple task of heading down suddenly became a lot more menacing. I wouldn¡¯t normally be worried we couldn¡¯t handle a level fifteen boss, but given the unusual nature of the level ten boss, it left me feeling a little worried. If this boss was just as unconventional, it could seriously be a challenge.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop for a bit.¡±


    We stop and take another break, setting up a fire. I end up cooking again, and the girls all make noises of happiness as they eat my meals. Most of the meals I make are rather simple. Meat, bread, and vegetables are about the limits. Even then, it turns out most people eat bready gruels with maybe just a hint of vegetables and meat on occasions. I¡¯m definitely interested in coming out with more complicated stuff. I¡¯m certain the answer lies within dungeons. Once I finished up here, I was hoping to head back to Chalm and start reading up on dungeons. I had books now, but I didn¡¯t have time to read more than the base level for most of them.


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    The real trick was learning about the mega-dungeons, and what items could be acquired on what floors. That¡¯s when I could start truly farming from home. However, as long as I had to work on destroying dungeons, I was always venturing into the unknown.


    While the girls were eating and I was preparing my own serving, I glanced through the progress we had made since I last checked. I hadn¡¯t done anything amazing. Lydia made it to 23 as a scout. Miki made it to 23 as a Basic Magician. Celeste hadn¡¯t leveled. Terra was at level three for Earth Summoner. Shao was unchanged, the same as me. I had left White Mage, True Dungeon Diver, and Slave Master on for the most part, and all of those were up to past level 25. I occasionally switched to hero or Basic Magician if I needed something, but it wasn¡¯t enough to level them yet either.


    Simply put, we were in a need to grind if we wanted to become more powerful than we are now in a short amount of time. The reason I was thinking about that was because of the next level. We were going to fight a boss and possibly some Knights. Although our strength now and when we last fought the knights is different, it would still be dangerous if we faced them head-on. I didn¡¯t like to take risks if I didn¡¯t have to.


    I stood up and looked down at the girls. They all looked up at me, their banter quieting down.


    ¡°Let¡¯s clear out this level. I want to do some power leveling.¡±

 Chapter 429

    Power leveling, or the term I started to use for when we summoned a large horde of enemies to fight at once, was the quickest way to level. Unfortunately, it was a catch-22. It was the fastest way to level, but it also usually meant we had to equip our best jobs if we wanted to survive. I was developing a plan to get around that.


    The 14th level contained golems, not unlike the ones we had challenged as the level 5 miniboss. They weren¡¯t quite as large, but what they lacked in stature, they made up for in number. Actually, given the freak occurrence on level 5, they were probably not that much different. That was the terrifying part of all this. In the end, we had lost and had to run from the miniboss horde. We had only survived by bringing down the entire mine to crush them.


    At this point, we wouldn¡¯t be able to replicate those results. Instead, we¡¯d have to use the map and our smarts so that we don¡¯t get overwhelmed. They were clearly designed to be exhausting. After defeating the siren, being tempted by treasure, becoming soaked, and then frozen, you then had to fight your way through a deadly horde of slow, aggravating enemies designed to make you waste whatever energy you had left before reaching level 15 and hoping you get to the safe zone before the miniboss finds you. I¡¯ve said it before and I¡¯ll say it again, this was a really insidious dungeon.


    However, they were slow, and we had experience fighting their mini-boss brothers. They came in two types, a shield type which just tried to block you and force you back, and a spear type which tried to impale you. Four or five of them grouped together and coming at you was about as hard as it could get, and it was exactly the test I was planning on putting all of us through. The girls understood my decision though.


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    We were pressed for time, and we needed to get stronger. It was better to fight what we could handle now, rather than become overwhelmed and risk our lives later. Besides, we still had the ability to escape with a portal, so there was no issue.


    ¡°Are you sure about this, Master?¡± Shao asked as she helped me fill up water skins.


    ¡°It¡¯s the best way,¡± I responded, filling up everything I could find with Water of Life.


    I used a bunch of the fairy dust to make enough for everyone in the party. I was going to drop White Mage for this one, so the girls needed to depend on water to keep themselves healed.


    If there really was an emergency, it only takes a few seconds to switch back to White Mage, but seconds can be life and death in a battle like this. As for my jobs, Slave Master, Monster Tamer, and True Hero. Although True Hero sounded powerful, I have never equipped it up until this point. The first skill it gave me was something called Danger Sense. The hope was that the levels I gained would make it worth it.


    After using their abilities to set up traps whenever possible, the girls were similarly nerfed. For Lydia, I switched to Thief for her second job. Miki was switched to Alchemist. Celeste kept Magic Singer, Terra had Mineral Appraiser, and Shao had Pugilist.


    ¡°Alright, everyone ready?¡± I asked.


    The girls all nodded in turn.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡±


    I released the monster lure, and the rumbling sound began.

 Chapter 430

    The sound of a few hundred golems hobbling down the hallway was deafening. In that case, the only way I could give orders was through Slave Master. The golems came from every direction, but we didn¡¯t stay around the lure this time. Rather, the goal was to lead them to a hallway that went past us. In this way, we were running around the dungeon, setting up barriers and walls to redirect them on the path we wanted them to take. I sat in the main area, my eyes locked on the map as I tried to navigate the girls around.


    I had gotten the idea when we battled the Treasure Hunter. These guys could move better than the Treasure Hunter did, but overall they did not have good mobility. Rather than trying to face them head on, it was better to lead them all to a spot where they¡¯ll become congested and unable to move. That¡¯s why the attractant was released right in the middle of a four-way intersection.


    Of course, we surrounded that intersection with traps. Most of those traps were set to further slowdown, hinder, and otherwise trip the golems up. When four waves of golems all crashed at the center of the intersection, there was a horrific grinding sound. The golems from behind were pushing on the golems in front, and along with a few well placed and timed traps, it became a meat grinder, or perhaps I should call it a rock grinder.


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    If Raissa was here to see how we were dealing with this large rush of golems, it would once again break her common sense. She would definitely sputter in disbelief as she witnesses hundreds of golems being handled like lemmings.


    However, our hopes weren¡¯t to destroy golems with traps and tricks, but to down as many as we could ourselves. Once the flood stopped coming, and they finally grew congested in four lines each leading back nearly a kilometer. Terra then created walls preventing them from having any release. About 200 golems from each side were now slammed in the middle, desperately trying to turn around and escape their confines.


    ¡°Alright, go!¡±


    I gave the order, and the six of us attacked the golems from each side. Celeste and Terra each got one row, as Terra¡¯s abilities made her uniquely powerful and safe against her inferior golem cousins and Celeste¡¯s ability to shrink and fly made it easy for her to stay out of danger. Lydia and Shao worked together on one of the other corridors, and Miki and I worked on the last.


    The reason I stuck with Miki was because of her spirit attacks. They worked well with my monster tamer job. I wanted to see if it was possible to take control of a few golems and turn them against each other. Also, I had to admit that Miki was the least efficient at killing monsters, which gave me more of a chance to earn experience. If I depended on Lydia or Shao, chances are I wouldn¡¯t get any kills on my own.


    That¡¯s right, I couldn¡¯t afford to be a support always. Sometimes, I had to leap right in!

 Chapter 431

    Although I say that while trying to look impressive, I was leaping right into the backs of unsuspecting golems who were further being attacked by Miki¡¯s attempts to confuse and disorientate them. I swung my sword as hard as possible, using rapid attacks to aid in bringing them down quickly. Even with that, it took multiple hits per golem.


    That could be considered incredible since golems are creatures with high vitality designed to soak up damage. Perhaps True Hero was more powerful than I gave it credit for. Even though it started at level one, by the time I took down five golems I was already up to level three.


    I continued to swing my sword, knocking down golem after golem. It was only about fifteen minutes later, when the golems were finally able to figure out what was going on and start turning around to defend. Even so, I pulled out every trick I had to keep bringing them down.


    When the pressure started to push outward and I was being pressed back, I backed up with Miki, selecting the Golem in the front.


    ¡°Miki, try to confuse it,¡± I ordered


    She cast a spell of confusion while I used the Monster Tamer ability, Weaken. Essentially, to tame a monster, it had to be placed into a vulnerable state. Celeste achieved this with songs, but Miki could also do the same with her spiritual attacks.


    As a Monster Tamer of level 15, I currently had fifteen skills designed around controlling and then using monsters. There was Submission, Weaken, Restrain, Low Tame, Order, Charm Up, Train, Share Experience, Loyalty Up, Track, Relax, Location, Steal life, Tamed Status Up, and Release. At the moment, I was using Submission and Weaken on him. As he got close, I also tried to Restrain him.


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    ¡°Come on! Low Tame!¡±


    I was hoping this monster would be low enough to tame. A siren was considered a mid-level, so I suspected a golem, which was basically just an automaton, should be fairly easy to control. Of course, this was level 14, not level 4. I probably would have had a lot more luck on a higher floor than here.


    Remarkably, the golem stopped in place, lowering its arm which it was preparing to use to smash me. I had succeeded. The golem behind it shoved the one waiting on me forward. I jumped back as the golem I just tamed nearly fell on top of me.


    ¡°Order, hold them back!¡±


    I switched my Job to Basic Magician while the tamed golem got up and began to bar the movement of the others. Along with Miki¡¯s attacks on their minds, it further confused and slowed down the golems. I began to send spells flying at the golems over my golem¡¯s shoulders. With him as my tank, I slowly whittled down one golem after another until they collapsed.


    The work went on for a great amount of time. I found myself drinking the Water¡¯s of Life many times to keep up. When my golem fell, I captured another, sent it as my tank, and then continued to attack. Meanwhile, I occasionally checked on the other girls to find them doing well.


    After many hours of battle, the last golem finally fell. The six of us met in the middle intersection, surrounded by broken rock that piled nearly up to the ceiling, forcing us to find another route to meet with each other.


    When all of us finally met back up, each of the girls was covered in dust and wore an exhausted look on their faces.


    ¡°What now, Master?¡± Celeste asked, looking like she was about to tip over at any second.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the mansion. We¡¯ll handle the rest tomorrow.¡±


    We had leveled a bunch, so tomorrow we could tackle the fifteenth floor. I had prepared as much as I could.

 Chapter 432

    We took a brief dip in the hot springs, but everyone was too exhausted to play around. In the end, we all nearly collapsed in my bed in a heap. It was only a little later that I summoned up the strength to check through the statuses and see what advancements we had made during that battle.


    Slave Master reached 28, True Hero reached 10, Basic Magician reached 23, and Dark Priest reached 13. Lydia¡¯s Thief skyrocketed to 15 and even swordsman went up to 43. Miki¡¯s spiritualist was 41 and her Basic Magician was 24. Celeste¡¯s Master Wind Magician was 20, and her Magic Singer was 13. Terra¡¯s Earth Manipulator didn¡¯t change, but her Mineral Appraiser was now 15. As for Shao, she had Shadow Knight at 28, and Pugilist at 15.


    Simply put, everyone had made great progress. Every job involved an increase in status, so as far as their top-level jobs, they were all about as powerful as anyone at that level could be. That meant that overall, the power of my party was around 50. Although, I was probably the weakest link with my White Mage only at level 30.


    Every level contributed to increasing your status, even in jobs you don¡¯t keep equipped. However, every job also had not only the skill-related reinforcements but its own bonus just for having that job equipped.


    Each level involved a greater boost in status, so someone with two jobs at level 2 is not necessarily equal to someone with one job at level 3. The easiest way to determine someone¡¯s strength is to see what their highest job is first, and then consider how many other jobs they have levels in. This is where the tier system comes into play because you can assume a mage like me has at least three jobs, with one of them up to level 50. Normally, that would be the requirement to reach White Mage.


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    This is why the girls weren¡¯t overwhelmed even though I nerfed them into lower-level jobs. It wasn¡¯t like their gains in their main levels went away when I switched their job. They might not have access to all of the skills they were used to, although if they were familiar enough with a skill, they could force it into functioning. All they lacked was the particular boosts that a certain job might grant them. For example, a magician job would give someone a boost in mana absorption and use.


    However, if you equip a different job with a similar type, that boost probably won¡¯t get noticed. For example, when an Adept Magician becomes a Master Magician, although their job changed from level 50 to level 1, they aren¡¯t any weaker. In fact, despite being level 1, they should still be stronger. That¡¯s because the boost from the final tier Master Magician to mana is much greater than the boost of an adept.


    That might not be the best example, because a magician would lose access to some of their skills when they got a new job, but the general assumption is that they wouldn¡¯t have unlocked that job unless they already had a mastery over many of those skills. Technically, wind control is all you need to do any wind technique, but it¡¯d take a master to have the control to pull off said techniques. In that way, the skill system is a crutch, with the inevitable goal to gain pure control over your skills so that you don¡¯t need to activate the aids.


    While going over this concept in my mind and thinking about how I wanted to advance myself and the girls, I nodded off to sleep. The girls had all passed out before me.

 Chapter 433

    The next morning, we didn¡¯t even greet the people of Chalm. We had slipped into the mansion late last night, and we left early the next morning. We were back in the dungeon and heading down to the 15th floor. I had made a quick stop at the warehouse too, where I dumped all of the rewards from the golems. Although I didn¡¯t convert the gems and crystals into money, it was probably a hefty amount. We had lost most of the awards from the level five miniboss, so it was nice having the ability to collect everything left over by the golems.


    Floor fifteen contained more golems, but these guys could use magic. It turned out that they dropped elemental gems much like the elemental sprites. They had fire gems and air gems. At first, considering these gems were valuable, I had to wonder what the trap was. After all, level 12 was not only difficult to reach, but it threatened to kill you with hypothermia. The water gems and nature gems were well earned.


    Other than that the golems were a lot tougher than the sprites. With magic added in, these guys were actually difficult to handle in a group and we found ourselves having to be careful. They could threaten to separate or incapacitate us if they hit with the wrong spell at the wrong time. It was the first time since I entered the dungeon that I felt a little stress and so I was glad that we had leveled up and rested before coming down here.


    That said, this was a level with a kiosk on it. That meant that it should be easy to come and go at will. Access to the gems on this floor, then, made it feel a bit too easy. It left me feeling like there was a trap over my head that I just couldn¡¯t see.


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    Furthermore, I hadn¡¯t seen any knights. There was no guarantee that I would encounter anyone on this floor, I just thought that this would be the best opportunity if Lord Reign wanted to cause me trouble. At this point, he should be aware that I am working my way down the dungeon to bring out the king. I was guessing that this would cause problems with his plans, whatever they were.


    The King¡¯s party had naturally made it down to the 29th-floor kiosk, but everyone there had either disappeared or been wiped out. That didn¡¯t mean that Lord Reign didn¡¯t have those that had made it to 10, 15, or even 20. The lowest Raissa made it was 15, but that didn¡¯t mean that there might not be Knights that had made it further. In that respect, 15 would probably be the best level to try to cause us trouble.


    They could also have caused us trouble on 19, but the distance from 9-15 included the boss, the miniboss, and the wet and cold challenge. Meanwhile, from 15 to 19 was only 4 floors and didn¡¯t include any bosses. Although the difficulty should spike again after this floor, fifteen would still be their best bet.


    ¡°Perhaps I miscalculated Lord Reigns intentions,¡± I muttered to myself.


    After he had sent those Knights to kill me, I was certain that he was going to try something, but we ended up reaching the safe room without encountering a single knight or the floor¡¯s miniboss. Although we didn¡¯t relax completely, I made lunch and we rested in the safe room of the fifteenth floor.

 Chapter 434

    ¡°Master, have you figured out more of the story?¡±


    The girls caught me looking at the dungeon lore. Even though I had no intention of completing this dungeon lore and gaining another tattoo, I still couldn¡¯t help but want to see all the murals and try to understand what I was looking at. As a normal, non-dying dungeon, the murals were clear on the wall, although the images didn¡¯t always lead to a clear story.


    The previous murals depicted a man marrying a woman, it revealed the woman was a maid who fell in love with the man. Finally, there was a mural of the woman killing the man. This mural was actually a little bit perverted. It depicted the woman and man in bed together. It wasn¡¯t extremely graphic, but it showed enough that the girls blushed when they glanced at it.


    That¡¯s when I noticed that there was a maid outfit on the ground. Suddenly, I came to realize that the wife the husband had married was not the same woman as the maid! In other words, the Widow who murdered her husband murdered a man who was having an affair on her.


    ¡°It seems like the lord was having an affair on his wife. He was sleeping with the maid who was in love with him.¡±


    Lydia frowned. ¡°Oh, disgusting! A man should never cheat on his wife! He should have been stabbed!¡±


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    I couldn¡¯t stop a wry smile from forming on my lips. ¡°You know¡­ Lydia¡­ if I got married¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°We already explained, we¡¯re slaves, so it doesn¡¯t count.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? Well, what about Faeyna? She¡¯s a maid and a slave!¡±


    Lydia sighed. ¡°Then Master can have her. You can even enjoy Salicia and Carmine if you want. However, you really should just make them concubines if you want to play with them. Still, no one would blame you if you played with the guards a bit. It¡¯s only natural.¡±


    Why was Lydia explaining this like it was all obvious? Worse, the other girls were listening and nodding, like they were taking notes and accepting this as gospel. Shao, especially, had a surprised expression but was nodding like she had to accept Lydia¡¯s words at all costs, even if reluctantly.


    ¡°But what if I got married?¡± I tried to get her to slip a bit on her declarations because they were far too generous.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already properly explained things to Eliana. I suppose I should talk to Raissa too, but I figured she¡¯s more likely to be a concubine¡­ if Master takes interest in even other woman, then I¡¯ll naturally explain things properly so they understand. That¡¯s how I was taught. Proper communication is key toward happy sex play.¡±


    Somehow, coming from a prostitute, I had a feeling that it had a different connotation, but Lydia who had never become a full-fledged prostitute despite being trained as one had formed her own code of ethics. Perhaps, I had taken for granted how smoothly all of the girls had started to get along since Lydia and Miki had reconciled. Lydia must have been working hard in the background to keep the girls in line.


    ¡°Lydia¡­. What if I wanted to marry you?¡±

 Chapter 435

    ¡°M-master¡­¡± She looked up at me, a tearful expression on her face.


    I suddenly realized the other girls were crying too.


    ¡°Since it¡¯s Lydia¡­ it¡¯s okay¡­¡± Miki cried.


    ¡°To think, he¡¯d pick someone so suddenly¡­¡± Terra held the sobbing Celeste.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s okay¡­ I¡¯d rather be the mistress anyway¡­¡± Shao muttered to herself. ¡°Lydia can catch us in bed together, but she won¡¯t be able to throw me out, because my belly will already hold his bastard son!¡±


    A few simple words had caused the entire group¡¯s structure to break down. ¡°I was being hypothetical! It was a hypothetical!¡±


    I tried desperately to backpedal before I found myself being wedded on the spot. However, I had to be careful as well, since I didn¡¯t want to hurt anyone¡¯s feelings.


    ¡°Y-you don¡¯t want to marry me then¡­¡±Lydia responded, lowering her head.


    Other than the tears in her eyes, her face gave nothing away. There was no hurt or pain in her eyes, rather, she gave me nothing to go with regarding how she was feeling at the moment. I took a deep breath.


    ¡°What I mean to say is that you all are too important to me to marry some other woman. I¡¯m not interested in the princess or Raissa.¡± When Lydia looked up like she wanted to say something, I spoke over her. ¡°Lydia would also be someone I can¡¯t marry.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± She looked down again, this time, closing her eyes.


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    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be fair to the other girls if I married you. That¡¯s why, it¡¯s impossible for me to have only one of you, do you understand?¡± I reached out and gently touched her cheek, which was wet.


    She nodded slowly. ¡°So, what Master is saying is that since he can¡¯t marry one of us, he¡¯ll marry all of us?¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    All the girls were now looking at me with the same look Lydia had given earlier.


    ¡°All of us¡­¡± Celeste looked up hopefully.


    ¡°Even that big-titted elf¡­ I guess it¡¯s fine¡­¡± Terra muttered.


    ¡°We¡¯d definitely need an order, I can be first wife. Salicia is definitely in last place.¡± Shao considered.


    ¡°When did I agree to marry Salicia?¡±


    ¡°Does that mean Eliana will become a slave too? And Raissa? Master is bold.¡± Miki considered out loud.


    ¡°I¡¯m enslaving people now!¡± I cried out. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re okay if I marry all of you?¡±


    ¡°I heard a tale of an Emperor with 1000 wives, so wouldn¡¯t it be fine?¡± Lydia offered. ¡°Plus, owning your wives makes things convenient. I¡¯d like to drop my previous opinion. After spending more time with Master, I now see that Master marrying his slaves is the best course of action.¡±


    ¡°You still will be my slaves!¡±


    ¡°Mm!¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes grew bright and she grabbed me. ¡°Slave-wife Lydia¡­ it has a nice ring to it.¡±


    The girls started to get really excited. In the end, I had to create a portal back to the mansion and spend some time dealing with their excitement. It took several hours to calm them down and get them to accept that the date of marriage was a long time off. It required the Pervert skill, and even then, my hips were sore by the time I was done.


    The result was that we didn¡¯t see a few knights appear in the room after we left.


    ¡°They still haven¡¯t made it to the 15th floor?¡± One knight murmured.


    ¡°They are just a measly noble and a bunch of eye candy women. They probably already died before reaching this floor.¡±


    ¡°We still have to keep an eye out according to Lord Reign¡¯s orders. Do you want to go slay the boss again for more loot and experience?¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ might as well. I wish this stupid noble would stop screwing around.¡±


    If Deek had heard this, he might have agreed.


    [Pervert has increased to level 4.}

 Chapter 436

    The next morning, we returned to level fifteen and then continued to the sixteenth floor. We never did run into the floors miniboss. I had thought about remaining on the floor and spending some time leveling on golems and waiting for the boss, but perhaps that was one more temptation that this dungeon used to ensnare you.


    I decided I didn¡¯t want to wait and see what sort of tricks level 15 had in store, so we went on to level 16. Sixteen was the first level that did not have a detailed map or descriptions. Raissa ended up not guiding us in the end, but all of the explanations she left for us were now obsolete. The true part of the dungeon diving had finally begun. Not only did the creatures become more difficult, but there was no guidance. We didn¡¯t even know which monsters we¡¯d face, as anyone who had made it this far chose not to sell the information.


    I thought that this was weird, but Raissa described it as a trade secret. If you thought about it, most dungeon divers who made their careers out of making it down into the dungeons are reaping rewards no one else could obtain. While the more common places were mapped out, to dungeon divers, it probably felt like a magician revealing how his tricks were done. It undermined their whole business. I vaguely recalled a comment that Raissa and her kind weren¡¯t liked by the hardcore dungeon divers.


    They had to risk their lives to make it as far as they did, while Raissa and other Dungeon Guides make a mockery of that sacrifice by allowing even the stuffiest of nobles to make it farther than they had any right to be. Of course, many believed that it was normal for people to work hard and dive into the unknown so that those in the future can have it much easier, but not everyone sees it that way. I had avoided most of this drama so far by sticking to relatively abandoned or new dungeons, but once I started tackling the popular ones, I¡¯d inevitably run into people like this.


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    Either way, for the first fifteen levels, we had benefited from the success of people like Raissa. Now, we were basically on our own. That wasn¡¯t completely true. The map skill was extremely useful. Anywhere I walked could be mapped out. I could also combine it with various other skills, gaining access to more information than I had any right to possess. I suspected that Lydia¡¯s Scout job would one day give her the map skill too.


    The sixteenth level monsters were definitely difficult. This was another water-based level. This dungeon seemed to focus on water, earth, and nature as the primary elements. Everything here seemed to be either rock golems, sunken treasures, or water-like creatures. We actually didn¡¯t run into any monsters, which left me somewhat surprised, but that was when we reached the end of the path. There had been no branching points, and my expression instantly began to fall.


    Right before us was a pool of water. There was a stairway leading down into the water, and it seemed to keep going down. There was absolutely nowhere else to go but down into the depths.


    ¡°Master, I had heard from Raissa that the 16th floor was rumored to be underwater. I just remembered that now.¡± Lydia responded sheepishly.


    We had no choice. If we wanted to continue on, we had to go underwater.

 Chapter 437

    None of us were water mages, so breathing underwater was impossible. The only other option was to push the water away from us. I honestly thought this would probably be the best option.


    ¡°Celeste!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± She snapped to attention.


    ¡°Can you please create a bubble of air around us. Definitely give us a lot of air for a while.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I can do that.¡±


    For a wind fairy, gathering air and creating a bubble was simple. Our time would be limited. We might only have an hour or two. I had actually already checked my dp. I did have an underwater breathing ability that was only 5 points. There was also an underwater breathing spell that cost 10. I could use that and cast it on everyone, but the mana to cast it on six people would be a lot. It required continuous use, and I didn¡¯t want to risk taking only some of the girls, even if I could portal the rest in later.


    We went down the stairway, moving slowly as the water was pushed back by Celeste¡¯s air barrier. This wasn¡¯t done with a particular skill, but with pure wind control. That had some advantages, but just as many disadvantages.


    We headed down into the depths. Although the dungeon still kept the format of hallways, they were much wider now, and even her bubble wasn¡¯t enough to reach the ends. At my recommendation, the bubble sat above our feet. We were actually trudging through water which came to about our hips, with an expanse of about ten feet above out heads reserved for air. We were going to get wet eventually anyway, so I decided it would be safer if we kept ourselves half submerged.


    I continuously used sense life as we moved, keeping my eye out for any enemies. If we were lucky, the dungeon considered just the challenge of traveling through an underwater maze sufficient enough that it wouldn¡¯t launch much more at us. I really feared that this was only the first of the underwater levels though, and later ones might be even more challenging. Then I wondered, if this is what we experienced before level 20, what would a mega-dungeon¡¯s lower levels be like? Supposedly, no one has really made it down much farther than level 60.


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    Any dungeon over fifty years old is considered unbeatable, and one over 100 years, it was called a mega-dungeon. There might be cases where it wasn¡¯t a corridor of water you had to walk through, but a corridor of lava. Maybe an area filled with noxious poisonous gas. As those kinds of thoughts came into my mind, I realized that I was only scratching the surface of what dungeons were capable of.


    We continued on with a steady pace, moving efficiently thanks to my Map. Without the Map, the murky water around us that only allowed us to see ten to fifteen feet ahead would have been devastating. Death would have almost been certain.


    We noticed a few traps. I was afraid the air bubble would be enough to trigger the traps, so we went out of our way to avoid them. The one or two we got close enough to see appeared to be water mines not unlike what people used to bring down submarines. I was pretty sure if our bubble hit one of those, it¡¯d probably fall down and then blow up.


    There were enemies in the end, but they were not aggressive to those outside of the water. One was a plant that tried to grab you and pull you down. The other was a fish that looked a bit like a big barracuda. It was scary the first time I saw when jetting towards us, but as soon as it hit the open air, it fell straight down. Celeste lowered the bubble down to our knees. At this point, we had used some air and it could afford to be lower.


    The result was that the fish couldn¡¯t get to us at all. The grabbers could trip us, but their vines were almost useless out of the water. There was simply no way to get tangled in them with the depth at only a few feet. In that way, Celeste¡¯s air bubble had nullified their attack completely. We killed the barracudas that we encountered since they dropped a fish fillet and fish teeth.


    It was nearly six hours before we finally reached the end of the maze. The stairway went back up to land and then back down to the seventeenth floor. In the end, we left the water level with very little difficulty. However, our air bubble probably only had another hour of air left in it. Had we not found the exit soon, I would have started to get worried, and had we encountered many more challenges, this could have truly been a scary level. This level wasn¡¯t hard, but it gave me an imperceptible dread for the potential of the levels to come.

 Chapter 438

    Level seventeen was the first truly challenging level. It was a cold level again, taking advantage of the fact that we were wet from the water. We went back up to the dry area of level sixteen and I had everyone change into warmer clothing before we headed back down.


    There were ice golems and giant seals that we had to fight. Compared to the previous floors, these battles were actually genuinely challenging. In fact, other than bosses and power leveling, these were the most intense fights yet. I found myself needing to heal the girls after almost every encounter that involved more than one enemy.


    This wasn¡¯t the first time we had been on a level 17 floor. In fact, by all accounts, Celeste and I had tackled a level 17 by ourselves when we were tackling Karr¡¯s dungeon. However, that was the difference between ghosts and other enemies. Ghosts are immune to physical attacks. The trade-off was that they were relatively weak enemies. On top of that, I took advantage of some pretty powerful spells and items to compensate. I was able to perform at a level many times greater than normal as a result.


    Now, we were fighting enemies on the same playing field. There might be a full team of 6, but we had no unusual advantages or strengths beyond a well-rounded party. The result was that the battles were tough.


    For the first time, I was starting to see the limits of the party. Of course, had Raissa been here, she¡¯d definitely be slapping her face. Even at this level, we were moving fairly casually. Most Dungeon Divers would look at us with their mouths open in shock at our somewhat easy-going nature.


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    I didn¡¯t know it, but what I considered tough was what other Dungeon Divers considered impossible. Dungeon Diving was a field where you risked your life for rewards. By all accounts, we weren¡¯t at a state where anyone in the party was at risk. Even if we made mistakes, there was more than enough precautions to keep us safe. It wouldn¡¯t be until after we passed level 20 that we¡¯d experience something completely new to us. A level of difficulty that normal dungeon divers had to deal with every day of their normal careers.


    Well, I would have experienced this if it wasn¡¯t for one thing, the fact that my girls were leveling at a rate of 2 X on 2 jobs while I leveled at 10 X on three jobs. Leveling at nearly thirty times the rate of a normal person from this world, any Dungeon Diver who fought tooth and nail for his income would cry if he heard of such a thing. At the very least, he would pray that I was using my boons responsibly so that I leveled up an important job to help the survival of my party.


    [Pervert has increased to level 12.}


    ¡°Hah¡­ Hah¡­ this is much harder than I anticipated.¡± I gasped.


    The girls all looked down at a certain hard thing and nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this one.¡± Celeste happily ran forward and moved to her knees.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to train something else. At this rate we have to stop after every battle so one of you can¡­ ease the pressure.¡±


    ¡°N-no!¡± Lydia denied it. ¡°You can¡¯t give up now!¡±


    ¡°Every job is important to level!¡± Shao declared.


    ¡°After every fight, it¡¯s like one of us gets a treat!¡± Celeste says while opening her mouth and enjoying her treat.


    As I let the pervert inside me loose on Celeste¡¯s mouth, I decide not to think about it to much. This is just a necessary part of Dungeon Diving.


    If any other Dungeon Diver heard that, they¡¯d cry tears of blood.

 Chapter 439

    The good thing about fighting harder monsters was that they came with more experience. For the group of us which had that multiplied by Slave Master and my dungeon points, that meant we were starting to level fairly quickly. Although I wouldn¡¯t trust attempting another power level at this point, it seemed like we¡¯d gain a few levels for our jobs after every level of the dungeon. We finished level 17 without too much difficulty and then we worked through and finished 18 and then began working on the 19th.


    {White Mage has increased to level 35.}


    {True Dungeon Diver has increased to level 30.}


    {Slave Master has increased to level 32.}


    The other reason my levels increased so fast was that not only did I have the 10 X experience on my three jobs, but I also had 2X experience in dungeons as long as I had Dungeon Diver equipped. Therefore, I was technically earning 20 X experience. In fact, I realized only now that I could drop to 5X and 4 jobs, and still get 10 X by using the dungeon experience bonus. However, four times ten is forty, while three times twenty is sixty, so I decided to work on my core jobs.


    Those three I picked specifically because they were the safest jobs for me to have. Slave Master was almost a requirement to give status boosts, experience boosts, and multiple jobs to my slaves. White Mage was my first and highest-level job, and healing and refreshing was an important part of being a white mage. True Dungeon Diver added all of the other skills I needed to help out. I could identify monsters, sense life, detect traps, and increase awards and drops. Although Lydia¡¯s Scout could supplement the danger sensing, Scout didn¡¯t include the drop bonuses of Find Food and Increased Item Drop.


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    I was worried I¡¯d soon outstrip the girls, but when Slave Master hit level 30, I unlocked 5X Slave Experience, which allowed the girls to increase their jobs at a skyrocketing pace too. At first, I wondered at just how easy the experience boosts were. Then I considered that this was the Slave Master, the highest tier Slaver job. A 5x boost is great, but the cost would be that you¡¯d be someone¡¯s slave, so few would probably see it as that remarkable. However, for me, the girls grew wonderfully.


    Lydia¡¯s Swordsman also reached 45 and her scout was 30. Her swordsman job should be unlocking a new level soon. Miki¡¯s Spiritualist was 43 and her Basic Magician was 31. At level 25, she also unlocked the job Intermediate Magician. She was a higher level than I was now since I rarely depended on Basic Magician. I switched her to Intermediate Magician right away. Celeste was a level 23 Master Wind Magician and 18 Magic Singer. Terra was 56 Earth Manipulator and 22 Mineral Appraiser. Shao was 36 Shadow Knight and 22 Pugilist.


    Like before, it got warmer again, and we found ourselves being tempted with traps. It seemed like every hallway had at least one trap on it. Previously, we had always just been avoiding the traps when I discovered them, but it was quickly becoming impossible. When we felt it was safe, we¡¯d simply use an ability that set off the trap, but very few of them were one use. They mostly just reset after triggering, so our only choice was to deactivate them.


    Fortunately, Lydia¡¯s Scout now had Deactivate Traps as part of her scouting ability. As luck would have it, I also gained Deactivate Traps as part of True Dungeon Diver just as I reached level 30, but between the two of us, she was able to do this delicate work more safely. It wasn¡¯t that I was terrified of getting hit by a trap, but if an accident really did happen, my White Mage abilities would be much more helpful in healing her than the other way around.


    As a result, she spent her time in the lead, while I brought up the rear. After much struggle, and an entire day of work, we finally entered the safe room on the 19th floor. There were no knights to bother us. We returned to the mansion to eat dinner there, then, I contemplated how we were going to handle the next boss fight.

 Chapter 440

    It was the next day, and we returned to the dungeon refreshed. I couldn¡¯t stress how different it was to be able to leave the dungeon whenever you felt like it.  To a normal dungeon diver, this was a process of being steadily worn down over weeks as you made it level after level. The miasma of the curse wearing on you psychologically while the environment and enemies wear you down mentally. The curse is clearly quite brutal, and it¡¯s no wonder that even the elites struggle to go farther than fifty-some levels.


    Yet, my White Mage and Miki¡¯s spiritualism shields our party from almost any negative effects from miasma. Well, personally, I can¡¯t be affected by it at all, and I have a feeling that my protection is at least partially transmitted through the slave bond, so even if I didn¡¯t have holy circles and the ability to keep miasma at bay, the slaves would probably be fine. On top of all that, every night, we slept in a comfortable bed, ate home cooked meals, and then returned only when we felt like it. The atmosphere was completely different, and we were always able to fight at 100%.


    That was another reason we were able to always fight safely and minimize risk. The difference between a Dungeon Diver or Scout who had been facing weeks of rough nights, darkness, and miasma curse corrosion could make mistakes in detecting traps and avoiding mobs where someone who had a comfortable rest every night simply didn¡¯t.


    That said, the dungeon placed safe rooms as stops for adventurers to recuperate. Whether this is something a curse did to encourage people to dive deeper into greater dangers, or whether it was some primordial rule written into the nature of dungeons, I didn¡¯t know. A person once registered here, could go to floor one and leave the dungeon within about fifteen minutes. After that, they could rest up and return fully rejuvenated. Thus, saying we had an advantage over the level 20 boss would be incorrect. This boss would be as difficult as any boss we had ever faced.


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    So even though we could breeze through levels 18 and 19 and level rapidly, that advantage ended once we reached this boss. It could be said this was the primary limit for this dungeon. Countless adventurers were stopped at the level 20 boss, never to be able to continue to progress down this dungeon again. After all, death was permanent, and you only had one chance to try to defeat him. Even those that might be capable were afraid. It would be a dangerous battle that risked the lives of my women.


    How could I allow that?


    Thus, I had come up with a plan. That entire day, rather than charge down to defeat the boss, I used the girls to help me farm golems. We worked all day and deep into the night. It was only one day later when I finally felt like my plan would work. At the very least, it made me feel safe.


    The next day, we stopped at Chalm¡¯s armory and got fresh armor, although still not of the magical kind. It was still important to make sure the armor was kept tight and effective. When the blacksmith saw the old armor with various cuts and holes, he went white. He didn¡¯t understand how our armor had so much damage, yet the five ladies still had smiles on their faces and immaculate expressions.


    The amount of wear we put on normal armor was no joke, and the blacksmith said the amount he saw on us equated to a soldier by the end of a large-scale battle. Well, he wasn¡¯t wrong. This created rumors throughout Chalm, and only served to increase the town¡¯s respect for us, who they seemed to think were fighting at death¡¯s door for their sake. If they knew the process was rather simple for us and that I quickly healed most wounds so it was really only the armor taking damage, well, they probably still wouldn¡¯t understand.


    A little over a day and a half later, we finally were in the safe room, having prepared for battle as much as we possibly could. At that moment, Lydia glanced over at me with a curious look.


    ¡°Master? What is the next part of the story?¡±


    Ah¡­ I almost forgot. Fully armored and just about to storm the boss room for a battle for our lives, we all stop and sit down for story time.

 Chapter 441

    ¡°The last time, on Widows of the dungeon, a lord married a lady in a fairy tale wedding. Unfortunately, the man was up to no good. His maid was in love with him, and he ended up having an affair with her. Infuriated by his infidelity, the lady murdered her husband, fulfilling her role as the widow¡­ or did she?¡±


    The girls all gasped and looked excited, even though I was just reiterating what had already happened. Well, at least, it was my best guess about what happened based on what I had seen before. Amusingly enough, the girls could see the same murals I saw, but they were determined to follow my own personal telling of it, even though it was all my best guesses.


    For example, I didn¡¯t know if the person who killed the king was the maid, the lady, or some third party. The murals rarely made it clear who was who. It probably wouldn¡¯t be the maid, because she wasn¡¯t in the maid outfit. However, the lady killed the man in bed, so if it was the maid, she might not have been in the maid outfit at the time. Or, maybe it was a third woman the king was sleeping with. It was these kinds of details that were completely lost on me.


    Yet, I had completed the lore of four dungeon¡¯s by now, and even though two of them were technically created by two of the girls present here, that still seemed to make me the expert when it came to this kind of stuff. They treated my interpretation as the reality until I changed my interpretation. I could only give a light sigh as I looked through the new murals and tried to incorporate the new information into my story.


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    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The murals never told the story in order, and there were still two murals I hadn¡¯t seen. Sometimes, I could fill in the gaps and already guessed what happened. My guesses were never perfect, but they were close enough to get me there. Furthermore, the main floor bosses usually had some relation to the curse too. Terra and the clockwork dragon were the bosses of her dungeon, while Karr and the dark fairy queen were the bosses of their own.


    In other words, that siren had some kind of relationship to the story, and whoever was the level 20 boss likely had a relationship too. It was difficult to understand how the bosses fit into the narrative. In some cases, like with Karr and Terra, they were people who became caught up in the curse they were a part of. Others appear more like echoes of characters who may have played a role. So, while a siren might not have anything to do with the curse¡¯s lore, something about her presence had meaning.


    ¡°What is it, Master?¡± Miki asked, looking at me for an answer rather than at the murals.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ apparently, the lady was having an affair too!¡±


    The image here now showed that the woman was in the arms of another man. So the lord slept with the maid, the lady slept with this mysterious man, and then the lady murdered her husband. As always, the curse was never simple.


    ¡°Then why did she kill him if she did that stuff?¡±


    ¡°Good question¡­¡± I said, but could only shake my head. ¡°We¡¯ll find out soon enough. Are you guys ready? Okay then, let¡¯s take out a boss.¡±

 Chapter 442

    It was another boss¡¯s room. Rather than resembling the long hallway of the siren, this was the typical arena-style room complete with columns and the room to move around. That didn¡¯t necessarily mean that a battle was the condition for defeating this room. After all, Terra also appeared in a similar room but used questions to entice us. However, as far as dungeons go, her situation was odd and a bit unconventional. Then again, I was beginning to realize that there was no such thing as a conventional dungeon since every single one seemed to have its own quirks.


    ¡°Who dares try to pass my room?¡± A voice booms out from the dark.


    The pair of us cautiously raise our weapons, looking around, but the boss is hiding and we don¡¯t see him at all. After waiting for a moment, the voice booms out again.


    ¡°I said, identify yourself!¡± The voice causes the columns to shake and dust to rain down from the high ceiling.


    I finally step forward. ¡°I am Deek, Hero of Chalm, Lord of the Wilderness, Keeper of the¡­ um.. women¡­¡±


    I blushed as I said that last part. I ran out of titles quickly. I was trying to be impressive and terrifying. Rather than upset, the girls were all looking at me with flattering looks. I knew enough by now to know they liked being referred to as my women. I¡¯d definitely have to work on my titles later.


    ¡°Deek¡­ is it?¡± The voice sounds contemplative. ¡°Another lord¡­¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I demand back, trying to keep the conversation going.


    I preferred the talking over the fighting for my life. The dungeons I had defeated, after all, didn¡¯t come from physical prowess. If it came to defeating dungeons by force of strength, I would have died four times over. There would have been no way for me to defeat the final bosses of any of these dungeons without the special circumstances involved.


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    Mina¡¯s dungeon was young and I had a strong affinity using White Mage. Karr¡¯s Dungeon I cheated using DP, and also had a strong affinity. Even then, both were defeated by causing the final boss to surrender. Shao similarly would have won in her crazed state if I hadn¡¯t caused some kind of weird mind-meld state. Don¡¯t even mention Terra¡¯s Dungeon, which had been weakened to the state of near destruction and then still required the help of an entire troop of bandits. In short, after all this time, I had never truly fought a dungeon in normal circumstances.


    ¡°I am nothing¡­ and I am everything. I am whatever I choose to be. Tell me, Hero of Chalm, what form do you wish for me to take?¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ like a giant marshmallow man?¡±


    ¡°Hehehehee¡­ Hahahaha¡­ very well, that shall be the form I take!¡± He cries out.


    ¡°Oh crap!¡± I cursed my luck.


    I had naturally just thought of a certain movie, and now I was going to replicate the events of that movie. This would be a horrible and messy battle. I raised my arms defensively. Shao seemed to know what I meant, as her face went white too. The other girls didn¡¯t get the reference, but they at least could see the worry on our faces and understand.


    I was expecting the familiar thumping sound of a giant monster. At the very least, it couldn¡¯t be taller than the boss room, which was about twenty feet high. However, after time passed by, nothing happened.


    ¡°Um¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Marshmallows are.¡± The voice suddenly said. ¡°Pick something else.¡±


    The group of us nearly collapsed to the floor. I shot the girls a look.


    ¡°We have to pick something. The most disarming, least-threatening form we could possibly imagine! We need something you couldn¡¯t imagine harming you in a million years!¡± I declared.


    ¡°You mean, like Master?¡± Celeste asked.


    ¡°Very well! You have selected¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ who¡¯s selected! We didn¡¯t select!¡± I cried out.


    However, a second later, I stepped out from behind one of the columns. A small smile formed on his face. Ah¡­ crap¡­

 Chapter 443

    The man who stepped out was wearing the same armor that I did. He had the same face, hair, and weapon. About the only thing different was the expression on his face, which looked cruel and slightly sadistic. He moved forward with a grace that I didn¡¯t possess, laughing as he moved. I held up my sword, a grimace on my face.


    Then, I looked back and shot Celeste a dirty look. ¡°Celeste!¡±


    ¡°S-sorry, Master! I just said it out loud!¡± Celeste responded with tears in her eyes.


    An evil grin remains on my doppelganger¡¯s face as he slowly walks towards us. Due to the size of the room, he was still a long distance away, but he was quickly closing it. He lifted up his hand and glanced down at his body, examining it with a kind of interest.


    ¡°Heroes are truly a masochistic lot. I have taken many forms over the years, but it takes a certain kind of person to make their opponent themselves.¡±


    ¡°No, that was an accident! I want a redo!¡±


    ¡°No redos!


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°This is the form I will fight you in. Let your own choices be your undoing!¡±


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    ¡°Guys, that is not me! It¡¯s very sweet you think that I won¡¯t hurt you, but this guy doesn¡¯t care if you get hurt or not. So, we have to fight him together and hold nothing back.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­ is that how you think this battle will go down?¡± He chuckled again, shaking his head.


    ¡°Why?¡± I demanded worriedly. ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re not really me? You¡¯re just wearing that skin? Why the heck do you bother having us pick if you¡¯re just going to do whatever you feel like?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong! I am you in every sense of the word. I have your body and I also have your status. Perhaps, you just don¡¯t appreciate how powerful you really are. I am you, but that doesn¡¯t mean I have to act foolishly like you. I can access any skill you have, all of your many jobs. So naturally, I am just a better version than you will ever be!¡±


    ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡± I responded bitterly, ¡°If you have my strength, even if you are better at using it than I am, you can only be so strong. That means that I can defeat you. Since it¡¯s six on one, you¡¯re already completely outnumbered. There is no way you can defeat all of us. I don¡¯t believe I¡¯m so powerful that I could defeat all of my girls at once!¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± He shook his head with a sigh. ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m not so powerful that I can beat all of you at once. After all, you¡¯ve trained your girls well, and they¡¯re not weak. However, they won¡¯t be a problem, and you will die here.


    ¡°W-why is that?¡± I suddenly started to get a bad feeling as he walked the last few steps until he was directly in front of us, where a single leap forward would be enough to attack with his blade.


    ¡°Because¡­ I already said. I have all of your skills.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Slave Order, Stay out of this fight, ladies.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°N-No¡±


    All the girls suddenly found themselves compelled to stay back, and my face started to turn white. It turned out when you were fighting yourself, you really could only depend on your own ability!

 Chapter 444

    ¡°Slave order, Attack him!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± The girls started screaming.


    ¡°Cancel that!¡± I immediately canceled the order.


    The doppelganger started laughing. ¡°I am you, but my orders are not the same as yours. In other words, I can¡¯t cancel your orders, and you can¡¯t cancel my orders. The best we can do is leave your teammates writhing in pain as I kill you!¡±


    ¡°You bastard¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ aren¡¯t you the bastard? I am you, after all.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhh¡­.¡± Shao started screaming again as she forced herself to her feet.


    I turned to her and grabbed her as she stumbled forward. ¡°Shao¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡­ fight¡­¡± She panted, her eyes in pain.


    ¡°No¡­¡± I patted her head. ¡°I¡¯ll do this on my own.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and since I¡¯m you, I already know how you think. If you had thoughts of freeing them of slavery, know that, once again, you and I start out the same, but we are different. In other words, they will still be my slave, even if they stop being yours.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I hadn¡¯t really thought of it, but he seemed to be closing off my options one at a time.


    ¡°Hey¡­ don¡¯t look at me like that. If I wanted to play dirty, I could order them to attack you. Then, you¡¯d have to order them to stop, and I could kill them like that.¡±


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    My face turned white, and I couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Why don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d probably not make that order, and you¡¯d let them kill you. That¡¯d be no fun. Besides, you must remember that I am you. Perhaps, deep down, I don¡¯t wish them harm either.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough of this, it is time that you die!¡± He lunged forward with his blade, immediately doing a Quick Attack.


    I barely managed to dodge it. I quickly tried to decide on what job lineup I wanted to use. For him, I didn¡¯t understand completely what skills he had. He said he could use all of my skills, but did he know I could switch jobs on the fly? He said it himself, he had the skills that I had. However, the second I change my job layout, I change the skills I have. Right now, he has White Mage, Slave Master, and True Hero equipped, assuming he has the jobs I had when I entered. We were different, so if I changed jobs, then he should still stay the same, a snapshot of me.


    Our swords clashed several times. Each time, metal struck metal with a flash of magic. These were identical swords with an identical magic being used in an identical way. Although the fight looked even, I quickly could feel myself on the defending end. This guy may have my abilities, but he wasn¡¯t me. He didn¡¯t have my hesitations, my hangups, or my doubts. He could attack confidently and use the skills smoothly.


    Thus, it was the moment of truth. I switch from Slave Master to Basic Magician. I immediately tossed out a fireball just as he raised his sword to attack. His eyes went wide in surprise as the fire shot out of my hand and struck him. He leaped back as the flames burnt the leg and arm of his clothing. As he shot back, a water spell suddenly swept across him.


    ¡°Damn!¡± I cursed.


    I was wrong. He was able to adapt and instantly gained my Basic Magician abilities. This meant that my plan was instantly destroyed.


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± he responded, ¡°You can switch jobs, huh? I was wondering why you have so many wonderful skills. However¡­ I am not you. I can only replicate what you have equipped, but whatever skills you offer me, I keep!¡±


    My eyes widened and I took a step back. What he was saying was that he didn¡¯t lose the Slave Master skills. Instead, he had just gained my Basic Magician skills. Any time I switched jobs, he would gain all of the skills and status of that job! In other words, every time I could surprise attack him, I¡¯d only have one chance before he adapted and grew more powerful.

 Chapter 445

    ¡°Master!¡± The girls cried as I slammed back against a column.


    I groaned while healing myself. We had been fighting for fifteen minutes now, but I never had a one up on him. About my only advantage was that I could keep healing myself. He may be able to replicate my spells, but he couldn¡¯t replicate my supply of water of life. Then again, his mana may not sit the same as mine. Who knew what his stats really were? I suspected he lied when he said he matched me. After all, what if I had asked for a harmless butterfly? Damn, that¡¯s what we should have gone with! Then again, I might have ended up battling Mothra.


    Those thoughts and many others spiraled across my mind as I tried to regain my composure and try another attack. I had already revealed True Hero, Basic Magician, White Mage, Dungeon Diver, Slave Master, and Dark Priest to this guy. Even if I did get a good hit on him, he¡¯d use his own white mage skills to heal himself a moment later. It was truly infuriating fighting a guy who constantly healed himself!


    The result was that he was also much stronger now, with the equivalent of five jobs equipped instead of three, he was truly a devastating force.


    ¡°Flames!¡± He tossed a wave of flames that washed across me.


    As I shielded my eyes and stepped back, I only narrowly dodged his next strike. He had only been using the flames to hide a Quick Attack. Then, he leaped forward and struck me. Had I not lucked out and noticed a small movement within the flames, his blade swipe would have cut me in two. This fight was beyond stressful, and I could seriously die at any moment.


    Meanwhile, the girls could only watch helplessly. Twice now one of them had tried to come forward and fight, trying to ignore both of our orders, but they were only able to resist the pain a few moments before collapsing to the ground. As the fight went on, I grew more haggard, and the expression on the doppelganger grew more condescending. I really wanted to punch him in his irritating face.


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    The pair of us exchange several more slashes of the sword. I was tired, as I didn¡¯t typically fight like this often. Although I attacked with my sword, most fights were done in a few minutes and even then, I would have switched to spells after a few preliminary swings. At this moment, I was almost exclusively using my swordsmanship, which was technically my weakest ability. Was he doing that on purpose? Was he taking my weakness, physical attack, and using it against me as another form of taunt?


    I wouldn¡¯t put it past him. If that was the case, then this fight wasn¡¯t about who was stronger, but who was better at exploiting the other¡¯s weakness. With that, I stumbled, and the doppelganger took the chance to deliver an attack. He struck me, causing the girls to cry out.


    However, I had planned it this way! ¡°Got you!¡±


    I tossed a vial of acid and it exploded on his arm. As I leaped back and healed myself, he did the same. Except the acid was continuing to do damage. This wasn¡¯t some simple acid, but a magical acid concocted by Miki and I. It would continue to burn him for the next fifteen minutes. He had an expression of annoyance and pain, but I felt vindicated. Acid burning was basically a status misalignment. He¡¯d be weaker for the immediate future.


    However, I let my excitement settle down a bit. Even if this was the case, I still wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat him. He could use healing spells as well, so even though the acid was causing damage, he¡¯d only be temporarily weakened. Unless I had a way of overwhelmingly defeating him, this battle was still going to fall on his side.  I wanted to deny it, but there was no point in denying the truth.


    That was when I noticed his naked arm. The battle had managed to shred various parts on his clothing. At this point, the acid had finished chewing up the last of his arm, revealing his shoulder. I noticed something vital. I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I not only had a chance now but if I was right, my victory was certain!

 Chapter 446

    It was simple, really. My doppelganger was missing something that I possessed. It was pretty obvious now that I noticed it. Before, I had been far too worried to see the signs, but it was now perfectly apparent. My doppelganger could copy everything that I was. He could use every skill that I had, as well as every skill that I gained. However, that had one exception. There wasn¡¯t a single tattoo on his body.


    The dungeon lore, burned into me by the blessings of a curse, could not be replicated by this boss. If that was the case, then it stands to reason that he couldn¡¯t access the dungeon point store at all. That meant that the dungeon points he had couldn¡¯t be reset! Well, they could, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to select something else! In short, he was stuck with the skills I had selected upon entering. He had three jobs, increased experience, and perhaps even portals. None of this aided him in this fight except the access to three jobs.


    That¡¯s when a thought hit me. If he has three jobs and he can equip the same three jobs I have equipped, would he be able to see a fourth? A part of me began to think that he probably couldn¡¯t. With a breath, I reset my dungeon points. The tattoos on my body glowed as I accessed the store. Despite being a product of a curse, the doppelganger didn¡¯t seem to be able to get a read on those tattoos. After all, he was unable to duplicate them.


    I was worried he¡¯d attack me while I was changing jobs and I didn¡¯t want to be left weak, so I equipped True Hero and White Mage as soon as I reset. The 10th level of True Hero unlocked the skill 2nd Job, just like Slave Master did for my girls. So as long as I equipped it first, I could equip a second job. However, that went to my DP points, so 2nd Job was already crossed out, and I could immediately select a third job. In other words, I could use less DP to unlock the third job. I didn¡¯t have time to dwell on it longer, as my opponent was waiting for an opening. Fortunately, the tattoos had really confused him.


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    He eyed them suspiciously, keeping his distance as if I was using a technique he was unfamiliar with. It bought me enough time to make my selections. I spent 15 points right away to gain 4 jobs in total. Then, I equipped Hero as my fourth job.


    Hero and True Hero were similar in nature, but they were also very different. Furthermore, I was a much higher level in Hero than I was in True Hero. One of the primary differences is that Hero had swordsmanship, to which I was at Moderate Swordsmanship. Meanwhile, True Hero didn¡¯t offer a swordsmanship skill, but simply a skill called Weapon Proficiency. For me and my doppelganger, we were both fighting with Basic Weapon Proficiency. Whether it was a sword, a spear, or a knife, we¡¯d be able to wield it at a basic level.


    To true swordsmen like Lydia, our entire fight up until now must have seemed clumsy. However, since we were both at the same level, our fight seemed fluid and proficient. Except, now that I had Hero equipped, I had Moderate Swordsmanship mixed in with Basic Weapon Proficiency. The skills didn¡¯t just replace each other, but actually complimented each other. I had become far more proficient in weapons.


    With that, I attacked him and was delighted to see the synergistic effect between the two skills. Rather than quickly adapting to the new job as he did before, he was now at a loss with each exchange. I gave him various wounds, and although he healed each one quickly, he had a confounded look on his face.


    ¡°You¡­¡± His once arrogant expression grew angry as the direction of the battle was suddenly flipped. ¡°In that case¡­ girls, kill him!¡±


    Since he was no longer winning, he quickly switched to the most direct strategy. Either I cause my girls a pain that wouldn¡¯t recede until one of us died, or I allow them to kill me.

 Chapter 447

    Job Reset. True Hero, White Mage, Slave Master, Monster Tamer. I equipped the jobs as quickly as I could. The girls were already resisting the orders they were given. I didn¡¯t need to give them a counter order, because none of them would ever try to kill me, even if it cost them their life. Instead, there had only been one option. I had to end it quickly!


    To that end, I had prepared in advance. Of course, once I realized the nature of this boss, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be able to use it, but it looked like a workaround was found. With Monster Tamer as my fourth job, it was out of his reach. Just like a Priest who uses his Job Examination, he¡¯d usually only see the first job you had equipped, perhaps never even noticing the second or third. In the doppelgangers case, because I had derived the 4th job skill after his creation, he was unable to copy it.


    I didn¡¯t know every ability up this doppelganger¡¯s sleeve. Perhaps, if he saw a spell, he could replicate it. However, a 4th job was an intangible part of a person, derived through a system that couldn¡¯t be replicated. Thus, my trap was set.


    ¡°Portal!¡± I declared, opening up a portal from in the boss room to the outside of the boss room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can escape so easily!¡± He growled, ¡°Stop him!¡±


    Portals could still be used in a fight, unlike the Return skill. It was always my last-ditch escape. Now, the girls moved in front of it. Compared to his previous order to murder me, this was one that they allowed themselves to follow to alleviate the pain. Of course, they followed his order because they knew the plan, same as me. I was never trying to flee.


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    ¡°Monster Order, attack that, and kill it quickly!¡±


    Instead of me trying to get through the tunnel, a sudden wave of golems came out of it. The girls, who had been ordered to keep me from going in, and hadn¡¯t been told anything about needing to stop anything from entering, stepped aside with grins as golem after golem moved into the room.


    Golems were very easy to control, especially after some guidance from the resident golem specialist, Terra. These were Earth Golems like her, but it was the difference between a supercomputer and a calculator. It was rather easy for her to help me tame a large swath of golems. The levels of Monster Tamer even went up, and I had a plan for defeating the boss.


    Had I just equipped Monster Tamer before, then I would have ended up in a situation similar to what I was in with the girls. He would have ordered them to stop while I ordered them to go. Since I found a way around that, he was now helpless under my Monster Tamer ability.


    He shrieked and began to fight the golems. He didn¡¯t even have time to relay any orders to the girls. Nearly fifty total golems entered the room and swamped the boss. It was a number that all six of us together would struggle to repel, so a bad imitation of me naturally didn¡¯t have a chance.


    No matter how good his healing, he was surrounded by golems smashing him with all of their weight. The girl¡¯s eyes filled with relief as the doppelganger died and the orders over them finally rescinded.


    As for me, I found it a tad difficult to watch and see myself being torn apart by golems. I knew that he and I were not the same, but he had my voice and face. It was a bad experience overall.


    When this dungeon boss was finished, I secretly promised myself that I¡¯d go on a vacation with the girls.

 Chapter 448

    None of my golems survived. I mean, could I really have kept one after watching them tear apart my body gleefully limb by limb as I screamed in agony. Even though it wasn¡¯t me, and that person finally dissipated into smoke and left behind an item drop, it still left bad memories in my mind. As much as it would have been nice to flood the dungeons with my minions and wipe out everything, I wouldn¡¯t have gained much experience.


    The golems were too weak and ineffective to be useful nearby, and at a distance, I wouldn¡¯t get experience for the battle. I might get some Monster Tamer experience since they are my monsters, but it wouldn¡¯t help any of my other jobs. Plus, they really were dumb creatures, and even orders like pick up everything and bring it back to me is too hard, so I¡¯d be sacrificing most of the drops for the dungeon to reabsorb.


    Simply put, Monster Tamer wasn¡¯t the cure-all ace that one might think. Even using the golems as a meat shield, while it sounds harsh, Terra can function as a considerably more effective one. We¡¯d be more likely to get hurt trying to fight around the sluggish movements of the golems than to not use them at all. Thus, I gave them the self-destruct order I had just unlocked.


    {Monster Tamer has increased to level 20.}


    {You have learned the skill: Self-destruct.}


    {True Hero has increased to level 12.}


    {You have learned the skill: Parry.}


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    {Basic Magician has increased to level 25.}


    {You have learned the skill: Mana Manipulation}


    {For learning a basic level of controlling magic, you have unlocked Intermediate Magician.}


    Of course, when I ordered them to self-destruct, I didn¡¯t know that meant literally. The golems started exploding, and the group of us had to run from the boss room followed by booming noises. Thankfully, I had already snatched up the loot, so we were able to flee the room relatively safely.


    As far as the reward for defeating my doppelganger, it was an enchanted necklace. Moderate Item Identify showed it to have a spell of shapeshifting. It was similar to what Shao could do with the fairy dust. Since it was a spell that required fairy dust, I suspected that this was a valuable necklace. I made sure to put it in my Storage for later. Not my storage ring, but a storage skill. It was another one unlocked from True Hero. Its space was proportional to my level, which meant it was always getting bigger. That was just one more of the new abilities I had gained thanks to True Hero.


    By the way, I also did some tests on the 2nd job. That is to say that I equipped True Hero, selected the third job, and then swapped True Hero out for another job. I was curious about what would happen. The result was that I ended up with an ultra-expensive 2nd job. I would still lose my third job, and only have two jobs, except that I was spending 5 dp for it. However, I still preferred it this way. Once I reequipped True Hero, I got the third job back, so it was a speedy way to hot-swap things.


    However good these jobs were, though, I had to remind myself that they still had disadvantages compared to their dungeon point counters. Namely, I had to keep them equipped as jobs to use them. If I already considered True Hero, Slave Master, and Dungeon Diver as necessary jobs. This didn¡¯t give me a lot of room for leveling anything else.


    This was a dilemma that seemed to only be fixable by earning more dungeon points. Well, we were on our way towards finishing the dungeon, just ten more levels to go.

 Chapter 449

    We continued to work on the dungeon. Every floor seemed to slow us down a little bit more. The traps, the monsters, and the difficulty all increased. The rewards were great too, making it tempting to take my time. Whatever happened to the king had already happened. He had been missing for months, so even if we did reach the bottom and find him, whether it took another two days or two weeks, I didn¡¯t expect the outcome to change.


    At least, that¡¯s how I managed to justify my temptations. Our coffers were filling quickly, and if I had another shot at buying that dwarf Rubee, I probably could have afforded her at this point. A full dungeon like this one truly was a place filled with wealth. Perhaps, in some ways, I truly had succumbed to my temptations.


    About a week and a half passed by, and we had made it down five more floors. We were now on floor 25. A normal party would have been at their weakest at this point, but numerous breaks to Chalm had left us rejuvenated and in good shape. That¡¯s why I was confident in our current fight.


    ¡°Get him! He¡¯s running!¡±


    The golem was fast. Its movements were completely unlike any of the previous ones we had battled. It could leap around and even outrun us. It liked to do these kinds of hit and run tactics, and it made defeating him very difficult. We had spent the better part of a day trying to do so. The reason for this? He was made out of pure orichalcum. He was an orichalcum golem!


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    From what I understood, he wouldn¡¯t dissipate into smoke, and all of that metal could be gathered, just like the rock golems that fell into pieces of rock. That meant that the level 25 boss was worth a great deal. However, he was also very slippery, using the natural traps of the dungeon to impede his own capture.


    ¡°Close off his escape!¡± I called out to Terra, who created walls trying to redirect the golem.


    If the golem was truly boxed in, he¡¯d barrel through one of those rock walls. Compared to earth, his orichalcum body could cut through it like butter. We had already learned this the hard way when we lost it the first time. Once he escaped, he¡¯d hide for four or so hours and then return completely healed. This had already happened a few times and we were growing quite agitated. Well, I was at least.


    There was no promise on how much orichalcum I¡¯d get from the mine. However, this golem was a guaranteed amount, and enough to build at least a dozen weapons. I could outfit all of my girls with orichalcum weapons! At least, that was the dream.


    Thus, this round, we were guiding him, but not blocking him. The route had been laid out. Our party had also separated. I even used the amulet I had recently gotten to fool the golem. It was smart. It recognized who had the most combative strength and would engage or disengage accordingly. To another party, this would have been a truly terrifying foe. To me, it was a white whale that I needed to finish off!


    ¡°I¡¯m not greedy,¡± I muttered to myself. ¡°I just need one. Two max. I¡¯ll stop after three.¡±

 Chapter 450

    The trap worked! The golem fell right into our ambush. Lydia and Shao attacked together while Terra and Celeste restrained it. Add Miki¡¯s confusion, and the golem finally went down before it could find a way to escape. I let out a breath of relief.


    It was an entire day of work, and it had finally come to a conclusion. Mind you, the wealth accumulated would be enough to fund a small kingdom for a week, so it was by no means small. I absorbed all of the orichalcum before the dungeon could suck it back up. Dungeons usually took a long time to do that, but this particular dungeon liked to mess with me. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it¡¯s rate of absorption was very high.


    The six of us collapsed, breathing hard as we rested from the grueling day of fighting this monster. Even when it came to levels, we hadn¡¯t made much progress today. That wasn¡¯t to say the girls hadn¡¯t evolved tremendously over the week. We all had fought the high-level mobs of this dungeon and had every fight increased by 5 or more.


    Lydia¡¯s Advanced Swordsman was at 10. That¡¯s right, she reached 50 Swordsman and her job had reached the next tier. Scout was currently at 43. I wondered what she would get when it hit 50. Miki¡¯s Spiritualist also hit 50, and she unlocked the job Psionic. That was now at 5. Her Intermediate Magician was also 14. Celeste¡¯s Master Wind Magician reached 30, and her Magic Singer reached 26. Terra¡¯s Earth Manipulator was at 60, her Mineral Appraiser reached 25, and Naturalist reached 10. Finally, Shao¡¯s Shadow Knight was at 43, and her Pugilist was at 33. As for me, White Mage reached 40, True Hero reached 20, True Dungeon Diver Reached 36, and Slave Master reached 38.


    Simply put, our party had once again made substantial gains and growth. Our rate of growth was truly abnormal.


    While feeling somewhat proud of my party, the group of us sauntered off to the safe room. However, the second we walked in, the girls drew their swords and the smirk on my face dissipated. There was an old man standing in the middle of the room. He was wearing a knight¡¯s outfit. He was one of Lord Reign¡¯s men.


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    ¡°Deek Deekson, I presume?¡± He asked.


    While stroking my sword, I eyed him suspiciously. ¡°And who are you?


    There was only one of him. That should have put me at ease, but it actually made me more wary. He was an elderly man, and appeared frail, but that didn¡¯t mean much. He was on the 25th floor. That meant that the man couldn¡¯t be simple. In fact, he almost assuredly was a powerful knight in his own right. I had heard about stronger knights. If you could say an average knight was around level 40-50, then an elite knight would be in the 70¡¯s. Even six on one, it might not be a fight we could handle safely.


    ¡°Do not worry¡­¡± he eyed my sword disdainfully, ¡°I¡¯m merely here to pass on a message from my Lord. I was a bit doubtful that you were still in this dungeon. You certainly have been taking your time.¡±


    ¡°What message?¡± I demanded.


    The man pulled out a letter and then handed it to me. Then, he walked over to the kiosk and put his hand on it.


    ¡°Hey! You¡¯re leaving?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve done my duty. I¡¯m retired. I¡¯m too old for this kind of drama. I only did this upon Lord Reign¡¯s begging. I¡¯m the only man he knew who had made it this low in the dungeon. Now that the message has been passed, I¡¯ll be leaving.¡±


    With that, he disappeared, using the kiosk to leave back to the first floor, presumably. As for me, I cautiously opened the letter, making sure to use Remove Curse and Poison just in case. There was a letter, and I began to read it. As my eyes moved across the page, my expression grew darker and darker.


    ¡°Master, what is it?¡± Lydia asked for all the girls, who had anxious looks on their faces.


    I finished the letter, and then lowered, it, a look of murder on my face. ¡°We¡¯re heading to the surface.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Terra asked.


    ¡°Lord Reign doesn¡¯t know it, but he just declared war.¡±


    ¡°What will we do?¡± Miki glanced down at the letter in my hand.


    ¡°We¡¯ll bring him a war. I had hoped to finish this dungeon first, but now that is impossible.¡± My hand tightened, crumpling the page in my grasp. ¡°It¡¯s time to end that bastard¡¯s reign!

 Chapter 451

    The day of the tournament arrived. The gladiator arena was open, and people came from far and wide to spectate. Unlike the tournament in the Capitol, which was good-natured sparring set up in the town square, the colosseum was a massive brick building that surrounded a large field that had been drenched in the blood of the innocent.


    Every month, a match was held. Gladiators would travel far and wide to compete to the death. Some were men, much like Dungeon Divers, who put their lives and well-being on the line to make money. Why would people do that? Well, one must consider that this was a world where Resurrection was a spell. To a gladiator, death was merely an inconvenience. This meant that the sport was even bloodier since the consequences were negligible.


    It wasn¡¯t uncommon for opponents to torture each other on stage for the amusement of the crowd. Fights against animals and monsters, rape, and brutality were merely common on this stage. The battle was so unsightly, that the Capitol city of Aberis had refused to house their own colosseum. Lord Reign had only managed to get one built upon a special edict with the head of the Cloud Meadow Empire. Unlike Aberis, colosseums were very popular there, and in Cloud Meadow City, the Colosseum was even said to meet weekly.


    This particular arena was neither large nor small. People came from afar to enjoy this blood sport. Those that liked it the most were those that were considered criminals by most. As a result, the city forwent checking people¡¯s status during the event. Crime and danger for the public skyrocketed during the week of the colosseum matches, but so did the income to the city, so few people complained.


    Dark Priests, Bandits, Warlocks, and other undesirables came out of the woodwork during this time, ready to excitedly watch the bloodletting under Lord Reign. It probably should also come as no surprise that the city had no official branch of the church, as they would assuredly have protested this practice.


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    So, for a certain man wearing a certain amulet, entering the city was rather easy. He mixed in with the crowds smoothly, moving with a purpose. The dark expression on his face seemed to match that of the others who usually chose to live in the countryside as they entered the city, so his passage was noticed by remarkably few.


    Crowds and crowds of people paid their entry fee and entered the seating of the colosseum. Soon, the seats were filled, and then the instantly recognizable Lord Reign came out from his box podium. Some cheered for him, although no one dared to boo him. His soldiers and knights were at every entrance and exit, and everyone looked to be powerful enough to cut a man down. It was anyone¡¯s guess how he had obtained so many knight tokens as to have so many elites working under him.


    ¡°Ladies! Gentlemen! I am Lord Reign! Introducing the 87th consecutive gladiatorial meet!¡±


    This led to quite a bit more cheers, even from those of a less reputable nature. At this point, he introduced the announcer, who was a magician who had magic that could amplify his voice. He had a nice voice too. He¡¯d be one of those guys who could do a movie trailer, so it was clear why he was selected for this job.


    ¡°Thank you all for coming. Since the night is young, and we are just getting started, let¡¯s start today¡¯s match with something to get your blood boiling. Every tournament must start with a virgin sacrifice, don¡¯t you think?¡± His words elicited several cheers before he continued. ¡°For our first match, it¡¯s slave girl versus gladiator! If the gladiator is successfully able to woo her with his advances¡­ then she¡¯ll be brought to his cell and he can enjoy her for the rest of the night! Can this wench maintain her chastity? Let¡¯s find out!¡±


    Upon finishing, people started to let out louder cheers and catcalls of excitement. At that moment, the gates opened. An imposing, muscular man stepped out from one side. As for the other side, a girl was tossed out through the gate. She was wearing a simple slave outfit which was torn in several spots. Her body sported several bruises, and it was clear she was recently beaten. She also had a collar around her neck.


    She was also instantly recognizable. The slave girl standing there shivering was none other than Raissa!

 Chapter 452

    ¡°You¡­ you can¡¯t do this!¡± Raissa screamed out.


    Her voice rang out just as there was a lull in the crowd. One could call it luck because something about the way she shouted seemed to strike a chord with the audience. There started to be muttering amongst the audience, who were confused and slightly angry.


    ¡°What is this bitch on about?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a slave, right? Like she has a right to talk that way.¡±


    Realizing she had the crowd¡¯s attention, she stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯m not a slave! They captured me unjustly!¡±


    This caused the crowd to start mumbling even more.


    ¡°Not a slave?¡±


    ¡°What the hell¡­¡±


    A slow clapping sound resonating from the box up top silenced the crowds as Lord Reign emerged once again. ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse my little Raissa here. As the Lord of this city, I personally verify that she is a slave. She escaped some years ago, but I recently caught her reentering the city.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie! I was freed by a noble all that time ago! I was returning to the city under the order of the prince!¡±


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    ¡°Unfortunately, my dear, the local slave branch seems to have no paperwork confirming your supposed freedom. Now, you even speak of knowing the prince personally? Can you all see how easily lies roll off this slave¡¯s tongue? Let¡¯s hope she¡¯s better at fighting for her body than she is at talking!¡±


    This led to a couple of chuckles, but many people still found it highly suspect. Lord Reign frowned and then nodded to a fat man sitting in the stages. He nodded and stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯m the Slave Pavilion¡¯s local keeper. I can verify the veracity of Lord Reign¡¯s words. If any paperwork ever existed suggesting this slave has been freed, it must have been lost.¡± When Lord Reign gave him a sharp look he stiffened. ¡°And¡­ the pavilion would never make such a mistake, so, of course, this slave was never freed.¡±


    ¡°There you have it.¡± Lord Reign snorted. ¡°Unless anyone here wishes to challenge my word and the word of the Slavers?¡±


    Although a few people were still unconvinced, they were smart enough to not say anything. Getting in bad with the slavers was a quick way to end up in a situation just like Raissa¡¯s, especially out here, so far from the core pavilion. Most were criminals who, by all accounts, should be arrested just for existing, and the rest had more important things to worry about than a former slave caught up in some kind of political scandal.


    Satisfied with the silence, the lord nodded and returned back into his box. As for Raissa, she looked through the crowds in disbelief. Those with a conscience wouldn¡¯t meet her eyes which had filled up with tears as she realized that no one was going to help her.


    That was when she realized that the man standing on the opposite side of the arena started to move forward. He had a helmet on, hiding his face, but his lower body was only covered by a loincloth. He seemed to be covered with oil, giving him a shiny appearance. He also had a club in his hand. Meanwhile, Raissa had nothing but the clothing on her back, and soon, she might even lose that!

 Chapter 453

    ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t¡­¡± Raissa begged as the man approached her.


    She desperately tried to back up but ended up tripping over something and stumbling to the ground. When she glanced down, she realized it was a bone she had fallen over, likely from a human who had died on this stage and was eaten. She continued to back up, but she quickly ran into one of the broken pillars that made up the center stage.


    Every ounce of training she had ever received now fled her mind. She used to be Dungeon Diver. She had survived where countless others had died. She had been in the depths of miasma filled caverns in far more dangerous circumstances. She had even been threatened with rape before. However, she had never felt so helpless as she did right now. She couldn¡¯t even bring up the slightest bit of resistance.


    Meanwhile, the man continued to advance on her, moving forward one step at a time. His eyes never left her body. Although, that was more her imagination than reality. With the helmet, she couldn¡¯t see his face. However, she imagined he was licking her with his eyes, violating every inch of her.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not a virgin¡­¡± She suddenly said.


    This caused the man to pause for a moment. Seeing that, she tried to seize the opportunity. She spoke in a low voice that couldn¡¯t be heard over the shouts and jeers of the crowds.


    ¡°Lord Reign¡­ he¡¯s lied about many things. Please¡­ if you let me go, I really do know the princess! I might even be able to get you free¡­!¡±


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    The man started to move forward again. Before Raissa could do a thing, he dropped down on top of her. He pinned her down on the ground. From start to finish, she hadn¡¯t done a single thing to protect herself. At this point, cries shot out over the crowd. Some were angry and booing Raissa for not putting up more of a fight. Others were calling out lewd things they wanted to watch the gladiator do to Raissa.


    As she could feel his meaty claws all over her, she began to recall how she had ended up here. After Deek had sent her back to the city, she had passed on her message to the Prince. However, once the message was passed, she wanted to return to Deek¡¯s side. She knew the dungeon better than anyone. Without her, she worried Deek and his formation would suffer.


    So, she managed to return to the city, planning to sneak past the knights and work her way down the dungeon. Surely, they weren¡¯t any farther than level 15, so she would simply wait for them. She had spent long weeks in the dungeon before, so it wasn¡¯t a problem for her to wait and survive. However, when she tried to leave out of the gate, suddenly she was arrested.


    They gave her a bunch of trumped-up charges, claiming she was an escaped slave. Whenever she tried to argue or seek help, they beat her. Eventually, she had lost the energy to keep fighting. Now, she ended up in her current predicament, about to be raped by some man. Yet, she couldn¡¯t blame him. He was just a slave following his own orders.


    As he started forcefully spreading her legs, a single tear fell down her cheek. She began to think of a certain person. She remembered being in his strong arms.


    ¡°Deek¡­ please save me¡­¡± She whispered her last, defeated words.


    The helmeted man suddenly leaned closed to her ear. ¡°I¡¯m trying! Now can you put on even a little bit of a show? I¡¯m supposed to be raping you here!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±

 Chapter 453.5

    ¡°D-D-Deek?¡±


    ¡°I barely managed to sneak in!¡± I hissed quietly into her ear.


    By the time I managed to make it to the city, it was too late to do very much. That bastard that passed on the message for Lord Reign didn¡¯t say anything about how long he had been waiting there. The letter was literally signed for this day. By the time I could get in, I realized she¡¯d be their first show, and the only thing I could think to do was to knock out the original guy and come out myself.


    However, there were about ten archers trained to shoot a slave at the first sign he¡¯s trying to escape, not to mention the dozens of other elite Knights surrounding the colosseum. I had been hopeful when she got the crowd¡¯s attention that she could resolve the issue. I couldn¡¯t have predicted that the local Slave Pavilion leader was a corrupt guy on Lord Reign¡¯s payroll. He had apparently thought this through before he had tried to set a trap for me.


    The one thing he hadn¡¯t predicted was that I had the ability to change my face and job and hide from him. I was able to enter the city without alerting anyone. Except, now I was on stage, under the eyes of a few thousand spectators, and I needed to put on a show. Once it was over and they brought her to me, then I¡¯d naturally portal the pair of us out of there.


    I didn¡¯t plan to leave it at that, but it was at least a good start. Lord Reign¡¯s defeat would have to move from there.


    ¡°Wh-what should I do?¡± She blushed, growing completely docile under my body.


    ¡°Well, struggle a bit!¡±


    ¡°Ah! R-right!¡±


    She started to kick and put up more of a fight, this led the spectators, who were confused at the pair that were just lying there, starting to give more cheers.


    ¡°You need to scream and cry. I¡¯ll pretend I¡¯m raping you. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll have to hump you and maybe even kiss you. It will feel real.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ b-but, what about your thing¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t push your underwear aside. Hopefully, they won¡¯t notice as long as I keep my hips close and move fast.¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­ they might be able to tell, you definitely have to push the underwear aside!¡± She responded.


    ¡°Ah¡­ but¡­¡±


    ¡°I insist!¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­ in that case, I¡¯ll make sure that it doesn¡¯t slide in¡­¡±


    ¡°I-it can slide in a little¡­¡± She responds, blushing while pushing her fingers together.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ we want it to be realistic! If you hold back, we¡¯ll get caught and then the archers!¡±


    I glanced over at the archers. Some of them had narrowed their eyes and were looking suspiciously. For nearly a minute, I had just been lying on top of her. She occasionally kicked or something, but she was clearly not resisting. In short, we were running out of time. If we didn¡¯t start doing something, people were definitely going to notice. The crowds were murmuring more and more.


    ¡°Are they just talking?¡±


    ¡°What the heck is this?


    ¡°Is he having trouble getting it up?¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay!¡± I acquiesced. ¡°I¡¯ll try to make it as realistic as possible.¡±


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    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be gentle! I¡¯m a tough girl! Just use my body!¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡±


    ¡°You can even choke me a little bit¡­¡±


    ¡°Gah, damn it¡­ let¡¯s just do this!¡±


    I felt like crying, but there was seriously no choice. Fortunately, she was being a far better sport about the circumstances than I expected. She must truly be a hardened adventurer since she¡¯s willing to debase herself and suffer so that both of us can make it safely out of this.


    I lift up her legs and then start thrusting. Unfortunately, unlike what the crowds had predicted, I wasn¡¯t having trouble getting it up. I was actually rock hard, and that was the problem. I was trying to aim my dick so it slid up the crack of her vagina. With her underwear aside our genitals were still touching and siding. She quickly grew wet, and a minute later¡­


    ¡°Shit, it slipped in!¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s okay!¡± She cried, ¡°Just like that! Keep going!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be making more noises!¡± I growled as my penis slid in and out of her.


    Her butt was in the air and I was jackhammering her in a squat position. Despite this, she was looking up at me with blushing cheeks and her wolf-tail was wagging.


    ¡°R-right!¡± She blinked and nodded with a blush. ¡°Ah! Ah! Oh, yes! Give it to me! Harder! Yes!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m raping you! You¡¯re supposed to be saying bad things!¡±


    ¡°Oops!¡± She blushed even more. ¡°I mean¡­ No! It¡¯s so big! You¡¯re tearing me apart! Ah! Ah! It¡¯s sooo good!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how to even react. She was unable to act like she was being raped now. I don¡¯t get it. Her expression before she knew who I was looked perfect. She had terror and helplessness on her face. Now, she was panting with her tongue out, a smile on her face, and her eyes rolled up in her head.


    ¡°K-kiss me!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Kiss me!¡± She demanded.


    Well, if I kissed her, I guess I could hide that stupid happy expression on her face. I picked her up and flipped her, then she wrapped her arms around me and we started to kiss. I was now holding her in mid-air and fucking her standing while she rode my cock while in my arms.


    She suddenly pulled away, throwing her head back and shoving her chest in my face. ¡°Oh, shit, oh shit, right there, right there¡­ c-c-cumming! I¡¯m cumming!¡±


    I was having a growing suspicion she wasn¡¯t acting! Actually, unless she peed on command, those love juices were no act! We weren¡¯t emulating a rape scene now either. In fact, I was pretty sure we were just having sex in front of a thousand spectators. Raissa was using her hips and riding my cock of her own volition now, all while crying out in sexual agony. Meanwhile, I glanced around nervously, afraid our cover was blown.


    ¡°Boss¡­ is he really raping her?¡± One bandit asked his leader.


    ¡°Ah¡­ no, isn¡¯t that just having sex?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that kind of hot¡­¡±


    ¡°Actually, yeah, it¡¯s kind of hotter when she¡¯s into it.¡±


    ¡°Boss, just a thought, but all these years we¡¯ve been raping women, you think it might have been more fun if they were into it?¡±


    Their boss watched us in contemplation while scratching his chin. Men and women from the audience looked on with wide eyes. A few women grew wet and a few men were hard. Some even started some heavy petting in the crowds. The scene was affecting everyone. Their previous bloodlust, rather than get stimulated, was being dampened. Rather than wanting to see the carnage, most of them would rather make love, not war.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cum!¡± I muttered, I yelled to the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m going to make this bitch pregnant with my puppies.¡±


    I was trying to swap the situation around. The message was to the audience that I was a scum gladiator and a second message was to her. Reminding her of the consequences of this act which should calm her down. Well, that was what I thought, but then she let out a howl.


    ¡°Ahooo! Yes¡­ impregnate your bitch! Give me your puppies! I love you! I love you! I want your seed in me! Give it to me! Give it to me Dee-gllaaaaa¡­¡±


    I ended up wrapping my hands around her throat and choking her. She almost used my name and she was totally not playing fairly. She needed to calm down! What, she said I could choke her! Maybe that was a prophetic warning! Well, that¡¯s what I thought, but she grew even more excited, and choking caused her pussy to clamp down and start to suck at my cock like a hoover.


    At that point, I really couldn¡¯t hold back. While being watched by a thousand plus people, with the pair of us standing in the middle of a stage, her riding my cock, while I choked her neck, the pair of us came in unison. She let out a strangled howl, and I cried out as my cock exploded inside her. I was surprised by how much cum I released in her.


    At that moment, the energy expenditure caught up to the pair of us. I fell to my knees and dropped her. She collapsed on the floor, naked after having stripped her slave clothing off at some point while riding me. She convulsed on the floor, a happy expression on her face, cum leaking out her crotch, and her tail wagging, slapping into the rocky stage with each flap like a landlocked fish.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ puppies¡­¡± She spoke to herself dizzily, touching her belly.


    She had clearly fallen off the deep end. I knew simulating rape was too much for her. She must have suffered a psychotic break! The poor girl¡­


    {Pervert has increased to level 13.}


    ¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t even have it equipped!¡±


    That¡­ didn¡¯t make me feel better.

 Chapter 454

    After putting on a proper act for the audience, I was led away. I feared I might have gone too far, but Raissa seemed happy with the conclusion, so I guess it was fine. I ended up back in the gladiator¡¯s cell. As to where he was, I stole him as a slave and sent him back to Chalm. He¡¯s going to join the army there. No raping women for him. Well, he was still appreciative.


    As for me, I had the amulet making me look like him, so even if the helmet had come off, my disguise would have been perfect. I waited for several hours, but when Raissa wasn¡¯t dropped off, I called out to one of the guards.


    ¡°Hey! Where is my dog girl? Didn¡¯t I win?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ shut up, slave! Lord Reign is keeping her. Be happy you got to enjoy her when you did!¡±


    I stepped back in shock, but then I realized how stupid I was being. It wasn¡¯t that surprising that Lord Reign would lie to a slave. As for keeping Raissa, she was a valuable tool. He put on a show to bring me out, but I didn¡¯t show. Rather than let a slave destroy her completely, he wanted to keep the bait and perhaps reuse it. I let out a sigh and opened up a portal.


    ¡°Hey, what are you doing!¡± The guard called out in shock.


    I didn¡¯t respond as I left the prison and let the portal close behind me. There was no use staying here any longer if Raissa was never going to be brought. I was now in the inn in the miner¡¯s town. This is where I had left the girls while I made an attempt to save Raissa. Since my previous plan had failed, we were going to have to come up with something else.


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    ¡°Master¡­ is everything okay?¡± Lydia asked worriedly.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to switch to Plan B. Celeste, did you get a look at Raissa during the match?¡±


    ¡°Was that before or after Master creampied her!¡± Celeste responded, puffing out her cheeks.


    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Master?¡±


    I let out a cough. ¡°Various things happened. What¡¯s important is that we get Raissa to safety. If you marked her, then do a switch and escape, okay?¡±


    ¡°Oookay!¡± Celeste sighed, then vanished.


    In her place, Raissa appeared. ¡°Ah! What¡­ D-D-D-Deek!¡±


    Raissa¡¯s face turned red and she looked down at her lap.


    ¡°Hello, Raissa, are you okay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ after they took me, they just threw me back in the dungeon. Since I knew you were working to save me, I made sure not to cause any trouble.¡±


    I looked at the various wounds and bruises on her body, feeling a bit of anger. I reached out and began to heal them. My White Mage spells were leagues better than they once were. A single spell was enough to heal her almost completely.


    ¡°Celeste, are you okay?¡± I opened up Slave Communication in my head.


    ¡°Yes. No one was even paying attention. I slipped through the bars and flew out a window without being noticed.¡±


    Celeste had been my backup if I failed to get her. With her ability to mark and swap with people using wind magic, and her ability to change sizes and move faster than a person could even see, she was a pro at this kind of escape. Thus, I made sure she flew into the city and viewed the match. When she saw Raissa, she¡¯d swap with her. She would also do that if she found Raissa in danger during the gladiatorial match. After the match was over, she naturally returned to the inn with the other girls.

 Chapter 455

    ¡°I appreciate everything you¡¯ve done for me, Lord Deek, but you shouldn¡¯t have,¡± Raissa said with tears in her eyes.


    I frown. ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ still officially a slave of Lord Reign.¡± Raissa said worriedly. ¡°He will know where we are. You¡¯ve officially stolen a slave from another Lord. With that evidence, he will definitely come after you!¡±


    I nodded slowly. ¡°You can let me deal with that. However, it is true that being his slave is a danger. Lord Reign may do something¡­ regretful¡­ if he doesn¡¯t get his way. I had hoped to do this differently, but I had to use Celeste to break you out. That means we don¡¯t have a lot of time for you to think about it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I have the ability to take a slave from another person. Based on your willingness, I can take the bond from Lord Reign and make you my slave. With this, he won¡¯t be able to hurt you. However, as my slave, it will be permanent. I lack the resources to remove you as a slave, even if I wanted to. I was cursed with such an ability. So, if you become my slave, it will be forev-¡°


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    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Why is everyone so willing¡­¡±


    Raissa blushed, ¡°If I am Lord Deek¡¯s slave, can I be beside you like the other girls?¡±


    ¡°I guess so?¡±


    ¡°Then, please, make me your slave.¡±


    ¡°In that case, please don¡¯t resist.¡± I put my hand on her, and her body shook slightly from nervousness.


    I activated the Slave Taker skill. The difficulty of Slave Taker involved various things. The willingness of the slave was paramount. However, there was also the level of the current owner, their slave skill, my own Slave Master level, and status. Lord Reign was a high-level Lord with many jobs. Had Raissa not been willing to be taken, it was very possible I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do it. As is, it took about a minute, and then the familiar text popped up in from of me.


    {Raissa has become your slave.}


    {Name: Raissa


    Class: Close Combat


    Job: Dungeon Diver (Slave) (LVL 43)


    Unlocked Jobs: Commoner: (LVL 15), Scout (LVL 5), Assassin (LVL 1)


    Race: Wolfkin


    Status: Pregnant}


    Wait, what was that last part?

 Chapter 456

    ¡°Ah!¡± I made a noise of surprise.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Raissa asked worriedly.


    ¡°N-n-n-n-othing!¡± I said, my body shaking.


    Raissa¡­ Pregnant¡­ Pregnant¡­ Raissa¡­ Pregnant¡­ Daddy¡­ Dad¡­


    ¡°Deek?¡±


    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m fine! Definitely fine!¡±


    We were just faking it! Things might have gotten a little messy there, but¡­ but¡­ I didn¡¯t have Pervert and it¡¯s Decreased Fertility equipped. In short, I was at full baby-making power. It¡¯s only been a few hours though, yet magic has already confirmed she¡¯s pregnant. Wait¡­ maybe¡­ just maybe¡­


    ¡°You haven¡¯t by chance had sex in the last few weeks or months, right?¡±


    Raissa blushed. ¡°I-if you must know, you were my first¡­ all the way¡­ like that.¡±


    Crap! Wait, Deek, let¡¯s think about this. It only just happened. In the old world, they had a morning-after pill. She didn¡¯t need to stay pregnant. I could just casually give her something and then it¡¯d all be over.


    No¡­ that¡¯s not the kind of man I am. I let out a sigh. I got her pregnant, so now I have to take responsibility. Actually, I planned to take responsibility anyway, since she was my slave, but now I had to take responsibility for two.


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    I noticed Shao looking at me with narrowed eyes. I stiffened. I definitely couldn¡¯t let her know. Shao wanted to have a baby for some reason. I took it as joking initially, but now that I was a father, everything was different! It was possible that Shao really wanted a family. Maybe it was a way of coping with her past. She had a shitty family, so she wanted to create a loving family to show she was worth it¡­ or something. Either way, if she found out she wasn¡¯t the first, I was afraid of what she might do!


    ¡°A-anyway¡­ I think we should all get some shut-eye. We need to wait for the next part of my plan¡­¡±


    ¡°We should all stay up. Who knows when Lord Reign will make his move? We should be ready.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s drink to celebrate Raissa coming!¡± Terra suggests.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I could use a drink!¡± Raissa smiles, reaching for a glass.


    ¡°No!¡± I slap it down, spilling it, and causing all the girls to give me weird looks. ¡°Ah¡­ we have to stay alert! Who knows what Lord Reign might do!¡±


    The girls accepted that story, and I breathed a little easier. Of course, I couldn¡¯t let the woman pregnant with my child drink! Ah, I needed to get multivitamins too! Where did you get multivitamins in another world? Have they invented diapers yet? They are probably the cloth kind. How do you deal with those? Do you just throw out a lot of cloth?


    The girls could tell that something was on my mind, so they gave me some space and spoke amongst themselves, sometimes giggling or laughing over the conversation they were having. Meanwhile, I suffered a nervous breakdown in silence.


    What do I name them? Will they be nobles too? Should she breastfeed? Maybe I should get a cowgirl maid. Faeyna¡¯s tits are pretty big, maybe I should milk her? Can you milk an elf? Would she get mad if I tried?


    These thoughts and many stupider ones ran through my mind until the wee hours in the morning. That was when the thudding of armor was heard. Lord Reign had finally made his move.

 Chapter 457

    My eyes were closed as I listened to the noises outside. Although I hadn¡¯t slept the previous night, I was still wide awake when we heard the marching coming into the miner¡¯s town. It was about five in the morning, and the sun hadn¡¯t risen yet, so it was still dark outside.


    There was a retinue of soldiers in armor. With each step, I could hear the clang of a hundred chainmail. As they moved through the town, I could hear them kicking down doors, attempting to round up everyone from the town. At this point, the issue went beyond Lord Reign and me.


    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± My eyes snapped open, I casually stood up, and then walked out of the building.


    I walked into the middle of the street, stopping casually and waiting. A wave of a hundred knights came stomping down the main street. They weren¡¯t on horseback, but they were still a menacing sight with all of that armor.


    Although the men had cleared out every building along the way, there wasn¡¯t a single person captured. The men had uneasy looks in their eyes as they walked through the miner¡¯s town, finding every building had been abandoned. The entire place was a ghost town. It was to the point that when they reached the end of the road, right before the mine entrance, and saw me standing there, the men froze. Some even took a step back, confusing me for a ghost.


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    The commander was the first to recover. He raised a torch in his hand and took a step toward me, squinting at the darkness that I was standing in.


    ¡°Deek Deekson?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my name,¡± I responded.


    The man licked his lips and then straightened his back. He had been sent here by Lord Reign and had the backing of Lord Reign¡¯s strength. He had nothing to fear from a minor lord who hadn¡¯t even consolidated his strength yet. As for me, I was just disappointed that Lord Reign was still a coward. He decided to hide in his city rather than lead his men.


    ¡°You, sir¡­ are under arrest!¡± He declared.


    ¡°On what charges?¡± I demanded, not backing down an inch.


    My calm demeanor unnerved him a bit, and he leaned over to the man next to him. ¡°Is there anyone else?¡±


    ¡°Not in the houses, sir. His party hasn¡¯t been found, nor have the residents of the town.¡±


    Of course, Lord Reign had ordered the residents slaughtered, so it put an ugly expression on the leader¡¯s face. Their original plan was to blame Lord Deekson for all of this, thus further excusing their arrest and swift execution. Although he had said that he was going to arrest me, he was ordered to cut off my head as soon as I surrendered. There was no peaceful resolution.


    ¡°What charges?¡± The man finally spoke up. ¡°Of course, betrayal of the throne! You¡¯ve killed Aberis Knights! You¡¯ve stolen a slave from Lord Reign himself. You¡¯ve collapsed a valuable orichalcum mine to deprive the country of resources. You¡¯ve also assassinated the king! For all of these crimes, you are sentenced to death!¡±

 Chapter 458

    I had to give Lord Reign credit. He really had done his homework. Most of the crimes were either somewhat true or at least difficult to prove. As long as the King never left that dungeon, then for all anyone knew, I had killed him. As long as they found Raissa, they could claim I stole her. The Knights were the most damning evidence. I believed I had gathered the life stones from them, but perhaps they believed if they killed me, they¡¯d find them on me. They¡¯d be right, but even if they weren¡¯t, things could be fabricated after the fact.


    ¡°I plead not guilty!¡± I responded anyway. ¡°I have paperwork on me confirming that Raissa is not a slave! I never touched any Knights of Aberis. The King is still alive at the bottom of the dungeon waiting to be saved. Your charges are laughable!¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± The speaking Knight drew his sword, prompting the rest to do the same. ¡°We¡¯re not here to discuss your case! You have killed many Knights, some of them were my friends! Do you deny this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. I absolutely killed quite a few Knights in the dungeon.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes widened in surprise but then narrowed with a pleased expression. ¡°So, you admit it then. You killed almost two dozen Knights of Aberis!¡±


    ¡°I did kill some Knights, but you and I both know they weren¡¯t Knights of Aberis, right?¡±


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    The man stepped back, and then his face turned ugly. ¡°Watch your tongue!¡±


    ¡°Aberis is a small nation, and Knight tokens are limited. I only got two. I was wondering how Lord Reign seemed to have an almost inexhaustible supply of elite Knights. Then it came to me. His Knights don¡¯t come from Aberis. They are from the Imperial Cloud Meadow!¡±


    ¡°Interesting theory¡­¡± A cruel smile formed on the man¡¯s lips and he chuckled, relaxing slightly. ¡°Not that it really matters, as you won¡¯t survive much longer.¡±


    ¡°It honestly does matter.¡± I nodded. ¡°If you were just Knights of Aberis who happened to find yourself loyal to Lord Reign, then it would definitely make things harder.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ why is that? You¡¯re a pathetic weak lord, who works under a small country. The Cloud Meadow has only allowed this country to continue to exist on a whim. Even Lord Reign is a pathetic creature who will be disposed of when he is no longer useful. As for you, you were never useful in the first place!¡±


    ¡°Why, he asks?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Because I don¡¯t like killing people, and my own people least of all. Your disgusting colosseum should have never been allowed on Aberis soil. Once I¡¯m done with you, I¡¯ll make sure to close that down for good.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ kill us? How do you plan to do that?¡±


    ¡°Quite easily, since you¡¯ve allowed me to waste your time for the last ten minutes so my ladies could set this trap up. I have to say, I had my doubts it would work.¡±


    ¡°Enough of this! Kill him!¡±


    ¡°Create Dungeon!¡±


    The area around the small village suddenly glimmered, and the sky which was just starting to lighten with the morning sun suddenly turned into an unyielding blackness.


    {You have entered the temporary Dungeon, Knight¡¯s Demise.}

 Chapter 459

    Create Dungeon, a 25 dungeon point fourth tier spell. I had always ignored this ability since I didn¡¯t understand how it worked. That was until Shao managed to turn the Capitol into a temporary dungeon. At that point, I realized the potential of this ability. Even then, I never thought I¡¯d end up using it. I could entrap people and then release miasma, summoning monsters at will.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t a level 100 Demon Lord, so I couldn¡¯t create Miasma of my own. That was what the girls had been doing. They borrowed the Miasma from our neighboring dungeon, and upon my command, it was released so that I could create this dungeon. The name had been selected by me. In fact, as soon as I cast the spell, I felt I had control of this realm. I could knock down buildings, create monsters, and even embed myself into the earth, creating a true dungeon.


    Naturally, those weren¡¯t my goals. The reason I created this dungeon was so that I could kill these Knights. If they died, some of them might be resurrected, and they¡¯d likely be resurrected in the Imperial Cloud Meadow, not here. In short, I¡¯d be alerting them about my presence, and I wasn¡¯t ready to do that yet. First, I had to take care of Lord Reign, and then I¡¯d mount defenses against the Imperial Cloud Meadow. As long as they didn¡¯t get any news, it could be months or even years before they started any trouble.


    At this point, the knights started charging me, but I wasn¡¯t done. Raising up my hand, I stared down the charging knights with a smirk on my face.


    ¡°Summon Monster!¡±


    A lulling note suddenly echoed across the engulfed city. Growing out of the ground from a circle of magic was the siren. Every dungeon had to have a boss, didn¡¯t they? I immediately imbued upon her the boss¡¯s status, causing her stats to quickly grow. As she sang, the Knights slowed, their walking suddenly becoming disordered.


    At this point, I used up some of the lingering Miasma to create undead under her control. They weren¡¯t the ones she had back in her old place, but they were enough for now. As the undead charged at the Knights, only a few of them managed to come out of it.


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    ¡°Seal your ears! It¡¯s a siren!¡¯ The leader cursed.


    These were high-level Knights, after all. Their armor and status weren¡¯t just for show. Those that snapped out of it hit their neighbors and then started to cover their ears.


    ¡°Attack!¡± I gave the order.


    From behind me, my five girls attacked. Celeste rose up and began her own song. It tied into the siren¡¯s song seamlessly. At first, the siren seemed taken aback, but Celeste¡¯s Magic Singer job was much higher now, and her skill far exceeded the siren. Rather than offend the boss, this seemed to energize her, as she worked to synergize her singing with Celeste.


    The sound grew more vibrant, and those that had failed to block their ears in time became incapacitated.


    Golems and elementals seemed immune to these kinds of bedazzling techniques, but in future dungeons, Celeste¡¯s high-level tunes would be absolutely devastating. The party cut down the men one at a time. Once they fell to the ground dead, barely ten seconds passed before they rose back up, brought to life by the combined tune of a sylph and a siren. It was a horrific combination.


    ¡°You¡­¡± The leader¡¯s eyes finally turned to fear. ¡°You can¡¯t do this! You can¡¯t!¡±


    Of course, I had my eyes down, not looking directly at the slaughter in front of me. I hated killing, but it was kill or be killed. However, once he started pleading, I met his eyes.


    ¡°Why not?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯d have done the same to me.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯ll start a war! Not just against Reign¡­ but a power you can''t possibly stop!¡±


    I lowered my eyes as a sword plunged into his back, coming out the front.


    ¡°You misunderstand,¡± I said as the man coughed out blood and collapsed to the ground. ¡°This is my declaration of war. Bring it!¡±


    A few minutes later, the dungeon around the village dissipated. To the outside eye, the town would have looked strangely empty and derelict, but once the barrier fell, the buildings, the people, and everything else was gone. It was as if the village just suddenly disappeared.


    A portal later and standing in Chalm, the Mayor glanced over at me nervously. ¡°What will you do now?¡±


    ¡°I need to free the king as quickly as possible. As for you, get ready. Chalm is going to war.¡±

 Chapter 460

    After cleaning up business in the small derelict village, I naturally brought all of the people there over to my city, Chalm. Their number didn¡¯t even exceed 50, but they, fortunately, had a good opinion when it came to me. Furthermore, given the lack of support Lord Reign had given them in the past, it didn¡¯t take a lot to convince them to abandon a couple of shacks.


    As for the buildings, I had the dungeon consume them. I wanted it so when Lord Reign investigated, there would be absolutely nothing he could use. They became food for the dungeon and were digested into miasma. The miasma we had taken from the Widow¡¯s Dungeon was volatile and it quickly dissipated once the dungeon¡¯s barrier was brought down. The miasma that was produced by my own dungeon seemed to be different though.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t get any rewards for dismantling my own dungeon, but at least I could keep the miasma. I was able to collect it freely, even once the dungeon was gone. I felt like I had some kind of affinity for this miasma. Rather than feeling like it had a corrosive, destructive effect, it actually felt calm and eager to be molded.


    That¡¯s when I came to the realization I had finally found my third source of concentrated mana. At the moment, there were three things, which were best described as a concentrated mana, which could be applied to skills to create new skills. Any individual could only select one skill per mana source to modify into a particularly powerful spell.


    We had created a unique resurrection spell, the god eye identification, a spirit fire enchantment, a shadow imbued disguise and a powerful shadow attack, to name of a few of the skills my girls have gained using mana as a reagent. These mana sources came from the natural talents of Celeste and Miki. Miki could create spirit fire using her nine-tails. Meanwhile, Celeste could create fairy dust.


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    Now, a third source had arrived, miasma. I could create miasma by creating a temporary dungeon and dissolving items with it to extract their latent mana. However, upon realizing I could do this, I found that Shao¡¯s Shadow Knight already had a similar ability. Dark Destruction was a recently unlocked skill that could target an object and break it down into miasma. It worked best with magical items and wasn¡¯t as efficient as turning things into a dungeon and dissolving them that way. However, what it lacked in efficiency it made up for in ease of use.


    I did eventually test out elemental stones, but they are so common, that had they worked, the world would have assuredly known about them. The stones do work as reagents. They can enhance similar elemental skills to make them stronger. For example, a firestone could increase the power of a fireball. An Intermediate Mage might be able to produce the spell at the strength of an Advanced Mage. If you have the Combination skill, these items can also be combined with neutral skills to give them an elemental effect.


    For example, my Divine Aura spell combined with a fire stone could give a sword both a fire and a holy effect for the duration of the spell. Considering undead are weak against both fire and holy, this would have made those attacks more powerful.


    Although, I had some desires to keep studying this system, and perhaps have each of the girls develop a new skill with their miasma combination, I had other more important things to worry about. Chalm was preparing for war.

 Chapter 461

    ¡°A wall?¡± I asked as plans were put in front of me.


    ¡°We¡¯re in the wilderness,¡± the mayor sighed. ¡°And the larger our city is, the more we¡¯re going to attract various high-level beasts. More than that, if we¡¯re going to defend Aberis from external threats, we need to start worrying about this level of security.¡±


    ¡°Terra, would you be able to do it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ah, yes, Master, I can have it done today.¡±


    ¡°Today!¡± The mayor let out a noise of shock. ¡°The entire city? I was expecting this job to take months!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I patted his back. ¡°Just don¡¯t worry about it too much. My girls will do what they can today. Tomorrow, we¡¯re going to be leaving.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°Lydia¡­ work with the new army recruits. Teach anyone you can the sword. If they can gain the Swordsman job, that would be best. However, I¡¯ll take any decent fighting job.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±


    ¡°Miki, I want you to work on morale. Check people¡¯s moods and try to improve them. I want the residents in a good state of mind. That way, they can be productive. When you¡¯re done with that, work with the alchemist to build up our stocks of bombs and potions.¡±


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    ¡°I will, Master.¡±


    Celeste, check on your mother. If there is any fairy dust or waters of life, please store it. Don¡¯t take any if it will affect the growth of the fairy spring.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡±


    ¡°Shao, Raissa, I need the two of you with me.¡±


    ¡°M-me?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, Master, even now? It¡¯s still light out¡­¡±


    I rolled my eyes, ignoring her flirting. ¡°We¡¯re going to be doing the most important job. I want to gather up a large number of magic stones and magic items we can¡¯t use. I¡¯m going to create and implant a dungeon near town.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re creating a dungeon?¡± The mayor asked with fear painted on his face. ¡°Near the town?¡±


    ¡°This dungeon is a little different.¡± I tried to explain. ¡°Without it being sustained by a curse, it won¡¯t be able to grow or consume mana. We¡¯ll have to feed it for it to produce.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what is the point?¡±


    ¡°Raissa here is the world¡¯s best Dungeon Diver, so she¡¯s going to help me build a dungeon to train people.¡±


    Raissa¡¯s face turned red. ¡°B-best¡­ he says¡­¡±


    ¡°All of our soldiers are low level.¡± I explained to the mayor, ¡°The quickest way to fix that is to have them train in a dungeon. So, I¡¯m going to create the circumstances for them to kill mobs and level. It might end up being expensive to start, but perhaps one day we can use the dungeon to access precious metals and the like.¡±


    ¡°You wish to farm it, like the great dungeons?¡±


    ¡°Right now, a training place would be enough.¡± I turned to Raissa and brought out a token. ¡°Raissa, will you be my Knight?¡±


    ¡°A¡­ Kn-Knight?¡±


    ¡°You will be tasked with training my soldiers. Teach them how to survive. Teach them how to fight to the death. No one in this world fights seriously because they all live with the knowledge that they can just be resurrected when they die. I¡¯m going to change that.¡±


    ¡°H-How so?¡±


    ¡°Easy¡­ I¡¯m going to put the fear of death in them.¡±

 Chapter 462

    Like before, I used the Dungeon Creation skill. It was a once a day skill, but it had been one day since I had used it last so I could use it again. It was a bit of a frustrating spell. Worth 25 points, I had a restriction where points couldn¡¯t be recovered with reset when they were in cooldown. So, that meant that I lost almost all of my dp points for an entire day every time I used this spell.


    However, I felt it was very important to have a dungeon for the men to use. In time, I truly did hope that it¡¯d be like Dirage¡¯s Dungeon for us, where it was a source of income. The wilderness was a land ravaged by dungeons. They pulled mana out of the soil, and the result was that farming was in short supply. Other than hunting dangerous game, there were rather few ways Chalm could make money. It had no exports. Even if I eventually got the orichalcum from Widow¡¯s Dungeon, those profits would be temporary and they wouldn¡¯t help Chalm become self-sufficient.


    I had many plans to help bring wealth to Chalm. There was the fairy spring, which functioned the exact opposite of dungeons, counteracting the curse. In fact, one day, I hoped to be able to support the dungeon by using the mana from the fairy queen. This would definitely take a delicate balance between the two, and possibly my own support as well.


    Some of the miners from the Miner¡¯s town were sent out to survey the land with Adventurer¡¯s as protection, including the Guild Master himself. These were men who had already set up shop in the wilderness up north, so they weren¡¯t afraid of looking for other mineral deposits. If they failed to find anything, I might depend on Terra and her Mineral Appraisal skill. Finally, it was my idea to create our own dungeon for my people to use.


    That had been Karr¡¯s greatest mistake. He had tied all of his money to selling water of life. In the end, he sucked the land dry and allowed Karr¡¯s Dungeon to appear. I wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake.


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    Thus, we used the miasma we had obtained from the houses we deconstructed in the miner¡¯s town, and then created a new dungeon which I embedded into the ground. A new dungeon would eventually construct ten floors, and then from there, it would steadily grow. I helped this one along, bringing in mana-infused items for the dungeon to digest.


    As for the siren, she ended up as the final floor ten boss. This wasn¡¯t a problem, as Raissa would make sure that no one ever attempted to clear out the tenth floor. With the dungeon created by my calm miasma and the boss monster being my own tamed monster, I felt like I had a dungeon that fell in my control.


    With the excess mana, I began to build the dungeon. If I tried to build it based on my own expectations, it might be too dangerous, so I instead used Raissa to come up with the floor plans. I didn¡¯t allow the dungeon to grow out as most wild ones did. Most floors had a very particular path or a clearly defined maze. While I shaped it based on Raissa¡¯s expert advice, theming each floor as an educational experience that would teach the soldier¡¯s a necessary skill, Shao brought in more magical items to convert to miasma.


    When the Guild Master returned, I also got his opinions on what was necessary. By the end, we had a very simple dungeon. If a normal dungeon was like a wild animal that would bite people and savagely defend itself while eating as much as it could, the dungeon I built was much more like a tamed puppy, eager to please its master.


    I gave the siren various orders. For example, if a human did die in the dungeon, then the dungeon wasn¡¯t to eat their soul but expel it. These differences made this dungeon completely safe for people.


    After a full day of work, we had each completed our project. It would be months before we could call these jobs done, but time waited for no one. We had to just trust that Chalm would build off the foundations we left. We had a king to save.


    {For creating a dungeon, you have unlocked the job: Dungeon Builder.}

 Chapter 463

    The next day, we had accomplished as much as we could. It wasn¡¯t like we were leaving for good. Every night, we returned to Chalm. However, I could only really give us one solid day where we could just sit back and focus on Chalm. Thus, I made sure to check everyone¡¯s progress before we left. I still had a job to do, and if we managed to save the king, it would go a long way to surviving this conflict against Lord Reign, especially if the Imperial Cloud Meadow joined in.


    I actually didn¡¯t really know what I was getting myself into. It wasn¡¯t like I had been in any wars. This wasn¡¯t even a war from my own world. This was a war with monsters, magic, and job classes. How the heck did I know what I was doing? I said some things to the Knight simply to intimidate, but I was intimidating a dead man. If I had to say the same words to Lord Reign in his mansion, I¡¯d assuredly keep my mouth shut. So, even though I had declared war on Alerith, I wasn¡¯t really planning on making a move until I was ready.


    I left Raissa behind. She protested a bit, but once I revealed we were on the 25th floor, she had to admit that her usefulness would be limited. Rather, she¡¯d be more useful to me if she worked with our new recruits, helping them pass through the dungeon¡¯s training program that the pair of us developed. Plus, I didn¡¯t tell anyone this, but I wanted her somewhere safe, given that she was probably carrying my children.


    Terra¡¯s walls weren¡¯t the cleanest walls. They were more like vertical mounds of dirt. I looked at them with a frown.


    ¡°S-sorry, Master, it was all I could do in a single day.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± The Guild Master, who was also at the walls, declared. ¡°This is splendid. Of course, it¡¯d still be nice to get a proper wall built, but for the moment, this will do. ¡°


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    I decided he was right, so I wiped the frown off my face and patted her head. Being able to erect a twenty-foot dirt wall around a place in a single day was already miraculous. To expect it to look like one of those stone fortresses was simply me being greedy.


    ¡°With time, I¡¯ll condense and straighten the dirt!¡± Terra responded with a clenched fist.


    My desire for better seemed to have motivated her rather than depressed her. It looked like our wall, like everything else, was going to be a long-term project.


    After I checked on the wall, I went to check on our soldiers. The city of Chalm, at the moment, had a population of about 5,000. This was up from the original couple hundred who lived in old Chalm. This included the refugees from the bandits who are still ravaging the countryside of Aberis, the slaves I purchased and then had sent to Chalm, Miner¡¯s town, and then those who were simply just interested in the opportunities of a growing city and had heard about us.


    Of those, we had about a hundred adventurers and about two hundred who were hired as city guards. The adventurers couldn¡¯t be expected to fight in internal disputes. Unless Lord Reign attacks and threatens the safety of the citizens, I couldn¡¯t count on the Guild Master¡¯s help. Those were his words, although he said them with a bit of apology. Then said, he was willing to let Chalm pay to have the adventurers train them, so that¡¯s what we did.


    So, we had two hundred soldiers. I considered bringing the sisters back from the Capitol to train them, but I wasn¡¯t sure I trusted Salicia with an army. Right now, Raissa was training their survival skills, the Gladiator I saved from the coliseum was training them to fight to the death, and Lydia only had a short time to train them in swordsmanship.


    The Guild Master was still stepping in, but at the moment, I had no one to officially lead my troops. I would need to continue to be on the prowl for more talented people. Perhaps, I needed to hit up the slave market again.

 Chapter 464

    The last place I visited before we left was the fairy spring. It was only a five-minute walk from the mansion, but it truly was a different place. The magic had already taken hold, and the spring was steadily growing more concentrated. Apparently, a half dozen fairies had found their way to the spring. They were flying around it seemingly without a care in the world.


    When I appeared, they hid from me, but a certain fairy flew out in front. As she flew towards me, she grew to full-size and I recognized her immediately.


    ¡°Astria?¡±


    Astria smiled gently as she stepped toward me. Her appearance was much different than the dark fairy I remembered from the dungeon. All of the darkness which had warped her features was gone, and her beauty came out in waves. Although I never would have called Celeste undeveloped, something about how the queen held herself screamed an adult maturity that her daughter didn¡¯t possess.


    Her beauty was clear, and she held herself in a way that exuded a great deal of sex appeal. It was enough to stun me as she approached. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t mount any defense when she wrapped her arms around me and her lips met mine. Her tongue didn¡¯t hesitate to dart into my mouth. My head buzzed dizzily, and I felt a bit like when I was under the siren¡¯s spell. Except, I had felt no sense of danger, and thus I quickly grew lightheaded.


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    Our kissing grew more furious, and my hands went for her breasts. Meanwhile, her hands dropped to my pants, starting to unbuckle them. Just as things started to get hot, a voice broke me out of this strange moment.


    ¡°Mother! What are you doing!¡± That voice was none other than Celeste.


    She flew into a gap between the two of us, if there even was one at this point, and then exploded to full size, pushing the pair of us apart. The kiss broke away, and my mind finally started to come back to reason. As soon as I realized I had almost violated Celeste¡¯s mother right in front of her, a ferocious blush covered my cheeks.


    ¡°C-Celeste¡­ this, I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    I was afraid that Celeste would be angry at me, but when she turned around, she looked more worried than angry.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Master. I didn¡¯t think mom would act this way.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    As we spoke, Celeste had her hands on her mother, but Astria barely looked at her. Instead, her eyes were on me, and they held a glint like a woman in love. She looked like if Celeste wasn¡¯t holding her, she¡¯d pounce on me again.


    Celeste blushed. ¡°Mother was severely damaged after the destruction of the Karr Dungeon. However, Karr sacrificed his life and used it so Mother could have a new life, which was how she was able to return to me. Regrettably, darkness had taken its toll on poor mother¡¯s psyche¡­ and now she¡¯s stuck in a state like a child. Although she still has the power of a fairy queen, my mother¡¯s mind has turned simple!¡±

 Chapter 465

    I digested what Celeste was telling me. In short, Astria wasn¡¯t firing on all cylinders. I could accept that. In all honesty, her daughter didn¡¯t seem to fire on all cylinders some of the time, so it wasn¡¯t too hard to imagine. However, that still left me a bit confused.


    ¡°Why did she try to kiss me then?¡± I asked, diminishing the roll the both of us took.


    Astria was still looking at me and even licked her lips as if she wanted another taste. I was pretty certain she had used some spell on me prior to cause me to temporarily lose my reason.


    Celeste looked at her mom helplessly and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Perhaps, she confused you for my father, and in her simple state, she tried to reignite the love she had for him? Or perhaps, the appreciation she felt for you protecting me somehow warped and this is the only way Mother knows how to express herself?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t ask her ourselves?¡± I asked.


    Celeste shook her head sadly. ¡°Unfortunately, although she seems to have recovered all of her fairy queen powers, she hasn¡¯t spoken a word since she¡¯s returned.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s fine then.¡± I finally relaxed, accepting Celeste¡¯s answer, even though I had a feeling like there was something off about Astria. ¡°I just wanted to check. Since the fairy spring looks good, then there is no need to worry.¡±


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    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be going soon, so I¡¯ll be returning to the mansion.¡±


    As I said this, Astria looked very disappointed. Celeste gave a helpless smile and nodded in affirmation. As I walked away, Astria continued to look at me. I still had a feeling like she wanted to eat me up or something like that. Had it been any of my girls, I would have been extremely turned on. However, Astria wasn¡¯t young and innocent. She was a full-grown woman, and I had a feeling she could teach me a thing or two.


    Shaking off those lewd thoughts, I met up with the girls. Celeste met up with us only a few moments later. Of course, we had resupplied, gotten our armor and weapons maintenance, and everything else. We were on the final, but also the most difficult leg of this journey. It was time to finally unlock the secrets of this dungeon.


    ¡°Has everyone done their prep?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    I nodded and then opened up a portal. We stepped back into the room on the 25th floor. If I wasn¡¯t immune to miasma, the place would probably feel very oppressive. Compared to the higher floors, the mana here would be much, much thicker.


    ¡°Master, what happened next?¡± Lydia eagerly pointed to the murals.


    That was right, I had forgotten to look at them before. We were interrupted by the soldier with the letter. Thankfully, he was the only one to come, and there was no one else here waiting for us. I registered with the kiosk just in case and then held my light up to the murals.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see¡­¡±

 Chapter 466

    With so many interruptions, I had to keep reminding myself of what I already knew about this dungeon. It was a dungeon connected to temptation, known as the Widow¡¯s Dungeon. The level 10 boss was a siren, while the level 20 boss was some kind of shapeshifter that took on your preferred form. You could call that temptation and deceit.


    Meanwhile, we had a maid who coveted her master, a master who cheated with his maid, and the mistress who cheated on the master, and ultimately a murder most foul. The next image showed a common woman arm-in-arm with a noblewoman. It was very clear in the mural that one of them was dressed beautifully, while the other was dressed quite plainly. Basically, the pair of them were close, although it didn¡¯t mention how this relationship came into being.


    Then, the pair of them ended up in peril. They were assaulted by a monster and in a great deal of danger. A hero swooped in and saved them. In a surprising twist, the hero ended up falling in love with the common woman. Meanwhile, the noblewoman looked on in jealousy.


    If the noblewoman was the mistress, it was likely that she was engaged to be married. This was just conjecture, but I felt I was getting good at guessing at these kinds of things. So, the mistress ended up marrying a man she didn¡¯t love. However, I didn¡¯t know how the hero or the commoner fit into it. Perhaps, the commoner was the maid. In that case, why did she go after her friend¡¯s man?


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    There was only one more mural to go, and I wasn¡¯t sure I¡¯d understand the whole story even then. If you thought about it, a newborn dungeon grew to 10 levels right away. There were three murals to tell the story. However, as they grew, more murals became available. I suppose one could call this a two-edged sword. While yes, with each additional mural, the dungeon became easier to solve, it was also five levels deeper.


    At the point where you reach a great dungeon, it would be near impossible to be done by battle. So, the twenty or thirty murals should make it perfectly clear how to fix the dungeon. If someone made it to the bottom, as long as they play their cards right, they resolve the lore without ever needing to engage in battle. While the curses could be forcefully expelled, the dungeon lore had an intrinsic need to want to finish itself, so in a way, the easiest path is the one no one takes.


    I had a feeling that my understanding of dungeons was radically different than most of the worlds. Then again, I was a True Dungeon Diver. It wasn¡¯t known how many others had accomplished this feat, but compared to how many dungeons there are, the number is pitifully few.


    I explained what I could glean from the murals to the girls. They made a face, not quite happy with the answer. This might end up being lore that I couldn¡¯t complete. Yet, the biggest question of all was one that had nothing to do with the mural. That question was, where was the King, and what had left him trapped down here for the last two months!

 Chapter 467

    We left the level 25 safe room and began to make our way to the stairway. On the way, I had seen the orichalcum golem, but the girls prevented me from chasing after it. No, it was best this way. We couldn¡¯t afford to spend all day looking for orichalcum. We needed to progress on to the 26th floor. Since we had a good deal of the 25th floor mapped out from chasing the boss all day, it was pretty easy to get to the exit and leave.


    I frowned as we ended up on the 26th floor. This was because I didn¡¯t see any bad guys. At my current level, Sense Life could go quite a distance, and I could usually always see a few red blips on my map at any given time. However, since reaching level 26th, I hadn¡¯t seen a thing. Sense Life even worked on hidden creatures that couldn¡¯t be seen by the normal eye, so this wasn¡¯t simply the case of a monster hiding.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anyone on this level?¡± I murmured. ¡°Is there any information on the 26th level?¡±


    The girls all shook their heads and Lydia spoke up. ¡°Raissa said that anyone who made it this far refused to give out any information.¡±


    Although this seemed selfish on the surface, and perhaps for some Dungeon Divers, it was, the vast majority withheld information after a certain point to dissuade people from risking their lives by going into a truly dangerous place.


    ¡°There are also no traps. A fair amount of treasure though.¡±


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    At first, my assumption was that this was some kind of mimic level, but after looting some treasure chests and not encountering a single hidden mob, a frown began to grow on my face. As we moved deeper into this level of the dungeon, that frown only deepened. There were many twists and turns. It was almost too easy to become lost.


    ¡°This must be one of those labyrinth levels,¡± Miki spoke up.


    ¡°Labyrinth levels?¡±


    ¡°The deeper you go¡­¡± Miki explained. ¡°The more themed levels become. In the great dungeons, they say that some levels are actually entire ecosystems, complete worlds, and biomes onto themselves. They are completely different than with small dungeons. However, in Aberis, few have ever made it deep enough to encounter one.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by a complete world?¡±


    ¡°I mean cities, indigenous people, even kingdoms,¡± Miki explained excitedly and then blushed. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s just a rumor I was told. Some say that each level connects to another world, and through dungeons, you can actually go to another world.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± My eyes brightened.


    Was that where the king was? Was he trapped in a dungeon level that equates an entire world? It would certainly make more sense. Wait¡­ was there a dungeon that connected with my own world?


    Miki noticed my eyes and immediately shook her head. ¡°Master, this kind of dungeon level wouldn¡¯t appear until likely after 50. No one in Aberis has seen one, although maybe the Imperial Cloud Meadow and Shie Gescar divers have. However, before you see those, you do see increasingly more complex levels, like this one, a labyrinth.¡±


    ¡°So, this level is¡­ a giant maze?¡±


    ¡°The goal is for you to get lost and not keep track. They use the treasure to distract you, but the goal isn¡¯t for you to be killed by a mob. It¡¯s simple to become lost and never find your way out.¡± Miki explained.


    I¡¯ve said it before, but dungeons can be very dangerous.

 Chapter 468

    In the end, the maze was vast, but my mapping skill was top notch. There was no way I could become lost in this thing. My True Dungeon Diver had unlocked a skill at level 28 called Pathfinder. It couldn¡¯t lead me to where I wanted to go, but it could lead me to where I had been. Thus, no matter how complicated the map got, I could have led us back to the entrance with ease.


    Of course, with my Portal ability, it wasn¡¯t too big of a deal since I could just portal to the entrance if I needed to. The most advantageous way that I used it was to find treasure. As soon as I detected it with Detect Treasure, all I had to do was select it with Pathfinder and I would instantly have a path leading straight to the treasure, even if it was outside the area I had seen on my map. Long gone were the days when I tracked an item all the way, only to find that it was actually on the opposite side of the wall down another corridor. I hated that in video games, and it was ten times worse in real life!


    After a solid day of searching, I went home with the girls. After labyrinth work, we all ate dinner I prepared, and then the girls went to work on their duties. Lydia and Shao would train soldiers. Terra would work on the wall. Then, we¡¯d all meet up late at night and go to bed in my large manor bed. I was a little worried about how long it would take to finish this level. To date, it was the first one I couldn¡¯t finish in a single day.


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    My worries were unfounded though, because the very next day, around noon, we finally found the exit leading down to the next floor. I cleared up the rest of the treasure within view, but I kept finding more treasure that only popped up upon getting the next treasure.


    It was clearly a temptation to slowly lead you away and help get you lost. This wasn¡¯t a problem for me though, because my map and Pathfinder made both finding the treasures and returning easy. We ended up spending the rest of the day hunting down treasure before the girls finally convinced me to leave. I had netted nearly 300 gold coins on this level alone, not to mention a scattering of scrolls, alchemy products, weapons, and armor. Nothing was better than what we already had, but it all contributed to the black hole that was the Chalm rejuvenation fund.


    As the day set, I realized we were taking far too much time playing around. I had barely covered 1/4th of the labyrinth, which meant there was much more treasure to be had, but we were on a deadline. We went home to Chalm again, and only at the beginning of the third day did I finally look back in regret before heading down to the next level.  We had spent too much time on this level though, two full days.


    Mind you, if any other Dungeon Diver heard that we had managed to conquer a labyrinth level in two days, they would likely shed tears in frustration.

 Chapter 469

    ¡°Level 27 is another underwater level?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure, Master.¡± Miki pointed to the ceiling, which stretched more than ten feet above the waterline. ¡°There appears to be room for a boat. If I guessed, the trip underwater would probably be very perilous, while the boat ride would be much easier.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case, then wouldn¡¯t that make the boat ride the temptation?¡± I offered, thinking with my brow scrunched up. ¡°And if the boat ride is the temptation, then doing it would assuredly have some kind of setback. Unless, the rewards at the bottom are the temptation, in which case¡­¡±


    I realized I had landed into a conundrum. The dungeon wasn¡¯t very clear and cut. I couldn¡¯t say whether I should brave the bottom of the sea or skim over the top. Either one could be considered a temptation, and thus could also include a trap. At this point, the dungeon did provide an actual threat to our lives. We had lucked out passing the labyrinth, but we didn¡¯t know how powerful the enemy was now.


    In fact, if we avoided the underwater enemies in this level, then it could be that we would be completely blown away by the enemies on the next level. Perhaps that was the trap here. You were lulled into a sense of comfort, spending days wandering and sailing around before finally encountering something dangerous.


    ¡°Ah!¡± I gave a cry, causing the girls to jump. ¡°The more I think about it, the more insidious dungeons can be. There is just no predicting them. You know they¡¯re trying to kill you, but you never know exactly how they¡¯re trying to kill you. It¡¯s maddening!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the way of curses, Master¡­¡± Lydia hugged me, her soft chest pressing against me and calming me down a bit.


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    ¡°So, what do we do?¡± I asked. ¡°Do we go over the water, or into the water?¡±


    Lydia suddenly pulled away and didn¡¯t meet my eyes. ¡°Th-that¡¯s Master¡¯s decision.¡±


    ¡°What? Aren¡¯t we all a party? I really need input here!¡± I glance at the other girls, who all look away too.


    ¡°W-we¡¯re slaves.¡± Miki coughs. ¡°We will trust Master¡¯s decision, as is proper.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re all being proper! You won¡¯t hesitate to bully me in bed, but when it¡¯s a life or death decision, suddenly you girls are silent?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just, Master¡¯s decisions are always just!¡± Miki argued.


    ¡°What about when I say I want some alone time and I don¡¯t want to snuggle in bed with all of you?¡±


    ¡°Well, then Master is making a bad decision, and we must correct him!¡± She responded smoothly.


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡±


    As we were arguing, Celeste pulled a fish we had captured, preserved, and stored in one of the storage rings. It was from one of the higher levels but still felt as fresh as if we just caught it. She casually walked to the edge of the water and tossed the fish into the water. Immediately the water exploded with bubbles and hundreds of tiny fish that looked to be more teeth than body attacked it.


    The conversation ended as we watched a two-foot-long fish monster be devoured in a few moments, and then tossed out. The bones land a few meters from our feet. Celeste glanced over at us with an innocent smile on her face.


    ¡°Master, I think we should use a boat!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah¡­¡±


    These fish were too plentiful. I realized now that I couldn¡¯t see the fish with Sense Life because the fish were everywhere. Sense life identifies centralized lifeforce, but these small fish were so plentiful that the entire place was carpeted with a light pink color. I only realized it now that I carefully compared the area on land with the rest of the water.


    I opened a portal, and the group left the dungeon to return to Chalm. After Celeste floated through, Shao turned to me.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t figure it out.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Is Celeste really dumb¡­ or really smart?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    That really was one of life¡¯s mysteries.

 Chapter 470

    ¡°A boat?¡± The craftsman scratched his head.


    I was in Chalm, asking the various craftsmen if anyone could construct us a boat. I really didn¡¯t want to depend on something made for the sea though, because navigating a closed-off dungeon would clearly be a different experience. I couldn¡¯t imagine how the King and his party had managed to pass that level without having an ability like Portal. Did adventurer¡¯s just keep a boat in their storage rings just in case? It was no longer a mystery to me why so few made it past the 25th level.


    Getting to the 29th level was headache-inducing. It left me appreciating the mana starvation method that had been used on Terra¡¯s Dungeon. I realized now that had I tried to enter her dungeon at it¡¯s prime, it would have been impossible for my party back then to complete it. Of course, things were a lot different now, so I was eager to make that last push. Once this mission was done, I could truly focus on building the war effort. I¡¯d prefer to reach that point before Lord Reign and the Imperial Cloud Meadow knew that I was preparing for war.


    ¡°We need a narrow boat that can make sharp corners. A low sail would be good as well. It needs to fit six.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t do boats. You¡¯d need to go to a harbor town for this kind of thing.¡±


    That was the answer I had universally received. If I wanted a boat, I needed a craftsman from the sea. We were landlocked and as far in Aberis from the sea as we could be. It was nearly a six-month journey to reach the other side of Aberis. I didn¡¯t have that kind of time.


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    ¡°Without a competent shipwright, we¡¯d be at risk any way it is.¡± I sighed.


    Shipwright was the name of the craftsmen who would create and design boats. I could just have them construct something using my memories and ingenuity, but we were talking about testing it against a dungeon. A single mistake could end up meaning death. If any of my girls fell into the water, those creatures could filet them in under a minute.


    ¡°What are we going to do, Master?¡± Lydia asked, the girls all watching me with just a hint of anxiousness.


    I shook my head slightly and sighed. This King was certainly a difficult guy to find. When we finally got to the bottom of this dungeon, what we discovered better be worth all of this. I was starting to feel like I was really in a game. One quest led to a side quest which led to a fetch quest. I finally made my decision and stood up.


    ¡°Pack up, girls. We¡¯re heading back to the Capital.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to look for a shipwright slave?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an option, I admitted, but I¡¯m thinking it¡¯d be better to take the traveling guild¡¯s portals straight to the sea so we can buy something that already exists. Perhaps the shipwrights will be able to modify it for us. Perhaps, we can also look into establishing some more trade. In that case, she would be useful.¡± I ended up mumbling that last part to myself.


    ¡°You can also have fun with your big-breasted elf maid!¡± Lydia spoke up a little too excitedly, causing some of the craftsmen to shoot us looks.


    Blushing, I turned my head angrily, ¡°Her name is Faeyna! And no, I wasn¡¯t thinking about her ample breasts! You know, I don¡¯t make every decision with my penis, right?¡±


    Why were all the girls looking at me doubtfully? That hurt a little.

 Chapter 471

    It was still morning, and we had gone to the dungeon, found it impassable, traveled back to Chalm, decided we needed a boat, and then traveled to the Capital. Having already used Portal three times, I had one more Portal I could use thanks to the trick I had learned using True Hero¡¯s Second Job skill. Usually, I treated the Portals like currency. That is to say that I left my 4 free points free, and only when I decided I needed to create a portal would I drop a point to use the once-a-day spell. Each additional use cost another point.


    Portals already took a bit to cast, so I might as well take a bit longer by accessing and fiddling with the dungeon point store. Before I stepped through, I checked my breath and my hair. It had nothing to do with Faeyna! I wasn¡¯t excited to see her again! It had been a couple of weeks since I had last met her. She was just a really dependable woman. She was very regal, and her personality was sweet, yet commanding. Not like that phony princess in the castle, although I¡¯m sure Eliana would have been crying if she heard that opinion about her. The elf maid just held a dignity the other woman couldn¡¯t compare with. Faeyna was diligent. That was the word.


    It had nothing to do with two large things that happened to be on her chest and her status as a mythical fantasy creature that was even rare by this world¡¯s standard. It was her personality that I enjoyed. If the five slave girls who made up my party were like the fun, hot girl who was your friend, always made you laugh, and was someone you could go out and have a great time with, then Faeyna was more the stoic woman at home, who would take care of you and pamper you. She was a dutiful wife.


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    Not that I was saying she was my wife! There was really no reason to get worked up over her anyway. It¡¯s not like we could have sex. Elves in this world imprinted on the first person they exchanged bodily fluids with. That meant sex. I mean, we kissed once, but that¡¯s probably not enough. If it was, that would be truly pitiful. She never mentioned anything like that, so it was fine. However, if I had sex with her, then she¡¯d definitely become all but sterile. I¡¯d have to father all of her children. I didn¡¯t know if they would be elves or half-elves, but surely it would doom her race.


    It was much better if she got with someone who would live as long as she did. As for me, I had women in my life, so there was no need to be selfish. Besides, who knew how fertile I even was. I quickly decided to ignore Raissa as an outlier. I hadn¡¯t gotten any of the other girls pregnant!


    I stepped through the portal, and she was right in front of me. While I was fretting with the portal open, it turned out that Faeyna had been alerted to my presence and appeared in front of me. She bowed low, and her chest hung like two ripe watermelons.


    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± I said, putting my backpack in front of my pants.


    ¡°Master, welcome home.¡± She smiled.

 Chapter 472

    ¡°Master, we must go to war immediately!¡± Salicia raced into the room.


    I blinked in surprise. When did Salicia learn about our war efforts? I hadn¡¯t even told the prince yet. When I saw her face, filled with anger and worry, I realized that she was talking about something else.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°It¡¯s Sister!¡± She cried out. ¡°The church came and took her away two days ago!¡±


    ¡°Oh, good¡­¡± I let out a breath of relief upon hearing it wasn¡¯t important.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± I let out a cough as Salicia glared at me. ¡°I mean, this is really unfortunate. What happened?¡±


    ¡°The church has sent several strongly worded letters to the manor since you left a few weeks ago.¡± Faeyna stepped in and explained.


    ¡°Did you tell them that I was currently gone?¡± I asked. ¡°On orders from the prince.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°We did reply as such, but the church continued to send letters. Therefore, we wondered if the letters were making it properly. We ended up sending Carmine to deliver the letter personally. However, that was three days ago, and she hasn¡¯t returned from the church since.¡±


    I scratched my chin as I took in what the two women were telling me. Essentially, it seemed like the church was causing problems. Up until now, my only confrontation with the church was with the clockwork dragon they had sent Carmine to capture. However, after the royal family, they were the second greatest power in Aberis.


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    There were various things about me that could certainly get their notice. The fact that I was from another world could be troublesome. The idea that I colluded with Salicia, and destroyed the clockwork dragon. My defeat of the demon lord, and the fact that I was keeping her with me despite the chance she could still be a danger. Never mind the job Dark Priest, and my ability to swap out jobs like a Priest. Simply put, dealing with the church would be trouble. I wanted to avoid them at all costs.


    That was why I fled the last time I was in the city. It was just a delaying tactic, but I was happily continuing to delay it until I had the King owing me his life. Unfortunately, that seemed impossible now that the church was starting to cause problems with me.


    ¡°Master, what will you do?¡± Salicia demanded, an angry yet hopeful expression on her face.


    I reached out and gently grabbed Salicia¡¯s shoulders. ¡°You and Carmine are mine. I own you. I won¡¯t allow anyone else to take what is mine. I will go to the church, and I will bring back your sister.¡±


    Salicia blushed and looked away, not meeting my eyes. ¡°Th-thank you, Master.¡±


    I left Salicia behind to watch the mansion, and then I grabbed the rest of the girls, Faeyna included and headed out into the Capital.


    ¡°Is Master really going to go to the church and cause trouble?¡± Shao asked worriedly.


    She understood that her presence was one of the biggest divides between the church and me.


    ¡°Hell no!¡± I responded, causing all the girls to look at me.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Faeyna asked, her eyes widening.


    ¡°I just wanted to shut Salicia up. We¡¯re going to resolve a few loose ends in the Capital, and then I¡¯m heading to the ocean.¡±


    Carmine will be fine. The slave bond tells me she¡¯s healthy and not dead. Even if the church was trying to force my hand, they would fail! In my mind, the troublesome sisters were completely expendable!

 Chapter 473

    ¡°Figuro is really out?¡± My first shock of the day was after I headed to the Slaver¡¯s Market, although I guess the slavers themselves called the building that did the administrative stuff the Slaver¡¯s Pavilion.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ he took another journey, this time to the Imperial Cloud Meadow.¡± The Slaver gave a weak smile. ¡°You¡¯re always welcome to look around though.¡±


    I had already glanced down the rows of slaves. Most of the ones currently on the market were tough, brawny men. That¡¯s not saying I had a preference for beautiful women! I wasn¡¯t that big of a pervert. However, most of these men were former bandits, deserters, mercenaries, or other violent people, and I didn¡¯t feel like they¡¯d be a good fit for Chalm.


    What? They would make good fodder for the army? If I filled my army full of disreputable people, it would crumble the moment their lives were put on the line. That¡¯s assuming the freed slaves didn¡¯t flee the second they had a chance. These men were not the type I could trust with my life, and thus they were not the type I¡¯d let the other slaves trust with theirs.


    As for finding a shipwright, there wasn¡¯t a single one. There was a person with Magic Blacksmith, but they were at a price where buying them would wipe out most of the money I had. It was at a level where I wasn¡¯t confident, I¡¯d be able to buy a ship. I also had other financial plans. Before we left completely, I turned to Faeyna. She had been my slave pavilion liaison up until this point.


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    ¡°Faeyna, you were able to pay off the fee for all of the slaves, correct?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, Master, they were all sent to Chalm as you ordered. I was able to use the money you left me wisely and pay for everything.¡±


    That was the other reason the slave market was lacking picks. Faeyna had been buying up anyone who had the right credentials, and they were being sent to Chalm. Supposedly, there were another hundred or so slaves still in transit to Chalm that haven¡¯t arrived yet. I actually would have preferred not sending them down by carriage as the bandit threat on the path was dangerous. Since Salicia had been captured, the groups of bandits had become increasingly bolder.


    However, by nature, bandits avoided slaves. Slaves could be traced. They were already owned, and that ownership was supported by the Slaver¡¯s Guild. These men might very well end up as slaves one day, so the last thing they wanted to do was piss off the Slaver¡¯s Guild. If the church and the royalty could be said to have about equal footing in this country, then the Slaver¡¯s Guild was even more powerful. Its connections spread through the Imperial Cloud Meadow and the other nations as well. Only Dioshin and Shie Gescar refused to tolerate the presence of the Slaver¡¯s Guild. Fortunately, the Slaver¡¯s Guild only followed money, and had no interest in power or politics.


    ¡°How are finances?¡± I asked.


    Faeyna blushed. ¡°Weak, my lord. I¡¯m afraid there is very little left. As is, I have put enough away to keep the mansion afloat for a single year, but that is all.¡±


    That was actually an impressive nest egg. Faeyna was good with money considering the expectations I put on her.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get the carriage and load up supplies you can sell. Let¡¯s try to maximize our profits again.¡±

 Chapter 474

    ¡°Where will Master be heading this time?¡± Faeyna shot to the point immediately.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question. We need a place that we can reach by Portal. Somewhere on the ocean of Aberis. Preferably a city with a port.¡±


    ¡°You would most likely be interested in King¡¯s Port. It¡¯s the largest port in Aberis.¡± Faeyna seemed to have already familiarized herself with a map of Aberis. ¡°However, only a powerful mage like Master can open a portal that distance. You¡¯d need two transfers to get there with a standard travel magician. Fortunately, such a route was devised by the Traveling Guild for those who wish to visit the beach on vacation from the Capital.¡±


    Never underestimate the value of rich people wanting their comforts. It looked like such a route existed and I wouldn¡¯t have to do any lengthy travel. King¡¯s Port sounded like just what we were looking for.


    ¡°When does it leave?¡± I asked, fearing the trip would still take ten days.


    ¡°The Traveling Guild opens the route tomorrow! Ah¡­ but the complete trip is 10 gold per person. Very expensive.¡±


    Most tourist traps were, but 10 gold was nothing for the current me. I pulled out a bag filled with money. I didn¡¯t even bother to count it before I just handed the whole thing to Faeyna.


    ¡°In that case, Faeyna, purchase supplies you believe will sell well in King¡¯s Port. We¡¯ll stay the night in the mansion. I just have one more errand to run.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Master¡­ so, I will be attending you tonight?¡±


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    ¡°Of course,¡± I responded.


    I mean, since I¡¯d be in the mansion, she would probably prepare my bed, clean my clothing, and cook dinner. She was my maid after all. However, her cheeks suddenly turned bright red and she started looking flustered.


    ¡°Good job, Master!¡± Lydia gave me a thumbs up and whispered encouragingly. ¡°Be assertive as you push her down!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± I realized then that by attending, she meant in bed! ¡°No, rather¡­ that¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave first, Master!¡± Her voice was high as she covered her face with embarrassment and fled.


    I was stuck with a finger up and my mouth open, unable to correct the mistake. I must have seriously shamed her by telling her to have sex. She was an elf and couldn¡¯t do it with me, so by making her think she had to, she must have been quite hurt by thinking her Master was going to be cruel to her. I wanted to go apologize, but I also still had things I needed to get done. The group of us went to one last location that I had forgotten to visit before.


    ¡°Aberis Life Insurance!¡± A woman greeted me in the front of the store.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like to register with you,¡± I explained.


    In the end, I had to fill out a bunch of paperwork that assessed my risks. It asked what I had done and what I will be doing. Once I was done, I handed it back to the girl. She read the document, a small frown forming on her lips. Then she slapped a stamp on it.


    ¡°What do you mean, high risk!¡± I cried as I saw the stamp on the paper.


    ¡°It just means you¡¯ll have to pay twice as much, as there is a high likelihood, you¡¯ll need it.¡± The woman responded shortly.


    I felt like crying, but I ended up paying the fee anyway. They took a drop of blood and placed it in a crystal. I paid enough for them to check on the crystal for the next twelve months.   It felt really strange doing all this, but I told myself it was for safety. With the chores done, I patted off my pants and headed out with the girls.


    However, when I walked out the door, there were twelve Paladins surrounding us. They all had their weapons lowered. Before I could say anything, the ground under our feet exploded with light, and I realized we were standing on some kind of magical glyph they had prepared while I was in the shop.


    ¡°Deek Deekson, you¡¯re a hard man to find.¡± A snobbish priest came forward. ¡°However, now that we have you, I¡¯d like you to accompany me.¡±

 Chapter 475

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work, after all.¡± I sighed.


    I had already figured as much, but I used Portal and it didn¡¯t work. I wasn¡¯t sure about Return. Since Portal was a dungeon point skill, and Return was merely a low-level Hero skill, it stood to reason it wouldn¡¯t work either. They probably knew I was a Hero, so they would naturally know that I could use Return.


    The reason I didn¡¯t try it is that I didn¡¯t feel desperate yet. Since the church has already gone this far to capture me, I supposed I had to see where this went. Return was a skill I could only test once, and then I might just be making things worse at that point.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked instead, motioning for the girl¡¯s to put their weapons away.


    The paladin who appeared to be leading the rest sneered when he saw this, clearly unimpressed by a group of female fighters. It was the priest who was acting as the speaker though. Unfortunately, his attitude wasn¡¯t much better.


    ¡°The Archbishop has ordered us to bring you in.¡± He responded. ¡°They¡¯d like to have a word with you.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± I clasped my hands calmly behind my back. ¡°All you had to do was ask.¡±


    Irritation flashed on the priest¡¯s face, but then again, that was my intent. I wasn¡¯t trying to be a troublemaker, but I had a feeling that this guy was a small fry, and he was trying to throw power he didn¡¯t really have to look better than he actually was.


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    Seeing that I wasn¡¯t sufficiently cowed even with Paladins surrounding me, the lips of the priest tightened and he made a gesture. ¡°Come along.¡±


    The group of us followed the circle of Paladins, who remained around us like a regiment of bodyguards, or rather jailers. The procession certainly drew the notice of the crowds. Previously, I had remained pretty inconspicuous. We all wore cloaks with our hoods up, and kept our heads lowered.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Lord Deek?¡±


    ¡°The new lord?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the lord that saved the city?¡±


    ¡°Aberis¡¯s Hero!¡±


    ¡°Lord Deek, I love you!¡± A woman suddenly called out.


    ¡°You saved my sister!¡±


    ¡°Eh? What¡¯s with those church guys?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they being a bit stuffy? This is the city¡¯s savior we¡¯re talking about?¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re giving him an award, that guy in front sure looks arrogant.¡±


    The whispering of the crowds seemed to be extremely supportive. I might have gloated, but I was just as surprised as the church. Apparently, in the few weeks, since the demon lord had been defeated, I had started to gain a reputation in the city. Some were even calling me the Hero of Aberis since the Capital didn¡¯t officially give out Hero tokens as the villages did.


    The priest, and by extension the church, who were escorting us started turning into an unappreciative villain in the eyes of the public. Even if he had way more guts, the priest couldn¡¯t help but form an embarrassed expression. He perhaps had thought his own status made him a respected person of the city and worthy of worship. In the end, my credentials just outdid his own. The court of public opinion was a powerful thing. By the time we reached the church, even the disciplined paladins were feeling awkward.

 Chapter 476

    The church, although it was probably more accurate to call it a cathedral, was quite massive and ornate. It wasn¡¯t much different than the catholic cathedrals from my old world. It possessed tall spires, but they were oddly rounded off, more like hills than spires, although there was a point on the top of each one that I couldn¡¯t see clearly. There were many ornate sculptures, mostly of women. They were often pregnant, giving birth, or feeding infants with their breasts.


    The priest led me into the church, but the majority of the escort broke off at that point. Only two Paladins followed us inside. That didn¡¯t make things anymore even, since there were guards at the gates and lined up all over the cathedral. In the large room we entered, there were at least 10 Paladins, and innumerable priests. The priests were probably not great at combat, but I imagine if they all concentrated on healing the warriors, they¡¯d basically have infinite health.


    On the inside, there were high ceilings and a propensity for the color white. Their religious imagery was different, once again focusing on women, particularly in motherly roles. Their deity appeared to be a somewhat robust woman with large hips and breasts. Was this the goddess who sent me to this world? This would be my first time seeing her if that was the case.


    ¡°All hail to the Mother.¡± I heard a man chanting.


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    ¡°Mother shelter us in your womb.¡±


    Although the imagery was mostly women, on this floor, I saw mostly men. However, the few women I did see were surprisingly beautiful.


    ¡°You will be respectful to the Archbishop!¡± The priest who was leading us snapped. ¡°Or the penalty is death!¡±


    I tried to make a portal again, just to test it, and it was still out. Whatever that magical circle did, it seemed to work for more than just within the circle. It appeared to be some kind of skill dampener that prevented me from using movement-related skills. I could still use other skills, as I tested out several that the paladins wouldn¡¯t notice like Slave Communication and Map.


    We ended up entering an elevator, which was powered magically. It lifted up past the giant room. We ended up in a large room at the very top of the cathedral. I was deep in enemy territory now. I swallowed hard and then got off. At this point, the priest stopped leading us. As soon as the six of us were off, he shut the elevator and sent it back down. Standing there as if he was blocking our exit, he gestured for the group of us to continue.


    We slowly walked down the giant chamber, which looked like the office of the Archbishop. At the end of the room was a tall chair. It was facing away from me. There was also a fireplace that was burning ominously. There was an excessive use of blacks and reds, which contrasted with the white exterior. I could see it now. This was the true church. It was the corrupt, dark underbelly. Then, before me, was the Archbishop who ran the church. They were the most powerful person in the country, just under the noble family.


    The chair turned around, and my mouth couldn¡¯t help but fall open.

 Chapter 477

    Sitting in a chair, with a large desk between us, was an incredibly beautiful woman. She had curly auburn hair, bright green eyes, and an enormous chest that even made Faeyna seem modest. It was easily the size of two watermelons, and it wasn¡¯t covered up by much. Although she was dressed in ceremonial robes, black and red in color, she had an extensive amount of cleavage on display. She didn¡¯t show any bit of embarrassment, as she looked me up and down.


    She noticed my eyes locked on her chest, and a small, almost imperceptible smirk appeared on her face. ¡°Hello, Deek Deekson. I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve given me a choice.¡±


    I managed to shake my gaze from the appearance of her massive tits, especially after being glared at by the girls. I reminded myself that this woman was the enemy. Who knew what evil plans the church was concocting!


    ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡± She asked, glancing back to the escort priest, who nodded and went to a small bar to prepare something. ¡°Wine? Tea? Or¡­ Milk?¡±


    My eyes couldn¡¯t help but drop down to her tits again. Her smile grew slightly wider, and I felt an elbow in my stomach.


    ¡°N-no¡­ rather, I just want to know why the church went to such an effort to bring me here? My interaction with the church has been minimal at best. I¡¯ve done nothing I can remember to upset you.¡±


    Well, other than the clockwork dragon, but why would I mention that at a time like this? Rather, I felt like playing dumb was my best move at the moment. The woman behind the desk was calm, looking me up and down one more time with a bit of interest.


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    ¡°You may call me Mary.¡±


    ¡°Like¡­ the virgin?¡±


    ¡°Oh my¡­ how bold.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean¡­¡± I tried to defend myself but then shook my head so I didn¡¯t get flustered. ¡°Rather, why am I here?¡±


    She sat back, pursing her lips thoughtfully. ¡°You don¡¯t trust the church very much, do you?¡±


    Of course, the church was always the bad guy. How could I trust them? They captured Carmine. They forced me here. They were trying to use a clockwork dragon! They tossed Salicia and Carmine into slavery! Who knew what else they had done?


    ¡°Do I have a reason to?¡± I decided to answer with another question.


    She leaned forward, her chest bouncing as it flopped on the desk, even though she wasn¡¯t leaning very far. How did she write with those things in the way?


    ¡°Do you know anything about the church?¡±


    ¡°Only what I have heard from others,¡± I responded shortly.


    ¡°Oh?¡± She raised an eyebrow and then took the glass that the priest handed her.


    I noticed he hadn¡¯t made me anything. She drank the cup slowly, seeming completely unrushed.


    ¡°So, is there anything I should know?¡± I asked, feeling a bit annoyed.


    ¡°There have been many religions over the years, but only ours has become the main religion. We believe in the Mother and the Daughter. However, in recent years, the church has become¡­ divided. It has come to a point where things might very well come to war.¡±


    ¡°The church¡­ is at war?¡±


    She nodded sadly. ¡°It might be, very soon. There are several sects that have broken off. The sect here in Aberis has a great deal of reverence for the Mother. We worship birth, leadership, ideals, and nourishment. The other sect favors the Daughter. They lean towards youth and innovation. Of course, over the years of this conflict, both sides have recruited many numbers. And the support finally settled on a specific feature of the Mother and the Daughter. This is the central source of our conflict now, and the choice that we haven¡¯t been able to settle in a thousand years to this very day.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°Big chests over flat chests.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Let me officially introduce my church!¡± She stood up and then bowed, her giant breasts smashing on the table as she did so. ¡°I am Archbishop Mary, of the Church of Big Titties!¡±

 Chapter 478

    ¡°Church of Big Titties!?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not the official name.¡± She admitted, standing back up as her breasts bounced unnaturally. ¡°But I find it a more suiting name to quickly explain our values and desires. The bigger the tits, the closer a woman is to god!¡±


    ¡°Wh-what about men?¡±


    ¡°Did you not check them out?¡± she gestured to her rack, and my eyes did linger once again. ¡°Hehe¡­ men love these things. They¡¯re more pious than any woman, offering them all of their praise and worship. It¡¯s women, on the other hand, who sometimes have a problem.¡±


    ¡°Tsk¡­ it¡¯s just fat¡­¡± Terra muttered.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± The priest next to the Archbishop suddenly screamed, drawing a dagger. ¡°I could just manage to tolerate that foxkin and her barely-C sized hills, but that flat-chest golem is an abomination! It never should have been allowed in the church, and now you want to blaspheme in front of the Archbishop? I-¡°


    ¡°Enough, Carl!¡± The Archbishop tossed a book of scripture at the priest¡¯s head, hitting him and causing him to crash to the ground.


    As he was screaming, Terra grabbed my arm and then hid behind me.


    ¡°Wait¡­ so the reason he was so hateful was because of Terra?¡±


    The Archbishop came out from behind her desk and then bowed. Her tits basically fell out the top. I could even see the nipples!


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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± She said. ¡°As you can see, there is still a great deal of animosity between both sides.¡±


    Terra pinched my arm while noticing me staring at those things as they rocked back and forth hanging down. ¡°It¡¯s just like a cow, not even attractive.¡±


    ¡°Terra!¡± She really was running her mouth at a bad time.


    She seemed to realize it at this moment too and then blushed, looking away.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± Mary stood back up, a wry smile on her face. ¡°She can¡¯t help it. She¡¯s a flat chester. They know not what they say¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± I shook my head, feeling like I had a headache. ¡°Let me get this straight. There are two sects of the church fighting because one side likes big breasts and the other likes flat chests?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ it is a conflict that has brewed for over a thousand years. However, now that I became Archbishop, beating the last by a cup, I wish to try to fix the church. There was a time when we were the strongest existence on the continent. However, we have become fractured, and now compared to the likes of the Demon King and the Imperial Cloud Palace, we are too weak.¡±


    ¡°How do I fall into any of this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± she responded, tapping her finger on her lips. ¡°At the tournament, we saw your team of women. Flat-chested, big-chested, medium chested¡­ you have truly picked women of every size!¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your mentality we want. ¡°She glanced at the priest who was rubbing his head and looking embarrassed. ¡°We need a figure to lead by example. I believe you¡¯re that man. I believe you have been chosen to bring balance to the tits.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow¡­¡±


    ¡°I want you to be a bridge between the flats and the mountains. I want you to bring together the titless and the well-endowed. I want MILFs and lolis to live together in peace! That is my dream!¡± She suddenly grabbed my hands, looking up at me with pleading eyes. ¡°Please, Deekson, will you plow through our divide? You don¡¯t have to be gentle. Just dive in face first!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± I got caught up in the moment and tried to bow, but the two of us were too close.


    The result, my face plunged right into her breasts.


    ¡°Oh, my!¡± She gasped.

 Chapter 479

    ¡°Wh-where was I?¡± I murmured, suddenly waking up.


    I was sitting in a chair, and the escort named Carl was using some pungent thing he was waving under my nose to wake me up. It worked, and also burned a little. I waved my hands trying to get it out of my way.


    ¡°You were in a place of dreams, my friend,¡± Carl said, patting my shoulder.


    ¡°What, are we getting along now?¡±


    He blushed. ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ before, I had my doubts about your dedication. However, after seeing you plunge headfirst into those big things and motorboat the Archbishop, I know you¡¯re truly my brother. To think, you¡¯re so pious as to plunge so deep she couldn¡¯t even get your head out. You risked death and asphyxiation to properly give them the attention they deserve! Ah¡­ I¡¯ve dreamed of being able to do as such, but every time I¡¯ve tired-¡°


    A book suddenly struck him in the back of the head. He coughed up blood, but then wiped his mouth, grinned, and gave me a thumbs up. I couldn¡¯t even respond. Instead, I glanced up from the chair to see the Archbishop sitting back in her chair on the other side of the desk. Her expression gave nothing away as to her displeasure over the events.


    ¡°Are breasts really that amazing?¡± Shao asked doubtfully, looking down at her own chest.


    At best, she¡¯d be considered of average size. She was larger than Miki but smaller than Lydia. Celeste had the largest breasts, although it was often hard to recognize that when she was in her fairy form.


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    ¡°Miss¡­¡± Carl¡¯s expression suddenly turned serious. ¡°Breast provide necessary nourishment to babies. You don¡¯t hate babies, do you?¡±


    ¡°N-no!¡± She said with a gasp.


    ¡°Then, there you go.¡± He nodded firmly, and then glanced at her chest. ¡°Yours is acceptable. Many women have average breasts. Do not be ashamed of them.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know if I should thank you or hit you¡­¡± She responded, her mouth twitching.


    ¡°No, thank you is necessary. Just please, respect your chest, and find a man who takes care of them every day.¡± He said, grabbing her hands and looking deeply into her eyes.


    ¡°I-I¡­ I¡¯m the demon lord who attacked the city!¡± She declared.


    ¡°Shao!¡± I cried out.


    ¡°I panicked!¡± She responded tearfully.


    ¡°No matter!¡± He snorted, ¡°Since you have tits, then you take after the Mother. A woman with tits can¡¯t be an evil woman¡­¡±


    Shao looked pleadingly at me for an escape, but I couldn¡¯t deal with the guy either. Fortunately, Mary took care of it with another book. It was a big one this time, and Carl didn¡¯t get back up.


    ¡°Then¡­ since that¡¯s done. What say you?¡± Mary sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m still not completely certain what you want me to do.¡±


    ¡°I would like you to visit the other sect, and try to form a rapport with them. I hope you can become an inspiration for both sects. You can be a unifying factor. The hero of Aberis, lover of women of all sizes! You don¡¯t have to do anything immediately, but please try to contact the other sects and get in good with them, as you have with my own.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t most people like Carl? They hate um¡­¡± I distinctly made sure not to look at Terra or Miki at this moment.


    ¡°Some are still stuck in their own ways. However, if you¡¯re seen in the Capitol with more big breasted women, then they will come to accept you.¡±


    ¡°Like you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, my¡­ you really are naughty.¡± She blushed and held her cheeks, ¡°I was actually thinking that big-breasted elf girl. However, if there is ever an event and you need a well-endowed woman on your arm, I might not say no.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ okay¡­¡± I was making sure not to look at any of the girls behind me anymore. ¡°There is one more thing I needed to address with you before I agreed to anything. That is¡­ why did you take Carmine!¡±

 Chapter 480

    Her slightly flirtatious expression dropped and she turned a bit serious. ¡°Ah¡­ Carmine¡­ It is best that I show you.¡±


    She stood up and then walked past us, stepping over the unconscious priest on the floor. The rest of us looked at each other. I shrugged, and then followed her, the girls close behind. We ended up going down a long spiral staircase. It finally came out on a balcony that overlooked the area behind the cathedral.


    There was a massive backyard and various other buildings that seemed to make up the infrastructure of the sect. There were barracks, storage houses, a garden, a kitchen, and various other things lining a massive courtyard. Within that courtyard, paladins and priests appeared to be training. One such paladin was Carmine herself.


    ¡°You¡¯re training her?¡± I asked in confusion.


    The Archbishop shook her head, her breasts bouncing with them. ¡°Carmine is training here on her own. Since we didn¡¯t know when you¡¯d be here, we¡¯ve been sending an invitation weekly. We received a note three days ago from her saying you weren¡¯t in town. After she dropped it off, she stayed and hasn¡¯t left. Part of the reason we brought you here so aggressively is that we didn¡¯t want to continue to take care of you¡­ her¡­¡±


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    Mary seemed to have a slight look of distaste when she looked at Carmine.


    ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± I asked, narrowing my eyes. ¡°That reminds me, that Clockwork Dragon¡­¡±


    Mary let out a sigh. ¡°The clockwork dragon was supposedly a myth. No one actually thought it was real. I¡¯m not saying that it wouldn¡¯t be a good method of deterring the other sects and perhaps even forcing them to rejoin us, ruling by fear is an option I¡¯d rather not take. In truth, we sent Carmine there so she¡¯d stay out of trouble. It was supposed to be a fool¡¯s errand.¡±


    ¡°Salicia said you brainwashed her!¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ isn¡¯t she that sister with the small chest? She actually accused my church of attacking her village! Maybe the flat chesters would do something like that!¡± She blushed. ¡°Ah¡­ sorry, see, even I still hold some prejudice¡­ but you see, Salicia is a woman who stirs up trouble. She even became a Bandit King. Capturing her was only a necessity.¡±


    ¡°What about Carmine? You made her a slave for failing with the clockwork dragon!¡±


    Mary blinked. ¡°Is that why she told you she was enslaved?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ actually, she never said specifically why¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because she was in a lot of debt! During her trip, she had accrued a lot of debt with creditors. No sooner had she returned than a 500-gold debt was put on her head. The church is generous, but this kind of money¡­ mind you, she already owed us 100 gold for her armor, weapons, food, and more. Other than her high defense, she¡¯s a bit clumsy and useless, is all.¡± Mary shrugged. ¡°If a young priest hadn¡¯t seen potential in her early-developing breasts, we never would have taken her in and cared for her all these years.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I frowned.


    ¡°In short, please take your slave back!¡±

 Chapter 481

    The group of us managed to head out to the backyard. Carmine wasn¡¯t in her armor. She was wearing a tight shirt. Out of her armor, her chest was actually pretty big. I had never paid that much attention before, but she definitely fit in a church with this particular disposition. As for her sister, Salicia, she was more about the range of Miki¡¯s chest. She wasn¡¯t an abomination like Terra, but she wasn¡¯t well-liked either.


    I took a quick look at Terra. She definitely had a depressed look on her face. Other than the Archbishop, all of the men who looked at her gave disgusted looks and all of the women pushed out their chests and looked down on her. It was clear that the only reason she was welcome here was because of me. I would definitely have to make it up to her later.


    At the moment, Carmine noticed us approaching with the Archbishop. She immediately gave a bow to the Archbishop, and then looked at me with a mildly frightened expression.


    ¡°M-master!¡±


    ¡°So, you still call me Master then?¡±


    ¡°Geh!¡± She made a noise. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t running away! I really wasn¡¯t! It¡¯s just that you left us in that mansion! I was stuck there with no one but my sister and that elf. You don¡¯t understand how bad it is! My sister is definitely broken! She stole my underwear five times, the dirty ones! And one night, I woke up and saw her watching me while I sleep! I couldn¡¯t handle being with her any longer! That¡¯s why¡­ when I got the opportunity, I stayed away for a bit!¡±


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    ¡°Is that the reason¡­¡± I nodded thoughtfully.


    Salicia still blames the church for taking her sister away. It was always the exact opposite. She ran away to the church because of her sister¡¯s behavior. I found myself relaxing as I realized the truth. In the end, the church was somewhat harmless. I had been avoiding them for so long for virtually no reason. I guess I had played too many games where the church ended up being the enemy all along. That¡¯s not to say I necessarily ascribed to their faith, but I wasn¡¯t afraid to work with them either.


    ¡°What about this debt I heard about?¡± I demanded. ¡°Is that why Faeyna didn¡¯t seem to mind that you were gone?¡±


    Carmine crossed her arms and made a bitter expression. ¡°That elf is such a prude! Naturally, I needed therapy dealing with my sister, but she wouldn¡¯t offer any coins. I kept begging her but she wouldn¡¯t give me a coin! She even yelled at me when I tried to take some.¡±


    ¡°Therapy?¡± I blinked. ¡°Um¡­ you wouldn¡¯t be talking about retail therapy, would you?¡±


    Carmine¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Ah! Master¡¯s heard of it! Of course, Master would understand the pleasure and joy of buying stuff! It¡¯s almost enough to help me get over my awful sister¡¯s actions!¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ so you bought stuff to get into 500 gold coins in debt? Where is that stuff?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad! Pedicures, manicures, massages, maintaining my body is a lot of work! Isn¡¯t my body pleasing to Master? Even as a Paladin, I need the finest armor and swords, and I must hire someone to oil it regularly.¡±


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t you maintain your own equipment?¡±


    ¡°And ruin my nails?¡±


    ¡°So, I hope you¡¯re starting to understand the problem we had with Carmine.¡± The Archbishop sighed. ¡°She is a too materialistic.¡±

 Chapter 482

    ¡°I-it¡¯s not that bad, Master!¡± Carmine defended. ¡°I never let my room get messy!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you had bought five storage rings!¡± Mary snorted.


    ¡°I could stop whenever I wanted!¡± She defended. ¡°Rather, if the church hadn¡¯t abandoned me, I definitely would have been able to pay back the debt I owed!¡±


    ¡°Carmine!¡± Mary¡¯s expression turned angry for a moment. ¡°Did we not already give you enough?¡±


    Carmine winced, looking away like a beaten dog. Something about what Mary said seemed to strike a chord with her. Her expression was filled with a bit of guilt. Mary sighed, trying to take the angry expression off of her face. Crossing her arms across her enormous chest, she turned to me and gave a weak smile.


    ¡°I hope you understand things now.¡± She explained. ¡°Carmine was actually the highest-paid Paladin. This wasn¡¯t due to skill, but because we were worried based on her spending that she would fall into debt. Yet, every time we raised her pay, her spending increased.¡±


    ¡°Part of the reason we sent her to search for the clockwork dragon was that we thought her spending would decrease with that. We gave her a salary of 25 gold a year and put her on a 5-year expedition. That is to say, we gave her 125 gold. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t realize by giving her all the money at once, she would then proceed to spend it all at once.¡±


    ¡°I-it lasted¡­¡± She said tearfully. ¡°For three months.¡±


    So, in the end, that was what happened. She had been given a lump sum and sent where the cost of living was cheaper and extravagances were harder to come by. Yet, even then, she found a way to blow all of her money. If I recalled correctly, by the time I found her, she was living mostly off the goodwill of the town, whom she healed to curry favor and probably coins. Yet, she had also accumulated almost 500 coins in debt during that time as well.


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    ¡°You know, although the sales of her storage rings and all of the stuff inside to make the debtors back all of their money, the expenses we accrued were many. We expected her to at least be able to bring back something from her expedition. No one enters a dungeon and comes back with nothing. Yet, after two years, she still hadn¡¯t acquired anything¡­¡±


    ¡°I was researching¡­¡± She said with a pouty expression.


    ¡°When we heard the city she was in was being attacked by a bandit queen, we sent our soldiers to try to save it. They were late, only managed to clean out the bandits left in a ransacked city. However, they arrived with enough time to hear about the clockwork dragon. Had she successfully obtained it, I could have written off any amount of debt, but she left it buried. After a month of digging to recover it, we found that anything of value had already been smashed to bits. It has left the church suffering quite a bit.¡±


    She seemed like she was talking to herself, but I had a feeling she was aiming those words in my direction.


    ¡°Are you asking for a tithe?¡± I frowned.


    Mary gave me an innocent look. ¡°What? Why? The church would never do such a thing! It¡¯s up to every man for himself to decide how devoted he is¡­¡±


    As she said this, her eyes grew watery and seemed even larger. She also smooshed her chest together, making it nearly burst forth.


    ¡°What was it she left you, 100 coins of excess loans to the church?¡±


    ¡°112 gold, 7 silver, 3 copper.¡± Mary politely coughed.


    I rolled my eyes and pulled out a bag of money. It probably had around 200 gold in it. I went to hand it to Mary, but she cocked her head. Looking at her robes, she had absolutely nowhere to put the money. Then my eyes fell on a spot.


    ¡°Ah!¡± She made a cute noise as I pushed the bag between her cleavage.


    My hand went in, going in deep. When I got worried it¡¯d get stuck, I let go and pulled back out again.


    ¡°Oh my¡­¡± She blushed. ¡°Your contribution will definitely go to a worthy cause!¡±

 Chapter 483

    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Carmine said, a worried expression on her face, ¡°Y-you have a lot of money, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± I turned away from Mary to shoot Carmine a glare.


    ¡°M-master! Don¡¯t look at me that way. I¡¯m just curious how rich Master is¡­ just for personal knowledge!¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re being honest.¡± I respond, ¡°I don¡¯t really know. Most of my money right now comes from Dungeon Diving. Even things like my stipend as a Lord are pitiful compared to that. Right now, it¡¯s all tied to Chalm, so if we¡¯re talking expendable money, I don¡¯t have any right now.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t completely true, but I definitely didn¡¯t want Carmine to start begging me for money. It was best if she didn¡¯t know I had given any to Faeyna at all.


    ¡°That reminds me¡­¡± Mary suddenly spoke up. ¡°Why have you returned to the Capital? I was under the impression you were in Alerith on the prince¡¯s orders?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m dealing with that,¡± I admitted. ¡°But I found myself held up in the dungeon. It turns out I need a ship.¡±


    I went ahead and explained to her about the lower dungeon we had entered. She gave a shake, a pitying expression on her face.


    ¡°Dungeon curses truly are a terrifying thing. To think you put yourself through that every day. As expected of the Hero of Aberis.¡± She gave me a considering look before continuing. ¡°I do know of a skilled shipwright. How about I give you their information? If you use my name, they will definitely give you a discount.¡±


    ¡°Uh, is this going to cost me?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°This can be in the house. The King has always been generous to the church. I¡¯m also good friends with the princess. Recovering the King should be of utmost importance.¡±


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    ¡°Ah!¡± I let out a noise of surprise and she put her hand over her face to cover her giggle.


    ¡°What? You didn¡¯t think the church knew? We also have a vested interest in maintaining order in the country. Believe it or not, the church believes in peace above all else. We don¡¯t easily promote war if an alternative is available.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, thank you!¡¯ I said as she wrote down and handed me the shipwright¡¯s information. ¡°If that will be all¡­¡±


    ¡°One more thing¡­¡± She stopped me, reaching into her chest again.


    This time, she pulled out a coin and pressed it into my hand. I looked at it to realize it was a token. Going by the etching on it, it was familiar.


    ¡°This is a Gladiatorial Right?¡±


    I had heard of these mentioned before. Tokens seemed to be a major thing in this world. I had two Knight tokens which would bestow upon someone the Knight job. It stood to reason that there were other job-infused tokens out there. High-level Adventurer¡¯s also had a token to record their jobs and performance, but I wouldn¡¯t get one until I was a C rank. The Gladiatorial Right was a token that allowed you to submit someone into the colosseum to fight.


    ¡°Lord Reign sent this to me. He was really hoping to buddy up to the church. Frankly, I think he was hoping I¡¯d send a female big-breasted acolyte that he could fondle. I would never get involved in such a blood sport anyway.


    ¡°Then, why give it to me?¡±


    ¡°I heard of an award this year, a young dwarf. You could say that she is the reason my opinion changed about the flat sect. Since I owe her, I would like to save her from slavery. However, I can¡¯t act directly, as it would look bad in front of the church, you understand¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­¡±


    Rubee was as flat as a board. If she openly helped her, it would definitely cause the Archbishop to lose a lot of her support.


    ¡°Well, I planned to buy her from whoever wins her, but that person might not be amiable, so I thought that if you were to participate, then you could give her a better life. She is like Carmine in a lot of ways, a lost soul that needs a strong hand to tame her.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, the competition has already started a few days ago, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± You didn¡¯t see?¡± She pointed down at my token. ¡°Since I¡¯m considered a VIP, my Gladiatorial Right is already a qualifier. In other words, you need not enter the preliminaries. They take the first week, so as long as you can be there in four days, you should be able to enter the main tournament. Well, I assume you have confidence in being able to travel quickly, although I won¡¯t even ask how.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ thank you¡­¡±


    I took the coin. Rubee again. It seemed like I was tied to that loli by fate.

 Chapter 484

    After everything, we managed to leave the church without incident. On the way out, Carl appeared again.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve come to take Carmine away? This is for the best. Although her breasts are quite admirable, she has a bad personality. She hides them away in that armor. Not like the Archbishop, who puts it on display for every ma- geh!¡±


    A book manages to slam into his face, and Carl passed out on the floor. The source of that book naturally came from the Archbishop herself, although where she found that book is anyone¡¯s guess. This is apparently a common event, as the other priests, paladins, and acolytes all ignore it, passing by or even stepping over him if necessary, without a second look.


    ¡°You said you were close friends with the princess?¡± I asked wryly.


    She straightens proudly, her breasts bouncing. ¡°The King sent her to learn under my care when she was younger. I taught her everything she knows. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing¡­ I just see the resemblance.¡±


    Both women had a skill with throwing things at an incredible distance. It was clear who was the master and who was the student. Mary had taken Carl out twice now, while the princess could barely discipline her brother.


    We bid our farewells with the Archbishop, and a few eyes were more appreciative upon seeing us being close with their high clergy. Well, poor Terra still received looks of disdain and disgust. Over time, she had lowered her head, reached out, and grabbed the back of my shirt. She seemed to have sunk into herself, and over time, made no responses but to follow me silently while holding on pitifully.


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    When we finally exited the church, she stopped, and a tug on my shirt when I tried to keep going caused me to stop as well and I glanced back.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± she responded, her voice shaky.


    ¡°Terra, you don¡¯t need to worry about them. If we do end up in that other sect, it¡¯ll become the exact opposite. Lydia and Shao will be looked down upon and you¡¯ll be appreciated. As Mary already pointed out, I¡¯m not a guy who gets caught up on that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Th-those stares¡­ that hatred¡­ the disappointment ¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry that you had to face all of that¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ let¡¯s have sex!¡± Terra finally raises her head, her eyes flashing with excitement.


    ¡°Eh?¡¯ I look back to see that Terra is panting and her cheeks are flushed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I really want Master right now!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I see¡­¡±


    It turned out that her trial through the church of big breasts had awakened a part of Terra that she didn¡¯t understand. Unfortunately, I could see what was happening here. Terra¡¯s life was marked with failure, from her death all the way to her failure to live up to being a guardian who protected her city. Therefore, all of those disdainful criticizing eyes seemed to awaken a subconscious desire to be punished.


    Now, my poor little golem was turning into a pervert who likes these kinds of things. I give out a long sigh and then pat her on the head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go home and we¡¯ll see about it.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure this was a condition I could fix. Perhaps, I¡¯d be able to contain it with proper measures.


    ¡°Also¡­ while Master does it, can he spit on me?¡±


    ¡°Denied!¡±

 Chapter 485

    ¡°Lord of Aberis!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡±


    ¡°The Hero of the Capital City!¡±


    I hadn¡¯t bothered to hide my face on the way back to the mansion. Even those that didn¡¯t recognize me definitely recognized the girls who were fighting on stage that day. Whether it was the ditzy fairy who cleared the stage, the sexy Lydia who gave a striptease, or the defiant determination of Terra, every girl had a place in their hearts. The exception was Shao, but thankfully she had kept her face mostly covered and few seemed to connect her to the demon lord. Rather, it¡¯d be stranger if they did think a demon lord was casually walking around next to the hero who defeated her.


    As we left the main area and went into the richer neighborhood, those that called out decreased. In fact, the people who were walking around decreased completely. We were soon the only people on the street. Of course, this was the rich neighborhood, so we were within sight of guard posts. This was not a dangerous area of town by any means.


    However, it did make it somewhat obvious when there were three people standing in front of the mansion. There were two large men, and then a smaller man in the middle. They looked incredibly shady, and I wondered a bit why the guards had even let them get this far into the neighborhood. Although to be fair, we lived on the outskirts, in the small mansion which once used to belong to our neighbors.


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    ¡°Ah¡­ Master!¡± Carmine suddenly called out when she noticed the men.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, still eyeing the men suspiciously.


    ¡°You have a lot of money, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I glanced over at Carmine. ¡°What are you on about?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re rich, right? Your talk about not having disposable money, you were just joking! Right? Right?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t joking, but I also didn¡¯t want this woman to know how much money I had. That wasn¡¯t the important thing. Who were these people waiting on us? She seemed to recognize them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re on about? Why are there people waiting in front of my house?¡±


    ¡°They must have heard that you came to town. They are probably waiting to¡­ co¡­t mo¡­¡± The last part was so mumbled and low that I could barely hear her.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°C-collect money!¡± She responded in a hoarse whisper.


    ¡°What are you talking about? You were turned into a slave! Your debt was settled. I also just settled your debt with the church. So¡­¡±


    She looked nearly in tears. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already explain? That damn elf wouldn¡¯t give me any coins? How was I going to buy things? So, I took out some loans¡­ or twelve¡­ in Master¡¯s name!¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    She waved her hands defensively. ¡°None of them were for very much! Just fifty coins here, a few coins there.¡±


    I rubbed my temples, immediately regretting bringing her back from the church. ¡°Just tell me, how much money do you owe these people?¡±


    ¡°Not that much¡­ only 2 or 3¡­¡±


    ¡°Hundred!¡± I shouted out, causing the men to finally notice us.


    ¡°Ah¡­ no Master¡­¡± she looked down guiltily. ¡°Thousand. Three thousand gold.¡±

 Chapter 486

    ¡°You¡­¡± As I was glaring at her angrily, the three men walked over to us.


    The men looked intimidating, but they weren¡¯t acting aggressively yet. As for me, I was already sweating at the thought of spending 3000 gold coins. It had only been weeks! Clearly, her condition was spiraling out of control!


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it!¡¯ Carmine cried as she looked at the sour look on my face. ¡°Being trapped with sister brought it out of me! It¡¯s really Master¡¯s fault for forcing me to live with her even though he knew how I felt!¡±


    ¡°Errr¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t really argue with that.


    It didn¡¯t really matter. What was done was done. Now, we had this 3000-gold debt that we had to take care of.


    ¡°Should we just kill them?¡± I whispered quietly under my breath.


    The girls with animal ears naturally heard me. Lydia touched her sword as if to say that I should just give the order. As for Miki, she grabbed my arm and shook her head.


    ¡°The Loan Guild may not be as widespread and well known as the Slaver¡¯s Guild, but they provide the slavers with a large portion of their slaves. They are about the 5th largest organization in Aberis, only being beaten out by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, the slavers, the church, and the royal family.¡± Miki explained.


    ¡°Even the loan sharks have a guild?¡± I felt like crying.


    ¡°They take their debt very seriously. They¡¯re not above burning down buildings or taking out kneecaps. Even if someone is stronger than them, they wouldn¡¯t dare cross the Loan Guild. Their actions are considered barbaric by some, but they are effective for a reason.¡±


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    I could only nod with a numb feeling in my mind. In short, I couldn¡¯t afford to offend these people. Even if they couldn¡¯t threaten my life, they could burn down my mansion or in some other ways cause me trouble. I might argue that giving loans to a slave in the first place was a bad move, but in Aberis, slaves were allowed to use money and represent their Masters. If you had to do everything yourself, it defeated the purpose of using a slave. The responsibility falls on the master to properly control their slaves. Thus, in the Loan Guilds eyes, I was responsible for the ridiculous debt she acquired.


    ¡°How much of the 3000 gold do you have left?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°It was only a 1000 gold loan, the rest is interest, Master¡­¡±


    ¡°What the hell is with that interest rate?¡±


    ¡°They said I was a liability having already failed to pay off a debt and needing to be sold off to slavery once already!¡±


    ¡°They were right!¡± I yelled and then sighed. ¡°Okay¡­ how much of the 1000 gold coins have you kept?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Any of it?¡±


    She shook her head, now actually crying. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault! The Capitol city is expensive! Just my storage ring cost 50 gold. My armor and weapons have several magical enchantments, that cost 500 gold to have it made, fitted, and then enchanted.¡±


    ¡°Made from scratch! Why?¡±


    ¡°Please, Master, you wouldn¡¯t expect me to put on armor someone else wore and wasn¡¯t fitted perfectly to me? Right?¡± Carmine sniffed at the thought and then continued, ¡°Plus, the guy who carried it back to the mansion wanted a few gold coins¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, why did you need someone to carry it back if you had the storage ring?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Master know it¡¯s bad luck to store new armor in a storage ring before you wear it for the first time?¡±


    My hand slapped my face. I felt like I wanted to strangle someone. It was about that time that the three men finally made it to where we were standing and arguing in the street.


    ¡°So, where¡¯s my money.¡± The short man said.

 Chapter 487

    ¡°Just out of curiosity, what happens if I refuse to pay?¡±


    ¡°Tsk¡­¡± The small man made an irritated noise. ¡°Officially, we aren¡¯t able to hold you personally responsible. Any loan a slave takes out is technically made using their own body a collateral. Therefore, the most we can do is repossess and enslave Carmine and sell her to recoup our losses.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Carmine cried out, grabbing my shirt.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I reach out and patted Carmine¡¯s hand reassuringly. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll settle this.¡±


    She let go of my shirt and I walked up to the men. The two guards on either side flexed, ready to step in if I tried anything dangerous. Instead, I reached out and clasped his hand, shaking it.


    ¡°What is this?¡± He asked, a confused look on his face.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say it¡¯s been a pleasure dealing with you, but thankfully this was able to be resolved amicably,¡± I responded.


    ¡°Wait, what? When did we resolve this?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯ll repossess Carmine? It¡¯s truly unfortunate, but I¡¯m sure you can find her a good home. Are you by chance interested in sisters?¡±


    ¡°W-w-w-wait a second here!¡± The guy¡¯s eyes flashed in shock.


    ¡°M-m-master! What are you saying?¡± Carmine looked about ready to cry.


    ¡°Ah, here¡¯s a gold coin, it should cover the slave removal fee.¡± I pulled out the coin and pressed it in his palm and then turned to Carmine. ¡°I apologize I wasn¡¯t able to be a better Master. You keep trying. Come on girls.¡±


    I turned and walked away, the other five girls in tow. When Carmine and the three men realized I was already almost to the gate that led back into my house, the realization of what was happening finally set in.


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    ¡°Master! You can¡¯t leave me!¡± Carmine collapsed, crying out as she reached in my direction.


    ¡°W-w-w-wait! Don¡¯t be so hasty?¡± The guy ran to me so fast that he even abandoned his protection as he went to stop me from entering my mansion. ¡°We can always negotiate! That was just an introductory rate, we can definitely work with people to help them settle their debts!¡±


    ¡°Not interested.¡± I tried to walk past him, but he grew even more desperate trying to block me.


    ¡°W-wait! I can bring it down to 2000 gold! No, 1500! That¡¯s my best offer!¡±


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t an idiot. The entire thing sounded suspicious from the get-go. Even if these people were backed by some kind of money loaning guild, they were clearly acting outside of the proper regulations.


    From the moment Carmine had started talking, I had predicted a lot of what she said was nonsense. A reputable person from the Loan Guild wouldn¡¯t lend money out to a slave without a token of authority. I knew this because I had to get one for Faeyna. There were various settings and permissions as to what she was and wasn¡¯t allowed to do. It was the only way a slave could legitimately do business. Never mind the extreme interest rate, or their attempt to recover it only weeks later.


    It was likely that they knew about me becoming a lord recently, and knew about Carmine¡¯s condition, and then went out of their way to try to ensnare her with the hopes of getting a cut of my lord¡¯s salary. He¡¯s some country lord bumpkin who doesn¡¯t know anything, and Carmine is a pretty girl in trouble. They could keep an impressionable and gullible lord paying them some coins for the next twenty years.


    When Mary said Carmine was troublesome, she wasn¡¯t exaggerating at all! However, it also seemed like she was preyed upon by these guys, so it probably wasn¡¯t all her fault. I bet even the people she purchased goods from were set up by these men to quickly cause her to lose the coins she borrowed, so she always came back quickly and they didn¡¯t lose a single copper.


    It¡¯s too bad they tried to catch me up in their scheme. My mother was a single parent without an education and a low income. She was the perfect prey for these kinds of scams. In truth, my mom had fallen for a few and we struggled as a result. But by the time I was a teenager, I had seen them all, and regularly had to send these scam artists on their way before they could exploit my gullible mother. The question now became what was I going to do with these guys?

 Chapter 488

    Of course, I couldn¡¯t just kill the guys. There was a chance their affiliation with the guild was real. Not everyone who joined a guild would necessarily be a good person. I could go report them to the guild, but I honestly didn¡¯t really know what their policy was. For all I knew, what they did really was acceptable, as much as I didn¡¯t believe it.


    That meant that if it became an argument between me and them, they might be able to succeed through plausible deniability. They¡¯d say something like I misunderstood them, and then they¡¯d have evidence where I didn¡¯t. At best, it¡¯d be my word against theirs. At worst, they run to the guild and complain and they in turn act rashly before finding out the truth. Apologies were all good and fine, but I¡¯d rather not be inconvenienced in the first place.


    So, they tried to threaten me with taking Carmine away, expecting that to be scary for me. In some ways, it was like what happened between myself and Lydia. However, back then, I had the feeling that Figuro was doing his best and I genuinely did have strong feelings for Lydia. When it came to Carmine, the threat didn¡¯t impassion me at all, despite their hope.


    So, when they gave me a means of not paying, I decided to see what would happen. Naturally, I knew that they wouldn¡¯t be able to take Carmine¡¯s slave status away from me thanks to the curse. That required a bit more money than they had. I was seeing how much they knew, and that turned out to not be very much.


    If they did take her and try to sell her, they¡¯d find a roadblock. By the time they realized they¡¯d been duped, I would already have consulted with the Loan Guild and reported their actions. It was a delaying tactic, but it didn¡¯t turn out the way I expected. I thought they may actually take Carmine. She¡¯d be gone for a few days, but she was a Paladin so I doubted she¡¯d be hurt. Instead, the prospect of not getting any money and also being stuck with Carmine was more than they could handle.


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    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ I¡¯m not that attached to the slave, you can have her.¡± I told the little man.


    ¡°You¡­¡± He truly looked anguished. ¡°Sir¡­ we¡­ we¡­ we can¡¯t take her!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I finally stopped and looked back. ¡°Then how will you square your debt away?¡±


    ¡°Geh¡­ you¡­¡± He wiped the angry look off his face and tried to put on an ingratiating smile. ¡°I can see you¡¯re a man of wealth. How about we come up with some kind of agreement?¡±


    ¡°No thanks, take her away.¡±


    ¡°Master is so cruel¡­¡± Carmine cries.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your Master anymore, please greet your new Masters¡­¡±


    What did a man of wealth mean? Was he saying I¡¯m stingy? The frown on my face that time was genuine.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want her!¡± The man finally broke down. ¡°J-just keep her!¡±


    ¡°Nope, she¡¯s your problem!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get it! She¡¯s blacklisted all across town! No one will buy her in Aberis! There is no way we can sell her at a profit! We won¡¯t be able to sell her at all!


    ¡°Then you probably shouldn¡¯t have loaned her money¡­¡± I shrugged.


    Fear shot through his eyes as he glanced at the crying Paladin and realization shot through him. It wasn¡¯t just that he wasn¡¯t going to get paid anything. Rather, he was also going to be stuck with her. That was somehow worse!


    ¡°P-please, take her with you!¡± He begged.


    ¡°Nope. Do we need to take this before the guild to resolve it?¡±


    His eyes flashed with even more panic. ¡°N-no! It¡¯s just¡­ I can¡¯t take her with me! Is there anything we can do so you take her with you today?¡±


    I make a show of scratching my chin thoughtfully. ¡°I suppose there is something I would take in exchange for her.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what is that?¡±


    ¡°I need about a hundred gold?¡±


    ¡°A hundred gold? That¡¯s a ridiculous amount!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? This girl here has nearly a 1000 gold debt on her. 100 gold is a 90% off sale! I¡¯ll tell you what, because you guys seem nice, how about I sell it to you for 99 gold and 99 silver.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 10 silver per gold¡­ isn¡¯t he charging him more?¡± Lydia whispers to Miki.


    ¡°Shhhh!¡± She shoots back.


    ¡°Going once¡­ twice¡­¡±


    ¡°W-we¡¯ll take it!¡± The short man cries out.

 Chapter 489

    Sometime later, there was a knock on my door. I was receiving a massage from Lydia and Terra both. Terra was starting to press for something more, and if things kept going this way, I was going to enjoy both women at once. That was when Faeyna knocked on my door.


    ¡°Master, there is someone at the door.¡±


    I sighed and stood up, putting a shirt back on and walking barefoot to the front entrance. There, standing in the foyer, were the three men from earlier. I frowned as I walked up to them.


    ¡°I found a place for Carmine after the agreed-upon price. What do you want now?¡±


    ¡°You tricked me!¡± The small man yelled.


    ¡°Eh? Didn¡¯t we reach an agreement? I¡¯d take care of Carmine, and you¡¯d pay a hundred gold. I thought we¡¯re all good now?¡±


    As for taking care of Carmine, I handed her to her sister and ordered her to sleep in her sister¡¯s bed as punishment. For the rest of it, I performed a few Slave Orders to make sure Carmine didn¡¯t fall for this again. She could no longer make purchases by herself. If she needed anything, it¡¯d have to come through me or Faeyna.


    ¡°You bastard! That gold wasn¡¯t even mine!¡± He cursed. ¡°If I can¡¯t pay it back, they¡¯ll break my legs.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ shouldn¡¯t agree to debts you can¡¯t pay, huh?¡±


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    ¡°You¡­¡± He clenched his fist, but he knew he couldn¡¯t yell at me anymore even if he was angry.


    After all, he came here for a way out, and the worst thing I could do is shut a door on his face. He may be part of the 5th strongest organization in Aberis, but I was a noble. That meant I was a part of the first strongest organization in Aberis. At this moment, as he stood in my foyer and I was wearing a silk robe, that couldn¡¯t be more apparent.


    After swallowing his anger, he continued. ¡°What can I do to get that 100 gold back? I need it by the end of the month or I¡¯m a dead man!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± I asked, crossing my arms and looking at him consideringly.


    ¡°Drake.¡± He responded. ¡°I¡¯m Drake and these are my friends, Danny and Brick.¡±


    The two men on either side nodded as they were introduced.


    ¡°Why should I help you? You tried to scam me.¡± I stated blatantly.


    He bit his lip. ¡°I and these two grew up on the streets. They looked after me when we were young. They were bigger, but I was the brains. That¡¯s how it always worked. I grew up though and realized I wasn¡¯t as smart as I thought. I was smart compared to them, but I still let people run around me. I tried to do the loaning business, but it was too cutthroat. You were¡­ you were our big score. I thought some new lord who rose from nowhere must be gullible. However, then you didn¡¯t take that woman, and I knew if I returned back with her, I¡¯d definitely be punished. I screwed up. I¡¯m not the boss my guys need. However, you¡¯re a lord, right? You have money and a need for tough guys. Even if you won¡¯t accept me who has no skills, please accept my brothers!¡±


    With that, he gave a low bow.


    ¡°As it turned out, you¡¯re not as dumb as you think,¡± I responded.


    A dumb guy would have stuck to the scam, kept escalating things, and perhaps even eventually cost him his life. This guy had something a lot of people in this world didn¡¯t. He knew when to quit, when to run, and when to double down.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, I do have a use for you. Actually, I think you¡¯d be perfect.¡±

 Chapter 490

    After sending the men on their way with strict orders, the rest of us went to sleep. Had I not planned to take Faeyna the next day, I might have made more of an effort to spend some time with her. However, after being stimulated at the Church, I felt sorry for Terra and decided to give her all the attention she needed.


    The next morning, after Faeyna brought me breakfast, I expressed interest in bringing her to my mansion in Chalm. It was about twice the size of this one and the location of my Return skill. So, I would be making more visits there than here. The place was already becoming dusty and messy without anyone to maintain it.


    ¡°I thought that is what Master would want. Since I¡¯ve already created an account with the bank of Aberis, I have arranged to have guards at your gate and a cleaner to arrive once a week.¡±


    It turned out Faeyna had already made preparations for an extended absence a while ago. This was good, as I also sent Carmine and Salicia away. The mansion would be completely abandoned. These services were probably more expensive than just having slaves, but they required less oversight too. I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about a companion suddenly running away, or needing to be cared for. It was probably the best situation for my home away from home.


    With that, she brought out a cart that was much larger than the one she had obtained in Dirage. It was also filled with supplies she had deemed valuable for the cost.


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    The prince had responded to the letter I sent. Apparently, lords in Aberis could fight each other without the entire country falling into chaos. The royal family could put a stop to this infighting if needed, but they generally looked the other way. He warned me to be careful with Lord Reign, but that he would unofficially take my side if things came to internal struggle. That didn¡¯t mean much on the surface, but if I did wipe Lord Reign out, it would mean he would keep me from experiencing a backlash.


    I was a little depressed, having thought he would send Knights and soldiers and such. However, he made it clear that without undeniable proof that he was working for the Imperial Cloud Meadow, the royal family couldn¡¯t make a move. He had enough allies in Aberis that such an action may lead to a civil war. As long as it remained a local conflict between two lords, however, then things could remain small-scale.


    In short, the city of Chalm and I would have to resolve this conflict by ourselves. That¡¯s not to say the rewards wouldn¡¯t be good once we succeeded, but that was the way of this world. People didn¡¯t just hand you things for nothing. Things had to be earned. It would be pointless if everything I had accomplished was handed to me by the prince. Even Tibult understood that he couldn¡¯t depend on his family to make himself a name.


    With that thought, we headed to the Traveler¡¯s Guild, where the Blue Mage was waiting to take us to Kingsport. It was just one more step on my journey. I had a long way to go.

 Chapter 491

    ¡°You again? Hmph¡­¡± The old man at the Traveler¡¯s Guild said as we walked in.


    That was actually about as polite as he got. It didn¡¯t really matter to me. Every time I used him, I ended up in a new place, and once I was in a new place, I could take advantage of Portal and return there whenever I wanted. However, today¡¯s journey would be two trips. That¡¯s why the first portal was done so early in the morning. Otherwise, based on this guy¡¯s disposition, it definitely would have been later in the day so he could sleep in.


    The first transport would take me to the town of Nyphal. Nyphal was about an hour on foot away from another Great Dungeons, the Mirror Labyrinth. Since I was interested in all of the Great Dungeons, I would have wanted to travel there anyway. So, this got one more place out of the way. From what I understood, there would be a four-hour gap before the next transfer. It was plenty of time to look around. So, once we made it to Nyphal, we planned to purchase any information we could and head to the Great Dungeon.


    Nyphal was supposedly on the border of the Ost Republic. I was curious about their culture as well. I heard that there were currently tensions between the Ost Republic and Aberis, but I didn¡¯t know what those were about. It didn¡¯t really have anything to do with me. I was the farthest from the Ost Republic border, so it was unlikely I¡¯d ever be called to protect that border. Doing so would strip Aberis of any protection on the western front of Dioshin. Although there were no wars with Dioshin, the relationship between the two countries has always been tenuous at best.


    ¡°Alright, everyone gathered?¡±


    I got into the transport with my girls. It was actually a very full contingent. It looked like a lot of soldiers were traveling along with us. Perhaps the battles with the Ost Republic were escalating since they seemed to be sending nearly fifty troops. Only two of them appeared to officially be Knights. The rest were swordsmen of varying ability. It was difficult to tell for me, but Lydia said that she could tell a swordsman¡¯s level with a look now. It must be one of her higher skills or a natural ability of a beastkin, I didn¡¯t know what.


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    As for the wagon and the supplies, I put that in my largest storage ring, which just had enough room to fit it all. If that didn¡¯t work, I would have just created a portal once we got back and brought it through, but I¡¯d rather not waste portals if I didn¡¯t have to. You never knew when you might need another one, and shuffling around my dungeon points was annoying and always ran the risk of me accidentally forgetting to reselect Reset and thus becoming stuck with my layout until I earned more points.


    I had managed to reequip all of the girls with storage rings again so that they could store their stuff. I hadn¡¯t done this for Faeyna, Salicia, or Carmine because they didn¡¯t travel around as much. However, for the girls I brought with me, I felt it important that they are able to bring along all of their stuff. They all had rooms at the Mansion and in the Capital, but they opted to carry most of their stuff with them when possible. They were a bit more reserved in what they stored after their rings were destroyed last time, but they still liked to bring a lot along. The cost per ring was about 100 gold, but two rings I had found in the dungeon as treasures, so I had only needed to buy three more.


    The portal erupted and the group of us were teleported away to a new location. Like always, the new Traveler¡¯s Guild wasn¡¯t much different than the last one, so the transfer wasn¡¯t that dizzying. The people sitting around and behind the counters were different, but that was about it.


    ¡°So, this is Nyphal, huh?¡±


    The soldiers all moved out of the Traveler¡¯s Guild at once, and my group traveled behind them. However, we didn¡¯t get far as the entire group of fifty had suddenly lined up and stood at attention. Celeste, who wasn¡¯t looking, plowed into one of the guys and knocked him down. This caused a disturbance and Lydia went to help the soldier out and I went to admonish Celeste.


    ¡°Wha- It¡¯s you!¡± A shocked voice suddenly shouted out.


    I looked up to see the man the fifty troops had all lined up in front of. At first, I didn¡¯t recognize him because he seemed to have lost a bit of weight. He was glaring specifically at me and Lydia. It was at that moment that the expression on his face became recognizable.


    ¡°Lord¡­ Tibult?¡±

 Chapter 492

    Lord Tibult¡¯s face twisted with indescribable emotions. He was the first noble I had met in this world, and he had been a bad example over all. He had upset the Mina dungeon and that nearly led to me and Lydia¡¯s death. He had tried to cause trouble for me in the Capital. After his actions had inadvertently released a Demon Lord on the city, he was exiled to the border to be involved in some kind of conflict with the Ost Republic¡­


    Ah¡­ that was right, they were at a border town of the Ost Republic. What were the chances that these soldiers being sent from the Capital were going to be met by Lord Tibult himself? Actually, they probably would send a lower rank officer to check. If I recalled correctly, Lord Tibult¡¯s entire family was tasked with protecting this border. He had actually been the black sheep wanting to live the lavish noble lifestyle rather than being an officer like his father and brothers.


    In other words, had I been thinking about it, running into Lord Tibult here was a very real possibility. Unfortunately, not only had I not thought about it, but I had rolled the dice badly and ended up running right into him as soon as I got here. Worst of all, these soldiers were under his command. They might not be as strong as the Imperial Cloud Knights, but they were literally all around us. There were another fifteen soldiers behind Lord Tibult himself, making a total of sixty-five. We may need to run, and if that was the case, I wasn¡¯t sure when or how we¡¯d be able to make it to Kingsport to find a shipwright.


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    Lord Tibult began to walk up to me, his eyes narrowed as he stroked his blade menacingly. His time on the border was only a few weeks, but he looked like a completely different man. He had lost a lot of weight over that time. His eyes also had an overshadowed look. It was clear that this man had seen war and experienced life and death. The only other person I could have said changed so quickly in such a short period of time was myself.


    Yet, old grudges were hard to kill. In a way, I was the one who ended up sending him to this place. He had every reason to hate me to his core. The girls behind me began to get ready. If they had to fight their way out, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do it. It would hurt me if any one of them died though. We weren¡¯t in a dungeon, so it wasn¡¯t at the level of a life and death situation, but I couldn¡¯t allow him to capture us either. We either escaped, or we died. If I died, I could resurrect back at the Capital using my Life Insurance, and then I could bring the girls back.


    All of those thoughts occurred only within a few moments as the man approached me. The tension was so thick in the air that one could cut it with a blade if they wanted to.


    At the moment he reached me, Lord Tibult suddenly fell to the ground. I thought he had tripped, but a moment later I realized he was kowtowing.


    ¡°Lord Deekson! My only friend! Please! Save me!¡± He cried out in a wailing and childish voice unbecoming of an officer.


    ¡°Eh?¡±

 Chapter 493

    We were sitting in a tavern. After I had peeled Lord Tibult off the floor, he had given his troops orders to meet him on the outskirts of town. His previous display should have lost all of their respect, but I realized that they never had it in the first place. These troops were clearly sent to babysit him, not to be served by him. They only followed his orders while rolling their eyes. As for Lord Tibult, he could only wear a tight smile as he sent them away.


    Immediately after, he pulled me into a nearby tavern while promising to pay for a meal. I was more curious now than worried, so I let him take me. He assured me that this place had the best food in town. I realized as a former fatty like myself, he probably knew what he was talking about. We all ordered, and as soon as a took I bite, I realized that my guess was correct. It wasn¡¯t at the level of Faeyna or myself, but it was a pretty good meal compared to the slop this world¡¯s commoners often ate.


    ¡°Lord Tibult¡­¡±


    ¡°Call me Otto.¡±


    ¡°Geh¡­ Otto, um¡­ since when did we become friends?¡±


    Otto¡¯s face turned red. ¡°Th-that¡­ well¡­ weren¡¯t we opponents? And then you defeated me. Now¡­ we¡¯re equals.¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­ aren¡¯t you a Baron while I¡¯m a Viscount? I outrank you quite a bit¡­¡±


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    ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you need subordinates? A low level noble with ties to higher nobles?¡±


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m your master?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! I¡¯m of the Tibult family!¡± He cried out and then lowered his head. ¡°Although¡­ it would be best if we buried the hatchet.¡±


    I scratched my head as a cute waitress came out and brought our dessert. Despite this being a border city, I was very impressed with the quality. You¡¯d think a front line would have bad food. When noticing me enjoying the food, he grinned.


    ¡°The Ost Republic¡­ they value Cooks a lot more. The School of Cooking exists in its capital. The one good thing about being sent to fight alongside my brother and father at Fort Detrimix is that the food is very good.¡±


    I crossed my arms and sighed. ¡°Fine, say we¡¯re friends, then what is it that you want. I¡¯m actually busy on a request from the Prince.¡±


    He winced at that and then nodded. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re good friends with the Prince and Princess. I¡¯m envious.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re about the same age as him¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah! But he appreciates a man¡¯s man!¡± Otto snorted. ¡°How do you think he¡¯d respond to someone¡­ ah¡­ well¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s right, you lean towards men¡­ um¡­ then don¡¯t you like being around a bunch of strong men on the border?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d think¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°But my reputation spread quickly, and most of the army look down on me with disdain. Plus, my father put a ban on it. He thinks he can force women on me. Sends a woman to my bedchamber every night. Says if I can¡¯t do anything else of use, I can at least spread the family line.¡±


    ¡°Family is tough¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± He perked up like he just remembered something. ¡°That¡¯s right! I need your help! My life is in your hands!¡±

 Chapter 494

    ¡°Why? What¡¯s going?¡± I frowned.


    I assumed he was being a little melodramatic. Wars here were not fought like wars in my old world. That naturally had to do with one major difference. Resurrection! Since death could be circumvented, wars in this world had more to do with resources. When one side ran out of resources, whether that be money, mana, Priests, or weapons¡­ then they must surrender. One thing about death is that it didn¡¯t bring back equipment.


    There might be soldiers who get forgotten or they don¡¯t feel should be resurrected, but for the most part, a noble would never have to fear death on the border. That¡¯s why I was curious about how Lord Tibult had grown such a haunted look.


    ¡°I died.¡± He said. ¡°I promised myself after I died in the Capitol that that would be the last time, yet I died again.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    I had only died once since I had been to this world, but I heard of a condition unique to this world called Death Mania. Essentially, every time someone died, they took a certain degree of damage to their mind and soul. If someone died too many times in close succession, that damage became an integrated part of them. It was like scar tissue repeatedly building up.


    For everyone who experienced Death Mania, it manifested in different ways. Some people grew psychotic, not valuing life and becoming brutal murders and rapists. Others simply become suicidal, racing into danger without value for their lives. The third kind was like Lord Tibult here. They grow a haunted look, becoming terrified of their next death. Having seen the nothingness beyond, they become more scared than anyone over a repeat.


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    This is actually a big concern in the Adventuring Guild. Back when I first came to this world and joined the guild, the Big Sister used to tell me that if I ever died more than twice in a year, that I should find her and she¡¯d take care of me. Adventurers like that were considered at risk. She said if I had any lustful tendencies, she¡¯d take care of them. I hadn¡¯t seen Big Sister in a while.


    If someone reached five deaths in a year, or ten deaths in five years, Adventuring Guilds stop giving you missions. It is kind of like the concussion epidemic of sports in my old world. Except rather than damage to your brain, it was damage to your soul. Even resurrection had its limits. I was glad I had died only once. Regrettably, Miki had already passed away twice. Yet, she was a Spiritualist and thus was able to mitigate the damage a lot better than most. Either way, I did worry about her dying again.


    Of course, there was only one problem with what Lord Tibult was saying. He had only died twice, so how could he be suffering from anything?


    ¡°I died three times.¡± Otto continued.


    ¡°It¡¯s only been a few weeks!¡± I cried out and then blushed. ¡°Ah¡­ sorry.¡±


    Otto¡¯s fist tightened. ¡°The last time, I made a mistake. I got captured and wasn¡¯t able to commit suicide. My brother stormed the enemy line and managed to kill me.¡±


    ¡°R-really¡­¡± My face twitched.


    Some family they were. His brother didn¡¯t save him but killed him.


    ¡°I may be a low-ranked officer, but under torture, I could give away information,¡± Otto explained bitterly. ¡°That¡¯s why he did it. However, he failed to kill himself and was thus captured in turn. I was resurrected, but my brother Octius took my place. Father was furious.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a high-rank officer, right?¡±


    Otto nodded. ¡°If he breaks, the intel he reveals would be many times more dangerous than the intel I could have revealed. It may even be enough¡­ for the Ost Republic to invade Aberis!¡±

 Chapter 495

    ¡°So, what is your father going to do about it?¡± I asked.


    Otto made a bitter face. ¡°The Ost Republic must have known our relationship. He¡¯s currently two weeks north and his forces are being held up by a sudden incursion. They¡¯re trying to buy time to finish the interrogation.¡±


    ¡°So, they¡¯re sending another high-ranked official?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the highest-ranked official in the area¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me¡­¡±


    ¡°Dad officially runs the army on the border. His official orders are for me to mount a rescue. He says that since I had already failed so many times, he¡¯s giving me one last chance.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d think, given the importance, he¡¯d pick someone competent¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said!¡± Otto slammed his fist.


    ¡°You actually admitted it¡­¡±


    ¡°I wrote the Prince implicitly, and he responded that he trusts father¡¯s decisions and won¡¯t undo them. However, he did send me fifty of his best recruits currently in the Capital for additional support. Those were the men you traveled with. But, they¡¯re new soldiers unprepared for war. Other than the two Knights, they might as well just be fodder.¡±


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    ¡°That damn prince¡­ he didn¡¯t even send me a single soldier.¡±


    ¡°What? Why does the Wilderness need soldiers?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ nevermind.¡±


    In truth, this was probably another reason why he didn¡¯t send me any help. Even though he didn¡¯t want to be implicated, he could have given me a few troops. It wouldn¡¯t be weird for a kingdom to send troops to a border city. He had already promised help to be sent to Ost Republic to prevent the skirmishes from becoming an outright war. Comparatively, a war between two lords internally was unimportant.


    This led to another thought. If I did choose to help Otto, then perhaps I could get some support for when I dealt with Lord Reign. Even if Otto was useless, he was the son of a high lord. It wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to get on their good side. I could save his heir, and then they¡¯d owe me one.


    ¡°There is one more thing¡­¡± Otto looked like he was about to cry. ¡°Father said if I don¡¯t succeed in this mission and die, he won¡¯t bother to resurrect me! In fact, he explicitly ordered I¡¯m not to be resurrected!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± That explained why Otto was so desperate as to come begging to me.


    ¡°So, will you help me?¡± He asked pleadingly.


    I scratched my chin as I considered my options. On the one hand, I had a boat to acquire and a king to save. If I were to help him now, that would definitely be another delay. My Dungeon Life was feeling more and more like a video game. Well, technically it was a video game, wasn¡¯t it? I had always treated this as another world, but I had only ever managed to get here through a video game, right? Side quests led to more side quests, and suddenly I¡¯m so far removed from the main objective that I have to keep reminding myself what was important. I decided to stop thinking about such things. If I kept treating this as a game, then I¡¯d at one point have to decide whether the people in it are real or NPCs. I refused to believe the women I loved weren¡¯t as real as I was, so that ended that debate.


    Otto still waited for a response, a permanent crease on his forehead.


    ¡°Very well¡­¡± I responded. ¡°But we¡¯re doing it tonight.¡±

 Chapter 496

    ¡°Faeyna, will you be okay by yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master, I have done this kind of thing before. I¡¯m more worried about Master,¡± Faeyna flushed and then looked at me through her long eyelashes. ¡°You¡¯re always managing to do such dangerous things. It makes my heart ache. You sure know how to leave a girl waiting.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really get what she meant by that. Was she really that worried about my death? She seemed ready to leave my employ before when the Prince gave her a better offer. She had suddenly changed her desires, but I never really understood why. If it was as simple as gratitude for saving her, I¡¯d rather she do what she wanted than be miserable fulfilling some debt she felt she owed in her mind.


    Although I liked Faeyna, I felt like there had been a distance between us ever since that act. I had hoped to fill some of that gap on this trip, but pressing matters seemed to be determined to keep us separate. Thus, I traveled with Faeyna. A younger and more inexperienced Blue Mage sent us on to the ocean city of Kingsport. I could smell salt in the air once the teleportation was over. I would love to have had some time to explore the place, but I had to help Lord Tibult first.


    After bringing out the cart and making sure everything was set up properly, I hired a guard to watch over her. This was another service of the Traveler¡¯s Guild. She would be alone in this city. Last time, I had just left her alone, but I realized that this was actually pretty careless. The guards the guild offered would watch over the carriage and protect Faeyna if needed. I didn¡¯t have anything against men, but I did end up selecting a female. She wasn¡¯t pretty and had as many scars as some of the men, but that only reassured me that she knew what she was doing.


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    Once everything with her was settled, I looked out over the ocean. The Traveler¡¯s Guild was strategically placed on a hill facing the ocean so that upon leaving the door, you saw a very scenic beach and dock down below. I really wanted to take all the girls to the beach. Faeyna in a swimsuit on the beach would do the church proud. Ah well, I¡¯d have to put off that religious ceremony for another time.


    Opening a portal, I headed back to Nyphal. I hadn¡¯t brought the girls with me on this trip, saving a bit of coin. I should have done that from the get-go, but there was something to be said about travelling with company. Since I wanted the girls with me in Nyphal, it didn¡¯t make sense to blow through portals and dp just to save a few coins. I was past the point where I could argue over coppers.


    The sun was only a bit past noon at this point. I could probably say it was around 3 pm, although this world didn¡¯t have clocks.


    ¡°Master, what will we be doing until tonight?¡± Shao asked, a blush betraying her lewd expectations.


    I was sorry to disappoint her.


    ¡°There is still some time. Let¡¯s check out the Mirror Labyrinth.¡±

 Chapter 497

    I had a natural curiosity about all of the dungeons and their subsequent curses. I wanted to visit the Mirror Labyrinth before we left. It was a dungeon that apparently had adopted the labyrinth name. That likely meant it had a lot of confusing passages and didn¡¯t focus as much on monsters. It was only about thirty minutes when we found ourselves boarding a ferry. We found out at the Traveler¡¯s Guild that there was actually a ferry that left for the Mirror Labyrinth four times a day. That¡¯s right, a ferry.


    As it turned out, the great labyrinth was in the middle of a river, in a small islet that was isolated from the rest of the world. It was for this reason that a city didn¡¯t sprout around the dungeon directly since there simply wasn¡¯t the size to support it. Instead, a city was built nearby, and a travelling service to and from the island was established.


    This got me excited and asking about a shipwright. Perhaps I could knock out two birds with one stone. Regrettably, the ship was built in Kingsport and was transferred via the Traveler¡¯s Guild. So, I would have to depend on Faeyna to get that order set up and make the referral. Her job tonight other than to sell the goods on her person was to get a place and establish contact with the shipwright recommended to us by Mary. We¡¯d meet her tomorrow, presuming everything went well tonight.


    The ship rocked along the river for nearly thirty minutes before it finally docked on a small island. I was surprised to see that the island wasn¡¯t filled with people. In fact, the place felt surprisingly barren.


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    ¡°No, bazar?¡± I asked the ship¡¯s captain. ¡°I really thought there would be people selling stuff. Even if the island is small.¡±


    It was true that the island was exceptionally small. Other than a large cave head, the entire place was only about 500 square meters. That still allowed room for countless tents, gates, guards, and so on.


    The man shook his head immediately. ¡°Too many people this close attracts monsters.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Monsters?¡±


    He pointed down. ¡°In the depths. This river is filled with strong creatures. There is a reason the city was built in the distance and not along the river.¡±


    ¡°Is it safe?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°There is a reason we make so many trips. As long as the groups are small, they don¡¯t seem to mind. It¡¯s when people try to congregate that they¡­ um¡­ get hungry. Your group of six is about as large of a group as I¡¯ll carry though. You¡¯re lucky no one else had reserved.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, thank you.¡±


    ¡°How long will your journey be? A week or two?¡±


    Most expeditions to the dungeon aren¡¯t planned on a daily basis like with me. Anyone who wanted to enter would need to plan for several weeks or even a month, even if they didn¡¯t plan to dive very deeply. It was simply the cost of dungeon diving. These were expeditions requiring a great deal of thought. Well, with a portal that entered and left dungeons, I didn¡¯t possess this restriction, but that wasn¡¯t a skill I advertised.


    ¡°Not long¡­¡± I said. ¡°Just getting our feet wet, so to speak.¡±


    The man nodded and said no more. We finally docked at a small wooden dock only large enough for maybe two small boats. We had arrived. It was time to see the next dungeon.

 Chapter 498

    After tipping the boat captain, the group of us departed from the boat. Since there was nothing of any note outside the dungeon, we headed straight to the entrance.


    ¡°Upon entering the Mirror Labyrinth, the first thing you notice is the massive, crystalline structures that make it up.¡± Miki read from a small book I had bought.


    It was called, ¡°What you need to know about the Mirror Labyrinth.¡± Her reading had improved substantially over the last few months. The pair of us had worked together to learn the language, and we were both at a level where it was no longer a challenge. Lydia had become envious of this and was expressing an interest in reading as well. Terra and Shao already knew how to read and write, so they had nothing to gain.


    For Terra, she had learned this stuff when she was growing up. For Shao, it was more forced, a desperate skill she learned from other captured slaves in the hope that knowledge would be power. Celeste was the only one who showed no interest in furthering her education. That wasn¡¯t quite right. It wasn¡¯t that she showed no interest; it was that any attempt to teach her ended up disastrously. She didn¡¯t have the patience to sit down and work on it, and after giving her pages of letters to work on, I¡¯d come back hours later to find nothing had been done but aimless doodling, and she had already forgotten why I had even given her the page.


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    As the book suggested, when we walked into the dungeon, the environment immediately changed. It wasn¡¯t dark like most dungeons. Rather, innumerable crystals lined the walls and floor and reflected light. Where that light came from was anyone¡¯s guess, because the second you entered a dungeon, you entered a different world. Only blackness could be seen behind us from the moment we stepped in.


    {You have entered the Mirror Labyrinth. Defeat the lore or complete it for greater rewards.}


    ¡°Beautiful!¡± Celeste cried out, fluttering around amongst the columns excitedly.


    ¡°Stay close, don¡¯t get lost!¡± I warned her.


    I was beginning to understand why this place got its name. It was, for better lack of a description, a crystalline cavern. It was incredibly beautiful, filled with large and small crystals that jutted out of the walls, floors, and ceilings. There was a fair amount of space in the hallways here, but I imagined they would be tighter on lower levels.


    These crystals reflected all light, including ourselves. It wasn¡¯t as disorientating as a mirror house, but I could see how it¡¯d be easy to get turned around and lost. Furthermore, those crystals seemed sharp and dangerous. In a battle, this cave would definitely be a challenge. It¡¯d be all too easy to hit a wall and end up impaled by a large, protruding crystal.


    ¡°Does the book contain any maps?¡± I asked.


    Miki nodded. ¡°Maps were included up to the twentieth floor, although I heard you can buy the next ten. As for how deep the Dungeon is, the book says they predict it to be 100 to 150 levels deep.¡±


    ¡°Do they block the safe room like in Dirage?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ it says the safe room is¡­ um¡­ safe to use.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head there, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 499

    ¡°There really are no enemies, huh?¡± I asked as we made our way to the safe room.


    ¡°According to the guide, the first enemies don¡¯t appear until the 5th floor. The 5th floor only contains the boss. Then, on the sixth floor, regularly enemies can be seen. Furthermore, there are no treasures.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I was afraid of that.¡±


    I saw the same as she said, that there were no treasures on my Map. It was just five levels of confusing mazes filled with crystals, some of which created reflections and really tricked the eyes. On the one hand, the way the light kept tricking you into seeing movement would make levels with true enemies truly stressful. On the other hand, I wasn¡¯t feeling terribly thrilled about this dungeon, no matter how pretty the geological crystal formations looked.


    The key aspect of a dungeon was that it continued to consume mana. It could do this two ways. First, it could grow, engulfing more land to suck mana from, much like a tree with roots. The second way is to draw mana containing creatures, like humans, into it, where it would use miasma to feed on their mana. If they died, it would get a giant meal. If they lived, it could continue to consume them for weeks or even months. This sucking of mana was also the same reason that dungeons wore on a person¡¯s mental state over time.


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    There weren¡¯t too many long-term studies on people in dungeons. There was one story of a magician who was trapped in a dungeon for almost 18 months before he managed to escape. His mind had deteriorated to the level that he was an invalid, and his ability to use magic had been whittled away to nothing. Another story told of an adventurer who had lived three years in the dungeon and experienced nothing serious. He had remained mostly in a safe room, which was free of miasma and wouldn¡¯t suck mana away. I had heard rumors that there were entire levels free of miasma, such as those alternative world levels, but these were very distant rumors from a guy who knew a guy.


    This wasn¡¯t even a problem I, nor any of my girls would ever have. Between Miki and myself, the miasma wasn¡¯t able to affect us. We theoretically could remain in a dungeon our entire lives, although I wasn¡¯t going to try it. Even with my own Dungeon Creation skill, I had no desire to build my own equivalent of a demon lord¡¯s castle. Karr¡¯s Dungeon was all the cursed mansion I could take.


    With the map at hand and my own map to locate us in the dungeon, it was rather easy for us to find the safe room. After only thirty minutes of walking, we arrived. However, we had taken enough twists and turns that had we tried to make it here on our own; it would probably have taken weeks. When we arrived, I was surprised to see that there were several parties of people already in the dungeon.


    ¡°A new dungeon diving party? No one mentioned a new dungeon diving party.¡± Someone spoke up.


    ¡°You guys just arrived at this dungeon?¡± Another guy, who looked to be in charge of a three-man party, spoke up.


    ¡°Um¡­ yes, yes we have,¡± I admitted, attempting to act polite.


    ¡°Well¡­ bugger off! This cave isn¡¯t for lightweights!¡±

 Chapter 500

    ¡°Hey, you all look young and inexperienced,¡± One of them said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try to bite on one of the baby dungeons? I hear they really hold people¡¯s hands in Dirage.¡±


    Looking around, I realized these were all more experienced people, about the age of the Guild Master, and they had an air of exoerience about them. They were all large and imposing, including the women. Many had dozens of scars. Every single one of them carried a large backpack almost as big as themselves. Lightweight was actually an apt description because we weren¡¯t carrying any packs or anything. All of our stuff was in storage rings, but I had a feeling if I said that, they¡¯d definitely scoff at it.


    There were three parties in all. One group possessed three people, one possessed five, and the last one was six like my own. At twenty people, the room was a bit crowded, but only a bit. The level of imposingness seemed to grow as their size shrank. The three-person party consisted of three muscular men, each about twice my size. The second group were all women, but they were also quite large. The final party consisted of more regular looking Adventurer types I might have seen in the Capital¡¯s Adventuring Guild.


    Those clustered on that side of the firepit consisted of only one woman and five guys. That seemed like a weird set up until I realized I was traveling as one guy and five girls. Could they be perhaps part of a fabled reverse harem? The guys in her party did all look attractive in a variety of different ways. I could pick out the bad boy, the boy scout, and the rogue easy enough. However, regardless of the group, they were definitely all looking down on us.


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    The woman who appeared to be leading the party of five girls was quite pretty, and she didn¡¯t seem to have any scars. She had a massive greatsword on her back that looked humongous. It was definitely impossible for me to pick up, but it looked like it fit her size. She leaned forward and gave me the kindest look of the fourteen of them.


    ¡°We¡¯re just looking out for your best interest. A lot of people hear this dungeon doesn¡¯t have enemies on the top five floors and become convinced that means it is simple. This dungeon isn¡¯t so simple. It¡¯ll tear up and eat newbies like you. Come back in a few years.¡±


    ¡°What she¡¯s saying,¡± The leader of the three-person party and the first one who had spoken initially said. ¡°Is that this place is for true dungeon divers. You can go play kissy kiss with your harem somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°Oi¡­ is that a slight at me!¡± The leader of the six-person troop, a red-headed woman, stood up angrily.


    She actually admitted she had a harem of guys. They were all glaring at the three-man team angrily. The man receiving those stares chuckled.


    ¡°Relax, Harem, it wasn¡¯t intended to insult you, unless you¡¯re taking a liking for another for your collection.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± She crossed her arms and then looked over at me and bit her lip. ¡°Although, you do have an innocent boy type I like. How about ditching the bitches and I¡¯ll show you how deep my dungeon diving goes?¡±

 Chapter 501

    ¡°If I might ask, how deep have you guys managed to dive?¡± I asked, trying not to treat her veiled flirting like she was serious.


    It wasn¡¯t just five women behind me boring a hole into my back, but also the five men behind her. I was being glared at by all sides. Why would I be even interested in that arrangement? She was pretty, with her long black hair over one eye, wide hips, and a dress and attitude that gave the feel of a sorceress.


    The girl pursed her lips thoughtfully at my words, ¡°Harem¡¯s Boys has made it as low as level 15. Can¡¯t get past the boss, but we will soon.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Harem¡¯s what?¡±


    ¡°Ah, we forgot to introduce ourselves. We¡¯re the B-ranked Dungeon Divers, Harem¡¯s Boys!¡± She made a gesture to the guys, who actually seemed a little happy she acknowledged them. ¡°I¡¯m Harem, by the way.¡±


    Her name is actually Harem!


    ¡°Is that short for something?¡± I asked, my lips twitching.


    ¡°Yup, it¡¯s short for Harem Queen!¡±


    It was as bad as I thought. To prevent myself from going crazy, I looked over at the next group.


    ¡°Rank S, Titan¡¯s Fall.¡± The leader from the group of women said.


    ¡°Rank A, Demon¡¯s Head.¡± The man snorted after everyone glanced in his direction.


    ¡°Still not S?¡± The large woman put on a mischievous smile.


    ¡°Hmph! If I accepted two more members of my ability, we¡¯d be an S ranked team!¡± he shot back, and then looked at us. ¡°So, what rank is your team? Six people, you have to be a C, right?¡±


    Most Dungeon Divers were Adventurers from the Adventuring Guild, so these ranks were their official Adventuring Guild ranks. For various circumstances, I had been fighting in dungeons rather than going on guild sanctioned missions. The result was that we had only advanced a single rank. As for our group name, I couldn¡¯t even remember it.


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    ¡°Deek¡¯s Group, um¡­ F¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    I coughed. ¡°Rank E.¡±


    ¡°Get out of the Dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey now, maybe they have more experience than it looks. They could have been in a higher group and recently broke up and formed around one weak companion. If they haven¡¯t done missions, they might really be at least a C or something.¡± Harem offered an excuse. ¡°How long have you been Adventurers? Like since you were 10?¡±


    ¡°About three months now?¡±


    ¡°Get out.¡±


    I let out a sigh. ¡°Believe it or not, I have a lot of experience with Dungeons. I actually have the official job.¡±


    ¡°Well, duh, if you didn¡¯t have at least that much, you probably wouldn¡¯t have even made it to this safe room.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡±


    ¡°You got Pathfinder, right? Even with a map, it¡¯s near impossible to navigate these tunnels without an anchor. You probably been running around the dungeon for the last few days and finally made it here.¡± Harem hesitated for a second and then sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just too nice. After you rest, I¡¯ll take you back to the entrance so you guys can be on your own.¡±


    ¡°Bu-¡°


    ¡°No buts! If you go any deeper, you¡¯ll definitely die! Don¡¯t think about yourself, but your women. I can see we¡¯re kindred spirits, so you must definitely look after your girls! Don¡¯t you care about them?¡± Her words resulted in smug looks from all of her male companions, who clearly enjoyed me being put down.


    I let out a sigh and agreed with them. I couldn¡¯t imagine their reactions if they knew we had arrived and made it here in under an hour. My Map skill made the typical Pathfinder look like child¡¯s play.


    There wasn¡¯t much of a point in going any further right now anyway. I could Portal to this safe room. That was enough for today. I also didn¡¯t want to argue and perhaps become enemies with the very first professional dungeon divers I had met. And worst of all, I didn¡¯t want to be seen as uncaring to my girls, even if they did think it was funny and were hiding their laughter behind wooden looks and conveniently placed hands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste the trip.¡± The leader of the five-girl party spoke up. ¡°We¡¯re on our way out anyway. I¡¯ll take them.¡±


    The rest of the girls looked at their leader with unhappy expressions, but they didn¡¯t argue with her. Harem looked slightly disappointed, but she eventually acquiesced.


    Before we left, I registered with the kiosk even while earning snide looks from the other parties. I also checked out the mural. It only consisted of a single tree. That was it. I had a feeling the lore for this dungeon was going to be a long and complicated one. However, the day I would come to crack, it would be a long time from now.

 Chapter 502

    We allowed them to rest for a bit while I told the girls through Slave Communication my intent. Since I had time to kill, I decided to practice my Cooking skill. Part of the reason I didn¡¯t just leave it equipped in the dungeon and level it, other than safety reasons, was because rapidly leveling a job without practicing the skill led to an imbalance.


    One of the books we had checked out on job structures spoke about this. If you¡¯re a Basic Magician, the basic assumption before you become an Intermediate Magician is that you¡¯ve mastered the basics. Even though there are Mana Control skills which allow you to use mana, you should eventually learn to use mana yourself. Call it muscle memory, or simply careful observation, but the general assumption is that by the time you become an Intermediate Magician, you can handle, while maybe not every spell, at least a good assortment of spells.


    This is perhaps why by the time you reach the next level, you differentiate. At level 25, you switch to Intermediate, and at level 50, you get your official color class. What color class you get probably depends on what mana you¡¯re most familiar with. One mage might have practiced a lot with destructive magic and thus maintained it through basic and intermediate. Thus, when they get their next job, they can only become a Black Mage.


    I asked to use the fire, and since it was communally shared by all of them, even the ones who wanted to stop me grudgingly allowed it. I pulled out food from my storage ring and went to work, creating something with my Cooking skill equipped.


    ¡°You¡¯re cooking for them?¡± Harem came over and asked in surprise.


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    ¡°Eh? I like to cook? You don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°O-o-of course I do!¡± She grew defensive. ¡°I¡¯m a great cook, right?¡±


    She shot the men a look, who all nodded when she glared at them. However, as soon as she turned back, they all started shaking their heads and sticking out their tongues. One guy pointed at her and made a gagging motion. The message was clear. Never eat something she cooked. Even these guys who didn¡¯t want competition wouldn¡¯t subject a potential new guy to their woman¡¯s cooking.


    ¡°Cool,¡± I said, pretending I didn¡¯t see anything even as she spun back only to see the men looking suspiciously casual.


    She turned back and suddenly looked more sheepish and just a tad cute. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ usually, Bradly does the cooking. He¡¯s the best at it.¡±


    Although she said that, as the smells began to emit from my cooking, even the one I presume was Bradly kept asking what I was using that smelled so good. Most of the people here were used to dried food that lasted a long time. The fact I brought foods that would go bad only proved to them that I was an amateur, but it didn¡¯t stop their stomachs from rumbling after eating only dried stuff for potentially weeks.


    Of course, none of them knew I was a Cook and could preserve foods for longer than a refrigerator. Short of finding a time-stop storage ring, which was said to be so rare that only the King of Aberis had one in this country, this was the best method of keeping my food edible.


    Even the group of three men were licking their lips and lowered their heads to ask for a bowl. I made ramen, essentially, with various herbs, some vegetables, some meat, and an egg. It was a hit. Everyone ate some. The leader of the female group who¡¯d escort us out ate five bowls, and I ended up needing to make more before we were done.


    {Cook has increased to level 16.}


    {You have unlocked: Enhance Flavor.}


    Ah¡­ it looked like I¡¯d be the cook for a while longer.

 Chapter 503

    When everyone had their fill, it became time for our group to head out. While I was cleaning up, the women who had been sitting comfortably around the fire all stood up. I turned to look at them, and then my eyes went up and up. The five-woman group consisted of five women who were all exceptionally tall. I knew they were big women, but they had been sitting, and thus I hadn¡¯t noticed how big they actually were. The smallest woman was about six and a half feet tall, while the leader was nearly eight feet. It was to the level she had to crouch to leave the safe room.


    My head only came to just under her chest. If she stood next to me, her breast would be resting on my head. I couldn¡¯t help but look, my mouth slightly open. When noticing my eyes, the men who were also standing up to use the kiosk turned out to be only a little taller than me, and smaller than the women by far.


    ¡°Haha¡­ you¡¯ve never seen an Osterian before?¡± The lead male laughed.


    ¡°Osterian?¡± I murmured. ¡°Is that like the Esmere?¡±


    The tall woman in front snorted. ¡°How are we like the Esmere? Those guys are tiny!¡±


    ¡°Osterian come from the Ost Republic. To be fair, your countries are right next to each other.¡±


    ¡°Hmph..¡± She frowned. ¡°The mountains divide us from them. Esmere is all hills. Ost Republic is full of beautiful fields.¡±


    ¡°Y-you guys are from the Ost Republic!¡± I was genuinely surprised at this point.


    ¡°Do you have a problem with that?¡± Her eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Ah¡­ this river goes straight into Ost Republic territory¡­ they can boat right to the Mirror Labyrinth. Any attempt to put together a force to stop them would alarm the sea creatures and cause them to attack. So, this island is considered neutral territory, and both sides have decided to not fight on this ground.¡± Miki spoke up hastily.


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    The Osterian woman snorted. ¡°At least you know that much.¡±


    ¡°Adventurers know no country.¡± The large man folded his arms. ¡°It¡¯s considered bad form for Dungeon Divers to hold grudges while in a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± I shook my head. ¡°I was just a bit surprised is all.¡±


    I managed to smooth things over with everyone. The three men bid farewell and prepared to take the kiosk down to the 20th level. They were planning on trying to break through the 25th on this trip. Harem and her boys decided to stay in the room a little longer before heading down to the 15th. I decided to ask why everyone was here. It turned out it was exactly to meet and hang out with other divers.


    Everyone worth diving could get to the 1st floor, so it was a good place for everyone to meet. It was customary for them to remain on the 1st floor during their safe zone downtime. There, they could greet newcomers and say farewell to those leaving. It helped them keep a pulse on what was going on with the outside world, and there was also talk about the 1st floor having less of a pressure than the lower floors. I didn¡¯t know what they meant, but the others nodded as if this made sense, so it must be a psychological thing. Being around other people and returning to a place where you could leave if you wanted to must comfort them a bit.


    As rough as these guys seemed, they wouldn¡¯t have bothered to head up to the 1st floor if they didn¡¯t want to interact with people. It turned out they were good guys after all.


    ¡°Hey, before you leave¡­¡±


    ¡°Oi! What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Refresh!¡±


    I cast a spell on him.


    ¡°Hey¡­ this ain¡¯t bad¡­ wait, you¡¯re a Priest or something?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m a White Mage¡­ we can heal.¡±


    Everyone seemed impressed. I ended up healing and refreshing everyone, including the girls who were now leaving with us.


    ¡°You¡¯re not so bad, kid. Go sink your teeth into Dirage. If you can get down to the 20th floor, look us up, and I¡¯ll show you around the Mirror Labyrinth.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± I bowed, even though I was confident we could probably get to the 30th without too much issue.


    Demon¡¯s Head left through the kiosk. After that, we bid Harem¡¯s Boys goodbye, and I finally left the safe room with Titan¡¯s Fall.

 Chapter 504

    As we walked back the way we came, they seemed to be moving in a practiced and knowledgeable manner. It could be possible that they were using a Pathfinder ability, so I decided to ask since I didn¡¯t want to walk the entire way in silence.


    ¡°No, Faith here has the Pathfinder ability, but on the 1st floor, we¡¯ve taken this path enough that I know where I¡¯m going.¡± The leading woman spoke.


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± I said, fearing that this was it for our conversation, but after a moment of silence, she continued.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel disheartened by our comments. We act this way because we want you to be safe. In truth, there aren¡¯t enough skilled Dungeon Divers in this world. While countries fight and squabble, they ignore the true threat, Dungeons. These are curses on our land. They suck up mana, create monsters, and pose a threat to the entire world. Remember, the Demon lands came to be because of a single Dungeon that was allowed to fester until it literally became a world threat.¡±


    ¡°So, the Demon castle came first¡­¡±


    She nodded. ¡°The Demons were once just a creation of a dungeon called Hell¡¯s Dungeon. Yet, because it was far in the north, human¡¯s ignored it. Then floods of Demons came out. Eventually, the Demon King appeared and the Demon King¡¯s Castle grew on top of it.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re two dungeons?¡±


    ¡°No one is certain, but that is the belief. Hell¡¯s Dungeon below, and the Demon King¡¯s Castle Dungeon above. If that is the case, then it¡¯s even more horrifying than one could think.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


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    ¡°Because it means the Demon King is only the first boss, and there is something more horrifying at the bottom of Hell¡¯s Dungeon. This is the oldest Dungeon this world has. No one knows how old, but at least 1000 years.¡±


    That seemed to make the mood even worse. The thought truly was terrifying. Hell¡¯s Dungeon¡­ I could barely get past level 30. Even the greatest warriors in the world struggled around level 50. What would a level 999 be like? What would a 1000 level final boss be like? However, perhaps because of my weird relationship with dungeons, I asked a different question.


    ¡°How would you complete its lore?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re cute.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± I glanced up at her in a fluster.


    ¡°Ah!¡± She blushed as if she hadn¡¯t intended to say that. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant! Not saying you¡¯re not cute! I just mean you¡¯re idealistic! You reminded me of myself a few years ago. Wanting to complete dungeon lore¡­ it¡¯s only a myth, I think¡­¡±


    ¡°If she likes Master, she should just say it,¡± Lydia whispered to Shao in a quiet voice, but thanks to the acoustics of the cavern ended up heard by everyone.


    Shao nodded. ¡°Master¡¯s big enough to satisfy her. He says he likes women of all sizes.¡±


    That was a misquote! I was talking about boob size! Not that I was going to say that out loud here. Besides, even though the Titan¡¯s Fall leader was large, she was also very beautiful, with large breasts and a voluptuous figure that even her leather armor didn¡¯t hide. She had long curly red hair and freckles on her face, and she gave the impression of an Amazon woman, although her armor was a bit more modern than the fur loincloths someone usually imagined.


    I didn¡¯t respond to the whispers, staring straight ahead. Rather than be angry, the other girls in Titan¡¯s Fall started whispering behind our backs.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s why she wanted to take him with us. I can¡¯t believe Captain finally fell in love.¡±


    ¡°And with a human!¡±


    ¡°Love has no boundaries; it¡¯s very sweet.¡±


    The leader¡¯s face had turned completely red, making her freckles even more obvious. Like me, she was staring ahead while pretending she didn¡¯t hear anything.


    ¡°My name is Deek, by the way¡­¡± I coughed under my breath.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Alysia.¡±


    The rest of the walk, the pair of us were quiet, but my girls and her girls started to become a bit more talkative. I didn¡¯t hear their conversations!

 Chapter 505

    We reached the exit of the Mirror Labyrinth and exited onto the small island. The five women headed around to the back of the island, where another dock I hadn¡¯t noticed the first time sat. This one had a boat docked. This must be where the Ost Republic landed separately from Aberis.


    ¡°The ferry only comes a few times a day. It will be a few hours before they come back.¡± I admitted.


    It had only been two hours since they left us here, so I knew that their last trip was still a few hours from now. Had we missed it, I had the intention of using Portal to return, but it didn¡¯t seem necessary now. However, once the women left, I didn¡¯t really want to wait, so I¡¯d probably use Portal anyway.


    Although Alysia¡¯s face was still a bit red, she turned to me. ¡°It isn¡¯t safe to stay on this island with all of the sea creatures. Some of them may come to the surface looking for a snack if you linger too long. How about you come with us?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ but¡­¡±


    ¡°I will drop you off on the Aberis side! It¡¯s not like we¡¯d kidnap you!¡± Alysia cried out.


    The boat was actually a bit larger than our own ferry. It would be able to fit nearly twenty people. Well, that was normal size people. Since these women were quite a bit bigger, the room was a little tighter than that, but it was enough for us.  The ferryman had said that he wouldn¡¯t travel with much more than the six of us at a time. The largest group I had seen there was also six people. Was it safe for a group of eleven to be on a boat together, or would that attract the fish?


    These were experienced dungeon divers, and they didn¡¯t seem to be all that worried about inviting us. Perhaps they were more knowledgeable about the river than the ferryman. It could be that he was just overly cautious because there was only one of him. It was a little risky, but in the end, I decided to trust these women. We weren¡¯t in a dungeon, so it wasn¡¯t like I was putting our lives on the line.


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    ¡°Celeste¡­¡± I whispered to her and then gave the rest of the commands using Slave Communication.


    She nodded and then shrunk down to her smallest fairy form. It was about the size you¡¯d expect to see a fairy, the so-called Tinkerbell size. Usually, she remained a bit larger than that, about 12-18 inches. That was her preferred size when she didn¡¯t assume a human size. In towns and villages, she usually maintained her human size and hid her wings so as not to draw interest. In the dungeons, however, she usually remained at her fairy size.


    Here, I had her shrink down to her small size to reduce her presence the most. With luck, any predators would only see us as ten people, not eleven. I didn¡¯t stop there. Celeste had control of the wind, so she made sure to lock our presence within the boat. I didn¡¯t know how the animals of the deep detected us, but Celeste could block smells, noises, and the like. I gave an order to Miki too, and she locked our spirits and kept us from being seen with spiritual perception.


    As the giant women set on embarking the boat, they saw the girl¡¯s spells and nodded approvingly. Alysia assessed me one more time and seemed to find me acceptable. She had crossed her arms under her large chest and nodded approvingly.


    ¡°When you reach our stage, you can conceal your aura. Other than Susan here, we can travel without being seen by the terrors of the deep. Although you¡¯re not at our level, I¡¯m pleased to see you have concocted similar measures, as expected of a Dungeon Diver.¡±


    It turned out that they were at almost no risk from the get-go. Rather, our presence increased their risk since we couldn¡¯t conceal our auras perfectly. I wondered what level Aura Conceal appeared. I wanted to ask, but it didn¡¯t feel appropriate. When I got back to a library, I¡¯d definitely look for that information. Scouts probably got it quickly, but Dungeon Divers should get it too eventually. With the sun still up and the murky dark blue water under us, we set off down the river.

 Chapter 506

    There was a second reason that travel was relatively safe. The arrival journey required you to go upstream, whereas the return had you go downstream. Not only was it faster, but it was relatively quiet. Once clearing the island, the ship was naturally taken away by the current. At this speed, it¡¯d only be about ten minutes until we reach back to where we started. In comparison, it took thirty minutes to reach the dock going upstream.


    ¡°I mean what I said earlier.¡± Alysia suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t enough Dungeon Divers, and the countries don¡¯t take them seriously. They are the true threat that this world faces. Some people use them as profit, or as training grounds, but every year, hundreds die in the dungeons, and thousands perish because of things that were grown out of dungeons. This world would be a better place if they didn¡¯t exist!¡±


    ¡°Her brother died in a dungeon.¡± One of the girls whispered to me.


    Alysia blushed but acted as if she didn¡¯t hear it, ¡°We need more skilled Dungeon Divers, but we won¡¯t get them unless we work together and train. The countries must all work together, or one day all that will be left in this world is dungeons. You must find the will to continue to dive deeper, even after obtaining your goals.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Dungeon Divers must put their lives on the line when they go into a dungeon. Few are willing to make that journey, but those that are usually are looking for something. They want fame, wealth, or power. Dungeons will gladly provide it as long as you survive. That creates a problem, though. Once obtaining what they want, Dungeon Divers no longer have any drive to continue.


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    ¡°Once they are rich or famous, or are a high enough level that they can walk the surface and dominate everyone, they see no reason to dive deeper and continue to risk their lives. That is the true reason that so few are able to dive deeper than level 50. It isn¡¯t for lack of ability, but lack of will. They convince themselves that the Great Dungeons have been around long before they were born, and there is no need to destroy them.


    ¡°Some even go so far as to wanting the Great Dungeons to survive. Entire markets are built around the continued existence of certain Dungeons, and if these Dungeons were ever defeated, the people who benefit from them would become enraged. So, you can understand, the dungeon life is a difficult and lonely path.


    ¡°I don¡¯t say this because I want to scare you ¡ª quite the opposite. I hope you continue to dive deeper. Perhaps, you will actually end the curse of a dungeon one day. Even if you just stopped one, you¡¯d have done more than what most people who call themselves Dungeon Divers have managed in their entire lives. However, if you took up the code¡­ to always dive deeper into the unknown, to grow stronger and stronger until even the Great Dungeons fall¡­ well, that is the path of Titan¡¯s Fall.


    ¡°That¡¯s the meaning of our group¡¯s name. Many think it¡¯s because we are Osteria who have the blood of giants. No, the titans we seek to destroy are the Great Dungeons. Only when the Titans fall, can humanity finally rise out from their grasp.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of poetic.¡±


    She blushed even more. It seemed like Alysia was a girl who got embarrassed easily. Or maybe it was just because it was so apparent due to her light skin and freckles.


    ¡°So¡­¡± She straightened up. ¡°Will you do it? Will you promise to try to defeat dungeons in earnest? To try to end the curses that blight this land?¡±


    Her words had a feel of oath to them like this was something very important to her. I could only give a helpless smile and nod.


    ¡°I might take out a dungeon or two.¡±

 Chapter 507

    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Alysia smiled at me, and for a moment, my heart beat a bit faster.


    She really was a pretty woman, even if she was taller than me by quite a lot. I already was a short guy, only 5 foot 10, so a 7-foot-tall woman definitely towered over me. Yet, the way she was acting was very cute. However, if I kept looking, the other girls would definitely get jealous. I never knew just how Shao would react.


    Sometimes, she was extremely tolerant of other women. Other times, she grew extremely jealous. I think it often depended on whether Lydia was nearby or not. She seemed to have a certain magic about her to make the usually jealous Shao suddenly pro-harem. Of course, when Lydia wasn¡¯t around, Shao could be quite scary sometimes when she asked me about girls I had only met in passing. If I didn¡¯t play my cards right, she brought out the knives.


    At that point, I had to calm Shao down with heavy petting. Her one weakness was that she was extremely docile sexually, so once I equipped the Pervert job, her aggression disappeared and she purred like a kitten. If Lydia was a tigress that dominated the sexual field, then Shao was a playful cub who followed behind her lead.


    As I was worrying about what the pair were thinking in this situation, it turned out they had been plotting all along. The boat suddenly shook aggressively. At first, I had been convinced that a monster from the depths was attacking the boat, but I could hear snickering from some of the Titan¡¯s Fall women that instantly made me realize what was happening.


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    Knowing what was happening and stopping it were two very different things. Standing on the boat as I was, the sudden bump caused me to lose my footing. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d swear a gust of Celeste¡¯s wind struck my back, ensuring that my fall went forward instead of backward off the boat. The person in front of me was none other than Alysia. Unlike me, she had much better footing and barely shifted as the boat rocked. Instead, her attention had turned to her laughing teammates, who seemed to be in on a joke she had missed.


    That was until my face ended up in her cleavage, and my arms wrapped around her body, ending up grabbing her buttocks to keep me from falling.


    ¡°Wh-wh-what are you doing?¡± Alysia cried out as she was suddenly assaulted.


    The laughter from her teammates grew even more. As for Alysia, her body tightened up, especially her firm buttocks, as I was all too aware, but she didn¡¯t actually shove me off her.


    I pulled my head out of her chest. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I really am, I tripped!¡±


    ¡°O-oh¡­¡± She suddenly looked shy again. ¡°R-really?¡±


    ¡°Really! I should work on having better balance like you?¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± She nodded. ¡°Maybe I can show you sometime.¡±


    The boat suddenly thumped again, but this time I didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± Celeste announced excitedly.


    They hadn¡¯t stopped in the city, as that would cause a problem. Rather, they stopped at the shore on the border of Aberis. We¡¯d need to walk an hour back to Nyphal.


    ¡°I guess¡­ we have to go then.¡± I said.


    She wore a slightly sad expression and nodded. ¡°Perhaps, we¡¯ll meet again.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Can you take your hands off my butt?¡±


    ¡°¡­ yes¡­¡±

 Chapter 508

    The group of us left Titan Fall¡¯s boat without incident. The girls immediately pushed off from the shore and began heading down the river, leaving into the Ost Republic. As for us, we had about an hour of walking to do so that we could rendezvous with Lord Tibult.


    The sun was just starting to set, and soon we¡¯d have to head into enemy territory with the hopes of rescuing Otto¡¯s brother. Having the Tibult family owe me a favor seemed like a good idea, but more than that, I was doing it because I didn¡¯t trust in Otto to be able to do it himself. The guy seemed to have a track record of failure. One could argue that the connecting component in all of his failures was me, but I wasn¡¯t going to point that out at this moment.


    By the time we met with Tibult outside the city, night had already fallen. Insects sung in the grass and the nearly cloudless sky was filled with starlight. The sky of this world did not match the sky of Earth. I was never that good at astronomy, but I knew that much at least. I might not know of any specific constellations, but one had a familiarity with their own sky that made an alien world instantly recognizable.


    Among the biggest differences was how vast and beautiful it was. This wasn¡¯t a world filled with light pollution and smog. The sky was extremely clear, and I could see more stars now at dusk then I¡¯d ever see in a city in my old world during the best viewing times.


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    ¡°What took you so long?¡± Tibult demanded angrily, but then lowered his head and blushed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was just worried you wouldn¡¯t come.¡±


    Lord Tibult hadn¡¯t stopped being the arrogant noble he always was, but he was also a man who understood his place. He was asking me for help, and I outranked him as a noble. I wasn¡¯t angry at his slip. In some ways, I pitied him. Believe it or not, he and I had a lot in common. At least, when we¡¯re talking about the me from before I came to this world.


    However, where I was poor and didn¡¯t have the background to act lazy and arrogant, Lord Tibult had grown up under a rich family. The one benefit was that no one had ever expected anything from me. Mother wouldn¡¯t have cared if I lived with her until I was forty. The only one who ever pushed me to do anything was a certain cousin, but she was away at college, and thus she only came over once or twice a year to nag me about how I¡¯m not more active. Ironically, she was just as fat as I was, but she insisted that she could lose weight any time she wanted, so I humored her.


    ¡°Did your soldiers manage to get the outfits?¡± I asked, ignoring his slight.


    He let out a breath of relief and nodded excitedly, then gestured to the soldier to hand us a bag. I opened and began to go through it as he spoke.


    ¡°Those are enemy armors and weapons. With that, we should be able to sneak in. I brought ten of my most trusted men. They¡¯ve been with me the longest since I¡¯ve been here.¡±


    I nodded as I found six outfits. How well they¡¯d fit me and the girls, we¡¯d find out in a moment.


    ¡°Then, the plan has begun,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ll sneak into the fort where your brother is being held, and then we¡¯ll get out of there!¡±

 Chapter 509

    Simple plans were usually the best plans. We¡¯d sneak into their fort using their outfits and the cover of darkness to get in. Once inside, we¡¯d locate his brother as quickly as possible. As soon as we discovered his brother, the rest of it was easy. I would create a portal and return all of us back into Aberis territory. Portal was a high-powered Blue Mage spell. Only top-level Blue Mages could cast it, and then it would cost most of their magic to do so. By cashing in DP, I had truly found an op spell. No one would expect it.


    Even if we were found out, I was confident we could escape. The most stressful part would be getting into the base. As for the Ost Republic being filled with Osteria? That wasn¡¯t completely the case. Humans lived in the Ost Republic too. There actually weren¡¯t that many Osteria alive, and so they typically lived peacefully around humans.


    Osteria were great fighters, and it wasn¡¯t uncommon to see them in positions as Adventurers, Dungeon Divers, and high-ranking military. It was said that one Osteria typically equaled five humans on the field. At that rate, how would Aberis have been able to hold out if Ost Republic was all Osteria? Fortunately, the vast majority of their armies were human just like our own. There were also half-Osteria, who were tall and muscular, but not at quite that size.


    Big Sister in Chalm also was big and muscular and had red hair, but she was only a half-head taller than me. It was possible she was half-Osteria, although I had never asked. Actually, I had never even heard of an Osteria until earlier today. Perhaps, instead of reading up on Alchemy, Dungeon Lore, and Job Skill Trees, I should spend some time reading about this world¡¯s history and species.


    Dwarves appeared like lolis, Esmere were short descendants of elves who lived in the hills of Esmore, Osteria were part giants who lived on the plains of the Ost Republic. Animalkin came from Dioshin. Elves were basically extinct, but the last was found in the Imperial Cloud Meadow. Humans were from Aberis and the Imperial Cloud Meadow, but could be found in other countries. Demons came from the Demon lands, but they were products of the dungeon known as Hell¡¯s Dungeon. Monsters came from other abandoned dungeons, like those in the wilderness next to Aberis. There were also colonies of sometimes sentient species like the fairies. I wondered about Jespain and Shie Gescar.


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    I was only thinking about such things so I wouldn¡¯t have to think about what I was doing. We were going to try to blend in as a human unit and sneak into a fort of an enemy. Using a privacy screen created with Shao¡¯s shadow magic, the girls changed into Ost Republic outfits while Tibult and his men did the same on the other side. I had already finished dressing, to find the outfit a bit baggy on me. With her size adjustment abilities, Celeste had the easiest time fitting in her outfit. Eventually, every girl swapped until they found one that fit them comfortably enough.


    The soldiers were less picky and seemed to force the clothing on whether they fit their body or not. The result was that anyone who looked too closely would notice that the uniforms were clearly not intended for the people wearing them. These weren¡¯t enchanted to shrink to the proper size or anything; they were just random uniforms picked off of random stray soldiers. They¡¯d have to do.


    ¡°You know¡­ in Jespain, I hear they make dress rings.¡± Otto muttered while trying to force himself into pants a size too small for him. ¡°They allow you to pick 7-8 garments and just swap them right onto your body without all the work. Great for people ready for battle.¡±


    ¡°R-really!¡± The girls dropped their privacy screen, and all seemed to look at Otto excitedly, making him cry out and finish pulling on his pants.


    I didn¡¯t bother to tell him the screen had only been one way, and the girls could see everything of the guys while they saw nothing.


    ¡°C-can we get them?¡± Terra cried out excitedly.


    ¡°I want one too!¡± Lydia said.


    All of the girls seemed eager. Apparently being able to change clothing from armor to something more casual instantly is highly desired among the women in my group.


    ¡°A-as to that¡­ good luck finding it here. Dioshin are isolationists and don¡¯t send goods. Only Jespain is known for their enchantments, but anything that came would have to be exported through Shie Gescar and Imperial Cloud Meadow, two countries that do not get along. That¡¯s why all of the enchanted stuff over here is either really weak or taken from dungeons.¡±


    The girls looked a little disappointed by this. As for me, I found it quite interesting. Basically, what he was saying is that if I could get to Jespain, using my portals, I could open up a very profitable trade negotiation. Then, as I looked out at the border of the Ost Republic, I could only sigh. I¡¯d just have to add that to my ever-growing list of things to do.

 Chapter 510

    The men that Lord Tibult had selected had made many incursions into the Ost Republic. It could also be said that they knew what fort his brother was being held at. That¡¯s because there were only two forts anywhere within range. Fort Detrimix was a bit east of Nyphal, and the place where Otto had officially been stationed. He had been tasked with keeping the fort going while his family were out on excursions.


    On the Ost Republic side was a place called Fort Pride. This was being held by an unknown general. They were supposedly someone of great renown, but Otto didn¡¯t know his name. I wanted to reprimand him about knowing your enemy or something, but I hadn¡¯t bothered to do my research either, so I guess we were in the same boat.


    Either way, the men knew paths to enter the Ost Republic in secret, and our troops moved cautiously out from our starting point. Once we entered the area where soldiers patrolled, we had to dodge our own men as much as theirs. If we had informed our own what we were doing, we might as well announce it to the enemy. This is why we kept it as a small group of only 18.


    Otto expressed confusion as to why I was bringing the girls along. He knew them to be good fighters, but in his mind, this was a stealth mission, and they¡¯d be a risk. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t an attempt to ridicule women, but rather he wanted them to be safe.


    ¡°Huh? I thought you hated women?¡± I asked in shock.


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    He rolled his eyes. ¡°I have a sister, you know. Just because I¡¯m not attracted to women, doesn¡¯t mean I want to see them hurt.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes. ¡°That didn¡¯t stop you from abandoning Lydia in a dungeon!¡±


    I felt a little angry at that. Lydia grabbed my sleeve but didn¡¯t meet Otto¡¯s eyes. Up until then, she had been avoiding looking at her former Master. I had almost sent her as Faeyna¡¯s guard specifically because I didn¡¯t want to get into this.


    A guilty expression formed on Otto¡¯s face. ¡°People change¡­ after experiencing death myself¡­¡±


    That didn¡¯t satisfy me completely. He still had the mentality that women were useless. He evolved a bit. They weren¡¯t garbage to be tossed away, but they didn¡¯t have his respect quite like men either.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    He looked over at Lydia and bowed his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for how I treated you back then. At that time, I didn¡¯t hold any value for any life but my own. I can only say I¡¯m glad that you found the Master you were looking for.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Lydia looked away even more, but I could tell by a slight purring sound from under her throat that she was pleased by this.


    ¡°Now is not the time.¡± I hit him in the head softly, and he blinked. ¡°We¡¯re reaching the enemy side of the skirmish zone. If we were caught by our side, it¡¯d be embarrassing, but you¡¯d be able to talk us out of it. On that side, it¡¯s do or die.¡±


    His face went white, but he nodded in affirmation.


    As we continued forward into the Ost Republic side of the skirmish zone, I had Miki hide our spirits from detection, Shao used shadow magic to obscure us in shadows, and Celeste used her wind to hide our smell and sound. By the third time Lydia¡¯s Scout ability caught a patrol and kept us from being seen, even ahead of the soldier who was designated as the scout, the soldiers nor Tibult saw any issue with having women on the team.

 Chapter 511

    The walk to Fort Pride took about two hours, taking into account adjustments. Eventually, Lydia worked with the designated scout, and together they navigated our group through the territory without incident. If we were seen, we were in the appropriate armor, but it would still be difficult to explain our presence. In that situation, it¡¯d be better just to surprise attack the enemy before they could signal an alarm. Thankfully, that wasn¡¯t necessary, and before too long, we were crouching on a hill that overlooked the fort.


    Lydia, Shao, and the scout were sent out to try to study the soldier movements and work on a way for us to get in. Since I could communicate with Lydia and Shao through the Slave Communication, it seemed like the best way to do it. Shao could aid in helping them hide in the shadows, while Lydia and Tibult¡¯s scout surveyed the land.


    ¡°Your brother, just in case, does he look like you?¡± I asked Otto quietly.


    ¡°Octius looks nothing like me!¡± Otto snorted. ¡°He¡¯s tall, muscular, and handsome. You actually remind me of him. Don¡¯t give me that face! I¡¯m just saying what is clear to see¡­¡±


    Calling me tall was a bit incorrect, although I did appear to gain a bit of height since I lost weight. They say that being heavy compresses your spine or something and you¡¯re a bit shorter. It also could be because of my levelling. Maybe the True Hero job felt it was better if I was taller. I hadn¡¯t really thought of it, but I used to be 5¡¯ 7¡¯¡¯, and now I¡¯m probably closer to 5¡¯11¡¯¡¯. As far as declaring me muscular, well, I guess I could see my abs recently, so maybe that was true too. I would definitely say I¡¯m not handsome, though. Then again, I have been catching the eyes of a lot of women. I coughed awkwardly.


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    Although Otto had lost weight, he hadn¡¯t gained anything in height. He was a short, 5¡¯6¡¯¡¯ man before, and it didn¡¯t look like things had changed much with time. He didn¡¯t look muscular or healthy, but a bit stringy and wiry. If his brother truly was a handsome man, it was clear that it didn¡¯t run in the family. He had a face that looked a bit weird. His lips were big, and his nose was a bit small. When he was fatter, his small nose gave him a snot-like look. It was better now that he lost weight, but he¡¯d never be an attractive man.


    ¡°As for hair, he had long blond locks. His eyes are blue. Most Ost are brown or red haired, so he¡¯ll stand out.¡±


    He does sound a bit like an Ikemen, it seems. That wasn¡¯t what I pictured at all when I thought about some border general who was keeping the giant Osteria at bay alongside his militaristic father.


    ¡°Master! It¡¯s a trap!¡± Lydia¡¯s voice suddenly cried out through Slave Communication.


    ¡°The scout is a turncoat!¡± Shao declared at the same time.


    I spun around as I heard a creak behind me. Otto, who didn¡¯t catch the warning didn¡¯t even have that chance as a foot landed on his back and a sword was pressed to it. The nine guards Otto had brought besides the scout had all drawn their swords. In a swift motion, they had each immediately put their blades up. Two soldiers per person other than Otto. I was on my knees with two swords on my neck.

 Chapter 512

    ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± Otto cried out, ¡°Put your swords down.¡±


    He was still talking quietly, afraid of setting off alarms. As it was, the alarms of the fort weren¡¯t going off, and in fact, no one down there was acting like they were triggered. I couldn¡¯t hear any rapid movements or yells. It was possible that Shao and Lydia had silenced the scout before he did anything, but that didn¡¯t explain why these guys were remaining silent and keeping low. It was then that I realized this wasn¡¯t treason, it was mutiny!


    ¡°Once we got out of sight of the city, we planned to cut your throat and be done with you!¡± The leading soldier spat. ¡°Then, you had to go invite some amateur party of some wimpy noble and disrupt our plans.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re betraying Aberis?¡± He spoke in disbelief, still not getting it.


    ¡°No!¡± He shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re saving it!¡±


    ¡°My brother¡­¡±


    ¡°Once you¡¯re dead, we¡¯ll happily save your brother. We¡¯ll say you died in the attempt. We know your father won¡¯t resurrect you, but you¡¯ll still go down dying to save a better man than you. That¡¯s better than the dog¡¯s death you deserve!


    ¡°You¡¯re an incompetent fool! You don¡¯t know the first thing about leading troops! You¡¯ve leaked intel to the enemy, cost the lives of countless brothers, and even led to the capture of our general! How could we ever follow a screw up like you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Completely caught off guard, Otto shook, not knowing what to say.


    Deep down, he had to have been thinking many of the same things himself. Perhaps, he just thought the men under him were so well trained that they¡¯d ignore his transgressions. Maybe he thought that at some level they respected him just for his title. However, any of those thoughts had been stripped away at that moment.


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    ¡°Where do we fall in this?¡± I asked calmly.


    ¡°You¡¯re just an idiot noble from the west who showed up at the wrong time!¡±


    ¡°If you kill me, I¡¯ll just reincarnate in the Capitol.¡±


    He sneered. ¡°I know. That¡¯s why we¡¯ll hand you over to them. They can torture you and give your women over to their armies to play with. When we get back, we¡¯ll inform them of your betrayal. You¡¯ll be branded treasonous. In fact, how about you were the one who stabbed Tibult in the back? You two have a history, and that tigerkin was a former slave of his! Yes¡­ it¡¯s all too believable. Perhaps your presence has made this even easier for us.¡±


    The other men chuckled too. As for me, I let out a long drawn out sigh and closed my eyes.


    ¡°Since that¡¯s how you feel,¡± My eyes snapped open. ¡°Then I won¡¯t have to be gentle! Girls!¡±


    Boom!


    I grabbed onto the grass tightly. The ground shook as Terra slammed her foot into the earth. Her foot was now embedded about a foot under her. Miki reached out and grabbed her hand.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡¯ The men with the swords on her neck shouted as their balance was slightly disrupted.


    ¡°Bracing myself!¡± She declared.


    Of course, I had relayed my orders to the girls the second they drew the swords on us. The conversation had just been buying time for them to get ready.


    Celeste winked and then disappeared. She had been remaining in her human form the entire trip here, so the guards were caught off guard when their blades at her throat were suddenly pressed against nothing. Their fairy flew up into the sky like a shooting star in reverse. Her shout, however, was not quiet.


    ¡°Tempest Gale!¡±


    A massive wind struck the party. As soon as the men with their swords left Terra, she threw out her hand the direction the wind was going. ¡°Earth Wall!¡±


    A wall rose from the ground, the Tempest Gale slamming into it with a resounding boom. Moments later, nine guards were carried along, slamming into it like insects hitting a windshield. They didn¡¯t burst, but that was likely only because of the protection of their armor. Terra maintained her balance as Miki clung to her. I ended up sliding back, clawing at the ground. I had reached out and grabbed Otto, keeping him from being carried away too.


    The wind felt like it lasted for a minute, but it had to be less than ten seconds. When it was done, there were nine unconscious men lying in a pile next to a crumbling wall.

 Chapter 513

    ¡°No time!¡± I cursed standing up. ¡°New plan¡­ attack the fort! We¡¯re going in and out!¡±


    The fort definitely heard that, and the sound of activity was growing noisier and noisier. It wasn¡¯t at the stage that they sounded the alarms. Alarms were for an attack. This was just a distant noise. However, they¡¯d be sending men to check on it.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Terra nodded.


    ¡°Clear the areas, wait for them to activate the alarm, and then start an attack. Make them think they are being attacked externally.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± Celeste nodded.


    ¡°Mikki, Otto, you¡¯re with me!¡± I grabbed and dragged the stunned man to his feet.


    ¡°Huh? What?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going in to get your brother!¡±


    ¡°N-now? But they know we¡¯re coming!¡±


    I snorted. ¡°They¡¯ll think we¡¯re coming. What they don¡¯t know is that we¡¯re already there! Portal!¡±


    Miki, who was used to this kind of thing, jumped right into the portal. As for Otto, he was still confused to the point I had to shove him through. We came out in a hallway inside the fort.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Shao gave a curtsy.


    ¡°Good job infiltrating the castle so quickly.¡±


    ¡°Forts have so many shadows¡­¡± She chuckled.


    ¡°And Lydia?¡±


    ¡°She deactivated the alarm. As Master ordered, it will buy us a bit.¡±


    As she said, it would only give us a bit. Specifically, the time it took them to find out the soldiers they sent to trigger the alarm didn¡¯t trigger it. Right now, they are all running around confused out there. However, these kinds of things had fail safes. A single magician could activate an alarm in an instant. At best, we had minutes.


    ¡°And his location?¡±


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    ¡°The dungeon should be this way!¡±


    Shao began to lead us down the hallways. Twice, we found patrols of guards. Miki managed to cause one group to fall asleep without a fight. The others got drowsy, but in the end, it required Shao to knock them down.


    We moved very swiftly, Otto following behind quietly with his eyes wide and his mouth open. He seemed very shocked by our movements, but to me, this didn¡¯t feel much different from moving around a dungeon. Keep quiet, keep low, constantly be on the lookout for patrolling monsters, don¡¯t allow yourself to get caught in a corner and avoid groups. Don¡¯t make a noise and take them out quickly lest you attracted more.


    This was actually a bit easier. First off, death wasn¡¯t permanent, so if we did slip up, there was always a second chance. Secondly, it was well lit in here. Some levels of the dungeons had light, but we were just as often travelling only by the light of my light spell and the occasional light orbs I created. Having clear visibility made identifying enemies easy, especially when combined with my Detect Life.


    Only a few minutes later, we came to the guard room preceding the dungeon block, at least according to Shao. There was a group of Osteria in there. I found myself annoyed that the alarm hadn¡¯t gone off yet. At least some of them would leave to investigate.


    I gestured for everyone to hide, and Shao used her shadow magic to assist as we snuck behind a hanging tapestry which seemed to hide a murder hole.


    ¡°Shao, can you go get that alarm going? It looks like Lydia and the girls are doing too good of a job.¡± I hissed.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ my pleasure, Master. Don¡¯t worry about me. I can get out of here, no matter how bad it gets.¡±


    She slipped away, leaving just Miki and me. Once the alarm went off, I¡¯d have Miki work her spirit attacks and cause the remaining guards to pass out.


    ¡°So, what about Deek?¡±


    I suddenly heard someone say my name. It was a voice I was vaguely familiar with. Instantly, I turned my ear to the door.


    ¡°Wh-what about him?¡± Another voice nervously said.


    ¡°Alysia, don¡¯t you like him?¡±


    ¡°H-he¡¯s from Aberis! It¡¯s not likely I¡¯ll ever see him again.¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ we can sneak across the border and capture him. He can be your prisoner.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s blushing!¡±


    ¡°I already told you! I only see him as a rookie. Our relationship is purely just mentorship!¡±


    ¡°Kinky¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­ enough! I¡¯ve already said¡­ I want a man who is strong! The only man I¡¯d ever give my heart is the man who defeats me in combat! Since I¡¯ve never been defeated¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ that guy will have it rough. Who can beat the Captain-General of Fort Pride?¡±


    ¡°Master! I¡¯ll get their attention now!¡± Terra¡¯s voice came up over Slave Communication.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± One of the girls said.


    I could hear it too. It sounded like a long whistling noise. My eyes ended up travelling out the murder hole that overlooked the castle walls. It was there I noticed a massive boulder falling from the sky. It was moving incredibly fast as if it wasn¡¯t just a boulder being tossed, but also being pushed by the wind! My face went white. When I said, we were going to attack the fort¡­ I did not mean it literally!


    A boulder slammed into the wall in a massive explosion. Half of the fort¡¯s wall collapsed to the ground as the fort shook with a resounding boom. On the good side, there was no longer a need to trigger an alarm. Everyone knew.

 Chapter 514

    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    ¡°An attack?¡±


    ¡°Damn Aberis!¡±


    While we hid in the shadows, the Osteria women in the guard tower burst out of the door and ran down the hallway. Thankfully, they ignored this murder hole and went to a wider window to look and see what happened, and after seeing, they cursed and continued on.


    I let out a breath of relief. I had recognized several of the women from Titan¡¯s Fall. Worst of all was Alysia, the leader. It turned out she was a general in this fort. Her group were S-class. Although I had never fought them personally, they were supposedly very strong. I didn¡¯t really know how our team compared, because we never went the official Adventurer Guild route, but even with hopeful thinking, we were probably only equal to Titan¡¯s Fall in ability. That was only my pride speaking. There was a good chance we were actually weaker.


    Thankfully, the group didn¡¯t figure out our goal, and Terra and Celeste¡¯s distraction worked to bring them out of the room.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get the alarm going soon¡­¡± I heard Shao¡¯s voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit late for that!¡± I cursed.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I don¡¯t need to anymore?¡±


    ¡°No! Didn¡¯t you hear that explosion!¡±


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    ¡°Oh! Then I¡¯ll just keep killing guards.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you¡¯re doing!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy?¡±


    ¡°Geh¡­¡± I was wasting time while talking to Shao about her extracurricular activities.


    I gesture for Miki and Otto to follow me. His movements are less shaky now that the alarm had been set. I wouldn¡¯t necessarily call it bravery, but it was resignation that he was too far in to quit now.


    The three of us enter the guard room, heading down into the cell block under the fort. You¡¯d technically call that a dungeon too, but perhaps in this world, it takes on a different meaning and the word doesn¡¯t fit as well.


    The keys were thankfully left on a hook near the door. We were able to unlock it and then venture underground. There was a long hallway of cells. It was dark, dank, and smelled like human beings living in close proximity for a long time. The smell wasn¡¯t pleasant, but it wasn¡¯t horrific either. The cells under the castle weren¡¯t that bad either, now that I thought about it. When you imagine some underground prison, you imagine it being filled with rats and smelling of death and rot.


    I guess, in reality, people had to work in these jails, so they at least did the base level of cleaning up and maintenance. Well, technically, there was cleanup magic that could manage all this. I still wanted to learn it from Faeyna one of these days. It must have made it easy to keep these kinds of environments from being too gross.


    ¡°Brother?¡± Otto called out.


    Now that he was so close to his brother, he actually took the initiative and ran ahead, running from cell to cell. I thought about releasing everyone, but some of these people might not be war criminals. They might be murderers or something. Plus, we didn¡¯t have a lot of time. I¡¯d be guilty if I released people who shouldn¡¯t be released and then brought them back to Aberis.


    ¡°Otto?¡± A hoarse voice came out from a hallway at the end of the cell.


    ¡°Lord Deekson! He¡¯s here!¡± Otto declared excitedly.


    I ran up and unlocked a cell, stepping into the cage of Octius Tibult, one of Otto¡¯s big brothers.

 Chapter 515

    ¡°Oh my, oh my¡­ I didn¡¯t expect little brother to bring such a manly man to come rescue me.¡±


    ¡°It seems we entered the wrong cell. I¡¯m sorry ma¡¯am. I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡±


    ¡°H-hey!¡± Otto caught my arms, ¡°This is my brother.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re confused.¡±


    ¡°Tehee¡­ I¡¯m not a lady, but if it¡¯s you, you can push me down if you want.¡± Octius bit his finger, ¡°Just be gentle.¡±


    We entered the cell to find Octius there. He was just how Otto described. He had long blond hair, bright blue eyes, and he was also a chick. No, I guess that was impossible. He was wearing prisoner clothing, and despite a tight-fitting top and tight underwear, there was a distinct bulge where no bulge should be on a woman.


    However, calling him an ikeman would be a gross understatement. He had long, slender, hairless legs and a slender body. He didn¡¯t have a muscular chest. Rather, it was just flat, yet somehow it fit her¡­ ahem¡­ him¡­ perfectly. He had a soft face, big red lips, and if I didn¡¯t have Otto and Octius saying otherwise, would be a girl easily at the level of any of my girls. In certain ways, she seemed even hotter, especially chained to a wall with her midriff exposed¡­ I mean his¡­ it¡¯s a he! A he!


    I cleared my throat and looked away, handing Otto the key. ¡°This is your brother?¡¯


    ¡°Tehee¡­ you can check if you want. We already have the chains; it¡¯s perfect for playing.¡±


    How is Otto¡¯s brother even gayer than he is? I thought there was a level of familial disappointment with having a son who was a homosexual. I even came to think that his homosexuality led to his trusted men turning on him. Apparently, I was the one who had the preconceived prejudices. The men would have had no problem with this, as they respected General Octius, who had no qualms about flirting with men. In fact, he hadn¡¯t even taken a glance at Miki since we entered his cell although he was eyeing me in an uncomfortable way.


    ¡°Brother¡­ please¡­ behave yourself.¡± Otto said while looking like he wanted to cry.


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    ¡°Brother is always so serious!¡± Octius pouted.


    No, let¡¯s think about this for a second. Otto grew up with a brother like Octius. Would it be any surprise that he ended up preferring manly men? Otto¡¯s type was muscular guys. That¡¯s one of the reasons we got along since I wasn¡¯t his type and it didn¡¯t lead to any uncomfortable looks. Considering his brother¡¯s appearance, did it not make sense that he rejected women? It was essential for his own mind to keep from breaking! At least, that was what I was thinking.


    Once Otto freed Octius, his expression grew more serious. ¡°Good, then, please cut me down now. And then kill yourself as well. Don¡¯t leave our bodies, or they might resurrect me before the church does.¡±


    Otto jerked at that, his smile twitching unhappily. ¡°Brother¡­ father said I would not be resurrected again.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°Nonsense! Once you save me, I¡¯ll make sure you are brought back! How could I let my cute little brother get captured! That¡¯s why I broke into enemy lines to save you. If it wasn¡¯t for that wretched magical artifact, I would have escaped too!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter; I can make a portal and take you out of here.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Octius¡¯s eyes lightened, ¡°You¡¯re a Blue Mage? Smart and cute¡­ where has brother been hiding you?¡±


    ¡°Th-this is that Lord Deekson I was telling you about!¡± Otto declared.


    ¡°Oh? Tehee¡­ former enemies become lovers. So romantic!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with her!¡± I grabbed Miki and held her like a human shield, unable to handle this guy any longer.


    Octius seemed unaffected as he shrugged. ¡°Well, no one¡¯s perfect.¡±


    Miki¡¯s face twitched, and I worried she might do something to exacerbate the situation. I decided to open the portal instead. This led to outside the fort and was set to appear near Terra. Using the Map skill and my slave location abilities, this wasn¡¯t a problem. It was also how I got into the fort using Shao as my point. I had set up my dungeon points to cast four Portals. This was my second since midnight passed. That gave me one to help recover my missing girls, and one to get back to our territory. If I needed more, I¡¯d have to take the time to Reset and rearrange my remaining points.


    Otto shoved Octius through the portal and then followed behind him, eager to leave the cell block. Miki ran behind him. Before I left, I sent a message to Shao.


    ¡°Get out of the fort now and rendezvous with the girls if you can. Meet up with Lydia first if possible.¡±


    If Lydia and Shao were being held down, I¡¯d open a Portal, and they could jump to me. Portals were two-way, I had tried it once or twice to make sure it would work, so there was no risk in using it this way. Once we were all together, we could escape safely.


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Once I got her confirmation, I took a breath and stepped forward. At that moment, a wave of power slammed into me. I hadn¡¯t been prepared for it and felt myself being tossed back and away from the portal. I saw the magic shattering at that moment before I slammed into the wall and blacked out.

 Chapter 516

    I only blacked out for just a moment. When I regained consciousness, I was still at the end of the cell block, sitting against a wall. My head throbbed. I immediately cast a healing spell and then brought myself to my feet. I couldn¡¯t see anything. Not only was the cell block dark, but whatever shockwave had hit me had lifted up all the dust in the room, creating a fog that blocked my vision after a few feet. I lifted my hand and cast Portal. Nothing happened. Return. Nothing.


    ¡°Can¡¯t escape?¡± A familiar female voice came out from the fog. ¡°It¡¯s an interesting magical object discovered in the Mirror Labyrinth. It functions a bit like a dungeon. It creates a field that blocks people from transportation. Your soul also won¡¯t be able to escape, so if you die, you die for good. It will finally change the course of the war, allowing the end to these petty conflicts.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t believe the words coming from Alysia¡¯s mouth. I had thought her to be a kind, shy woman. Well, that was the Dungeon Diver, leader of Titan¡¯s Fall. This was a General, loyal to her own nation.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t work exactly like a Dungeon. I could escape from dungeons using my transport spells. However, that was the thing about my blessing. It was specifically given by, and specifically geared for, dungeons. This¡­ was something else. That was enough that my blessing was useless. As powerful as my blessings were, they were only as powerful as the curse in the dungeon they came from, and I had only defeated weak curses so far. Powerful artifacts and unique spells from the Great Dungeons would always be stronger than these blessings.


    ¡°You wish to¡­ kill people?¡± My voice was raspy thanks to the dust and the impact, and unrecognizable, it seemed.


    ¡°I wish to save people. It is called a deterrent.  Once people start to respect human lives, they won¡¯t waste so much time over these petty squabbles and will work to take care of the true threat! They fear dungeons because it forces them to put their lives on the line. So, they ignore dungeons and instead fight silly skirmishes on the surface. I¡¯ll make war just as scary, and by showing them the consequences, we can finally form an alliance and fight the dungeons completely.¡±


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    ¡°One artifact isn¡¯t going to change the world.¡± I coughed.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Sadly, the fuel for this can only be found in the Mirror Labyrinth, and the cost is high. That is why I spent the last month collecting enough. We have negotiated with Jespain to bring in some magical researchers. Once they reverse engineer the enchantment, the Ost Republic will be able to cover this world in restrictive formations, and make death truly matter.¡±


    ¡°You will cause millions of deaths!¡±


    ¡°And save the world!¡± She declared, and I could now see her tall form coming from the smoke.


    ¡°And you think the heads of Ost Republic, your politicians¡­ they¡¯ll just be happy with just playing nice? They¡¯ll use it to conquer the world!¡±


    ¡°No! We just want peace! It¡¯s Aberis that has pushed us! My country aren¡¯t that kind of people.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just na?ve and idealistic! This isn¡¯t going to work the way you think? Why are you telling me this?¡± My voice was recovering, and as I did, she seemed to walk slower and slower.


    ¡°Because¡­ I want you to understand why you must die. Why I have to kill the general you helped escape. He knows too much. Why I have to kill everyone you brought with you, even those unconscious soldiers we trapped. You have done well, soldier, in making it this far. It¡¯d only be too pitiable that you died without knowing why.¡±


    In the end, Alysia and I just didn¡¯t see eye to eye on this. It wasn¡¯t that she was an evil person. She was polite when speaking to me, and I believed what she said. She even sounded regretful in having to kill me. I could sense a great weight on her heart. This war had taken a toll on her. How many times had she watched people she cared about die? How many of them reached a point where their minds started to break?


    ¡°Alysia¡­ you don¡¯t have to do this.¡± I said, finally.


    ¡°Do I know you¡­¡± She finally stepped out of the fog, and I could make out her facial features, as I knew she could make out mine.


    ¡°Hello, Alysia.¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­!¡± She gasped, covering her mouth, her entire body shaking.


    I made my decision, drawing my blade. ¡°I can¡¯t allow that artifact to remain in your hands. I will take it from you! It will be my life, or yours!¡±

 Chapter 517

    ¡°Why did it have to be you?¡± Alysia¡¯s face twisted in anguish. ¡°You don¡¯t understand! I have to kill you now!¡±


    I gritted my teeth. ¡°If you have the ability!¡±


    Her expression grew sad. ¡°You have the resolution to die. You would have made a splendid Dungeon Diver. Know that I do not have any ill will. This isn¡¯t personal!¡±


    As I prepared, I sent the message through Slave Communication. ¡°Get out of here. Slave Order, escape!¡±


    ¡°M-master!¡±


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°I can be there to help!¡¯


    ¡°No! Listen to me and go!¡± I responded sternly, allowing no nonsense.


    Slave Communication thankfully wasn¡¯t blocked by the strange device, and the girls responded to the urgency of my voice. Using Map, I checked on the girl¡¯s locations, and it looked like this spell only loomed over the fort. Shao had already met up with Lydia outside, and both of them were on their way to meet up with the other girls and the Tibult brothers.


    In short, they could go at any time. I assured them that I would escape on my own, but I couldn¡¯t if I was worried about them. This exchange took about thirty seconds, which seemed to be about the amount of time Alysia needed to get over her shock and ready herself for her first attack.


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    Meanwhile, I abandoned my typical skills of Dungeon Diving and Slave Master. I felt almost naked without two of my strongest classes, but they wouldn¡¯t keep me alive here. I settled on True Hero, Hero, and White Mage. I had a feeling that most Basic Magic spells would be useless on her.


    ¡°Quick Attack!¡± Using my sword, I took the first attack as soon as I was ready.


    She had waited for me. Her blade caught mine and then kept going, and I was thrown back against the wall. I healed and then added Armor for good measure. Then I tossed out a bottle of poison which smashed to the floor and released green, noxious gas. She swung her sword again with an almost disdainful look, and the green gas dissipated with ease.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make this harder than it has to be¡­¡± She said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hold back!¡± I shouted back at her.


    Although I said this, my arms were hurt with a single casual attack, I already knew she was stronger than I was. I¡¯d like to say I could use my Moderate Swordsmanship and Basic Weapon Proficiency to overcome her strength and levels, but it stood to reason she had better ability in that as well. Still, I had no choice but to attack. This time, I rapidly swung three times and then ended with a True Hero skill called True Strike. Its name appeared at level 15.


    My sword glowed and seemed to move at a strange trajectory. True to its name, it struck her shoulder. While focusing on that, she struck out with her foot, kicking me in the gut with enough force that I felt two ribs break. There might have been a third as I struck the wall again. I coughed, and blood came out of my mouth. That wasn¡¯t good. Strong Heal!


    If I could do something like this more to her, perhaps I could wear her down. I can heal. She can¡¯t. My best bet was to wear her down, death by a thousand cuts. That¡¯s what I thought, but as I looked at her shoulder, the wound had already healed.


    ¡°High Regen¡­¡± I breathed.


    ¡°If you wish to do damage to me, you¡¯ll need to manage better than that!¡± Her expression started to turn serious. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll try to make this quick.¡±

 Chapter 518

    My body slammed through the wall another time. I had made no gains. It was like a child throwing himself against an adult. I used Air Cushion this time, but it didn¡¯t feel like it softened the impact as dozens of bones in my body shattered. It hurt so much. Strong Heal! Strong Heal! Refresh! I struggled to get to my feet, my body not responding properly. It took three tries before I was finally standing.


    I would have been dead already if I didn¡¯t keep healing the damage. I had the distinct feeling that she could have attacked me while I was healing and ended it in an instant. She gave me time to recover after each attack. She kept hesitating, only attacking me with counter-attacks. Instead, she was just an impassable wall. I was completely outclassed here, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on much longer.


    I may be able to heal all the damage, but without time, my entire body was starting to feel a weakness that sank into my bones. A strange numbness started to come from within after so many repeated healings. I never tested how much a body could take even with healing, but it looked like I¡¯d be finding out soon enough. I only had one ability left that I could think to try. It was the True Hero level 20 skill, Final Blow.


    Considering the name, it had a certain degree of finality toward it, so I was definitely hesitant to use it. However, it was a True Hero skill, so it couldn¡¯t be weak. Since I was able to hurt her with the other ability, maybe I could at least knock her out.


    ¡°Goodbye, Deek!¡± She sighed. ¡°Fatal Strike!¡±


    She made her first true attack on me. Her sword exploded with light, and when she lowered it, the strike flew out, a light blade of death spinning toward me. I barely had time to think; thus, I could only swing with my own blade.


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    ¡°Final Blow!¡± I struck the light blade of death while summoning the skill, hoping to deflect her own.


    All of the power in me got sucked out and went into the blade. It struck the Fatal Strike, and a massive explosion tossed me back once again. The explosion erupted out, cracking the brick walls that made up the cell block. The ceiling partially collapsed, and dust and debris swelled up into the air. I went tumbling down a long, dark hallway. Was I still alive? I didn¡¯t know. All I could do was feel pain for a while.


    {Last Chance has triggered. You have 1 remaining hp.}


    ¡°Strong Heal¡­¡± I coughed.


    I died; it turned out. I hadn¡¯t managed to survive. Whether it was the Final Blow that sapped all my strength, or the Fatal Strike that blew me away, I couldn¡¯t guess. However, my hp dipped below 1. It turned out Last Chance was what it sounded like ¡ª a second chance at life. For a Hero, it might not mean much except in a fight to the death. For a White Mage that could restore his body, it was as good as a 1-up.


    Thanks to the collapsing debris, I had a bit of time. I understood I had been far too naive. My view of this world was narrow. It was useless to keep fighting, I¡¯d never be able to win. Alysia outclassed me in every department, and it was even far greater than I ever anticipated. I could switch with Celeste and have her flee. That might work, although it would be putting Celeste in incredible danger to do it. No, Alysia would capture and kill her. I had that kind of feeling.


    However, even if I could leave safely, I wouldn¡¯t. Alysia would have the artifact, and the Ost Republic would carry out their plan. I couldn¡¯t just leave them. This had to be stopped here. Yet, I had to accept the truth. I was not enough.


    After healing myself, I did a skill reset. I had used 2 Portals, so at the moment I had exactly 25 dungeon points left. As Alysia walked out from the dusty cloud, I decided what I¡¯d do. It was time to go for broke.

 Chapter 519

    I forced myself back up to my feet. It was extremely difficult, and Alysia only looked on sadly as I worked my way to my feet. Her expression seemed to fall as she saw me get back up again and again.


    ¡°You¡¯re still alive.¡± She responded bitterly. ¡°You are¡­ a Hero then? It is because of my reluctance that you have suffered so much. I am sorry I am not a stronger person.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry too¡­¡± I said, my voice shaking. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to have to do this, but you left me no choice.¡±


    My clothing was in tatters, exposing the majority of my body. I was covered in dust and dirt. My hair was tattered. Innumerable bruises covered my body. Meanwhile, she looked about the same as when we started. The fact that I was speaking this way would cause most people to laugh in disdain. To Alysia, it only made her expression more bitter. The harder I clung to life, the less she wanted to end my life. I could see the reluctance in her eyes. Had she wanted to kill me, she¡¯d have done it in an instant.


    I¡¯d like to say I put up a great fight and that I gave my teammates a ton of time to escape. That wasn¡¯t the truth, though. It had been less than three minutes since we started battle before I was in this state. The girls were still fleeing, and once she took care of me, Alysia would go after them. I really had no other options left. Since Alysia chose not to kill me instantly, then it would be the source of her undoing.


    She took a step forward, but I immediately slammed my fists together and accessed my dungeon point store. All the tattoos on my body which were covered in dust glowed, causing my body to lighten up. It was a scene my girls had grown used to, but to Alysia, she stopped immediately, her eyes widening.


    ¡°Wh-what are those¡­ dungeon¡­ blessings?¡± Her eyes widened even more until they were practically teacups. ¡°More than one?¡±


    I selected my choice and lifted my hand up into the air. ¡°Meteor!¡±


    4th Tier spell, 25 dungeon points, usable only once a day, Meteor. The spell took ten seconds to cast, but by catching her off guard with the blessings, she gave me those ten seconds. As soon as it finished casting, I wanted to jump for joy, but I was way too sore for that. Alysia had braced herself but was confused when I finished and nothing happened. She looked around, trying to understand what spell I had cast. After another thirty seconds passed with nothing, she could only shake her head sadly.


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    I was just as confused as she was. I cast the spell. It should have worked. Did it mean something else? Had I completely misunderstood what the name meant? I felt like crying. Was this how it would end? The failure and disappointment showed on my face, and she looked at me with pity.


    ¡°You are an incredible man. In any other circumstance, I would bring you to my side.¡± She finally recovered from the shock. ¡°Since you have fought so gallantly, then I will allow you one strike on me. I will take this as my penance for failing as your mentor. Use your strongest weapon and take your strike.¡±


    She put her sword away and held out her hands. She did this for a simple reason. She knew that the strongest I had still wasn¡¯t enough to defeat her. She wouldn¡¯t attack me unless I attacked her. Once I struck her, she¡¯d use that to give me my final blow and send me to death. It was as simple as that.


    I could barely move, and I had used up everything at my disposal. All 27 points were used up. Worse¡­ they were used for good. No Reset. I had truly bet everything on this. Unless I earned more DP, I¡¯d never be able to change my abilities again.


    I had to¡­ I had to give it my best. Picking up my sword, I realized the last strike had melted the blade. I tossed it aside. Then, I took a step toward her. Then another. One step at a time, I approached her. Another. Another. It was truly pathetic, but it was the last march I had. It was a march to death. It was anyone¡¯s guess what I would do when I got there. I hoped the girls would get away and get by without me.


    ¡°I love you¡­ all of you¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I sent my last communication but didn¡¯t listen for their replies.


    I started to run at her. At that exact moment, I heard a roaring sound overhead. The smoke had obscured the sky above, but it looked like there was a massive fireball growing larger with every second. No, it was Meteor. Alysa¡¯s mouth fell open, and she lifted her hand to the sky as she squinted through the dust. Suddenly afraid she¡¯d counter it, I realized I¡¯d need to distract her. I needed just a few seconds!


    Using the last bit of my strength, I leapt up at her and attacked with the only weapon at my disposal. Our lips touched, and my arms wrapped around her neck. Her eyes that had been looking up suddenly snapped back down. Her focus was no longer on the meteor, but her lips below. Somehow, despite her strength, my body seemed to push her. It was like she had absolutely no strength, and as my arms wrapped around her, she fell back to the ground.


    The roaring grew louder, and the heat grew more intense by the second. I pulled my lips away from hers, a stream of saliva connecting our mouths as we stared into each other¡¯s eyes. She was looking up at me with a shocked expression on her face. I could see the fireball above me burning and growing closer in the pupils of her wide eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but some things are worth dying for,¡± I whispered in her ear.


    If she had a response, it was completely lost in the roaring noise above. She didn¡¯t move, resist, or even retaliate. She just lay there with me on top of her as the world exploded.


    I died again.

 Chapter 520

    I gasped, my eyes widening as I felt the air entering my lungs. My entire body felt sore. I seemed to have been brought back to life. That was the first thought in my mind. That only would have happened if I had managed to destroy the artifact. I had banked everything that Meteor would be sufficient enough to do the job. The Tibult brothers had been saying it clearly themselves. If you died in enemy territory, you needed to remove all traces of yourself. I¡¯m sure they couldn¡¯t attempt to resurrect me after being vaporized by a meteor and assuming the meteor vaporized the artifact, then my soul was free to be called too.


    Souls of humans weren¡¯t exactly the strongest, and thus we couldn¡¯t decide who resurrected us. You could resist a Slave enchantment. It had to be performed on someone while they were willing. However, once you were dead, you couldn¡¯t dictate who resurrected you. Thus, in theory, an enemy could kill you, and then resurrect you before another could do so. Since they were presumably there when you died, they¡¯d have the time advantage too.


    Well, that¡¯s if the body was intact. Once the body and flesh were destroyed, things got tricky. It was still possible to resurrect someone, but you¡¯d have to have something they were connected to. A slave bond was one such connection. A piece of my body would be another. Thus, if you wanted to make sure you revived where you wanted to while in enemy territory, you needed to die in a way that incinerated your body and left nothing for them to use. I liked to think I succeeded in that respect.


    However, until the very end, I didn¡¯t know how strong Meteor truly was. I could only remember the burning heat on my back. As for whether it was enough to incinerate me and destroy the artifact, it had been a gamble where I had bet my life. At the very least, it should have been a distraction that allowed my girls to escape with their lives. The artifact would have been buried under mountains of dust, and even if she survived, Alysia would have been knocked out.


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    As I tried to will my brain to work and figure out what happened, I passed out. Exhaustion, pain, and an incessant aching accompanied me into troubled dreams. I dreamed of my mother. She was in pain, but I was literally a world away from her. Up until now, I had never really thought much about returning home, but at least in the dream, going home was what I wanted more than anything.


    I woke up again. I still ached, but it had diminished a bit. My head was pounding, and no matter what I did, I couldn¡¯t seem to get up. I needed more strength and vitality. I needed to snap out of it. There was a job good for such a thing. Eh¡­ should I use it? I decided that it was more important to snap out of this state and wake up. Only then could I take care of the world around me. I equipped the job, Pervert.


    Instantly, I felt my blood rushing to all kinds of places, and my heart sped up. It actually felt a bit like taking adrenaline, not that I knew what that felt like. Let¡¯s just say drinking a lot of caffeine all at once. As my body moved from unconsciousness to vaguely awake, I began to hear the sound of a woman sobbing. I could feel hair on my face and realized there was a head on my chest. I was lying down in some kind of bed, and there was a woman holding me. If this was an echo of how I¡¯d go out of this world, It wasn¡¯t so bad to die with a woman lamenting on my body.


    I gently lifted a hand and touched the back of her head. I could feel her hair in my fingers, but I was still completely out of it.


    ¡°I love you¡­¡± the words came out of my mouth.


    I didn¡¯t even know which girl it was. Lydia, Miki, Celeste, Terra, Shao? Surely it was one of them. It didn¡¯t matter which, I loved them all. I brought her head to mine and kissed her. Her lips were a bit wet and salty, but they also had a sweetness that ignited the desire inside me.


    Having not even woken up yet, I began to rip off the clothing of the girl on top of me.

 Chapter 520.5

    ¡°Ahn! Deek!¡± She gasped in my ear as our kiss broke off.


    Did I recognize her voice? Yes, it sounded familiar. It was filled with love and desire and tied with my Pervert only made me more rambunctious. Strangely, I didn¡¯t wake up completely. I knew I was still partially asleep. Pervert had brought me into motion, but it hadn¡¯t managed to give me that last push towards being fully awake. Instead, my body was moving on its own. At the very least, the pain had subsided. Increased Pain Tolerance was one of the new skills that Pervert offered. Instead, my body was filled with unbearable horniness.


    My hands squeezed her butt, and my lips kissed and sucked on her neck. She was panting and moaning, but not resisting in the slightest. Of course, none of my girls would resist, would they? Her dress was a bit more complicated than the clothing I remembered getting them. However, I managed to get it off after some effort. After she realized my intent, she tried to pull her clothing back on a few times, but eventually allowed me to strip her. She was being coy. To my Pervert addled brain, that only excited it further.


    ¡°Deek¡­ Ahn¡­¡± She moaned as I touched her body. ¡°I l-love you too¡­¡±


    Her breasts were about size C. Too big to be Miki, too small to be Lydia. Was it Shao? Her voice didn¡¯t sound right. Ah, who cares? She felt soft and warm. I pulled her small little nipples, causing her to cry out.


    ¡°P-please¡­ those are sensitive. We¡­ we should stop until we get married.¡±


    ¡°How can I wait when you¡¯re so tasty!¡± I heard myself saying.


    ¡°D-Deek¡­ ahhh!¡± She let out a cry as I picked her up and put her down under me in the bed.


    I started wrestling with her underwear, which felt a bit like a garter belt. It took some effort, but I managed to rip her panties off. Like before, she had grabbed them at first, trying to keep them on, but it was like her fingers had no strength. She was telling me she wanted this, but she didn¡¯t want to seem like she wanted it. I didn¡¯t know why one of my slaves was acting this way, but it was really working for my perverted self.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see how you taste!¡±


    ¡°T-taste? Ahhh!¡±


    I lifted her legs and shoved my face into her crotch. She cried out as my tongue slid in and out of her. She had a clean, mineral-like taste. It was the taste of a woman who might frequent a hot spring. At least, that¡¯s what I thought. That could be any of my girls. She had a small patch of hair on top which was well-kempt, but despite her delicate and gentle lotus flower, I attacked it like a pig, shoving my face in it and eating noisily, even making muffled noises with my nose.


    ¡°Ahn! Ahn! Not there¡­ it¡¯s dirty! How can you eat that?¡± She moaned while her back arched in ecstasy. ¡°S-stop! I¡¯m going to lose it!¡±


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    ¡°How can you lose it before I have the main course!¡± I snort, grabbing her legs and lining my cock up with her waiting womanhood.


    ¡°So, you want even that¡­¡± She cried. ¡°S-since it¡¯s Deek¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d take it even if you didn¡¯t give permission since you¡¯re already mine!¡± I pushed forward, sliding my dick into her wet cunt.


    ¡°Ahhhn! Ahhh! It hurts! Don¡¯t stop! Keep going!¡±


    I worked my way the rest of the way in, but she was uncharacteristically tight. I was a bit surprised by that and wasn¡¯t sure what to do. I decided it was best to get it all the way in and then fix the problem.


    ¡°Weak Heal!¡± I waved forward and cast.


    When the spell worked, I felt even more excited. I didn¡¯t have White Mage equipped. At the moment, my only job was Pervert. At the moment, if I equipped True Hero first, I could only equip one other job. However, I hadn¡¯t been coherent enough to manage that, so I only had Pervert equipped. Yet, my theory about jobs proved to be true. If you practiced something enough, it¡¯d be a natural part of you, and you could cast it even with a different job. I felt like Moderate Heal was still outside my reach, but I was at a stage where I could use the basic skills on my own.


    ¡°Th-the pain is gone?¡± She said in disbelief.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re mine, how could I let you feel discomfort. I only accept pleasure!¡± I declared while starting to thrust into her.


    ¡°Ahhn! Deek! Ahhhn! Deek¡¯s inside me! Amazing! It feels so good! I love you! I love you! Kiss me!¡±


    I did as she asked, and the pair of us kissed as I thrust inside her. Our kiss was short-lived, though, as she ran out of breath and had to turn away to continue panting. Her hands rested on my chest, and she touched me lovingly while I thrust into her. My eyes were half-closed at this state, and the woman under me was just a blurry form. However, the words she spoke rang in my ears, and her moaning was like a symphony.


    ¡°I¡¯m Deeks¡­¡± She suddenly giggled. ¡°Ahn! I¡¯m Deeks!¡±


    ¡°Mm!¡± I leaned down and sucked on her neck, eliciting more cute sounds.


    ¡°Ahn¡­ I can¡¯t take it anymore, Deek¡¯s amazing! I¡¯m¡­ ahn¡­ ahhhn¡­ it¡¯s coming out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming too!¡± I announced in my drowsy state.¡±


    ¡°Y-you can¡¯t. I might get pregnant!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll take responsibility.¡±


    ¡°You- y-yes¡­ okay.¡± She acquiesced quickly. ¡°I want it. Deek, please, make me pregnant!¡±


    As a Pervert, the chances of getting her pregnant were reduced naturally. I usually used it when I slept with my girls, and none of them had become pregnant. I also heard that human to nonhuman pregnancies had a lower rate of success, and since all of my slaves were nonhuman, it was fine. Raissa, on the other hand, I didn¡¯t have Pervert equipped, so she ended up pregnant.


    Although I didn¡¯t feel a tail, ears, or horns on her, since she was one of my slaves, the chances of her getting pregnant were basically nothing. Yet, playing to the fantasy was hot, so I didn¡¯t hesitate to do so.


    ¡°Take my seed in your womb!¡± I bit her ear.


    ¡°Ahn! Yes! Yes! I¡¯m Deek¡¯s woman! Impregnate me!¡±


    I pushed deep inside of her and immediately released a load. With Pervert equipped, I had no shortage of cum, and I released a ton inside her.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ so much¡­ it¡¯s warm¡­ Deek is inside me!¡± She cried out.


    I kept going until my load was completely gone. Suddenly another wave of exhaustion hit me. I rolled over and was asleep before I hit the sheets.


    I felt a form pulling away and then leaving, and when I woke up again, I felt a lot better, and my head wasn¡¯t so foggy. I unequipped Pervert and equipped White Mage. I used the Refresh spell and instantly felt myself wake up again. My head cleared, and as it cleared, I started to remember what happened when I was half asleep.


    ¡°Wait¡­ that wasn¡¯t one of my slaves.¡± I realized as my face turned white.


    Just who the heck did I have sex with?

 Chapter 521

    After healing myself properly, I finally woke up all the way. If I was resurrected, it was without a body. It seemed like being resurrected to that extent was a lot more straining. Furthermore, without my White Mage spells, it was extremely draining. I had been asleep for a while, but now that I woke up, I was good to go. I couldn¡¯t say exactly how long I had been unconscious. However, I had things to do, and I couldn¡¯t get distracted.


    I quickly realized I was in the palace in the Capital. They had put me in one of their guest rooms. I was expecting to wake up in the insurance agencies rooms, so at some point, I must have been moved. Unless¡­ I was resurrected here directly.


    I sighed and checked my Inventory skill. ¡°Ah¡­ it survived.¡±


    There was a bit of good news there. Before I even went on the mission, I stashed most of my stuff into my inventory just in case my storage ring was damaged. Well, my ring was destroyed again. These things were rare, and I seemed to be losing them all too easily. At the time, I didn¡¯t expect to die, but it looks like Inventory even transcends death, so that was good. I pulled out some of my clothing and started getting dressed.


    Inventory was much smaller than my inventory ring, so everything wasn¡¯t saved. I still lost a fair bit of stuff. Some gold, tons of herbs, and magical items I didn¡¯t want to sell. Fortunately, I had sent the vast majority over with Faeyna to sell, and that wasn¡¯t the ones I gave to Chalm to use. So, overall, most of my profits had been distributed. Unfortunately, it was the best stuff that was gone.


    Everything I wore was destroyed. The magic pieces I liked best and had carefully chosen to synergize with each other were lost. My sword which I had obtained in the labyrinth had been severed by Alysia during the fight. So, I really had nothing good to enter a dungeon with.


    What was worse, my dungeon points couldn¡¯t be reset. I had 27 points initially. I had used Portal twice already before using Reset, so those points weren¡¯t returned to me. Then I selected Meteor and used it. At the time, it seemed like my only option. I needed to destroy the artifact, my body, and Alysia in a single all-powerful attack.


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    Both the Meteor and my Portals had regenerated, but I didn¡¯t have the Reset ability to change them to something else. This was a fear I had ever since I had gotten my first dp. That¡¯s why I was never casual about changing my skillset. As soon as it became routine, there would be a time I¡¯d accidentally set up too many portals and suddenly get stuck with my layout. That worry eventually became this reality.


    I had two portals a day and Meteor. Yes, I could recast Meteor. Why would I unless I was looking at blowing up a small city? It would be absolutely useless in dungeons. While I had Portal, I also couldn¡¯t be too aggressive with that. There were no second chances. It was in and then out. I could move once a day.


    It wasn¡¯t all bad. True Hero was growing rather powerful, and it gave me access to a second job. My job switching was always related to my class as a supporter, and not my dungeon points or my jobs. So, the only thing I lost was a third job. I could swap my second job freely if I needed to. It still took a few seconds, which could be life or death in a battle, but it wasn¡¯t like accessing the dungeon store and resetting my points or something.


    My experience bonuses were gone, which means my levelling had plummeted as well. I would only gain levels as fast as a normal person. As long as I kept Slave Master equipped though, my girls could still benefit from their second jobs and speedier levelling. I also lost Map, which would be a bit troublesome when finishing the dungeon. Fortunately, Lydia had unlocked many pathfinding abilities with her Scout, and most of the time, I let her lead in the dungeon anyway.


    I started making my way to the door to announce I was up and find out what was going to happen next when the door opened, revealing a beautiful woman. A sudden memory of me having sex with a small-chested woman came to mind. She rushed to me, throwing her arms around my neck, and then kissing me instantly. It¡­ it¡­ it can¡¯t be¡­


    I made a fist and punched her in the gut as hard as I possibly could.


    ¡°Puh!¡± She broke off her kiss and fell back a few steps, but then she gave me a flashy and beautiful grin.


    ¡°My love, after the wonderful night we had together, how can you be so cruel?¡± Octius asked in a whimpering voice.

 Chapter 522

    My mouth fell open, and I collapsed onto my knees. It was only then I noticed that Otto was right next to Octius, giving his brother a disgusted glare. Yes¡­ brother¡­ he¡­ me¡­ last night¡­


    Just how out of it was I? There was no way, right? I felt breasts! I definitely ate pussy. It tasted¡­ no! I wasn¡¯t licking that! That was impossible.


    ¡°Octius¡­ you¡­ you weren¡¯t in my room earlier, were you?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She cocked her head¡­ ahem¡­ he cocked his head and grinned. ¡°Tehee, I¡¯ll never tell!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Otto! Please tell me you¡¯ve been by your brother¡¯s side all the time, right?¡± I begged, grabbing onto his shirt.


    ¡°Ah! Get off me¡­ you¡¯re creeping me out!¡±


    Octius seemed to delight in this, laughing even more. ¡°My¡­ my¡­ wanting to know my whereabouts. I didn¡¯t expect my new boyfriend to be so possessive.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not your boyfriend!¡± Otto punched out at Octius, who easily dodged before he tried to pull me off of him. ¡°And, so you let go of me, I¡¯d never be by his side if I could help it. He just saw me coming to check on you and followed!¡±


    ¡°Both of you are so cruel¡­ but I know you love me!¡± Octius cried.


    I finally let go of Otto, my hands shaking as I tried to calm myself down. ¡°Right¡­ right¡­ sorry¡­¡±


    Otto suddenly put on a guilty look. ¡°Well, you don¡¯t need to apologize. Rather, you died to save our asses. The reports say that Fort Pride is gone! Father ended up breaking through and returned a lot earlier than expected, and he immediately led a charge. We managed to gain control of an unprecedented amount of the Ost Republic. It was a great victory for Aberis.¡±


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    ¡°Is that so?¡± I sighed, standing up while trying not to think of last night. ¡°Then¡­ General Alysia was defeated?¡±


    ¡°The General, Lieutenants, everyone in the fort! Their defenses were stripped, their forces were scattered. I thought you were a healer. I didn¡¯t know you had such a powerful spell under your belt. I suppose it was too powerful since it killed you though¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°You should check your level. After that many defeats, you had to gain a bunch of levels.¡±


    I did check, but at the time of the incident, I only had True Hero equipped, having not been of a mind to equip a second job. Then, I had all of my experience bonuses off. So, my usual cut of experience was dropped to 1/20th. In the end, I still ended up getting True Hero up to level 25. I also gained two levels in Intermediate Magician. Apparently casting that spell was enough to give that much experience to it. Forty-seven more levels in that and I¡¯d be at the level of where I was supposed to start with White Mage. Then again, maybe I¡¯ll luck out and unlock a different-colored Mage.


    ¡°Where are my girls?¡± I finally asked, realizing this should have been my first question had I not gotten so flustered earlier.


    ¡°Ah¡­ they escaped with us, and we brought them back to the capital. Being slaves, they¡¯re not typically permitted into the castle. Especially when their master is unconscious¡­¡±


    ¡°How long have I been out?¡±


    ¡°Only two days.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ that¡¯s not too bad.¡±


    I instantly opened Slave Communications to every girl. The response I got back was so loud and enthusiastic I immediately wanted to cover my ears. Every girl seemed to be immensely worried. Faeyna was the worst, only knowing we didn¡¯t come back after the event.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Otto had been wearing a guilty expression since he entered the room, but only now, he suddenly fell to the floor. ¡°I have a confession! I¡¯m so sorry!¡±


    ¡°Eh? What is it?¡± I realized I was wearing the same disgusted face he had when I grabbed his outfit.


    It looked like neither of us was suited for begging.


    ¡°Perhaps, I should explain this.¡± A voice came in as the Prince walked in, hiding behind him was the Princess.

 Chapter 523

    ¡°Otto Tibult, Prince of the Tibult family, is being promoted to the rank of Viscount. For his accomplishments in rescuing his brother, defeating a general, and obliterating Fort Pride¡­ he will receive 1000 gold, 4 knights, and land of his own.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ congratulations?¡± I said.


    ¡°No¡­ those are your accomplishments!¡± Otto cried. ¡°They¡¯re giving me credit for what you did! Please don¡¯t hate me, Brother.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I had felt something seemed off. At first, I had just assumed that we were sharing credit. Even if it was me behind the Meteor, it was, by all accounts, his expedition in the end. It was his rescue mission, and he was the one who returned alive. None of my slaves would have gotten benefits for any mission I completed either, even though they do most of the work. It was simply natural that the person on top got the credit. However, in this case, I was actually a higher rank, although not anymore, and it sounded like my credit wasn¡¯t being shared, but completely stolen!


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem as angry about this as I would have been,¡± Octius noted.


    ¡°Of course, he wouldn¡¯t!¡± The Prince snorted. ¡°He¡¯s a man¡¯s man!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to convince me!¡± Octius grinned, causing even the Prince to look at him hesitantly.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit confused; this award is larger than saving the Capital¡­¡±


    ¡°All awards need to be taken in context. You were nothing. Being brought up to Viscount from a subject was an extreme jump. So was the land I awarded you and the money. To the Tibult family, 1000 gold and four knights are trivial. Bringing an existing lord up to a high lord status is the biggest award I gave them, and still a smaller jump.¡±


    I relaxed when I thought about it that way. It was true that the amount the Lord had granted me was almost astronomical from the point of view of a villager. That only left the second problem. These were my accomplishments! I had given my life. That¡¯s right! They didn¡¯t know why I had done it! No one knew about the artifact. For all they knew, I just self-destructed to escape capture. In that case, the source of the mission, Octius¡¯s rescue, was mostly carried out by Otto, and my actions were more of a happy accident.


    ¡°You see¡­ it¡¯s like this¡­¡± I went on to describe what happened after Otto and Octius left the room.


    Otto¡¯s eyes widened in shock, while Octius started to look at me in an uncomfortably lustful way. The Prince scratched his chin as I explained everything. Of course, in the end, all they had was my word for it. I destroyed the artifact, and along with it any evidence it existed. By the time I was done, I felt slightly depressed.


    ¡°Since this is the case¡­¡± The Prince spoke up. ¡°Then, I will increase Otto¡¯s award to 2000 gold!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°As for Octius, you had already received your reward yesterday. Although¡­ I don¡¯t understand why you wanted a sex-changing potion.¡±


    ¡°Tee hee¡­ I had my reasons.¡± Octius winked at me.


    My eyes grew even larger, but I wasn¡¯t focused on that now. Rather, I felt a surge of anger that the Prince was shafting me so much. It was basically a slap in the face.


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    ¡°May I¡­ be dismissed now,¡± I responded through clenched teeth, unable to hide my anger any longer.


    Otto winced, and Octius looked on with a bit of pity, but strangely enough, the Prince was relieved.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s what it takes to make you angry.¡± He said, gently smiling. ¡°I had worried you¡¯d be too amendable.¡±


    ¡°Are you treating this like a game?¡± I responded angrily.


    ¡°I think you misunderstand my intentions.¡± The Prince sighed. ¡°I could give you rank, money, resources¡­ but all I would be doing is painting a target on your back. The basic truth is¡­ your growth is too alarming!¡±


    I blinked in surprise.


    ¡°I meant what I said in the past. I see you as a brother. You have a cool head. You don¡¯t act petty or vengeful. You¡¯re willing to help without expecting a personal gain. You¡¯re even willing to forgive your enemies, and going so far as to save their lives.¡± He glanced over at the Tibults, who now looked sheepish. ¡°There are few men of your calibre. Which is why I can¡¯t help you too much openly. You¡¯re the ace up my sleeve now, my hidden weapon. Yes, I will use you. You will defeat Lord Reign when the time is right, but when it is all over, I won¡¯t forget what you have done and the loyalty you have shown. Trust me; when the time comes, and the situation is reversed, and your family needs us, we will be there. I swear it on my life!¡±


    I bit my lip, suddenly feeling a bit foolish for being so angry. I had seen too many hero stories where the guy did barely anything and then was handed everything. This wasn¡¯t that kind of world. It was important to work hard every day to advance. No one got promoted just because they did something once. You needed to show you were reliable and could be trusted. I couldn¡¯t just help people in expectation of a reward.


    Back when I helped Otto, I hadn¡¯t been doing it, expecting the prince to give me an award. If anything, this ties the Tibults to me, because now their son¡¯s merits were directly taken from me. Octius and Otto knew this and were thus indebted to me. That was an award the prince had given. Had he really thought so far ahead? I had a feeling he did.


    ¡°I understand. I will take your words to heart.¡± I gave him a proper bow, although it was still clumsy.


    ¡°Now¡­ aren¡¯t you supposed to be saving the king?¡± He asked, giving me a wry look.


    ¡°Geh¡­ um¡­ about that. The 27th level is a water level, and it¡¯s filled with carnivorous fish. We were on our way to Kingsport to have a ship built so we could navigate it.¡±


    The Prince scratched his chin for a bit and then raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just freeze it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Freeze the water. Just use a strong ice spell and then freeze the pathway, then walk along with it. One or two feet would be all that was needed to render the fish useless. At least, that¡¯s what I would have done.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I felt like smacking my head. Well, it was too late for that route. Rather, no one in my party had that level of ice ability. We would have had to locate an ice mage the same way we were locating a shipwright, so in the end, it wouldn¡¯t have changed much.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± The Prince clapped his hands together. ¡°Carry on. Let me know when father is rescued. If there is anything vital that happens, please keep me informed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± I bow again and then leave.


    Otto and Octius followed me out the door and escorted me to the gates of the castle. Otto insisted on paying for the boat. Although I wanted to resist, he pushed a purse of a thousand gold coins into my hands and wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer.


    ¡°It can be my dowry¡­¡± Octius giggled.


    I pretended I couldn¡¯t hear him. Thinking about the harsh reality of what might have happened was too much for me.


    Back in the room I just left, the Prince looked back Eliana, who had hidden behind him and said nothing the entire time.


    ¡°You were pretty quiet. I thought you¡¯d be angry that he didn¡¯t receive a better reward and fight more on his behalf.¡±


    She blushed. ¡°H-he got his reward.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    She started to touch her fingers together and look down, a shy expression on her face. ¡°He didn¡¯t even say anything to me¡­ and after I gave him that¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh? What did you give him? Are you sure it was something he valued?¡±


    ¡°Stupid brother!¡± She suddenly yanked off her shoe and threw it at him before storming away angrily.


    The Prince remained on the floor for a while, wondering what he had said to piss off the princess suddenly. When a maid saw him lying on the ground with blood pooling under his head, she ran off screaming about an assassination. It was a mess that put the whole palace on lock down, but by then, I had already left the city.

 Chapter 524

    ¡°Idiot!¡±


    ¡°Jerk!¡±


    ¡°Scoundrel!¡±


    ¡°B-bad man!¡±


    I didn¡¯t come home to a warm greeting, but rather the five women attacked me. I was held down, and many things happened. Well, I had pushed the girls away, risked my very life, and ended up dying. It was only by pure luck I ended up there.


    Also, it turned out that they were first told that I could not be resurrected. Apparently, while they went to the life insurance company to report my death, the Tibult brothers went to the prince. He was faster and had a Priest on hand. I was resurrected in short order within the castle limits. So, after waiting two hours and finally getting the Priest to come and resurrect me, it failed.


    However, while confused, they didn¡¯t lose all hope. There was one distinct reason for that. They were able to resurrect Shao.


    ¡°I died¡­¡± She responded with puffed out cheeks.


    ¡°Eh? H-how?¡¯


    ¡°When the meteor collapsed, I suddenly felt my soul being pulled from my body, and the slave mark started to burn.¡±


    That was right! I had completely forgotten. Shao¡¯s slave mark bound her soul to mine. When I died, I took her with me. At the moment, I hadn¡¯t considered that at all. After doing all that work, she had ended up dying alongside me. Yet, they were able to resurrect her by using their pocket change. The Priests thought since our souls were bound together, we needed to be resurrected together. However, Shao returned, while I didn¡¯t. This left the Priests confused, and my girls distraught.


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    Then, they had stewed for a day and a night with no news until I had clumsily sent them a message a few minutes before leaving the castle. I hadn¡¯t been focused on their responses and had ignored them again until I got home. The end result was a steadily boiling of anger and frustration that was released on me when I entered the door. Although I was Master, it turned out they¡¯d all make good Mistresses. I was made to reflect on my poor decisions.


    In fact, this would be the first time I died in any of their minds. Although I had technically died once before in Old Chalm, my body had remained intact, and Figuro had cleverly hidden the matter of my death from the girls. They thought I had just been put into a deep coma, to which Figuro healed me. The reality was much harsher. I had died, and his man had resurrected me.


    Yet, only Lydia and Miki had been in my party back then, and both of them didn¡¯t want to believe that I had died. Miki should have known more than anyone, and perhaps she did realize the truth, but it was better to pretend nothing happened. Now, I had Celeste, Terra, and Shao with me as well. My death, this time had been far more traumatic. My body was destroyed, and it was days before my soul was recovered.


    I had selected my actions because I felt they were my best options, but I also recognized now that I had done my girls wrong and thus sought forgiveness. I honestly repented. It required the Pervert job. I repented so hard that my hips hurt come the morning. Pervert even went up a level.


    {Pervert has increased to level 14.}


    Come morning, I created a portal to Kingsport, and we slipped away to our next part of the journey. My best bet to continue was to finally save the king. I could use his support, and more than that, I could use the dp at the bottom of that dungeon. Even if I didn¡¯t complete the lore properly, just destroying the core should net me a point or two. That would be enough for Reset.


    With a goal in mind, I walked out to a sunny day on the ocean.

 Chapter 525

    ¡°Master!¡± Faeyna was there to greet me thanks to my communication earlier that day.


    At the moment, I left Slave Master equipped as my job. I felt a little naked without White Mage, but if we¡¯re honest, the moments I need it are slim and few. Still, I never noticed how often I¡¯d see a scraped knee or feel a bit tired and casually tossed out a Refresh skill or basic Heal. Now that the job was no longer available, I had to force the spells to work.


    I could do them thanks to my proficiency, but only just. They failed more often than not, and they wasted a lot more mana than using it when the job was equipped. However, the skills were available. That was really important, as it proved some of my previous beliefs on how the job system worked. Everything was built off the previous thing. Your jobs were basically a structure which grew your skill base. Your proficiencies are what decided your path.


    Therefore, it was a person¡¯s behavior that decided their jobs, not the other way around. While it was possible to get an unexpected job and then radically change course to do that, it¡¯d be like finding out you had a skill you previously didn¡¯t know you had and then taking advantage of that skill.


    So, I inadvertently discovered a new way of training my abilities. Well, I had already known of this method when it came to Swordsman. I had tried to use Basic Swordsmanship without having Swordsman equipped, and it certainly worked to an extent. I realized now the same kind of concept could be applied to magic. About the only thing I couldn¡¯t replicate were status bonuses, experience boosts, and job modifiers. Then again, maybe that was something that could be replicated? I felt that more study was needed on the job system. This world, or I probably should just say the books that were in Aberis were pretty deficient on that kind of knowledge.


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    When I asked who had the most complete knowledge on job trees, I found out it was regrettably the Imperial Cloud Meadow. Besides being nearly five times the size of Aberis with a much denser population, it seemed like they were tougher too. Constantly at war with the Demon lands, the people north of us were typically higher level with higher tier jobs, which was just one more reason Prince Aberis was hesitant to cause issues with them. It would make sense that the only other High tier Slave Master I ever met came from a place that had a better understanding of job and skill trees. At some point, it¡¯d be nice to take a visit, but after the fallout from my battle with Lord Reign, there is no saying what will happen.


    ¡°Faeyna¡­ you¡¯re crying!¡±


    I had been thinking about other things, but Faeyna held me tightly, and suddenly I realized she was crying on my shoulder when I felt the dampness. I guess she had been frightened as well by my disappearance. Unlike the other girls who at least had an idea what happened, all she knew is that we didn¡¯t make the arrival date. She was abandoned in Kingsport for 2 days without knowing anything.


    On top of that, I hadn¡¯t offered her any repentance, not that I could since she was an elf. Therefore, I softly patted her head. The other girls didn¡¯t look on jealously at all. They understood the feeling perfectly. For all my desire to learn about jobs and skills, it looked like I still had a thing or two to learn about women as well.

 Chapter 526

    ¡°So, what is the status since I¡¯ve been gone.¡±


    Although Faeyna had worried about me, she was a professional head maid. She should have completed her duties, and I gave her plenty of time to get things going all around. She wiped away her tears, let go of me, and then got down to business. We were just outside the travelling guild, so this had made a scene. I ended up taking her to a small tavern before I told her to go on.


    ¡°Master, after selling everything, I accumulated 2000 gold in wealth. Unfortunately, even small ships are especially expensive, and to make it on such short notice, only with Archbishop Mary¡¯s personal recommendation was that shipwright willing to make the request. As for everyone else, it¡¯d take far too long!¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose that is to be expected. I had hoped they could use a preexisting boat and modify it, but I guess that¡¯s impossible given our unique needs.¡±


    I wanted the boat to also be able to sail the open sea when needed. I had a feeling, sooner or later, we¡¯d reach larger levels that were self-contained worlds. Some of these might be water worlds, and so I wanted to be ready. Thus, the things I had requested were top tier. It was Faeyna¡¯s job to negotiate him down as much as possible. When the actual payment took place, I¡¯d try to use Haggle to drop it even further.


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Faeyna nodded, but she had an uncertain look in her eyes.


    ¡°How much does he want?¡± I asked, suddenly getting a sinking feeling.


    ¡°As to that¡­ Master¡­ the request is¡­ 5000 gold.¡±


    I let out a noise, nearly choking. ¡°5000?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± Miki cried out.


    Faeyna¡¯s expression remained steady. ¡°It¡¯s true. You could buy a galleon for the price he¡¯s asking. However, what you asked for is an armored ship that is resistant to attacks a dungeon can deliver. The ship he¡¯s making is constructed from mithril.¡±


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    ¡°Mithril? He¡¯s a Magic Blacksmith?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ but the parts he acquired are mithril. Apparently, he¡¯s been gathering all the parts to build a mithril ship his entire life. You could call it his life dream. That¡¯s the other reason he can complete it so quickly. He simply needs to bind and connect all of the parts after buying the few that are missing. He wouldn¡¯t even be willing to sell it to us without Archbishop Mary¡¯s recommendation.


    ¡°Apparently, she said many things that gave him a good impression of us. He¡¯s a follower of the church, although I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    Faeyna blushed. ¡°He kept talking about my chest and how close to god I was. Then, he wanted to know how big it was. I eventually had to set him straight.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that sounds like the church after all.¡±


    The fact that the Church worshipped Big Chests wasn¡¯t a secret, per se, but it was willfully ignored by most. Only devote followers, and a lucky few invited into the inner sanctum were aware of this aspect of the church. On the surface, they followed the Mother and seemed like any normal church. Their texts might have alluded to mother¡¯s milk a bit more than most, but you wouldn¡¯t notice unless you read them religiously. So, it was no surprise an elf formerly from the back country didn¡¯t know about the Church¡¯s dirty little secret.


    ¡°If you say so, Master,¡± She still looked uncertain, but continued dutifully. ¡°He says it will be the most powerful and undefeatable ship on the seas. Although it has no weapons, he says he¡¯s leaving room for upgrades. He requests that we allow him to keep upgrading it even after purchase, and he promises to fix it if ever there was damage. That money also ensures his lifetime support on this item. Its value by the time he is done would be astronomical, so 5000 gold is a small sum considering.¡±


    ¡°True¡­ but we don¡¯t have that much. When does he need it by?¡±


    ¡°He says he will be finished with the ship to the point we can use it in the dungeon in two days. He demands payment by then.¡±


    ¡°Two days!¡± I bit my lip. ¡°How do we earn 2000 gold in two days?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± A seedy figure suddenly speaks up from behind us.


    I spun around to see a wiry man who seemed to have come out from the Traveller¡¯s Guild. He wore poor, dirty robes, and had the look of a scam artist.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I just overheard you speaking of your issues with money. You seem like a strong group. Have you considered Dungeon Diving? I have just the place.¡±


    ¡°A dungeon, you say?¡±


    Perhaps I could recover my DP more quickly than I had thought.

 Chapter 527

    ¡°Here it is!¡±


    ¡°There really is a dungeon, huh?¡±


    Of course, I had already confirmed its existence before following the man. We were now about half a day¡¯s travel outside of town. I had decided to leave Faeyna back in town, which caused her to grow a bit depressed. To give her something to do, I had her go out to buy cheap goods with the 2000 gold that would sell for a lot in the capital. I¡¯d send her to the capital tonight and then bring her back tomorrow. Hopefully, she could make the difference in money for us. Double her profits shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. This was, for all intents and purposes, the backup plan.


    ¡°Of course, there is a dungeon!¡¯ The shady man snapped. ¡°What do you take me for?¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to comment on that. Half the reason I went was that I figured he was leading me to some bandits. It was a bit crass, but no one minded if you robbed bandits. Plus, I could sell them off and earn even more profit. With luck, I could bring in a good thousand gold or so. It was the quickest way I could earn money that I could think of. The dungeon actually didn¡¯t hold any interest for me.


    Unfortunately, he had been honest at least this far. He had taken me to the dungeon on the outside of town, sitting over a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was actually a place you could see from a distance. That was because it was a tower, jutting into the sky. It was about forty levels high if I had to guess. On top of that, there was a light glowing on top. It was still probably a half an hour walk away from us.


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    ¡°The Calypso Tower Dungeon.¡± He gestured widely. ¡°It sprang up thirty years ago, and to date, no one has conquered it.¡±


    ¡°Is there a reason why?¡±


    ¡°The dungeon has very meager rewards.¡± He explained, putting his hand next to his mouth as if he was delivering secret information. ¡°The treasures are notoriously hard to find, so few professional Dungeon Divers are willing to dive in it.¡±


    ¡°Then, why am I willing to?¡± I responded with a snort.


    ¡°Ah! I said the treasures are hard to find, not nonexistent! Think about it, a dungeon that has existed for 30 years, having very few visitors killing and culling monsters. Its wealth must be vast! Once a strong adventurer conquers it, all that wealth will appear in the treasure room. You¡¯d become instantly rich beyond your wildest dreams. 1000, no¡­ 10,000 gold! Plus magic items, and even more!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still a problem. I can¡¯t make it to the boss room in any reasonable amount of time.¡±


    ¡°Usually, yes!¡± The man nodded, ¡°But you have an advantage no one else has! Me! You see, I have been to the 39th floor. I¡¯ve registered with the safe room there. For a small cut of the profits, I will take you to the end of the dungeon in an instant!¡±


    Suddenly, his words started to sound just a bit tempting. I scratched my chin and glanced over at him. ¡°Go on¡­¡±

 Chapter 528

    With Hero, I could Position Shift with anyone in my party. Thus, this guy¡¯s suggestion was possible. However, he probably didn¡¯t know about Position Shift, let alone that I was a Hero. I also very much doubted he was a Hero. So, I was curious about how he planned to rectify the situation. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t need to ask before he gave his answer immediately.


    ¡°I have an item. Technically it is two items. If you activate it, it¡¯ll allow two people to swap places. Here, look at it.¡± He immediately showed me the item.


    I changed my job to Dungeon Diver and did an Item Identify on it just to be sure. It did as he described. It looked like a pendant that had been broken in two, each side being able to connect to the other to create the whole.


    ¡°So, we simply need to get to the 1st safe room. I will go to the 39th and will use this to flip. I will bring each of you to the 39th floor. Once we¡¯re all gathered, you can march into the boss room and defeat the final boss.  Then, we¡¯ll share the profits. I only ask for 20%.¡±


    ¡°10¡­¡± I immediately said.


    ¡°Geh!¡± His smile didn¡¯t flicker at all. ¡°10% it is.¡±


    So, I just about figured out everything that I needed to know here. I mean, it was clearly a trap. I think he had every intention of taking us into the dungeon. He even planned to use this artifact he had. However, whether he was on the 39th floor or the 5th floor, who knew. What I did know is that whatever floor he took me to would have a group of his buddies waiting for me.


    He¡¯d be separating our group one at a time. Once one person was secured, he¡¯d work on the next until our entire group was incapacitated. He¡¯d likely kill me, sell the girls, and take all of our stuff. It didn¡¯t take a lot to figure this all out. I told the girls his plan over Slave Communication.


    ¡°Obviously.¡± Miki scoffed.


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    ¡°As expected of Master,¡± Lydia responded.


    ¡°R-really? I really thought he was good!¡± Celeste gave a shocked reply.


    ¡°Why are you so certain I can defeat this boss?¡± I continued to humor him.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s because you look so powerful! You have so many slaves, and your armor has the look of wealth¡­ ahem¡­ I mean, the look of one who knows how to be in a fight.¡±


    So, in the end, we looked like easy marks who had money. I didn¡¯t even like the armor I was wearing right now. It was something I had kept in Inventory exactly because I thought it might be worth something. It was sadly the best armor I had at the moment. Although it looked flashy and was stiff to move in, it technically had the best advantages.


    ¡°What about the lore? Erm¡­ the story behind it?¡±


    He blinked. ¡°Eh? I don¡¯t know. Uh¡­ something about a Lighthouse Keeper, I think. Who cares about those anyway?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Well, it seemed like I wouldn¡¯t be getting behind the lore of this dungeon.


    ¡°So, are you in?¡±


    I was just about to agree and move forward. My plan was pretty simple. I had party switch. So, once he took me to that room, I¡¯d switch with one of the girls. I¡¯d probably go with Terra, who could take the most hits. She could create a dust screen to buy some time. At that point, every girl would have her hand on the tier one kiosk. I¡¯d simply switch, transport, switch, transport. I reckoned it¡¯d take less than thirty seconds until all of the girls were in the room. At that point, their ambush would be destroyed. We¡¯d see if they had any wealth on them. If they took us to the 39th floor, I¡¯d consider going after the boss, but it was questionable. In my weakened state, it seemed like a risk we couldn¡¯t afford to take.


    Then, a sudden thought hit me. It was a scary thought.


    ¡°Um¡­ there is no one in that dungeon right now?¡±


    His eyes flickered before he gave his best reassuring grin. ¡°None at all! Completely empty. No one goes to this dungeon anymore. I can swear to that!¡±


    I let out a breath. I knew he was lying, but it seemed like other than the trap he set, there was no one else. This was stupid. I couldn¡¯t believe I was even considering it. However, I really wanted to see what would happen. Would it even work? I made sure True Hero and White Mage were equipped. Of all the dumb things I had ever done, this was definitely up there. I used Slave Communication to instruct my girls to get closer. If things went bad, I¡¯d have to use Return.


    ¡°What is it?¡± The shady guy noticed something was up and started reaching behind his back, possibly for a dagger.


    I ignored him and pointed at the tower. I immediately began chanting.


    ¡°Meteor!¡±

 Chapter 529

    ¡°What did you do?¡± He demanded.


    ¡°Ah¡­ wait for it.¡±


    We didn¡¯t need to wait for very long. It was a clear day today, so the descending fireball appeared quickly. The last time I cast it, I had cast it right on my head. This time, I tried to aim it right on top of the tower in the distance. I actually didn¡¯t know if it got that kind of range, but I assumed it would have to. After all, any closer, and it would definitely kill the caster every time.


    That¡¯s why I had to make sure I could flee. If I was wrong and it came barreling down on my head, then I wanted to be able to escape with the girls. Since it appeared over the tower, I breathed easier. I wasn¡¯t out of hot water yet though. I had never seen the effect of the meteor, so it could still harm us. I didn¡¯t think so though, as the girls all managed to escape it, and there was no way they had made it this distance in the time they had been running. Plus, if they were concerned it¡¯d harm them or me, then they would have said something.


    From a distance, I could see the massive meteor falling from the sky. It actually didn¡¯t move like a real meteor. It wasn¡¯t like a rock falling at terminal velocity. Actually, if it moved that fast, it probably would create extinction-level events. Instead, it descended down slowly, a supermassive rock of burning fire which obliterated everything that it touched.


    Most dungeons were subterranean, so a meteor might damage the surface or take down a few levels, but I reckoned that this technique only would work on such a tower. Well, I had no knowledge on if it would work or not. The meteor was only just about to touch the top of the tower now.


    The ground suddenly started to shake. As the fire descended onto the tower, the meteor actually stopped for a second. My eyes widened as I realized just how powerful these curses truly were. I could see the faintest warping as if there was a field of protection around the dungeon, pushing away the meteor. For a second, I thought I had just wasted all that mana.


    Then¡­ I heard a cracking sound. Sparks started erupting from the top of the tower, but then they moved down the tower like a shockwave. The entire tower looked distorted for a second like it was being bent in the middle. Then, there was the briefest moment of silence. Every eye was on the horrific scene of the meteor against the tower.


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    A resounding boom and the ground shaking increased to the point we nearly fell to the floor. The top floor of the tower exploded, then the next, then the next. The entire tower was being obliterated one floor at a time. The meteor returned to its normal speed, engulfing the tower as it exploded in slow motion. Once the fireball reached the ground, it quickly dissipated, leaving behind a crater about the same size as the massive ball, which was about half a kilometer in size. The cliff suddenly collapsed into the sea. As for the tower¡­ there wasn¡¯t even a trace left.


    ¡°Ah¡­ ¡° I snapped my finger. ¡°It destroyed the treasure room too, huh?¡±


    Just as I said that a hole suddenly opened in midair and an assortment of wealth suddenly exploded out and landed about a hundred feet in front of us. Through that hole flew something else. I couldn¡¯t see it at first, but it came at us at a rapid pace. It suddenly stopped right in front of us.


    ¡°Dear Dungeon Diver, it was you who was responsible for this?¡± A ghost apparition demanded.


    He looked like a normal man, with commoner¡¯s apparel and the physique of a laborer. He was older, but it was difficult to tell how old given his appearance was fading quickly.


    Did the boss seriously come out after his dungeon was destroyed? That¡¯s what I thought.


    ¡°I did¡­¡± I responded defiantly, ordering the girls through communication to prepare for battle.


    His expression suddenly turned to one of pure bliss. ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I have craved to see this wretched lighthouse that had trapped me for so many years destroyed! I was once a Hero like you, but a wretched greedy lighthouse keeper was paid coin and poisoned me. He buried me under his lighthouse, trapping me for eternity! I only yearned to see the lighthouse destroyed so that my spirit could finally return to the reincarnation cycle. Thank you, great hero. You have figured out the clues I have left for you, and freed this curse. As an appreciation, I saved what treasure I could from the destruction. What that meager lighthouse keeper has hoarded over the years, I offer you so that you may continue on and save more cursed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re screwing with me.¡±


    ¡°Farewell! I shall forever be in your debt.¡± The ghost disappeared just like that.


    ¡°Wait¡­ wait¡­ wait¡­¡± I held up my hands, did he mean¡­


    A sudden glowing light appeared in the center of the treasure the ghost had taken with him. It shot out of the pile and into the sky and then started heading our direction. At first, it moved up, but then I realized it was moving in an arc¡­ and that arc ended right where I was standing.


    ¡°No¡­ No¡­ No! I¡¯m happy with just destroying the lore! I blew it up! You all saw it! There was nothing left to complete! One, two DP, that¡¯s all I need!¡±


    ¡°He must have rescued the core too¡­¡± Miki said flatly.


    ¡°Curse him!¡± I turned and started running, but I only made it three steps when something struck me right in the back.


    A familiar pain came flaring back as I screamed about the injustice of this world.

 Chapter 530

    ¡°Die, you fool!¡± The Bandit King leapt at him with his bloody blade raised.


    The young boy managed to bring out his hidden knife just in time. As he caught the blade with his own sword, the knife slipped into the larger man¡¯s gut. He let out a noise, stumbled back, and then collapsed to the ground dead.


    Seeing their leader fall, the bandits turned and ran. This Bandit King also was their Dark Priest. That¡¯s how he had brought so many of them to him. He had managed to acquire two jobs, and one allowed him to resurrect dead bandits. Officially, the church refused to resurrect someone who had done enough crimes to earn the Bandit job and have it be their primary profession. Priests wouldn¡¯t change a Bandits job, and they wouldn¡¯t resurrect a bandit.


    It was possible for a Bandit to lose their Bandit profession by reforming until another job took precedence, but the more banditry you did, the more the job stuck. Thus, the rather rare Dark Priest was a coveted position among Bandits. This one just so happened to be strong as well.


    With his death, none of the bandits would be able to be resurrected. Suddenly, their unstoppable reign of terror across the country-side had ended like that. They would be more careful with their lives in the future, and wouldn¡¯t boldly attack villages as they had been doing.


    The boy who defeated the Bandit King collapsed to the ground. It had been pure luck that he had managed to do it. He had seen them cut down his father, and he had been filled with rage and hatred.


    ¡°You have saved this village, for that, I grant you the token of the Hero. You are this village¡¯s Hero from this moment onward!¡±


    The mayor of the village tossed money and rewards on him, and the boy used it to buy good armor and good weapons. Then, he collected all the coin his city had and set out for the Imperial Cloud City to find a Priest to resurrect his father and the rest of the village. He experienced many hardships on the way and eventually was scammed by a woman out of most of his coin and armor. She had claimed to be a White Mage and had the ability to resurrect his village. However, that had been a lie, and she had fled with everything but the trinkets he needed to save them. By the time he made it to the capital, he no longer had the money to save his people.


    ¡°Please! I will pay you back! My village will pay you back!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Do you think we run a charity? If you don¡¯t contribute to the Gods, then you don¡¯t get a resurrection!¡±


    ¡°But¡­ this isn¡¯t about me¡­ it¡¯s¡­ my village, my people.¡±


    ¡°Who are they? You¡¯re all nothing. If they were so important, they¡¯d have someone more competent and richer than you to resurrect them!¡±


    Desperate to save at least some, he got a job in the city, doing anything he could to raise money. Yet, he only had a short span of time, and by the time he was done, he had only earned enough to save one person.¡±


    ¡°My father, please¡­ this is his sword. Bring him back!¡±


    ¡°Very well¡­¡±


    They cast the spell, but it didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°The item you selected was not attached to your father.¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­ impossible. Father¡­ he said he fought with this sword in the north. He fought demons! It¡¯s why I wanted to be a hero!¡±


    ¡°Many fathers who lived unremarkable lives will make up such things.¡±


    The boy shook for a bit, but he finally got his breathing under control and decided what to do, ¡°Then¡­ please, resurrect him using me as the bond.¡±


    ¡°The spell has already been cast. Do you have enough for another?¡±


    He didn¡¯t¡­ the month passed, and he left the capital having been unable to resurrect anyone. With shame in his eyes, he returned to his mother. Even if he had his Hero token taken away, he would make it up to everyone he had wronged, even if it took him his whole life.


    In the end, he didn¡¯t have to though. When he returned to the town, all he found were ashes and skeletons. The bandits had found a new leader, and to consolidate his power, he had destroyed the village who killed the last. Worst of all, the boy could have been there on time, if he had used the Return ability. However, being inexperienced, he didn¡¯t know about its existence, and even if he did, he was so ashamed, he needed time.


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    He eventually found a bandit still plundering the wreckage hoping to find something his brothers missed and managed to corner him.


    ¡°You killed them all!¡± the boy accused.


    ¡°N-No¡­ they¡¯ll just be resurrected, right?¡±


    ¡°With what money? You stole it all!¡±


    The bandit still had a blank expression on his face as the boy chopped his head off. That was the way of things. Bandits either didn¡¯t know or didn¡¯t care. They weren¡¯t killing someone; that person could be resurrected. If they weren¡¯t, that was their problem. They should have thought of that before they died. Besides, if the bandits had to put their lives on the line, then why didn¡¯t the rest of the world?


    The boy, feeling great despair, walked off into the mountains and began to train. He found an isolated dungeon, and every day he dived into it to grow his Hero skills. Eventually, he pursued the Bandit King and then brought him down. It had been a mad suicide rush into the center of the bandit camp, and at the end of it all, he found himself surrounded by hundreds of bandits, expecting to die.


    This Bandit King was smarter than the last. He had a Dark Priestess who worked for him. So, these bandits had no fear of dying, unlike the boy who had nothing but the blade he thought was his fathers. The Dark Priestess snapped her fingers, and the Bandits followed him. He had killed the last Bandit King, so now he was the Bandit King. He realized he recognized the girl. She was actually the supposed White Mage who had stolen everything from him all those years ago.


    Yet, he no longer could feel anger. All his anger was directed at himself for being so ignorant. He took the priestess to bed, and she became his lover. She whispered in his ear every night about the injustices of this world. They slowly started to seep into his soul and affect his personality.


    The Bandit Hero¡­ that¡¯s what his name became. He stole from the rich, and he gave to the poor. He wouldn¡¯t hesitate to senselessly slaughter nobles, merchants, and heroes. Meanwhile, he would have the priestess resurrect those who were destitute and poor. Of course, although he gave money to the poor, most of it was kept for the Bandits.


    Under his reign, they were wealthy and even allowed to feel good about themselves. They were saving the people from a government full of thieves.


    Yet¡­ the problem with killing those who were rich and could come back was that they would inevitably seek vengeance. That¡¯s what ended up happening, and the Bandit King¡¯s camp was eventually attacked by a coalition of unhappy nobles. A price was put on his head, and the Bandit King was forced to flee. However, he was pursued wherever he went. The price on his head was so vast, that even the poor which he had helped and the bandits who once served him turned. Everywhere he ran, he was attacked by people eager to obtain the reward for his head.


    Eventually, he decided to leave. He had heard of another continent across the vast sea, and he desired to go there and leave this place behind. He set up a deal with a captain. He couldn¡¯t get to the docks, so the plan was for him to meet up with the ship once it set sail. There was a lighthouse with a friend of the captain. He would wait there until the ship appeared and then swim out to it. Then, they would set sail for a new world.


    Yet, that lighthouse owner had been greedy for the reward too. He poisoned the food. The Bandit Hero remembered growing sick and then dying. His finger was taken as evidence, and then he was buried. The lighthouse keeper was an old Priest, and he had a spell that would keep his soul trapped. He feared his resurrection or retribution, so he kept the entire thing on the down-low, burying the body under the floorboards and etching a complicated rune that would prevent him from haunting the man.


    He collected his reward anonymously but never used it. He just wanted the money. As if to just spit in the face of the Bandit Hero¡¯s life, he buried the money next to the body. He never had kids, and he lived stingily for the remainder of his life, never telling anyone what he did. He even told his captain friend that the Bandit Hero never arrived.


    After the lighthouse keeper finally died, the dungeon formed, hoarding its treasure in the same way as the lighthouse keeper before it. There, the spirit remained, its resentment and scorn festering into a dungeon that overtook the once existing lighthouse, ironically preserving the rune and preventing its natural decay.


    This was the information that was slammed into my head as a tattoo formed between my shoulder blades on my back. Another dungeon lore had become part of me.


    {Congratulations, you have completed the Calypso Tower Dungeon.}


    {True Dungeon Diver has increased to level 41.}


    {Dungeon Builder has increased to level 15.)


    {For completing the lore, you have gained 0 dungeon points.}


    {Calypso¡¯s lore is now a part of you. You have gained Calypso¡¯s Blessing.}


    {You have an increased affinity with dungeon points. You will earn more dungeon points for conquering a dungeon. Those in your party will earn a portion of your dungeon points. You can use dungeon points for those in your party.}


    {Lydia has gained 5 dungeon points.}


    {Miki has gained 5 dungeon points.}


    {Celeste has gained 5 dungeon points.}


    {Terra has gained 5 dungeon points.}


    {Shao has gained 5 dungeon points.}


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Did the dungeon just steal all my points and give them to those who had less?

 Chapter 531

    I sat up, the burning pain in my back finally starting to diminish. After everything, I didn¡¯t earn any dungeon points. No Reset. I was still stuck with Meteor and two Portals as my only skills granted from the store. In the future, my DP would be shared with my girls as well, although I was supposedly earning more? I figured that would just about even everything out then. I shouldn¡¯t see it as less for me, but more for my team as a whole.


    However, in this particular dungeon, whether it was because I destroyed the dungeon entirely or because of the unique nature of the blessing, they saw fit to give all of my points to the girls. It was good that the girls got enough points to get started, but it was unfortunate that after all that, I had made no progress.


    That wasn¡¯t true. I hadn¡¯t come here to earn points. I had come here to earn money. The large pile of treasure sitting in front of us was more than enough to pay off the shipwright and provide more funds for Chalm.


    ¡°My¡­ my¡­ friends¡­ you killed them?¡± A shocked voice caught my attention, and I turned to the shady guy who had led us here.


    ¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯ve finally admitted you had plotted to get me killed?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you knew?¡± His face turned ugly. ¡°You killed all those people!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense¡­ the dungeon has clearly been destroyed.¡± I gestured to the complete absence of a dungeon. ¡°Their souls only get damaged with time in a dungeon. Since the destruction of the damage coincided with their deaths, then they are fine. You should be able to resurrect them without too much difficulty.¡±


    ¡°Res- resurrect them?¡± He said in wonder and then shook his head. ¡°No! You think we have that kind of money?¡±


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    ¡°Haven¡¯t you been stealing it?¡±


    ¡°You! If we had it, we wouldn¡¯t need to steal it!¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I scratched my chin thoughtfully, then walked over to the treasure, grabbed about ten gold coins, and walked back and held it out. ¡°This should just about pay for the resurrections as well as a little extra for being our guide, kind of.¡±


    He looked down at the coins, and greed glinted in his eyes before he looked back at me defiantly. ¡°We agreed on 10%!¡±


    ¡°The nerve¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°First off, you were trying to kill me. Secondly, the agreement was transport to the 39th floor. You never did your job, so I don¡¯t owe you anything.¡±


    His greedy expression turned ugly and pulled a knife. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to insist!¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°I just blew up a dungeon with the wave of my hand, and you¡¯re going to pull a knife on me?¡±


    His mouth fell open, his eyes turning back to the ledge, which had lost about 200 meters into the ocean after the impact. He then lunged out with his free hand, grabbed the coins from my open palm, turned and ran. I rolled my eyes as the girls approached me. We watched him run off into the distance. Then, I turned back to the pile.


    ¡°Ah! Lucky!¡± I noticed a ring sitting on a pile of coins.


    It was a storage ring. I checked it out with Identify, and made another noise of contentment. It wasn¡¯t a time stop ring, but it did slow time down by 4X. I wouldn¡¯t need to work as hard to keep things fresh. The space wasn¡¯t as good as my last ring, but it was still considerably better than Inventory. By the way, I had never tested if Inventory had a time stop function. It¡¯s because I only kept things in inventory that really mattered, and perishable food that I could preserve indefinitely never made the cut.


    ¡°Do you think that guy will resurrect his team?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°I doubt it. He will probably keep the money and spend it.¡± Terra sniffed.


    ¡°Well, they are probably undesirables the priests would refuse to resurrect, so he might not even if he wanted to,¡± Shao added. ¡°They¡¯re all probably dead.¡±


    Don¡¯t say that kind of stuff around me, ladies. I really don¡¯t want to feel like a murderer here. Well, I did everything I could. If they died, then they should have made better life choices. Deep down, I wondered if maybe my mindset was starting to change thanks to this world.

 Chapter 532

    ¡°So, it¡¯s basically like that.¡± I finished explaining to the girls about the dungeon points. ¡°Any questions?¡±


    They knew about the tattoos. How couldn¡¯t they? They also knew about me coming from another world. However, other than Shao who had seen my memories, I was never exactly clear on my abilities. I decided that given the situation, I would come clean and explain everything clearly.


    Celeste raised her hand excitedly. ¡°Oh! Me!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I said, pointing at her like a student in a class.


    ¡°Um¡­ what¡¯s a video game?¡±


    I coughed. ¡°Ah¡­ well, that¡¯s probably not very important right now.¡±


    ¡°What job did you pick Shao?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°Geh¡­ I wasn¡¯t brought to this world in that manner. My journey wasn¡¯t so gentle.¡±


    ¡°I know what I¡¯d be. I¡¯d be Deek¡¯s Slave!¡± Celeste said excitedly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a job, dummy!¡± Miki shot back.


    ¡°Who¡¯s a dummy! You just don¡¯t love Master as I do!¡±


    ¡°You! Being Master¡¯s slave is a given!¡± Miki flushed angrily. ¡°I¡¯d want my job to be something that can help Master! Like¡­ like¡­¡±


    ¡°True Pervert.¡± Terra puts in.


    ¡°Right! True per¡­ ah! What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°I could finally keep up with Master at night.¡± Terra¡¯s eyes gleamed, ¡°Then, none of you will be needed.¡±


    ¡°Geh! She¡¯s trying to get rid of us!¡± Miki cried. ¡°The rock¡¯s true intent has been revealed!¡±


    Shao suddenly got on her knees in front of Terra. ¡°You¡¯re a wise Master of sex! Disciple did not see!¡±


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    Terra made a ¡®hoho¡¯ noise while holding her fists on her hips like a villain with Shao gazing up at her enviously.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Lydia cried out. ¡°I thought I was the one who taught you about sex!¡±


    ¡°Tfff¡­¡± Shao looked away. ¡°You haven¡¯t even become a Pervert, let alone a True Pervert.¡±


    ¡°Neither has she!¡±


    ¡°Yes, but new Master¡¯s eyes are clearly bigger and set to the future compared to old Master! Since her chest is flat, she must always be on the path to ero! Your tits have made you lazy! At the rate Master¡¯s perversions grow, he will need another party member!¡±


    Terra stopped gloating and covered her chest with lines formed on her forehead.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Lydia looked depressed. ¡°I see¡­ I truly was blind, thinking things could remain the same as they¡¯ve always been. Please, Master, teach me the path of the True Pervert!¡±


    She didn¡¯t turn to Terra, but to me, the person who had the Pervert job. Of course, my expression wasn¡¯t much better than Terra at that point.


    ¡°Is True Pervert even a job?¡±


    ¡°It has to be, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Miki offered.


    Now that I thought about it, it did sound like a job that would exist. True Dungeon Diver, True Hero, True Pervert. Why did that sound like a tagline! I refused to accept that as my title! I turned back to admonish the girls and put a stop to this, but Shao spoke up.


    ¡°Although¡­¡± Shao had stood back up after causing all this trouble in the first place and had a serious expression on her face. ¡°It would be nice to go back one day.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I was surprised by her words, given how bad her life had been.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about my own life!¡± She blushed. ¡°But as for Deek, I¡¯d like to see where he grew up. His mother too¡­ I¡¯d wonder if she¡¯d approve of me.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­¡±


    All the girls started to make similar sentiments.


    ¡°My Mother is a good one. She would surely approve of any one of you.¡± I made sure to say any one, as I¡¯m almost certain she wouldn¡¯t approve of all of them!


    ¡°Then¡­ is there a Dungeon point skill that will allow us to go back to Earth?¡± Shao asked.


    ¡°No¡­¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± The girls looked a little depressed.


    Even at the 50-point tier, nothing had appeared like that. I thought maybe there would be a 100-point tier that might appear once I defeated a Great Dungeon, but that was a while off. The only other option was another blessing that happened to include transdimensional travel. If I could open portals to another world, that would be something. There was also Blue Mage, but if there was a spatial spell that strong, it¡¯d probably be level 100. That was obtainable for a guy like me with my bonuses, but not right now.


    Noticing the somber mood the girls were in, I decided to speak up. ¡°But¡­ I will try it.¡±


    That seemed to cheer them up. With that, I had added another goal. I would follow a new path, the path of the True Pervert. Ah! I mean, the path of returning home. My mind was somewhere else for a moment.

 Chapter 533

    We returned back to the city of Kingsport. I gave a second storage ring with all the treasure in it to Faeyna to count and calculate. In the end, the profits from the quickly defeated dungeon were 5000 gold coins by themselves. That meant that anything that Faeyna sold in the Capitol was pure profit. Since I didn¡¯t need to send her off again, I decided to let her stay with me. It seemed to make her much happier, so that was fine.


    I asked her to take me to the dock, and so we all headed there. The port was quite large, with a few hundred ships docked. There was also a dry dock and a few massive warehouses which may be where they build new ships. The place we went to wasn¡¯t big or impressive. In fact, it was a bit out of the way and hidden back in a dark alley. I was glad I hired guards to protect Faeyna. I didn¡¯t like the idea of any of my women walking around these kinds of places on their own.


    We knocked on the door, and an old man answered. At first, he looked confused, but when his eyes lightened on Faeyna, or rather I should say her chest, his eyes brightened.


    ¡°Ah! You¡¯ve returned!¡±


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m the one who sent her with the request.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ is that so¡­ then come in¡­ come in¡­¡±


    He gestured to us, but rather than walk to the main room to sit. He kept on walking out the back of the house and into a large shed behind it. There was a small boat that looked like it¡¯d fit about five. It was in the process of being constructed.


    ¡°That will be tight,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ well if you got more mithril to increase its size¡­¡±


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    ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s fine!¡±


    Although we had six in our party, Celeste could be pocket-sized at will. If push came to shove, she could fly a bit. As for why I didn¡¯t just do a fly and switch with her to pass level 27 of the Widow¡¯s Dungeon, it was that Celeste didn¡¯t have that ability. Outdoors with the wind, she could fly for some time, but navigating a massive maze through small corridors where the floor is basically lava, that was beyond her ability to do safely. Even if she could cling to the vine-like walls of the dungeon to rest, her life would have been in constant danger the entire time. It was not something I was willing to allow.


    The old man and I ended up going over his plans. I explained our exact desires and purposes, both for level 27 and for future ventures. Since I was someone who was associated with the church, according to his words and the words in Mary¡¯s letter, he was willing to work with me.


    I guess he was a famous shipwright who was retired now. It made him difficult to work with, but he was the best at it. Building a mithril indestructible ship was apparently his final dream. As someone who wasn¡¯t a Magic Blacksmith himself, he had to design each part and send the orders to a Magic Blacksmith. This was extremely expensive and was a part of the reason that despite his renown, he lived in such meager conditions.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem all that bad. Although some of your women look on the small size up top, I can see you¡¯re a good man. Please, use my ship and accomplish great things. It¡¯s the only thing a shipwright like me could wish for.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will!¡±


    It was just past noon now. As I left his home after leaving the payment and making one or two more reassurances, I saw my girls who had grown bored and were waiting impatiently outside. It was a lot hotter here than in the Capital or Chalm, and the sun was beating down on us. The girls had removed their armor and were sitting around, lazing in the sun in light attire. The appearance of five hot, sweaty beauties lazing around was starting to catch the notice of many unsavory characters.


    ¡°Master?¡± Lydia raised her hand, her nipples poking through her shirt in a noticeable way. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be working on finishing it up overnight. He says he¡¯ll have it ready by tomorrow. We can be back in the Labyrinth by tomorrow evening.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ what will we do until then?¡± Celeste asked, her normally glistening wings looking wilted in the sun.


    ¡°How about we hit the beach?¡±

 Chapter 534

    ¡°How did it turn out like this?¡± I responded helplessly.


    I had seen the girls looking heated, and we had an afternoon to spare, so I thought that heading to the beach would be a good idea. Somehow this caused us to end up at a swimsuit store. I had thought that this world¡¯s idea of swimsuits was nonexistent. It wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if they just swam in plain clothing or something like that. However, I was mistaken. If there was any proof that this world was truly just a video game developed by a group of horny men, I think it showed in the access to swimsuits.


    It turned out this world had a wide assortment of swimming attire, and Kingsport wasn¡¯t just known for boats, but also as a retreat for vacations. The beaches were plenty and so were the swimsuit stores. As a result, the girls ended up taking a small fortune of my treasure to spend on swimsuits at one of the finer establishments. Well, it was money well spent, so I shouldn¡¯t complain about it.


    ¡°Can you even get wet?¡± Raissa asked Terra.


    ¡°Our first time was under a waterfall. We made love in the gentle currents surrounded by nature.¡± Terra explained.


    ¡°Ahhh? My first time was being pushed on the floor in a stadium surrounded by hundreds of horny spectators who wanted to see me cry! Why are our first times so drastically different!¡±


    Yes, for various reasons, what started out as just a stress release for Deek¡¯s Party ended up becoming a festival. Raissa ended up being invited, and somehow this brought along the Guild Master, the Mayor, and Astria from Chalm. Somehow, Salicia and Carmine ended up being invited too, along with their three shady managers. Then one of the girls suggested inviting Eliana. She happened to be in the company of Mary and her brother, so the prince, princess, and archbishop also showed up, as well as Octius and Otto who overheard them being invited and barged in.


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    As to how, well, since I could give Portal to the girls, giving a point for Reset, I could make as many as twenty-seven portals if I needed to. As it turned out, I could borrow their DP with my Slave Skill Sharing ability. It wouldn¡¯t work for experience or third jobs, which would be used by them and need to be cast continuously, but if it came to spells, I could borrow them in the same way as if they bought a DP sword and handed it to me.


    ¡°To invite me on a date¡­ my¡­ oh my¡­¡± Octius grinned.


    ¡°Who invited you!¡±


    ¡°We have to return to the border tomorrow. Since it¡¯s cheaper resource-wise to travel from Kingsport than the castle for various reasons, I¡¯m sorry we intruded.¡± Otto gave me a nod exactly perfect for people of the same rank, seemingly having grown more serious over time. ¡°Although it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve relaxed on a beach.¡±


    ¡°Rumor has it that you just took down another dungeon in a single day! You¡¯re truly a man¡¯s man!¡± The Prince gave a thumbs up.


    I thought he might add something like, ¡®if only you put that much effort into saving my father¡¯, but he seemed to have a relaxed attitude when it came to the king. As a matter of fact, so did Eliana, who didn¡¯t seem to mind her father¡¯s disappearance either. Neither made it the pressing matter that it should have been. Just what kind of king was this guy?


    ¡°Deek, the girls are ready to show you their swimsuits now! We¡¯ll head out to the beach first!¡± The shopkeeping lady declared with a knowing grin.


    ¡°Even though I¡¯m the Prince of Aberis, I can only see their freshly swimsuited bodies second hand!¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m interested in seeing this. I¡¯m heading to the beach now.¡± Otto shrugged.


    ¡°Let¡¯s let the young lord have his fun!¡± The Guild Master and Mayor walked off too, dragging the shady Drake and his cronies Danny and Brick away with them even though they complained about wanting to watch.


    The Prince reluctantly left too, not wanting to start another incident if his sister hit him with a shoe. Actually, he would have probably been fine with that, but he seemed a bit wary of Mary. Her blows were much more savage. Carl couldn¡¯t make it because a book had rendered him unconscious, supposedly.


    ¡°The girls are just going to show me what swimsuits they picked out¡­ why is everyone acting like this is some kind of great moment?¡±

 Chapter 535

    Lydia came out first. She was wearing a thong bikini with a triangle top, which accentuated her legs. It wasn¡¯t tiger-striped, but black in color. Her body had filled out nicely from the thin and malnourished young girl I had run into in the dungeon about half a year ago. Her beauty had only grown with the passing time.


    ¡°Master¡­ they even specially cut a hole for my tail!¡± She spun around and showed me.


    Although, being a thong, it was mostly just her butt, with the only fabric visible now having a hole for her tail, making it almost nothing at all. She seemed to be waiting for my appraisal, so I nodded and gave a thumbs up.


    Then Miki came out. Her outfit was a bit more modest. She had a white outfit that matched her skin tone a bit better. It was a bikini, with a halter top. Unlike Lydia, who was comfortable showing off her body, Miki¡¯s cheeks were slightly pink, and her arms were covering her stomach a bit. Lydia excitedly grabbed on to Miki.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Miki look pretty?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Ah¡­ y-yes¡­¡±


    ¡°My turn!¡±


    Celeste burst into the room.


    ¡®Wha-what are you wearing!¡¯


    What she was wearing was green, and it was just as revealing as what Lydia was wearing, but without that adult sensibility. It was a monokini with two straps connecting the bottom to the top. The bottom used strings to keep it on. As for the top, it wasn¡¯t clear how they didn¡¯t pop off her enormous chest.


    ¡°H-hey! We promised to wait for our turns!¡± Lydia protested.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s okay¡­¡± Miki was becoming even more embarrassed.


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    ¡°Master, look at me then.¡± Terra came out.


    She wore a brown tankini, which complemented her flat chest very well.


    ¡°Is it time for me to come out!¡± Shao asked.


    ¡°You know it¡¯s not!¡± Lydia cried.


    It was too late, as Shao had already entered. Her outfit was also black, a simple bikini that fit her body well, but she also had a shawl wrapped around her head to hide her horns and a transparent wrap around her hips that seemed to accent them well.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even understand the order. I¡¯m the princess, shouldn¡¯t I be first!¡± Eliana complained while coming out.


    She wore an elegant white and gold bandeau swimsuit. It was the most modest one out there so far.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get the point of dressing up on display for this creep anyway. He¡¯s our Master. It doesn¡¯t mean he should get to see my splendid body!¡± Salicia snorted, coming out in a plunge style one-piece with intricate designs on it.


    ¡°What splendid body?¡± Carmine wore white as well, a one-shoulder top and string bikini.


    ¡°This is becoming pandemonium!¡± Lydia cried as everyone just came out the back, ruining the show she had carefully put on with the storekeeper.


    ¡°Fufu¡­ relax, Lydia, God, will see us wearing proper garments and rejoice.¡± Mary came out, causing my mouth to fall open as she was in microkini, showing off almost everything and hiding almost nothing.


    ¡°It was for Deek though¡­¡± Lydia complained.


    ¡°It¡¯s my time to come in!¡± A husky voice comes out.


    ¡°You¡¯re not even a girl!¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Octius somehow had snuck away from Otto and made his way back here. ¡°Why can only girls show off?¡±


    He was wearing a corset-style top. Thankfully, he had a baggy-bottom that hid any bulges.


    ¡°We¡¯re missing someone though!¡±


    Raissa came out, her wolf ears and tail lowered. ¡°I think I¡¯ve been gaining weight lately. I don¡¯t understand it. I haven¡¯t been eating as much.¡±


    She was touching her stomach unhappily. However, she was wearing a very cute halter top with stripe designs of white and blue. The second she said something, my entire body stiffened.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Eliana asked politely.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just been getting sick every morning.¡±


    ¡°Deek? Can you check Raissa out? Perhaps she could use some healing!¡±


    ¡°Geh! R-Raissa looks radiant!¡± I shouted in a loud, high-pitched voice, causing all the girls to be quiet.


    ¡°So¡­ in the end, it was the dog girl who won¡­¡± It was clear who whispered that.


    As for Raissa, she had frozen at those words and her entire face was red. A dozen beautiful women were looking at me for clarification. I summoned my most powerful technique. I chucked a bag of money at the store clerk and fled the store.

 Chapter 536

    ¡°Damn, that was close!¡± I muttered.


    I had run to the beach, which was only across the street from the store where the swimsuits were being sold, and then hid in the guy¡¯s locker room, or whatever this world¡¯s equivalent was called. It wasn¡¯t that I wanted to hide that Raissa was pregnant. However, the circumstances behind it were a bit strange, and I was still dealing with it myself.


    Raissa should at least figure out she¡¯s pregnant on her own. I mean, it¡¯s her body. It¡¯ll be much less of a shock if it comes from her that she¡¯s having a baby. It won¡¯t be too long. Just a month or two and she should be able to figure it out. I might not even be the first person she told, but that would be fine. I think she¡¯d be a lot happier if I didn¡¯t just dump that knowledge on her.


    As for the other girls, well, I already saw things turning disastrous if I revealed this information prematurely. Shao would definitely strap me to a bed and extract semen from me to get herself pregnant like a certain foolish protagonist in a woman-centric web novel I read once. The other girls would all get jealous in one way or another, and I¡¯d have to work hard to make sure that they all understood that they mattered to me.


    Well, I felt like I still had a bit of time for that. I had a good nine months to get ready to be a father. I hadn¡¯t even been in this world for half a year, yet I had already changed so much. I would continue to change and grow into a responsible adult. Well, that¡¯s what I was hoping at least.


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    A sound caught my ear, and I turned around to see a woman standing there. I blinked in surprise.


    ¡°Ah? Astria? I didn¡¯t see you earlier. You came to the beach too, right? I¡¯m sure Celeste will be pleased.¡±


    Astria had a swimsuit too, but she hadn¡¯t shown up at Lydia¡¯s failed dress show. She had a skirtini. It was pink in color, which contrasted well with her black hair. Her hair wasn¡¯t originally black, but when she had become a Dark Fairy, the color had changed, and it hadn¡¯t changed back despite the fact she was a normal fairy now. Actually, it wasn¡¯t abundantly clear what she was. I didn¡¯t know if she was a Sylph like her daughter, a Fairy Queen, or a Fairy. If I used Identify on her, it showed up as ???. The only other person that happened for was Shao. That told me that she was some kind of unique existence. Hopefully, she wasn¡¯t a step away from becoming a fairy demon lord. I wasn¡¯t even sure how to deal with that.


    ¡°Hello, Deek. There isn¡¯t much time. So, let¡¯s enjoy ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you can talk!¡±


    If I recalled correctly, Celeste had said her mind had reverted to that of a child, yet nothing about this woman screamed child. That was accentuated a moment later when she reached up undid the back of her swimsuit. It fell to the ground, exposing her bare chest.


    ¡°Make love to me.¡± She purred, her wings fluttering seductively.

 Chapter 537

    ¡°A-Astria? I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ what¡¯s there to understand?¡± She asked, taking a step forward. ¡°You¡¯re a man. I¡¯m a fairy. Give it to me!¡±


    She lunged forward, but I narrowly managed to avoid her.


    ¡°Ah¡­ when did you learn to talk?¡±


    ¡°Oh? When couldn¡¯t I talk?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ you were destroyed in the dungeon, and then you came back¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ my former lover Karr was gracious enough to use his skill to keep me alive. High-level Heroes have a skill called Sacrifice. They can Sacrifice their own life in order to forcibly preserve the life of another. You had resurrected Karr. By all accounts, he should have lived, and I should have passed with the dungeon. In repentance for his sins, he gave his lifeforce to me so I continued on.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s what happened¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know all of that specifically, but I had a clue or two from Karr¡¯s final words. It did solve the mystery of why Astria was still here. As to why Astria was topless and looking at me like a piece of meat, that was still questionable.


    ¡°So, you came back as the Fairy Queen. That¡¯s a relief.¡±


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    ¡°Oh? Who says I¡¯m a Fairy Queen?¡± She laughed lightly.


    ¡°You¡¯re not?¡±


    ¡°I was preserved as I was, so naturally¡­¡± Sudden shadows started to stretch out from her.


    They came out like hands, but before I could react, several of them had grabbed on to my body. Her wings that were previously glittery and translucent, much like her daughters, took on a dark feel. They were still shiny, but they had a look like polished obsidian. Her eyes and face also grew darker, but rather than make her ugly. It made her even more beautiful.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re still a Dark Fairy!¡±


    ¡°What can I say? I¡¯m not a good girl. I tricked my daughter and you so that I could regain my strength in secret.¡± As she said this, she began to pull me closer.


    The shadows had grabbed my arms and legs, and I was being picked up off the ground and brought over to her. She licked her lips seductively as I approached.


    ¡°So, I take it your strength has returned. Where do I fall in that?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already say? Make love to me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have Karr?¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ he¡¯s already dead and passed on.¡± She snorted. ¡°As for me, I¡¯m so lonely. Remember, it was I who was controlling Celeste when you two first met. I¡¯m¡­ familiar with you as well.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s right, Celeste! What about Celeste?¡±


    ¡°What about her?¡± there was a brief flash of emotion on her face before she turned away. ¡°She¡¯s just a daughter. Surely, she is willing to share?¡±


    ¡°Um. Um. But¡­ you don¡¯t like being cheated on! I mean, Karr was with a lot of other women. I¡¯m with women too. So, you know¡­¡± I was desperately reaching for straws now, as I was right in front of her, uncomfortably close.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about that man. I¡¯d rather talk about us.¡± She said, reaching out and touching my chest.


    Her hand began to work its way down, heading down into my pants. In a moment, I was going to be violated by Celeste¡¯s mother!

 Chapter 538

    ¡°Mother, no!¡±


    I was currently tied to the bed in a certain room. As for how I got there, well, Astria was very persistent. Of course, I still had access to Slave Communication, so I gave the girls a general idea of what was happening. Thus, they burst into the room. I was naked with my hands handcuffed to the headboard. Astria was standing nearby naked and put on a pouty face when her fun was interrupted.


    ¡°Haha¡­ I like seeing Master like this.¡± Shao smirked mischievously once she entered.


    ¡°She won¡¯t let me go.¡± I sighed, ¡°If you don¡¯t help me out, you¡¯ll be the one like this.¡±


    Shao, who grew shy in the bedroom, naturally blushed and bit her nails nervously. Her inaction spoke volumes, and it ended up being Miki who freed me.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you, Mother! How could you?¡± Celeste glared tearfully, her hands on her hips.


    Astria shrugged. ¡°I was overwhelmed with emotion and couldn¡¯t help myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Celeste lowered her hands, and her expression evened out. ¡°Well, if it can¡¯t be helped¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait! You¡¯re going to let her sleep with Master with just that!¡± Miki cried out as she started trying to undo my bonds


    ¡°Eh? But she couldn¡¯t help herself?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s lying!¡±


    ¡°M-mother?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right daughter. I took your man because I could. It¡¯s in my nature. You see, I¡¯m a Dark Fairy!¡±


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    ¡°Ah! Okay¡­ since it¡¯s mom¡¯s nature and no one was hurt, then it¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re way too easy on her!¡±


    ¡°Eh? But isn¡¯t it good mother found a man?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s your man!¡±


    ¡°That just makes it easier. It gives me more in common with my mother.¡±


    ¡°Why is your thinking so weird!¡±


    ¡°Daughter¡­ you truly understand¡­¡± Astria was holding Celeste¡¯s hands, and the pair were looking at each other lovingly.


    ¡°Mom¡­ it¡¯s okay if you¡¯ve fallen for Deek since I love Deek too!¡±


    ¡°Celeste¡­¡±


    ¡°Mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Does anyone care that she¡¯s a Dark Fairy?¡± Miki cried helplessly, leaving my bonds still tied.


    ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s actually not really a problem.¡± I spoke up, trying to signal Miki to continue to remove them. ¡°I used Monster Tamer on her. It actually wasn¡¯t working, she¡¯s really strong, but it managed to take effect just before you guys came in. She¡¯s now officially tamed.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡± Celeste asked.


    Astria nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true. Deek tamed me. Aggressively. I kept saying no, but he was so persistent. Eventually, I was made to succumb. Please comfort your mother.¡±


    ¡°Poor mother!¡± Celeste was patting her mom¡¯s head.


    ¡°Who tied who up here?¡± I cried out.


    ¡°No, this is being resolved way too easily! She¡¯s still the same woman who took control of Celeste¡¯s mind and then tried to murder all of us!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I actually murder all of you?¡± Shao pipes in.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m going to the beach.¡± Miki gave up, walking out of the room with her head down.


    ¡°Oh! Let¡¯s go!¡± Shao made a fist and then followed.


    ¡°Mother, do you want to go play on the beach with me?¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ as long as we have shade. I¡¯m not very fond of the sun, dear. Goodbye, Deek, my lover.¡±


    ¡°Oi¡­¡±


    ¡°I suppose that wraps everything up,¡± Terra says to Lydia.


    Lydia nods. ¡°Let¡¯s go get something to eat.¡±


    ¡°I said oi!¡±


    Terra and Lydia, who were halfway to the door, turned back and glanced at me.


    ¡°What is it, Master?¡± Terra asked sweetly.


    ¡°I-is anyone going to untie me?¡± I said helplessly, nodding to my tied-up hands.


    ¡°If Master wanted to be untied, he should have said something earlier.¡± Lydia smiled.


    I started to sweat. ¡°Uh¡­ earlier?¡±


    ¡°You know¡­ you could have used Slave Communication before you slept with Astria three times.¡±


    ¡°Ah! You knew? Ahem¡­ I mean¡­ I had to bring her into a certain weakened state of mind to properly tame her! I was taming her, you understand?¡±


    ¡°We understand, Master. Now please reflect.¡± The girls leave the room, and the door shuts behind them.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    That¡¯s fair.

 Chapter 539

    The door opened, and a nervous head peeked in. I crossed my legs to give myself a semblance of cover. I was still tied to the bed in a certain room.


    ¡°Ah, you came, how are you?¡± I asked calmly.


    ¡°M-master is naked!?¡±


    I nodded, trying to continue to act naturally. ¡°So, it would seem. Various things happened, and I ended up trapped in a bed. Could my trusted maid Faeyna please untie me?¡±


    Since my girls decided to leave me tied to the bed, there was only one other person I could contact who may be able to save me. My trusted Faeyna, she¡¯s a dutiful maid who wouldn¡¯t leave her master locked in a bedroom naked while they frolicked on the beach. There was also Salicia and Carmine I could call, but the likelihood that they would do something to me while I was tied up was far too much. As for Raissa, she was pregnant, and I didn¡¯t want her to have to deal with that level of shock.


    Of course, there were other methods of getting off the bed. Many of them were countered. For example, I couldn¡¯t do a switch, as they weren¡¯t in my party at the moment. And if I did, I would appear naked wherever they were, and it was likely a public beach. That was the same reason I avoided using Return. I¡¯d appear naked in the front lawn of my manor. Before I suffered that level of embarrassment, I tried to contact Faeyna first.


    ¡°Um¡­ the other girls, they said not to.¡±


    ¡°That is a shame.¡± I didn¡¯t allow my expression to falter from my disarming smile. ¡°Ah¡­ you weren¡¯t there for the bathing suit show.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Th-that¡¯s true¡­¡± She took a step in, and I realized she was wearing a top that covered what she had underneath.


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    In many ways, it was more erotic than her swimsuit could be, because it looked like she had nothing underneath and had come into the room in nothing but a shirt. Given my position naked and tied to a bed, the scene was even more erotic.


    ¡°Too nervous to wear it?¡±


    ¡°My breasts¡­ they¡¯re too large.¡± She said, blushing, if I wear a swimsuit, they¡¯ll pop out.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t bother Mary.¡±


    ¡°Mary¡­ is different than me. Plus¡­ if people see my ears, they will know.¡±


    While Shao hid her horns for the practical reason that demons were seen as enemies this far south, Faeyna similarly hid her ears. This was because she was the last of her kind, and that made her very conscious of people¡¯s stares. As great of a woman as she was when it came to mercantile, business, and running a household, she actually was pretty modest and shy when it came to other things.


    ¡°Can I see it? Since we¡¯re not in public?¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡± She pulled off her shirt slowly.


    I gulped as she revealed her body. She was definitely a beauty of incredible proportions. She was blushing too, and her elf ears even twitched.


    ¡°Ah! M-master!¡±


    ¡°Oops!¡± I was unable to hide it anymore thanks to the sight of her body. ¡°Ah, can you untie me now? I¡¯ll definitely cover up if you untie me!¡±


    ¡°R-right!¡± she went up to get my restraints, but then she suddenly stopped and looked down at my junk.


    If she did that, even I¡¯d get embarrassed, but she seemed lost in thought.


    ¡°Faeyna?¡±


    She snapped out of it and looked over at me. ¡°M-master¡­ we¡¯re alone¡­ and you¡¯re tied up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware?¡±


    ¡°Th-then¡­ this is the best time I¡¯ll have to reveal the truth.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Her hands made fists and shook for a bit and then resolve flashed in her eyes. Master, I¡¯ve decided, only Master will do. You must be the man to have my children!¡±


    ¡°Wait. What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Master¡­ I¡¯ll be gentle.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you as well¡­¡± I sighed, looking down.


    In the end, I invited another fox into the cock pen.


    ¡°Master¡­ I love you¡­ please receive my love.¡± Noticing me looking down with my eyes closed, she looked closer. ¡°Master?¡±


    I looked up and grinned after setting the Pervert job. ¡°Hmph¡­ so another woman needs taming. It looks like a hero¡¯s journey is never over!¡±

 Chapter 540

    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Faeyna breathed.


    ¡°Faeyna¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Harder¡­¡±


    ¡°A-are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s big!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you can¡¯t be gentle!¡±


    ¡°OK, I¡¯ll start!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhh! Don¡¯t stop!¡±


    ¡°Master, I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°No, right there, it¡¯s almost there!


    Crack!


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± I relaxed as I flopped back down on the bed. ¡°I¡¯ve had that kink in my back for days.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ as I said, Master, I¡¯ve got the Basic Massage skill as part of Maid.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe that¡¯s a technique, but I¡¯m not complaining.¡± I murmured. ¡°I wonder what it would take to get The Masseuse Job?¡±


    ¡°Is there such a job?¡±


    ¡°There has to be, doesn¡¯t there?¡±


    After she came on to me, she insisted on giving me a backrub. As she claimed, Elves gave backrubs as a form of expressing their love to each other. She insisted that this also explained a certain enthusiastic rub she gave me in the bathtub one time. Well, she was so insistent that I didn¡¯t object. After being with Astria, I couldn¡¯t say a nice rubdown wasn¡¯t relaxing.


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    It wasn¡¯t as exciting as the other thing, but that was probably for the best. I had been caught up in the moment, but if we went any farther, then she would be stuck with me as a partner for life. That would be unfortunate. I already had to deal with becoming a father to one child. I wasn¡¯t sure about adding a second already. That¡¯s when I recalled something.


    ¡°Did you mention something about wanting to have my baby?¡±


    ¡°Ah! N-no! Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Master! Just stop thinking and enjoy the massage!¡± She increased her efforts, and I decided it wasn¡¯t worth getting into as I groaned in pleasure.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± she said a few minutes later, her voice somewhat quiet.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I asked, my hands under my head as I allowed her to rub my naked back.


    ¡°I¡¯m the last of my kind, and that has put¡­ certain restrictions on me¡­¡±


    ¡°The last living Elf definitely puts a lot of pressure on someone.¡± I agreed.


    ¡°R-right¡­that¡¯s why I needed to be extra careful when I selected my mate.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t select too fast, but if you¡¯re asking if you can be freed once you¡¯ve found the proper mate, then I will give you that freedom.¡±


    ¡°Ah! That¡­¡±


    Her massaging had stopped, so I raised my head and looked back at her. ¡°Hmm? Anything wrong?¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­ rather, let me continue to express my love for Master!¡± She blushed, pushing me back down to the bed.


    ¡°I really thought when you said that, we were going to have sex.¡± I laughed.


    ¡°S-sex!¡± She cried out in a panic.


    ¡°Ah! But I realized that was ridiculous because then you¡¯d have to mate for life!¡± I quickly added before I dug myself into a pit.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± She sounded a bit unsure.


    She was already a girl who didn¡¯t want to be my slave. I recalled that when it came to it, she preferred freedom over being restricted. She just chose this restriction because I had saved her life and because it was convenient. That put her in a hard place, it seemed, where she wanted to show she appreciated me, but didn¡¯t want to risk losing her chance at love. I started to grow frightened that she was thinking I was creeping on her, so I decided to say more.


    ¡°Ah! You don¡¯t need to worry. I have no interest in having sex with you! I have so many women, don¡¯t feel like you need to fill that desire. Your cooking, cleaning, and management are all I want from you. I don¡¯t desire you sexually!¡±


    There, with that, she wouldn¡¯t feel pressured. She¡¯d continue to be my maid for the foreseeable future, and everything would progress smoothly. Suddenly, Faeyna flopped down next to me on the bed. She was facing away.


    ¡°Faeyna?¡±


    ¡°Massage over.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m going to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t want to play with the girls on the beach?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel like it!¡± She said into her pillow.


    I see, in the end, I went too far and made her uncomfortable. Elf ways were different than human ways. I had misinterpreted things, and I made her angry.


    Since she had already removed my restraints to better massage me, I got up and left the bedroom. As the door closed, she uttered a single phrase in the empty bedroom.


    ¡°Stupid Master¡­¡±

 Chapter 541

    I closed the door behind me and stretched, feeling a bit refreshed after a long day. Well, it wasn¡¯t over yet. Looking out, I could see the beach beckoning me. There was still a few hours of fun to be had. I headed across the street and to the beach where I could hear various yells and cries of people at play. I scanned the beach, looking for my girls, and when I couldn¡¯t find them, I used the Slave Location skill to track them. They were a bit farther down the beach, so I followed along the sand trail.


    The girls were on a ledge that overlooked the ocean, and they appeared to be jumping off it into the water below. Just as I was going to go greet them, I noticed a glint of something in a large outcrop of rocks nearby. Frowning, I snuck around carefully, approaching from the back end. I quickly realized that there were some shady people who seemed to be hiding in the back behind the rocks. More suspicious, they appeared to be watching my girls play.


    Of course, I could react swiftly and violently so that my girls didn¡¯t have their day ruined. They had all been working hard, and even if they might have left me tied up on a bed in a certain room for a while, well, that all worked itself out fine. Faeyna was having a good rest in that bed, and that¡¯s all I had to say about that. However, I didn¡¯t need some stereotypical bad guys coming in and making the short rest of the day with the girls something less than fun.


    ¡°Lydia¡­¡± I called out with Slave Communication.


    ¡°Master? Have you reflected?¡±


    ¡°Twice¡­ but that¡¯s not what¡¯s important right now. I just came to see you guys, and there seem to be some suspicious people watching you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, I noticed them, but they¡¯ve been keeping their distance. Should I take them out?¡±


    ¡®No, keep playing. I just wanted to let you know I was going to dive into your DP for a bit and borrow some skills.¡±


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    ¡°Ah¡­ Master can use me whenever.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    I had been very slowly reviewing what skills the girls had and deciding what to give them. They were mostly limited to tier one DP skills, which cost 1 point each. 5-point skills could be selected, but the consequence would be they couldn¡¯t use Reset. Yes, I had already tried to give one of the girls Reset, and then use Duplicate Slave Skill to use that Reset on myself. The result was simply that I remotely activated her own Reset. This was convenient because if I couldn¡¯t reset her skills myself, it¡¯d be a bit tricky having the girls Reset their own skills. I wasn¡¯t even sure how it¡¯d work out as they didn¡¯t have access to the store like I did since my access was granted through my blessing tattoos.


    The DP skills I had given to Lydia were Explosive Movement, Silent Feet, Hide Presence, and the Sword of Growth. I left one open for Reset as well. Explosive Movement allowed her to move with aggressive attacks. Silent feet allowed her to scout quietly. Hide Presence was exactly as it suggested. The Sword of Growth was interesting. Supposedly, the sword had experience, and would grow stronger the longer it was used. I was worried that when I Reset it that it¡¯d start back to 0, but we tested it out, and it seems to retain its level. So, the more Lydia uses it, the stronger the sword will get. Of course, if it was destroyed or lost, then so was the dungeon point. It left me a bit worried, but Lydia really liked it.


    Right now, the two skills I was borrowing were Silent Feet and Hide Presence so that I could get closer. It was a continuous spell drain on me, where Lydia could use the skills basically indefinitely and turn them off and on. That was the separation between a skill supported by the dungeon points and me using it second hand through Duplicate Slave Skill.


    Furthermore, there was a limit to the distance we could be, and it could still work. If we were in a different place, like only one of us was in a dungeon, it wouldn¡¯t work. I¡¯d say the range I could use a slave¡¯s skill was about the same range that I could still get experience for a slave¡¯s kill.


    I got a bit closer to the suspicious people and managed to get sight of one of them. This wasn¡¯t because they weren¡¯t trying to be stealthy, but rather because they were big and it was difficult for them to hide. I immediately recognized them, and my face went white. The ones that were watching my girls intently were five large women. It was Titan¡¯s Fall, and at their head was Alysia!

 Chapter 542

    ¡°What are they doing?¡± Whispered one of the women of Titan¡¯s Fall.


    ¡°Still playing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so hot. I want to play.¡±


    ¡°I even brought a swimsuit. Let¡¯s go swim Alysia!¡±


    ¡°Stop whining, you guys! We¡¯re on a mission!¡± Alysia growled.


    ¡°Eh? I thought we were just spying on your boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°He-he¡¯s not my boyfriend!¡± She cried out. ¡°And besides¡­ he hasn¡¯t shown. In fact, it¡¯s not even clear if he¡¯s still¡­¡±


    She looked away, a worried expression on her face.


    ¡°Come on, you know he was resurrected just like the rest of us. After what he did to Fort Pride, this country probably gave him a medal!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but make a face at that. It¡¯d have been nice if I got a medal! It was still weird seeing these girls who I had last been fighting to the death against. They were currently in their Dungeon Diving armor, but they looked really hot and uncomfortable.


    ¡°You heard the rumors. A giant fireball from the sky came and obliterated a tower! It¡¯s the same thing that took out Fort Pride! That¡¯s his schtick!¡±


    ¡°W-we don¡¯t know if it was Deek who did that!¡± Alysia defended, her cheeks turning pink. ¡°That¡¯s why the King ordered us to find out if Aberis has some new kind of weapon.¡±


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    ¡°They do! And he pushed our leader down¡­ gluh!¡±


    Alysia had punched the woman in the gut before shooting the other¡¯s a glare. ¡°I said already! He defeated me in battle, but it didn¡¯t mean anything. He¡¯s an enemy of the crown. We can never be together.¡±


    ¡°So sweet¡­¡±


    ¡°The power of your love will definitely blast through the discretions of our people. It¡¯ll be Alysia and Deek against the world!¡±


    ¡°Oh, no¡­ she¡¯s back to fantasizing again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s those novels she reads.¡±


    ¡°Two swords, back-to-back¡­ battling against Aberis and the Republic, tearing down the walls of oppression all so that they can finally marry!¡± The girl started gesturing wildly as she narrated.


    ¡°Will you shut her up? She¡¯ll give away our position!¡±


    Two of the girls had grabbed the narrating girl and covered her mouth, although her eyes were still bright like the story was still going on in her head. At this point, Alysia was completely red.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know if the presence of Deek¡¯s Party is associated with the destruction of Calypso¡¯s Tower. Frankly, I can¡¯t believe even Deek has such strength, but if he does¡­¡± Alysia¡¯s words were serious, and a somber atmosphere filled the group.


    ¡°What if Deek is the source of that power? What are our orders?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re to capture him if at all possible,¡± Alysia said the words sadly. ¡°If we fail, we¡¯re to await further orders.¡±


    ¡°Further orders? Like¡­ a kill command?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Alysia didn¡¯t meet their eyes, but her meaning was clear.


    ¡°We follow you m¡¯lady, whatever you choose.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what are you suggesting?¡± Alysia looked up with a shocked expression.


    ¡°If you wish to go against his orders. Titan¡¯s Fall will follow Alysia!¡± The girls were all nodding with firm expressions on their face.


    ¡°I-it hasn¡¯t even come to that! All we know is that his party appeared at the source of two large fireball attacks. We won¡¯t act until we confirm!¡± Alysia said and then whispered under her breath as she looked out at the group of girls. ¡°Dummy¡­ if you really were that strong, why did you pretend to be so weak?¡±


    As she stared out at the party of girls, I watched the group while trying to figure out what to do next. It seemed like we were all in a pickle.

 Chapter 543

    ¡°My, oh, my¡­ what do we have here? A couple of spies, is it?¡±


    While I was contemplating what to do with Titan¡¯s Fall and Titan¡¯s Fall was contemplating what to do about their mission, the delicate balance was destroyed by a certain man. Octius had noticed the group spying on him and had managed to get the drop on them. His eyes had passed over me, and stopped for just a second with a twinkly look. I was pretty certain he knew I was spying on the girls, but he didn¡¯t give my position away.


    ¡°Octius!¡± One of the girls said with an ugly smile. ¡°I should have recognized your stench!¡±


    ¡°Eh? I think I smell pretty good?¡± He started smelling himself, seemingly breaking the tension of the group.


    The girls didn¡¯t have it though, all getting ready to battle in an instant.


    Alysia took a step forward and threw her hand out, ¡°Enough! Since you¡¯ve seen us, there is no point in hiding. Were you the one who used the Meteor spell?¡±


    He put a finger up to his cheek and chuckled. ¡°I wonder? If you¡¯d like to find out, you¡¯ll have to defeat me!¡±


    ¡°My pleasure!¡± One of the women tightened her hands on a chain that seemed to be strapped to a ball which she started to spin around.


    Octius¡¯s playful smile suddenly turned serious, and it was like the entire beach suddenly froze. ¡°Watch it, ladies. You used several tricks to catch me last time. You don¡¯t have my precious brother to threaten me with this time. Your group combined is only S class. Don¡¯t forget, I alone achieved S class, that puts the five of you even against me alone. All I need to do is knock out one of you, and your entire group falls. That¡¯s the weakness of a party¡¯s strength.¡±


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    His words caused me to jump a little bit. I found myself having to reassess my knowledge once again. I had assumed Titan¡¯s Fall was about the pinnacle of strength. Supposedly, there were SS, and SSS class Adventurer¡¯s too, but there were none of those in Aberis or Ost Republic. However, to hear that Octius was as strong as Alysia plus 4 support, that left me feeling pretty complicated. This world was turning out to be an iceberg, and I had only seen the surface.


    ¡°We¡¯re not as weak as the last time we fought!¡± One girl declared.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been in the Dungeon training since then!¡± Another added.


    Octius put on a grin and then looked in my direction, ¡°Deek! Dear, how about an assist on this one?¡±


    ¡°Deek?¡±


    The girls all spun to where he was facing. I couldn¡¯t do anything but let out a long sigh. Of course, Octius had called me out on purpose. I could only deactivate the skills that kept me hidden. This was fine because I had eaten through most of my Mana and needed to regenerate it. The girls let out gasps as I stood up from my spot where I was hiding.


    ¡°You¡­ were spying on us?¡±


    ¡°Aiii¡­ he snuck up on Alysia!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s so cool!¡±


    ¡°isn¡¯t he like a hero standing on that rock, eh Alysia?¡±


    ¡°Sh-shut up!¡± Alysia cried blushing.


    ¡°I found you all too, and way sooner! Plus, I even saw Deek! Aren¡¯t I cool?¡± Octius said brightly.


    ¡°Quiet, Freak!¡±


    ¡°Gross¡­¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a woman?¡±


    ¡°Creepy guys should just die.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with the different behavior?¡± Octius cried out to me.


    I didn¡¯t really have an answer for him.

 Chapter 544

    ¡°So, you¡¯re on Aberis soil. By all accounts, I should expel you quickly, but I¡¯m feeling generous.¡± Octius quickly bounced back after earning the ire of all of Titan¡¯s Fall. ¡°It will be Deek and me against Titan¡¯s Fall. If we win, then you will flee back to the Ost Republic. If you win, then we will give you what you want.¡±


    ¡°Deek¡¯s D-¡° Alysia casually punched one of the girls.


    ¡°I mean, the answer to how that dungeon and Fort Pride were destroyed. Well, it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll let you take it. That¡¯s a guarded secret of Aberis, but at least you¡¯d finish your mission, right?


    Leave it to a border General to be able to know the same things I knew, and he wasn¡¯t even here when I snuck over. Or¡­ was he? Did I see him at all over by the beach or had he been waiting here the entire time listening in on them? He¡¯s a lot more dangerous than I gave the guy credit for.


    ¡°So, you know why we¡¯re here then¡­¡± Alysia stated bitterly, clearly unhappy about Octius¡¯s knowledge. ¡°Then, I suppose we might as well just settle things. I accept your challenge.¡±


    From my position, it didn¡¯t look like Octius was giving her very much of a choice, so she would naturally accept such a challenge. Our words were loud enough, and we were rowdy enough at this point that the girls had noticed. Of course, I had already alerted Lydia, so they had some idea about what was going on.


    ¡°it¡¯s Titan¡¯s Fall!¡± Terra cried out.


    ¡°Oh, hi!¡± Celeste waved, excitedly making loops in the air.


    ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s Deek¡¯s Party, long time no see!¡±


    The girls ended up greeting each other happily despite the stressful situation, perpetrated primarily between Alysia and Octius. Octius was watching her with a dangerous look that only a fool might mistake for lazy. Alysia was glaring daggers at him, her eyes seemingly going out of their way to avoid me.


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    ¡°Deek¡¯s Party, please, stay back,¡± Octius said. ¡°This will be a fight with just me and Deek.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ speaking of which, I¡¯m better with my girls. No offense, but I don¡¯t think I can help you very much.¡±


    ¡°I wonder¡­¡± he tapped his lip again and then leaned forward and whispered to me. ¡°What level is your Slave Master?¡±


    I checked. ¡°Ah, it seems to have gone up to level 40 with ahem¡­ nevermind.¡±


    He grinned as if he already knew that. ¡°What luck! Please, how about you use that skill.¡±


    He seemed to know that I knew what skill it was. To most people, that should have been an impossibility, but with True Hero, I could use Skill Analysis Plus and determine what skills each job had.  The skill I had unlocked was called Temporary Slave Contract. As to what it does, I could guess.


    ¡°You want me to use it¡­ on you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, go for it. Oh, and join my party too.¡±


    ¡°Alright, here goes nothing.¡± I raised up my hand. ¡°Temporary Slave Contract!¡±


    A sudden chain made of pure light suddenly wrapped around Octius. As they danced around him, the ground exploded, causing his long beautiful hair to flow into the wind. At the same time, his swimsuit suddenly disappeared. It¡¯d expose his naked body, but chains were floating across in strategic ways.


    ¡°Deek¡¯s power¡­ is going¡­ inside me!¡± he calls out in an orgasmic voice.


    Chains wrap around his arm and then appear as a pretty sleeve. His other arm is next. Then he changed poses, bringing emphasis to his bare legs.


    ¡°M-master! What kind of kinky spell did you cast on him?¡±


    ¡°Do you hear theme music playing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a temporary slave contract! I don¡¯t know why he¡¯s changing clothing like a Magical Girl!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhn!¡± The chains suddenly wrap around his chest tightly, squeezing, and he lets out a moan.


    ¡°Oh¡­ gods¡­ make it stop! What have I done?¡±


    ¡°You were so worried about whether you could, you didn¡¯t think if you should!¡± Shao cried out.


    ¡°Ah¡­ the chains are tightening on his crotch area now too! And it¡¯s a short magical skirt, of course. Oh no, something is forming in his hands too. He¡¯s spinning it while doing another pose! Please don¡¯t be a giant penis, please don¡¯t be a giant penis!¡±


    A burst of light and Octius appeared in an outfit no man should wear while making a victory pose.


    ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s a scepter.¡±

 Chapter 545

    ¡°Hehehee¡­¡± Octius laughed. ¡°I am now Deek¡¯s submissive. I will obey any naughty thing he does to me!¡±


    ¡°I regret it instantly! How long does a temporary slave last?¡±


    ¡°Not until the climax, darling.¡±


    ¡°Gross¡­ gross¡­¡±


    ¡°Attack!¡± Alysia ignored our banter and immediately gave the order.


    ¡°Too slow!¡±


    Octius chucked his scepter, which flew out and struck two of the large women, sending them flying back into a bolder. At the same time, his fist collided with Alysia¡¯s fist, causing the air to snap with a resounding crack. It wasn¡¯t clear who won that bout, as they both jumped back, but as Octius leapt he tossed out a wind that slapped into the other two girls causing them to flip and land on their stomachs.


    ¡°He can use wind magic?¡± I said in wonder.


    ¡°No!¡± Celeste shook her head, ¡°He¡¯s moving his body in a way that he sent a wave of wind out with enough force to send the girl¡¯s flying back.


    Alysia drew her sword, which was different from the one she had used against me back in Fort Pride and then lunged at Octius again. He caught the sword between two fingers and then spun, closing the distance and making her sword and sword-arm useless. She dropped the sword, drawing a knife with her spare hand and sending it toward his gut. He grabbed her wrist just before the blade struck true, and then with his free hand, he uppercut her with his palm.


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    She flew back as blood spurted from her mouth. She ended up slamming into the two warriors who he had tangled up with his scepter just as they stood up. He jerked up his finger and the scepter sudden shifted up, causing all three tangled women to be flipped upside down onto their heads. With his other hand as well as his foot, he blocked two attacks aimed at him through the concerted joint attack of the other girls. He went into a spin like a skilled ice skater, sending both girls stumbling on top of each other.


    ¡°Hmph, is this all you have after that training?¡± Octius laughed.


    ¡°You¡­ Deek¡­ is a Slave Master?¡± Alysia cried out as she broke the scepter in half and glared at Octius¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s why they were so difficult to deal with!¡± One of the girls who was on the ground next to her dropped her fist in her palm.


    ¡°Face it¡­¡± Octius laughed while making a ridiculous pose. ¡°You can¡¯t take the current me. As Deek¡¯s slave (temporarily), my powers have been enhanced by dozens of unique skills. Furthermore, his Hero status that amplifies parties has further given me strength.¡±


    Technically, it was True Hero, but it had a similar skill set of synergizing parties and giving them strength. Octius had numerous skills that boosted his impressive status into the atmosphere. If he was S without them, then I couldn¡¯t imagine what he was now. I imagined he had at least 2, maybe 3 jobs equipped, and he also had to be a much higher level than me. Perhaps, his job was in the 80-level range. If he did dungeon diving, then he could totally get down past the 50th floor. At least, that was what I was thinking.


    ¡°You think I¡¯ve given up?¡± She said, making fists even though she had blood on her face, giving a cool aura that impressed my party.


    ¡°She¡¯s acceptable as Master¡¯s woman.¡±


    ¡°I know, wouldn¡¯t they be valiant together!¡± One of Titan¡¯s Fall cried out. ¡°Imagine the valiance level of their children!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty valiant.¡±


    Alysia blushed for a moment, but then put on a bitter expression. ¡°Enough! You¡¯ve already shown your weakness!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Octius smirked. ¡°And what is that?¡±


    ¡°Deek!¡±

 Chapter 546

    ¡°Deek¡­Deek¡­ I¡¯m in your head¡­¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡±


    ¡°Relax¡­ this is just a powerful skill from an almighty general like¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, I have Slave Communication.¡±


    ¡°Tsk¡­ spoilsport.¡±


    ¡°What do you want, Octius?¡±


    ¡°In a second, she¡¯s going to attack you. I won¡¯t be able to hold off all five of them from attacking you. I¡¯m going to use a unique skill of mine to deal with this threat. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Unique skill? What unique skill! You¡¯re not going to do something weird to me, are you?¡±


    ¡°Tehee¡­ you have nothing to worry about¡­ although it is my first time.¡±


    ¡°I knew it. I¡¯m going to have something weird done to me. How about we brainstorm a plan involving literally anything else, and then we do that.¡±


    ¡°I said, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll hurt a little starting out, but once you loosen up and let me inside you, it may even feel pleasurable!¡±


    ¡°Are you using that phrasing on purpose to deliberately screw with me!¡±


    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s coming, no time. I¡¯m going to have to go in hard and rough!¡±


    ¡°Darn it!¡±


    It had only been about ten seconds from the point when Alysia declared they would focus their attacks on me. It was a bit sporting of her. Perhaps she hoped that I would defend myself and not get too hurt, as she could have not said anything and perhaps surprised attacked me. However, that wasn¡¯t Alysia¡¯s way, as she was always earnest about her fights.


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    While three of the girls went to distract Octius, Alysia and one other woman launched their attacks on me. I was preparing to hold out the best I could with the abilities I had. I hadn¡¯t grown much at all since Alysia had last kicked my ass, and at that time she was hesitant. Now, without death being truly permanent, she would have fewer qualms about obliterating me quickly. On top of that, there was a second woman helping her. If I lasted five seconds, it would be too long.


    A glow suddenly erupted from Octius, and I felt some kind of force wrapping around my body. Rather than giving me strength or making me feel powerful. It restrained me. My movements had been completely sealed! I struggled against it, but the more I struggled, the tighter the bonds grew.


    ¡°Stop struggling! I said, stay loose!¡± Octius pleaded.


    ¡°You bastard! How can I fight bound up like this!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that; just concentrate on letting your body do what it wants?¡±


    ¡°What it wants?¡±


    There was no time to discuss things, as both women had already reached me, and their weapons were heading straight for my head. Just as I thought I would greet my death again so soon, I suddenly flipped, doing a splendid backflip that would make Lydia proud. However, my boots each blocked one of the blades, and while balancing on the one hand, my other hand swiped out at their ankles. Alysia leapt back in time, but the other girl was a second slow and got sliced on the ankle.


    ¡°Ah!¡± She cried out as she leapt back.


    Already losing the first exchange, Alysia attacked again, attempting to knock me down while I was balancing on a single hand. I bent my elbow and then pushed up, doing a flying spin, my sword blocking hers perfectly and then unbalancing her. My sword struck out two more times before I landed, causing Alysia to fall back. I could have finished her off, but the other girl reached me, although she had a slight limp that had slowed her down. She tried to stab me. I caught the sword between my arms, spun to close the distance and then elbowed her in the face.


    ¡°Master is so cool!¡±


    ¡°He can battle so well.¡±


    ¡°Good Luck, Deek!¡±


    ¡°Damn it, Marice, you¡¯re on Titan Fall¡¯s team, stop cheering the enemy on!¡± One of the girls fighting Octius admonished the other.


    I could only force a weak grin. As much as I wanted to take credit, none of that fighting had been me. Rather, my body was being pushed around and moved without my consent. It hurt if I tried to fight back, so I tried to keep my body loose, and the looser my body, the more ridiculous my physical display.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ That¡¯s level 30 Grand Knight skill, Puppetry!¡± Octius announced in my head.

 Chapter 547

    ¡°Grand Knight? Not True Knight?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a True Knight?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ nothing!¡±


    I was just wondering if I¡¯d end up with True Pervert, Grand Pervert, or Pervert Master. It wasn¡¯t an important thought given the current situation admittedly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t be hurt with me at the wheel!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really comfortable with this¡­¡±


    ¡°Too late!¡±


    Alysia was back on her feet, a shocked expression on her face. ¡°You¡­ were holding back before?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    How could that be true? I was just a puppet for Octius. Although it allowed me to fight on par with these two, it clearly put a bit of stress on him as well. Octius was only able to fight the three girls at the same level, where he had easily overwhelmed them before. I attributed that to him having to divide his attention on his Puppetry skill and me just as much as himself. It did speak of how powerful Octius was that he could simultaneously take the reigns of two different fights at once.


    ¡°Then, I won¡¯t hold back at all!¡± Alysia¡¯s sword started to glow.


    At the same time, the other girl¡¯s feet started to glow, suggesting she had some kind of movement skill she was about to use. They were both about to go all out! I was definitely going to die! No matter how much Octius was able to do, could it really be enough? I felt so pathetic, being unable to lift a single finger to increase my chances. I wasn¡¯t ready to put my life in this guy¡¯s hands. Was there really nothing I could do? Wait¡­ I could use my mouth!


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    The woman fighting beside Alysia suddenly disappeared, and Alysia surged forward, breaking the ground under her as she raised her power-infused weapon up.


    ¡°I can see your nipple!¡± I cried out.


    ¡°Eh?¡± She looked down, misstepping and stumbling as she desperately checked her bodice for a nipple slip.


    Her delay put her out of step with her partner, who was synchronizing an attack with her. It caused her to reach first, appearing behind me. However, I was supposed to be desperately holding back Alysia¡¯s powerful attack when she made a strike from behind. Instead, I could focus on her, or rather I should say that Octius could focus on her.


    With two kicks, one to the gut and one to the head, the girl was completely knocked out, collapsing to the ground in a heap. Alysia arrived a moment later, frustration clearly on her face.


    ¡°Have you no shame!¡± She cried, swiping her sword at me.


    However, I leapt back, jumping over her friend. If she carried out her powered attack, it¡¯d risk striking the unconscious girl. Thus, she was forced to end it, even experiencing a backlash as a result.


    ¡°Good job!¡± Octius complimented me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it from you!¡±


    ¡°No, keep doing it! Crap talk her! Crap talk her like your life depends on it! She¡¯s a lot stronger than the others, and now that her friend is down she¡¯ll definitely not be attacking as reservedly. That¡¯s Alysia¡¯s greatest weakness. She¡¯s actually as strong as me in reality, but she convinces herself she must work in a team. As a result, her allies are also the ones that hold her back. One-on-one, especially when she feels she¡¯s fighting for the sake of another, she¡¯s at her deadliest!¡±


    ¡°C-crap! Really!¡±


    ¡°You must distract her! Keep her from getting serious! Once I defeat these three, I¡¯ll be able to take her down.¡±


    I sighed. Octius sounded serious there, so what he said was probably true. Since this was the only thing I could do anyway, I decided I¡¯d do it.


    With all the strength I could muster, I gave Alysia the most intimidating stare I had. ¡°When I defeat you, I¡¯m definitely going to play with your breasts first!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Her serious expression broke, and she turned red as she cried out, taking a step back and hiding her chest in her arms, although they were too large to hide completely, causing her to push them together and look even more erotic.


    ¡°It looks like we¡¯ll lose this one, sisters.¡± One of the girls fighting Octius sighed.


    ¡°She¡¯ll give up for sure¡­¡±


    ¡°What kind of girl do you take me for!¡± Alysia yelled at her teammates, who seemed to have lost all faith in her.

 Chapter 548

    ¡°Deek! I didn¡¯t know you were such a deviant to make advances on defeated women. You¡¯ve disappointed me!¡± Alysia said darkly.


    I¡¯m really not! I just don¡¯t want to die! Stop trying to get serious! Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t say that. When you got on a lion¡¯s back, it was hard to get off. Since I committed to the technique of crap talking, there was no way I could stop now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong¡­¡± I put on a malicious grin. ¡°I have no interest in your friends. You¡¯ve caught my eye personally. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll definitely have you!¡±


    ¡°Aiiiieee¡­ He confessed!¡± A Titan¡¯s Fall girl cried out.


    ¡°So romantic!¡±


    The red-faced Alysia¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°D-don¡¯t get cocky. You have no hopes of defeating me without the help of that massive spell you used. The only man that can have me is a man who defeats me in battle, and you¡¯re still not there yet!¡±


    ¡°Then, we¡¯re in agreement? If I win, you¡¯ll be my plaything! I might even make you my sex slave!¡±


    Her eyes narrowed, and suddenly a power started to resonate from her. ¡°Since it is my heart you want, then I can¡¯t afford to hold back. I will show you the distance between us, Deek. Perhaps, if I show you how far that line is, you¡¯ll give up on me and understand that we were never meant to be. My path is a lonely one, and only a man strong enough to fight against the heavens themselves will be able to stand against me!¡±


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    ¡°Abort! Abort!¡± Octius¡¯s panicked voice buzzed in my ear. ¡°Your words had the opposite effect! She¡¯s getting more serious than she¡¯s ever been before!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that now? This was your idea! Keep me alive, you idiot!¡±


    ¡°¡­ It¡¯s been nice knowing you.¡±


    ¡°Octius!¡±


    ¡°Just hold your butt! How could I let my precious significant other fall? What kind of woman would I be?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a woman! You actually think you¡¯re a woman?¡±


    ¡°I tell you what. I¡¯ll use your puppet-controlled body to defend against her attacks. Then I¡¯ll quickly defeat these three here. Then, I¡¯ll jump in just in time to save you from Alysia! Just trust in your senior!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m dead, aren¡¯t I¡­¡±


    The conversation couldn¡¯t go on, as Alysia had leapt forward and initiated her next attack. My sword rose to meet it, and we exchanged a dozen attacks in a matter of seconds. Octius moved my body to deflect everything Alysia threw out. Although my sword was just a simple one and much weaker than the sword that Alysia had once cleaved in two, it didn¡¯t break against Alysia¡¯s onslaught. Octius was using extreme precision and skill to pull back at just the right times, and always block in the spot that dispersed the most of Alysia¡¯s attack.


    I began to realize that the skills he was using were familiar. They were the skills of my own Hero and True Hero. They were the swordsman and weapon skills I was used to. However, the way he used them was many times more advanced than anything I had ever tried before.


    Any attempt to interfere would only put my life in jeopardy, so I found myself doing something else. I committed his actions to memory. He was using my body, after all, so I paid close attention to how he moved and what he did. Slowly, I began to learn how a professional truly used the sword in battle. Since it was literally my own body and movements I was studying, I was able to learn it intimately.


    The battle wore on, and I continued to study how to fight.

 Chapter 549

    My body ached like crazy, but it wasn¡¯t like I had a choice. How long had it been? Hours? Actually, it was probably less than five minutes, but that was how crazy the fight was going. My sword zipped around in front of me as I fought Alysia with all of my strength. Of course, this battle had nothing to do with me. My body was being used, but it was ultimately Octius who was controlling everything.


    This was his struggle, and the exertion could be seen on his face. When he offered to battle the girls, I had figured that he could easily resolve things, but it turned out he was more evenly matched than he originally let on.


    I had taken numerous cuts and bruises, but Octius himself was still in perfect shape. In fact, I had a distinct feeling he was protecting himself a lot more than he was protecting me. While I had taken dozens of hits, his magic girl outfit was somehow immaculate and untouched. It wasn¡¯t like I wanted to see his outfit hanging seductively from his body, but it¡¯d be nice if he treated my battle with the same care as his own! Maybe this wasn¡¯t fair. I didn¡¯t know how much control Puppetry gave him. For all that I knew it was extremely difficult to control fine motor skills and keep me safe.


    My body took damage after damage until I had to order the girls watching not to interfere. My body was bloodied, and my armor had been stripped one piece at a time. My only consolation was that Alysia had taken just as much abuse. I couldn¡¯t even believe it, but she was panting as hard as I was, and her clothing had been sliced many times so that she would appear indecent. I was afraid to point it out now though, lest I cause her even more anger.


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    As for the three against Octius, they were also in bad shape, having been knocked back and knocked down dozens of times. Although my fight with Alysia was leaning on her side, Octius¡¯s fight with the three Titan¡¯s Fall girls was leaning on his. They were no longer making quips or paying attention to our fight. They couldn¡¯t afford to take their attention away from the whirling Octius, who didn¡¯t even use a weapon as he fought them.


    It was clear that the winner would be decided by whoever defeated their opponent first. If he defeated the three girls, then he could drop his Puppetry and attack Alysia in earnest. If Alysia won¡­ I¡¯d die, and he¡¯d lose all of his bonuses. Then, the four girls would team up on him and bring Octius down quickly.


    ¡°Now!¡± Alysia declared.


    All three women had used a skill on Octius at once. Somehow, despite the fact that I hadn¡¯t seen it, the girls who worked and fought together so much had managed to signal a plan between each other and were now executing it perfectly. It was at a level of skill, only an experienced group that had fought through life and death could manage.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Deek, it ends here!¡± Alysia bellowed.


    Three glowing attacks landed on Octius just as Alysia delivered her strongest blow yet.

 Chapter 550

    I felt it, a slight disturbance. After carefully watching the pair of them fight, with me as the tool, I had grown very used to Alysia¡¯s moves. While Octius was focusing on what I would do and how I¡¯d deflect each attack, I could concentrate on everything Alysia was doing, and how it ended up being conquered. It was like watching someone else play a video game. Things they missed because they were in the moment, hidden chests, secrets, useful skills, could be easily picked up by the objective viewer.


    That it was my own battle to the death that was being objectively viewed certainly put a pressure on me to learn quickly, and as Alysia¡¯s entire body glowed while she executed a skill I didn¡¯t recognize, I saw a blind spot in her movements. However, my body was being pulled in a different direction by Octius, who was picking an easier decision.


    A feeling of certainty swelled in my body. I undid Slave Master and then equipped White Mage. Octius let out a cry as his strength was suddenly cut down. However, the true threat here was Alysia, so I couldn¡¯t be stingy on what I knew would work. I immediately cast Blinding Light, a level 35 skill.


    My attack went straight to her blind spot. I was struck on the back, and the attack was brutal, but I was already casting Strong Heal. The pair of us ended up sliding down a hill, heading to the edge of the cliff. I returned back to Slave Master, hoping it wasn¡¯t too late for Octius to defend himself.


    ¡°Create Water! Wind Gale!¡±


    I slammed my sword into the ground to stop my movement, but I sent a waterfall going on past me. Simultaneously using Miki¡¯s Create Water, Celeste¡¯s Wind Gale, and a little bit of Terra¡¯s Earth, I created a mudslide, pushing Alysia down and off the edge. The mana was costly, but none of these were mana intensive spells so I was just able to pull it off. By the time my eyes could see again with blotchy purple spots, I had stopped sliding, and she had gone right off the edge and to the waters below. This wasn¡¯t where the girls had been jumping earlier, but another area that fell into a rocky, more dangerous cropping below.


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    ¡°Alysia!¡± The girls cried out.


    But their distraction at seeing Alysia fall from the cliff was their downfall. Not only had their synchronized attack not downed Octius, but he rebounded and delivered his own skill. It shot silvery light like a shockwave, knocking down all three girls like their legs had been cut out from under them. The girls tried to get back up, but they were unable to do so.


    Just as I was letting out a breath of relief that we had won, a hand came from the edge of the cliff. Alysia, now half covered in mud, a breast completely bare, but also hidden by mud, jumped up from the cliff.


    ¡°Octius! Let¡¯s finish this!¡± I yelled back to my ally, and then I raced at her, taking advantage of Octius¡¯s Puppetry.


    ¡°Eh? W-wait!¡± Octius called out.


    She was ready for me, and our blades struck once again. My attacks moved savagely, and for a moment she started to feel fear.


    While in the moment, I didn¡¯t notice Octius fell to the floor.


    ¡°Eh, aren¡¯t you going to help him?¡± Lydia asked nervously.


    ¡°Hah¡­ he took off Slave Master when I used my skill to block those girls. That had a backlash. I¡¯ve exceeded my abilities now. I can barely stand.¡±


    ¡°Ah! S-so you can only control him with Puppetry I see¡­¡± Shao suggested.


    He smiled bitterly and shook his head. ¡°Puppetry isn¡¯t so easy. I was taking advantage of the Slave bond to use it, but typically even a small resistance would cause it to break. After all, being able to control your enemies with a snap would be far too cruel an ability. The second he fought against it, he broke the control.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying¡­¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­ he¡¯s fighting on his own!¡±

 Chapter 551

    Alysia¡¯s panicked, haggard look grew even more frantic. Meanwhile, I was spamming spells. I had full mana thanks to the fact that Octius was controlling my body. That gave me room. Armor. Reinforce. Heal. Refresh. My body was glowing with white light as I healed my wounds and increased my strength. With every second, Alysia grew weaker, and I grew even stronger. Best of all, with Octius in control of my movements, they were moving automatically. I felt so free, unconstrained by a body that usually didn¡¯t want to listen.


    I leapt into the air doing splendid jumps, chopping, cutting and dodging around the slower woman. The pair of us together was like an unstoppable team. One body controlled by two people. At this point, my body was so numb I couldn¡¯t even feel his influence. It was like the pair of us were moving as one!


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± Lydia murmured. ¡°If he¡¯s not being puppeted, then how is he keeping up with Alysia?¡±


    ¡°Ah? You girls didn¡¯t know?¡± Octius raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Miki asked worriedly.


    ¡°I already spoke of Alysia having limitations. It is also true that Deek limits himself as well.¡±


    ¡°W-we¡¯re holding him back?¡± Terra asked worriedly.


    ¡°Not at all¡­ I¡¯m afraid in his case. It¡¯s Deek who holds himself back. He¡¯s too reserved in his movements. He fears truly hurting others, and doesn¡¯t realize his own strength.¡± Octius explained casually as they watched the frantic fight. ¡°Although I won¡¯t say he could fight Alysia head-on when they¡¯re both at their best, he¡¯s full of tricks that most fighters don¡¯t think of. That¡¯s a benefit of being a supporter. He¡¯s loaded with things he can do to change the tide of a battle. At this point, the battle has already been decided. He can heal, and Alysia is too injured. Her own support has been knocked out. Deek is like a warrior with a full party supporting him all by himself, while Alysia is just an injured dragon on its last legs. The difference is too superior.¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­¡± The girls all looked on as if they were seeing something about me for the first time.


    ¡°What you see now is Deek without limitations. He¡¯s still convinced he¡¯s being controlled, so he¡¯s not holding back at the moment. Watch carefully, girls. This is the Deek you need to bring out. This is the one who will bring down dungeons and fight Demon Lords. Well, that¡¯s just a border general¡¯s wishful thinking. I¡¯m sure you girls have your own plans for your master.¡±


    The fight wore on for a few more minutes, but Alysia was already down to one knee.


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    ¡°I can¡¯t lose!¡± Alysia shouted. ¡°I must complete my mission!¡±


    ¡°I cast Meteor¡­¡± I said simply, causing her eyes to widen. ¡°But, you were there¡­ and you already knew that.¡±


    She glanced down a feeling of defeat and shame on her face. She knew my words were true. She just didn¡¯t want to believe it was me who cast that spell. She allowed herself to doubt it because others who weren¡¯t there didn¡¯t see it. She had always known, but it was easier to lie to herself and say it was some kind of artifact or something. She didn¡¯t want to believe it, because then it would cause me even more trouble.


    ¡°Why did you admit it¡­¡± Alysia said, tears welling in her eyes. ¡°The Ost Republic¡­ I have to report to them about this¡­ and they may even send assassins after you.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ report it.¡± I responded. ¡°And send your assassins. Send anyone you want. You were right, Alysia. I¡¯m not strong. But you were also wrong.¡±


    She looked up wonderingly. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be strong enough to save this world.¡± I declared. ¡°You just have to be willing to put aside your differences and work together. It¡¯s not you against the world, it¡¯s all of us, against our world enemy! Let¡¯s end this¡­. Final Blow!¡±


    ¡°Fatal Strike!¡± She called to deflect it.


    Our blades collided in a frightening strike. All of my remaining power erupted against hers, and the conclusion was made.


    Alysia went flying back, the tattered remains of her clothing flying off as her naked body flew off the edge of the cliff. Only as she flew away did I realize how dangerous things were. She was covered in hundreds of wounds and fought to exhaustion.


    {Last Chance has triggered. You have 1 remaining hp.}


    Well, I wasn¡¯t much better. Casting Heal and Refresh, I ran to the edge and leapt off after her. I heard cries behind me, but I ignored them as I reached out to Alysia. Her eyes were still open, and she was looking up at me with an indiscernible look. My arms wrapped around her body just as we hit the water, plunging into the cold depths below.


    A few minutes later, Titan¡¯s Fall, Deek¡¯s Party, and Octius had all made their way down to the beach, looking around desperately for their fallen companions. The water broke, and a shirtless, somewhat muscular man emerged from it. In his arms was a beauty, whose size, rather than making him appear like a child, only emphasized the rippling muscles on his bare arms and chest. He wore pants, but they had been shattered to pieces, showing his nice toned legs.


    As for the woman, she was completely naked, her eyes closed and chest rising rhythmically. It looked like a sailor had reached into the depth and emerged with a mermaid in his arms. Her skin was perfect, and there wasn¡¯t a bruise or cut on her. Of course, he had healed all of that. The man walked without stopping, emerging on to the beach with confident, mighty strides as he approached the group of women, the expression on his face stoic.


    ¡°Dibs!¡± one of the girls on Titan¡¯s Fall calls out.


    ¡°Shut up. He¡¯s Alysia¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he is¡­¡±Another girl winked.


    ¡°My¡­ my¡­ perhaps I should have Deek sooner rather than later. He might become too much man for me to handle soon.¡± Octius purred.


    ¡®Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Shao pouted.


    ¡°Brother, where the hell have you been! Ah, Deek? He¡¯s really rescuing another woman?¡± Otto was running up.


    ¡°Another!¡±


    Despite the previous tense atmosphere, things were rather relaxed.

 Chapter 551.5

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ alive?¡±


    Alysia¡¯s eyes snapped open. The sky was orange and purple as the sunset just beyond the horizon. She could hear the sounds of seagulls and the beating of waves against the beach. Rather than waking up filled with bruises and cuts, she actually felt completely relaxed and refreshed. If she had been reincarnated, she would have felt at least a little weak and seen a priest. If she hadn¡¯t¡­ even though her high regeneration was strong, the amount of damage she sustained couldn¡¯t be resolved so quickly.


    High regeneration wasn¡¯t something that just worked continuously. There were limits even to healing. Only priest¡¯s spells could speed up this process, and that¡¯s all they did, speed up the healing process and remove chances of complications. Although, if she recalled, Deek had a different method of healing. His healing was almost instantaneous, although the mana consumption of that sort of healing had to be insane.


    ¡°Deek¡­¡± she said out loud.


    The last thing she had seen was Deek falling towards her with his arms outstretched, a white light surrounding him like he was some kind of angel. He had flung her off a cliff to her death and then jumped in after her. How ridiculous. She noticed her cheeks growing hot. It was just the sun! She let out a cough and sat up.


    As soon as she did so, she realized she was lying on the beach on a towel. Her skin was darkly tanned as if she had been under the sun for a while. Her kind didn¡¯t burn very easily. She realized she was dressed in something. A swimsuit? It looked provocative, with a small top piece and a thin bottom. It didn¡¯t leave much to the imagination, but Alysia refused to shame herself by covering up. In her culture, shame didn¡¯t come from being embarrassed, but by acknowledging the embarrassing thing.


    There was a saying that if someone from the Ost Republic farted and no one acknowledged it, then it never really happened. At its worst, the person who mentioned it would be chastised more than the person who dealt it. That was just a part of their way.


    ¡°Boss!¡± One of the girls from Titan¡¯s Fall called out.


    Alysia¡¯s S class party, Titan¡¯s Fall, was made up of five women, all Osterians, who were said to be descendants of giants. She wasn¡¯t the tallest in her group, sitting more around the middle. Her largest companion was one of her two knights, Disandry. Her other knight was Mio, who was smaller, but also quicker. Then there was Marice, who was a spellcaster, a strange class for the usually physically strong Osterian. Then, there was Diane, who typically functioned as the scout, although she was much better at it in the dungeon than on the battlefield. Finding traps was her specialty, but she was usually too distracted to be a good lookout.


    All four women appeared to be in swimsuits, and they had the look as if they had been swimming for the last few hours. Mio was still kicking water at the shoreline, but the other women appeared to be packing up their stuff to go.


    ¡°Ah! You awoke just in time!¡± Marice said happily. ¡°I was starting to worry that we would have to carry you.¡±


    ¡°I would have carried her.¡± Disandry sniffed. ¡°You¡¯d have complained about it.¡±


    Alysia ignored their bickering to ask some questions. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Ah! After the fight, Deek healed you!¡±


    ¡°So¡­ he did win¡­¡± Alysia knew he did, but it was still a hard pill to swallow.


    It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t know that Deek had puppetry being used on him. It was Octius she was fighting in the beginning. However, it wasn¡¯t like he was able to push Deek past his own limits. The body, it¡¯s strength, it¡¯s speed, it¡¯s abilities¡­ all of that was Deek. No¡­ it was actually weaker than Deek because the real Deek knew all of his skills and could use them better than Octius could.


    Octius might have been able to use his knowledge and experience to fight on a level Deek didn¡¯t possess, but he wouldn¡¯t have been able to manage it if the raw material wasn¡¯t there. The basic reality of it all was that Deek was able to fight Alysia and win. It should have been impossible, yet the result could not be denied.


    That meant that Deek was far more powerful than she had ever predicted. She couldn¡¯t even fathom how a guy so young and fresh had such strength. Five tattoos, she had managed to count them this time. He had five tattoos on his body unless one of them was fake, and she didn¡¯t think Deek was the kind of guy to act so phony, then he had completed five different dungeons and was awarded their blessings.


    No one in written history had ever managed this feat that Alysia was aware of. That meant that no one really knew what a blessing did. She had a feeling that Deek knew though. He had five dungeons he had completed, while Alysia had only managed to destroy one. Between the two of them, he was a true dungeon diver, and she was the phony playing the hero.


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    ¡°Ah! It was so awesome when he came out of the water with you in his arms. He was holding your naked body in a princess carry, and it was totally like one of those heroes in the story¡­¡± Diane giggled.


    ¡°Wh-what? Naked?¡±


    Marice¡¯s eyes flashed mysteriously. ¡°Oh, you were passed out all day so you didn¡¯t know, but Deek carried your naked body from the beach to this towel. He then set you down, and I was expecting him to have his way with you, but he was far too noble to claim his prize now¡­¡±


    ¡°Wh-what prize! What are you girls saying!¡±


    Diane, sharing mischievous looks with Marice, continued. ¡°He even worried you¡¯d burn in the sun. That¡¯s why he oiled your body with his fluids.¡±


    ¡°Fluids!¡± Alysia immediately touched her skin, realizing it felt slightly greasy to the touch, she sniffed it. ¡°It smells like¡­ coconut and mango?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ it was so romantic, we would have intervened but you were even making naughty noises in your sleep, so we assumed you must have enjoyed it!¡±


    Alysia had forgotten that her friends were the worst. Not only would they acknowledge a fart, but they would also talk about it endlessly until they made you want to die! Alysia¡¯s face was completely red and she wanted to flee immediately.


    ¡°They¡¯re both lying.¡± Disandry sighed. ¡°A big-titted girl in a hood gave you her swimsuit because it was too revealing for her to wear, and I put the lotion on you myself because they mentioned that besides blocking the sun, it might be good with scaring.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Spoilsport!¡± Marice wined.


    Alysia took a breath of relief. ¡°That¡¯s good, so I wasn¡¯t completely naked and carried onto the beach princess-style by a man¡­¡±


    ¡°Geh!¡± Disandry looked away. ¡°O-of course not¡­ m¡¯lady¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh? That part totally happened though!¡±


    ¡°Where are Deek and his party now?¡± Alysia decided to change the subject without delving too much into separating fact from fiction.


    ¡°Ah! That¡­ they stayed for a while and played with us on the beach. We even had a grill out, but it was the hooded lady who cooked everything and I don¡¯t think her cooking is as tasty as Deeks.¡± Marice explained. ¡°Then they left. They said they only had tonight. They would be back tomorrow morning to pick up something and then they had work in western Aberis. Do you want us to check the local inns? The way they were talking, it didn¡¯t sound like he planned to stay the night here. Perhaps he¡¯s using those portals you said he could make?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ maybe¡­¡± Alysia couldn¡¯t stop the disappointment from showing on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t bother searching after him. We finished our mission. We¡¯ll be heading back to Ost Republic now.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that reminds me¡­ this has been flashing non stop since a bit ago¡­¡± She pulled out a device from Alysia¡¯s pack, which thankfully hadn¡¯t ended up being destroyed in the fight like her weapon and outfit.


    ¡°You! That¡¯s a communication stone directly connected to the royal house! Someone is calling us!¡±


    ¡°Oopsie! I forgot¡­¡± Alysia smacked Marice upside the head before taking the device and activating it.


    An arrogant, mature voice suddenly sounded out from the stone. ¡°Finally, you answered. I was just about to prepare a small squadron to fight their way into Aberis to rescue you.¡±


    ¡°N-no!¡± Alysia said in a fluster, hearing the dreaded voice she least wanted to hear right now. ¡°I¡¯m fine! I just was indisposed for the last few hours.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ well, whatever. I¡¯m here to send you orders. As the nation¡¯s King, it¡¯s my royal decree, so don¡¯t think you can ignore me on this one.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ of course,¡± Alysia said, her face turning flushed.


    ¡°You are to return to the Capitol at once.¡±


    ¡°What? What about my mission?¡±


    ¡°Why? Did you find out the source of the rumor¡¯s behind that dungeon¡¯s destruction?¡±


    Alysia thought for a second, her mind dwelling on Deek. He told her it didn¡¯t matter if she revealed how strong he was. However, he didn¡¯t know how vindictive foreign nobles could be. A rising star like him may be able to change the entire power structure of the five kingdoms. They would assuredly want him dead, and not in the resurrecting sense. Although tricking someone into a dungeon was the easiest way, anything that killed or trapped the soul would prevent a resurrection. There were any number of ways to do that, although they weren¡¯t accessible to most normal people.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Alysia lied, feeling a bit of pain over lying to her trusted King.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ first, you claimed to have an artifact that would reshape the nature of war, but it was conveniently destroyed before anyone else got to see it. On top of that, you lost the entire border Fort and caused countless deaths and a loss of resources. Now, you have a chance to redeem yourself, and you can¡¯t even manage that¡­¡±


    ¡°I can do it!¡± Her voice choked. ¡°I just need more time.¡±


    ¡°Time is up¡­ you must come to the Capitol.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Alysia demanded in a voice that shouldn¡¯t be used toward a king.


    ¡°Because the High General Nova has taken an interest in you. While you have been gallivanting around the country in shiny armor, some of us have been trying to keep alliances together and keep this country afloat! Now, it¡¯s time for you to do your true duty to this nation. You will marry Nova, and give him children.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She shouted. ¡°Nova? That philandering, lazy bastard!¡±


    ¡° You shouldn¡¯t speak so negatively of your betrothed. The wedding is already set for the end of next month. All you need to do is be a good girl and come home and accept your place as a housewife.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡±


    ¡°Watch it. We wouldn¡¯t want your next words to sound treasonous, yes?¡±


    Alysia froze, and the Titan¡¯s Fall girls who were now all there and listening were covering their mouths with eyes full of tears. However, they would never speak up in a conversation against the King.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Alysia responded, the light leaving her eyes.


    ¡°Yes¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ my king. I will do as you ask.¡±


    ¡°Now, now¡­ why so formal? You know what I want you to call me.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Big Brother¡­ Princess Alysia obeys.¡±


    ¡°Good! I¡¯ll see you soon! Remember, just two months!¡±


    The light went out in the communication stone, and so did Alysia¡¯s spirit.

 Chapter 552

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t given much time, but considering I think the end product speaks for itself.¡± The shipwright showed us the completed product gleefully.


    In only two days, it was considered quite magnificent. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I knew much about boats, but it was boat-shaped. Although it introduced mithril in it, the entire boat wasn¡¯t composed of mithril. That would be obscenely expensive, and even out of the range of most countries. However, mithril was used where normally metal would be. The wood was supposedly magic-infused ash that was resistant to fire, magic, and also had a high strength as well. To test it, he had me give a sample piece of 2 by 2 to my strongest girl, Terra, and see if she could break it.


    ¡°Ah¡­ it broke.¡±


    ¡°Th-that! It¡¯s because she¡¯s a no-breasted abomination! Give it to your second strongest!¡±


    Well, it turned out I couldn¡¯t break it nor could any of the other girls. Perhaps giving it to a girl who was most skilled at identifying and exploiting structural weakness and creating impenetrable barriers wasn¡¯t the fairest measure to use. She was quite depressed about his no-breast comment though, so I¡¯d have to comfort her later.


    The boat had special sails, oars, and sticks to be able to navigate us around most situations. If the situation got dangerous, you could duck down, and the upper portion could be sealed with a rolling cover. It looked a bit like a roof with a triangle tent shape. It was a bit tight fitting us all inside the boat with it closed, but water would just roll off if it was raining and enemy attacks would harmlessly bounce off. At night, we could sleep in it without fear of rolling off or having something jump on board.


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    Considering flood situations, monsters jumping on board while we were asleep, and leaping attacks weren¡¯t even things I considered, I felt like this guy probably knew what he was doing. The ship was wide enough that it wouldn¡¯t get knocked over easily but short enough that it could navigate tight corners if needed. All things considered, he built exactly what he promised.


    He said it also could cut through the break if we ever planned to go out onto the ocean, and was also able to navigate rivers and ponds too. In short, it was an all-purpose boat that could be used for plenty of purposes. The only thing it lacked in my mind was an engine.


    ¡°Motorized transport?¡± He asked, feeling confused.


    ¡°Ah, well, if you put just a propeller on the back of the boat and made it spin really fast, you could push the boat along and then turn it by moving the propeller left and right with a handle.¡±


    I tried to explain everything I knew about motorboats to him, which was just about what I had said. I reckoned that in a world with magic where indoor plumping and various other feats had been accomplished, it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to create a motorboat.


    ¡°This¡­ is a splendid idea!¡± He grew excited. ¡°I will definitely add this feature to the boat. Give me some time to draw up some plans, and I will begin to assemble the parts. The propeller will have to be mithril¡­ oh¡­ that will take some time¡­¡±


    Did he really have to use mithril for everything? Ah well, if it was strong, then I shouldn¡¯t complain. He got lost in designing thoughts, so I decided to escort myself out. He had a special storage ring to put the boat in, so I used that to grab the boat. I found I could put storage rings into my Inventory, so that was an easy way to protect those items. The problem was that I only had Inventory if I had True Hero equipped. Well, with a 2nd job, it was my primary job most of the time anyway, but I still worried about such things.

 Chapter 553

    I had half expected to run into Alysia again, but she was nowhere in sight. Perhaps she had taken her loss and did as Octius wanted. As for Octius and Otto, they were returning to the border today to meet their father. As for Eliana and the Prince, they returned to the castle. Eliana looked like she wanted to talk to me in private, but between getting tied to a bed by a Dark Fairy and fighting to the death with Alysia, along with the time demand the girls all placed on me, that ended up not happening.


    ¡°Make sure to bring father back, dead or alive.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Don¡¯t you want him alive?¡±


    ¡°Even if he dies, we can resurrect him. In many ways, killing him would be faster.¡± Eliana¡¯s expression darkened when her father was brought up.


    ¡°Still, isn¡¯t this your father?¡±


    ¡°I trust in Deek¡¯s judgement.¡± The Prince smiled before signaling the Blue Mage to send him on his way back to the Capital.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Deek, are we returning back to Chalm?¡± Shao asked, breaking me from my current thoughts.


    I shook my head. ¡°No, we¡¯re going to Alerith.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Lord Reign¡¯s city? Aren¡¯t you technically wanted there?¡±


    ¡°He tried to kill me, but I don¡¯t think there is an official warrant for my arrest.¡±


    They don¡¯t know I¡¯m the one who got rid of those knights and soldiers, and they weren¡¯t really officially Lord Reign¡¯s soldiers in the first place. If he got a hold of me, he¡¯d probably try to deliver a lot of awkward questions and maybe even try to arrest me on trumped-up charges, but he wouldn¡¯t make them until he already had me in custody for fear of retribution. Once you killed someone, it was easy enough to fake an excuse, but before that happened, I had the power to run to the princess or cause other troubles. So, while Alerith wasn¡¯t safe for me, it wasn¡¯t like my face was on every corner.


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    Besides, I didn¡¯t really need to worry since I could change my face. I had gotten an artifact that allowed me to hide in such a manner, as well as using Shao¡¯s special skill. Either would be enough that I could move around Alerith easily. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t a problem, since I had things set up there already.


    I was currently using Miki to cast portals. She was the highest mana user beside Celeste, and I had already decided the layout of Celeste¡¯s five dungeon points. I didn¡¯t feel like twisting them around, so I used Miki since she was available.


    For Celeste, I had given her Reset, Adaptive Outfit, Feature Masking, Mana Regen Plus, and Cast Speed Plus. Adaptive Outfit allowed Celeste to independently change the size of her clothing. Since magically enhanced clothing that changed sizes was expensive and difficult to obtain, this was a decent alternative. It would also make holes in clothing for tails, wings, and anything else someone would need on the fly. Feature Masking allowed her to hide her features, that being her wings.


    I had noticed this ability after seeing Shao on the beach with a hood on. I realized she could hide her horns so that she could show her pretty face more. I realized for Celeste. It would also be useful so she could move around easier. Her sparkly wings did bring a lot of notice to our group wherever we went. As for the abilities of the other two, they naturally amplified her spell-casting, and thus seemed suited for her. Since these were only tier 1 abilities, they weren¡¯t the best out there, but they definitely gave her an edge over those that didn¡¯t have them. Of course, she might gain those abilities from her jobs eventually when they reached a higher level, so they may not be useful forever.


    After gathering everyone up, I created two Portals, some were sent back to Chalm, while the rest of us headed to Alerith. I just had to check on a few things in Alerith, and then it was back to the Widow¡¯s Dungeon with us. After nearly a week of performing various chores, I could finally get back to the job at hand. It felt somewhat refreshing.

 Chapter 554

    ¡°This is seriously the place you rented? You know¡­ I gave you a lot of coin¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the problem!¡± Drake cried, bowing his head down on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s just that this Lord Reign guy charges an arm and a leg for taxes. Getting any property in the city is nearly impossible, and everything costs money.¡±


    I had vaguely noticed before that Alerith seemed to cost a lot, but I had mostly avoided it by living off the dungeon. It turned out that Lord Reign was unreasonable with his citizens.


    In the small space was Drake and his two cohorts, my party, me, and then Carmine and Salicia. We were currently in a small dump of a place that looked like it belonged in a poor district, but these guys insisted it was the best they could buy given the coin I had given them. At first, I had thought that they had pocketed the coin, but they were living in these conditions too and didn¡¯t seem the type to hold on to money where comfort was involved. That was especially the case for Carmine and Salicia, who were trapped in the same room to Salicia¡¯s delight.


    ¡°Please¡­ Master, I will happily fight to the death for you, but living in this squalor is unbecoming of a beauty like me!¡±


    ¡°You can consider this part of your punishment for spending excessively, and since you had a short vacation, consider that your reward for doing well the last week.¡± I sighed, deciding not to give them any increase in salary for the moment before turning back to Drake, who was still on the ground. ¡°What is the progress?¡±


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    ¡°Carmine has been registered as a gladiator in the upcoming match. She will be fighting tomorrow in the pits. Since she was able to bypass the preliminaries, these will be the first ranked matches she will participate in. Right now, being as she¡¯s unknown, the current betting is in our favor. Should we put some money down?¡±


    I sighed and pulled out ten gold coins. ¡°Don¡¯t go overboard.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± He finally stood up and smoothly pocketed the money. ¡°The gladiator board doesn¡¯t suspect a thing. We¡¯re the managers of the slave Carmine, who is owned by a mysterious rich merchant. Salicia is her coach. That¡¯s the current story we¡¯re going with.¡±


    ¡°If you increase in ranking, I¡¯ll consider giving you more pocket money.¡± I finally responded.


    Carmine¡¯s eyes brightened, and the three men all looked excitedly at each other. In truth, they already didn¡¯t regret working for me. As they said, this place was as good as their place in the Capital anyway, where they rented from a shady noble and were unable to own property. As for going to the beach, it wasn¡¯t something they had hoped to do in their entire lives, so it was already a job that had paid off dividends in their minds.


    If they continued to work well for me, I might find them a position in Chalm that suited them. Although they were all a bit shady, they also had an earnest side to them that I didn¡¯t disagree with. I didn¡¯t really like being in the cramped property, and I didn¡¯t want to accidentally be seen outside it, so we discussed everything we needed to discuss and then I opened my third Portal for the day. It was time to finally tackle the 27th floor of the Widow¡¯s Dungeon.

 Chapter 555

    We came out of the Portal into a familiar room leading into a water-filled corridor. Out of curiosity, I tossed out a chicken wing leftover from a previous meal. The water bubbled as small fish came to the surface and consumed the meat within seconds. Even the bone was consumed within moments.


    Next, I pulled out a piece of mithril on a wood stick taken from the shipwright¡¯s shop. This was the moment of truth. If the fish were able to eat through the wood or mithril, then there was no point in even trying. We¡¯d never be able to make it past this weird and convoluted level.


    I stuck the stick into the water, and it began bubbling once again. At first, I worried, but the bubbling calmed down, and the mithril portion of the stick appeared to be still attached. I pulled the rod back out and found that the mithril and wood were still in good form. I let out a sigh of relief. Nearly a week of pain and an obscene amount of money had been spent to get past this blasted level. I felt relieved that we could do it.


    I brought out the boat next, carefully leaving it half in and half out of the water. I¡¯d definitely cry if I somehow pushed the boat in the water and then it floated away. Well, I could just get Celeste to fetch it, but it would be embarrassing. I had somehow not managed to make much of a fool of myself lately if being tied to a bed and being used as a puppet by a gender-confused general didn¡¯t count.


    The girls all sat down in the boat and then I got in last, pushing off with the mithril plated oars. We then began to make our way across. As we floated across the water, it did bubble up. I was worried the fish would leap out of the water and attack us, but so far they kept themselves underwater. We were able to move forward rather smoothly.


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    ¡°This isn¡¯t so bad.¡± Miki smiled.


    ¡°Can¡¯t get any of the treasure,¡± I muttered. ¡°It¡¯s all at the bottom.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you get some mithril thread?¡± She offered. ¡°You could try to fish for treasure!¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s worth a try.¡±


    Using the stick I had previously used to test the waters, I affixed a long thread to it as well as a hook. In the games, you¡¯d just toss it in the water, wait for the bob to get pulled and then pull it out of the water. However, there is no way it would be that easy.¡±


    ¡°Ah! We caught something!¡±


    ¡°Re-really?¡± I began to pull back, and a moment later, something burst from the water.


    ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s just a pair of boots.¡± Celeste whined.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t those magic boots though?¡±


    Celeste had forgotten that we were fishing for treasure, and so boots in this circumstance was actually a good thing. They were wet, but a quick Identify revealed that they had a good defense, so I put them to the side to dry.


    We didn¡¯t encounter any obstacles as we navigated the 27th dungeon. After the amount of effort we spent to get to this point, it felt kind of anticlimactic. The level turned out to be easy with the right supplies. On top of that, had we frozen the water as the Prince suggested, we would never have been able to fish for treasures.


    As the girls navigated the dungeon, I spent my whole morning fishing for treasures. It was surprisingly lucrative. I could tell where the temptation was though. A weaker boat would have threatened to capsize with some of the treasures we brought up, that¡¯s if you weren¡¯t tempted to try to dive right in some way. At least for us, it was a rather relaxing morning of fishing, dungeon exploring, and treasure hunting all in one. Who could ask for more?

 Chapter 556

    When we finally reached the landing, which contained the stairway leading down to the next floor, I almost felt like I didn¡¯t want to go. Sitting around fishing was even better than walking around. The treasure practically came to me. Actually, my catches had decreased quite a bit the last hour, so the dungeon was already offering less stuff after knowing it couldn¡¯t lure me to an untimely death. It was probably a good time to move on.


    While I was packing up the boat and looking over the deceptively calm waters, the girls went on down to the next level. I gave it one last sigh before turning and following them. Halfway down to the 28th floor, I heard a cry. I quickened my step, but I only made it a few feet when I saw my girls racing back up.


    ¡°Quick! Get him!¡± Shao pointed at me.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The girls all leapt on top of me. At first, I was convinced something had somehow taken control of them and caused them to attack their Master, but Lydia whispered in my ear as I realized they were starting to tie me up.


    ¡°The next level is very bad for Master!¡±


    ¡°Eh? What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°We were warned about this before,¡± Terra added. ¡°Lord Reign mentioned desire demons and succubus. The next floor is filled to the brim with beautiful naked women.¡±


    ¡°Is that all? Girls¡­ I¡¯m not a beast. I can handle it.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Shao cried. ¡°I know Master best! You definitely can¡¯t handle an orgy of this magnitude.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an orgy?¡±


    ¡°Shhhhh¡­ don¡¯t tell him too much or he may grow tempted to look!¡±


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    They finished binding my hands, blindfolding me, and even gagging me for some reason. I thought it was all ridiculous, but I allowed it as they brought me down. As soon as I went down the last step, I could feel a warmth resonating out. It felt like a large amount of body heat. My ears were instantly assaulted by giggles, moans, and gasping.


    ¡°It¡¯s a man¡­¡± I heard a female voice that I didn¡¯t recognize excitedly say.


    ¡°Back!¡± Shao shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll fucking cut you! Back you horny bitches!¡±


    I heard various hisses all around me.


    ¡°We just want to play with him.¡±


    ¡°Have my body¡­ sweetie.¡±


    ¡°Make me pregnant? Please¡­ I need your seed so bad¡­¡±


    Various female voices seemed to be pressing in while my group of five kept them at bay. Even their words were laced with extreme seduction, and I found certain areas swelling with vigor. If I had Pervert activated for any reason, it would have already been too late. I started to forgive my girls on their insight as we continued through what felt like, rather than a corridor, a large room filled to the brim with temptation.


    ¡°Oh¡­ my¡­ what is that girl doing with that coconut!¡± Terra gasped.


    ¡°Ah¡­ she¡¯s so stretchy¡­ I should try that¡­¡± Celeste murmured.


    ¡°Do you see that pile of naked women? What are they fighting in? Is that honey? It looks so sticky.¡±


    ¡°Ah! That girl is using a toy! I¡¯ve never seen a toy that big!¡±


    ¡°Is it this level¡¯s treasure?¡±


    ¡°Should we take it?¡±


    ¡°Mmm! Mmmph!¡± I shouted out in a muffled voice as the girls continued to comment on the things they were seeing.


    ¡°Hush¡­ Deek,¡± Shao patted my head. ¡°I actually may be able to learn a thing or two here?¡±


    ¡°Ohoh? Are you women interested in the craft? We desire demons are always open for students!¡±


    ¡°Ah! R-really? I want to know how you did that thing with your foot over your head.¡±


    ¡°Over there you have five women getting off on a single toy¡­ how are they managing that¡­ I want to know¡­ eh¡­ for a friend!¡±


    ¡°Hey girls, if you really want to make your man happy, you should try something like this!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow!¡±


    ¡°It went all the way in!¡±


    ¡°Mmmm! Mmmm!¡¯ I was shaking now as the girls¡¯ conversations were growing even more ridiculous.


    ¡°Just a sec! Master is being rowdy. It seems like hearing is too stimulating. I¡¯ll plug his ears!¡±


    ¡°Mmm!¡± I shook my head, but she ended up grabbing me anyway.


    ¡°Just stay put, we¡¯re just having girl talk for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ once I Master this technique, Master will truly be happy.¡± I heard Celeste giggling.


    Something was stuffed in my ears no matter how much I struggled. In the end, I was left standing alone, as the girls seemed to abandon me.

 Chapter 557

    An hour passed in isolation. I would have panicked more if I felt naked women starting to touch me, but strangely enough that didn¡¯t happen. I had a deep fear that my girls had fallen to the temptation of the dungeon. If that was the case, then I was indeed on my own. I would need to break these bonds and then somehow save them. It was dreadful. I should have been more careful. Perhaps I should have given them strict orders to march right through. Things might not have turned out so bleak.


    Just as I was about to escape my bonds and desperately try to fight my way out of the dungeon, the plugs in my ears were removed. I instantly heard giggling from countless women.


    ¡°Thank you so much! I learned a lot!¡± I heard Lydia say.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ we¡¯re always happy to teach women the art of desire. Come back any time for more lessons.¡±


    ¡°We will!¡±


    ¡°Come, Deek, we¡¯re done here. This level is actually pretty small, so we¡¯re almost out.¡±


    ¡°Mmmmph!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Sorry, here, we¡¯ll take the gag out. We were afraid of you becoming tempted and making bad orders like with the siren before.¡±


    ¡°Puh¡­ ah¡­ I-I see¡­ can I see too?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ no¡­ Master will definitely cheat if he sees.¡± Shao sighed, ¡°However, if you promise not to look, I¡¯ll undo your hands.¡±


    ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡±


    I still gave her my hands and allowed her to untie them. I was tempted, but I wasn¡¯t so bad that I would risk everything to look. As exciting as the sight sounded, it also left me worried too.


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    ¡°Goodbye, Deek¡­ I¡¯m sorry we couldn¡¯t have sex.¡±


    ¡°I would have boinked your brains out!¡±


    ¡°You could have put it in my butt if you wanted!¡±


    ¡°Girls! You¡¯re incorrigible!¡± Lydia said in exasperation.


    There was more giggling. I was led to the end of the level while the girls chatted away with desire demons and succubae as if they were close friends.


    ¡°Deek, you¡¯re lucky to have such eager to please women.¡± A woman said. ¡°Since I¡¯ve come to like them so much, I¡¯ve decided to give you some assistance. The 29th floor and the 28th floor are twin floors, however, in reverse. It is filled with incubus and such. Although I don¡¯t think your women have the temperament to betray you, it wouldn¡¯t be fair to tempt them so.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ thank you¡­ I really appreciate your help.¡± I held out my hand and grabbed her hand.


    It was soft and round.


    ¡°That¡¯s my boob.¡±


    ¡°Oh sorry¡­ here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my other boob.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I mean¡­ here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my third boob.¡±


    ¡°How many boobs do you have!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take off your blindfold and find out? Or better yet, use your mouth?¡±


    ¡°Deek! Stop fondling the demon!¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ I almost got him.¡±


    I let go immediately and straightened as Shao came and admonished me. I wasn¡¯t going to look! I seriously wasn¡¯t!


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re at the stairway. It¡¯s right ahead.¡± Lydia said.


    ¡°Good.¡± I lifted up my hand and cast Portal. ¡°All of you go! Now!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°Through the portal!¡± I shoved them all through and closed it immediately, using my Slave Master ability to ascertain their positions despite the blindfold.


    With them gone, I pulled off my blindfold. As they said, I was staring down at a large staircase leading on to floor 29th. There was a menacing pink light coming from behind me. I took one step down onto the staircase. Then, with a breath, I looked back into the room of the desire demons,


    ¡°Hmph¡­ I¡¯ve had greater temptations. You¡¯ve all met my women. Thank you for treating them well.¡±


    I had thought that this might be the key to the path of the True Pervert, but it didn¡¯t give me that kind of feeling, so I rejected it. I turned back and headed down the stairway. It was only made slightly more difficult by my raging boner and shaking legs.


    ¡°Oh my¡­ what a man¡­¡±


    ¡°Rejected¡­¡±


    ¡°He really should have my babies.¡±


    I headed down the 29th floor. Perhaps there were lessons I could learn too.

 Chapter 558

    Dear Diary,


    It¡¯s been three hours since I entered the seas of dicks. It¡¯s dicks¡­ everywhere, as far as the eye can see. I thought I had come to a Utopia¡­ a school of learning where men can truly be men. Instead, it is only the dicks.


    It smells of leather and baby oil, and I can¡¯t take a single step without ending up in something inexcusable. The people here are aggressive and don¡¯t take no for an answer. I¡¯ve had to pull my knife out and pull a Shao before I was allowed to move after a few scary situations.


    Although the floor above was quite small, that didn¡¯t appear to be true for this floor. It was wide and open, without hallways, but that only meant I could see everything. I just wish¡­ I could unsee it. Loud club music thrums across the entire floor.


    I didn¡¯t see how this place would be a temptation for women. Rather, I would think it¡¯d be a temptation for a certain kind of man. Perhaps the girls above were playing a trick on me. I thought about turning back many times and playing up there, as a means of bleaching my eyeballs of the things I¡¯ve seen. However, I had to continue. I couldn¡¯t allow my girls to have to deal with this. I had a mission to complete.


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    ¡°Hey, wanna watch me jackoff?¡±


    ¡°Dick pic? Anyone want a dick pic?¡±


    ¡°Hey, kid¡­ look at these!¡± A man in a trench coat flashed me.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!¡± I couldn¡¯t take it anymore!


    I pulled out a sword and attacked. Had I not been underground, I seriously would have used Meteor. It probably wouldn¡¯t work this deep underground, but I wanted to do it just on principle. Maybe with a well-placed Portal¡­ No¡­ I was just being crazy.


    This¡­ this wasn¡¯t crazy at all!


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s got a sword!¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ so do I!¡±


    ¡°There is blood everywhere!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what she said!¡¯


    For the next two hours, I carved a path through naked flesh and blood, forming a path of destruction from which there was no return. Naked creatures fell all around me. Multi-penis tentacle monsters were burned to a crisp. The entire floor smelled like baby oil¡­ and death!


    It was to the point that when I came to the safe room door, breathing hard and covered from head to toe in various fluids, it took a while for me to realize it. I had feared the door would be closed, since it led down to the boss room, and the king had already entered that room. Did that mean he was truly dead?


    Perhaps I would have dwelled on those thoughts more, but I just couldn¡¯t. I shoved my way into the room and then slammed the door. Then fell to the ground and curled up in the fetal position, weeping for some time.


    {True Hero had increased to level 26.}


    {You have unlocked the skill: Condition Swap.}

 Chapter 559

    ¡°So¡­ how was your day?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ why did you race straight to the bathroom after returning to the mansion?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°Reasons¡­ any other questions?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ Why did you spend two hours crying while holding us?¡±


    ¡°Because I love you all so much.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The girls all blushed.


    In the end, I was able to subdue my curious girls with flattery. But seriously, the 29th floor was truly the worst floor. Those monsters were pretty powerful too. I¡¯m not even sure how many I was able to kill. Fortunately, they were lovers, not fighters, and they didn¡¯t hold grudges after I cut them down. Still, I regret nothing. I wouldn¡¯t feel any sympathy for that floor of creeps.


    It was already pretty late at night, so we decided to spend the night in the mansion. I mostly spent it with my girls in bed. We weren¡¯t doing anything improper; I just felt the need to snuggle with women after the sausage factory I had to walk through.


    At some point, dinner came, and I got up and made a meal. We had a nice assortment of spices and foods now, thanks to our travels. Since we had stopped by the sea, I also made sure to buy plenty of seafood. Thus, I ended up making a seafood jambalaya. It was spicy, but it also tasted really good over rice. Just as I was eating with the girls, Faeyna walked in.


    ¡°M-master? Did you cook it? You didn¡¯t have to do that! I¡¯m here!¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡±


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    I had forgotten that we relocated Faeyna to Chalm today. She still needed to go to the capital, but she wanted to see the mansion first to decide on what supplies she should focus on before heading back. She¡¯s had a good day to look over her new mansion and city now, and she looked refreshed and reinvigorated to begin managing the household. I had forgotten, so I made food since I was excited by some of the seaside spices and such.


    ¡°Well, no matter. I do pride myself on my cooking, though. What is this? Ah¡­ it smells spicy. I¡¯ve never seen anything like it before.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s shrimp, clams and a few other fishy things in a jambalaya. It¡¯s a dish from my world.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How unique! Given my level in cook, I¡¯m sure I could even improve upon it! Let¡¯s just take a bite, MMm!¡±


    She froze, her eyes wide as she had the spoon in her mouth.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Miki asked, a flash of mischievousness in her eyes.


    Seeing her look, I realized what was wrong. My cooking skill had exceeded Faeyna¡¯s thanks to all my time in the dungeon, not to mention my knowledge of food from another world, where taste exceeded all. This was a world where most commoner food was tasteless, and only nobles got things like spices. Although Faeyna had never had her first job as Cook, she had prided herself on her cooking ability, which satisfied nobles. However, compared to my world, where taste was taken down to a science, and my own cooking job, which I could equip to take advantage of various cooking bonuses, it would naturally be the case where my food was a bit better.


    ¡°H-h-how did you cook this?¡±


    I winced at her upset glare. ¡°Ah¡­ I didn¡¯t say. I have the Cook job¡­¡±


    ¡°I-impossible! After everything¡­ master is a professional cook!?¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean, you know I can change jobs at will.¡±


    ¡°Change it!¡±


    ¡°Hah?


    ¡°Make me a Cook!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still a higher level than you though¡­¡±


    ¡°This is¡­ from the dungeon! You must take me into the dungeon!¡±


    ¡°Even if you say that I sort of need you to have Head Maid as a job¡­¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ give me a second job! The other girls have second jobs!¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s true¡­ but they only have 2nd job when they are close to me. Once I enter the dungeon, you¡¯ll lose it. Your Cook job will only be around when I¡¯m in Chalm.¡±


    ¡°E-even so¡­ is there really no other way?¡± She looked up at me with very charming eyes, and I found myself unable to say no to the elf.


    That¡¯s how my dungeon party ended up growing to 7.

 Chapter 560

    ¡°You sure about this? It¡¯s very dangerous in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Unless I go, I can¡¯t earn this dp, right?¡± Faeyna asked. ¡°Then¡­ Master will leave me behind, and I will no longer be the cook he needs!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there is a Master Cook or something like that, so getting a second and third job would be necessary.¡±


    ¡°Plus, Master said there are cooking based DP in the store, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true.¡±


    In the end, I couldn¡¯t talk her out of it. Faeyna would be a noncombatant. Instead, she promised to keep watch, manage supplies, and do all of the cooking. I told her I was happy to keep cooking for the group, but she became quite insistent. Well, it was probably fine if I let her complete this one dungeon. Once she has the second job from her DP, she¡¯ll probably get off my back about it. Since we were already at the boss, it was probably fine.


    We stepped through the Portal into the safe room. The door was still closed, thankfully. That meant there was a boss waiting down below for us. If I understood things correctly, when it came to the final floor, there was no door to the boss room. Rather, the door appeared earlier before the safe room. This allowed the combatants to retreat during a lengthy battle while keeping new combatants from entering the battle.


    Anyone who had logged in with the kiosk could naturally join in on the final boss battle, so it was an event unlike any other. It stood to reason that the nature of dungeons was for many individual groups to strive toward the bottom. Eventually, when enough groups reached the final boss, they would all join together in a raid and attempt to fight the dungeon boss, who was many times stronger than the other bosses.


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    Unfortunately, this world had a major shortage of Dungeon Divers. Too many people feared death, and thus only the bravest and stupidest went into the dungeons and risked their lives in such a manner. While you might find Great Dungeons with many groups in them, they never made it near the end. As for small dungeons like the Widow¡¯s Dungeon, it was rare to get more than 2-3 groups interested.


    From what I recalled, the group that attempted to take Widow¡¯s Dungeon consisted of fifteen men, all higher level than myself. That included the King, an S class individual who should be close to Alysia in ability. Yet, they were all defeated, and now we were all that was left.


    It should be known that I had never officially defeated a dungeon boss. Every boss had been defeated through a different means, and we hadn¡¯t had to go all out thanks to various conditions. Calypso¡¯s tower is the only possible exception, but it didn¡¯t count since I crushed the entire dungeon and dropped a Meteor on their head. I never even met the dungeon boss for that building.


    So, I should have been terrified to enter and fight this boss. It was probably a bad way to look at things, but we had managed with every dungeon so far. I reckoned that we could manage with this one as well. We succeeded where others had failed. I couldn¡¯t say if that was because we had some hidden power, or just because we were really lucky. Whatever it was, though, I was willing to bet our lives on it.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s voice spoke up. ¡°Can you continue the story of Widow¡¯s Dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Ah, a story!¡± Celeste added excitedly.


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s right¡­¡± I had almost forgotten about the murals.


    If we wanted to beat this dungeon, our best bet still fell with the murals that told the story of how this curse came to exist.


    ¡°So¡­ last time¡­ oh¡­ it seems I¡¯ve forgotten.¡±


    So many things had happened since we had last been in the dungeon, I no longer seemed to be able to remember the dungeon¡¯s lore.

 Chapter 561

    Using the kiosk system, I ended up returning to each safe room and looking over the mural one more time. It¡¯d probably be best if I had been doing this from the beginning. I noticed a lot of details the second time through I might not have noticed before, and being able to order and tie all of the events together like that really helped. We had a mural on floor 1, 5, 9, 15, 19, 25, and 29. That¡¯s seven parts of the story.


    ¡°Alright, so this is my best guess based on all of the parts. A long time ago, there was a young noblewoman and her best friend. They were one day attacked, but saved by a young hero. Both women fell for the hero, but he only had eyes for the common woman. Through various means, he was forced to marry the noblewoman instead of the one he truly loved.¡±


    ¡°That despicable woman! She should have just shared him!¡± Lydia growled.


    ¡°Eh? I would have poisoned her!¡± Shao said in surprise.


    ¡°Shao! What did I say about killing other potential love interests?¡±


    ¡°Only cut them down emotionally?¡±


    ¡°Good girl!¡± Shao closed her eyes and smiled happily as Lydia patted her head.


    Although it was better, I still needed to have a talk with Lydia about what exactly she was teaching Shao. Lydia pretended to be the guru of love, but her only training was in prostitution, and her first was me, and we¡¯ve only been together for less than half a year.


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    ¡°Anyway¡­ none of that happened. The Hero ended up with the noblewoman. However, the commoner couldn¡¯t stop loving him, and through various means became a maid in his castle. She managed to woo him into bed. Of course, the noblewoman eventually found out the truth.¡±


    ¡°And then she killed the man?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°Ah? Murder!¡¯ Faeyna gasped.


    ¡°Don¡¯t spoil it for her, she hasn¡¯t heard any of this before!¡±


    ¡°S-sorry.¡±


    ¡°First, she tried to make him jealous. She cheated on him. However, something unexpected came from that event. She became pregnant.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡±


    That was one of the details I had missed the first time through. The woman who was having an affair ended up pregnant from the affair. There were hints in the mural, but I didn¡¯t really need them after seeing today¡¯s mural. It showed a pregnant woman on horseback fleeing a castle, her hands covered in blood.


    ¡°So, the rest is as you said. She murdered the King, and then she fled.¡±


    ¡°Who is the Widow?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°Hmm? Wouldn¡¯t it be the woman who murdered her husband?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Her hand touched the window of the castle in the mural, and I realized there was a very small blurry image that could be a woman watching her flee.


    By the look of it, perhaps the woman who lamented was the commoner who had her lover killed so brutally. Sadly, I didn¡¯t know, and I couldn¡¯t even begin to guess how this lore was supposed to end. I didn¡¯t know what it was that it wanted. It was a story about three people consumed by desire and temptation, resulting in the fall of a Hero. A lot of curses seemed to be caused by heroes. I wondered for not the first time if there was a connection.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll destroy this dungeon and find out the lore.¡±


    I only wanted one DP. Wanting more was only falling into the temptation of this dungeon. Thankfully, the points shouldn¡¯t be stolen away like in the last dungeon. I wasn¡¯t ambitious; just one per person was more than adequate for now.

 Chapter 562

    We had prepared in every way we could with armor, spells, and potions prior to heading down. I was confident if push came to shove, we should be able to escape. I also had some hope that the king would be able to help in some kind of fashion. Perhaps he was chained to the pillar, and I could just cut him down or something. At least, that¡¯s what I imagined.


    ¡°Huh? Another door?¡±


    We walked down the stairway only to find a door at the bottom of it. Thankfully, it was open. The problem was that it shouldn¡¯t be there. Although I was only basing this off of what I had seen in a handful of dungeons, the last dungeon boss room was always sealed outside the safe room. It wasn¡¯t perfectly clear why the last boss room differed from the others, but I always had a feeling it had to do with the difficulty. The bosses were tests to make sure you were worthy to attempt to challenge the source of the lore, and the final boss room was the actual attempt, once you were deemed worthy of trying.


    After testing you so vigorously, it¡¯d be foolish to then cause you to die without even being able to see the final challenge. Perhaps the battle was intended to be a multi-day battle involving rotating teams. I didn¡¯t really know. Only the curses could understand their own existence. It was like trying to understand why a tornado went one direction instead of another. I¡¯m sure a smart person could eventually come up with an answer, but it would mostly be guesswork.


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    Taking a breath, the entire group stepped in. I gestured for Faeyna to come with us. I originally was planning on leaving her on the stairway, but the doors worried me. When they closed, she might not be able to get experience if she was beyond them. I knew that the boss room could interfere with Return. It might be able to interfere with Portal too. I had never really had the time to cast it to find out. Even though both abilities worked in dungeons, they didn¡¯t work in boss rooms. It was like that strange artifact that Alysia had found. Even blessings were no more powerful than the dungeons they came from.


    The door behind us slammed shut. My eyes scanned the room. It was what I expected¡ªa massive room with a tall ceiling and a long row of pillars. Given the natural theme, vines grew up the walls and the pillars. However, it was basically a bigger version of the boss rooms seen on the twentieth level. Either way, it was a massive room that gave us plenty of room to fight. At least, that was what I thought.


    Boom! The entire room shook like a large object had just hit the ground. A moment later, a form stepped out from behind a pillar. My eyes went up and then kept going. There standing in the room was a beautiful woman. However, her head nearly touched the ceiling, and the room looked somewhat small with her there. She¡­ was a giant!


    ¡°So¡­ another came.¡± She spoke, looking down at our part like insects.

 Chapter 563

    ¡°Master! You can¡¯t have her!¡± Lydia cried out.


    ¡°Are you kidding me! How can I even?¡±


    ¡°You absolutely can¡¯t take a giant woman home with you!¡± Celeste called out.


    ¡°You too!¡±


    ¡°Alysia¡¯s definitely the maximum size! Master must stick to women his own size!¡± Terra added.


    ¡°I resent that!¡± Celeste cried.


    ¡°Ah! I didn¡¯t mean Celeste! But Celeste is extra stretchy, right? I don¡¯t think Master can grow big enough.¡±


    ¡°What kind of man do you girls think your Master is!¡±


    The girls all looked away innocently. Seething a bit, I turned back to the giant, who was watching us. She suddenly let out a loud, barking sound, and I realized she was laughing.


    ¡°Little human, you are funny. You remind me of the last party who came through. Two in such a short time, this dungeon must be popular.¡±


    ¡°You have sentience¡­ does that mean you¡¯re a first-generation boss?¡±


    I had a running theory that the bosses first version were sentient and named, or maybe it was better to say that the longer a boss remained, the smarter they became. Once a new boss was summoned, they would be at a base type and personality. They would be like my siren girl who couldn¡¯t use words and spoke more like a puppy. At some point, someone must have defeated her, but then she remained for a while because of the nature of her challenge.


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    In new dungeons, like the Mina¡¯s Dungeon, the monsters were too young to gain sentience, but if the dungeon survived, it would continue to support them, and they would become more fleshed out. After a few decades, they might even be indistinguishable from the person they were supposed to represent. That was when the curse didn¡¯t entrap the souls of the people themselves and turn them into abominations.


    ¡°First? Hmm¡­ I¡¯ve been here since the dungeon¡¯s creation, so perhaps.¡±


    ¡°What about the King? Was he in the party? What happened to them? You didn¡¯t destroy them, right?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ are you so confident I didn¡¯t kill them all? Many have met their grave before me. Although, I see you aren¡¯t afraid of me. Perhaps that means you¡¯ll be entertaining.¡±


    ¡°Please, I need to know about the King. Where is he?¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell you what. I¡¯m very powerful, and you will not be able to defeat me. I already see this as the truth. However, I tire easily, and battle bores me. If you can show me your strength and impress me, I will let you pass and tell you what I know. How does it sound?¡±


    ¡°Very well, but you better keep to it.¡±


    ¡°I keep my word.¡± She grinned. ¡°So, know also that if you fail to impress, I will kill the lot of you, and allow her to consume your souls.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m confused¡­¡± Celeste frowned. ¡°What are you two talking about? Let us move on?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t figured it out yet?¡± I responded, making a bitter face. ¡°This isn¡¯t the final boss room. This dungeon is larger than we were originally led to believe. It must have grown since the last assessment. This isn¡¯t the final challenge!¡±

 Chapter 564

    This dungeon was supposed to be thirty levels. That would have made this the final boss room. Instead, this was another normal level boss. However, she acted smug and seemed to think that we weren¡¯t capable of defeating her. The previous two enemies in this dungeon had a gimmick. In most dungeons, it was a simple match to the death, although Terra had acted as the boss in her own dungeon and fearing she wasn¡¯t powerful enough, had used quizzes to try to block us.


    The point being, it was possible that this monster was too powerful for us to defeat, and the intention of the dungeon wasn¡¯t for us to defeat her. After all, even the King hadn¡¯t defeated her. She¡¯d be a newer boss, and probably not be as well-developed mentally as the current giant. Her vocab would be a few confused words, and she¡¯d probably violently attack us. Admittedly, that would be dangerous, but it was also easier in some ways. A monster that mindlessly attacked was far simpler than someone who strategized and cleverly tried to set up traps.


    However, since I couldn¡¯t see where the trick was, I decided the best thing to do was follow what she said. She wanted us to attack her and show her we were strong. That meant we should just go at her like she was a standard boss. There was no sense in holding back.


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    ¡°Girls! Attack!¡± I gave the order.


    ¡°Rising Spirit!¡± Miki called out, holding her staff up and casting a buff on the party that increased our mental resistance and morale, before pointing it at the giant. ¡°Breaking Mind!¡±


    A light shot at the giant¡¯s head. She didn¡¯t even attempt to block it. It struck, she blinked a few times, and then gave a derisive snort.


    ¡°You probably thought because of my powerful physique. I would have a weak mind!¡± She laughed. ¡°You¡¯ll have to do better than a level 30 Spiritualist skill if you want to break my spirit!¡±


    ¡°Tornado Whirl!¡± Celeste called out a massive wind storm that collided into the woman.


    Before she could recover, Shao leapt forward too. ¡°Shadow Restraint!¡±


    Shadows rose up from the ground and leapt onto her, grabbing her legs and arms. She immediately began to fight them. Lydia didn¡¯t waste time. Having worked with the other girls in many desperate situations, they didn¡¯t need but a moment to understand the other members intent. She ran parallel to the wall and ended up side-running up it before jumping off and hitting the column she then leapt through the air at the giant.


    She was about chest¡¯s level, perhaps intended to bounce off the giant¡¯s large breasts to strike her face. The giant managed to rip one hand free of the shadows and swiped it at Lydia.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± I cried out, but Lydia was in midair.


    She was flying helplessly in the direction of the giant¡¯s hand. In a moment, it would strike, and Lydia would be slammed into the wall like a pancake!

 Chapter 565

    I was just about to prepare Cushion, hoping to mitigate the damage that was about to befall my poor Lydia. However, before I had even raised a hand, I noticed that Lydia¡¯s face held absolutely no alarm. Rather, she seemed to be expecting this.


    Suddenly, her feet seemed to touch a glowing platform that appeared from nowhere, and she leapt again, dodging the hand and coming right at the giant woman¡¯s eye. This was the so-called legendary double jump! I hadn¡¯t realized Lydia had gained such a skill! Well, I had six girls with me and nearly twenty jobs to juggle, a few things slipped by me. I¡¯d have to find out later whether it was Scout or Advanced Swordsmen that allowed her to do that. There was honestly a case for both.


    The giant freed her other hand and she managed to swat Lydia, who rather than fly away, struck her hand. The two collided with a booming sound, but despite all physics, Lydia remained in place. It was only then I realized that Celeste had created a platform of Air for Lydia to hold against the giant. Was it Celeste who had perfectly timed the double jump as well? My girls were really becoming something incredible!


    ¡°Now!¡± Terra¡¯s eyes opened, and she pulled a boulder twice the size of the giant¡¯s head directly toward her.


    This had been their true attack all along. The others had all been distractions and feints to open up room for Terra, the usual defender, to deliver a devastating blow. With all her might, she drew a bolder towards herself. She could do this far more powerfully than she could hurl one as an Earth Manipulator. However, it was usually a suicidal move, that was unless there was a powerful and large object between her and her object. It was like her own personal Meteor, and it slammed into the giant¡¯s back without her defending at all.


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    There was a resounding boom, and Lydia leapt away as the rock struck true. A wave of dust exploded out as the rock slammed into her back. Even if it didn¡¯t kill her, it definitely had to hurt a lot. There was no way she¡¯d be standing after this. The entire dungeon was shaking after all, and dust filled the air blinding all of us.


    Celeste waved her hand, moving the dust away and clearing the room quickly. When it was done, the blood started to run out of my face. Standing in the middle of the room, having not taken a single step, was the giant. She had a slightly hunched look and a frown on her face.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ that barely fits as a massage!¡± She snorted. ¡°You call that a hit.¡±


    The girls, who had perhaps delivered one of the strongest hits they had ever done by working together as a team, were crestfallen when they saw the apparent failure. The giant didn¡¯t even have a bruise on her. At best, it was like getting a strong slap on the back.


    ¡°So, that is all your group has?¡± She sighed and shook her head. ¡°I was hoping to be entertained. Instead, I¡¯m just disappointed. I won¡¯t even take pleasure in your deaths.¡±


    My mind worked furiously, trying to figure out what to do. Suddenly, the words she just said clicked. I looked up at her defiantly. She seemed to notice the change in my demeanor and then cocked her head with interest. It looked like she was willing to give me a second chance.


    ¡°Who says we¡¯re done?¡± I declared. ¡°Rather¡­ if it is pleasure that you want¡­ that¡¯s my specialty!¡±

 Chapter 566

    ¡°Ahhhn! N-no! Not¡­ ahhnnn¡­ not there! I-it¡¯s sensitive!¡±


    ¡°Harder!¡±


    ¡°A-ahh¡­ b-beast!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let up! Keep at it!¡±


    ¡°Master, I¡¯m growing tired!¡±


    ¡°This is a team effort! Keep going!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ th-that tickles! Ahhhn¡­ that¡¯s incredible!¡± The giant moaned and gasped.


    She was on the ground now, her back bare as the giant blouse and brassiere had been cut in the back. Her skirt still covered her lower section, but other than that, she was splayed out on the ground defensively while attack after attack was leveled at her.


    ¡°Psionic Blow! Psionic Blow!¡± Miki¡¯s psionic attack called small fist-sized blows to appear on the giant¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Wind Blast! Wind Blast!¡± Celeste¡¯s attack was different, but also resulted in similar blows lower down on her back.


    ¡°Ah¡­ah¡­ah¡­. R-r-r-right t-t-t-there!¡± She gasped.


    Terra had two boulders and was bouncing them up and down on her buttocks in quick order, letting gravity bring them down and causing her whole body to shake. Even her voice had a stutter sound to it.


    ¡°You know, you have really pretty nails. You should take care of them more!¡± Lydia said, dancing around her hands as she cut and cleaned her nails with her sword.


    ¡°R-really?¡± The giant blushed cutely. ¡°I still think makeup is a bit much.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Faeyna sniffed while painting her face with broad strokes. ¡°It¡¯s important every girl should have a day to pamper herself!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been cooped up in this dungeon my entire life. This is the first time I¡¯ve ever felt this way.¡± She said nervously. ¡°Is this okay? You¡¯re all working so hard on my behalf¡­¡±


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    ¡°Nonsense! Since we can do something! We should!¡± Shao announced, who was standing on her head.


    She was giving her a scalp massage while also using shadow magic to shape her hair.


    ¡°Th-thank you!¡±


    It took a bit to get her to this state. I first gave my plan to the girls in my Slave Communication. After convincing them I wasn¡¯t just trying to woo a giant, they finally agreed to my plan. We first chopped off her blouse with wind magic. She grew flustered enough that we somehow managed to trip her onto the ground. Then, we began working. When all the attacks we delivered were blunted to the best of our ability, to a girl like her, it only felt like pushes of a massage. So, that was ultimately my plan. She wanted to be entertained and feel pleasure, and since our hits felt like a massage, we might as well go that direction all the way.


    Where was I while the girls were working? I was down on her feet. I was walking up and down them. I started between the toes, but she was ticklish, and I almost got kicked into a wall, so I just concentrated on the soles. I also used Refresh and various other spells to give her a good and relaxed feeling. Miki similarly used her Spiritualist abilities to enhance her sensitivity and pleasure. This made the blows feel more impressive and satisfying. I also had Monster Tamer equipped, not because I wanted to tame her, but because it had several mood relaxing abilities too, further putting her in a relaxed state.


    We worked hard for nearly fifteen minutes, but that level of continued skill use, even with the girls sipping Waters of Life in between, was starting to wear them down and it was clear we couldn¡¯t keep it up anymore. Faeyna had finished her face, which had taken all the makeup on Faeyna to complete, yet she still seemed to skillfully blend it to make the giant look pretty. Her hair was up and as nicely done as any girl fresh from a hairstylist. Her nails were also clean and cut, although we didn¡¯t have that level of nail polish.


    ¡°You said your muscle knot was above the small of you back?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ my chest is so large¡­ it puts a lot of strain there¡­¡±


    I figured I¡¯d end it by helping her relieve that stress. However, it¡¯d take quite a bit. Therefore, I planned all of us to attack it at once.


    ¡°Ready? Go!¡± All of the girls delivered their attacks on her knot.


    As for me, I used Haste to increase my speed and planned to do a running jump, slamming down on her back the best I could. However, just as I went to jump, my foot struck a rock. I leapt up, but I didn¡¯t gain the air I was planning. With the speed of Haste, I found myself hurtling forward in a low arc. A second later, I realized the direction I was flying. I gave out a cry, but it was too late.


    I flew forward and went straight up her skirt between her legs. The force wasn¡¯t small, and I quickly learned there weren¡¯t undergarments in a giant¡¯s size. I plunged into a dark, wet cave.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhnnnnn!¡± A screaming moan was let out by giant driven to the heights of pleasure and then finally given release.


    {You have tamed a giant.}


    {You managed to tame a monster many levels higher than your current skill. You¡¯ve gained additional experience.}


    {Monster Tamer has increased to level 26!}

 Chapter 567

    ¡°Master¡­ you promised!¡± Lydia had her hands on her hips and a no-nonsense tone.


    ¡°I¡­ I almost died.¡±


    ¡°You tamed another girl! And right in front of us!¡± Miki pouted.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t breathe, and then her muscles contracted suddenly, and I was crushed. My ribs were broken¡­¡±


    ¡°To think¡­ Master, even goes for that type.¡± Terra pondered.


    ¡°I even activated Second Chance. If she didn¡¯t end up squirting in the end and I shot out like a cannon, I would have died in there¡­¡±


    ¡°Master is seriously the worst!¡± Shao crossed her arms and made an unhappy face. ¡°I can¡¯t even eliminate this one like I eliminated that other¡­ ahem¡­ nevermind.¡±


    ¡°I saw my life flashing before my eyes. Then I literally burst out of a vagina¡­ I feel like that is a metaphor for something,¡± I ignored the girls while staring blankly at my hands. ¡°Crushed to death by a giant pussy? Is this some kind of statement about my life?¡±


    While I was going through a mental crisis and the girls were trying to admonish me with their words, the giant herself had recovered from her spa day and was now hiding behind a pillar as she got dressed. It was taking a while since she had to work around her cut up clothing. Furthermore, every few moments, she would look out behind the pillar, glance at me, then blush before hiding again.


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    ¡°What pussy? She¡¯s a giant!¡±


    ¡°Lydia, you do know that pussy is another word for¡­¡± Miki leaned forward and whispered.


    ¡°Eh? But pussy stands for pussycat! I¡¯ve been telling everyone I¡¯m Master¡¯s pussy!¡± Lydia cried out.


    ¡°Yes, we know, but given your history¡­ we sort of assumed you were just being bold¡­¡± Terra explained sympathetically.


    Lydia¡¯s face turned red. ¡°All this time, you all knew I was acting foolish?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one trained as a whore? How did you not know this?¡±


    ¡°I always assume madame just wanted me to emphasize my catgirl race! Like when she told me to say, ¡°Oh, yeah¡­ you pound that pussy!¡±, isn¡¯t that for sadists?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°N-no!¡± She covered her face. ¡°This is the worst!¡¯


    ¡°Why is no one comforting me?¡± I asked, ¡°I really almost died here! My entire life almost amounted to permanent death by vagina! I don¡¯t think I can even look at a woman¡¯s pussy the same again!¡±


    ¡°Master, now is not the time! Lydia is having a real crisis here. You shouldn¡¯t tease her!¡± Shao admonished.


    ¡°Master, even I know when to not joke around.¡± Miki glanced away.


    ¡°I may never be able to make love to a woman again. The mere sight of a vagina will cause me great mental anguish!¡± I cried out. ¡°This is serious!¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Lydia sighed, then she suddenly moved, appearing behind Faeyna, ¡°Please observe these carefully.¡±


    She lifts up Faeyna¡¯s shirt, who is the only person not in armor where her outfit could be quickly lifted. Two large things burst out, bouncing up and down.


    ¡°A-ah! M-master! Don¡¯t look!¡± Faeyna bit her finger, a blush on her cheek as she turned away, although she was still watching me out of the corner of her eye to see my reaction, and wasn¡¯t fighting to cover herself at all.


    ¡°Shao, check!¡±


    Before I could react, I realized Shao was already on her knees kneeling next to me. She pushed a single index finger out, pushing against the tip of a hard tent in my pants. ¡°He¡¯s aroused!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± I didn¡¯t respond as I turned around. ¡°Let¡¯s just get going.¡±


    The teamwork of the girls was getting to a level that was too powerful, even for me. I¡¯d need to step in soon, probably.

 Chapter 568

    ¡°I-it¡¯s not like I consider you my Master or anything¡­¡± The giant woman blushed while holding her hair like a ponytail.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Your methods may have defeated me, but that was only because I wasn¡¯t prepared for such an attack!¡±


    ¡°Exactly¡­¡±


    ¡°Although¡­ my bond to this dungeon does appear to be broken. The doors have opened, and I¡¯d be able to freely move throughout this dungeon, although there isn¡¯t much room for me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­ will be destroying it soon, won¡¯t you? This dungeon, I mean? Although I no longer am attached, I cannot live without the miasma of a dungeon. Just like a fairy can¡¯t live long without a rich source of mana, I cannot live without that, since my form is dependent on it. This is fine. My defeat was always an inevitability. I just feel frustrated. I am unable to fight against it.¡±


    It was the same way for the siren. I didn¡¯t just make her the boss of my dungeon for kicks. She needed the miasma produced from the dungeon to remain alive. Smaller monsters were less dependent on the dungeon¡¯s miasma, but bosses were basically attached to the dungeon and required the miasma to stay alive. Of course, since I could capture miasma now, and Shao could even make Miasma, I could carry it around and feed it to someone with such a dependency.


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    The same situation existed for the Fairy Queen Astria. She and other normal fairies needed large quantities of mana to remain healthy. That¡¯s why they created and stayed around mana springs, and why the creation of her mana spring resulted in many fairies appearing. Although she was a Dark Fairy, Astria probably could consume miasma too. As far as Celeste went, because she had evolved into a Sylph, she wasn¡¯t the same as a fairy that needed mana. She was closer to an elemental, so as long as she could enjoy the wind every once in a while, she was fine.


    At first, I was just going to leave, but the giant¡¯s comments made me feel a sense of responsibility. It had nothing to do with the fact that certain things had happened and I had ended up inside her. Rather, it was in spite of that! Ahem¡­ I simply just didn¡¯t want such an intelligent and nonviolent being¡¯s death on my hands. Plus, given her strength and calm nature, she¡¯d probably make a good tool in training my soldiers to fight larger opponents.


    In the end, I told her about my own dungeon, and offered to send her there.


    ¡°R-really? You¡¯ll take me away from this curse and allow me to live in peace?¡± Her eyes brightened. ¡°Please! I¡¯m so happy!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if I could, but if I concentrated, I could make the portal larger. It ended up just large enough that she could barely crawl through. I¡¯d send her back along with a message to the siren that the giant was in charge. She¡¯d likely get pouty at me, but between the two, I actually found myself trusting this giant I just met a bit more. I heard from Raissa the siren had already attempted to woo a few men to her side already when she thought no one was looking.

 Chapter 569

    ¡°Before you go, I had a few questions for you!¡± I said as the giant got down to enter the portal.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right,¡± The giantess said, stopping at the entrance. ¡°To answer your question, yes, a group did come through. It was a tough fight, and I had even killed a few. I was on the verge of winning when a cloaked man hiding in the back emerged. He is likely this King you speak of. He was strong and regal, and managed to get me to my knees. He reminded me a bit of you. In the end, he said he couldn¡¯t bear to destroy a woman with such a magnificent chest.¡±


    ¡°What kind of man do you take me for!¡±


    She chuckled lightly. ¡°The second man who made me fall to my knees. Although, this time, I¡¯m doing it willingly!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah¡­ about that¡­ um¡­ this dungeon is how many levels? Do you know?¡±


    She nodded thoughtfully. ¡°It is as you think, just thirty-five levels deep. It only grew deeper rather recently. I was on the twentieth floor until the growth a few years ago. Then I was brought to the thirtieth.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ so that¡¯s how it works? You started on the tenth and then moved up with each, becoming more powerful and smarter?


    She grinned sadly, ¡°If you wish to try to understand dungeons, you¡¯re following a fool¡¯s journey. They are unpredictable and picky. Every curse follows its own unique rules, and while they tend to act similarly, never expect a dungeon not to pull the rug out from under you as soon as you grow comfortable. They are quite good at that.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ you sound like you weren¡¯t made from the dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°I was made from the curse¡­ and the curse has the thoughts and wills of those who were caught up in it. Some may be living; some may be dead. Now that I am no longer under the curse¡¯s control, my mind is free to wonder. I was created based on the emotions of a certain woman, although her name is gone, and I no longer remember it. If you were hoping I could tell you how to solve this curses lore, I¡¯m afraid I lack that knowledge. Although the lore wants to be completed, it¡¯s like saying grass wants to grow. While it certainly pushes towards this act, it neither understands how or what its final objective is.¡±


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    ¡°It¡¯s more like a force of nature than a creature¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°Perhaps¡­ although a force of nature usually wouldn¡¯t react to the actions of an individual.¡± She pondered.


    ¡°Master, we should¡­¡± Lydia spoke up as I sat staring at the giant, perhaps wasting a bit too much mana keeping the door open so long.


    It was Celeste¡¯s mana, and she was sweating and breathing hard. I shouldn¡¯t have opened the portal until she was ready!


    ¡°Ah!¡± The giantess snapped, a sound that actually created enough wind to cause my hair to move a bit. ¡°I almost forgot to say something.¡±


    ¡°Well, hurry!¡± I said, coughing in embarrassment.


    She also blushed, shooting a sympathetic smile Celeste¡¯s way before turning serious. ¡°Even if you fight your way down to the 34th floor, you¡¯ll never make it to the final floor! The door to the boss room is closed. It has been closed for some time.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I was shocked for several reasons. First, that must mean the king was alive and in there. It also must mean that I had no clue how to rescue him.


    ¡°No matter how much you attack that door, you¡¯ll never be able to open it with your current strength¡­¡± She paused for a second, as if she was hesitating on something, but then she decided with a firm expression. ¡°Return to the safe room in the floor above. I still have enough control in this dungeon that I was able to grant you and your party access to the dungeon transportation system. In other words, simply use the DTS to reach the 34th floor safe room, then you will be able to find out what happened.¡±


    With one last nod, she plunged into the portal and disappeared to beyond. Rather than looking toward the stairway going down, the group of us were looking at the stairway going up. We had reached the end of the line so quickly. We had only just started getting ready for another long haul, but it was here already. It wasn¡¯t even past noon yet, so there was plenty of time.


    ¡°S-should we go?¡± Lydia asked nervously.


    ¡°I suppose¡­ we should get this over with.¡± I decided hesitantly.

 Chapter 570

    The group of us returned to the 29th floor. The door closed behind us to rejuvenate the next boss after the giant. I didn¡¯t think she had lied to us, but even if she did, I had peeked past the doors on this side, and if push came to shove it should be enough for me to Portal to the other side of the boss room. Therefore, we had nothing to lose.


    We took a break and ate something. Faeyna insisted on cooking, but she found herself slightly disappointed that she hadn¡¯t had a chance to gain levels yet. The last few levels had been surprisingly light on enemies, and while taming gave my Monster Tamer a ton of experience, it hadn¡¯t affected any of my other jobs, let alone the girls¡¯ jobs.


    Finally, we touched the Kiosk and set to go to the 34th floor. I was only a little surprised when it actually worked. The group of us disappeared from the room into a similar-looking one. In this one, the door was shut permanently and could not be opened again until the boss was dealt with. Furthermore, down below, there was no door, but a light flickering beyond. It was time to take on the final boss.


    We had already been prepared to fight the final boss today, so nothing had really changed. We had met the giantess, and although we hadn¡¯t managed to defeat her in a typical way, I wouldn¡¯t say that it was so bad that we were dispirited. In a serious fight, there was no saying whether we could have eventually dropped her or not. It might have taken a lot of time and all of our most powerful skills, but we might have been able to do it.


    Knowing that the boss after her ought to be even more powerful than that left me feeling a bit worried, but I tried to remain optimistic. If push came to shove, I would heal the girls, and we¡¯d all flee back up and Portal away. Even if we did fail, the mission would be complete. After walking into that boss room, I¡¯d know the fate of the King. If we could help him escape, we would.


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    Thus, defeating the final boss was not truly our goal here, and that took a lot of pressure and worry off of us. The me who had charged into the final boss room of Mina and Karr¡¯s dungeon had truly been too na?ve, and if it wasn¡¯t for various special circumstances, I absolutely would have died in both situations.


    While the girl¡¯s started checking their supplies and making sure they were ready for the fight, I went to check the mural. This was the final piece of the puzzle, and thus the most important part to me. There were eight murals in all depicting what happened in the dungeon. That was eight chances to unwrap its secrets. Furthermore, the bosses themselves usually held some key. As the giantess herself said, every boss was created with the feelings and thoughts of the people involved in the curse. In that respect, understanding the bosses was another part of understanding the dungeon. It was a siren, a copycat, and a giant. What would the final room show me?


    As my eyes looked upon the mural, I saw the image of a woman in a room with a man. The woman who was a maid was standing by his bedside, and he looked like he was dead. This must be the point where he had been poisoned by his wife, except¡­ this woman looked to be his wife as well! She was glowing with power, and then, in the next image, it showed her in his place as he wept at her feet. The final image showed him on a throne, with a crown on his head.


    ¡°Oh¡­ no¡­¡± I gasped.


    ¡°What? What is it?¡± Celeste asked excitedly, looking at the mural absently.


    ¡°Do you see?¡± A voice came from the stairway, causing all of us to glance over. ¡°Do you understand it now?¡±


    Standing there was a man who looked to be in his 50s with a grey beard. He had a straight back, strong features, but seemed to be wearing a pair of loose-fitting pajamas, which took away a bit of his regal air.


    ¡°Hello, King Aberis,¡± I responded simply.

 Chapter 571

    ¡°K-k-king!¡± Lydia cried out, falling to her knees.


    The other girls followed suit, with only me remaining standing as I glanced at the King suspiciously. He did look a bit like his son. He was an attractive man with a sort of vigorous air about him. Although he looked old, he also appeared like the kind of guy who could lead an army and fight in a battle. He had a certain awe-inspiring air about him.


    ¡°It¡¯s time you come home,¡± I said in the gentlest voice I could.


    He snorted loudly. ¡°Who is telling me that? Some stranger like you?¡±


    ¡°Your son sent me. He requested that I bring you out of here.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow, not out of curiosity but derision, ¡°Oh, he did, did he? Well, go back to Junior and tell him to quit bugging old men!¡±


    With that, he spun around and started walking down the stairway. I followed behind him, and the startled girls all got up and joined behind.


    ¡°Your daughter is also worried!¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ now that I don¡¯t believe!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true! She said that she was scared you were hurt and that she missed you!¡±


    He stopped for a second, looking back. ¡°R-really?¡±


    I nodded and lied. ¡°She did!¡±


    ¡°Bah!¡± He shook his head. ¡°She¡¯ll be fine without me. She just needs to find a good man and settle down. Not someone like you, though. I won¡¯t have my daughter marrying some Dungeon Diver for hire!¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m a Viscount, my lord. Viscount Deek Deekson.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Never heard of you. I take it you¡¯re a new noble, huh? So, my son sent you down here because he¡¯s too scared to come himself? Hmmm¡­ what a child!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± Lydia whispered to Miki, ¡°I thought he was trapped down here? Isn¡¯t this the final bosses¡¯ room?¡±


    He stopped again and spun back so quickly I almost jumped. He took Lydia¡¯s hand and without missing a beat, kissed the top of it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my sweet dear, I didn¡¯t introduce myself properly. I am King Edward Aberis the first. Well, I would be if that loser of a son of mine didn¡¯t become second!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I demanded. ¡°You¡¯re still alive! Why would he become second?¡±


    ¡°I quit! I stopped being King a long time ago. Go tell him that. Tell him I quit.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t quit! You¡¯re the King!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of being a dictator if you can¡¯t even dictate when you¡¯re done doing it?¡±


    I blinked at his words, and he made a face and waved his hand disgustedly. ¡°Ah¡­ whatever.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on!¡± Shao spoke up for the rest of the girls who all had confused expressions.


    About the only one following along with the conversation was me. That¡¯s because I had already worked out some of what was happening. It was a guess really, but as we entered the boss room, I got my answer immediately.


    The room was large, just like any boss room, but it was also filled with treasures. It looked like someone ransacked the treasure room and brought stuff out here like they were setting up to live. There was a large four canopy bed, dressers, clothing, jewelry and food strewn about the room. There was movement on the bed, and a beautiful woman seemed to rise from the sheets.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ oh? You¡¯ve brought guests?¡± She asked in a beautifully angelic voice that made even Celeste feel slightly jealous.


    ¡°They were just leaving!¡± He snorted before a big smile formed on his face, and he ran over to her lovingly.


    ¡°Deek, do you get what is going on?¡± The girls asked.


    ¡°Girls¡­ meet the Widow of Widow¡¯s dungeon. She gave her life so King Aberis could live. She would be his wife, Queen Aberis!¡±

 Chapter 572

    ¡°If you know this much.¡± The King sighed as he sat in a chair next to the bed that contained his wife. ¡°Then you understand why I stayed and why haven¡¯t left.¡±


    ¡°So, that story was about you? You¡¯re the Hero?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m no Hero¡­¡± the King shook his head. ¡°Rather, it is my beautiful wife here who is the Hero. They used to call her the Maid Hero. She used to travel the world with that other woman. I was just a young, dumb man with a sword.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ it was the maid who became queen and the other woman who became jealous?¡± I realized I had the story mixed up a bit.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to stop asking questions until I answer everything, are you?¡± The King sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just trying to understand. For example, how can this dungeon form from your wife¡¯s death if it¡¯s already thirty-five years old.¡±


    ¡°Is that not simple? My wife died thirty-five years ago.¡±


    ¡°What? But Edward and Eliana?¡±


    ¡°Edward is thirty-six years old. As for Eliana¡­ she is actually the daughter of a slave-girl I took a fancy to. Ahem¡­ let¡¯s not talk about that now.¡±


    The woman on the bed had given him a tight-lipped look, and he blushed. This news was a bit surprising.


    ¡°Edward is 36?¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ he looks and acts young, doesn¡¯t he? However, you can see he is clearly old enough to rule. There is no reason for him to refuse the crown. He should have taken it a decade ago, but he¡¯s been afraid he won¡¯t be able to do the job well. If you think I left the kingdom just for myself, you¡¯re too na?ve. I was also giving him a chance to finally take the throne. After six months of disappearance, he should have already claimed it.¡±


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    ¡°He hasn¡¯t! Plus, Ost republic is causing issues, and so is the Imperial Cloud. He needs your help, he really does.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help him forever.¡± The King responded, looking away sadly, ¡°At some point, a man has got to become a real man. I just don¡¯t know how to get him to see it.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ come back with me! Maybe we can convince him together!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Deekson, was it? I won¡¯t be returning. I heard a rumor that my wife was resurrected in this dungeon. I took the chance. Now, here I am. I¡¯m not willing to lose her again, so I will remain here by her side, even if I can never touch her.¡±


    He shot her a questioning expression, but the woman herself raised her hands and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You must understand that I¡¯m only a fragment of the real queen¡¯s soul and memories, corrupted by this curse. I¡¯m a cursed being and by all accounts a monster. That¡¯s what happened to everyone he came with; they all died fighting me. I consumed their souls. Husband managed to contain me and erect this barrier. While I am on this bed, my mind is kept in control, and I will not attack, but it is no existence for my husband to remain as my bodyguard.¡±


    ¡°Elaya, what are you saying?¡±


    She smiled sadly at him before turning to me. ¡°Since I have my mind now, I recognized that I am nothing but a broken existence, a monster that feasts on the souls of the living! Husband won¡¯t listen. He has abandoned life to sit vigil over my grave, but it hurts my heart every day to see him like this.¡±


    ¡°Elaya! Enough!¡± His face turned angry.


    ¡°So¡­ I ask you, please, while my soul is contained, kill me, and allow Husband to finally leave and return to his responsibilities.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her!¡± King Aberis spun to me. ¡°If you take a step near us, I will cut you all down where you stand! I will protect this dungeon with my life!¡±


    Through various circumstances, it turned out that the final boss is none other than the King himself!

 Chapter 573

    ¡°Don¡¯t give me such an intimidating look!¡± I cried as the King stared at me, looking ready to cut my party and me down.


    ¡°Hmph! Aren¡¯t you a Dungeon Diver? Any Dungeon Diver should be prepared to die at any moment! Especially since you wanted to fight the boss of this dungeon. Had I been dead, do you think she would have gone easy on you? Are you a man at all?¡±


    Perhaps not¡­ but it seemed like she fit into the ghost category. Under her monster identify she came off as a Phantasm. That meant I could use Resurrection, Ghostbane, Exorcism, fairy fire, and Miki¡¯s spiritualism. It could be said that our party was most suited for fighting ghosts and undead. If the situation was different, I felt like we had a real possibility of being able to defeat the Widow Queen.


    ¡°Ahem, rather, I¡¯m still a bit confused. The murals didn¡¯t match up with my expectations. If you¡¯re the Widow, shouldn¡¯t it be Widower¡¯s Dungeon or something?¡±


    He snorted and then shook his head. ¡°I suppose I can tell you. It¡¯s not like my history is all that secret. If this dungeon were in Aberis and not out in the wilds, I would have found out about this dungeon ages ago and so would all of Aberis.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m the Queen of Aberis. They call me the Maid Hero.¡± The woman on the bed said with a gentle smile, her beauty coming out in waves which would cause any heart to flutter.


    ¡°I¡¯m a commoner.¡± King Aberis said plainly, ¡°Or I used to be, at least. One day, my wife and her companion, the Princess Hero, ended up in a fight that they couldn''t win. Just when it seemed like the women would fall, I helped them escape. It wasn¡¯t anything so magnificent as the mural shows. I simply gave them a place to hide. You see, they had been trying to kill a Demon Lord who had thought to set up a kingdom south of the Imperial city. He sailed down and around with his army and landed on the shores of Os.¡±


    ¡°Ost Republic? Not Aberis?¡±


    ¡°Oh? You must not be a citizen of Aberis? To be able to get my son to hand you a noble status, you must have accomplished something incredible.¡±


    ¡°I defeated a demon lord.¡±


    ¡°Geh!¡± He broke into a cough and then looked away. ¡°Well, I suppose that¡¯s a manly enough achievement, I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°So, what am I confused about?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ Aberis is a rather young country. The Demon Lord Aberis actually formed it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Fufu¡­ you didn¡¯t even know that much? Aberis was mostly humans, but demons suppressed us for nearly twenty years. Our country was carved out of pieces of the Imperial Cloud Meadow, and Osteria, a country that no longer exists. All that is left of them is the wildlands.¡±


    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is¡­¡±


    ¡°The country of Aberis had only existed for a few decades!¡±

 Chapter 574

    ¡°So, what does this all have to do with you and the Queen?¡±


    ¡°Fufu¡­ of course, the Queen was the hero who fought against and eventually slayed the Demon Lord. After that, she took on the name of Aberis and became the Queen of this country.¡±


    That started to explain a lot of things about Aberis. They were a very new country which sprung out of the ashes of a hated Demon Lord¡¯s hostile takeover. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t get along with the Imperial Cloud Meadow, Ost Republic, or probably even Dioshin. They had stolen their land, after all. Those who had been suppressed by the demon lord had formed a bond after years of oppression where their previous countries failed to fight and win back their freedom.


    When one of their own finally rose up and did the job, those of Aberis, rather than split the land up, decided to band together and form a country of their own. Other countries still looked down on them, but they stood fast under the pretense of their shared comradery.


    ¡°What about the other demons?¡±


    ¡°Expelled.¡± He shrugged. ¡°They were purged from the land. It wasn¡¯t our proudest moment, but if we had tried to integrate the demons into our country, the Imperial Cloud Meadow would have determined us an enemy and attacked. Furthermore, after being oppressed for so many years, there is a lot of resentment. It¡¯s for that reason that Aberis has remained mostly human up until now.¡±


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    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°So, I hope you understand now. It isn¡¯t just that my son isn''t ready to take over the kingdom himself; it is that I was never fit to be King in the first place. I only happened to marry the hero Queen and outlive her.¡±


    ¡°The King is being modest.¡± The Queen spoke up. ¡°He was a Hero too in his day.¡±


    ¡°I never did have the accomplishments you did with that woman. They¡¯ll give any noble the hero status these days. You were a True Hero. That can only be earned.¡± He glanced at me. ¡°I suppose you are a True Hero as well? My son would have been better off using your talents than sending you after some old man who gave up on life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still confused. The mural shows you as being the one who was assassinated.¡±


    ¡°High-level heroes have an ability. It¡¯s called Final Trade. Have you seen it?¡± The Queen asked.


    I shook my head.


    ¡°It comes at level 50 Hero.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I had stopped putting much experience into Hero since True Hero unlocked, so I hadn¡¯t seen level 50 yet.


    ¡°It¡¯s a means of exchanging your life and soul for that of another. It naturally can only be used once. She had used a savage poison that polluted the soul and held back resurrection. Therefore, the only way I could save him was to use the Final Trade. I gave my life so that he could live. I had become a Widow¡­ so I made the final choice to bring him back.¡±


    The King¡¯s expression turned even more bitter. ¡°So, do you understand enough? The rightful Queen of the country gave her life for me. Although the country accepted me as their ruler, there are still some dissenters.¡±


    ¡°Lord Reign¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ to name one. So, you see, it is best if I stay down here. I will keep this dungeon from growing. In exchange, I can even help our kingdom earn some Orichalcum. It is up to you and my son what to do with it from there.¡±

 Chapter 575

    ¡°I only have one last thing I¡¯m confused about. Who is the other girl? Who is the one who poisoned and assassinated you?¡±


    ¡°A woman who I love.¡± The Queen spoke up sadly.


    ¡°You love?¡± I let out a cry.


    She chuckled. ¡°What? Did you think a beautiful young woman wouldn¡¯t play in her youth? She wasn¡¯t just my companion, but my partner! Oh, don¡¯t look so surprised. Do you claim not to bed the women in your party?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ ahem¡­ that¡­¡± I blushed, realizing the Queen was actually bisexual.


    Although all the girls in my party played together, I didn¡¯t think of them specifically as bisexual. The closest was probably Lydia, who had been mentally prepared to satisfy women and men. For the most part, their interactions with each other only took place with me, and they didn¡¯t pursue relationships with each other outside of my bedroom. I couldn¡¯t even say how I¡¯d feel if they did start showing an interest in each other.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m perhaps the one to blame. I took my relationship with her too casually so that when I pursued Edward, she flew into a jealous rage. I had hoped¡­ that sharing would resolve everything, but in the end, she wasn¡¯t up to it.¡±


    ¡°What? Sharing?¡±


    ¡°The King and I had an open relationship. I brought her to be his second wife. Unfortunately,¡± she sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t consider their own feelings in the matter.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why I was surprised by these words. It wasn¡¯t abnormal in this world for men to have multiple women, and for a King to have two wives and a harem seemed pretty normal. However, it still put me off guard that such a woman existed other than my own girls. I actually found myself kind of liking the Queen.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I looked at the King. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a man?¡±


    After him questioning my manhood a few times, I decided to fling it back in his face. Reaching out and grabbing my girls, I pulled them all to me. The girls all blushed but held me. The Queen¡¯s eyes widened for a second and then she chuckled, seemingly impressed with what she saw. That caused me to finally blush. I wasn¡¯t that bold yet.


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    The King glowered angrily. ¡°I had no feelings for that woman! Besides, I only wanted one wife!¡±


    ¡°You say that even though you played with every maid in the palace!¡± The Queen snorted, crossing her arms, before glancing over at me. ¡°He has a thing for maids. Why do you think he was into me so much?¡±


    I blinked, remembering the murals, ¡°Is that what happened? She dressed as a maid and tricked the King to her bed?¡±


    ¡°She used Illusion magic!¡± The King snorted. ¡°The two of them played a trick on me! How could I not be enraged after I went to bed with a petite thing and woke up the next day to that beast of a woman!¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you rejected her¡­ but she was already pregnant.¡± I said, causing the King to lower his head in shame. ¡°So, she killed you and then fled the castle. Then the Queen gave her life to save your sorry ass.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I think I understood now why his kids weren¡¯t that impressed with their father. After everything that happened, he ended up fleeing his responsibilities too, remaining here to live with the ghost of his dead wife.


    ¡°You know, you didn¡¯t just reject that woman¡­ you also rejected your wife too!¡± I said, causing the Queen to look up in surprise, wet tears in her eyes from finally getting the acknowledgement she never thought she¡¯d earn.


    ¡°What do you know?¡± He shot back. ¡°You can¡¯t even choose between one woman, so you surround yourself with dozens. Your happiness will never last!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not for me you decide!¡± I shot back. ¡°I will do everything for these women of mine. I love them, respect them, cherish them. I will support them in everything, and I will never spare them an ounce when I can be giving them my all! That¡¯s what I believe. Some say I don¡¯t control them enough, or I let them get away with too much as women and slaves, but people who say that are just insecure cowards!


    ¡°If you have to control a woman¡¯s every action to feel secure with them. If you have to force them to act monogamously or reject the feelings of other women for fear that you¡¯ll lose what you have, then what you have wasn¡¯t so strong to begin with. That¡¯s what I believe. My women won¡¯t cheat on me not because I ordered their loyalty, but because they don¡¯t feel they need anyone else! I am their everything, and they are mine!¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°My love¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh my¡­¡± The Queen blushed.


    ¡°You¡­¡± The King¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Get out!¡±


    I pulled out my sword. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough to know what I need to do. I will tear down the lore you built, and I will forge a new story!¡±

 Chapter 576

    ¡°You call yourself a noble of Aberis, and you dare raise your sword against the King!¡± He barked.


    ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t you just say you abdicated your position? Which is it? You¡¯re so damn confusing!¡± I egged him on while the girls moved into position.


    They relayed their desires to each other, not through Slave Communication which would have to go through me, but from months of fighting alongside each other in life and death situations. With a single look, the girls had prepared for battle to the point where I didn¡¯t even feel the need to bark out any orders. I decided I¡¯d let them handle the battle. Instead, I focused on support.


    ¡°Hmph! How bold! Then, I¡¯ll show you how a Hero and Dungeon Diver truly fights. Let¡¯s see if you have the power to change my mind.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t plan to give you a choice. Prince Aberis has already ordered you back, dead or alive, I¡¯ve just decided on the dead option. No worries, I¡¯ll break this dungeon shortly after killing you. Although, if I had to guess, this dungeon¡¯s nature would prevent it from consuming your soul even if you were dead!¡±


    I had already guessed that like Karr in Karr¡¯s Dungeon, King Aberis was a special existence in the Widow¡¯s Dungeon. It would likely trap his soul, corrupt it, and he would become a boss. Maybe the giant wouldn¡¯t get a promotion after the next growth period, and we¡¯d have to battle the crazed King or something like that. Either way, it wouldn¡¯t eat away at his soul, but preserve it instead. Even if push came to shove and we somehow failed to finish the dungeon, there would be enough time to rectify the situation, perhaps with someone like General Tibult. I¡¯d only met the son, but the father was probably even more powerful.


    ¡°So, even my son has made such a bold request¡­¡± the King appeared thoughtful for a bit. ¡°Perhaps he really is growing into a proper man. Still, if he feels the need to send riffraff because he¡¯s too cowardly to deal with daddy, then I¡¯ll make sure to teach him a lesson. Since he¡¯s not here, you¡¯ll have to do. You¡¯ll pass on that lesson, won¡¯t you?¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯ll have to pass on your words personally. You won¡¯t have to wait long, though!¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ you don¡¯t have what it takes to-¡°


    ¡°Guys! Are you going to fight already or just crap talk to each other all day!¡± The Queen growled, a vein popping up on her forehead.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ I suppose words truly are wasted on you.¡± The King snorted indignantly.


    ¡°As for me, I was just buying time for my girls to set this up.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Whirlwind Blast!¡±


    ¡°Rock Wall!¡±


    ¡°Darkness Rain!


    ¡°Weaken!¡±


    Despite the spells having different cast times, they were all launched at the exact same time. A rock wall formed behind the King just as a Whirlwind Blast struck him, causing him to slam into it. Just as his back hit it, dark wisps of blackness began to rain on him and the wall. Although a sizzling sound could be heard coming from his skin, it didn¡¯t seem to cause any visual damage. The same couldn¡¯t be said about the earth wall, which quickly became pockmarked under the corrosion. A sickly yellow glow erupted around his body at that moment, which would be the Weaken spell.


    Just as his feet hit the ground and he fell to his knees, Lydia appeared next to him, sending her blade flying out to strike him. Her blade was a dungeon point blade. I didn¡¯t know what would happen to the dungeon point if the blade was destroyed, but at the moment, it was the most powerful weapon she owned. It leveled with her and was basically a reflection of Lydia¡¯s own strength and power. I¡¯d checked it against all the most common weapons in the stores, and it was by far Lydia¡¯s favorite and the most powerful weapon she could use at the moment.


    The King didn¡¯t even move as the sword struck his head. For a brief moment, I thought he¡¯d die in an instant, but the sword struck with a sound of metal against metal. Lydia leapt back, watching the King warily although he hadn¡¯t moved.


    Slowly, he stood back up, reached for his belt, and finally pulled out his sword. ¡°Is that the best you¡¯ve got? Now¡­ it¡¯s my turn!¡±

 Chapter 577

    Lydia and Shao danced around the King, keeping him pinned down. Yet, every attack either girl launched, no matter how tricky, managed to get deflected harmlessly. Celeste filled in the gaps, throwing in a blade of air whenever the King looked like he might get one on one with one of the girls. Miki launched attacks to weaken him, but he seemed to be able to shake them off very quickly.


    As for Terra, she mostly kept me protected, preventing the King from suddenly turning and launching an attack in my direction. They reckoned that he¡¯d think similarly to Alysia in this fight, and would want to knock out both the weakest and the most game-changing person on the board. The result of this was a stalemate that continued on for fifteen minutes. At first, the King had acted arrogantly, but it was quickly becoming apparent that the six of us were about equal against him.


    ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for that potion, you keep drinking and your continuous healing and refreshing, this battle would already be over!¡± The King cursed, blocking a triple strike from Lydia before narrowly dodging a backstab from Shao.


    ¡°You think a healer in battle shouldn¡¯t heal? What next? Should a magician not use magic? Is a Swordsman using a sword cheating against a Pugilist?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s got you there, my former husband.¡± The Queen was just lying down with her chin in her hands, casually watching the fight as if the outcome meant nothing to her.


    ¡°Not helping, honey!¡± He shot back through gritted teeth before shooting me a look. ¡°You seem to misunderstand something.¡±


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    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I can defeat you whenever I want to. I¡¯ve intentionally been holding back. I admit that you have given me a better fight than I expected.¡± He wasn¡¯t breathing hard as he fought, suggesting that he was probably telling the truth. ¡°Since you claim to fight under the orders of my son, and fight for Aberis, it would only be too pitiable if I defeated you. Therefore, I will allow you to live!¡±


    ¡°How kind of you,¡± I sneered, ¡°I¡¯m already willing to put my life on the line, so don¡¯t think such soft tactics would work. Instead, I will give you an offer. This is your last chance to return to Aberis and help your son. This was a country your wife built. By abandoning it to place a ghost on a literal pedestal, you¡¯re not only not doing your wife any honor, but you¡¯re more like a disgrace!¡±


    I noticed out of the corner of my eye that his wife was nodding, clearly in agreement, but the King was long past ignoring such arguments. He was extremely stubborn. Well, I could be stubborn too.


    A vicious smile formed on his face. ¡°I figured you¡¯d say something like that. I did say I wouldn¡¯t kill you, but that doesn¡¯t mean I wouldn¡¯t make you wish you died.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°After I defeat you, I¡¯ll play with your woman¡ªjust one of them. I¡¯ll let her experience the love of a real man. I¡¯ll have to thank you, actually. My wife, in her spiritual form, is something I am unable to touch. Her body is composed of miasma, and even for someone like me, if I were to touch her, she would cause my body to rot away. That means it has been months since I¡¯ve enjoyed the pleasure of a woman! I¡¯ve decided, I¡¯ll allow you to flee, but I¡¯ll keep one of your women to be my playmate to fill my lonely vigil.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯d rape a woman right in front of your wife?¡±


    The Queen let out a sigh. ¡°Husband really is incorrigible. I should warn you he is not fibbing. As for the woman he chooses, that should be obvious! It¡¯d be the maid girl!¡±

 Chapter 578

    ¡°Y-you can¡¯t!¡± I said, stepping forward. ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice that Faeyna is an elf?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Ah! What luck! Your species is all but extinct. An elf maid, it truly is my lucky day.¡±


    ¡°If she has sex, then she won¡¯t be able to produce a baby with anyone else. The elf line will go extinct!¡± I declared.


    ¡°Huh?¡± He looked at me with his head cocked to the side. ¡°Elves don¡¯t imprint through sex. They imprint through the exchange of any body fluids. As for this elf, she has already exchanged body fluids with someone. In reality, no matter what I do to her, she won¡¯t get pregnant!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± I narrowed my eyes angrily, but then the words he said finally struck home.


    Wait. Has she already imprinted with someone? I thought when I bought her. She hadn¡¯t been imprinted. It was a bit of a miracle, almost too good to be true, but she hadn¡¯t exchanged any body fluids with anyone else. After I took her in as a slave, there wasn¡¯t- oh. I suddenly remembered kissing her countless times. The first of which was right after I had saved her from Shao in the Capital city. I turned to look at Faeyna in surprise. Her face was red, and she was looking down.


    ¡°Faeyna¡­ is this true¡­¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­ it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s none of your business?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Wh-who I decide to imprint with is my own choice!¡± She responded insistently.


    ¡°Wait! If that person is me, I definitely should have a say in the matter!¡±


    She looked away this time. ¡°Th-this is why I didn¡¯t want to tell you! I chose you, Master. It has to be you! That was my choice. I don¡¯t care if I grow to be an old lady and die without ever having a baby. It will only be if it is with you!¡±


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    ¡°F-Faeyna¡­¡±


    I heard a loud sob come from her. ¡°I get it! I didn¡¯t want to put that kind of pressure on you. I know you¡¯ve never seen me that way. I see how you look at and love the other girls. You said it yourself. You have no interest in having sex with me. So, just forget you heard anything! I¡¯ll be your cook! I¡¯ll be your maid. I¡¯ll manage your home! I¡¯ll do it all, and I won¡¯t ask for anything! J-just¡­ don¡¯t throw me away!¡±


    She was openly crying now, tears running down her face in streams as she looked away. That¡¯s why she didn¡¯t see me approach, not realizing it when I had raised a hand over her head, and then softly chopped her head.


    ¡°Ah!¡± She cried out, but before she could act, I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly.


    ¡°You dummy,¡± I said, biting the tip of her elf ear. ¡°You should have just made your desires known.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ b-b-but¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts¡­ since my elf girl wants a baby, I¡¯ll give you a baby.¡±


    ¡°I want a baby,¡± Shao said.


    ¡°Not now, Shao!¡± I shot her a glare as she stuck her tongue out at me before turning back to Faeyna. ¡°The first time we kissed, what did I tell you?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ will support me?¡±


    ¡°You are my woman. You have been since the second I bought you. I will support you with everything I have, and give you my everything.¡±


    Tears started to fall down her eyes for a different reason, and her body shook in my arms. She turned around as I still held her closely.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Deek¡­¡±


    ¡°I will never throw away a woman who depends on me, and I will never give up what I have already made mine. That¡¯s simply the kind of person I am now.¡±


    Our lips met, and we kissed passionately. I heard sniffling around me, and I realized the girls were all crying and smiling. Even the queen had a spectral tear in her eye.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± The King¡¯s voice interrupted our moment and there was an ugly expression on his face. ¡°You think you can truly give every woman your all? At some point, you have to choose! There can only be a single woman you can devote yourself to! The rest are just a good time!¡±


    ¡°Those are the words of a man who is too weak to handle more than one woman. To quote a wise ruler, it isn¡¯t enough to be a man, you have to be a man¡¯s man!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see!¡± He spat back. ¡°Words are weak! Let¡¯s see if you truly have the strength to hold on to what you want because I¡¯m going to take it all from you.¡±

 Chapter 579

    I attacked with my sword again and again. However, I wasn¡¯t alone. Lydia fought beside me, and Shao was continuing to provide side support. All six of us were attacking at once. My hope had been to overwhelm the King with a barrage of attacks. Without me focusing on support, we couldn¡¯t keep this up for long, but I was hoping it¡¯d be enough.


    ¡°Is that all you have?¡± He snorted, his sword glowing as he executed a skill. ¡°Precision Strike!¡±


    I just managed to block it, but the strength was many times greater than my own and I went flying back. ¡°Create Cushion!¡±


    I hit a cushioned spot behind me and fell to the ground. I had been getting better at that. In fact, this was the first time I had cast such a high-level White Mage spell without White Mage equipped. It seemed like having it not equipped so often had been good for me, as I was picking up more spells. It wasn¡¯t ideal for casting spells this way. They were clunkier and used more mana, but when your job system was limited, it was either make them work or not have them. It was like having to learn a foreign language. It¡¯d take years under instruction, but If you dived right into a foreign country and had to learn it or starve, you found your mind could pick it up remarkably fast.


    Even then, it wasn¡¯t like I could cast every spell up to level 16s Create Cushion equally. Some spells would fizzle and fail every other attempt, while others I just hadn¡¯t picked up. It was only the ones I used a lot, like Weak Heal, Refresh, and Light that I retained. For that matter, Light was a continuous drain rather than a single time cast. Normally, I regenerated magic faster than it worked, so I could basically leave it on all the time. In current circumstances though, my magic regen was lower, and my Light cost would be higher, so it actually was a continuous drain, and I could only use it in a burst of about an hour. That was the difference between having a job and not, although I bet continued practice would close that gap.


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    I considered sending Faeyna away while we covered her exit. If push came to shove, that would take away his greatest threat. However, I had a feeling he¡¯d focus on one of the other girls instead. In fact, he didn¡¯t seem that interested in any of the women. I had a feeling he was just trying to anger me so that I¡¯d attack him aggressively. Perhaps¡­ of course!


    My eyes snapped to the Queen, still trapped within the magic restrictions on the bed. I may have had my weaknesses, but so did he. I had ended up taking the wrong lessons from General Tibult. I was trying to protect myself for fear the King would focus on me, but the situation in this case was completely reversed. The King had only himself and the one he was trying to protect, while we had a large formation of six fighters.


    The King had realized this from the beginning, and thus he had been throwing out vitriol in an attempt to bring all attention onto himself. After all, if we went after the currently restricted Queen, it would be too easy to cut her down. Once she was defeated, the dungeon lore could be destroyed, and then the King would no longer have any need to be here. It was absolutely his greatest fear in all of this. It was time to change my strategy.

 Chapter 580

    ¡°Give me a second!¡± I leapt back as the other girls continued to fight on.


    I reset Shao¡¯s skills after sending her a warning by Slave Communication, she nodded and fell back while Terra took her place in the front line. Although she was too slow for a direct confrontation with the King, she was still like a rock wall between him and us. As soon as her skills disappeared, her adaptive camouflage disappeared, revealing the horns on her head, she hadn¡¯t been bothering to hide.


    ¡°A demon!¡± The King seemed to notice this. ¡°You dare keep a demon in your party!¡±


    ¡°How bold¡­¡± The Queen gasped.


    The tattoos on my body began to glow as I accessed the store. This sight wasn¡¯t lost on the King either. The second he saw my glowing lore, he faltered for a second, taking one of Lydia¡¯s strikes. It was shallow though, and he had a regen not dissimilar to the General, so it healed far too quickly. Comparatively, if I didn¡¯t constantly heal the girls, their wounds would build up quickly, and their performance would drop within about ten minutes of fighting.


    ¡°You¡­ a True Dungeon Diver as well?¡± He froze for a moment and then shook his head. ¡°No¡­ even so, this isn¡¯t the kind of lore that can be completed. Not unless you brought her here¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t pay attention to his ponderings, instead of going through the store and dumping all five points of Shao¡¯s ability into creating a weapon. It suddenly appeared in her hand, a small dagger.


    ¡°It¡¯s called a spectral dagger!¡± I quickly explained. ¡°Five points. Does massive damage to the spirit, and can even hold it in place.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get that spectral dagger from?¡± The King¡¯s expression darkened before he shook his head. ¡°So, it was your intention to destroy her, after all. Fool! I won¡¯t allow you to kill her, and even if you could kill me, it would undo my restrictions, and she would return back to the monster she was. That¡¯s the only reason she pleaded with you to kill her. At heart, she is still a curse with her own desires and intent. She really wants to be free, so she can consume your souls.


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    ¡°And as for any hope of completing this dungeon, I already figured out the way to do it a long time ago. She wishes to merge with us. Me, and her old companion. That¡¯s why she lured me here only once she felt she was strong enough. She miscalculated, not realizing I also have grown stronger over the years, but her intent was clear. She wants to be in the harem I denied her, even if she has to kill us and corrupt our souls to do it!


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? There is no happy ending here. Only with me can I keep the memory of my wife alive while preventing the growth of this dungeon. I¡¯m the reason she died, so it is my duty to watch over this curse as well.¡±


    ¡°And what happens when you¡¯re too weak? She¡¯ll eventually take you!¡±


    ¡°When I¡¯m too old to protect the dungeon anymore, then I¡¯ll take her life, followed by my own!¡± He declared.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°That¡¯s just not good enough! Shao!¡±


    She disappeared and then reappeared on the other side of the bed. She raised the dagger up to slam it into the Queen¡¯s back.


    ¡°No!¡± The King screamed as all of the other girls attacked simultaneously.


    His body suddenly glowed golden, and he moved like lightning. He slammed a fist forward. The dagger flew out of Shao¡¯s hand and onto the bed as she flew back, slamming into a pillar with enough force that blood spurted out of her mouth. Pure fury was on his face now. His moves had tripled in speed. It was almost like he had activated a Limit Break. No! That was actually a high-leveled Hero ability. He had activated a Limit Break! As he had said, He could take us out at any point.


    He knocked Lydia¡¯s weapon from her hand and then sent her flying with a backhand. Even Terra, whose greatest strength was her defense, broke after three rapid punches to the gut. She crumpled to the ground. He held out his hand as Celeste sent a whirlwind of blades at him. A golden line shot from his hand, breaking through all the spells and then piercing her stomach. She collapsed to the ground. As for Miki, he only snorted, punching out with his palm and causing her to fly back against a wall. Then, his eyes fell on me.

 Chapter 581

    ¡°Take your women and leave.¡± He spoke in a low voice filled with rage. ¡°I won¡¯t warn you again.¡±


    I instinctively looked back at Faeyna. He noticed and snickered.


    ¡°You and I are a lot alike in many ways. We¡¯re loyal, have a love for women and a good fight, and are stubborn to the teeth. However, you¡¯re a bit too young and na?ve yet.¡± The King allowed the rage on his face to lighten. ¡°As fun as it would be seducing a beautiful elf maid, I don¡¯t make it a habit of stealing other men¡¯s women, even if those men selfishly keep an unfair share of them to themselves. At least, all the maids I¡¯ve played with over the years weren¡¯t slaves. Even Eliana¡¯s mother was freed before I touched her. I¡¯ve also never demanded exclusivity from them. They were free to be with other men all they wanted.¡±


    ¡°Easy come¡­ easy go, huh?¡±


    The King snorted. ¡°Yeah¡­ something like that.¡±


    While he was talking, I had already checked to make sure all the girls were alright. Shao was unconscious, but even Celeste who had been pierced was still in an okay condition. However, all five girls were out of the fight. As for the King standing protectively in front of the bed, it was impossible to make an attack on the Queen now.


    Furthermore, Faeyna was behind me, and I had a feeling that despite his words, he¡¯d still use her to threaten me if push came to shove. It was probably for the best that things ended up this way. If I had successfully killed her, the King¡¯s rage would assuredly have resulted in all of our deaths. However, the dungeon might be destroyed, and we¡¯d have a chance at being resurrected. It was a pretty extreme gamble, one that was even more reckless than the time I used Meteor.


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    ¡°Faeyna¡­ do you trust me?¡± I asked using Slave Communication, making sure I didn¡¯t look in her direction at all.


    ¡°I-I do! With my life!¡±


    I sighed and started walking back over to Faeyna. The King cautiously softened his grip as he saw me walk away. However, I stopped when I reached her, giving Faeyna a gentle smile.


    ¡°There is something different between the two of us. Something you could say is irreconcilable.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± He asked suspiciously. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°You want her? Have her!¡±


    I grabbed Faeyna, picked her up, and tossed her as hard as I could across the room. She let out a cry as she flew into the air. My strength was far greater than it used to be. There was no way I could throw a woman her size like that in the past, but now I could do it with ease. Her direction was right at the King. His eyes widened in surprise, and he reached out his hands and caught her, stumbling back until his legs hit the bed.


    ¡°You¡­¡± His face twisted in anger. ¡°Is this how you treat your women? You toss a delicate flower-like a bould- geh!¡±


    His face turned white in mid-sentence, and the anger on his face turned to shock. He looked back to see a dagger in his back, which was being held by Elaya, the Queen.


    ¡°Spectral Dagger¡­¡± She said. ¡°It can cut a spirit directly from a body¡­ and it can also be held by ghosts! You¡¯re right, husband. Once I cut your soul from your body, you will be mine for eternity!¡±


    At that moment, I cast Create Cushion under me, and then immediately positioned shifted. I appeared right in front of the King between his arms, while Faeyna appeared hovering over the spot I had just been. She landed on the cushion of air, hitting the ground softly. The position I was in was the same before and after a shift, so I wasn¡¯t in his arms, and Faeyna was seemingly hovering in the air.


    ¡°The difference between us is that I don¡¯t put girls on a pedestal or treat them like a trophy! When you put a girl on display, all you can do is idolize her or find her flaws!¡±


    ¡°Wha-¡° He had been so caught by being stabbed in the back by his wife, he didn¡¯t even notice me appearing in front of him.


    The dagger had sealed his soul though, and thus his movements were also sealed. So, as my sword took the King¡¯s head, he was powerless to resist.

 Chapter 582

    As the King¡¯s body hit the floor, the formations around the bed steadily dissipated and sparked out of existence. Elaya began to laugh maniacally, raising until she was in a standing position and looking down at me. She spread out her arms as she laughed as if she was embracing her own freedom.


    ¡°Foolish boy! Did you really think I would allow you to just kill me? I do have to thank you, I suppose. You freed his soul from that meat sack. Finally, I can be whole again! If only I could bring her here as well, then my dungeon will finally be complete!¡±


    ¡°So, you really are evil after all¡­ being Queen Elaya was just a lie?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I possess the Queen¡¯s memories and mannerisms, but I am a monster corrupted by the dungeon. No! I am miasma itself! The King was barely able to set up his barriers and contain me, and it took the lives of an entire raid far larger and stronger than your party! Do not think you can defeat me!¡±


    ¡°I never intended to. My goal was to get the King. I have no interest in you or this dungeon. If you give me his soul, then we will depart peacefully.¡±


    ¡°Fufu¡­ you want his soul?¡± She laughed again. ¡°You should be more worried about your own! Do not worry though. I only like to eat male souls. As for your women, I¡¯ll have fun with them for a bit, and if they please me enough, I might let them go.¡±


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    ¡°You too! What is with all of the nobles being borderline rapists?¡±


    ¡°You try living in a dungeon for thirty years without human contact!¡±


    ¡°Touche¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ you seem pretty relaxed about this. Perhaps, you haven¡¯t realized how screwed you are.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I was going to say the same thing.¡± I laughed. ¡°You see¡­ there are two daggers.¡±


    ¡°Geh!¡±


    Just as I said that a second spectral dagger slammed into the back of the Queen, she let out a cry, dropping her own dagger. I had used Terra¡¯s points to summon a second one, and she had given it to Shao, who proceeded to backstab Elaya while she was concentrating on me.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that the spectral dagger can hold a ghost in place?¡± I mentioned. ¡°Miki!¡±


    ¡°A Spiritualist!¡± Her eyes widened in shock as she finally noticed Miki¡¯s spirit tails appear.


    Up until now, Miki had been relying on Psionic abilities and debuffs. This was the first time she was calling on her spiritual powers. A nine-tailed fox was the bane of all ghosts. The spectral dagger as a backstab already hurt, and Shao who already was a darkness attribute had a high resistance to her miasma.


    ¡°Air Chains!¡± Celeste called, restricting her movements further.


    Elaya, rather than rising into the air, ended up collapsing down on her knees. While she struggled to move, Miki began to create her own formations around the bed, re-constructing the cage that had been broken upon the King¡¯s death.


    Elaya grew more panicked as she saw her freedom being stripped from her, but rather than grow fearful, she started laughing cruelly.


    ¡°You think it this easy to restrain a dungeon boss in her own dungeon? You truly are too na?ve! I am powered by miasma, and miasma is produced by my very dungeon! My strength equals the strength of the total dungeon, you fool! Miasma, come! Empower me!¡±

 Chapter 583

    This ultimately was why dungeon bosses were more difficult to deal with than level bosses. Level bosses were created by the dungeon to protect it, while the dungeon boss was basically the manifestation of the curse itself. They were the lynch pin and the center of the curse. They were the object of its creation and were thus supported by all of its power. Treasure, monsters, and even levels could be sacrificed to increase the power of a dungeon boss, albeit not quickly or easily.


    This meant several things. First, that dungeon bosses weren¡¯t instantly replaceable like level bosses. When a level boss died, it took about ten minutes for a new boss to take its place. This new boss was only a shadow of the former boss and would take decades to grow an ego and become sentient. When it came to the dungeon boss, if they died, the lore would become exposed. If for some reason, the invader didn¡¯t destroy it, the core would remain exposed for weeks, maybe even months, while a new dungeon boss was produced.


    The new dungeon boss would take considerable resources, and it wouldn¡¯t be uncommon for the dungeon to shrink. It could shrink in floor size like with Terra¡¯s dungeon, or it could also lose a few levels. Furthermore, treasures would be consumed by the dungeon. This had the added benefit of discouraging people from trying to defeat the dungeon which offered little in reward.


    Secondly, dungeon bosses were extremely powerful and didn¡¯t draw on just their own personal strength, but the reserve miasma of the dungeon too. This could amplify their power in a variety of ways, but for a creature already composed of miasma, like this specter of the Queen, the amplification was clear. Pulling out all of her power and strength, she let out a terrifying scream as she began to consume her own dungeon in order to fight us.


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    It was a scene I had only read about in books. In most guides, it said you never wanted to push a dungeon boss to this point. It was best to kill them quickly or by surprise. If you were lucky, they were too dumb to remember to draw on that strength, or too prideful or cocky to do so. We had never seen it happen before since all of the previous battles had ended in strange or unique ways. As it turned out, today was no exception. Although she tried to pull in miasma, nothing happened. After a moment of lifting her hands to the air, a confused expression appeared on her face.


    ¡°Wh-what is going on?¡± she cried out.


    ¡°Seal complete!¡± as Miki announced, a glow indicated that her containment took effect.


    They were as good if not better than the King¡¯s. Even if he was a higher level, what was a Spiritualist if not a job that could directly control spirits? Who could control them better than a nine-tail fox, a creature called the closest to death! In short, even if she wanted to, the time where she could escape had passed. The Queen looked on absently in disbelief.


    ¡°I should have been able to destroy you all!¡± She cried out. ¡°Why? Why did you defeat me! It was like I had lost control of the dungeon! The only way that could happen is if there was a conflicting dungeon boss in this room with me.¡±


    ¡°Fufufufufu¡­ hehehehehe¡­¡± Laughter started to echo out across the room. ¡°It was I¡­ the true boss!¡±

 Chapter 584

    ¡°Where is that voice coming from?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it sound familiar?¡± Shao added.


    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s here! It¡¯s coming from Deek¡¯s crotch!¡±


    ¡°Deek¡¯s crotch is a dungeon boss! I knew it!¡±


    ¡°Boss battle, go!¡±


    ¡°W-w-wait! Slave Order stop!¡± The girls were seriously about to attack the area between my legs.


    However, they were actually right. The voice was coming from my pants. I undid my pants, causing the Queen¡¯s eyes to widen curiously. Suddenly, it popped out.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°M-mother?¡±


    A form emerged from my untied pants and took two steps in the air before it grew to full size. Her dark, translucent wings fluttered. She stretched out her long pale body, allowing her long black hair to fall over her shoulders. Her black dress cascaded down her body, accentuating her curves, which, while slightly less impressive than her daughter¡¯s, was in many ways more mature and alluring.


    ¡°Astria! What were you doing in my underwear! Rather! How long have you been in there?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ for a splendid amount of time¡­¡± She purred. ¡°I¡¯m surprised daughter hasn¡¯t enjoyed some time down there as I have¡­¡±


    ¡°He always catches me!¡± She pouted, crossing her arms angrily.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ Mother still knows a secret or two. I¡¯ll have to teach daughter!¡±


    ¡°Stop teaching her weird things!¡± I cried out, ¡°Rather, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I was bored at the mana spring. It will grow without me for a bit. I wanted to experience some adventures with my love, and I just knew you¡¯d say no, so I snuck in with you since the beach. I particularly enjoyed when my love slaughtered all of those naked men in an orgy of blood and sex. I couldn¡¯t stop touching myself!¡±


    ¡°Stop being such an evil fairy!¡±


    ¡°Fufu¡­ I can¡¯t help being bad. It¡¯s Deek who makes a girl act so naughty.¡±


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    ¡°She¡¯s right!¡±


    ¡°Not helping Shao!¡±


    ¡°Well, you should be glad I did. I¡¯ve been feeding on the miasma ever since. Before it was only your dungeon I had to feast off of, but I couldn¡¯t cause it any damage, so I had to take meager sips.¡±


    ¡°Is that why your Dark Fairy parts only recently started showing!¡±


    ¡°Fufu¡­ it¡¯s true¡­ Dark Fairies need miasma. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not greedy. With the mana spring going strong, I feed some of the mana into your dungeon. My fairies multiply the mana, which your dungeon eats, turns into miasma, which I then enjoy. It¡¯s a beautiful system you¡¯ve built where everyone becomes stronger. I¡¯ve made sure the spring won¡¯t be corrupted by the dungeon, so it¡¯s perfect. I don¡¯t think there has ever been a dungeon powered by a fairy spring before. You may be surprised by how quickly it is growing, much faster than a normal dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Y-you ate my miasma!¡± The Queen growled.


    ¡°True!¡± She giggled. ¡°And I temporarily interfered with your control. Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m the dungeon boss. I could only interfere for a moment.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± She shook from frustration and anger.


    ¡°So, Master¡­ praise me!¡± She turned to me and tilted her head in my direction.


    ¡°You should always ask first!¡± I hit her head.


    ¡°Ah! M-master realizes I¡¯m a masochist. Chastising is an even bigger reward!¡± She responded, drooling slightly.


    ¡°Well, whatever¡­¡± It was fine since everything worked out, and no one was hurt.


    I ended up turning back to the Queen, frowning. Now that we trapped her, it would be easy to kill her. I could think of a dozen different ways. Resurrection could cause major damage to her spirit. I had the spell as a White Mage spell now on top of the other ways to cast Resurrection.


    ¡°What should we do with her? If we kill her, the King will be angry, but if we don¡¯t, well, his soul¡­¡± Shao said nervously.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t lie,¡± I said. ¡°It was always my intention not to kill her. I don¡¯t know¡­ I took the siren and the giantess, is it really impossible?¡±


    ¡°Fufu¡­ I was waiting for you to ask!¡± Astria announced. ¡°As a former dungeon boss, I can tell you that it is possible! With your Monster Tamer skill, you can take control of her, free her from this dungeon, and then destroy it.¡±


    I nodded, having already accepted that completing it was impossible. I also mentioned this out loud exactly because Astria was here and should know how to help.


    ¡°Alright, how do I free her?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s simple. You must accomplish three things. First, you must tame her. Second, you must cut off her lingering attachments. Third, you must cause her mind so much disorder that it essentially breaks.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simple?¡±


    ¡°It is!¡± She nodded excitedly. ¡°Because I know that Deek can accomplish all three goals with a single surefire technique! In fact, it¡¯s something only Deek, who is immune to her miasma, can do!¡±


    ¡°Really? What can we do?¡±


    ¡°Fufu¡­ you must bang her.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°You must take the Queen, and give her such a time that she submits to you completely. You must satisfy her so absolutely that she no longer has any lingering desire to be with the King or any other man but you. You must bang her until she goes crazy with lust so that her mind breaks and you become the only thing she can think about!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Upon saying those words, a strange resonance flowed through me. It was a feeling I had lacked on the 28th floor. I could feel it now. I lifted up my hand, making it into a tight fist. I could see it. I could see the path to the True Pervert! I was ready.

 Chapter 585

    ¡°Hmm? What are you saying? I am a creature of miasma,¡± The Queen explained patiently, having finally relaxed after realizing she was caught once again. ¡°If you ever tried to enter my bed, my miasma would destroy you immediately.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem for me,¡± I said, reaching out casually and touching her shoulder.


    The Queen gasped, jerking back at the sudden feeling of touch she hadn¡¯t experienced in ages.


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡± she looked at my hand, and upon seeing no damage, reached out and grabbed it, looking in wide-eyed wonder as the dark aura radiating from her didn¡¯t touch me. ¡°A-amazing! A mortal human who is unaffected by miasma!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you were worried about me. Given your previous display, I thought you would have delighted in me coming in and being destroyed by your miasma.¡±


    Elaya did whatever the ghost equivalent of a blush was, looking down at her hands. ¡°I may be a monster, but I still have the memories of a queen. Even though my former husband threatened you and tried to kill you, you still worked in his best interest and even are trying to help me. You could have easily killed me by now, but you¡¯ve chosen not to.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong!¡± I raised my hands. ¡°I¡¯m not saving you on his behalf. Rather, I am on good terms with your children and thought it¡¯d be nice if I could bring a mother back to them. You¡¯ve never even met Eliana. Well, I guess she¡¯s technically not yours, but your son doesn¡¯t treat her any less like a sister.¡±


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    ¡°Is he well?¡± She asked, raising her eyes, looking surprisingly emotional.


    ¡°He¡¯s a man now.¡± I smiled gently.


    She bit her lip cautiously. ¡°Can you really do it? Can you free me from this prison?¡±


    ¡°You heard the conditions.¡± I shrugged. ¡°You would be my servant.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t survive long without a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t need to. I sort of have my own.¡±


    ¡°R-really now¡­ a noble with a dungeon? You sound more like a Demon Lord.¡±


    ¡°Technically Dungeon Master.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°What about your husband? Will it be okay?¡±


    ¡°Ex-husband!¡± She responded, pouting her lips. ¡°Well, if we¡¯re being honest, I was never his wife to begin with. I have her memories, but I was created by the dungeon. I¡¯m more like a copy or reflection of her will and desires. You could also say I was created by her remorse, sadness, and resentment. Although I seek to end my curse and complete the lore, you could say my obsession with my ex isn¡¯t from love or desire. I simply must, and that is my curse. To lose that desire, well, it is probably impossible.¡±


    ¡°Are you looking down on me?¡±


    ¡°My Ex is a man, and you are just a boy¡­¡± she sighed. ¡°Besides, I have had many lovers over the years. Some of them have been incredible. For a young adventurer like you to¡­ what did she say, break my mind, I¡¯m sorry, but you are lacking.¡±


    I glared. ¡°You really are looking down on me! That¡¯s it, for your children, and even that bastard King, I¡¯m going to tame you and drag you out of this dungeon!¡±


    ¡°You can try!¡± Her eyes flashed dangerously. ¡°But don¡¯t forget, this is a dungeon of temptation, and I am its queen. You¡¯ve finally caught my interest, so I¡¯ve decided I will no longer consume your soul. Rather, it will be more entertaining to show these girls what a real woman can do to a man! I¡¯ll take your own idea and throw it back at you. I¡¯ll make you my sex slave! Rather than be some noble¡¯s servant, I will make you my loyal minion! Don¡¯t worry, all of your girls will have room in my new harem.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Then let the true boss battle begin!¡±

 Chapter 586

    I set True Hero and Pervert as my jobs. If I was going to make it through this next ordeal, I would need both.


    ¡°M-mother, is it really alright if he does this?¡± Celeste asked worriedly. ¡°Should we leave?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we shouldn¡¯t, daughter. You should enjoy the show. This is a prime learning opportunity. You can watch your lover from another angle. You can learn a lot about your man, and his tastes, based on how he interacts with different women in bed!¡±


    ¡°R-really? Ah! You¡¯re right! When he¡¯s with Miki, he¡¯s much rougher and acts a little mean! And when he¡¯s with Lydia, his eyes are really big and looks slightly afraid.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Lydia cried out. ¡°He-he¡¯s not afraid!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ even if you say that¡­¡± Miki blushed.


    ¡°Oh! Oh! What¡¯s he like with me?¡± Shao asked excitedly.


    I decided to ignore their conversation. I really would need to give Astria a talking to before she filled my girl¡¯s heads full of weird notions. Now I had to deal with a critiquing audience while doing this! Ah, well, it¡¯s not like I hadn¡¯t enjoyed the girls in front of each other before. With a breath, I took a step forward into the barrier. Shao had already thankfully fetched her spectral dagger, so I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about a double-cross.


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    Still, with the beautiful Queen lying there in her bed, staring at me predatorily, it felt a bit like going into a lion¡¯s den. Well, I experienced the same every time I entered Lydia¡¯s room, so this was fine.


    ¡°See! That¡¯s what he looks like whenever he¡¯s with Lydia!¡±


    I ignored the conversation behind me even harder. I had to focus here. Although I joked about True Pervert and such, I had no such dreams. The real reason I was here was that I didn¡¯t want to see the Queen of Aberis fall to such an ugly fate. She was a hero, and she didn¡¯t deserve such a death, especially for a louse of a King like Edward. I also owed Prince Aberis much, and I wanted to repay him by bringing her back. Of course, I also hoped going above and beyond the call of duty might lend me a little bit more support. If I had control of the Queen, let¡¯s see the Prince refuse to send me more troops!


    Ahem¡­ but the main reason I was doing it was that I wasn¡¯t the kind of guy who liked sad endings. That was a part of me, perhaps only Shao knew. The reason I could dive down these dungeons and put my life on the line wasn¡¯t that I loved treasure, or that I was a thrill-seeker. Those were part of it, but the primary reason was that I wanted to see the end of the story. I wanted to turn tragedy into something happy. I had hoped I had done that with every girl traveling with me, and I hoped I could do it with every dungeon I entered.


    That was my great secret¡ªthe difference between a True Dungeon Diver, and a normal Dungeon Diver. I invested myself in the lives of those involved in the curse. I wanted to make a difference. Now, I had to man up and taste the Queen of Aberis. Our lips finally met, and the pair of us fell down to the bed. It was going to be a long night.

 Chapter 586.5

    As we hit the bed, I summoned all of my experience and the job Pervert. My hands moved across the Queen¡¯s soft skin, quickly stripping her of her clothing. It was quite the fragile material, and the pieces that I couldn¡¯t figure out how to remove were easy enough to rip off. As I tore off her clothing, she let out a gasp.


    ¡°Oh my, eager, aren¡¯t we?¡± Her voice was teasing, and I realized that while I had been stripping her, she had also been stripping me.


    However, she had easily removed my clothing, and I had barely even noticed. Her hands just moved a lot faster and with more skill, and Elaya knew it! Touching her bare skin was clearly pleasurable. After all, she hadn¡¯t known the touch of a man in over thirty years since this dungeon¡¯s creation. However, at the same time, in a battle of seduction, she didn¡¯t have to show her pleasure. The younger women I had been with so far were desperate to show their affection and reacted to every touch. The Queen was much more reserved, and I realized quickly how much I depended on that constant reinforcement.


    It made groping her chest awkward, as she only looked down to smile at me. That smile wasn¡¯t specifically bad, but I felt a sense of mocking coming from it. My other girls would pant, moan, close their eyes, or arc their backs, yet Elaya was giving me nothing to work on. The longer this went on, the sloppier my movements became. I was starting to sweat from my brow as I felt less like I was pleasuring a woman, and more like I was sexually harassing a sleeping woman, although the Queen was completely conscious.


    Astria had initially wanted me to forcefully rape her into submission. Now I realized just how na?ve I was being! Even when it came to Astria, she had only known one other man. The Queen wasn¡¯t just older, but she had an experienced sex life enjoying men and women. I couldn''t come at her peddling standard tricks. Simply turning on pervert and hoping for the best was insufficient.


    ¡°Deek, pull her nipple! Y-yeah! Like that!¡± Lydia cried out.


    ¡°N-no! You should be squeezing her butt. Yeah¡­ good, rub it.¡±


    ¡°What are you two saying? Kiss her, use a lot of tongue!¡±


    ¡°Slap her a bit! Pull her hair!¡±


    ¡°Stretch her open!¡±


    The girls started calling out advice, but it became quickly apparent that they couldn¡¯t agree on what worked. Every girl liked things a little different, and I was learning more about their personal preferences than anything about the Queen. Although I tried all of their techniques, the Queen¡¯s grin grew even more self-assured. The two that remained quiet were Faeyna, who had no experience in this manner and tried to look away from seeing her Master like this, and Astria, who had become surprisingly silent since sending me on this course. It was almost like Astria was testing me a bit on her own.


    ¡°Very well¡­¡± The Queen stretched luxuriously as if I had just given her a long, relaxing massage. ¡°If you¡¯re done, then let me give it a go?¡±


    Although she asked, the Queen didn¡¯t hesitate to push me down on the bed. Her lips gently touched my stomach as her small smooth hands traveled over my body. It was like they were filled with electricity, and my member instantly reached its full hardiness with almost no provocation. She gave a throaty laugh as she saw my hard dick, then smiled as she grabbed onto it with her skilled hands. She lowered her head while pulling her hair back with her spare hand. Her eyes looked up at me seductively as she put my thing into her mouth. As the head sunk past her lips, her eyes closed and she let out a moan, like she was tasting something she had dearly missed. The effect was extreme. The pressure of her hand and her lips were perfect, and she waited just the right amount of time to start lifting her head up and down on my cock.


    My eyes closed and I felt unwilling to fight back. The way she worked, it was incredible, her lips moving up and down with unmatched skill. She was very comparable to Lydia, performing something that she had much training and skill in, but with an extra flavor of maturity and regality. Originally, Lydia had a tendency to lack confidence in her acts. Naturally, over the months, she had built her confidence in doing such acts, but for the Queen, she exuded that same confidence even with a stranger for the first time.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­!¡± I moaned as she started to use both hands while servicing it aggressively.


    One hand fondled my balls while the other held my shaft sternly so that her tongue could attack it aggressively. She licked it from top to bottom, sliding it back inside her warm mouth, and undulating her tongue against the sensitive soft part under the shaft. The feeling was out of this world, and I couldn¡¯t hold back any longer.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming!¡± Before I could stop myself, my cum ended up being released into her mouth.


    She didn¡¯t hesitate to start swallowing. Her mouth was a suction cup, and she made sure to suck down every last drop, drinking my thick spunk down her gentle throat. The Queen of Aberis was drinking my cum! She didn¡¯t let up until every last drop was gone, and then she kept sucking, stroking my balls aggressively as if she wanted to deny I had an orgasm.


    To my complete shock, my cock stayed hard, and when she finally pulled her mouth away, a saliva-filled gasp as she took another breath, my member was just as hard as if I never came at all. The girls all gasped in wonder that the Queen had seemed to completely negate my recovery period. Although with Pervert, I could go again in minutes, I still had at least a bit of a refractory period. With a little foreplay, I made it seem like I could go non stop, but even I had my limits. The Queen had accomplished something that I didn¡¯t think possible. She had kept me going without stopping.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good boy. Cum for your Queen.¡± She teased, although her words weren¡¯t malicious, but almost loving.


    It was like a siren¡¯s pull, as she tried to lull me into a sense of comfort and pleasure. It was working. I felt my guards dropping one after another. The fact I had cum before she did had already marked this as her win, but she didn¡¯t gloat. She didn¡¯t care about the battle at all. All she saw was the long war. However, as she started sucking me off again, I had already seemingly forgotten about breaking her, and instead was focused on the pleasure she was giving me.


    About ten minutes later, I found myself cumming again. My body felt amazing, and her mouth eagerly sucked it all down, just like the first time. Like before, she coaxed another erection out of me before my last one even went soft. Using her delicate fingers, she managed to have a magical grip on my balls where she could make me cum all night if she wanted.


    At this point, I started to remember my goal, and I realized I was in a bit of trouble. At this rate, she really would give me a night of endless pleasure. She hadn¡¯t even used her other hole yet, and I had already cum 2 for 0. I needed to take back some control of the encounter. Regrettably, the experienced Elaya seemed to pick up on my change of temperament. Just as I was about to grab her head and use her mouth, she pulled away and suddenly I was spun around.


    This left me confused. I had spun my girls around plenty of times. I¡¯d put them on their hands and knees and then take them from behind. For animalkin, this was their missionary. It was Terra who liked kissing. Lydia and Miki liked to be ridden from behind. It¡¯s not that they didn¡¯t like to kiss, but when it came to sex, they wanted it hard and fast. The bigger breasted Lydia liked her tits to be pulled while Miki liked her butt to be played with, apparently. Either way, I didn¡¯t know why the Queen had suddenly rolled me around.


    Well, that was what I thought until I felt her face between my buttcheeks. My eyes widened, but I couldn¡¯t even say a thing when a skillful little tongue suddenly slid into my butt. I could hear all the girl¡¯s behind me gasping. This was the Queen of a nation, and she had her tongue in some adventurer¡¯s buttocks.


    Her skillful hands returned to my cock, one slipped between my legs and played with my balls once again, while the other began to stroke the shaft. Meanwhile, a little tongue squirmed around inside me. This felt extremely embarrassing, and my face was on fire. It wasn¡¯t like the girls wouldn¡¯t have done this, rather, that they never thought to offer and I never thought to ask. It felt way more personal than blowjobs or sex. I mean¡­ well, I didn¡¯t know what I meant but it filled me with an awkward feeling nonetheless.


    As for my enjoyment, the feeling was extremely strange, but it turned out I was very adaptable. Along with her aggressive hand movements, I was quickly panting. I was in a position I was more familiar with, as I could thrust forward into her hand. Even as her hand went up and down my shaft, I also found myself humping forward, my dick sliding through her warm palms quicker and quicker with both of our movements in sync. Every time I pushed forward, my ass slightly tightened on her tongue, and the feeling slowly added up. Before I realized it, I was exploding. My cum shot out in amounts no less than the first two times. I ruined the bed under me, covering it in white, sticky fluids.


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    However, how would the Queen give up at that point? She kept attacking me, sucking, biting, and licking my nether regions from front to back. She never allowed my cock to relax, and I ended up cumming again and again. I felt like I had lost weight in the amount of cum I had lost. Most of it ruined the bed. She never let it touch her perfect skin, always swallowing it. After nearly six hours of torture, I finally collapsed on the bed, gasping. My dick couldn¡¯t get erect back again even if I wanted it.


    ¡°That¡¯s it¡­¡± She stroked my head lovingly like a pet, ¡°Did you like my pleasure?¡±


    I could only nod numbly.


    ¡°I will give you this pleasure for the rest of your life, so be mine, okay?¡± She purred.


    I reached out for the area between her legs. Her eyes widened and then she slapped my hand playfully.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you that someday. However, for now, you must learn your proper place. Let¡¯s rest now. In a few hours, we will start again. I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡± I asked.


    She laughed. ¡°You¡¯re so naughty¡­ can¡¯t even get it up but you won¡¯t just give in. Give it a few days, and you¡¯ll be mine completely. No worries though, I¡¯ll be ready to go in an hour. You¡¯ll probably need at least six. So, in four, I¡¯ll make you perform. I like to push a man past his limits.¡±


    As she spoke, she stroked my hair, completely in control of the situation, acting like she was talking to a lover. I nodded and smiled back.


    ¡°I too, like to push my limits.¡± My smile deepened. ¡°Restoration!¡±


    A light suddenly erupted out from me. If someone was paying attention, they would notice that the light erupted from Lydia as well. I sat up and stretched luxuriously, imitating the movements that the Queen had used on me only a little bit before. I was just waiting for her to tire out a bit.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve finished your turn, I guess I¡¯ll give it another go,¡± I spoke casually.


    The Queen had sat up, her eyes wide. ¡°Wh-wh-what did you just cast?


    ¡°Hehe¡­ she actually thought Master was done?¡± Miki¡¯s voice came out slightly too loud, ¡°He hadn¡¯t even cast refresh once. To actually think a white mage only has such limits¡­¡±


    This time, the girls were looking down on the flustered Queen, who hadn¡¯t experienced me at my most determined. Had I wanted to hold out, I could have depended on refresh and other white mage spells to keep myself going. It would be a long and difficult fight, and I may lose, or I may win. It was anyone¡¯s guess. I didn¡¯t like to play things so desperately when I didn¡¯t have to.


    Thus, I wasn¡¯t using White Mage¡¯s Restoration. The spell was useful, but it used a lot of mana, and if I had it equipped, I wouldn¡¯t have Pervert and True Hero. What the spell did was give someone¡¯s energy and strength toward rejuvenating another. It cast too slowly to be useful in battle. On top of that, it had a high need for mana, which, when in a desperate situation, you usually didn¡¯t have.


    However, it was a good spell when a fighter was too weakened. The white mage could give up his strength and power, presumably giving the stronger fighter the ability to save them both. It didn¡¯t just return health to full, but also stamina, mind, spirit, and body. The person giving these things, Lydia, collapsed, having filled me with all of her strength and stamina. As for me, I was restored to a perfect working condition.


    Restoration was a dungeon skill. I reset the girl¡¯s dungeon points and then purchased up Restoration. Of course, while I had been being used by the Queen, I had communicated all of this to the girls, and even used the shop during an orgasm, giving her the impression the lights were just a part of me cumming really good. Shao and Terra, who had used all their points on the spectral daggers could not reset, but Lydia, Miki, and Celeste were all game.


    I didn¡¯t walk into this battle convinced I could subdue an experienced woman with just myself alone. However, she didn¡¯t just have to get through me alone. She had to get through the combined stamina of me and four others. Even better, while I was using up the next girl¡¯s stamina, the first girl had time to rest. So, by sharing stamina, I could go just about indefinitely.


    My cock suddenly grew fully erect, and I looked down at the Queen, who was flushed and a bit tired. She had used her hands and mouth quite aggressively for some time, so it was fair that she wanted a break. However, with my cock fully erect, how could I allow her one.


    ¡°Y-you¡­ even if you pull some trick¡­ I¡¯m not so easily subdued!¡± She shot back defiantly as she worked out what had happened.


    A smile formed on my lips, and I lowered the upper half of my body, my eyes narrow. I looked completely like a predator about to leap on the prey. I felt a raging horniness that exploded throughout my body. I didn¡¯t understand what was happening, but I suddenly had the desire to ruin this Queen with my penis. I felt more excited than I had ever remembered feeling before with her.


    ¡°Do you see that?¡± Shao spoke in wonder. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that remind you of someone?¡±


    The girls all looked down on Lydia.


    ¡°Y-you don¡¯t mean!¡±


    The strength and stamina given to me were not my own. This was Lydia¡¯s energy. It was better to say. This was the energy of a tigerkin who had just been watching her Master have sex for six hours! It was an energy that had been bathed in the lust of a trained prostitute, and refined by a woman who wanted it fifty times a day! That energy was given to me, and suddenly I found myself turning into a bit of a tiger as well. I pounced.


    ¡°Ah¡­ st-stop! N-no! N-not yet! Ahn!¡±


    I bit her and scratched as I claimed the Queen roughly. My penis attacked her vagina, and the spot she had told me I had to wait for was instantly violated. I fucked her roughly for nearly forty minutes while she tried to pull me off, but a certain tigerkin''s spirit would not yield to such restrictions.


    ¡°Lydia¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Lydia¡­¡±


    ¡°Totally Lydia.¡±


    ¡°I d-don¡¯t act like that in bed.¡± Lydia blushed, having recovered a bit from her exhaustion.


    I spun the Queen around and pulling her hair. I rode her hard.


    ¡°Ahn... Ahnn¡­ You¡¯re making me cum¡­ st-stop¡­ feels soo good! No! No! Stop! I¡¯m a queen¡­ Ahnnn! Right there, right there, c-cc-cumming!¡±


    The Queen couldn¡¯t deal with this version of me who took all of her, and her queenly demeanor was obliterated. By the time I came, the score was about 4-3, with me winning.


    ¡°Master, Master, do me next!¡± Miki activated her Restoration prematurely, having grown excited.


    Even though Lydia¡¯s stamina still had the capacity for a dozen more rounds, I found myself being filled with Miki too. I had thought that Restoration only brought me back to my original level. That was apparently wrong. Miki sent me into overdrive. I know she had more energy than I could burn off. My body felt like it was on fire. I stared at the Queen with just a hint of insanity in my eyes. I still was filled with Lydia¡¯s lust, but now I was pushed past my breaking point and given Miki¡¯s disposition as well.


    ¡°Let''s talk about this¡­¡± The Queen was now a mess, having been ridden on the cum filled bed without regard for decorum.


    She was sweaty and covered in sticky stuff, and her hair had been wrecked by my aggressive display. Yet, my dick wasn¡¯t even remotely soft. In fact, it felt like a blade that could battle the heavens.


    ¡°Hehehe¡­ ¡° I giggled mischievously, stroking a finger across her body. ¡°You¡¯re just a spiritual body, in the end. I know how you like it the most!¡±


    ¡°I-I wouldn¡¯t say that!¡± Miki, who had collapsed to the floor, just as tired as Lydia, looked away, blushing.


    ¡°My turn! I want to see!¡± Celeste sent her power in with Restoration.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Everyone cried.


    It was too late. Lydia, Miki, and Celeste¡¯s power were all flooded into me now. I felt like I was about to explode. I had to burn it off. I had to release this power. I couldn¡¯t even think about the Queen anymore. This situation had just become critical. My eyes fell on the naked body in front of me. It was the only thing that I could do to burn off the energy. Well, actually, there were a lot of things I could have done, but the latest energy came from Celeste, so you could forgive me for fixating.


    ¡°P-p-please be gentle?¡± The Queen gave out a final plea, tears in her eyes as she shot the crazy slave girls who did this to their Master a hateful look.


    I leapt on the Queen, and things went white for a while. When my vision recovered, the bed was destroyed, and the Queen was practically hyperventilating as I pounded her on from behind. Consciousness faded out again, and when it returned, I was using her mouth while she gagged for breath. Another fade and I was blasting tons of cum all over her, but she was already covered from head to toe, a complete wreck of a woman.


    ¡°Eh? How long has it been?¡± I asked, suddenly snapping back into full consciousness.


    ¡°T-two days¡­¡±


    Faeyna said unsteadily.


    ¡°Hmm? Everyone¡¯s asleep?¡±


    ¡°Master was like a man possessed. You would have broken yourself. The girls had to keep using Restoration every twelve hours. I¡¯m on watch duty right now.¡±


    ¡°S-seriously?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± She nodded. ¡°While you were working, I used cleanup magic.¡±


    I looked around to see that the bed, the Queen and I were on was surprisingly clean from what I remembered earlier.


    ¡°Oh, wow¡­ thanks?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master¡­¡±


    ¡°And the queen?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She passed out three hours ago.¡±


    ¡°Did she submit?¡±


    ¡°About twelve hours ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    I looked down to see the naked Queen with her eyes closed. I was still pounding her, my hips moving even though I wasn¡¯t telling them to. Everything going on with my lower half I could barely feel, let alone control.


    ¡°I think¡­ we¡¯re done then?¡± I offered.


    ¡°Oh¡­ good.¡± She said a relieved smile on her face.


    I looked Faeyna up and down, and realized that she had big dark bags under her eyes, and looked like she was standing by pure will alone.


    ¡°In that case, you can¡­ be at ease?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± She fell back without a word.


    ¡°Ah! Cushion!¡± I barely managed to catch her with a cushion as she collapsed on the floor.


    She was already asleep. It looked like I had worked every girl in this room hard. A few were still moving or muttering, but they had been broken to exhaustion.


    I came one last time, filling the Queen with cum. She made a sleepy grunt, the only indication she felt her womb being filled with seed. Well, she was a ghost, so it wasn¡¯t like she¡¯d get pregnant. I pulled out, finally victorious after a long, difficult battle.

 Chapter 587

    As Queen Aberis collapsed on the bed, a sweaty, exhausted mess, I sat back, breathing hard. It had really been touch and go there for a bit. The battle had taken nearly two days, and even my party were all exhausted to the point of barely being awake. In the end, it was she who had submitted, so it was all worth it.


    ¡°Congratulations.¡± The voice of the Dark Fairy came from nearby.


    Unlike the others who had done their best to give me their energy and support, Astria, who wasn¡¯t a party member or even a slave hadn¡¯t provided me with much support. Although I had tamed her as a monster, I still wasn¡¯t completely sure what that meant. Monster taming wasn¡¯t like slavery. The orders weren¡¯t absolute. I could exert my will, but the skills didn¡¯t exactly match up perfectly.


    Rather, because Astria was such a high level, I actually didn¡¯t have much control over her. If she hadn¡¯t already possessed an abnormal obsession with me, she likely would have never allowed herself to be tamed. In fact, if I recalled what happened that night, it was more like she extorted me out of sex. If I gave it to her enough to satisfy her, she¡¯d allow me to tame her. That bond was trepidatious and weak, and it was already clear that she could break it at will. I hadn¡¯t even gained experience in Monster Tamer for taming her. That already said enough. For the likes of the Siren and the Giantess, they were much closer to my level, and thus much more easily tamed.


    ¡°What is it that you want? Really?¡± As I said that, I was looking at Celeste, who had her eyes closed, and seemed to be sleeping peacefully, having passed out almost at the same time as Elaya.


    ¡°I know that you¡¯re a bit distrustful¡­¡± She began.


    ¡°If I truly distrusted you, then I would have done something about it back at the beach. I think you really love Celeste in your own way, and I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll hurt anyone. I need the help of any capable woman I can get. I have a feeling my life is only going to get more complicated from here, so an experienced woman who had stood on the edge of darkness and light might be able to help.¡±


    ¡°Master gives me too much credit. I was just a foolish fairy who liked the feeling of being in love.¡± She blushed, looking away. ¡°I came to this dungeon for selfish reasons. The fact I was able to help you capture a powerful ally is only coincidence. Besides, my feelings for you are somewhat artificial. You see, you created the mana spring. The waters of life you poured into it were created with your mana. It carries your signature. It means very little to humans and animalkin, but to a fairy who is sensitive to magic, continuing to be exposed to your magic starts to affect us, body and mind.¡±


    ¡°S-seriously?¡± I sat up in surprise.


    She nodded. ¡°Mm¡­. you¡¯ll find all the fairies you have attracted to the spring will grow a deepening affection for you. I¡¯ve been keeping them in line, but a few have already snuck into your room and stolen your underwear or some other trinket.¡±


    ¡°Is that where my stuff keeps going?¡±


    I thought I was going crazy. I started keeping everything in my ring because some things I left out disappeared the next day. At first, I believed I was just forgetful.


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for your dungeon. It feeds on that same mana pool, and since that dungeon was also made by you, that miasma has your signature too. To all the creatures made by your dungeon, they not only won¡¯t threaten you, but they¡¯ll also be extremely loyal. The bosses you keep in your dungeon will grow only more in love with you the longer they breathe in your miasma.¡±


    ¡°I-is that so¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know how I felt about that; it felt a bit like brainwashing.


    ¡°So!¡± She puffed out her cheeks. ¡°How do you think I feel, the one who is exposed to both Miasma and Mana with your signature! Is it any wonder I can¡¯t stop thinking about you?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ cure it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She giggled. ¡°I already said. I¡¯m a hopeless romantic. I like this feeling. I only like to feel it grow stronger. So¡­ if you can tolerate this old fairy¡¯s selfish desires, I¡¯d like to stay around you and my daughter, and watch how far you can grow.¡±


    She was genuinely asking a question here. Her eyes held just a hint of worry that I might reject her. She was a Dark Fairy, after all. Like Shao, she had the potential to cause untold destruction. However, that didn¡¯t matter to me.


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    ¡°Astria¡­ will you become my slave?¡±


    Her mouth turned sideways. ¡°I see¡­ so there are still trust issues¡­¡±


    ¡°You misunderstand.¡± I shook my head and glanced at the girls behind Astria. ¡°Do you think I distrust any of the girls there?¡±


    Her eyes widened. ¡°I¡¯d hope not.¡±


    I smiled while looking fondly at each sleeping girl. ¡°I love them, with all of my heart. Maybe, to this world, the Slave Bond is a means of control. To us, it means something else. It¡¯s a bond I share with these women to allow us to be as close as possible. If anything, the women who are my slaves are the women I trust the most. I will give my life for them, and I expect them to give their life to me. It¡¯s a commitment for life. They will never have another, and I won¡¯t either. Not because I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll leave, but because I know they won¡¯t!


    ¡°I suppose that was why it took me so long with Faeyna. When she ended our slave bond, I felt like I had been slapped. She had agreed to be with me forever, and then suddenly she wasn¡¯t. For the longest time, I had fought to try to free the girls from this slavery. You see, I have a blessing that makes anyone who becomes my slave unable to leave it. However, none of the girls wanted to be free. I finally realized that was the point. They are my girls, and I am their Master. The only thing I can do is be the man they need me to be.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± When I glanced to the side, I realized she was on the bed staring at me intently, and only an inch away from my face. ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°I want to be your slave!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I laughed, scratching my cheek, ¡°In that case¡­ uh¡­ it¡¯s really just using Slave Master, but I suppose that doesn¡¯t feel climactic. How about this? Astria. Will you be mine, heart and soul? Will you join my family, and stay by my side for all eternity?¡±


    Her body shook and tears well in her eyes. ¡°I do¡­¡±


    Why did this feel like marriage? I let out a cough, then moved forward and kissed her lips. I tried to make it a quick kiss, but she grabbed the back of my head and wouldn¡¯t let me pull away. I activated the Slave Magic from Slave Master, and an insignia, a form I recognized as my insignia, formed on her chest. Once the light flashed, it quickly faded away and disappeared. From then on, the seal could only be seen with special magic, although anyone with enough magic sense could feel the bond and recognize her as a slave. It was the same basic thing all of the girls had. I¡¯d still need to register her with the Slave Guild. Shao, who already was a slave, was pretty easy, but how was I going to explain a Dark Fairy? Well, Figuro would figure it out.


    When our lips parted, Astria was panting, and she licked the saliva from her lips, a look of pleasure on her face.


    ¡°So, this is what Celeste feels all the time,¡± She giggled. ¡°Naughty girl should have said something. If I knew it felt so good, I¡¯d have done it sooner!¡±


    I smiled back at her. ¡°Welcome to my family.¡±


    She lunged and wrapped her arms around me. ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°So¡­ it¡¯s like that, is it?¡±


    I stiffened as I heard the voice next to me, glancing over to see the naked Elaya sitting up. ¡°E-Elaya? Y-you¡¯re up!¡±


    Her hair which had been messed up in our tumble was covering her eyes, so it made it difficult to see what kind of expression she was making.


    ¡°You¡¯ve managed to tame me.¡± She said, her voice somewhat dry. ¡°I am your monster now.¡±


    ¡°T-true¡­¡±


    ¡°But you haven¡¯t broken me.¡±


    I went cold. ¡°R-really?¡±


    Like Astria, the Queen was just too high level to be easily subdued. Even though I tamed her, I didn¡¯t have complete control of her. I hadn¡¯t earned any levels with her either. I had been relaxed like I had won, but the battle wasn¡¯t over yet!


    Astria¡¯s hands that were on me tensed. She looked ready to throw me behind her and throw down if the Queen so desired. Two dungeon bosses battling to the death. It definitely wasn¡¯t a safe place to be, especially for all my girls who were exhausted and defenseless.


    ¡°I-if¡­ if I¡¯m good. Can I be a part of Deek¡¯s family too?¡± these words were spoken so softly, I barely heard them.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    She looked up, and I realized she had tears running down her cheeks and her eyes were red. ¡°C-can I love you completely, and you¡¯ll accept me? All of me?¡±


    I smiled awkwardly. ¡°Elaya¡­ I already have¡­¡±


    She broke into a smile. ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    She spoke loudly enough that it woke up the girls who were napping nearby. They drowsily yawned, looking at the bed, which contained me, with one girl, the Dark Fairy, hugging my naked body, and the other, Elaya, just as naked and holding my arm.


    ¡°Is the dungeon not finished yet?¡± Terra asked bleary-eyed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll work hard for Master!¡± She declared, ¡°And then, one day¡­ maybe I can be your slave too!¡±


    Finally processing what she said, I could only respond with a nod. ¡°Mm! Work hard!¡±


    A bright light suddenly filled the room, and a glowing orb started to descend from the ceiling. I let out a laugh of relief.


    ¡°Look! We did it! You¡¯re detached from the dungeon! We can finally destroy the lore!¡±


    The Queen blushed and looked away. ¡°Um¡­ actually, it isn¡¯t that I was separated from the lore. Rather, it was more like the lore was completed?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Deek said it himself! You said you would tear down my husband¡¯s lore, and forge a new story! You actually did it! I have put my time with my ex behind me. I¡¯m ready to start a new life, and a new story, with my new love! So¡­ the lore of this dungeon is finished!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ cra-!¡± The lore suddenly shot down at me like an arrow.


    As for the spot it hit, whether it had anything to do with how I spent the last two days finishing said lore or whether it was just because it was out in the open, burning text appeared wrapped around my crotch. It seriously burned! I collapsed in the fetal position as the lore flooded in my mind¡­ through my dick.

 Chapter 588

    ¡°Mm¡­ I could stay like this forever.¡± She panted.


    Elaya smiled after hearing those words spoken behind her. She rolled over, wrapping her arms around the naked woman in front of her. She pressed her head to the woman¡¯s neck, sniffing her sweet fragrance as she ran her hand gently down her stomach.


    Elaya was just as naked, but she had covered herself in a blanket and exuded considerably more modesty. Her friend, a muscular, larger woman, didn¡¯t bother with those kinds of things. She lay completely naked in bed, her legs outstretched and an arm up as she lay on her hand in a relaxed state. Her free hand had reached down and grabbed at Elaya lewdly.


    ¡°I love you, Elaya.¡± She gasped as the other woman played with her.


    The scene started to shift, and I found the same pair. They were in armor now, and they were frantically running while gasping for breath. The larger woman seemed to be injured, and Elaya was supporting her with her arm. They were both haggard, with much damage to their armor and bodies. They looked on the verge of breaking down.


    ¡°N-no¡­ just leave me behind.¡± The woman said.


    ¡°Xin, no!¡±


    ¡°I trust you will find a Priest and resurrect me.¡±


    ¡°They might capture you. If they do, they¡¯ll definitely make sure you don¡¯t reincarnate. You, above all others!¡± Elaya wept, ¡°Plus¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    She was unable to get the next words out. The woman named Xin lightly patted her head.


    ¡°I know¡­ even if a human Priest could resurrect me, he probably wouldn¡¯t if he knew who he was resurrecting.¡±


    ¡°Xin¡­¡± The pair looked at each other lovingly.


    ¡°Found you!¡± A man¡¯s voice called out, causing their expressions to darken as they turned to a man riding a large, lizard-like beast.


    At least fifteen men appeared behind him, all with weapons out. These lizards were faster than horses. For the pair of them, now that the enemy had caught up, their only choice was to fight.


    ¡°Lord Dricar, it¡¯s been a while,¡± Xin responded.


    ¡°Silence, traitor!¡± He cursed. ¡°The pair of you have been a thorn in the Demon Lord¡¯s side for some time. The last time we fought, you killed me, but I don¡¯t think the results will be the same in this match.¡±


    ¡°Elaya, run!¡± Xin cursed. ¡°I will fight to buy you time to escape!¡±


    ¡°Na?ve! You both are already trapped! Men, attack!¡±


    Fifteen men lowered their weapons and charged. Elaya pulled out a hand full of knives, preparing for her last stand.


    ¡°It looks like¡­ it¡¯s time to clean up the mess!¡±


    Xin sighed. ¡°As much as I fancy your maid outfits¡­even upon death, you use that ridiculous line.¡±


    ¡°Charge!¡± A voice bellowed.


    The forest exploded, and dozens of arrows pelted the charging animals. Chaos ensued, and just as the leading general reached the pair, a man suddenly leapt in front of the two women and slammed his fist down. A pillar of rock came up and impaled the general¡¯s lizard. It stopped the animal dead, but the momentum carried the man off his mount and toward the newcomer. He casually pulled out his sword and then sliced the man down before he even hit the ground. He died without even understanding what happened.


    The girls looked around to see a group of men around them, all wearing dirty clothing and broken armor. The man who led them instantly relayed orders which had the men stripping the fallen for weapons and armor. He looked back, and Elaya was instantly charmed. He had a roguish charm about him and an intensity and arrogance that she favored.


    ¡°You are my lady, Maid Hero?¡± He asked.


    ¡°E-Elaya¡­¡± She responded, causing her to get a side-look and a frown from Xin.


    ¡°We¡¯re the Resistance. You don¡¯t have to fight alone any longer.¡± He smiled, but then when his eyes glanced up at Xin, they turned ugly. ¡°Y-you!¡±


    He lunged without hesitation.


    The blushing Elaya let out a cry. ¡°N-no!¡±


    She jumped in the way, blocking him from attacking the other woman, who only stood their glaring at him.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± He demanded.


    ¡°Y-you can¡¯t.¡± She responded. ¡°She¡¯s our ally!¡±


    ¡°Do you know who this is? She¡¯s General Xin! She works for the demon lord, just like all of the Osteria!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s turned!¡¯ Elaya insisted. ¡°She¡¯s fighting against the demon lord now!¡±


    ¡°How can we trust her kind! They betrayed us! The demons would never have conquered so much of Ost if the Osteria hadn¡¯t betrayed us!¡±


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    ¡°The Osteria wouldn¡¯t have felt they had to if the humans weren¡¯t oppressing us so much!¡± Xin shot back.


    ¡°Please! I need her help. If you want any hope to defeat the Demon Lord, we need her strength!¡±


    The man frowned, looking at the pair before sighing and putting up his sword. ¡°Very well. I will spare her, but only because I can¡¯t say ¡®no¡¯ to such a beautiful woman.¡±


    ¡°B-b-b-beautiful!¡± Elaya blushed.


    ¡°My name is Edward. I¡¯m currently the one in charge of the rebellion.¡±


    ¡°If I might ask, how have you managed to hide your troops so well?¡± Elaya asked.


    He shot Xin a suspicious glare, while she returned a flat one. However, he then gave a sigh.


    ¡°We¡¯re using the dungeons.¡±


    The story continued as information flowed into my head. The pair worked closely together, and this included Xin. The attitude between Edward and Xin was hostile, but Elaya managed to keep them both working together. Elaya was a Hero, the maid Hero, a servant of mankind. Many people loved and respected her. However, it was Edward who had made an army and gained their respect. He was easily just as popular as she was, and much more approachable. He¡¯d joke with the men, flirt with the women, and it was clear he had leadership qualities that Elaya did not.


    The pair slowly began to fall in love, something that Xin noticed and grew a bit distant from. Finally, the day of the great battle came, and Edward led an army, while Elaya and Xin snuck into the castle and found the Demon Lord. Upon his defeat, the army began to break up, and Edward began the task of exorcising them from the country.


    ¡°Excessive!¡± Xin cursed in one such memory.


    ¡°I follow the will of the people!¡± He said. ¡°Humanity has been oppressed by demons for a hundred years. They won¡¯t stand to even allow a single one to live. Be glad I¡¯m only exiling your Osteria to what remains of Ost Republic. If you hadn¡¯t contributed, I would have assumed to kill them all. They¡¯re all leaving. You¡¯re welcome to go with them!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ the land belongs to Ost Republic¡­ it should return to the Ost Republic.¡±


    ¡°The Osteria gave up that right when you threw your lot in with the demons!¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ stop fighting¡­¡± Elaya said tearfully.


    ¡°Then put your giant in her place!¡±


    ¡°Then put this dick in his place!¡±


    The two of them spoke in near unison, with practically identical expressions on their faces. Elaya wished that they realized just how much they were alike. Both stubborn and strong. It was why she loved both of them, but they just wouldn¡¯t get along with each other.


    More time passed, and New Aberis was starting to form. Xin grew more and more distant and started planning to head south with her people in the hopes of rebuilding an Ost republic that accepted her kind. The population of Osteria was much greater in what remained of Ost republic, and most of the people there had been unaffected by the Osterian Betrayal. The land was harsher than the north of Ost Republic, which was now Aberis, so Osteria was actually needed to help tame the hard and difficult land. She had heard that peace was forming between Osteria and humans in ways that weren¡¯t happening in Aberis. Of course, she blamed the reason for that entirely on Edward.


    ¡°Q-queen?¡± Elaya gasped, ¡°I don¡¯t understand. You¡­ you should be the King.¡±


    He shook his head after revealing that his plan was for her to become the ruler of this new country. ¡°I may have people¡¯s respect, but you have their love. You are the one who defeated the Demon Lord Aberis. Only you have the right to take that name.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I would have failed without the army you raised! In fact, you built this entire country. I don¡¯t know the first thing about leading¡­¡±


    He smiled. ¡°You¡¯ll learn. Believe me, my love. You are most suited for this. Will you, please?¡±


    ¡°O-only¡­ if you will be King¡­¡± She responded, blushing.


    ¡°I already said, I¡­ oh¡­ you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°M-marry me!¡± She turned even redder.


    He smiled and then bowed. ¡°As my Queen commands.¡±


    More time. The pair got married. Aberis was officially a nation. There was a border set up between Aberis and the Ost Republic which immediately started to cause friction. Queen Aberis had a solution, though. General Xin still had a lot of weight with the Osteria. If she brought her together with them, then they could turn that friction into love.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ hate that man¡­¡± Xin responded. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ please¡­ if you wear a maid outfit and seduce him, he¡¯ll definitely take responsibility! It¡¯s the kind of man he is.¡± Elaya smiled. ¡°He would never reject a woman he bedded.¡±


    The plan occurred as Elaya pushed. Xin loved her so much she was willing to sleep with the man who took her away. She had some hope that what Elaya said was true, but rather than accepting, the King was furious. Xin realized she was pregnant. Suddenly, the scene went to the final night.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re pregnant?¡± the King said, his eyes widening.


    ¡°I¡­ thought you should know,¡± Xin responded, and then turned away. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now, back to the Ost Republic.¡±


    ¡°Xin¡­ stay¡­¡± He suddenly said, causing Xin to stop.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± His voice broke, an uncharacteristic bit of uncertainty in the usually pompous man. ¡°I want you to stay.¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m pregnant?¡±


    ¡°Because¡­ Elaya loves you.¡±


    Her body shook, although she couldn¡¯t bring herself to look back at him.


    ¡°Geh!¡± A sudden loud sound came from behind her.


    She spun around to see the King with a dagger in his chest. He lifted up his hand with a shocked expression on his face.


    ¡°Wh-why?¡±


    Xin let out a cry to see that it was her own hand that had thrown the dagger. She had moved without even realizing it, flinging the dagger without looking. There was blackness for a moment, and then Xin was standing there with the dagger in her hand, blood running down and dripping onto the dead king.


    ¡°Wh-what have you done?¡± Elaya scream


    Xin was straddling the King¡¯s lap, with a knife raised, stabbing him to death. Elaya¡¯s mind went red, and she blocked what happened next. There was a ferocious battle. Xin never had a chance to say anything. She had nothing to say, as only fear and confusion flooded through her. Her only hope was to leap out a window and escape into the rainy night.


    As for Elaya, this was the end of her story. She regained her mind only to see the dying King. She blamed herself for causing this. She made the ultimate sacrifice and gave up her life to heal the King. His memory of what happened was foggy. He knew that Xin had tried to kill him and then she ran away. He knew that she was the cause of Elaya¡¯s death. He sent an army after her, but when they tried to enter the Ost Republic, the Osteria fought back, starting the first war between the two countries.


    As for Elaya, she died with an incomplete story, not knowing why her friend betrayed her. She didn¡¯t even know Xin was pregnant. Her desire was to fill the missing pieces of her life until a certain man came in and blew away her entire understanding of what it meant to be a man.


    My eyes snapped open.


    {Congratulations, you have completed The Widow¡¯s Dungeon.}


    {True Dungeon Diver has increased to level 45.}


    {For completing the lore, you have gained 15 dungeon points.}


    {Slaves in your current party have gained five dungeon points each.}


    {The Widow¡¯s lore is now a part of you. You have gained the Widow¡¯s Blessing.}


    {You have an increased affinity with harems. Women who love you have fewer doubts and get along better with other women who love you. Experience bonuses through harem activities.}


    {You have unlocked the Job: Harem Master.}


    ¡°Wait¡­ what the heck are Harem activities?¡±

 Chapter 589

    ¡°So, in the end, I didn¡¯t become a True Pervert¡­¡± I said.


    Well, it wasn¡¯t like I was sad about it. I only made it a temporary goal to put aside some of my fears. It was seriously scary jumping into the bed of a Queen succubus. Well, it felt that way in the beginning. With the support of my girls, I managed to turn things around in the end, but only because of various things. I sighed as I looked at the text, now wrapped around my lower self. I was getting more ink than a delinquent, and I was seriously worried if my family would even be able to look at me.


    Well, at least they were all covered by clothing. I had six tattoos now. One was on my back, one wrapped around my shoulder, one around my thigh, another around my ankle, one was on my arm, and finally the one down below. At least one hadn¡¯t appeared on my forehead yet. I didn¡¯t know how to react if that happened.


    Mina, Karr, Terra, Shao, Calypso, and Widow were all blessings. They were powerful blessings in their own right, but only as strong as the curses they came from. Compared to the power of a nation, or the Great Dungeons, these blessings only went so far. They often went to increase my affinity for something.


    I had increased affinity for slaves, for dungeon points, for nature, for earth, and for miasma. Now, my affinity was increased with harems, as for what these things meant, well, it was difficult to say. I knew my Dungeon Builder had required the affinity to miasma and dungeon points. Since harems had nothing to do with building dungeons, it didn¡¯t go up farther.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s kind of cute.¡± Lydia was staring at my lower half while her tail was swishing back and forth.


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    ¡°I bet it stretches when he gets aroused.¡± Miki snickered.


    I threw a blanket over my lap, afraid the girls might pounce. After two days in a sex coma, I didn¡¯t want to jump into bed right now. Given my newfound Harem affinity, their good feelings for me likely spiked suddenly. The past me would have been bothered by this, but the basic truth was that someone wouldn¡¯t be in my harem if they didn¡¯t already have strong feelings for me. After coming to terms with my various charm ups and affinities, I wasn¡¯t going to sweat another one.


    People were attracted to others for all manner of reasons. Charisma was a thing that people possessed, which some people had more of than others. Was it any fairer that someone was better at talking to women than someone else, or more attractive, or richer? Doctors certainly attracted certain women. In that respect, my jobs were simply a part of who I am and the choices I make. If those choices attracted women to me, so be it. I¡¯d love who I love and take responsibility for those close to me.


    Once I had recovered a bit, I accessed my dungeon point store and reset my points. I let out a sigh of relief. It felt good to have all my points back. I equipped four jobs, 10 X Experience, Map, Reset and 3 Portals. That only put me to 36 of 42 points, giving me an extra 6 points. That would allow me to reach the second tier of a multi-tier skill or get one tier-1 skill and one tier-2 skill. In the end, I decided to try Advanced Learning. The 1st tier was called Increased Learning.


    If I was right, it would allow me to learn skills more quickly so that I wouldn¡¯t have to depend on the job system as much. Having lost my access to three jobs for a time had shown me how important it was to not depend entirely on the system for your skills. The system was flat out designed so that as you went to a higher tier job, you¡¯d naturally have memorized the techniques from the lower tier job. Only things like status boosts and necessary skills were repeated between jobs as a form of redundancy.

 Chapter 590

    ¡°I didn¡¯t even level¡­¡± Faeyna pouted unhappily.


    The nature of our progress down the dungeon had meant that there were basically no leveling opportunities for the girls. Faeyna, who had come with the hope of increasing her Cook job, ended up unable to do as such. At the moment, I was still a bit better than her at cooking. Well, even if our jobs were the same, I had other attributes, such as my knowledge from another world, that meant that if she truly wanted to become a skilled cook, I¡¯d probably have to train her myself.


    Fortunately, on top of the Increased and Advanced Learning, there was Increased and Advanced Teaching. If we combined the two, I could genuinely teach her how to cook food from my own world, and it hopefully wouldn¡¯t take too long. However, there was a condition for that. I wanted something from Faeyna as well.


    Faeyna blushed, pushing her fingers together. ¡°You don¡¯t need to make me. I¡¯ve already promised to give you my body.¡±


    ¡°No! I mean¡­ I want to learn clean up magic! Clean up!¡±


    I found it extremely useful, and it had been on my list for a while to learn. With Faeyna as the teacher, it probably wouldn¡¯t be so bad.


    ¡°M-master¡­ learning to clean up¡­ I¡¯m your maid¡­ are you seriously trying to replace me?¡± She said tearfully.


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    ¡°No! You¡¯re very important to me! Haven¡¯t I said as much? Stop crying!¡±


    It took a while to get her to settle down. I didn¡¯t have to go away, but it did involve practicing some tongueship before she finally relaxed enough. Even if she wanted to travel with us in the dungeons as a support, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do it all the time. The biggest reason I took her down to this dungeon was so that she had the points to use Portal on her own. With the ability to jump around with Portals, she could not only manage both homes, but she could also propel my mercantile business to further Chalm¡¯s trade plans. Although that had been why I was willing to bring her to the dungeons, I did still wonder a bit about her own choice.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised that you were willing to risk your life in this dungeon. Not a lot of people are willing to, especially for a goal like cooking or craftsmanship.¡±


    Aberis was a country where having two jobs was relatively rare, although I heard it could be obtained by getting a high enough level in a job or there are even items that allowed such a thing, but they definitely were never exported to a place like Aberis.  Thus, most craftsmen didn¡¯t learn crafts by putting their lives on the line. Even if they wanted to, it took a lot of guts to enter a dungeon without a job with any fighting talent. While I wouldn¡¯t say there weren¡¯t rich people who would hire a team of Adventurers to protect and level them, it wasn¡¯t the choice for most craftsmen. Part of it was that there were limits to what the job could teach you. At some point, you¡¯d need to gain a teacher.


    ¡°I guess, with Master here¡­ I never felt like it was dangerous.¡± Faeyna admitted. ¡°I haven¡¯t been afraid since I entered. I¡¯ve had confidence that Master would figure out any problem, or something like that.¡±


    So, she had that much trust in me since the beginning. It looked like I couldn¡¯t disappoint her.

 Chapter 591

    We finally packed up all of the treasures. The King had already managed to get into the treasure room and ransacked it. More annoyingly, he must have an inventory of his own, because he kept most of the good stuff. At least, there were no treasures on his person. However, there was a storage ring, and it that had time-stop abilities. Since he decided to steal all my treasure, then I wouldn¡¯t be courteous when taking this ring as compensation. Well, I also took his wife, but that was a different point entirely.


    I wasn¡¯t feeling too rushed, because these last two days, his soul was still trapped by the dungeon. It was only when the lore finally became a blessing only a bit ago that he was finally released. The amulet he had at the castle likely shattered and the Priest went to resurrect him. In fact, I knew the very moment the King was resurrected because his body suddenly turned to ash. Perhaps it was one of the laws of this world that two of the same body couldn¡¯t exist. If you thought about it, it could be used as a cheat otherwise.


    Either way, because his body was recreated and he was just resurrected, it¡¯d be a few days before he¡¯d have the strength to move. By then, we¡¯d be back in Chalm, and the dungeon would be nothing but ash. I thought about going to the castle and reporting to Prince Aberis before the King regained consciousness, but I figured a letter would be better. In fact, it¡¯d be best if I let him cool down for a while. Maybe, I¡¯d talk to him next month.


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    After everything was packed, I used a Portal and took us to my own dungeon. I worried about what would happen if the Queen was outside. She was still sort of leaking miasma. Astria told her she¡¯d teach her how to control it, so I left it to them.


    ¡°Speaking of which, my Dungeon Builder is a higher level now. I unlocked a skill called Create Treasures. Can I actually make any item now?¡± I decided to ask the two former Dungeon Masters.


    I supposed I could have asked Shao or Terra, but Shao had never controlled her dungeon for long, and Terra was never the Dungeon Master. She somehow created it, but it was intended as a prison.


    ¡°You already wish to spread your curse over the land? He¡¯ll become a splendid Demon Lord.¡± Elaya chuckled.


    Astria nodded. ¡°He¡¯s still young, but I will have him take over the world, and then I will be his Dark Queen.¡±


    ¡°One of his Dark Queens!¡± Elaya puffed out her cheeks.


    ¡°I think these Dungeon Bosses are getting too bold. We definitely should put them in their places.¡± Shao grumbled. ¡°I¡¯m his only Demon Queen¡­¡±


    The two older women seemed to ignore Shao, which only further irritated her before Lydia patted her head reassuringly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Deek definitely prefers young beauties over old ladies.¡±


    ¡°Old!¡± This caught the ears of the two women, who spun around angrily. ¡°I¡¯ll show you old!¡±


    The girls started to turn on each other. What happened to my Harem affinity now?

 Chapter 592

    Chapter 592


    ¡°Ladies¡­ ladies!¡± I stepped up just before the girls started a brawl. ¡°I said¡­ I love you all, no matter shape or size.¡±


    Although it was a scummy line that should have gotten me kicked out of the room, with the power of my charm and harem affinity, it seemed to have an effect on the girls. However, before anyone could say anything else, a voice broke into the conversations.


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s right!¡± A booming voice caught everyone¡¯s ears.


    There was a giant sitting on a massive throne in front of us. That was the giant dungeon boss I had conquered on the 30th floor. I had teleported everyone straight to the boss room, where it looked like the giant had managed to set up shop. Actually, standing next to her was the siren, who was also nodding in agreement while looking at me with loving eyes.


    ¡°Eh? You two! Aren¡¯t you my dungeon¡¯s bosses! What are you doing here?¡± Elaya cried out.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ Master gave me pleasure and made me feel like a woman. So, I naturally left your dungeon!¡± the giant snorted, while the siren just kept nodding.


    ¡°Y-you¡­ really stole my entire dungeon?¡± Elaya responded tearfully.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°When they are cut off from the dungeon, I feel their loss, but it¡¯s not any different than if they died. Rather, I¡¯d have much sooner expected you to defeat them. I didn¡¯t realize my love is a dungeon poacher! Is that what I am to you? Another dungeon boss?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ll make you your own room with a means of reaching the surface. You won¡¯t be a boss in my dungeon. I¡¯d like these two girls to grow on their own instead.¡±


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    ¡°Hehe¡­ he called me a girl.¡± The giant blushed in a very girly way, and even the siren was making seductive looks my way.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I probably should name them¡­¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Elaya said.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a Monster Tamer, and they are unnamed monsters. At level 30, you get the skill Naming. You can bestow a name on a monster then, and it would cause them to grow stronger and evolve. If you do it beforehand, it may stunt their growth.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°That is exactly what I need you for. I need your experience and knowledge.¡±


    Elaya¡¯s eyes flashed with a pleased expression. ¡°In that case, to answer your other question, Treasure has ranks. You¡¯re a Dungeon Builder, not a Dungeon Master, so your progress is much slower than our own in what you can do with a Dungeon. You¡¯ll probably eventually unlock Dungeon Master with time, but for now, you must work within the confines of your ability. With respect to that, treasures cannot be selected. When you create a treasure, it is randomly made. Furthermore, there are levels of creation. I¡¯m assuming your current Create Treasure is the weakest level. That means the magical artifacts you create will be quite weak.


    ¡°Furthermore, the treasure is also limited by the size of your dungeon. So, a dungeon of only ten levels such as this one is a small dungeon indeed. Sadly, only time will change things here.¡±


    Astria broke in with a throaty laugh. ¡°Says you! Master, the dungeon is ready to be expanded to level 20!¡±


    ¡°So soon!¡± Elaya made a noise of surprise.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the production of a fairy spring! This dungeon is growing at an unimaginable rate! Although, it doesn¡¯t hurt that I stole the miasma of your dungeon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you did with it!¡± Elaya sighed, ¡°Well since things turned out this way, I suppose it is for the best. The larger your dungeon, the more power it will have.¡±


    ¡°I also recommend that Master add some more concentrated Water of Life into the fairy spring. We should expand it, so the dungeon¡¯s consumption doesn¡¯t exceed the output of the spring. I can teach Master how to produce more concentrated Water of Life. It¡¯s more taxing, but the richer it is, the more advantageous it will be, both as a potion and as a mana source.¡±


    ¡°So, Master, are you ready to expand your power?¡±


    The two experienced women didn¡¯t seem to give me any time to rest. I had kept them exactly because I wanted their experience, and they didn¡¯t waste any time pushing me to start growing my assets. I had been away from Chalm for too long, so it was a good time to start focusing on being a lord.


    ¡°Expanding is what I¡¯m good at!¡± I declared


    ¡°Oh my!¡±

 Chapter 593

    ¡°That last match was really scary! Master, the enemies are getting much stronger! I need your bonuses so that I don¡¯t die!¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Seriously, Master! My armor was severely damaged! A beauty like me almost got a scar! What would you do if you had slaves with scars! Other slavers would definitely look down on you.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why Master needs to buy me this armor I saw in the store! It¡¯s very shiny¡­ ahem¡­ I mean, it¡¯s very protective! Please increase my budget so I can buy it! The guys have already made a killing betting on me, but they won¡¯t let me see a single penny! Plus, sister snuck into my bed last night! She said she was cold, but then she touched this and that! Master, this can¡¯t stand!¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Your beautiful Paladin is putting her life on the line for her Master, and you definitely must give her the love and adoration she deserves!¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡±


    ¡°Are you listening to me, Master? Send me some money immediately¡­¡±


    ¡°Oop¡­ caaaaaaaa¡­ I seem¡­ be¡­ losing¡­ reception¡­¡±


    ¡°What reception! This is a magical communication stone! You can definitely hear me fine! I even hear girls giggling in the background! Why am I the only slave who must sacrifice her life-¡°


    ¡°Oop¡­ it¡¯s a magical tunnel I¡¯m going through¡­ magic reception loss¡­ keep up the hard work. Bye!¡± I turned off the magical stone and leaned back with a sigh.


    When I sent them such a device and contacted them, it was more of a formality. I was just checking up on their progress. The ranked matches had begun, and she had already been through three such battles. However, the big matches didn¡¯t even start until next week. That was when she could get eliminated. Yet, after an hour of listening to Carmine complain about everything, I was tempted to just give up on the gladiatorial race completely. However, a promise was a promise, so I held on.


    It had been a week since I had returned from finishing Widow¡¯s Dungeon. In that week, I had expanded the dungeon and the fairy spring. There were three dozen fairies caring for it now.  I ended up getting swarmed when I went to visit, and Celeste ended up blowing them all away. Even then, I was nearly stripped naked. The giggling fairies took off and hid when Celeste went to punish them.


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    As for the dungeon, I had worked with Raissa and expanded the training facility per her observations with the troops. They had encountered the siren, but not the giantess yet. As for the Queen, I made her a room which had a long hallway connected with the mansion. She complained when that entrance didn¡¯t go directly to my room. I made sure it actually deposited nowhere near my room. This was for my own safety, of course.


    This technically meant that the mansion functioned as a side entrance to our dungeon, in a similar way that Widow¡¯s Dungeon had the mine. However, the Queens¡¯ room required several extremely difficult conditions to enter. Technically, you could call her one of those end game bonus bosses, but at the level of the troops entering the dungeon, this sort of thing would be impossible.


    It did make me wonder what other secrets the Great Dungeons were hiding, considering what I could do with just this small one. Well, my dungeon was a little different from the get-go. Most curses developed naturally and were controlled by an ego that only gained intellect with time. While the Dungeon Bosses themselves protected the dungeon and pulled on its miasma, they didn¡¯t usually directly interfere with its growth unless there was some need. As for me, my dungeon was designed and nurtured by me, so it was built with a more direct purpose. That purpose was training soldiers at the moment, although I eventually hoped to turn the dungeon into something like Dirage, where it could be a staple of our city.


    At the moment, there were four safe rooms, one on the first, one on the 5th, one on the 9th, and one on the 14th. The siren trial was on the 10th, basically untouched from its original form. The 15th floor had the giantess, who was mostly just there as protection, although I did promise to visit her regularly. From what I understood, Astria and Elaya visited her too. Astria found the miasma to be thickest in her room, so when she was eating it, she stopped by. As for Elaya, she said that the giantess reminded her of Xin.


    I asked her if the giantess was an actual representation of Xin. She admitted it was. Had Xin died, and the curse managed to get a hold of a piece of her soul, the corrupted boss might have ended up looking more like her, but this was the form that Xin took. She reminded me that while representative, they were not too similar. After all, the siren was representative of Elaya¡¯s own desires, and it looked nothing like her. The giantess only had vague similarities to Xin. That was coming from my own memories delivered via the lore.


    The 5th floor didn¡¯t contain a mini boss. I didn¡¯t actually have the Summon Boss ability yet, so I could only tame strong monsters and use them as my bosses, and if any died, I wouldn¡¯t be able to replace them. Well, with Raissa leading the soldiers on expeditions, it was pretty safe, and I didn¡¯t worry too much.


    Raissa still wasn¡¯t showing yet, but I did hire a midwife who functioned as her assistant. I still didn¡¯t have the guts to tell her I knew she was pregnant, and I didn¡¯t know if Raissa knew herself. Well, the midwife was given explicit orders to make sure Raissa ate well and got plenty of rest. I think she figured it out pretty quickly, but that was fine. It wasn¡¯t that I wanted it to be a secret, but that I thought Raissa would get depressed if she wasn¡¯t the first to know.

 Chapter 594

    The city wall erected by Terra was finally completed. This was a rough wall of compressed dirt. It was nothing close to the grandeur of the Capital city, but considering it was erected in less than a month by a single person, it could be considered a miracle.


    So far, we hadn¡¯t gotten any signs from bandits or monsters. Since we were in the wilderness, the bandits avoided this area, as they considered it not worth the time. Besides the fact that few merchants made it this far west, there was also a certain level of danger given the monsters in this area. It would be far too much trouble to attack such an out of the way city that offered little wealth.


    As for monsters, the Bandits didn¡¯t know that the existence of Karr Dungeon had kept the place safe from monster attacks. The symbiotic relationship between Hell and the Demon King¡¯s Castle was a rare event. Most dungeons were territorial and avoided each other. There were even records of some dungeons getting too close and then destroying each other.


    After the destruction of Karr Dungeon, it turned out that Chalm had been protected by Astria. She was still a dungeon boss, so using the fairy spring I built, she had kept any monsters from attacking. Then, when I finally built my dungeon, it finally set in stone the safety of Chalm. Yet, now that Chalm was growing wealthier, it might start gaining the interest of certain bandits. That was why the wall was built.


    However, when it came to my war against Reign, the army still needed a month or two, and the city needed better protection. We¡¯d have to start working on a real wall soon enough.


    ¡°I can do better,¡± Terra responded.


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°My Earth Manipulation is getting better. I can compress the dirt to be many times firmer than before. If you give me time, master, I can give you a city wall harder than steel!¡±


    Terra took my desire to bring in labor as a personal challenge. Since Terra said to trust her, I definitely would. After completing the wall, she began working on improving it. She compressed the dirt over and over again. She gave me a sample of what the compressed dirt felt like, and it did approach a metal-like consistency. I was impressed. Plus, compared to the mound-like dirt wall that currently existed, the compressions had caused the surface to smooth out, giving the city wall a sandstone like appearance, except in a darker shade of brown that approached black. Actually, now that I looked at it, with grey streaks, it sort of looked like obsidian and gave the feeling of a dark or cursed wall that felt intimidating.


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    Well, no one ever said a city wall should be inviting. At least we were protected.


    I checked on all of the girls, one after another. Lydia was giving out Swordsman drills to the most promising students. Celeste was flying around singing, which turned out to be a magic that caused good feelings and increased productivity. This sort of felt like population control, but I decided not to think about such things so much. Shao was in the dungeon, practicing her shadow control.


    Miki was going around using her spiritualism to help people. She particularly focused on the elderly. It turned out that her time in the slave caravans had spread throughout the city, and she had grown into a bit of a popular consultant for those coping with loss and death. Although she never claimed to be able to talk to people¡¯s ghosts like the spiritualists of my world, she seemed to be good at providing comfort to such people.


    In fact, the only one who didn¡¯t seem to have anything to do was me. I followed the mayor around for a bit, but after two days of it, I felt like he was intentionally trying to avoid me. I then went to the Adventuring Guild to see if they needed any help, but no one was willing to be healed by me. Apparently, Mary had sent five Priests to Chalm, and they were working under a reduced rate for the next five years.


    With nothing else to do, I decided to go relax in the spring. After pulling off my clothing, I walked up to the hot spring built in the back of our mansion. I had been working so hard since coming to this world, that it felt itchy not doing something. I suppose it was okay to sit back and relax for a bit after everything I had built.


    Just as I thought it wasn¡¯t so bad to take a load off, a magical circle suddenly appeared under me, and I felt the feeling of being transported. My vision changed from the calm bubbling of my hot spring to a throne room. The towel wrapped around my hips fell to the ground. I looked around to see a room full of people. There was a supply of reagents on the ground, and I was standing on a magical formation which resembled something like that Blue Mage drew.


    ¡°A¡­ summoning circle?¡± I asked in wonder.


    ¡°D-Deek! Your clothing!¡± Eliana covered her eyes.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ he¡¯s bold even in summons!¡± Prince Edward nodded.


    ¡°Silence!¡± The King bellowed. ¡°I have you now! You thought you could hide in your city after what you did? Guards! Kill him!¡±

 Chapter 595

    ¡°Father! That isn¡¯t what you said we were summoning him for!¡± Eliana cried, a shoe hitting the King in the face.


    ¡°Stupid old man!¡± The Prince similarly glared at him angrily.


    Although I put up my hands defensively, even preparing to use Return at a moment¡¯s notice, the guards hadn¡¯t made any moves regarding the King¡¯s orders.


    ¡°Y-you!¡± The King peeled the shoe off his face and shot the Prince a glare. ¡°Do you have any clue what this bastard did!¡±


    ¡°He brought the King back to the Capital, as ordered!¡± Prince Aberis snorted.


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s right! I¡¯m the King!¡± the King acted like he needed to be reminded of that. ¡°This means, if I want him dead, I can just order it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be foolish, you old pervert!¡± Eliana snapped.


    The King put on a hurt expression. ¡°S-sweetie, but he killed your Queen! Do you understand what that means?¡±


    Eliana looked away, uncertain for a moment, but then her expression hardened. ¡°That¡­ she wasn¡¯t my mother! Even if I would have liked to meet her, that woman was just a monster created by the curse!¡±


    ¡°Son,¡± He turned to the Prince, seeing he wasn¡¯t getting anywhere with his daughter. ¡°Your mother was killed by this bastard!¡±


    ¡°Mother died a long time ago¡­¡± Prince Aberis bit his lip, only a bit of pain on his face. ¡°Although she may have been a fragment of Mother, it was just a fragment, twisted by a curse. Deek¡¯s choice¡­ ultimately, it was the right one. Besides, summoning is optional. If Deek had fought back with his magic, we never would have been able to summon him by force. If he truly saw himself as guilty, he would have resisted being brought here.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I really didn¡¯t know that. It was true that I had just allowed the summon to work, but only in the sense that I didn¡¯t actively fight it. I wasn¡¯t even aware you were supposed to fight those things if you wanted to ignore a summon. That was the problem with someone who had never been formally trained in magic, I guess. For all I had known, fighting it could have torn me in half or something.


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    How did that work when you were sleeping or something? I now thought it would be better to move my bedroom into the dungeon with the Queens. I really didn¡¯t want to be in a situation where I was suddenly teleported again like this. I was pretty sure they couldn¡¯t take me from a dungeon, then again, my blessing might allow it. This was going to need some further testing. Furthermore, if summoning is a thing, were there summons from another world? This introduced a lot of interesting questions.


    ¡°You brats¡­ even my children won¡¯t support me.¡± The King put on a helpless look, but it turned back to anger when he finally glared at me. ¡°However, as you said, I¡¯m the King, so ultimately, I make the decisions. The soldiers here may be under your control, but I can quickly make this Capital remember why I¡¯m King.¡±


    ¡°How are you a King?¡± I demanded, the first words I had said since I appeared.


    These words, which genuinely did sound like treason, caused the Prince and Princess to gasp.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ keep talking¡­ your crimes just build up.¡± The King snorted.


    ¡°You already abdicated the throne, remember?¡± I said.


    ¡°F-father!¡± The Prince let out a cry. ¡°You did?¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ that abdication was conditional! I was to be left in that dungeon! Don¡¯t play around with my words! Besides, there is no question about it. I can forgive you for killing me as ordered by my son. After all, I was resurrected. However, you also killed my Queen, so the penalty is death!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I didn¡¯t-


    ¡°Exactly, so come receive your punishment!¡± He interrupted.


    ¡°I know this is inconvenient, but you might as well just let father execute you. It¡¯s less trouble this way.¡± Prince Edward sighed, throwing up his hands.


    ¡°I was saying¡­ wait, what?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we can¡¯t resurrect you immediately after. Father actually doesn¡¯t have the authority to permanently kill a higher-ranked noble. It requires a 2/3rds vote. It¡¯s one of the reasons I gave you that position and gave you the authority to kill him. The best father can do is a public execution. It¡¯s a bit embarrassing and traumatic, but it¡¯s only temporary. This is also why it¡¯s difficult to go after Lord Reign, and we¡¯ve been leaning on you.¡±


    ¡°A public execution isn¡¯t necessary!¡± The King snarled. ¡°I¡¯ll just take your head like you took mine! Be glad I can¡¯t take more!¡±


    He pulled out his sword, making a gesture like he was about to lunge forward. Eliana mouthed the word ¡®sorry¡¯ and then covered her eyes, unwilling to see. Even the Prince was looking like he was forcing himself to watch as a matter of honor. When did it suddenly turn so serious? I suddenly felt that my life was in genuine danger.


    ¡°W-w-wait! I didn¡¯t even kill-¡±


    The King moved forward like lightning, not sparing any strength. His sword went straight for my neck. The world turned upside down as my head fell from my body.

 Chapter 596

    ¡°Absolute Reversal!¡± A voice boomed, even reaching my detached ears.


    My eyes stopped an inch from the ground and then flew back. Air flooded back into my throat a second later. I grabbed my neck gasping, but as far as I could feel, my head was still attached. As for the King, a slash suddenly exploded against his chest. He went flying back, slamming into the throne, which exploded as he hit the far wall.


    ¡°What?¡± The Prince stood up in shock, while Eliana opened her eyes with her mouth open.


    ¡°Fufufu¡­ poor ex.¡± Arms suddenly wrapped around me as a familiar chest pressed against my back. ¡°This is why I upgraded. He was always so quick to blow his load. Not like my Deeky. He can lose his head and come back for seconds¡­¡±


    The King leapt out of the wreckage with a furious look on his face, but when his eyes landed on Elaya, he froze solid.


    ¡°How did you get here?¡± I croaked.


    ¡°Eh? I was hiding in your shadow? Fufu, you didn¡¯t think to take a bath without proper service, did you?¡± She laughed, holding me tighter.


    ¡°M-mother?¡± Prince Aberis stuttered.


    ¡°Oh, my. Son, you¡¯ve really grown.¡± Elaya pulled away from me and walked over to her son, giving him a gentle and loving hug.


    I was shaking, still coping with having my head cut off. Yet, no matter how much I touched my neck, it was still fine.


    ¡°T-this is her?¡± Eliana asked.


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    Elaya glanced over and then smiled. ¡°You must be my daughter.¡±


    Eliana glanced down. ¡°M-my mother died. I¡¯m just a half-sister.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Elaya reached out her hand. ¡°You¡¯re my family now.¡±


    Tears burst out of Eliana¡¯s eyes, and she took Elaya¡¯s hand. She pulled the other woman to her, and the three hugged. The normally manly Prince had tears running down his cheeks, holding her tightly while shaking, while Eliana bawled openly. It looked like when they had been talking about her being just a fragment had just been them trying to be strong.


    The King glanced at me in shock. ¡°Y-you didn¡¯t kill her?¡±


    I let out a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s what I was trying to say before you cut off my head. Before you bleed out, Strong Heal!¡±


    I cast the spell, healing the wound on him. To my surprise, it only half-healed. That only spoke to the level of damage that was caused, as well as how high his vitality was.


    ¡°I-I suppose, I owe you an apology.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah, you probably do.¡±


    ¡°Still insolent¡­ tsk¡­ well, from a King to their subject, I apologize.¡±


    That didn¡¯t really make me feel any better.


    ¡°This is wonderful. We can finally be a family again.¡± The King put out his arms and went to hug the three of them.


    Just as he reached, a foot came out, slamming between his legs. The two children on either side of their mom looked at her in wonder, as her foot was sticking out, making a crunching noise where it landed.


    ¡°G-g-geh¡­ W-wife?¡± He groaned, bent over, before landing on the ground.


    ¡°Who said you could touch me? Haven¡¯t I been calling you ex?¡±


    ¡°B-but¡­ sweetie¡­ you¡¯re free now. We can finally be together!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Who says I want to be with you? How do I say this? Um¡­ I found someone better?¡±


    ¡°Eh, Mother? You have a new man?¡± Prince Aberis spoke in surprise.


    ¡°Mm¡­ your mother has finally found a man¡¯s man. Truly better than your dickless father in every way!¡±


    Everything had ended peacefully, but my expression fell as Elaya kept speaking. She was turning a peaceful resolution into something terrible. Wasn¡¯t this exactly the kind of thing a dungeon boss would do?


    ¡°Wh-who is it?¡± Eliana asked, clearly not thinking through things clearly.


    ¡°Children¡­ come¡­ meet your new daddy!¡±


    The two kids had confused looks, but as she ran around and wrapped her arms around me, their two faces went incredibly strange. My face probably wasn¡¯t much better.

 Chapter 597

    ¡°Wh-what is this? You stole my wife?¡± The King roared, still crouched over from where she had kicked him.


    ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s not what it looks like!¡± I started speaking before she caused even more trouble.


    It didn¡¯t help that as I was talking, she was rubbing against my naked body. At least, given the situation, my lower half wasn¡¯t going to become erect. That would truly be pitiful.


    ¡°You see¡­ she was the dungeon boss of the dungeon. Extracting her from it required various dangerous tricks. In the end, I had to use Monster Tamer in order to take control of her, and that was how I was able to break the bonds of her prison. She¡¯s still¡­ well¡­ she¡¯s technically a spectre.¡±


    ¡°You tamed my wife!¡± Aberis roared.


    ¡°Oh? That can be resolved easily.¡± Prince Aberis waved his hand. ¡°Since she¡¯s not bound by the dungeon, and she¡¯s a spirit, then she can be resurrected.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I didn¡¯t think of that!¡± I snapped my fingers, ¡°Ah, I might as well use a DP for it.¡±


    I had Resurrection as a White Mage spell, but the DP version would undoubtedly be stronger, and I didn¡¯t know what it would take to bring back a spectral ghost. My body suddenly glowed as the blessings were accessed. Usually, I was wearing clothing, so most of the light was hidden or came out the edges in the outfit. Completely naked, this was the first time they were all visible. Each one released a different color, giving me an extreme multicolored look.


    ¡°Even that is glowing!¡± Eliana gasped, pointing.


    ¡°Cover your eyes from this pervert, daughter!¡±


    ¡°Sh-shut up, dad! I¡¯m not a baby any longer!¡± He was hit with a second shoe while she blushed, still sneaking peeks.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be bringing you back, okay?¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡± She suddenly looked a little embarrassed.


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    ¡°Resurrection!¡± I began to cast the spell.


    Her body slowly began to fade away. As she did so, a new body started to form on the ground. The light appeared all around as the spell took hold. When the light finally faded, Elaya was lying on the ground. Remarkably, she was even more beautiful in the flesh. She no longer had a strangely faded look, although she had never been see-through like a ghost. She touched her body as she worked her way to her feet.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ alive!¡±


    ¡°And naked!¡± Edward turned around, unwilling to look at his mother any longer like this.


    ¡°Deek!¡± She threw her arms weakly around me, except now we were both naked, and it was flesh on flesh as she started enthusiastically kissing me.


    ¡°S-stop molesting my wife!¡±


    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s getting hard!¡± Eliana cried out.


    ¡°Sister, why are your eyes always on his thing down below?¡± Prince Aberis cut in.


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s not important!¡±


    ¡°Now, Deek can make me his slave!¡± Elaya purred as she pulled away from our kiss.


    ¡°You bastard! What are you doing to my wife!¡± The King had finally recovered, pulling his sword out again. ¡°I take back my apology!¡±


    ¡°I already said!¡± Elaya shot the King a glare. ¡°I¡¯m his woman now. Don¡¯t even think of touching him, Edward. Which of us do you think is stronger?¡±


    He coughed awkwardly. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true¡­ b-but how can I accept this!¡±


    ¡°Your woman died long ago. She gave her life for you. As for me, I¡¯m giving my life for this man. You must move on and accept it. That is all!¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡±


    ¡°I-is that alright with you, sweetie?¡± Her voice turned gentler as she turned it to Prince Edward, who still had his body turned away.


    ¡°How can a son not want his mother to be happy? This makes you happy?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ very¡­¡± She snuck a kiss in, positioning herself to hide my engorged parts from Eliana¡¯s eyes.


    Eliana snapped out if, seeming to regain her mind with a blush.


    ¡°Is everything settled then?¡± Elaya demanded. ¡°You won¡¯t be killing my precious Deek! If you ever loved me or had any care for my wants, then you would grant me this last request.¡±


    The King shook for a second and then put his sword away. ¡°Fine¡­ what¡¯s done is done. I have already lost my wife twice now. Knowing she is alive and happy; I will have to settle for this much.¡±


    ¡°And the abdication?¡±


    ¡°Geh!¡± The King made a face. ¡°It stands. I retire. Prince Edward Aberis will ascend the throne.¡±


    ¡°F-father?¡± Edward suddenly spun in surprise.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act so surprised! You have long been ready. You should have already taken the throne. I¡¯ll still be around to advise you. However, I need a vacation.¡± He looked at his wife, still kissing my neck while I shrugged helplessly. ¡°A long vacation¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ father.¡± Edward realized he couldn¡¯t argue his way out of this.


    A sense of tense silence filled the room. There were many revelations, and everyone needed some time to think about things.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Eliana spoke up. ¡°Would now be a good time to tell everyone I¡¯m pregnant with Deek¡¯s baby?¡±


    ¡°¡°¡°¡°¡­. WHAT!?¡±¡±¡±¡±

 Chapter 598

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll definitely kill you!¡±


    Naturally, we were all in the King¡¯s Throne room and had just learned that Eliana was pregnant with my baby. I was confused at first, but I did figure out when and how pretty quickly. Rather than panicked, I felt a sense of relief.


    ¡°Calm down! You¡¯ve already made your point.¡± Elaya sighed.


    ¡°Is¡­ this really okay?¡±


    The King had been restrained by some kind of petrification spell. He was frozen from the neck down. His entire face was red, but it was still scary because every time he tried to move, there were cracking noises. If he broke out, I¡¯d definitely lose my head again. However, most of my focus was on the blushing Eliana.


    ¡°So, it was Eliana after all¡­ that makes me really happy.¡±


    She blushed even more, but she didn¡¯t seem to get what I meant. If it hadn¡¯t been the princess, it would have been a certain Queen, and that was a problem I had shoved deep down and seemingly ignored. I was going to kill Octius if I ever had the chance. He actually allowed me to believe things happened that shouldn¡¯t have happened. In the end, those things happened with the princess, who was worried over me.


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    This gave me a complicated feeling. It was unintended that I got her pregnant. That was the second accidental pregnancy in my life. If I kept getting girls accidentally pregnant, it would be bad. I was going to end up a scummy guy like my father. I definitely couldn¡¯t be like him.


    ¡°I will take responsibility,¡± I said, my fist tightening. ¡°Eliana.¡±


    ¡°Ah! D-Deek¡­ it¡¯s too soon!¡±


    I reached out and grabbed her hand. ¡°Eliana, I want you¡­


    ¡°Squeak!¡±


    ¡°Squeak? Ah, she passed out!¡± I just managed to catch her before she fell to the ground.


    ¡°Of course she passed out!¡± Prince Aberis snorted, ¡°You were proposing to her!¡±


    ¡°Huh? I¡¯m not ready for marriage!¡± I cried out. ¡°I was just saying I wanted to keep the baby!¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t even in question!¡±


    ¡°R-really? I thought it¡¯d be bad if she had a baby out of wedlock though¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we thought you were proposing!¡±


    ¡°I already said I¡¯m not ready for that level of commitment.¡±


    ¡°You bastard! Get your hands off my daughter! You did this and that, and you don¡¯t even want to marry her? I¡¯ll destroy you!¡±


    ¡°To think, Master would sleep with his own stepdaughter¡­ how bold.¡± Elaya said, not helping the situation at all.


    ¡°Ahhhh¡­.¡± The King started freaking out, trying to break out of his bonds.


    Elaya sighed and petrified his head with a wave of her hand. The loudest thing in the room was finally silenced. Elaya was actually really terrifying. I was glad that I didn¡¯t have to fight her directly.


    ¡°C-can he breathe like that?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Wait, he might die, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll just resurrect him again.¡± Edward waved his hand.


    ¡°You guys are too casual with murder!¡± I cried out.

 Chapter 599

    ¡°Good, that settles the issues with Eliana and the baby and you as the father.¡±


    ¡°Have those issues really been settled though?¡± I asked, feeling a headache coming along.


    Eliana was unconscious in my arms, and the King was petrified. That sounded like the exact opposite of settling. Meanwhile, Prince Edward, now set to become King Edward, was handling all of this surprisingly well. I was expecting him to freak out a bit more.


    ¡°Deek Deekson¡­¡± He suddenly said, a serious expression on his face, which since sitting in the throne, gave him a very noble air.


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± I stood up straighter.


    ¡°You are more of man¡¯s man than I had ever thought. You not only had aims for my sister, but you also took my mother too. I¡¯m not sure if I should kill you or respect you.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°However, I¡¯ve already accepted you as my brother, so naturally you and my sister is something I fully endorse. If you marry her, then we will be brothers in every sense of the word. She clearly loves you, so I only see this as a matter of time.¡±


    ¡°R-right¡­¡±


    ¡°However, I cannot condone you having my mother!¡± His face grew enraged.


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    ¡°Oh, nonsense¡­¡± Elaya broke in, stopping him from continuing. ¡°You know as well as I do that I¡¯m only a piece of your mother. Even resurrected, I wasn¡¯t a pure spirit, but a spectral monster deformed by a curse. Although I was given a body, that doesn¡¯t stop the fact that I am not the same woman I used to be. Although I see you as my son, and I am glad you see me as your mother, I am free to choose my own life, yes?¡±


    ¡°B-but, mom!¡±


    ¡°No buts! I will be with my Master in the future. It is the choice I made, so please don¡¯t try to get in the way.¡±


    ¡°R-right¡­¡± He took a breath, ¡°Very well, in that case, it¡¯s all resolved.¡±


    ¡°Just like that!¡±


    Was Prince Edward actually a momma¡¯s boy? It took only two sentences from her to completely topple his previous attitude. He didn¡¯t even have anger on his face anymore.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten the votes needed to promote you.¡± He continued on as if ignoring my comments. ¡°You are now Count Deek Deekson. Your salary has increased to one thousand gold a month. I will award you another eight Knight tokens. You can also select one item from our treasury. I also meant to tell you, but that life insurance is not needed. As a high noble, we will resurrect you. That¡¯s why you woke up in the castle the last time you were here.


    ¡°Ah¡­ is that so¡­¡± I guess that made sense that they would keep all of their nobles on such a thing. ¡°Wait, does that mean¡­ Lord Reign?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Unfortunately, he has a great deal of support with the other noble houses, enough that attempting to dispose of him would be an issue. Fortunately, promoting a noble only required a 1/3 vote, whereas disposing of one requires 2/3.¡±


    ¡°Is he truly that powerful?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­ it¡¯s close enough where finding out for certain may cause the royal family to lose power. So, you can understand why I¡¯ve been pushing you to deal with it on your own, never mind the possibility of getting the Imperial Cloud Meadow involved.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Eliana moved in my grip and finally blushed. ¡°Th-th-the answer is yes!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll marry you!¡±

 Chapter 600

    After her declaration, I was certain that the petrified statue shook for a bit. I was sweating bullets. I had meant it when I said I wasn¡¯t ready. Every serious relationship I had ever been in was with a slave! I promised I¡¯d start power leveling Pervert until babies were impossible. Maybe Harem Master had some skills that could help with that as well.


    ¡°Your wedding will have to be postponed.¡± Prince Aberis declared.


    ¡°What? Brother, why?¡± her face turned from shock to anger.


    He raised his hands defensively. ¡°Think about it, sister. He¡¯s only a Count now. A Count is far too low of a rank to marry a princess! At lowest, he¡¯d have to be a Marquis!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Her face grew flustered, and then she looked up at me sadly. ¡°He¡¯s right, my love, your status is too low.¡±


    ¡°In fact,¡± Prince Aberis snorted. ¡°Your status is insultingly low! I checked your Adventurer¡¯s Rank. You¡¯re an F as an individual and an E as a team. Even my sister here is a rank C!¡±


    ¡°R-really¡­¡±


    ¡°If it got out a rank E rescued our rank S father, Aberis would become a laughing stock across the continent! You must resolve this issue immediately!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes! You must complete more Adventuring Guild Missions. The embarrassing thing is that you could be an S rank already! There was a mission to defeat Widow¡¯s Dungeon in the Adventuring Guild of Alerith. If you had accepted the mission, you could have gotten the rewards.¡±


    ¡°S-seriously?¡±


    ¡°If you can make it to S rank, I believe I will be able to get you another promotion. As an Earl, you¡¯ll be a higher rank than Reign, and in a position to suppress him.¡±


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    ¡°Ah¡­ well, that still has the problem of resources. He¡¯s much more stable.¡±


    ¡°I had hoped that you could get the orichalcum mine and use that, but it seems father had already stripped the dungeon of resources. That would have been a good place to create a second city and secure your place in the wilderness.¡± The Prince let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll be sending a few advisors with you back to Chalm. I trust you have a means of teleporting there quickly?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes¡­ yes, I do.¡±


    ¡°Then, please bring them along. They will play some importance in the near future. They will be assessing trade opportunities with Chalm. A Traveler¡¯s Guild branch must be established in Chalm. Since you are a Count, I¡¯ll be sending you a Blue Mage so that you can open up a means of transport with the nearby cities. We¡¯ll also need to clear out and fix the road between Chalm and the Capital. The area is riddled with bandits. Since Salicia¡¯s capture, they¡¯ve become even more threatening.¡±


    ¡°That is my next mission for you. Accept missions from the Adventuring Guild to take care of the bandit threat. We can knock off two birds with a single stone.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ should I be capturing them? If I kill them, couldn¡¯t a Dark Priest just bring them back?¡±


    He scratched his chin. ¡°You¡¯re a Count now, Deek. I¡¯m going to let you make the decision on this. Take care of them how you see fit. There is profit in bounties, but there can also be resentment.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that your way of just hiding your responsibility!¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ anyway¡­ it¡¯s time Aberis finally begins to support the west of the Capital. The Northwest was taken over by Lord Reign under the Imperial Cloud, but the Southwest is mostly bandits and the wilderness. If you can toss out the bandits and bring structure to the land, you¡¯d be stabilizing Aberis significantly. Any cities you meet along the way will be ruled by lower lords. If you can gain their respect and save their cities from the bandit threat, they will become the army you need.¡±


    So, that was how it was. I needed to increase my strength in Aberis. Although I had gained the full trust and support of the Prince and future King, this wasn¡¯t something the King could just hand me. Even if he did, the power would only be as strong as the King¡¯s word. Rather than strengthen Aberis, it would make it more fragile than ever. However, if I save various territories from their bandit threat, I would finally start to gain a stable foundation in Aberis. Danger and opportunity came hand in hand.

 Chapter 601

    After spending a day with the King and finding out Eliana was pregnant, I returned home peacefully. The next few days went by just as calmly. I even gave the girls a day off, although I personally couldn¡¯t remember the day that well. Terra continued to work on the wall. She had also shown me a new item she had created.


    It was rather ingenious. It was a golem creator. She had apparently gotten the idea when I talked to her about automation in my own world. She had worked with the resident enchanter toward building such an item. In short, it could construct golems and program them to carry out simple tasks. We had built a handful of prototypes, and they were now being used to clear the forest outside of Chalm and even till some land to eventually be used as farmland.


    Mana was a part of everything in this world, and years of having a dungeon suck the land dry had made it all but infertile. However, I knew about certain bean plants being good for revitalizing land, and I knew that with the fairy spring, the land would rapidly recover. Already, the green around the city that had once been brown and dead was green and lively.


    My own dungeon, apparently, also sucks out mana from the land, but it mostly sucks from the mana spring. Furthermore, because the spring wasn¡¯t just a source of mana for the dungeon, but a supply of waters of life for us to sell, the waters of life would diminish and eventually be destroyed. This didn¡¯t happen because I was thankfully able to renew the waters of life by using fairy dust and my own mana. Astria then could concentrate the spring water. Doing that once a week was enough, but when I did it daily, the spring grew stronger and more magical, and the benefits derived from it also increased.


    As for her golem creator, we needed to contact people from Jespain if we wanted to advance it farther. With time, Terra said that she could build all kinds of different golems. Golems that maintained stuff. Golems that built stuff. Golems that could defend the city. However, I saw it as something else. In my mind, the golem creator was basically a magical 3D printer. The thing that made it the most impressive wouldn¡¯t be in producing golems, but in producing magical items.


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    That¡¯s right, I imagine a world where we could print storage rings, enchantment-enhanced jewelry, and even armor. We could begin to mass produce such useful items. However, a trip to Jespain would be almost mandatory, and right now, I was still trying to help stabilize Aberis. Prince Aberis was going to become the new King soon, and with a turncoat to the north, Bandits to the south, and a hostile wilderness everywhere else, Chalm wasn¡¯t so stable that I was ready to make that journey.


    I didn¡¯t necessarily need to make the journey myself. If I was able to mark someone on my map and follow them, I could technically make a portal directly to them, and then once I was in Jespain, there wouldn¡¯t be an issue. Unfortunately, it was proving impossible. It took about a month to reach the Capital City from old Chalm. Reaching Jespain would take anywhere from six months to a year.


    Dioshin had its borders closed off to the east. That meant you had to either go up through Imperial Cloud Meadow and Shie Gescar, or go down to Esmore and try to take a boat. Dioshin sank boats sailing in their waters, so you wouldn¡¯t just have to make a year-long voyage, but have to avoid being shot down. As for Shie Gescar, there was a large river between Imperial Cloud Meadow and Shie Gescar. From what I heard, no one who crossed it ever returned. This included the Master Blacksmith who once worked with Rubee. As a result, Shie Gescar was an extremely mysterious place. As for Figuro, I didn¡¯t know how he had managed to penetrate their ranks. I knew that he was a special case though.


    Terra¡¯s parents had supposedly come from Shie Gescar, but they were both famous magicians who lived a simple life. Furthermore, Faeyna had mistaken Shao as a woman from Shie Gescar, although I later learned she had actually come from a Northern city on the border of the demon lands. She was Japanese, so that seemed to suggest that Shie Gescar contained people who appeared Asian. That only served to make it more mysterious. Suffice it to say, it would be some time before I could finally visit that place.

 Chapter 602

    ¡°Deek! What are you doing in here?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you already gotten the orders?¡± I asked.


    The Guild Master chuckled. ¡°Ah! It¡¯s about that then. I thought you¡¯d take some more time to rest. You seem to always be going somewhere. It¡¯s tiring just watching you.¡±


    ¡°The girls don¡¯t seem to want to take any days off. I guess that one day was enough. Even Carmine sounded energized on my last contact with her. When I had suggested a day off, I had forgotten about Carmine and Salicia, but I heard the girls had brought them to Chalm for the day. It seemed to have done them well. Either way, Carmine¡¯s next fight is going to be coming up soon, so I was thinking about training her up a bit.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean Dungeons?¡±


    ¡°Dirage is a bit too big, and we don¡¯t know where any of the other dungeons in the wilderness are. That¡¯s why I¡¯m sending Lydia, Terra, and Celeste out to do recon. They¡¯re going to try to locate the dungeons in the wilderness, but that might take a couple of weeks.¡±


    ¡°Weeks? Is it wise to send out your strongest?¡± The Guild Master asked worriedly. ¡°After all, we did just have a giant golem attack the city.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Nothing! I mean, what if a giant golem attacked the city? I¡¯m just worried your party will be too weak to handle any of these missions. Even if we can resurrect you, it¡¯s something I¡¯d like to avoid.¡±


    I didn¡¯t take offense. The Guild Master had sent countless people out on missions, so he was really just trying to make sure I had thought of everything. I had carefully considered things. It was getting to a point where I couldn¡¯t afford to move around as a group any longer. The girls needed to depend on each other to overcome challenges by themselves once in a while.


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    As for why I picked the three, Lydia was the best scout, hands down, so it made sense for her to go. As for Celeste, her ability to fly allowed her to get a vantage point and see things at a distance. Finally, Terra could build protective barriers, buying them time, and also create shelters so they could rest safely if needed. Besides, if they got in trouble, they had access to Portal and could flee if needed.


    There was also another reason I decided to do things this way. The girls had sat me down and given me a scolding the other day. They said that I wasn¡¯t giving enough time toward Raissa, Carmine, and Salicia. I had worried they knew Raissa was pregnant, but they didn¡¯t seem to indicate as such. I suspected that Astria and Elaya knew, but thankfully, they had kept this knowledge to themselves.


    Thus, I was going to bring Raissa, Carmine, Salicia, Shao, and Miki with me on this adventure. I worried a little about Raissa, but I wasn¡¯t taking her into a dungeon. Rather, the quest was to hunt Bandits in the countryside. Carmine was a protective wall, Shao a skilled assassin, and Miki was good at detecting life force. No one knew more about Bandits than Salicia. Supposedly, Carmine and Salicia were more powerful than the other girls too. Since I could take over the scouting duty, there was no reason Raissa even needed to risk her life at all.


    ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯re registered as a team for E. It has to be those five girls. However, you can use your individual registration, you can accept requests as well. Unfortunately, that puts you at F.¡±


    ¡°Geh¡­ that¡¯s what the Prince is trying to fix.¡± I sighed. ¡°Are there any F-level bandit requests?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so, are you sure we can¡¯t make an exception?¡±


    ¡°The Adventuring Guild isn¡¯t run by the nobility. I have to follow the rules here. I would love to make an exception, but I can¡¯t¡­ the lowest bandit level quest is a D, so even if you did sign up for a new ¡®E¡¯ party, it¡¯d be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Then, what do you have in mind?¡± I figured there was no way he¡¯d tell me this unless he had a plan.


    ¡°That¡¯s simple. You¡¯re going to have to accept the mission with a guide. Fortunately, I found the perfect person for you.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Who?¡±

 Chapter 603

    I didn¡¯t have to wait to find out who the Guild Master selected, as she nearly jumped up. She was a tall, muscular woman, and one I hadn¡¯t seen in some time.


    ¡°Big Sis?¡±


    She puffed out her cheeks. ¡°You still won¡¯t call me by my name. It¡¯s Ruby! Ru-by!¡±


    There was a time when she had seemed so large and powerful to me. She honestly had intimidated me a lot, and so even though she was always nice, I kept a distance from her. However, that was the old Deek. I wasn¡¯t only more muscular than I used to be, but I actually grew a little too. I heard it was an effect from leveling rapidly. Your body started to change to match your skills and abilities.


    After dealing with the Osterians, Ruby didn¡¯t seem so imposing anymore. Rather, after being around so many strong women, Ruby appeared a bit cute. She was still a big woman, although she wasn¡¯t so large as to be Osterian, she was a bit over six feet tall. She had a big chest that made Celeste¡¯s look small, and was even bigger than the Queens. She also tended to wear very little armor, exposing a lot more skin. I wasn¡¯t sure how that tied into her being a skilled Adventurer though.


    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯ll be joining me?¡±


    She grinned a big smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for a time I could take you out. To think you¡¯ve been an Adventurer for around four months, and you still are a grade F. That¡¯s really slow.¡±


    ¡°Ruby!¡± The Guild Master rolled his eyes. ¡°You know the situation with them wasn¡¯t exactly ideal.¡±


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    ¡°He knows I¡¯m just teasing him!¡± She hit my shoulder hard, but where I remember it hurting once, it only felt like friendliness now. ¡°Anyway, the mission is bandits? I have to tell you, bandits are tough. Monsters are only so smart, but bandits are as smart as you and I. Also, although these quests are leveled, Bandits are unpredictable. It¡¯s very easy for a C quest to jump to A because we had their numbers wrong or a particularly strong person joined their group. Death is common against bandits. That¡¯s why so few Adventurers have been doing anything about them.


    ¡°That, and they¡¯re as tough to handle as cockroaches. They can be resurrected by Dark Priests, and they¡¯ll hold grudges. If you capture them, you need to deliver them to a city with the strength to hold them, or the Bandits will raid the city and they end up free again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I learned that the hard way.¡± I said bitterly.


    I was hoping to get a quick buck and ended up handing in a bandit leader that had attacked us close to the city of Penbrooke. However, that city was attacked and the man I had just defeated had been freed only a short time later. He later died, but there was nothing keeping him from being resurrected. At the moment, I had no clue if he was still out there, plotting against me.


    ¡°I¡¯m just being frank with you here. It¡¯s a very tough job. I¡¯m not a Dungeon Diver, and I know you have the threat of perma-death hovering over you, but battling bandits is a completely different beast. As much as we like to act like we¡¯re immortal, we only have so many lives before death psychosis begins. That¡¯s when your spirit has been worn down by so many deaths you start to suffer unseen trauma. So, battling bandits that have just as many lives and can be just as skilled and powerful as we are can feel like trying to hold back a flood with just your hands. I¡¯ve known Dungeon Divers, who are used to the clear rules and expectations dungeons provide, crack under the pressure of Bandit hunting. It¡¯s not for everyone.¡±


    ¡°Ruby! Haven¡¯t you scared him enough?¡± The Guild master admonished.


    I merely let out a chuckle, ¡°Actually, I think we¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Ruby gave me a worried look. She clearly wasn¡¯t convinced. It looked like I was just going to have to show her what we could do.

 Chapter 604

    ¡°I love you all, good luck.¡±


    I had just finished explaining my plans to Lydia and her party and was now setting them on their way. I said my farewell to Lydia, Celeste, and Terra, including a long night with Pervert equipped. It had gone up another level, and so had Harem Master. I didn¡¯t know what I did to get Harem Master to increase, but it seemed to have been leveling normally. I equipped it just for kicks. I was now at level 3, and it had given me three skills.


    The first skill was another Status Bonus that seemed to only affect girls in my harem and also in my party. The second level gave me Harem Boost. I didn¡¯t know what it did, but I presumed it was a status boost as well. It didn¡¯t appear to be an active skill, whatever it was. The third ability was called Harmony, and I could guess what that meant. It helped the girls get along a bit easier. It had to be working, because Astria and Elaya seemed to be getting along better with the others recently. They even agreed to help protect the city while we were gone.


    Well, if it was anything major, I could use Return and be home in a second, so I made sure that the mayor knew not to depend on them too much. I had a bit more trust for Astria than I did Elaya. She was still a wild card. I hadn¡¯t made her my slave. She was just a tamed monster. However, a tamed monster was just that, someone who was tamed. Dogs were tamed, but that didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t bite their Masters. Monsters couldn¡¯t be controlled fully, where slaves could, at least in this world. Slavery was a removal of freedom, where taming was a form of reliance.


    As for Miki, Raissa, Carmine, and Salicia, we would be gone from Chalm for a while. We¡¯d be out in east Aberis, hunting bandits and forging alliances. Then, when Carmine needed to do her gladiatorial fights, we¡¯d get involved in those as well. With Portal, it was rather easy to move around, so just like how I slowly descended in the dungeons while sleeping at the mansion every night, things wouldn¡¯t be much different here. We¡¯d progress along the countryside and then return to Alerith every night.


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    Why was I staying in Alerith? I wanted to give Chalm some time to grow without me. I didn¡¯t want the city to be too reliant. I had a feeling that I would be outgrowing Chalm in time. After sending that Miner¡¯s town to the grave, I realized the importance of having more support. I needed other cities. That¡¯s why my girls were trying to survey the wilderness. If we could reclaim it and build another city, that would be best. With Terra¡¯s increasing skills, a second city, maybe a few forts, would all be possible.


    I even had such fanciful dreams as taming a dungeon. It wasn¡¯t a monster, but it might be possible to control it like one of the Great dungeons. Then I could have a city like Dirage that attracts people. Furthermore, I could always pilfer mana for my own dungeon, if needed. I had many plans, but they needed to be fulfilled little by little.


    The old me who first came to this place wouldn¡¯t even be able to recognize the current me. I didn¡¯t know at what point I had started having this kind of ambition. I had always been someone who just went with the flow. However, after being in the company of so many people who depended on me, I had started to want to become a man they could depend on. I wanted to grow, and I wanted those around me to grow as well. As a result, it was necessary to part for a time.


    I gave them each a final hug and a kiss, and the girls walked off into the wilderness. I marked them on my Map. They might have left, but they¡¯d never be farther than a step from me. I would build a future for all of us.

 Chapter 605

    ¡°I¡¯m a powerful asset, you know. You shouldn¡¯t just leave me behind.¡± Elaya appeared in my room as I was packing for my journey.


    ¡°Elaya?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Rather than look upset, Elaya chuckled softly, ¡°You always play so hard to get. Far more interesting than my husband. You remind me a bit of the Harem Hero.¡±


    ¡°You knew him?¡± The only time I recalled him, he was mentioned briefly by Karr.


    She nodded. ¡°Oh yes, he fought in our army. He was a rising Hero around the time I¡­ well¡­ stepped out of history.¡±


    So, it was about thirty years ago he was a rising Hero. Karr somehow took influence in the Harem Hero around twenty years ago when he was killed under mysterious circumstances. I had thought at one point it was all the church, but it turned out the church in the Capital was rather harmless. Then again, that was only a part of a fractured church that had once been much larger. Presumably, that church had shattered a hundred years ago before the Demon Lord Aberis attacked the former country of Osteria and fractured it into the Ost Republic and Aberis.


    ¡°What was he like?¡±


    ¡°Fufu¡­ wondering if I took any interest in him?¡± Elaya asked slyly.


    ¡°Even if you did, he¡¯s dead and you¡¯re mine. Furthermore, you¡¯re not even the same woman anymore.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate such a Master.¡± She chuckled. ¡°As for what I thought of him, he was a bit of a party boy. He preferred flirting and leading women on.¡±


    ¡°Oh? So, he was that kind of guy? One that can¡¯t commit?¡±


    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°You know the type? Well, you¡¯re not wrong. The Slave Hero never really loved the women he controlled. The Love Hero was a shallow person who loved all women. The Harem Hero didn¡¯t have the balls to make women his. They were all lacking. Even my ex-husband, the Hero King of Aberis, was a man dragged down by his own prejudices. You are different though. It is why I gave you my allegiance. When I saw you take Astria into your heart, I knew you were destined for greatness.¡±


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    ¡°Plus, if you didn¡¯t, I might have had no choice but to kill you.¡±


    Once again, she laughed giddily. ¡°Perhaps you could have¡­ I know that I don¡¯t have a place in your heart yet. That¡¯s something unique about you. You make the women with you want to be better. So, despite my hidden natures, I will become a woman you can be proud of. I will earn your trust one day.¡±


    ¡°I just wish I knew who you are.¡± I admitted. ¡°With Astria, that was her original form. With the Giantess and the Siren, they are merely monsters I tamed. You, on the other hand, are neither the Queen, nor a monster.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I Queen Elaya? You resurrected me, after all! I¡¯m not a spirit anymore.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± I responded uncertainly. ¡°I suppose it doesn¡¯t really matter. Even Karr could be resurrected¡­¡±


    Actually, it was difficult to say whether the Karr I met in Karr¡¯s dungeon was the true Karr. He was an existence that had been corrupted and twisted by Miasma for twenty years. He was a ghost that was ultimately resurrected into a human. Except, his spirit had been captured by the dungeon shortly after his death. It wasn¡¯t clear if any of Elaya¡¯s spirit existed within this Elaya, or if she was closer to a memory of Elaya. Then again, did it matter? Elaya was Elaya now, and Astria was Astria. Both were women twisted by a dungeon for many years. The only ones I knew who had been spared that fate were Celeste and Terra.


    Although, that was a curious thought too. How had Celeste and Terra been spared the damage of the dungeon? Both had been trapped in the dungeon for equal amounts of time and had seemingly come out of it with their mind¡¯s intact. It wasn¡¯t like Celeste and Terra were waging battles or fighting to the death in boss rooms or anything.


    ¡°I will let you continue on.¡± Elaya chuckled. ¡°I just stopped by so I wouldn¡¯t leave your mind. In time, I¡¯ll have your heart¡­¡±


    She turned around and walked away. At that moment, an intense desire came over me, and I pulled out just a bit of fairy dust and used God¡¯s Eye, examining Elaya¡¯s status in front of my eye. My face turned white. Some things were better off not being known.


    As she disappeared out of sight, I shook my head. ¡°What the hell is a Great Lich Queen, anyway?¡±

 Chapter 606

    I finished packing my supplies and then headed out. I met with Shao, Raissa, Miki, and Ruby, and then the group of us portaled to Alerith. Ruby, in particular, seemed extremely amazed as she stepped through the white portal. The other girls had grown used to it after traveling through it so many times, but I didn¡¯t exactly use it out in public.  She had to be aware I had the ability, but it was probably the best thing I was known for after being the Lord of Chalm. Even after passing through, she looked at the thing in wonder until I allowed it to shut.


    Salicia and Carmine were thankfully waiting for us, but as expected, Carmine had packed considerably too much. Why did she even own that much stuff? I made her go and repack. While we were waiting, I went over everything with the group one more time. When it came to Deek¡¯s Party, the girls would follow without questions. However, Ruby wasn¡¯t one of my girls, and Raissa was a girl who was used to going in with a plan. It was too dangerous to take on a dungeon without every person knowing their place. Well, you could say that my old Party were so comfortable with each other, that our places were self-evident. Now, with a new group, especially with several women used to working alone, it¡¯d be rockier.


    That included Shao. She typically worked and fought alone. Lydia had taken her under her wing, and she was willing to follow Lydia¡¯s lead, but that didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t some issues there. This was a bit of a test for everyone. Well, except for Miki. I had already told her what her job was ahead of time. She could affect people¡¯s spirit and mind. That meant that she was a mood setter. She was there to make sure the other four girls worked together properly. She¡¯d keep them calm, focused, and steady. Naturally, I wouldn¡¯t tell them that. If it didn¡¯t work, I could try equipping Harem Master. Although, I didn¡¯t know what the conditions were for being in my Harem. Were Carmine and Salicia considered Harem members? How about even Raissa?


    In my mind, there were only seven women whom I was truly close to emotionally. Shao, Miki, Celeste, Lydia, Terra, Astria, and Eliana. Another part of the reason I was making this journey was to get closer to Raissa, Carmine, and Salicia. Elaya probably had picked up on this, which is why she had made her visit earlier as the odd girl out. I had wanted to grow closer to Raissa anyway, especially if I was going to tell her she was pregnant. The girls had begged me to spend more time with Carmine, and Salicia came with Carmine, so that¡¯s how it turned out.


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    ¡°Salicia, is this going to be okay with you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What? Oh? About betraying and killing men and women who used to work under me? Sounds fun!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Salicia put her hands on her hips and let out a laugh. ¡°You can¡¯t be saying you think there should be honor amongst thieves or something? We worked together for mutual gain. I used the bandits because they could help me obtain rapid wealth and power. They used me because I provided safety thanks to my great strength.¡±


    ¡°That definitely is something I¡¯m curious about.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Carmine had the support of the church. She became a Paladin with their support. However, how did you become a Bandit King? From a girl who lost everything, even her sister, you managed to become a third tier that ruled southwest Aberis for a time.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because I¡¯m really amazing?¡±


    ¡°Forget it, I¡¯m sorry I asked.¡±


    She let out another laugh and then spoke mysteriously. ¡°Perhaps, if our path heads that direction, you may find out about my past, but until then, you¡¯ll just have to admire me from afar.¡±


    ¡°I finished packing.¡± A muffled voice came from the stairway.


    I looked over to see a mass of bags and boxes strapped all around what might have been a body. ¡°I said take what you can carry!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m carrying it all!¡± Carmine cried.


    ¡°You should be able to fight¡­ and see for that matter!¡±


    ¡°Master! You let all the others carry so much stuff in their storage rings, but you haven¡¯t afforded me even one!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s got a point, you know.¡± Miki smirked.


    ¡°Whose side are you on!¡±


    ¡°They all get storage rings? D-Deek¡­ did I mention how manly you are!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you start flirting now, Ruby!¡±


    This was going to be a long journey.

 Chapter 607

    Everyone finally settled. It took a trip to the Capital, where I purchased a few more storage rings. However, I only found 2 left. These items did not grow on trees and getting them for the kingdom was exceptionally difficult. Jespain was the main country that created such magical artifacts, and there was only one enchanter in Aberis who handles basically everything. If it wasn¡¯t found in a dungeon, it was probably enchanted by this guy, although he also had three apprentices who did most of the smaller things, like those that I had purchased in Chalm.


    The Blue Mages of the Traveler¡¯s Guild were already difficult people to work with, so the times the enchanter could meet with a space mage and create rings were few and far between. Even then, working all day only got them 3-4. They were too expensive, and so they didn¡¯t sell well, which was the only reason I was able to get my hands on them. It was lucky to see ten a year made. Considering I had reequipped my five girls with storage rings twice now after they were destroyed, I had already used up over a year¡¯s supply of rings in Aberis, and now there was a shortage. Of course, I had also gained a few from dungeons, which were always better than the ones made by the enchanter. Not that I¡¯d say that to his face.


    I¡¯d like Celeste to level Enchanter. With her Wind magic, she could probably make some pretty interesting items. However, other things had always been more pressing. So, since the girls were up to three jobs now with the help of dungeon points, I equipped her with Enchanter instead of her favored Magic Singer. I was eager to see what progress she made when she finally returned from her trip.


    So, long story short, those two rings had cost me five hundred gold thanks to the shortage. If I didn¡¯t expect to get a lot of profit from the bandits, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have bought the two I did. One went to Carmine and one to Salicia. Even though Ruby gave me sad eyes, she¡¯s not even my slave and I have no responsibility to equip her. At least, I didn¡¯t have to fight with Carmine over bringing any more stuff, and she seemed quite content with it. Salicia complained it didn¡¯t have more diamonds and jewels on it. Both sisters seemed to have an inflated sense of self-worth, but where Carmine simply wanted things, Salicia wanted to be seen. She wore flashy clothing, and even now she had an assortment of diamonds and jewels on herself. It was enough to tempt any thief, so it honestly did its job.


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    ¡°Master, where will we be going first?¡± Miki asked as we entered the traveling guild. ¡°You won¡¯t be taking us there by Portal?¡±


    ¡°I already wasted a round-trip with Portals by going to the Capital. Unfortunately, we¡¯ve only walked the one road to the capital. However, there are no cities along that way now that Penbrook is wiped off the map. With the dungeon gone, no one felt the need to return to the city.¡±


    I knew this because some people from Penbrook had ended up coming to Chalm in hopes of a new opportunity. Somehow, despite not really being able to do anything to help them, I had become a bit of a hero. I had helped all the families resurrect everyone who had died in the bandit attack, so that was part of it. They had also heard how I fought and defeated the clockwork dragon. Thankfully, most of them had already fled by the time Carmine had freed it, but many had heard and seen it flying overhead, so it left quite an impression on the fleeing villagers.


    ¡°Then, where will we be going?¡± She asked.


    ¡°The last stronghold against the Bandits. They have been cut off from Aberis¡¯s Capital for nearly two months now. Well, not entirely. They¡¯ve managed to hold out because a Blue Mage is there and they¡¯ve been able to exchange some supplies through him. It¡¯s more of a fort than a city now, with every resident who could afford to flee having since teleported away. It¡¯s right in the heart of Bandit territory. It should be a good place to start.¡±


    This was just the beginning. For the first time since I had been to this world, I had plans of my own.

 Chapter 608

    The Traveler¡¯s Guild in Chalm had only just been set up. A building had been procured and they were still remodeling it. There was a grouchy Blue Mage waiting for us. I was starting to wonder if it was a mandate of the Blue Mages that they all be irritable and short-tempered. This was a middle-aged, pudgy man. When he saw me walk in, rather than bow as would be befitting a Count, he let out a long snort.


    ¡°About time you came! I drew this formation an hour ago. Since you want to be teleported to Regency, I can¡¯t guarantee that the formation will be together on their end.¡± He turned away. ¡°Will you stop that racket!¡±


    Someone nearby was hammering on some floorboards, but it had irritated the Blue Mage who had turned and yelled at him. The worker stopped hammering. He shot the Blue Mage a look, but otherwise remained silent. All third-tier jobs had a great deal of respect, but the Blue Mage in particular was responsible for an important public service. They could sway the outcome of a battle or make or break commerce. The fact that the city of Regency was still standing and had yet to be looted also had to do with a Blue Mage.


    When he turned back to the group, his eyes narrowed. ¡°Well? I¡¯m waiting? Are you going to get in the circle? Wait¡­ the coin!¡±


    I ended up paying seven gold for the journey. I was making a trip based on the orders of the next King, protecting the country, and also, I was the lord of this city, and yet this guy still had the audacity to demand payment. I let out a long sigh and then handed him the coins, although I was wondering if I could collect taxes on the Traveler¡¯s Guild.


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    Then, I gestured for everyone to move into the circle he had drawn. I noticed that he drew it kind of small for the group we had. Usually, the standard circle drawn was enough for about twenty people unless they knew how many they were sending. It was clear that this guy was being extra stingy with supplies, because it barely fit the seven of us. I ended up smooshed against Raissa, her head pressed against my chest.


    She blushed shyly, and a moment later. ¡°Will you stop hitting me with your tail! Do you want me to cut it off!¡± Salicia growled.


    ¡°S-s-orry!¡± Raissa squeaked, looking anywhere but at me in embarrassment.


    If my arms were free, I would have patted her on the head, but right now they were shoved at my sides with five women all around me.


    ¡°Master¡­ doing that kind of thing here¡­¡± Carmine let out a hot breath near my neck. ¡°If you touch me like that, I¡¯ll go crazy.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not touching you whatsoever.¡±


    My hands were at my sides, facing my own legs. Carmine¡¯s hot expression suddenly turned to her side. Salicia¡¯s grin started growing.


    ¡°Y-y-y-you!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± I hissed, not sure what would happen if Carmine suddenly pushed us all out of the circle.


    At best, I would have to pay him a second time to cast the spell. That was exactly the kind of people Blue Mage¡¯s were. Thankfully, the magic started taking effect a moment later, and the group ended up teleporting away.


    When I regained my sight, there was a withered old man standing there with a cane in his hand. ¡°Finally. What took you so long!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± I was just about to let out another sigh at another Blue Mage who was surly, but then his eyes suddenly whipped to his side.


    ¡°Blue Mage! Conjure up some food for us!¡±


    ¡°I-i-it doesn¡¯t work that way!¡± A beautiful woman said tearfully, her large breasts shaking as she cried out innocently.


    Has the Blue Mage curse finally been broken?

 Chapter 609

    The Blue Mage wore a blue robe, but it had a cutout on her chest and revealed quite a bit of her large cleavage. She would definitely be an outstanding member of the church in the capital. She had long blonde hair that ran down her back in silky waves. Her eyes were a piercing purple color, and her face was round with just a hint of baby fat on her cheeks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I was thinking, taking on a Blue Mage as an apprentice.¡± The old man growled, but then his eyes fell on her chest, and it left little question as to what he was thinking.


    When he turned back to us, his eyes went right past me, and he checked the chest out on the girls behind me too. Carmine caught his eyes, but all the other girls seemed wanting. Salicia even puffed out her chest as his eyes wandered by. The lack of excitement in them caused her smile to turn to daggers. I shoved myself out from the middle of the girls, as I had almost been lost, and I brought out my hand.


    ¡°I am Count Deekson from Chalm. The future King sent me to help with the Bandit situation. You are?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m bored.¡± He responded, not taking my hand as he turned and started walking away.


    ¡°Come, Siti, you did your job. Now, you can come satisfy me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, wh-why do you always word it that way! I¡¯m just rubbing your feet!¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ for now¡­¡±


    She blushed, bowing to us in greeting. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lord. He is the Grand Master Rigel, and I am his apprentice Siti. You can find the mayor of this city. The Lord was killed on an expedition to attack the Bandits last month. Ah! Not that I¡¯m saying you¡¯ll meet the same fate! I¡¯m sure my lord is prepared to handle unceasing waves of evil men¡­ I mean¡­¡±


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    ¡°Siti!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± She bowed, giving me a full view down her blouse, before she stood back up and ran after the old man, who had already left the guild and seemed surprisingly quick for someone his age.


    I was busy thinking about what she had said. Grand Master¡­ would that mean he was a Master Magician? He¡¯d be the first person with a 4th tier I had seen other than the fairies, Elaya, and the King. Even Alysia and Octius were only a 3rd tier, although they were both really strong. I had read about it once, but it was called the third-tier bottleneck. Unlocking a 4th tier job required something truly special.


    It was said that 1st tier was triggered by repetition, 2nd tier was triggered by leveling, third tier was triggered by accomplishment, and 4th tier was triggered by mastery. Of course, that was just a saying, and didn¡¯t describe reality perfectly. You could get to a third tier of Magician just by leveling and there appeared to be no 2nd tier when it came to Dungeon Diver and Hero. Then again, it was probably more accurate to say that there was no first tier, since both were awarded, not gained, and were a bit beyond the basics. The same could be said for Knight.


    There might even be a 5th tier of jobs, but the books weren¡¯t aware of it if there was one. Then again, Aberis was a small country, and only recently created, so this kind of information was limited. Plus, the concept of tiers was only something assigned to jobs for convenience, and didn¡¯t fit reality completely.


    As I was thinking, I realized five girls were glancing at me.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Shao said, crossing her arms.


    ¡°Not another!¡± Miki nodded.


    ¡°Another?¡± I had no clue what they were talking about.


    ¡°M-master must control himself!¡± Raissa declared.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I nodded, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s go find this mayor.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what they were talking about, but I decided to fake it. They all acted weird sometimes. I had just been thinking about jobs, and there was nothing else on my mind. I rubbed my throat as we left the Traveler¡¯s Guild. For some reason, I was suddenly thirsty for some milk.

 Chapter 610

    We didn¡¯t have to walk far before we heard a man yelling out orders. I led the group over to him. He was a bald, skinny man with a worn look. He was wearing piecemeal armor, but it didn¡¯t look nearly as nice as the dungeon gathered assortments I was used to wearing. I actually hadn¡¯t found any particularly good armor lately, and various fights had destroyed several of my best pieces. The one thing role-playing games never taught me was how easy it was for armor to break down and be destroyed. Well, maybe part of that was my own personal life choices, but I didn¡¯t want to get into that at the moment.


    As we approached him, a sudden explosion nearby caused the earth to shake and the soldiers nearby to start moving with a bit of speed. The man who appeared to be in charge bellowed out some orders.


    ¡°Get some water on that!¡± He yelled. ¡°Get some archers on the walls! Keep those magicians back!¡±


    ¡°This is less like a bandit attack and more like a siege.¡± Ruby muttered.


    ¡°You, are you soldiers sent by the Capital?¡± The man noticed our group approaching and immediately barked that question in our direction.


    I tried to look confident, resting my hand on my sword. ¡°I am Lord Deekson, I¡¯ve come¡­¡±


    ¡°Whatever! Get to the wall! I don¡¯t have enough men right now.¡± He eyed the women behind me and made a face. ¡°I guess a bunch of slave women will have to do. I asked the city for reinforcements, and they sent me some haughty noble.¡±


    The somber expression on my face slipped to a frown. As I went to say something, Ruby grabbed my arm and pulled me along. The man was already barking orders at other people, not paying us any mind. That was probably for the best, as Shao was giving him a dangerous look, and even Miki looked like she wanted to bite him.


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    ¡°He¡¯s a busy man. It¡¯s best not to get into fights here. You may be a Lord in Chalm, but in Regency you¡¯re just a C-class adventurer who took on a quest. Technically, you¡¯re not even that, as I¡¯m your mentor.¡± Ruby advised. ¡°In short, follow after me. Although you are helping out Aberis, officially, you¡¯re working under Adventurer Guild bylaws right now.¡±


    I nodded, although the frown didn¡¯t leave my face. I motioned for the other girls to join me, and we followed Ruby up to the wall. As I glanced out over the field, it was definitely an eerie sight. There wasn¡¯t a row of people waiting outside, or a group of tents blocking our spot. In fact, there didn¡¯t appear to be a single bandit in view. They were all hiding in the forest beyond. If I squinted hard, I could just make out movements hidden within the shadows.


    What made the battlefield so frightening wasn¡¯t the bandits waiting to flood into the city, but their absence. In their place was a massive field. Not a single body remained on it. They had either been picked up or reincarnated. Their old bodies turned to dust as their new bodies were assembled with Resurrection. Yet, it was still clearly a battlefield. It bore countless scars. There were arrows, abandoned equipment, carts, craters, and smoking holes.


    The land was pockmarked from uncountable battles. There was another boom, but this one came from another wall. People ran to that wall to try to protect it, but it was clear that the bandit¡¯s attacks could come from any side at any moment. They were just buying their time and slowly bringing the city to the breaking point. Without intervention, the city would fall to bandit hands in days, maybe weeks if they were lucky. Then, all of southwest Aberis would be lost, and even Chalm¡¯s connection to the country would be severed.


    This was more serious a problem than I had been led to believe. Thankfully, we were there.

 Chapter 611

    ¡°Officially, the requirement for a C-ranked bandit quest is to destroy one band of bandits. Officially, that is ten Bandits. A troop of Bandits would be 50. A murder of Bandits would be 100. Anything more would be an army. Given your current rank as an F, completely a single C quest would be enough to bring you to E. Another 5 would bring you to D, and 50 to C. So, in short, to reach C, you¡¯d need to bring down 500 bandits by yourself to be able to just reach my rank.


    ¡°In general, I¡¯d say this was the worst way to gain levels as an Adventurer, and I¡¯d advise anyone else to do something else. However, I¡¯m also aware that you were ordered by the future King to help clear out bandits, but a single formation cannot reverse the tide of a battle this bad. It¡¯s going to take the army and powerful generals to be able to recover this land. I guess what I¡¯m saying is that this mess is outside of our pay-grade. If it wasn¡¯t for your need to level and your promise to the King, I¡¯d have already returned and paid the cancellation fee myself.


    ¡°I recommend that we play it safe. We engage when other people engage. We work with the town to repel them. You gain a few levels, and then we can see about finding you other missions to complete.¡±


    I knew that Ruby was just expressing her genuine feelings at this moment, but she also hadn¡¯t seen my group fight. I supposed she was basing us on her experience with other groups. However, my girls were not like other groups. It wasn¡¯t the fact their levels were higher that differentiated them from an average Adventuring team. Rather, it was all the boosts they gained from being close to me. As slaves of a Slave Master, they were stronger. As girls of a Harem Master, they were stronger. As the party of a Hero, they were better. Any given boost might be small, but they were adding up, and this discrepancy would only grow as I grew as well.


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    It had been a long time since I had last done some serious leveling, and I had to admit I was eager to gain levels and get stronger. Every time I faced a powerful foe like Alysia, I was reminded of just how inadequate I was. It felt like a never-ending race with no finish line. The first thing I did was call out Map and then use Sense Life. My Sense Life could be spread out farther as long as I pushed mana into it. If I wanted to, it could work for the distance of a kilometer or two.


    I was actually surprised at how well it worked here. The miasma of a dungeon, even with my high miasma tolerance, still restricted the distance of Sense Life. The often winding passageways further lowered it. I had never used it before on the surface. Although life was basically everywhere, it was able to determine all the enemy¡¯s movements around the city in an instant. With me on a wall, I also had a good vantage point, and was able to take a good look around the perimeter of the city.


    In short, it only took me seconds to gain more intel that this city likely had in the weeks before this. I almost wanted to act a bit smug about it, but I realized it wasn¡¯t a good time for acting that way. Either way, it was time to make our first strike. I just needed to figure out how.

 Chapter 612

    ¡°As an Adventurer, do I have to listen to this mayor guy?¡± I asked Ruby cautiously.


    She frowned hesitantly, but still decided to answer. ¡°Not necessarily, but it would be safer for everyone if we just followed orders.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ and you said my Adventuring card will log any bandit kills I receive?¡±


    She watched me suspiciously, ¡°Yes, and as a Slave Master, any kill one of your slaves gets will count as yours.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I appreciate the help.¡±


    ¡°Deek, what are you planning on doing?¡± Her voice was just a bit unsteady.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to deal with the bandit problem. If I just wanted a few ranks in Adventuring, as you said, there are easier ways to achieve it.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ I know that you have defeated a few dungeons, but even so¡­¡±


    I raised a hand and opened a Portal. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to come with us.¡±


    Ruby crossed her arms and made a pout. ¡°You say that like I would make any other choice! I¡¯m here to keep you safe, so I naturally must come along. Although, you¡¯re putting me in a difficult situation. You¡¯re the lord of my city, so I can¡¯t just bully you. You¡¯re asking me to put a lot of trust in you right now.¡±


    Raissa¡¯s hand touched Ruby¡¯s shoulder, causing her to look over in surprise. The small wolfgirl gave a nod.


    ¡°He¡¯s worth putting your trust in. I had similar thoughts about him when I first followed him into a dungeon. Yet, despite everything, he always seems to come out on top.¡±


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    Ruby glanced at the other girls. Miki smiled and nodded in affirmation. Shao only shrugged, while Carmine and Salicia seemed to not care much at all about the confirmation. Salicia was looking across the battlefield curiously, while Carmine was casually filing her nails.


    This wasn¡¯t the formation I was used to either. In truth, I was putting some trust in them as well. I was teleporting to an area without bandits, though. I also had a plan. With a breath, I took a step through the Portal into the land beyond. We were in a clearing in the forest. There was no life in this clearing. We were now roughly behind the bandits, who were mostly focused on the roads and the city itself.


    There were bandits a short distance away. I led the girls toward them while keeping low. ¡°Shao¡­ Salicia, take them out. Swift death.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want them alive?¡± Miki asked.


    I shook my head. ¡°This isn¡¯t like last time. We need to defeat the bandits permanently.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ when engaging a thief or Bandit, the best way to¡­ and they¡¯re gone.¡± Ruby let out a sigh as Shao and Salicia left like smoke.


    Both Shao and Salicia used the darkness attribute. This wasn¡¯t to be confused with miasma, corrupted mana, although there certainly was a compatibility between the two. However, their abilities manifested in a much different way. While Shao was a Shadow Knight, her movements always clung to the darkness. She was like a creature of the night, always hidden until she struck. She killed her opponent with the slice of a blade he never saw.


    ¡°She¡¯s like an Assassin!¡± Raissa said wonderingly.


    Despite that, it was Raissa who had the Assassin job. I wondered how she had earned such a job. It¡¯d be nice if Shao got the job too. I had a feeling it¡¯d only improve her skills.


    While Salicia¡¯s Bandit King seemed to use the darkness attribute too, her magic was pure destruction. She shot a black beam which pierced the bandit¡¯s heart, causing him to collapse to the ground dead. Of course, the church was opposed to darkness attributed jobs because of their similarity to miasma. Although the current church in the Capital seemed to not mind, the church of old before the break seemed to go to great lengths to suppress them. Even now, Priests wouldn¡¯t change the job of a darkness attribute person.


    Either way, the two men watching over the road in their hiding spot were wiped out in an instant. Ruby was impressed, as they were in a spot where even she hadn¡¯t noticed them. Had I not been able to identify them on my Map, I might not have seen them either. However, she hadn¡¯t seen anything yet. We were just getting started.

 Chapter 613

    ¡°Salicia, any thoughts on this?¡±


    ¡°Eh? What do you mean by that?¡±


    I poked the dead bandit with the tip of my foot, rolling him on his back. There was definitely a time where I would have been squeamish about this. Perhaps, my knowledge that these men could be reincarnated had numbed me to this kind of thing. Perhaps, it had been a result of my own deaths, and the countless people I had to kill. A not insignificant number of Knights had died thanks to my decisions. I had personally wielded the sword in several of those cases.


    ¡°I mean, you were the queen of the bandits in this area. You weren¡¯t as powerful as they are now, but do you have a clue who their leader is? What methods he¡¯ll employ? Any information that could help us defeat the bandits could help.¡±


    ¡°I never paid attention to that kind of stuff.¡± She waved her hand and laughed.


    ¡°Carmine, please hit her.¡±


    ¡°With pleasure, Master.¡±


    ¡°W-wait!¡± She held up her hand as Carmine prepared to shield-bash her sister into the ground. ¡°It¡¯s all coming back to me! What I meant to say was that the bandits had broken up into three territories. I was the Bandit King of the west. There was also the southwest and the south. Before we launched our assault on Penbrook to liberate dear sister, the Bandit King from the south sent me a missive. He wanted to meet to form an alliance. The southwestern were waiting to see what I did¡­¡±


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    ¡°And you got captured and your bandits were scattered. Most of them went to join the other two gangs?¡± She nodded. ¡°My capture probably would have scared the southwestern Bandit King, and so undoubtedly all three joined as one. That would be the only way the bandit activity would rise up in such an impressive manner.¡±


    ¡°What can you tell me about the other Kings?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Carmine.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I mean, I don¡¯t remember much! One was a cautious coward. The other I didn¡¯t share any territory with, so I only knew his reputation. I heard he was dangerous and unhinged! Unlike the rest of us, he fancied himself a true King. He wanted to conquer all of Aberis and found a country. Some said he used to be a former Hero!¡±


    ¡°A Hero? Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah! They give him the name Bandit Hero now. He supposedly steals because he believes Demon Lord Aberis is still alive, and he wants to be ready for his return or something crazy like that!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know about any of that. The lore from Widow¡¯s Dungeon had seen the Demon Lord Aberis die. Then again, lore could be inconsistent and incomplete. I could never forget that it was just a story, and stories weren¡¯t necessarily true. Admittedly, a story would have to be true to elicit enough emotions to grow into a curse, but the narrators were unreliable, and falsehoods, exaggerations, and lies could spread just as badly as the evil.


    I had no clue where Xin was, but she was probably the only real threat to Aberis. I presumed she was still in the Ost Republic, but almost thirty years had gone by since that time and there was no evidence that she was going to try to finish what she started. Was it all just crazy ramblings? If not, just who was the Bandit Hero, and where was this so-called Demon King?

 Chapter 614

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    As I was innocently pondering things, the bodies in front of us began to glow with a strange light. After a few moments, there was a flash, and then they started to collapse into dust. In the span of a minute, the bandits went from being there to being gone. The group of us stared at the pile, completely confused as to what had just happened.


    ¡°Anyone have an explanation?¡± I asked, my eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Their spirits were called.¡± Miki said. ¡°That was the Resurrection spell.¡±


    ¡°So quickly?¡± Ruby asked. ¡°It¡¯d usually take weeks for someone to get resurrected when they died out on the field.¡±


    ¡°Not if they have a pendant from health insurance.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°Yeah, if they¡¯re rich enough¡­ ah¡­ not that I mean¡­¡±


    I shrugged. I knew what she meant. Most normal people didn¡¯t have the income I had managed to acquire. I was a noble, a Hero, and a Dungeon Diver. I was able to get health insurance, although I found out later that nobles had their own form of life insurance and I was just wasting my money. The result was that I had ended up worrying my party, since the castle was able to bring me back faster than the company.


    However, these guys were not nobles. They were just a pair of scouts. They were weak, low-level thieves that would have no value to the Bandit King. Unless they happened to be his biological brothers by pure coincidence, no one would pay to give them a special pendant and watch over their life. Even with the pendant, it would likely take hours to realize someone died, find a Priest, and then resurrect the person. That¡¯s assuming they wouldn¡¯t take any effort to try to find the body and thus decrease the cost of Resurrection substantially.


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    Even ignoring all of that, they were also both resurrected simultaneously. Normally, one Priest would be working, and so they¡¯d cast Resurrection one person at a time. That meant one body should disappear, and perhaps five minutes later another body would leave. Even if two Priests were working, what was the chance they both completed their ceremony within seconds of each other? Simply put, what we had just seen was something that shouldn¡¯t have existed.


    ¡°Grand Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Master?¡± Miki asked, overhearing me.


    ¡°It¡¯s just something that woman had said. She said that the bandits were an unceasing wave. There can¡¯t be that many bandits out here. The numbers required would have to be 10,000, but I suspect there are only around 1000 bandits. They¡¯re just being resurrected extremely quickly, to the point where they can rejoin battles before they were even finished.¡±


    ¡°B-but¡­ if you die and your body is remade, then there is weakness, it takes days to recover.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    In reality, I didn¡¯t have any proof of this except two bodies disappearing too quickly. However, Bandits were just people who wanted wealth. They weren¡¯t soldiers. They wouldn¡¯t do large-scale wars, not usually. They definitely wouldn¡¯t sacrifice their lives if they didn¡¯t feel it was guaranteed. A soldier might have faith in their general, love of their country, and the support of their comrades. I couldn¡¯t believe bandits could be held together the same way. It was definitely suspicious. I needed to talk to that Grand Master again. I felt like he might know something.

 Chapter 615

    ¡°Salicia¡­¡± I found myself asking.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°How did you convince a group of criminals to attack Penbrook together?¡±


    ¡°Ah, so, Master¡­ you want to learn my secrets?¡± Salicia asked coyly.


    ¡°Does how you convinced them to throw their lives away so you could play with your sister involve how you became a Bandit King?¡±


    She looked away. ¡°You just ask like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Quit being difficult. I can always order you as my slave.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Now, you want to have master-slave play!¡±


    ¡°I am your Master!¡±


    ¡°So dominant!¡±


    ¡°Master, if I may¡­¡± Carmine spoke up just as I started to grow tempted to use some kind of slave punishment on her.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°I have tried futilely to learn about Sister¡¯s past as well. Before Penbrook, the last time I had seen her was when she attacked our Paladin troop while I was still a trainee. We were doing some training exercises and clearing out a few monster dens when a group of Bandits attacked. Sister was their leader. She captured me and killed the rest. I was her prisoner for nearly a month. It was during that time that we formed our¡­ current feelings toward each other. Eventually, more Paladins were sent out and wiped her group out. She killed herself and resurrected to avoid capture, while I was brought home.¡±


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    ¡°At the time, her job class was only Marauder. It was three years later that I heard her name as a local Bandit King, and she subsequently attacked Penbrook only two years later.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ sister¡­ describing our first meeting so coldly.¡± Salicia held her cheeks. ¡°It was such a magical time.¡±


    I ignored her, glancing at Carmine instead. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that Salicia isn¡¯t able to talk about her past. It might be because she doesn¡¯t remember, or because she¡¯s trying not to remember. Or, it might be because something is keeping her from recalling.¡±


    The group of us ended up looking at Salicia. Rather than deny it, she just let out a laugh, scratching her head awkwardly. The fact that a woman like her had become a Bandit King had been bothering me since some time ago. She may be strong, but she didn¡¯t really have the kind of charisma one would expect to be able to lead armies. It seemed like the more questions I asked, the more mysterious this all was.


    It felt like a dungeon, with a bunch of clues that didn¡¯t seem to connect at all. Xin, Salicia, Bandit Kings, an alliance, Penbrook, and now Regency. Perhaps, if I kept digging, there was a lore to be found here. However, it¡¯d be a lore without a dungeon. Was that even possible? Well, lore was just a story, and stories appeared everywhere. They didn¡¯t always fester into curses.  At that moment, a thought occurred to me.


    ¡°Is it possible this entire world is a curse?¡±


    Ruby let out a laugh that was probably louder than it should be considering we were in bandit territory. ¡°Sorry, you just sound like those dungeon philosophers. I read a book once that suggested that this entire world is just a dungeon created by a greater world. They call it the infinite dungeon theory.¡±


    While she laughed it off, I suddenly wasn¡¯t so sure. I had come to this world in a strange way. That video game was a lore. What if I had just fallen into a dungeon? What if this was just a place accessed by a dungeon on Earth?

 Chapter 616

    ¡°We don¡¯t know how long they¡¯ll take to get someone to check us, so we need to get moving.¡± I instructed. ¡°Another group of ten is heading down the road we¡¯re overlooking. They¡¯ll be here in a minute. This time, try to kill them without damaging their outfits.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not wise to engage parties of bandits larger than your own.¡± Ruby said helpless and sighed. ¡°Why do I bother? I feel like you¡¯re going to do this either way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ruby, but if it makes you feel any better, by the time we engage with them, they won¡¯t be any larger than our own party.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    We waited until they came into view. They were the typical ruffians, except for one guy who was in a robe. My guess was that he was either a Dark Priest or a magician. The magician would probably prove to be a lot more dangerous to us. Ruby¡¯s brow furrowed. In her previous assessment on five hundred, she was only including Bandits. Dark priests, Black Mages, Shadow Mages, Assassins, Bandit Kings¡­ they all had their own points assigned to conquering them. She had been hoping that we wouldn¡¯t be countering more than large groups of bandits.


    It was also clear they were moving with some kind of formation. The last group I had fought had been rather unorganized. These guys moved more like soldiers. I still wasn¡¯t worried. Compared to the Knights sent from Alerith, they didn¡¯t have that kind of atmosphere. I was certain we were more than enough to deal with them while not raising any alarms.


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    ¡°Ah¡­ before we go, loot your target quickly so their stuff doesn¡¯t just disappear.¡±


    Usually, it¡¯d be miasma that would eat up objects and convert them into more miasma to fuel the dungeon curse. However, I noticed that when these guys disappeared, their armor and clothing had gone with them. Whatever process found and resurrected them within moments of death seemed to even bring their items with them. It was no wonder the bandits were so bold. Usually, even if they didn¡¯t fear death, they feared losing the money they worked so hard to gain. Armor wasn¡¯t cheap for common folk and losing everything to a soldier or Knight had to sting for any bandit.


    ¡°Carmine, you¡¯re up!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Carmine just jumped out and right into the middle of the path. She slammed her shield down, making no attempt to act hidden. I had expected that from her. She was the diversion. Shao, Salicia, and Raissa had already left. They¡¯d attack from behind. I was a little worried for Raissa, but she was a professional. When we were battling harder units, I¡¯d keep her back, but letting her gain levels now would only be in her best interest.


    ¡°Miki, get ready to daze them.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The bandits who were walking down the path came to a stop. They weren¡¯t too foolish. They were uneasily looking in the forests. It clearly looked like a trap.


    ¡°A Paladin? Here? All alone?¡± The cloaked man said in a raspy voice. ¡°What does the church want with little old us?¡±


    ¡°All your money!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Give me your gold! Or death!¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re robbing us?¡±


    ¡°The church?¡±


    ¡°Wait! Where is my coin pouch!¡±


    ¡°Mine is gone too!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been robbed!¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ two of our men just collapsed! They¡¯re dead!¡±


    ¡°Salicia! Why do you have ten coin purses?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Master said to loot first!¡±


    ¡°He said loot quickly!¡±


    ¡°I did! I looted them before they are even dead! Now you can kill them!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell who are the bandits and who are the good guys?¡± Ruby said tearfully.


    I wasn¡¯t sure either.

 Chapter 617

    ¡°Shao! Dark Cloud! Miki! Befuddle! Carmine! Shield Bash!¡±


    I could have given these orders through Slave Communication, but since Carmine and Salicia were not used to working together, I called out everything for their benefit as well as Ruby¡¯s.


    Ruby grabbed her sword and jumped onto the path, running past Carmine. However, just as she reached the black cloud that was now blocking the vision of Ruby, it disappeared. She stopped as she saw that all the bandits, the robed man included, were on the ground. Three girls were standing in the middle of them. Shao and Salicia were standing out confidently, while Raissa was standing back a bit, holding her weapon tightly as she looked to me for approval. Ruby leaned down and checked one of the bodies.


    ¡°Unconscious?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel like undressing them in a rush.¡± Shao shrugged.


    ¡°Miki¡­¡± I nodded to her.


    ¡°Working on it.¡± She squinted, sending a certain spiritual attack at the men.


    ¡°Cut all their throats.¡± I ordered as I walked out among the group. ¡°Ah¡­ leave the robed man alive and tie him up.¡±


    ¡°Deek!¡± Ruby¡¯s expression turned sour, ¡°They¡¯re not a threat. We can just send them through one of your Portals to a prison. It isn¡¯t just cruel, it¡¯s pointless. If you kill them, you¡¯ll just be sending them for Resurrection. You¡¯ll have accomplished nothing.¡±


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    ¡°Is that so?¡± As I walked by each man, I touched their shoulder, and then nodded.


    For every man I touched, Salicia or Shao would walk by them and stab down into their throats. They rarely needed a second strike to finish the job. Ruby didn¡¯t look at them, but she watched me with judgmental eyes. I hadn¡¯t wanted to bring her in the first place. If the Guild Master hadn¡¯t forced her on me, well, then we wouldn¡¯t be in this situation. In fact, I had been very particular about who I brought for specific reasons.


    Neither Shao, Carmine, nor Salicia balked at this kind of death. Other than Ruby, only Raissa looked uneasy about it, but not to the level where she was going to protest. That was actually one other reason I had sent Lydia, Celeste, and Terra away. I didn¡¯t want them to see what I had to do. Shao had seen all of me, and wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do any manner of ugliness in my name. As for Miki, she already understood what I was trying to do. Miki, who was closest to death, was the least threatened by it. It wasn¡¯t that I thought they would reject me, rather, it was that I didn¡¯t want to force them to act against their nature if possible.


    Seven of the men were stripped naked, while all the equipment was confiscated and placed in a storage ring. As for the man who was unconscious, I dragged him off the road and put some distance between us and the spot where we had killed the first two. Then I propped him against a tree and had the girls tie him to it. When I looked away, Ruby was still watching me.


    ¡°That¡¯s eleven dead.¡± She said in a somewhat bitter voice. ¡°You successfully destroyed a band worth of bandits. Congratulations, you¡¯re Rank E.¡±

 Chapter 618

    As the man lay unconscious, I found a flat spot on a log and laid out a sheet of parchment I pulled from my ring as well as a quill. I began drawing the immediate area around us. I drew the city, the forest, and the path. It was at moments like this I wished I had wasted even a little bit of time leveling Cartographer. If I did, my map would assuredly be much better. As it was, it was barely passable.


    ¡°That¡¯s incredible!¡± Ruby gasped as she watched me draw and finally realized what it was.


    Well, it was pretty nice, but that had less to do with Cartographer and more to do with the fact I had the real map in front of me using my Map skill. I was just copying what I saw to paper, which was much easier than one a normal Cartographer did. I wasn¡¯t going to attempt to explain this cheat. It was a part of me, and the tattoos all over my body were proof that I had earned it. When I was finally done with a rough copy of the area between the mountains and the city, I rolled it up and turned my attention to the unconscious man.


    I didn¡¯t like wasting magic on an enemy, but in this case, I didn¡¯t want to wait. I lifted my hand and healed him. That was followed immediately by Refresh. He ended up waking up with a gasp a few minutes later. As his eyes grew focused, he tried to move, and finding he wasn¡¯t able to, his eyes ended up narrowing on me. He had rightly determined I was in charge here.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± He demanded.


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    ¡°What do you think?¡± I responded, unrolling the map. ¡°I want troop positions. I want to know where your people are hidden.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you! And they¡¯re not my people!¡±


    ¡°Funny, I wasn¡¯t asking.¡± I said. ¡°Miki?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master¡­ Pain!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhh¡­Ahhhhh¡­.¡± He screamed as Miki used a skill on him.


    From what I understood, the feeling was like having a hundred needles jammed into your brain. It didn¡¯t look comfortable.


    ¡°So, troop positions¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t say anything! Just kill me?¡±


    ¡°Why, so you can get resurrected and report about us?¡±


    ¡°Y-you bastard!¡±


    ¡°Miki¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhh¡­Ahhhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Deek! That¡¯s enough!¡± Ruby cried out. ¡°Besides, nearby bandits might hear us and come to investigate!¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed it¡¯s a bit quiet?¡±


    She blinked and then listened and looked around. She only realized now that there was a dark haze around them, and it appeared to be blocking sound.


    ¡°I can¡¯t control sound like Celeste, but if it¡¯s just muffling some screams, I can manage that much!¡± Shao chuckled.


    Ruby looked like she was going to be sick while Miki stopped causing pain to the man. I kneeled down next to him.


    ¡°So, I hope you understand. We can keep doing this for ages. Troop¡­ positions!¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­ you¡¯re crazy!¡±


    ¡°Miki!¡±


    ¡°No! No¡­ I¡¯ll tell you! Anything!¡±


    I looked up and nodded to Salicia. She cut a rope, freeing one hand of his. He pointed to a dozen spots. I highlighted each one on the map.


    ¡°That will do,¡± I said after he seemed to run out of places to point.


    ¡°Th-then you¡¯ll let me go?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Shao. Give him release.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± She pulled her knife, and just as he thought it was going for the rope, it slid into his ribs.


    He let out a single cry. ¡°Y-you¡­¡±


    Then he died.

 Chapter 619

    ¡°Deek¡­¡± Ruby started to give me a mouthful. ¡°I don¡¯t know what has gotten into you. This is not proper behavior for a lord! Rather, your cruel acts are foolish! He likely lied about the location of the troops! Plus, you just sent him right back to them. Now, they know who we are! Our presence will be known within the hour!¡±


    ¡°Enough, Ruby!¡± Shao glared.


    ¡°No!¡± Ruby snapped, grabbing me and glaring, ¡°You¡¯ve acted too cruelly, and¡­ ah! Why are you crying?¡±


    ¡°That was scary!¡± I cried out, wiping my face.


    Miki wrapped her arms around me and patted my head. ¡°There, there¡­ Master was very brave.¡±


    ¡°Scary! You¡¯re the one who was scary!¡± Ruby cried out.


    ¡°Yeah, that was the point!¡± Shao snorted.


    ¡°Wait¡­ what?¡± Ruby blinked.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know? But you put on a perfect foil? Constantly asking him to stop really helped sell it.¡± Carmine said.


    ¡°We were acting?¡± Salicia blinked.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I finished recovering from that moment. Even though we were putting on a show, it wasn¡¯t like I was used to acting that way. It got to a point where I even scared myself a bit. It¡¯d still take time before I could truly act that decisive.


    ¡°To answer your question, the map is pointless.¡± I crumpled it up.


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    ¡°Ah! But¡­¡± Ruby reached out, her eyes wide and her mouth open.


    I had drawn the map from my own Map magic, so it would never be as detailed. Furthermore, my Sense Life had a good distance, so I already knew the answer to those questions. In fact, I only detected people in half of the places he indicated. The reason I had him tell me was for misdirection. The reasons behind it were many.


    First off, if I just magically kept wiping out troops, they would begin to guess I was using Sense Life, and perhaps even use something that blocked it, rendering my ability moot. Now, if I attacked, they¡¯d assume that I was visiting the places he indicated. Then, they would react to that to try to ambush me. Since I could catch any ambushes with Sense Life, we wouldn¡¯t be threatened at all. The second reason was to give the leaders the impression I was dumb and foolish. The third was that I wanted them to know my identity. The fourth was to start familiarizing them with me.


    Miki had used fear attacks on their minds while they were unconscious. Meanwhile, I had changed all of their jobs to something more vulnerable and low level. They¡¯d need a Priest to reset their job to Bandit at the very least. Furthermore, they had been filled with a sense of dread and fear by seeing us. This was really just the beginning, though. I didn¡¯t want to explain my entire plan to Ruby though. She was really just along for the ride. Besides, it was useful getting a view from someone who didn¡¯t know everything. It helped me better guess how I was being perceived and let me know when I was on the right track.


    ¡°That girl in Regency had already said it. The waves of bandits are endless. Even with ways to kill them permanently, or send them as captives, it won¡¯t be enough to stop them. I¡¯m not here to kill a bandit or two. I¡¯m here to end the bandit threat that has plagued southwest Aberis for years. If I act too aggressively, they¡¯ll flee to other parts of the country to find better prospects until I leave. If I act too passive, I won¡¯t even make a dent. Thus, I¡¯m walking a fine line here.¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you think the bad guys see that powerful good guy as the hero?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t. Sometimes, you have to be the villain, to be the hero.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Ruby looked away, not knowing how to respond.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. It¡¯s time to make an impression.¡±

 Chapter 620

    Since I knew where everyone was, it was easy to avoid their Scouts, and then knock out the groups. Although there were numerous gatherings, some larger than others, I only attacked the ones that had been indicated by the mage. Fortunately, the others were just isolated bandit camps, set up for them to protect their own stuff from the other bandits around them. Groups like this couldn¡¯t truly trust each other, so the few who had earned trust, or at least ruled the others by fear, gathered in small groups, which I supposed they called bands.


    Each band consisted of a group of bandits. The more that got together, the more they had to share, and the more discord they ended up experiencing. Thus, it was most common for bandits to only be in groups of ten or twenty. That¡¯s why I really wanted to know how Salicia had gotten a group of nearly five hundred bandits to risk their lives attacking Penbrook. Fear alone wasn¡¯t a satisfying answer to me. There was something she either wasn¡¯t or couldn¡¯t tell me.


    Each band was taken out in much the same manner as the first. The girls knocked them out, Miki infected them with just a seed of fear, and then I changed their jobs and sent them on their way to resurrection. It only took three hours and two more groups before we encountered an ambush at the next spot. Three hours from when we killed the first and they had already figured out what was happening. Admittedly, I had already killed close to fifty bandits. If our numbers were even remotely close to accurate, then that was a significant portion of their troops.


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    One of their numbers was someone I had marked. It was the same magician from earlier. He not only was back, but it looked like he was looking for revenge. No wonder they said it felt like a never-ending horde. This was definitely a tough situation.


    ¡°Come on¡­ let¡¯s go.¡± I whispered to the rest and turned away.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to thwart their ambush?¡± Ruby asked in surprise.


    ¡°If we show ourselves to be too good at taking them out, then they¡¯ll definitely know we have a means of sensing their ambushes.¡±


    ¡°Well, even if you¡¯re good at avoiding them, they¡¯ll figure it out.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully, it will take a bit longer this way. Looks like I won¡¯t be making D rank tonight.¡±


    ¡°That was your goal!¡± Ruby coughed. ¡°You¡­ I admit it¡¯s difficult to keep up with your brand of recklessness.¡±


    ¡°Someone else sees it! I¡¯m not the only one!¡± Raissa cried, giving Ruby a star-filled look.


    Just at that moment, there was a sudden boom. A giant pillar of fire shot out from the forest. Those that were waiting in ambush broke rank and began running toward the commotion. They weren¡¯t a tight group like soldiers or Dungeon Divers. Even though they had a mission of ambushing me, the magician guy couldn¡¯t keep his team together. They were naturally very curious. I snorted in disgust at their lack of discipline.


    ¡°Huh? Where is everyone?¡± I turned back to see only Ruby standing by me.


    She shrugged helplessly, pointing at the girls, who were also racing toward the explosion to see what happened. Miki stopped about twenty feet out and turned back.


    ¡°Come on, Master! I think there is a battle going on!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 621

    Miki and Shao at least waited for me. Carmine and Salicia were already out of sight. I realized Raissa had also remained by my side. I hadn¡¯t even noticed her standing quietly beside Ruby with her tail wagging. She really was a good ninja. She wasn¡¯t even in black, or trying to hide, and I kept forgetting she was there.


    Anyway, I followed the girls. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t plan to go investigate, anyway. However, it looked like a great deal of the red dots were descending on the area, and it¡¯d be dangerous. I was more interested in finding a vantage point and observing than jumping right in and seeing what was happening. Fortunately, there was a nearby hill that no one seemed to be approaching. I headed there with the girls, making sure to chastise and redirect Salicia and Carmine using Slave Communication.


    When we were finally safe on the hill, we could see a group of nearly three hundred bandits. They were attacking a group of people. It appeared to be a caravan. They were facing the city, so it was clear they were arriving, not leaving.


    ¡°What caravan of people would be stupid enough to try to break into a city in bandit country?¡± Shao asked.


    It really was strange. Furthermore, they had managed to get so far into bandit country before being caught only a few miles outside of Regency.


    ¡°Are we going to save them?¡± Ruby asked, watching me cautiously.


    ¡°Three hundred bandits and counting! How strong do you think we are?¡± I shot Ruby a look.


    She blushed and lowered her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re right. Your team has just been making it look so easy that I forgot your limitations.¡±


    It¡¯s not like I wasn¡¯t trying to think about a solution, but anything I tried would put us at risk. I definitely didn¡¯t want anyone in my team to get killed, especially on the first day. As far as these people went, we could probably resurrect them later, worst-case scenario. It was a harsh thought, but that was the kind of world that we lived in. Sometimes, death really was the easy way out.


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    Still, I was definitely curious, so I pulled out a telescope and took a closer look at the caravan. There was a group of guards, but half of them were dead already. The fire had been shot by a mage. His barrier was the only reason the bandits hadn¡¯t already overtaken them, and part of the reason I didn¡¯t just barrel in to try to rescue them, as I¡¯d be just as blocked as the thieves. Still, the mages among the bandits were tossing attacks at it, and the barrier was slowly crumbling. I¡¯d say they only have about two minutes left.


    I could toss up a Portal in the middle, but it would reveal that I could make portals! I was trying to keep as many secrets from the bandits as possible. It would add to the mystery. However, seeing Ruby¡¯s worried look, I realized I couldn¡¯t just let these people die. With a sigh, I lifted my hand to open a Portal. However, before I did anything, a portal opened up in the middle of the caravan. An old man stepped out of it. Actually, I recognize him. It was the one called a Grand Master. The apprentice must have been able to make portals! She was the first person I had ever seen able to create portals without dungeon points.


    He raised his staff and then slammed it into the ground. He was just like a certain wizard! I suddenly really hoped that he said the line!


    ¡°You will not progress!¡±


    I gave out a sigh. He was almost cool. That line just didn¡¯t have the same ring to it. He didn¡¯t stop there though. He picked his staff up and began to swirl it around over his head. It began to emit fire. As someone who was at least a Basic Magician, I had never seen magic used in such a showy matter. You just cast it, but this guy seemed to be putting on an act of it. To those who couldn¡¯t use magic, it looked very impressive, but to me it felt very superfluous.


    The fire began to grow, and just as the barrier shattered, a giant streak of fire wrapped around the caravan. No, it wasn¡¯t a streak, it was a dragon! It was a Chinese-style dragon composed of pure fire. It walked along the ground, leaving a trail of ash in its wake. It kept growing longer and longer, curling around the caravan. As it began to dig into the crowds of bandits, those that got too close were burned to a crisp. They began screaming and soon running. Those that had pushed in from the outside ended up fighting against those who were now trying to flee the flames. In a moment, the tides had turned, and bandits fled in terror.


    In a single moment, the Grand Master had accomplished a plan that would have taken me weeks to accomplish.

 Chapter 622

    Once the fires calmed down, the familiar woman stepped through and the Portal closed behind her. The bandits who lived had fled, but at least sixty had fallen to the Grand Master¡¯s single attack. I couldn¡¯t help but grumble. After all, I could have done something similar by casting Meteor. Well, I would have killed everyone, myself included. Some debris might have even damaged the city.


    The Grand Master¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t just powerful, but it showed an extreme level of control. The caravan didn¡¯t have a single singe on it. Yet, a ring of ash and charred corpses surrounded them. I also had a feeling that this wasn¡¯t a specific skill given by his mage job, but something he was able to create through pure mana and fire control.


    The job system allowed rapid growth, but it was also a crutch. Skills executed using the system were specific and predictable. For example, Lydia had Swordsman as a job, and she certainly had many levels of Swordsmanship. However, recently, she mentioned a desire to find a teacher. Although she¡¯ll be unlocking Expert Swordsmanship soon. No matter how high the skill was, it was predictable. A true swordsman would be able to adapt in ways that Lydia simply couldn¡¯t.


    At some point, all of us would hit a limit where progressing couldn¡¯t be done by spamming experience levels or combining skills. We¡¯d need to truly understand the essence of our skills, and gain control of them so that we could execute skills that didn¡¯t even exist on the skill sheet. It was clear to me that this Master was one such man.


    Once I was sure the bandits had cleared the area and weren¡¯t watching with spies, the group of us began to head down the hill and approach the caravan. The leaders appeared to be a young boy and girl. They were profusely thanking the Grand Master. As for the magician, he was on his knees, looking up at the man with reverence. It was actually the Blue Mage girl who noticed us approaching first.


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    ¡°Ah? Oh! It¡¯s the noble from before! Hi, noble!¡± She waved her hand excitedly like she wasn¡¯t surrounded by death, her chest jiggling as she did so.


    ¡°Siti, right? Just call me Deek.¡±


    The others began to turn our direction. The mage on his knees gave a sour look when he saw us. The Grand Master glanced at us once with a bored expression and then promptly ignored us. Only the younger male and female seemed to act surprised to see a party approaching.


    ¡°Huh? Where did they come from?¡±


    ¡°They were waiting on that hill to see the outcome of the battle!¡± The Mage said angrily. ¡°Did you enjoy watching us struggle for our lives?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak to Master that way!¡± Shao stroked a knife on her belt.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Salicia narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°We would have helped.¡± I responded, ¡°We were about to when the Grand Master appeared.¡±


    ¡°I bet you were¡­¡± He responded hatefully.


    ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t act that way! I¡¯m sorry for his disrespect, my lord.¡± The young boy chastised him and gave a bow to me. ¡°I¡¯m sure you did your best. Why are you here?¡±


    Upon saying that, I did feel a bit guilty that I had considered just leaving them to die. The young girl looked at me suspiciously, only relaxing after the boy spoke. She was holding his arm closely. It was difficult to tell if she was his sister or girlfriend. They were both in their lower to mid-teens, although I wasn¡¯t good at determining ages, so I rarely thought about things that way. Considering some women with me were hundreds of years old, despite looking no older than twenty, I reckoned that was a good policy.


    ¡°We¡¯re just doing our best to try to help with the bandit problem.¡± I explained. ¡°A better question, what is your caravan doing here?¡±


    ¡°We came because we¡¯re desperate! We need help!¡±

 Chapter 623

    ¡°What is going on?¡± I asked as the boy who spoke looked between me and the bored-looking Grand Master.


    ¡°We came from our village! We had no choice. We were sent to the closest city to beg for aid. The bandits have been ravishing the countryside!¡±


    ¡°Obviously¡­¡± the Grand Master snorted.


    ¡°No, I mean, there are villages being attacked left and right. Those that aren¡¯t surrounding Regency have been burning farms and towns every night. Surely, you¡¯ve noticed the burning lights and the smoke!¡±


    I hadn¡¯t been here more than a day, so I hadn¡¯t noticed such a thing.


    ¡°I thought Regency was the last standing city in the southwest.¡± I frowned.


    He looked on helplessly. ¡°City, maybe, but there are still dozens of small villages that have managed to hold out. They like to use the villages as places to relax. They torture the residents, eat everything, steal what they want, molest the women. They kill anyone who doesn¡¯t please them and shoot down anyone who flees. Our village has been suppressed for the last two weeks. Our people are running out of supplies. My father, the mayor, watched their movements for two weeks until he found a way to slip us through!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s awful!¡± Siti cried tearfully.


    ¡°We¡¯re not helping.¡± The Grand Master snorted.


    ¡°M-m-master!¡± Siti turned to him with a shocked look.


    ¡°We saw you from the wall of Regency and my Siti here is a softy. That¡¯s the only reason I saved you. My focus is on Regency. I will continue to protect that city.¡±


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    ¡°Why?¡± I asked. ¡°What is in Regency?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! That¡¯s for me to know, and you to bugger off!¡±


    The Mage who was initially shooting him looks of reverence looked lost and confused now that the man was showing his true colors. He may be powerful, but he wasn¡¯t a hero. He was in Regency for a reason. I had already guessed as much the first time I saw him. Why else would a man of his prestige remain in a town under siege? He was definitely looking for something. In fact, it felt eerily similar to what happened in Penbrook. Carmine was trying to find the guardian, while an army for bandits tried to break into the city to capture her. Of course, I had asked, and no one was aware of any dungeon in Regency. If it existed, it was well hidden.


    With the Grand Master¡¯s words lingering in the air, the young boy and girl turned to look at me, pleading looks on their faces.


    ¡°I take it you plan to continue to protect Regency until you find whatever you¡¯re looking for?¡± I asked the Grand Mage.


    ¡°I will be in the city for the foreseeable future.¡± He responded, shooting me a disinterested look.


    ¡°Then, I have no problem helping out.¡± I told the two. ¡°That¡¯s part of why I came here. I¡¯d like to save as many people as possible.¡±


    The Mage still looked suspicious, but the young couple started to thank me profusely. I felt awkward, considering I hadn¡¯t even done anything to really help them yet. Plus, this wasn¡¯t a sudden decision on my part. Had I known the villages were there, I would have started with them, anyway. The Adventuring Guild and Aberis had apparently already left them for lost. However, the bandits had been seemingly concentrating on the strongholds and using the villages to relieve stress.


    ¡°Let¡¯s return to Regency and get to safety. Then, we can talk about how we can help save your villages.¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lord!¡± Siti curtsied. ¡°I cannot cast another Portal for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± I opened a Portal.


    When I started the chant, Siti looked extremely startled. Afterward, she gave me a more considering look. The Grand Master didn¡¯t seem to care one way or another. The Mage¡¯s suspicious looks had been blown away though, and the other two talked excitedly. I may not be able to make rings of dragon fire, but I could still surprise people every once in a while.

 Chapter 624

    Once we were all back in the city, the Grand Master immediately excused himself and took the Blue Mage with him. She seemed to want to chat with us, but he was insistent that they leave. It was a shame, because I wanted to discuss some things with him as well. He was definitely up to something, and I was starting to think it had some connection to the bandits. However, I was being dragged in the other direction by the Mage and the two teens. The Mage was much more friendly now that he thought I might actually help them.


    We ended up at a table in the inn and tavern. They didn¡¯t have any alcohol, as their stocks were low. Fortunately, I had put some drinks away in my inventory, and brought them out. It was a low-level alcohol, closer to a sparkling grape juice. It was the closest thing I could find to the carbonated beverages I was used to back home.


    As Miki poured everyone a drink, I brought out another parchment and paper, and began drawing. This image looked a lot better than the last one I had made. I was now a Cartographer level 5 and had unlocked Basic Drawing and a skill called Metrics. I also had a skill called Orientation which seemed to help me know when I was facing North, and a skill called Light Touch which allowed me to adjust the pen pressure to create darker and thinner lines a bit easier. I had left Cartographer equipped as we wiped out those 50-some bandits. Adding to that my experience bonuses, and anything level 1 would have shot up quite quickly.


    ¡°Ah! Incredible!¡± The boy cried out in awe.


    Was it really that impressive to be able to draw maps? Well, I was just copying an already drawn map in my head. If I was doing it by memory, it would certainly be impressive. I quickly finished the drawing and then pointed at it.


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    ¡°Tell me where the villages are that are still left standing.¡± I declared.


    The boy blinked and then blushed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I only know where three villages are, and I can only say two of them were still standing when we left.¡±


    ¡°Give it here, boy!¡± The Mage pulled the map to him. ¡°I¡¯ve been around the area a bit more than you.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a traveling magician. He comes to villages and puts on shows.¡±


    ¡°An entertainer?¡± My eyes widened.


    It wasn¡¯t that the concept of an entertainer surprised me. Rather, it was that this guy had such a grating personality, but was apparently someone who brought joy to people in small villages.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± The man snorted. ¡°I know a few tricks. I can captivate an audience, at least.¡±


    Now that I thought about it, he did have a bit of a prima donna vibe to him. I wasn¡¯t going to judge though.


    After marking things for a few minutes, mumbling to himself, and then marking some more things, he was able to flesh out the map. A lot of these villages were outside of my sense life range. If they had not been, I probably would have assumed they were bandits. Well, some of them might be. There was no telling which ones housed bandits and which ones were being preserved.


    With the Grand Master watching the city, I¡¯d be safe going to these places. My plans hadn¡¯t changed, but I was going to be able to do things a bit easier now.


    ¡°We¡¯ll visit your village first.¡± I said.


    ¡°N-now?¡± The boy said in surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯d prefer to move before they can react.¡± I explained. ¡°Plus, there is a bit of daylight left.¡±


    I was interested in creating one more defensible area. Regency was under siege and was far too difficult to move out from. Since it wasn¡¯t a good place to launch my campaign, and seemed safe enough with the Grand Master protecting it, I was going to prepare my own base of operations.

 Chapter 625

    Certain people, such as Scouts and Rangers, had the ability to target people, and thus be able to track them down extremely easily. When you had the Map ability, you could combine this tracking to picture them. When you had the Portal ability, you then had the ability to target them, and be able to Portal to where they are. In theory, one could send someone out, then Portal to their location, and thus fill out a Map without wasting a ton of time.


    Every Slave and Harem member seemed to be marked on my Map, and I informed Lydia¡¯s group to inform me when they located a dungeon. I had planned to Portal to it, so that we could easily return in the future. However, when I checked out the map, I realized that anywhere that my slaves traveled ended up filled out on the Map, and I¡¯d be able to travel to it, anyway. I knew that I shared any experience they gained, but that was limited by distance. At this distance, I didn¡¯t gain anything from Lydia¡¯s group, but it turned out that their scouting was more useful than I originally thought.


    That isn¡¯t to say that I didn¡¯t have a means of marking someone. I only had one such skill of my own, and that was called True Mark. It was a skill I got as a True Hero at level 24. I could only use it once an hour, but whoever I marked would take increased damage to my attacks until they were either defeated or I removed True Mark. It was truly a Hero level skill, the capacity to dog down an enemy until they are stopped. However, I could also use it to Mark someone on my Map and follow them. This is what I had used on the Magician bandit before I had killed him.


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    He had died, yet my True Mark remained connected to him. At his death, it should have disconnected, but it didn¡¯t. At the time, I hadn¡¯t really noticed it, but now it made their unique form of resurrection all the more troubling.


    Unfortunately, I had nothing marked so that I could easily travel to the town of the boy, the girl, and the magician. The magician wanted to stay in the city, and he absolutely refused to go back now that he was safe, no matter what I promised him. The boy offered to take me back to his village, and the girl wanted to go with him. In the end, I convinced her to stay in the safety of the city so we wouldn¡¯t have to babysit her, and I decided to take the boy. I didn¡¯t really care to take any of them, but I figured bringing back at least one of them would spare us the introductions.


    My Map filled out as far as I could see. So, I could get on a tower, overlooking miles of land, and I could instantly unlock half a city. The map might not be the most detailed, but it was considered accurate enough I could open up a Portal using my Map. So, the only way I could get to the village which I couldn¡¯t see through the thick forest was to climb up a tree, get as far a distant view as I could, and then Portal to the next place. I was also limited by Sense Life. It wouldn¡¯t be good if I portaled into the middle of a bandit camp. Therefore, I only teleported as far as my Sense Life could detect, which was about half the distance of the overall Map, even on the surface. Thus, I had to waste a lot of portals.


    I ended up having to readjust my dungeon points for the night so that I could use a lot of portals. It took four in all before we finally were able to open one up at the edge of town.

 Chapter 626

    I walked into the town followed by my six companions and the boy as well.


    ¡°It¡¯s remarkable how useful that ability is. You think it¡¯d be rather costly.¡± Murmured Ruby, who was still quite impressed by such an ability.


    It actually was rather costly, but I had stored up a lot of dungeon points after risking my life many times. My body was a tapestry toward the struggles I had to survive to be able to waste portals so easily. Every point was a precious gift. Furthermore, the night was almost over, and I didn¡¯t plan to do much before calling it. Tomorrow, I¡¯d have all of those points back, so that was part of the reason I was willing to be a bit wasteful with them.


    As we approached the small village, I saw a young boy jump down from a low tree branch and immediately race for the village. He was only five or six, but he was currently all they had as a watch.


    ¡°That¡¯s my younger brother.¡± The boy responded weakly. ¡°Any able-bodied man was either killed or drafted into the bandits. They take any village bullies or trouble-makers and they make them like themselves. It¡¯s part of how they grew their number. Do or die. Father had hidden me, so that I wasn¡¯t conscripted or executed.¡±


    I supposed that did make a lot of sense. If someone was afraid and already not very scrupulous, they could very easily be turned into a turncoat. Once they robbed and killed a few and acquired the Bandit job, it was impossible to turn back. They¡¯d have no choice but to continue to be a bad guy for the remainder of their life.


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    The lack of redemption was always troubling. If it wasn¡¯t for me, someone like Shao would never have been able to live a normal life. It was a system I didn¡¯t like, but I wasn¡¯t smart enough to come up with a better one. Besides, this was a system set up by whatever god made this world. I¡¯d be arrogant to think I could easily change things.


    By the time we made it to the first building, there was a group of people waiting for us. The one in front appeared to be an old man. He was bent over and using a cane. He had to be at least seventy or eighty. Wait, didn¡¯t the boy say that his father was the leader of this town?


    ¡°That¡¯s your father?¡± I cried out.


    The kid blushed. ¡°That is my father¡­¡±


    The old man seemed to hear the conversation and let out a chuckle. ¡°What can I say? I like them young!¡±


    As he said so, he wrapped his arms around a beautiful woman at least fifty years younger than him. My eyebrow twitched, but I gave a friendly smile, anyway. Considering I owned various slaves that I slept with, who was I to judge people about their relationships.


    ¡°It¡¯s all good!¡± I laughed and shook his hand. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re married to your cousin or something!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± The boy next to me let out a cry, grabbing my arm and shaking his head.


    The old man didn¡¯t seem to notice and threw back his head in a laugh.


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± The old man laughed. ¡°Why would I date my cousin when my sister is so much more beautiful!¡±


    ¡°There it is¡­¡± The boy sighed.

 Chapter 627

    ¡°Huh?¡± I blinked.


    ¡°Oh, you¡­ always flirting.¡± The woman in the old man¡¯s arms blushed. ¡°How is my little brother and son?¡±


    ¡°Just call me son, mom!¡±


    ¡°Now, now¡­ I¡¯m not just your mother, but also your sister! That makes us even closer! How is your sister and cousin?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget future wife!¡± The man chuckled.


    ¡°She¡¯s just my sister, dad! I¡¯m not going to sleep with her!¡±


    ¡°Haha! That¡¯s what I said too! Why, when your grandfather-uncle told me I¡¯d be with my sister the rest of my life, I was resistant too, but there is no fighting that sex appeal. Sisters are just the best!¡±


    ¡°You! We have visitors! Will you stop with your disgusting talk of sisters!¡± A man shouted from the crowd.


    I gave a breath of relief. At least there was some reason within this village. I was starting to fear I had entered some strange otherworld. I knew that Aberis was a small country, and this was out in the boonies even for Aberis, but Chalm was too and other than a few superstitions we had to quell they were an alright people.


    ¡°You¡­ dissing sister-wives again!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because daughter-wives are the best, and you know it!¡±


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    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Tell em, sweetie!¡±


    ¡°Daddy-husband always treats me right!¡± a meager girl said half the age of her husband.


    ¡°W-wait! But who¡¯s the mother?¡± I cried out.


    ¡°That bitch left me for a younger model!¡± The man responded darkly.


    ¡°Hmph! How could I not fall for our son! He¡¯s just so adorable!¡± A woman cried out from the other side, her boobs resting on the head of a boy who looked to be about ten.


    ¡°You both are an affront to the gods!¡± A third man stepped in, pointing at the rest of them and causing the crowd to turn quiet. ¡°Besides, everyone knows cousins are far more attractive than sisters!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just saying that because you didn¡¯t have a sister!¡±


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t grow up beside them, how do you know you truly love them? Why, cousins are practically strangers!¡±


    ¡°You bastards, don¡¯t make me stick my six toes up your ass!¡±


    The other two men started fighting with the third, arguing between children, siblings, and cousins. It was just about ready to come to blows, and they had seemingly completely forgotten that I was present. In all, I realized that this was not just a small party, but the entire village. It was only three families, each consisting of about a dozen people. It was becoming abundantly clear why the bandits had steered somewhat clear of this town and hadn¡¯t suppressed it as much as the rest.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I should have warned you.¡± The kid who had brought me lowered his head. ¡°I was afraid if I said what my town was like, that you wouldn¡¯t come to protect it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I responded, scratching my chin.


    ¡°Should we even bother to help them?¡± Ruby of all people asked.


    Apparently, even her sense of duty couldn¡¯t get past the shamelessness of these people.


    ¡°Every village isn¡¯t like this!¡± He cried out, ¡°This is why we¡¯re at the edge and farthest away. These families were kicked from the other towns! Please¡­ even if you abandon them, can you help the others?¡±


    I reached down and put my hand on the kid¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Do you truly have no interest in your sister?¡±


    ¡°I do not!¡±


    ¡°Then, I will help.¡±


    As long as there was hope for the future, I would fight on, or something like that.

 Chapter 628

    After the villagers calmed down over their argument, which apparently was a common thing, we asked to be shown to a place to stay the night. They wanted to put us up in their homes, but I insisted that a barn was enough. We actually had no intention of staying there, so I didn¡¯t really care. As soon as we locked the doors, I was going to portal away and sleep in a comfy bed. Sleeping out was fine and all, but a rested person definitely was better able to handle the next day¡¯s challenges. My nights of sleeping uncomfortably on a dungeon floor were far behind me.


    ¡°Just in case something comes up, we really should have one of us remain behind. If they got attacked while we were in another city and they came to beg for help, only to get no answer, it would definitely cause Master guilt.¡± Miki explained.


    ¡°I will stay.¡± Ruby declared. ¡°I admit that I was uncomfortable with the idea of leaving, anyway. You should remain on the site of a mission until it is complete. That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been taught.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯re not one of my slaves.¡± I told her. ¡°I can communicate with my slaves a fairly long-distance using Slave Communication.¡±


    As you grew higher in level, all of your skills also grew stronger. The higher-level Mage, the more control I had with Fire Control. Slave Communication had grown in the same way. Like Sense Life, the distance was much farther than when I started out. Barring a Dungeon being in the way, I could send a message to Lydia¡¯s group despite the fact they were nearly two weeks travel from where we were. I now knew I could create a Portal to them as well, so they really weren¡¯t far from me at all.


    However, Ruby wasn¡¯t my slave, and so I couldn¡¯t use Slave Communication on her.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t you have Hero? I thought there was Party Communication?¡±


    I had yet to find a book on Heroes, so most of what I knew was from my own experiences and guesses. I supposed it made sense that Hero, a self-sacrificing and leadership job, would have the capacity to communicate. In many ways, it made more sense for parties to communicate than for slaves to communicate. It only took me a moment of glancing through my jobs when I realized what the problem was. I had switched to True Hero as soon as I got it. True Hero was more focused on self-sacrifice and fighting back evil.


    It kind of made sense. True Hero came from defeating a Demon Lord, an act of fighting the ultimate enemy. Meanwhile, Hero was more like a title of leadership thrust upon a strong fighter so that he might protect the city around him and help them overcome challenges. So, Heroes had more of a party focus than True Hero. Furthermore, Party Communication should be a fairly mandatory item for any Hero. Once again, I had skipped essential skills due to my tendency to unlock higher tier ones early. I had done the same thing with Slave Master, having likely missed countless important skills that Slavers possessed to focus on the far more impressive skills.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay.¡± Raissa said.


    ¡°You won¡¯t!¡±


    I won¡¯t let a woman pregnant with my baby sleep in a barn.


    ¡°Salicia will¡± I spoke after a moment of silence.


    ¡°What? Me! M-m-master, what did I do to displease you?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t a former bandit the most suited to be on the watch for bandits?¡± I offered.


    ¡°Geh¡­ even if you say so.¡±


    ¡°Think of it this way, you¡¯re doing this in place of Carmine.¡±


    ¡°S-sister! Well¡­ if you put it that way, then I will save sister from this burden.¡±


    ¡°Sister, thank you¡­¡± Carmine gave her a thumbs up as I opened a Portal.


    ¡°A-appreciation¡­¡± Salicia teared up.


    She was actually really easy to control once you understood her triggers. Carmine jumped through the portal, coldly abandoning her sister to a barn in incestland. That was actually the real reason I had picked Salicia. She felt right at home in this place. The rest of us left through the portal quickly, while Salicia was easily duped into doing a job no one else wanted.

 Chapter 629

    While Carmine complained endlessly about how cramped the building was, it actually had five bedrooms and two bathrooms. The three former bandits took three rooms, while Carmine and Salicia each took the last two. I forced the three men to sleep in the same room, then gave Ruby and Raissa each one and took the other. Miki and Shao naturally joined me in my room. I had considered inviting Raissa to my room, but I wasn¡¯t so bold.


    Miki and Shao had pushed their way into my bedroom, but I had never asked them to actually stay with me. Now, it had grown to a point where I just expected both girls to want to sleep next to me. That didn¡¯t mean I was in a state where I¡¯d casually invite other women to my bed. All five of the women who shared my bed were also extremely particular about who they let into my bedroom. Even Eliana had to obey their rules. What those rules were, I had never actually been told. I only got to see the results.


    Despite what some people in Chalm thought, it wasn¡¯t wild sex orgies every night. I didn¡¯t immediately equip Pervert and just attack my girls every night. I worked all day and having sex all night would be way too exhausting for me and for the girls. Officially, we had a rotation. Every night, five days a week, I¡¯d sleep with one of the girls. The others would remain nearby, but they¡¯d give us a bit of privacy. Sometimes, Shao would obscure their vision with darkness, or Terra would erect a wall. Celeste might use wind to muffle the sounds. It was that kind of thing.


    That didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t days where I attacked all five girls, but since that depended on me, those days were rare. The rotation had been set up by them, and the girls came to me in advance. I had a policy where I¡¯d never reject any of them if they wanted it.  Most of the time, I wouldn¡¯t equip Pervert, and the entire experience would only last fifteen minutes. It wasn¡¯t filled with rough treatment and lewd sounds. It was just me and the women I love being close and expressing our affection for each other. Only if I wasn¡¯t in the mood, would I equip Pervert, and if Pervert got out of hand, sometimes the other girls would have to come and help. That was typically how the occasional group activities happened.


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    Supposedly, the two remaining days were free days. I was allowed to sleep with the other girls who didn¡¯t join us at night. Once again, since this was dependent on me, it meant that I rarely filled these days with other women. I wasn¡¯t the kind of guy to shamelessly hit on women. Carmine and Salicia were usually in another city, and I wouldn¡¯t try to use them for sex, anyway. The thought of asking Raissa made me blush, and when it came to Astria and Elaya, they were a bit too high level for a simple cuddle.


    The girls were encouraging me to be more demanding, but it was ultimately a slow process. It wasn¡¯t because I wanted to hurt anyone¡¯s feelings. As I said, I wouldn¡¯t reject any of my women who wanted my love. However, I was more than sexually satisfied. Those ero protagonists who banged girls 24/7 were a lie.  After having sex with a different woman every night for five nights in a row, having a night off could be considered a blessing. So, Pervert wasn¡¯t exploding in levels, and other than my party members, I wasn¡¯t sleeping with anyone else regularly. I was happy with things the way they were, but if Raissa or Eliana became a bit bolder and wanted me for one of my free nights, I wouldn¡¯t turn them away.


    None of that happened on this night, as the girls had agreed that there would be no sex while they were separated. Miki and Shao wouldn¡¯t be able to monopolize my time while the other three were away. So, all we did was cuddle and sleep together. It felt kind of nice to only have two women. I had one on each arm. Still, even though the bed was smaller than my one in Chalm, it felt a little small without women clinging to me. Maybe I should invite Raissa, Carmine, and Salicia to my bed after all.

 Chapter 630

    The next morning, we woke up, got ready, and then portaled back to the village of incest. I¡¯m sure it had a name, but that was the only name I could think of at the moment. I had checked on Salicia, and other than that someone had knocked to ask if we needed anything, the night had been rather quiet. We opened the barn door and walked out refreshed, without anyone knowing we hadn¡¯t slept there the whole night. Only Salicia looked a bit messy and haggard, but I could live with that.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan, Master?¡± Shao asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll hit the nearest villages first. If they are in trouble, we¡¯ll liberate them. I¡¯m going to send everyone here. Since this place¡­ already has a reputation with the Bandits, it probably won¡¯t be watched closely. It¡¯d be the safest place for people to gather.¡±


    Some people might not want to enter this town, but there were plenty of uninhabited buildings, and if the Bandits were giving this place a wide berth like I suspected, then it was a better place than I originally had thought to gather people. I had a dream of creating a city here, which would become part of my territory, and allow me to take over the Southwest of Aberis. Then, once I defeated a certain Count, I¡¯d be the Lord of all of west Aberis. Nearly 1/3rd of the country would be under my leadership.


    It wasn¡¯t like I was hungry for power or anything. I just wanted to strengthen my position and with time, live a safe life. For that, I needed land, people, and resources. I imagined building five large cities in the west. Chalm was already being built. Alerith I would conquer one day. Regency would fall under my leadership once the Bandits were taken care of. That left another city between Regency and Chalm. This felt like as good of a place as any. Then, I had dreams of building a border city in the wilderness, possibly supported by a dungeon I had subjugated.


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    That arrangement would put Chalm more or less in the middle of my territory, with other cities on the outside where they could protect my territory. Was I being a bit too ambitious? Maybe. Only time would tell if I was able to obtain my dreams.


    ¡°Start construction on a wall. Just pile up stones. It doesn¡¯t need to be perfect yet.¡± I explained to the elder. ¡°Also, it might be a good idea to build up some more places to stay. People will be coming to your town soon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, my lord. I¡¯m glad to see someone finally taking charge. The other lords either fled or were killed. Once they died at the hands of the Bandits, they refused to return, hiding in the Capital like cowards.¡±


    ¡°Are there no lords left?¡±


    Other than the Grand Master, who had an honorary position in Aberis not unlike a lord, I hadn¡¯t heard of any lords in Regency. Supposedly, the majority of the lords had already tried and failed. They were tortured and resurrected in the Capital. After facing days or weeks of torture and humiliation at the hands of bandits, they were likely angry, but also too afraid to return. My actions were supposed to help them receive some peace and possibly swear loyalty to me.


    However, I didn¡¯t want such men. I wanted those that didn¡¯t run away and cower. If any still remained in the Southwest, these were the men I wanted to impress and gain their loyalty. These would become the ones who gave me strength.

 Chapter 631

    Yesterday had more been a trial period to get our feet wet. Now was the time we truly began the operation to retake southwest Chalm. I haven¡¯t given up my plans to instill fear into the Bandits, but this would need to be a slow, gradual process. If I scared them too much, they were likely to flee, and then we¡¯d never be able to stop them. They would cause havoc all over Aberis and possibly in Esmere and the Ost Republic too. To truly win, our victory needed to be absolute.


    For now, I wanted to push against their territory. Most of them were concentrated around Regency. If I started taking out the smaller bands on the edges that were currently occupying small villages and ransacked cities, then they would be forced to resurrect closer together. I wanted to shrink their realm and get them to start becoming just a bit reckless.


    I spoke with the elder of the village, and he fortunately had more knowledge than his son. There were about ten villages within a day¡¯s walk of us, and we were about a five-day journey from Regency. Of course, if I used portals, I could cut that to a few hours, and now that I was here, the journey to Regency took half a second, but that wasn¡¯t the point. Once I reached each of these places, the return journey would be much easier, and if I used Portal as a shortcut, I likely could visit half of them in a single day.


    Where the Grand Master¡¯s ability to cause awe came in impressive looking magic, all I had was extreme speed. If I tackled several cities at once, they¡¯d think our army was far larger and more capable than they imagined. It would likely take some time before all the dead men would realize they were defeated by the same group. At that point, they¡¯d become cautious of our ability to get around and further stay together. If I wanted to get rid of all of them, I definitely needed them not to spread out, but to grow closer together.


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    ¡°See, Carmine? This brother and sister couple are married and deeply in love.¡± Salicia declared as she had a conversation with a young man and his wife.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡­ I love my sister more than anything!¡± The man declared. ¡°At first, she was resistant, but I kept at it and eventually she accepted my love.¡±


    ¡°I see!¡± Salicia¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°So, as long as I keep at it, I¡¯ll win my sister¡¯s love!¡±


    ¡°W-wait!¡± The man¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You love your sister as well?¡±


    ¡°I do! I will definitely keep at it!¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re a woman!¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ homosexuality!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a perverted freak!¡± The woman said.


    ¡°Go die!¡±


    I grabbed Salicia¡¯s hand before she stabbed the incestuous couple to death. The pair winced when she lunged at them, and then ran away, all while shooting her disgusted looks. Carmine giggled upon seeing her sister¡¯s attempt to rub it in going haywire.


    ¡°Those¡­ bigots!¡± Salicia cried. ¡°Are we really going to save this town?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me just yesterday we absolutely must save this town, because it gives hope to your relationship with your sister?¡±


    ¡°That was before I realized the dark corruption underneath! This village is clearly beyond saving!¡±


    Rather than continue to fight with her, I created a Portal and then stepped through, starting my journey to the first village on our list.

 Chapter 632

    Keeping an eye on the Map, I progressed slowly toward the closest village they had indicated. If I ran out of Portals, I¡¯d probably use the points from Shao and Miki to keep going. I hadn¡¯t expected my primary mode of travel to be Portals, and it was certainly a waste of such a skill, but it was efficient for what we were doing right now. The map kept me orientated so that I never ended up lost.


    To be clear, my Map skill long had the map of Aberis filled out by looking at maps created by professional Cartographers in Aberis. In the absence of having visited an area, the map updates with the most readily available data. At the moment, that was any maps that I had studied since I had been here. Any area I visited was filled with an increasing amount of information. I couldn¡¯t travel just anywhere on a map. It needed to have a certain level of detail first.


    From what I understand about the Map skill, most people would need to survey the land in order to update their Map. Where simply seeing an area instantly gave me an update to the map that clearly showed every detail, the original Map skill required a bit of work to fill out. At the very least, someone had to consider all the variables and actively keep updating it. Since skills purchased with dungeon points always represented their highest tier, my Map was like a level 100 skill, which is why it worked so smoothly for me.


    With the studied maps, it wasn¡¯t necessary for me to be in an area to see said area, but the details were only at the level of the map, and if the map was drawn incorrectly, then the map in my head would also be off. Only by seeing it by eye do I have the maximum level of detail, which is also a requirement for Portal.


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    I was interested in how much an area could change before Portal ceased to work. After all, buildings came and went. Trees grew and were cut down. Even the landscape would change with time. I had to assume that eventually any place that I teleported to would eventually change to a point where I¡¯d need to return to it and update my Map information if I wanted to have an accurate enough picture to Portal there. After all, I had to picture a place in my head, or select a target, to create a Portal, and if I pictured a place that no longer existed, then it didn¡¯t work.


    Unfortunately, portals were rare enough that there was no documentation on them that I had been able to find. Everything I learned was from trial and error. Was this how scientists felt trying to figure out the world before I could conveniently read about gravity and how tornados formed in science books? This world was kind of like that. Only I seemed to have the cheat of a system that told me what I was earning and unlocking, but even this only went so far.


    It took only two portals before we were close to the city. I didn¡¯t leap right into the city for obvious reasons. We didn¡¯t know whether Bandits were in the city or what we were entering. However, in the distance I had seen a lot of smoke, and now that we were closer, I could see a billowing cloud along with the smell of blood and fire.


    ¡°Were we too late?¡±

 Chapter 633

    Ruby reached down and grasped a hunk of ash. ¡°Still warm, this didn¡¯t happen too long ago.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps last night? These fires took a while to burn all the way.¡±


    The town was nothing but ash. Every building had burned down, some of them didn¡¯t have a single wall standing. Those that did were black and cracked. The fires were probably set by accident. Anyone who thought the bandits were trying to hide their dirty deeds weren¡¯t looking in the streets. Bodies lay in the streets, sometimes in rows like they had been systematically lined up and executed. There were women, children, and men who had all been dragged out of their homes and killed, whether they were holding a weapon or not.


    ¡°This is a slaughter.¡± Salicia said, her expression shockingly stoney.


    ¡°You disapprove?¡± Ruby snorted. ¡°A Bandit King?¡±


    ¡°We steal money. We only kill to intimidate or protect ourselves. We¡¯re thieves. This is a massacre!¡±


    My eyes widened as I realized that Salicia seemed somewhat angry. Her eyes were red and her fists were trembling at her side. I reached out and touched her shoulder. She looked over at me and then calmed down.


    ¡°Salicia¡­¡± Carmine watched with a somewhat complicated expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s not how I would have done it¡­ that¡¯s all.¡± She turned and walked away, heading away from the city where she didn¡¯t have to see any more corpses.


    Carmine turned to me. ¡°This is like¡­ our village. It was a similar event.¡±


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    That was right. The pair of them had their home destroyed by Bandits when they were just children as well. In that way, it was odder that Salicia went on to become a Bandit King. Yet, I suppose she did have her own way of doing things then. Most people were allowed to leave once giving up their wealth. People who fled were allowed to go. Compared to this kind of slaughter, it was preferred.


    ¡°Gather all the bodies.¡± I ordered.


    We had expected that the city would be like this. When I had gotten the list from the elder, I didn¡¯t just ask for every city and village that might still be around, but every city period. When Bandits wiped out a city, they were knowingly condemning that city to death. Without any relatives to try to bring you back, or anyone even aware you were dead, that was the original fate of all these people.


    However, the Bandits had found some means of resurrecting themselves, and I did too. Although I had Dark Ceremony, which was the Dark Priest version of Resurrection, Miki had already unlocked Resurrection from her high-level Spiritualist. Originally, the spell had required fairy dust to use as a combination skill, but her Spiritualist eventually reached a level where Resurrection was possible without a mana additive. Now, the additive was simply an extra she used if the Resurrection needed to be stronger.


    To explain it simply, when someone died, their spirit left their body and slowly started to degrade, fragmenting into pieces. If those pieces get too near to a curse, it may eat them up. The rate of decay involved many factors, which a general rule stated someone could be resurrected within one month of death. After a month, the chances of success dropped significantly. If you added frequent deaths, a damaged soul, or a cursed dungeon in the mix, and this rate dropped even more.


    Resurrection could be seen like a vacuum, sucking up all the pieces and putting them back together. If someone¡¯s soul was lost in a dungeon, it¡¯d be like cleaning under the furniture. The vacuum couldn¡¯t reach it and recover the pieces. The more mana and power behind a Resurrection, the stronger and better the soul can be pieced back together. To the villagers here who had only died a day or so ago and still had their bodies, the Resurrection would naturally require very little mana to work efficiently, depending on the damage of the bodies.


    In short, I would undo this massacre, and from the ashes would rise an army.

 Chapter 634

    Miki didn¡¯t have to resurrect everyone based on just her own power. Since I could copy any skill my girls had, I could copy Miki¡¯s power. Much like experience, there was a limitation of distance. I couldn¡¯t use Lydia, or Celeste¡¯s abilities right now. If I could, I might have considered building a wall around the city. Actually, even if I had Terra¡¯s ability, my control of Earth wasn¡¯t to the point that I could ever accomplish such a feat. That was the difference between possessing a skill and having the knowledge of a job. I wasn¡¯t an Earth Manipulator, and even if I can emulate an Earth Manipulation skill, I¡¯d never have the free and fluid control of it that Terra did.


    The same could be said about every girl. They all had their strengths, and those strengths were a part of them. Their individual skills could be used for an occasional boost, but Celeste¡¯s ability with wind was not just the sum of all of her wind skills. She was so much more than that. It was same for the rest. We were all just the best at what we were good at. My skill was always support. However, I was a White Mage, so I already had a good affinity for Resurrection.


    I actually thought I¡¯d unlock Resurrection already, but apparently not. If White Mage didn¡¯t eventually unlock Resurrection, I¡¯d definitely be shocked. I guess it was a pretty high-level skill for most people. Only Priests got it at a relatively low level. I guess that¡¯s the gift you get for worshipping god. Seems like he¡¯s playing favorites, but I guess I couldn¡¯t complain.


    After all the bodies had been gathered up, Ruby was watching anxiously while Shao and Carmine appeared unaffected. Raissa had ended up getting sick and was now on the outside of town near Salicia, who seemed to be strangely contemplative after seeing the carnage earlier. I wanted to ask her about it, but I also didn¡¯t want to waste daylight while we had people to bring back. While we supposedly had weeks to do this, I felt a certain rush to bring people back. They probably wouldn¡¯t notice the time difference, but I felt like delaying resurrecting people was a bit disrespectful.


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    I put my hand on the first corpse. I picked an adult male. I worried about resurrecting children before their mothers, as they may be genuinely scared. It was the same for women, who might feel threatened given the last few things they had seen before death. I had already prepared a bunch of waterskins filled with waters of life for them to drink so that they could recover quickly. Of course, as we resurrected people, we would need to be replenishing our own mana as well.


    I began the Resurrection spell. Everyone was just a bit tense. It was unlikely even bandits this organized were using soul-reaping weapons that would prevent Resurrection, but you could never be too careful. Until we brought someone back, there was no telling what might have happened.


    The Resurrection spell existed in two parts. Part one restored the body. This was the stage where if the body existed anywhere else in the world, it would turn to dust. According to what I¡¯ve read, this effect seems to be universal. No matter where the body was, even in a dungeon, this held true. It was like an immutable law that only one body could exist at a time. You couldn¡¯t create backups and just leap to the next body when the last one died. As soon as one body was created, the one most suitable for housing the soul would survive, and the other would degrade.


    Sometimes, this spell worked more like restoration, bringing the body back to its original state. Other times, it¡¯d be like a summon, bringing the body from its resting spot to where you were resurrecting it. Finally, it could be like building a new body from scratch. The second part was summoning, reassembling, and then inserting the soul in the body.


    This all sounded very complicated, but all you did was say the chant, send out the mana, and then everything else was automatic. It took anywhere from one to ten minutes based on the difficulty of the host. This person only took about one minute.


    His eyes snapped open, and he let out a gasp of air. One down, three hundred to go.

 Chapter 635

    ¡°Wh-what happened?¡± The man asked, his eyes slowly opening.


    ¡°Do you remember dying?¡± I asked, not trying to be crass, but also not wanting to waste my time beating around the bush.


    ¡°Dying? R-right¡­ the bandits¡­ wait¡­ my wife!¡± He tried to stand up, but with my hand on his chest, it was more than enough force to keep him on the ground.


    ¡°We will be resurrecting everyone. Just be patient. Actually, I resurrected you first for a reason.¡±


    ¡°R-reason.¡±


    ¡°If there is anyone not here, we need to know. We will continue to resurrect people, but we don¡¯t want to miss anyone whose body we couldn¡¯t find or something like that.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± He sat up a bit slower this time, needing some of my help.


    As he glanced around the town, his eyes lowered. ¡°They¡­ they burned everything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°No, the fact that you¡¯ve already chosen to help us resurrect, we owe you our lives literally. We¡¯ve seen Bandits before, but never like this. They usually still fear death. They have an ounce of humanity still in them. These guys¡­ they just killed everyone, even the children.¡±


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    ¡°Murdering a child is a taboo.¡± Carmine explained. ¡°Even if you¡¯re resurrected, trauma is harder to fix.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s assuming there isn¡¯t any developmental issues.¡± I added.


    Who knew if a body reassembled from magic could just jump back into adolescent development as smoothly as the original? Copying a grown body is one thing, but copying a body that hasn¡¯t finished growing, and then expecting it to continue was another. Well, child murder was rare enough in this world that this was a question no one had previously had to answer.


    ¡°I have kind of been skimping on the subject, but what about rape?¡±


    ¡°It happens.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Most women would kill themselves to keep it from happening, but if they are restrained, it can happen.¡±


    The man on the ground lowered his head. ¡°My wife¡­ I gave her a knife before I went out. I told her that if anyone but me enters the door, to plunge it into her throat immediately.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a poison for that?¡± Ruby asked and then looked over at me. ¡°It¡¯s a common threat for all female warriors, so there are fast acting, supposedly painless poisons that women can buy to avoid such things.¡±


    ¡°It was too expensive.¡± The guy let out a half-cry, half-sob. ¡°Bandits around here don¡¯t usually attack villages. I told her I didn¡¯t think it was necessary since we never left town.¡±


    It was clear by the tone of his voice he no longer saw things the same way. It really was strange, the ways that being able to resurrect yourself changed your way of thinking. The best thing for a commoner to have wasn¡¯t safety and security, but a quick way out and a reliable person to resurrect you.


    Furthermore, the Bandits around here had become bolder and more aggressive. They could resurrect seemingly instantly too. It definitely left me worried about what was to come.

 Chapter 636

    While I got as much out of him as I felt comfortable, Miki went on and started resurrecting more and more people. As more people sprung back to life, the once dead landscape began to fill with the sounds of life. Most of those sounds were mourning, though. Women and men would let out wailful moans and cries as they looked over their destroyed city. Even if they were all brought back to life, they could still vaguely recall their last moments of life surrounded by fear and pain. If that wasn¡¯t enough to cause them to break down, the sight of an entire life they had built turned to ashes would.


    It seemed like they mostly had the same opinion as the first guy. The bandits usually didn¡¯t attack their village. They had a small patrol that protected it, but for a direct attack that wiped it out, this was the first. They were as far out as the other village, but they were still on the border of what could be called the current Bandit Country, so they had likely been ignored until resources were needed. Then, they were wiped out in a single night.


    That meant I needed to move faster, as many of the towns inward might have been ransacked earlier. There might be people who had already died a month or longer ago, and if I didn¡¯t get to them soon, they would truly become lost souls. We continued on, both working in tandem.


    It got to the point where who we could resurrect was no longer an option, as crying women would shove the corpse of their children on us to resurrect as soon as possible. I had originally planned to have us both resurrect as many as we could so that we would go as fast as possible, but I realized that there was no way we could keep going without breaks.


    Those breaks meant time in which a husband held the body of his deceased wife and a mother looked over the crispy body of her burnt child. We found the best way was to take turns, so one of us was resting while the other resurrected. That way, someone was always going and we didn¡¯t just sit there while facing the longing and desperate stare of the villagers. What started out as a simple means to an end ended up as a mentally exhausting activity that left me feeling just as emotionally drained as magically exhausted.


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    Even downing waters of life and taking turns, we still plowed through our mana quickly. Resurrection was no joke of a spell. It ate up a lot of mana, and even people with multiple jobs and hero levels of mana couldn¡¯t keep up for long. My dreams of doing two or three towns a day was clearly a pipedream. The night was already coming by the time we resurrected the last few.


    I felt rather lucky at who I had with me during this. Lydia, Celeste, and Terra weren¡¯t the right girls for this kind of scene. Their hearts would assuredly break. Shao, Carmine, Salicia, and even Raissa were made of harder stuff. The only reason Miki held on was because she was too busy resurrecting people, but she had tears in her eyes too. I hoped she wouldn¡¯t have to see this kind of ugliness either, but a strong mind was important for a Spiritualist and Psionic.


    We had found bodies for the vast majority of people, only having to recreate the bodies of four of the citizens. That was when we faced the next challenge. Everyone who was now alive in the village was not everyone. There were still more people missing. One man grabbed my shirt, begging me to resurrect his wife who wasn¡¯t there. However, after using the item he gave me, nearly passing out in the process, the Resurrection failed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m just tired.¡± I apologized, not meaning to yawn and come off as inconsiderate. ¡°Miki¡­¡±


    Miki¡¯s eyes jerked open. ¡°M-master¡­¡±


    She was nearly asleep on her feet. I shook my head. I¡¯d make it work. Just as I stepped forward to do it, Shao put her hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°Master, it¡¯s not that. You cast the spell correctly. The problem is¡­ that woman is alive!¡±

 Chapter 637

    The only reason I hadn¡¯t thought of that was because I was so tired. This time, I pulled out a mana potion and took it. If I drank any more water, I¡¯d definitely throw up. After so many times chugging the waters of life in excess to keep my mana levels up, I was beginning to hate that sweet taste. Maybe I should brew it into a tea or something to give myself some variety.


    Of course, Shao was correct. The woman was probably still alive. I glanced at the man who blushed, looking down.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I had just hoped. That means¡­ that means¡­¡± His hands shook as he spoke, but having only been resurrected an hour or two ago, he just didn¡¯t have the strength to put up any kind of fuss, and thus collapsed helplessly.


    It meant that his wife had been captured by the Bandits. She hadn¡¯t been able to kill herself or escape, and now she was likely in some Bandit camp. You didn¡¯t have to use much of an imagination to guess what was going on in there. I had known since the beginning that it¡¯d be impossible to save everyone, but something about the thought of leaving those women to their fate made me feel anger.


    After some careful questioning, we had found out that our guess was right and the village had only been raided the previous night. That meant that they had only been kidnapped for the last twenty-four hours, and there was still hope in saving them before anything bad happened to them. Perhaps that was only wishful thinking, but it gave me a sudden surge of strength. I didn¡¯t want to just abandon those people.


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    A list was quickly compiled and there were about twelve women who were seen being taken from the village. Once we were certain they weren¡¯t among the dead, our only conclusion could be that the Bandits still had them.


    ¡°They¡¯re here.¡± A man who appeared to be the elder of the village pointed at a map I had hastily drawn, which was almost on a par with ones you could find in a shop.


    ¡°You¡¯re certain of this?¡±


    He looked away awkwardly. ¡°I¡¯m a Hunter. It¡¯s my job. One woman¡­ I¡­ ahem¡­ marked her¡­ so I always know where she is.¡±


    His face turned red, while a few of the nearby women who overheard started giving him flat looks. It was no wonder he wanted to remain silent about it. Hunters had the ability to target a prey, but to set a woman as your target, it definitely came off bad. Stalking in this world took on a whole new meaning. Then again, I consistently found a certain fairy in my underwear, so I knew all too well how odd stalking could be. I had a feeling if I didn¡¯t have such an open policy with the women in my life, I¡¯d be experiencing more than a few stalkers of my own.


    However, this stalker could pinpoint where the woman he liked was on the map. They weren¡¯t particularly far from here. Although Miki and I were tired, I absolutely couldn¡¯t stop here. We had to rescue them tonight!

 Chapter 638

    With the guy having given up a location, I now had it marked on my Map. Regrettably, I couldn¡¯t just mark any location on the Map and go there. I needed that familiarity to make it work, either by having a marked person to target or a familiarity with the person. Therefore, I used Miki¡¯s Dungeon points, freed up a few Portals, and went the old-fashioned way.


    We first gave proper directions to the townsfolk before we moved on. They¡¯d have to move during the night, but my Sense Life worked at least that far, and there didn¡¯t appear to be any groups that might be Bandits between this town and the other village.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re sending us to that village!¡± The elder went white.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s the only place the bandits are avoiding.¡± I said defensively.


    ¡°And for good reason! Those people¡­ they aren¡¯t right in the head!¡±


    ¡°I get it, but no one is asking you to commit incest.¡±


    ¡°They are¡­ multiple times!¡±


    ¡°They kept trying to hook me up with my sister! She ended up moving three villages away and won¡¯t even look me in the eye on holidays.¡±


    ¡°I get it. They¡¯re weird, however, it¡¯s the safest place for you right now. It¡¯s between them or dying, which do you choose?¡±


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    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Well?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re thinking about it!¡±


    In the end, I was able to convince them to head to the village. Actually, the village had no official name. It was simply called Outcast village. At some point, I¡¯d need to come up with a better name for it. If this was going to be the city I lived in from now on, this was kind of important. Anyway, as the villagers headed one way, we ended up heading the other. At this point, it was getting dark. This turned out to be in our favor.


    With the sun setting, it only took one jump before we could see the fire in the distance. If I had gone during the day, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to see those fires. Maybe I had been thinking about this wrong. I was used to being in dungeons where night and day didn¡¯t matter. However, up here, our skills working in low lighting would assuredly be advantageous. From my Sense Life to Shao¡¯s Shadow Walking, our abilities were definitely better suited for this time of day.


    Not to mention the fact the bandits would be asleep and blinded by their fires. Moving at night would truly be the best action for us. I already saw myself changing how we would do things tomorrow. Of course, we¡¯d still have to start during the day, because the other villages probably wouldn¡¯t take kindly to someone entering at night. We might end up getting mistaken for bandits ourselves and killed.


    Looking out over the fire, I gave the girls their last direction. I wasn¡¯t good at guessing, but Ruby had some experience and said that the group looked to be two bands, that meant twenty people. It was the largest group we had challenged yet. These were the Bandits who had attacked the previous village and wiped out everyone there. They were clearly not good people. My goal was to wipe them out in a single quick hit. We wouldn¡¯t play around with changing jobs or instilling fear. Rescuing the people in distress was more important.


    With a wave of my hand, our attack began.

 Chapter 639

    In video games, I liked to summon tons of minions, either as some kind of ranged class or necromancer, and then sit back as I kept my group going. They would move forward like a small mobile army, doing my bidding. I supposed, in that way, I was suited to be a lord from even before. One could call it my play style.


    Reality was different from games, though. These weren¡¯t skeletons or wolves I was sending into battle, but women I knew, loved, and cared about. One of them even had a baby inside her. Therefore, I gave her the safest job. However, they were all important to me, and even in a world with Resurrection I¡¯d be unhappy if any of them were hurt.


    I couldn¡¯t just stand back and watch as they risked their lives, so I always went in with them when things were at their toughest. As the lord and Master, was it the brightest decision? I really couldn¡¯t say. I knew I could help in a fight, and even if I lost some perspective on the battle, I could always be close enough to react instantly when needed. Most of all, I would never lose what was most important to me.


    Thus, as the girls went around the camp to take out patrols and surround it, I also took my place right up there with them. As per my rule, everyone was in a group of two. Since there were seven of us, I was the only one alone, but this was because I had the Slave Communication, so I could contact all of them whenever I needed to.


    When I had rearranged the dungeon points, I had given Miki and myself Night Vision. Shao didn¡¯t need it, although I could have given it to her if she wanted. Her Dark Knight seemed to give her a skill comparable to it. Raissa also appeared to have gained a skill as a Dungeon Diver that improved her vision. It wasn¡¯t as good as the dungeon point skill, but it was good enough for her. Salicia and Carmine could only look on jealously as we could instantly see in the dark like it was day.


    Actually, I was pretty sure that Salicia could see fine too. She just wanted dungeon points, but she wouldn¡¯t get them until I took them into a dungeon and beat it with them. These weren¡¯t simple things to earn. They required a great deal of effort and even putting your life on the line.


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    Carmine was the only woman in the group who looked genuinely blind. Even Ruby seemed to have something, even if it was just her other senses being honed and experience, that helped her get around in the dark. Carmine was too used to bright light and fighting directly. This kind of sneaking wasn¡¯t her particular forte. She¡¯d much rather just bash through the group head on, fighting each man down. Given her strength, I reckoned she might even have the ability to take ten of them on her own.


    ¡°Help!¡± A woman let out a scream in the middle of camp.


    I cursed under my breath, as that scream would definitely wake up every man there. That¡¯s when I noticed something was wrong. Looking around, I could see the fire, sleeping bags all around, and the group of trapped women in the center. I could also see my girls on the outside. They had each targeted a sleeping bag and would attack swiftly in one move. The idea was to at least kill seven of them before they knew we were there.


    However, with that scream, not a single person in a sleeping bag had jerked up. I hadn¡¯t even been looking at my sleeping bag, because my eyes were on the Map. It was difficult to tell when you were far away, but the group of bandits and women were intertangled. That is to say, this entire camp was fake, and all of the bandits were mixed in with the women we were trying to save!


    ¡°Run! It¡¯s a trap!¡± I screamed, losing decorum!


    ¡°Time to die, my lord!¡± A man jumped out from the group of women.


    They were no bandits behind us. I would have detected them. There were no bandits underground. They weren¡¯t even trying to run and attack us. Although he had made this declaration, there was nothing around that would have obviously defeated us. That was when I saw a bright light overhead and looked up. When I looked up, I could see a descending fireball of light.


    ¡°It¡¯s Meteor!¡± I let out a cry, my mind going blank.


    I didn¡¯t know how, but they had completely caught us in a trap I never would have predicted. They didn¡¯t just use hostages, but they were sacrificing their own lives as well, just to kill a party of rescuers.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    I was too stunned to move, but I was the only one who hadn¡¯t gone into motion.


    Ruby had grabbed Raissa and suddenly tossed her in my direction. It was only at that moment I realized that Miki a few meters away had her hands out. Without time to think, I caught Raissa, but the force of the throw caused me to stumble back¡­ and through a Portal Miki had summoned.


    Just as the light on the other side went white, the Portal snapped shut. Just a bit of hot air shot through. Then, I was standing in the middle of a forest, holding Raissa, and everyone else was gone.

 Chapter 640

    ¡°Resurrection!¡±


    I didn¡¯t have to return to the scene to know that there would be no body to recover. The moment we arrived near the area, someone had summoned a very powerful spell and dropped it right on our heads. I thought I was being so clever with my movements, yet the bandits somehow got one over on me. Now, all of my companions were dead. Well, all except for one. Raissa had tears running down her cheeks. She seemed to have just a bit of survivor¡¯s guilt. I could sympathize. I should have died instead of them.


    Instead, Miki had managed to save my life, and Ruby had managed to save Raissa¡¯s. The only conclusion I could make was that she knew Raissa was pregnant. As to how that was the case, I wasn¡¯t sure. That didn¡¯t mean that Ruby was the first I brought back. That honor was given to Miki. Not only had she been the one to save my life, but if push came to shove, she was the only other one who could do Resurrection spells, although it was doubtful, she¡¯d have the strength to do it the same day I brought her back.


    Even knowing what I knew, my mind was disordered and my body was still shaky until I saw her body fully formed. Resurrection really was a miracle. It was a god-given gift, and one that I was happy existed in this world. I couldn¡¯t count the number of times I would have faced a bad end if it wasn¡¯t for that ability.


    Miki¡¯s eyes began to flutter open. It didn¡¯t look like she had just died horribly under some horrific spell. Instead, it looked like she was just waking up from a good night¡¯s sleep.


    ¡°Deek¡­ ah Master!¡± She tried to sit up as soon as she remembered the previous events, but I kept her down with a hand on her chest.


    ¡°Miki¡­¡± No sooner did I feel her warmth in my hand did tears swell in my eyes.


    ¡°A-ah!¡± She looked down at my hand on her chest. ¡°M-master! I¡¯ll definitely make them bigger, you don¡¯t need to cry because they¡¯re not big enough!¡±


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    I grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, burying my nose into her neck. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry, I failed you all.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Her voice calmed down as she started to regain her focus.


    She ended up putting her hand on the back of my head, holding me gently as she stroked the back of my head. I was supposed to be the one calming her down, but in the end it was the other way around as usual. I thought I had gotten stronger than this. I felt like I still had a long way to go.


    Miki suddenly shook, ¡°A-ah! Master¡­ even with this¡­ you mustn¡¯t show such favoritism!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I looked up at her.


    That was when I noticed some killing intent. I looked at Raissa, but she¡¯d never show killing intent toward us. Besides, she was looking around anxiously looking for the source of the killing intent as well. Even my Map showed nothing within my Sense Life range. Unless, the source wasn¡¯t something alive?


    ¡°Y-you summon me first, and even held me gently for such a long time! You know how Shao is!¡±


    ¡°Sh-Shao!¡± I suddenly had a feeling like there were eyes staring at me.


    It was definitely the feeling Shao gave when she was displeased! Shao was dead though! Was she haunting me behind the grave? I just picked Miki for the obvious reasons, and then I broke down so I needed a minute before I could resurrect the others! This wasn¡¯t favoritism! It wasn¡¯t!


    ¡°Please, Master, the quicker the better!¡±


    Wait, that was right! Miki was a Spiritualist and a nine-tailed fox. She was closest to death, so she definitely was far more aware of Shao¡¯s presence than I would be. In fact, she might even be able to see the ghostly apparition of Shao right now! I started feeling a fear inside me. Shao kept saying that even in death we¡¯d never be apart. I thought she was just talking about how my death meant her death from the slave bond. Now, I was seeing what she really meant.


    ¡°Miki¡­ just a thought¡­ but what if¡­ and I¡¯m just throwing things out here, what if we let her cool down, and not resurrect her for the time being?¡±


    ¡°That could work!¡±


    A fearful energy filled the forest, and even nearby animals started to flee. A few moments later, I was on the ground desperately chanting Resurrection while Miki begged for forgiveness. Ghosts are scary, yet when I finished Resurrection, I realized I summoned something scarier.

 Chapter 641

    Ruby¡¯s eyes snapped open. ¡°Ah¡­ so we did die.¡±


    Unlike the other girls, who had required some time even to move, Ruby sat up only moments later. She had a bitter expression on her face that seemed to say that death was an old friend of hers. Every other member of their party had been resurrected. Ruby had been the last. This wasn¡¯t that surprising, as she was the odd one out in the group. She wasn¡¯t a part of the party or attached to me in any particularly meaningful way.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Miki asked, panting after having just performed the last three Resurrections on her own back-to-back without rest.


    Considering she had only been resurrected herself just a short hour ago showed how strong-willed and capable she was that she was able to manage that much.


    ¡°I suppose.¡± Ruby signed sadly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to all of you.¡±


    ¡°Mmm! Mmm!¡±


    Ruby glanced down and raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why is Deek naked and tied up like that?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s repenting,¡± Shao said wrapping her arms around me affectionately.


    I shivered as I felt a cold breeze that had nothing to do with the wind. Repenting my ass! Shao was just being vindictive! I already apologized, so ropes and knives were completely out of the question. Miki said that since Shao was so weak to bedroom play and flirtation, that if I just pushed her down while she couldn¡¯t move after being resurrected, that I could avoid my punishment.


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    However, we were in the middle of the dark forest and we still had the rest of our party to resurrect, so how could I just attack her. Plus, she couldn¡¯t move or defend herself. What kind of guy would I be if I took advantage of such a situation? It turned out that Miki was probably right because once Shao could move, I ended up naked and in a compromising situation anyway.


    ¡°If¡­ if you¡¯re angry about his orders¡­ please blame me.¡± Ruby demanded. ¡°I¡¯m the one who failed to guide you all properly. I just went along with it. I¡¯m your mentor, so I¡¯m the one who led everyone to death!¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Shao snorted, crossing her arms, ¡°Do you think we¡¯d be angry over such a thing as dying? Master owns my life and my soul! He can do whatever he wants with me! Even if he beat me daily and made me clean his bathroom with my tongue, I wouldn¡¯t say different.¡±


    I managed to just spit the gag out. ¡°Wh-what are you saying? What kind of man are you implying I am!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not how Master treats me that is the problem!¡± Shao pretended she didn¡¯t hear me. ¡°It¡¯s how Master treats other women!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What did I do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about that!¡± Her finger launched out, and she pointed immediately at a certain girl.


    Every eye, even the usually disinterested Carmine, ended up on Raissa.


    ¡°H-huh? Me?¡±


    ¡°Uh oh¡­¡± I said out loud before I could stop myself.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about that thing!¡± Her finger landed on Raissa¡¯s stomach. ¡°Master¡¯s baby!¡±

 Chapter 642

    ¡°And so, to conclude my four-part apology, Eliana and Raissa are pregnant, I am the father. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t reveal this sooner.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Shao responded, a displeased look on her face. ¡°Should we forgive him, Miki?¡±


    ¡°Hah? What? I already knew.¡±


    ¡°What! When did you find out?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m attuned to spiritual energies. Did you think a baby could grow in her womb and I wouldn¡¯t be able to sense it? I¡¯ve known for months.¡±


    ¡°M-months? I only realized it a week ago¡­¡± Raissa said tearfully.


    ¡°I could detect in with Sense Life, plus, it¡¯s kind of the talk of the town. Everyone has been wondering when Deek would announce it.¡± Ruby explained.


    ¡°Hah? You all knew?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know,¡± Carmine said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t care,¡± Salicia added.


    ¡°Y-you! Master! Open up a Portal now and bring the others over here!¡±


    ¡°It is! Other women should be just as angry at you as I am!¡±


    Like that, we ended up opening a Portal to where the girls were camped out. With the Slave Communication, I instructed them to step in, and soon we had three more women with us. Looking down at me, still naked and tied up, Lydia scratched her head.


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    ¡°Has Master gone full pervert again? Must we battle to subdue him?¡±


    ¡°A-ah¡­ I¡¯m still sore from last time,¡± Terra complained.


    ¡°I thought you had Extreme Pain Tolerance?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Girls,¡± I ignored their strange conversation and just explain myself before Shao glared at me until I broke. ¡°It¡¯s about Raissa, Eliana, and me¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! Has Master finally decided to talk about the baby?¡± Lydia asked excitedly.


    ¡°Oh, is he announcing the baby now?¡± Terra nodded.


    ¡°B-baby!¡± Celeste¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Oh¡­ My¡­ Goddess¡­ I¡¯m pregnant!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not pregnant, Celeste, Raissa is.¡±


    ¡°How can you be sure?¡± Celeste gasped. ¡°Someone will have to check!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how it works! Besides, It¡¯s Raissa and Eliana who are pregnant! Raissa and Eliana!¡±


    ¡°You all knew?¡± Shao cried out.


    ¡°Yeah, I mean, I¡¯m a beastkin, so I can kind of smell it on her.¡± Lydia explained.


    ¡°I just talk to people around town. Shao shouldn¡¯t be so reclusive, then maybe you¡¯d hear about things earlier.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ all¡­¡± Shao let out a cry, ¡°Everyone knew but me!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Shao¡­ but it was obvious. You probably just didn¡¯t want to see it before you had to.¡±


    ¡°Ah, even if you say that¡­¡± Shao ended up growing depressed and the other girls spent some time comforting her.


    ¡°Is it like this with Deek all the time?¡± Ruby leaned over and asked Raissa.


    ¡°So¡­ is anyone going to untie me? That would be great.¡± I asked, but I seemed to be ignored by all the girls until I suddenly noticed Celeste standing over me. ¡°Oh, Celeste, please, you¡¯re not holding a grudge, right? Can you undo these?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± She looked down at me darkly. ¡°You must help me check if I¡¯m pregnant.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what? I mean, Sense Life¡­ you¡¯re not¡­¡±


    ¡°We must be certain¡­ it¡¯s fine¡­ just put your head up there¡­ and check¡­¡±


    ¡°C-Celeste¡­ why are you being so serious suddenly. What do you mean up there? Wait, why are pulling down your panties and lifting your skirt?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Master, it¡¯ll fit!¡±


    ¡°Wait! Wait¡­ Mmmm! Mmmm!¡±


    As I lost the ability to breathe, I could only just hear the world outside between Celeste¡¯s smooth, silky thighs.


    ¡°Celeste, why are you sitting on Master¡¯s head!¡±


    ¡°We must be certain!¡±


    Raissa glanced back at Ruby and nodded dumbly. ¡°This is about what we should always expect around Deek.¡±

 Chapter 643

    The group of us stumbled through the Portal late in the night. I had planned to take Lydia and the rest of the girls to the house for the night as well, but they insisted on returning to the woods. They called it training, and I decided not to ask for any more details about it. As for me, I preferred a nice comfortable bed to rest in to regain my spirit.


    ¡°They¡¯re bastards.¡± Shao snorted. ¡°We¡¯ll definitely make them pay for this, okay Master?¡±


    ¡°I might be able to trace the direction of the mana source tomorrow morning. I¡¯m just too tired to do it tonight.¡± Miki added.


    Both girls had only recently been resurrected. Miki then went on to resurrect three others. In general, Resurrection took about a day to recover from. Resurrecting from the destruction of your body could take up to a week. Thankfully, these girls only needed a night. It was because of all of the status bonuses my Hero and Slave Master jobs gave them that they were able to keep going.


    However, the idea of tracking down the Bandits who already had a heads up on us last night would be a fool¡¯s errand at best, certain destruction at worst. It was better to take it easy immediately after. Shao may have been a bit upset about finding out about Raissa, but the main reason she kicked up such a stink was to get everyone¡¯s attention off of death. Things like that could build trauma in a group. I couldn¡¯t even begin to understand how the bandits were dying so casually on the other side.


    I barely even stroked their hair for a moment before I felt both girls fall asleep. Their breathing turned regular and both of them held me tightly with their eyes closed. They muttered slightly, their eyes tight. Their souls had been damaged, and it¡¯d need some time to recover. At least, they¡¯d need a good night¡¯s sleep, and we¡¯d probably need to take it easy for a few days. I definitely couldn¡¯t afford to lead them into another massacre.


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    While thinking about my plans, my mind kept running around in circles. The basic reality was that I didn¡¯t understand these Bandits. They weren¡¯t like Salicia. I thought her expertise would have been enough, but she seemed to be blocking something out, and even Ruby, our mentor, was flummoxed. How did they resurrect so quickly? When did they get such a powerful spell? At first, I thought it was Meteor, but I suspect now it was just a giant fireball. It was still powerful enough to wipe out an entire band. The most alarming question, how were they so organized?


    I realized that the more I thought about it, the less I was able to get to sleep. The girls were exhausted with death. My exhaustion was from my failure.


    With a sigh, I decided to get up for a bit. Using Position Shifts, I quickly moved out of the way, leaving the two girls hugging each other. I stood up, stretched, and then headed out the door into the rest of the small house. From what I understood, this place costed an arm and a leg. Because of Lord Reigns ridiculous taxes, this place that was only a small two-story home was almost as pricy as my mansion in the capital would have been.


    When I walked out the door, my eyes immediately landed on Raissa. Like me, she hadn¡¯t been resurrected, so she was the least tired of the bunch. We were the only two up. As for Carmine¡¯s managers, I had sent them to their own bedroom that they were forced to share while we lived here. They grumbled a bit, but they¡¯d stay out of our way while we were here.


    She glanced over at me. ¡°Ah! Deek?¡±


    I took a breath and nodded. ¡°Raissa, we need to talk.¡±

 Chapter 644

    ¡°Deek, I have something to say.¡±


    ¡°Raissa, let me speak first.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault.¡± She said.


    ¡°I¡¯m in the wrong!¡± I said.


    ¡°Deek?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Raissa shook her head. ¡°I knew I was pregnant, but I went on this trip anyway. I put our child into danger knowingly because I just wanted to have a chance to be closer to you! This was all my fault! I should have just been honest with you before. Wh-when you¡­ I mean¡­ when we¡­ made love¡­¡±


    ¡°I raped you in front of hundreds of witnesses¡­¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­ that¡­ when we conceived a baby lovingly together¡­¡± Her eyes grew scarily forceful.


    ¡°Ah¡­ right¡­ when that happened.¡±


    ¡°You knew pretty soon, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah, as soon as you became my slave, I can access your status information.¡±


    ¡°So, you just wanted to keep me safe¡­ that¡¯s why¡­¡±


    ¡°Raissa, I¡¯m in the wrong here!¡± I reached out and grabbed her hands. ¡°I thought I could keep putting off telling you. That the longer I delayed it, the less of a deal it would be. Your baby will be the first child I have ever had. I¡¯m not sure I can be a good father. My own dad was a deadbeat who cheated on my mom and left us when I was young. I never had a good role model. Maybe, that¡¯s why I have so many lovers. I¡¯m so frightened that I¡¯ll end up like my dad and leave the ones that love and need me, that I end up accepting more than I can handle.¡±


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    ¡°Deek¡­ no, Master¡­ You will always have us. You don¡¯t need to try so hard to keep us. Rather, we¡¯re here for you, and I know every girl, even Salicia and Carmine, are willing to put their life on the line to protect you.¡±


    ¡°Salicia and Carmine? They have no reason to care about me.¡±


    ¡°You gave them something no one else could. You gave them a home. I think you might find their feelings for you are stronger than you think. As are mine!¡±


    ¡°You too? I saved your life, but that doesn¡¯t mean you need to love me¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not because you saved my life that caused me to start having these feelings. It¡¯s simply seeing you that gave me these feelings. You¡¯re an amazing person, who does amazing things every day. Knowing the secrets of how you¡¯ve done it doesn¡¯t scare a girl away, it only makes her realize just how much more incredible you are.¡±


    ¡°Raissa¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean it! I¡¯m happy that it¡¯s Master¡¯s baby that I am having. I wouldn¡¯t want it any other way.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have brought you along, though. I¡¯m your Master, and I knew you were pregnant. I didn¡¯t think¡­ that¡­ I mean¡­¡± I suddenly found it difficult to find the right words.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think my life would be endangered.¡± She finished. ¡°That¡¯s not your fault either! I¡¯m the one who chose to risk my life, okay?


    ¡°I¡­¡± I still wasn¡¯t sure.


    ¡°Do you see them as slaves?¡± she demanded, squeezing my hands.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The girls¡­ do you see them as slaves?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡± I responded emphatically.


    ¡°Exactly¡­¡± She raised her hand from mine and gently touched my cheek. ¡°You don¡¯t treat us like your slaves. You don¡¯t make us do anything. You let us decide what we want. You always have. So, don¡¯t take all the blame on yourself when things go wrong, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Raissa suddenly blushed, pulling away. ¡°Ah¡­ but it is definitely your fault when you ignore us and leave us wanting!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I leaned forward, a small smile forming on my lips. ¡°Have I left you wanting?¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­ when you say it like that.¡±


    ¡°Raissa, don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve waited long enough?¡±


    Raissa¡¯s tail started to wag. The three guys were very annoyed when I kicked them out of their bedroom and ordered them to sleep on the couch.

 Chapter 644.5

    The first time I had ever slept with Raissa had been under some pretty extreme circumstances. She had been captured by Lord Reign and tossed in a gladiatorial rink to be used for entertainment. To save her, I had disguised myself and slipped into the rink. Various things happened, and she ended up pregnant with my child. Since then, she had been my slave, and I had kept her safe in Chalm.


    Her time since then had been filled with training soldiers. In particular, her training concentrated on survival. Many armies only trained their soldiers how to fight, but in any given war, more deaths came from starvation and disease than an actual battle. I felt it was important that all of the troops had some basic survival knowledge, and Raissa was the most skilled at making use of her environment to stay alive.


    I hadn¡¯t realized it at the time, but I had been avoiding Raissa and perhaps disregarding her feelings too. It wasn¡¯t intentional. It had more to do with personalities. The other girls were far bolder about demanding my attention. Whether it was Lydia, Miki, Celeste, Terra, or Shao¡­ all of the girls would seek out my affection and demand my time. It should go without saying that Elaya and Astria would do the same. When it came to Raissa, she would just sit back and wait loyally. I could no longer act passively.


    The relationship I had with my women went both ways. I had committed myself to give my love to any woman who committed herself to me. Now, it was time I made good on such commitments. After Raissa almost got hurt and it could potentially endanger the pregnancy, I realized just how much she meant to me. So, I made the time and the two of us were in a bedroom together alone.


    I looked at Raissa lying on the bed. Her ears were perked up and the tail she was sitting on wagged excitedly behind her butt. However, since her tail was squished, it didn¡¯t move much at all. She had her arms up and facing palm outward, and her legs up and spread too. I thought she was just getting into missionary, but then I realized that this was a submissive position an animal might take. Just lying there, Raissa did get the impression of a dog looking for a belly rub. Her shirt was even up, exposing her tan belly to me.


    Feeling somewhat complicated, I reached out and touched her stomach.


    ¡°Nha haa¡­¡± Her cheeks grew rosy and she made a cute noise.


    It appeared like Raissa liked to be touched on her stomach. Her tail was twitching under her excitedly, only the tip that came out from between her legs could move through. Seeing her reaction, I started to use the back of my hand to gently stroke her stomach. My fingernails brushed down her soft, yet well-toned skin. There was a small scar on her stomach. Raissa had many scars and bruises. She had a very rough life, after all.


    As I stroked her, she licked her lips excitedly, looking at me with adoring eyes. She didn¡¯t move at all though, waiting for me. However, through the imperceptible movements of her body, I could tell that she wanted to go farther. I brought my hands up and started pushing her top up over her head. She helped me remove her top, exposing her modest, pert breasts.


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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we haven¡¯t done this sooner,¡± I responded.


    ¡°Hah¡­ Master¡­¡± She panted.


    I gently kissed her while one of my hands worked on removing her pants and panties. My fingers began to explore the crevices of her underwear, rubbing through the fabric.


    ¡°Fff¡­ ahhh¡­ Uwa¡­¡± She moaned as I touched her gently.


    I peel her underwear down, and this time she parted her legs for a different reason. I pulled out my cock, and slid between her legs. Our tongues met and began to wrestle both in and out of our mouths. Every girl kissed differently, and Raissa was a messy kisser, throwing her tongue out and even trying to lick me in various places. To stop her from licking my cheek, I grabbed her chest and pushed her down. My hands squeezed her breasts as I started to push inside her.


    Although we had already had sex and she was pregnant, she still felt tight. However, she was wet enough and her pussy sucked up my cock eagerly. I acted gently, but I didn¡¯t hesitate to shove myself in her all of the way. I took her slowly and thoroughly, enjoying her body. Whenever my face got too close to hers, she would end up licking me again. I didn¡¯t want to tell her to stop and ruin the mood, so instead, I grabbed her tongue with my lips and began sucking on it.


    ¡°Mmm! Mmm!¡± She started moaning, and I could feel her having an orgasm.


    I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly while the pair of us kissed aggressively. It was extremely raw and passionate. This wasn¡¯t a perverted romp, but something far more physical. This was a man uniting with the mother of his child. She tasted sweet and accepted everything I gave her. She seemed to be begging me to kiss her harder and harder, even though she didn¡¯t say anything.


    With her small, but strong body under me, I couldn¡¯t last anymore. My cock erupted, and I came deep inside her, filling her up with my seed. I didn¡¯t need to worry about pregnancy since it was too late for that. Our lips finally broke. A bit of saliva dripped down her chin, but she didn¡¯t seem to notice or care. Her eyes were completely focused on me.


    ¡°Master¡¯s stuff inside me feels so warm and comfortable.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    She blushed, looking a bit shy. ¡°It is.¡±


    I noticed that her eyes turned distant, and she looked slightly sad.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a little sad that this is it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Master came, so it¡¯s done. I just wanted master in me a little longer. I¡¯m not sure when the next time we¡¯ll be together will be, but I look forward to it!¡±


    She made a fist when she said that, speaking with determination. She looked extremely adorable. It was to the point where I couldn¡¯t help but tease her some.


    ¡°Who said I¡¯m going to leave things like this?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Huh?¡± She looked slightly taken aback. ¡°Master, you don¡¯t have to force yourself. Ow!¡±


    ¡°Silly girl!¡± I flicked her forehead. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful and sexy. I¡¯m ready to go again.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± She looked down at my cock in surprise, letting out a noise when she saw that it was still hard.


    ¡°How bad do you think I am?¡± I growled. ¡°Even without Pervert, I can go longer than that!¡±


    ¡°S-sorry! I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Well, now you do.¡±


    ¡°Then, please, Master, stick it back in.¡±


    ¡°Nope! I¡¯m going to have a bit of fun now. Let¡¯s do a position I think you¡¯ll like the best.¡±


    ¡°A position? What position does Master want me in?¡±


    ¡°What else? Doggie style!¡±


    We had a great deal of fun the rest of the night.

 Chapter 645

    Just as morning arrived, I pulled the naked Raissa off me and snuck out of her room. Thankfully, she had tired out quickly and was now happily asleep. Every once in a while, her tail would start going again and I¡¯d be slapped awake. So, overall, the night had been a disjointed one. I still had bags under my eyes come morning, but I had finally decided what I was going to do. Making sure not to wake anyone, I walked to Carmine¡¯s room and snuck in. I had barely made it halfway across the room when Carmine¡¯s eyes snapped open and she sat up.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± She blushed. ¡°So, you¡¯ve finally come. Please, be gentler with me this time.¡±


    ¡°This time?¡± I raised an eyebrow and then finished walking over to her closet and opening it. ¡°Salicia, we need to talk.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Sister¡­ you!¡± Her eyes went from surprise to anger.


    I hadn¡¯t come into Carmine¡¯s room for Carmine. Rather, I sensed Salicia was in here, and she was the person I needed to reach out to.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been expecting you,¡± Salicia responded, standing up like she wasn¡¯t just hiding in her sister¡¯s closet half the night.


    ¡°Then, can you guess why I¡¯m here?¡±


    ¡°Of course. The Bandits knew you were coming. They knew too much to be comfortable. They got the jump on us, and we even ended up being killed. That is inexcusable.¡±


    ¡°How much did they know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, but then again, you weren¡¯t expecting me to have the answers.¡±


    ¡°No, but I need to have those answers before we can begin the next attack.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what are you saying?¡± Carmine broke in, her brow furrowed in confusion.


    ¡°You have a fight today, right?¡± I asked.


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    ¡°Ah¡­ y-yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll stay the day here. I need to go out with Salicia and get some things.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what about my fight? I haven¡¯t done much leveling, and the enemies are growing stronger.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a Slave Master with various boosts to those in my party, so you should be stronger now just with me in town. If we have time, we¡¯ll go to the Gladiatorial match and watch. Alright?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes¡­¡±


    She looked like she wanted to say more, but she stopped with just that. The pair of us left the house. I put on an amulet I had gained from a dungeon which changed my physical appearance. It didn¡¯t work as completely as Shao¡¯s magic. That is to say that I couldn¡¯t turn myself from one person into another person. I could only make superficial changes to my nose, eyes, and mouth. With Shao¡¯s magic fueled by fairy dust, I could look like anyone, but the amulet used a lot less mana and was enough so I wouldn¡¯t be noticed.


    For the first time, I walked through the streets of Alerith and was actually able to see the state they were truly in. The food looked miserable, even by Aberis standards. The people were even more miserable. Most of them seemed to live on the streets. Every alley had been turned into a small shanty town using whatever garbage or wood that was needed to protect them from the weather. The people were dirty and underfed.


    The only thing that kept order were Knights, who seemed to still be in a steady supply despite the large group I had taken out only a month or so before. He seemed to be able to produce an infinite number of Knights. It was like the Bandits and their never-ending resurrection. Were the two things connected? I wouldn¡¯t put it past the Imperial Cloud Meadow to send the bandits artifacts to help destabilize Aberis.


    We weren¡¯t even in a particularly poor area of town, but the poverty was everywhere. Our district was probably around mid-tier. Even if I wanted to spend the money, the current laws in Alerith kept commoners from buying a better property in Alerith. Well, at least, they allowed commoners to buy at all. I certainly wasn¡¯t going to buy the property as Lord Deekson, a man Lord Rein wanted dead.


    There was one place that was spared from this dismal atmosphere. The inner city of Alerith kept out this level of riffraff with a secondary set of walls. That¡¯s where the gladiator rink was. Most people visiting the city would never have seen the poverty in these sections, as there was a means of entering directly to the inner city, which was the path lords were sent. The levels of corruption were hidden for anyone who didn¡¯t look too deeply. I should know, I was one of those who hadn¡¯t seen this the first time I had come as Lord Deekson.


    The pair of us reached the market and I turned to Salicia. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s time for plan B.¡±

 Chapter 646

    The prices in Alerith were high even by the Capital¡¯s standard. Thankfully, I had accumulated a fairly decent amount of wealth after our recent dungeon visits, and I could afford to shop here.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for weapons and armor that wouldn¡¯t look amiss on a Bandit.¡± I began to explain my plan to Salicia in detail.


    It wasn¡¯t a particularly bright one. One of the reasons I pulled her out was to find out if it was feasible before wasting time on it. I also wanted to give the girls more time to recover. After a single night, they might be able to fight, but they¡¯d still be a bit weak. The more time I gave them, the better. However, the people were suffering, so a day was all I could afford them. Then, we had to start working.


    In short, I planned to infiltrate the Bandits. I originally stole Bandit outfits so that we could launch surprise attacks, but that backfired spectacularly. After only a single day, they had found us out and created a countermeasure. There were too many mysterious aspects to these Bandits. Perhaps, I had been a bit too arrogant and prideful. I had expected everything we had been through to be enough to deal with simple bandits.


    The result of that was the death of my entire party. I figured that no matter how clever they were, we¡¯d defeat them with strength and resolve. I figured no matter how tricky they were, we¡¯d have our courage. In the end, I hadn¡¯t just put Raissa in danger, I had put all of my girls.


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    Unless we could find out how they are resurrecting everyone like that and stop it, we were powerless against these guys. That led me to this conclusion. We had to go in and figure out the cause of their Resurrections.


    ¡°So, that is your plan?¡± Salicia asked, ¡°We won¡¯t be able to just march in and declare ourselves bandits. They are familiar with their people and would quickly notice an unfamiliar face.¡±


    ¡°If we captured a small bandit troop, Shao should be able to replicate their faces and we could sneak in that way.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± Salicia stroked her chin thoughtfully, ¡°But would you be able to replicate their mannerisms? Their relationships with the other bands? Although the group is united under some Bandit King, each band is inherently self-serving. Some bands are allies, and some bands are bitter enemies. The larger the group of bandits, the more complex their connections are. Some bands are successful. Some are not.


    ¡°These aren¡¯t like your soldiers. They don¡¯t all wear the same armor and clothing, fight and train alongside each other, and have a sense of unity and loyalty. These are cutthroats, thieves, and murderers.¡±


    ¡°What do you suggest?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Our only option is to try to get them to accept us as one of them. We have to form our own band.¡±


    ¡°I understand. How do we do that?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the answer simple? We rob people. We make a name for ourselves. We become bandits.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised by this?¡± Salicia raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Why do you think we¡¯re in Alerith?¡± I asked, looking around.


    Salicia looked around, not seeming to understand what I meant. However, I already had a plan. Alerith had been taxing the poor for a while now. Since we needed to form a band and get our name out as the baddest in town, then what better way than to take from the rich, and give to the poor?

 Chapter 647

    As Salicia had said, bandits don¡¯t wear uniforms. They wore a random assortment of equipment from their cut of what they stole. If they were successful bandits, their outfits might be better, but if they were crappy, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising to see them in rags. That meant that my girls couldn¡¯t go out and about dressed in matching outfits of fine magical quality. We also couldn¡¯t wear most of the gear found in the dungeons. A Bandit would usually sell off anything too valuable, as Salicia put it, so if we wanted to be bandits, we had to look cheap.


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t buy stuff of a cheap make. So, nothing I had in my storage would work. Even if we could use some of the stuff I bought, all of the girls had lost their storage rings and all of their equipment once again in another fire attack. Another reason I didn¡¯t stick around the house and left so early was that I didn¡¯t want to be there when the girls, particularly Carmine, realized just how much she lost in that last attack. She had even gone out of her way to carry more than she needed. Seeing it all go up in smoke had to be hard.


    I was starting to dread storage rings, not that I¡¯d be able to buy any more in the near future. Thankfully, I had my Storage skill and my time-stop storage ring, so I was good. I did fear it¡¯d get destroyed, which is why I tossed it in storage before every encounter. Even if I had died, I¡¯d only have lost what I had out to use quickly.


    Still, I had the Bandit weapons and outfits we had stripped from the Bandits on our first day there. The original purpose had been to wear them to get close to the Bandits so that we could take them out by surprise. The disguise didn¡¯t need to hold up for more than a few seconds until we got the first strike on them. However, I couldn¡¯t use those outfits now.


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    Most Bandits marked their items when they acquired them so that other Bandits couldn¡¯t steal them and say that they were theirs. If we ended up going through all of this effort pretending to be Bandits only for a Bandit to notice our armor and accuse us of stealing, it would be a major waste.


    So, I ended up buying used armor and weapons for the girls. I didn¡¯t have an eye for stuff, and Salicia kept having to direct me to shoddier armor than I wanted to buy. Bandits depended on the idea of good quality that looks like crap. They want to protect themselves without their armor being envious of others. As a result, certain types and metals were more popular among bandits. In the end, we ended up picking out seven crappy looking pieces of armor and weapons. They are something I never would have willingly picked normally.


    On top of that, because Alerith¡¯s taxes were so bad, this stuff cost way more than it should have. I ended up spending as much for a pile of beat-up crap as I would have for shiny new furniture somewhere else. Maybe I should have gone to the capital to find these weapons? Oh well, it was done. The guy was even susceptible to Barter, the level 10 skill of Merchant which seemed to be an evolution of Haggle. I was able to take a 15% discount out of him.


    ¡°What now, boss?¡± Salicia asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get the girls. I¡¯d like to see the gladiator fights before we plan our next move.¡±

 Chapter 648

    With the new purchases safely in my storage ring, the pair of us returned to the house. At this point, most of the other girls had woken up. Only Shao remained in bed and needed to be encouraged to get up. As it turned out, the promise of a kiss was all she needed to get moving.


    ¡°Now remember, while we have a large supply of fairy dust, it won¡¯t last forever. Try to be as careful with it as possible.¡±


    Compared to the vial I found in Karr¡¯s Dungeon that one time, we now have about ten vials worth in all, and the fairy fountain produced more every day. I still wasn¡¯t completely sure what fairy dust was. I knew that it could be produced when a fairy was really happy. I also knew that it acted as an aphrodisiac if used on fairies. I had two vials with me, and I didn¡¯t like the idea of returning to make more. That meant that we needed to use it sparsely. However, that would be impossible if we all needed to wear a mask continuously.


    I could be spared because of my amulet. I would give anything to have six more of these amulets, but I just didn¡¯t. As a result, the only choice was to have Shao disguise everyone. That meant a lot of fairy dust though.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we even really need to change our faces,¡± Miki explained. ¡°The lord wouldn¡¯t have paid attention to me or Shao. Only your face will be remembered.¡±


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    ¡°You think? But¡­ what about the bandits.¡±


    ¡°I stay in the back to attack their minds, and Shao hides in the shadows. It¡¯s unlikely any bandits would remember us so clearly.¡±


    ¡°We also were not seen,¡± Salicia said.


    ¡°I wore my helmet when I encountered Bandits, they would not recognize me.¡± Carmine nodded.


    ¡°I made sure not to reveal my face as well. Being seen is a good way to ellicit vengeance.¡± Ruby added.


    So, it was only me then. Everyone else had hidden their faces while we encountered Bandits. I hadn¡¯t even noticed. I was the only one who went around showing my face. I wondered if the disaster that night even would have happened if I had hidden my face. They wouldn¡¯t have known who I was and they wouldn¡¯t have initiated a countermeasure. Well, that was what I thought.


    With a sigh, I gave a nod. It turned out that while trying to be cautious, I was the only one who hadn¡¯t been careful. I made sure that Miki and Shao took their Trait Hiding dungeon skill so that they appeared human. Without horns or a tail, neither girl drew any particular notice. Next to Carmine in her dazzling paladin armor, which thankfully hadn¡¯t been the armor that she was wearing when it was destroyed, the other girls were hard to even notice.


    She had thankfully brought her back up armor for fighting with Bandits. As to why she had backup armor, I decided I wasn¡¯t going to ask about her spending habits. It¡¯d just give me a headache.

 Chapter 649

    ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen! Over the last month, you¡¯ve watched countless fighters battle in the arena. You¡¯ve been there through the sweat, the blood, and the tears. You¡¯ve seen them taste victory, and you¡¯ve seen victory snatched away! We¡¯ve finally come to one hundred remaining gladiators. The best of the best!


    ¡°We have reached the championship rounds. All battles from now on are one on one. Teams may decide who fights, but they fight for the whole team now. Who is the best? Who will fall? Who will win the championship? In only six more rounds, we will have our answer!


    As we approached the arena, an announcer seemed to be repeating this spiel every few minutes. There were two weeks left for this competition. It went on for about two months, an entire season, which was there to ramp up hype and separated the casuals from the hardcore. It was now reaching the boiling point. There were various cross tournaments, including groups, singles, knock out, and even shows like what they tried to do to Raissa before I rescued her.


    By the way, Raissa was the only one who had a magical mask on. For the rest, we depended on hoods, face masks, and the dungeon store¡¯s Trait Hiding skill to make everyone else hard to notice. After shopping with Salicia, I had everyone wear clothing that wouldn¡¯t be amiss on a commoner. We¡¯d blend into the crowd. The one exception was Carmine, but she apparently always wore her helmet when fighting, so no one had seen her face yet.


    Every fighter that made it this far had been given some kind of pet name by the crowds. Carmine¡¯s name was the Shiny Knight. When I heard this, I was going to sympathize with her, but she was quite happy to have such a name. I supposed, as long as she was happy, I wouldn¡¯t make fun of her particular tastes.


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    As we reached the edge of the coliseum, she attracted more and more looks. I could hear people whispering her name. It seemed like she had a reputation.


    ¡°Numerous competitions are going on all month.¡± Drake, Carmine¡¯s current fight manager, explained eagerly, trying to warm up to me while his cronies took point. ¡°However, One-on-One is considered the most prestigious and high tier. That¡¯s the one that will win you that dwarf blacksmith, as well as a few other prizes. The prizes he¡¯s giving this year are excessive, even by normal standards. That¡¯s why so many tough opponents have shown up.¡±


    ¡°What kind of prizes?¡± I asked out of curiosity.


    ¡°Noble status.¡±


    ¡°C-can he do that?¡±


    ¡°He can create Knights. He also can give land and create barons. To most people, that already is completely changing their life around. They can buy property in the cities, they can own land¡­ to any commoner, it¡¯s the same as changing their fate, which would otherwise be impossible. Ah! No, offense, my lord.¡±


    ¡°What offense? I was able to become a Count.¡±


    ¡°R-right¡­¡± Drake scratched the back of his head. ¡°Anyway, the point is, this is a massive spectacle right now. Carmine has garnered interest for fighting solo.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said solo was the most popular.¡±


    ¡°One-on-one is the most popular, but most of those people are still on teams. They pick which teammate fights based on their opponent. Carmine is only one of a handful that has fought solo and reached the top 100. It requires endurance to fight life-or-death battles nonstop. The finals will be the worst, however. Six matches in two weeks. That¡¯s six fights until literal exhaustion. The first will have a 5-day break, then a 3-day, 2-day, and the last three matches will be daily. In other words, it¡¯s an endurance run! Carmine had incredible resilience, but I have to say, she won¡¯t be able to fight three matches successively like that!¡±

 Chapter 650

    ¡°If she can¡¯t take the matches¡­¡± I started.


    ¡°When we initially signed up, we did sign it as a team, basically, everyone who was part of your party at the time. That means that Shao, Miki, or you could stand in for Carmine if needed.¡± Drake finished.


    So, that was what he was getting at. He thought that we¡¯d need to take turns fighting. I could hear a bit of worry in his voice, so I felt his advice came from a genuine place. He didn¡¯t just want to win, he was also worried about Carmine. Having lived close to the girl for the last month, and seeing her fight numerous battles to the death, as he called them, I could imagine he had developed a sense of comradery with her. Perhaps he even saw her as a sister.


    Thus, I considered his words with a great deal of weight. However, with my bonuses, Carmine should already be much stronger than she normally was. If she could get this far on her own, then as long as I made myself available these days to help boost her, she should be fine. We could be worrying over nothing. She had faired fine over the rest of the season. I didn¡¯t see any reason that the Championship would suddenly crank up the difficulty by that much.


    As the team owner, it turned out I was able to get special seating in a box overlooking the field. It seemed like my fake identity as a rich merchant was holding out fine. This was partially thanks to Faeyna, who occasionally sent parcels to sell in Alerith to help sell the illusion. She was always thoughtful like that. Because of Alerith¡¯s taxation, it wasn¡¯t very valuable to sell anything in this city. Most merchants that were here were solely concentrated on supporting a gladiatorial team.


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    Drake had only mentioned it in passing, but it turned out that I was becoming popular as well. My alternative personality, Reynolds the merchant, was one of the only merchants still selling anything in town. As I said, I don¡¯t make money off it and was only doing it so that I could maintain the illusion as a merchant, but it was single-handedly keeping the markets in Alerith going. It was the only reason people were even eating. I wondered what Lord Reign¡¯s face would look like if he knew I was the reason his lower and middle-class citizens weren¡¯t starving and revolting.


    If I was a more capable guy, I probably should be helping the collapse along, as it¡¯d be advantageous to me. However, that would require me to allow children and women to starve, and I just couldn¡¯t allow that. I¡¯d probably send more goods to Alerith now that I knew there was a problem like this. It was probably very easy for nobles to suppress the lower class in this world. After all, nobles and their soldiers could be resurrected, while peasants couldn¡¯t afford it.


    Think of it this way, Lord Reign had already accepted foreign aid. If a peasant revolt truly began, to what length would he go to squash it? At best, he¡¯d invite a foreign army to help him quell them. The low-caste would die for good, and anyone they did manage to kill would only keep coming back. I couldn¡¯t imagine the death toll, and I didn¡¯t want to have the blood of innocent people on my hands if I could help it. Thus, I had a plan to follow, and quelling the Bandits to the south was just step one of said plan.


    As I considered my next moves for not the hundredth time, the afternoon matches began.

 Chapter 651

    ¡°For our next match, on my left, reintroducing a man who had battled his way through countless trials and tribulations, the devilish iceman Jarmin Condor!¡±


    The man the announcer indicated was a tall pretty boy with flowing white hair. He truly did have an icy appearance. His expression was cold, and the women all seemed to make adoring sounds as they looked at him. Devilish didn¡¯t have anything to do with some kind of dark power, and everything to do with his effect on women! Thankfully, my women weren¡¯t affected by such a pretty boy.


    ¡°Sigh¡­ the things I would do to that man.¡± Salicia purred.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s so pretty.¡±


    ¡°Et Tu, Shao?¡±


    ¡°Relax, Master, there is more to a man than looks. Just because he¡¯s pretty as a flower doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s desirable. Master has many manly traits that Jarmin couldn¡¯t compare with!¡± Miki said defensively.


    ¡°R-really?¡± I sniffled. ¡°I¡¯m manly?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Shao, you made Master cry! Repent!¡±


    ¡°M-master! Please use my lap as a pillow as part of my apology!¡±


    ¡°Apology my ass! Aren¡¯t you just taking advantage now!¡±


    Ruby crossed her arms and snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the big deal is. He¡¯s not that good-looking at all. He¡¯s all skinny, looks sick. I like a man with some meat on his bones.¡±


    ¡°You mean, like Deek?¡± Miki asked with a mischievous grin as she tried to keep Shao from offering her lap to me.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Ruby¡¯s cheeks turned red.


    I didn¡¯t notice though, as my attention was the next opponent who was being announced.


    ¡°And on my right, so far undefeated, he comes from the Imperial Cloud Meadow, where they call him the Demon-Slaying Hero, Bernard Castille!¡±


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    In a word, the guy looked cool. He had a long cloak that fluttered behind him in the wind, and half of his face was covered with a scarf. He wore a black-rimmed hat. In his hand, still in its sheath, was a long-curved sword that might have been a katana. He seemed to have a similar Asian appearance to Shao. Was that the look of demonic blood, or Imperial Cloud Meadow? I just didn¡¯t know enough about them to tell. As for Shao, she said her days before her capture into slavery were foggy, and then it was just a daily struggle for survival. As for the lore I gained, it never showed much detail except when relevant to the story.


    ¡°Ready? Begin!¡±


    Bernard only stood there as Jarmin moved into action. He shot out a bolt of ice, but that was only a distraction as he started to glide across the stage. I realized he was using the ice to travel, causing the ground immediately in front of him to freeze as he skated around the rink. He was incredibly fast, and he moved like lightning. The ice bolt he had sent was dodged with a slight lean from the other man. Jarmin darted back and forth across the arena, but Bernard barely seemed to move.


    The longer time progressed, the colder it got. Soon, even the first few stands were starting to shiver and cover themselves. Only Bernard on stage seemed unaffected by this cold, watching Jarmin with only a passing interest like he was watching a fish in a pond.


    ¡°Since you won¡¯t make the first move, allow me!¡± Jarmin suddenly yelled.


    He suddenly split into two people, although one of them was completely made of ice. They attacked as a pincer attack, each sending a hundred icicles out at Bernard. It was a surefire attack, but even that wasn¡¯t enough. Both the fake Jarmin and the real one created blades of ice, and they launched into a flurry of attacks. With a hundred ice daggers tying Bernard down, he¡¯s powerless to block one Jarmin, let alone two.


    Only a second before the first dagger of ice touched Bernard did he finally move. He pulled his curved sword from his sheath and swung a single arc. It wasn¡¯t aimed at anything and seemed almost lazy. In an instant, a wave of energy exploded out. The icicles all shattered, as did the swords the two Jarmin¡¯s held. Well, one Jarmin, as the other also exploded. As for the other, he was hit back in a horizontal line, flying away from Bernard. His strike hadn¡¯t even been aimed at anything in particular, but the force caused Jarmin to slam into a wall outside of the arena barriers. Disqualification.


    The crowds immediately rose into applause. This wasn¡¯t the first-time seeing Bernard fight. Had I been paying attention at the betting rings outside; the bet was overwhelmingly in his favor. The other guy seemed to have been outmatched. As for me, I was starting to have a sinking feeling these last six matches wouldn¡¯t go so easily.


    ¡°He¡¯s the running champion, also a solo like Carmine. He is who we need to beat,¡± Salicia explained. ¡°What does Master think?¡±


    My eyes fell on a young woman who had walked out. She shouted some choice words at Bernard, who ignored her and then began to fret over the iceman still embedded in the wall.


    ¡°I think I see an old friend I¡¯d like to talk to,¡± I responded.

 Chapter 652

    Carmine was still three matches away. While she went to the preparation room with Salicia and her management team, I swung by a group of boys leaving the coliseum with a single woman at their center. She was fretting over one boy in particular while the others gave her a forlorn look. That was the iceman himself, who had been healed and hadn¡¯t been that hurt in the fight, to begin with. If anything, it was his pride that took the most damaging blow.


    ¡°Harem¡­ I thought I recognized your¡­ um¡­ friend?¡± I called out to her.


    The girl looked up, no recognition appearing across her face. At the same time, the guys moved protectively around her, forming a protective barrier as they looked at me suspiciously. I wasn¡¯t planning on moving in on their girl, but it was an action that would have been impossible even if I wanted it. One by one, the guys seemed to recognize me. At the very least, they remembered the meal I had once prepared, and they started to relax their guard just a bit.


    Finally, after enough time passed that I was starting to feel a bit awkward standing there, Harem let out a cry of happiness, ¡°Ah! Newbie!¡±


    I was glad she didn¡¯t shout out my name in an area where that could cause me trouble, but it was clear she didn¡¯t use my name because she didn¡¯t remember it. All the boys around her, even those that hadn¡¯t been in the Mirror Dungeon when I met her, shook their heads. I didn¡¯t get it. Harem was a really dense and thoughtless person. I just didn¡¯t understand what appeal man or woman would have in a dense person like her.


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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about the match¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, I wasn¡¯t interested in winning anyway. I just wanted to see how my boys compare to the current stock of gladiators. If we didn¡¯t happen to get this year¡¯s champion early on, Harem¡¯s Boys might have even made it to second place! Alas, we just ended with some more bad luck this month.¡±


    ¡°Has your luck been particularly bad?¡±


    She shrugged as she went closer to me, but the boys still made a perimeter where I couldn¡¯t get closer than three arms width to her. ¡°I didn¡¯t find anything in Mirror Dungeon worth our time. Then, with the destruction of Fort Pride, the Ost Republic border went quiet. Looking for a challenge, that inevitably led us to the only coliseum. Unfortunately, this season had already started and we had missed the preliminaries. Thankfully, my boy Evan here managed to loosen the rules with a 5-gold bribe, but after two weeks of battle, it ended like this.¡±


    Mary had acted like she was granting us some great favor by getting us in ahead of the preliminaries. It looked like a simple bribe would have done the same. I still didn¡¯t know how I felt about the church. They may be titty-focused, but they also did preach a bit of xenophobia and they may have been more powerful and more dangerous in the past. The church in Aberis had regressed to this point, but that didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t other factions and sects that were worth my worry.


    ¡°Where are you going next?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ah¡­ isn¡¯t that obvious? The Ost Republic!¡±

 Chapter 653

    I scratched my head. ¡°What¡¯s in the Ost Republic that has any importance?¡±


    ¡°Oh? You haven¡¯t heard? I mean, it¡¯s still a month away. If we decided to finish the tournament, we¡¯d have just enough time to get there before it starts.¡±


    ¡°It?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! You don¡¯t know! Well-¡± One of the boys suddenly elbowed her, and her eyes shifted to him, and then she snapped her fingers. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, she liked¡­ um¡­ I mean the princess of the Ost Republic is getting married. That¡¯s the news!¡±


    ¡°The princess?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­Hmm!¡± Her eyes turned from the left to right. ¡°Anyway, you should come to the Ost Republic, but you must arrive early! Alyssa will want to see you!


    ¡°Alyssa will be there?¡±


    I felt stupid as soon as I asked it. She was some kind of general¡¯s daughter or something. It was clear she had status in the Ost Republic. Why wouldn¡¯t she also be invited to this wedding?


    ¡°Yes, she¡¯ll be there, and she definitely wants to see you!¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


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    I wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that. Our last meeting had been at the beach. I had somehow managed to cheat my way through a victory against her. I cheated, and frankly, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she was angry about that. As to how I felt about her, I didn¡¯t have any strong feelings one way or another. She was a strong opponent, yet even though she tried to kill me on two occasions, I struggled to see her as my enemy. Maybe it was because she had always been honest and straight forward with me, but I didn¡¯t find myself hating her at all.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ll come?¡±


    ¡°I-¡± I was going to say I was busy, but after seeing the strangely hopeful look on Harem¡¯s face, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to shut her down completely. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can in two weeks.¡±


    Two weeks was a long time, but between the end of the gladiatorship and the battle against the Bandits, I didn¡¯t see myself having time to go down and visit. Well, I guess I had a full month before this wedding officially began, but she said she wanted me there early. If I couldn¡¯t be early, then I probably wouldn¡¯t bother to show up at all.


    ¡°Good¡­ good¡­¡± She looked strangely relieved for some reason.


    ¡°Master! Carmine¡¯s about to start!¡±


    The voice in my head was from Miki. Usually, I needed to open up Slave Communication with a Slave to be able to talk to her. It was like making a phone call, where their side could only forcefully receive it. However, as Miki¡¯s mental powers grew, she had found a way to send me messages as well.


    ¡°I need to go.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Are you in the competition as well? I didn¡¯t see your name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a friend. I¡¯ll tell you about it later, at the wedding!¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s a promise!¡±


    She gave a bright smile that caused her face to shine, and I was stunned for a second. She really was a beautiful girl when she smiled like that. My heart started to beat faster. Then my eyes landed on the men all around her, who were now glaring with hostility at me. I¡¯m not after your girl, you can all stop glaring at me!

 Chapter 654

    I got back to my seat just as the announcer was introducing Carmine and her opponent. Her opponent this time was a burly man with wild hair and a pair of wicked hand axes. He had an almost psychotic look to him, and I had a feeling that if I ever faced him, I¡¯d definitely feel fear. His teeth were crooked and yellow, and it was hard to tell if he was smiling or snarling at everyone. He also looked antsy, as if he couldn¡¯t wait to leap out and take Carmine¡¯s head.


    ¡°On the left, we have the Shiny Knight, Carmine! Her beautiful armor has turned the blades of a hundred men, sending them scampering away with embarrassment. Let¡¯s see if her extreme defense is enough to win today¡¯s battle.


    ¡°On our right, is Frick, The Slaughtering Berserker! His savage style of fighting and lack of fear has made him a vicious opponent in the ring. On one side, we have the ultimate defense! On the other, we have the ultimate offense! Let¡¯s see which one will win!¡±


    As they gave their talks, I looked around the stage. Lord Reign wasn¡¯t there watching the event. He seemed to have a lower lord sitting in as his proxy. As for Bernard, the winner of the last match, he was sitting down and watching this match. I admired him a bit at that moment. Despite being heralded the Champion for his lossless streak, he still felt he could learn something from these matches. Since he was an opponent though, it still left me a little worried. He wasn¡¯t just strong, he was bright.


    ¡°Begin¡± The announcer declared.


    Carmine slammed down her shield. ¡°Master is watching me today, so I apologize if I don¡¯t act politely.¡±


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    ¡°Hehe¡­ I¡¯m never polite.¡±


    He let out a bellow which caused me to jump, but the cheering that exploded in the crowds suggested this was his usual chant right before he attacked. He slammed his axes against her shield and then spun to the side, slamming them against her side. Unfortunately, with the smallest amount of movement, she had twisted, keeping herself behind the shield.


    ¡°You- how dare you block me! Ahhhhh!¡¯ He screamed, seeming to grow enraged that she blocked him as if she shouldn¡¯t.


    As the attacks went on, I could hear the people in the stands starting to mutter to themselves.


    ¡°Damn¡­ not even he can get through that armor.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to the Shiny Knight. All looks, no glamour.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping with a Berserker, we¡¯d see a different outcome.¡±


    Bernard watched intently, but everyone else¡¯s excitement seemed to drop quickly. The match went on, but there was nothing but shouting as he slammed his axes against her over and over again. He even used a skill or two, but as soon as he did it, she¡¯d use a defensive skill that nullified it. She was like a towering giant, standing there unmoving, no matter how much the Berserker raged. The crowds grew more and more annoyed as a five-minute match turned into fifteen.


    ¡°Just fight me!¡± Frick looked like he was about to cry, his face red and ugly.


    With her helmet hiding her face, she was like an unmoving obelisk looking down on him.


    ¡°Just give up!¡± One guy from the audience screamed out.


    ¡°She¡¯s never gonna move.¡±


    I scratched my head. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ um¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like Carmine has that many offensive abilities.¡± Salicia laughed.


    Drake spoke up with an embarrassed cough. ¡°I mean, she¡¯s tried, but she lacks speed, coordination, or strength. She almost lost a match when she fought a different way. So, we decided the best way is for her to rely completely on her strengths and just let the opponent tire themselves out.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that take a really long time?¡±


    ¡°Her longest battle took six hours.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    My gladiator champion was a joke!

 Chapter 655

    ¡°You¡­ hah¡­ hah¡­¡± Frick collapsed to his knees.


    ¡°Just concede already!¡± Someone shouted from the stands.


    The last thirty minutes were extremely boring. Frick commenced a one-sided battle against Carmine, but her defenses were top notch and were now further boosted by my presence. He simply wasn¡¯t able to get through her armor.


    During this time, I got to hear the mumbling of a lot of people. She was no one¡¯s favorite contestant. At first, her extremely pathetic offense but strong defense accumulated a lot of fans, but as time progressed, as she depended more and more on her current style of just defending until the enemy surrendered, she lost most of the crowd. These days, her matches rarely garnered very much attention. She was considered the most boring contestant and was a thorn in the entire gladiatorial events side. Technically, she didn¡¯t break any rules though, so no one was able to kick her out or do anything about her. People usually used her fight as a time for a bathroom break or to get lunch.


    Today¡¯s match had been unusual, as Frick¡¯s Berserker Rage had earned him a lot of fans, and many people hoped to see the Shiny Knight finally taken down by his pure Berserker Rage. As the referee had excitedly explained, he was a creature of pure offense, and in theory, he should have been able to blow through her defenses and create a far more interesting battle. His success would have released a lot of pent up frustration that the crowds had been feeling as a result of her matches.


    According to Salicia, this wasn¡¯t a pipe dream either. Carmine and Frick were about even in a normal fight. They had already predicted that Carmine battling Frick had a roughly 50/50 chance of Carmine being defeated. It truly may have been a fight that would have nearly killed Carmine if I hadn¡¯t shown up and simply by being present, passively boosted all of her stats.


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    The proud Berserker Frick who had expected to at least damage and beat Carmine down until they were both barely standing was now completely humiliated. No matter what rage he displayed to boost his attacks, it all fell on Carmine with little more than a thud.


    Finally, after thirty minutes of being pressured by bored contestants shouting at him, because they already knew that no amount of jeering would push Carmine, he had collapsed under the weight of embarrassment and failure. He no longer felt rage. Instead, he felt a sense of helplessness. It was like the feeling an ant might have if he was asked to defeat an elephant.


    ¡°I concede¡­¡± He said, looking like he might cry.


    Carmine appeared to have brought an adult man to his knees crying.


    With the fight done, she left the stage. As she did so, she pulled off her helmet. She was still in full view of the entire crowd. She shook out her blond hair and let out a smile. The crowd collectively gasped. This was the first time anyone had seen her outside of her armor. They probably imagined all kinds of faces when thinking of the cold, unspeaking, unmoving tyrant that drove the crowds to boredom. They never imagined an immaculate beauty with a gorgeous smile.


    Bernard jerked as he saw her face, clearly surprised. As for Frick, his mouth fell open, and he suddenly felt embarrassed that he had spent the last thirty minutes cursing and wailing on her with axes. A few other men instantly started shooting him glares as well, and as the Shiny Knight¡¯s reputation suddenly skyrocketed, Frick¡¯s reputation dropped.


    However, the biggest blow to everyone wasn¡¯t her beauty, but the reason she pulled off the helmet and smiled in the first place. She was waving happily, trying to get a certain person to notice her.


    ¡°Master! Master! Did you see me! Did you see?¡± She asked excitedly,


    If people looked poorly at the man who had beat on such a beauty for thirty minutes, you can imagine how they saw the man who was her Master and forced her into battle time and time again. I let out a sigh. This was troublesome.

 Chapter 656

    Although I received quite a few dark looks as I recovered Carmine and we made our way out, there was one person in particular that caught my eye. It was none other than Bernard, the undefeated champion. He had a downright hateful glare leveled in my direction, and for the life of me, I didn¡¯t know what I had done to cause him any grief.


    I wrapped my arm around Carmine and hastily pulled her out of the arena. I had no interest in seeing any more of the gladiator matches. Actually, after seeing how the last one went, I already had a feeling we needed to work on strengthening Carmine up. I¡¯d never even assigned her a second job. Now that I knew her Paladin was completely defense-oriented I desired to get her an offensive job leveled up in time for the next battle.


    I ended up getting a bit more attention than I would have liked, plus Carmine had revealed her appearance which she had carefully concealed up until this point. Thankfully, Lord Reign wasn¡¯t there, and even if he was, he had no reason to recognize Carmine, so it was probably fine.


    The group of us returned to the house, and as soon as I entered, Raissa was there with her wagging tail. Wait, was she waiting at the door for us to come home? She was sitting in front of the door in a kneeling position when we walked in! Ahem, anyway, it was as good a time as any to start preparing for our next fight.


    ¡°Master¡­ while you were out, I collected this.¡± Raissa rolled out a map.


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    I realized it was a Traveler¡¯s Guild map. It had merchant paths and various other notes that were useful for anyone traveling to and from the city of Alerith. If we were normal Bandits, it would have been extremely useful. However, I didn¡¯t want to destroy the lives of normal people. Rather, I was looking more toward dismantling the nobility¡¯s sources of wealth.


    Even though the map only had minimal use, Raissa¡¯s wagging tail suggested she needed a head pat. I made sure she got one, and she closed her eyes and grinned happily. This was the future mother of my child. I didn¡¯t know how I felt about that.


    ¡°Hey, boss¡­¡± Drake spoke up. ¡°If you want to hit them hard all at once, then you¡¯ll want to strike tonight.¡±


    Drake had previously not been part of the conversation, but he happened to overhear us as he came down to get a drink.


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ tonight is when the gambling guild does their money exchange. They send out the gold and then get back coppers and silver. The exchange isn¡¯t done in the city but at a hidden location outside.¡±


    ¡®How do you know this?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± he blushed, ¡°I¡¯ve been betting on the events. Got to pass the time somehow. I heard that they exchange every fourteen days. Since boss keeps giving us a gold piece instead of 10 silver, I¡¯d come and have them break to 100 coppers every day for a week, and found that they weren¡¯t able to break it the day before, and were the day after.¡±


    ¡°You just randomly did that, huh?¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡­ I mean¡­ it used to be my business, yeah? They always say the man who knows where the money moves has all the cards. Or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Then, where are they meeting outside of town.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ is a closely guarded secret.¡± His face lowered slightly, but then he glanced up again. ¡°However, I know someone who will be there!¡±

 Chapter 657

    ¡°So, our goal is simple. We¡¯re going to hit the drop off point.¡± I explained. ¡°Shao has followed Drake and will mark the man he insists is involved with the drop-off. We will follow behind, trying to find the spot where they will do the currency exchange. Pretending to be bandits, we will hit them just as they bring out the money and we will hit it hard. Once we have taken all the money, we will break off and redistribute it back to the public secretly. Any questions? Salicia?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s our name?¡±


    ¡°Any other questions?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m being serious! The entire point of this is to catch the notice of the southern bandits and get them to offer to let us join, right? Then, we need a recognizable name as well as an identifiable feature. How else will they be able to find us?¡±


    I had to admit that Salicia¡¯s words did make a lot of sense. There was no way that we could be contacted and asked to join if we didn¡¯t have some means of being identified. The remainder of the day ended up dedicated to planning out our band¡¯s information.


    The band name we settled on was Reign¡¯s End. It sounded appropriate and quickly revealed what our goals were. Plus, if it¡¯d make Lord Reign a bit uncomfortable, that made me happy. We also decided to tie a dark red band on our sleeves so we could easily recognize each other. I didn¡¯t want us accidentally having friendly fire, especially if we ended up fighting other Bandits down the line.


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    We also went so far as to discuss relationship dynamics. If I was the leader and every girl was my slave, that would certainly look suspicious. Bandits were Bandits exactly because they were trying to free themselves from oppression, supposedly. They didn¡¯t really keep slaves. That was told to me by Salicia, and I already had come to realize the way she ran things was vastly different from how they ran things in the south. Besides, even she admitted that they would sell people into slavery if the price was right. There weren¡¯t any fast rules for being a Bandit. They were really just the whims of the local Bandit Kings.


    In the end, we decided it was best if I wasn¡¯t the leader of the group. Instead, Ruby, who was the most physically imposing, would act like she was in charge. At first, the thought of this embarrassed her. She had mostly just been along for the ride. I wasn¡¯t even sure if she agreed with most of our decisions, but she knew enough to not get in the way. She was a mentor and guide, assessing me for my adventure ranking. The fact that this quest had devolved into committing the very crimes we were trying to stop, well, it was best if I didn¡¯t focus too much on that.


    Soon, the night fell, and our group did our best to leave the town without drawing attention. Only once we were out of sight from Alerith did we change into our Bandit garb. At this point, I had the map in front of me, and I was following the man that Shao had marked. Since Shao marked him, not me, it wasn¡¯t like I could see him marked on my Map, but she had pointed him out and I had more or less figured out which red dot he was in my Sense Life. As long as I kept an eye on it, I wouldn¡¯t lose him.


    With the sun setting, the band of Reign¡¯s End headed out to start a life of banditry.

 Chapter 658

    The red point on my Map ended up stopping at a place seemingly in the middle of the forest. We had brought horses so we could keep up with the movements of the carriage. I still couldn¡¯t ride a horse. To this point, I had never found a good reason to learn. Thankfully, one of the girls was willing to let me ride behind her. I clung to Shao tightly since every move made me feel like I was about to fall off. With Portals, horses weren¡¯t needed very much. That was my reasoning.


    As we reached the edge of the forest, I could see it was a mansion hidden out in the middle of nowhere. This must be where the gambling guild kept the large profits they were raking in from the gladiatorial matches.


    Why were we picking on the gambling guild? That answer was rather simple. They were in with Lord Reign. They received no taxation, so all of their awards went to their pocket and didn¡¯t contribute to the city¡¯s health in the slightest. As for what Lord Reign got out of it, I wasn¡¯t sure. My current thought was that they were somehow tied with the Imperial Cloud Meadow, but I wouldn¡¯t be able to confirm this unless we could get into the mansion.


    Unfortunately, the security looked pretty tight. Anyone we killed would also likely notify others of our presence. In this world, a person¡¯s death was as much an alarm as anything else. That meant that we needed to get through and get the money while capturing and silencing every person there.


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    That was easier said than done. There were a lot of guards present. I could see the carriage holding the money approaching the mansion. There were fifteen guards, half of them were Knights. There was double that amount already at the mansion, waiting for their delivery. Presuming there were more inside, and I was looking at nearly fifty opponents against a team of seven. Maybe, we should have just raided the carriage itself. Fifteen would have been difficult, but we might have been able to succeed.


    Another option would be to start taming monsters, or possibly using Terra¡¯s golem machine to create a small army. At that point, I could just create a Portal and bring a large number of my soldiers over. However, if I did that, there would be no way to make this look like a Bandit raid. Plus, we might even start a war immediately. Silently wiping out the forces sent to kill me had pushed the pair of us into a stalemate that has lasted the last two months, but if I showed any sort of aggression against Lord Reign, that war could start sooner rather than later.


    ¡°Miki, can you put people to sleep?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I can, Master,¡± Miki whispered back. ¡°The more alarmed they are, the harder it is, though.¡±


    That made sense. We¡¯d need to lull them into a sense of peace before we could do our attack. If they all fell asleep, then we could complete the entire task without killing anyone. Although I wasn¡¯t afraid to kill these people, which is exactly why I picked those who were doing jobs that were just a little bit nefarious, I would feel better if no one died.


    I started looking through my Inventory and my inventory ring, trying to come up with something that I could use. Just when I was about to give up, my eyes fell on a certain box in my Inventory, and a clever idea came to my mind.

 Chapter 659

    As two guards stood in front of the gate that led into the secret mansion, a horse with two people walking beside it came walking up. They saw them approaching for a while, and had already unsheathed their swords. However, the two people and the horse seemed non-threatening, so they waited until the people were close enough that they could see them before speaking.


    ¡°This is private property! No visitors!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I called out. ¡°I¡¯m not a visitor? Then where am I supposed to transport this wine?¡±


    One of the people was me, and the other was Miki, who was dressed as my servant and slave. Technically, she was my slave, so this wasn¡¯t too challenging to pass off. Plus, her thin, pale form gave her the appearance of someone who couldn¡¯t put up a fight. Compared to the other girls who all had various levels of athleticism, she pulled off a simple servant the best. Her ability to set the mood, decreasing suspicion with just her presence was only a plus.


    ¡°I already said, no ¨C ow, what?¡± As one guard tried to dismiss me again, the other one hit his chest.


    ¡°What wine is that?¡± The guard asked with interest.


    ¡°Ah! Only the best wine in Aberis!¡± I declared, pulling out a jug from the horse¡¯s saddle.


    I had about 100 liters of wine in jugs, enough to throw a pretty good celebration, sitting in my storage ring. I didn¡¯t drink very much, but a lot of places seemed to expect gifts, and wine was the gift of choice for most, so I had bought them in bulk cheaply in Chalm where I could take advantage of my Hero status and my Barter Skill for some pretty cheap wine. It had been found in the underground cellar of one of old Chalm¡¯s taverns. The wine was actually a better quality than most in Chalm could afford.


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    Since Chalm needed money, and I needed bribes and gifts, I bought up all the wine to help the local breweries. I didn¡¯t expect to ever go through it all, but in a time stop ring, it would last. Then again, didn¡¯t wine taste better with age? I didn¡¯t really know that much about these things, but this stuff was already extremely valuable, and I got it for a very good deal.


    The guard who had spoken also seemed to have good taste, and he could see that the wine I had pulled out looked to be the quality stuff. I popped open the cork of one bottle, all while running a spiel like I was a wine salesman. I was just a transporter, so this was probably very suspicious if anyone thought about it for too long, but thankfully, the guards didn¡¯t appear to be very bright. After pouring a glass for each of them, they drank it without even wondering if it was poison or anything.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t altered in any way. For Miki to do her magic, it was enough if I could just get most of them inebriated. In theory, she could probably manage it without any of this pretense, but as men fell, other men would become more alert, and it risked becoming a race between when Miki¡¯s mana ran out or the last few men managed to band together and start fighting back. I didn¡¯t want to leave anything to chance.


    ¡°This is definitely great stuff. Sell me a bottle!¡± The guard said with a smile.


    ¡°Ah¡­ as I said, it¡¯s already paid for.¡± When he gave me a questioning look, I handed him the bottle I opened. ¡°This one¡¯s on the house?¡±


    He was a bit stupider than even that. I was beginning to realize I was giving a bunch of guards in a world without an education system too much credit. Perhaps some of the people in the manor would be a bit more challenging.


    He opened the door without question, and while the other guy was a bit suspicious, he followed along and stepped aside.

 Chapter 660

    ¡°Where is the rest of our cut?¡± A man asked as we entered the manor.


    We left our horse tied out in front, and I let Miki carry a basket of wine while I tried to look like I belonged there.


    There appeared to be three groups discussing things right in the main foyer of the mansion. The first group appeared to be carrying the bags of coins. The second group was the ones receiving the coins, and the third group looked like Bandits. We had changed out of our Bandit clothing, but thanks to Salicia¡¯s education, I could pick out a Bandit on sight now.


    ¡°Your cut had already been supplied.¡± The one who looked to be from the financial group said with a snide voice.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re increasing the cost. That last city is proving problematic. It just won¡¯t fall.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your problem.¡±


    I barely managed to keep my mouth from falling open. Of course, I could connect the dots. The city they were talking about was Regency. They seemed to be asking for money from the bankers who work with Lord Reign.


    Were the Bandits on Lord Reign¡¯s payroll? What were the chances of that? I had come north to establish a name so that I could get closer to the Bandits, but I didn¡¯t know they were related! It made sense though. Lord Reign was trying to destabilize the region. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if a lot of those lords fleeing the south were seeking sanctity with Lord Reign.


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    If that was the case, then would causing trouble here have the effect I was looking for? I suddenly wasn¡¯t sure if our actions were correct. With that little bit of knowledge, the entire game had changed. It was too late now, as we were already seen.


    ¡°What is this?¡± One of the men asked.


    ¡°I was ordered to bring wine here,¡± I explained. ¡°From Lord Reign, as a gift¡­ to your leader, for a job well done.¡±


    Making up the story as I went along, I gave a smile and pulled the basket from Miki¡¯s hands and presented it. The money guy looked surprised and confused, but after a brief second, the Bandit gave a smile.


    ¡°Now, this is what I¡¯m talking about. A little respect and appreciation. What¡¯s your name, kid?¡±


    Kid? I mean, I was a young guy, but no one in this world had called me a kid before.


    ¡°I¡¯m De¡­ Dee! Um¡­ Dede¡­ sir.¡±


    ¡°Well, Dede¡­ have you considered being a Bandit.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Was it that easy? I had plotted all of this stuff to create my band, fight my way toward getting noticed by the bandit leaders, joining their organization, and finding out their inner workings, but just like that I now not only knew their backers but also had a free invitation to join. This felt like an extreme anti-climax. After all of my hard work, I wasn¡¯t satisfied at all.


    Even the money men who should be looking at me suspiciously seem more relieved that I¡¯d taken on the attention of the Bandits, and so were forgoing their suspicions for convenience.


    ¡°Hey, I got an idea!¡± The guy suddenly shouted. ¡°Let¡¯s all get drunk! It¡¯s time to party!¡±


    All of my meticulous planning¡­ things that didn¡¯t involve dungeons were too easy!

 Chapter 661

    The mission turned out to be a complete success. They sent out people and cleared our horse of the alcohol. The Bandits were happy to push everyone to drink heavily. Even the guards ended up with a bottle in their hand. I juggled my dungeon points and thus was immune to the alcoholic effects. I wouldn¡¯t make the mistake come morning by removing my Poison Immunity, so all I had to do the rest of the night was act as drunk as everyone else.


    I thought that this interruption would have made the money guys angry, but one of them ended up taking me aside as the night fell and the number of drunks increased.


    ¡°The names Grutch! You saved our asses there. Lord Reign has impeccable timing.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, those Bandits were trying to up their fees again. I¡¯m not some Knight, and I don¡¯t feel like having my throat cut so that Lord Reign can play his political games. Not that I¡¯d speak ill of our employer! I¡¯m just saying, my cut isn¡¯t enough to deal with these cutthroats, but a well-placed drink and come morning they won¡¯t even remember why they came. Well played. Give Lord Reign my compliments.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t mention it to him directly, considering who he¡¯s gifting this to¡­¡± I tried to cover myself over the overenthusiastic moneyman.


    ¡°O-of course! I know how to keep my mouth shut! I saw nothing!¡± With that, he grabbed and downed his cup of wine. ¡°Now if you excuse me, I see another bottle with my name on it.¡±


    No sooner had the moneyman left than a man threw his arm around me in a half hug with his other hand clenching a bottle. ¡°Dede! This is all thanks to you, man!¡±


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    It was the leader who had previously started this whole thing in the first place and even invited me to join the Bandits.


    ¡°Ah, but Lord Reign¡­¡± I tried to deflect his overexuberance.


    ¡°Lord Reign!¡± He made a bitter face and shook his head. ¡°That guy is a blowhard!¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    He blinked, and then let out a laugh. ¡°You¡¯re alright. So, how about it, you join my band?¡±


    ¡°What about my slaves?¡±


    ¡°Bring them! The more, the merrier! Ah, it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll ask you to share them or anything. I wouldn¡¯t give you my sword or my armor, so I wouldn¡¯t expect you to give me your women. It¡¯s every man for himself, that¡¯s what I always say!¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I heard that all the bandits are forming together in the southwest? What is that about?¡±


    ¡°That Bandit King!¡± He hissed.


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°You don¡¯t work for him?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± he shook his head vehemently. ¡°Well, yes, sort of. My band has been tasked for being the convoy between Lord Reign and that Bandit King. Like you, we¡¯re just the messengers. We deliver messages and we pick up and deliver the money. That King is also a bastard, always counts every coin, and holds us accountable for anything missing! We¡¯re not even allowed to rob in the area! Alerith is the richest region thanks to their Northern backers, and we aren¡¯t allowed to pillage a single house! Meanwhile, the Bandit King tries to be some kind of ruler.¡±


    ¡°You sound like you¡¯re not happy about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bandit, damn it! I got into this for the money! I don¡¯t want to conquer a country! Drink, money, a little bit of danger¡­ that¡¯s all I ever wanted! Ever since Bandit King Salicia went away, it¡¯s just been shit.


    ¡°You¡¯re one of Salicia¡¯s men?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard of her? Well, who in the west hasn¡¯t!¡± he laughed. ¡°She was a crazy woman too, but she was a crazy woman with class. At least, we always got some of the wealth when she was King!¡±


    ¡°Sleep.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± He suddenly keeled over.


    I shot a look back. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Wasn¡¯t I putting everyone asleep while they were distracted?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡± I looked behind her where she was gesturing, and there were bodies scattered everywhere.


    While I had been chatting with Grutch, Miki had gone forward with the plan and neutralized the entire mansion!

 Chapter 662

    ¡°What do we do, Master?¡± Miki cried worriedly while on her knees on the ground.


    I hadn¡¯t decided if I even wanted to go through with the plan. After all, I was already invited to become a Bandit. The goal was complete. The guy was just about to tell me everything, and then Miki came in and interrupted. I might have scolded her a bit after that, which I had immediately felt bad about. However, now that everyone was unconscious, it¡¯d be very difficult to join the guy now.


    I ended up calling the rest into the mansion, and we picked up and put all of the people where they wouldn¡¯t be disturbed. Miki promised they wouldn¡¯t wake up for a while.


    ¡°Some of these guys seem familiar,¡± Salicia muttered.


    That was because they were some of her old team. I decided not to mention it though.


    ¡°So, what is the plan, Master? Are we still going to rob the place?¡±


    After I had some time to calm down and think about it, I realized that we really ought to continue the plan. As this guy already suggested, his band was just the messengers. They were in no way close enough to the core banditry to help me if I joined their band. I¡¯d be left just helping them carry messages.


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    On top of that, a lot of good could be done with that money. I checked, and there was 10,000 gold coins worth of money in this shipment. The greedier part of me considered taking it and adding it to Chalm¡¯s coffers. It¡¯d be nice for Chalm to use some money that wasn¡¯t part of my wealth. However, deep down, I knew that this money came from the improper taxation on the citizens, or I suppose the exploitation of their desperation in gambling, and the best course of action was to return it to the people somehow.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to take it all,¡± I responded.


    Salicia, Shao, and Carmine began to move through the place, while I put our horses on the cart. Thankfully, they had never unloaded the carriage after starting their drinking party, so it was best to just steal it. Ruby helped, but she was more uneasy about it. I had offered her to stay back and not get involved, but she had insisted as our mentor that she take equal responsibility with our actions. She had the look of a woman who was pushing herself.


    After she carved the design we had come up with, which was a dollar sign with an X through it, I came over and admired her work. In this world, the dollar sign didn¡¯t mean money, so it was meaningless, but it was a distinct enough symbol to stand out, and it had a meaning if anyone asked. Looking at the frown on Ruby¡¯s face, I patted her shoulder. I actually couldn¡¯t reach her head.


    ¡°We¡¯re doing the right thing.¡±


    Rather than look relieved, she jerked, her cheeks turning red as she looked away from me.


    I was going to inquire more when Shao suddenly came out. ¡°Deek, you should see this.¡±


    What was it now?

 Chapter 663

    I followed Shao, who apparently had found something in the mansion. The mansion wasn¡¯t a very impressive place. Compared to the topnotch decorating of Faeyna, it looked rather barebones and uninspired compared to my place. I needed to stop comparing mansions. It felt like I was being a bit conceited.


    The place where Shao took me turned out to be the basement. A lot of thoughts ran through my head as Shao walked on ahead. Were there slaves down here? Or maybe some kind of underground torture chamber? What I did end up finding caused my mouth to drop open. There was a stock of supplies in barrels. These included food, firewood, and other supplies one might expect to run a mansion out in the middle of nowhere.


    However, the thing that Shao wanted me to see was a table sitting in the corner. Gold coins were covering it. No, it wasn¡¯t money. If it was just more money, Shao would have just taken the money and added it to what was in the cart. As I got closer to them, I started to realize that they were a bit bigger than a normal coin.


    ¡°Wait¡­ tokens?¡±


    I grabbed one of the coins and picked it up, and I immediately began to recognize what it was. It had a similarity to other such token¡¯s I had held in my life. One such token was called the Hero¡¯s token. Each village had one, although I honestly had no clue where they got them from. That was probably something I should ask the mayor or Prince Aberis. The person who receives such a token instantly unlocks the special job, Hero. While True Hero could only be obtained by defeating a demon lord, any village could elect a village Hero.


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    These tokens, on the other hand, matched two tokens I had on my person. They were called Knight tokens. There use should be obvious. Giving them to someone unlocked the job Knight for him.


    I had a feeling that tokens could exist for any job. Maybe, there was a time when jobs weren¡¯t earned through feats but handed out by hand using these tokens. They were essentially a small little blessing in physical form. Once handed to someone and that person picked up the job, the token was just a useless coin. Although it was gold in color, it was not even made of gold. Rather, they were made of just normal iron, and they lost their golden color once they were used.


    However, every single one of these coins was ¡°active¡±. That meant that anyone who was handed such a coin would gain the job Knight. Knight was a strong fighting class superior to things like Swordsman. It was like me with White Mage, it allowed someone to jump past the basics, allowing them to exude more power than they previously could with a higher tier job and high tiered skills, right in front of me were nearly two hundred of them.


    ¡°I think we found out where Lord Reign is getting all of his Knights from,¡± Raissa said bitterly.


    ¡°Yeah, but where are the tokens coming from?¡± I shook my head. ¡°We¡¯ll take them. That¡¯ll be a slap in Lord Reign¡¯s face.¡±


    An hour or two later, we had packed up everything of value in the mansion. I even took vases and paintings, reckoning that a real Bandit wouldn¡¯t just take the cash. As we rode out of the mansion, a batch of words popped up in front of my vision.


    [You have taken a large degree of wealth from the local population. You have unlocked the job, Bandit.]


    So, I have become a Bandit. There is no denying it now.

 Chapter 664

    ¡°How are we going to distribute this money without being caught?¡± I asked, holding another meeting at our house in Alerith.


    In the end, I dumped the carriage and put all the coins and tokens into my storage ring. I didn¡¯t use it before because few Bandits were rich enough that they¡¯d be wandering around with storage rings.


    It was a day after our successful robbery. The girls had spent half the day out and about through Alerith to try to see how Lord Reign was reacting. Other than tightened security and an overall feeling like something was off in the city, there were very few signs of retaliation.


    Lord Reign wasn¡¯t the kind of guy to do things on the surface. He preferred to smile to your face while sliding a knife into your back. Any actions he was taking to address these issues would be difficult to discover.


    ¡°I think the best action is to subtly give money back. Let¡¯s create a business in the city. We¡¯ll buy up goods using Lord Reign¡¯s money, then sell them at affordable prices, even if it means selling at a major loss. The loss will all be Lord Reign¡¯s money anyway. We¡¯ll just steal more, and then give back the money we stole. We will sell necessities like food, firewood, and goods necessary for survival.


    ¡°Alright, Master, I¡¯ll go get the paperwork going for that.¡± Miki declared.


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    ¡°I¡¯ll check with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. We have one located in Alerith. I¡¯ll see if I can get a hold of any vendors.¡± Ruby added.


    ¡°I have some contacts from when I used to be a slave. I might be able to help.¡± Raissa said.


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, if you change your face, it should be fine.¡± Rather than waste fairy dust, I gave her my amulet so that she could go out and do that job. ¡°Just be careful, okay?¡¯


    ¡°It makes me happy to see Deek worry.¡± Her tail waved happily.


    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll see if we can use Carmine¡¯s gladiator status to endorse your business. It¡¯s common for merchants to break into the city by first showing off a popular gladiator that works under them. Honestly, our excuse that you were a rich merchant was starting to wear thin since we weren¡¯t making very many large purchases. Now that you¡¯re opening a shop, this will resolve all doubt.¡± Drake spoke up. ¡°Plus, with her reveal yesterday, this is the best time to strike!¡±


    Shao stretched. ¡°I¡¯ll see about personnel. I¡¯m good at reading people.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I am! Didn¡¯t I live as a gladiator myself for some time? The only way I survived was by knowing who I could trust.¡±


    ¡°In that case, since everyone else is doing something important, I¡¯ll be taking a nap.¡± Salicia stood up.


    I grabbed her arm. ¡°No, you¡¯re not. You¡¯re coming with me.¡±


    ¡°Huuuh? What is that about?¡± She asked in a deliberately irritating voice.


    ¡°We need to plan our next hit. You were the Bandit King, you have to know how to find out about trade routes and where money was going. I plan to hit another place tonight.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡±


    ¡°We need to make a name for ourselves. We need to keep striking while the iron is hot.¡±

 Chapter 665

    ¡°The docks?¡±


    Salicia nodded and gave me a pout. ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask for my opinion?¡±


    ¡°I did, but there isn¡¯t a river or lake near here. There are no docks.¡±


    ¡°Gah! Th-then¡­ how about the bars?¡±


    ¡°Are you just trying to get drunk?¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­ please¡­ I know what I¡¯m doing! You¡¯ll have to trust me!¡±


    That¡¯s how I ended up heading to the downtown portion of Alerith with Salicia. I didn¡¯t have my face changed, so I just kept my hood up and hidden. Salicia did the same. That kind of made us both more suspicious, but we were in a suspicious area of town where people weren¡¯t likely to reveal their identity anyway. In short, we fit right in and wouldn¡¯t draw attention.


    There weren¡¯t guards in this area. I felt a tug at my pocket only to see a kid run away. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t have anything on me to steal. Even my storage ring was left in my Inventory. Unless a thief had some way to break into an interdimensional Hero skill, all of my items were completely safe.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Salicia¡¯s hand jumped out and she caught the wrist of another kid who did the same to her.


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    She pulled a knife with her other hand and waved the blade in front of the kid threateningly.


    ¡°I need that money to drink! Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t cut a child!¡±


    ¡°Salicia, weren¡¯t you just like them once?¡± I asked, grabbing her hand, and pulling free the child before flipping a silver coin his way.


    ¡°Maybe!¡± She cursed, with her knife clenched in her hand aimed threateningly at the kid. ¡°That¡¯s why I know they need frequent lessons!¡±


    The boy snatched the coin from my hand while eying Salicia¡¯s knife. Then, he stuck his tongue out at her and raced away excitedly. She tried to go after him, but I held her by my side.


    I felt more tugs as other kids saw I had money. It seemed like giving one a coin had emboldened the others. There were child hands in places I didn¡¯t want a kid¡¯s hands. A certain kind of pervert could probably find a lot of enjoyment in the poor district just by handing coins and hiding the rest on him. With a sigh, I pulled a bag of coins out of inventory and then slit it myself.


    ¡°Ah! Someone cut my purse!¡± I yelled furiously as coins suddenly dropped to the floor.


    The kids all raced out from every nook and cranny nearby to grab anything that touched the ground. Meanwhile, I pulled Salicia who had tried to jump at some of the coins and brought her out of the crowd of crawling children. As we left the kids to pick up the last coins on the ground, they seemed to leave us alone, assuming we only had the one purse and they had cleaned us out.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ Master is far too lenient with thieving children!¡± She made an unhappy noise. ¡°They¡¯re just the first step toward banditry. You¡¯re just given money to future bandits!¡±


    I had a thought like she was one to talk, but I decided not to say anything. This seemed to be a personal thing. Perhaps, it had something to do with her time after her village was destroyed and Carmine was taken away. She would have lived on her own as a street urchin before becoming a Bandit.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±

 Chapter 666

    The pair of us walked into a tavern. At least, I was going to call it a tavern. It was mostly just a few chairs and tables under a tarp. It was truly the poorest dive I could imagine. The man behind the bar was a hairy beast of a guy who was missing half his teeth. He even spat into the cup he was washing to clean it. We weren¡¯t the only ones in here, even though it was not quite evening yet and the sun was still out. I didn¡¯t want to be in this area of town in the dark, so I was hoping we finished our business quickly. I¡¯d even open a Portal rather than walking home in the dark.


    ¡°So, what are we doing here?¡± I whispered to Salicia.


    ¡°Hey! Barkeep! I¡¯ll take a bottle of your best!¡± Salicia cried out as she approached the bar with her hand up. ¡°I¡¯ll also take any trade route maps or money rumors.¡±


    ¡°Just like that!¡± I let out a noise.


    ¡°Relax, Master, this place is a craphole. You think anyone here cares about codewords or caution?¡± She snorted. ¡°Everyone¡¯s a stranger!¡±


    The man glared at both of us for a solid minute, and I was beginning to think that Salicia was completely wrong. Then, he reached under the counter and slammed a bottle on the table.


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    ¡°10 gold, take it, or leave it.¡± He said in a deep, husky voice.


    Salicia looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I sighed and pulled a pouch from my inventory, sliding it over to him. He didn¡¯t even look as he cut it and then slid it under the counter. He reached and pulled out two glasses. He then popped off the bottle and started pouring. As he did so, he leaned toward the pair of us.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a map, but I know a guy who used to work with the Merchant¡¯s Guild. He might be able to help. As for rumors, the money in Alerith runs deep. Even the local thieves and bandits are afraid to go after it. If you try to steal anything from this city, you¡¯re as good as making a personal enemy of Lord Reign.¡±


    When he said he didn¡¯t have a map, I had felt gypped, but after his advice, I suddenly started to see the guy in a new light. He was warning us away from doing something stupid we might not be prepared for. It was admirable.


    ¡°Making an enemy out of the Lord might just be our bread and butter,¡± Salicia responded coyly, grabbing one of the glasses pushed in her direction.


    Both eyes ended up on me.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The drink, Master¡­¡± She looked down at the other glass. ¡°You got to drink it?¡±


    It looked like brown and water. I was not interested in it. However, the man¡¯s look started to darken, so I equipped Poison Immunity and hoped for the best. We clicked our glasses together and slammed the drink down. I will give it one thing. It tastes exactly like it looks.

 Chapter 667

    ¡°I have the map that you need, but if you want, it, I¡¯ll require you to go on a quest!¡± The mysterious man we located in the alley based on the bartender¡¯s directions stated.


    ¡°S-seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ you see, the other day, I was fighting for my life, and my prized armor was lost. I need you to find all five pieces of armor. Each piece is in the hands of a different scoundrel located all across Alerith.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You will need to acquire the armor from them, which may require you to complete their requests in turn! However, that is a risk I¡¯m willing to take.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ can¡¯t I just give you the money for the armor?¡± I asked with my eyes narrowed. ¡°Heck, I¡¯ll pay double, I just really need that map.¡±


    ¡°No! That armor is particularly important to me!¡± He snarled. ¡°You must recover it! Once you do that task, and also clean my house and do my taxes, I¡¯ll give it to you!¡±


    ¡°What were those last two? You live in a tent and you¡¯re a criminal who probably doesn¡¯t pay taxes!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Don¡¯t judge me! Do you want the map or not?¡±


    Why does this world randomly turn into a game at times? I¡¯m already on a side quest, and now I had an errand in the side quest which may lead to another side quest. I just wanted a map that indicated some good places for a Bandit to hit!


    ¡°And don¡¯t think you can find this map anywhere else! I¡¯m the only man in the poor district who has a Cartographer job. Plus, I used to work for the Merchant¡¯s Guild and still have some contacts there, so my information is good!¡±


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    ¡°Can I just glance at it, to make sure it¡¯s real?¡±


    If I just looked at it once, I¡¯d be able to update it on my Map skill, and then I wouldn¡¯t need to do anything ridiculous. This guy was seriously pissing me off. No one would care if I murdered him, right? I mean, he could just be resurrected later, right? I supposed if I started thinking and acting that way, I¡¯d be just as bad as all of the others. I resisted the urge to end this man¡¯s life, but I was thinking about it.


    The man folded the map and then put it in his back pocket. ¡°You think I¡¯m a fool? Armor first, or no deal!¡±


    ¡°Can I kill him?¡± Salicia mouthed the words.


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t.¡± I sighed. ¡°Very well, this map better be freaking worth it.¡±


    The man then gave me the location of all of his pieces. Some seemed easy to acquire, while others seemed to span day-long adventures. It was truly disheartening. Maybe that¡¯s what it means to be a Hero. Never give up, even in the face of constant side quests. The pair of us turned around and left. After leaving the wiry man behind, I checked my map and considered how we were going to get the armor.


    ¡°We probably should start with the mysterious mage. I swear to god if he has a backstory, I¡¯ll-¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Master, I just pickpocketed him.¡±


    I froze. ¡°What?¡±


    She didn¡¯t even get close to him.


    She pulled out the map, ¡°It¡¯s one of my skills. How could I be a Bandit Queen and not be able to pick someone¡¯s pocket from the other side of the room.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to go into how little sense that makes.¡±


    ¡°Well, whatever. He was annoying so I just took the map.¡± She handed it to me, and then let out a noise. ¡°Ah! But¡­ I¡¯m sorry Master, I know you don¡¯t like theft! Do you want me to return it and we can do the quest fairly?¡±


    ¡°Hell, no!¡± I pulled the map away and opened it.


    Once the information appeared in my Map skill, I let out a breath of relief.


    ¡°Salicia, I could kiss you!¡± I declared, marching back to our house with renewed purpose.


    ¡°K-k-kiss¡­¡± She blushed, touching her fingers together and then speaking very lightly. ¡°W-well, if that is what Master wants¡­¡±


    I looked back to see Salicia standing a few dozen meters behind me, not moving as she had her lowered and her face flushed.


    ¡°Come on? What¡¯s the holdup?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Y-yes!¡± Salicia ran up next to me and we made our way back to start planning tonight¡¯s raid.

 Chapter 668

    The girls all returned, one by one. That had finished their jobs, and we¡¯d be opening our shop in the next few days. In the meantime, we needed to carry on our task as Bandits. By that point, I had decided what we were going to do. This wasn¡¯t exactly money this time. It was a shipment of metal from a nearby mine. It wasn¡¯t anything so impressive as mithril or orichalcum. It was a shipment of processed steel.


    ¡°Steel is about as good as it gets without going into the mythical metals,¡± Ruby explained. ¡°Some people try to push for diamond swords or something ridiculous like that, but steel is cheaper, reliable, in high quantity, and it doesn¡¯t lose out to most standard metals.¡±


    ¡°Of course, there is elvish steel and dwarvish steel. Elvish steel resembled mithril in many ways, and since the elves are extinct, so is the recipe for elvish steel. No one cares that much, because mithril already does most of what elvish steel could do.¡± Carmine added.


    Mithril wasn¡¯t necessarily the toughest metal to fight with. Orichalcum was technically better at toughness, and there were supposedly even metals better than that, although I hadn¡¯t looked more into it yet. Mithril was known for two things. First, having a high capacity to contain magic. It was a great metal for using enchantments. All the best enchantment items used mithril. Copper and tin also could accept spells, but the quality of said spells decreased with each downgrade. The other reason it was popular was that it was extremely light. That¡¯s why ultimately our boat contained so much mithril instead of some other metal.


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    It appeared like Elvish Steel was just an alternative to mithril, and since mithril in this world was more prevalent than elves, it sort of got forgotten. However, I was more focused on the other type of steel that they had mentioned.


    ¡°What about dwarvish steel?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Dwarvish steel is a step above normal steel in strength and quality. Only the dwarves know how to make it, and it¡¯s a trade secret. They¡¯re not nearly as extinct as elves, but they typically keep to their cities in Esmore. That¡¯s the reason that dwarf slave contains so much value.¡±


    So, that impish Rubee contained such an important piece of knowledge? How had she ended up leaving her city and ending up in Aberis? That was a question I¡¯d like to know.


    ¡°They live in Esmore¡­¡±


    It might be possible to get in touch with some dwarves. After all, I knew a certain guy in the Capital. I wondered if Pait would be willing to help me out, we¡¯d always been friendly. He was the ambassador of Esmore, it¡¯s kind of his job.


    Ruby seemed to read my mind and she shook her head. ¡°The Esmere don¡¯t get along with the dwarves very well. The dwarves live in the mountains between the Ost Republic and Esmore and don¡¯t concern themselves with anyone. They are notoriously reclusive. That¡¯s why that dwarf slave is such a find.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m starting to get that.¡±


    I had only met the dwarf girl in passing, but she had ended up being enslaved by Lord Reign and put as a trophy for the gladiator competition. In the beginning, she wasn¡¯t a Magic Blacksmith, so my interest in her was more just a vague thought that she might have some potential. I was mostly trying to free her because the Blacksmith who I had relocated to Chalm had asked me to do it as a personal favor. Now, I was starting to think that we should win her at all costs!

 Chapter 669

    Part of the reason I was attacking a metal shipment as opposed to a money shipment was because I was still worried about a trap. The Bandits down south had been far too prepared for us. I believed that part of that reason had to be because of Lord Reign. It was clear he had spies in the Capital and had told the Bandits that I was coming. He also had some awareness of my capabilities. After all, anyone could send someone to the Capital to ask around about a particular Hero. I kept to myself, but others didn¡¯t hesitate to toot their horn about my accomplishments. The more my name was spread, the more honor would be brought to Chalm.


    Lord Reign might have already made changes in the hopes of killing off this new Bandit group. I couldn¡¯t allow myself to believe he¡¯d guess it was us. Who could predict that we descended into a life of banditry? Well, it was a ploy, but it was one we had selected so we wouldn¡¯t get caught.


    I was out with Shao, Ruby, Salicia, and Carmine. The other two girls weren¡¯t here tonight. I sent Miki and Raissa back to our village in the south. They brought supplies we had purchased with Lord Reign¡¯s money. More importantly, Miki would resurrect the people who died when that vicious fireball was used on us. Since no traces were left over, she¡¯d get their effects from their families to bring back the poor women. The only hope was their trauma wasn¡¯t too severe.


    We couldn¡¯t hope to sell this ore, but we could give it to a Blacksmith in the village and have them start making weapons and armor for all of the people there. That was the final reason I had decided to attack this spot. We were waging a war on two fronts, and I had to consider both with every decision. Miki and Raissa would push forward the war front on that side. Miki could set the mood, motivating a beaten people into a bloodthirsty group looking for revenge. Raissa was a survivor, so she could give these people the fundamental knowledge they needed, if not to become killing machines, then to at least survive any encounter.


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    I didn¡¯t need them to grow to the point where they could take out the bandits. That wasn¡¯t part of the plan. I just needed these people to make the bandits feel a bit pressured. That wasn¡¯t today though. We were just preparing for the encounters to come.


    It was evening, not night yet, and there was still plenty of light. That meant, unless we picked our spot just right, they¡¯d see us coming and have time to defend. The trick to ransacking a carriage was that they didn¡¯t have time to put up spells or defensive formations. That also meant that the most important one to take out first was the mage. Salicia helped pick out the location and plan the attack. She was becoming more reliable every day, it seemed.


    We picked an area where there were a lot of hiding places very close to where the cart passed. Just as it passed, the girls jumped out, and the battle began. It lasted only moments before the last of them was knocked out. We had caught them all with their pants down.


    I decided not to waste any time in case Lord Reign had some trick up his sleeve. I opened up a Portal and sent the carriage back to the village, and then brought it back empty. Looking at the empty cart, I frowned.


    ¡°What is it, Master?¡¯ Shao asked as she noticed me looking at the cart.


    ¡°Lord Reign will continue to hide our deeds, which prevents our name from getting out.¡±


    ¡°True¡­ he doesn¡¯t want people to know there is a bandit out there threatening the safety he charges an exorbitant price to maintain.¡±


    The only reason most people put up with him was because despite living next to the wilderness, his city has stood safely for years. They convinced themselves that it simply cost that much to be safe in that place.


    A small smile formed on my face. ¡°I have an idea.¡±

 Chapter 670

    ¡°Halt!¡±


    A few hours later, the shipment of metal ore entered town just as expected. The guards were awake now, and they didn¡¯t act at all like they had just had a battle where they might have been knocked unconscious. The time was now evening, and the streets were busy as people were heading home from their jobs. Well, many of those homes were just hovels created in certain alleys, since that was the best anyone in the working class could afford. At least they were able to feed their families, usually.


    Thus, when the inconspicuous cart full of metal ore heading toward the castle was suddenly stopped by a man shouting halt, it drew a lot of eyes. The guards put their hands on their swords. They were suspicious, but they weren¡¯t on high alert or anything. The person in front of them was Drake, and beside him were his street toughs.


    Although they were dressed better than they once had in the Capital, they only appeared to be mildly wealthy laborers, perhaps Blacksmiths or mediocre Merchants. Nothing that would cause the guards to worry. It wasn¡¯t like they were moving gold coins. Metal ore was heavy, and you needed tons of it. It might be valuable, but who could steal it in the middle of town?


    ¡°What is it that you want?¡± One of the men asked, his hand only lightly touching his sword as he waited for an answer.


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    ¡°That carriage you have right there. You¡¯re coming from the local steel mill, right?¡±


    The steel mill was right next to the iron mine and was ultimately where all of their metal was processed. These men then brought it into town where the local Blacksmiths would do what they were asked. While most cities had freelance Backsmiths, who were only occasionally hired to do bigger jobs, all of the Blacksmiths in Alerith were picked up by Lord Reign. He had strict quotas he had them meet every month. Although they were paid, it was only half the price of normal work. If they wanted to do jobs that made them any money, they could only work on them after making their quotas.


    That meant that the Blacksmiths in this city were expensive and difficult to hire. Why did they put up with it? For the same reason! They were expensive, and they could act as selective and snobbish as they wanted to the public. Any who could handle the quotas could then sell their extra ware for five times the price they could sell it anywhere else. Furthermore, there was never a lack for work. As to what they made for Lord Reign, that would be the Knight¡¯s armor that was being used to build his army.


    I had assumed the Knights I had encountered were all provided by Imperial Cloud Meadow. They had even led me to believe this. While some of them might have been brought over as teachers to help the new Knights, most of them were selected locally. They were raised to knighthood using counterfeit Knight token, given good armor produced in bulk at the expense of the citizens, and then trained by a few skilled Knights from another country. I didn¡¯t know another way to say it other than that he was building an army.


    So, when we were attacking the steel ore, this too was weakening Alerith as a whole.

 Chapter 671

    A tense silence had followed after Drake had pointed at the cart of steel almost accusingly. The steel was covered with a tarp so that no one could see what was inside, but that wasn¡¯t to say that this was a particular secret. They had guarded the journey, but if anyone wanted to get rich robbing steel, they¡¯d be better off stealing the shipments after they were turned into swords and armor. That¡¯s when they started to gain real value.


    The shipment was guarded because of convenience, and the cart was covered to keep things from falling on and into the shipment, as well as to keep the shipment from accidentally bouncing out of the cart. No one would think that metal ore would be worth stealing, and no one would treat a metal ore shipment like it was something hidden.


    ¡°Yes, this is steel ordered by Lord Reign!¡± The man announced, feeling no reason to keep such a fact secret.


    He used the name Lord Reign not because he knew the man, but because he reckoned the name would deter anyone who was bothering them. Lord Reign may be the noble of this city, but he was notoriously fickle and had punished or enslaved countless people for upsetting him. No one wanted to end up being the next person to fight for their lives in his coliseum. Therefore, his name was enough to cow just about anyone. It seemed like Drake wasn¡¯t as easily moved by the name as others would be.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯m in need of purchasing some steel! It¡¯s kind of an emergency, you see?¡± Drake announced in a loud voice that could be heard by everyone.


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    The man¡¯s brow furrowed. After all, it was pretty bold to buy something that was reserved for Lord Reign. However, the transporter also knew that this particular shipment was twice what Lord Reign wanted. Lord Reign was a stingy man, and any amount they dug over his quota, rather than being bought at a marked-up price as one would think, was marked down. That is to say that Lord Reign wouldn¡¯t take extra produced steel except on a discount.


    ¡°This steel is for Lord Reign, apologies!¡± The guard answered this way anyway.


    Lord Reign was feared.


    ¡°I need some steel! Not a lot. Just a ton or so. I¡¯ll pay you five times the going rate!¡±


    ¡°F-five!¡± This caused the guard¡¯s eyes to nearly bulge.


    The guard was probably thinking that this guy must be desperate. It was true that Lord Reign had a monopoly over the iron mine and the steel mill. Anything extra, he¡¯d purchase at a discount, only to then sell that to the people at the same price. This meant that like everything else, there was always a high demand for steel. It was a rotten deal that only benefited Lord Reign, and the millers that these transporters worked for had become extremely bitter because of the injustice of it all.


    On the other hand, no one had explicitly told them that they couldn¡¯t sell extra material on the side. If they set up a merchant kiosk, they¡¯d be under the same massive taxation that brutalized everyone else, and at that point, they should have just sold directly to Lord Reign, but this was a different case. This guy approached them wanting to buy some of their surplus. In short, they had the opportunity to make quite a bit of extra money on the side!


    Drake only gave an innocent smile.

 Chapter 672

    Drake pulled out a large coin purse and tossed it to the guard before he could give a definitive answer. The guard instinctively caught the money and looked inside. Feeling the weight of it on him, all of his doubts started to melt away. Even if Lord Reign became angry at this, it likely wouldn¡¯t fall on them. Lord Reign wasn¡¯t the type to deal with commoners. He would likely go to his employers at the Steel Mill.


    At five times the original value on a ton, even if they fired him over it, he¡¯d have a nice little nest-egg to carry him to his next job. That would certainly involve moving, as Alerith was an awful place to work, even for a guard. Although there were rumors around town that said Lord Reign was picking out skilled bodyguards and turning them into Knights, which are nobility, many people were suspicious of this. The bodyguard here just happened to be one of those that had ignored the offer on more than one occasion.


    Alerith, in general, felt suspicious, and many people were starting to feel like something big was about to go down in the city. Many people were very interested in moving away as soon as they had the chance. For this bodyguard, his chance seemed to have arrived.


    ¡°Very well, where did you need the steel dropped off at.¡± The bodyguard asked.


    ¡°How about I just collect it right here. I have a storage ring for this kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, your choice.¡± The bodyguard responded upon seeing the man gesturing with his ring.


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    To any Commoner¡¯s mind, a storage ring was the telltale sign of a noble. Since this guy had it, he was either a noble or the retainer of a noble. In that case, he was someone who was all money and no brains. Since he was buying steel at five times the going rate, this wasn¡¯t difficult to believe.


    The guard brought Drake around the horses to the back of the cart. He then grabbed the tarp covering it and tossed it aside.


    ¡°Take only one ton!¡± He ordered,¡± Not an ounce more!¡±


    He was expecting Drake to reach out and absorb his share. However, instead, Drake stared blankly for a minute, then threw back his head, and yelled at the top of his lungs.


    ¡°What kind of fool do you take me for? Trying to sell me rocks as if they were steel!¡±


    His voice caused the crowds of people to quiet down. Everyone who was passively paying attention to the cart blocking the way in the middle of traffic now had their full attention on the cart and the transporters.


    The bodyguard spun around, looking where Drake¡¯s eyes were located. On the cart, was exactly what Drake described. Rocks. They were just useless, worthless chunks of stone piled up under the tarp. Where processed steel was supposed to be was nothing of any value.


    ¡°Wait¡­ what is this symbol? The notorious bandits, Reign¡¯s End? Are you telling me you were robbed by bandits, and then tried to sell it off on me before your boss found out!¡±


    A symbol had been scratched into the carriage. No one at all knew what it meant. It was a wavy line with two parallel lines through it vertically, and then a cross over it. They now knew that it belonged to a gang who, by their very name, allied themselves counter to the current Lord.


    Drake swiped the coins from the bodyguard, who was still standing there dumbfounded with his mouth open.


    That man had no memory of his cargo being stolen. I had made sure of that. As Drake stormed away as indignantly as he could, leaving the giant commotion he had made in his wake, he winked at me as he passed.


    That¡¯s one way to make a name for yourself.

 Chapter 673

    Four days went by, and we made sure to hit a different place every night. Normal Bandits only thought about pure monetary gains, but we hit everything from a textile mill to food. Of course, every heist ended up getting exposed publicly, always with that strange symbol which everyone in town came to know as Reign¡¯s End. They were now the talk of the town.


    Lord Reign had to respond to it, and his response was the standard boilerplate that Bandits would not be stood for. He told his citizens that these thieves were not to be tolerated and that everything they stole was taking away from the comfort and lives of the people. This campaign might have been effective if the people hadn¡¯t already felt like their comfort had been robbed from them by Lord Reign years ago.


    His mandates were left all over town, and they quickly became a joke. This was because the day after, a mysterious merchant opened up in town and started selling stuff at an affordable rate. The people were eating better and living more comfortably than they had in years. Lord Reign couldn¡¯t manage to convince the population that things were worse because of the Bandits, so they only started to ignore him even more.


    The store was endorsed by the top fifty gladiator Carmine and was worked by several beautiful women of various types. The reputation of the place exploded and grew very popular in a surprisingly short period. Two nights later, some mysterious men tried to start stuff with the store, but they were sent on their way pretty brutally, and it became known that the girls were also not to be messed with.


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    After that, taxers came in trying to force them to collect money, hoping that would demotivate the store or cause the elusive merchant to increase his prices, but they paid everything asked without complaint and even included some nice bribes for the taxmen, which left them leaving with good feelings. When Lord Reign asked about it, they spread lies that they were about to crumble at any moment and how they were turning up the heat on them.


    If we sold the supplies we just stole, it would be found out. Thankfully, I had my city to back me up. It was exceptionally easy to send all the food to Chalm and then swap with their food. So, we were selling goods we stole from Alerith at a cheap rate to the citizens of Alerith and then paying the taxes with money also stolen from Alerith. In the end, we were making a profit, considering none of my own money was being put into the business.


    I had the profits go to an orphanage in the city, which only started to increase my reputation even more. Yet, no one knew what name to call me. Unlike Reign¡¯s End, the band, I had kept my identity as a merchant hidden.


    I finally decided to just register under my true name, Deacon Williams.


    ¡°That¡¯s a clever name, Master. It sounds like a lowly merchant!¡± Miki gave a thumbs up.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a rather silly name, but it¡¯s made up, so who cares?¡± Ruby added.


    Shao, the only one from my world, who had seen my history and knew my name, patted my head in sympathy. No one else suspected a thing.

 Chapter 674

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the so-called champion?¡± I asked, noticing someone standing across the street from our shop.


    We had to keep an eye on trouble makers. Thankfully, my Sense Life could detect the difference between those who wanted to do us harm and those who were innocent. One showed up on my Map as red, while the other showed up on my map as blue or grey. Blue or grey lives were usually ignored. I didn¡¯t pay attention to them much at all. However, the red forms stuck out like a thumb. These were usually Knights and guards working under Lord Reign.


    The night that a bunch of thugs tried something, it was pretty clear that Lord Reign had incited them to cause trouble. They showed up as red, so I could see them approaching and thus did something to counter. They had attacked at night when we should have been asleep, but thanks to our nightly raids, I was up and looking at my Map. Ever since, we had someone stay at the store as a guard all night, just in case there was more mischievousness.


    Either way, this had left me on high alert and very aware of the potential for Lord Reign to send others and cause trouble. So I noticed when Bernard, the gladiatorial undefeated champion, suddenly ended up sitting on the other side of the street watching our store, it left me feeling a bit concerned. More surprising, he didn¡¯t show up brightly on my Sense Life. It was just the faintest mark, and I couldn¡¯t even tell if it was grey or red.


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    There were only two reasons that the mark would be like that. The first was if the life I was sensing was exceptionally weak. In theory, a mouse could show up on my map, but the light around its lifeforce was extremely small. Thankfully, plants didn¡¯t typically show up, unless they were in some way aggressive, or I wouldn¡¯t be able to see a thing anywhere. The second-way life could be weaker is if the creature was trying to hide. There were numerous ways to obscure and hide your life. It was clear to me that this guy must have had some way.


    In truth, I wouldn¡¯t have even noticed him if I hadn¡¯t physically seen him in broad daylight. That was the extent that he was able to block my Sense Life. I went ahead and marked him so that he wouldn¡¯t break from my sight. As soon as I did so, the man stood up and grabbed his sword. He had recognized when I had marked him! That was the first time that had ever happened to me, although I heard certain skittish animals could detect such a thing and would immediately run.


    Thankfully, while this guy was sitting in broad daylight in the middle of a busy street, I was watching him out of the corner of my eyes indoors, through a window and a crowd of people. He looked around with a frown on his face, but he ultimately couldn¡¯t see who marked him. I let out a breath of relief, but then I started to wonder just what this guy wanted. I had a feeling he was going to be a lot of trouble.

 Chapter 675

    Since Bernard didn¡¯t seem to do anything but watch us, there wasn¡¯t much I could do but keep a track of him. That was what I thought, but the next morning when I checked my Map, the mark on him was gone. He had figured out some way to remove it. I made an annoyed sound. This was going to be a pain in the butt. I just wish I knew what he wanted.


    ¡°Master, we should get up.¡± Miki lifted her head from my shoulder.


    ¡°Hmm? The store doesn¡¯t open for another day or two.¡±


    ¡°The next match for Carmine is occurring today.¡± She explained.


    I sat up in a rush. ¡°Ah, crap, I forgot to train her!¡±


    Although she was able to deal with her opponents as long as I was giving her boosts, there was still the problem of her not having any fighting talent. She was completely defensive. I had planned to take her out and train her, getting some job like Swordsman for her to fall back on. Not only did she not have a job, but I also hadn¡¯t increased her level at all.


    I had been busy the entire week worrying about which targets to hit as well as keeping the store running. As a result, I had completely forgotten about my plans to level Carmine up so that she could be strong enough to battle that undefeated champion when the time came.


    I could just allow her to win the same way we let her win last time, but it was super embarrassing, especially now that we had come out as merchants. This wasn¡¯t just a gladiatorial reputation, but our reputation as merchants that was on the line here.


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    I jumped out of my bed and hastily started dressing. ¡°What time? What time does her match happen?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be in the evening,¡± Miki explained worriedly.


    ¡°Good! There is still time.¡± I announced, shoving my way out the door and calling for everyone.


    ¡°You want me to go level now?¡± Carmine asked worriedly after I told everyone the plan. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be taking my time and going easy today in preparation for the fight?¡±


    ¡°No time! We need to get you in a fighting position. Maybe, if I have you do all the hard-hitting, you¡¯ll get some kind of job. I just can¡¯t believe that in your entire life, the only job you ever unlocked was Paladin. I just wish there was another job we could give you instantly that could increase your strength.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ isn¡¯t there?¡± Shao asked.


    ¡°What do you¡­ oh! Of course!¡± I felt stupid for not thinking of it earlier.


    I reached into my pocket and pulled out a token. It was one of ten such tokens, my Knight¡¯s token. Of course, Raissa had already taken one of these tokens, but I decided not to hand them out lightly. I also wasn¡¯t going to give Carmine one of the counterfeit ones, although they seemed to work just as well.


    This token was much more important though since it signified the trust the King had put in me, and I was putting into whoever I selected. Once they became a Knight, they would be my retainer, and also collect a salary from me. Of course, if that person happened to be my slave, I could forgo those things.


    ¡°Carmine, will you be my Knight?¡± I asked, pulling out my token.


    ¡°Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes!¡± Carmine jumped up and threw her arms around me, her big chest pushing against my own.


    Suddenly, we were kissing. I was very confused. Did I ask her something else by accident? The girls were crying through smiles, and Salicia said something like ¡°about time.¡± I seriously didn¡¯t get it, could someone explain it to me?

 Chapter 676

    {Name: Carmine


    Class: Resistance


    Job: Paladin (LVL 78), Knight (LVL 1)


    Unlocked Jobs: Commoner (LVL 4)


    Race: Human}


    Carmine¡¯s level in Paladin was no joke. My girls were working on closing the gap, but with one job alone, any of my other girls other than Salicia would be hard-pressed to fight her. Fortunately, they did have levels in a lot of other jobs, and even the ability to equip them. That¡¯s what always made up the difference in previous fights. Terra had even managed to go against her directly at some point.


    I now knew part of that reason was that Carmine fundamentally wasn¡¯t an attacker. Where Terra could hit as hard as she could get hit, Carmine¡¯s high defense was all she had. Of course, that¡¯s why I made her a Knight in the first place. She took the token and it shone with power. Although she had the Knight job now, she wouldn¡¯t be considered a noble, because she was a slave. I didn¡¯t know if I did free her if she would then become a noble. I¡¯d have to ask about that.


    ¡°Unfortunately, we don¡¯t know what Knight unlocks. That¡¯s a closely guarded secret in Aberis.¡± Ruby admits.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem,¡± I assured her.


    After all, I could always check their skills out myself. She was right, the records regarding the Knight job was sealed. They likely had figured out every skill from level 1-100, as well as what the possible evolutions of Knight were, presuming there was more than one. They probably sealed the records as a power move. The fewer people who knew the true extent of what a Knight could do, the more presumed power the nobility possessed. I could probably access those records if I asked. I just hadn¡¯t considered it before now.


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    For the moment, I¡¯d only learn what skills she had as she leveled. Of course, Raissa had Knight too, but I had never leveled her either. She¡¯d only gained two levels since from fighting Bandits and training.


    It wasn¡¯t unusual to not have a clue what skills were coming. None of us kept traditional jobs that were well documented. To those in the third-tier jobs and higher, the less they exposed of their ability, the more elusive and powerful they seemed. That Grand Magus was a good example of that. Only he knew the extent of his magical ability, and as long as others were clueless, he¡¯d continue to come off as a mysterious guru of untold power.


    ¡°How does the Capital typically train Paladins?¡± I asked out of curiosity.


    ¡°There is a dungeon underneath the keep in the Capital. It is a location reserved for Knights and nobles only.¡± Carmine spoke up.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I remember vaguely hearing rumors about a massive Great Dungeon there.¡±


    ¡°Very little is known about it, other than that it exists. It¡¯s a mystery, one of the kingdom¡¯s closest guarded secrets.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I should ask Prince Aberis about it the next time we¡¯re in the castle.¡±


    I found it odd that he had never mentioned it to me. There had to be something about it that I didn¡¯t know. However, my Knight should have the right to train in it. I should have the right to train in it too.


    However, we didn¡¯t have the time. Going to the Capital and asking to meet the King could take half a day. By the time I go into that dungeon, it would be too late. However, she had given me the idea of where to go next.


    ¡°Come on, we¡¯re going!¡± I opened a Portal.


    ¡°N-now?¡± The girls jumped as I stood up.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to take on a Great Dungeon once again.¡±

 Chapter 677

    As Drake¡¯s gang went to the gladiatorial rink to maintain a presence, and Miki remained behind to take care of the store, the rest of us took a one-way trip into a dungeon.


    ¡°Ah, Dirage?¡± Raissa recognized where she was right away.


    This was the spot where we had fought the variant boss that had nearly killed Raissa. That meant that we were on the fifth floor of Dirage, the farthest down we had ever gone.


    Since I could teleport anywhere I had been, including dungeons, I decided to spare myself the taxation fees by going right into the depths of the dungeon. I was worried Ruby and Raissa would look down on me for tax evasion, but they were too distracted by the new environment.


    I picked Dirage for a few reasons. First of all, it was one of only two dungeons I hadn¡¯t completed yet, not that I anticipated ever completing this dungeon. Dirage wasn¡¯t like the dungeons I had finished. This was one of the Great Dungeons. That meant that not only did it go unfathomably deep, but the levels were also larger and the enemies were typically stronger. Well, that was what people said, anyway.


    The reality was that most small dungeons weren¡¯t frequented by people, so the monsters in there had a longer time to be exposed to miasma and grow stronger. Just like with dungeon bosses, the monsters also grew stronger the longer they were allowed to live. Dirage was a very popular dungeon and a major site for resources for all of Aberis. People frequently entered every day, so at least within the first ten floors, the monsters were regularly defeated, preventing them from building up and becoming dangerous.


    The true dangers came from the vastness of the dungeon, which made it easy to get lost, and the number of monsters that sat on each floor. If someone drew too much interest in a battle, they could find themselves overwhelmed by monsters from all over the level. That was typically why Great Dungeons were considered dangerous. Even so, Dirage was considered the safest dungeon for anyone who wanted to get their feet wet.


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    Other than the dungeon I created personally; this was probably the least dangerous dungeon on the continent due to its safety precautions. There was a lot of existing information on the dungeon which went down to a shocking level sixty. This included maps, details about each enemy, and more. On top of that, there were tons of people, so you were never too far from help on the early floors. Finally, there were people with jobs similar to Raissa, who went and rescued those who were in danger, usually for a small fee.


    ¡°So, this is a Great Dungeon¡­¡± Ruby shivered. ¡°And I thought that Mina¡¯s Dungeon was bad.¡±


    Ruby was looking somewhat pale standing there. It took me a moment to realize what was wrong. She had been on my first journey into a dungeon along with a large group from Chalm. Of course, that group had been scattered and I had gotten trapped in it and almost died. That felt like an eternity ago. I had thought she would be fine because of her experience, but the miasma of a Great Dungeon, let alone level five of a Great Dungeon, was much higher than what she would have experienced then.


    Overall, she was very inexperienced with dungeons, and on top of that, she didn¡¯t have the protection of being my slave. I didn¡¯t know how it worked, but my resistances seemed to passively affect my slaves. Well, even without that, they were all special in various ways that made them highly resistant to miasma. Ruby was the first person I had brought into a dungeon who didn¡¯t have such resistance.


    Most people who entered a Great Dungeon started on the first floor and then slowly worked their way down, acclimatizing themselves to the increasing miasma. There was a reason the miasma in the safe rooms was expected. Climbing down a dungeon was a lot like climbing a mountain. You had to grow used to the thin air and take it slowly. Dropping Ruby into level five a Great Dungeon was actually a bit cruel when done to a normal person. If she wasn¡¯t already a decent adventurer, she might have passed out on the spot.


    I reached out and touched her forehead. ¡°Refresh.¡±


    White light poured through her body. Her face turned red.


    ¡°Th-thanks¡­¡± She stammered.


    ¡°So, is Ruby part of the harem yet?¡± Raissa whispered to Shao.


    ¡°She better not be!¡± Shao retorted.


    ¡°I just meant, for status purposes, since his harem gets various benefits¡­¡±


    I wanted to ignore the conversation, but that was a pretty good question. Taking a look at the blushing Ruby, I decided it was better to keep that question a mystery for a bit longer.

 Chapter 678

    ¡°Master, I worry we aren¡¯t going to accomplish very much.¡± Carmine sighed. ¡°This place is very large, and finding enemies will take time. At best, I might gain a level or two.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± I nodded, reaching into my Inventory and pulling out a mysterious vial.


    When Raissa saw it, she made a noise, her eyes widening in fear. She was the only one present who was familiar with this particular concoction. After all, she had been following my party when we last used it. As for Shao, she wasn¡¯t in the party yet, let alone Carmine and Salicia. It was something Miki and I had cooked up. She hadn¡¯t been working on her alchemy a lot lately, but I still had enough leftovers for when I needed it.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Raissa shook her head, tears starting to form in her eyes.


    ¡°So, what I was thinking is, perhaps we should just forgo this whole thing. I already have the Knight job. The first skill appears to be Basic Swordsmanship. So, I already have a heads up from before. I promise I won¡¯t just stand around. I¡¯ll fight back. With Master¡¯s bonuses, I feel I could do better fighting.¡±


    ¡°Uh, huh¡­¡± I dropped the vial on the floor.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ruby seemed to notice Raissa shaking her head desperately while I was fiddling with an odd vial.


    ¡°So, how about I just go home and sleep!¡± Carmine continued. ¡°I mean, being well-rested is important for a fight, especially a fight of endurance. I know that it sounds like I¡¯m being lazy and just want to take the day off, but I¡¯m committed to Master¡¯s cause, I swear!¡±


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    ¡°I hear ya¡­¡± I smashed the vial with a crack, and then created a spark and set it on fire.


    A mist began to rise up into the air as it burned.


    ¡°So-so? We can go home?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it after you take care of the monsters coming toward us.¡±


    ¡°Oh? There is a monster coming?¡±


    ¡°A few¡­¡±


    I checked my Map as every hallway around us started filling with red. Soon, there was a dead spot of no red where we were standing, and just about every hall leading to us was red.


    ¡°Master¡­ you don¡¯t have Terra¡­ she can¡¯t build walls and redirect traffic¡­¡±


    Carmine¡¯s eyes narrowed competitively at the mention of Terra. After just being turned into a Knight, she was starting to feel valued, so hearing about the other tank in the group set her off. The biggest reason she hadn¡¯t been fighting learning offensive skills was exactly because of her competitive feelings toward Terra.


    ¡°I can do anything that that woman can do!¡± Carmine snapped at Raissa angrily.


    Rumble¡­


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Shao looked around curiously, ¡°Is the ground shaking?¡±


    ¡°What¡­ is happening?¡± Ruby asked, a frown forming on her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Carmine has got this. I believe in you!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, Master!¡±


    ¡°No monster will get passed my knight!¡±


    ¡°N-never!¡±


    ¡°So, go out there and cut down every monster! Show them your resolve!¡±


    ¡°I will! Master is my muse, for you, I¡¯ll fight this battle! Watch me!¡±


    With a big smile on her face, Carmine leaped out into the front of the group, brandishing not just her shield, but her sword as well. Fire shot from her eyes as she was completely energized. Then¡­ the forms started emerging from the darkness into the light of the hallway. As more and more forms came, Carmine only had time to shout one thing before the horde struck.


    ¡°Master is the devil!¡±

 Chapter 679

    ¡°On the left, we have the Shiny Knight, Carmine. Her¡­ um¡­ armor¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, on the right, we have the silent killer, Dementon. His capacity to cause enemies to lose sight of him even while closely watching him is unparalleled. Keep your eyes open, or he may just slide a blade into your gut!¡±


    Carmine was on stage, but the crowds weren¡¯t cheering her. Rather, they didn¡¯t know what to say. Carmine was the Shiny Knight. Every battle, she¡¯d proudly stamp onto the stage in her expensive, beautiful armor. She would slam her shield down like an unstoppable wall, and then she would stand there unspeaking and unmoving. As much as her fights let people down, her motif was well established and people had certain expectations whenever she appeared.


    However, today, she came walking up to the stage covered in blood and filth. Her once shiny armor had been cracked and torn to the point where most of her body was exposed. She hadn¡¯t even bothered with her helmet, and there was a bone-tired look in her eye that was enough that it almost seemed to drag the entire gladiatorial competition down. Her shield was nowhere in sight, and she had a sword that looked like it had seen better days, full of nicks and dents.


    She moved like a zombie, taking one step at a time until she reached the stage. Then she stopped and stared off vacantly, not even paying much attention to Dementon at all. As for the silent killer, a smile started to form on his black-painted lips. He had been very worried about fighting the Shiny Knight. After all, her powerful, pricy armor left no weaknesses, and her pure focus on defense made it impossible to breakthrough.


    Dementon¡¯s power was in breaking through a weak spot, but she didn¡¯t normally possess a weak spot. He didn¡¯t have the strength of the Slaughtering Berserker, so without a weak spot to exploit, it was a game of attrition, and she had shown herself very adept at winning those. Yet, that was the normal Shiny Knight. This Knight didn¡¯t shine at all. Her armor was crippled and her strongest weapon, her shield, was completely absent. She was full of hundreds of holes to exploit, and Dementon looked on with glee as he saw an easy victory.


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    Bernard was present again, sitting front and center despite the fact he didn¡¯t even have a match that day. His eyes were knitted as he watched Carmine as if her appearance caused him personal grief.


    ¡°Begin!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your time has met an end!¡± Dementon cried out, disappearing with a flash.


    ¡°Screw off!¡± Carmine suddenly moved like a spring pulled taught. ¡°X Slash!¡±


    She was so high strung that she didn¡¯t hold back a single bit. She immediately pulled out a move and attacked, slamming her sword down. Although an X Slash was supposed to be two rapid slices at a perpendicular angle, she only struck once, putting the entire power into one slash.


    BOOM! The entire ground shook, and a wave of compressed air shot out from the end of the sword. She hadn¡¯t been aiming at Dementon, but the attack filled the entire battle platform. Dementon, who had leaped into the air to perform a falling attack, had no means of taking the blow or blocking. He went flying right off the platform, slamming into the wall under the bleachers. When the smoke cleared, he was embedded in the wall.


    Without a word, Carmine spun around and then walked off the stage. She was already halfway out of the arena when the announcer came to his senses and announced her as the winner. Mumblings went around in her wake, and she remained the point of discussion throughout the entirety of the next fight. Yeah¡­ she could attack now, but her battles didn¡¯t feel any more satisfying? If anything, her attack sort of reminded people of the undefeated champion.


    Bernard gave me a look with narrowed eyes as Carmine walked away. What was his problem, seriously?

 Chapter 680

    After battling hard the entire afternoon, I¡¯d like to say my progress with Carmine went pretty well.


    {Name: Carmine


    Class: Resistance


    Job: Paladin (LVL 79), Knight (LVL 15)


    Unlocked Jobs: Commoner (LVL 4)


    Race: Human}


    The fight was a bit anticlimactic, but it did show how much of a difference an extra job can make, especially when amplified by my skills. It was no wonder my other girls were able to keep up with Carmine despite being mostly 20-30 levels under her. Now, of course, her high Paladin job had made her my strongest teammate. Salicia couldn¡¯t even compare to her sister at the moment, although she had gained two jobs from Bandit King, which was part of the reason for her strength.


    {Name: Salicia


    Class: Rogue


    Job: Swashbuckler (LVL 40), Knight (LVL 5)


    Unlocked Jobs: Bandit: (LVL 50), Commoner (LVL6), Thief (LVL 25), Pickpocket (LVL5), Shaman (LVL2), Bandit King (LVL 50)


    Race: Human}


    Unlike her sister, Salicia had unlocked many different jobs. Most of them were self-explanatory, but I was interested where Shaman and Swashbuckler came from. Of course, I didn¡¯t equip Bandit King on her. I didn¡¯t know if Bandit King would alter her temperament and behavior, and it was my way of neutering her abilities. Swashbuckler seemed the only other fighting class she had that wasn¡¯t outlawed by the church, so I went with that.


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    As for Knight, I gave the third token to her after she bugged me about it nonstop. She was hoping to give herself the Knight job just like her sister. Apparently, after seeing her sister have something, she wanted it too so she could feel closer to her. She could never be a Paladin since the church would never give her their blessing, but the Knight job just required her wearing me down.


    Actually, she stole the token before asking and only asked when she realized that it wouldn¡¯t work unless I gave it to her. I wasn¡¯t sure how the token knew, but unless a lord passed the token to a Knight with their consent, the token wouldn¡¯t activate. That¡¯s also the reason that I didn¡¯t pick up the Knight job for myself. After all, I didn¡¯t have any pure fighting jobs.


    I depended on True Hero for all my weapon needs, but it was lacking in many areas involving speed and defense. It was a bit of a self-sacrificing job, often allowing the user to be damaged in the name of smiting a foe or helping an ally. This usually wasn¡¯t a problem for me because I was a White Mage foremost, and I could heal any damage True Hero forced me to absorb. That didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t interested in a better ability for close-combat fighting, and Knight would have been perfect.


    Yet¡­


    {You cannot use your Knight token.}


    I suppose it made sense. I couldn¡¯t become my lord. That would just be silly. That¡¯s when a thought came to me. I pulled out the counterfeit tokens. I didn¡¯t know exactly how similar to the original tokens they were. I knew that they had no limit in that they could give people jobs. Since they weren¡¯t given to me by the King, and probably came from the Imperial Cloud Meadow, maybe I could use them unreservedly. I didn¡¯t think Lord Reign personally handed the token out to every Knight he made, so these might function differently.


    Thus, I picked a token and used it. I didn¡¯t get an error, nor a white flash. It was more like a puff of miasmic darkness.


    {You have resisted demonic entrapment.}


    {You allowed yourself to be marked by demonic miasma. You have unlocked the job: Demonic Knight.}


    ¡°¡­¡±

 Chapter 681

    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to say, Master.¡± Shao sighed after examining me in our room. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly a real demon.¡±


    Although Shao was technically a Demon, she was reincarnated into this world and only appeared a demon. The village she had appeared in was a border town, not unlike Chalm, where nonaggressive demons and humans seemed to live together. This village was burned to the ground by the Imperial Cloud Meadow, and Shao was turned into a slave until she ultimately ended up in Aberis.


    She had never been in the demon lands, and she knew nothing regarding demons at all. It wasn¡¯t like she had some kind of genetic memory on what it meant to be a demon. As for becoming a Demon Lord, that was something that had happened due to despair. Perhaps, it was the special job she was given. Mine was White Mage, which skipped a great deal of practice to instantly give me a third-tier job. Demon Lord might be similar, but where other jobs could be accessed all the time, the Demon Lord could only be accessed with special circumstances, which might be someone¡¯s mental state.


    ¡°And Demon Lord is still greyed out.¡± I finished my thought out loud with a sigh.


    Shao jerked for a second, and then looked up at me guiltily. ¡°Master, I have something to confess.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What is it?¡±


    ¡°I can become a Demon Lord!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I jerked up, feeling a bit alarmed.


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    She shook her hands. ¡°It¡¯s not bad! The other girls already know! I can access it similar to the way Lydia accesses her beast form. It¡¯s kind of an emotional thing. When I feel despair and desperation, it unlocks. However, I didn¡¯t lose my mind, so I believe with time, I can control the job.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I scratched my chin, still worrying a bit. ¡°Well, as long as you think it¡¯s safe.¡±


    She was still my slave, so even if she did turn, I should be able to have some control over her. I wasn¡¯t like her previous Slave Master. I was also a Harem Master! Ahem¡­ and then there were my blessings which gave me an affinity for slaves. Overall, Shao shouldn¡¯t become a problem. Instead, I put it aside and focused more on this Demonic Knight job. I hadn¡¯t equipped it yet because I was worried.


    ¡°You have resisted demonic entrapment.¡±


    ¡°I think that was a one-time attack when you used the token, Master. Demonic Knight should just be something similar to Dark Knight.¡± Shao explained. ¡°As for why it failed, that should be obvious. You¡¯re immune to certain affects of the miasma.


    "Certain affects?"


    "Miasma can still damage your soul the same as anyone. If you fail to resist a powerful enough karmic infection, there can be some consequences."


    "I see..."


    "Don''t feel too down. You''re still quite amazing. If you weren¡¯t, it likely would have attacked your mind, and then taken control of you. The effects probably wouldn¡¯t have been obvious at first. It¡¯d probably be like a sleeper agent. Unless activated, you¡¯d go on thinking nothing was wrong.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s true¡­ that means¡­¡± My eyes widened in horror.


    Shao looked at me curiously, but then she started to realize the truth as well.


    All of these Knights Lord Reign was creating, they were all infected with demonic entrapment. I didn¡¯t know where he was getting these tokens from, but whether he knew it or not, he was creating a demonic army! With the snap of a finger, the right person could take control of all of those people, making them fight however he saw fit!

 Chapter 682

    ¡°So, that¡¯s all we know.¡± I finished explaining the situation to all of my girls.


    The Knights that Lord Reign was using to maintain his power were all inflicted with a demonic curse. The purpose of that curse couldn¡¯t be completely predicted, but it was clear that someone was planning to take control of the army and perhaps have them do something they wouldn¡¯t be willing to do otherwise. Whether this was orchestrated by Lord Reign, or whether it was some plot that was using Lord Reign¡¯s naivety, that was unknown.


    ¡°My interactions with my former Master were limited. He was a greedy man who didn¡¯t value life.¡± Raissa explained. ¡°Going so far as to work with the demons, though. I can¡¯t believe he¡¯d be so bold.¡±


    ¡°We also have to consider that this might have some relation to the Widow¡¯s Dungeon,¡± Shao added.


    ¡°Huh? Why the Widow¡¯s Dungeon?¡±


    ¡°It was a curse located so close to the city. In normal circumstances, he would have destroyed it. However, just as he was pressured to get rid of it, Orichalcum seemed to randomly show up. It also seemed designed to ensnare the King, something that only benefited Lord Reign. Demons have a strong connection to curses, so with these mysterious coins showing up so closely nearby, I just thought that maybe we should consider that.¡± Shao explained.


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    I nodded thoughtfully. I recalled back to the first time I had ever met Lord Reign. At the time, I had handed him an enchanted necklace, which had caused him to react oddly. I had originally figured his odd behavior was because necklaces in this world were a symbol of betrothal. However, I asked a bit more, and while giving a woman a necklace was associated with marriage, it wasn¡¯t to the level the girls had insinuated. They were, more or less, making a mountain out of a molehill. No guy would have thought a magic necklace as a visiting gift would have been so odd.


    How did Lord Reign react back then? He had thought I was suggesting I knew something. Shortly after, he tried to keep me from entering the Widow¡¯s Dungeon, and then he turned around and tried to have me killed once he realized I was in there. I had completed the lore, so I thought I was done with the place. Was it possible there was still some secret buried in that dungeon that I had missed?


    Stories didn¡¯t always match reality, and at its heart, a dungeon was the telling of a story. Besides the inevitable degradation of data, the spiritual equivalent of the telephone game, dungeons also could get some details wrong, especially when they took a story from only one point of view.


    The more I thought about it, the more confused I grew. There was some deep mystery afoot, and I couldn¡¯t make heads nor tails of what it all meant. Furthermore, it had to be something that even the dungeon master wasn¡¯t aware of. If the Queen knew about it, then I would know about it. That¡¯s not to say she¡¯d honestly tell me everything, but that the lore was downloaded into my head the moment I cleared the dungeon.


    ¡°Master?¡± Miki asked worriedly as she saw me sitting there with my eyes closed.


    My eyes snapped open. ¡°We have only one choice now. Our next heist¡­ we¡¯re going to break into Reign¡¯s keep!¡±

 Chater 683

    After carefully considering the entire situation, I decided that the best course of action was to gather more information. That meant that we needed to infiltrate Lord Reign¡¯s vault. It was the biggest heist yet to perform for Reign¡¯s End and was a natural evolution of our goals. However, this felt like it was a bit too soon. It may be too dangerous.


    I wouldn¡¯t have even considered it, but with Demonic Knights being mass created, it was a danger to all of Aberis. It was something I couldn¡¯t ignore, and I needed to know whether Lord Reign was involved, or just a pawn. The fact that this would be a major blow to him was only a plus. Putting us at odds with Lord Reign so directly may cause the Bandits who are, at least, partially financed by him, to fear reaching out to our group.


    I had to put the issues of the Bandits in the south to the side for now, since this was currently posing a greater threat. I even considered calling the other girls in, so that we worked on this altogether. In the end, I decided not to. They needed to be able to grow on their own, and so did I. We were strongest as a unit, but that was because every girl was strong on her own too.


    Of course, I had sent a message to Lord Aberis and the castle. I didn¡¯t really expect a response. First off, I didn¡¯t have much to tell them. There were tokens, and they may be cursed by someone. They already knew Lord Reign had too many Knights. Whether they were supplied by Imperial Cloud, or by counterfeit tokens, didn¡¯t make a difference. Everything I had were guesses. Until I had more information, there was nothing they could do. Even then, I knew the answer I would receive. The majority of the army was tied up in the south, and until a peace was officially reached, there was no one to spare.


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    As for Astria and Elaya, I didn¡¯t want to get them involved. The pair would only complicate things, and with Elaya¡¯s former dungeon possibly serving some connection, it may rile her up and cause some unwanted effects. Overall, I still considered my control over the two women to be feeble. That was just another reason that I felt I needed to get stronger on my own.


    We spent another day and night preparing for our attack on Reign¡¯s Keep. In the end, we realized that the best time to attack would be when he wasn¡¯t there. The next round of the gladiatorial fights would begin tomorrow. That would be between the top twelve. Since this was the last battle before the finals, Lord Reign would attend. The next three matches would be back to back over three days, narrowing from 6 to 3, 3 to 2, and finally the last for the win.


    While Carmine was on stage fighting, with Lord Reign in the audience, the rest of us would sneak into his keep and make our move. We weren¡¯t going to do anything particularly special. We had already gotten some guard uniforms from previous raids. We¡¯d come to the castle looking like we belonged, knock out the guards when necessary with Miki¡¯s help, and then work our way inside.


    No one sold a map of the castle and my Map only fleshed out my one entrance into the castle. Unfortunately, we¡¯d have to go in blind. However, we always had Portal and Return under our belt. No matter how deep we got into the castle, we¡¯d always be able to get out. Everything would turn out fine. It always did.

 Chapter 684

    The next morning, Shao ran recon on the keep while Carmine prepared for her next fight. I hadn¡¯t taken her back to Dirage, as I wanted to give her time to get used to her new levels. Rather, an event where she pancaked her competition against a wall was something that I wanted to avoid happening a second time. People were already suspicious of her newfound power. If it was revealed that she was a Knight, it would lead to the question of who knighted her.


    That day, I remained in my room most of the day while the girls went about their assigned chores. I went through the plan we had come up with a few times. As I said, it wasn¡¯t much of a plan. We were planning to break in, pretend to be guards, and survey the castle. Then, if things became more than we could handle, we¡¯d escape via a Portal, and no one would be the wiser. Even if we failed today, simply the new Map knowledge would allow me to Portal into the castle easier in the future.


    You could say that was the true goal of this visit. I wanted to see as much of the castle as possible, unlocking a visual map that I could use to navigate and keep track of things inside. Mixed with Sense Life, I¡¯d know all movements inside and could move around with ease.


    Lord Reign would be all but helpless if I could create a Portal in the hallways right outside his room. This went all the way to when I was finally going to war with him. If we captured him in a single move, the war might even be over without a drop of blood spilled. Well, I might have thought that before the appearance of Demonic Knights.


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    As for why we didn¡¯t Portal directly into the castle this time, the answer was obvious. I was taken through the busiest and most secure route into the keep intended for guests. There was no place we could enter without risk of being seen and subsequently surrounded. It was the back-hallways, the kitchens, the storage closets, and the servant quarters that would allow us to sneak into the castle in the future. It¡¯d be nice if we got all of the answers we were looking for in this journey, but I was also considering when Lord Reign and I were eventually at war.


    ¡°Master, his carriage has left the keep!¡± Shao¡¯s voice came through Slave Communication.


    My eyes snapped open, and then I rose and left the room. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡±


    The remaining group consisted of Ruby, Miki, and Salicia. Ruby had an expression on her face like she hadn¡¯t signed up for this when she decided to adventure with me. In truth, none of us would have imagined that hunting down a few Bandits would have led us into a conspiracy involving Lord Reign. However, that was just how things had ended up working out.


    The group left the small home, and we didn¡¯t dress like guards until we had found an alley where Shao was waiting for us just outside the keep. She used darkness to block the view while we quickly changed to look like guards. With our disguises ready, we left our hiding spot and started heading toward the keep¡¯s side entrance. It was time to find out the truth.

 Chapter 685

    ¡°What are you here for?¡± A guard demanded as the group of us approached.


    ¡°We¡¯re here on orders from Lord Reign. I was told to report inside immediately!¡± I declared, wondering if this would work at all.


    The man¡¯s eyes narrowed suspiciously. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything about this.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, communication throughout the Reign¡¯s guards is awful, isn¡¯t it? Why, the other day, I ended up spending half the day guarding a shrub. I¡¯d still be guarding it now if a Knight didn¡¯t walk by and correct me!¡±


    He leaned closer to me, and I fought the urge to back away. I had thought we could talk our way in. However, it wasn¡¯t like the girls weren¡¯t prepared to knock them out swiftly and silently. We picked a time to approach when the street was nearly empty, and the girls had grown very skilled at knocking out enemies. Miki could also wipe their memories and keep them asleep. In short, they¡¯d never realize why we were here.


    ¡°I know exactly what you mean!¡± The guy suddenly laughed, slapping me on the shoulder. ¡°So frustrating. How are we supposed to keep the lord safe when our left hand never knows what the right is doing, right?¡¯


    ¡°Of course, of course!¡± I laughed along with him.


    ¡°Well, go on, then. I won¡¯t be the one getting yelled at if you end up late on your duty.¡±


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    ¡°Have fun!¡± I waved as the group of us walked in past the two men.


    Once we were out of earshot, Miki shook her head. ¡°That actually worked?¡±


    I already had my menu open. Unfortunately, the menu¡¯s scan function was blocked by closed doors. In the dungeon, there were no closed off parts. It was a fundamental aspect of dungeons. If they just shut off pieces of themselves and left people to be forever trapped, then the risk of entering a dungeon would lead people to never enter them. They had to always be able to escape under their power. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean there couldn¡¯t be death traps and temporary blocks, such as the one I experienced with Lydia in our first dungeon.


    A castle was different. It was a hallway with many closed doors. Perhaps, it was a winding labyrinth, but instead of me getting a massive view of everything the second I walked in, I had to unlock the map one room at a time. I supposed in that respect this felt more like a video game than even the dungeons. The one good thing is that doors didn¡¯t block Sense Life. They existed somewhere the Map didn¡¯t cover, but I could usually guess if a room contained people or not.


    Furthermore, it was a simple thing to avoid running into people. Since my main goal was to flesh out the map, the more I unlocked, the better I felt. If we did find a map or schematic of the castle, that would instantly unlock everything. That would probably be the best action, but I couldn¡¯t guess where we¡¯d find one.


    To speed up our mapping of the keep, as well as our search for any documentation related to the Knight tokens, I had the girls break up into smaller groups and check down hallways. Of course, I told them where people were with my Sense Life, and even without my direction, Shao and Raissa were experts at moving around unheard, and Ruby and Salicia at least had the experience to keep low and not make any reckless moves.


    We steadily started to get a full layout of the castle. As we continued without incident. My confidence grew. It was time we figured out where the treasure room was.

 Chapter 686

    Finding the treasure room wasn¡¯t that hard, after all, I had Detect Treasure as part of my Dungeon Diver abilities. Although it wasn¡¯t nearly as sensitive as Sense Life, and it wasn¡¯t until we were deep in the keep that I finally found where the treasure was. Just because I knew where didn¡¯t mean I knew how to get to it. In the dungeons, I had to backtrack numerous times to find some treasure stashed at the end of a dead-end. This was a treasure room though, so the entrance was probably hidden. There might be traps and guards as well, but that was nothing a Dungeon Diver wasn¡¯t used to.


    I guessed that the treasure was located under the throne room, but that only came from gaming and years of lazy game design. As we explored more of the Map, I was able to confirm that the throne room was indeed on top of this trove of treasure. I didn¡¯t get too excited or greedy. After all, ransacking the treasury was only our third goal. First, we found Lord Reign¡¯s room.


    As the girls went through it, looking for any incriminating evidence, the smile on my face started to slip. I started getting a bad feeling as I realized something was off. While it was true that I was avoiding the guards with pinpoint accuracy using my Sense Life, it stood to reason that someone on the other side would have a similar ability. They¡¯d grow suspicious of our erratic movements and send someone to investigate.  Furthermore, there were far too few people in the castle.


    We should have had a much more difficult time moving around, but we were able to get into just about every area of the keep without too much struggle. Even with Lord Reign out and most of his Knights sent out of the city to search for the notorious Reign¡¯s End, this still seemed extremely suspicious.


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    With a sinking feeling in my gut, I decided that it was time to leave. We had explored a good portion of the castle at this point. If Lord Reign¡¯s room didn¡¯t contain anything incriminating, then it was likely somewhere we couldn¡¯t reach. As for the heist where we would attack the treasury room, that could be planned at a later date when we were more prepared.


    ¡°Everyone,¡± I announced, ¡°We¡¯re going to go back now.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Miki asked. ¡°We¡¯re having luck though. I found some letters. I just need to read them and see if they have value.¡±


    ¡°Take them with you.¡±


    Technically, stealing documents would alert him we were here, but the bad feeling inside was growing worse.


    I lifted my hands and began to cast the Portal. Just as the Portal was about to form, the spell suddenly winked out.


    ¡°Ah? A counterspell?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that my Portal couldn¡¯t form, like with that artifact that Alysia used. Instead, I had cast the spell, and it had been interrupted by a counterspell that prevented the magic from working. This was the first time I had ever encountered the thing, but I knew what it was instantly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t leave so quickly, we have things to discuss.¡± A dark and malevolent voice seemed to fill the corridor.


    I spun around to see a man standing at the end of the corridor. The girls behind me all gasped at the same time as if they hadn¡¯t even noticed him despite facing his direction until the moment he spoke. He was wearing a black cloak with the hood up, and just looking at him I started to feel fear.

 Chapter 687

    I was instantly wary of the man, and I heard my girls pulling out their weapons as well. He didn¡¯t appear on my Map at all. His ability to hide his life was greater than that of even the Champion. Worst of all, I didn¡¯t recognize the man. He definitely wasn¡¯t Lord Reign. When I didn¡¯t speak, he let out a soft laugh that made my skin crawl.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re Lord Deekson.¡± He said, and when I reached up to touch my face, he let out another hoarse laugh, lifting up a necklace in his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t act so surprised. After all, you¡¯re the one who gave me this little gift to see through illusions.¡±


    ¡°Lord¡­ Reign?¡¯


    ¡°Lord Reign is merely a puppet I use. You could call me the true ruler of Alerith.¡± He sighed, pulling back his hood.


    ¡°A demon!¡± Shao was the first to cry out.


    He glanced at her, and then his eyebrows rose. ¡°I heard a Demon Lord appeared in the Capital. They never told me she was so¡­ beautiful.¡±


    Shao instinctively grabbed onto my shirt. The other girls got close to me too. I had ordered them all to hold hands and get close through Slave Command. Only Ruby didn¡¯t get that command, but she picked up on it. The man watching us seemed to notice the group as well.


    ¡°Are you leaving so soon?¡± He grinned.


    ¡°Return!¡± I cried out.


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    ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay awhile!¡±


    The world began to warp as I disappeared from that place. There was no time to cast a Portal. If this guy could counterspell, then he could keep stopping me from casting Portal. Thus, I had to depend on Return. It worked almost instantaneously. The only set back was that it was one direction, taking me back to my mansion in Chalm. Given the danger I was feeling from this man, I didn¡¯t take any chance with anyone.


    However, while I said it worked almost instantaneously, it turned out almost was the problem. As the group disappeared, a hand shot through and grabbed my neck. I felt like my soul was being torn open. I didn¡¯t even understand how, but he was forcibly keeping us from returning. Fear started to push through me, but with fear, I felt an intense determination.


    He had a grip on my neck, there was no saving me, but if I stayed, so would the girls. With a scream, I wielded miasma like a blade, cutting it into my soul. Like a rabbit caught in a trap chewing his own leg off, I too cut a chunk of my soul off, and sent it with Return.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± The man holding my neck made a surprised sound.


    The entire act only lasted a second, but when it was done, the girls were gone, and I was still there hanging from his hand. The pain was so intense I felt like I was about to pass out. That¡¯s what I thought, but where his hand was, I felt even more pain. A burning sensation wrapped around my neck, and I felt like I was being choked. All of my life was leaving me, and I felt like death was imminent. Furthermore, he had a grasp on my very soul. If it died, there was no resurrection.


    Just as fast as it started, it stopped, and I was dropped to the ground. I let out a painful gasp for air, grabbing at my neck.


    ¡°That was just a little seal. I wouldn¡¯t have you taking off on me again, would I?¡± The man chuckled. ¡°How interesting, you actually wielded miasma. Could you be¡­ no¡­ that¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°Wh-who are you?¡± I demanded, coughing painfully.


    ¡°I am Lord Aberis¡­ the real Lord Aberis.¡± He said, grinning malevolently at me. ¡°I¡¯m the Demon Lord Aberis!¡±

 Chapter 688

    I had tried to use Return, yet somehow the Demon Lord had found some way to hold me there. I had managed to send my girls on their way, but the cost was extreme damage to my soul not unlike dying. However, I had succeeded and they were safe.


    Some kind of seal was around my neck. It wasn¡¯t a slave mark, but something else. It prevented me from being able to access my skills. I couldn¡¯t use Portal, and I couldn¡¯t use Return. I also tried Slave Communication, but I only received silence.


    As for my girls, they were in Chalm now, about six weeks travel away from Alerith. In other words, no one was going to save me from this predicament but myself. Actually, some of the girls had Portal equipped the last time I checked, but since I usually cast the spell for them, I hoped they didn¡¯t think of it and put themselves back in danger. A bunch of Demonic Knights grabbed me and picked me up, and I was dragged underground into a keep and jailed. They tossed me into a dark, damp cell with a dirty ground.


    There was a dull ache that filled my body from what I had done to my soul. It was difficult for me to recall what I had done. It had been something I did in the moment, desperate to protect the women and not let them get captured. As a result, I was the only one in prison. That¡¯s when I remembered that Carmine hadn¡¯t gone with us either. She must have been in the fight. I didn¡¯t know if the Demon Lord knew our connection. If he did, Carmine might already be dead.


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    ¡°Widow¡¯s Dungeon.¡± The Demon Lord¡¯s words brought me out of my thoughts.


    He was standing on the other side of the cell, watching me with just a hint of curiosity.


    ¡°What of it?¡± I responded after a few moments of silence.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who destroyed it, correct?¡±


    ¡°¡­ yes.¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t destroy it. I completed it. This was a radically different thing, so I didn¡¯t mind letting this lie stick. He could have seen the tattoos on my body. I thought it a little weird he didn¡¯t seem to mention them.


    ¡°I had planted that dungeon so long ago.¡± He sighed. ¡°I have to say, seeing you destroy decades of work was painful. It was especially depressing since I had come so close to finally achieving my goal. I had that Hero King right where I wanted him, and then you had to go about freeing his soul and letting him be reborn.¡±


    ¡°You want sympathy?¡± I responded, my lips curling spitefully.


    ¡°No¡­ I suppose not.¡± He chuckled. ¡°How could a human ever relate to a demon? Ah! Then again, you have that Demon girl as your slave, right? I suppose that is the nature of humans and demons. One always has to be Master over the other. Well¡­ I don¡¯t intend to be anyone¡¯s slave!¡±


    ¡°How are you alive?¡± I finally demanded. ¡°Elaya and Xin killed you!¡±


    ¡°Did they now?¡± His eyes twinkled. ¡°Well, they tried. I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t figured it out yet. After all, the lore of Widow¡¯s Dungeon wasn¡¯t just their story, it was my story as well.¡±


    My eyes widened and I jerked up. ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I¡¯m the son of the King and Xin.¡±

 Chapter 689

    ¡°How is that possible?¡± I asked weakly. ¡°You should be¡­ dead.¡±


    He waved a hand. ¡°It wasn¡¯t so difficult! Right before they killed me, I used the soul of one of my followers and let them destroy him while I attached myself to Xin. Then, she became pregnant, so I infested that child. At that point, I was able to start gaining enough power to influence her.


    ¡°Of course, I wanted her to kill the Hero King. The Maid Hero might have slayed me, but it was the Hero King who made my broken lands into a country. So, I had her kill him. The plan went perfectly until that damn Maid Hero gave her life to bring him back! Well, killing either one of them was enough.¡±


    ¡°And then you fled to Osteria and started a war!¡±


    ¡°Haha! That¡¯s the best part! I never even reached Osteria. I had managed to get control of Xin¡¯s mind before we reached the border. I tricked that dumb king and doubled back. While he was busy fighting with Osteria, thinking they were protecting his assassin, I was born, took control of Lord Reign, planted my dungeon, and prepared my trap. It was all perfect.¡± His face turned into one of displeasure. ¡°Then you came, and mucked it all up!¡±


    ¡°What did you do with Xin?¡±


    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°After she served her purpose, I didn¡¯t need her anymore. I took care of her, naturally.¡±


    I lowered my head, feeling just a bit bad for Elaya. I had hoped at some point I could reunite the two women. If he said he killed her, then it was her soul that would have been killed. There would be no chance for Resurrection, or to even show up in the dungeon for that matter. It¡¯s no wonder that Widow¡¯s Dungeon didn¡¯t have any knowledge of her fate.


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    I had nothing else to discuss with this man. I simply needed to find a way to escape from him, but he didn¡¯t seem quite done talking to me, as he was still watching me with some interest.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯ve captured you and have you chained up, and you haven¡¯t questioned what I plan to do with you.¡±


    ¡°What does it matter?¡± I snorted. ¡°You¡¯ll probably execute me, right? You¡¯ll do something that doesn¡¯t leave a soul behind.¡±


    ¡°You should be afraid.¡± He frowned.


    ¡°Who would fear you?¡± My expression turned ugly and I spit on the ground. ¡°You¡¯re a coward! If you want to fight me, let¡¯s fight!¡±


    ¡°How interesting¡­¡± he scratched his chin. ¡°You¡¯re not you, but you¡¯re you. Is that what you did? I definitely must observe you further. Maybe, I can get an answer to my own¡­ well, nevermind that.¡±


    I had no clue what he was talking about, and it only seemed to irritate me more. As the pain diminished a bit, I found myself growing a bit bolder. I guess that now that things were out in the open and I was captured, I didn¡¯t have any reason to fear him anymore. I only had to defeat him!


    He turned and walked away, apparently being done with his conversation. As for me, I gave a derisive snort into the darkness. I had only let myself stay captured to try to find out a bit more about him. Amongst my vast dungeon point store options, there were ones that should be able to cancel a seal with ease. Yes, I couldn¡¯t cast spells, but the blessings and the dungeon store were something else. For example, if I picked up Poison Resistance, I¡¯d have that resistance whether I could access my active skills or not.


    However, when I tried to access the store, nothing happened. I tried three more times. Only then, with a frozen look, did I pull back my sleeves which usually hid those markings. It was at that moment I realized why the Demon Lord didn¡¯t mention my tattoos that signified I had completed several dungeon lores, because I no longer possessed any tattoos! My access to the dungeon store, and all the abilities that came with it, were completely gone!

 Chapter 690

    I managed to stay calm and didn¡¯t panic at all. I coolly considered the situation. I couldn¡¯t access the store, and I didn¡¯t have the dungeon lores anymore. However, I did still have the dungeon skills I had selected before it went away. Although I couldn¡¯t use Portal as it was locked by whatever binding he had done to me, I still had four jobs equipped. My ability to switch out jobs at will hadn¡¯t gone away.


    So, the seal was able to block active skills, but not skills that worked passively. Although my blessings were gone, I still had the last few skills that I had equipped before I lost the blessing and the access to my store. That meant that I had Four Jobs, 10X Experience, 3 Portals, Silent Feet, Hide Presence, Map, and Reset. I usually had Advanced Learning equipped, but because we were assaulting the castle, I thought it best if I had a few sneaking skills active.


    I also surveyed my jobs. It had been a very long time since I had taken a look. White Mage was now 45, and True Dungeon Diver had reached level 50 without unlocking any new job. That meant that there might be some other condition for more Dungeon Diving. Slave Master was at 48. It leveled faster given that it was attached to my girls. True Hero was now at 32, so it was lagging behind the other jobs. I had also gotten Harem Master up to 15, Dark priest up to 15, Cartographer to 7, Linguist to 5, Monster Tamer to 30, Intermediate Magician to 10, and Merchant reached 8.


    These levels came both from using skills and also the occasional leveling I was able to do on Bandits or in the dungeon. With a 10X experience, levels could come quite easily. I also got experience from my slaves too, although I wasn¡¯t clear how it all got factored in. I knew I leveled far faster than a normal person though. After all, I hadn¡¯t even been in this world for half a year, yet I already had levels you¡¯d likely see on a skilled adventurer in their 30s.


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    I tried to gauge my strength in the Adventuring Guild, and I was told that I sat at around a B rank. I think they were still underestimating me. After all, I did defeat the A-rank adventurer Alysia in one on one battle. Then again, that was kind of a conditional fight, and I really couldn¡¯t take credit for all of it. Octius had aided me a lot in weakening her and teaching me, and even then, there was a bit of luck involved.


    With these kinds of thoughts, I managed to drag things out until someone came to my cell. It was a day or two later. I actually couldn¡¯t remember how long I had been there. I was grabbed and pulled out of the cell. Chains were placed on my hands and I was dragged forward by several guards, or Demonic Knights, I suppose. The mystery of where Lord Reign was getting all the knights was finally answered, although I wasn¡¯t any happier with that knowledge.


    We ended up walking down a large, dark hall for some time. Were they bringing me to my execution? I looked around, trying to come up with a means of escape. Even then, I still didn¡¯t feel fear. I could hear the sounds of constant screaming, but it wasn¡¯t until they pulled me outside that I realized where I was. I found myself covering my eyes as I was brought out into a cheering arena. This was the gladiatorial arena. This is where I was going to face my punishment, as a public spectacle.

 Chapter 691

    As I was brought out onto the stage, my eyebrows began to furrow as I saw more people lined up. Then, they widened in shock.


    ¡°Deek!¡± Carmine cried out before she could help herself.


    I shook my head and gave her a look. Even without Slave Communication, she seemed to catch my meaning. She immediately glanced up at the observation box where Lord Reign would be. He was sitting there, but his attention wasn¡¯t on the arena. Furthermore, so many people were shouting, that no one noticed her slip. I was still confused though. Why was Carmine there? It wasn¡¯t just Carmine. There were six others on the stage. This included Bernard and a few others that looked like gladiators.


    Don¡¯t tell me that he was going to make me fight the other gladiators? Knowing Lord Reign, or rather I should say the Demon Lord who controlled Lord Reign, this would exactly be in his motif. Glancing up at the Lord, I wondered just how much free will did he have? Was he just a pawn, or was he controlled by the Demon Lord to the extent that every action was the Demon Lords, kind of like how Octius had once used my body?


    I heard a click and looked down with surprise to see the guard undoing my restraints. I didn¡¯t feel any particular excitement though. This arena housed many violent and powerful prisoners. If it was easy to escape, then anyone could get out of it. The only exit was sealed with bars and protected by four Knights.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try anything funny.¡± The guard also nodded toward a line of archers with crossbows aimed down in our direction.


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    Since the matches were optional during this tournament, and not between prisoners, those archers usually weren¡¯t there. It was clear that their sudden presence was making the gladiators on stage feel a bit discontent. However, no one provided them an explanation.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen!¡± Lord Reign¡¯s voice echoed out over the crowd, causing it to finally settle into a bubbly quiet. ¡°Welcome to the finals of the Alerith Tournament!¡±


    There was a bubbling of excitement and cheering. Meanwhile, I was poked in the back and encouraged to move up onto the stage. With an eye on the archers, I reckoned there was no gain in being difficult. I walked up onto the stage, taking the seventh place on the stage, opposite Carmine. She was still shooting me looks out of the corner of her eyes, but she didn¡¯t look any less curious than the other six contestants. Bernard, in particular, was watching me with a distinct frown.


    ¡°The finals always take the form of an endurance run. Three days of nonstop battle until a winner is finally produced. However, this year, I¡¯ve decided to change things up a bit.¡±


    His words caused the contestants, as well as their representatives and owners on the stands, to looks around suspiciously, although this only seemed to excite the crowd even more.


    ¡°There will be seven contestants in all, the six conquering gladiators¡­¡± Lord Reign then smiled at me. ¡°And a traitorous lord.¡±


    ¡°A traitor?¡±


    ¡°Is that who he is?¡±


    ¡°They should just kill him then.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ my city, remember, all men deserve a chance. Even a traitor like him should have a chance to return. Am I not magnanimous?¡±


    ¡°Cut the crap, what are you doing?¡± Bernard shouted, no longer holding back.


    Some people gasped, some laughed, and some shot Bernard vicious looks, depending on their feelings about Lord Reign. The man himself seemed completely unaffected.


    ¡°The finals¡­ are a match where you put your life on the line!¡±

 Chapter 692

    As he spoke, a group that appeared to be mages had started rolling some kind of large device into the arena in front of them. It looked like a mirror frame without the mirror. This caused me to frown, feeling even more confused after his last words.


    ¡°Death? I never agreed to this!¡± One gladiator shouted.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this!¡± Someone from one of the manager boxes yelled out.


    ¡°Haha! What are you saying? Whether you die or not is entirely based on you. I¡¯m not saying death is mandatory, just that death is a possibility.¡±


    ¡°Please, my liege, speak clearly! What is it that you want us to do?¡± An older bloke with a beard who seemed to be a more respectful gladiator cried out.


    Lord Reign seemed to be relishing in people¡¯s shock and confusion, but he finally put up a hand and willed the room to silence.


    ¡°Very well¡­ for the finals, you will all be sent¡­ to another world!¡±


    My mouth dropped slightly, especially given his bold claim. How could I not be surprised by such a declaration? Other responses ranged from confusion to incredulity.


    ¡°It¡¯s a dungeon!¡± He declared. ¡°Although it¡¯s unlike any dungeon you have ever seen. This dungeon doesn¡¯t exist in levels, but locations. It¡¯s an entire small world¡­ a dark world. In the center of that world is a castle. You should consider just being allowed to go as your reward. After all, this place is filled with riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will be up to you to acquire said riches yourself. I should also add, that the reward I¡¯ve promised is within that world. The first person to rescue the dwarf and take the treasure will naturally be the winner.


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    ¡°We have to get the reward ourselves?¡± One of the gladiators growled darkly.


    ¡°Correct! There is a castle in the center of this dungeon. This castle is protected by a terrible dungeon boss. However, there is also a Portal in the treasure room that will return you to this world. It will remain open for three days. As long as you step through, you will live, and get to keep whatever rewards you found.¡±


    ¡°We were never told about any dungeons!¡± Bernard said unpleasantly.


    ¡°How could I call any of you a true champion just because you¡¯re the best at fighting one on one? This is a time for you to truly put all of your skills to the test!¡± Lord Reign seemed surprisingly patient. ¡°This way, every participant has a chance to bring home an award for their efforts.¡±


    ¡°And have a chance to die!¡± A youthful gladiator with moppy hair cried out.


    ¡°With great risk, comes great reward! If you do not like it, you may leave, and give up your chance.¡±


    This caused even more displeasure upon the finalists.


    ¡°Look at it this way.¡± Carmine suddenly spoke up. ¡°Bernard is undefeated. None of you have a chance of defeating him. Second place was always your best outcome, but now, there is a chance at first.¡±


    Bernard jerked at those words, and I was a bit surprised she spoke as well. She wasn¡¯t wrong though. Everyone was treating Bernard as if he had already won. Some people were already starting to call him the Gladiator Hero.


    The other men seemed to realize this as well. One by one, their mopey expressions started to grow a bit determined. In a fight like this which was more like a race, every person had a chance at winning. Bernard¡¯s greatest strength, being the best fighter, was no longer an advantage. Lord Reign¡¯s expression turned pleased as the contestants were convinced of this.


    ¡°So, will any of you step out and not fight?¡± Lord Reign asked. ¡°Put your hand down Deek!¡±


    ¡°Tsk¡­ knew it.¡± I mumbled.

 Chapter 693

    The seven of us stood in place while the mages finished setting up the Portal. They then placed several reagents and began a chant. Whatever this dungeon was, this entrance was far different than anything I had ever seen before.


    There were many things about entering this dungeon that I didn¡¯t think the other gladiators had thought about. They were blinded by being so close to winning, and also the promise of rewards. After all, they had all been battling for months now, and they were so close to the end. Just three more days and a winner would be announced. Furthermore, this was some unvisited dungeon unlike anything ever heard of, so the awards had to be immense. Even without them, Lord Reign had managed to put his rewards in there for the taking.


    For me, my thoughts were on the lack of Resurrection, the build-up of miasma, and the level of monsters. What was the point of these rewards if an undefeatable dungeon boss was in the way? I wasn¡¯t scared, but I was cautious. I didn¡¯t like the idea of jumping into the unknown. I couldn¡¯t even understand how just a couple days ago, I had been so impulsive as to enter the castle. I wouldn¡¯t be captured right now if I had been keeping a cool head.


    I was very curious why he decided on this method for the finals. I almost felt like he had done it specifically to entrap me. I also had a feeling that even if I jumped through that portal, he wouldn¡¯t just let me go as he promised. That means that I needed to find some way to escape while I was still in the dungeon. For everyone else, this was a three-day scramble to be the first. For me, it was a three-day trek to find a way to survive.


    ¡°You will all be teleported to a different corner of the world. You must trek across the world to reach the center castle and defeat the Demon Lord before the time is out. Once the portal closes, you will have no way to return to this world. This cursed lore is very special. It bubbled off and broke away from our world ages ago. That¡¯s why it¡¯s more of a world onto itself. This portal is the only way to travel between them. You may be the only humans to ever travel to this dungeon again, so make the best of it.¡±


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    As if he had timed his words perfectly, it was at this moment the portal opened. It opened a bit like a flower, the edges unfurling out far past the gate itself. It was alluring and welcoming, but this was a dungeon, so that was likely done on purpose as a calculated trap. Dungeon¡¯s fed on mana. A detached dungeon like this¡­ I didn¡¯t know how it sustained itself. Its miasma had to be compromised. It might even be dying and desiccated much like Terra¡¯s dungeon had been.


    Either way, it would want to suck in and consume any creatures it could find to consume their mana. It was a dungeon trap like a Venus flytrap.


    ¡°Is three days enough?¡± One of the men said nervously as he looked at the glowing entrance with awe.


    ¡°Oh¡­ I forgot to mention that part.¡± Lord Reign let out a laugh. ¡°Time moves differently in this world. You¡¯d never be able to reach the exit in three days. However, three days out here¡­ are three months in there!¡±


    ¡°W-what?¡±


    ¡°S-seriously? I didn¡¯t sign up for this!¡±


    ¡°Oi! What are you doing!¡±


    While we were focused on the pulsating flower of light, a line of guards assembled behind us. They were now moving forward with their pikes down. They were forcing us into the dungeon. These men had already given up their chance to escape. As for me, I never had a chance. I wasn¡¯t impulsive, but since I had no choice, I might as well get on with it. I met Carmine¡¯s eye once, and then I took three quick steps and leaped into the light. I was the first one to enter.


    [You have entered the Twilight Dungeon. Destroy the lore to break the curse, or complete the lore for extra dungeon points and a blessing!]

 Chapter 694

    Hey guys,


    There is no Chapter 694. For various creative reasons, I decided to remove that chapter and insert at a later point in the story. That said, I did want to put a bit of a disclaimer here, as the end of V9 leading into the next three volume arc (yes, the next arc takes all three volumes to conclude), tends to be the part where a lot of people abandon the series.


    I don¡¯t typically like writing these disclaimers, because if you didn¡¯t have any issues, I¡¯ll be pointing out things that you might only notice now because I pointed them out. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, which is the very thing I¡¯m trying to avoid.


    I¡¯ll put it this way. The next three volumes I tried something out. Some people loved it, some people hated it, and it resolves at the end of V12. This has caused a lot of people to declare that ¡°I ran out of ideas¡± or ¡°the story lost steam¡±. I think this comes from people not understanding the scope of my stories.


    First off, I don¡¯t write stories where the MC goes through his complete character arc in one volume. I space the characterization through the entire series. Neither MC, nor any of the girls, has had their story arcs finished. They have a LOT to grow. These three volumes are about deconstructing Deek, and putting him back together. It¡¯s just the beginning of his journey.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    To put it into perspective, if you see stories as a three-act structure¡­ V12 is the end of act 1. Yes, V1-V12 are the first act of the story. It ends with a fully realized Deek. V12 ends in a fairly epic climax, and V13 has a soft reboot of sorts where all the girls get character arcs and evolve and Deek grows into his role as not just a harem master, but a king. V13-V24ish is going to be the second act of the story. It will involve a more well rounded Deek who has accepted his harem completely (which is one of the complaints I''ve heard most in reviews). While I can¡¯t say how long the entire series will be in the end, V30-V36 probably sounds about right, plus a few more bonus volumes.


    That said, I¡¯d honestly say V12-V18 are the best volumes in the series, as in better than all of the volumes that proceeded them. Just my opinion¡­ but if you drop at V11 because you didn¡¯t like the direction it goes, I just wanted to write this to say it gets so much better¡­ no, it¡¯s not going in the direction you think, and if you quit now, well, you¡¯re missing out on the majority of the story. I should also point out that we¡¯re at 694 at the end of volume 9. Volume 18 ends with chapter 1676. So, yeah, volumes are also much longer here on out.


    Now, knowing I¡¯ve probably scared off as many readers as I¡¯ve encouraged to continue reading, we¡¯ll start V10¡¯s free release tomorrow. Thank you all for continuing to read so far, and I hope to continue to release free chapters for you for years to come.


    Whatsawhizzer

 Chapter 695

    When the bright light faded, I realized I was lying in the middle of a field. I had just leaped into the dungeon that Lord Reign had prepared for us. What was the name of the dungeon again? The Twilight Dungeon? It probably had its own story and its lore, but if it had disconnected from our world, then the story was probably something so old or distant that I hadn¡¯t even heard of it.


    I had heard of dungeons that had grown so vast that they had ceased to be a dungeon, but became worlds onto themselves. Some even believed that the world we lived on was only a curse that had somehow become a world. If that was the case, I wondered what story did that world possess? It was sort of like how people in my world talked about us all living in the matrix, or some kind of dream. I wasn¡¯t sure if I believed any of it, but I was certainly in a world that was named a dungeon.


    These were only rumors, but supposedly in the deepest parts of Great Labyrinth, each floor might be a world onto itself, with villages, kingdoms, sentient creatures, and monsters of their own. I had to stress they were rumors though because no one in Aberis could even get that deep into a Great Labyrinth. The greatest depth varied depending on who you asked, but it definitely wasn¡¯t over 100 floors, and some even said no more than fifty floors.


    Yet, this was a dungeon that had no floors. I stood up, and I could see a vast field in front of me. However, my vantage point was immediately blocked by some rather tall trees. I needed something better if I wanted to figure out where the center of this place was. That was the goal, after all. I needed to make my way to the center. Hopefully, I¡¯d meet up with Carmine along the way. The one advantage I had was that Lord Reign didn¡¯t know Carmine was my slave. Therefore, he didn¡¯t know that I had help on the inside.


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    I also considered my girls on the outside. Supposedly, this world I was in moved differently. Three months in here would be equal to three days out there. I hoped they didn¡¯t do anything stupid in those three days like come to rescue me. That was the extent of it. I thought I¡¯d be worried about them, but I had a feeling like it¡¯d all work out. They¡¯d act smartly out there. They may not know it was Lord Aberis, but they should know his strength was abnormal.


    I only realized when my stomach growled that I had been waiting for nearly an hour considering my next course of action. You could never be too cautious though, especially in an unknown environment. I survived the same way I got by while in the dungeon.


    I wished I had some means of escape. A bolt cutter, a lockpick, or some kind of bomb. Regrettably, I had no access to inventory. All of my food, armor, some potion ingredients, and my weapon were in there. Still, I was far better off than Lord Aberis thought.


    Of all the people, I was the one who was truly being sent to my death. Not only did I have a ward on my neck that kept me from using external skills, or should I say skills that affected things outside of myself, but I was also sent without food, weapons, or clothing. However, I still had my skills and my dungeon points.


    In some ways, I was better off than the other contestants. Remaining positive, I prepared myself, pulled up my Map, and then began to advance slowly.

 Chapter 696

    My first goal was to reach some high ground. If I could get a visual on the castle, and thus the center of the world, that would be best. After that, I¡¯d be looking to secure transportation. I had a feeling that the castle was deceptively distant, and that three months wouldn¡¯t be enough unless I had a faster way to travel.


    I couldn¡¯t open Portals, as that was considered an external ability, so my biggest time-saver was no longer an option. I still had my multiple jobs, my experience bonuses, and my weapon proficiency. However, I lost Slave Communication, Fire Control, and most spellcasting. Unless it was something that only worked for me, like Map, I couldn¡¯t cast it.


    I used the Map which extended out as far as I could see, making sense of things at the edge of my vision. A distant lake may look like a blue line in my vision, but can be completely clear when examined on the map. It was that kind of thing. I moved through the forest for a bit, and it was then that I suddenly got a Sense Danger alarm. I leaped to the side, and just then a tiger-like monster leaped out from the trees. It had long tusks, and my immediate thought was that it was a sabertooth.


    Normally, I would have cast some kind of spell to damage it, but I didn¡¯t have access to a spell. I only had my sword, and it wasn¡¯t a nice one like Lydia¡¯s growth sword, but a cheap steel thing.


    Rooooar! The tiger let out a rumbling roar before leaping at me again. I didn¡¯t know what level it was, so I quickly used Monster Identify while dodging it again. When I finally saw its status, I calmed down immediately. The Monster Identify called it a Sabertooth Feral, it was only level 35. I didn¡¯t know how strong I was, but I had multiple jobs that exceeded that level by quite a lot at this point.


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    ¡°Oh, is that all you got?¡± I was a bit surprised, but I supposed this was the outer rim of the dungeon.


    If this dungeon worked like other dungeons I had been in, then it stood to reason that the closer I got to the center, the harder the enemies would be. That left me feeling somewhat interested in how hard things would get. However, at the moment, this monster wasn¡¯t much more challenging than things I offered in my dungeon in Chalm.


    I shuffled my jobs around, re-equipping the long-abandoned Hero. With Moderate Swordsmanship and Basic Weapon proficiency, I felt much more at ease battling the monster using my sword. Just as I was about to strike its neck, a thought came to me. Instead, I struck it with the back of my hilt and then backed away. I readjusted my jobs again and then advanced on the monster.


    It lunged at me again, and I dodged and struck it again. Each time, I did so, it¡¯s movements became weaker.


    ¡°Come on¡­¡± I said, willing the creature to give up.


    It took another fifteen minutes of careful movements, but the monster finally lowered its head submissively. I let out a breath of relief.


    ¡°So, I can do that much.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if I¡¯d be able to Tame an animal. It seemed like I couldn¡¯t use things like Submission or Weaken to make it easier. However, this animal was already a lot weaker than me, so it didn¡¯t take too much to beat him down and ultimately control him. Stroking the creature¡¯s fur for a bit, I finally jumped onto his back.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡±


    I ended up getting a quicker mount sooner than I expected.

 Chapter 697

    True Hero, Hero, True Dungeon Diver, and Demon Knight were the four jobs I went with. After getting the tiger to behave, I didn¡¯t see any reason to keep the Monster Tamer job equipped. Thankfully, the tiger remained tamed even without the job. The first Demon Knight skill was Darkness Control, which was the same as Dark Priest. Nothing was surprising there. I¡¯d need to level it up before it gave me anything interesting.


    As we ran through the forest, the tiger moved a lot quicker than I could, weaving through trees and jumping across crevices with apparent ease. He seemed to move at a speed or gave off an atmosphere that kept other monsters from bothering us. As a result, we moved forward in what I would have considered good time, and finally reached a big hill, which he also climbed up. At the top, I was finally able to get a lookout over the dungeon. It left me feeling a bit surprised.


    I could see the castle at the center in the distance. Thankfully, we had more or less been heading in the right direction. It would have been irritating if I had been going the wrong way for the last hour.


    This world seemed to be surrounded by a swirling fog. It wasn¡¯t black like miasma, but a grey color. There were numerous environments in this world and also weather patterns. That¡¯s right, I could see a distinct snowy region to the north, and there was an active thunderstorm to the east. It was odd to see multiple weather patterns within the same horizon, but that appeared to be how this dungeon worked.


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    There was a mountainous area up north and a desert down south. I couldn¡¯t make out too many details, but I started to try to map out the easiest trip there. I saw a few methods of potentially travelling. As I sat and considered things, the sun slowly began to lower in the sky. The tiger nudged my arm, causing me to snap out of my pondering. I still hadn¡¯t decided! Had it always been this difficult to make a decision? I didn¡¯t feel like that was the case.


    It was just that I was on my own, and I had to be careful. Well, I had the tiger, but he wasn¡¯t going to help me very much as I got farther into the dungeon, especially if I was right and the difficulty started to increase. Just when I was thinking of sleeping on my decision, my eyes landed on a light. I hadn¡¯t noticed it in the daylight, but there appeared to be some kind of ruin that glowed with a green light. Now that it was starting to grow dark, it shone out of the forest brightly.


    Looking around, I reckoned that sleeping on a hill at night wasn¡¯t the safest decision. I¡¯d check out those ruins and decide if they were a good place to stay the night.

 Chapter 698

    We reached the ruins before the sun had set, and I dismounted from the tiger and looked around with interest. There was a distinct doorway leading in. I wondered if I should bring my mount with me, but then I decided to keep him out here to dissuade any other creatures from entering and catching me off guard. He casually jumped up onto a stone and lay down, apparently content to sleep anywhere.


    Before I entered into an unknown ruin, I looked around and found a stick. The tiger had lost a tooth in the fight, so I tied the tooth to end of the stick using some long grass. It wasn¡¯t elegant, but it was a weapon. I checked it numerous times before I was satisfied. You could never be too cautious. Only when I felt I was ready did I enter the ruin by myself.


    Immediately, I was greeted with a familiar room. It was a safe room. I relaxed a bit knowing that this room was probably the best room to stay the night in, especially when I was on my own. I pulled out some of the leftover food in my Inventory and had a quiet snack. Then, I walked over to the mural. This one wasn¡¯t broken or decayed, but still clear on the story.


    ¡°Do you want to-¡° I stopped as I realized I was all alone in the room.


    In the past, there had always been someone with me where I could tell them my interpretations of the story. They would hang on my every word as I slowly unfolded the dungeons. I wasn¡¯t always right, but I had gotten close time and time again. My tattoos were a testament to- no, those were gone now as well. I was just Deek. I felt like I should have been terrified to be alone, and while I felt lonely, I wasn¡¯t truly afraid at all.


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    The mural seemed to depict some kind of battle. One seemed to be a force of good, while the other was a force of evil. Well, the murals depicted an army filled with knights in shiny armor versus an army of skeletons and demons. The mural didn¡¯t reveal anything else other than that a lot of people died and it seemed to last for some time.


    Was that what this world was? Were we walking across an echo of the battlefields where this war was fought? That would fall in line with what I knew about dungeons. As I pondered this stuff, my eyes landed on the kiosk in the middle of the room. It stood to reason that I wouldn¡¯t be returning to this kiosk. There was no traditional entrance or exit. The only way to get out of here was to make it to the castle and fight through whatever the boss was.


    However, you never knew about the future. It was better safe than sorry. There might be a need to return to this safe room before the end. With a sigh, I stood up and touched the kiosk. As I went to register with it, there was a sudden surge of magical power. My body felt like it was flying, and I had a feeling I was familiar with. It was the feeling of transportation magic! I was being taken somewhere else.


    As I cursed my luck, my body disappeared, leaving an empty and abandoned saferoom.

 Chapter 699

    I was standing in a dark room surrounded by stone. Other than the kiosk, there was nothing else here. I touched the kiosk again, but it didn¡¯t teleport me back. Therefore, I was stuck here.


    I took a few steps forward, and that was when I noticed that there was a large set of double doors in front of me made of stone. There were words carved into that stone. I didn¡¯t understand the words at all. They weren¡¯t written in the standard script that our world used. That¡¯s when a thought came to my mind. I equipped Linguist and then stared at the text a bit longer. After a moment, the words began to form into something I could read.


    {Linguist has increased to level 9.}


    {Decode has been unlocked.}


    I hadn¡¯t paid much attention to that job for a long time. The last I remembered; it was five. However, I was reading whenever it was applicable, and that was always being multiplied by my experience boosts, so it must have been increasing passively all this time. Now that I tried to translate something, it went up another level with ease.


    I could now read the text in front of me, reminding me once again just how easy some things were in this world, while other things were extremely difficult!


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    Before you, lay¡¯s one of Greggar¡¯s challenges. If you can complete this challenge, you will be awarded a gift that helps you on your way. If you fail, your bones will rest amongst the Twilight forever.


    If you use your eyes, you will be blinded. If you use your magic, you will be blighted. Only a perceptive man can live, only a cautious man can proceed.


    I read the entire thing five times. The first part only told you that there was a challenge. The second part was explaining what the challenge was. It spoke of eyes blinding me. That meant that the world beyond would probably be an illusion. It said I couldn¡¯t cheat with magic. It probably meant using some kind of magical means to see through the illusion. In that case¡­


    I pulled out a strip of cloth and wrapped it around my eyes. I took a step forward and the doors in front of me began to open with a long gravely sound. Then, I pulled up my Map and glanced at it. As I thought, the Map had a very specific path, where the rest looked to be a pitfall. I imagined if I looked, I would be looking at either a flat room or a giant pitfall. I didn¡¯t want to check now. It felt easier if I didn¡¯t look at the illusion at all.


    Of course, I was still cautious. Pulling out the spear I had fastened, I began to push each step ahead of me before moving forward. Using my place on the Map, I progressed forward one step at a time. The one in front of me crumbled when I pushed it down, but I had been going slow and patient, and so I didn¡¯t lose my balance.


    After about an hour of carefully stepping, I finally made my way to the end of the room.

 Chapter 700

    When I finally reached the end, I took off my blindfold and glanced back over the path I had taken. ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I shivered at the sight of a massive abyss that seemed to fall forever. There was no bridge at all. Had I not had the Map, it would have been complete guesswork. I supposed I could have made my way simply by using the spear and pressing the area in front of me, but it would have taken nearly ten times as long since I couldn¡¯t see where the next spot was supposed to go. I could see someone easily losing their patience as they tried to work their way through that maze.


    I made sure to look around and I didn¡¯t see any more text, so I walked forward. My lips twitched as I saw a treasure chest sitting in the middle of the room and behind it another kiosk. It seemed like it was far too easy. I used Detect Trap, Detect Monster, and every other passive skill that my locked skillset allowed me to pull from to confirm that this was simply a treasure chest. Since these were passive skills, I didn¡¯t need to have to actively cast them, just focus on them. Eventually, I had done everything I could other than open it.


    Even then, it took me another fifteen minutes making sure I didn¡¯t miss anything before I finally opened the chest. Inside, I found a sword. I picked it up and inspected it.


    {Starsword ¨C Composed of the alloy from a fallen star.}


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    That sounded interesting. Just to try it out, I hit my steel sword against the starsword. There was a flash of blinding light, and then a clatter as the steel blade fell to the ground. In a single hit, the starsword had cut the steel sword in half. This was a strong sword! I eagerly put it in my empty sheath. I no longer needed the spear that was nearly falling apart anyway.


    I did manage to sneak away some fairy dust despite the fact I couldn¡¯t access my Inventory, but God Eye was a borrowed ability, and I didn¡¯t have my girls to use it. Besides, there might be other needs for fairy dust in the future, and knowing every ability of this sword I didn¡¯t feel was all that important.


    I touched the kiosk. At this point, more text appeared in front of me.


    {You have completed 1 of 50 challenges. Complete every challenge to face the ultimate trial.}


    Well, I had no such desire to defeat every challenge, but if each challenge did have an award equal to the starsword, I was interested in finishing a few more. Once I appeared back in the ruin, I tried to use my Map to select areas that looked like fellow ruins. It looked like for the time being, I¡¯d be hitting up every ruin I could on the way to the castle.


    I didn¡¯t think I could defeat the boss on my own. In that case, I needed to gain as much strength as I could on my way to the castle. Lord Aberis had made a mistake. What he didn¡¯t realize was that all the strength I had gained had happened in dungeons over about five months. Now, he had just locked me in a dungeon and given me three more months free to get stronger. He had no clue what he started.

 Chapter 701

    The next morning, I walked outside to see my tiger eagerly awaiting me. My charm must be fairly strong if I was able to do this without some of the more aggressive Monster Tamer skills. I got on his back, and we started heading for the first place on the Map I had indicated. I lost a bit of sleep last night, but I had mapped out a course for us to follow. I also made sure to keep track of the day as well. You could never be too careful.


    The next anomaly on my Map grew sharper as I grew closer. It was at this point I was able to realize that it appeared to be some kind of abandoned fort. Since this dungeon was battlefield themed, I supposed it made sense for there to be forts on the battlefield. As I approached it, I moved off to a hidden area and tried to get as close as I could.


    In the past, I might have sent one of the girls to do reconnaissance. Even Celeste could fly pretty close without being seen. Being able to change your size at will was pretty useful. However, I didn¡¯t have those abilities. All I had was my status and my wits.


    ¡°Is this a challenge?¡± I muttered to myself.


    I began to see movement on the walls. Looking a little longer, I began to see soldiers. However, these weren¡¯t normal soldiers. These were skeletons and undead. I felt a bit of excitement at first. After all, a White Mage was at his strongest against these creatures. If I had to fight anything on my own, these would be the easiest.


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    However, my hand went up to my neck. I couldn¡¯t cast anything on them. The binding that Lord Aberis had put on me kept me from being able to cast anything externally. I could still use skills internally. One example was that I could cast lLght, which emitted a shroud of light around me that seemingly only went one way, affecting my party and not aiding my enemies in seeing any better. While I could cast that ability, an orb which allowed me to create an external light source seen by everyone could not be cast at all.


    In that respect, I was pretty sure I could cast Heal on myself, but if I needed to cast it on someone else, such as an enemy, I didn¡¯t have the ability. It was the same for any aggressive spells. I wondered why this was the case, but I think it had to do with the restriction of mana. I did have a theory that using a skill powered by external mana, like God Eye, could go around this block since I wasn¡¯t providing all of the mana myself, but I only had limited resources and I didn¡¯t want to waste it unless I needed it.


    While I was thinking about what I could and could not do about the fort, the front gate began to open. A lone man on a skeletal horse came trotting out. I wasn¡¯t that knowledgeable about army ranks, but he seemed to be pretty high ranking. He started to head out into the forest beyond. At that moment, a thought came to me, and I cautiously mounted the tiger and began to stalk him.

 Chapter 702

    Compared to a horse, a tiger was definitely much better at stalking. Of course, he wasn¡¯t the easiest animal to ride, but I had no attachment or skill with horses in the first place, so it wasn¡¯t like I had habits I needed to break or anything.


    I could see the rider leisurely moving down the trail. It looked like he was heading to another fort. He had a rolled-up document in his hand which he gripped tightly. It was strange to follow him. I always saw the creatures in dungeons as just mindless monsters, but they were probably much like the dungeon bosses. The longer they existed, the more they¡¯d start to express their individuality. I didn¡¯t want to think about it too hard though, or I might find myself unable to kill them when I needed to.


    At the end of the day, no matter how much they acted like real people, they were just shadows and curses. Elaya, at least, was based on the soul of a real person. She had been brought to life by my Resurrection spell, and she had some semblance of her prior self.


    As for this guy, he seemed to have returned to his role in the army. He was delivering messages as if they were still in the middle of a war. I had the tiger stalk closer and closer to him. I desired to knock him out and determine just what he was there for. Just as I was ready to release an attack, a group of men leaped out from a hiding place in front of the messenger.


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    ¡°Insolent dogs!¡± He screamed, drawing his sword.


    A group of seven men charged the man on horseback. Another shot an arrow, striking the skeletal horse. Although the arrow went right through it, the horse reared, tossing the messenger off his back. The seven soldiers descended on the man quickly, but he seemed to have some formidable skill while fighting back. Did dungeon monsters fight each other? I guess, in an approximation of a battlefield, they would.


    I decided to sit back and watch. I was happy with a one on one fight, but I didn¡¯t want to have to take on a group of ten. As if fate wanted to spit on my thoughts, the tiger suddenly leaped to the side. An arrow had flown right where I had been sitting. My Danger Sense had triggered, but the tiger was able to move much quicker than me. That leap suddenly took me onto the path, right in the middle of the battle.


    An arrow pierced the tiger¡¯s side. He let out a roar, and any control I had ofr him was lost immediately. I leaped off his back as he went leaping into the crowd of enemies, scratching and biting at anything he could reach. Now that I was closer, I could see that the men in front of me weren¡¯t skeletons. They were demons! It was an entire army of demons versus an army of undead.


    I realized where I landed, I was standing right next to the lone skeleton. My sword was pointed to the demons though. He glanced over at me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, fleshling, but it seems like life-or-death situations make interesting allies. We can fight as partners, or die as strangers, your choice!¡±

 Chapter 703

    I didn¡¯t have much of a chance to answer, let alone refuse. The tiger was pelted with several arrows, and three of the men were finishing him off. The remaining four came running at the pair of us. Meanwhile, there were still at least two demons with bows who were trying to pelt us with arrows. It was a dangerous situation all around. I pulled out the starsword and began my attack.


    Two of them went after the skeleton, while two of them went after me. As soon as I raised my sword and blocked one of the enemy¡¯s swords, there was the familiar flash. He immediately backed up, grabbing at his eyes. The sword must have caused temporary blindness. The other demon had been expecting his attack to be supported by the first. He ended up hesitating as a result. I used True Strike, hitting and killing him in a single blow.


    {Demon Knight had increased to level 2.}


    {You have unlocked Shadow Step.}


    Shadow Step? Was that similar to what Shao could do where she was able to run through shadows? I instantly tried it out, only to find that it was only part of that. It was an ability that allowed me to dodge, using my shadow to blur where I was and making it very easy to miss.


    ¡°That¡¯s a demon ability!¡± One of the soldiers cried out. ¡°What side are you on?¡±


    ¡°My own!¡± I shouted, killing the second soldier.


    These guys weren¡¯t that strong. If I compared them to the Knights I had ambushed in Widow¡¯s Dungeon so long ago, they were much inferior to them even. However, I had gotten those guys by surprise and had the full list of my skills. Here, I could only use skills that effected my internal magic, and these guys were prepared and ready for me coming. That didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t win. It just meant that it was complicated.


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    {Your Sabertooth Feral has died!}


    The message came just as I killed the second guy. I looked where the tiger had been fighting. The three who had ganged up on him had finally killed him, although two of them were wounded and the third was dead. Feeling just an ounce of rage, I parried an incoming arrow out of the air and then leaped at the two remaining men. Covered in damage as they were, they fell nearly as quickly as the first. I finally turned to the bowman, but after one look at me, he lowered his arrow and turned to run.


    ¡°I miss having wind magic.¡± I lamented.


    Those arrows were dangerous to me.


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± The skeleton spoke from behind, causing me to turn.


    I let out a noise as I saw him. He was on the floor. He had taken nearly a dozen arrows. He was a skeleton, so most of those arrows went right through him. They were pelted into the ground where his skeleton was lying and didn¡¯t seem to damage him at all. As for the two demons, he had managed to kill them both.


    ¡°You¡¯re a strong fighter.¡± The skeleton said. ¡°Stronger than me, perhaps.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ am I so see-through?¡± I raised my eyebrow and he laughed again. ¡°Sorry¡­ a little undead humor. Please, take this message. You must bring it to our troops. The princess¡¯s life depends on it.¡±


    ¡°This is merely a dungeon. You are all puppets to an age-old curse.¡± I said harshly. ¡°Whatever battle you fought ended ages ago. My only interest is getting into that castle.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± He responded, ¡°If this is a dungeon, then you are a Dungeon Diver, correct?¡±


    I raised my eyebrow. I either expected him to ignore my words, or meet them with disbelief. I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d actually know about dungeons and even accept he was in one. I supposed, most dungeon bosses knew they were in dungeons as well.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°You will never defeat this dungeon unless you can single-handedly defeat the entire demon army. I do not know the world you come from, but we are the dead who fought against the Demon Lord Aberon, and if you wish to make it to the castle, you¡¯ll need an army!¡±

 Chapter 704

    ¡°This letter is a warning, and an introduction.¡± The skeleton let out a rough exhalation.


    ¡°You have no lungs¡­ and also I can¡¯t stress enough how the arrows all missed. I do not understand why you are dying.¡±


    ¡°Not¡­ all damage can be seen on the surface.¡± He gasped.


    I guess that made sense. They had to have some kind of mana or spiritual body since their physical body wasn¡¯t enough to keep them going. Those attacks must have been more than just physical. I needed to be more careful in the future.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain the breathing though¡­¡± I thought out loud.


    ¡°Will you just come here and take this!¡± The skeleton cried in annoyance.


    I looked at him cautiously and then sighed, reaching out to grab the rolled-up message in his hand. As soon as my fingers wrapped around it, his other hand shot out and grabbed my wrist tightly. I cursed, as I felt some kind of energy entering me. I tried to rip my hand away, but his eye shone with intensity as my wrist started to burn. Only after some struggle did I finally pull away. When I looked back at the skeleton, the light within his eye sockets had burned out.


    {You have been inflicted with karmic debt. You now must assume the role of Drakus Lightking.}


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    Just when I was wondering what he had just done, those words popped up in front of me. However, I had no clue what they meant. What was karmic debt? Whatever he inserted inside me felt a bit like miasma. I had a feeling that if I still had my blessings, that there was no way that this attack could have worked. It said I had to assume the role of some person. Was this skeleton that person? Did that mean that for the sake of this dungeon, I would now be seen as this messenger, Drakus?


    I already started to feel some kind of compulsion. It was like a need to continue to deliver that message. Was this what happened to other people who became absorbed by dungeons? Was that another way that souls were claimed? I cursed myself for being so careless, but I had never experienced anything like this before. I had never heard of anything like karma being a thing in this world, and dungeons being able to inflict Dungeon Divers was something I didn¡¯t expect. Furthermore, I was a White Mage! How could I be so easily taken over by some miasmic curse?


    That was right! I was a White Mage! I immediately equipped the job and started going through the list, desperately looking for anything that might enable me to overcome this curse. Every second I had it made me feel even more compelled to just go along with the narrative. I should pass this message along. I had to protect the princess. The princess was what was important!


    My eyes finally landed on a skill that sounded useful. ¡°Ablution!¡±


    Level 40 White Mage spell Ablution. I had no clue what this spell did. I had even cast it once and seen nothing happen, so I had more or less forgotten about it. However, now, I thought I had an idea. Once I scanned it, the feeling of needing to deliver the message went away, but even without that, I knew I had succeeded.


    {You have manipulated karmic debt. You have unlocked the job: Mimic.}


    {Karmic Espionage has been unlocked.}


    ¡°Now, that is kind of interesting.¡±

 Chapter 705

    I had a feeling that what I had just done was not something that happened often. It was probably pretty rare that someone was inflicted with karmic debt. Otherwise, I would have heard about it happening more often.  Then, you would need to resolve that karmic debt through a magical means, which only exists in a high-level skill. That meant White Mages or Priests. I imagined Priests probably had their own version of Ablution.


    Now, I had some kind of mimicry job. Perhaps, the fact that I was frequently changing my face and had been hiding my identity for the last few months also contributed to this unique job being unlocked. I decided to just count my blessings. I gave up Hero for a bit and equipped Mimic instead. The rest of the demons were fairly low level, but with the bonuses, they were enough that Hero went up to 21, and Demon Knight was up to 3. They¡¯d be higher if either of these jobs had been support skills, but I couldn¡¯t afford to concentrate on support right now.


    By the time I finished looking at this new stuff, the skeleton had already turned to dust, becoming one with the dungeon again. Since he inflicted me with his karmic debt, I had a feeling he¡¯d never respawn again. Since I was karmically selected as the messenger, I wondered how this dungeon would warp if I didn¡¯t fulfill the role assigned to me.


    As I was considering such things, I felt a nudge on my arm. I looked to my side to see the skeleton horse. He had seemingly returned and was now acting affectionate like we were long time friends. That¡¯s when it dawned on me.


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    ¡°You think I¡¯m your Master, don¡¯t you?¡±


    I had taken on his Karmic debt, so now I appeared to be Drakus Lightking to anyone in this dungeon. I wondered if I looked like a skeleton to them. They seemed to be conscious that they were skeletons, although they were fighting on with the desires they possessed when they were humans. I cautiously touched the horse. He had no hair, and like his master, glowing white orbs were the only thing that indicated he was living at all. At least he had a saddle, so sitting on him wouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    I grabbed the reins and pulled myself up onto the horse. I had rarely ridden horses, and it had always been a disaster before. It was to the point where I was terrified of them and avoided them when I could. Now, I didn¡¯t have any of that fear. That didn¡¯t make me a better rider, but first of all, this horse was paired to me and attuned to me as its rider, and second, the horse was dead. I didn¡¯t have to worry too much about things like kicking it too hard when it didn¡¯t even have much of a body to kick.


    We moved down the trail, unconsciously heading in the same direction that the skeleton had been heading before the attack. When I reached a break in the trees, I glanced at the distant castle. That was a castle that belongs to the Demon Lord Aberon. I didn¡¯t find it a coincidence that Lord Aberis was the man who sent me there and Lord Aberon was the demon I needed to fight. The two demon lords had to have some kind of relation to each other.


    ¡°You said I needed an army, Drakus,¡± I muttered. ¡°Then, let¡¯s see about that.¡±

 Chapter 706

    Interested in seeing how this supposed dungeon story played out, I rode the horse in the direction that he had been going. It seemed like he knew which way we were heading, so I trusted it. Perhaps, my horse was still bound by karmic debt, unlike me.


    Along the way, we were attacked many times. It turned out that the Sabertooth Feral had kept other monsters at bay. A horse didn¡¯t intimidate them as the beast did. Maybe it had nothing to do with fear, and monsters just left monsters alone. The Feral might have just been covering up my stink or something.


    As a result, I couldn¡¯t move forward for more than thirty minutes before I ended up encountering something that wanted to stop me. Luckily, we didn¡¯t encounter any more demon ambushes. Those might have been too powerful for me to handle safely. However, a few wolves or a shambling undead that didn¡¯t appear to be part of any army were pretty simple to deal with. Since Mimic was such a low level, it went up to 5 fairly quickly. As for Demon Knight, it gradually increased to 6.


    Mimic unlocked Disguise, Change Voice, Charm Up, and Copy Behavior. Meanwhile, Demon Knight unlocked Dark Slash, Dark Barrier, and Dark Light. Did they think just tossing Dark in front of the name of everything made it sound more demon-like? I seriously wanted to chastise whatever god came up with this world¡¯s naming convention sometimes.


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    Finally, after a long day on horseback, I came before the fort we were heading to. At least, it was another fort guarded by the undead who wore the same colors as the last fort. This one was a bit bigger than the last one, and there was no chance I could approach it unseen. It was getting dark though, and I had a feeling the random encounters I was experiencing now would triple once it got dark. I didn¡¯t think I could get any rest out here.


    I just had to trust in this supposed Karma. After considering my options for another few minutes, I got off the horse and approached the fort slowly, giving them plenty of time to see me coming. I was very conscious of the arrows pointed at me, but I kept going as they didn¡¯t immediately start firing. Once I reached the front gate, I stood there in silence for nearly a minute before there was a call.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± A voice called from the wall.


    It was too dark now to see any faces up there. Plus, there were torches on the door that blinded me. Taking a deep breath, I called out.


    ¡°It is I, Drakus Lightking, come to deliver an urgent message!¡±


    I decided to leave it at that. This would either work or it wouldn¡¯t work. They¡¯d either see me as a soldier like them, flesh or no flesh, or they¡¯d see me as some kind of enemy. I fought the urge to close my eyes as I waited for a response.


    When the door started to open, I let out a breath of relief. It looked like I was Drakus Lightking in their eyes. I had guessed right. Now, it was time to see what could be done about this dungeon!

 Chapter 707

    Going with the flow of the dungeon, I ended up inside the keep surrounded by undead. If my White Mage ability was at its full, I wouldn¡¯t be worried at all. I felt confident I could take care of all of the undead with ease. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t use any external abilities, so I would have to fight the undead hand to hand. I could use a few abilities, but nothing like Sanctify Land, Holy Circle, or Stun Undead. I had some Waters of Life, which may cause damage, but it had more important uses than hurting a few undead.


    As I realized I was scoping the place out and strategizing just how I could fight my way out of here, I quickly lowered my head. I was supposed to be here pretending I was some guy named Drakus. I would have put on his clothing, but it had turned to dust when he died. I only knew him as a skeleton, but he seemed like a nice enough guy.


    ¡°The commander will see you now.¡± A skeleton soldier said in a gravelly voice and then saluted.


    I returned the salute, and then followed after him. He led me deeper into the keep, and the more turns I made, the less confident I was that I¡¯d be able to escape on my own. At the very least, they wouldn¡¯t be able to all come at me at once in here. Honestly, I was more scared of the wide-open areas. The keep felt much more like a dungeon. It was harder to snipe someone from hiding while in these tight quarters.


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    Eventually I was brought into a room that had a large table and a map spread out on it. It was marked with various blue and red pieces. If I had to guess, the red pieces were the demons and the blue pieces were the undead. A quick look at the central castle showed that the red held it, so that all but proved my assessment. I did a salute to the completely unfamiliar skeleton who was wearing a slightly nicer uniform than I had seen Drakus wear.


    I didn¡¯t want to seem ignorant, but I had a problem telling the difference between skeletons here. Other than his outfit, he looked like every other one I had seen. There were some differences though. Not every undead was a skeleton. Just like in Mina¡¯s Dungeon, I noticed all kinds of undead, many also containing flesh. It seems like the skeletons tended to be in charge. Maybe it had to do with their manner of deaths or something.


    ¡°Drakus. What news do you bring?¡± The commander asked as I stood there staring at him in salute.


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes, a message.¡± I brought out the message that I had managed to deliver.


    The general took and unfurled it. I had, of course, already skimmed the entire message and knew the contents. The problem was that it appeared to be a code that I couldn¡¯t read. It seemed like the commander knew how to read that code, as his teeth chattered as his eye lights scrolled down the message.


    ¡°T-three months!¡± He cried out.


    ¡°What happens in three months?¡± I asked, not sure if asking that made it sound like it was outside my station.


    ¡°In three months, it will be too late. In three months, their formation will be complete, and the land of man will fall to darkness for eternity!¡±

 Chapter 708

    I was starting to understand now why the dungeon would only be open for three days. It might not be some arbitrary time that Lord Aberis set up. It might be simply that whatever scenario was playing out in this world, it would conclude at the end of three months. That left another question. How did the scenario end? If this was a curse, then it came from uncompleted lore. Whose lore, the demons? Or humans? Which side died in the end, and was the world plunged into darkness?


    I¡¯d like to assume the humans won, but if they had, would we still be dealing with the demon lands in the north? Supposedly, there were demon lords, a demon king, and a demon country. It was all blighted land, ruled by a pair of, particularly powerful dungeons that collectively were known as Hell¡¯s Dungeon and the Demon King¡¯s Castle. To finally stop the demon threat for good, both dungeons would need to be defeated.


    This is something that has been considered an impossibility for our current civilization. Shie Gescar and the Imperial Cloud Meadow had been fighting a war against them for as long as time remembered. Comparatively, Aberis was just a speck on the map when confronted with the Imperial Cloud Meadow, and even that mighty nation could only just keep them from spreading across their borders.


    This dungeon might have been a relic from the time when the humans and demons were at war. It might have some greater meaning up north. I felt like if I knew who Lord Aberon was, that would explain a lot of this.


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    ¡°We need the princess to rally the troops.¡± The commander said after some thought, breaking me from my considerations. ¡°She was supposed to arrive last night.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°I was attacked on the way here. It is possible that her caravan was also attacked by demons.¡±


    ¡°Damn it!¡± He cursed, punching the table and causing several pieces to fall over.


    In a way, this whole thing was kind of fun. It felt a bit like LARPING. I had reminded myself that this was all too real, I could die in an instant if I wasn¡¯t careful. This wasn¡¯t home, but a dungeon. If I died here, there was no one to resurrect me or take my soul out. I would truly be consumed by the dungeon and just become another soldier in this endlessly repeating story without an end.


    Wait¡­ that¡¯s right, that¡¯s what this dungeon was truly needing. It needed an end. All curses desired to be finished, and once they were finished and their lingering ties were severed, they became a blessing instead. If ending this war was what would satisfy those conditions, then that was the best way to fix things.


    ¡°This princess¡­ do you know the route she took to get here?¡±


    ¡°It would be this route.¡± He explained, guiding his finger down a certain path. ¡°If her convoy was ransacked, then they¡¯d bring her to this fort. It¡¯s the closest.¡±


    ¡°How heavily guarded is that fort?¡± I asked, looking as he pointed to a fort that seemed to be nearby.


    ¡°Why? What do you have in mind?¡± the commander asked suspiciously.


    ¡°If the princess is needed to rally the troops, then don¡¯t I need to rescue the princess?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re mad, do you think you can just march into the enemy keep and take our princess back?¡±


    ¡°That depends,¡± I responded. ¡°Do you believe in karma?¡±

 Chapter 709

    ¡°I still think that you¡¯re mad for attempting this. Usually, they¡¯d send us a ransom. We¡¯d have to free some of their men or give up a fort. They won¡¯t kill the princess though unless they are being foolish.¡± The commander explained.


    ¡°You said it yourself, we have three months. We can¡¯t afford any setbacks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a crazy man, Drakus, but I respect you.¡±


    We were in front of the keep. It was still night out, but I figured that would be the best time to infiltrate an enemy keep. The commander was even able to give me an incense that if burned, it supposedly kept the other monsters at bay. That way, I¡¯d be able to progress in the night quickly without too much concern. As for my outfit, I was wearing the enemy outfit now. They had one in the keep and I was able to squeeze into it. Why didn¡¯t it disappear for them? Ah, whatever, trying to understand the logic of a dungeon now was only foolishness.


    ¡°Once you¡¯re out of our sight, our men won¡¯t recognize you as one of our own.¡± The commander warned. ¡°Until you acquire the princess, you will no longer have our support and you¡¯ll be stuck on your own.¡±


    That was the same position I was in when I entered this dungeon, so there was no change there. I had been worrying that the commander would struggle to accept my role, but Karma was very good at covering things up. I supposed I also had Copy Behavior, so I was able to copy the behavior I recalled in my rather short interactions with Drakus. It seemed to be enough to dupe the commander, at least, and that was what was important at the moment.


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    Drakus, it seemed, was a lord, rank Count. It was Count Drakus. Could it truly be karma that I ended up taking on the role of a fellow Count? I couldn¡¯t say. However, I knew what I must do, so I began heading to the fort where the princess might have been recently caught. It was true that this was only our best guess. She might have been killed already, or taken to a farther away keep. I tried to keep a cautious optimism as I moved forward.


    With incense burning, I had already left the safety of the skeleton keep and began my journey on undead horseback toward the keep on the other side of a small creek. It was seriously a small creek. I could step across it if I needed to. My horse was able to jump across it with ease. After thirty minutes of riding, we didn¡¯t encounter any enemies either, although I did hear numerous scary calls on the way.


    I finally reached the keep. Dismounting from the horse, I decided to leave him in the treeline so that he could help with our escape. After I tied him up and started heading toward the keep, using the cover of darkness to aid me. I was glad I had just the right dungeon point skills to aid in my ability to move swiftly and quietly. If I was seen from a distance, I¡¯d look like just another soldier. I might look like a suspicious soldier, but not one they¡¯d fill with arrows in a heartbeat.


    This time, I saw a troop of similarly coated demons marching in formation into the keep. As soon as the last man passed, I jumped up and began marching right behind him. It was a bold move, yet the people watching the procession enter the keep didn¡¯t look twice as I marched right through their doors and into the keep.


    The princess was as good as saved!

 Chapter 710

    ¡°Long live the demon king!¡±


    ¡°Long live the demon king!¡±


    I quickly learned after entering the fort that the way every soldier greeted each other was with those words. I marched with the group until we reached a somewhat unwatched hallway, and then I slipped away as easily as I had entered. At that point, I had a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Remembering getting myself captured by the demon lord Aberis, I started to think that entering this way might have been a bit reckless, especially since I didn¡¯t even know where the princess was.


    However, as soon as I brought up my map, I took a breath. I noticed this once I took on the skeleton¡¯s karma, but the skeletons didn¡¯t appear as enemies to me. That was part of the reason I was willing to go along with the charade in the first place. Likewise, sense Life detected everything in the castle. All of the demons came off as red. Only one dot appeared in the castle that wasn¡¯t an enemy.  That had to be the princess, I was sure of it.


    Carefully looking around, I actually felt a bit more comfortable pretending to be a demon rather than a skeleton. I knew when it came to karma and this dungeon¡¯s strange rules, looks probably had nothing to do with it, but I at least could come off as a demon as long as you didn¡¯t check under my helmet. Demon helmets thankfully protected the horns rather than exposed them as some kind of status symbol. Actually, so far, the demon¡¯s walking around didn¡¯t seem all that different from Shao. I was wondering if they were truly the enemy in all of this.


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    Given the game like nature of this world sometimes, I wouldn¡¯t be too surprised to find out that humans were the enemy all along or some clich¨¦ like that. I had spent plenty of time with the prince and princess though, and I couldn¡¯t imagine them being bad people. If there truly was an enemy, it was probably not everyone. You had your good and your bad, although I had to leave some room to admit that the nature-twisting way that miasma could affect people was hard to call good.


    I started moving carefully, taking full advantage of my dungeon skills to move around without being detected. I couldn¡¯t take the quickest path to the room the princess was in. I ended up having to take a round about way which ended up taking much longer. Just as I could see the door down the hallway, I heard another door nearby open and hid behind a tapestry. It was at that point that I could hear some of the demon¡¯s talking.


    ¡°The princess is a boorish woman, to think that she would give you a blackeye, my lord.¡±


    ¡°I like them a little feisty.¡± The other man said. ¡°I never knew that the woman was so beautiful. I also hadn¡¯t heard that she already had a lover.¡±


    ¡°Whoever this man is, we¡¯ll hunt him down and string him up!¡±


    ¡°No¡­ actually, I¡¯d rather like to play with her until she submits to me! I¡¯ll tie her down and have my way with her! As for her lover, he can watch as I turn his woman into mine!¡±


    It turned out that whatever this dungeon lore was, it was a bit saucier than I expected!

 Chapter 711

    ¡°My lord, we must be careful. We need the princess as our hostage. If you break her too much¡­ the humans may push forward with their invasion.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been skirmishing against the humans for years. They attack a fort, we retaliate. They¡¯ve been looking for a reason to start some war. I say that we give it to them!¡±


    ¡°Th-that borders on treason! My lord, the demon prince will be arriving later today. We must present a princess who is still in one peace!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention treason to me!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ apologies, my lord.¡± The other man cowed.


    ¡°Well, just in case, go find a healer and get her fixed up. When the Prince comes, she¡¯ll be as pristine as the day she sought to leave the protection of her castle.¡±


    ¡°I will, my lord.¡± I heard footsteps racing away.


    ¡°And you¡­ my lady¡­ it¡¯s time to meet your destiny.¡± The door closed as he entered the room with the princess in it.


    He was going to rape the princess? That really would start a war! I left my hiding spot and quickly worked my way over to the door. I heard a female cry out, and then there was smashing, and then more smashing. Her voice was muffled, but I could hear a string of what I was pretty sure were expletives. Which was she? A beautiful woman that won the heart of this lord, or a boorish woman? Strangely, after hearing what was going on in the room, I still wasn¡¯t certain.


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    There was one thing I was pretty certain about though. If I didn¡¯t go in there, this woman would be tarnished, and her lover might never be able to look at her the same way. I needed to go in there and stop him, one way or another. However, without a visual, I wouldn¡¯t just push my way into the room. I had to remain cautious. Who knew how strong this guy was. He could end up being another Alysia. If I had to fight someone that powerful, in my current state, there was no way I¡¯d win.


    I went to the room next to his, intending on seeing if there was some kind of peephole or something. Given the guy¡¯s current attitude, he seemed like the kind of man who would do something like that anyway. Two seconds after stepping into the new room, I froze. From Sense Life, I hadn¡¯t detected anything unusual about this room, but as soon as I stepped in, it became painfully familiar.


    ¡°A safe room? Here?¡±


    I never expected that a safe room would just be sitting around in an enemy keep. I supposed as a dungeon, safe rooms could be anywhere. Did I miss out on a safe room at the previous keep? There was a kiosk as well. I wanted to go register, but just before I touched it, I remembered that these kiosks seemed to have challenges. I didn¡¯t have time to worry about that. Rather, my focus should be on protecting the princess.


    As I looked at the wall adjoining the room the princess was in, I saw something almost as good as a hole. I saw another dungeon mural.

 Chapter 712

    The mural here actually revealed exactly what was going on. The first image showed the princess being taken by the demons. She was presented as a beautiful woman with blonde hair. I certainly couldn¡¯t imagine her as the cursing woman in the other room. I could still hear the sounds of shouts and things being thrown. It was only for that reason I felt I still had a few moments to check over everything first.


    The second image shows a demon lord pushing himself on the woman. However, in the third, it appears like another man shows up and picks her off her feet. He¡¯s a demon as well, and it looks to be a higher rank than the lord. The lord was sulking and pouting while the white knight was walking away with the girl in his arms in a princess carry. She was looking at him with a blush, and it looks like she had fallen for him, or at least was starting to.


    So, I didn¡¯t need to do anything anyway. The white knight was going to burst his way in, save the princess, and then she was going to fall for him. Wait¡­ she was the princess of the humans. He was a demon knight. If the pair of them fell in love, wouldn¡¯t that start a war in the same way as the lord was just talking about? What should I do then? If I allow the story to go a different way, then there is no way I can predict how to end it. On the other hand, the current course is exactly what brings this lore to an unsatisfying end. Was it better to change the direction this dungeon was going, or follow along with the story it wanted to tell?


    I recalled my impulsive self once saying in the Widow¡¯s dungeon that I would bend the dungeon to my will and make it tell my story. However, that was easier to say when I was a Portal away from going home. At the moment, I wasn¡¯t even technically in the same world. Just like when I left Earth and came here, I might end up trapped in another world, never to return. However, where my last world was a bitter one, and I only left my mother behind, too many people depended on me from this new world. Dying was one thing, but being unable to return was something far worse.


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    It was while I was waiting there that I started to realize something wasn¡¯t right. Thedemon knight hadn¡¯t come to rescue the princess. The room had also quieted down a bit. If he was raping her right now, who knew what the future would hold! Making my decision, I ran out of the room and elbowed my way into the room next door, drawing my starsword.


    In front of me, the demon was completely naked. He was on his knees. Behind him was a woman in a torn-up dress. She had a piece of cloth stretched around his neck and was pulling it tightly with gritted teeth. Meanwhile, she had her foot jammed into his back, trying to increase the tightness. He was blue-faced, choking, with his eyes bulging and his tongue sticking out. However, the most noticeable part of him was he was sporting an erection, which he was openly playing with.


    ¡°Ooohh¡­ yeah¡­ almost there!¡± He croaked.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you die!¡± Hearing her words, I looked up to see a familiar face.


    ¡°Carmine?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Master?¡± She looked up from the suffocating man and tilted her head, then let out a cry. ¡°Ahhh! It-it¡¯s not what it looks like!¡±


    She let go of the clothing choking the guy, who sat back up while rubbing his neck. ¡°Hah, hah¡­ it¡¯s exactly what it looks like!¡±

 Chapter 713

    ¡°How did you know that erotic asphyxiation was my ultimate turn on!¡± The demon cried out happily.


    ¡°Ew! Ew! Ew!¡± Carmine screamed.


    Seeing the situation, a man naked in the room with one of my women, caused a fit of fiery anger to shoot up within me. Carmine had various rips in her dress, which exposed various bits of skin and made her look very vulnerable despite her usually toned physique. The man was acting extremely perverted and was even getting off on her actions, no matter how vicious they were.


    My mind seemed to shut off, and all I saw was darkness. I lunged toward the man without even thinking, and my sword took his head without a moment of hesitation.  It was only when his head hit the ground with a thud that I started to think again.


    ¡°C-Carmine¡­¡± I looked up at her.


    She had her mouth opened, and she was a bit surprised. However, these demons were the products of a dungeon. His body would be absorbed by the dungeon soon enough. Killing him wasn¡¯t a big deal. However, I knew, even had it been someone else in a different situation, such as her with her genuine lover, I might have reacted the same way. That was what shook me up the most. As for Carmine, it must have been the extreme look of emotion on my face that caused her to choke up.


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    ¡°D-Deek?¡±


    I stepped forward and grabbed her, and before I even thought about it, I was kissing her, my tongue gently exploring her mouth as I held her body against mine. It had been days since I had slept near any of my women, and it was a feeling I hadn¡¯t even realized I missed until I felt her warm body in my arms. She trembled slightly as I held her, but she didn¡¯t fight at all as I held her body close.


    When I pulled away, I had many things I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her that I was sorry I hadn¡¯t done anything sooner. I was busy being indecisive while she was nearly raped. I wanted to say that I missed her. I wanted to say that she was important. Instead, my hand reached around and grabbed her hair tightly, and I looked at her with a dark expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re my woman, and if any other man ever touches you, I¡¯ll kill him!¡±


    Those were not the words I had expected to say at all. The only words that were more startling than my own were Carmines. She might have grown indignant or upset. She could have complained or shot me a glare. Instead, she lowered her head shyly, looking as meek as she could be.


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ Master. I¡¯m yours.¡±


    Somehow, those words were exactly what I needed to settle me. I let go of her hair. She didn¡¯t look upset. Instead, she reached out and grabbed my shirt, which had come out a bit and was sticking out of my armor. She looked extremely cute and alluring when she acted shy like this. I wondered what I had done that caused her to become so tame. When Miki wasn¡¯t acting mischievous, she might have acted this way, but Carmine was always the knight who acted like a princess. Now she appeared to be the princess, and I was the knight!

 Chapter 714

    ¡°How did you end up here?¡± I asked once my sudden rise of emotions seemed to settle.


    ¡°Once I entered the dungeon, I appeared lost in the forest. While trying to find my bearings, I stumbled onto a caravan being attacked by demons. I decided to try to help, but halfway through, I realized the caravan was full of the undead! I stabbed a zombie wearing a dress, and suddenly the demons were trying to capture me while calling me princess.


    ¡°They said they would take me to their lord, and I thought that perhaps you would be him, so I went with them. Instead, I was attacked by this freak! He said he fell in love with me at first sight. He made me put on these embarrassing clothes. It was then that I realized I lost all of my combat ability. Even then, I was about to escape seriously, but I was hoping to get more information from him before I left.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Really? Oh¡­ right.¡±


    I was confused until I remembered that I no longer had my blessings and I didn¡¯t have Harem Master or Slave Master equipped. Since I had been on my own, I hadn¡¯t considered that cutting off my jobs would also cut off her jobs. She was back to being just a Paladin. I felt guilty as soon as I realized it. Overall, without my boosts, her combat ability was only okay. Compared to standard riffraff, she was fine, but it wasn¡¯t at a level she could fight armies, especially with her limited attack abilities.


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    I considered immediately restoring her abilities, but it would be weakening me to strengthen her. Since there were just the two of us, it didn¡¯t make sense. Instead, I accepted her back in my party.


    ¡°We need to escape before they realize we¡¯re here,¡± I said. ¡°Ah, but I wonder if there is anything we can do about it.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°The Demon Prince was supposed to arrive and save you from being raped. Then, you were to fall in love with him.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I absolutely wouldn¡¯t!¡± She said, and then blushed. ¡°B-besides¡­ I already l-l-love¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± I interrupted her, ¡°You don¡¯t know you¡¯re the princess.¡±


    ¡°Princess? Huh?¡±


    ¡°This dungeon seems to use miasma to infect people with karma,¡± I explained. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about it. Shao or Astria might be able to explain it better. Simply put, when the princess touched you, she gave you her identity. I don¡¯t think that you chose to be captured just to meet me. You were compelled to be captured because that was the role you needed to play in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡±


    ¡°So, for some reason, the Prince didn¡¯t show up. Did my actions somehow delay him? In that case, what does my stopping the lord cause? If we take you out of here, how will that disrupt the dungeon¡¯s lore? Where is the Prince? Was he killed?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t. It just turned out¡­ that I showed up a bit later than expected.¡± A voice came from the doorway.


    The two of us turned to find an unexpected man standing there. It was the Demon Slayer, Bernard!

 Chapter 715

    ¡°I was wondering why the demons suddenly changed their attitude toward me.¡± Bernard said with a frown. ¡°As soon as I murdered their prince, they somehow started treating me as their prince. Naturally, I was confused, and it took me some time before I decided to play along. I¡¯m glad I did, as it brought me here to this room.¡±


    I nodded thoughtfully. ¡°You¡¯ve absorbed the Demon Prince¡¯s miasma? This is a good thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± He cocked his head.


    ¡°Getting into the demon castle and getting past the Demon King would be very simple if he sees you as his son. We might be able to get through without fighting him at all!¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Bernard raised an eyebrow. ¡°This is a competition. Each man is on his own. Just because I lucked out and have a one-way ticket to the exit doesn¡¯t mean I need to share it with you!¡±


    I blinked at his words. I had forgotten that. I was here more or less as a prisoner. My only reward was survival.  However, for everyone else here, even Carmine, this was still the final selection for the gladiator match. Whoever made it through the portal was the winner.


    ¡°If you help us get through, then there is no problem,¡± I responded carefully. ¡°We have no desire to win at this point. We just want to get out with our lives. As for those awards, you can have them.¡±


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    I did have a use for the dwarf girl, and I had even been asked by the head of the church to protect her, but that was before many things happened. I had always considered finding and rescuing her as a secondary mission. We weren¡¯t close, and it had been many months since I had last seen her. I seemed to recall that she was a bit irritating.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll be happy to help,¡± Bernard said.


    I breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°I will help the princess and free her from your treachery! As for you, Deek Deekson, I will see you in hell!¡± He pulled out his sword.


    ¡°Huh? Why is that?¡± I asked in a startled voice, but just to be careful, I pulled mine out as well and got into a protective stance in front of Carmine.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ you don¡¯t get it? The princess and I were meant to be together!¡±


    ¡°The miasma!¡± I hissed. ¡°Look, Bernard, you¡¯re not the Demon Prince for real! You don¡¯t need to follow what this dungeon tells you to do!¡±


    ¡°The only thing I¡¯m following is my heart!¡±


    ¡°No, you have the Demon Prince¡¯s karma, and she has the princess¡¯s karma. At this point in the story, you two are supposed to fall in love and be together.¡± A flash of realization struck me, and I grabbed Carmine¡¯s arm.


    ¡°You¡­ you mustn¡¯t let the karma affect your heart.¡±


    She teared up while looking at me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Master¡­ it¡¯s too late! The karma has already done the deed. I can¡¯t stop revealing my true feelings!¡±


    She slapped her hands over her mouth as if trying to keep herself from saying any more. So, it was true. She was now in love with Bernard. Anger started to surge in me once again. There was one thing I wouldn¡¯t stand for. No one would take my woman from me!


    ¡°You heard her! Now, get out of the way and let our love ring true!¡±


    Bernard attacked.

 Chapter 716

    Bernard wasn¡¯t like the Demon noble I had just killed before. He was the champion of Alerith and a Hero in his own right. He moved like lightning, and I barely managed to deflect his first attack, leaping back as I did. It all happened so quickly that I barely thought about it, but in a single move he was on the other side of the room and he was standing a few feet from Carmine. This caused my emotions to start to grow cold.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ you¡¯ve managed to block my first attack. It¡¯s been some time since I¡¯ve found a warrior who survived when I intended him to die.¡± Bernard said.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, the miasma of this dungeon is confusing you!¡± I said, breathing hard.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong about that, Deek Deekson.¡± His eyes flashed with anger as he looked at me. ¡°This battle has been coming for some time.¡±


    ¡°Deek?¡±


    I realized only then that he wasn¡¯t calling me human scum or something like that. He was referring to me by name as if this was personal. If it was his karma in control, he¡¯d probably see me as Drakus, not Deek. Furthermore, his eyes looked clear. He didn¡¯t have a foggy expression at all like he was just doing what the dungeon was telling him to do. That meant that he was doing this for a different reason entirely. Was it simply because we were rivals for the cup?


    ¡°I already said, the gladiatorship doesn¡¯t matter to me. You can win it all you want!¡±


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    ¡°Hehe¡­ you think this has to do with winning some championship?¡± He sneered. ¡°This is about something far more important. This is about the woman I love!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I blinked.


    ¡°Carmine?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Carmine¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°S-seriously?¡± I asked, not feeling like I had heard him right.


    He reached out and grabbed Carmine, pulling her to him. ¡°Of course! Since the first moment I had seen the Shiny Knight on stage, I had always felt emotions for her. That¡¯s why I made sure to watch every single one of her matches. Then, when she took off her helmet for the first time, it was love at first sight! Who could not fall for this woman¡¯s absolute beauty and radiance!¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ that¡¯s nice¡­ I do try to always look good.¡± Carmine blushed.


    Even if Bernard had somehow managed to fight off the Miasma affecting his heart, and his feeling for Carmine were real, that didn¡¯t mean the opposite was true. Carmine had already confessed that her emotions were being altered, and the way she was blushing next to Bernard caused my heart to feel enraged. I was doing everything in my power to remain civil without attacking him and cutting him down that instant.


    ¡°Let go of her! What is it that you want?¡±


    ¡°Whether I let go of her or not, that isn¡¯t for you to decide, you Slave Master!¡± His voice was filled with vitriol, especially as he spoke those last words.


    ¡°You know?¡±


    ¡°How could I not know that you enslaved this beautiful woman! You have the job Slave Master. I¡¯ve seen you prance around with your other women you bully and rape. To manage so many, you would have to be a Slave Master. That¡¯s also why Carmine was able to remain so strong. Your job gave her strength she didn¡¯t possess on her own and forced her to fight at a level that she shouldn¡¯t be fighting at. The way Slave Master¡¯s treat beauties like her, it¡¯s disgusting!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m keeping her safe!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re using her!¡± He cursed back, spit flying as he shouted. ¡°What do I want? I want to free her from your slavery! I want to make her my wife! Carmine will be mine!¡±

 Chapter 717

    ¡°R-really?¡± Carmine¡¯s eyes widened as Bernard still had his arm wrapped around her waist, which looked less solid and daintier within her ripped princess dress.


    The usually strong Carmine looked every bit the princess, right down to her blonde hair and blue eyes. Her armor had never done her body justice, hiding her alluring curves and inherent beauty. Now that the miasma had infected her, even her strength as a Paladin was being suppressed, and her expressions and mannerisms appeared more like Eliana.


    ¡°Carmine¡­¡± I reached out a hand to her.


    ¡°In this dungeon, she¡¯s Princess Sophie, and she¡¯s fated to be with me, the Demon Prince, remember?¡± Bernard¡¯s expression turned dark.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re under the effect of the miasma!¡± I begged to Carmine.


    Her face suddenly turned red and she brought her head against Bernard¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I won¡¯t say.¡±


    I felt like my heart was falling, and the anger inside of me was building to the point that the blade in my hand was starting to shake.


    ¡°You¡­ bastard¡­¡± I spoke slowly and darkly. ¡°Carmine, you can¡¯t fall for him.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Carmine glanced up. ¡°Him?¡±


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    ¡°See? She has!¡± Bernard laughed. ¡°This is truly fate. Even this dungeon knows it. Just accept your role as some useless human!¡±


    The blood started to drain from my face as I started to remember the first dungeon I had ever been in. There was a bit of truth to Bernard¡¯s words, and that was what stung the most. My relationship with Lydia had spawned within that first dungeon. Part of the reason we ended up together, or perhaps part of the reason we were able to survive the dungeon, was because of our relationship. It was ultimately a story about a boy and a girl. We were cast in those roles. I hadn¡¯t been inflicted with a karmic curse at the time, but it had essentially been the same.


    What that told me is that there was a reason that the dungeon picked these roles. There was a reason that Carmine had become the princess, and Bernard had become the prince. Perhaps, there were some underlying feelings there. Maybe it was destiny that they would complete this story. If I did nothing now, the Demon Prince would take her to the Capital with him. This would likely be the instigating event that started the human invasion. Without it, there would be no war.


    ¡°Um¡­ I think you guys have the wrong-¡± Carmine started to say.


    ¡°Darn it!¡± My fist hit the wall, causing her to jump. ¡°Carmine¡­ I won¡¯t let you be with any other man!¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ about that¡­¡±


    ¡°I will take your heart, your body, and your mind and make them mine!¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡± Carmine¡¯s eyes brightened, telling me my words were affecting her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be swayed by him,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you anything you want. I will fetch you the shiniest armor from the deepest dungeon. Anything you want, I will make it yours. As my woman, I will make sure you never want for anything. I will care and love you every day!¡±


    ¡°You beastly Slaver¡­ you think you can just promise her stuff and get her to turn like that?¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m listening¡­¡± Carmine said weakly.


    ¡°Gah! P-princess!¡±

 Chapter 718

    I never imagined that the battle I had with Bernard would end up being a battle over Carmine. However, it was a battle I absolutely wouldn¡¯t allow myself to lose. The thought of losing her tore at my heart, and every second she was in his hands was like torture. She may have been infected by miasma, but she was a Paladin. She had to have some kind of resistance to that. I couldn¡¯t allow her to become the Princess Sophie who fell for the Demon Prince. She needed to remain my Carmine, the slave, Paladin, and champion who I had a link with for months now.


    I had promised myself that I would take my relationship with my slaves more seriously. In the past, I had pushed Carmine and her sister to the side, but I realized I couldn¡¯t take advantage of people¡¯s feelings like that anymore. My only hope to keep myself from losing everything was to appeal to the Carmine that I knew. She was a girl who valued stuff as much as people. She was a bit shallow and was also vain. However, she did have an inherent desire to protect people, and she genuinely wanted to be a good person.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to this devil¡¯s sweet words, my love!¡± Bernard cried out. ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°Ew.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ I mean¡­ my body and mind feel like they¡¯re being torn apart!¡± Carmine cried out. ¡°Princess Sandra¡­¡±


    ¡°Sophie.¡±


    ¡°Princess Sophie¡­ Carmine¡­ I don¡¯t know who I am. Please, Master¡­ you must tell me all the things you¡¯ll give¡­ ahem¡­ I mean how much you care or I might be lost forever!¡±


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    My mind was filled with rage and worry, so I didn¡¯t see any signs but to take her words at face value. I took a step forward, but Bernard held up his blade menacingly.


    ¡°Stay back!¡±


    ¡°Please! Carmine¡­ I don¡¯t want to be without you!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± She let out a little noise, then covered her mouth. ¡°I mean¡­ I-I think¡­ I love Bernard¡­¡±


    Rage exploded inside me again. ¡°I won¡¯t allow it! I will steal you back, and I will have you, and I will make it so your body responds only to my touch. I will have my way with you until my body is the only thing your body remembers.¡±


    ¡°See¡­ Princess Sophie! He¡¯s a beast! Ah¡­ you¡¯re drooling!¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­ Hah¡­ Ah, s-sorry!¡± Carmine, looked away. ¡°It seems¡­ that I have become Bernard¡¯s love forever. So, Master will just have to do those things¡­¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let him!¡± Bernard screamed, seemingly finally realizing that Carmine was playing with him and shoving her to the side while he lifted his sword. ¡°Ultimate Destruction!¡±


    A surge of power exploded around him, quickly building within his blade. I held up my sword, but his attack was far quicker and polished than I could do, and I had a feeling I wouldn¡¯t be able to block it even as I held up my blade. Without Carmine defending me as a fully armored Paladin, there was no way I could stop this.


    He truly wasn¡¯t holding back at all. All of my anger and frustration finally fluttered out as common sense returned to me. I had been screaming and yelling in an enemy fort, fighting with the Demon Prince over a woman. I started to feel caution again, but Bernard was already racing at me with his sword raised.


    ¡°Oops.¡± Carmine, put out a foot, which Bernard hit as he lunged toward me.


    I sidestepped as the man stumbled and then fell right out the window behind me. He fell out the castle tower and plummeted to the ground with a scream and sudden tremor of thunder as his skill backlashed. When the smoke cleared, I heard a yell.


    ¡°Caarrrrmine!¡± He screamed from down below. ¡°Guards! Get the intruder and kill him!¡±


    ¡°We need to go!¡± I ran out and grabbed Carmine¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Wh-what about all the other stuff¡­¡± She asked, her fingertips pushing together and a face filled with red.


    ¡°No time!¡±


    ¡°Fooey!¡±

 Chapter 719

    I could hear people all around quickly heading up to the chamber. I was a bit surprised after the fuss we had made that they weren¡¯t already upon us. However, when I stepped out into the hall, although I could hear countless demons coming toward us from both directions, I hadn¡¯t seen any yet. If I had Portal, this wouldn¡¯t even be an issue. I¡¯d simply cast the spell and escape with ease. However, I couldn¡¯t teleport.


    ¡°Teleport! Of course!¡±


    The idea hit me immediately. I spun, grabbing Carmine, and then diving into a room right next to the chambers that held the princess. A few moments later, I heard men run by in the hallway, and even kick in the door. However, I had a feeling that they wouldn¡¯t be checking this room at all. I had a feeling that those guards would treat this room like it didn¡¯t even exist.


    ¡°A¡­ safe room?¡± Carmine looked around worriedly.


    ¡°Is your mind clearing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ah! Y-yes!¡± She nodded. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m a Paladin, so the miasma wasn¡¯t affecting me too much in the first place, but I suppose if this was a safe room, then it wouldn¡¯t affect me much in here either.¡±


    Within a safe room, the miasma was repelled. Monsters wouldn¡¯t usually enter this room, and it was a good place to rest up if you were feeling beat. I didn¡¯t know why it existed, but it was a concession that the curses gave those that tried to challenge them. In this case, all of the demons out there wouldn¡¯t notice this room. Only Bernard would be able to see it, and there was a good chance he wasn¡¯t looking for it.


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    It wouldn¡¯t show up on a map, and what person would just randomly check doors while pretending to be the prince? He would trust his soldiers, not even thinking that there was a room that fell out of their perspective. I looked over at Carmine who was looking at the mural with some curiosity. Technically, the mural was about her.


    ¡°If the curse wasn¡¯t affecting you so much, what was all that talk earlier?¡± I asked.


    Carmine blushed. ¡°I told you but you weren¡¯t listening. The curse did infect my heart a bit. You¡¯re right, it was making me feel things that I didn¡¯t before. Once I became aware of it, I was able to cleanse my body of it with one of my Paladin skills.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°However, the effect it had wasn¡¯t to make me have feelings for the Demon Prince.¡±


    ¡°Really? But that was how the story went?¡±


    ¡°The story went that I fell in love with the knight that protected me.¡± Carmine touched the mural that showed the princess in the arms of the demon knight.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but no knight rescued you, I came in and¡­ oh¡­¡± I stopped, closed my mouth.


    ¡°I already have complicated enough feelings when it comes to Master. To suddenly have a curse bullying me into loving you like a helpless princess¡­ it was all I could do to keep from embarrassing myself.¡±


    So, that was ultimately why she was acting the way she was acting.

 Chapter 720

    I nodded slowly as I considered things. Carmine was my slave, and we had both had times where we were close and times when we were apart. I had the Charm Up ability as well as Harem Master, Slave Master, and Affinities for both. Simply put, it was very easy for a girl to fall in love with me. It was something I had been conscious about for some time.


    I had always been worried that the women in my life didn¡¯t have genuine feelings for me. I had told myself things like a person couldn¡¯t control their looks, and if a woman more easily fell in love with something because they were attractive, how did that differ any more than Charm Up? Slave Affinity? At least, when it came to Lydia, Miki, Celeste, Shao, and Terra¡­ I knew their feelings were genuine. They had stood on a stage and shown me they had genuine feelings for me.


    As for Eliana, she was a princess, and wouldn¡¯t be so easily swayed by something like Charm Up. She likely had her means of resisting such a cheap trick. Thus, I also knew her feelings for me were genuine. That¡¯s perhaps why I felt comfortable getting closer to Eliana compared to anyone else.


    When it came to Astria and Elaya, they were powerful creatures, and I was too worried about keeping them under control to even think about something like love. However, when it came to Carmine, Salicia, and even Raissa¡­ I wasn¡¯t so quick to say that what we had was love. I was their Master, and they were my slaves. There could be love there, and attraction, and desire, but that didn¡¯t mean it was at the same level as with the other girls.


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    So, when Carmine was suddenly inflicted with such an overcoming feeling of love, I could understand how it was embarrassing and didn¡¯t match how she felt. Once we left this safe room, those feelings might surge back up again. Where I had some kind of strange control over my karma thanks to my new job, Carmine could only suppress hers. It¡¯d be like a disease with flare-ups, except it¡¯d be emotional flareups that caused her to act more like a princess in love with her knight, than Carmine.


    At least it wouldn¡¯t get to a level where she¡¯d forget her name or something. As a Paladin, there is no way the curse could infect her so strongly. However, from the moment we leave the safe room, her emotional state will be having a tug-a-war with the dungeon curse until we ultimately leave.


    ¡°I meant what I said though.¡± I found myself grabbing Carmine and pulling her to me. ¡°You¡¯re my woman, and I won¡¯t let any other man have you.¡±


    I kissed Carmine. With those thoughts, I hoped to keep her grounded. She gasped as our kiss broke off, but she didn¡¯t collapse against me as the princess might. Instead, she looked at me with a cocked head as if seeing something interesting.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Master, if I may say something. I¡¯m not the only one who has changed. Your personality is a bit different too!¡±

 Chapter 721

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, feeling just a bit confused.


    ¡°First, can you tell me what happened when you were intending to break into the castle,¡± Carmine asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been quite confused for a few days now. The group just disappeared. I received a message that said that everything was okay and to keep doing what I was doing. Salicia was gone, and all of the other girls had left.¡±


    I frowned a bit at that message. Maybe, the girls just didn¡¯t want to worry Carmine. Maybe, they were afraid Carmine would attack and try to free me, so they decided not to tell her what was happening. I decided to explain to her everything that had happened from when we got into Lord Reign¡¯s keep, to how I tried to use Return, and then was captured and tossed into the dungeon alongside the champions as some kind of cruel joke of his.


    I even told her about my new job, my disappearing tattoos, and perhaps the most worrying thing, I could no longer detect her as a slave! As far as I could tell, my connection to Carmine as a slave was gone. Carmine admitted that it was the same with her. She just didn¡¯t feel my presence. It was like when she was in a dungeon and I was outside the dungeon. Our connection was distant and foggy. However, we were right next to each other, so I should have been able to detect her perfectly. The party connection between us worked fine.


    Carmine listened and added when she thought things were relevant. Eventually, she looked up at me with a bit of a serious expression on her face. ¡°I think I can tell you what happened.¡±


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    ¡°You know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only heard of such a thing happening once before. It¡¯s in the archives of the church. It has to do with the origins of our most recent split in the church.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Split? Oh, you mean the church of big breasts versus the church of small breasts? You¡¯re saying there is a story to that?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ the story goes that the Archbishop once battled a powerful demon lord. Her goal was only to keep him distracted long enough for reinforcements. She succeeded. That demon lord used a soul sword and struck the Archbishop down. However, she was a powerful healer, and her soul power was strong. Rather than dying, she managed to keep her soul alive¡­ both halves surviving. However, they were completely split in two.


    ¡°They ended up forming two separate bodies, with two separate personalities. One woman had the breasts, a cool demeanor, and a cunning mind. The other was flat-chested, excitable, and fiery-tempered. However, they were both the Archbishop. At first, they were trying to work on a way to bring themselves back together, but as their studies continued, they became more different and more individualized. The two halves became irrecoverably separated. They refused to turn into one woman again.


    ¡°That fighting continued to grow, eventually turning to how they wanted to run the church. Instead of loving the mother and the child, the larger breasted Archbishop put favoritism on the mother, and lesser importance on the child. They fought relentlessly until they split the church in two. The church of the flat-breasts went south into present-day Esmere and the Ost Republic, while the church of the large chest remained in the area that is now Aberis.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? What does that have to do with me?¡± I asked, getting a sinking feeling.


    ¡°Master, I believe that when you cut free your party to let them return, you also cut off a piece of your soul!¡±

 Chapter 722

    ¡°Are you saying that there is a second me out there?¡±


    ¡°No! No¡­¡± Carmine shook her head. ¡°The Archbishop had an extremely resilient soul and a much stronger constitution than Master¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that when you cut away a piece of soul, you cut away a piece of yourself.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ piece of myself.¡±


    ¡°It would be the parts of you that you wanted to lose. Some would be things that you see as weaknesses, the parts of you that you dislike. The other would be parts of you that were closely connected with your party, although, I think they¡¯d be the same.¡±


    ¡°The parts I want the least are my party?¡±


    ¡°No! I mean, why does one form a party? What are you looking for in those you work with? They are, inherently, there to pick up the slack for your weaknesses. It¡¯s like the things that you find weakest about yourself that are the same things that you rely on your slaves the most for.¡±


    ¡°I guess that kind of makes sense.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m right, then that explains why you¡¯re¡­ different. Do you feel different at all?¡±


    I thought about it for a moment. ¡°I guess, I haven¡¯t been afraid since I¡¯ve come here. I¡¯m also struggling a bit more to make decisions.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s likely that you cut away your fear and your impulsiveness.¡± Carmine agreed. ¡°I¡¯d also say you¡¯ve cut away some of your compassion, and your restraint.¡±


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    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I grabbed her arms.


    She let out a laugh. ¡°It¡¯s kinda funny, you¡¯re less impulsive but less restrained. It may take you longer to make conscious decisions, but when you do something, you do it with a heavy hand.¡±


    I let go of her arm, feeling a bit worried over what she had just said. However, even thinking of doing something about it caused a bit of fear and discomfort to emerge inside my heart.


    ¡°I lost my blessings and my slave connections.¡±


    ¡°Those are the easiest to explain. You would have needed to sever your slave connections to send them back. They were sent back home with the piece of your soul that still had the connection in it. That might be why they didn¡¯t try to rescue you. They may¡­ think you¡¯re dead!¡±


    I spun around. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°All they would have is a piece of your broken soul. If they tried to call the rest of your soul and resurrect you, they would fail. That broken piece will degrade with time. It¡¯s not being eaten away by miasma, but considering how much is left, it might be gone in a month or less.¡±


    I took a calming breath. With time dilation of this dungeon, it will only be three days by the time we¡¯re out. I might still be able to recover it if we¡¯re fast.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure the girls wouldn¡¯t just let it dissipate either.¡±


    That¡¯s right, I had no reason to worry at all. Miki was a nine-tailed fox. She could keep my soul protected indefinitely. The only thing that bothered me was just how much pain my girls might be in knowing I¡¯m gone. See? I still had compassion! Well, it wasn¡¯t to the point where my heart hurt or anything. It felt more like it¡¯d just be unfortunate. Knowing what I knew now, I¡¯d start second-guessing everything if I kept thinking about it. It was best if I just moved on.


    ¡°Master, speaking of which, how do you plan on escaping from this room?¡±


    I put aside my concerns about the missing part of my soul. Right now, we were still trapped in the dungeon. That was what we needed to work on at the moment.


    ¡°First things, first, am I still able to switch positions with a party member?¡± I used my ability, and let out a breath when I saw my position in the room change.


    ¡°Ah¡­ M-master! Don¡¯t do that so quickly without asking!¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­ but at least I know how we can escape.¡±

 Chapter 723

    ¡°So, the kiosk works like any other kiosk. Once we register with it, I can transfer and switch, just like we always did.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ but the last one had some kind of challenge attached to it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s from some guy named Greggar. I¡¯m not sure if he has a relation to the dungeon, or if he was some kind of hero who entered this dungeon before us. Perhaps, he was a Dungeon Builder. Are you familiar with the name?¡±


    Carmine shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, that¡¯s not a name I¡¯m familiar with.¡±


    ¡°Then, I suppose we should get going. Prince Bernard might be able to figure out we¡¯re here, especially if he has Sense Life. Let¡¯s not give him time to consider that.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Together?¡±


    I grabbed her hand, and then the pair of us touched the kiosk together. There was a chance that nothing would happen, and I was kind of hoping that was the case. However, I felt the familiar transportation magic, and a moment later, I was back in that empty room with the door and the kiosk. I looked around when I felt my hand was empty. Spinning around, I had a bad feeling. Carmine wasn¡¯t with me.


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    I had the Linguist job, so I could read the text. I hadn¡¯t even considered what would happen if it took us to different challenge rooms. What would she do if she couldn¡¯t see anything? I felt worried, but once again, it was only a superficial concern. Carmine had to make it through, and even if she failed, hopefully, the worst problem was that she was thrown back out into the real world.


    I walked up to the door, and once against read the text.


    Before you, lay¡¯s one of Greggar¡¯s challenges. If you can complete this challenge, you will be awarded a gift that helps you on your way. If you fail, your bones will rest amongst the Twilight forever.


    Geh¡­ I forgot about that last part. I had to have faith in Carmine though. She¡¯d manage to make it through somehow. That¡¯s when a thought hit me. I pulled a pen and paper out of my Inventory and I wrote a note. Then, leaving it at my feet, I tried another Party Switch. The only reason I knew it worked was that the note I had just written disappeared. Thankfully, Carmine hadn¡¯t tried to go through the door just yet.


    I quickly read her door and wrote down what it said in the common tongue, then I teleported back. I picked up the sheet of paper. There was a tear on it like she tried to use her dagger to write something. In the end, I could see the mark of a kiss on it. She didn¡¯t have a pen, so that was her way of letting me know she saw it. Breathing easier, I went to look at my challenge one more time. I frowned, realizing the text wasn¡¯t the same as it was before.


    Cheaters never prosper. Since you wished to help another on their trial, then you can handle both trials at once!


    ¡°Oh¡­no¡­¡±

 Chapter 724

    The new text was the only thing that was on the door now. Apparently, these challenges were a bit more interactive than I thought if they could detect something like cheating. The worst part though was that it said I had to complete both challenges, but it didn¡¯t tell me what those challenges were. I tried to remember what I had seen. I had written down Carmine¡¯s challenge, so it was in my mind a bit fresher.


    In the darkness, you will walk. Light will not save you. Only a vigilant man can live. Proceed cautiously.


    That sounded a lot like my first challenge! I wondered if these challenges had nothing to do with where you started and everything to do with how many you were done with. The 1st one had to do with sight. Although, in my case, I had to blind myself from horrifying illusions, and in her case, she was blinded by darkness.


    Okay, so I¡¯d be facing some challenge in the dark. However, what was the second hint? I had only barely glimpsed it before I had had the great idea to help her. I managed to only recall one line.


    Keep your eyes open.


    What was with these and eyes? I guessed if the first one was some kind of blindness, then the second one meant you had to see something. If my guess was right, then I¡¯d be shown something I didn¡¯t want to see. Maybe, it¡¯d be a friend being killed. Maybe, it¡¯d be some terrifying monster. Either way, if I looked away, I¡¯d die. I¡¯d have to watch the item steadily, or I¡¯d perish.


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    I took a breath and entered the room. The door shut behind me, plunging me into darkness. Then, I could see something right in front of me. It looked like¡­ it was all just darkness. I started to walk forward, a strange feeling welling up in front of me. I could hear shouts, some of them sounded female and some unpleasant crunching noises, but the entire room was dark. I couldn¡¯t see any of it.


    One mission plunged me in darkness, while the other showed me some horrific vision I had to walk through. Did the maker of this challenge not think things out too well? He decided to punish cheaters with a double challenge but the challenges canceled each other out! I still felt a strange uncomfortableness until I reached the end. There was a flash of light, and then I was on the other side, in the treasure room.


    I couldn¡¯t believe how simple it had been, but I couldn¡¯t deny it either. Their attempt at doubling up my challenges had made them unbelievably easy. I opened up the treasure box and looked inside. Inside the chest was a vial. I picked it up and examined it. It was called Star Potion.


    {Star Potion ¨C a potion created with stardust. Effects unknown.}


    ¡°Hey, what is with this mysterious gift? How can I even use such a thing?¡±


    I was still complaining in my heart as I hit the kiosk and returned to the safe room. I found Carmine already there. She looked like she had been through a bit of a fight. However, she appeared to be holding a bright, shining shield. I guessed that it was called the star shield.


    ¡°I-I thought a simple glow spell would be fine¡­¡± Carmine said tearfully.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re safe.¡± I used the kiosk to transfer to the ruins, then switched with Carmine and did it again.


    Like that, the princess had escaped the keep and the demon prince. Perhaps, it was a little too easy though?

 Chapter 725

    ¡°Where are we going now, Master?¡± Carmine asked after we spent a night at the ruins.


    I walked out and stretched, considering if I should catch another tiger. I didn¡¯t think even that animal could hold both of us on it, so I decided against it. I had left my horse tied by the fort. He was undead, however, so it probably wasn¡¯t a big deal if he stayed there a while. It wasn¡¯t like he was going to starve to death.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to go back to the fort,¡± I explained.


    She was the princess, and the fort was the place she was supposed to return to. However, just bringing her there would change the course of events for this dungeon. The lore would begin to change, and I couldn¡¯t say whether it¡¯d even be possible to satisfy the lore if it didn¡¯t run the same way as the story suggested. The Demon Prince was supposed to take the princess back to his castle, they¡¯d fall in love, and then the humans would attack the demons trying to reclaim her. At least, that¡¯s how the story seemed to be going.


    The other reason I wanted to return to the fort was to see if there was another safe room and Greggar¡¯s test there. I was interested in gaining the next reward. I still had the Star Potion in my hand. I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted to use it or not. There was no guarantee what it would do. I could use God-eye on it, but I wanted to be cautious and not rush things.


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    ¡°Just do it, Master!¡±


    ¡°W-wait! Stop!¡±


    Carmine caught me looking at the bottle with a frown and so she swiped it from my hand and then pinched a bit of fairy dust on it. At this point, it¡¯d be impossible to recover it, so I might as well use God-eye. With a sigh, I used the skill to look at the Star Potion more in-depth.¡±


    {Star Potion ¨C An ancient potion made from stardust and created by a dungeon. It will restore a person to their complete selves, in body, mind, and spirit.}


    ¡°Wait¡­ isn¡¯t this exactly what I needed?¡± I cried out as I read what the God-eye just told me to Carmine.


    ¡°Yes! Master, this might be able to repair your soul. You¡¯ll be back to full strength! It¡¯ll fix the damage of your soul.¡±


    ¡°What about the blessings and my slave connections?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Master.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You¡¯ll just have to try it and see.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Very well.¡±


    I took the potion and popped it open, and then immediately downed the vial in a single motion. It tasted bitter, like cough syrup, but I made sure to drink the entire thing rather than guess at it. A moment later, I could feel a warmth growing throughout my body. My connection to Carmine suddenly returned.


    ¡°I can feel you as my slave again!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s working!¡±


    I suddenly felt something burning and hot around my throat. It felt like the dark magic was fighting back. My eyes bulged as I suddenly felt like I was being choked.


    ¡°Master!¡± I collapsed to the ground as Carmine cried out with worry.


    A moment later, I felt a crack, and then the pressure around my neck disappeared.


    {The dark seal has been broken.}


    ¡°Finally, my true power has been unlocked!¡± I cried out.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I just always wanted to say that.¡±

 Chapter 726

    After the seal broke, not much else happened. I felt like I had more energy and strength, but I didn¡¯t feel any different.


    ¡°Has my personality changed again?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ heads or tails.¡± She flipped a coin.


    ¡°Oh! Um¡­ Uh¡­¡±


    She caught it. ¡°Nope.¡±


    I glowered. ¡°I would have picked it¡­ it would have been¡­ Crap.¡±


    ¡°I was worried that might happen.¡± She admitted. ¡°You were able to heal the damage to your soul, but it¡¯s like regrowing an arm. It¡¯s just not the same.¡±


    She said that like it was a very normal thing to say. I had heard that even arms could be reattached or grown from nothing with the right magic, but as a White Mage, I still hadn¡¯t gotten a spell powerful enough to do it.


    ¡°H-have you ever had to regrow an arm?¡± I asked, suddenly feeling a bit suspicious.


    ¡°No!¡¯ She cried out, blushing. ¡°That.. never happened¡­¡±


    Although she said that, she wasn¡¯t looking me in the eyes.


    ¡°Carmine¡­¡±


    ¡°I just heard from a friend¡­ that it¡¯s never the same. Like it never feels quite like the first arm. That¡¯s not saying it¡¯s worse or better, just that it¡¯s new.¡±


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    I shook my head deciding not to ask any more questions on that, as she already looked sufficiently bullied.


    ¡°Whatever, so you¡¯re saying that the piece of soul I lost is gone now.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it exists, it isn¡¯t a part of you anymore. You have a complete soul once again.¡±


    ¡°Your slave bond restored, but the other girls didn¡¯t¡­¡± I still couldn¡¯t feel them.


    Carmine¡¯s expression grew a bit worried. ¡°I know. It almost felt like my connection to the weaker part of your soul was severed, and then reconnected to you. The other girls are likely too distant, so it was not able to create a connection with them.


    ¡°My blessings are also gone,¡± I said, looking at my arms and legs which were blissfully free from them.


    ¡°You may not ever be able to recover those blessings, Master.¡±


    I took a deep breath but then nodded to myself. The tattoos weren¡¯t exactly something I wanted. As for the benefits they gave me, they did allow me numerous affinities and perks, but I was never terribly comfortable with most of what they gave me, and I often considered them curses as much as blessings. They had forced the girls to remain my slaves, even if they wanted to leave. They had increased their affinity for me, making them feel things that might have exceeded what was natural.


    Although I had accepted their love, and vowed to accept the love of all the women in my life, that didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t always aware of my slave affinity.


    I still had my points, and that was what mattered. Then again, it¡¯d be nice if I had at least one tattoo so I could re-access the dungeon store.


    On that note, I tried to cast a Portal, only for it to fizzle out. I didn¡¯t have my ability to travel out of the dungeon. Even if I had the blessing, giving the strange nature of this dungeon that supposedly sat in a bubble outside of reality, I had no clue how good my Portal was.


    I cast Portal one more time, this time aiming for the fort. The Portal opened without a problem. As long as we were within the same area of a dungeon, it would work. At least we had resolved the issue with walking. Carmine and I took a step through and returned to the fort.

 Chapter 727

    ¡°It¡¯s the princess! Open the gate!¡±


    They were much more open and friendly when I returned with Carmine behind me than previously. We had been seen walking down the path and the skeleton sentry immediately responded. By the time we entered the castle, the Skeleton commander I had met earlier ran down to meet us, an ecstatic look on his face.


    ¡°Drakus¡­ you¡¯ve done it! You¡¯ve saved the princess!¡± He let out a laugh.


    Carmine wore a weak smile and waved as the men all around her cheered. After all, she was a Paladin. Undead was her mortal enemy, and now she was being surrounded and worshipped by them. I hadn¡¯t thought about it earlier, but I perhaps should have checked how she felt about them more before I dragged her into this situation.


    ¡°Drakus, you have prevented a war! For your accomplishments, you will be granted an increase in rank. I will make sure you become a part of the high nobility for sure!¡± The skeleton patted me on the back with an expression that I hoped was a smile.


    ¡°Yes¡­ my lord, however, I¡¯m not sure about preventing a war. The princess was captured by the demons. I had to kill one of their lords to free her.¡± I spoke honestly.


    ¡°Hmph! Do they think they can just bully us like that? Well, we have the upper hand now. We¡¯ve been planning an attack against them for some time now. Perhaps, we should use this opportunity to begin our invasion. I¡¯m afraid that our men just aren¡¯t fired up enough for war.¡±


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    I winced at those words. This battleground seemed to be at a standstill for a while. The humans and demons had been gathering their forces. However, when the Demon Prince took the princess, that had finally given the humans the courage needed to begin their assault. If the princess wasn¡¯t taken, then we were back to this standstill. I didn¡¯t know what to make of it.


    ¡°Yes, Commander, it was dreadful.¡± I suddenly found Carmine clinging to my arm. ¡°We barely managed to make it out of there alive!¡±


    Her voice was slightly different, and she was starting to exude the attitudes of the princess once again. She had been in a safe room all night, so the miasmic curse was kept at bay. It seemed like as soon as we left, her curse started to reinsert itself a bit. I nudged her, and Carmine blinked. She closed her eyes and put her hands together, muttering a spell. It was the purification spell. It¡¯d keep her mind clear, but it looked like she wouldn¡¯t be able to completely escape what the karmic curse was doing to her.


    That was something I had already expected. What I needed to think about now was what to do to instigate the war. We still needed to attack the demon castle. It was the only way for us to escape this dungeon.


    Just as I started considering our options, there was a loud horn that sounded from outside.


    A man on the wall let out a shout. ¡°An army! It¡¯s the demons! They¡¯re attacking!¡±


    It looked like I didn¡¯t need to consider anything at all. Bernard decided to act on his own and start the first attack.

 Chapter 728

    Battle didn¡¯t begin right away. Their army ended up surrounding our fort, and a small group came out, demanding to speak to the commander. Rather than show myself, I decided to remain low. I had a feeling Bernard had a way of detecting me inside the keep. I had advised the commander to pretend the princess wasn¡¯t there, but for some reason, he wasn¡¯t willing to do that. Perhaps, it was the will of the dungeon that we couldn¡¯t deceive them in that way.


    ¡°What are you doing, surrounding our fort! This act of aggression is unacceptable!¡± The commander shouted as soon as he appeared on the wall.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so na?ve commander. Skirmishes have been breaking out along our borders for years! It was only a matter of time till one side made a move!¡±


    ¡°And so, you have decided to show your true colors, is it?¡± The commander wasn¡¯t just talking to the demon, but he was trying to incite the morale of his troops too.


    Everyone in both armies could hear them yelling back and forth. The commander on the skeleton side wanted to make it abundantly clear who was at fault. His men would be filled with indignant rage, and the demon side would know that every death that followed was because of their hubris. I felt like I could learn a few things about leadership from these guys. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was in charge, I could motivate a troop in quite the same way.


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    ¡°Will you stop hugging me so close,¡± I asked.


    ¡°I refuse!¡± Carmine said, nestling her chest around my arm.


    ¡°You never acted this way before. You¡¯re making the skeletons soldiers feel awkward.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡±


    At first, I had feared that the princess would be revealed to be Carmine, especially with her fighting the karma and using spells to diminish its control on her. However, it seemed like in the mind of these soldiers, she had already become the princess in body and spirit. That princess was still acting extremely affectionate with her savior, causing more than a few brows to furrow. I understood that this was a result of the dungeon too. The princess fell in love with the man who saved her. I saved her, so she was in love with me. It still felt a little awkward to see Carmine acting so affectionate though.


    ¡°We want the princess returned to us, or we will attack!¡±


    ¡°Returned? She is the human princess! How ridiculous! You failed to kidnap her the first time, and now you want us to just give her back?¡±


    Even the commander was incredulous by this statement. If Bernard was the one pushing this though, and he wasn¡¯t completely controlled by the dungeon, then he likely didn¡¯t care about the rules of the dungeon. He wasn¡¯t attacking to set the dungeon right again, but because of his desires. Thinking about it, I didn¡¯t realize my arm had wrapped around Carmine¡¯s hip and held her closer to me, an act that caused her to grow a pleasing smile.


    ¡°This is not a request! This is an ultimatum! You have until tonight. Tonight, we will attack your fort, kill all of your men, and claim your princess. If you give her up now, we will allow you to live!¡±

 Chapter 729

    ¡°Pure bullying!¡± The commander came off the wall and cursed as he approached the pair of us. ¡°The demons have truly gone too far this time!¡±


    He didn¡¯t not notice how close we were holding each other, but other than a twitch, he didn¡¯t say anything and pretended to notice nothing.


    ¡°What about the other skele- I mean, humans?¡±


    The man who gave me his Karma, Drakus, seemed to be aware he was a skeleton, but everyone else in this undead fort seemed to be acting like they were humans, so I wasn¡¯t sure if I should call them humans or skeletons. I decided it was best to just keep calling them humans. It made it easier to remember what side I was on.


    ¡°Reinforcements?¡± He asked. ¡°Regrettably, I didn¡¯t anticipate such a swift retaliation. You had barely walked through the door when they did this attack. They must have sent their men immediately after. You had to realize they were on your heels the entire time, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ actually¡­ we returned a different way¡­¡± I scratched my neck. ¡°Wait! That¡¯s right! That gives me an idea!¡±


    The commander cocked his head. ¡°You have a plan to help us get reinforcements?¡±


    ¡°Better! Oh¡­ but, I need to check a map of our fort first.¡± I responded, hoping he didn¡¯t find it too suspicious.


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    ¡°You were the man who saved our princess¡­¡± He responded after a moment of silence. ¡°Get me a map!¡±


    Once he gave me the map, I opened it up and copied the contents to my Map. Then, I put it on a table and started talking.


    ¡°Okay¡­ here¡¯s what we are going to do¡­¡±


    After finishing my plan, the commander had a slight grin on his face. ¡°If you can do that, then this will be a huge blow to them. You¡¯ll get a promotion after this!¡±


    Didn¡¯t he already offer me a promotion? Well, anyway, I sent him on his way excitedly, and then I left with Carmine still holding on to me. This trip didn¡¯t have anything to do with the mission, but I made it sound like it did. We were looking for a door that didn¡¯t belong. It took about thirty minutes, but we still had plenty of time before the demons would launch their attack.


    I found a door that didn¡¯t appear to have a room on the Map. I pushed inside to find another safe room. I nodded my head. I had been almost certain that if the other fort had one, this had one as well. This had been what I was looking for when I stumbled on this fort in the first place. Shortly after entering the safe room, Carmine removed her grasp on my arm and took a step away.


    ¡°Apologies, Master¡­¡± She said, her head lowered, blushing.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­¡± I waved it away. ¡°It¡¯s kind of nice to see you express yourself in that way.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what are you saying?¡± She grew very flustered by my words.


    I decided not to say anything in response. I had meant that she usually acted conceited and full of herself, and made unreasonable demands. Strangely enough, the princess seemed to be lower demand than the Paladin. If I said that, though, I¡¯d need to push her out of the saferoom to keep her from making me pay for that comment.

 Chapter 730

    ¡°Before we continue, perhaps it would be a good idea to get rid of your karmic infection with Ablution.¡±


    Carmine¡¯s eyes widened sharply. ¡°You had a skill that can resolve this? Why didn¡¯t you use it sooner?¡±


    I coughed awkwardly. I didn¡¯t want to say that my sudden cure had been so sudden I hadn¡¯t thought of it and that we had been busy up until now. Besides, she had been handling it herself, so I didn¡¯t think about it.


    I raised my hand. ¡°Ablution!¡±


    Carmine glowed with a white light, and after a moment, she opened her eyes. ¡°Is it better?¡±


    ¡°It should be.¡±


    With that resolved, I turned to the kiosk. Carmine followed me.


    ¡°You said something about some kind of challenge?¡±


    ¡°Since I am able to translate the text, and you¡¯re not, it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t try to finish this challenge.¡± I explained.


    ¡°I am capable of translating,¡± Carmine said, causing me to glance over at her in surprise.


    ¡°What? Do you think that a Paladin isn¡¯t prepared the translate obscure text? Did you forget how we met?¡±


    I suddenly remembered that she had been researching Terra¡¯s dungeon. Terra was pretty foggy on how long she had been buried in that dungeon. It predated Aberis, both the country and the demon lord. When I got specifics though, she grew vaguer. She was aware of Shei Gescar, and she knew her parents had even come from there. However, she couldn¡¯t even confirm if they were living in Osteria at the time, the country that existed before the Aberis and the Ost Republic.


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    However, one thing was for sure, considering Carmine was there planning to break through an ancient dungeon and take control of an age-old clockwork dragon, she had to have some means of translating ancient texts. I seemed to recall meeting her while she was piling through books reading. Could it be that Carmine was a bit of an academic? I had completely forgotten about that aspect of her, but if she had been church educated her entire life, she had to be pretty smart, right?


    ¡°Master, the way you¡¯re looking at me irritates me slightly. Maybe I should leave the safe room for a bit and recover that loving personality you seem to like so much.¡±


    ¡°Nothing!¡± I coughed. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s good you have some means of translating the demonic text. I was just surprised that you didn¡¯t get the Linguist job as a result.¡±


    ¡°You spent a lot of time teaching Miki to read, and she also didn¡¯t gain the job.¡± Carmine shrugged. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a lot stranger that master seems to pick up so many jobs with ease? I wonder¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Most people have a very clear path, with most jobs being the advancement of previous jobs, plus an occasional honorary job or hobby on the side. Only Master seems to have such a hodgepodge of jobs. Is it because you¡¯re from a different world with a different education system? Or¡­ is it because of Master¡¯s inability to commit to a career that leaves him with no specific clear job path?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± At first, I thought she was saying something nice about how I was special, but suddenly it seemed like I was a NEET or something.


    I wasn¡¯t a NEET! I was the lord of a country! Besides, my abilities were supportive, so it was good that I had a lot of them. It made me multi-facetted in my skills. I was a jack-of-all-trades! It wasn¡¯t because I was indecisive!


    However, the longer I thought about it, the more depressed I got. To distract me, I decided to forget about my woes and check out the mural that depicted the next part of the story. I had not expected anything exciting when I glanced up at it, but when I saw what was drawn, I could only let out a noise.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Carmine asked, growing just a bit concerned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand the dungeon lore at all,¡± I said, scratching my chin.

 Chapter 731

    I continued to stare at the mural for a solid minute, a frown on my face.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Carmine asked. ¡°Some army? The demons attacking the skeletons? This is known.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°This is the demons surrounding this fort. This mural depicts the demons attacking this fort with the expressed intent of reclaiming you¡­ well, the princess.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So, the last mural had the Demon Prince come in and rescue you from that noble and then spirit you off to the capital. That didn¡¯t happen. In other words, the lore that was revealed in the previous fort didn¡¯t happen. This mural wouldn¡¯t have come true unless I had already prevented that mural from coming true.¡±


    ¡®What are you saying?¡¯


    ¡°Either, the story somehow already anticipated my actions, or the murals are being created upon discovering the safe rooms. Perhaps, the lore of this dungeon has already degraded too much that the story is no longer cohesive. Maybe¡­ the story is being written as we act it out.¡±


    ¡°What about this last part?¡± She asked, pointing to the end of the mural.


    ¡°If I¡¯m right, then the story will continue to twist and change as we participate in it. It won¡¯t just be me and you, but the others who had entered this dungeon as well, such as Bernard. Every one of our actions could cause the lore to change. When we look at a mural, we¡¯re seeing what will happen next, presuming there is no interference.


    ¡°In this case, the fort will fall tonight, and you will be taken.¡± I pointed to the flaming fort, and the princess seemingly being carried away by a crowd of demons.


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    ¡°I see¡­¡± She spoke quietly. ¡°Is it that way for all dungeons? I mean, that the mural doesn¡¯t generate until the safe room is seen for the first time.¡±


    ¡°In my old world, there is a game called ¡®telephone¡¯,¡± I answered instead. ¡°One person whispers a word into the next person¡¯s ear who whispers into the next person¡¯s ear. Eventually, someone misunderstands the message or gets something wrong, and then it becomes diluted. By the time the last person delivers the message, it no longer was what the original message meant.¡±


    ¡°Your children play strange games. We just liked to battle with sticks or throw balls.¡±


    I ignored her and continued. ¡°Lore, or the dungeon curse, or however you want to see it, might work on a similar principle. Like souls, when it¡¯s not solidly bound in place like when a soul sits in a body or a story is written on a page, it is prone to alteration, degradation, and destruction. New lore gets incorporated into the old, and things become half-remembered, exaggerated, or glorified. If this dungeon is as old as they say, it¡¯s possible that the lore degraded to the point that it doesn¡¯t even remember it¡¯s own story.


    ¡°In other dungeons, people visit them, and they visit the safe room, and once the story is written in a mural, it¡¯s recorded, and those recordings don¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I get it.¡±


    ¡°They have a saying if a tree falls in a forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? I¡¯m just saying if no one is there to learn the story, does it exist? Perhaps, that is why unfinished stories become a blight on the world, so they become known. Those that aren¡¯t known are forgotten. As for this one¡­ it¡¯s so old that it has to fill in the pieces with our actions, hence the karmic curse.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I have no clue what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ in the end, it¡¯s just words. Dungeons are a force of nature in this world. You might know basically why a tornado works, or how the rain falls, but being able to predict every weather anomaly with accuracy is a fool¡¯s game.¡±


    ¡°Someone once told me that rain fell because of water sprites and tornados from angry wind gnomes. That¡¯s correct. Right, master?¡±


    ¡°¡­yeah, exactly¡­¡±

 Chapter 732

    ¡°Alright, then, if you¡¯re confident in taking on the challenge, I won¡¯t stop you.¡± I said to Carmine.


    In truth, it would have been smart to take her to the previous challenge as well and see what she got out of that. However, we didn¡¯t have that much time. It was already past noon, and the attack would come tonight. The commander was busy getting his army ready, but we needed to move sooner rather than later, or the mural on the wall would end up becoming a reality.


    I wondered what would happen if we perished in the challenge. Would the karma disappear with us? I suppose I could return to the dungeon¡­ or the lore could be corrupted even more and the story would rewrite itself to cut out those characters. In that respect, I imagined my role as being a lot less vital than the roles of the princess or the Demon Prince. I couldn¡¯t even imagine the story continuing without the pair of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready, Master.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you on the other side.¡±


    The pair of us touched the orb, and I once again ended up in the familiar challenge room. I didn¡¯t have any reason to look around, so I approached the door and read the new contents of the door. I wondered if Carmine was reading something similar to the last challenge I had done, or if it¡¯d be similiar to this challenge. I had informed her of what I had to do last time, and how I thought they were similar themes depending on the order of the challenges.


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    Survive!


    I blinked. That wasn¡¯t a rhyme at all! Yet, somehow, it ended up a dozen times more foreboding. What did survive mean? Survive could mean hot magma was poured on top of my head and I had to live. It could mean that I was tossed underwater, or thrown into the vacuum of space. Survive could mean I¡¯d face anything!


    As I contemplated every single thing I would need to survive against, I realized the list was large enough that I could write a novel about it. More than that, already an hour had passed as I stared frozen. Why did I cut away my impulsiveness? At this point, Carmine was probably finished and convinced I was dead. No, she had the bond. I could still feel her, and if I wanted to Party Switch, I could do that as well. However, the fort would be attacked, and if I was busy still standing here, then Carmine would face an ugly fate.


    I had already once let her get attacked for nearly five minutes because I didn¡¯t want to rush into things. It was starting to get to the point where it felt debilitating. I just needed to not think about it! I closed my eyes and shoved my way through the door. After all, I couldn¡¯t go back. My only option was to go forward.


    As soon as my feet ended up on the other side of the door, I looked up to see an arena. It reminded me a bit of the arena that the gladiatorial match was held at, except that it appeared in a cave, with a roof of rock and low seating. At that moment, a monster burst out the other end. It looked a bit like a giant pigman. It wore some armor and it had a sword. As soon as it saw me, it charged.


    I tossed out a Fireball, having not had the chance to cast one earlier. It struck the pigman with ease. A pleasing smell of bacon filled the room, which when I saw the burning pigman collapse to the floor, became a little nauseating, I barely had time to take a breath, and two more pigmen appeared.


    ¡°I see¡­ so it¡¯s one of those tests¡­¡± I unsheathed my sword and began to fight.

 Chapter 733

    The two pigmen were not much harder than the first. I didn¡¯t really want to have to deal with the smell, so I took these guys out with my sword. They were pretty smelly up close, so it didn¡¯t help that much. The next group was four. I had a sinking feeling that this was going to continue to grow exponentially. Survive indeed.


    A thought came to me, one that I probably would have never allowed myself to have before I had lost a piece of my soul. I killed three of the monsters, and while keeping the fourth back using various tricks, I dragged the remaining three to one side of the arena. Then, I finished him off. In the next round, eight appeared as expected. I burned several skills to kill several of the pigmen as quickly as possible. Then, with the remaining, I took my time picking them off until one remained. Then, I repeated what I did the previous time.


    Sixteen pigmen were the first time I started to feel some genuine pressure. I was firing off skills, and I could feel my mana draining quickly. I even had to heal from a few painful blows. If the star potion hadn¡¯t restored all of my abilities, I definitely might have fallen in this round. Like before, I killed all but one and then started dragging the bodies. At this point, it was rather obvious what I was doing. On the opposite side from where the pigmen spawned, I started stacking their bodies up like a wall. They were currently three pigmen high, which given their large bodies, rose to about my chest.


    When thirty-two spawned, I fought from behind my impromptu shelter of bodies. They managed to eventually get through the wall of bodies, but they weren¡¯t able to surround me, and I was able to kill enough that I managed to finish them off. With one remaining again, I began to rebuild my fort of bodies. If this was the same, the next round would be sixty-four. Although I had a five-foot wall and I even had a blessing cast on my fort of corpses, I worried the next round would be too much.


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    Thus, I took out a clip and blocked my nose, then using Fire Control, I killed the last pigmen and set the wall on fire. The pigmen were very afraid of fire, and it worked splendidly. Best of all, sixty-four pigmen were more than enough to fill all the ones I had burned in the previous round. After taking out sixty-three of them, an act that left me extremely exhausted, I thought about keeping this one trapped and resting. No¡­ I had to be reaching the end. 128 would be the final round! I knew it!


    Taking all of the energy I had, I reassembled my fort or corpses, killed the last pigmen, and then 128 spawned. 128 pigmen were a lot more than I realized. It wasn¡¯t until I saw it up close I realized just how screwed I was. They began to descend on me with a frightful quickness. I cursed as I realized I forgot to set the wall on fire. Just as I started to set it, they had already burst through the wall. A hundred pigmen descended on me.


    They all suddenly disappeared moments before reaching me, including the bodies on the floor. The door on the other side of the arena clicked.


    ¡°Huh? The time limit was reached?¡±


    It was then that I realized that the challenge said to survive, not defeat, conquer, or win. I only had to survive for a certain length of time. That meant, had I just restrained the first pigmen and took a nap, I¡¯d have won just as quickly. I collapsed to the ground and let out a groan. I wanted to punch this Greggar guy if I ever met him.

 Chapter 734

    Walking out into the treasure room, I opened up the next chest and reached inside. I ended up pulling out a gauntlet. It wasn¡¯t something that I would wear. It was clear white, shiny, and made of metal. It wasn¡¯t like I was trying to typecast myself or something. Just because I was a White Mage didn¡¯t mean that I needed to wear robes or something. I¡¯d happily wear the most protective armor out there. That usually ended up being light leather armor though, as anything else just got in my way too much and became intrusive.


    Most of the girls with me agreed, even Terra who would rather take hits with her regenerative body than an armor that had to be maintained. The only girl I knew who liked to wear heavy armor like this, well, that would be Carmine, right?¡± I used the kiosk and returned to the safe room.


    ¡°Master, what took so long!¡± Carmine cried, standing up as soon as I walked in the door.


    ¡°I got this for you,¡± I said instantly, holding out the gauntlet.


    ¡°Ah! M-master!¡± Her eyes shined as she saw the new piece of armor.


    It was a Star Gauntlet which told me that there must be an entire star set of weapons and armor and that we¡¯d eventually obtain the whole thing. I didn¡¯t want to explain how I had stupidly put my life on the line because I wasn¡¯t able to read carefully. Instead, I had used the gift as a distraction, and it seemed to have worked splendidly. Carmine looked at it in admiration before she finally put the gauntlet on. She then gestured to her side and lifted a similarly white and shiny helmet that looked like it¡¯d be very reflective in battle.


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    ¡°I got a helmet! Soon, I¡¯ll have a whole new set of armor.¡±


    There were fifty of these trials, and so we had 48 to go. I couldn¡¯t imagine another 48 sets of armor, so I wondered what else would appear in these trials. I was more interested in other things like the star potion. Then again, I had to keep my eyes on the main prize. We had to escape this dungeon. Ultimately, nothing else mattered but our escape.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I gave the command, and the two of us left the safe room.


    Once we left, I heard her mumbling a spell. It must have been her purification spell again.


    ¡°You¡¯re not cured?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± She frowned.


    I shook my head. ¡°It was Mimic then.¡±


    When I used Ablution, I had unlocked Mimic and gained Karmic Espionage. Ultimately, that¡¯s what allowed me to be okay. After all, I hadn¡¯t gotten rid of Drakus¡¯s karmic infection. It was still a part of me, which is why everyone thought I was him. I checked, and she did not get the job Mimic. After all, you had to manipulate your own karmic debt to gain it.


    At least, there were places she could recover her mind. I was really happy that I had unlocked my strange job. Otherwise, I would have been constantly battling between being this Drakus guy. I met him, and I didn¡¯t envy him. I still didn¡¯t even really know his place in the story. Was he meant to die in that ambush, or was that not something that originally happened?


    Did any of it matter? It seemed like this story was now rewriting itself as it went, including us as actors in the story. I guess we really would end up having to rewrite the lore of this dungeon if we wanted any hope of escaping.


    ¡°Drakus! You have returned. Are you ready to begin?¡± The fort commander asked.


    I nodded, ¡°Assemble the troops, it¡¯s time we started this campaign against the demons.¡±

 Chapter 735

    ¡°Is everything ready?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I have every troop we can spare without showing any weakness in our defenses. It¡¯s best if we move quickly though.¡±


    I nodded and lifted my hand, creating a Portal. ¡°Then, please go.¡±


    ¡°I never realized you were a Blue Mage, Drakus.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s just an artifact I found in a dungeon once.¡± I came up with that lie on the spot.


    He nodded, accepting this without question. ¡°After we succeed in conquering this fort, you will be promoted for sure!¡±


    That was the third time he had promised me a promotion, so I wondered if they were additive or if he just kept forgetting he had already promised to put me in for a promotion. It didn¡¯t matter, but it might be easier if I had a higher place in the army to wage this battle. The commander didn¡¯t give me any time to ask such questions, as he immediately stepped into the Portal. He was the first to go, and it showed his trust toward me. A dozen more skeletons began to enter the Portal. More and more came from behind them. There were one hundred and fifty men in this courtyard, and I decided to be the last to enter, although it didn¡¯t seem to be necessary to hold the Portal open.


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    I could close the Portals when I wanted to with a thought on either side. They closed as soon as I stopped delivering mana to them. They did take quite a bit of mana, but compared to the amount used to initially open them, the loss of holding them open was only at the amount that I lost mana at a trickle. I could probably keep a gate open for hours if I had to. I could make them bigger too, but it required more initial mana and more to maintain it, so it was always a tradeoff. The current size was just big enough for a single man on horseback to go through at a time.


    Even with just one hundred and fifty, it took nearly fifteen minutes before they were all through the portal. Carmine and I were the only two left in the courtyard. I had worried if Bernard had some way of telling if we were in this fort. If he did and he felt us leave, would he suddenly attack this fort or return to his own? I didn¡¯t know. It would just have to be a gamble. I had considered leaving Carmine behind for this reason, but given how the Karma was affecting her, I couldn¡¯t trust her to put up a fight against Bernard. Karmically, she was supposed to resist that demon noble from earlier, but she wasn¡¯t supposed to resist Benard, so there was no saying what would happen. If he succeeded in kidnapping her, would the karma correct itself and she¡¯d end up falling for him? I just didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°My lord¡­¡± Carmine grabbed my arm.


    ¡°I see the miasma is affecting you again.¡± I sighed. ¡°I suppose I won¡¯t leave you behind after all.¡±


    She blushed but didn¡¯t say anything. She still had her wits about her, so it wasn¡¯t like she thought she was the princess. However, she was inclined to act like the princess, which was something far too subtle to resist. This princess was now attached to me karmically and saw me as her white knight who she must stay near. That was simply the nature of things now.

 Chapter 736

    I led Carmine into the Portal. She also didn¡¯t wear her armor today, including the new helmet and gauntlet. While those things might appeal to the Paladin Carmine, her princess side wouldn¡¯t wear something like that, even for her protection. Instead, she wore an elaborate dress that seemed to have been provided by the fort. We had only parted for a bit after leaving the safe room, but she had time to find a new outfit, do up her hair, and even apply makeup.


    The more I saw Carmine in a dress, the more I was starting to like her displays of femininity. It reminded me of the first time I had ever seen her before she had revealed she was a Paladin. Once I had pushed her into service, she was always wearing her armor. I had a theory that the armor she wore was to protect her from her sister. In full body armor, Salicia couldn¡¯t grab or touch her inappropriately.


    Since her sister wasn¡¯t around now, I wondered if her desire to dress up and look pretty was entirely motivated by the princess. This might have been just the only time she could look nice around me without her sister getting involved. I shook my head at that thought. Even if she did want to look pretty around me, her armor was important to her. She was lowering her combat ability by doing what she was doing, and that didn¡¯t fit my image of Carmine at all.


    While thinking such things, the pair of us entered the Portal, and on the other side, we were back in a familiar fort. However, this wasn¡¯t the fort of the skeletons, but the fort of the demons! Since I had been in the building, I could naturally create a Portal right into the hallways and past all their defenses. While the majority of their troops were busy preparing to attack our walls, we¡¯d ransack and conquer their fort. This was the perfect way to demoralize their troops and cut off their support.


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    Meanwhile, once we¡¯d sent for reinforcements. Even if Bernard did attack and manage to get through the gate, we¡¯d all just escape back to his fort. They¡¯d experience heavy casualties and they¡¯d end up with basically nothing. Once on the other side of the Portal, I could hear distant fighting. The demons who had remained behind were now being routed out of their castle.


    ¡°The commander is in trouble!¡± A skeleton ran up to us and shouted.


    I nodded and followed him. The group of us ran down several hallways until we came out into a courtyard. There seemed to be an embanked group of elites still holding out. The commander was fighting against three men, while there was a mage sitting out too. I went to help the commander, but as I was moving, my eyes landed on the mage, and I realized this was a mistake. The princess had followed us into the courtyard, and as soon as the mage saw her, his eyes gleamed happily.


    Whatever spell he was casting he completed, but instead of launching it at us, he launched it at her. It was a powerful lighting strike. In her armor, or even with a shield, she¡¯d be fine, but the current Carmine didn¡¯t act with that kind of common sense. She let out a cry and covered herself.


    ¡°Princess!¡±


    The commander used some kind of skill that caused him to disappear from his spot and reappear on the other side of the courtyard in front of Carmine. The lightning bolt struck him instead of her, and he went flying against the wall, his body breaking apart as he struck it. The Commander had just received a fatal blow!

 Chapter 737

    As I was going to give the Commander backup, I suddenly found myself facing three enemies on my own. As for the mage, he was already starting to cast his next spell. Realizing I didn¡¯t have time to focus on him, I sent a fireball flying his way. Since I didn¡¯t have Magician equipped, I didn¡¯t have Fireball. I did, however, have enough ability with Fire Control that I could send the equivalent of a Fireball out. If it struck head-on, it might just be enough to burn someone, but only barely.


    Compared to a true Fireball spell, which took some time to cast, it was both weak and pointless. However, any living being would have to react to a fireball like it was a real one. If he guessed wrong, its strength might be enough to cause him to lose his head. No one would bet their life on a split-second decision, and thus the mage jumped out of the way and broke off his spell. Even so, casting that with my level of Fire Control not supported by the job system, it hit my mana. It used a good tenth of it, which was almost as much as opening the Portal and keeping it open for that entire length of time. That was the difference between the efficiency of a job skill and attempting to do it from memory.


    That said, eventually, with enough practice, my Fire Control could theoretically reach a point where it worked clearer and more efficiently than the job skill offered. At that point, I¡¯d be a magic master though, and forcing Fire Control spells wouldn¡¯t be something I¡¯d be dwelling too much time on. I supposed that was the one weakness of having so many jobs and rapidly leveling. Carmine had said it herself. Where normal people focused on a single job, maybe with a hobby on the side, honing and perfecting it over a lifetime, I was just layering jobs on top of jobs. I had a feeling it was not how this system was set up to function.


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    Either way, skills were what I had, and after taking the star potion, I no longer had the restriction put upon me by that demon lord. I blinded the demons with Dark Light, which was a flash of blackness that left them unable to see. I then used a Shadow Step mixed with a Dark Slash, taking out one of them right away. The others let out cries as they jumped back.


    At the moment, I had True Hero, Hero, Dark Knight, and Mimic equipped. Mimic was allowing me to continue my Karmic Espionage. I was afraid that if I gave it up, I¡¯d no longer be Drakus in the mind of these soldiers, so I had to sacrifice a job to that ability. With Moderate Swordsmanship and Basic Weapon Proficiency, I was pretty skilled at fighting as well. I was eagerly awaiting Advanced Swordsmanship and Moderate Weapon Proficiency though, as I never felt quite as good as my opponents. If I didn¡¯t have higher stats and more skills, I felt like I would lose.

 Chapter 738

    ¡°How does he have Demonic Knight skills!¡±


    ¡°Who is this guy?¡±


    The two remaining guys were confused that I was able to keep casting Knight skills. Not just Knight skills, but Demonic Knight skills. It seemed like using miasma compared to mana was considered a demon¡¯s ability. Mana was associated with the light races, and miasma was associated with the dark races. I supposed there was some kind of great question about the nature of the universe given this duality, but I wasn¡¯t going to discover it while battling for my life on this day.


    ¡°Dark lightning!¡± The magician cast a spell at me, apparently using a Dark Mage ability this time.


    An idea came to me that I wanted to try. Since I had Mimic, I was curious about what other abilities I could do with it. I activated Karmic Espionage, and then pushed my karma out into the soldier I was engaged with and then leaped back. In short, I gave him my karma. I saw a sign informing me I was no longer Drakus. To anyone else from the dungeon, it might appear like our bodies suddenly switched places.


    The lightning suddenly arced to the right and hit the surprised soldier instead. I performed a True Strike just as he was incapacitated by the lightning, and I took his life. I also reclaimed the karma almost instantly. The lightning attack he had used was targeted. That was an important aspect of making this work. He locked on to me as a target to ensure it didn¡¯t miss. So, when I gave him the karma the lightning ended up targeting him instead.


    It was a pretty exhausting ability, and I wondered if I had stumbled on something that had a less taxing skill later on down the mimicry line. It¡¯d be like using Fire Control to make a fireball before I unlocked Fireball. Technically, it was possible, but it was also sloppy and partially just luck that it succeeded.


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    ¡°Charge!¡±


    At this point in the battle, reinforcements arrived. Another ten men entered the courtyard. The soldier and magician, now completely outnumbered, tried to turn tail and run, but they were quickly overrun and cut down in their spots. I stumbled over to the commander, feeling completely exhausted after my rapid use of skills. With my life on the line, I probably could have finished the battle, but it would have been close there. Three elite knights and a mage appeared to be my limit. Although, I imagined if most other men said that, they would likely be accused of gloating.


    The commander was now sitting up, his head leaning against the wall. Carmine was taking care of him, but he didn¡¯t seem to be doing well.


    ¡°I¡¯d heal you, but I have a feeling healing would only damage you more,¡± I admitted.


    My Dark Priest ability hadn¡¯t unlocked anything that helped the undead yet. Maybe, there wasn¡¯t anything. I was thinking of necromancy, which was another job entirely. Still, the jobs seemed like they might have some things in common like a White Mage and a Priest did.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­¡± The commander said, gasping for breath despite not having lungs¡­ or a chest. ¡°I only wish¡­ I could have¡­ given¡­ you a promotion¡­¡±


    His head fell to the side, and the light in his eyes went out. The commander died. Carmine had tears in her eyes, but I knew they came from the princess, and not Carmine, who would have no feelings about this commander one way or another.


    I sighed, reaching out to grab him, intending to carry him to a spot where he could rest. At that moment, miasma suddenly shot out of his body and into my fingers. It didn¡¯t invade my heart or mind, but instead, immediately went to the spot I was storing karma.


    {Commander Stone¡¯s Karma has been absorbed. You can now assume the identity of Commander Stone.}


    ¡°Huh?¡± I set it immediately in wide-eyed wonder.


    A moment later, one of the reinforcements came up behind me and saluted. ¡°Commander! The fort is ours! What is your next order?¡±


    It looked like he had managed to give me that promotion after all.

 Chapter 739

    ¡°Carmine, just out of curiosity, has your¡­ feelings for me changed at all?¡±


    Carmine cocked her head questioningly. ¡°No? Are you talking about the princess?¡±


    ¡°Yes? I¡¯m the commander of this place now, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you always been?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She blinked and then shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s right, you weren¡¯t. My feelings for you are the same though. It¡¯s like¡­ the two different people in my mind merged into one.¡±


    So, I appeared to have the karma of Drakus, but I also had the karma of Commander Stone placed on top of it. In a way, I was both and I was neither. I guessed if there were any inconsistencies, they were reconciled when I absorbed the Karma.


    I stood up and turned to the men. Before, they had looked at me more or less as equals. There was respect as the man who rescued the princess and was close in confidence with the Commander, but now it was the respect of a superior and leader. Like that, I had taken over the troops of this fort.


    ¡°Send out scouts. Demand reinforcements!¡±


    ¡°Already done, sir.¡±


    ¡°Right, um¡­ make the fort secure. Tell me how many you need, to keep it protected, and then I¡¯ll send the rest to our fort.¡±


    ¡°My lord, we don¡¯t want to push on?¡±


    ¡°Push on?¡±


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    ¡°We are now behind enemy lines. The demons won¡¯t see us coming. This fort would have been their advanced warning, but none survived to give a warning. With the princess safe, I say we let them attack the fort thinking they are protected. Once they break through the walls, I say we destroy our fort using a powerful spell that will take out as many of their men as possible. While that is going on, we then launch an attack at the next fort, bringing it down and further stranding the Demonic Prince. We can then send our reinforcements to hunt him down. If we can capture him, then we¡¯ll be able to use him as leverage as we continue the attack.¡± The skeleton explained in a clear, concise voice.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Captain Bones, sir.¡±


    ¡°Bones¡­¡± I coughed. ¡°Ah¡­ ahem, good name!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±


    ¡°In that case, Mr. Bones, please send the orders. We¡¯ll be setting up to destroy the other fort. In the meantime, have our men wear enemy armor on the walls, so no one will notice that we¡¯ve taken over the fort.¡±


    ¡°We should leave soon, my lord.¡±


    ¡°Not necessary,¡± I responded. ¡°Just get the men ready. When the time comes, I will transport them over to the next fort to attack.¡±


    ¡°My lord?¡±


    ¡°Find me the highest-ranking demon in this place and bring me his body.¡±


    If I could absorb karma, maybe I could appear to be a high-ranking demon as well. In that case, it¡¯d be easy to sneak into the next fort and bring them in again. In this way, we could conquer all the forts quickly and efficiently. This captain had suggested a good idea in my mind.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ll be leaving, my lord?¡± he asked worriedly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t take long.¡± I said.


    ¡°Very good, sir.¡± He turned and began to relay orders for me.


    ¡°I will be leaving the princess here though,¡± I said, partially to myself before glancing back at Carmine. ¡°Carmine, try to rest in the safe room.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    I shook my head and leaned close. ¡°I can¡¯t justify bringing you with me into danger this time. Besides, you¡¯re useless as defense right now.¡±


    She looked down, a flash of hurt and anger on her face, but she eventually nodded. She had to admit that I was right in this. Had she been at her full potential, there was no way the commander would have perished in the first place, not that it didn¡¯t make things easier for us.


    ¡°My lord, I have relayed your orders. There is a horse waiting for you at the entrance.¡±


    ¡°Good job, Bones, when I get back, remind me to give you a promotion.¡±

 Chapter 740

    It was getting dark as I rode out to the next location. Although the enemies were more difficult at night, I felt like they were still within my ability. I suspected that the level was a bit more for the monsters around here since this area was closer to the capital than the area before. I was on the back of a real horse this time, taken from the stables of the demons, although this horse was created by a dungeon, so was it technically a demonic horse? If it was, it had no physical differences from a real horse. It didn¡¯t have red eyes and didn¡¯t breathe out dark miasma or something. It just looked like a horse.


    I had to slow to a stop as a large hulking ogre stepped out in front of me. I snorted derisively and began summoning a fireball. It stared at me dumbly as if it didn¡¯t process I was attacking it, and only lifted its club as the fireball left my fingertips. It let out a roar as flames consumed it. I scratched my chin as I saw it erupt in flame, new ideas coming to me.


    Even though I had hit it with the fireball, the ogre still wasn¡¯t dead, and it began to throw its club around wildly, striking the trees and ground wildly. This time, I switched my jobs and instead attacked it with Monster Tamer skills. First, I weakened it, and then I began to attack it mentally.


    {The ogre has been tamed as your monster.}


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    I nodded to myself. This was much easier to do with all of my skills available. I still contemplated being able to tame a tiger without those skills. Using my White Mage job, I healed the ogre back up and then gave him an order to fetch me other monsters. I considered using the aphrodisiac, but I worried it¡¯d be too much for me to handle. Instead, I sat back and waited for the ogre to come back. He returned holding some kind of smelly mass of slime. I used Monster Identification to find out it was called a Bog Mangler.


    With the ogre holding it, I managed to get it tamed as well. Then, I ordered the ogre out again. Another ten minutes and he came back with what looked like a goblin. This one was extremely easy to tame. The second he saw the ogre following me, he became tame. I sent them both out, the goblin came back with a dozen other goblins, while the ogre came being chased by a giant.


    The ogre was significantly damaged, and I lost half of the goblins and the Mangler, but we managed to subdue the giant. I healed the giant, ogre, and goblins up, and then sent them out again. Like this, I spent about ten hours sending them out to fetch enemies and bring them back. The bigger mobs brought back smaller mobs, or sometimes a group of goblins would attract something larger. When it was all said and done, I had a giant, 10 ogres, 30 goblins, eight large cats, and a colony of pixies.


    The pixies didn¡¯t seem to have too much combat potential, and they mostly spent their time messing with the goblins. However, they were distracting, at least, and they listened to my commands, so that was enough.


    ¡°Onwards!¡± I gestured with my sword, leading my small army toward the next fort.

 Chapter 741

    ¡°Open the gates! Open!¡± I cried, my horse racing up to the front.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± A demon hissed from the wall.


    ¡°Who am I? I¡¯m Captain Darthweather! We¡¯re about to be attacked! Let me in! I¡¯m giving a warning!¡±


    ¡°Attacked?¡± He narrowed his eyes. ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    Roooooooaaaaar! A bellowing roar came from the woods, and there were loud creaking and breaking sounds as if something massive was fighting through the woods. The guy¡¯s face turned white.


    ¡°Ah¡­ let him through!¡±


    They opened up a small single person gate and I rode through, letting them shut it behind me. As I disappeared into the fort, the giant could just be seen through a break in the trees. As for the others, only their sounds could be heard. They were all roaring and shouting, making no attempt to be quiet, and sounding like there were ten times more of them than there were.


    ¡°Captain!¡± A commander who was only partially dressed came running out, looking like he had just been woken from sleep, or perhaps some other nightly activity considering his level of undress. ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°The beasts of the forest have gone wild!¡± I cried out, using every ounce of my acting ability. ¡°They already besieged and destroyed the other fort. They¡¯re coming here next. It was all I could do to provide you this much warning.¡±


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    As if to punctuate my words, there was more roaring in the forest.


    ¡°This¡­ the monsters, not the humans? You¡¯re sure?¡±


    ¡°My lord¡­¡± I shook my head helplessly. ¡°Orcs, goblins, all manner of beasts, but I didn¡¯t see a single human.¡±


    Thankfully, they seemed to see me as a demon. I had absorbed the karma of the captain. I didn¡¯t have as much information on him. For example, I didn¡¯t know his name. When I absorbed the others, it always gave me their name. I had made up that name on the spot. I only knew he was a captain because the skeletons knew what the insignia ranks meant. I wore his clothing, but even then, I worried they might not let me into the fort easily.


    So, by creating the army of monsters, I both confused them and caught them off guard. They were now too concerned about the threat outside to care about a threat inside. Speaking of which¡­


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well, captain.¡± The commander seemed to buy what I said and clapped my shoulder. ¡°Do you have news of the prince.¡±


    ¡°He left to attack the human fort right before ours was attacked. I don¡¯t know what happened to him.¡± I found the truth did a better job than a lie right there.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± He nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll have to take care of this threat before we can send out anyone to search for him. Men, on the walls! Increase security! Barricade the doors! You, captain¡­ go get some rest, and then return at once. I¡¯ll need every man to protect this fort. We hold a strategic position. I don¡¯t mean to be crass, but your fort could afford to fall. You did well in running here, but we can run no longer. If the humans managed to conquer this fort, they would have secured a route straight to the capital. There is no telling what damage they could cause.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we wouldn¡¯t want that¡­¡± I responded, smiling.

 Chapter 742

    I parted from the commander and found a secure place within the fort. The other reason for the external fight was to draw all of the people inside out to the walls. They¡¯d have no clue as the keep filled up with enemies. As for the animals, this diversion did have a time limit, since I ordered them to not show themselves. They seemed like more than they were. If they saw the attack was only about thirty monsters, they¡¯d calm down.


    This was an amount that would spread fear into any normal adventuring team, but these were soldiers behind a wall. The giant might cause some trouble, but in general, they¡¯d be able to keep them at bay and might not even lose a single life. It was the fear I had put into them along with the effect the unseen creatures were having that had stirred the commander into acting rashly.


    Once I was somewhere I was sure I wouldn¡¯t be bothered, I raised my hands and opened a Portal. At this point, I tossed away the karma that identified me as a demon. I had taken the body with me outside the keep before pulling the karma from it and putting on the outfit. The length of time he had been dead might have been the reason that I didn¡¯t get very much karma and didn¡¯t know his name. Either way, I didn¡¯t want to suddenly turn into an enemy captain in their eyes. Even though I still had my old karma, the two karma didn¡¯t mix as it had with Commander Stone and Drakus. I also found I could expel it now that I had used it.


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    A few moments later, the skeletons began to walk through the Portal. I had told them where I¡¯d be forming the Portal, and they likely had been waiting for me ready to march for the last few hours. Since I had stopped to tame a bunch of monsters, I was late in my execution. Captain Bones walked through after the first troop entered, which were the darkly dressed, quiet assassins of the group.


    ¡°Commander, you did it!¡± He said excitedly as he entered the room. ¡°I¡¯m amazed.¡±


    ¡°How fares our fort?¡± I asked worriedly.


    ¡°The attack has begun, but we¡¯ve managed to hold them off well so far. They¡¯d managed to use light signals to notify us of their situation every fifteen minutes. At the moment, the demons still haven¡¯t breached the wall.¡±


    ¡°Good¡­ I bet that Bernard isn¡¯t knowledgeable about besieging a fort. He¡¯s used to one on one combat. This sort of thing isn¡¯t his forte at all.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Ah, nothing!¡± I coughed. ¡°Rather, I think it¡¯s time we took the battle into our own hands. I don¡¯t want Bernard to grow despondent and then run away on us.¡±


    I never saw myself as vindictive before, but then again, I had never met a guy who had made moves on one of my women. I didn¡¯t notice it, but there was a gleam in my eye. I didn¡¯t just want to stop Bernard or kick start the invasion. I wanted Bernard personally to pay.

 Chapter 743

    Once the fort was taken, I left men to defend it and then jumped back through the Portal with a contingent of men. There was probably a safe room in that fort too, but it would have to wait until after I dealt with the Demon Prince. I gathered the troops, and began another Portal, ready to head to the fort that was currently under siege. As I did that, Carmine came running out, holding up her dress as she quickly made her way over to my side.


    ¡°You should stay here, Carmine. It¡¯s where you are safest.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± She declared back stubbornly, and then lowered her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s just, you¡¯re going after the champion, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°He¡¯s our greatest opponent in the gladiatorial match. He¡¯s in a position where he could leave the dungeon any time and snatch the victory from us. More than that, he¡¯s personally picked me as his enemy. For that reason, he should be eliminated. He¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    She bit her lip. ¡°The old you would never have sought to wipe out an enemy like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s better that I¡¯m the new me now. I don¡¯t keep any delusions of being able to protect and save everyone. That¡¯s why I want you to stay behind. I mean no offense, but I won¡¯t allow you to be hurt.¡±


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    I knew that I was a bundle of contradictions since I had my body spliced. For example, I was more careful in my decision making, but I was less hesitant in carrying it out. On the other hand, I had less empathy. I wouldn¡¯t say I had no empathy, but it was diminished. That meant, I worried less about the girls and how they were doing. That was good because it meant I could focus on the now and what had to be done, rather than worrying about them crying over my death back home. On the other hand, I was less tolerant of loss, and couldn¡¯t stand the thought of any of my women being taken away from me. That was the unsaid other reason that I absolutely couldn¡¯t allow him to live. He wouldn¡¯t threaten me or my women. If any man sought my women, I¡¯d kill them!


    ¡°Master¡­ ahem¡­ I mean commander¡­¡± Soldiers passing nearby had given her a strange look when she said Master, as it would be strange for a princess to call anyone master. ¡°Bernard seeks me out the most.¡±


    ¡°What are you suggesting?¡± I asked, my eyes narrowing slightly.


    ¡°Right now, we have conquered two of their forts. Once we destroy his forces, he¡¯ll be cut off completely from the capital and effectively removed from the campaign while we can move on to the castle and defeat Aberon. What I¡¯m saying is that we should make sure that he tries to take out the fort with everything he has, and we should cause the maximum damage possible.


    ¡°You know as well as I do that the best way to do that is to use me. If he sees me in the fort, he will use all of his strength to reach me. Only by using me to taunt him will you be able to maximize the damage!¡±

 Chapter 744

    No sooner had I taken a step into the fort than I heard the sound of distant fighting. There was a boom, and the ground shook, raining dust and debris from the ceiling. The fighting seemed to be getting pretty bad out there.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan, commander?¡± One of the skeletons, who I assumed was currently in charge here, spoke up.


    ¡°The princess is going to show herself on the wall. This will cause Bernard to begin his largest assault yet. We will allow him to break through, make a strategic retreat, and then let the fort be destroyed. Are our mages ready?¡±


    ¡°They are, my lord!¡±


    He gestured into a room, where five mages had drawn a circle and were currently chanting while mixing up various herbs. I had never done anything that difficult to cast a spell, but then again, I had never tried to cast a spell outside of my ability before. If I still had access to the dungeon store, I would have switched to Meteor and used that. Instead, the mages were creating five explosive runes which would all erupt at the same time. It wasn¡¯t nearly as damaging, but it would be enough to make the fort unusable to them and wipe out just about anyone inside.


    I wanted to guarantee that one of the people inside was Bernard, which was the only reason I ultimately decided to allow Carmine to take a risk. With five skeletons guards flanking her, she walked up onto the wall. I remained behind the wall, not because I wanted to, but because the guards insisted that both of the fort¡¯s most valuable people, the princess, and the commander, shouldn¡¯t be in the same visible spot. I reluctantly agreed and watched the forest through a murder hole.


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    ¡°Demon Prince Bernard!¡± She cried out.


    No one on the skeletal side knew the Demon Prince¡¯s real name, so when we called him Bernard, it sort of just got accepted. I wondered if the demon side knew his real name, or if our presence somehow upset and changed his name. It was a mess.


    ¡°Gladiator Carmine¡­¡± A distant voice, hidden behind the cover of the forest called back. ¡°You look well.¡±


    I breathed easier knowing that he was still here, trying to crack this fort. Up until now, he still didn¡¯t know the fate of his fort.


    ¡°Your reinforcements are about two hours away¡­¡± he said¡­¡± By then, this fort will be nothing but ash. The dungeon has promised me this.¡±


    ¡°The dungeon?¡± I mouthed the words, my eyebrows rising in confusion.


    Did he enter a safe room too and sees some mural of him with Carmine? It was really difficult to get a read on this guy, but it only pissed me off more and made it more necessary that he died quickly. If he had been civil, I would have happily worked together and escaped this dungeon as a group. I¡¯d have even let him take the victory for his aid. However, he wanted to do things the hard way, so he couldn¡¯t blame me for being aggressive. It was his fault that he was a meathead used to brawling rather than strategy.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you have already lost.¡± Carmine shot back. ¡°Give up, and I¡¯ll show you mercy.¡±


    ¡°You speak of the forts you have taken.¡± Prince Bernard shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve never cared about those. Did you think you were the only one who asked for reinforcements?¡±


    My expression soured, and I felt worried. Did he have some plan I didn¡¯t know about? While we were here, was he conquering the two forts we just took?


    At that moment, there was a massive fireball that erupted from the sky. It looked much like the fireball that had once wiped out our party, but it might have even been larger. I watched in horror as it fell, not on our fort, but theirs, across the river in the distance. There was a resounding boom, and the ground shook as the place we¡¯re planning to flee to was reduced to cinders.


    ¡°It¡¯s a trap!¡± I cursed.

 Chapter 745

    Before I could say anything else, another fireball was flung out, this time aimed at our own fort. This was some pretty weighty magic, and normally we¡¯d have people to counter it, but the best mages were still setting up the explosion magic. Thus, they were useless as the front gate exploded open. A moment later, there was a roar and demons were running across the plains toward the unprotected fort at full blast.


    ¡°Is the second fort fallen?¡± I demanded of the nearest skeletons, but they could only shrug and shake their hands.


    If we escaped to that fort, and it was already breached, then I was mostly just sending our men to their death. I didn¡¯t believe they would have destroyed that fort. They had said it themselves. That was the only fort with any value in it. It held the pass that opened up the rest of the Capital and it¡¯s supporting territories. Where we were right now was on the outside of the main area, and the only fort that the humans had from which to launch attacks. Once this place fell, nevermind starting an invasion, we¡¯d be kicked out of the entire valley.


    It turned out that Bernard was more of a strategist than I had thought. No, he said he sent for reinforcements. That meant he was being supported directly by Lord Aberon. The only one who could conjure up magic that powerful would be the demon lord and his strongest generals. They must have come down upon the prince¡¯s request. In the past, the prince ran away with the princess like a coward, prompting retaliation. In this world, the prince was outright trying to steal the princess, showing no weakness at all. After setting everything up so well, how did things go so bad so quickly? Was I just too sure of myself? Was my plan too inflexible? I was starting to regret thinking I was better off without the traits I had cut off and removed.


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    I ran out into the courtyard. ¡°Carmine! Get off the wall!¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± She cried out, running down the stairway as demons started flooding in and skeletons rose to fight them.


    ¡°Carmine!¡±


    The man I least wanted to see jumped out from the crowd of demons right at the base of the stairway and grabbed her. The bodyguards were all behind her, drawing their blades at that moment, but he didn¡¯t pay them any mind. Instead, his eyes turned to me. I pulled out the star sword and raced at him at full speed.


    ¡°Let her go!¡± I screamed out, cutting down three demons with rapid skills as I moved to him at full speed.


    ¡°You still think you can fight the dungeon¡¯s will.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You should have just surrendered to it. When you do, the dungeon gives you power.¡±


    ¡°Die!¡± I screamed.


    However, he casually snapped his fingers, and his body suddenly disappeared. It was a skill that I recognized. It was the Return skill! Like that, Carmine and Bernard were gone, and I had no clue where he had taken them. The demons continued to flood through the open gate, and a moment later I was surrounded.

 Chapter 746

    I felt extreme anger and frustration. I could feel a distant Carmine, but it was at a distance where I couldn¡¯t tell how she was doing other than she was alive. He had seemingly teleported a long-distance across the dungeon, and it was clear it would be many days of travel to reach them. That didn¡¯t matter for me though. She was my slave, and that meant she was marked by me. I could see her on my Map, and I could open up a Portal directly to her.


    The problem was that opening up a Portal took time, and I was being swamped with demons as they poured in. On top of that, I wasn¡¯t thinking too clearly. The second he put his hands on her, I grew filled with righteous fury. I tried to cast Portal immediately, only to be interrupted seconds later when demons attacked me. Fortunately, I still had the Star sword out, so I started to use it, slashing and hacking at the enemies.


    I took several hits, but I casually switched to White Mage and continued to battle. I felt numb, going for the kill with each swipe, and depending on White Mage spells to regenerate me. Although I cut down five or six, there were now nearly a dozen around me. Still, retreating didn¡¯t even occur to me. I was lost in the anger and the pain and the frustration, too stubborn to quit and turn back.


    Someone managed to catch the back of my leg, and I looked on in shock as my body flew down to the ground. Demons surrounded me, looking down with malevolent grins. All I could hear was the blood pumping in my ears. I had died before, and before it happened, there was always a feeling that shot through my body. It was a calming feeling of acceptance like I had come to the end and now there was nothing left to do but die.


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    In this dungeon, there would be no resurrection. My soul would be consumed, and I would become part of the lore. Maybe, I would end up combining with the Karma of the commander, and from then on be Commander Deekson, the undead. I¡¯d like to think if I died and was taken by a dungeon, I could at least make a pretty decent boss.


    Those seemingly useless thoughts were buzzing through my mind as all of the demons raised their weapons as one. I held my breath, but the incoming blow never happened. There was a sudden shockwave, and I felt my own body lift off the ground and get thrown several feet. For the standing demons, it was far worse, and a large group of them were suddenly flung against the wall.


    ¡°Commander! Are you okay?¡± I squinted up into the light, and the face of a beautiful woman appeared. ¡°No¡­ you¡¯re not Commander Stone. You¡­ feel like him. His karma?¡±


    ¡°I know you¡­¡± I said, my voice croaking slightly.


    The woman suddenly spun, a large staff in her hand whipping around and knocking out six demons with a single sweep before she turned back to me.


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know me? I am Xin, the Princess Hero! Now, who are you?¡±

 Chapter 747

    ¡°I thought Elaya was the hero?¡± I responded blankly.


    My mind started to work again, even though I had taken lots of blows. With a few white spells still taking effect, even as we spoke, I was patching myself up again.


    ¡°You know Elaya?¡± She turned away and knocked down another wave of demons, knocking them aside with ridiculous ease.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re¡­ um¡­¡± If I told her Elaya was my slave and technically my monster pet, it would be bad. ¡°She¡¯s a friend.¡±


    Her eyes flickered. ¡°She¡¯s dead. It would have been before you were born.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true! I know a lot about her. Ask any questions! I can answer it!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the name of her child?¡± Xin demanded.


    ¡°Child? Edward!¡±


    ¡°Anyone would know that!¡± She growled, but then, a moment later, she let out an irritated sound and pulled away. ¡°Come! If you want to live!¡±


    I didn¡¯t see how she appeared, but she didn¡¯t run toward the entrance at all. Instead, she went back into the keep. I knew where she was going; so, I followed quickly without concern. We were heading to the safe room. Of course, I had a lot of things running through my mind, but as we were being pursued by the demons, it wasn¡¯t the time to ask.


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    The demons were in hot pursuit up until we reached the safe room. I went straight to touch the kiosk, but Xin held up her hand and stopped me. A moment later, I heard a yell from outside.


    ¡°Where did they go?¡±


    ¡°They vanished!¡±


    ¡°Dungeon created creatures don¡¯t see safe rooms. They are truly safe in every sense of the word.¡±


    I remembered back to the first time I entered the dungeon as our group from Chalm desperately tried to barricade the entrance thinking the zombies would follow us in. It turned out that in general, that was something that couldn¡¯t happen. Well, I¡¯d probably still close the door, at least. It seemed like dungeon rules just existed to point out the exceptions.


    Xin had also told me something else when she revealed that. She had told me that she was a real person. I had thought that Xin was some kind of creation of the dungeon. This dungeon had some relation to Aberis, so it made sense that some approximation of Xin, his mother, might appear in here. Yet, the mother he said he had killed was alive and before me. I found it difficult to believe. Part of that reason was that she wasn¡¯t Osterian at all!


    ¡°You¡¯re not¡­ wait¡­ do you know Greggar?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure why I went with that question first. It just occurred to me that if she knew about the safe rooms and was traveling by them, then she might have some knowledge about him.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ve taken some of my challenges.¡±


    ¡°Your challenges?¡± I let out a noise of surprise.


    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Princess Xin Greggar, of the former country of Osteria.¡±

 Chapter 748

    ¡°Now that you are in a saferoom, the karmic curse inflicting you should diminish and you should regain your mind a bit,¡± Xin informed me.


    ¡°Ah¡­ it wasn¡¯t hurting me. I have a strong resistance to miasma, so I¡¯m okay.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± She responded, watching me carefully and keeping a bit of room between the pair of us.


    ¡°I had never heard that you were an Osterian princess,¡± I spoke up. ¡°I only knew that you were Elaya¡¯s follower, and her, ahem¡­ friend.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the last of my royal line. The name Greggar was one I abandoned a long time ago. I just hold their bloodline, nothing more.¡± She responded bitterly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like I ever ruled. In the end, I wasn¡¯t even strong enough to take back the throne on my own. I had to depend on the Maid Hero instead.


    ¡°They called me a Princess Hero, but I was a princess without a kingdom, and I only got that name through birthright. Elaya was the true hero, and she rose from the ground up. She earned her place as queen. As for him¡­¡± There was a flash of anger in her eyes, but then it drifted away. ¡°I can¡¯t blame him either. It¡¯s been so long; I cannot live with a grudge any longer.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m still filled with questions. What happened after you had Demon Lord Aberis? Did he toss you in here? What have you been doing in the last twenty years? Didn¡¯t you go to the forming Ost Republic? Why did you set up those challenges?¡±


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    ¡°Hmph¡­ I¡¯ll answer with a single question. Why should I tell you anything? I¡¯m still looking for a reason to let you live!¡±


    ¡°B-but, Elaya, and I do know each other! And I¡¯m close to her son! Eliana, his sister, is my fianc¨¦! I¡¯m the Hero of Chalm!¡± I cried out defensively.


    ¡°Chalm? Isn¡¯t that Lord Karr¡¯s city? That foolish man who fought against the slave trade and failed?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dead, I¡¯m the current lord of Chalm.¡±


    She looked up with an ugly expression. ¡°That means you¡¯re a lord of new Aberis.¡±


    ¡°It was Elaya¡¯s kingdom too! Those kids are Elaya¡¯s kids!¡±


    She bared her teeth, her hands tightening on her staff, but rather than respond, she turned around. ¡°I came to this outer fort to rescue the commander. Recently, the dungeon¡¯s cycle has grown disturbed. Events are not moving forward how they were supposed to.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because Aberis shoved me and a bunch of gladiators into this dungeon for sport. We¡¯re supposed to reach the end. The first one to reach the end wins. We¡¯re probably the reason the dungeon has changed. The karmic infusion has caused us to take on the roles of people in the lore, and our actions differ from theirs.¡±


    ¡°Then, it¡¯s your fault!¡± She snapped angrily. ¡°Every cycle, I¡¯ve been subtly altering the lore, manipulating it, and trying to drive it to a conclusion. I was nearly going to succeed too, and then you guys showed up.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± She sneered. ¡°Did you think he just suddenly decided to toss a bunch of powerful gladiators into the dungeon on a whim? He must have realized this was what I was doing. I was nearing escape, so he tossed you in here as a wrench to my plans. You¡¯ve doomed us to be trapped in this dungeon for all time!¡±

 Chapter 749

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand what you mean?¡± I asked, looking at the slightly irritated Xin.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± Xin snorted. ¡°Only a True Dungeon Diver can understand dungeons.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a Dungeon Diver?¡± I said in surprise.


    ¡°A True Dungeon Diver!¡± She turned and pulled up the back of her shirt, revealing a tattoo just above her buttocks. ¡°This is a dungeon blessing. Only someone who had defeated a dungeon can gain this.¡±


    I had to admit I was impressed. I hadn¡¯t known that she had done anything like that. Even Elaya had never defeated a dungeon, although I suppose one could say she was a Dungeon Master, which was impressive in its own right.


    ¡°To get one of these, one must complete the lore of a dungeon,¡± Xin explained. ¡°To achieve this, I had to change the narrative, slowly edging this story to reach a suitable end. You must trick a dungeon into thinking it got what it wanted. I had this dungeon almost fooled, but then you lot appeared and now the dungeon is reacting violently. That must be part of the reason that it has infected you with karma and integrated you in the story.¡±


    I frowned as she explained stuff I already knew a thing or two about, but since I had no tattoos on my body, even if I did tell her the truth, she probably wouldn¡¯t believe me. Still, something about what she was saying irked me a bit.


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    ¡°Isn¡¯t the best way to complete a dungeon lore to satisfy the conditions laid out in the mural?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The dungeon is a curse on this land. You must never give the dungeon what it wants.¡± She responded.


    ¡°¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know how to respond to that.


    Had I been doing this incorrectly all along, or was she the confused one? I wondered how she¡¯d react if she learned that Elaya was a dungeon boss. What if she knew I was a Dungeon Master? Would that make me her enemy? Well, those were just thoughts I was having. I was certainly not going to tell her any of that and risk my life.


    ¡°What was the point of the trials?¡± I asked.


    She blushed at that. ¡°It was a distraction. It was to slow anyone, like the Demon Aberis, down, as well as keep anyone else who entered this dungeon out of my way for a while.¡±


    I nodded slowly. It made sense to me. Each one of those trials could take hours or days, and would severely hamper anyone¡¯s conquering of the dungeon. Of course, then, as well as a physical obstacle, there was also the awards.


    ¡°What about the awards?¡± I asked curiously.


    She snorted. ¡°I¡¯ve been in this dungeon for twenty years, I¡¯ve acquired a mass of treasure many times. They¡¯re nothing more than useless trinkets.¡±


    As expected of a Hero, items I valued to the point I considered wasting weeks to gather were just trinkets to her. Well, one of her trinkets freed me from the spell the demon Aberis had cast on me, so I wouldn¡¯t underestimate them even now.


    ¡°The trials don¡¯t mean anything anymore.¡± Xin waved her hand dismissively.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice when your friend was taken by that man masquerading as the prince?¡±


    ¡°You saw that?¡±


    ¡°I can see from quite a distance using Far Sight, but I wasn¡¯t close enough to stop what happened.¡± She responded. ¡°The point is, the dungeon has decided on him as the champion. It¡¯s desperate to complete its lore, and it looks like it¡¯s going to use him and your princess to achieve it!¡±

 Chapter 750

    ¡°Even so¡­¡± I responded stubbornly. ¡°If we can get past Aberon, we can use the exit to leave, right? So, let¡¯s beat the boss and leave the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried this before¡­¡±


    ¡°Before, this dungeon was disconnected from our world. He said that it exists in a subspace bubble. There is no entrance. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t use a Portal to get out of here.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t use Portals to leave dungeons anyway!¡±


    ¡°I ca-could¡­¡± I changed what I was going to say, remembering that once again this was a result of one of my blessings.


    I still didn¡¯t believe that the blessings I had earned were bad. Xin had to be mistaken about that. Solving the lore and completing the story wasn¡¯t inherently bad just because the curses were bad!


    She shook her head and sighed. ¡°I have defeated this dungeon before, at least I understand now why I didn¡¯t return home. After defeating the boss, the dungeon core never presented itself, and I never got a chance to go home. The cycle just reset itself again.¡±


    ¡°The cycle¡­ how long do they last?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Time seems to just pass here, and I don¡¯t think it matches with the world outside. I can say that since I was tossed into this dungeon, I¡¯ve lived through these events about a thousand times!¡±


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    ¡°A thousand times!¡± I let out a cry. ¡°Wait¡­ if every day is a month, that means that this takes over half a year every cycle.¡±


    ¡°What? How long has it been out there?¡±


    I looked down as she glared at me with a piercing gaze. ¡°It¡¯s been over twenty years.¡±


    She shook for a second but then gave a nod. ¡°I suppose, it would have had to be. Where has the time gone¡­ How many more cycles before I can escape?¡±


    ¡°You have a rare opportunity now!¡± I responded. ¡°The gladiators are part of a match. A portal is open between this world and our own. If we can get to the castle and past him, we can take the portal.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s thought of something!¡± She waved her hand dismissively.


    ¡°Does that mean we should just give up!¡± I shot back. ¡°We have to take any opportunity we can get!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be walking right into Aberis¡¯s trap.¡± She snorted, disregarding my words.


    I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. I hadn¡¯t expected Xin to be so obstinate and dismissive. Considering the memories, I had of her following Elaya, she was always demure as a cat. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was a lesson about never meeting your heroes, or a statement on power dynamics, or what.


    ¡°What about the lore of this dungeon? What do you know about it?¡± I asked.


    She glanced me up and down, and then sighed. ¡°For respect of my Elaya, I brought you to safety. I¡¯ve answered enough of your foolish questions. If you wish to survive until the end of this cycle, you must find some way to expel that karma, otherwise, you¡¯ll become part of the dungeon and you won¡¯t even know it. You¡¯ll become a pawn of the dungeon¡¯s lore and nothing more. I will start my work again. Next cycle, I hope things will be better.¡±


    ¡°H-hey! Wait!¡± I realized as she was talking, she had ended up next to the kiosk.


    She touched it, and before I could get another word in, she disappeared. Like that, I was alone in the safe room.

 Chapter 751

    I was in the safe room of a fort conquered by demons. As long as I was in here, no one in the dungeon would be able to notice me. I had attempted to become the commander of the skeleton army and wage a war against the demons, but now all the skeleton forces were defeated and scattered. I didn¡¯t know what came of the reinforcements, but they¡¯d arrive to find their primary foothold gone. The demons had sacrificed a nearly useless fort to wipe out our forces, which was ironically what I had tried to do as well.


    Furthermore, although Xin was alive, and in this dungeon, and she was just as powerful as she had been in her prime, she wasn¡¯t willing to help. A thousand failures had jaded her and she was looking down on me. I was starting to get how it felt for Edward Aberis. I had a feeling she looked down on all men, or maybe just all men that were weaker than her, which turned out to be all men. She sort of reminded me of Alysia. Maybe that was just a trait of Osterians, although I still wondered why she wasn¡¯t as tall as her Osterian self.


    The woman in my memories was around seven and a half feet tall, but this woman was only about six feet. Had the lore been wrong and expanded her size? I mean, technically, it made her a giant by the time I met her dungeon proxy. She did have many similarities with the giant. It was at a level where if someone told me they were sisters, ignoring size, I¡¯d believe them.


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    After thinking about everything that had happened that day, I realized I had been waiting in the safe room until the night. I¡¯d be here all month if I continued to err on the side of caution. I struggled to make decisions in my current state. It was pretty laughable that I thought I could be the commander of an army. It made much more sense that I just attack directly.


    I go to the door and wait until there is a demon passing by. I leap out from my hidden spot and kill him like an assassin, cutting his throat before he can even let out a cry. I then consume his karma and steal his outfit. When I pull him into the safe room, he starts to disintegrate rapidly, the miasma dispersing. So, monsters from dungeons can enter safe rooms, but they seem to take some kind of light damage. At least, that¡¯s how I interpreted the monster disappearing into ash.


    Once I look karmically like a demon soldier, I lift my hand to create a Portal. Then, I freeze for a moment. I raise my hand and pull up my Map. Of course, my goal is to look for Carmine. She was exactly where I thought Bernard would bring her. She was in the demon castle. I start casting a Portal to the demon castle, but it failed. I let out a sigh. I had thought that would probably be the case.


    The dungeon was protecting her now, so the demon castle was off-limits. With my blessings, I could probably ignore these limits, but me as I am at that moment, the dungeon wouldn¡¯t let me take any shortcuts. I was starting to miss those blessings. I raised my hand and cast Portal to a different spot. My only chance if I wanted to beat this dungeon and save Carmine was to get stronger.

 Chapter 752

    The Portal opened and I stepped through. As I walked out into the hall, I was immediately greeted by demons walking by. So, the demons had managed to conquer the other fort. This one was too valuable for them to destroy. Well, destroying their fort cost them nothing, because they started with two forts and in the end, they ended with two forts as well. I listened to two of the demons speaking.


    ¡°When they conquered this fort, those stupid humans never realized we had an entire contingent waiting underground in a hidden cellar. You should have seen the look on their faces when we did the same thing to them they had done to us. When we opened the doors and they looked on in confusion as an army was let right into their newly acquired fort, it was hilarious.


    ¡°That was probably the quickest turn around in ownership I have ever seen!¡±


    The two men walked away, but I wore a scowl on my face. My Sense Life should have detected if there were any soldiers under us. I had looked over the Map carefully. The only two options were that the cellar had some kind of anti-Sense Life enchantment, or that the dungeon was interfering with Sense Life as it did with Portal. In dungeons, Sense Life usually couldn¡¯t work through too many walls, and certainly wouldn¡¯t travel to other levels. In that same way, it¡¯s possible the dungeon wasn¡¯t letting me use Sense Life like the real world but was treating the cellar like another level.


    Either way, I now knew that I couldn¡¯t depend on Sense Life anymore. It was unreliable. I began walking down the hallway in the other direction, and the two demon soldiers didn¡¯t pay me any mind. I was in the proper uniform and I even had the karma of a soldier. Other than the fact that the soldier whose karma I borrowed was supposed to be in another station, there was nothing suspicious about my presence here. Considering the day they had yesterday, with this fort being lost and retaken, and numerous reinforcements coming from the Capital, it was easy to get lost in the crowd.


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    My goal here was the same goal I had in the other fort. I wanted to identify the safe room. It took about ten minutes, and I did try to keep my distance from any patrolling soldiers just in case which made it take a little longer. I eventually stumbled into the safe room. A glance at the mural, and I truly felt like the dungeon was mocking me.


    The mural depicted the princess being captured and taken away by the Demon Prince. However, instead of being taken away from a lascivious demon, he was being taken away from the commander as his fort fell around him.


    I didn¡¯t know what to think about that. Xin had already been in all of these safe rooms, so my theory that they formed when the first person entered them seemed to be false. Then again, maybe every cycle, the murals reset, and it was the first time for this cycle. At least her trials didn¡¯t reset after each cycle.


    I had to wonder if I had entered this room before I had returned, would I have been warned about this, or would the mural have presented something else?


    I shook my head. It didn¡¯t matter what the lore said anymore. I was tired of trying to make sense of it. What I needed wasn¡¯t to figure out what this dungeon meant. What I needed was to gain enough strength and defeat this dungeon for good!

 Chapter 753

    I placed my hand on the kiosk, and the familiar transportation magic sent me to this trial. I wondered a bit how Xin had managed to set this up, but considering how long she had been in here, she had plenty of time to figure it out. It seemed like an ability I might be able to replicate if I increased my level in Dungeon Master a bit.


    Looking around the familiar room, I walked up to the trial, reading the familiar text. This was the 4th trial I had managed so far. Even knowing it was just a time-waster, I needed better equipment if I wanted to make it in this dungeon. I had only been in this dungeon a few days in dungeon time. I still had three months to go. Perhaps, it was rushing things that had led to me losing Carmine and my army so quickly in the first place.


    Patience is a virtue.


    That was all this trial said. I stepped through the door and ended up in an empty room not completely unlike the room where I had fought the gladiator-like fight last time. In that competition, the goal was to wait out the clock, surviving as a monster attacked you. I had a feeling that, considering this trial talked about patience, it was a similar one where you had to wait out the clock.


    I walked to the door at the end of the room, and there was a predictable door on the other side of the room, but it was closed. I tried to open it, but the door didn¡¯t open. With a sigh, I sat down and waited.


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    Two hours later, I had enough of waiting. I went back to the door again, but it was still locked. I frowned, wondering if there was something else to the trial I was missing. Then, I remembered what Xin had said. These trials were meant to waste people¡¯s time! If she wanted to slow someone down, creating a patience trial where you had to wait would be the best way to do it. I had thought that she had put more thought into it than that, but perhaps it was as simple as wait until the door opens.


    ¡°So lazy!¡± I said out loud bitterly, but there was no one in the trial to hear me.


    More hours passed, and I was starting to pace back and forth recklessly. Perhaps, aiming to complete these trials was not the best use of my time. I had been thinking most of them would be quick things like the first two I did. Then again, those might have been much longer trials had I not had cheats to get through them. Perhaps the creature in the dark was some kind of temptation creature, not there to make you feel fear, but made to make you freeze up and be unable to leave for a while. Who but Xin knew?


    Looking at the Map, it showed this room instead of the world. That made me think that these rooms also had another use. They couldn¡¯t be seen by the dungeon. Just like I couldn¡¯t find Carmine¡¯s point, and only had a vague awareness of the direction she was in, the dungeon couldn¡¯t pinpoint me while I was in this subspace. I wasn¡¯t sure how to use that information, but it had to be helpful somehow. It was easy coming up with theories like this since all I had was time to think.


    Time continued to pass, and I even went to sleep and woke up. At this point, I had been in this trial much longer than all of the other trials combined. I guess patience wasn¡¯t my virtue.

 Chapter 754

    I had finally reached the end of my rope. I tried to break down the door. It had been over a day since I had been in this room. Carmine was captured, and who knew what was happening as Bernard took control of those armies. I couldn¡¯t depend on Xin to help, so I needed to work myself to get all of this resolved. I tried attacking the door with many different spells, but the door remained intact.


    I had feared that it might penalize me for attacking it, perhaps by making me wait even longer, but I couldn¡¯t help it. I used fire, water, earth, and wind¡­ and it didn¡¯t matter what element I used; I was unable to get through the door. Finally, I looked at the door carefully. It was made out of some kind of sturdy alloy that had to have some kind of magical property. Other than little scorch marks from my attempts to destroy it, it didn¡¯t have a single dent on it. As I looked closer, I noticed just a bit of light coming from the other side. The keyhole showed the other side.


    Kneeling, I peeked through the keyhole, and just as expected, I could see the other room. It had a familiar treasure chest that likely had some kind of star item inside it. However, more importantly, now that I had a visual in the room, I could access it on my Map. I created a Portal to that room. I didn¡¯t know what the effect of this would be, but I didn¡¯t have any choice. It said patience was a virtue, it didn¡¯t say that failing to be patient would cause failure.


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    I took a step through, not willing to stay in that room any longer. If this stupid trial ended up killing me for it, I¡¯d likely end up tied to the dungeon. I¡¯d use my cursed life to purposefully give Xin a hard time. I decided that is what I would do if I failed here.


    Yet, despite all my fears, I stepped into the room without a problem. Looking around suspiciously, I could see the door behind me was still closed, but I was definitely in the room with the treasure chest and the kiosk. I opened the chest after checking for traps, and all I found in it was a boot. It was a Star boot. Not two of them, just one. What could I do with one boot! I cursed Xin some more in my mind. Her damn trial was lazy and broken, and even her reward was broken! Now, I could understand why she was so dismissive of it. Yet, as dismissive as she was, it wasn¡¯t like she set up a method for me to circumvent this room.


    I still had one thing to test. I touched the kiosk, but there was a familiar glow and I was back in the safe room. At this point, my eyebrows were twitching though. After letting my aggravation diminish a bit, I used the kiosk to transfer back to the fort that had been destroyed yesterday. I had expected it not to work, so I was surprised when I appeared in the safe room. I slowly opened the door, only to see a crater with ruins all around. It looked like the safe room had survived a nuclear explosion. I guess I couldn¡¯t underestimate it as a source of safety. Even Meteor wouldn¡¯t take out a safe room.


    Of course, with the place turning to rubble, there were no demons nearby. It was surrounded by rubble. It was time to start rebuilding.

 Chapter 755

    ¡°Die!¡± The giant screamed, sending its club down on my head.


    I dodged to the side, and the club struck the floor with a thud, the ground shaking a bit. I had gotten used to fighting monsters of this size now. If I went back to battling the monstrous version of Xin in the dungeon this time, I was confident that I knew how to beat her.


    ¡°Weakness!¡± I cast against his knee, ¡°Dark Slash!¡±


    I caused him to fall to the ground. He managed to catch himself before his hands hit the ground, but it was enough for me.


    ¡°Create step!¡± I leaped up into the air, creating a step in midair to push off of, gaining an even higher jump.


    ¡°Blindness!¡± I cast, knocking out his eyes. ¡°Create Step!¡±


    As soon as I blinded him, I changed the location I was moving to. Predictably, he swung where he thought I was going to be. He was letting out a bellow of annoyance, unable to see.


    ¡°Sword Break!¡± I brought my sword on his head, and there was a resounding crack.


    A moment later, he collapsed to the floor. I created a cushion and landed safely. Once I was back on my feet, I watched as he slowly started to degrade into miasma. Pulling out some waters of life and drinking it, I had to remind myself that a giant like him was probably my limit battling solo. Then again, a few weeks ago, I¡¯d have never been able to fight him head-on like that. I would have likely fled, or tried to use some kind of trap on him.


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    {Demon Knight has increased to level 20.)


    {You have unlocked the skill, Spectral Shadow.}


    Dark Priest was at level 20. True Hero was at 40. Mimic had made it to twelve. Suffice it to say, leveling was going well. Perhaps, it wasn¡¯t at the speed it would have been with my party, but it wasn¡¯t bad after two weeks of hunting in the forest. I kept my distance from demon patrols, which was easy with my Map and Sense Life. As long as there wasn¡¯t some structure for them to hide in, I could always see them coming.


    At this point, I had completed a total of 10 of the 50 challenges. That meant I had unlocked ten different safe rooms. What did the murals tell me? It just depicted the various battles going on. After the fort fell, the reinforcements arrived and manage to take back their fort with considerable difficulty. Finding out about their princess being captured, they made several failed attempts at bringing down the gateway fort. Meanwhile, very little was revealed about the state of Carmine.


    As for the rewards from her challenges, they were all essentially what I expected. More star armor. I wanted to know where in this dungeon she was finding this armor. Then again, it could be on a single mob who only had one piece of armor every cycle. After 1000 cycles, she could easily have enough to give 50 away without concern. Just because it wasn¡¯t valuable to her, didn¡¯t mean it didn¡¯t have value to me.


    Leaving the corpses to be reabsorbed by the dungeon, I continued my trek. Of course, by this point, I was beyond the gated fort and was slowly making my way closer and closer to the demon castle. As I did so, more patrols appeared, and it was becoming harder and harder to defeat enemies, especially since the monsters were higher level, put up more resistance, and thus attracted the soldiers if the fight grew animated enough. Still, if I wanted to grow stronger, I had to keep fighting.


    That¡¯s when I ascended a hill and saw something I hadn¡¯t expected. It was a village. This was my first dungeon village.

 Chapter 756

    After examining the place carefully from afar, it was clear that this village was a demon village. However, the inhabitants didn¡¯t register as red. That should mean that they weren¡¯t enemies and wouldn¡¯t try to harm me. Just to be safe, I checked my demon karma. I should still appear as a demon soldier. I didn¡¯t dress the part though, as I feared that would draw more notice than it saved.


    Finally, after scoping the place out for a while longer and finding nothing interesting, I worked my way down the hill and started walking in. As I got closer, my appearance caught a couple of eyes, but it was no more than a passing glance. Overall, no one seemed too concerned with me approaching the city. I supposed at this point I was far enough in demon territory that they weren¡¯t concerned about the brewing war.


    Upon entering the small village, which only consisted of about two dozen houses, I searched for one that looked like a business. What I ended up finding were the inn and tavern, so I entered it first. The biggest thing that revealed demons was their exotic hair and eye colors. Red eyes were common, but so were purple, green, and royal blue. The hair of demons seemed to be any color, and it wasn¡¯t uncommon to see a green, blue, or white-haired demon. Other than that, their small horns were the biggest indicator. Most of the commoners here had just small nubs similar to Shao, but with soldiers, I had seen larger horns from a variety of different species. I had heard that demons could also have black or red skin, but that wasn¡¯t the case with any of the ones here.


    ¡°Good afternoon,¡± I said as I walked up to the barkeep and innkeeper.


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    It was a blue-haired man with small horns who otherwise looked like a normal middle-aged man. He even gave me a friendly smile and nodded. Since my Mimic was now at level 20, I had an assortment of abilities, and I had confidence I could have faked being a soldier to the general who worked over him, let alone some random commoner who wasn¡¯t even marked as an enemy.


    ¡°Good afternoon, stranger. Would you be looking to stay the night?¡±


    ¡°I guess so,¡± I responded. ¡°And a bath?¡±


    I had been roughing it outside for nearly a month, so as soon as he mentioned it, the thought of a bed sounded nice. A bath sounded really good too.


    He nodded, then, looking both ways he leaned forward. ¡°Would you like¡­ um¡­ company tonight as well?¡±


    He glanced over my shoulder, and I looked back to see a young barmaid. When she saw both of us looking, she blushed and went back to cleaning the table.


    ¡°Is it alright with her?¡± I asked.


    It wasn¡¯t what I meant to ask. I was just surprised by such an offer. Although brothels were a thing in Aberis, Chalm didn¡¯t have anything like that. I found that to be a bit strange, but when I asked, the mayor said that it was out of respect for my women, which I didn¡¯t understand at all. Lydia might have been a sex worker, but never in practice, so I held no ill will about their kind.


    ¡°Money¡¯s tight. Everyone is willing to earn coin however they can.¡± The man shrugged. ¡°If you¡¯d prefer someone older, there is a woman down the street who I hear is working while her husband is away at-¡°


    ¡°It won¡¯t be necessary!¡± I coughed, trying to end that conversation immediately.


    While it was true I hadn¡¯t been with a woman in over a month, I had not been bothered that much. That surprised me. The only thing I could think was that my sexual appetite had been part of what got chopped away when I cleaved my soul. I probably could reengage some lust by equipping a certain job, but I decided to hold back on that. I would wait until I could have my women back before I¡¯d be engaging in those activities.

 Chapter 757

    I managed to reserve a night at the inn despite the previous embarrassment. I got something to eat, having been mostly eating rations the last month. After killing monsters every day and eating limited meals, my body no longer contained an ounce of the fat I once had. Even I had to admit that I was a muscular, fit man now.


    As I sat down with a bowl of stew, which fit well with this world¡¯s substandard level of cooking, the barmaid spoke to the innkeeper. She shot me an angry look and puffed out her cheeks. She was upset that I didn¡¯t take her up on the offer. I just wasn¡¯t comfortable paying a woman for that kind of service. Admittedly, most of the women I did do that with were slaves whom I owned, but that wasn¡¯t related to my ownership of them.


    Although I owned many girls, I hadn¡¯t slept with all of them. Faeyna, Salicia, and even Carmine had not been touched by me. For some reason, my mind felt a little off when it came to Carmine. Perhaps, I had developed feelings for her I hadn¡¯t realized since we had begun this little adventure. Although she was an expensive woman, she was also reliable and supportive. She was also a tough woman, someone who was strong, courageous, and beautiful.


    She had been in the Demon Prince¡¯s hands for nearly a month, and there was no telling what he had been doing to her. I shook slightly just thinking about it. Finishing the tasteless stew, my passion for cooking must have been something else lost to me during my soul severing, I stood up and asked for the bath. The barmaid glanced my way, and she had a look of temptation like she might try to sneak into my bath anyway.


    I felt like it might be one of those scams, where she gets me to spend the night with her and then in the morning tries to make me pay for the abortion whether she¡¯s pregnant or not. I didn¡¯t want to end up being extorted out of a bunch of money. When I got to the indicated room, I controlled the water stones and heat stones to get the right level of comfort. I then shut the door and made sure to lock it.


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    With that, I stripped, washed, and then bathed in my private tub. These were much bigger than the tubs where I lived. That was one of the nice things about this world. Where I used to live, baths were barely large enough to cover up to your hips. Baths here were always deep, and you could immerse yourself up to your ears if you wanted to.


    Just as I was starting to relax, letting the heat wash away dirt, sweat, and aches¡­ I started to hear a noise at the door. Through the foggy room, I saw the doorknob jiggle. A moment later, the door unlocked. The door then tried to push open. I had considered that the barmaid would have a key, so I had added another layer. I had stuffed a shirt in the crack as a doorstop. She only managed to bring it open an inch before it stopped.


    Suddenly, there was a kick, and the door flew open. I stood up in shock, but there was too much steam to see the barmaid as she stormed in. I know I told her no, but this was getting ridiculous. Just then, a naked person leaped into the bathtub with me. I went to grab them and ended up falling right on top of her. She let out a cry as I grabbed her body and pinned her down. I was really angry now. She was going too far.


    ¡°Oh!¡± A voice caused me to look up, the fading steam allowing me to see the barmaid standing at the door. ¡°I guess you¡¯ve already found someone sir¡­ I didn¡¯t realize you were into that kind of person.¡±


    Her eyes narrowed and then turned around, her braided hair lashing as she slammed the door shut. With most the steam cleared out the open door, I looked down to see who I had pinned under me. It was a small child. No!


    ¡°Rubee?¡±


    ¡°Ah! It¡¯s you again! What a small world!¡± A drunken dwarf looks up at me and smiles.

 Chapter 758

    Across from me was a young-looking girl who appeared to be in her teens, but was allegedly much older. She was a dwarf and the last time I had met her, she had been working as a Blacksmith trying to get her hands on some of the Orichalcum. Although she was a dwarf, there was nothing about her that screamed that she was a different species. Unlike the Esmere, who at least had some age in their features despite being small, giving them an appearance closer to halflings, the dwarves seemingly didn¡¯t age at all, and other than just a tinge of baby fat on her cheeks, she looked completely like a young human woman.


    Well, there was one other distinct thing about her. She was drunk, with her cheeks tinged red and her eyes looking just a bit unfocused. She had kicked in my door that was locked and then wondered into my tub. At this point, we were still in the tub, sitting across from each other. I was watching her, and it was anyones guess what was going through her mind.


    She had become a slave under Lord Reign, although I suppose the reality was that it was under the Demon Lord Aberis. At first, I didn¡¯t understand why the lord would go after the dwarf. I thought he had perhaps wanted her talents to himself, or perhaps it was pure coincidence. However, when she became the main prize of the gladiatorship, that blew those beliefs out the door. The only thing I could come up with at this point was that there was something about her that interfered with his plans. He wanted her gone, maybe not dead, but not able to focus on him.


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    ¡°Rubee-¡°


    ¡°Garnet.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°My name is Garnet.¡± She responded, smiling at nothing.


    ¡°I thought your name was Rubee.¡±


    ¡°It was Rubee¡­ now it¡¯s Garnet.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°I changed my name when I was turned into a slave.¡±


    ¡°The lord changed your name as a slave?¡±


    She shook her head, giving me a weird look. ¡°I changed my name. Oh! I forgot you humans keep the same name your whole life, don¡¯t you!¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Do dwarves not?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, are you the same person now as you were five years ago?¡±


    Five years ago, I was a fat awkward kid in high school. There was no way I was the same as him in any way. I shook my head.


    ¡°So, why do you give yourself the same name? Other species are so odd¡­¡± She shook her head, and then looked for a second like she made herself dizzy. ¡°Dwarves change their names throughout their lives. Of course, there is the name our parents give us, but when we grow up, we choose a new name. Any time there is a major change to our lives, like a change of career, or¡­ slavery¡­ well, we change our name so that it reflects that era of our lives.¡±


    ¡°Era? Do dwarves live that long?¡±


    ¡°The oldest is over a thousand, or so I¡¯m told.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ Garnet then. You¡¯re supposedly a prize in this competition. Would you change your name after your new Master takes over?¡±


    ¡°Why? My Master would change, but I would not.¡± She spoke this like it was the most obvious thing.


    ¡°I see.¡± I already could feel like this girl was difficult to talk to.

 Chapter 759

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem particularly bothered that you were thrown in a dungeon, let alone becoming a slave.¡±


    She lets out a carefree laugh. ¡°I kind of just go where the world takes me. I¡¯m usually happy as long as I¡¯m allowed to practice my craft?¡±


    ¡°And Lord Reign didn¡¯t say anything to you? He didn¡¯t threaten you not to do something, or asked you to do some kind of favor for him?¡±


    Rubee or I guess she was Garnet now, shook her head as an answer. She didn¡¯t even seem to have to think about it. She truly had no clue what was going on here and was just going along with the flow. She seemed as relaxed being in the bath with a man as she was with being made a slave. She was casually washing and humming while I thought about what her value had to be.


    Perhaps, I once might have thought this was all just a coincidence, but it was Xin who snapped me out of that kind of thinking. I couldn¡¯t underestimate Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s foresight and knowledge. He always had a reason. He had tossed us all into this dungeon to keep it from being completed. That meant that there was probably a reason he tossed her in here as well. He could have had her imprisoned in the castle. He could have had her left in his control at Lord Reign¡¯s keep. Instead, he dropped her in this world and let her go about her own devices.


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    However, I couldn¡¯t figure out what this dungeon wanted, and what she had to do with it, let alone Xin. Just who was Aberon? This seemed like the war between her original country and Aberis when he took control of the south. That would make the princess her grandma or something? Was Aberis the Demon Prince, and did he have a baby with the princess of Osteria? No, that didn¡¯t make sense with what I knew. If he had a child, who would that be?


    ¡°Welp! I¡¯m clean!¡± She stood up just like that.


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from getting an eye full of her youthful body before looking away. It wasn¡¯t like I was into that kind of thing! All of the women in my life were older, despite that barmaid¡¯s previous look, I am not some kind of deviant!


    Muttering in my mind about such things, I waited until she left the bath before I got out myself, dried off, and then dressed. I had had more relaxing baths in my time, but I had also had worse. I also didn¡¯t know where Garnet had run off to. I hadn¡¯t asked her much about what she was doing in this village, and she had run off before we could talk about our plans. It was probably for the best. After a good night¡¯s sleep, I could find her in the morning. It wasn¡¯t like this place was any bigger than the miner¡¯s town. Finding her would be simple.


    I left and went to my room using the key they had given me. It was dark, so I just threw everything into my Inventory and then crawled into bed. I reached out to hug the pillow.


    ¡°Ahhhn!¡±A girl¡¯s voice echoed in the darkroom.


    My hands were squeezing something, but the softness was completely absent and I could feel an absence of such things.


    ¡°Please say you¡¯re the barmaid,¡± I responded tearfully.


    ¡°My lord, are you stalking me? You don¡¯t need to play games. We can just cut this sexual tension and have sex!¡±

 Chapter 760

    ¡°I¡¯m not a lolicon!¡± I cried as I created a light bulb, illuminating the room and showing Garnet lying there, and of course, she was naked.


    ¡°And I¡¯m not a child, so what¡¯s your point?¡± Garnet frowned.


    ¡°I mean, the way you look¡­¡± I responded, sputtering slightly.


    ¡°Do you think all dwarf men are lolicons?¡±


    ¡°What? No!¡±


    ¡°But all dwarf women look like me, so if dwarf men are into dwarf women, and anyone who is attracted to a dwarf woman is a lolicon, then isn¡¯t that what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You humans have some strange hang-ups about stuff. If we¡¯re not going to have sex, can you turn out the light?¡±


    ¡°Is casual sex a dwarf thing too?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve just ended up in the same bed together twice now, and you seem to be very okay with having sex. Most girls would be resistant or shy.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ even if you say that I said it probably won¡¯t fit¡­¡± She responded.


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    ¡°Right, you mentioned that¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not saying we can¡¯t try¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not having sex with you.¡±


    ¡°Tsk¡­ fine¡­¡± She shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re just a cute Hero around my age. If I¡¯m going to lose it to someone, it might as well be you. That¡¯s distinctly my opinion, not a dwarf thing.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re a virgin!¡±


    ¡°I know I¡®m pretty easy going about this kind of stuff, but even my feelings get hurt when you say things like that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, my bad.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just, I¡¯m already twenty-two, so I figured I might as well lose it. I always figured I¡¯d lose it to some womanizer while I was drunk anyway.


    ¡°Now, I feel like I¡¯m being insulted.¡±


    She stuck her tongue out at me but otherwise didn¡¯t respond. With a sigh, I let the light snuff out. As someone who had slept with other women by my side for some time now, it had only been the last month where I had slept alone. In other words, there was a bit of comfort sleeping next to a woman again.


    Come that morning, the innkeeper gave me a knowing look, and I gave him a mouthful for giving the drunk dwarf my keys. I guess he had thought he was doing me a favor, so I made sure to set the record straight. I also made sure I did it in front of the barmaid to set the record straight. She was now giving the bartender a dirty look instead of me while he helplessly apologized like he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. I guess when I said I wasn¡¯t interested in the young barmaid or the older woman, he assumed that I was interested in a loli. Seeing her drunk, he did the honorable thing and hooked us up.


    To the barmaid, this probably felt like taking money right out of her pocket, so she ended up quite angry at him.


    I walked out of the inn and saw Garnet walking down the street. I flagged her down.


    ¡°Are you ready to get going?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Where am I going?¡± Garnet asked curiously.


    I blinked. ¡°Um¡­ we¡¯re leaving the dungeon?¡±


    She blinked. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving the village. This is my home now.¡±


    I had assumed since we reconnected that she¡¯d be joining me on my campaign. She had other things on her mind.

 Chapter 761

    ¡°We¡¯re in a dungeon!¡± I protested as Garnet continued to walk.


    ¡°What about it? She asked.


    ¡°You can¡¯t continue to live here!¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± She asked, seemingly curious.


    ¡°Wh-why not?¡± I shook my head, completely floored that she¡¯d even ask that question. ¡°Because it isn¡¯t real?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it isn¡¯t real? Then is the treasure it produces not real? Are the people here not real? Hey, are you real?¡± She looked at a portly male walking by.


    ¡°Huh? What are you saying? Crazy Dwarf.¡± The male snorted and then quickened his step.


    ¡°Garnet, this place is filled with miasma. Over time, it will start to affect you, change who you are. This dungeon will turn you into part of itself.¡± I tried a different approach to convince her.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t bother me so much¡­¡±


    She turned, entering an open hut. The feel of heat emanating from it immediately told me that this place was a forge. A man in a thick apron and the sounds of hammering only confirmed it. I stopped at the entrance, watching as Garnet casually tossed on her apron.


    ¡°You¡¯re back again, little miss?¡± The Blacksmith said. ¡°You work almost as hard as I do, I feel bad I¡¯m not paying you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re letting me use your items and supplies?¡± Garnet responded, ¡°That¡¯s enough for me.¡±


    ¡°Garnet¡­¡± I protested.


    ¡°Out there, I was a slave, or I was ignored. In here, there is a war and need for Blacksmiths. Old man Smith here has orders backed up for months. I can keep working in peace without the risk of being arrested or enslaved. A slave mark is meaningless when your Master exists in another world.¡± Garnet shrugged.


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    ¡°Is this guy bothering you?¡± The Blacksmith asked, making sure to glare at me and show the girth of his arms, which were almost wider than my waist.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, he¡¯s an old friend,¡± Garnet responded. ¡°You are a friend, right?¡±


    That question seemed to have more meaning than that. It seemed to imply that a true friend wouldn¡¯t press her or make her leave.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be trying to defeat this dungeon. If I complete the terms, I¡¯m not sure what happens when this place is destroyed. Normally, you¡¯d just be expelled, but since this place is in a bubble not connected with our world, you may end up¡­ somewhere else.¡±


    I was going to say that she might end up dead, but I didn¡¯t know what happened if you fell between worlds. Despite having once traveled across dimensions, I knew nothing about them.


    ¡°If that happens, it happens.¡± Garnet shrugged. ¡°Besides, I have a once in a lifetime opportunity. In two weeks, there will be a shipment of Silvthril.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°What¡¯s Silvthril?¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s a magical metal like Mithril, but this one is imbued with divine strength. If Orichalcum is a metal created by dungeons, having properties of darkness and miasma, then Silvthril is the exact opposite.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a Magic Blacksmith?¡± I asked in surprise.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± He snorted.


    ¡°He is! Isn¡¯t that lucky?¡± Garnet grinned. ¡°When Master shoved me in here, I had no clue where I¡¯d end up. However, I was found by the blacksmith here, and he¡¯s been helping me learn magic blacksmithing. I¡¯m already a level four Magic Blacksmith. It took a few years, but I figured it out!


    ¡°I thought you were twenty-two years old! Wait, you¡¯ve been in here a few years?¡±


    I felt stupid as soon as I said that. One day equaled one month, and she was in here before I was. No wonder she didn¡¯t want to leave this place. She had already been here for around 30 months, or over two years. Me telling her this place would be gone in two months probably didn¡¯t seem real.


    ¡°Why, Deek, I am twenty-two!¡± She responded, grinning as she picked up the hammer. Just because time moves differently in here doesn¡¯t mean you age faster. Interestingly, it would have taken me years to be a Magic Blacksmith, but now I¡¯ve achieved it in less than a month. Imagine how far I can go if I stay here? So, I hope you understand why I need to stay?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s funny how things work out.¡±


    I ended the conversation with her and walked away, but I had a frown on my face. The Demon Lord didn¡¯t do anything on accident. What if Garnet was dropped in this world exactly to become a Magic Blacksmith? Just what was that guy planning?

 Chapter 762

    ¡°Your food is always the best, Deek!¡± the barmaid said, pouting her lips in a suggesting manner.


    ¡°Ease off the boy, he likes¡­ ahem¡­ other women.¡±


    Being hit on by the barmaid, even if I wasn¡¯t interested, still was a morale booster. Unfortunately, the obnoxious innkeeper always found a way to kill that mood. Two weeks had passed since I had found Garnet, and I was now at the halfway point in this dungeon. I only had six weeks to go.


    Since finding this village, I had decided to stay nearby as I continued to level and grow myself. Of course, I wasn¡¯t sleeping in the same room as Garnet anymore. I made sure to nip that in the bud, although the innkeeper still was convinced, we were in some kind of relationship. Maybe we were. I was unwilling to abandon Garnet, and I figured that if Lord Aberis did have some grand plan for her, then it made sense that I should stick by her.


    I had gotten a map from one of the village heads, and they had helped me locate any area that I thought might be a safe room. I did daily excursions across the countryside, and with Portal, I was able to make it all around the dungeon. I had explored well over half of it at this point. Although there was no wall to show the edge, there was an impassable mountain range. I decided not to try to fight my way past it, even though I could technically teleport to the peak and glance over with a single Portal. I decided that was too much risk.


    Either way, I had done twenty-three of Xin¡¯s trials at this point, netting the majority of the armor toward a full star suit. I had also gained levels in various jobs, continuing to get stronger with each passing day. I could still feel Carmine in the castle, but the demon castle and the city that surrounded it was the one place I didn¡¯t go.


    Today was a rather rare break. I had more spots of interest to visit which may be other safe rooms, but lately, I just needed a day off. At this point, the town was convinced I was a suitor who was courting Garnet. Although it was known she was a dwarf, I still couldn¡¯t shake some of the negative stigmatism associated with being interested in a younger woman. The barmaid still occasionally made passes at me, and for that, I had to blame my high charm. I had recently unlocked Charm Plus from True Hero, which made me devastatingly charming, or at least I imagined it did.


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    Garnet had also passed around the tale of me making food for everyone back in the Miner¡¯s town, and so even though I didn¡¯t have any passion for making food as the current me, I was encouraged into cooking for the whole village. Impassioned or not, I had the Cook job and could whip something up that was better than most of the meals in this world without too much difficulty. Thus, the entire village had gathered around for an impromptu celebration. The innkeeper was providing the supplies and I was providing the cooking skill.


    There were only about thirty people in the village, so passing out the food didn¡¯t take long. As I talked and joked around with the village, I couldn¡¯t see these people as some fake creation of the dungeon. They were real people with histories, memories, and personalities. I started to remember the theory of infinite dungeons, where the entire world we knew was just a dungeon that has existed so long that it couldn¡¯t even remember its lore anymore.


    The only thing that kept me from jumping on that theory was that I still had to find a dungeon within this dungeon. The closest thing to it was Xin¡¯s challenges, and they didn¡¯t feel quite the same.


    Garnet had already lived here for years. This village and its people were a part of her. I wasn¡¯t sure if I had a right to take that away from her. If I destroyed this world, wasn¡¯t I consigning all of these people to death? The dungeon might desire a conclusion to its lore, but to the inhabitants, Dungeon Divers like me or Xin could be seen as world enemies, seeking to end everything these people knew.


    It was enough to give me a headache. I didn¡¯t have to destroy this dungeon, I just had to get past the Demon Lord and through the portal, and then past the Demon Lord on the other side who was holding the portal open. Should I leave these people to their fate, eternally repeating this cycle of a violent war, or do I end the cycle, condemning them to nonexistence? In the end, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn¡¯t come to a solution that satisfied me.

 Chapter 763

    "The silvthril shipment hasn¡¯t arrived.¡± The Blacksmith frowned. ¡°This is worrying.¡±


    I wondered about the silvthril. If it was anti-miasma, then it was probably effective against all dungeon creatures. That being the case, why would the dungeon contain any silvthril? I shook my head putting those thoughts out of my mind. I had to assume that the silvthril was here and existed, rather than that the silvthril was some kind of illusion in the story. Maybe, every cycle he waited for that shipment, and every cycle it never came, but I felt I had to treat it like it was real.


    Part of that reason was that Garnet was looking at me with begging eyes. This was the day after the celebration. The shipment was supposed to arrive last night, and instead, they got bupkes. Garnet had come to my room early that morning, her eyes filled with worry as she asked me to come to the forge. Coming down with Garnet in hand, I had to dodge the innkeeper¡¯s smug looks and the barmaid¡¯s unhappy expression.


    They had to have seen her come up, so they knew there was no time for us to get up to any shenanigans. I was pretty sure they were just giving me a hard time at this point. It was no secret that the only reason I remained in town was for Garnet.


    Thus, I ended up in the forge, with the blacksmith laying a request, as well as a bag of gold. ¡°You¡¯re an adventurer and a hunter. This is well known. I¡¯d like to pay you. It¡¯s bandits, assuredly. Track them down, kill them, and take back the silvthril. I can pay you this again as long as you come back with it. I¡¯ve also made you some armor more to your style. I know you¡¯ve been collecting that Star crap, but it doesn¡¯t suit your fighting style at all.


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    He was correct. I hadn¡¯t worn the Star Armor since getting it. There were numerous pieces of thick full mail, and it covered every inch of the body. I was someone who needed to see my environment and be able to move quickly. It didn¡¯t suit me at all. As to why I collected it, it was just a consequence of unlocking the saferoom network, and I thought the armor might do well for Carmine. When I got her back, I¡¯d present her the armor as a gift.


    At the moment, I was being shown armor of my own. I was surprised to see it glow a bit.


    ¡°Magic?¡± I said in surprise.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ it¡¯s just steel, but I infused magic into it. It¡¯s a lot stronger than it looks, and lighter too.¡±


    I picked up the chain-link material which looked a bit like a shirt, and while it felt like it should weigh ten pounds, it only felt like one or two.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± I responded, looking at him with a bit of respect.


    Magic blacksmiths were worth respect. All of Aberis only had one Master, and this was another.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me.¡± He snorted, nodding to my side.


    I looked to see Garnet blush. ¡°I made it ¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, thank you. I will go and recover that metal.¡± My hands tightened on the armor for a bit. ¡°Then, I will be leaving.¡±


    She looked up at me with shock, a flash in her eyes. ¡°Leaving?¡±


    While still looking at the armor, I spoke. ¡°I¡¯ve made my decision. I can¡¯t wait to see if Lord Aberis has some master plan. I can¡¯t just keep reacting to him. I have to take the initiative. I will head to the demon castle. I have to reach Carmine, and return to the rest of the people in my life.¡±


    It was never really a question, but I had procrastinated here because I was afraid of failing again. I supposed losing Carmine and the fort had caused me to run away from my problems for a bit.


    ¡°Then¡­ there will be a cost for that armor.¡± Garnet put on a stubborn look, the one I had grown to understand as something she wouldn¡¯t budge on.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going with you to take out those bandits.¡± She responded. ¡°I¡¯ll recover that metal with my own hands!¡±

 Chapter 764

    "Can you really swing that hammer defensively.¡± I asked as Garnet.


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± She lifted the hammer half as tall as her and slung it back on her shoulder. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯re a blacksmith, I didn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t swing a hammer, but can you fight people with it?¡±


    ¡°If I swing the hammer and someone doesn¡¯t get out of my way, they get hurt. There isn¡¯t more to it.¡± Garnet sniffed.


    She had her red hair up in twin-tails, and she wore some armor given to her by the blacksmith. She wasn¡¯t wearing all of it though, as there were only a few pieces crafted small enough to fit her small form. I didn¡¯t have any armor left in my inventory other than what I was wearing and the star pieces. I hoped I didn¡¯t get into a situation where my armor got destroyed again. I needed to get a set crafted that fit me that wouldn¡¯t be obliterated the first time I ended up in a dangerous fight. Of course, I could avoid getting into dangerous fights, but that was another matter entirely.


    Before we left, the blacksmith grabbed my shoulder. ¡°You take care of her, you hear? If she doesn¡¯t come back safe¡­¡±


    He squeezed my shoulder a bit harder than I would have liked. If it was the me from when I first came to this world, I definitely would have had a bruise later. I nodded, until he finally let me go, and then rubbing my shoulder I walked away. Rather than angry, I felt a bit of guilt. After this, I would return to trying to destroy the dungeon. I had no clue what would happen to these people after that happened.


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    The blacksmith truly really cared about Garnet. He wasn¡¯t some NPC that I could pretend didn¡¯t exist because he came from a dungeon. All the demons had started in dungeons, but Shao came from the same world I did. If she descended from demons, I didn¡¯t know what that meant about the nature of creatures created by demons.


    With a sigh, realizing I was thinking about the same things over and over in a circle since I had come to this dungeon world, I decided to try to put it behind me and just focus on the next step. As we started heading out of town, I was worried that Garnet wouldn¡¯t keep up with me. It turned out, I was looking down on her small form, or perhaps dwarves in general. She seemed to be able to keep up fine, even while holding her large war hammer and her armor.


    It was about three hours before we had finally discovered the burned ruins of what must have been the carriage. The people who were delivering the Silvthril were gone. There were signs of a battle, such as leftover arrows and some blood.


    ¡°They missed one!¡± Garnet cried out excitedly.


    I looked to see her pick up a pure white stone that almost seemed to glow. Otherwise, it didn¡¯t look particularly remarkable.


    ¡°That is silvthril? I wonder why I hadn¡¯t heard about it in the other world?


    ¡°That¡¯s simply because it doesn¡¯t exist,¡± Garnet explained.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The metal used to exist, but all of it was used up during a great war against some kind of malevolent darkness. Some Silvthril weapons still existed, but they were lost over time. Why do you think the world is covered in dungeons now? Silvthril, the greatest antidungeon weapon, no longer exists.¡±


    ¡°Except in this dungeon¡­¡± I added, looking at the white glimmering stone in her hand. ¡°I think I¡¯m beginning to understand why Demon Lord Aberis kept this dungeon.¡±

 Chapter 765

    <div>


    The pair of us continued our trek, following the direction the bandits had gone. I was no tracker, but I thankfully didn¡¯t have to be one to be able to follow them. They were subtle about their movements. Perhaps, given the progression of the war, they were bolder about their movements. Ultimately, we ended up at a cave entrance. Using my sense life, I could detect a few bandits who were still high enough in the cave system I could detect them, but ultimately, it didn¡¯t do too well underground, just as I found out in the keep.


    ¡°So, the Silvthril is in there?¡± Garnet asked, her eyes bright with excitement.


    I nodded. ¡°It seems like that is where they are hiding.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡± She took a step forward, and I just managed to catch her arm before she walked right in on the group of bandits.


    ¡°They were enough to knock out that entire shipment which probably included armed guards. There are only two of us!¡± I growled at her.


    ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t you like a really strong hero though?¡±


    While she looked at me with a cute expression and seemed serious when she said that, I wouldn¡¯t let it make me happy and forget the risk. I shook my head and didn¡¯t let her attitude affect me.


    ¡°I may have grown lately, but we don¡¯t know how large or how powerful this bandit group is. If we just attack without a plan, then it won¡¯t matter how strong I am.¡±


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    ¡°Fine¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°Then, what is the plan?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ if they¡¯re living in a cave, it probably means that they have lots of lights in there. The area is closed off, so it¡¯s too bad we can¡¯t just fill it with some kind of poisonous gas.¡±


    ¡°Gas¡­ that¡¯s not very adventurous at all!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I the adventurer in the group. I¡¯m rank C, I¡¯ll have you know.¡±


    ¡°Is that high?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ sure.¡±


    If she didn¡¯t know that C was barely acceptable as an adventurer, then I wasn¡¯t going to tell her. Had we not left to deal with Lord Reign and try to infiltrate the bandits, then I might have been rank A by now.


    ¡°What about miasma?¡±


    ¡°While miasma here is very thin on the surface, I think I recall you mentioned that it doesn¡¯t affect you much?¡±


    The dungeon wasn¡¯t devoid of miasma, but it tended to linger in patches. In the villages, there wasn¡¯t that much, but in castles and underground areas, it could build up. During certain days, you could see tendrils of it in the forest, sort of like fog except black. The people in the dungeon seemed to be used to it and immune to it. As for Garnet, I was curious if she was willfully ignoring it or if she had a general reason.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ um¡­ immune to miasma.¡± She explained tightly.


    ¡°A species trait?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡± She responded, but she seemed like she didn¡¯t want to talk about it. ¡°I mean, the miasma should affect them, can you put miasma into the cave.¡±


    ¡°Miasma?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t. I was a dark priest and demonic knight. Either one could manipulate miasma. I could make miasma with one of my dark priest abilities as freely as Shao could. I could convert mana into miasma and vice versa now. It was then that I started to realize the possibility. If I filled the cave with miasma, it¡¯d become difficult for them to see. It never got thick enough in the dungeons I had been in, but supposedly, it could get thick enough you couldn¡¯t see more than a few feet in front of you. There was a way we could blind the bandits!


    <div>

 Chapter 766

    I didn¡¯t have my miasma affinity, but I wouldn¡¯t need it if I was producing my own. The miasma I made through my spells was peaceful and didn¡¯t affect me at all. Even if it did, as a white mage, I had many means of countering miasma, and as a Demonic Knight, I had even more ways of ignoring it.


    If we filled the cave with miasma, we might be able to smoke them out. If enough miasma gathered, monsters would spontaneously be created. So, it¡¯d be a mental attack, affecting their emotional and psychological state, it would blind them, and then there was a chance of monsters. I admit I had never concentrated miasma with the intent of making monsters though, except through the use of my dungeon.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try it out.¡±


    There were two guards at the cave entrance, completely hidden and waiting in ambush. I took out one while Garnet took out the other. We tried to do it as quietly as possible. Once they were gone, I moved to the front of the cave. I could only detect a few faded red dots in their depths. They were too far in to see us or to realize what was happening.


    I pulled out all of the mana and waters of life potions I had acquired recently. One good thing about an ancient dungeon on a battlefield, there was no shortage of curative supplies. I had spared a bit of fairy dust and made several jugs of waters of life, so I could drink it during difficult battles, but other than that, I hadn¡¯t used any of the resources I had acquired since coming here.


    Once I had prepared things, I raised my hand and started to create miasma. It was much like the create water spell, except that this was a gas. I couldn¡¯t make it go anywhere and it sort of just drifted in the air. I had to simultaneously use a wind control to make sure that the miasma made it into the cave. Keeping a gentle wave carrying miasma into a place where it could escape. I continued to produce miasma as quickly as my fingers would make it.


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    It was two hours before I needed to start drinking something to keep my mana up. At first, Garnet had been pumped, holding her hammer fiercely and acting like she was going to protect me with her life. However, that ended after fifteen minutes, and now she was lying on a grass tuff, looking extremely bored. Another hour passed by, and while I was steadily taking sips of waters of life, she made a noise and approached me.


    ¡°How much longer is this going to take.¡±


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t spent countless hours filling and creating the fairy spring, I¡¯m not sure if I would have had the patience to do this either. It was an unpleasant experience, acting basically as a mana conversion conduit to change mana from one thing to another.


    I was about to answer her when I heard a noise from within the cave. There were footsteps and the sounds of someone coming.


    ¡°Boss says he detects something off about the atmosphere in the cave.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask why the entrance needed to be checked, I asked why we were the ones who had to check it!¡±


    I grabbed my blade and moved to the side. Garnet got up and similarly took a flanking position on the other side of the cave. We watched as the two men left the cave. Their eyes instantly caught the lined-up potions on the ground where I had been sitting. They walked out to look at them.


    ¡°Who left these¡­ wait¡­ ahhh!¡± We descended on and cut the two men down.


    Whether they were dungeon monsters or real people, I had gotten over killing when necessary. Ever since I had killed Lord reign¡¯s Knights, I had accepted that I¡¯d have to kill people from time to time, so the best I could do was be efficient so they didn¡¯t feel pain.


    ¡°This is when things get messy,¡± I told Garnet. ¡°If these guys don¡¯t come back in a few minutes, they¡¯ll be alert.¡±


    ¡°Then, what do we do?¡± Garnet asked.


    I touched the bandit¡¯s forehead, and his karma flooded into me. ¡°We tell the boss that things going according to plan.¡±

 Chapter 767

    <div>


    "This outfit doesn¡¯t really fit me.¡± Garnet complained as we started walking into the cave.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just stay back in the darkness, and let me do all the talking,¡± I responded, looking at the entrance. ¡°I wish I had earth manipulation at Terra¡¯s level. I never really practiced it. I know some fire, wind, and even a bit of water, but earth I have no strength in. Even with magician, I wouldn¡¯t be able to block the entrance.¡±


    ¡°You want to seal us in with them?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be nice¡± I shrugged. ¡°Whatever, we need to get moving.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡±


    The pair of us disappeared into the darkness of the cave, which appeared just slightly darker than it should thanks to filling it for three hours with miasma. At the moment, it was probably as thick as any normal dungeon I¡¯d been in. The people inside might be feeling a bit worn down. Light from torches didn¡¯t seem to push as far into the darkness. Of course, my white mage light always seemed to ignore this rule. We descended into the tunnel and quickly started to hear the sound of people.


    Voices were talking in the dark, and the occasional cough, or the sound of footsteps as someone moved around. Furthermore, Life Sense began to pick up redder, and I started to see a group of nearly a hundred bandits. This was a number far larger than I had expected.


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    Thinking about it, I realized that fighting our way through or killing them all seemed impossible. Even if I could spend another ten hours dumping miasma into this cave, it¡¯d not be dark enough that we could wipe out such a large group. Even if high power mobs started to appear in that darkness, it also seemed impossible.


    That left us with one other option. Since I was sneaking into the bandit cave, then I should be able to act as the bandits did. If I could get to the metal, I could stash it in my inventory and then run. Stealing from the bandits was always an option. No one would guess I was a hero who had Inventory.


    ¡°Hagger? What¡¯s going on topside?¡± A voice came from the darkness.


    I nearly jumped, but just managed to keep my cool. A man came out from the darkness. My Sense Life hadn¡¯t seen him until he spoke. He had managed to hide his life force from me. He wasn¡¯t the first I had seen that was able to do this, but I hadn¡¯t expected to run into anyone that capable here. Behind me, Garnet kept her head low, and her face covered.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I said, allowing my mimic abilities to take effect. ¡°Just a passing monster.¡±


    I didn¡¯t try to change my voice or act differently, but I used the mimic abilities to pretend to be this guy named Hagger. Garnet jerked when I spoke, which told me that how I was talking and behaving must have surprised her, but I didn¡¯t notice any difference myself.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± The assassin who came from nowhere nodded and then seemed to melt away before my eyes. ¡°In that case, the bandit hero would like to see you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I said, unable to stop myself.


    ¡°Boss wants to talk!¡±


    Boss¡­ he was the Bandit Hero?

 Chapter 768

    In the other world, I had known of two people named the Bandit Hero. The first died after being poisoned in a lighthouse. I had only met him briefly. The second was currently in southern Aberis. He was supposedly rallying against Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s return, but he was stupidly working with the man and doing his bidding. I didn¡¯t know if the men were related. One might be a relative of the other. It could be a title that people passed down. It could also be pure coincidence.


    Typically, you were the Hero of whatever country gave you a Hero coin. I was the Hero of Chalm because Chalm chose me to be their Hero. Becoming a True Hero required defeating a demon lord. That didn¡¯t necessarily mean killing them, but at the very least stopping them. Then, there were the special names for heroes. The Maid Hero and the Princess Hero were the names of Elaya and Xin, who had both likely unlocked the True Hero job when they defeated Aberis the first time.


    Lord Edward Aberis I was the Hero King, named for his leadership role among the revolt that overthrew the Demon Lord. I had also heard of the Harem Hero, the Slave Hero, the Summoning Hero, the Animalkin Hero, and of course, the Bandit Hero. They seemed to have gained their names through great feats. How great? Well, I hadn¡¯t earned one yet, although that might be because not enough time had passed and to be fair, I hadn¡¯t done anything that reshaped the course of a country. I may be a Hero to Chalm, but to be a named Hero, I¡¯d have to be a Hero to nations.


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    So, I didn¡¯t know who this Bandit Hero was. If this world was a perverted form of Aberis before the fall of the Demon Lord, then was the Bandit Hero a copy of one of the Bandit Kings in the outside world? It would have to be the one from the lighthouse, who perished in an unfortunate manner. Then again, it could be a different person entirely. Any Bandit could call themselves Bandit Hero if they wanted to increase their credit. Even the title Bandit King didn¡¯t require you to have the job Bandit King, and I wouldn¡¯t put it past Bandits to not respect the sanctity of other bandit identities.


    Either way, we were summoned, and if I wanted any chance to get that Silvthril for Garnet, then we had to play along until I knew where it was. Thankfully, with the Map filling out ahead and my Sense Life, I was able to move like I knew which way I was going. Perhaps, my mimicry ability also came into play. After we had passed the assassin guard, Garnet tugged my arm.


    ¡°How did you talk like that. Your voice was completely different!¡±


    ¡°Was it? It¡¯s just a skill. Don¡¯t worry about it too much.¡± It seemed my mimicry was good enough to fool her.


    Finally, I found the chamber where the Bandit Hero was waiting. I could see his lifeforce, which wasn¡¯t hidden like the assassins. He was displaying it in full. Typically, very powerful creatures had thicker red, while weaker presences were light and faded. That¡¯s why I could easily tell a human compared to a fly. Since life was brighter for animals with mana, or monsters, and was faded to the point you could barely make them out in regular creatures.


    As for the Bandit Hero, he had an extremely thick presence. It was at the same level I had seen in Xin. That meant, that as a boss, he was as powerful as the Princess Hero and far more than I could take!

 Chapter 769

    Thankfully, I didn¡¯t have to defeat the Bandit Hero. I just had to fool him. As long as I could maintain my ruse as this bandit, Hagger, then I could have a chance at stealing the metal.


    ¡°Stay in the back. Lower your head. Look respectful.¡± I told Garnet.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t think this is going to work?¡±


    ¡°Do we have another option now? I hissed back.


    We ended up walking out into a large room. It had a certain dark malevolent feel to it, like a dungeon boss room, but I had a feeling I had no one to blame but myself for setting this atmosphere. I knew it wasn¡¯t a boss room though, as it wasn¡¯t preceeded by a safe room and there was no door to close behind me. Even the cave-like dungeons had doors. There were large bowls filled with flame that lined the path. At the end of it was a man lounging in a chair, his legs tossed over the edge. This room was grandiose, and the flippant nature of the man filled with life only made me worry further.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Hagger! You¡¯ve returned!¡± The man called out in a friendly manner.


    I pulled on my Mimic and took a breath as I waved. ¡°Yes, Boss, I didn¡¯t find anything suspicious up on top.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you didn¡¯t¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°Since you¡¯re the thing that is suspicious.¡±


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    ¡°Boss?¡±


    ¡°Quit it¡­ I can see right through your appearance.¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Well, since Xin can, I supposed it makes sense you can too.¡±


    ¡°You know Xin?¡± This time, he sat up in his chair with interest.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve met a few times,¡± I said, watching him cautiously.


    ¡°You seem calm, I like that.¡±


    ¡°You do as well.¡±


    He seemed very relaxed and didn¡¯t look like he was about to attack me. However, I acted similarly. Even after having my plan instantly seen through, I didn¡¯t feel much fear. I didn¡¯t feel fear much after cutting that piece of my soul away. In some ways, that could be a good thing, but I suppose fear was something that also kept you safe. I might have never walked into a cave filled with bandits and tried to Mimic my way through had I felt a bit more fear. Either way, no one would guess we were anything but old friends suddenly meeting.


    Garnet had dropped her pretense and glanced between me and the Bandit Hero. If I had to describe the man, he was moderately handsome, with a close cut beard and mustache, and he dressed in leather armor, a bit like me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just be straight with you. The only reason I allowed you down here was because of your dwarf. I¡¯ve been eyeing her for a while.¡±


    Garnet grabbed the back of my shirt, making a noise as she hid behind me. With how flirtatious she usually was, I was surprised she didn¡¯t engage him. He did seem a bit charming. However, she seemed completely unphased by that charm. As for me, I felt a bit angry. I had already lost Carmine, there was no way I was going to lose Garnet as well.


    ¡°Calm down! Don¡¯t give me that look.¡± He waved his hand, and all of the Silvthril appeared from what must have been his Inventory. ¡°I want her to make a weapon out of this. I think you may find that we¡¯re on the same side.¡±

 Chapter 770

    ¡°You seek to destroy Aberon?¡± I asked calmly.


    The Bandit Hero nodded. ¡°I thought you might not be a demon, what with your ability to take Karma and mimic people. As for her, I knew her to be a Deep Dwarf since I first saw her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, a Deep Dwarf?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t know?¡± He asked, looking over at Garnet, who blushed slightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not something I advertise.¡± She responded. ¡°Although there are many dwarves, I might be the last of my tribe.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the last?¡± I asked, raising my eyebrow.


    ¡°Dwarves of the Deep, or Deep Dwarves, were a special tribe of Dwarves. We lived completely underground.¡±


    ¡°Deep Dwarves were famous for mining dungeons.¡± The Bandit Hero spoke up.


    ¡°Like that orichalcum in the Widow¡¯s Dungeon!¡± I snapped my fingers in surprise.


    ¡°Not just that,¡± Garnet spoke up, seeming a bit uncomfortable with talking about it. ¡°We used to mine pockets of miasma. My people used it to power the infernal machines.¡±


    ¡°Infernal machines?¡± I blinked, glancing at the Bandit Hero, who also looked lost.


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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing either.¡±


    ¡°It was a long time ago.¡± She responded. ¡°My people had long lifespans, and while the surface wears away, under the ground things last. Even so, there were only explained as the reason our people were all but wiped out. We tried to conquer the world, and a coalition of surface dwarves, elves, and humans managed to wipe us out and bury the infernal machines. The surface dwarves still blamed us, claiming we brought the curse of the dungeons.¡±


    ¡°I had never heard about any of that,¡± I admitted, feeling like as soon as I unwrapped one layer of this world, a dozen more appeared beneath the surface.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect you to. As I said, the story of the Deep Dwarves is old. Even surface dwarves might mistake me for their own if it wasn¡¯t for my red hair. Red, like the fires deep below the earth, or so I was told. In truth, I never saw the deep. My family had left it before I was born. I heard stories of the crystalline cities though. They were beautiful.¡±


    Those last words caught in my mind. A crystalline city? I recalled that deep within the earth were various deposits of stone that looked out of this world. I also recalled I had seen such a place once before, the Mirror Labyrinth. Was the Mirror Labyrinth based off of the deep? Was the deep a place we could still go?


    ¡°The deep is where Silvthril is found.¡± The Bandit Hero suddenly spoke up. ¡°It was how the Deep Dwarves were able to hold the miasma at bay. What they brought up is all of the Silvthril that exists, and the only one who can properly smelt and smith Silvthril is a Deep Dwarf!¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Other masters have tried, and while they¡¯ve managed to make little things, there seems to be something in the blood of Deep Dwarves that enables them to do what no human can manage.¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ that human was going to use the metal to forge it himself.¡±


    The Bandit King shook his head. ¡°He was going to try, but his chances of success were very low. I¡¯d say he had a 1% chance of succeeding. So, I hope you understand the importance of finding a Deep Dwarf skilled in blacksmithing! It¡¯s almost like fate has intervened.¡±


    Fate¡­ or a Demon Lord.

 Chapter 771

    The new information I had just learned filled in some of the gaps in my knowledge. If my guess was right, then Lord Aberis was aiming at getting a sword made of Silvthril. If he could tame dungeons, then he could rule the surface.


    So, he must have found this dungeon based on a key point in which a Silvthril weapon needed to be made. Either the dungeon already contained Silvthril, or he tossed the Silvthril inside, hoping the Magic Blacksmith would build the weapon needed to destroy the Demon Lord. Unfortunately, he failed, so the Lord Aberis made the dungeon reset, reliving this sequence over and over again.


    At some point, he tossed Xin into the dungeon, hoping she¡¯d start altering things enough that one of the times, the Blacksmith wpuld succeed. So, he waited, 10 times, 20 times, 50 times. The Blacksmith should have succeeded at least 1 in 100. However, 100 cycles came and passed, and he still didn¡¯t make the blade. Xin continued to change the lore, and no matter what happened, the Silvthril sword was never successfully made.


    Part of the purpose of the Widow¡¯s Dungeon was to lure out knowledgeable Blacksmiths, and he happened to luck out when he found Garnet. She wasn¡¯t just a dwarf Blacksmith, but a Deep Dwarf. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t know magic blacksmithing to be able to do the job. So, he tossed her in early, engineering things so that she would be involved in the final construction of the Silvthril sword.


    That sword would be needed to defeat the dungeon master, so Lord Aberis knew that anyone who entered the dungeon would inevitably end up finding the girl, who was also supposed to be a prize for winning this little game. In short, if they had any desire to leave the dungeon, then they would need to get the sword and leave with it. After that, all it would take is Lord Reign handing them one of his corrupted Knight tokens, and then he¡¯d be in Lord Aberis¡¯s control.


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    The only thing that Lord Aberis hadn¡¯t accounted for was the state of the dungeon. Xin had caused a mess in here, and Karma was now loose and infecting the people inside. Prince Aberis, otherwise known as Bernard, now took the place of Aberon¡¯s son. His goals didn¡¯t align with the dungeon¡¯s original intent, and that didn¡¯t even mention Carmine. There was no telling what direction the dungeon would go in now. It was all a big mess all over.


    ¡°Are you going to leave me hanging?¡± The Bandit Hero asked.


    ¡°Ah¡­ right¡­¡± I had been standing there in silence thinking for some time, and his patience had finally ended. ¡°If you seek to destroy Lord Aberon, then making a sword from the Silvthril would be the best option.¡±


    I did have my doubts. If the weapon was what Lord Aberis wanted, then I should make sure that it didn¡¯t happen. However, if this sword was as useful for dungeons as suggested, then I should be the one to get it.


    ¡°Then, it¡¯s agreed. You shall forge the Silvthril.¡± The Bandit Hero clapped his hand.


    At this moment, a woman walked up behind his throne and put her hand on his shoulder. She was a beautiful woman, with deep red lips, and darkly-shaded eyes. Her hair was long and black, and so was her dress.


    ¡°Ah, this is my Dark Priestess. Every decent bandit king has one.¡± The Bandit Hero smiled, ¡°Her name is Calypso.¡±


    ¡°Shall we eat?¡± She asked, for some reason looking at me with a smile.

 Chapter 772

    ¡°I realized I forgot to formally introduce myself.¡± The Bandit Hero spoke as we sat at a long table filled with food. ¡°My name is Roxford, they call me the Bandit Hero around these parts.¡±


    It was just me, Garnet, Roxford, and Calypso around the table, although it was long enough and filled with enough food to feed thirty.


    Calypso seemed to notice me staring at the empty chairs, ¡°The other bandits eat separately from us. It¡¯s how we distinguish leadership. Eating with the Bandit Hero is a great honor for you. You should be thankful.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Garnet said before digging in, but I still hesitated.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered bandits to set up a forge. There is a good cavern with a natural chimney. I¡¯ve heard that to forge properly, being underground is preferable. It blocks out unwanted vibrations and bad energy.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ the miasma!¡± I cried out, just remembering my previous plan.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it. It makes the men a little angsty, but it reinforces my abilities.¡± Calypso responded. ¡°To be able to create miasma, you must be a fairly high-level Dark Priest?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ not exactly¡­¡± I responded, this time grabbing food to try to avoid answering her. ¡°Ah¡­ do you need help with those bandits¡­ that I¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°The ones you killed?¡± Calypso raised an eyebrow and then chuckled. ¡°No, I was already able to raise them using Dark Ritual. You have that ability?¡±


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    She seemed to be trying to figure out what level I was. Whatever that level was, I didn¡¯t have it yet.


    ¡°Ah, yes¡­ I do have it.¡± I lied. ¡°I was going to offer¡­¡±


    Roxford had a distasteful look on it. ¡°I¡¯d rather we used Resurrection. It¡¯s too bad Priests won¡¯t resurrect our kind.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Because Dark Ritual demands a sacrifice,¡± Calypso responded simply. ¡°My Hero here doesn¡¯t like killing.¡±


    ¡°Sacrifices, who?¡± I demanded, frowning.


    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Those that didn¡¯t need to be alive, I can tell you that much. Of course, if they¡¯re lucky, they can be resurrected the old-fashioned way. Dark Ritual is much much faster, and can be cast before the person even dies.¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I thought you had the ability?¡±


    ¡°Ah! I-I do¡­ It¡¯s just, I¡¯ve never used it. It¡¯s not like there is a manual for this kind of thing?¡±


    She gave a grin but otherwise spoke. ¡°You can cast Dark Ritual on someone, and it connects their soul to another. It¡¯s not dissimilar to certain slave crests. For those, when the master dies, the slave dies with them. In this case, when the main person dies, the sacrifice dies in their stead. They resurrect shortly after. They also don¡¯t experience any of the weakness or damage to their soul. It¡¯s like protecting your soul with another. Any competent Dark Priest has a sacrifice at the ready in case she faces someone deadly.¡±


    She shot me a cutting look, and then seemed to have lost a lot of interest in our discussion when she realized I didn¡¯t know much about the dark priesthood. However, for me, I was thinking about other things entirely.


    Specifically, the bandits back at home. I had been wondering how they kept their bandits coming without stop. This Dark Ritual seemed to be the first thing I had heard of that sounded close to an answer. There was still a problem with that theory. Those bandits seemed to be able to keep coming. If that was indeed the answer, just how many souls did they have as backup?

 Chapter 773

    ¡°Deek, is it? You have the feel of a Hero about you as well. What are you the Hero of?¡± We were just finishing with our meals when Calypso spoke up.


    ¡°Ah? You¡¯re a Hero? I didn¡¯t think you were that strong,¡± Roxford said, and then waved his hands. ¡°Not that I¡¯m saying you¡¯re weak or anything!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the hero of a city called Chalm. Nothing special.¡± I responded simply.


    ¡°Chalm¡­ chalm¡­ I¡¯ve never heard of it!¡± Roxford shrugged.


    ¡°Most towns usually elect a Hero of the town. They¡¯re not so amazing when you think of it.¡± I responded.


    Although I had never officially met any other heroes, there had to be at least a few hundred in Aberis alone. The Prince had once mentioned that there was a yearly gathering of heroes, which was coincidently where a lot of heroes gained their more unique names, but I didn¡¯t know when that was and I didn¡¯t have much interest in going to it anyway. As a lord, my status already exceeded a Hero anyway.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to be modest.¡± Her red lips moved up in a smirk once again. ¡°You have to be quite powerful to make it this far. It is a warzone out there, after all, and you¡¯re a human.¡±


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    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I am!¡± Roxford declared. ¡°Although, my bandits are a mixture of humans and demons.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± I asked Calypso.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know not to ask a girl such personal questions?¡± She gasped mockingly. ¡°I¡¯ll just say I¡¯m not  a demon.¡±


    Well, they both looked human, and without using God-eye on them, there was no surefire way to find out. I decided to take them at their word for it, but I was curious about what they had said.


    ¡°Demons and humans? How do the demons feel about you going after their Demon Lord?¡±


    ¡°Demons aren¡¯t much different than humans.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Some are bad, some are good. Some resent the oppression of an overbearing lord and are willing to break the rules to upheave them. Our troop has always taken from the wealthy and given to the poor. Demons, humans, it doesn¡¯t matter to us. This particular Demon Lord has exploited his people, and thus we must destroy him. To accomplish that, we need a weapon.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I had already thought such thoughts. After all, how could I have Shao next to me without thinking that perhaps demons weren¡¯t as evil as we let on? That didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t the enemy, and this so-called demon lands to the north is supposedly a blight where they allow the curses of dungeons to run wild. I couldn¡¯t allow the dungeons to continue to sprout up. We had to destroy them. Looking around the bandits here, another product of the dungeon, I just had to harden my heart. They didn¡¯t make the choice easy, but if I didn¡¯t fight, then our world would be destroyed. I was certain of that, at least.

 Chapter 774

    Calypso gave me some bad vibes. The Bandit Hero I had met outside Calypso¡¯s Tower was a feeble old man, while this was a young lad in his youth. Even so, there was no guarantee that they would look exactly alike. This was just an approximation of a captured memory. Just like the giant who didn¡¯t look anything like the real Xin, there was no saying the replica was identical. Still, I did not doubt that they were the same man. If that was true, then Calypso was the Dark Priest who betrayed him. Calypso¡¯s Tower was named after his betrayer, not something related to the sea. While the faces were different, the names were the same.


    It was odd dealing with the man at this point in his life. I quite literally knew his future and had even been the one to help him pass on his trapped and cursed soul from another dungeon. To now see him at a younger point in his life in this dungeon, it had a strange feeling to it. What if I told him what had happened to him? Was there some way to convince someone from a dungeon that they were in fact from a dungeon?


    The very first skeleton I had encountered in this world seemed to be aware he wasn¡¯t a human, but he also was nearing death. Was that what it took?  Had I still had Calypso¡¯s Blessing, I wondered what effect it would have had on the pair of them. Would my more direct knowledge update the dungeon, making them more accurate representations of themselves?


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    Naturally, I had far more questions than I was getting answers for, and I wasn¡¯t going to ask it from either of the two bandits who were treating us as guests. I didn¡¯t trust Calypso at all. From the beginning of the meal until the end, she skillfully asked questions trying to probe information out of me. She wanted to know everything from where I came from to how powerful I was. She never flatly asked though, always choosing to word things in coy ways. She was very clever, probably smarter than me or the Bandit Hero.


    As for the Bandit Hero, he was just as na?ve and idealistic as Calypso¡¯s lore had suggested. However, I had thought he had lost most of that childishness after the Capital. I guess it took a few more betrayals before he became the embittered old ghost I had met those months ago.


    Once we finished eating, Calypso was the first to excuse herself, saying something about doing some kind of invocations. As for the Bandit Hero, he seemed to like to talk and was charismatic in many ways, but he also knew that there was a purpose that we were there. He decided we needed some time to rest before the forging started. He left us in a room to rest until the ovens were heated. Once the door closed, I glanced at the single bed in the room and then raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°I think they think we¡¯re lovers.¡± Garnet chuckled.


    I prayed to whatever god sent me here that no matter what happened, I didn¡¯t go down in history as the loli hero.

 Chapter 775

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to ask this while the two of them were around, but do you have the ability to make this weapon they want?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve forged many swords before. Haven¡¯t you used some of my equipment?¡±


    ¡°If I recall, it was all destroyed¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not my fault! Who said you could use it so roughly!¡± Garnet cried out.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I understood from the moment you made it that the items were just disposable for someone like me.¡±


    ¡°I know what you mean, but the way you say it still hurts,¡± she pouted.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t steel though. This is Master Blacksmith level work.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right, I might not have the ability to do it. I think I should have Master here. Do you think the bandits will let me invite him?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Besides, he had his chance.¡±


    ¡°Chance?¡± She blinked.


    I hadn¡¯t told her my thoughts on the matter. She was there to break a thousand cycle round of failure. Now, there is no saying that having him present wouldn¡¯t increase the chances of success, but that¡¯s only if he let her take the lead. I had a feeling he wouldn¡¯t allow his apprentice to craft with the most important metal. However, if he took the lead, I already knew the outcome. I think that the Bandit Hero, or more likely Calypso, also had thoughts about this.


    ¡°Who will be using the weapon once I make it?¡± Garnet asked.


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    ¡°I¡¯m sure the Bandit Hero is planning on you crafting the weapon for himself,¡± I said. ¡°However, I will be the one to use it.¡±


    ¡°So, you will be going after the Demon Lord and destroying this dungeon anyway.¡± She seemed to feel slightly sad.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see? The Dungeon is trying to destroy itself.¡± I explained. ¡°Why do you think it¡¯s trying so hard to craft that weapon? No one here has the strength to defeat Aberon without it. This world has to come to an end eventually.¡±


    ¡°You said yourself, it¡¯s no longer attached to the world. That means, it¡¯s no longer corrupting the world.¡±


    ¡°It also means it has no source of mana to corrupt. It¡¯ll slowly fall apart. It already has been falling apart for years. It¡¯s like a dying star.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my home!¡± she cried out, causing me to grow startled as I looked to see tears in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve never had a home before, but this place has accepted me for who I am,¡±


    As a Deep Dwarf, she had left her home a long time ago. Perhaps, the low-level miasma of this place made it feel more like a home than anywhere else, not to mention the welcoming and friendly people from that village.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what else to say.


    She looked off distantly for a minute, but then her eyes locked on me. ¡°I will set three conditions toward making this sword.¡±


    ¡°Three?¡±


    ¡°The first condition, you will complete the lore, not destroy it.¡±


    ¡°What? I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve saved every other dungeon you¡¯ve been in¡­¡±


    ¡°Saved?¡±


    ¡°The blessings, they¡¯re the lore. They are the core of the dungeon, its story. When you accept it, you preserve that lore for all time. If you complete this lore, then this world¡­ the people in it¡­ they will be in you. You become their legacy!¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Promise!¡± She demanded angrily.


    ¡°I-I promise!¡± I straightened up.


    ¡°Condition two, only you will be able to wield the sword! It will go to no other!¡±


    ¡°I agree with that, but if they take it¡­¡±


    ¡°When I create the sword, I will have you work as my helper. I will bind the sword to you. Only you, and those linked to you, will be able to wield the sword. The Bandit Hero will have to depend on you because the sword won¡¯t work for him!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I agree then.¡±


    ¡°Finally, I don¡¯t have the strength, the stamina, or the skill to be able to make the sword.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t? Then¡­¡±


    ¡°However, I¡¯ve been drinking with your women before. I know what you are!¡±


    ¡°Lies!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a Slave Master!¡±


    ¡°Oh, that.¡±


    ¡°I need those stat boosts, so condition three, I must become your slave!¡±

 Chapter 776

    ¡°So, you know that I can take you on as my slave?¡±


    I still had the Slave Taker ability, so for all intents and purposes, I could make her my slave. Without the tattoo, I could lose her as my slave just as easily. Thankfully, it seemed like there was no Slave Masters in the demon castle, as Carmine was still bound to me.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the first Slave Master I¡¯ve ever met.¡± She responded. ¡°I know they have various methods to get what they want.¡±


    ¡°Then, I suppose we should proceed.¡±


    There were multiple ways that I could amplify her status. I was a supporting character at heart. As much as I liked to wave my sword around and try to be strong, the basic truth was my greatest strength was to support others. Slave Master was just one of the abilities I had. There was also Hero, which often had skills that supported my party. True Hero, incidentally, didn¡¯t concentrate as much on party modifiers and sat mostly in explosive strength and self-sacrifice.


    I supposed that was the difference between a Hero and a True Hero. Heroes fought fires, crime, or saved lives in a crisis. They worked in a team for the betterment of man. True Heroes worked alone, giving their lives for the greater good. Either way, if I put her in my party and equipped Hero, I could amplify her skills a bit. Then, there was Harem Master, which allowed me to boost abilities based on their relation to me.


    Although I planned to use Hero and have her in my party, I couldn¡¯t guarantee that would be enough. After all, I hadn¡¯t been leveling Hero much until recently, concentrating more on the higher-tier True Hero. As for Harem Master, I wasn¡¯t inclined to add her to my harem. We might be friends, but we weren¡¯t lovers. There was no guarantee on how much it would work, even if we had sex. Plus, without my blessings, Harem Master¡¯s amplification of status wasn¡¯t that much. Slave Master was the only job with a clear correlation.


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    I lifted my hand and began to use the Slave Taker ability. I wasn¡¯t sure who her slave handler was. Lord Reign did own slaves. I had no doubt he was the one who controlled Raissa. Whether he was a puppet of Lord Aberis at the time, I didn¡¯t know. However, he could have his Slavers control his slaves. Normal people without jobs had limits to the number of slaves they could control at any given time and thus needed to have Slavers. It was also possible that Lord Aberis himself was in control of her, but I doubted that. He¡¯d be too afraid of exposing himself, and someone with God-eye would identify him as her Master instantly, thus defeating his hiding for the last few years.


    It didn¡¯t matter though. No matter how strong the person in charge was, they were not on the same plane of existence as the pair of us. I couldn¡¯t even detect my slaves in another world, so it reasoned that Lord Reign¡¯s control over Garnet was minimal at best. The Slave Taker ability worked with ease. I could feel the bond changing from them to me almost instantly. A few moments later, I could feel her bond. It was comforting to have someone nearby again that I could feel. I hadn¡¯t realized how much I missed it when Carmine was taken away.


    ¡°Did you suddenly become more attractive?¡±


    ¡°I did not.¡±


    That was probably my Slave Charm Up kicking in. She was the first girl to mention it. It¡¯d be even worse if I had my blessings. I had already gotten over obsessing about the implications of charm. An attractive or charismatic person didn¡¯t worry if women fell in love with them easier than an ugly or socially inept man, so I wouldn¡¯t think too much about charm.


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s make history.¡±

 Chapter 777

    {Garnet has become your slave.}


    {Name: Garnet


    Class: Smith


    Job: Magic Blacksmith (Slave) (LVL 8)


    Unlocked Jobs: Commoner (LVL 22), Blacksmith (LVL 65), Basic Magician (LVL 25), Weapon Smith (LVL 2), Armor Smith (LVL 3)


    Race: Deep Dwarf}


    She had a lot more jobs than I had expected. Of course, being my slave, she could now equip two jobs, so I added Blacksmith to Magic Blacksmith. If I could add a third job, I would add Weapon Smith too. I had a feeling Weapon and Armor Smith were 2nd tier Blacksmith jobs. They might apply to fashioning weapons from other materials too.


    For all we knew, Garnet might be good at woodworking as well. However, Magic Blacksmith was fairly low level, and Blacksmith had a fair amount of levels for someone her age. It showed how hard she worked in the forge. Then again, it might be some kind of trait of her species like the high-tier jobs Celeste and Terra automatically had access to.


    With those two jobs equipped, along with my status increases, my access to mana replenishing, and White Mage spells, Garnet should be able to achieve what a Master Blacksmith could not. I wondered what his level looked like, but seeing it would probably just depress me. I had to trust that Garnet had something special like the Bandit Hero seemed to think. She was a Deep Dwarf, and she had high resistance to miasma and a unique physique that would allow her to work with this Silvthril.


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    Ultimately, my job would be to do everything she was too busy to do. I could cast Refresh as well as a spell called Focus. Both would be very helpful, especially as the work continued. That ultimately lead to me having to decide which jobs I would need for this. I decided White Mage, Slave Master, True Hero, and Hero. I figured there was no reason to keep the Mimic job equipped. I worried the Karma would flair up the second I lost my karma, but I guess I had the skills and the karma long enough that it no longer affected me, kind of like miasma.


    The pair of us finished getting ready while we waited for the Bandit Hero to collect us. I prepared some Waters of Life for Garnet. She glanced at it briefly and then nodded before putting it away. I figured she¡¯d be using a lot of mana. Well, at least, she should remain hydrated.


    It was still another hour before someone knocked on the door. In reality, we had gotten very little rest. Garnet ran the method of creating the sword through her head over and over again, her mouth and hands moving as she worked through the motions over and over again silently. Meanwhile, I thought about what we¡¯d do after the sword was finished, and the Bandit Hero realized he wouldn¡¯t be able to use it and be the hero he wanted to be.


    We¡¯d need some method of escape, which was rather simple. As soon as we completed it, I¡¯d cast Portal and the pair of us would flee with the sword. I tested to see if I could Portal out of here already, and while the Portal didn¡¯t take us much farther outside the cave because of dungeon interference, it would get us outside the entrance. We¡¯d be able to open a second Portal there and be gone before they even realized we were done with the weapon.


    There was a knock on the door, and both of us turned as a nameless bandit opened it up. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡±

 Chapter 778

    We walked to the forge they had set up quietly. As promised, it was an underground cavern with a shoot leading up. They had a full furnace already blazing, and my face was slammed with heat as soon as I entered. Garnet seemed completely unphased by the heat, making me wonder if Deep Dwarves were immune to fire as well as miasma. She immediately looked through all of the hammers they had ransacked over the years, which turned out to be a nice rack of about fifteen hammers.


    The way she ran her hands over them, picking up one, testing it out, and then putting it back, really showed how meaningful this was for her. I could tell that blacksmithing was something very important to her. In the past when I had talked to her, she had always acted silly and flippant, but when it came to doing her job, I could see that she was all too serious.


    ¡°Master, you might want to get an apron on. Get the fire ten degrees hotter.¡±


    Although she had called me Master unexpectedly, she also gave out her words like a command, leaving no question on whether I should complete the task or not. I grabbed an apron and then approached the fire. After five seconds of staring at it, I realized that the support role I had prepared myself for wasn¡¯t the support role that she needed. At the very least, I was very adaptable. I unequipped Hero, and then I equipped Cook instead.


    Cook didn¡¯t just give me Fire Control, but it also gave me Temperature Gauge, Create Flame, Combination, and Mixing. In a lot of ways, cooking had a lot in common with blacksmithing. I started to get to work with the flame. It was much hotter than what I used with cooking, but it wasn¡¯t much different in principle.


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    Garnet had finally selected her apron and hammer and then came up to the anvil, glancing over my shoulder to look at how I was tending the flame. She made a noise of surprise and then nodded.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think Master would be able to do this so well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a man of many skills,¡± I responded jokingly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say. You¡¯ve been full of surprises. I feel surprisingly good right now. I wasn¡¯t confident that we¡¯d be able to complete this before, but after becoming your slave, a refreshing feeling has flooded through me. I feel strong and capable. I¡¯m starting to understand why so many women wish to be your slave.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to think they like me for my personality,¡± I responded wryly.


    She chuckled. ¡°I did offer you my virginity before, didn¡¯t I? I already saw you as worth my time from the moment I met you on the road outside the Miner¡¯s town all those years ago.¡±


    ¡°For me, it was only months.¡± I reminded her.


    ¡°Either way, I never forgot about our first meeting, and I always wondered why that was the case. I think now, that it was perhaps fated. We were always meant to get together, for this moment.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± She raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°With me, this is just a moment of many. We¡¯re working with some legendary metal, but I¡¯ve already come across orichalcum and mithril too. I have a feeling that this won¡¯t be the last item I need forged. You haven¡¯t even compared notes with Terra. She¡¯s a girl in my party. You saw her once.¡±


    ¡°The one with the flat chest?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one to say that.¡±


    ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a golem. An artificial creature¡­¡±


    ¡°Seriously! Is it true!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ so close!¡± I cried as Garnet ended up right up in my face as her eyes excitedly sparkled.


    ¡°To be able to create such incredible things, that would be awesome¡­¡± She sighed.


    I hadn¡¯t thought about it much before now, but a collaboration between those two women might create some pretty incredible things.


    ¡°The furnace has reached temperature.¡± I reminded her as I checked it with my thermal vision.


    Her face grew serious once again. ¡°It¡¯s time to begin.¡±

 Chapter 779

    Clang. Clang. Clang.


    The sound of metal against metal filled the room. The heat was unbearable. Heat tolerance was a skill that a blacksmith developed. I imagined a cook would develop it as well, but my Cook job hadn¡¯t even reached level 20 yet, so it looked like something I could only look forward to. Fortunately, even though the heat was uncomfortable, I had high stats and a strong physique after fighting for my life for half a year in dungeons.


    Garnet moved as if in a trance. From the moment she grabbed her hammer and stood in front of the anvil, she became impossibly focused. She reminded me of Terra right before she began to craft something. It was a certain gleam in their eye, a level of determination and focus mixed with excitement. They were creating something.


    I was never much of a creator. I had dabbled in things before. I had tried writing fan fiction once. I had tried to draw art. I had even dabbled in programming my own video game. In the end, I always gave up those things, never able to get particularly serious about them. Even with college, I was only dabbling, without a clear goal of what I wanted to be. In the end, I just didn¡¯t have a knack for being creative.


    However, that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t support people who could be creative. I may not be the kind of person with the patience to make things myself, but I could always stand by someone¡¯s side and help them. Even if it took days or a week, I was the kind of guy who could support someone as they created something. I didn¡¯t need to know what that something was, or even its importance in the grand scheme of things. I could just feel the excitement in those that care, and I could care that they cared.


    So, despite the heat, I stood fast and measured the temperature. Using Fire Control and Temperature Gauge, I was able to manage the temperature as Garnet worked. I could keep the entire fire at one temperature, evenly cooking from every side, or I could keep the furnace at two different temperatures, allowing her to move from one to the other when needed.


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    At first, Garnet would manage my movements, telling me what to do and checking after my work, but as the hours passed, her trust in me grew, and my understanding of her sharpened. We started to move like one unit. Not a single breath was wasted on talking. I used Slave Communication once or twice to confirm things, but other than that, I was able to tell what she wanted on body motion alone. A slight nod of her head or a flicker of her eyes was enough for me to understand what was needed next.


    The Silvthril stones were tossed into a bowl one at a time and allowed to melt, it was poured out into a sword cast, and then once hardened, the stone was broken away and the hammering began. She finally cooled the stone down in vats of liquid, and after nearly ten hours of work, we were finally done.


    We were both sweaty and breathing hard like we had been working out for hours. Garnet glanced at me, and then her cheeks grew flushed.


    ¡°We¡¯re done.¡± She stated the obvious, suddenly looking shy.


    I glanced down at the shining blade, which still didn¡¯t have a hilt. ¡°You made this possible.¡±


    Garnet shook her head, her pigtails bouncing back and forth.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t have made this on my own.¡± She admitted. ¡°It was your help that allowed me to make something like this. My Blacksmith Masters always complained that good help was hard to find. They insisted they could never make their best work until they had the best apprentice working under them. Some of them had hoped I would be that top apprentice, but I failed. I was always too busy looking at what they were doing to concentrate on what I was supposed to be doing. They refused to take me on as an apprentice. Instead, they always called me a junior Blacksmith. They said I didn¡¯t have what it took to be an apprentice. I now understand what they meant. Master, you are a true apprentice.¡±


    She bowed respectfully.


    ¡°Uh¡­ thanks?¡± I felt a little sheepish at that.


    {You have been recognized by a Master Blacksmith. You have unlocked the job, Apprentice Blacksmith.}


    I already have too many of those. You can shut up, skill system!

 Chapter 780

    The skill system did reveal some things to me I might not have noticed when I gained Apprentice Blacksmith. First things first, there was an Apprentice Blacksmith. That meant her Blacksmith job was a second-tier job which she had managed to skip to, likely by her skill and luck. Just like I had been held back with White Mage having not unlocked the other magician jobs, she was likely stifled by jumping straight to Blacksmith. Had she not been a Deep Dwarf with a class that supported such work, then she might have never been able to succeed.


    The second thing it revealed to me was that Garnet had gained a new job of her own. She was now a Master Blacksmith. A check from her status showed this to be true. Her Weapon Smith had gone up only a level, but she had also added Master Blacksmith as a job. Assuming Weapon Smith, Magic Blacksmith, and Armor Smith were all third-tier jobs, then Master would be 4th tier. None of the third-tier jobs were close to 25, let alone 50. Maybe, because she had all three, she didn¡¯t need to meet those criteria. Or, maybe it was because of the sword meeting some kind of criteria. It must be a special kind of blade.


    ¡°I will start on the binding now,¡± Garnet spoke up, breaking me from my thoughts.


    ¡°It¡¯s not bound to me yet?¡±


    ¡°It will take about an hour to inscribe the runes.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s Portal out of here,¡± I said, glancing around. ¡°I¡¯d be more at peace finishing somewhere we won¡¯t be discovered.¡±


    Knowing my luck, the Bandit Hero would walk in and interrupt the binding and end up taking the sword. It was better that we went somewhere private so that we could finish the sword. If we returned to the village, we¡¯d be safe for a while. Garnet agreed with me, wrapping the handle in leather to create an impromptu hilt before picking up the sword and handing it to me. The sword wasn¡¯t particularly heavy, but it was on the big side for what I was used to using. I tended to favor quick movements, and this sword was more for heavy-hitting.


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    Either way, I place it in my Inventory and then started to make a Portal. I worried up until the Portal opened that there was going to be something that would get in the way. It would fit my luck of late for the Portal to fail or that Dark Priest to suddenly walk in as we were escaping. Fortunately, nothing happened, and the guards who were waiting outside the door had no awareness as we slipped through the Portal and left the cave.


    The furnace was too hot and noisy, and after working for nearly an entire day, there was no telling how long we¡¯d be. Thus, as we took a step out into the cool forest, it could be minutes or hours before the nearby bandits realized we escaped. The pair of us didn¡¯t wait around. We quickly left, returning to the road. At this point, the sun was starting to fall, and the day was nearly over. It¡¯d be night soon, and the sky was cloudy.


    That¡¯s why as we headed toward the village, it took a whiff of smoke before I started to notice that some of the clouds weren¡¯t clouds at all. There was a cloud of smoke billowing up from the village we had come from.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think the bandits ransacked the city while we were making the sword, do you?¡±


    While the Bandit Hero was a Hero of the people, and likely wouldn¡¯t slaughter, there was no saying what Calypso would do. The pair of us looked at each other and then started running toward the village. I had the Star sword in my hand, not wanting to reveal the Silvthril sword. Garnet gripped onto the war hammer she had gotten from the Master Blacksmith, not to be confused with the hammers she used to smith.


    As we approached, we could hear the sound of fighting.

 Chapter 781

    ¡°Not thieves. The demon army!¡± I cursed as the pair of us grew closer.


    Acrid smoke and the smell of blood filled the air. We could hear shouting and screaming in the distance. More than half of the village was aflame now. There appeared to be no one left alive trying to fight them.


    ¡°The demon army?¡± Garnet shook her head in confusion. ¡°Why would the Demon Lord destroy his people? I don¡¯t understand?¡±


    My eyes landed on her for a moment, and then I considered a certain item in my Inventory. As much as Garnet didn¡¯t want to accept it, that item she had created was like a beacon in this dungeon. If the dungeon boss didn¡¯t immediately try to destroy it and any possibility of it being made, then he wasn¡¯t doing his job.


    ¡°Wait¡­ Master!¡± Garnet let out a cry and then rushed forward from the brush we were hiding behind into the burning light.


    ¡°W-wait!¡± I cried, jumping out and following her.


    With my sword drawn, I did my best to keep up with her. Even though she was a dwarf, Garnet was extremely quick on her feet, and she ended up outdistancing me. Of course, I was wearing my armor, a combination of what the Blacksmith had given me and the magic items I had found since entering the dungeon. The Star Armor I got from Xin¡¯s challenges, but there were occasionally other drops too over the last month. Some armor was destroyed, while I ran into new pieces.


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    Overall, I didn¡¯t wear particularly heavy armor, but it was mismatched and inconsistent. It wasn¡¯t just a hodgepodge of gear, I realized it did slow me down as a runner. In the dungeons, with tight corners, this never bothered me. On a battlefield, where any errant arrow could mean death, I probably would also love this armor. Only in this particular situation did I curse myself for always trying to play things safe.


    ¡°Help!¡± I heard a scream from my side.


    I stopped following Garnet¡¯s form as she had already disappeared in the smoke. There were only about twenty houses in all, but the Blacksmith was on the outskirts because of the noise. While I was near the seven or eight houses that made up the residential area of town. Gritting my teeth, I turned to the alley where I had heard the scream.


    After dashing through it, I ended up in a backyard that had been turned into a small farm. A woman turned to me, one of the ones who had given mischievous looks whenever I spent time with Garnet and had helped spread the rumor that I was courting her. As our eyes locked, she didn¡¯t say a word as a sword fell cutting her down from behind. Blood leaked from her mouth as she dropped to her knees, and then she collapsed dead on the ground.


    ¡°You¡­¡± I cursed as I looked up at the man who had just cut her down.


    ¡°You¡¯re still alive, Deek?¡± Bernard titled his head. ¡°Let¡¯s fix that.¡±

 Chapter 782

    ¡°You¡¯re murdering your own citizens, Bernard? You even cut her from behind when she wasn¡¯t looking! What kind of Prince are you?¡±


    Bernard cocked his head to the side. ¡°I¡¯m not? I¡¯m the demon-slaying Hero, so why would I care about any demon life?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ so, you remember who you are? I thought you would have convinced yourself you were the Demon Prince.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true¡­ the miasmic infection did take some time to get control of. The prince was¡­ excitable.¡±


    ¡°Then, if you¡¯re in control of yourself, shouldn¡¯t we work together to escape.¡±


    ¡°You misunderstand.¡± Bernard casually wiped the sword off on the body of the dead woman. ¡°I am no longer being influenced by the prince¡¯s personality, but that doesn¡¯t mean that anything I said back then was incorrect. Carmine is my woman. A slaver like you doesn¡¯t deserve her.¡±


    ¡°And you do?¡± I snorted, the rage inside me starting to grow once again.


    ¡°We will be getting married in a month. At that point, I will have the ability to break the slave mark on her, and she will finally be free of your control.


    ¡°You think I¡¯m controlling her? Did you ever think that maybe she¡¯s with me by choice?¡±


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    ¡°Hmph¡­ I know you slaver types. You manipulate and control people. She might not even be aware of the brainwashing you¡¯ve done, that¡¯s why I must save her!¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m sure the saving you¡¯re doing in no way resembles brainwashing yourself.¡± I snapped back.


    ¡°Enough of this. There is no point in quibbling with you. The person who is the strongest writes the history books, so nothing you say even matters!¡±


    With that, he moved to attack. He was insanely fast. I was shocked once again as he moved toward me. I had completely forgotten how frenetic and dangerous his fighting style was. He was swinging his blade in a cut aiming to take my head. It looked like he was trying to win this in one hit.


    However, I wasn¡¯t the same person that I was back then. I was no longer restricted by the Demon Lord¡¯s binding and I had spent a great deal of time fighting monsters in the forest to increase my abilities. As Bernard raced toward me, I leaped forward to meet him. I activated my Haste as I made sure I had the best applicable jobs selected, and as my speed ramped up, I realized I could handle his own. The pair of us faced each other, a single clang of metal as we passed and ended up on either side facing away.


    As we turned to face each other again, a streak of red appeared on Bernard¡¯s cheek, leaking down to his chin. His hand rose to his face in surprise as he wiped the blood with his hand and then looked at it. His eyes shot back to me, and the expression on his face warped from a relaxed state to something much more disciplined. He lowered his body, taking on a true fighting stance.


    His first attack had just been a casual thing. Perhaps, when I had bested him in the demon fort before, that had also been him looking down on me. It seemed like my best had only managed to get his acknowledgment. Now, things were going to get serious.

 Chapter 783

    With Haste active, I was able to keep up with his speed, and the pair of us sparred, battling back and forth, our swords creating loud clangs that filled the burning village. Smoke billowed above our heads and assaulted my nose. The heat was pretty intense as well. As for Bernard, he seemed completely unperturbed by it. I was sweating like crazy.


    After that first exchange, I hadn¡¯t managed to land another attack on him. Thankfully, he hadn¡¯t managed to land any attacks on me either, but that didn¡¯t make me feel any more confident. We were fighting on the same level, and although he was concentrating, I noticed he wasn¡¯t using any special skills. Meanwhile, I was burning through just about everything that I had to break even.


    Furthermore, the town was completely on fire, and I hadn¡¯t seen any of his soldiers or guards except for the sounds of metal clanging and shouting in the distance. I had no clue how many soldiers were in on this raid, but it would only take one to throw off the balance and put me on the run. I could make Portals now, but they took too long to do in combat. I also couldn¡¯t flee until I gathered Garnet, who had yet to return from the Blacksmith.


    I was most concerned that she had already been captured by some of Bernard¡¯s goons. If they took her as well, I didn¡¯t know how I would react. I considered using some of my more devastating True Hero abilities, but most of those put me into a state almost dead, and I couldn¡¯t afford to be almost dead with absolutely no fallback.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown much in the last month,¡± Bernard said almost appreciatively. ¡°However, it¡¯s not enough.¡±


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    ¡°I still got time to beat you,¡± I growled as I worked my way to my feet after being knocked back by a particularly powerful hit.


    ¡°It¡¯s true¡­ that if you continue to grow at this rate, you may become difficult.¡± Bernard nodded. ¡°Thus, it¡¯s best to kill you now.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I raised an eyebrow mockingly. ¡°You¡¯d rather kill a worthy opponent to get stronger yourself?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ reached the limit that I can obtain.¡± Bernard shook his head. ¡°In the end, I had to make a trade for this strength I have. It is only a temporary thing. Once, I had hoped it¡¯d be enough to secure my place as a noble so that I could live comfortably and form a family in peace. However, after meeting Carmine¡­ such a powerful woman, I will never have to fear for my family. The pair of us can live our lives together, as soon as she sees that I can offer her the love you cannot.¡±


    ¡°I love her!¡± I shouted, lunging at him.


    My sudden outburst caught both of us by surprise. I was shocked because as I shouted the words, I was realizing they were true. At some point, Carmine had nudged her way into my heart just as solidly as Lydia, Miki, Terra, Carmine, and Shao. I¡¯d never been able to see her as just a bodyguard or even as a friend. I didn¡¯t want any other man to have her, and I wanted to be the one to be with her.


    Bernard quickly got over his surprise, lifting his sword and meeting my attack head-on. At first, I thought I was going to push him back, but his sword suddenly glowed and a skill activated. His blow was suddenly ten times more powerful, and I found myself flying backward. I slammed into the wall of a burning hut. Luckily, that wall was composed of brick and wasn¡¯t on fire yet. I could still feel hot coals behind my back, causing me to shove off it and land on my hands and knees.


    Bernard had already flashed forward and was standing over my head, his sword at the ready to strike down. I shot a look up at him, and he gave a small grin.


    ¡°Once you¡¯re gone, everything will go my way.¡± He lifted the sword and brought it down on my head.

 Chapter 784

    Just before the blade hit the top of my head, an arrow struck it, causing the blade to shift. He stabbed into my shoulder instead. I let out a cry as I tried to dive away. However, Bernard had no chance to continue with the strike as more arrows were flying where he was standing. He leaped back, jumping away as more arrows fell. I grabbed my shoulder, already switching to White Mage and casting powerful healing spells. A normal man would have been out of the fight after wounds like that, but my White Mage ability was no joke and I was back to standing within thirty seconds.


    By this point, Bernard had jumped away and was now about fifty feet away from me. A group of men had approached and stopped just a few feet away. I instantly recognized them, or at least the man at the lead.


    ¡°Roxford.¡±


    The Bandit Hero and his group of Bandits were storming the town. Calypso was by his side, not looking even remotely winded despite having assuredly run miles with the rest of the group to get there. At this point, I could see a few men from Bernard¡¯s group, various demon knights and soldiers who were engaging with some of the Bandit Hero¡¯s troops.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late now.¡± Bernard snorted as he seemed to recognize the Bandit Hero. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to make your sword now. That Magic Blacksmith hiding in this town is dead.¡±


    ¡°You killing your own citizens now?¡± The Bandit Hero said words very similar to what I had said when I first met him.


    Bernard shrugged. ¡°If he was going to help create a weapon that could be used against father, then it was only fitting that he die a traitor¡¯s death.¡±


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    His answer was much different this time, but I finally knew why he had actually come here. He was trying to stop the creation of that sword. I knew it, the sword¡¯s creation was a fundamental part of this dungeon¡¯s lore! Except¡­ Aberis wanted the sword to be made, while Bernard was trying to stop it! It could be said that Bernard represented the Dungeon Master Aberon at this moment, whose job was to preserve the curse and keep the dungeon going.


    However, the curse itself desired to be completed. The relationships between dungeon masters and their dungeons was a strange and complex one. Dungeon Master¡¯s wanted to protect the dungeons at all costs, while dungeons wanted to complete the lore at all cost. Dungeon Masters exuded control over the dungeons, but dungeons themselves had their own autonomy as well. Considering there were two potential ways to solve a dungeon, either by breaking or finishing the lore, you ended up with this strange dichotomy of a fiercely defensive master and a risk-taking dungeon.


    The Bandit Hero gave me a look, somewhat worried about Bernard mentioning the sword. I gave only the slightest of nods. I probably shouldn¡¯t have told him it was done, but he had just saved my life. I owed him that much, at least.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who killed him! Die!¡± There was a scream behind Bernard, and a small form swung a big hammer at his back.


    He was far too quick though, and not only dodged the hammer, but knocked it out of Garnet¡¯s hands and grabbed her throat.


    ¡°Hmm? A dwarf? Wait¡­ you¡¯re the prize, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You killed Master!¡± She screamed in a choked breath.


    ¡°You¡¯re not needed. Plus¡­ women with small chests should just die.¡± Bernard snorted.


    ¡°Wait!¡± I was going to shout something to that effect, but it was actually Calypso who spoke first. ¡°The sword you speak of has already been made. That man has it, if you trade him her life, he¡¯ll gladly give it to you.¡±


    Her finger was pointed directly at me. I could only put on a wry smile. It looked like she was picking betrayal ahead of time.

 Chapter 785

    ¡°Calypso! Why have you betrayed us?¡± The Bandit Hero turned around in shock as she revealed the plan.


    ¡°Hmph! Didn¡¯t he already flee with the sword? Who am I betraying? He is a Hero too! He now has it hidden in his Inventory. Neither of us will be able to access it, even if we tortured or killed him. So, we have to force him to take it out of his own volition. That was always your problem, Roxford, so weak and trusting!¡±


    Roxford gave a look of surprise, but he still looked uncertain as he glanced at me. I remained silent, shooting Calypso a scowl that she ignored.


    ¡°Father sent me to destroy the sword.¡± Bernard shrugged. ¡°Once I complete this task, he will accept my marriage to the princess, even at the risk of war. I could just as easily kill Deek here and achieve my goal.¡±


    It was true that all he needed to do was kill me to destroy the sword. It was inaccessible in my Inventory, but if I died it¡¯d become permanently unavailable. I didn¡¯t know if that space collapsed, or if that space just remained inaccessible. I wondered how much equipment in the world had been lost by the death of heroes. It was probably a ridiculous amount.


    ¡°Aberon is the Demon King, do you think he will just accept anything? He fears you, and resents you!¡± Calypso laughed.


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    Bernard tilted his head thoughtfully while still holding the struggling and kicking Garnet in his hand. As long as he had her, I couldn¡¯t make my move. The sword was the only thing I had, but Bernard didn¡¯t care to take it. I had to let Calypso continue to run her mouth. I already had a feeling about what she was going to say.


    ¡°What does this have to do with my father? If he betrays me, then I will kill him.¡±


    ¡°Your father? The Demon King? Do you think he is so easy to kill?¡± Calypso let out a laugh. ¡°Not at all. If you wish to kill him, you¡¯ll need that sword. Why do you think he sent you to destroy it? The sword holds the power to kill him. It¡¯s his greatest weakness. It¡¯s a sword that has unnatural strength toward demons and other creations of a dungeon. It is the ultimate sword of a Hero. If you had it, you would have untold power.¡±


    ¡°Calypso¡­ what are you doing?¡± hissed the uncertain Bandit Hero.


    I had to agree. She needed to get him to agree to the trade, but if he valued the sword too highly, it might make things messy again. Bernard was considering her words, and after a moment he lowered Garnet back to the ground, but he brought a blade to her neck, causing her struggling to cease.


    ¡°Very well. Give me the sword, and I will free the girl.¡±


    I nodded, bringing out the sword. Just as I was going to take a step toward him, working on a plan that would allow me to leave with Garnet at the sword, I felt a sudden violent pull. No one was around me, so I hadn¡¯t been holding the sword with full force. I hadn¡¯t expected it to suddenly yank from my hands. However, it didn¡¯t fly to the Demon Prince, but instead directly into Calypso¡¯s hands! She gave a triumphant smile as she held the sword.


    ¡°Give me the sword or I¡¯ll kill the dwarf!¡± Bernard threatened.


    ¡°Be my guest.¡± She chuckled, ¡°I don¡¯t care about her one bit.¡±

 Chapter 786

    ¡°Calypso!¡± It was my turn to curse at her.


    As for Bernard, he was a bit surprised, but not particularly worried. He was acting like the situation was still entirely in his control. As for Calypso, I distinctly notice that she didn¡¯t hand the sword to Roxford and kept it next to her. I also noticed she had put some distance between her and Roxford.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, you can get the sword from me, but I¡¯ll need¡­ a different kind of trade.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Roxford finally started to look uneasy.


    ¡°What kind of trade?¡± Bernard asked cautiously.


    ¡°I want out.¡±


    He blinked. ¡°Out?¡±


    ¡°I want to escape this dungeon.¡±


    Bernard and my expressions both turned to shock while Roxford gave a confused look. ¡°Calypso, what are you talking about? What dungeon?¡±


    He looked all around, all but gesturing to the sky as if to show what he meant. What she said must have sounded extremely ridiculous to someone like him. This was just the world. They weren¡¯t underground or anything. However, she had spoken in front of two people who understood immediately. Dungeons could be left. Astria and Elaya were clear examples of that, not to mention the siren and the giant. They still needed a steady supply of miasma, but demons as a species were dungeon monsters who had managed to free themselves from the curse.


    Calypso was a Dark Priest. She could only manipulate miasma. That must have been why she became self-aware. It was the same thing as Elaya. Although, while it took Elaya years as the dungeon master to become aware she was in a dungeon, Calypso¡¯s story was reset over and over again. Or¡­ was it? Maybe, Calypso avoided being reset and this was the same Calypso for the last 20 years. Did the bandits always raid the metal during each cycle, or was it Calypso¡¯s influence that had them do it this cycle. There was no telling what she was capable of. She was truly a wild card that I didn¡¯t think even Demon Lord Aberis had thought about.


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    ¡°You heard what I said. I¡¯ve been searching for an exit for nearly a decade. I began to think it didn¡¯t exist¡­ but then I found a Dungeon Diver and he told me everything I needed to know before he died. The Demon Lord is holding open the exit for the next month and a half. If you help me leave, the sword is yours.


    ¡°I will even help you defeat your father. He is the Dungeon Master. Even with your sword, his connection to this dungeon makes him much too powerful. As a Dark Priest, I can interfere with his connection to the miasma, making him vulnerable. You kill the dungeon boss, and I¡¯m allowed to exit this place.¡±


    He licked his lips. ¡°Can you make me the new Dungeon Master?¡±


    She grinned. ¡°If you help me leave, I can make you a Dungeon God! This world will be yours. I will even supply it with miasma so that it can continue to exist another thousand years!¡±


    ¡°Then, we have a deal.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Calypso, I don¡¯t get what you¡¯re saying!¡± Roxford walked over to her. ¡°We will not work to overthrow the King just to replace him with his son who has just as little concern for life!¡±


    Calypso unhesitantly struck at him with her blade. He was skilled though and managed to lift his sword and block it. What he didn¡¯t expect was for the blade to slice through his like it was butter, and then strike across his chest. He let out a cry and stumbled back. Only now, the other bandits raised their weapons, but Calypso held the lightly glowing blade as she backed away from them and me toward Bernard. The men were extremely wary of her blade.


    Where it had struck Roxford, there was no blood. Instead, the sharp cut was dripping miasma. The Bandit Hero stared at it with a confused expression. He immediately grabbed a potion and downed it, but the wound didn¡¯t start healing at all. It seemed to spread, cracks forming across his skin like he was starting to shatter. This caused his men to not just be wary of her, but to back away from him in fear.


    ¡°You will never understand, Roxford, but you are just a dungeon mob, nothing more.¡± Calypso snorted. ¡°Something this weapon is very adept at hurting. No heal will save you now. With that strike, you are cut from this dungeon. In the next cycle, it will be like you were never here.¡±

 Chapter 787

    Calypso continued to back away until she stood right next to Bernard, who still had his blade against Garnet¡¯s neck.


    ¡°We may go.¡± Calypso gave a curtsey as she put the sword at her side, not handing it to him yet. ¡°Kill the girl. She has no use.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to finish him off though.¡± Bernard glanced at me. ¡°She keeps mentioning him. It¡¯s irritating.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a nobody.¡± Calypso shrugged. ¡°Kill him, if you must.¡±


    Bernard looked at the Bandits. All of his knights had seemingly been defeated, and although Calypso acted confident, it would be one on fifty if he fought him.


    ¡°If I take the girl, it¡¯ll give you more reason to follow me.¡±


    ¡°Deek!¡± Garnet finally let out a cry after being manhandled for the last few minutes without any strength of her own to fight back.


    ¡°Then take her!¡± Calypso snorted. ¡°We should get out of here soon.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Bernard asked, also seemingly unperturbed by the Bandits surrounding him.


    ¡°She¡¯s worried I might show up.¡±


    Bernard had to shove Garnet away to be able to jump away just as a large staff flew where his head would have been. Calypso let out a shout and jumped away as well. It was at that point that I got a view of Xin, who had suddenly appeared. Her appearance shocked the Bandits, who had the two all but surrounded while not seeing how she had gotten past them. She had also caused Calypso and Bernard to scramble like they had their heads cut off.


    ¡°We must leave immediately!¡± Calypso cried out.


    Bernard nodded and grabbed her shoulder. Xin attacked again, but just as he had once done with Carmine, he disappeared, using Return to go to another part of the dungeon. Either he didn¡¯t have the restriction of having to be out of combat, or by dodging her blows and not engaging, he had managed to technically not be in combat with her, allowing the Return to work. Xin stopped as soon as he disappeared, putting her staff to the side calmly like she wasn¡¯t standing in a burning village surrounded by bandits.


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    ¡°This village had never been destroyed before like this,¡± Xin muttered under her breath as she looked around. ¡°Too much has changed. Too hard to predict.¡±


    ¡°Hero Xin¡­ it¡¯s you¡­ maybe¡­ we have¡­ a chance?¡± The Bandit Hero¡¯s cracks had spread to the majority of his body, and he looked on death¡¯s door.


    ¡°Roxford the Bandit Hero? What are you doing here? I came to check the Magic Blacksmith¡¯s progress, but I came to see the village burning.¡±


    ¡°We had it¡­¡± He gasped. ¡°We had the blade¡­ they¡­ took it.¡±


    She looked Roxford up and down. Seeing his state, she quickly understood what he had meant.


    ¡°How? I have seen the Blacksmith fail a thousand times. I had given up on it, although given how much has changed¡­¡±


    ¡°It was¡­ the Deep Dwarf¡­ she made it.¡± Bernard¡¯s eyes turned to Garnet, and for the first time, Xin had noticed her.


    I started to get a sinking feeling. I ran over to grab Garnet, but Xin suddenly moved, appearing directly in front of the girl.


    ¡°A Deep Dwarf Blacksmith?¡± she looked Garnet up and down.


    ¡°M-my name is Garnet!¡± She said, then she shot me a worried look.


    ¡°I have some of that material remaining that I had gathered in previous cycles. You will make me a dagger using what is left.¡±


    ¡°We can do that,¡± I spoke up, causing Xin to glance over at me.


    ¡°You? Oh¡­ you¡¯re still alive.¡± She didn¡¯t sound unhappy or relieved, just disinterested.


    ¡°Why do people keeping saying that? Never mind, if you have some material, then there is still a chance. We make a dagger and then lay an assault. Bernard is going to attack the Dungeon Boss. He¡¯ll be distracted.¡±


    ¡°He always attacks, and he¡¯s always distracted. It happens in 6 weeks, on the day of his wedding.¡± Xin said.


    ¡°He always¡­ well, this time he has the blade!¡±


    Xin shook her head. ¡°Either way, even if I can¡¯t escape this cycle. If I can get that knife, it¡¯ll be easier.¡±


    ¡°Then, we¡¯re allies?¡± She looked back at me.


    ¡°Whoever said you were needed?¡±


    She grabbed Garnet, and before I could say a word, a circle of wind whipped around them. It was violent enough that I had to cover my face. When I finally could look again, both of them were gone. I could feel the slave connection to Garnet. Rather than an instantaneous transport, she was being carried away at a rapid pace. It was far faster than I could walk, and in only a minute, she was already too distant to tell.


    Like that, I had lost the sword and Garnet. I was all alone again.

 Chapter 788

    At this point, massive bonfires had broken out on either side of me. The heat was immense, but I could barely feel it at that moment. The bandits had started to retreat, seeing that their attempt to get the sword was lost. Two men were dragging the body of the Bandit Hero as they left. As for me, I felt frustration and anger. I had lost all of my slaves in a single day with a single cut of my sword, and then the two slaves I had were taken away shortly after I found them.


    What was the point of being a support character when there was no one around me to support? No matter how much I grew, I would never be quite as strong as the rest of them. My class was support. Even if I had their job, I¡¯d never have their ability. I was out-classed.


    There was a cracking sound as a house near me started to collapse to the ground. That finally snapped me out of my daze, causing me to look back toward the group of fleeing Bandits. I was a support character, but just because I fought using others, didn¡¯t mean that the others needed to fight by choice. I was a Slave Master, a Monster Tamer, a Harem Master¡­ these were all jobs that supported someone else, but it also controlled them.


    Maybe I had been looking at it all wrong. I wasn¡¯t supposed to be the hero, fighting and putting my life on the line to save everyone. I was supposed to be the master, pulling the strings. I felt like the Demon Lord Aberis had been pulling my strings for far too long. Ever since I came to the previous world, it was the country of Aberis I found myself in. His shadow had dictated my steps leading up to the point that he captured me. I was done being on his strings.


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    I started to move, rapidly approaching the bandits who were dragging their defeated Hero behind. They must have truly loved him. After all, they were bandits. They weren¡¯t exactly the sentimental type. Remembering my previous encounters with bandits, they were often untrustworthy and would backstab each other in a heartbeat. Naturally, Salicia came to mind.


    ¡°You¡­ what do you want?¡± One of the bandits demanded as I approached Roxford.


    The man¡¯s eyes were closed now, and if he wasn¡¯t dead, he appeared to be very near death. Without hesitating, I grabbed his body and began to the pull the leaking black miasma out of him. The two that had been dragging him let out cries as they dropped him and pulled out their swords. They were too slow though. I consumed all of the miasma and integrated his karma. A moment, later, I began to use all of the Mimic skills.


    I stood up. ¡°What do the two of you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    The two men looked at each other, then back at me. ¡°Boss! You¡¯re alive! We thought you were dead!¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m that easy to kill? Come. We¡¯re returning to the hideout. Calypso will answer for her betrayal. They all will.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Boss!¡± The two men nearly saluted, and then ran up to inform the bandits ahead of us.


    They completely ignored the body of the true Roxford¡­ or at least the Roxford who was true for this dungeon. His body turned to dust, and I was now the Bandit¡¯s Leader.


    {Mimic has increased to level 15.}


    {You have unlocked the skill, Karmic Control.}

 Chapter 789

    The group of bandits ended up returning to the familiar looking cave. I counted how many forces we had. In the end, it was only about one hundred, and that included those who weren¡¯t fighters. Although they were bandits, that didn¡¯t mean in large enough numbers they wouldn¡¯t need cooks, cleaners, and laborers. As a result, the fighting force of the bandits was only about seventy. Most of them had come with Roxford, with only a few staying behind to guard the cave.


    I also checked on how much wealth Roxford had accumulated. It wasn¡¯t very much. I supposed that his focus was the war effort. He wasn¡¯t interested in just robbing people. He was interested in bringing down the Demon Lord. On the one hand, he was a bit admirable. The men with him, who were eating mostly slop and not being paid very much, must have had a lot of respect for him. It made it a little weird then to see them look at me with those same adoring eyes. On the other hand, it did explain why his numbers were so low. Any bandit who was just there for the money and comfort definitely wouldn¡¯t remain with Roxford.


    The next question was weapons and armor. I quickly found that these things were missing as well. The bandits were not equipped for war at all. Some had leather armor and beat up swords. I wanted to know why the conditions weren¡¯t better, but I didn¡¯t have to ask too many bandits before I had my answer. Calypso. The best food and money she reserved for herself. She convinced Roxford that he had to eat and dress better than his men or risk losing their respect.


    As for the men, they were too scared of Calypso to say anything to her, and respected Roxford too much to give him a hard time. As a result, she had managed to waste all of their wealth. I¡¯m not even sure what Calypso did with it, but the bandits were living worse off than the commoners at the previous village had been.


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    With a sigh, I returned to Roxford¡¯s bedroom, demanded privacy, and then began sitting on the bed. I concentrated on my two girls. Carmine was still in the demon¡¯s castle, but completely out of reach. My Portal still wouldn¡¯t open there, and it would be difficult and dangerous to march right in. At that point, it¡¯d be like walking right into the boss room.


    As for Garnet, the pair had stopped moving and were somewhere in the north. I didn¡¯t know what they were doing. I should be able to make a Portal to her. I wasn¡¯t sure how bad the dungeon interference was. I might need to get closer to open it, but it was possible. I didn¡¯t bother though. I didn¡¯t see a point to it. Xin was at a level that if I tried to snatch Garnet, she could take her right back. Instead, Garnet should focus on making that dagger. Hopefully, at this distance, she still had my bonuses. I made sure to leave Slave Master equipped just for her.


    I sat in the dark, considering my next plan. I wasn¡¯t impulsive as I had once been, although I suppose I had been impulsive the last few days since traveling with Garnet. Maybe my soul hadn¡¯t lost my impulsiveness, but it was something I did when I was around women. It was easier to make a decision when someone you cared about was depending on your actions or something like that.


    Time passed, and the night fell into the next day. Nothing changed in the bandit camp. Their part in the narrative was over. They likely wouldn¡¯t do anything, nor would they be molested, until the dungeon cycle repeated. That was unless I did something and got involved. I¡¯d need to change the story myself. Although what took Xin 1000 cycles to accomplish, I¡¯d need to do in less than one!

 Chapter 790

    I had six weeks until the wedding. That was when the Demon Prince would attempt to kill his father. Why six weeks? After all, Bernard had the sword and he has his bride. He could attack the Demon King tomorrow. No, I was certain that it would be in six weeks because that is what the narrative suggested. Bernard may think he was completely free of this dungeon, but I was certain that he wasn¡¯t. He wasn¡¯t a Paladin like Carmine or a White Mage and Mimic like me. Although he managed to keep his mind sorted, he was being heavily influenced by the dungeon.


    I reasoned out from the safe room¡¯s murals I had already seen that it was the Demon Prince himself who had secured the special metal and ordered the creation of that sword. Creating the sword wasn¡¯t something Xin had done, but something the Demon Prince had attempted and failed to accomplish. He had planned to betray his father since the beginning.


    However, Bernard was not the Demon Prince, and so he didn¡¯t know that the sword was something he had come for. The result was that he followed his father and burned the village to the ground. The dungeon allowed him to do this because it wouldn¡¯t have seen the narrative changing much since the sword was always a failure. Except, this time, it wasn¡¯t. It was no mistake that Bernard ended up with the sword.


    In the end, I was fighting against three different factions battling over this dungeon. There was Xin, an external force that has been influencing and trying to leave the dungeon. There is the demon king, the master of the dungeon, who is trying to preserve it at any cost. Finally, there is the Demon Prince, the one who started the war by kidnapping the princess, then tried to assassinate his father, marry his woman, and become the ruler himself. Bernard was still playing that part perfectly, even if he had no clue he was doing it.


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    It was time to create a fourth faction. I had started it once, but after a single setback I had convinced myself that I wasn¡¯t qualified. It was easier to run around and play hero. My time with Garnet taught me something. I needed help. I couldn¡¯t do this all on my own. With that thought, I stepped out of my room and then assembled all of the bandits.


    I pulled out ingredients from my Inventory and cooked a meal using my Cook skills. It even went up a level after cooking for a hundred people. Their moods immediately improved as they ate. I still lacked a fondness for it since I had been in this dungeon, but I saw it as a tool I could use now. After everyone had their fill and were giving me their full attention, I stood up.


    ¡°Boss, what are we going to do?¡±


    I looked over the crowd of eager men. In another situation, they would be enemies. Even in a dungeon, these guys should be mobs attacking me, not allies who looked at me with respect.


    ¡°I need you to start gathering others. I want everything. Supplies. People. Monsters. Steal it all.¡±


    ¡°People? What are you going to do with people?¡± One of the men asked in surprise.


    I raised my hand, looking curiously as miasma poured out of it. When my Mimic ability had gone up, I had received a new ability. It was time that I tested it out.

 Chapter 791

    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand what your plan is, Boss.¡± A few of the bandits looked at me uncertainly.


    I ignored them, and instead looked at the group they had brought me. This was just a band of measly goblins tied up and surrounded by the bandits. After a day of scouring, that was the best they were able to bring. Other enemies were either too difficult for them or too hard to catch. A few men had already been injured and if it wasn¡¯t for my White Mage abilities, they might have died. Of course, none of the men asked how I had gotten White Mage. They seemed to just accept it now, and it only added to their adoration of me.


    My ability to change their jobs also caused a wave of excitement to grow through the group. That was previously one of the reasons that Calypso¡¯s nonsense was tolerated so much. As a Dark Priest, she wasn¡¯t just fearful, but a necessary part of the group. Her presence was necessary for job changes, but more importantly for resurrections. She mentioned she had resurrected two men I killed earlier. I didn¡¯t know if I¡¯d be able to do the same. In a way, she was part of the lifecycle of this dungeon, while I technically wasn¡¯t. Perhaps, if I used the Dark Priest¡¯s ability, it would work, but that would require sacrificing someone else which I didn¡¯t get into.


    As to who she had sacrificed, I had no clue. The bandits weren¡¯t keeping any prisoners, and even after checking her corridor, I couldn¡¯t see who she had sacrificed or where. It was possible that sacrificing life didn¡¯t mean another human. She might have sacrificed an animal or monster, although I saw no proof of that. Either way, if I had to sacrifice one of these goblins to bring back a bandit, I supposed it¡¯d be easy to make that sacrifice.


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    I approached the goblin in charge, who appeared the be the largest of the group. Even he was shivering as I kneeled next to him. His hands were tied up and even his mouth had been stuffed. I guess the goblins howled when they were bound and couldn¡¯t escape, and it was irritating the bandits. I brought out my hand, which the goblin tried to back away from. Unfortunately, he had no room to wiggle, and I quickly put my hand on him.


    Just like the skeleton messenger had done to me, I sent out my miasma, infecting the goblin. He stiffened for a moment as the miasma entered his body and affected his heart. I felt some resistance, which I supposed was the miasma from the dungeon. I had already come to understand that the miasma I produced was slightly different than the miasma of a dungeon. To someone not related to me, the miasma might not be any different, but my miasma wouldn¡¯t attack my allies. It seemed to possess my signature or something like that.


    I had started creating more miasma, making the cave into a thick self-made dungeon. Over the last two days, the bandits seemed to have grown infected just by prolonged exposure. At first, they had shown some signs of nervousness and withdrawal, but I was their boss so they didn¡¯t leave the caves. After a while, they started to calm down, and I believed they were no longer under the control of the dungeon. The same might hold for the goblins, but I didn¡¯t want to wait days for it to take effect.


    After a few more moments of Karmic Control, and after the goblin stopped shaking. I removed the gag, and then the restraints. The bandits tensed as the goblin leader stood up. However, he didn¡¯t run. Instead, he bent down and lowered his head to me. A moment later, a familiar message appeared.


    {The goblin leader has been tamed as your monster.}


    So, I could tame monsters that way now. I began to control more.

 Chapter 792

    The difference between beating down and taming monsters and simply taking control of them with Karmic Control was night and day. The first took minutes to hours to accomplish depending on the monster. Furthermore, the control was loose, and the monsters were still a bit wild. I could give them simple orders, like bring more or protect this, but in general, they were still a bit wild. It was like with Elaya. Although she was my tamed monster, it was only in name. I couldn¡¯t force her to do anything she didn¡¯t want to do.


    When it came to infecting their Karma, they became much more obedient. They were like the monsters I had created in my dungeon, I started to realize. I couldn¡¯t see through their eyes or read their thoughts, but I did have a feeling of their intent and could influence that intent. As Monster Tamer increased, I had a distinct feeling that ability would increase too.


    After spending several days in the cave, admittedly recovering a bit from my shock and feelings of helplessness, I was ready to assist the troop in recruiting. I had forgotten how much I had depended on my girls. They had always propped me up, and whenever I hit a setback, there were a half-dozen beautiful women to encourage me to try again. Under those circumstances, it was very easy to act strong. I hadn¡¯t even realized until now how much I had depended on them to support me emotionally. It was only now that they were all taken away that I realized how, as strong as I had become on the outside, I was still the same scared guy who got dumped.


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    Well, it had only been half a year since I had ended up in that world, and only going on two months since I had been in this place. Anyone who expected someone to change into a completely different person in such a short period would be an idiot. Even cleaving my soul didn¡¯t change who I was, it just cut away some attributes to allow others to come to the surface.


    The main thing that I had that the bandits didn¡¯t was my Map and Sense Life. It made it far easier to track down and find powerful enemies. Of course, the bandits weren¡¯t as strong as I was. Perhaps, if the Bandit Hero was still around, he¡¯d be able to help, but most of the larger enemies like the giants were something I had to do mostly on my own. If fifty bandits worked together, they might be able to capture a giant, but they also might lose four or five in the process. Since I didn¡¯t even know if reincarnation was an option, and I didn¡¯t want to lose as many as I gained, I took a more active role in capturing them.


    As I tamed more monsters, despite it being a Mimic ability, I found my Monster Tamer leveling up too. Everything was gaining experience. It appeared I didn¡¯t need to kill a monster to get the experience, I just needed to defeat it. Like that, I was able to steadily build an army. That¡¯s when something popped up in my vision I had never seen before.


    {You have staked a sufficient claim of this dungeon. You are a rival Dungeon Master. You currently control 2% of the dungeon.}


    Now, that was interesting.

 Chapter 793

    This was an aspect of dungeons that I had never known about before. I had become a Dungeon Master, and had even constructed my dungeon, but I had never known that dungeons could fight each other. As I created more miasma and conquered the will of monsters, I had staked a claim on this dungeon. I was now officially a Dungeon Master of the Twilight Dungeon. There were two of us now, and until one of us won, the dungeon would be in a state of conflict.


    At that moment, I only owned a small slice of the dungeon, but that could change. Of course, I had some worries. The true Dungeon Master had to be aware that I was staking a claim on his dungeon. This would draw his eyes straight to me. That meant that I needed to move faster, and couldn¡¯t afford to waste time. The dungeon would be reacting to my presence now.


    Like I had once done when I took the fort at the mouth of the valley, I moved up from species after species. Once I had giants helping out with captures, I was able to capture more and more. While the giants did the heavy lifting, I had the bandits go out, and used them as points to create a Portal to and claim the rest of the Map. Two weeks went by like that, and I had managed to complete more challenges and win more pieces of Star Armor along with other various potions as I unlocked the entire safe room network.


    I didn¡¯t know why exactly, but I felt a calling like I had to defeat the safe room Dungeons to truly gain control of the dungeon. The fact that my % seemed to be increasing helped encourage that belief. I also found the murals confirming what I had already predicted. Originally, the Prince ordered the sword, but when it failed, he helped the humans rise against the demon lord while he tried to do a coup. The fact that he was the original reason the humans were having such a high level of unrest when he kidnapped the princess wasn¡¯t addressed. This all ended up culminating on the day the wedding, where the humans attacked, and the Prince unsuccessfully tried to murder his father.


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    I also started to collect demons. At first, we raided a few villages. I initially had some hesitation in capturing real people. When I infected them with Karma, they didn¡¯t register as a monster. However, they acted obediently, and thus I incorporated the villages into our rank. The fit were trained to use swords. The craftsman were put to work. We needed cooks, swords, armors, and potions. I didn¡¯t just build an army; I built a war machine. Blacksmiths and Alchemists worked around the clock and we stripped the countryside for supplies as the army became better equipped every day. The Bandits had grown to three hundred fighting men, and the monsters were reaching a thousand. I had conquered 8% of the dungeon.


    I still wasn¡¯t able to make my own monsters though. Back home, it had required pooling together a bunch of miasma. Doing that here would only be counterproductive. Thus, I was only able to peel away the existing dungeon one layer at a time.


    ¡°Boss, we found a monster. It killed two giants and several giant wolves. It meets the parameters you suggested.¡±


    I made an annoyed sound at the loss of fighters, but my eyes grew fierce as I listened to his words. I had finally discovered one of the dungeon bosses. It was time to get serious.

 Chapter 794

    Rather than spend half a day traveling out there, I pulled out a map and asked him where the boss was located. This was an intricate map that I drew myself based on my mapping of the dungeon. My Cartographer job had increased again as I made sure to distribute this map to all of my army leaders who actually could understand maps. The most interesting skill I had unlocked was Geometry. It allowed me to more easily calculate things like trajectories. I realized that I¡¯d probably be pretty good at aiming a catapult or a trebuchet now.


    I had nearly 90% of the map completed. Technically, it was all finished when it came to copying from other maps, but I had personally viewed 90% of the dungeon by using my bandits as proxies and portaling around. The 10% I was missing was the area around the demon castle.


    Portaling was exactly what I was planning to do once this bandit pointed out where this boss was on the map. It turned out they were located around a large lake. I had tried to grasp how levels worked in this dungeon, and it seemed that there were concentric rings, with the ones on the outside perimeter showing weaker enemies, with them growing in strength as we moved toward the epicenter. That epicenter would be the demon lord¡¯s castle.


    The rings weren¡¯t perfectly round, and resembled more like the trunk of a tree, with divots and depressions. There were only twenty rings in all. I had a theory that this dungeon once had a lot more rings, but since it was cut off from the mana of the other world, the dungeon had been sacrificing rings to keep itself going, like a shrinking bubble of space. I had no proof of this, and perhaps Xin was the only one who could confirm if this was reality.


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    For all I knew, dungeons evolved, and once a mega-dungeon grew deep enough, it changed into a ringworld like this instead, losing most of its levels as it converted into rings. Once again, I spent too much time thinking about the nature of dungeons. Since I was a Dungeon Master, it only made sense though. The game had always been called My Dungeon Life, so I felt that unlocking the true nature of dungeons was likely the name of the game.


    At that moment, I needed to focus on the dungeon boss. The bandits were located around the 13th ring of the dungeon. Banding together, and with a giant or two as help, they were about to make incursions as far as the 5th level. I called the 5th level the dead zone, as I had not managed to get anyone, even spies closer to the demon castle than that.


    As for the monster they located, it was on the 10th ring. It looked like this world did hold by rules similar to the previous dungeons. That meant that there must be some kind of free-roaming miniboss on the 5th ring that made getting closer impossible. The reason we hadn¡¯t encountered the 10th ring boss yet was that they were actually on the opposite side of the world from us. If I tried to ride there, it¡¯d take at least a week.


    However, at this point, those loyal to me were all over the map. I hadn¡¯t just united all of the bandits and subdued them, but various pockets of monsters as well. My dots were spread across the map like a growing flood, slowly conquering the dungeon piece by piece. Once I had a dungeon boss at my command, that power would grow exponentially, or so I hoped.


    I selected a bandit who was near the area this man indicated, created a Portal, and then headed toward my first dungeon boss.

 Chapter 795

    Opening a Portal to a target on my Map didn¡¯t mean the Portal literally formed where that person was and cut them in half. That would be an extremely foolish design. They formed about two or three feet in front of the target. That meant that if the target wasn¡¯t paying too much attention while walking forward, they may walk right into the Portal and end up on the other side without realizing it. Portals also didn¡¯t understand height.


    If I selected a target that was underground or flying through the air, the Map would automatically place it on the ground. This was basically because the Map I used was two-dimensional and only existed on a two-dimensional plane. If I picked anywhere, it was as close to the ground as possible at whatever elevation that might be. It could be used in some interesting ways, like teleporting to the top of a tower or mountain with ease, but it naturally had limitations.


    For example, stepping through the Portal felt a bit like stepping through the water. It also had a similar resistive effect. That meant, you couldn¡¯t create a Portal behind an enemy, and then shoot them with an arrow. The arrow¡¯s momentum would be all but lost when it came out on the other side. We tried various degrees of strength, but no matter how powerful the blow, it didn¡¯t pass through the Portal.


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    This led me to another idea. Could you create a Portal in extreme environments and use them as an attack? My first thought was to create a Portal underwater. I could create a tsunami that could wipe out an entire army. If I got it deep enough, the high pressure would be like a water canon with enough force that I wondered if it could hurt bosses.


    This naturally led me to other thoughts. I could see space. What would happen if I opened a Portal in space? Everything would be explosively sucked out into its vacuum. How about the inside of a volcano? Sending molten earth racing down at an enemy would be a powerful weapon. Plus, I could make a lava moat.


    In the end, while all of these ideas were great, they had one fundamental flaw. The Portal I created always formed a few feet in front of me, facing me. The first person to be struck with water, lava, or the vacuum of space would be me. Since realizing this reality, I naturally gave up on the idea of weaponizing Portals. The only way I could use it would be if I got close to the edge of a cliff, and then hoped an idiot walking forward would walk through the Portal and off the cliff before realizing what they were doing.


    The reason I felt the need to explain all of this at that moment, was as it so happened, the man I selected to Portal to had been at the edge of a cliff, taking a piss off the side. When my Portal appeared, he naturally stopped peeing and leaped back, but I was about three feet out over the ledge of a cliff when I stepped across. I let out a cry as I plunged off the cliff and into the depths below. In this case, I was the idiot.

 Chapter 796

    I only had time to see the surprised face of a bandit as I found myself falling. For a moment, I was convinced I was dead. However, when my eyes landed on the water below, I tried to move my body into a position for a dive. Hitting the water, it still was a pretty heavy blow, and the water exploded around me as I plunged into the depths of the water. Bubbles were everywhere as the water churned against the rocky shore. I lost track of which way was up, and then I realized all of my armor was also weighing me down.


    I struggled, kicking wildly as I ran out of breath, but it wasn¡¯t until my hands hit sand that I realized I was in real trouble. I had been desperately swimming in the wrong direction, having got turned upside down. I was also deep enough that I couldn¡¯t see light under the shadow of the cliff. Hoping my hands were touching the ground and not the wall of the cliff, I put my feet down, ready to kick off.


    It was at that moment that I saw a glowing light. Despite the fact my lungs were burning for a breath, and I didn¡¯t have seconds to spare, my eyes instinctively turned toward the source of the light. That was where I saw a beautiful blonde woman floating there. She had a perfect body, with a moderate but pleasantly plump chest, and supermodel-like good looks. It was then that I noticed her lower half was a fish-tail. She had long scales that reflected gold and blue. The light seemed to come from a pearl she was holding in her hands that shone like a light orb.


    I tensed as I realized she was a mermaid. Naturally, as a man, there were many fantasies about mermaids. Admittedly, the siren in my dungeon was also a fish girl, but there was something more alluring about mermaids, even though they technically didn¡¯t have the lower parts necessary to fulfill any of that allure.


    However, I also knew as a fantasy monster, mermaids could be quite vicious and borderline murderous. I was in her domain, so trying to fight her would be nearly impossible. I watched her warily, but she only looked at me curiously, like she was just as surprised I was there.


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    ¡°Mmm!¡± I let out a noise, almost taking in a breath.


    I had forgotten I was underwater for a moment as I looked at her, and I had also wasted all of my time. Just as I was about to panic, the mermaid lunged at me, and her mouth met mine. I felt her cold breath breathing out. I sucked in the air, and with our lips together, we exchanged breath back and forth. Even though we were exchanging the same breath, every time I inhaled, it felt fresh. I supposed she had gills or something that was doing the gas exchange.


    After my breath recovered, she pulled away, a sweet smile on her face. She reached out and grabbed my hand, and then she started to swim. The speed she moved was extremely fast, and I nearly lost the breath of oxygen I had just regained as she floated to the surface and then skimmed along, moving as fast as a dolphin, perhaps even faster. When she reached the edge of the lake, I could see some of my men running back and forth, shouting.


    ¡°Where is Boss?¡±


    ¡°He fell in the lake!¡±


    ¡°The monster is in there!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll pull him to the bottom like the others!¡±


    ¡°Ah! I see it! It¡¯s coming!¡± One of the men pointed at us and shouted.


    ¡°Stay fast men, it¡¯s weak out of water. Just stay on the shore!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s in its hands? It¡¯s Boss!¡± One shouted. ¡°Quick, the arrows!¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± I cried out as the men started to pull out their bows. ¡°I¡¯m fine. She¡¯s mine!¡±


    The mermaid had stopped before coming to the shore and the lake water was shallow enough, I could put my feet down. I immediately grabbed her, wrapping my arms around her protectively. After all, she had saved my life.


    {You have tamed a mermaid.}


    ¡°Eh?¡± I cried out as I noticed her looking up at me with a red blush on her cheeks.


    ¡°Boss¡­ you did it! You tamed such a powerful monster!¡± The men started cheering.


    Thinking back, I had tamed the giant by colliding with her nether regions. I had tamed Elaya by having her in bed. Somehow, it seemed easier to tame females of a species. Why did it feel like I was better at taming women than monsters?

 Chapter 797

    Why did the mermaid save me and instantly grow attached? Maybe, I was just that charming. I didn¡¯t think that. More than likely, it could detect that I was a Dungeon Master competing for control of the dungeon. For whatever reason, it didn¡¯t like the current Dungeon Master. Well, considering that Dungeon Master had been shrinking the dungeon as it slowly withered away in a never-ending cycle, it might have been abandoning ship and hoping that I¡¯d offer it a way to survive the end of the dungeon.


    Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t give it that promise. I wasn¡¯t even sure I¡¯d survive the end of this dungeon, so how could I think about bringing out another monster for my dungeon. It wasn¡¯t like I could store her away like certain pocket monsters until I needed her. Although, now that I thought about it, I wondered if such a magical concoction could exist. If I could store items in alternate worlds, and even food, then there had to be a way of storing animals.


    Either way, the dungeon boss was surprisingly attached to me, clinging on to my leg even as I tried to pull myself onshore. I eventually had to pat her head and make several promises to her before she was finally willing to let go. Watching her smile and leap back into the water, I had to wonder if she was so terrifying as the bandits made her seem.


    Supposedly, she had dragged several animals down into the depths as they had stopped to get a drink of water. Anything that had the strength to kill a giant was rather terrifying. It was a shame that all of that strength was completely useless to me. She was bound to this lake, seemingly forgotten by everything but the occasional monster wandering nearby that she could snatch. I watch the mermaid swim away, feeling like this entire day had been a waste of time.


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    ¡°Amazing. I have never seen the mermaid act so timid before.¡± A woman¡¯s voice next to me caused me to jump.


    The bandits around me all let out cries, drawing their swords. I raised my hand, ordering them to stop. They wouldn¡¯t be able to stop her. Heck, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stop her.


    ¡°You know of the mermaid?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°She is based on the princess, you know. I mean, the real princess, the one whom your paladin friend is pretending to be.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Carmine got her Karma off an undead.¡±


    ¡°The undead girl was the representation of the story; the mermaid is a representation of her soul. Dungeons are abstract things, sometimes difficult to understand.¡±


    If that beautiful woman was once the princess of the human realm, I could understand the Demon Prince falling in love with her at first sight. I wondered if one of the Karma¡¯s I had picked up contributed to her loyalty. If she had an attachment to the commander or one of the other demons, then it might also explain why she acted in the manner she did. However, like the siren, she didn¡¯t speak words so much, so asking her was out of the question.


    ¡°So, I guess the question is, are you planning on kidnapping me now too?¡± I asked.

 Chapter 798

    After asking such a bold question, Xin at least had the good sense to look a bit embarrassed. Her cheeks blushed slightly and she distinctly didn¡¯t look my way.


    ¡°I may have¡­ previously erred in judgment.¡± She responded stiffly.


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been¡­ in this dungeon for many many years. I¡¯m not used to dealing with real people. I mean, people free of the influence of dungeons.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    A flicker of irritation formed on her face. ¡°And¡­ I may have acted a bit coldly and impolitely toward you.¡±


    ¡°Garnet failed to make your dagger?¡±


    She sighed. ¡°She had told me that a great deal of her success had been because you were helping her. She insisted that she couldn¡¯t do it without your direct support. I¡­ didn¡¯t listen and grabbed a random blacksmith assistant. The dagger ended up failing.¡±


    ¡°So, you need me to help remake it.¡±


    ¡°The¡­ material is wasted.¡± Xin bit her lip. ¡°I don¡¯t have enough to make another. My chance of having a weapon that could fell Aberon is now gone.¡±


    It was my turn to look irritated. ¡°Had I known that there would be no chance at a redo, I might have been a little more aggressive toward finding you.¡±


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    ¡°You would have failed.¡± She shrugged, ¡°And even if you did, I would have refused your help, convinced I didn¡¯t need you.¡±


    ¡°Then, if you don¡¯t need my help, why are you here? What changed?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here because of Garnet. She strongly urged me to work with you. She is¡­ quite fierce for such a small woman.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    I nodded, but then remembering how Xin was a lesbian, and Garnet was very sexually progressive, the words suddenly took on a new meaning. I felt if I said anything though, I¡¯d destroy our current fragile communication. It was obvious to me that she was putting herself out here and was already forcing herself to act against her nature. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was because she was a Hero, strong, or a princess¡­ but she was an extremely bullheaded woman. She reminded me a bit of Carmine.


    ¡°As for what changed¡­ the dungeon changed.¡± She responded.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°At first, the actions you took ultimately were absorbed by the dungeon. This was why I didn¡¯t take you seriously. You tried to rescue the princess, but she ended up in his clutches. You tried to initiate the war, but the humans were still scattered. That was until I started noticing changes a few weeks ago. The entire dungeon has started changing. I used to be able to map the paths of every demon down to a footstep, and now it¡¯s like a beehive has been stirred up.¡±


    ¡°The bandits who always stayed out of the way became active. The commoners have all started to gather. The monsters are moving in extremely strange ways. This has spread to the demon lord¡¯s castle. They¡¯re rearranging troops as if preparing for war from an external source. I have now confirmed that source to be you. There is no point in denying it. You have caused more change in this dungeon in a single cycle than I could in a thousand.¡±


    Of course, I knew exactly why that was the case. I was a Dungeon Master, and I was taking it from the true Dungeon Master. It seemed like my new status had even caught Xin¡¯s attention now. I just hope she didn¡¯t realize the truth, or she may decide to kill me!

 Chapter 799

    ¡°So, I¡¯ll ask again, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I had all but given up on the creation of that sword. Forget the sword, even the dagger would have changed the game.¡± Xin sighed. ¡°Yet, the sword is made, so we need to get our hands on it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re much stronger than Bernard, and he wouldn¡¯t let daddy dearest see the sword. I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t march into the castle and take it for yourself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so easy.¡± She responded. ¡°We have to wait-¡°


    ¡°Until the day of the wedding?¡± I asked wryly. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve heard.¡±


    The dungeon seemed extremely caught up on that final date. That was also the date that the cycle reset and the portal closed. That meant we only had one chance to defeat this dungeon and get free. Perhaps, the dungeon couldn¡¯t be completed unless we waited until that date. Then again, I didn¡¯t care about completing the dungeon. Defeating it would be enough. At first, I had to consider completing the story because I didn¡¯t see any way of defeating Aberon. However, with the powerful Xin and this supposed magical Silvthril sword, we should be able to manage it.


    ¡°Then, you know.¡± She nodded. ¡°I fear with everything that¡¯s changed, this dungeon won¡¯t last another cycle. The interference of you and the otherworld invaders has diminished this world¡¯s miasma reserves to the point where the integrity of the dungeon will start collapsing in the next cycle.¡±


    ¡°World invaders?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry, I¡¯ve been in this dungeon too long.¡± She touched her head for a moment. ¡°Dungeons are a sort of space or world onto themselves. In there, the rules don¡¯t necessarily need to match the real world. The creatures inside of it, or more specifically the Dungeon Master, sees those that enter it as world invaders. It¡¯s their name for Dungeon Divers.¡±


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    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I suppose everything had a counter, actions and reactions and such. Perhaps, the demons up north saw humanity as the plague that had to be defeated. In many ways, they were invading our world from their plane, a place simply known as hell that sat under the dungeon castle.


    ¡°This place, what is it based off of? I thought it was built off of Aberis, but now I¡¯m not so sure.¡± I decided to ask her.


    ¡°I suppose, if we¡¯re going to be working together, you should know. This bubble speaks of the first war. The humans come from the Imperial Cloud Meadow, and the demons come from the Demon¡¯s Castle itself. This valley resembles the beginning of the demon realm.


    ¡°I always imagined the demon realm as being blighted or dark. I mean, that¡¯s how they draw it on maps.¡±


    She snorted. ¡°They would. After all, they wouldn¡¯t want humans going to the place, let alone befriending the demons.¡±


    ¡°So¡­. those created by the dungeons¡­ they are like us, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    She hesitated for a moment and then spoke slowly. ¡°The things that are created by dungeons¡­ they are threats to our world. That¡¯s all you need to know.¡±


    I lowered my head and nodded. ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°You are¡­ quite wise.¡± She spoke a second time. ¡°Few I have met have ever gotten far enough to ask these kinds of questions. For the vast majority, it is enough that dungeons are bad and must be destroyed. I feel like you and me¡­ we might not be as different as I originally thought. I don¡¯t know why, but I feel like we share something important.¡±


    ¡°Ah! That¡­ nothing¡­ I mean¡­ maybe it¡¯s time we finish this threat, right?¡±


    She didn¡¯t seem to notice my flustered appearance. She hadn¡¯t spent a lot of time with other people in ages. When she said that we shared something, my mind immediately came to a thing we both had shared. Alleya! If she knew about my relationship with her former lover, that was another reason she¡¯d kill me. I came to realize just how fragile this alliance between us was.


    ¡°Very well.¡± She nodded, accepting my words without question. ¡°In that case, you¡¯ll need her.¡±


    She turned back, and my eyes followed until they landed on a woman walking out of the forest. Garnet stopped and slammed her hammer down on the ground.


    ¡°You miss me?¡± She smirked.


    ¡°Garnet!¡± I cried out, having not even realized she had approached me despite the bond. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯re building an army, aren¡¯t you?¡± She asked. ¡°In that case, they¡¯ll need some good armaments.¡±

 Chapter 800

    ¡°You leveled in Armor Smith again.¡± I mentioned to Garnet as she handed me the newest plate mail she had just forged.


    ¡°I feel it¡­ the power inside! I¡¯ll make a better plate mail in the next run!¡± Garnet declared while her hands tightened on the hammer.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s not how leveling works.¡±


    Gaining a level didn¡¯t suddenly make you better at everything. I mean, I guess it did raise status, but it wasn¡¯t like you¡¯d suddenly make a better piece of armor just because you had more strength or agility. That required experience, which I suppose is exactly what she was gaining that helped her level. Now that she was my slave, and I had my Slave Master job equipped, she was gaining experience far quicker than she normally did.


    I usually didn¡¯t pay too close attention to every level. I had read in some Adventuring guides that focusing too much on levels would lead to failure. The reason was pretty simple. An Adventurer focused on levels might end up biting off more than they could chew. For example, they might reach level 20, and read that this floor was good for level twenties, and then push themselves to that level. In reality, that floor might have been good for level twenties with Fire Control, but nearly suicidal for other Adventurers.


    There are many other examples that are given as well. When people focused on levels as an indicator of strength, they constantly misunderstood their abilities, and were more likely to put themselves in dangerous situations. It also ran the risk of some becoming snobby or trying to rank themselves based on levels. This sort of classism was frowned upon everywhere in this world. Supposedly, there was even a play called ¡°Juggar the Fool¡± which depicted a man going around flexing his levels only to fail embarrassingly every time.


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    Thus, when it came to my party, the girls rarely wondered what their levels were, and instead asked the question, how strong were they? Saying that, as someone who had easy access to my levels without the need for a magical item or a Priest, I couldn¡¯t help but look and try to keep track of my abilities. Well, when it came to myself, the flashing text in my vision wasn¡¯t exactly something that I could ignore.


    As for the others in my formation, they just didn¡¯t ever ask. Garnet seemed to be a notable exception. She seemed to relish in her levels and greatly enjoy every level up. Thus, I had gotten used to announcing her leveling, which over the last two weeks of nonstop blacksmithing, had grown quite well.


    I placed the plate mail to the side, and a former bandit who was now conscripted into my army grabbed it and took it to find a soldier who needed it. Compared to the cheap pieces of scrap metal he once wore before, he was now in a full chainmail outfit with a particularly fine bow on his back. Besides what Garnet made, Xin had also relinquished all of her weapons and was still scouring the dungeon to find whatever magic items and weapons we could use to better equip our army.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that you leveled.¡± I turned back to Garnet as she pulled out some metal to start her next piece. ¡°I will be going soon.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Garnet let out a cry, panic in her eyes. ¡°N-no! I need my assistant!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your Master though¡­¡± I laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of my head.


    ¡°The quality of my work goes down whenever you leave!¡±


    ¡°Just work on the less important things, like horse armor or something.¡±


    ¡°I need you!¡± She cried, grabbing my arm and trying to look up at me with begging eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine. Besides, getting practice on your own will only make the pieces when you have my assistance, even better!¡±


    This brightened her mood slightly, as it seemed she had a desire to one day make the perfect piece of armor.


    ¡°Where will you be going, anyway?¡± She then asked, still just a bit pouty.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be doubling our army today. It¡¯s time the skeletons join the fray.¡±

 Chapter 801

    While I had been running around leveling and creating the Silvthril blade, the story in this dungeon had continued to move on. That story didn¡¯t involve individual people so much as it involved armies. It spoke of skirmishes and battles, most of which I had kept away from. As a single person, it would be really easy to die in a large-scale battle. I wasn¡¯t so foolish to get involved in one of those, especially before I had an army at my back.


    The safe rooms had told the story of these battles, which chronicled a human uprising that ultimately ended up squashed by the Demon King. When was the final battle? It happened a few days before the wedding. This was when the humans surrendered and the nation fell.


    This date was important in the history of the continent because that country that fell would end up laying the groundwork for the demon realm. The demon lands of the north weren¡¯t always demon lands. A long time ago, there were countries whose names were long forgotten. Even this dungeon didn¡¯t remember what the name of the country they were fighting for was.


    That country had been the one who had allowed the Demon Lord¡¯s castle to rise. Some say that when the demons emerged from the dungeon and seemed so much like humans, the humans had tried to welcome them. They had met them with peace at first, trying to welcome them as a new species to their world. That new species turned invasive, tensions grew, and it was ultimately the demon lord¡¯s son who kidnapped the princess and caused the country to revolt and try to destroy the demon¡¯s castle.


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    Unfortunately, the country lost, and the demon realm was formed. With the support structure of an entire country, they started invading new countries, spreading until the state of the demon realm ended up looking like what it did these days. At least, that was my current understanding of things based on the few tidbits I had heard from Xin and my observations. Most of this happened so long ago, that even records in Aberis didn¡¯t contain much information about it.


    Point being, the skeletons that I had originally allied myself with when I first entered this dungeon over two months ago had been scattered, but not defeated. Although they lost the fort, reinforcements arrived and they were still waging skirmishes to this day. It was for this reason that I was able to build such a large army myself, as the majority of the Demon King¡¯s forces were still dealing with the revolt.


    Since agreeing to work together, Xin had provided me a lot of essential information. She gave me the locations of the remaining Safe Rooms, for example, which was why I was able to piece together the majority of the story, as well as complete the rest of her challenges. She didn¡¯t know why I wanted to do that, so I only told her it was for personal training.


    In this case, she had managed to tell me where the command center of the skeletons was. This was the remaining forces of the human rebellion. They were still outside the mouth of the valley and hadn¡¯t made any progress in two months. In a little less than ten days, their forces would end up attacking the mouth of the valley and would finally be wiped out.


    It was time to change all of that.

 Chapter 802

    The Portal opened, and I carefully eased my foot through before stepping the rest of the way. I was much more careful now, making sure I didn¡¯t have any unfortunate Portal mishaps. No bandit or monster was waiting for me on the other side. This was an area I had been to before when I first came to this dungeon. It almost felt nostalgic how far I had come since entering this dungeon. The place was now completely mapped out. The story was unlocked. Now, I was raising an army to make the final push and defeat the Demon King.


    Of course, being able to defeat this Demon King didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d be able to defeat the real Demon King. This was only a shadow of the real man. It was as much an approximation as the mermaid was the princess. I did admit I was curious how he looked, although since Xin only shared the vaguest resemblance to her giant counterpart from the Widow¡¯s dungeon, I didn¡¯t have too high of expectations.


    I started walking in the direction of the camp where Xin had indicated. I had only needed to walk five minutes before a patrol of undead riding undead horses rode up to me. I held up my hands as they circled me. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t even have to open my mouth before one of the skeletons seemed to recognize me.


    ¡°Commander Stone?¡± the skeleton said in the surprise.


    He gestured, and the others lowered their weapons. They still kept them at the ready though.


    ¡°Yes, I have returned. I bring news to our leader.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I suppose you will need to debrief with the general. He thinks you are dead.¡±


    ¡°I almost was,¡± I responded, and that didn¡¯t even have to be a lie.


    The men led me back into the camp, which while shabby, still looked more disciplined than my own. These were real soldiers, not an assortment of conscribed commoners, brainwashed soldiers, and bandits. It made a difference. Still, compared to what Garnet made, their armor was shabby, and it was clear they were all haggard after countless battles. I realized I might have to stay a day or two to cast White Mage spells and restore them to full fighting condition. Never underestimate the power of a White Mage on an army.


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    As I approached a large tent that seemed to be the command tent, a man broke out. He had an extremely angry expression on his face, and he was wearing armor much better than the rest. His eyes landed on our party, and the men escorting me turned white.


    ¡°Commander Stone! You¡¯re supposed to be dead!¡± He snarled.


    I was a bit surprised, having not expected the General to be so violently angry. He continued to approach me, his posture filled with malice, and I realized the situation was sinking fast.


    ¡°You are a deserter and a traitor! You let the fort fall to enemy hands! Give me one good reason I shouldn¡¯t order you cut down right here!¡± He shouted, now right in my face.


    I shrugged, a causal expression on my face that caused him to grow even more enraged. ¡°Because you won¡¯t be alive in a second to make that order.¡±


    Without hesitation, I used Pace and Quick Attack, and my blade struck right through his armor into his heart. Although the Star sword was only a dungeon¡¯s approximation of the Silvthril sword, and not made from it, it still could cut through anything else this dungeon made. I wasn¡¯t sure if it¡¯d have that trait outside of this dungeon. It might be something it could only do in here, but that was enough for now.


    ¡°A-assassin!¡± The men could only stare in shock before someone screamed.


    As everyone pulled their sword, I put my hand on the man¡¯s chest and a black substance flowed from him to me. By the time we were surrounded by guards, the general, his mouth agape, and a look of shock still on his face collapsed to the ground dead. I casually looked around at the men surrounding me while activating Mimic¡¯s skills.


    ¡°What are you all doing?¡± I bellowed just like he had. ¡°You almost let an assassin in here to kill me!¡±


    ¡°S-s-sorry, general!¡±


    ¡°General wouldn¡¯t let anything like an assassin stop him!¡± Someone else declared proudly.


    ¡°Everyone, get ready!¡± I shouted, ignoring their excuses. ¡°We¡¯re moving out!¡±


    Like that, I was now the general of the undead army.

 Chapter 803

    After taking control of the army, I started to rejuvenate the men.


    ¡°Ahhhh! Ahhhhh! It burns!¡± Screamed an undead soldier.


    I snapped my fingers. ¡°That¡¯s right, healing undead kills you!¡±


    I had already cast Refresh and a few other spells on some of the soldiers, but this was the first guy who approached me with some genuine damage. I immediately leaned on a healing spell, which only further exacerbated the situation. I stopped it in time that he didn¡¯t die, but he was looking in worse shape. I was glad I decided to stick to Triage rather than using a blanket Group Heal on the entire army. I might have taken out my entire battalion in a single move.


    I had been wondering why the battalion didn¡¯t have any Priests in it to help keep them refreshed and healed, but I ended up with that answer immediately. It turned out that these forces couldn¡¯t afford to have Priests, so they simply got deleted from the narrative.


    How exactly did you heal someone who wasn¡¯t alive? That was the question I was asking myself as I looked down at the ailing man while my commanders and lieutenants glanced at each other awkwardly. They weren¡¯t suspicious. It was more like they thought their general was acting weird and was trying to justify his actions in their mind. I quickly schooled my face and pushed my Mimic abilities to the max so that I acted just like the general again. This seemed to ease them.


    I tried going through my skills, although I had so many at this point it was very easy to overlook something. My eyes naturally fell on the skill Steal Life, which was offered by both Monster Tamers and Dark Priests. However, where Monster Tamers could only use it on their Monsters, Dark Priests could use it on anybody.


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    If I stole his life, would I make him more undead, in other words, heal him? I had a feeling I would just finish the job if I even tried. Then again, I could give him life, but giving life to an undead? Wouldn¡¯t that kill him too? In that case, what is life?


    I tried to remember everything I had learned. Living creatures were made up of three different things: Mana, spirit, and body. Dungeon monsters had a corrupted form of mana called miasma. Mana and miasma didn¡¯t get along. You could attack mana with miasma, and vice versa. However, mana could also be corrupted and turned into miasma. Then there was someone like Astria who could both use mana and miasma. I could use mana and miasma seamlessly as well, and even convert mana to miasma, although I didn¡¯t seem to be able to do the opposite yet.


    Then there was karma, which acted a lot like miasma, but in certain ways was different? It reminded me of light, which functioned as a wave or a particle depending on what you needed it for. Karma and miasma felt similar in composition, but different in implementation. Was karma just the miasmic version of spirit? As a Spiritualist, Miki could do all kinds of crazy things with the souls of the living, from talking to undead, keeping the spirit alive, blocking a person¡¯s mana flow, and trapping their soul from Resurrection. Karma seemed to function the same way in dungeons. So¡­ as miasma was to mana, karma seemed to be to spirit.


    You could heal a person by providing them with mana for healing. Since these were creatures composed of miasma, and they were created by the dungeon, then it stood to reason that their bodies, albeit physical, were a manifestation of miasma. So, if I created miasma, and then infused it in his body¡­


    I lifted my hand and black tendrils came out and started to touch him. It turned out to cost me a lot more mana than just tossing a White Mage spell, but I managed to heal the undead soldier. Everyone relaxed as he started to return to a healthy shade of¡­ white.


    Taking out some Water of Life for myself, which was probably holy water to the undead, I started to patch up the army. By then, they were ready to move. I began the march.

 Chapter 804

    We were still a little more than a week away from the beginning of the final battle between the humans and the demons historically, and a little less than two weeks away from the wedding. Although I had felt like I had been in this dungeon forever, it had supposedly only been a bit less than three days on the outside. Yet, I had changed so much since I had been in here. I wondered if my girls would even recognize me when they saw me next. While I wasn¡¯t so much worried about their current conditions, I realized that I was starting to miss them.


    The army began heading toward the mouth of the valley. In the real world, or maybe just the past cycles, the undead would march on the fort in the mouth of the valley and capture it. They then began a blockade, demanding the return of the princess. They wanted to block all trade into the valley, and eventually leave the Demon King desperate. Instead, he built an army and attacked the fort, using similar methods to defeat them as Bernard had used on me. That was to say they had a secret area where a small contingent of warriors remained magically hidden until they snuck out at night and let the army in.


    Of course, the human forces were more than just the fort, but after a brutal three-day battle around the mouth of the valley, they were finally forced to surrender. The surviving general was dragged before Lord Aberon. Part of their surrender was that they must bear witness to the wedding between the princess and the Demon Prince and let the people know who their new leaders were. They were patsies used to break the morale of the human resistance. So, one can imagine why I didn¡¯t hold too much respect for the man I just replaced, who ended up betraying his people and was probably responsible for the wars going on until this day.


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    Despite that, I saw no reason to change history. The one nice thing about karma, is that while I was wearing it, the dungeon couldn¡¯t tell the difference between me and the dungeon monster I stole the karma from, especially if I acted like I was supposed to. In this case, I was moving a day early, but that probably wasn¡¯t enough to cause the dungeon to worry.


    I marched the army up to the mouth of the valley and, like my predecessor before me, began to lay siege on the fort. I had already taken the fort once before, but I had depended on Portals and underhanded tricks. If I did that this time, the dungeon might be able to tell, and thus the Dungeon Master would know where I was and retaliate. Thus, I was taking it old school. It was a bloody, difficult battle, and I did my best to mitigate the damage, but I kept to my role as general.


    ¡°Master, the battle has begun.¡±


    Those words came from Garnet through Slave Communication. Unlike Carmine, whose communication with me was somehow silenced while she was in the Demon King¡¯s castle, I could hear her clearly. She wasn¡¯t talking about my battle, where we had been fighting for a few hours now. Rather, she was talking about my army of monsters and bandits. Monster Tamer skill, level 40, Monster Sight was engaged. After taming so many enemies, I had gained many levels, and one such level allowed me to look through the eyes of my tamed monsters.


    I could see them racing against an army of demon soldiers. This is where Aberon thought I was. While Xin, who seemed to be able to avoid his sight, ran that battle, the plan we devised after many careful nights of planning began to unfold.

 Chapter 805

    ¡°The army is fleeing.¡± Garnet continued to feed me reports.


    Naturally, my army full of bandits and conscribed should break under an army of soldiers. However, this was just a ruse. I had control of the karmic destiny of those men and monsters, and they would do anything for me if I requested it of them. They were ordered to retreat, giving the enemy the impression they were on the run and had been broken up by their actions.


    Meanwhile, we conquered the fort. Although I selected the lower and less skilled men to manage the fort, and kept it on a skeleton crew, sending the rest of the men off to secure the blockade. That night, as predicted, the demons came out and cut their way to the gate, killing a handful of unsuspecting undead on the way. They then opened the gate, and a battle ensued. The fort was ultimately taken back, and battles began to break out everywhere.


    As an army of demons arrived at the mouth, the undead battled back. I mostly worked on autopilot, keeping myself from intervening. I found many different situations in which I could have changed battles into our favor by using one of my abilities or some other tactic, so I had to resist doing it, even though it cost lives. Thankfully, the undead, who were monsters, didn¡¯t weigh on my conscience nearly as much as the demons, who looked just like people. Sacrificing a skeleton didn¡¯t bother me much at all.


    The battles intensified, and while I tried to time things out better, we were overtaken on the second day. I had been sending most of my soldiers away. Where? Into a place, the dungeon couldn¡¯t detect them. It was one of Xin¡¯s pocket worlds, outside of the reach of the dungeon¡¯s senses. Eventually, the command camp was captured, I waved the white flag.


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    Thankfully, Bernard wasn¡¯t among the Commanders who captured me. He was too busy with the wedding. I had hoped as much because if he had shown up, it was likely to ruin everything.


    ¡°General of the humans, so weak.¡± The demon sneered.


    ¡°I surrender unconditionally,¡± I responded. ¡°Ah¡­ but if you could let my remaining soldiers go.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ that¡¯s a condition.¡± He snorted and then nodded to his men. ¡°Go ahead, let them go.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, commander.¡± I bowed.


    ¡°And kill them.¡±


    I gritted my teeth as screams and shouts sounded out behind me. There were a few cries for their general as the three hundred surviving soldiers who had already tossed down their weapons were pelted with arrows until dead. The commander who gave the order looked down on me with a sneering look. This was an army I had stolen, and I wasn¡¯t even really their general. I was just using them. However, Mimic gave me the ability to fake distress on my face.


    As for my actual feelings, they were still filled with anger. It wasn¡¯t because I had a personal attachment to anyone involved, but because of the principle of the thing. We had surrendered, and this commander had massacred those men. It was disgusting behavior for a leader. He showed no mercy.


    Good. I didn¡¯t have any hangups about killing the demons now either. The demons I had promised Garnet I would protect, they were slaughtered by these demons. Part of the reason she made armor so hard was that they had taken everything she had in this world away from her. We were now both in agreement. We would bring this world of theirs down around them. A time would come when this demon would regret his decision, but he would receive exactly what he gave.

 Chapter 806

    Demons didn¡¯t move at the same speed since I could use safe rooms and Portals. Although, after making my army surrender, the army started heading back to the Capital, it was still a week before I could see the Demon Castle in the distance. I had seen it before, but never this close. This could be said to the be the closest I had ever gotten, and the only way I had managed it was by fooling the dungeon into thinking I was a part of its narrative.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if the dungeon saw me as a threat. I was trying to change the narrative, not complete it, so it was anyone¡¯s guess if this upset it. It was even kind of strange thinking of a dungeon as a living thing. It was a curse, a blemish on the world, yet it also could create incredible things. It wasn¡¯t clear if dungeons were truly alive or had any true awareness beyond acting and reacting.


    However, that didn¡¯t matter, because the Dungeon Master did have the capacity to react, and he had to be aware of not only the damage I was doing to the narrative but my attempts to wrestle the dungeon from his control. At this point, nearly 35% of the dungeon was in my control. That might not seem like much, but every percentage I took made the dungeon that much weaker.


    The area around the Dungeon Castle was desolate. I had been expecting some Capital city dedicated to demons, but it didn¡¯t seem like that was the case. Quite the opposite, it seemed like all life was repelled from the dungeon, creating a ring of deadness. This resembled the wastelands on the maps much closer. I wondered if the demon castles corruption was allowed to spread for untold years if the maps were telling the truth. Unless I traveled up north, I wouldn¡¯t know the answer.


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    The demon commander dragged me into the dungeon. I was still in contact with Garnet, but we had both prepared for the possibility that our connection would be severed once I entered. I left one last phrase.


    ¡°I¡¯m going in now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    That was the last exchange I had with Garnet. There was no response after that. I could still feel her general direction, but she was far too distant to pinpoint now. I was on the inside. While this meant I no longer had contact with her, it might also mean something else.  Without showing any change in my demeanor, I brought up my Map, and that was when I saw a familiar dot for the first time in what felt like ages.


    I could see Carmine in the castle. Since we were officially in the same location again, then I had contact with her. Hopefully, the last week while I was steadily approaching the castle, she hadn¡¯t given Bernard or the Demon King any signs I was coming. As I continued to follow the commander, I decided to see if I could contact her. The worst that would happen was that I would hear silence.


    ¡°Carmine! Are you there?¡± I sent the message and waited for an answer.


    I had expected an immediate response when I sent her my message, so when a minute went by, I had to wonder if the entire demon castle prevented a signal, or if Bernard had done something to Carmine herself to block me. Then, I suddenly heard her voice, although it was quiet and full of uncertainty.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±

 Chapter 807

    I was immediately confused by Carmine¡¯s response. I had thought she might not answer. I had even considered receiving a response from the Demon King, having somehow interrupted the transmission. If that was the case, I was screwed. I had devised a few escape plans if things went bad, but there was no saying whether I would have made it out of there alive.  It was a risk, putting my life on the line, all so that I could get into the castle ahead of time.


    ¡°Carmine?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know who that is.¡± The response came a moment later. ¡°How are you talking to me? Are you the one I feel drawing near? Are you my soulmate?¡±


    I had to think things through after hearing her message. So, Carmine no longer remembered who she was. That meant that the miasma that had infected her heart had somehow successfully infected her entire soul. In her mind, she was the human princess and didn¡¯t even remember being a Paladin at all.


    Since I was the one who had rescued her, I had forged a place in her heart in place of Bernard. I wasn¡¯t sure why the dungeon had designed it so that the princess fell in love with whoever saved her, and not simply the prince, but it worked in my favor. Had her heart belonged to him, I wasn¡¯t sure I could have accepted it. It would have been extremely infuriating.


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    However, it almost seemed like she couldn¡¯t remember me anymore, but rather the idea of me. The slave bond had turned into her soulmate who she could feel at a distance. She had been sitting in the castle, waiting for me to rescue her. Rather than trying to snap her out of it, I decided to play into the fantasy for the moment. I didn¡¯t have the time to explain everything, and I couldn¡¯t afford her accidentally notifying the others in her distress.


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m the knight who saved you. I¡¯ve come to rescue you! That¡¯s why you can hear me because our hearts are bound as one.¡± I decided to throw out a bunch of lines that made me blush.


    ¡°My hero has come? Oh! Wonderful! Please, save me!¡±


    ¡°First, are you doing okay? Has Bern- I mean the Demon Prince done anything to you?¡±


    This was the thing I had been worried about the most. If she had been mistreated while I sought the means to attack the castle, I would lose it.


    ¡°It was awful!¡± She cried out, causing my worst fears to be realized.


    ¡°What did that bastard do?¡± My expression started to darken.


    ¡°It was the worst! First, he bought me a dress¡­ but it wasn¡¯t the color I liked! Then, he promised to buy me anything I wanted, but when I asked for a small island, he said he didn¡¯t have any of those! Finally, every night, they feed me with a 4-star chef. Daddy always got me a 5-star chef! I mean, his food tastes the same, but it was the principle of the thing! Are you listening? This is important! I¡¯m suffering here!¡±


    I quickly grew tempted to turn off the Slave Communication. As for whether this was an aspect of the princess or Carmine¡­ I honestly couldn¡¯t tell. I realized that the pair kind of deserved each other.

 Chapter 808

    As Carmine droned on about all of her perceived injustices, I was reminded once again just what it meant to have a high-maintenance girlfriend. By the time I was brought into the throne room, I was seriously considering just abandoning her in this dungeon. I was quite happy for the distraction, that was until I remembered the distraction was the most dangerous and feared man in the land.


    ¡°I have brought the general of the humans.¡± The commander said to the guards blocking the entrance into the throne room.


    I gulped, concentrating on my deception. I hoped that the Mimic job I had worked so hard on since I had entered this dungeon would be enough to fool the Demon King. There were a lot of things that could go wrong. If the Demon Prince was there, he could figure me out. If the Demon King could see through it he could cause a lot of issues. Suddenly, I wasn¡¯t sure if this was so good of an idea after all.


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have much choice in the matter. The door opened and I was shoved inside. I ended up in a room that resembled the boss rooms of previous dungeons. The size was immense, and I wondered if this castle made sense given the dimensions of this room. There was a row of bowls with fires in them, and at the very end was a man.


    As the guards, with the commander by our side, dragged me down the long carpet, I could make out more and more of the Demon King. I had to say, that despite what I knew about demons, I was expecting a Demon King that looked like the devil himself. I was expecting a large and intimidating man that was more muscles than man. I was expecting red skin. I was expecting long, curly horns, sharp teeth, and a threatening demeanor.


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    The man I saw instead was shockingly ordinary looking. His horns were incredibly modest. He was just a bit handsome. His features were very normal. Even Aberis looked much more intimidating than this man. If he had to remind me of anything, he sort of reminded me of Shao. That was when a thought jumped into my head.


    As I was dragged down the path and dumped at his feet, that thought began to take hold more and more. My mind wanted to dismiss it because it was far too ridiculous, but I couldn¡¯t shake the realization.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the general who has sought to overthrow my people?¡± The man asked calmly. ¡°My people are here to stay. It is the survival of the fittest. Do you understand? That is the nature of this world. Natural selection at its finest.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re from another world!¡± I cried out in surprise.


    He blinked. ¡°Yes¡­ of course. That is the nature of dungeons. They are connections between worlds. Weaknesses in your own story leads to the invasion of others.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± I shook my head, now almost certain. ¡°You¡¯re from Earth.¡±


    The expression on his face was one of pure shock. He stood up so quickly that he nearly knocked the throne back. His eyes were locked on me, and all of his previous regal demeanor was gone.¡±


    ¡°How could you know that?¡±


    As he incidentally confirmed it, the expression on my face started to whiten.  Like Shao¡­ the Demon King was from Earth?

 Chapter 809

    After his initial moments of surprise, the Demon King¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°Where have you heard that name?¡±


    I had thought that, hearing Earth, he might have grown excited. I also felt a surge of excitement when it occurred to me he was from Earth. If I was wrong, then he would have just given me a strange look like I was speaking garbage, and we would have moved on. However, his violent and sudden reaction meant that Earth meant something to him.


    It was only then I remembered that he was the Dungeon Master of the Twilight Dungeon, and not the original Demon King. So, that led to the question on whether it was the Demon King who had heard Earth, or this approximation of the Demon King created by the dungeon. Either way, I didn¡¯t expect him to suddenly grow angry. I suddenly worried that maybe being from Earth wasn¡¯t such a good thing.


    ¡°I¡­ my friend came from Earth.¡± I gave a weak excuse. ¡°You just¡­ suddenly reminded me of him?¡±


    I really didn¡¯t expect this to work at all, but then the Demon King nodded and sat back down calmly. ¡°I see¡­ it is the same with me. I also knew a woman who was from Earth. She¡¯s gone now.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if he was telling the truth or not, but it seemed like he had calmed down and I was worried about upsetting him again.


    ¡°General, my people need a home. There was once a time when the country of Twilight believed that our world¡¯s could unite. I still believe that this is possible. After all, your world has united with so many in the past.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The esmere, the elves, the osteria, the giants, the animalkin, the merfolk, the dwarves, even the humans, you have all managed to integrate yourselves into this foreign world.¡±


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    ¡°What?¡± This time I was surprised.


    He sneered. ¡°I know how you humans love to hide history, but surely you remember that it was once your species that emerged from the cursed dungeons and pushed back this world¡¯s inhabitants. You then welcomed all of the otherworlders, including us. Only later did you suddenly decide we were evil, all thanks to that wretched church.¡±


    My mind was moving a mile a minute. This broke everything I knew about this world. I had always thought that all of these species developed on this world, perhaps through some kind of natural selection. However, if you really thought about it, what kind of natural selection would have led to such a diverse range of completely unique species?


    The answer was that these species all came to this world at various points in history. It seemed like humans were in the majority, but every other species had come at some point and settled here. Who were the original inhabitants? I didn¡¯t even know!


    My silence seemed to urge the Demon King on. ¡°If the humans won¡¯t give my people a place in this world, then we will take it! The country of Twilight is already ours. Demon¡¯s control the valley, and by extension 70% of the defensible land. Admit defeat, and urge your soldiers to surrender. If you do this, I will spare your lives, and allow the remaining humans to live among us.¡±


    ¡°Your commander made me a similar promise, and he slaughtered my men.¡± I responded, acting how I thought the General would.


    The Demon King looked up at the Commander who was still standing next to me. ¡°Is this true?¡±


    ¡°My lord.¡± The commander grew flustered. ¡°I felt it necessary to instill a sense of control and fear into the general, or he might think he can¡­¡±


    The commander never finished his words. The Demon King went from his chair to standing on the other side of his room. There was the shing of a blade being pulled out ringing in the air. Compared to Aberis, who I had already thought was fast beyond comprehension, this guy was even faster. The commander was making a strange noise, but a second later, his body split in two. This was the power of the Demon King, and the real one was even stronger than that. I had a long way to go.


    The Demon King turned back to me, his expression showing nothing after just cutting a man in two. Even if his expression had been angry or cold, it would have been something. However, it was the same blank friendly expression from when I had entered.


    ¡°Do we have an agreement?¡±

 Chapter 810

    I had no choice but to accept the Demon King¡¯s offer. Any hope that I might have some leniency from him was lost, and I ended up tossed in a dungeon shortly after that. not talking about a cursed dungeon, but a castle dungeon. I could call it a jail, but that word didn¡¯t do the dark, muggy underground prison justice. Well, that was the plan from the beginning, so one could say that everything was going according to plan.


    He had made me promise to sit through the wedding of Carmine, or I suppose it was the princess. Then, I was to declare to the people that the demons were uniting with the humans and that we were to surrender. It sounded like a fair deal considering, but I knew how this story ended. The demons began an aggressive campaign, conquering the north. I didn¡¯t know how big Twilight was, or how many countries the Demon King conquered, but the bloody war he started continues until this day.


    I sat in my cell, and when I was sure I was going to be left alone, summoned a few creature comforts from my Inventory. I had feared that their dungeon would have some kind of anti-magic spell or something. Maybe, the real Demon Castle did, but dungeons were bound by certain rules, and one of those rules was that it couldn¡¯t trap or stop your progress. Technically, tossing me in a jail cell would break the rules of a dungeon. They could trick you, get you lost, throw enemies at you, make environments impassable, but they couldn¡¯t just lock you up and keep you there.


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    When the first dungeon I ever entered, Mina¡¯s Dungeon, collapsed all those months ago, there must have been a means of returning to the surface. Since Mina¡¯s Dungeon had a lot of Portal traps, one of them must have led up past the blockade. It was just anyone¡¯s guess how. Thus, although I was shoved in this jail, there had to be some way out. I spent the better part of an hour looking, only to try the front door to find it unlocked. This dungeon was getting lazy if its big workaround was to just make the cell door lock break.


    With my way out secure, I settled down. Now, it was just time to wait. During the wedding, when everyone was distracted, we¡¯d make our move. If Bernard acted like his Demon Prince counterpart, he should use the opportunity to attack his father. The army would move in. I¡¯d free Carmine in the chaos and bring her into the safe room to recover. Once the Demon King finished off the prince, Xin, Carmine, Garnet, and I would work together to take him out. Well, I had a feeling it¡¯d be mostly Xin. Comparatively, the rest of us weren¡¯t as strong.


    Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t get any news from the outside. I just had to wait and hope the girls were doing their job. I did occasionally communicate with the princess, but I gained little more than well-wishes and more complaining about how the life of a princess was hard. I found I preferred the solemn silence of a jail cell during those times.

 Chapter 811

    ¡°It is time.¡± A group of ominous sounding men came and pulled me out of my cell.


    I walked down the long hallway in chains with four men surrounding me. I was made to kneel down. A man started taking measurements, taking particular notice of my neck size. A third man came out with a bowl of scalding liquid.  The first man pulled out a long blade. He then proceeded to cut my hair. The second man started sewing, while the third started to bathe me.


    As it were, they wanted to prepare me for the wedding. I was the General representing the nation at the point of surrender. If I looked like I had been held in a dungeon and tortured, my words wouldn¡¯t have nearly as much sway on the people. Of course, my statement would be recorded magically and then replayed in every village and town. For that, I had to look my finest.


    Although I had some comforts from my Inventory, it had been weeks since I had a good bath. I was cleaned up, put in a nice suit, and then escorted upstairs. I was even provided two elite guards by my side, who would graciously protect me, and cut off my head if I made any attempt to flee. Well, the hospitality of a Demon King only went so far.


    As I walked down the hallways, every so often I dropped something from my Inventory onto the ground. I usually picked areas where there was a carpet so nothing could be heard. I faked so many coughs I suspected they might think I was dying of the flu. I feared they¡¯d be suspicious, but I guess they expected a man being held in the dungeon for several days would contract something and be weak.


    I was seated in the back of the wedding. I had anticipated this. Even though I was disguising my face and wearing the karma of the general, I feared that Bernard still might be able to recognize me. The same could be said about Calypso. Thankfully, the pair of them were in the front of the wedding. Just as I moved to sit down, one of the elite guards grabbed me.


    ¡°You will be giving the bride away.¡± He said.


    ¡°Ah¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°Demon King¡¯s orders. You will walk her down the aisle.¡±


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    That¡­ was not part of the plan. I gulped, but nodded and was led back to a room. I could hear the prattling on of a haughty woman. It took a moment to realize it was Carmine.


    ¡°And another thing! This dress looks a bit frumpy on the side, and¡­¡±


    ¡°My lady¡­ it is time.¡± A man explained to the princess.


    ¡°My hero will come for me. He will!¡± She protested.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve been saying that.¡±


    I sweated slightly, listening to this from the hallway. If she made a scene here, things might get a bit messy. Of course, she¡¯d be able to recognize me through the bond. Although my face was different, the current dungeon infected Carmine cared more about karma than physical appearance.


    It turned out. My worries weren¡¯t warranted. The woman walked out without glancing at me. She grabbed my arm without looking my way. She seemed to be in a huff.


    We started to move toward the wedding room with the entire entourage. This included a half dozen guards, the steward, and a few ladies who were holding up the back of her dress. I was sweating though. I would be right in front of all the major players in this dungeon, and if even one saw through my mimicry, I¡¯d be screwed.


    As I was thinking of such things, I realized Carmine had stopped. She was looking at me now.


    ¡°My lady, you must walk forward!¡± The steward urged her on.


    She started walking again, but her eyes were locked on me. I distinctly didn¡¯t turn to look at her. Rather, I was starting to sweat more and more. She saw through the mask! Just don¡¯t say anything. We have to make it.


    The music started as we reached the wedding hall. We started to walk forward. Everyone had their eyes on us. It was Carmine, and me right next to her. We were halfway down the hall. Bernard had his eyes on Carmine, and Calypso wasn¡¯t even sparing us a glance. This could work!


    Just then, Carmine ripped her arm from mine, grabbing her head and shaking it, a look of confusion marring her expression.


    ¡°What is¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± She said.


    Mumbling broke throughout the church, while I looked at her with my mouth opened, not sure what to say.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting married, ma¡¯am.¡± The steward hissed at her.


    ¡°M-marriage?¡± She said, squinting like she didn¡¯t understand the word.


    ¡°You know¡­ ¡®will you marry me¡¯?¡± I offered, trying to placate the situation quickly.


    The second I spoke those, her gaze jumped to me, a crystal clear conviction in her eyes. I barely had time to realize things were going south when she broke into a wide smile.


    ¡°Yes!¡± She leaped at me, and we began to kiss in the middle of the wedding of the Demon Prince.


    Bernard finally was looking at my face now that his bride-to-be was sucking on it.


    ¡°Deeeeeeekk!¡± He let out a scream.


    Then, all hell broke loose.

 Chapter 812

    When you find yourself making out with the bride to the wedding in the middle of a Demon King¡¯s castle, there is only one option. You run. As soon as Bernard screamed my name, and the jig was up, I dropped a bunch of smoke bombs from my Inventory and ignited them. I grabbed Carmine, picked her up in my arms, and started running for the door.


    Although I was much stronger than I used to be and could pick up a normal girl in my arms easily, Carmine was a large, muscular woman. Her large chest alone added many pounds, and so I found myself panting after carrying her only a few meters. I still high-tailed it to the door while the grounds exploded in confusion and surprise. I only just made it to the door when the smokescreen I had created disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.


    The Demon King had managed to blow it all out a window in a matter of seconds. Just what kind of air control did that guy have to do something so easily? The elites who had been guarding us spun in embarrassment as they realized I had slipped passed them. They turned and started running toward us. Bernard was trying to give chase too, but the procession of people in the way made it impossible for him to get past.


    Just as the guards finally got turned around and started sprinting toward me, there was an explosion shaking the entire room and creating even more panic. Alarms started to sound outside as an invasion of the capital began. They had arrived, and not a moment too soon.


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    ¡°We¡¯re ready!¡± I heard a voice suddenly break in through Slave Communication.


    ¡°About time!¡± I shouted out loud to no one in particular, and then I activated the device in my hand.


    Since I had entered the castle, I had been dropping crystals all over the place at the orders of Xin. Once Xin got into the castle, she could activate them, and they¡¯d each open a Portal. They functioned much like the transportation kiosk in the dungeon, and like that, hundreds of human soldiers were teleported all over the castle. The elites gave chase, but as I passed an intersection, a dozen human soldiers pounced on them, forcing the elites to stop and engage in combat. I could still hear Benard screaming from behind, but I had my mind locked on a specific location.


    ¡°My hero!¡± She gasped, looking at me with loving eyes. ¡°I love you!¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­ you¡¯re going to be super embarrassed once you come back to your senses,¡± I responded. ¡°Which will be happening in just a second!¡±


    I stopped and then shoved through a door. We burst into safe room number fifty. It was the last one. I hadn¡¯t completed it yet. Carmine in my arms suddenly went limp, causing me to kneel and put her down. When I checked her, her eyes were closed. The shock of having the miasma cleansed knocked her unconscious. This was something I hadn¡¯t expected!

 Chapter 813

    As the battle raged outside, I cast various spells on Carmine, but she didn¡¯t wake up again. My brow furrowed. It looked like I would have to do this without her help. That was fine. It was always going to be Xin finishing this battle, anyway. Since the moment I saw the Demon King move a few days ago, I knew there was little I could do in a fight of that level.


    Thankfully, we were safe in this room. Even Bernard probably couldn¡¯t find this room, given how much he was under the dungeon¡¯s control. As for Carmine, she never would have entered this room if I didn¡¯t carry her directly into it. The result was that she had been rendered unconscious. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t wait and see if she got back up.


    I glanced around the room, looking at the final kiosk. According to Xin, there was no last trial in the 50th room. Once you had made it into the Demon King castle, you had already progressed far enough into the dungeon that it didn¡¯t really make sense to delay you longer. I also took a look at the mural. It was as expected, depicting the prince battling his father. However, he did not have the Silvthril sword, since it had failed in the original story. This time would be different though.


    I started to put on the armor, one piece at a time. It was a very strong armor, plus there was a synergy by having all the pieces. I also had a feeling that I would need it to survive. I guess I would end up being the knight in shining armor that Carmine had wanted all along. Looking down at her, I could only give a wry smile. There was another boom, and the castle shook again. This time, the castle continued to shake long after. I could hear battle occurring outside my door.


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    ¡°Garnet?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ the Demon King has retreated to his sanctum in the throne room. He¡¯s protected by a hundred knights.¡±


    ¡°What about Bernard? The Demon Prince?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a no show! He took off! He seems to be looking for something!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but make an irritated noise. I had thought the dungeon would end up forcing Bernard to do what he did historically. It looked like I underestimated the young hero¡¯s obsession with Carmine. He¡¯d likely never find her as long as she remained in this room, but we needed him.


    ¡°Can Xin get the sword from him?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ he doesn¡¯t have it on him.¡±


    I made an irritated sound, although this was actually the best news. If he left it somewhere, then we might have a chance of getting it. This was definitely not the Demon Prince who had wanted to kill his father. This was Bernard who was obsessed with Carmine. He had planned to marry her and worry about defeating the Demon Lord after. Well, with the sword and Xin, we just needed to push into the King¡¯s sanctum, defeat him, and then jump through the portal. Bernard could stay behind and rot in this collapsing world.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That shaking you¡¯re feeling? The castle isn¡¯t under siege with explosives or catapults!¡± Garnet responded.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the dungeon. We only have a few hours before the clock resets and a new cycle begins.¡±


    ¡°I thought we had the entire day?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t enough mana left. Your presence has caused that to fall apart. The dungeon can¡¯t reach the next cycle, so it¡¯s starting to fall apart!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°The elites are holding us up. Xin can get through, but by the time we fight our way through and defeat him, it may be too late!¡±

 Chapter 814

    ¡°Garnet¡­ as far as saving this dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ you¡¯ve been planning to destroy the core, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Xin already explained enough to me. These friends of mine were only shadows of a life lived hundreds if not thousands of years ago. I was blessed for getting to meet them and become part of their lives, but this place¡­ I understand it can¡¯t be saved. Just do what we have to do.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I closed my eyes and sighed.


    ¡°But we don¡¯t have enough time! The dungeon is collapsing early!¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s speed things up, shall we?¡± I put on the last piece of armor, the helmet.


    ¡°What are you planning?


    ¡°Can I Portal into and out of the castle now?¡±


    There was a brief silence. ¡°Xin says with the dungeon collapsing as it is, you should no longer be restricted. But you still won¡¯t be able to Portal into the throne room, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re suggesting.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± I responded. ¡°Bring one of my tamed monsters right in front of the enemies. It¡¯d be best if you stayed behind him.¡±


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    ¡°Ah¡­ if you say so.¡±


    I walked up to the kiosk. I only had about 35% control of this dungeon. I hoped that¡¯d be enough. I touched the kiosk and registered, then disappeared, leaving Carmine behind. Where I was going, I couldn¡¯t bring her with me. Hopefully, she woke up and regained her senses in time. If not, I¡¯d have to return for her.


    Once appearing in a new safe room, I walked out of a dilapidated ruin and onto the beach of a beautiful, quaint lake. Except, the ground was shaking and it didn¡¯t look particularly beautiful anymore. The sky had turned dark, and there looked to be strange tears across it. The ground was cracked in various places and the lake was sloshing back and forth. This world really was falling apart.


    I opened up a Portal, and then jumped through. I ended up in the middle of the lake. I hit the water with a splash, and then immediately began sinking. With the weight of so much armor, I had no choice but to sink straight to the bottom. My ears popped as I went, but I concentrated on holding my breath. When my feet hit the ground, I looked around the murky depths.


    That¡¯s when the mermaid appeared next to me, a bright glowing pearl still in her hand. She touched me gently with familiarity. I didn¡¯t have the means of communicating with her like Slave Communication. I might get a Monster Communication someday, but today I had to speak with my body. I reached out my hand and grabbed her. I held on tightly, and then I brought up my Map. I selected a monster that seemed to be fighting on his last legs as the elites continued to hold the hallway leading to the throne room.


    I opened a Portal. There were a few seconds of waiting, and then suction began. Water started flowing through the Portal. Resisting the flow for a few seconds, I got sucked right through alongside the mermaid I was clinging to.

 Chapter 815

    I had reasoned that if someone opened a Portal to a place underwater, they would have no choice but to be the first victim of the massive flow of water exploding through. However, then I had a thought. What if the person on the other side was already in the water? Of course, he¡¯d be sucked through, but he¡¯d be riding the wave, rather than getting struck by it.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t have any particular mobility in water. I¡¯d be as helpless as a barrel, slamming through the walls as the current tossed me down the hallways of the castle. That was, unless, I had a very strong swimmer to grab on to. So, with my hands gripping tightly on the mermaid, I opened a Portal, and an entire lake started to drain into the demon castle.


    The Portal appeared in front of a mob, which I had made sure was facing away from the enemy before I used my spell. The Portal opened, and then water began to spray out. The mermaid tried to hold us back, but the suction grew too strong too quickly, and the pair of us were sucked in. Soon, my head popped out at the top of the waves. I was riding the mermaid girl like someone might ride a dolphin. Except, she needed her arms and she had no fin, so the only thing I could hold on to was her breasts.


    I only had the time to get a single breath, before we were forced underwater again. The world around me was chaotic, and I felt numerous dings as various items struck my outfit. The mermaid was probably hitting a lot of stuff too, but what was she if not a dungeon boss? If that was enough to defeat her, then she was misplaced. We hit a corner and she managed to turn us before I went splat against the wall. We then took another corner and then one after that. She managed to get out in front of the wave, giving the impression she was dragging the wave, rather than it was pulling us.


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    Thus, I saw Bernard running down the corridor before his eyes widened and he let out a shriek, only to be slammed by a wall of water and knocked out just like the elites.


    ¡°We got to get to the boss room!¡± I yelled out, although I didn¡¯t know if the mermaid could hear me over the chaos of rushing water and clattering items slamming into the rocky walls.


    She dived under the water and began beating her tail roughly. We seemed to be flowing in a particular direction, and I didn¡¯t realize until I saw the big boss room like doors that we were heading straight to the throne room.


    ¡°S-s-stop!¡¯


    I had wanted to get to the room, not enter the room, but there was little choice. The mermaid was helpless as the wave slammed into the doors, causing them to burst open. I didn¡¯t know if the Portal closed, the lake emptied, or the demon lord had some special property in his room, but the second we entered the water started to slow and the pair of us slowed to a stop as the water dropped to only a few inches high. We came to a stop, me on the mermaid, about twenty feet from the throne.


    The Demon King was looking down at us with a severe expression on his face. Perhaps my plan to reach the Demon King worked surprisingly too well?

 Chapter 816

    ¡°Deek!¡± Bernard screamed, standing up.


    He was drenched from head to toe, his hair that was usually done up in a bun was now hanging loosely past his shoulders.


    I hadn¡¯t been the only one carried into the boss room. It turned out I had brought Bernard. The Demon King was still sitting and watching, while the gladiator masquerading as his son shot daggers my way. His eyes suddenly dropped, and he saw me mounted on a fish girl. I was still clenching onto her chest. She had raised her upper body to look around, so it was definitely a scandalous position that we were in.


    ¡°You fool! Don¡¯t focus on him! Now is your chance. Take out your father!¡± A shout came from the door.


    I glanced back to see Calypso there. Unlike Bernard, she wasn¡¯t the least bit wet nor did she show any sign of distress.


    ¡°Where did you put Carmine!¡± Bernard ignored her, yelling at me instead.


    ¡°You fool! If you won¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll kill him myself!¡±


    Calypso drew the bright blade, causing all darkness in the room to diminish. The Demon King stood up in surprise with that.


    ¡°So, son, you truly seek to betray me?¡± the Demon King¡¯s voice was ominous.


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    Bernard blinked as the man glared at him menacingly. ¡°F-father¡­ never! My only desire is the princess!¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± he waved his hand, and the sword that Calypso had once yanked from my arms was yanked from hers.


    As it landed in his hands, I felt a sense of frustration. It was only at this moment two more familiar faces made it into the room. Xin and Garnet just managed to enter as they watched the sword reach the Demon King¡¯s hands. As if the entire stage had been waiting to be set, the doors slammed closed right behind them.


    Rather than attack, the Demon lord held the sword out by the handle toward his son. ¡°If you wish to kill me, then take it and give it your best. You will fail either way.¡±


    Bernard reached out and grabbed the sword, but rather than feel relieved, I tensed even more. Xin¡¯s eyes were locked on the blade. It was her ticket out of here. It was all of our tickets out of here. Yet, strangely, it all rested in the hands of Bernard, the one person who seemed to want to stay. If he knew this world literally only had hours left, would he still be interested?


    ¡°Strike him!¡± Calypso bellowed.


    The Demon King held out his arms. ¡°See, my son. I know you¡¯ve changed since you fell in love. You no longer seek power. You don¡¯t have it in you to ki-¡±


    His voice stopped, the white blade sticking through his chest. However, the blade was facing Bernard, coming in from the Demon King¡¯s back. Someone had taken the sword from Bernard and then stabbed it into the Demon King¡¯s back all in the time it took to blink.


    Miasma suddenly poured out of Bernard¡¯s body and then flew toward the Demon King, returning to its rightful place. As the ruler of this place, it only made sense that he had control of it.


    ¡°Father¡­ I know this is only a dungeon proxy I¡¯m killing, but it feels so satisfying. If only I had successfully killed the real you all those years ago.¡± The man gently whispered into the Demon King¡¯s ear.


    He pulled out the sword as the stunned King collapsed to the ground. Lord Aberis was standing there in the flesh.

 Chapter 817

    The Demon King, the titular threat of this dungeon, was defeated in a single strike, and the one who stood in his place was Demon Lord Aberis, the same man who had been manipulating Lord Reign.


    ¡°Lord Aberis is the son of Demon King Aberon?¡± I asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Deek!¡± He gave a smirk. ¡°You¡¯ve made it this far. It seems like I underestimated you. You¡¯ve also started taking over the dungeon. Conquering dungeons¡­ that¡¯s something only my father has managed to do. You¡¯re truly too dangerous to allow to live. Wait! What are you doing to my ex-girlfriend!¡±


    His expression faltered as he pointed at the mermaid whose breasts were still in my hands. As if on cue, miasma suddenly leaked through the cracks of the door and then shot toward her. When it entered her, her expression changed.


    ¡°Aberis? My love?¡±


    The miasma that had been affecting Carmine must have left her since it was in the presence of the true body.  It was the same way the miasma in Bernard had fled to Lord Aberis as soon as he entered. I immediately let go of her breasts and stood up, blushing, but she barely seemed to notice as her eyes were no longer on me, but the Demon PPrince.


    ¡°Tsk.¡± He made an annoyed sound. ¡°I went to great effort to separate your karma from your body. You were very problematic during the early years of the dungeon.¡±


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    ¡°P-problem?¡± She frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did you ever think I loved you?¡± He chuckled. ¡°I was just using you from the beginning. I instigated the war because father was too caught up on peace. It was only when the humans started slaughtering his people that he became more aggressive. I then proposed the marriage, the last chance to end the war amiably. Of course, father jumped on it. He wanted peace.¡±


    ¡°Of course, father had said when I got married, he¡¯d fulfill any one request I made. So, when I got the gift, what I asked for was one strike. He would have outright refused something like demanding the country, but he was a prideful man convinced of his own strength. So, I took the opportunity to kill him. He was shocked, but he was also a man of his word. Regrettably, without the sword, I didn¡¯t have the strength to defeat him in that strike. He¡­ tried to destroy me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ what happened?¡± The mermaid¡¯s expression went wide. ¡°I heard that the Demon King killed you¡­ I thought him an evil man¡­ that¡¯s why I¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°You leaped into the lake and drowned yourself.¡± He sneered. ¡°Fool.¡±


    ¡°So, what?¡± I interjected, as the princess was nearly in tears. ¡°You failed to assassinate the Demon King, so you fled south, and then conquered Osteria with the plans of creating your own demon land?¡±


    ¡°It took quite a bit more steps than that, but basically.¡± He shrugged. ¡°However, the one thing I didn¡¯t have the ability to do that father did, was the ability to conquer dungeons. I could make my own, but it would take hundreds of years before they were powerful enough to help me. I couldn¡¯t risk losing this dungeon, naturally, so I tried to create a new one. I even tried feeding my dungeon a king, but in the end, you interrupted those plans, didn¡¯t you? No matter, I had other plans, and for those, you¡¯ve been a splendid help.¡±


    He held up the sword in his hands, inspecting the craftswork with a smile. He had finally gotten his hands on the Silvthril blade, just as he had planned from the beginning. I had walked right into his plans.

 Chapter 818

    A sound of clapping resounded throughout the room. Calypso calmly walked up to the Demon Lord. She had no sense of fright or worry on her face. She immediately fell to one knee, bowing toward him.


    ¡°My lord, you have done splendidly. Your¡­ predecessor offered to help me leave this dungeon.¡± Her eyes went to Bernard, who had only just recovered from the miasma suddenly leaving him.


    Surprisingly, he managed to regain consciousness quickly. I thought he would have been out cold like Carmine. That led me to wonder how much of the Demon Prince I had been battling before was Bernard and his desires, and how much was the Prince¡¯s. It seemed like the real Demon Prince, Aberis, didn¡¯t care about the princess at all. He only cared about his own success. The recently restored princess in mermaid form was still crying and shaking on the ground. I comforted her with a hand on her shoulder, but I still kept myself ready in case Aberis suddenly attacked. There was no predicting what he would do now.


    ¡°I hope you can acknowledge all that I¡¯ve done to help you in your quest. If you help me leave, I will be your humble servant for the remainder of times.¡±


    Aberis looked down on the kneeling Calypso, a bit of humor in his eyes. ¡°Oh¡­ Calypso, you were always so welcoming. You did make a good mother for me once. Sadly¡­ you¡¯re still alive out there, so I¡¯m not inclined to bring you with me.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± her eyes widened, standing up.


    Before she could back away, he moved toward her. His blade stabbed right through her in the same way that he had killed the Demon King. The Demon King¡¯s body was lying on the ground nearby. Calypso stared, wide-eyed, in complete confusion over his words.


    ¡°Did you never wonder why you and that Bandit Hero were here? What place you played in my story?¡± Aberis chuckled. ¡°When I was destroyed, I saved myself using your body, the same way I had with Xin countless years later. You offered your body for me, and we traveled for many years together, manipulating the Bandit Hero, before we finally found how I could be reborn in this world. Just as Xin and the Hero King were my parents last time, you and the Hero Bandit were my parents back then. Of course, the current you predates that event.¡±


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    He pulled his sword out, and Calypso collapsed on the ground, blood pouring from her mouth. She collapsed as well, dying just as quickly as the King. Her body started to melt moments later, turning into miasma.


    ¡°You can kill dungeon creations easy with that sword!¡± Xin spoke up. ¡°How about fighting someone a little closer to your level!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± His eyes brightened. ¡°My current mother. It has been a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­ demon¡­¡± These words came from Bernard. ¡°You¡­ used me¡­ you¡­¡±


    The Demon Lord glanced at Bernard more like he was looking at a bug. ¡°And you¡¯re the one who took my play in this story. You sadly just didn¡¯t have what it took to be me. What can I say, you just didn¡¯t have the balls.¡±


    Bernard¡¯s face grew flush, and then angry. ¡°I will kill you for that! I am the Demon-slaying hero! You defiled my body. I will make you pay!¡±


    Free of miasma clouding his judgement, it seemed like Bernard really was bothered by demons. With a name like Demon-slaying hero, it always seemed strange to me he was fine with joining their side. It looked like, in the end, he had been a victim like anyone else.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    To my surprise, Bernard rushed at Aberis, using all of his skills to attack the other man. Aberis almost disdainfully struck the man. The cut sliced off his armor and sent him flying back. I had only taken a few steps and ended up in the way of the flying Bernard. He slammed into me, and the pair of us went flying toward the wall.


    My hands instinctively wrapped around him and grabbed him, and I took the hit with my armor. I was jostled, but okay. It was then with my hand pressed against Bernard¡¯s chest that I felt something soft.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    With the armor cut away, and her shirt soaking wet, the outline of a feminine body became extremely clear in my hands.


    ¡°S-s-stop touching those.¡± A pretty girl, not an ikeman, looked up at me with teary eyes.

 Chapter 819

    I didn¡¯t have time to dwell on the realization that Bernard was actually a girl. Once Bernard had attacked, this had signaled an end to discussions, and Xin had raced forward, attacking. Garnet tried to fight as well, running around the back and attacking in a pincer.


    Xin¡¯s attack seemed perfect, and she moved at a speed I could barely recognize. Yet, when her blade struck the Silvthril sword, it immediately cracked and broke. At this point, Garnet sent her hammer down at Aberis¡¯s head, but he twisted his sword and sliced it off at the handle, sending the head of the hammer flying off into a wall. He then did a spinning kick, sending both of them flying.


    ¡°Those weapons were created by a dungeon. They have miasma in them.¡± Aberis laughed. ¡°Silvthril can destroy anything made of miasma.¡±


    I let go of Bernard at this point and let her down as I stood up. I made my own attack, this time depending on attack spells. I cast several Fireballs and then I added a Wind Blade. Aberis was far too quick. I had come so far since I entered this dungeon, but at the end of it I just wasn¡¯t strong enough to fight him.


    After dodging several attacks, he went in for his own. He bridged the gap between us so quickly that I had no hope of dodging. I could only watch as his sword struck my armor, and then bounced off. Although the hit still had enough force that I was shoved back several steps, the blade didn¡¯t make it through the armor. The pair of us stared at the small dent in my armor in surprise.


    ¡°How¡­ this sword should cut through anything!¡± He said, his face twisted in anger.


    ¡°Wait¡­ this dungeon¡­ it¡¯s like a world complete with its own rules.¡± I thought out loud. ¡°The star equipment was designed as a means for someone to complete the lore, to defeat the Demon King! It might be created by a dungeon, but in this world, it¡¯s supposed to be the strongest thing. The dungeon won¡¯t allow your sword to destroy it!¡±


    ¡°R-ridiculous!¡± He snarled. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll kill you the old fashion way!¡±


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    He charged at me, and I attacked back. His sword hit me several times. I could hear the clank, clank, clank as I received blows that would definitely bruise. However, his sword couldn¡¯t get through the armor. As for my own attacks, even using Quick Attack he was able to avoid me. Using the star sword, I was only just able to fight him, but I was a long way from winning.


    Xin and Garnet jumped back into the fight as well, but they were much more cautious with their attacks now. They would use magic attacks, or throw knives. Any direct attack was thwarted.


    ¡°This is a waste of my time.¡± Aberis snorted. ¡°Why fight you, when I can just leave you here to die!¡±


    Just as the three of us were about to each land a blow on him, he disappeared. I could hear a door slamming open and looked behind the throne to see a door that led into the back room. This would usually be the treasure room of a dungeon. Aberis was already standing there, right in front of a portal. It was the same portal he had used to bring us to this dungeon. It was the only way home.


    ¡°Sorry, this dungeon will be your grave.¡± He sneered.


    ¡°As it will be yours, love!¡± Two arms wrapped around his shoulders as a dagger slammed into his neck.


    No one had seen when she had moved, but the princess mermaid had crawled over to the room and leaped onto his back when he had his attention on us. Everyone had ignored her as useless, but it couldn¡¯t be forgotten she was a dungeon level boss.


    Aberis let out a scream, grabbing her from behind and spinning her to his front. Without hesitation, he stabbed her directly in the stomach with the sword, killing her in the same way as he took out Calypso and the Demon King.


    ¡°I never loved you.¡± He whispered cruelly, a sneer on his face.


    The princess¡¯s expression grew just as cruel. ¡°I know.¡±


    His eyes widened as the princess grabbed the blade slamming it as deep into herself as possible, and then cast a water jet right in his face. Compared to my water control, a mermaid like her was able to create a great deal of force. He flew back, right through the portal, and she flew the other direction, taking the sword stuck inside with her.


    The force was enough that she slammed into the wall, being impaled by the sword. I ran up and grabbed her.


    ¡°N-no!¡± I cried.


    ¡°I got¡­ the sword back¡­ Master¡­¡± She said her last words before she started to melt away into the miasma.


    ¡°No! No!¡± It was too late though; the princess was dead.


    I was snapped out of my daze when the portal closed, the incandescent blue light disappearing in an instant. We were trapped in the collapsing dungeon.

 Chapter 820

    ¡°What do we do now?¡± the girl who called herself Bernard asked, having finally gotten back to her feet.


    ¡°The dungeon is failing.¡± Xin sighed. ¡°I never thought Aberis would enter the dungeon of his own accord, but now, there isn¡¯t enough miasma. When the next cycle begins, the dungeon will just disintegrate, and we¡¯ll all fall in the void.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. I¡¯m still missing something.¡±


    ¡°Deek.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing to get.¡±


    ¡°I mean, where is the dungeon core? We defeated the dungeon, didn¡¯t we? With the Dungeon Master destroyed, the dungeon should present the core. We can then destroy it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point?¡± Xin responded bitterly, ¡°Destroy the core? The dungeon is going to destroy itself in less than an hour!¡±


    ¡°No, I mean¡­ if the dungeon core is still around, then that means.¡± My eyes widened, and I looked at the spot where Aberon had been lying.


    ¡°Good deduction.¡± A whisper came from behind my ear.


    I was struck like a hammer, and went flying across the room, slamming into a wall.


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    ¡°Deek!¡± Garnet ran to my side.


    ¡°You¡¯re still alive?¡± Xin asked incredulously.


    The once normal looking Demon King was still standing. However, his veins had turned black, like he was barely holding the miasma inside him. Black veins creeped down every part of his exposed skin. His eyes even contained black pupils. He looked quite sickly, and admittedly much more like a Demon King than he ever had before.


    ¡°My son thought he could kill me, but he has failed. However, the Demon Castle is collapsing. To save it, I will use your bodies as sacrifice!¡±


    ¡°Demon Castle¡­ it¡¯s more than the Demon Castle that is collapsing.¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s the entire dungeon?¡±


    He blinked. ¡°Yes¡­ the dungeon is the Demon Castle! Stop trying to confuse me, fool.¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t aware he¡¯s a copy.¡± Xin explained.


    ¡°But he¡¯s mentioned he¡¯s aware he¡¯s in a dungeon?¡±


    ¡°The Demon King¡¯s Castle is a dungeon, remember? Of course, the Demon King of the Demon¡¯s King Castle knows he¡¯s the Dungeon Master of Demon King¡¯s Castle, so his copy would be the same.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m getting a headache.¡±


    We were in the copy of a dungeon, inside a bigger dungeon. That was probably why I couldn¡¯t use Slave Communication or Portal into the Demon King¡¯s Castle. That also meant this guy was a Dungeon Master who was the copy of another Dungeon Master. Something didn¡¯t seem right about that, but I wasn¡¯t being given much of a chance to dwell on it.


    ¡°Nevermind that, give me the sword and I¡¯ll take care of him.¡±


    I nodded and tossed her the sword. The sword was still made of pure metal with no hilt, so it was a bit odd to hold, especially without a gloved hand. That said, as soon as Xin caught it, she let out a scream and dropped it. There was a sizzling sound as if it had burned her hand. The Demon King had attacked at that moment, striking Xin and causing her to fly back, hitting a wall. I scrambled to grab the Silvthril sword she had dropped, even more confused than before.


    The second I had it in my hands, the Demon King¡¯s eyes locked on mine. ¡°You die next!¡±

 Chapter 821

    Aberis had made this version of Aberon look like a walk in the park. However, only upon trying to fight him did I realize I was still outmatched. The sword was extremely powerful, and a few cuts would be all it would take to destroy him, but that involved me being able to hit the guy. At the end of it all, I just wasn¡¯t fast enough. If I had Celeste or Lydia with me, they would easily be able to match him for speed.


    If I had my team of girls, I was confident we¡¯d be able to defeat him somehow. Instead, I had an injured self-serving woman, a Blacksmith, a demon-hating anti-hero, and myself. The only one I could even give support for was the Blacksmith, and since we were fighting a battle to the death, not making a weapon, my ability to amplify her abilities was useless.


    Like Aberis before him, he struck me numerous times. Except, he used a lot more spells, and I could feel the damage adding up. Of course, I chanted Healing, but I couldn¡¯t even lift my hood to take a drink of Water of Life, so my mana wasn¡¯t going to last forever. Worse than that, the entire dungeon was falling apart. The shaking was now constant, and I could see cracks forming on every wall. If we looked outside, I¡¯d bet we lost a few more rings of this world. Soon, the whole thing would collapse into an abyss.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to play with you anymore.¡± Aberon sighed. ¡°The dungeon will collapse soon. I must harvest your energy to keep it alive.¡±


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    ¡°How about we harvest your energy!¡± I snap in response.


    ¡°Goodbye, shining knight. You won¡¯t be able to defend against this one.¡±


    A thought suddenly shot into my mind. I accessed Slave Communication. Then, I spun around and started running to the door. The Demon King sent Garnet and the wounded Xin flying and then began to chant a spell. A vortex of miasma started forming. He was using energy from the dungeon! That idiot would cause it to collapse faster!


    As I ran, I changed my jobs, moving to Hero, Slave Master, and even Harem master. I reached the doorway and opened the large wooden doors leading into the flooded hallway outside.


    ¡°Too late to run now!¡± He shouted, throwing his arms out.


    A massive black beam shot out, not unlike the one I¡¯d seen Salicia do once. However, this one was dozens of times thicker and much more powerful.


    ¡°Switch Position.¡±


    The armored knight spun, the star shield appearing in hand. At that moment, the black light struck. There was a massive eruption as the black beam struck the shining armor. The beam broke in two, flying on either side of the knight. The knight stood stoically, taking it all like an unmoving object. When the spell died down, the Demon King was breathing hard, staring at the Knight with wide-eyed confusion.


    ¡°Y-you should be dead! You don¡¯t have the defensive properties to block that!¡± He shouted.


    I looked from behind the knight, standing outside of the doorway I had just kicked open. ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t. Carmine, get him.¡±

 Chapter 822

    A Paladin wasn¡¯t just a Knight. It was an anti-dungeon Knight. Their entire skillset was aimed toward destroying dungeons. Other than Dungeon Divers, there was no one more suitable for entering a dungeon than a Paladin. When it came to fighting the dungeon bosses, Paladins won hands down. Then, you place that Paladin who was already powerful against dungeons in an armor designed to be invincible within this dungeon.


    The star armor might be a powerful armor outside of this dungeon, but inside of it, anything else created by the dungeon would treat it like Silvthril. Thus, there was a Paladin, a high defensive job in unbeatable armor. Then, you add to that a real Silvthril sword, otherwise known as a holy sword, a weapon designed for destroying anything cursed. It was the ultimate weapon for destroying dungeon¡¯s and dungeon bosses.


    As if this wasn¡¯t enough, then amplify that person, through the use of a certain Slave Bond, so that their status was many times greater, and they had numerous physical advantages. This was the circumstances that Carmine found herself in. After fighting the curse of miasma for nearly three months, she was finally freed and ready for a fight.


    I had used Switch Position, and then had put Carmine where I was. In all honesty, I hadn¡¯t been certain it would work. I left my armor behind, and then teleported Carmine inside it. In an instant, she was armored, and I was the one without. It was as much an outfit insta-switch as possible. I had done practice with Switch Position, since it had been so useful for me in the past, and I had come to realize that it wasn¡¯t a matter of inside or out, but I took with me what I will to go with me. This had limits. I couldn¡¯t take a building with me, for example. However, I had thought about using it to quickly shed clothing. It wasn¡¯t a perverted thing! I swear I wasn¡¯t thinking about ways to strip my girls. After all, I would end up in their clothing or vice versa! Either way, it proved successful.


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    In front of Carmine was the Demon King, the source of her embarrassing woes for the last few months. Although, she might have attacked Bernard as well, in her current state it was anyone¡¯s guess if Carmine recognized her. She did recognize the Demon King though, an already heavily wounded foe. She attacked without remorse. She got hit as many times as me, but she had a certain skill that I didn¡¯t. That was the ability to take damage to give damage.


    My fighting style typically functioned around keeping a distance, going in for quick strikes and then retreating. After all, I couldn¡¯t heal myself if I didn¡¯t have room to do so. This meant that every time I lost an exchange, I would heal up, only to go again. Carmine¡¯s fighting style was to get close and to stay close, never giving her opponent a rest. He may get several hits on her, but he couldn¡¯t avoid her getting several hits on him. With me healing her on the side the match quickly started going one direction.


    ¡°A Paladin? Here?¡± Aberon¡¯s voice sounded panicked.


    ¡°Carmine, finish him quickly!¡± I called out.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± She raised her sword, which was already glowing, and shouted ¡°Holy!¡¯


    The sword shone even brighter, and a blinding light flooded out across the city, blinding everyone present.


    ¡°N-nooo!¡± The Demon King cried out.


    However, her ability landed, and when the light diminished, she was standing in front of nothing but a pile of floating ash. The Demon King had been defeated. Carmine pulled off her helmet, her long blond hair dancing in the wind.


    ¡°Y-you were wonderful!¡± Bernard suddenly grabbed Carmine¡¯s hands. ¡°Marry me!¡±


    ¡°Who-¡° Carmine¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°It¡¯s Bernard.¡± I explained.


    ¡°My real name is Bernice!¡± She snapped at me before turning back to Carmine. ¡°You¡¯re the cutest woman ever! Dump your Master and be with me!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Carmine seemed to be completely confused.


    ¡°Why do women keep falling in love with you?¡± I asked incredulously.


    It was truly one of life¡¯s mysteries.

 Chapter 823

    ¡°What now?¡± Garnet asked. ¡°We defeated the Demon King? Where is dungeon core?¡±


    ¡°Where is it, indeed.¡± I said, looking around the room in confusion. ¡°We defeated the Demon King¡­ but not the Dungeon Boss.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Bernice demanded, still staying uncomfortably close to Carmine. ¡°Are you saying we¡¯re going to die?¡±


    I knew I had been missing something. However, as my eyes looked around the room, it suddenly all became abundantly clear.


    ¡°Xin.¡± I looked at the woman, who was sitting with her back against the wall.


    ¡°You finally figured it out.¡± She sighed.


    Garnet gasped. ¡°You¡¯re the Dungeon Master! B-but¡­ you have no place in the story.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t¡­ in that first cycle. Aberis had tossed you into this dungeon, creating your prison. However, you were powerful, and you did everything possible to get out. You fought your way through every boss, every enemy, and even defeated the Demon King. Yet, when the dungeon core presented itself and you destroyed it, there was no way out. You found yourself trapped in this dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I died¡­¡± Xin responded bitterly. ¡°I had raised up the new Demon Lord, and despite fighting, and getting so far alone¡­ I died.¡±


    ¡°You broke the original curse, only to replace it with itself. This dungeon was never about the war, it was about you, in a never-ending cycle to escape this place. Except¡­ you¡¯ll never escape, because you¡¯re integrated into the lore.¡±


    ¡°How did you figure it out?¡±


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    ¡°Too many things didn¡¯t make sense. You didn¡¯t take notice of me until I started taking some of the dungeon from you. The fact that you were the only one to remember things after each cycle. Your ability to create unique spaces within the dungeon. Never mind your ability to change the dungeon¡¯s lore over time.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping¡­ if you became the Dungeon Master, maybe, I could leave? Yet, when I touched the Silvthril sword, I knew it. Normal Silvthril is harmless, but once forged by a dwarf, it gains an intent. It saw me as the enemy, because I¡¯m the Dungeon Master, connected to the miasma of this place. I won¡¯t be able to escape.¡±


    A sad expression formed on her face and a tear ran down her cheek. Meanwhile, my mind started to work. I remembered how Miki was able to manipulate soul energy. Since I could manipulate karma, then couldn¡¯t I take hers?


    ¡°Xin¡­ I can take you with me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to explain. I¡¯m a Mimic, I can manipulate karma. Trust me. I can absorb your corrupted soul, and then take it with me.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ would save me?¡± Her eyes widened.


    I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m a Dungeon Master of my own. I have a Dungeon. You can come to it. In fact¡­ I might even have a body for you.¡±


    I remembered the Xin giant. Would her miasma jump to the giant like the princess¡¯ to the mermaid or Bernard¡¯s miasma to Aberis?


    The ground erupted.


    ¡°The castle¡¯s collapsing¡­ we have to go!¡± Carmine said as the ceiling started collapsing.


    ¡°Xin?¡± I asked, my eyes only on her.


    ¡°Fine! Do it!¡±


    I grabbed the holy sword from Carmine. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll have to strike.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t resist.¡± She responded, closing her eyes. ¡°Oh, Deek¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Promise me, you¡¯ll bring Aberis down.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Then, do it!¡±


    I struck her with the blade in the same manner that Aberis had done. However, as I did it, I also began to use Mimic to pull out her Karma. I pulled it out of her, sending it into an empty vial. The light in her eyes went out, and she collapsed dead.


    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± I sighed, putting the sword away in my Inventory. ¡°Let¡¯s get outside. Maybe¡­ I can Portal out of here now or something.¡±


    Just as I was saying that a light shone in Xin¡¯s chest. It started moving out, appearing as an orb floating in the air. My eyes shot down at it, and then I suddenly had a bad feeling.


    ¡°Oh, no, not again.¡±


    The orb shot at me, slamming into my stomach. I collapsed to the ground in pain as the building collapsed on top of me, and the world collapsed all around us.

 Chapter 824

    Where was she? How did she get there? The outskirts of Aberis? What was this town called? Wasn¡¯t she heading toward the newly formed Ost Republic? She was going to build that country, what happened? She felt for her sword, but found that she wasn¡¯t even wearing her scabbard. In fact, all of her weaponry was gone. Looking down, she realized she was wearing a commoner¡¯s dress.


    Confused, she stumbled back home. Home? Where was home? She didn¡¯t know where her home was, but her feet seemed to. Before she realized it, she took a step into her house.


    ¡°You¡¯ve returned.¡± A young boy stood up and looked at her. ¡°You didn¡¯t bring the ingredients I need. I finally have the opportunity and ability to take control of the local lord, and you¡¯re going to make such a foolish mistake? You stupid cow, can¡¯t you do anything right?¡±


    Who was this boy? He was¡­ her son? Why would she let her son talk to her this way? No, there was something she was missing. That night¡­ the night she was with Aberis. She attacked him. Elaya died. She shook her head, growing even more confused.


    ¡°Ah, it seems like you¡¯re fighting off the karmic infection again. I¡¯ll have to give you another dose of miasma.¡±


    ¡°Karmic¡­infection¡­¡± Her brow furrowed, ¡°What¡­ who¡­ Demon Lord Aberis!¡±


    Her mind seemed to snap back to attention, and she went for her sword again, but it still wasn¡¯t there. She looked around the room, but she couldn¡¯t see a weapon anywhere.


    ¡°You¡¯ve raised me for twelve years, mother, but you¡¯re managing to fight off my control of you more and more.¡± The boy in front of her said. ¡°I suppose, as the woman who raised me, I should feel some level of compassion for you. I should keep you by my side. However, you were also the enemy that killed me in the first place, making all this necessary. My previous ¡®mother¡¯ before you managed to shake my control. That cost me quite a bit of trouble. I don¡¯t want to live through that again.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­ wait¡­ twelve years, it¡¯s been twelve years!¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ it seems like yesterday you were freaking out because it was six months. Every time you get surprised by the loss of time, and every time the number grows larger.¡±


    ¡°Not this time!¡± Xin shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t kill me as a baby, how do you think you will kill me now?¡±


    Xin didn¡¯t care. She was just done being used. She lunged at him. Even though he was older and she was unarmed, she was still Osterian. That meant she was seven feet tall, and could easily choke him to death. Tears ran down her cheeks at the thought, but she knew that if she hesitated for even a second, it would be fifteen years, twenty years, a lifetime before she regained her wits again. She struck at him ruthlessly.


    The Demon Lord didn¡¯t even act surprised. Rather, he held up a glowing item, it looked like a pearl. Almost casually, he tossed it in her direction. She went to knocked it away, but the second it touched her skin, some kind of formation triggered. She could feel herself getting pulled away, transported somewhere.


    ¡°This curse I have fostered for many ages now. The dungeon it came from I severed from this world to protect it, and that pearl is the only thing that links this side to the dungeon. Unless you find the pearl, you¡¯ll never be able to return home. However, I put it in a place you¡¯ll never find.¡±


    His words seemed to echo as Xin disappeared. She then felt like she was falling. A valley she had never seen before appeared before her, and she landed right in the middle of a forest. Shortly after she got to her feet, monsters started to attack her. Of course, she was a strong warrior and the princess Hero, she was able to defeat her enemies and survive. Her mind finally cleared up enough and she started to remember everything that had happened. As she did, she started to grow filled with anger and frustration over being used.


    She eventually found a soldier and relieved him of his equipment. This began her trek through the Twilight Dungeon. However, she didn¡¯t know it was a dungeon at first. She had to discover that slowly, one battle at a time. She realized she was in the middle of a massive war between demons and undead. Of course, she allied with neither. She was an unstoppable force in that dungeon, battling her way from one side to the other, all while looking for a mysterious pearl that would help her come home.


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    Eventually, she decided that the pearl must be in the treasury room of the dungeon. He had said that she¡¯d never find it, and it made sense she¡¯d never find it if it was in there. After all, she¡¯d need to destroy the lore to access the treasury room, and if she was wrong, she would die. Who would take that kind of risk?


    It did cause even her to hesitate. She checked over the dungeon several times. She spent at least five years in the valley, turning it upside down. Every monster feared her, and even the dungeon master stopped sending his minions after her and hid in his castle. The war that this dungeon tried to create had fallen into disarray thanks to her presence.


    Yet, after looking around every safe zone, the deepest caves, and the tallest mountain, she wasn¡¯t able to locate that glowing orb. She became convinced that it was hidden in the treasury this whole time as a cruel joke used to waste her time. Of course, she never thought about the mermaid. It was her who was handed the pearl and given the task of protecting it. It was Aberis, her former love, who had tasked her with that mission.


    Of course, she had been unwilling to do the job. The only way he managed to get her to be obedient was to sever her soul, pull out her karma, and feed it to some undead who acted as the princess from then on. The mermaid was banished to the depths, keeping the pearl protected at all times. Unless someone disturbed that lake quite a bit, they¡¯d never know what it¡¯s depths held. It was the one place the Osterian woman never considered.


    So, she challenged the Demon King Aberon, and they had an incredible battle. Dungeon Masters were usually built of much stronger stuff than the Dungeon Bosses. The dungeon bosses were tests, a point of entry for Dungeon Divers. The Master, for all intents and purposes, was never intended to be someone you fought to the death. If you dealt with the curse right, turning it into a blessing, it was rarely necessary to fight them at all.


    As for what conditions would have been needed to defeat Aberon? It was hard to say, but likely it would have been either helping Aberis assassinate his father, or convincing him to unite with his father. There was no particular reason any given lore had to end a certain way, so there were likely multiple endings for any given curse, and which ending might also change what blessing it ended up as.


    The princess Hero wasn¡¯t like Deek though, and it never occurred to her to try to find the ending. Instead, she fought a monster designed to require a party, sometimes multiple parties, and Xin ended up doing it by herself. She did this without the star sword, without the Holy sword, and without the star armor. The battle nearly killed her, but she accomplished something that Aberis never thought she would, something he had never managed to succeed in. She killed Aberon, the Demon King.


    As he broke into ashes, she lay, extremely wounded, while the dungeon lore fell from the ceiling and landed gently in the center. Without hesitation, she destroyed the lore, thus opening up the treasure room.


    When the lore is either destroyed or becomes a blessing, the outside of the dungeon is destroyed, while the boss room is preserved. All the remaining monsters, miasma, and treasure is then collected and converted to treasure that is dumped in the treasury. As for remaining people, they are safely teleported outside of the dungeon. The person who defeated the dungeon is allowed to peruse the treasure room as long as they want, and only after they leave does the dungeon fully collapse, taking any unclaimed treasure with it.


    However, when the dungeon isn¡¯t connected to a world and possesses no true exit, then the person in the boss room would become trapped inside it. As for the pearl, it was in the possession of the mermaid, whose karmic connection to the dungeon was severed by Aberis. In short, she was more akin to an adventurer than a boss. The collapsed dungeon tried to teleport her out of the dungeon, killing her and causing the pearl to be lost in the ether between worlds.


    As for Xin, she didn¡¯t find the pearl in the treasury, and she never would. She found herself trapped in that boss room with nowhere to go. Time sort of got foggy at that point, and it wasn¡¯t clear how long Xin remained alone and trapped. It came to a point where she¡¯d either starve to death or commit suicide. She went out with a bang. It was then that a new dungeon was created. The dungeon itself created a new pearl and a new connection.


    Xin, who believed that the pearl never existed in the first place, began to work to find a new way to escape the dungeon. As the cycles repeated, so did her logic and reasoning. Soon, it all became about escaping. She became just a cog in an endless cycle of her creation.


    Then, Garnet was sent to this world, and the gladiators, and then Deek. This cycle changed everything, and in the end, whatever was left of Xin gave all of her hope to the hero of Chalm, Deek, trusting in him to help them escape.


    {Congratulations, you have completed Twilight Dungeon.}


    {True Dungeon Diver has increased by ten levels.}


    {For completing the lore, you have gained 15 dungeon points.}


    {Carmine had gained 5 dungeon points.}


    {Garnet has gained 5 dungeon points.}


    {The Twilight lore is now a part of you. You have gained Twilight¡¯s Blessing.}


    {You have increased affinity with dimensional travel. Portal can be used to cross dimensions.}


    {You have a high affinity for spacial magic. You have unlocked the job: Blue Mage.}

 Chapter 825

    I started to regain consciousness. At this point, I realized I was in someone¡¯s arms. The ground was still shaking. As I opened my eyes and regained my bearings, I realized that I was in the harms of an armored hero, who was carrying me outside of the collapsing dungeon.


    That wasn¡¯t a completely accurate statement. The entire world was collapsing, but this was the collapse of the castle within the world, which had been the most immediate danger. The castle had started to collapse once Carmine had defeated the demon king. If Carmine hadn¡¯t grabbed me and escaped, then we likely would have been trapped in that boss room, just like Xin had been all those years ago. However, the collapse of the castle wasn¡¯t the collapse of the dungeon world. The dungeon world was collapsing because there was no more mana left to keep it functional. It couldn¡¯t reset itself again. No matter how many rings it sacrificed, the death of the Dungeon Master was the final straw.


    Well, I had pulled out the karma of the Dungeon Master, so even if I had somehow not absorbed the lore, the Dungeon would have been hard-pressed to create a new one, even if it did have the available miasma or mana. I couldn¡¯t imagine the dungeon creating a new Xin. Would she be a giant like the one in Widow¡¯s Dungeon? This dungeon seemed to lean on her more human properties. She was an Osterian, 7 feet tall, but the Xin I knew was only barely six feet.


    Carmine managed to race out just as the castle gate collapsed. As she ran, the castle behind her fell to pieces. Noticing I was awake, Carmine gently put me down on my feet. It was only once I had regained my bearings that I realized I wasn¡¯t the only one. Bernice and Garnet were holding onto her back. She had singlehandedly carried all four of us out of the collapsing castle while I was still unconscious.


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    The two women looked up at Carmine with thankful expressions. It was only then I realized why she had carried them. Bernice was limping, and it looked like she had injured her ankle. Garnet had tried to help take on the Demon King and had also been severely wounded.


    ¡°Is it over?¡± Bernice asked worriedly.


    ¡°Carmine¡­¡± I began.


    Carmine turned to me, but just as I was speaking to her, there was an ominous sound that came from the demon castle. She pulled out her shield and slammed it into the ground. At that moment, the castle exploded. Why did it explode? Perhaps there was some kind of explosive inside being stored for war. Maybe there were vats of oil to provide light or some kind of magical device that was destroyed and then erupted in magical power.


    Either way, debris came flying out, slamming into the shield, but Carmine blocked the explosion, all while keeping eye contact with me. Wearing bright white, weathered armor, her blonde hair dancing wildly in the wind, a fireball like an explosion behind her, all while she protected all of us, even I was in awe, my mouth falling open and my thought process going blank as I looked at the heroic, beautiful woman who seemed like she had walked right out of a fairy tale.


    ¡°Yes, Master?¡± She asked.


    Glancing at Bernice looking at her with star-like eyes, I was starting to figure out why so many women were attracted to her.

 Chapter 826

    Looking around the bleak landscape, the once beautiful valley had turned into a hellscape. The ground wasn¡¯t just collapsing, it was breaking apart. Some of it fell down into what looked like an eternal abyss. However, more terrifyingly some of it was rising up, defying gravity as it flew into an infinite darkness. There was no longer a sky, but instead a space filled with infinite bright stars.


    ¡°Is that the void between worlds?¡± Garnet asked, shivering. ¡°My people had stories about it.¡±


    ¡°The bubble is already broken.¡± I said with a heavy heart while I used a healing spell on Garnet. ¡°This dungeon will fall into the void.¡±


    ¡°What happens to things that fall into the void?¡± Bernice asked uncertainly.


    ¡°Destroyed.¡± Carmine answered, and when everyone looked at her, she blushed slightly. ¡°The princess knew that. The Twilight Empire actually worshipped the void. They claimed their race came here across the void, and so did others. That¡¯s why they originally welcomed the demons¡­ then a new religion came.¡±


    ¡°The big titty religion?¡± I offered.


    ¡°Pig!¡± Bernice glared at me.


    Garnet looked down at her nonexistant chest and frowned.


    ¡°Master, get your mind out of the gutter, it was the religion of light. It taught us to fear the void. Only creatures of the light may triumph, while everything else is cursed.¡±


    ¡°I know this religion, they¡¯re the ones that drove my ancestors underground. Since we lived underground, they called Deep Dwarves evil and lightless. It¡¯s what started the war between us and the surface.¡± Garnet said, looking a bit uncomfortable.


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    ¡°That¡¯s all really nice, but there is one problem! We¡¯re about to get pulled into the void and die!¡± Bernice cried out.


    ¡°Ah! The stone!¡± I spun around and looked back at the collapsed castle.


    The girls all gave me a questioning look. The stone was what supposedly kept this world tethered to my own. It was how Demon Lord Aberis had managed to create a portal between the two worlds. Without that, Xin was not able to return home and ended up stuck in this bubble. My panic quickly receded as I remembered the rest of it though. I wasn¡¯t Xin. The blessing her curse created was exactly what we needed to escape.


    I could now make Portals that could take me to other worlds. I could probably eventually make Portals without needing the dungeon points at all if I started training Blue Mage, but for the moment, my new blessing was enough to get us out of this predicament. I reached out to heal Bernice first, but she gave me a look and I put down my hands. I wanted everyone to be healed, as I had no clue about this skill. It could be a bumpy ride for all I knew.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to create a Portal then.¡± I said. ¡°I believe I can make one home.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Garnet perked up.


    The girls all perked up instantly, their growing sense of helplessness was filled with hope.


    I nodded, but I was only about 80% confident. First off, I had no clue how to target a world. With my Portal, I usually depended on my Map to select a place I¡¯d already been to. I¡¯d created Portals before just imagining where I wanted to go, but they were never ideal. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and started the spell. I kept home firmly locked in my mind.


    ¡°As soon as I get home¡­ I¡¯ll go find my mom.¡± Bernice said out loud.


    ¡°Mom?¡± I blinked, and then the Portal snapped into place.


    The Portal wasn¡¯t blue like I was used to seeing. Instead, this one appeared red. It was also a bit smaller than the normal Portals. They were usually big enough for a man on horseback. These were just large enough for a single person. As I finished forming the Portal, there was a sudden thud. The world started breaking apart at an alarming rate. I must have consumed too much of the remaining mana from this world casting such an intensive spell.


    The cracks reached our feet, and the ground felt like it might collapse at any second. We originally had fifteen minutes to spare, but suddenly it felt like we had seconds.


    ¡°Go! No time!¡±


    I had learned a lesson about jumping into a Portal without warning, but we had no choice. The girls jumped through, and I followed behind just as I felt the ground under me drop.

 Chapter 827

    No sooner did we make it through the Portal than it collapsed. Well, the dungeon was already collapsing, and the only thing that was keeping it standing was my own blessing. The second I left, it must have popped like a bubble. To think, an entire world was gone just like that. It left me feeling complicated, and perhaps even more confused about the nature of dungeons and worlds than ever before.


    Taking a deep breath, I surveyed the world around me. It was then that I froze, my eyes nearly popping out of my head. I would have sworn I was dreaming, but Carmine was standing beside me in her armor, and Garnet and Bernice were looking around in wide-eyed wonder.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± Bernice sputtered.


    ¡°Master? I think you took us to the wrong world,¡± Carmine said.


    ¡°I did.¡± I responded with a dry throat.


    ¡°Wow¡­ what kind of people live here? They¡¯re able to build things so tall!¡± Garnet cried out excitedly.


    Beep Beep! The group of us were standing in the middle of a street, and a car pulled up and honked it¡¯s horn as Garnet was staring up. She jumped at the beep, but as she moved out of the way of the vehicle, she looked it up and down excitedly.


    ¡°Did you see that? It¡¯s a machine! There¡¯s a man inside controlling it! It¡¯s like the machines the Deep Dwarves used to make.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ imagine.¡± I responded bitterly.


    It wasn¡¯t a busy street, but we were drawing eyes. I brought everyone to the side. However, they saw a television. All three girls stared in awe at the strange device. It was, ironically, showing a fantasy movie containing a knight fighting a dragon.


    ¡°Master¡­ I¡¯m confused. Where is this place? I thought you were going to take us home.¡± Carmine asked.


    ¡°I did.¡± I responded weakly. ¡°I just¡­ didn¡¯t concentrate enough on which home.¡±


    As I spoke, I sat down on a bench on the side of the road.


    ¡°Which home?¡± Carmine blinked.


    ¡°I made it. Like that, huh?¡± I was speaking to myself now. I felt tears welling in my eyes, but the feelings inside me weren¡¯t pure happiness. I felt extremely complicated emotions at that moment.


    ¡°What are you saying, Master?¡±


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    ¡°It¡¯s home.¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s my world. We¡¯re on Earth.¡±


    ¡°This is where Master came from?¡± Carmine¡¯s eyes brightened slightly.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ this is where I came from. I mean¡­ not this city. I don¡¯t know where we are¡­ however, it¡¯s Earth alright.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ this is good, right?¡± Carmine gave me a concerned look.


    I looked up at her and forced a smile on my face. ¡°Yeah¡­ it is.¡±


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t for me! I want to return to Aberis!¡± Bernice snapped angrily.


    ¡°Let me try again,¡± I responded, standing up and starting the spell again.


    {Interdimensional travel can only be used once per week.}


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to wait a week.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°Y-you!¡± Bernice pouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. We can spend a week in Master¡¯s world. And from now on, you can live in both worlds, right?¡± Garnet responded encouragingly.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ we can.¡±


    I managed to find a pawn shop, and given how many treasures we had, it wasn¡¯t difficult to get a thousand or so. I also figured out where we were. I¡¯d need to order plane tickets to get home. I had considered opening up my Map. To my surprise, the city was being mapped out in front of me. I then borrowed a US map, but like the other world, without in-depth detail of having been there, it doesn¡¯t work. I had even thought google maps with satellite pictures might be enough, but I still wasn¡¯t able to Portal home.


    Thus, we got a hotel for the night, with a flight the next day. I had considered picking up the phone and calling, but every time I picked it up, I found myself unable to dial. What would I say? I was sitting in my hotel room, separated from the girls, as insisted by Bernice. One would think it was the battle for my life, the Demon King, and the dungeon collapsing that exhausted me, but the few hours since I had been back in this world was considerably more tiring than all of that combined.


    There was a light tap on my door. ¡°Come in.¡±


    The door opened and in stepped Carmine. She was wearing a sexy nightgown, which immediately caught my eyes. I had bought all of the girls extra clothing to wear for the week we were here. I couldn¡¯t have them walking around in armor and cloaks. As for this piece, I didn¡¯t remember getting it for her, but I had given them all some spending money. It wasn¡¯t surprising that Carmine spent hers as soon as she got it, but this seemed like more of a gift for me.


    ¡°Carmine?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± She responded, blushing.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ I know you don¡¯t like to go to bed alone. Perhaps¡­ I could keep you company.¡±


    ¡°This is¡­ because of the princess?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No¡­ I mean, it is, but not in the way you think.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow.


    She bit her lip, the usually cool and confident Paladin suddenly looking uncertain. ¡°I¡­ thought I¡¯d be alone. When my village was destroyed, and I lost my sister¡­ I always saw my life as a lonely one. I suppose that¡¯s why I always filled my life with stuff because stuff could be replaced. Stuff could never leave you.¡±


    ¡°Carmine¡­¡± She raised her hand, stopping me.


    ¡°When I was taken, I was lost for so long. But then¡­ Master appeared. You found me and pulled me from that fog. I realized that no matter what happens, you will always be my shining light. In the past, I always knew I owed you. I loved you as my Master and would do anything for you. I have done¡­ many things for you.¡± She blushed. ¡°B-but now¡­ I don¡¯t want to continue as just a slave who wants to please her Master¡­ rather¡­ I mean¡­ I want you¡­ as a woman.¡±


    I sat up, grabbed her, and kissed her. She didn¡¯t need to say anymore. Gently picking her up, I lay her down in my bed. She looked so beautiful in that nightgown, regrettably, she didn¡¯t wear it for long.

 Chapter 827.5

    I pulled Carmine¡¯s nightgown up over her head and tossed it on the ground. She lay down on the bed, wearing a sexy bra and panties. These weren¡¯t the functional underwear that I had specially made in the other world, but genuine lingerie made of the most delicate and partially transparent material. As she saw my eyes roaming her body, a blush formed on her cheeks, and she instinctively tried to cover her chest in a cute manner. Once again, seeing the full-form of her body, I was reminded of just how beautiful Carmine was.


    Carmine¡¯s body was fit and muscular. Her arms were well-toned, as were her abs. This only contributed to her hourglass figure. She had slender legs and pale white skin. With my level of healing, even the callouses on her hands had started to soften, and her skin had a near-perfect sheen. Her breasts were large, and her hips were perfect, framing a nice, hard butt. She had long blonde hair and icy blue eyes.


    All of the women I had as slaves were beautiful, but most of them wore their beauty externally. Carmine was the only woman who regularly hid her body. When she wasn¡¯t wearing armor, she wore large frumpy stuff. She enjoyed buying fine clothing, but I never saw her in any of that. Thus, getting her out of it, and seeing her this bare was a rare treat.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± She gasped as he grabbed hold of her and lay on the bed.


    It felt strange to be back on a spring mattress after all of these months. It felt stranger seeing the knight amongst the decorum of the modern world. It gave the entire place a dream-like feel.


    I gently cupped Carmine¡¯s cheek, and she closed her eyes and pressed her face against my hand. Our lips met, and the pair of us kissed gently. It was just the two of us. None of the other girls were around. My mind wasn¡¯t being pulled by a dozen different slave bonds. I wasn¡¯t feeling the anxiousness of running a city. I didn¡¯t feel the rush of the next thing I had to do. I didn¡¯t feel the pressure of having to satisfy everyone and leave them happy. It was just Carmine and I, in a world of our own.


    Her hands began to eagerly tug at my shirt. I had ended up wearing a button-up. After wearing tunics and the like for months, returning to wearing a t-shirt felt too weird. She opened up each button quickly and deftly with her fingers and then opened up my shirt. Her hands rested gently on my chest, her hands feeling up my skin. That was fine, as I had been feeling up her chest for some time.


    ¡°Mmmm! Nggnnn¡­¡± She moaned into my mouth, parting her lips and allowing my tongue to enter her mouth.


    The pair of us kissed back and forth. Carmine was a bundle of contradictions. She was a hardened warrior, but she felt soft and gentle. She was muscular and strong, but feminine. She was high maintenance but extremely giving. She was ferocious and tenacious in bed, much like Lydia, but at the same time had a timidity that matched Shao or Miki.


    One moment, she roughly grabbed the back of my head, her tongue darting aggressively in my mouth, looking moments from pushing me down and having her way with me. Then, a few seconds later, she¡¯d retreat, becoming passive and accepting anything I did to her while she looked on with longing eyes. At those times, I couldn¡¯t help, but eat her up, kissing her aggressively and teasing her breasts with all of my experience.


    Her bra came off and was abandoned, and I began to lick and bite at her nipples. Sometimes, she would grab my hair, forcing my mouth to engulf as much of her tit as would fit. Then, she would grow shy again, holding her hands above her head and letting me have her how I wanted. Her underwear was discarded as well. The belt of my pants was undone. My erection came out.


    ¡°Master is¡­ so gentle¡­¡± She muttered. ¡°Not like before.¡±


    ¡°Before?¡± I blinked.


    ¡°N-nothing.¡± She blushed. ¡°Just put it in.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ but you¡¯re a virgin.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m not a virgin.¡± She said excitedly.


    ¡°What? With who?¡± I said in surprise, and then my eyes narrowed. ¡°Was it Bernard? No¡­ that makes no sense¡­ he doesn¡¯t even have a dick! Did that noble touch you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± She laughed, which only made me a little angrier. ¡°Ah, Master, stop! I didn¡¯t cheat on you! I promise. Just put it in. I want Master inside me!¡±


    I took a breath. Of course, she was a beautiful woman who had been through a lot in life. She had plenty of time before she met me. It¡¯d be stranger if she was a virgin.


    ¡°If I meet the person who took your virginity, I¡¯ll beat the crap out of him!¡± I declared.


    She giggled. ¡°I¡¯d like to see that.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ you¡¯re mine now.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°I am.¡± She nodded, still giggling to herself. ¡°And always have been.¡±


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    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Just put it in!¡± She wrapped her legs around me and forced my hips forward.


    Since my hands were already on my cock and had it lined up with her, I ended up sliding right into her. As soon as I felt the warmth of her body, any thoughts of who might have taken her virginity left my mind. It had been months since I had been with a woman, and although my sex drive had dulled since I cut off a piece of my soul, how could the feeling of Carmine¡¯s body not drive a man crazy.


    ¡°Ahn¡­ yes¡­ Master¡­¡± She moaned.


    She began to gyrate her hips, using her legs to move my hips. My cock rotated in and out of her wet, warm sex, and I wrapped around her luscious form and put my head in her chest. It felt incredible. She was soft on the inside and the outside. She also had the muscles to keep it up, while all I had to do was cling to her beautiful body. Of course, this only lasted for a minute. Then she grew shy once again, looking at me lustfully and helplessly.


    I grabbed her and began to thrust into her, taking her body aggressively as she grew passive. After a few minutes of hard thrusting, she started to move once again. It started to feel like a dance. I¡¯d take the lead at some points, and she¡¯d take the lead at others. We started to grow more animated and more lustful. While acting on her own at one point, Carmine rolled and threw me under her, and then began to ride on top. When she grew passive again, I pushed her back and down and started to jackhammer her down.


    With most of the girls, we¡¯d usually pick a position and go until we finished. With Carmine, it was far more animated. She liked to experiment with many, many positions. Switching between being on top and bottom, passive and aggressive, we moved all around the room as we had sex. The constant switching also allowed me to last longer. Without pervert, I couldn¡¯t guarantee I wouldn¡¯t have cum right away, but with the pacing constantly changing, we ended up going for nearly fifteen minutes.


    I had her in doggy position, taking her from behind, squeezing her hard, smooth ass when I finally shoved myself deep and came inside her. I did equip pervert at this point, as I didn¡¯t want her to get pregnant. The surge of sexual excitement meant that by the time I finished cumming, I was already hard again.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I feel Master¡¯s warmth deep inside me.¡± Carmine cried.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re not done yet!¡± I said, letting the pervert tinge my voice a bit.


    ¡°N-never¡­ Master can have me as long as he wants!¡±


    Her aggressive side resurfaced, and soon I was back on the bed in reverse cowgirl, watching that ass bounce up and down on my cock. From there, I ended up bending her standing over the bed. I had her against the wall, and then she rode me on a chair. She came several times herself. Her lewd, orgasmic noises filled the room, but they were constant and didn¡¯t necessarily match when she came. She wouldn¡¯t announce it at all. Perhaps, she didn¡¯t want me to cum early or end things just because she finished.


    The only way I could tell when she came was because I felt her pussy suddenly gush, growing much wetter. A few splashes of cum would leak out as my dick plunged into her pussy. Then, she¡¯d keep going without pause. She had sex like a paladin, taking it all and never showing any sign of weakness. As I grew to realize this, I only became more excited and aggressive.


    Although she still showed periods of passivity and aggressiveness, I became pure aggression. Fueled by the pervert, whether she tried to lead or take it, I gave it to her as hard as I could. When she rocked her hips, I timed it to make it as rough as possible. She came the hardest during those periods. I wasn¡¯t sure how long we went. I just knew that I wasn¡¯t going to stop until Carmine finally dropped down her defense.


    I had broken Queen Elaya, and pleased the tigress Lydia¡­ all-night sessions were something that I was skilled at. Thus, I had Carmine in my grip. She had her legs wrapped around me and she was on her side, her upper half on the bed and her lower half wrapped around me, while I was giving it to her as hard as I could. Wet whacking sounds filled the room, and Carmine¡¯s cries were like ecstasy. I had finally reached my limit. I couldn¡¯t go on any longer.


    Boom! The door suddenly broke open. A person ran in, carrying a sword. As soon as they saw us, they stopped.


    ¡°Wh-what are you doing to my Carmine?¡± Bernice cried out before her eyes narrowed on me. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    Carmine leaped off of me, my dick falling out of her as she went for her sword. ¡°You won¡¯t touch master!¡±


    At that moment, I turned to Bernice and my dick which had reached its limit released. As the girl took a step toward me, I erupted in the most impressive cum I had ever achieved. My previous cum had just been from months of neglect. This was the one that contained my three months of abstinence. Fueled by perversion and twenty minutes of enjoying Carmine¡¯s luscious body, it shot straight out and directly into Bernice¡¯s face. This attack was fatal. Bernice¡¯s sword fell to the ground, and her mouth which had been open in a yell was filled gobs of white.


    Her hood fell back, revealing a face that looked like it had been in a bukkake. ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, master¡­ I tried to keep her from hearing by keeping the tv loud¡­¡± Garnet raced in behind Bernice, only to see the white-clad woman. ¡°Wow¡­ Master is truly impressive.¡±


    Garnet touched Bernice¡¯s face, rubbing a finger along her cheek and pulling off some of the cum, then looking at it with interest.


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± Bernice spun around and fled the room screaming.


    Garnet turned toward me and the naked Carmine, her expression still interested. ¡°Can I join?¡±


    I kicked her out of the room. ¡°No lolis!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an adult!¡± she cried back.


    ¡°In this world, it¡¯s a crime!¡± I slammed the broken door in her face.


    I cast the spell, Moderate Repair, on the door, and thankfully the lock and damaged wood quickly repaired itself. With a sigh, I turned back to Carmine.


    She was standing, completely naked, covered in sweat, holding a sword. Various fluids were dripping down her legs, and her blond hair was matted to her face, neck, and shoulders. Yet, despite all that, she never looked more beautiful.


    ¡°Another go?¡± She asked, cocking her head.


    ¡°You can take more?¡± I smirked.


    She blushed. ¡°This might be the only time I can have Master to myself. In the future, the other girls will be there.¡±


    I nodded, remembering once again that I had left them behind. I had to go back to my home. The girls were probably a wreck, convinced I was dead. If they had hope that I survived in the dungeon, then three days later when I didn¡¯t come back out, they must truly be broken. My expression dropped as I thought about it.


    Carmine gently wrapped her arms around me, holding me tightly with her naked chest pressed against my back. ¡°We¡¯ll find them.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡± I forced a smile back. ¡°I just worry. They¡¯re probably a mess without me. I just hope they¡¯re doing okay.¡±

 Chapter 828

    The Return spell finished, and I instantly collapsed to the ground. I felt like I had been torn apart, and then clumsily put back together. For a second, I felt like I was going to cease to exist. I instantly began casting my strongest heal spells, but I barely managed to cast one before I passed out. As I lost consciousness, I could hear my girls crying out for me.


    When I woke up a bit later, I was in my bed in my mansion. I realized that all of my girls were around me. Lydia, Celeste, and Terra had returned. Elaya and Astria were there as well. To my biggest surprise, Prince Aberis and Eliana were there as well. They had various levels of worried and confused looks on their faces.


    ¡°It¡¯s that bad huh?¡± I muttered, stroking my aching body.


    My voice sounded high-pitched and strange. Even that had been hurt? I did feel weak. As soon as I opened my eyes and spoke, everyone seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief. It was Elaya though who approached my side and spoke.


    ¡°What happened? You used your hero ability Return. Then, what happened?¡¯


    ¡°That man! He¡¯s dangerous!¡± I tried to sit up, but Elaya pushed me back down, but then removed her hand from my chest with an awkward look.


    ¡°Yes, your girls have already mentioned him. We don¡¯t know who he is. Perhaps he works for the Imperial Cloud Meadow?¡± Prince Aberis spoke. ¡°Rather, we want to know what happened to you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± I blinked. ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ wait¡­ he grabbed my neck. I was afraid he was going to keep us from Returning, so I¡­ did something.¡±


    ¡°Did you cut your soul in two?¡± Elaya demanded.


    ¡°Cut his soul!¡± Lydia cried out.


    All the other girls started speaking at once.


    ¡°Silence!¡± Elaya¡¯s commanding voice did the trick, and everyone else quieted. ¡°Deek, did you use miasma to damage yourself?¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ I think I did.¡± I finally got out, feeling a surge of fear. ¡°What does that mean? Am I okay?¡±


    ¡°You did something very stupid, and very dangerous,¡± Elaya said. ¡°What you did was chop off a piece of your soul, and sent it with Return back here. You are that soul.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Wh-where is the rest of my soul?¡±


    ¡°Dead. That man, he likely destroyed it shortly after you did it. Your soul was flayed. It¡¯s remarkable you even survived.¡±


    ¡°Flayed¡­ No¡­ Master¡­¡± Celeste cried worriedly.


    ¡°It was the right action. Whoever this guy was, he¡¯s strong. To be able to interrupt a Return in mid-use, all of you together wouldn¡¯t have been able to defeat him.¡± Astria sighed.


    ¡°This was the right action.¡± Elaya agreed. ¡°But the consequences¡­¡±


    I gulped.¡± What are the consequences?¡±


    ¡°The majority of your soul was left behind and destroyed. We know this because we already tried to summon your soul, and it didn¡¯t come. It¡¯s much like someone who dies too much in quick succession. Your soul has been taxed too greatly. Had it been the other side that was sent, then you¡¯d be in far better shape, but whatever this guy was, he had a grip on too much of your soul.


    ¡°For the immediate future, you¡¯ll be weak. You may experience emotional changes and mood swings. Although with time, your soul will heal and grow again, you may never grow back what you lost. Only time will tell how much you did lose.¡±


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I should also add¡­ under no circumstances can you die again. Your soul in its current shape, there is no guarantee you¡¯d be able to be resurrected from even a simple death.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    Elaya nodded. ¡°Then, it¡¯s best you get some rest.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we tell him?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°Shhh!¡± Shao elbowed her.


    ¡°Tell? Tell me what?¡±


    Elaya shot Miki an irritated look, but Miki returned it with her sense of stubbornness. There was something she wanted to say and Elaya was trying to keep it from me.


    I summoned up all of my strength to made a stern demand. ¡°Tell me¡­ if you want¡­¡±


    Somehow, I felt embarrassed as soon as I acted that way and lost all momentum. Had my competency as a leader been damaged by this? It was worse than dying, it seemed.


    ¡°Your body was in that man¡¯s grasp. Only a small piece of your soul was transferred over.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m not a ghost?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± She shook her head and then looked a bit reluctant like she didn¡¯t want to reveal something to me. ¡°What I¡¯m saying¡­ is that your body had to be reconstructed, to finish the return. However, the Return magic didn¡¯t have the proper mana to do it, so it used the only thing available.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it is best if we just showed him,¡± Astria suggested.


    Elaya nodded and waved a hand, creating a mirror out of seemingly nothing. She handed it to me. I looked at her worriedly for a second, but every eye seemed to be watching me intensely for a reaction. I glanced at the mirror. I let out a breath. It was just me. I was expecting to see some lizard person or something. Wait¡­ didn¡¯t I look a bit¡­ cute? My hair was a bit longer, and¡­ I noticed something going on with my chest, so I tilted it down, then my eyes darted down. I had breasts! I tossed the mirror aside and my hands went to a certain area. Something was missing!


    ¡°I¡¯m a girl!¡± I cried out, not realizing that my high-pitched voice was a girly voice.


    ¡°The mana of the girls that were returning with you was used to reconstruct your body. As a result, you were reborn as a female.¡± Elaya finished.


    ¡°I¡¯m a girl!¡± I repeated the same thing, checking my body parts and confirming once again it was true.


    It was a fact that required repeating.


    ¡°You¡¯re a pretty cute girl!¡± Astria corrected, grinning slightly.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Master, you¡¯re still our Master!¡± Lydia tried to comfort me. ¡°I¡¯ll still satisfy Master¡¯s needs!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible, I¡¯ll look into an appropriate gender-bending potion.¡± Prince Aberis explained awkwardly. ¡°As progressive as our country is, I¡¯m not sure I can convince the council to allow the Princess to marry another woman.¡±


    ¡°N-Not saying my feelings for you are any less!¡± Eliana says teary-eyed. ¡°L-look at it this way, when the baby comes, we can both breastfeed.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± I made a noise like I had been punched, and the girls all glared at Eliana, who quickly quieted herself.


    ¡°Deek, are you okay?¡± Terra asked worriedly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be okay,¡± I said, deciding to not think about what was between my legs right now. ¡°What about Carmine?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already sent her manager a message. They will drop out after the next match. With this mysterious person under Lord Reign¡¯s employ, it¡¯s become too dangerous.¡± Shao explained. ¡°We haven¡¯t gotten a response, but she should be returning soon.¡±


    ¡°There is also some good news, you¡¯re officially a C-ranked Adventurer now. Ruby put in all of the paperwork.¡± Lydia tried to give me some good news.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the only news. We¡¯ve also made contact with the bandits.¡± Shao added.


    ¡°The bandits?¡± I blinked.


    ¡°The bandits? In the southeast? A message was sent out to every Traveler¡¯s Guild with an open invitation. The Bandit Hero wants to meet Reign¡¯s End!¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not up for that¡­ I mean she¡­ I mean he!¡± Lydia chastised, only to grow flustered.


    ¡°Guys, I¡¯m fine.¡± I said, ¡°Just give me some Waters of Life, and a day to heal myself with my White Mage abilities, and I¡¯ll be back on my feet.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t walk into danger like that! Don¡¯t be so reckless.¡± The girls tried to protest.


    ¡°We do it every time we enter a dungeon! My soul in its current state is no different. Besides, you guys are my strength. I give you strength, and you fight for me. That¡¯s how it¡¯s always worked.¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ I¡¯m scared too, but some things you need to do because they are right!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I guess Master hasn¡¯t changed much after all.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course¡­¡±


    I managed to convince the girls somehow. I¡¯d spend a day or two resting, and then it was back to the village where our army was starting to form. We talked for only a little bit longer before Elaya ended things because she felt I needed rest. I honestly felt fine. I cast some more healing spells on myself, and soon, I didn¡¯t even feel the weakness anymore, although I did have a feeling like my strength wouldn¡¯t match my level, it wasn¡¯t at a point I felt I needed to worry.

 Chapter 829

    ¡°Shh! The tiger approaches¡­ watch as it stalks its prey. Look at the laid back ears, the twitching tail, the low posture. This suggests that it¡¯s locked on and ready to pounce.¡± I teased gently.


    Several days had passed, and I had recovered from my ¡°condition¡± with the help of a potion.


    ¡°What do you do, Master?¡± Miki asked nervously.


    ¡°Ai¡­ the only thing I can do, when the tiger pounces. Stab it with my spear!¡±


    ¡°Oh, my!¡±


    ¡°Rawr!¡± Lydia let out a mischievous roar as she leaped on top of me.


    Miki and Terra, one in each arm, shrieked playfully, moving to the side so Lydia landed on top of me. Her chest landed on mine, and her hands grabbed my arms, her nails digging into my shoulders as she looked up at me with a predatory look.


    ¡°Ahhh, Master¡¯s spear has pierced me!¡± Lydia cried, sliding it into her, something the experienced tigress could now do without hands.


    As long as I was hard, she could move her hips in just the right way so it popped right in every time.


    ¡°I-is it over?¡± Miki asked, peeking out from a break in her fingers.


    I shook my head. ¡°No, this battle has only just begun! Ahhh! Lydia, c-c-claws!¡±


    ¡°You know Master is still weak after the accident. His soul energy has only just stabilized!¡±


    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s ferocious look turned miserable and she looked like she was going to be in tears. ¡°Playing king of the jungle just excites my animal side too much.¡± She pouted.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t excite me.¡± Miki snorted.


    ¡°Well, of course, it doesn¡¯t excite you, you¡¯re a nine-tailed fox. You¡¯re probably excited by ghost games.¡± Lydia shrugged. ¡°Ah! See, your tail is wagging!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not!¡± Miki reached back and grabbed her tail.


    ¡°Animalkin.¡± Terra shrugged. ¡°Master, I¡¯d never scratch you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d just give him a rash, rocky!¡± Miki stuck out her tongue at Terra.


    ¡°Have we stopped?¡± A voice stopped Terra¡¯s retort.


    A small naked body climbed out from between Lydia¡¯s tits which were pressed against my body. She was on all fours on my chest, and as soon as she got out of Lydia¡¯s cleavage, her wings spread out.


    ¡°Ah! I squished Celeste!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay! I like tight places!¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°And being in a pair of breasts makes me feel funny. I want Master now.¡±


    She turned and fell on her butt, and then suddenly grew to full size. The other girls let out a cry as her body push back to fill the space in front of Lydia. The result was that her pink furred pussy ended up in Lydia¡¯s face.


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    ¡°Ah! C-Celeste! We talked about this! I don¡¯t mind doing it with you since you realized you¡¯re bisexual, but I need some warning and Master¡¯s permission!¡±


    ¡°S-sorry! It was an accident. I was just relaxing, and since I¡¯m big-sized most of the time now, it¡¯s the form I default to!¡±


    ¡°Mmmm¡­. Mmm¡­. Mmmm!¡±


    A sound came from under Celeste.


    ¡°Ahn! Oh¡­ Master¡­ so dirty! But I like it!¡± Celeste moaned.


    ¡°You¡¯re sitting on his face!¡± Terra smacked her butt, causing it to jiggle.


    ¡°Ah! Master! S-s-sorry!¡± Celeste stood up, her feet on either side of my head, and then she bent down to look at me.


    Her hair fell across my chest and her big chest fell to the point where only her eyes could be seen.


    ¡°Master, are you okay?¡± She said this, her voice muffled on her tits.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Lydia suddenly lifted up and made a startled noise. ¡°Master just came in me!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ he likes my butt so much?¡±


    ¡°No! It was Lydia!¡± I finally got a word out.


    ¡°Eh? Me?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it your fault for constantly doing kegels on it!¡± I fought back defensively.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I do it all the time though, it¡¯s kind of a natural thing.¡± Lydia blushed. ¡°S-sorry.¡±


    Her vagina felt like a vacuum against it, constantly tensing and relaxing on it for the last minute. Along with all the other naked girls, the stimulation was too much and I came in Lydia.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I sighed. ¡°At least I have a penis again.¡±


    Suffice it to say, things were back to normal again.


    ¡°I kind of liked girl Deek,¡± Celeste said, getting off me and lying down next to us.


    ¡°Of course, you did¡­¡± Miki sniffed. ¡°I prefer Master with a dick.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, as long as it¡¯s Master,¡± Lydia threw her arms around me and kissed me.


    ¡°How is the potion holding up though?¡± Terra asked.


    I looked at the nightstand, where there were a half-dozen bottles of potion, and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s doing good so far. Each bottle only works about 8 hours though.¡±


    ¡°I can make them as long as you need it.¡± Miki made a fist as she spoke as if it was a personal challenge.


    ¡°The Prince said there is a potion that is permanent, he just needs to find the recipe.¡±


    Although Miki, Shao, and Terra were comfortable being with the other girls naked, it wasn¡¯t like they were particularly into women. Miki had gotten used to Lydia¡¯s touch, and didn¡¯t mind her, but she wouldn¡¯t lay with any of the girls outside the core group. Terra was a bit more flexible, but more in an apathetic way. Celeste had declared herself bisexual and had an interest in the girls as well as me. Lydia had an anything-goes approach and was content with girls and guys. However, her ultimate goal with others wasn¡¯t her satisfaction, but to make them aroused enough to seek me out.


    Then, there was Shao.


    There was a commotion outside the room. The door suddenly burst open, and the girl herself was standing there, breathing hard.


    ¡°I knew it! Master was with sleeping around on me again!¡±


    ¡°Shao, we talked about this. We¡¯re all Master¡¯s women!¡± Lydia defended, her tail lashing.


    ¡°We also agreed that any time with Deek was with all of us or at least approved by all of us! Yet, the second I leave for just three days here Master is, in bed with four sluts!¡±


    Lydia rolled her eyes. ¡°Master has been a girl for the last two days and you weren¡¯t interested.¡±


    ¡°She still gets jealous though.¡± Celeste pouted. ¡°After mother and I played with girl Deek, she gave us both a spanking. I kind of liked it.¡±


    ¡°Either way, he only just got his first shipment of potion today, so we were just¡­ helping him test it out.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ excuses! I¡¯ll curse you all!¡±


    Lydia got off of me, finally, my part sliding out of her. It was already hard again, thanks to her relentless kegel regiment.


    ¡°He¡¯s all yours.¡± Lydia gestured to my lower half.


    Shao was always shy when it came to those kinds of things. As soon as she saw it, her cheeks turned red and her angry expression dissipated like smoke. She started pushing her fingers together with her head lowered.


    ¡°Ah¡­ now¡­ right away? But I just got home. I¡¯m probably sweaty. I definitely smell¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough of this!¡± Another woman shoved passed the shy-acting Shao.


    Unlike Shao, she showed no modesty looking at our naked bodies. She was a tall, blonde beauty who wore an eyepatch. However, right now, her expression was grim, and her eyes were rimmed red. She crossed her arms, her body shaking slightly.


    I sat up, pushing the girls aside. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The result of the gladiatorial match was announced. No one came out. There were no winners. Carmine¡­ she¡¯s¡­¡± Tears began to fall down her face. ¡°She¡¯s dead!¡±

 Chapter 830

    ¡°Hmph¡­ I was getting to that.¡± Shao shrugged.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°It was announced by Lord Reign himself. She went into that portal, and she never came out. We should have gotten there to warn her in time!¡± Salicia slammed her fist against the wall.


    I stood up, quickly pulling clothing out of my Inventory and dressing. Celeste shrank down and flew to her clothing while the other girls grabbed their own.


    ¡°My bond to her still doesn¡¯t exist. When she jumped in, it shrank to virtually nothing. I could barely feel her. Then, it suddenly felt like it was severed.¡± I explained. ¡°We prepared for this possibility.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Salicia shouted. ¡°You can resurrect her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already tried¡­¡±


    ¡°Try again!¡± She had tears streaming down her face now.


    ¡°I will¡­ but we have to be prepared for the worst.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that my heart didn¡¯t ache for her loss, but ever since I cut off a piece of my soul, I found it easier to remain calm. I wasn¡¯t prone to being excitable or angry. On top of that, of everyone, Carmine was perhaps the girl I was least close to. She had many irritating habits, and while she was beautiful, I always felt her personality was bad. The sisters had been guards I had hired to protect me. There was always a chance they would die.


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    I did care about her death, but it wasn¡¯t at a level where her loss would cause me to break. One of the reasons the girls were with me now was to help cheer me up.  I had already shed tears in the last few days. The second her bond broke, I knew something ominous had happened. This news only confirmed what I had already known, and what Salicia refused to accept. It just reminded me of how dangerous the things we were doing were. I¡¯d have to be more careful in the future. I couldn¡¯t make another mistake as I did at the Reign Keep.


    ¡°If he can¡¯t resurrect her, you know what that means,¡± Terra warned.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ her soul has been destroyed,¡± Salicia responded bitterly.


    ¡°I will use Resurrection with dungeon points. It functions like a level 100 spell. Its success rate is 100%, compared to the other methods.¡± I explained.


    The girls gathered around the bed where I was going to try to bring Carmine back. I had many methods of casting Resurrection, but the dungeon points were always the most reliable in strength and fidelity. The tattoos on my body glowed as I Reset and switched my points to give me the Resurrection spell. I began to cast it, and a glowing light began as I dumped power into it.


    A few minutes later, the light dimmed, but nothing was appearing on the bed. Salicia collapsed on her knees, her cries turning to wails as her head pressed into the mattress. Terra and Lydia, who were standing on either side of her, gently stroked her shoulders, giving her time to mourn.


    Sometime later, after crying for hours, Salicia finally stood back up. Her expression was filled with righteous anger and fury.


    ¡°Salicia?¡± I asked, meeting her eyes.


    ¡°I want to kill Lord Reign¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need an army,¡± I responded.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you¡¯ve been building?¡± Lydia asked, cocking her head.


    ¡°That was when we thought we were battling a small lord. Instead, we¡¯re battling Demonic Knights controlled by a sold-out lord. There is also his supporter, who is really powerful. He¡¯s already almost killed me. They probably think he succeeded.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Salicia demanded.


    ¡°We need a bigger army,¡± I responded. ¡°And I know just where to find one!¡±

 Chapter 831

    ¡°D-Deek.¡± Shao called out shyly.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ have you always looked so good?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? After having my soul ripped apart, I¡¯ve been weak as a kitten. I¡¯ve spent the last three days recovering. Even with healing spells, I feel really frail.¡±


    ¡°No, actually, Shao is on to something.¡± Terra said.


    Lydia nodded. ¡°When Master turned into a girl, your features smoothed out considerably. Drinking the potion that turned you back into a boy didn¡¯t get rid of that. As a result, you have a certain¡­ beauty.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Miki said. ¡°You¡¯re very pale, and your body is really¡­ dainty!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk!¡± I said accusingly at Miki.


    Actually, as her spiritualism increased, her once pale and weak body had grown much stronger. She was still small, frail, and pale compared to the other girls, but if compared next to me, I might look even weaker!


    ¡°Are you girls saying that the result of my soul being cut is that I¡¯ve become an ikeman?¡± I said in disbelief while checking myself in the mirror.


    It was true, from my appearance, I had lost most of my masculine features, and had a more delicate looking body now. Plus, my sickly pale skin gave me an almost ghost-like feel. Was I really more attractive too? It was hard for me to notice such things. It had even taken me months to accept I was no longer fat.


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    After I finished getting ready, the group of us headed to a room that I had started to call the war room. This was because it was filled with maps and other important information, I had even laid out a map I had drawn of the countryside. It was a combination of my own personal Map mixed with the most updated maps the capital city had. It still included various towns and villages that likely no longer existed thanks to the bandits in the south.


    ¡°What is the plan?¡± Salicia was already waiting there.


    She had a severe expression on her face, and it looked like she was out for blood. I couldn¡¯t blame her. I felt angry at Lord Reign too. He had caused me trouble time and time again, and now I knew for a fact he was selling Aberis out. He also had a powerful backer, possibly someone from the Imperial Cloud Meadow, who was able to take me out in almost a moment. If I wanted a chance of defeating him now, I needed to act quickly and coldly.


    ¡°It is time we start building an army to take out Lord Reign. First, we¡¯re going to head to the village we resurrected. By now, they should at least have an idea of how many people are in the countryside. They might have even saved a few.¡±


    ¡°You want to return to attacking bandits?¡± Salicia frowned.


    ¡°Last time we did that, it didn¡¯t turn out too well.¡± Shao warned.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going after the bandits this time. We¡¯re going pure extraction. My original plan was to build a revolt and have the people themselves defeat the bandits with our support. We no longer have the luxury of doing that.¡±


    ¡°Then, are we abandoning the south to the bandits?¡±


    ¡°Regency won¡¯t hold much longer,¡± Shao reported. ¡°I give it a week. Even with the grandmaster there, their forces are just growing too thin.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ we¡¯re not abandoning the south.¡± I shook my head. ¡°We¡¯re going to recruit the bandits!¡±

 Chapter 832

    My declaration wasn¡¯t met with any excitement. In fact, there was a wave of silence after I had made my pronouncement. I crossed my arms and made a face as I looked across the girls.


    ¡°Master¡­ I mean no offense, but these bandits won¡¯t join us willingly.¡± It was inevitably Miki who spoke up.


    ¡°Even if you can somehow convince them, there is no saying they will follow orders. It¡¯s not clear how the current Bandit King is keeping them so focused. It isn¡¯t likely we¡¯d be able to obtain the same results.¡±


    ¡°Who said that I would have them join willingly?¡± I shrugged. ¡°I will make all of the bandits into slaves.¡±


    Several of the girls cried out in surprise at those words. They had anxious and uncertain expressions on their faces. I held up my hands in a soothing gesture.


    ¡°The status of all of you won¡¯t be changed just because I take on these slaves. You are uniquely my party and my women. They are something else entirely. This will ensure that they remain loyal and follow every command, whether they want to or not. I will turn a negative for Aberis into a positive.¡± The girls still looked uncertain, so I gave them my best smile. ¡°I love you all. You¡¯re extremely important to me. All of you. I would never let anything bad happen to any single one of you. Do you understand?¡±


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    Their expressions changed one by one to blushes or bashfulness, and I nodded. I wasn¡¯t trying to be manipulative, and every word I said was the truth. I cared about what they thought, and I wouldn¡¯t put them in a situation like before where there were killed by Fireballs.


    ¡°Still, Master, perhaps we should consider other options. Maybe they can be tamed like monsters?¡± Lydia offered.


    ¡°None of this matters.¡± I shook my head. ¡°We won¡¯t know anything until we go there. I¡¯ve already been couped up for three days. Now that I¡¯m mostly recovered, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡± Lydia cried out while all the girls looked surprised. ¡°Master isn¡¯t fully recovered yet.¡±


    ¡°Lord Reign thinks we¡¯re dead. We should move now while we have time. Besides, don¡¯t I have all of you to keep me safe? This wasn¡¯t like last time where it was just¡­ I mean it won¡¯t be like last time.¡±


    I was going to say that it wasn¡¯t most of the core team. Other than Shao, I had Carmine, Salicia, Ruby, and Raissa with me. Raissa was pregnant, and I decided there was no way I was going to risk her life again. Carmine was now dead. Salicia was a mess. As for Ruby, since we had returned to the city three days ago, I hadn¡¯t seen her. She wasn¡¯t a girl who had open access to my mansion like the others, so seeing me was a bit difficult for her, so that was all it was.


    ¡°Master, you should rest for another week. Aren¡¯t you being a little hasty?¡± Shao urged.


    ¡°We¡¯re going,¡± I responded coldly. ¡°Come or stay behind. I¡¯ll give you thirty minutes to get what you need.¡±

 Chapter 833

    I left the girls, who had complicated looks on their faces. I knew they just wanted to keep me safe, but preventing me from doing what needed to be done was not going to achieve that goal. I had to be decisive and quick. There was no saying when Lord Reign would make his move on us, and his actions could destabilize Aberis. I was thinking about the bigger picture here.


    The only reason I gave them a half-hour is because I needed time myself. The first stop I made was the Adventuring Guild. Since I was going after bandits again, it only made sense to bring Ruby along. I went in and asked for her. A few minutes later, it was the Guild Master who came out. He had a pleasant expression on his face.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked. ¡°Where is Big Sis?¡±


    ¡°Ruby won¡¯t be able to join you in the upcoming quest. Fortunately, she won¡¯t need to.¡± The Guild Master pulled out a coin that resembled the Knight¡¯s token and the Hero token which gave people those jobs. ¡°That is an Adventurer¡¯s Token. You get one after you¡¯ve reached individual rank C. I just didn¡¯t have an opportunity to give it to you earlier. The Adventurer¡¯s Token can be used to unlock the Adventurer job. I¡¯ve never mentioned this token before because most people aren¡¯t interested in the Adventurer job.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Well, think about it. Why would you lose a job like Knight or Swordsman for a rather weak tier one job? I¡¯ve come to realize you¡¯re a bit different though, and this may have some use for you. You needed a new adventuring card too, right?¡±


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    ¡°Ah! Yeah¡­¡±


    All of the stuff that had been in my Inventory had disappeared after my split. I still had my Inventory skill, and no one had been able to explain what happened. The Adventuring Guild Card was something that had disappeared with it. He brought out a new card and had dripped some blood on it. He then used some kind of magical artifact. When he was done, he handed it back to me.


    ¡°I will waive the fee for the lost card, considering the circumstances.¡± He chuckled softly. ¡°Technically, we¡¯re supposed to do a resurrection service with you now. F-rank and E-rank are only covered when they¡¯re on a mission, but once you reach D, we will resurrect you off mission, barring some kind of stop order. As a noble, you don¡¯t need those services though.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m covered.¡±


    I had completely forgotten about the adventuring resurrection service when I got life insurance in the capital. Either way, it was nice to have the girls covered too. They only did a resurrection check once a day, but I made sure all of our lives were secure, even though once Miki or I were resurrected, we could do it ourselves. You could never be too careful. The castle also guaranteed my resurrection as a noble, and now it looked like the guild did as well. That was assuming Miki didn¡¯t resurrect me moments after learning I died. I guess I could say my soul was in good hands.


    ¡°You are now an A-ranked Adventurer. Ruby indeed recommended S for you, but the guild didn¡¯t permit me to make such an exaggerated jump. They said that it might seem like favoritism to an up-and-coming noble. Thankfully, since you¡¯re an A-class, I can log you with advanced quests. I¡¯ve rigged it that if you resolve the situation with the bandits, I should be able to get you promoted to S.¡±

 Chapter 834

    I ended up putting my card away in my Inventory. I didn¡¯t really know the specifics of the magic, but it seemed to log that information even when it was in my Inventory. Inventory was a kind of spatial magic, but because I was a True Hero I could access it. If it was technically in another space, then how could it log progress? Well, I was always pondering all of these questions, and half the time I found I guessed wrong, so I decided to not give it any more mind. It was better to act decisively than dwell on things indefinitely.


    ¡°Where is Ruby anyway? I thought she might want to join me?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like I wanted to have Ruby join the Harem, but she was a capable fighter, and she seemed able to keep up with the team. It had been a bit odd how she suddenly took off after we got back. I had collapsed nearly half dead and was taken to my mansion, and then I hadn¡¯t seen her since. I thought she would have checked up on me.


    As soon as I asked, the Guild Master jerked, and then his face turned odd. This naturally made me even more curious.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ you, you know all of us in Chalm appreciate everything you¡¯ve done. When you first appeared almost half a year ago, I never would have thought that you¡¯d be able to get this far.¡±


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    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who asked me to do all of this stuff?¡± I asked flatly.


    ¡°Ai! I mean¡­ I hoped you could accomplish the deeds, but every time I send an Adventurer on a mission, there is a chance they won¡¯t come back. As a town that bordered the Wilderness, we were all too familiar with friends going out on recon and never returning. You¡¯ve really changed things for all of us, and for that, we¡¯d like to think we¡¯ve helped you as well.¡±


    It was a complicated feeling, thinking back to my relationship with the people of Chalm. They had treated me like an errand boy when I first came to this world. They promised a lot, and it was always questionable when or if they delivered. However, in the end, they had kept their promises, and I had kept mine. Although I had given a lot of myself to Chalm, isn¡¯t that what any leader would do? Is that why they call them public servants on Earth? I couldn¡¯t be a lord without people to rule over, and while it felt like I was constantly pumping money into them, they had always returned that with loyalty.


    However, I felt like I was getting distracted. I had been asking about Ruby, and suddenly, he was going on about how appreciative they all were.


    ¡°What are you getting at? Where is Ruby?¡±


    I took a step around him, trying to enter the guild to find her myself, and he moved to block me. He held up hand, and gave an apologetic look.


    ¡°My lad¡­ women are a complicated folk. They¡¯re hard to understand sometimes¡­¡±


    ¡°Guild Master¡­¡± I responded in a no-nonsense tone.


    He sighed. ¡°Yes, I understand. I¡¯m sorry. Ruby doesn¡¯t want to go on another adventure with you!¡±

 Chapter 835

    ¡°Wh-what? Why?¡±


    I never thought myself a prideful man, but suddenly, hearing that Ruby didn¡¯t want to adventurer with me felt like a slap in the face. I had called her big sister, and she had even soothed me when I was at my worst, after Lydia had been taken. I had considered her a friend, and I felt betrayed. It wasn¡¯t like I expected every woman to fall in love with me, but¡­ isn¡¯t that what happened?


    ¡°W-why?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ my lad¡­ it¡¯s just, she doesn¡¯t agree with your methods. In the report, she called you reckless. She said that too many of your plans were dangerous, and that¡­ well¡­ I¡¯m not going to say everything she said. The point is, she¡¯s too scared to want to travel with you.¡±


    ¡°E-even so¡­ if¡­ I mean¡­ as an Adventurer¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s retired.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I jerked up with those words.


    ¡°She is no longer an Adventurer. Shortly after she came back, she put in her retirement. She¡¯s applied to be the vice-guild master. I never needed a vice-guild master before, but with new Chalm growing bigger every day, the work has been a bit overwhelming.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. I had thought our relationship was going great. It was true, she had snapped at me numerous times, and we had several arguments over how to do things. However, once I had shut her down a few times, she had been much quieter and was willing to go along with everything! Wait¡­ that actually sounded bad. Well, at least everything turned out fine, I had only led them to death once, and then there was the time we almost all died and my soul was ripped asunder¡­


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    I was beginning to realize why she might have been upset at me. However, all of the other girls were fine with my behavior, weren¡¯t they? Was this the difference between someone enslaved to me and someone who wasn¡¯t? Was that how much the bonds smoothed over? For the first time since the Capital, I was starting to feel like maybe all the girls around me didn¡¯t really want to be with me anymore. I felt panic. I needed them. I couldn¡¯t lose them. Even Carmine had been too much.


    ¡°C-can I at least see her? I mean¡­ to apologize?¡±


    The Guild Master sighed. ¡°Just, give it some time, my lad. She¡¯ll calm down with time. As I said, she doesn¡¯t hate you, she just needs some time to evaluate things. Honestly, it¡¯s been a long time coming, I think. Most Adventurers, when they reach a certain age, contemplate where they see the rest of their lives going. For women, it¡¯s a bit younger than men, because they have their child rearing days are coming close to an end.¡±


    ¡°I could have her children!¡± I said.


    He made a strange face. ¡°Maybe you should just go¡­¡±


    I found myself walking away with my head down. Did I really just propose that big sis and I had babies? I had two pregnant women right now I didn¡¯t know what to do with, and I wanted to make another girl pregnant just so she¡¯d like me? What the heck was happening to me?


    Although I was supposed to meet the girls in ten minutes, I found myself heading in a different direction. I ended up in the basement of the mansion, where I took a secret path leading into the dungeon. Knocking on the door situated between the dungeon and my mansion, the door opened a few moments later.


    ¡°Deek? How rare of you to com- mmm!¡± As soon as Elaya opened the door, I grabbed her and kissed her.

 Chapter 836

    My tongue attacked Elaya aggressively, and she quickly went from surprised to giving just as good as she was getting. We moved quickly from the doorway to the bedroom. Our kiss broke and I began to excitedly strip the former queen down. She was slightly winded, and her cheeks were red. I started sucking on her neck ripping apart her clothing.


    ¡°My¡­ my¡­ You¡¯ve only had a dick for a day, and already you want to play?¡± She purred excitedly. ¡°I like this new Deek. You¡¯ve never stopped at my room before. I¡¯ve always had to find and trap you just to get a little attention, and then those other girls would always find us and free you. It¡¯s been torture for me. Please, give it to me.¡±


    I planned to. I reached out and put my hand on her forehead. I then began to use the Slave Master skill Bond Slave. As soon as it started, her eyes opened wide. Her face swapped between shock, anger, and confusion. Before I had even gotten halfway into the bond, I felt an intense rejection. She forced the bond to an end, and then a shockwave followed, sending me off the bed and down to the ground. I fell to my knees, my hands landed on the cold floor of her stone room.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± She said furiously, and dark miasma rolling off her as she appeared before me.


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    ¡°You¡¯ll be my slave!¡± I looked up at her, my face just as fierce.


    Elaya was not my slave. She was a tamed monster, of sorts, but she wasn¡¯t truly a slave. Even as a tamed monster, her loyalty went only so far. A tamed animal with low intelligence could be a trustworthy companion, but a tame person with thoughts of their own was only the equivalent of a loyal follower. They could still disobey, and they could still leave you.


    Elaya¡¯s fierce expression didn¡¯t grow angrier as I expected, instead, it turned to shock. I felt something hot burning my cheek. I reached down and touched it to feel tears falling down my face.


    ¡°Deek, what has gotten into you?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t lose you too!¡± I found myself answering. ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ that¡¯s why¡­ you have to be my slave! With my blessing, you¡¯ll be mine forever!¡±


    She looked me up and down. ¡°Look at you now¡­ you¡¯re half a man.¡±


    Her voice wasn¡¯t cruel, it sounded sad, but I felt anger at her words anyway.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I was turned into a girl! So what?¡± I shouted.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because of the dungeon or luck, but the sex changing potion seemed to wear off at just that minute. My features began to change. I grew breasts, my penis disappeared, and what was kneeling there was a sobbing girl. It made me feel even more embarrassed, considering the timing came just after her cutting remark.


    She slowly shook her head. ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s not what I mean. I mean you¡­ Deek, you¡¯re no longer you.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°I think, we need to gather the girls. We¡¯re going to need to talk.¡±

 Chapter 837

    ¡°I don¡¯t really understand.¡± Lydia frowned. ¡°You already warned us she might have mood swings.¡±


    I had brought Elaya up to the mansion where the girls were all packed for our journey. Salicia was looking as serious as ever, but the other girls were fairly relaxed. I had already drunk another potion, and returned to my male form. I sat to the side and let Elaya talk. She had explained that things might be more serious than they originally thought.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been a week yet since he chopped off a piece of his soul. He had done it to save the lot of you, but in the process, he also seemed to have saved himself as well.¡± Elaya explained. ¡°What I hadn¡¯t realized was that by cutting off his soul, Deek was also cutting off a piece of himself.¡±


    ¡°Himself?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I would be the one to understand this the best. I am not Elaya. I was created based on Elaya, and further refined by the soul fragments captured by the dungeon. My body, my form, and my personality were all shaped not by the true Elaya, but by the idea of her. I¡¯m a reflection of how people had perceived her. Whether I am similar to Elaya, or not, well, that¡¯s an answer we¡¯ll never have, since that woman died long ago.


    ¡°When Deek severed me from the dungeon, and then resurrected me, he gave me life, but not Elaya¡¯s life. My soul was created from memories and soul fragments. It¡¯s a completely unique soul that didn¡¯t exist before. In a way, that is the nature of dungeons. They shuffle things. They rearrange and reorganize life. Some believe this is destructive, like a cancer, but as someone who was born from a dungeon, I believe they are somehow necessary for life!¡±


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    ¡°What does this have to do with Deek?¡±


    ¡°When Deek cut off a piece of his soul, only that small piece survived. He cut off everything he had to. In short, he cut off everything he associated with you girls. He needed to do so to sever the bonds. As a result, all of the things he placed with you, his decision making, his self-control, his sexuality, his insecurities, his emotional need and worry, those were the parts that survived. What he lost was his anger, his bravery, and his determination.


    ¡°When Miki saved him, she rebuilt his soul, cobbling what was left into something new. This Deek is as much the original Deek as I am the original Elaya.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying Deek is dead?¡± Lydia stood up, a flash of anger on her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m Deek!¡± I said, feeling like I could cry.


    ¡°You are¡­¡± She said, reaching out and touching my cheek. ¡°But you¡¯re also injured. It¡¯s not just your body and soul, but your very essence.


    ¡°Deek is Deek.¡± Lydia finally declared. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who Deek is, he will always be Deek!¡±


    Elaya nodded. ¡°In time, he may regain some of his old personality, but he will always be a bit different now. I just wanted you to all be prepared.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t change anything!¡± Miki said. ¡°I could see his soul back then, and I can see his soul now. It¡¯s the same!¡±


    ¡°I love Deek!¡± Celeste cried out.


    Shao nodded. ¡°Deek has saved us all so many times. It¡¯s time that I look out for Deek.¡±


    Terra shrugged. ¡°If Deek is hurt, we will just fix him. Always.¡±


    With all the girls banding together, I felt a warmth inside. Together, we could handle anything.

 Chapter 838

    ¡°Elaya¡­ about earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you still want to enslave me?¡± Elaya asked, not meeting my eyes.


    ¡°Yes, more than anything.¡± I admitted.


    ¡°It looks like you saved your honesty.¡± Elaya responded, turning to me and smiling. ¡°I don¡¯t dislike your possessive side. There is no reason that I wouldn¡¯t happily be your slave, but only if you promise to have me forever.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°I mean it¡­ forever is forever. I don¡¯t mean the rest of our lives.¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean, when we die¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly! You have to find a way to live forever, and for me to live forever. I will be your slave for eternity, not a day less.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Although she said that, she had a smile on her face and seemed genuinely happy. ¡°The day isn¡¯t getting any younger. Don¡¯t you have a mission? I¡¯ll be here when you get back. Think about it. Because once you take me¡­ I¡¯ll also take you, and I¡¯ll never let you go.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    I wanted to say yes right away. Every impulse in my body wanted to jump on it. What was the point of waiting? Would my mind really change? Thankfully, I managed to keep myself from jumping ahead. After offering to have babies with Ruby, I learned my lesson. I left Elaya, and then walked over to the rest of the girls.


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    The old team was back together again. Thankfully, the girls didn¡¯t use our recent revelations as a reason to postpone the trip. Perhaps, they even understood more about why this trip was necessary. I raised a hand, and then summoned a Portal. The group of us stepped through, and found ourselves in a town that was nearly unrecognizable from the one we had left two weeks ago.


    ¡°Come¡­ this way.¡± Shao said.


    I had sent Shao to scout a couple of places the last three days, and she had stopped here. She hadn¡¯t said how the once small and quaint town that seemed oddly filled with incest had grown to the point where it was larger than the original Chalm. There were a few hundred residents. They had built a dozen more buildings, and even put up a small wall. It was an impressive feat, and more than I had expected of them.


    We stopped soon, and I saw the familiar old man who was the leader of the village back when it could still be called a village. ¡°My Lord returns!¡±


    He bowed, and everyone around him bowed. It was enough to make me feel shy.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± I said, feeling a bit awkward. ¡°The place has changed.¡±


    ¡°After you encouraged us all to gather, and even went out of your way to save us, we have redoubled our efforts. We pushed the bandits out of our area and reclaimed as much as possible. Rather than form a bunch of small villages once again, we decided it¡¯d be safer if we kept together. Thus¡­ this city was born. Impressed?¡±


    I had felt like I had kind of abandoned them, although, if you thought about it, it had only been a few weeks. Under normal circumstances, movements weren¡¯t that fast. Most people didn¡¯t have Portals that allowed them to jump around the country. Had I just made a round trip to Alerith and then back without any time in between, it probably would have taken a month. So, being back in two weeks probably felt like barely any time for them.


    That also meant that although they cleared out the bandits, the reason the bandits haven¡¯t retaliated yet might be because they¡¯re waiting for a better time. This might be the best time to relocate.


    ¡°It is impressive,¡± I responded. ¡°But, all of you need to¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, welcome to the city of Deeksville!¡± He seemed to have been waiting to announce that.

 Chapter 839

    ¡°D-Deeksville?¡±


    ¡°Yes, since you are the lord that came and resurrected us like a phoenix, it seemed only fitting that we picked you as the name.¡± He announced proudly.


    I had desired to start more cities for some time. A place that had as much territory as mine could not survive with only one city. Yet, it seemed like the west of Aberis was a notoriously difficult and unlucky place to be. Bandits had ravaged the countryside, and that which wasn¡¯t taken out by Bandits was destroyed by the monsters flooding in from the west.


    It was important to build a network of cities along the west not just to consolidate trade, but also to act as a protector for the rest of Aberis. Although it was unclear to me how Alerith had managed to hold out for the last thirty years, it was likely that Lord Reign had made some kind of treaty with Imperial Cloud Meadow to lend him protection. As for the south, it had been the combination of the ghost dungeon that had been restrained by priests that had kept the wilderness at bay.


    I once had the chance to build a city with my name already. The Mining Town just out of Alerith would have been named after me. However, the Dungeon dried up and was defeated. The Orichalcum mine was nothing more than an elaborate trap. In the end, I had wiped out the entire city to defeat a group of Knights I now knew were demonic in nature. Perhaps, that was why they converted into miasma so fluidly. At the time, I had thought it was just something I could do. Now, I was realizing for everything I thought I understood, there were two things I didn¡¯t.


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    Suffice it to say, that the thought of destroying a city that already had my name irked me. I wasn¡¯t trying to be the sentimental type, but this was my second city. If I just gave it up here because of a fear of Bandits, then what was I even doing? The girls seemed to be able to detect my reluctance to announce my plans.


    ¡°Master¡­ the plan was to relocate¡­¡± Miki began.


    ¡°Time for a new plan!¡± I declared, and then laughed, scratching my head. ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine to be flexible? We never should be too rigid in our plans, right?¡±


    The girls looked at each other. I tried to play it off as a joke, but I had already decided that we were not going to relocate and risk losing this city. That meant I had a new task for everyone. I didn¡¯t think about it too much, but I had already decided.


    ¡°This is the spot. Terra, erect a better wall than what they got. It doesn¡¯t have to be like our wall made to withstand high-level monster attacks, but something that will keep the Bandits out. Shao, meet with Raissa. Decide who she feels is qualified to train new troops. We will bring them here and start turning this village into a military.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Shao asked uncertainly.


    ¡°Of course!¡± I gave her a thumbs up.


    That was¡­ until I changed my mind again.

 Chapter 840

    ¡°Here are a few maps of where there may still be people.¡± The village leader brought out a pile of unsorted maps.


    He looked apologetic for the mess he handed me, but I didn¡¯t mind so much. Each map was sketched by a different person. He had used various scouts, and their reports, and none of that information had been sorted. It was a complete mess, and even the village head himself struggled to make sense of it. For me, it was no problem at all. I glanced at each map, letting it update in my Map skill. In short order, I was able to update my skill with all the information and see it as a whole.


    Despite what we were led to believe the last time we were here, there were actually quite a few pockets of people still living out there. They had either been harassed or overlooked by the Bandits. Some of them gave the Bandits bribes and women to stay afloat. Even this village contained several women who had been traumatized by being made the Bandit¡¯s entertainment for a few nights. If I didn¡¯t have a worse enemy I was going after, I wouldn¡¯t be willing to work with these people at all.


    At least, when I was done, they would all be slaves, and they would literally pay for their crimes by working under me for the rest of their lives. I would see to it. Unlike other Slavers, I could instantly collect any slave who tried to run from me. All it took was bringing up my Map and selecting them and creating a Portal. In fact, since my Map filled out based on where my slaves went, they¡¯d be doing me a favor by traveling to far-off places and allowing me to expand my portal network.


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    Maybe I should have been making slaves of people and sending them off long before this. I might have had no trouble getting around. Well, maybe not slaves. There were other means of marking people on my Map with skills. As long as I got a job with an appropriate skill, then I could mark any number of people. A better option might be to tame monsters. If I tamed a low-level monster, like goblins, and then just ordered them to walk off in every direction, I could create a map that reached every corner of this continent in a year or so.


    Well, that wasn¡¯t something I could worry about right now. Instead, I had to focus on the areas indicated. I needed to bring those people into the relative; safety of Deeksville. The more people I gathered here, the more interest the Bandits will have and the more likely they are to notice us. At that point, I¡¯d need to come up with a way of getting control of them. That might involve using Salicia and her former status as the Bandit King. I wasn¡¯t certain yet. I didn¡¯t have a plan. I just knew that we had to get this done and we had to do it quickly. A plan would come to me eventually, it always did.


    ¡°Going to get the other survivors. That¡¯s what we tried to do last time. Then we ended up dying.¡± Shao warned.


    ¡°This is different. We won¡¯t be challenging the Bandits directly. There is no point in killing them, anyway.¡±


    We were going to be safe this time. I didn¡¯t want another accident like last time.

 Chapter 841

    I opened up a Portal and walked through. I portaled as close to our target as I could manage. We still would end up having to walk nearly an hour to get there. That wasn¡¯t too bad. I could waste another Portal by climbing a tree and getting there faster, but I wasn¡¯t in the mood for that. I had the girl¡¯s move quickly. Unfortunately, my poor physique quickly got the better of me. I was panting with some difficulty and I couldn¡¯t keep up. Even Miki could easily outdistance me, and she was usually the slowest one.


    ¡°Master, if you can¡¯t do this¡­¡±


    ¡°My body won¡¯t get stronger unless I train it.¡± I made up an excuse on the spot. ¡°Just, for now, carry me?¡±


    I found myself being carried the remainder of the way to the first location. Apparently, according to the village head, these people had survived by hiding. A certain tassel tied to a trunk using a certain knot was supposed to be the mark they used to identify they were there. The entire area had adopted this code. That would be anyone resisting and hiding from the Bandit¡¯s presence. It only took us a few moments of looking, as the girls had really good eyes and I had a really good Map complete with Sense Life.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be safer if you go to my town. It has walls and everything.¡±


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    I wasn¡¯t the smoothest talker, but I did manage to convince the group to leave. Rather than waste another Portal, I instead pointed the way. The Bandits had been removed around the city, so as long as they were careful, they wouldn¡¯t run into any Bandits along the way.


    We continued on our way, sweeping all the closest groups, before portaling to the next location. We remained away from the main area of the Bandit activity, only skirting along the edge. Any place deeper we considered lost or otherwise unreachable. It went surprisingly well, and a few hours later, we sent the last group on their way. It was about fifteen groups in all, and not a single group was over ten people.


    We also informed them that anyone who had died over the last month we would resurrect. So, we might be able to double that number if we¡¯re lucky. I had also considered the possibility that a Bandit spy would be mixed among one of the groups, so I did make sure to check all their jobs before sending them on their way. After a long night of working, we had finished up. To be fair, Deeksville had already been clearing things out for the last two weeks, so we were just sweeping up what was left.


    ¡°Now, where are we going to go, Master?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°There is just one more group of people that we¡¯ll need to collect.¡± I explained. ¡°Ah¡­ this one is really going to be difficult too.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t we get them all?¡± Lydia frowned, taking a look at the map I had quickly sketched so the girls had a visual based on my own superior Map.


    ¡°No, we still have Regency.¡±


    The last standing city in the west, Regency. We needed to clear it out. We¡¯d take the entire city.

 Chapter 842

    ¡°Are you sure they are willing to leave?¡±


    ¡°I need the power of that wizard.¡± I admitted. ¡°The grand magus? He¡¯d be instrumental. Plus, there should still be soldiers there as well. I can resurrect anyone they¡¯ve lost in the last month, and overall it¡¯d be a fresh beginning for all of them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but they¡¯d be abandoning their home to Bandits.¡±


    ¡°So? It¡¯d be logical that they join forces with us.¡± They¡¯ve been surrounded by Bandits and cut off for ages. Deeksville, on the other hand, is backed by the forces at Chalm. If they even tried to get around, we could crush them.


    ¡°Even so¡­ not everyone is willing to make logical choices.¡± Miki spoke uncertainly.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what she meant. This was life or death here. They had to be able to see that staying there was suicide. They were desperate weeks ago, and now the city was about to fall. Anyone who stayed would die.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t the Bandits trying to get into the city to find something?¡± Celeste asked.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know that for certain.¡± Terra shrugged. ¡°They seemed to want to defeat the city, but it could be because it was the last stronghold of the west. Once it falls, then the Bandits have complete control.¡±


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    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I shrugged. ¡°If they are looking for something in Regency, then, we¡¯ll just have to make sure they don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to find it?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°Meteor.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± She lowered her head, looking a bit regretful she asked.


    Before I left, I would summon a Meteor down and wipe Regency off the map. That should do the job of destroying any artifact they¡¯re trying to get.


    Either way, we needed to return to Regency. It might even fall tonight, so there was no waiting. I lifted my arm and began to chant, opening a Portal. The girls went in ahead of me and I followed behind. As soon I stepped through, I began coughing. There was a thick scent of smoke in the air. Looking around at the situation now, my mouth fell open.


    Half the city had already burned to the ground. There were still fires going in various parts, complete with people desperately trying to put them out. The walls were still up, but at least in one spot the wall had collapsed, and they had shoved seemingly anything they could find in order to create a barrier. The people that I could see were sitting on the ground, looking haggard and starved. Their eyes had deep black circles from many sleepless nights.


    ¡°I take back what I said.¡± Miki looked over at me with tear filled eyes. ¡°You¡¯re right, we need to get these people out of here.¡±


    Miki was someone who had a strange relationship with death. Seeing these people who were so close to dying, it naturally hit her harder than everyone else. This was a place filled with despair. It was like a graveyard for a Spiritualist like her.


    I gave her a nod, and then lifted my hand. ¡°Alright! Everyone in Regency! Load up! We¡¯re getting you all out of here!¡±

 Chapter 843

    ¡°You¡­ aren¡¯t you that noble that took off two weeks ago?¡± A bald, skinny man in armor yelled out. ¡°You¡¯re deserters.¡±


    I recognized him. He was the guy who was in charge. He had shoved me on the wall as soon as we got here. We left only shortly after. I may have not told him where we were going. I mean, it wasn¡¯t like we were part of his army. I was still a lord, and I had the right to do what I wanted. However, I did understand from their point of view, it looked like we took one look at the army, and then fled. I hadn¡¯t considered that until I noticed several angry faces glaring at us.


    ¡°You just took off!¡±


    ¡°Why should we listen to you!¡±


    The crowd was quickly going south. I even heard some people calling for us to be killed as traitors.


    ¡°It¡¯s not true! I¡¯ve been trying to deal with this Bandit threat since we left!¡± I tried to reason with them.


    I wasn¡¯t lying. Since we left, I had killed hundreds of Bandits. Then, we returned a kid home to his village, helped resurrect the broken town, rescued their hostages. Then, we went up north to try to masquerade as a bandit band. Although that plan seemed to have fallen through, we had been focused on the Bandits since the beginning. Had I not been mortally wounded, these last three days of rest would not have been necessary.


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    Then again, we probably had a lot easier life than the people who were trapped in this city constantly being bombarded by crazed Bandits. The way we looked, with clean clothing and repaired armor, it probably looked like we hadn¡¯t helped Regency at all.


    ¡°Yeah, right!¡± Someone shouted.


    More people started to take up the call. Since there was a lull in bandit attacks, we seemed to have gotten the attention of just about everyone left in the burning city.


    ¡°It¡¯s true! Master was just saying in bed last night that he regretted not being able to do more for you!¡± Leave it to Lydia to try to defend me and only make things worse.


    Revealing that I was sleeping around while they were fighting for their lives was not the best action. I was already a slave owner, so revealing I was sleeping around with my slaves, and then forcing them to fight for me, well it was clear my popularity was plummeting by the second. They were starting to boo us. I was starting to consider fleeing the city on my own.


    ¡°Enough!¡± A person roared out, causing many people to quiet down. ¡°At least, he came back!¡±


    An old man in a robe started to come down the stairway from the wall. It was the Grand Master who had been remaining in town up until now. He looked very tired these days, and if there was any color in his hair two weeks ago, it had long since left and left him completely white. Behind him trailed his familiar assistant and apprentice, Siti.


    It looked like he was bailing me out of another situation. I had once been wary of him, but the guy was starting to grow on me. He was exactly the kind of powerhouse I needed on my side!

 Chapter 844

    ¡°We saw them out there! Two weeks ago! They were fighting Bandits and rescuing civilians!¡± Siti cried out, holding onto her staff like it¡¯d protect her from the glaring eyes of others.


    The bald man in charge looked at the grandmaster. ¡°Is this true?¡±


    The old man nodded. ¡°It is true¡­ we saw them overlooking a caravan that was under attack. But it was unclear if they were going to help!¡±


    My opinion on the old bastard collapsed once again. Angry mutters rose back up again. What was he trying to do?


    ¡°H-he agreed to help lead a boy to the village!¡± Siti continued to try to defend me.


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s right!¡± A girl spoke up. ¡°That was my brother and fianc¨¦!¡±


    She was still here in the city. Her brother was still in the town, and she had asked if there was any way we could bring her home for their marriage. I was hoping that integrating the other towns into this one would wipe out the incestuous tendencies, but they seemed to be strangely spreading and becoming more prevalent across the village. It caused me real tears as I realized that my first town, Deeksville, might end up being known for incest!


    ¡°Yeah¡­ and have we seen your brother since?¡± The Grand Master snorted. ¡°Honestly, until I saw them standing there, I thought they were all dead. That would have been good riddance!¡±


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    ¡°N-no!¡± The sister teared up at the thought her brother was dead.


    ¡°Whose side are you on?¡± I cried out.


    At first, he seemed to be defending me, but now he was just inciting violence.


    ¡°I¡¯m on the side of truth.¡± The Grand Master snorted. ¡°You are a lord. I don¡¯t like lords. Arrogant, lazy, cowards, the lot of you. I don¡¯t trust you as far as I can throw you, and I can conjure up winds that can throw halfway across Aberis! However, you¡¯re not the first lord to come to this place and flee. You are the first to come back¡­ so, perhaps you should listen to what he says¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it¡­ is he saying good things about us or bad?¡± Celeste whispered to Miki.


    Miki shrugged. ¡°I have no clue.¡±


    The man harumphed, straightening his robes. As he walked away, Siti bowed to us.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Master. That is about as high of a comment that he will ever leave you.¡± She explained, and then followed after him.


    I watched as the pair slipped into a tent. I bet he could play with her in bed all he wanted and no one would be looking down on him! I coughed and looked back at the crowd, who seemed slightly confused. He hadn¡¯t made it clear if I could be trusted or not. Between the two of us, he had more successfully won these people¡¯s hearts by saving them battle after battle, so his opinion did matter, but he was such a crotchety old man, that it was impossible to tell.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m a Blue Mage like Siti. I¡¯ve been to a village that is safe. There are people, resources, and the Bandits would take a few days to get to it. It¡¯s not a perfect situation, but we¡¯d be able to regroup.¡±


    I explained to them my plan, and even created a Portal and had Shao lead one of them through the Portal in front of everyone to confirm. Eventually, we managed to convince the group to leave. Everything was going according to plan.

 Chapter 845

    Eventually, I had the girls opening Portals and leading the remaining people through the Portals to Deeksville. Regency was officially being evacuated. I promised them that they could always rebuild this city, but for the moment, the best option was to run. Once the bald lieutenant who had been keeping the militia fighting these last few weeks folded, everyone else quickly joined him.


    There were just two people who happened to not be part of that conversation. That was the old man and his disciple. With a sigh, I prepared myself and walked into their tent. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t walk into them having some kind of lustful scene. The old man was at a makeshift desk scribbling something, and Siti sat there, waiting patiently on her Master for any orders or insight.


    ¡°I¡¯ve convinced the people of Regency to leave.¡± I stated. ¡°We¡¯re sending them out to another place where we can send away the weak and the injured to recuperate and get reinforcements. I have a plan for dealing with the Bandits.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Siti suddenly perked up. ¡°You can get rid of them?¡±


    ¡°Ah, something like that.¡± I answered noncommittally.


    I didn¡¯t really want to explain that I didn¡¯t plan to get rid of them, but use them for my fight against Lord Reign. These men had committed many atrocities, and there were a lot of people here and in Deeksville that would be much happier if they were killed and never resurrected or imprisoned for life. Unfortunately, wiping them out would just make my position in the west more turbulent.


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    ¡°Very well.¡± The Grand Master said after a few moments of silence.


    ¡°So, are you coming with us?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I am not.¡± He said.


    Siti gave me another apologetic smile.


    ¡°Why not?¡± I asked, feeling just a bit angry.


    I really could use his help in the defense of that city. He may just call himself an entertainer, but in this country, he might very well be as strong as one of the generals. Since he was a magician, he was probably more versatile and thus more powerful than even them.


    ¡°Because we haven¡¯t found the-¡°


    ¡°Siti!¡± This finally got the Grand Mage to turn, glaring at Siti.


    She lowered her head, but a moment later she glared defiantly. ¡°You might as well tell him! We¡¯ve been searching for over a month now, and we¡¯ve seen no sign of it!¡±


    ¡°What is it that you two are looking for?¡± I asked, my brow furrowing. ¡°It¡¯s the same thing the Bandits want, right? There is something hidden in this city? Is it a dungeon? Is there some kind of dungeon in this city with some great treasure?¡±


    The Mage glared at Siti, but she glared back just as much. Finally, he sighed and threw up his hands.


    ¡°Fine¡­ you want to tell him? Tell him!¡± He went back to writing, but his movements were much angrier now.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t looking for a dungeon that is, but a dungeon that was.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°There used to be a dungeon where this city was built. It fell many years ago and collapsed. However, there were¡­ stories about something the dungeon contained.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked. ¡°A soul-reaving dagger,¡± Siti said. ¡°A dagger made of pure Malacrum! Just as Silvthril is the bane of all dungeons, Malacrum is the bane of all living beings!¡±

 Chapter 846

    ¡°What is Silvthril?¡± I asked, scratching my head.


    As a Dungeon Diver, something called the bane of all dungeons naturally caught my interest. Naturally, without knowing what Silvthril was, I couldn¡¯t really grasp what Malacrum was either.


    The old mage snorted, but thankfully, Siti was willing to explain. ¡°Silvthril is a rare mineral. It is found very deep underground. As a result, it can only be forged properly by Deep Dwarves. It repulses miasma and creates a great deal of damage to anything composed of miasma. Someone who had a Silvthril dagger would be able to conquer dungeons with ease!¡±


    Siti seemed extremely excited when she spoke about it. It was almost like she was talking about it from personal experience. As for me, I quickly understood why Silvthril would be so useful. It was essentially anti-curse metal.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m not sure what you mean by Malacrum being the opposite though. I¡¯ve heard of soul daggers, daggers that can damage a soul and kill the person, giving them no ability to reincarnate. Is it like that?¡±


    ¡°The soul daggers are actually copies of the soul-reaving dagger. They were discovered initially in dungeons where a soul-reaving dagger held memory.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


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    ¡°It¡¯s like this. Dungeons are curses based off a story. They are composed of the soul fragments and memories of things that ultimately existed, but if they can¡¯t gather the proper sources to create an exact replica, they create a copy.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve seen that before.¡±


    I was naturally talking about the unnamed giant boss in my dungeon, who was allegedly created based off Xin. Supposedly, that giant contained almost none of the original Xin¡¯s soul, which is why it was a such an exaggerated form of the original woman. So, what she was saying was that powerful objects could also create copies of their original selves.


    ¡°So, soul daggers are mined from dungeons?¡±


    ¡°If they were easy to obtain, don¡¯t you think everyone would use them?¡± Her eyes flashed.


    It was a horrifying thought. The soul dagger could kill anyone permanently. It destroyed their soul, preventing them from being resurrected. There were only a handful of things in this world that were capable of killing a soul. Many soul attacks could wound or dislodge a soul, killing you and requiring a Resurrection, but for something to kill both the soul and the body, it was definitely something to be feared.


    That left us with the soul-reaving dagger, the original to the template used for soul daggers. I was extremely wary about such an item.


    ¡°What is it capable of doing?¡± I asked cautiously.


    ¡°Malacrum can only be gathered from the deepest parts of great dungeons.¡± She explained. ¡°In that respect, it¡¯s almost unobtainable. As to how it is forged, no one even knows. However, there have been a handful of soul-reaving artifacts discovered throughout history. One such artifact was the basis for this dungeon. The hero who defeated it decided the dagger was too dangerous, so he left it in the dungeon¡¯s treasure room, and left the dungeon to wither and collapse on it over the years, burying it under the earth. We¡¯re here to recover it!¡±

 Chapter 847

    ¡°Why would you ever try to recover that dagger? Isn¡¯t it better to just leave it where it is?¡± I asked.


    ¡°To destroy it?¡± The mage turned around, shooting me a glare.


    ¡°The Bandit Hero somehow found out about the dagger. That¡¯s what she¡¯s seeking out.¡±


    ¡°She?¡±


    Siti blushed. ¡°Ah¡­ I heard the Bandit Hero was a woman.¡±


    I didn¡¯t expect that, because the only Bandit Hero I knew was the guy from Calypso¡¯s Tower. However, if this Bandit Hero wasn¡¯t the same Bandit Hero, there was no reason it couldn¡¯t be a girl. In fact, there was no reason they had to be a Bandit King at all. They could have any number of jobs. As long as they were powerful and earned the respect of all of the bandit underlings, they could be anyone.


    ¡°So¡­ Meteor won¡¯t be enough.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Meteor? Isn¡¯t that one of the highest-level Master Mage spells? Even I don¡¯t have it yet.¡± The Mage blinked. ¡°But, I did have similar thoughts of scorching this town. However, it wouldn¡¯t touch the dagger. They would set up their camp and start digging as soon as we left. Although they call themselves the Bandit Hero, they are no hero. I don¡¯t know if they are a man or a woman, but they are exceptionally vicious. If they have the dagger, it won¡¯t be good for any of the five nations.¡±


    ¡°We have to find that dagger quickly.¡± Siti sighed.


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    ¡°Unfortunately, my magical ability is suited for other tasks.¡± The mage growled. ¡°I am a Black Mage, so although I know a little magic from every element, ultimately I became a Master Fire Magician. My Earth magic isn¡¯t at a level that I¡¯ve been able to locate it. Simply put, it¡¯s too deep in the earth.


    ¡°Earth¡­¡± I only needed to think about it for a moment. ¡°I might have exactly what you need.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you can recover the dagger?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible, but we have to move fast. If they attack again, we have no one guarding the walls anymore.¡±


    ¡°Very well, if you can recover the dagger, Siti here will be able to destroy it.¡± The mage patted her shoulder, causing her to blush.


    ¡°Her?¡±


    ¡°I could try to melt the dagger, but the metal would still exist. We could throw it to the bottom of an ocean, but someone could fetch it. The most suitable person to handle this is a Blue Mage.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Void magic.¡± Siti explained. ¡°Blue Mages are spatial mages. It is true that we can open up Portals and have inventories, but our true ability rests in the capacity to connect to the void.¡±


    ¡°Void¡­¡±


    ¡°The void exists between worlds. If I sent this dagger to it, it¡¯d be instantly destroyed. There wouldn¡¯t be a single fragment remaining.¡±


    ¡°It is the best way.¡± The old man nodded in agreement.


    I had always seen the Blue Mages as crotchety old men who ran the Traveler¡¯s Guild. Who would have thought that they were hiding such an incredible power? Rather than being pack mules, they could do something so deadly. Did I have to cross the void to come to this world? I wondered if a Blue Mage might be able to cross the void once they reached a certain level. If that was true, could I perhaps learn the Blue Mage job and one day return home?


    Up until that moment, I had rarely considered the idea. It just seemed like something out of reach. Now, looking at Siti, I saw a way that might be able to bring me home. I realized I was staring at Siti, and she blushed once again. The mage frowned.


    ¡°Well, if you can get the dagger, there is no time to waste. If we can destroy it, then I will agree to come to your city and help you fend off the bandits.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡±

 Chapter 848

    When I left the tent, the mage and Siti joined me. I quickly found the girls. They still were holding up a Portal as the last few people escaped through, joining up with the forces in Deeksville. My eyes immediately found Terra. Terra wasn¡¯t a Master Earth Magician. She was something far more terrifying. She could manipulate the earth using her will. Honestly, I didn¡¯t understand it completely, but the difference between her ability and mages was that she didn¡¯t actually use mana.


    Celeste was a mana being. Her entire body was made out of mana and a soul. This wasn¡¯t to say she didn¡¯t have a body. She could receive physical damage, but any damage she received hit her mana reserves, and she could insta-heal most problems. On the other hand, running completely out of mana was deadly for her. She was extremely powerful, being able to cast unbelievable wind spells, but the more she cast, the weaker her constitution became. This was never much of an issue because she was so fast with her wind attribute, no one could hit her even if they wanted to.


    Terra, on the other hand, was a soul in a body. She had no mana to speak of. She used her body and soul and manipulated the elements without mana. How she was able to do this, I didn¡¯t know. Then again, I had no clue how mana worked either. It was just a force in this world. Terra probably had more in common with Miki as a Spiritualist that used soul power than Celeste and Shao, ¡­ who heavily relied on mana. Naturally, Lydia depended on her body the most.


    Part of the reason we all worked so well together wasn¡¯t just because our jobs complimented each other, but our very natures did as well. Lydia was body and mana, Terra was body and soul, Celeste was mana and soul, Miki was soul and body, and Shao was mana and body. It was a very powerful combination.


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    ¡°Terra, there is a small dagger buried under this city. Can you find it?¡± I asked blankly while making sure my jobs were all supportive roles.


    Terra looked at me and then smirked self-assuredly. ¡°With ease, Master!¡¯


    ¡°Ah!¡± Siti looked excited.


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± The mage crossed his arms, looking only minimally impressed.


    ¡°Can you find it quickly?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Actually, if Master needs it quickly, then I believe I can do this best with Celeste.¡± She waved, and the fairy flew over, growing to her large size.


    ¡°Are we going to show Master?¡± She asked excitedly.


    ¡°Huh? What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an ability the pair of us have been practicing for a while now.¡± Terra explained.


    Terra walked over to where a pike had previously been stuck in the ground. Celeste walked over to it as well. The pair of women both held it, and closed their eyes. After a minute or two, they lifted up the pike, and then slammed it on the ground. Since the ground was hard, it made a good thud.


    ¡°Are they wasting our time?¡± The mage asked, a look of distaste on his face.


    ¡°As a singer, Celeste has a sensitivity toward vibrations. She said she could almost see by using vibrations. I noticed that vibrations also travel through the ground. Together, we¡¯ve been working on a technique. We send vibrations through the ground, and then use them to detect things.¡± Terra explained. ¡°I can already use it to map out underground locations, but I can¡¯t see specifically what things are. I can see a dozen things underground, but if I use Celeste¡¯s sensitivity and¡­¡±


    ¡°The metal is ringing from over here.¡± Celeste turned small again and then floated over to a spot not too far away from us.


    ¡°This is the one?¡± Terra asked.¡±


    Celeste closed her eyes one more time. ¡°It¡¯s a dagger, made of metal. That¡¯s all I can say.¡±


    Terra lifted her hand and then slapped her palm on the ground. There was a small rumbling sound, and then a knife popped out of the ground, popping up into the air. She caught it in her hand and then turned to me, presenting it smugly.


    ¡°Is this what Master wanted?¡±


    Yup, my girls were a powerful combination.

 Chapter 849

    ¡°Be careful with that!¡± Siti cried out in terror.


    At this point, the last of the villagers had already left, and it was just me, the Grand Master, Siti, and the girls. Salicia was staring at the dagger while Terra was holding it out extremely casually. Siti reached out and plucked it from her fingers extremely cautiously. Terra looked at her with a confused look.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°This knife is poison to anyone from this world!¡± Siti explained.


    ¡°Is it the knife you¡¯re looking for?¡± I asked worriedly. ¡°Is this the one you were talking about.¡±


    Siti looked at the knife carefully and then nodded. ¡°This is it!¡±


    I looked at the knife in her hands. It was made out of a material that resembled obsidian glass. There was something strangely odd about it, and I noticed that it seemed to have some kind of aura around it. The light immediately around the blade just looked slightly darker than everywhere else. I supposed if there was some kind of dark soul-reaving blade, it would look like that.


    ¡°What is it, anyway?¡± Miki asked, the knife clearly making her uncomfortable.


    To a Spiritualist, a soul-reaving knife must have an inherent wrongness to it. As something that could kill the soul on contact, it was an extremely terrifying weapon.


    ¡°If this knife cuts someone, it will immediately begin to corrode their soul. After being infected by its essence, you will no longer be able to access mana or use magic. Typically, if the wound is left untreated, the curse will kill you within a day or two. If the wound is fatal or the curse kills you, there is no chance of resurrection, as the soul would already have rotted. Furthermore, those that are killed with this curse are highly likely to end up as curses themselves and become¡­ well¡­¡±


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    ¡°Dungeons.¡± I finished her words.


    I didn¡¯t know that the knife was so deadly. It had a lot of interesting abilities, and it also seemed to have some strange connection with dungeons. I just didn¡¯t know enough about it to know what it meant.


    ¡°Then, shouldn¡¯t we destroy the knife now?¡± Miki asked, still eyeing the blade nervously.


    ¡°Not here!¡± The Grand Master said. ¡°We¡¯ll take it somewhere safe first, and then destroy it there.¡±


    Siti nodded. ¡°It will take me some time to be able to perform the spell that will toss it into the void.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Fine. Once we¡¯re in Deeksville, I want it destroyed immediately.¡±


    I didn¡¯t mean it to sound like an order, but just looking at that knife gave me the creeps. I couldn¡¯t imagine what someone would do if they obtained the knife with nefarious purposes. I lifted my hands and immediately began to create a Portal. Once it was finished, I started ushering everyone through. There was no saying when the bandits might attack again, especially since the wall no longer had any soldiers on it.


    As if having that thought triggered their presence, I heard a trumpet call out, and then the sound of heavy footsteps racing toward the city. It looked like we were going to abandon Regency just in time. The girls started to jump through the Portal one at a time. As the Grand Master came up for his turn, he looked at me and shook his head with a frown.


    ¡°After all that looking, you were able to obtain it in seconds. I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± He sighed. ¡°Perhaps, if I hadn¡¯t been so snobbish and secretive in the beginning, we could have saved a lot of time and lives.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I smiled at him and then held out my hand. ¡°Let¡¯s keep working together in the future. For Aberis.¡±


    He looked down at my arm, and then reached out and grabbed it. ¡°For Abe- geh¡­¡±


    He suddenly jerked. His eyes looked extremely surprised. I stared at him in confusion as his eyes widened in shock and surprise. Then¡­ I saw a dark blackness creeping up his veins from within his body. His mouth opened, but no words came out. He fell back, and despite my best efforts to hold to his arm clasping mine, he collapsed to the ground, dead.

 Chapter 850

    At this point, all of the girls had gone through except for Salicia, Siti, myself, and the Grand Master. With the Grand Master dead, that left Siti. She had actually used the knife to kill her own Master? That was when a thought suddenly came to me. Maybe, she had been a traitor all along! How had I been so foolish? I had thought that if we moved quickly enough, that we¡¯d resolve this problem before it became an issue, and I ended up handing the knife to the exact person that I didn¡¯t want to.


    Siti seemed like she wanted to say something, but her mouth was opened and she didn¡¯t seem to be able to get any words out. Pulling my sword, I walked past Salicia, holding the sword up to Siti¡¯s neck. I was careful to keep my distance. Her hands were behind her back, and she seemed to be fumbling for what was presumably the knife. If she made a lunge at me, I couldn¡¯t even allow her to scratch me!


    ¡°How could you do this?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°H-h¡­ I-I¡­¡± She was stuttering, her expression changing strangely panicked.


    I started to feel like something was off. We had given the knife to her. That was undeniable, but she didn¡¯t look like someone who had deliberately murdered her own Master. Did she accidently kill him? Was she just walking with it out and then ran into him when he stopped? That sounded ridiculous the second I thought it.


    ¡°Where is the knife?¡± I decided to demand for that instead.


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    If I could get the knife into my Inventory, then, at least we¡¯d all be safe for the immediate future. However, the more I pressed her, the more terrified she seemed to get. She was backing away while her mouth flapped open. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she started to cast a spell. I lifted my sword to strike her, but she didn¡¯t stop. It seemed like she was willing to let me strike her as long as she finished the spell.


    ¡°Look out!¡± She cried.


    Those words were what stopped me from attacking. At just that moment, a massive force slammed into me from the side. I realized it was some kind of spatial attack. I went flying to the side, from the massive hit, slamming into a nearby building. It was enough force that I went right through it. This was a structure that had already been on fire and put out. Structurally, it wasn¡¯t very strong. My form being slammed through the brittle charred walls was enough that the entire place collapsed. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t have much of a ceiling, and other than a giant puff of smoke and ash in the air, I wasn¡¯t hurt too bad.


    I healed myself immediately, while berating myself for holding back. Just because she said something that confused me, I allowed her to hit me. I started crawling out of the wreckage, but just as I peered out at Siti, I was immediately frozen by the scene. Salicia was standing across from Siti, but it wasn¡¯t Siti holding the dagger, it was Salicia.


    ¡°Why did you kill Master?¡± Siti was crying, holding up her hands and backing away defensively.


    ¡°Hmm? Why?¡± Salicia asked, her voice strangely filled with malice. ¡°Perhaps, because it was fun!¡±


    ¡°Salicia¡­ how could you!¡±


    ¡°Salicia?¡± She seemed confused for a second. ¡°Ah! You must be talking about this body. Is that the name she was going under? Sorry, perhaps it¡¯s better if you just call me by my real name. My name is Calypso. I¡¯m the Bandit Hero.¡±

 Chapter 851

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a pretty little thing?¡± Salicia said, looking Siti up and down in a salacious manner. ¡°You know, I happen to favor women.¡±


    Siti blushed, backing up a bit more. ¡°Stay away.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you interested in playing with a Hero?¡± Salicia smirked, seemingly completely calm despite everything.


    ¡°H-how are you a Hero?¡± Siti cried out in disbelief.


    As the pair were talking, I was too stunned to move. I barely noticed that the walls of Regency had already been breached, and the so-called town was being ransacked. There wasn¡¯t much left behind to take, but that didn¡¯t stop the Bandits from going into any house that wasn¡¯t burned down and trashing the place, or setting even more fires to finish off the once largest city in the west. Thankfully, the ashen ruins of my own location held no interest, and covered in ash as I was, no one seemed to notice me.


    ¡°Well, to be fair, this body is just my puppet. Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be meeting the real me soon. As for why I¡¯m a Hero, I¡¯m going to be taking care of a problem for all of you.¡± Salicia, or she was calling herself Calypso now, spoke with an evil grin. ¡°My son, the Demon Lord Aberis, I will be the one to kill him.¡±


    What did she say? Demon Lord Aberis? Wasn¡¯t he killed by Elaya? How could he still be alive? She called him her son! I also couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the name Calypso. Calypso¡¯s tower was the monument to the death of the real Bandit Hero. He had been betrayed by a woman named Calypso. Was this the same woman? If that was the case, how old was she?


    No! What was I even suggesting? This was Salicia? This was Carmine¡¯s sister? What the heck was going on? I could still feel her bond.


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    It was then that I felt a sudden surge of pain in my back. I was already weak, but I suddenly felt even weaker. I felt like I was being drained. It was then that I realized what had happened. Salicia had attempted to attack me from behind. Siti had used a spell tossing me to the side. I had still managed to get grazed by the knife. That my only extremely weak soul was being further corroded by that knife. I might die for real any moment.


    I desperately started trying to use healing, only to find to my horror that my connection to mana had been cut off. I pulled out a vial of Waters of Life and drank it. As I did so, I watched as my energy continued to decline more and more. In a last-ditch effort, I switched my jobs over. I equipped Dark Priest, Dungeon Builder, and Demon Knight, sacrificing the job I normally would have gotten from True Hero. These were all miasma related jobs. For some reason, I thought that they might be able to protect me in the end.


    Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t able to remain conscious long enough to realize if it worked. I didn¡¯t know how long I was unconscious, or what happened with Siti, but I heard yelling that jolted me awake. The cut on my back felt like a dull ache. The yelling seemed hollow and distant.


    ¡°Where did he go? The one I cut?¡±


    Someone suddenly grabbed me and started pulling me from the wreckage. I felt so weak I couldn¡¯t resist a thing. I felt myself being dropped onto the ground.


    ¡°He seemed to have disappeared, however, we did find this girl.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. With that cut, he¡¯s already dead.¡± A beautiful woman looked down at me. ¡°She¡¯s pretty and to my liking. Conquering two beauties in a single battle, I must be lucky. Put her with the other one. They¡¯ll make good concubines for my harem.¡±


    ¡°Wh-who¡­¡± I barely managed to get the words out.


    The woman reached out and stroked my face. ¡°Little girl, you seemed to be hurt when that building burned down and you were left behind. Their loss, my gain. I am Calypso, your new Master. I will teach you¡­ so many things.¡±


    I felt her lips press against mine, and I passed out just as I felt a tongue entering my mouth.

 Chapter 852

    ¡°What happened to her?¡±


    ¡°A house fell on her. Don¡¯t give such a perverted look. Calypso has selected her. She¡¯s off limits.¡±


    The light blur began to fade to darkness as my eyes fell closed once again. Every time I tried to return back to consciousness, an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion and weakness would overtake me. I could feel myself being carried. I seemed to have been put on the back of a saddle. We rode somewhere. The entire time, I felt completely powerless and unable to move or say a thing. I felt a hand grab my head roughly.


    ¡°She¡¯s burning up! You think it might be contagious?¡± I heard a Bandit say.


    ¡°Maybe, we should just cut her throat and tell the boss she died.¡± Another offered.


    ¡°Watch your tongue! Do you want to become one of her next sacrifices?¡±


    Some more time passed, and I felt like I was lying on something soft. It was some kind of fur.


    ¡°Here, drink this.¡± I felt someone pushing a vial to my lips.


    ¡°You waste such a powerful healing potion on her?¡± A voice said disdainfully. ¡°Can¡¯t you just kill her and resurrect her?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, I should just kill you instead!¡±


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    ¡°You treat your ¡®harem¡¯ too well¡­¡±


    ¡°What can I say? Cute, vulnerable girls are my weakness¡­¡±


    It was night when my eyes finally snapped open, and for the first time I felt awake. My first instinct was to reach for my mana, but I immediately felt unable to grasp it. It was like my fingers were slick with oil, and when I tried to grab the mana to use it, a film kept me from touching it. Any attempt to grab it caused it to slip out of my reach. Mana was acting like it was repelled by me.


    I felt a hot towel being placed on my forehead. ¡°You¡¯re lucky to be alive. In fact, I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ve held out this long. She struck you with the knife. You were clearly infected with the curse. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice. You were covered in black ash and lacerations. Everyone just assumed you were a rare survivor of a house that burned down. The curse seemed to run its course now. At least, your veins no longer show miasmic curse.


    ¡°S-S-Siti?¡± I asked, trying to make out the blurry shape hovering over me.


    ¡°It¡¯s me. We¡¯re with the bandit camp now. We¡¯re in one of Calypso¡¯s tents. Apparently, she thinks herself quite the charmer. She picked us up as part of her harem. I didn¡¯t know you could shapeshift into a girl. You picked a good time to do it though. It saved your life.  As for what being in her harem means, I don¡¯t know. She¡¯s left me alone so far, probably because I¡¯m taking care of you.¡±


    ¡°S-Salicia?¡±


    There was a brief hesitation. ¡°I¡­ she suddenly turned into a different person. Calypso called her a puppet. After she arrived, Salicia just went slack and did whatever Calypso asked. She was like a zombie. That¡¯s all I know.¡±


    Siti had already said enough. The memory of Salicia turning on us was still fresh in my mind. As my head cleared, I could recall how Siti pushed me out of the way when Salicia struck. That small cut had nearly killed me. If she hadn¡¯t have knocked me out of the way, I would have been dead, killed by my slave!


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ but Deek¡­ she has the dagger now.¡±


    It seemed like my plans had blown up in my face, while Calypso received everything she was looking for.

 Chapter 853

    The next morning, I tried healing again, to find that my mana was still out of reach. With a sigh, I slowly sat up. Although my body was assuredly a woman¡¯s body at this point, the potion that kept me as a man long having exhausted its supply, I felt like an old man as I tried to get out of bed. Siti rushed to my side and helped me get into a sitting position. She then brought me a bowl of soup and allowed me to sip it.


    Ultimately, it was the same kind of tasteless gruel that I had grown used to from this world when I wasn¡¯t the cook, but it had vegetables in it, so it was heartier than what I expected for captives. I made a noise of surprise when I tasted a few chunks of meat as I sipped from the bowl that Siti was holding up.


    ¡°Mistress Calypso does treat us, harem girls, well. She likes us well-fed, well-groomed, and pretty. I¡¯ve had to shave down there for the first time in my life!¡± Siti complained.


    ¡°Mm!¡± I nearly choked on my bowl, and she pulled it away as I broke into a coughing fit.


    ¡°O-oh!¡± Her face went from confusion to embarrassment. ¡°Th-that¡¯s right, you-you¡¯re a m-m-man¡­ You are a man, right?¡±


    She looked at me hesitantly, but when I nodded enthusiastically, her blush returned and she looked away with a mortified expression. She had been speaking candidly with me because she had associated me as being one of the girls. I decided it was best to change the landing strip, I mean, the subject, as quickly as possible.


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    ¡°How long have I been out?¡± I asked the most innocuous question I could come up with.


    ¡°Not long. This is the third day since we¡¯ve been captured.


    ¡°Three days.¡± I breathed.


    After I was hit, the Portal had shut suddenly. All of my girls had left the city safely, but that had been three days ago. I felt for the bond, and immediately felt some comfort. They were still there with me. If I hadn¡¯t felt that bond securely in the back of my head, I might have gone crazy. Even my bond with Salicia remained, but I didn¡¯t know what that meant at this point.


    It was while feeling for that bond that I suddenly realized that Salicia was extremely close. She couldn¡¯t be more than a few meters away. My eyes immediately snapped in that direction. I immediately saw her. She was sitting in a chair, but her eyes were staring blankly in front of her. The usually crude and charismatic woman that I thought I knew was nowhere to be seen.


    Siti noticed my eyes land on Salicia, and she immediately reached out and grabbed my hand. ¡°She won¡¯t respond to anything you say. She¡¯s the Harem guard. If any girl tries to leave the tent, she stops them.¡±


    It was then that I noticed that we weren¡¯t alone. The tent was extremely large, with nice fur rugs and pillows laid out across the entire tent. It did have the feel of a harem room in the truest sense. There were at least five other beauties in the room with looks at least as good as Siti. As to why I was selected, I didn¡¯t know. My eyes quickly dismissed them and fell back on Salicia though. After all, she was the one who betrayed me. I was her Master, so how would she ignore me now?¡±

 Chapter 854

    ¡°Salicia!¡± I hissed at her, but she didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°I told you, she will only respond to Calypso. Unless you try to escape, hurt her, or yourself, she won¡¯t move a bit.¡±


    I rearranged my jobs and skills. It was at that moment that I noticed something fairly strange. In the past, it wasn¡¯t all that unusual for certain jobs to increase a level or two. Experience could be gained by both killing mobs and practicing the thing that gave you the job. For a Cartographer, I¡¯d gain levels when I drew maps a bunch. When I cooked, my Cook job was leveled. This happened all the time, but it happened faster when it was equipped, or at least I thought it did.


    On top of that, I also gained levels for the experience from my slaves. This was provided through my slave bond. I wasn¡¯t abundantly sure how much experience I gained from them, but it was enough to give me an edge. The point being, it wasn¡¯t uncommon for some of my jobs to increase levels when I wasn¡¯t paying attention. It had also been some time since I had last carefully looked at my jobs.


    This was why I was so surprised to find several of my jobs having increased numerous levels. I had also gained a few jobs I didn¡¯t even realize I had been training. When did I become an Apprentice Blacksmith? What the heck was a Mimic? Did I get this job because I was stabbed? It felt like I had a month of hard training in a dungeon without any memory of doing it. Of course, that was impossible. The last six days, I had been recovering, first from having my soul nearly destroyed, and then from having my soul infected with a curse.


    [Adventurer LVL 1] [Alchemist LVL 10] [Apprentice Blacksmith LVL 5], [Bandit LVL 10] [Basic Magician LVL 30] [Blue Mage LVL 2] [Cartographer LVL 15] [Cook LVL 20] [Dark Priest LVL 21] [Demon Knight LVL 25] [Dungeon Builder LVL 20] [ Dungeon Diver LVL 5] [Harem Master LVL 19] [Hero LVL 23] [Intermediate Magician LVL 13] [Linguist LVL 14] [Mimic LVL 23] [Merchant LVL 17] [Monster Tamer LVL 49] [Pervert LVL 17] [Slave Master LVL 50]  [True Dungeon Diver LVL 63] [True Hero LVL 55] [White Mage LVL 50]


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    ***Let me know if I missed one. I probably missed one.


    Looking through my new jobs, I had to wonder if I was involved in some Demon Lord fight that I wasn¡¯t aware of. This kind of growth was just excessive. However, since each subsequent level had higher status bonuses, I wasn¡¯t necessarily as powerful as all of that. With my highest jobs at 63, 55, and two 50s, I could probably fight at a level of a normal level 75. However, I also had to consider that where my levels came from various cheats, a Swordsman or Knight who reached level 75 got there from a mass of experience, so even in a fight with someone like that, I wasn¡¯t assured of victory.


    As for all of those lower levels, fighting on the deeper levels of a dungeon, it would actually only take a day or two to level any given job to 20 or higher. It wasn¡¯t necessarily as impressive as it looked. After a job reached 50, it started to slow down significantly. Usually, you accessed the next tier of job when you hit level 50, but since I didn¡¯t unlock White Mage Master, it was clear I was still missing something before the system would grant me that job. Then again, I got Blue Mage for some reason? Well, I did make a lot of Portals, I suppose it was only a matter of time.


    I eventually decided to remove Dungeon Builder. I was too afraid to remove Dark priest or Demon Knight, but I did bring back True Hero, and then used my fourth job to equip Slave Master once again. Once I had Slave Master active, I sent a message to my girls letting them know I was alright. I was relieved that this didn¡¯t seem to use mana, and sat more in the will category. I also sent a message to Salicia. I didn¡¯t get a response from anyone. I was certain I sent the message, but I didn¡¯t get an answer at all.


    Before I could dwell on it any longer, the tent opened, and Calypso walked in. She was just the woman I didn¡¯t want to see at that moment.

 Chapter 855

    When Calypso entered the tent, all conversation immediately died. All of the girls of her harem became silent and turned toward the woman herself. She looked from woman to woman as if evaluating them. When her eyes fell on a girl, she stopped breathing and didn¡¯t start again until her eyes passed. It had the feel like Calypso was looking into their souls. When her eyes finally landed on me, she broke into a wide smile that reminded me of a cat who had caught a bird.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake. You left me feeling very worried.¡± She spoke in a voice that sounded oddly sincere.


    ¡°You¡­ saved me?¡± I asked, trying to get a feel for this strange woman.


    Calypso was a beautiful woman with dark midnight hair and a fair complexion. Her skin was milky and smooth, making her appear much younger than she was. Actually, I didn¡¯t know how young she was, but it should at least be thirty years based on the towers size. Then again, that curse could have been implanted at any point, and there was no saying when the events of the tower occurred. They were at least long enough that the original Bandit Hero was forgotten one, and she was able to take on the name of the modern Bandit Hero.


    Her eyes were just as dark as her hair, and she had thin eyebrows and small beauty mark just under her eyes. Those eyes contained an unfathomable depth and wisdom to them that was likely what unnerved the other girls. Her lips were a deep red, which darkly contrasted the rest of her body.  Furthermore, she had a shapely body, with decent-sized breasts and wide hips. She wasn¡¯t shapely in a muscular way like Lydia, but in a succulent way as if her body was crafted to tempt men.


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    ¡°I did, my little crumpet. You will have to repay me.¡± She smirked as if my words amused her.


    ¡°You¡­ burned down Regency!¡± I cried out, surprised that she was speaking so unreasonably.


    She raised her nails, long and painted black to her chin and ran a nail down her cheek while her grin deepened. ¡°So? I could have left you to burn. Instead, I took you, gave you medicine, fed, clothed, and boarded you. You will have to work for me.¡±


    ¡°Work?¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°Like her?¡±


    I nodded to Salicia, who had still not moved even after I attempted to contact her several times. She continued to sit in the chair, staring straight ahead like she was a zombie. To that point, I hadn¡¯t gotten a single reaction out of her.


    ¡°Her? Oh, no¡­ nothing like her.¡± Calypso laughed. ¡°She¡¯s just a puppet. I prefer my women be¡­ a bit more interesting. As for work, every girl is assigned a duty. Siti here has been taking care of you, but since you¡¯ve recovered, you¡¯ll both need new jobs. Some girls clean my tent, others brush my hair, hmmm¡­ is there anything you can do, Deedee?¡±


    ¡°Deedee?¡±


    ¡°I told your name. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Siti spoke up, giving me a significant look.


    I nodded. ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡±


    Calling me Deek in this situation wouldn¡¯t do at all. Still, she could have come up with something a little more unique than Deedee. She looked slightly guilty about it, but I remained focused on Calypso.


    ¡°You see¡­ as long as you take care of my needs.¡± She smirked provocatively. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of yours.¡±


    ¡°What about her?¡± I asked, once again nodding at Salicia. ¡°What do you mean, a puppet?¡±


    ¡°I mean what I said, she¡¯s nothing but air.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a person, and her name is Salicia!¡± I responded coldly, and then immediately bit my tongue.


    I had said that impulsively. Calypso¡¯s eyes darkened, and I regretted saying too much.

 Chapter 856

    After looking at me with narrowed eyes, I gulped down my saliva. Siti was holding my arm, and her hands tightened as well. Since she had vouched for me, if it was revealed who I truly was, she would go down with me. In a way, our lives were now tied together, and so my impulsive nature would end up reflecting on her as well. After a brief moment of darkness, Calypso¡¯s smile returned.


    ¡°You¡¯re feisty. I like that. If I wanted a woman who didn¡¯t challenge me, I¡¯d use some miasmic creature like her.¡± She chuckled.


    ¡°Miasmic¡­ are you saying a dungeon creature? How can she be a dungeon creature? She was a Bandit King, and she has a sister!¡±


    Once again, I spoke impulsively, but at the moment, my only concern was finding out what happened to Salicia. I realized I was rather poor at being deceitful. Perhaps, the actor part of me had been the part that was lost in Alerith.


    ¡°Oh?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°So, you know her history? I suppose since she ended up enslaved to that noble I killed, you had chances to talk to her when she visited town?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°She-she was kind to me.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that.¡±


    I knew the lie sounded fake, but thankfully, Calypso thought I was lying about her being nice, not lying about how we met.


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    ¡°Please, I need to know what happened to her.¡± I found myself begging impatiently.


    I remembered a time when I could take time and be more tactful, but that part of me had died when I lost a piece of my soul. The current me just didn¡¯t have the patience or tact to slowly probe her for information. I needed to know what happened.


    ¡°Very well.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Since you are new, I¡¯ll allow you to be willful just once. I do like to spoil my girls. Salicia was a young warrior. A long time ago, I ransacked her village and killed her family. She trained and became a bandit with the intent to increase her rank and one day kill me. Of course, I knew her plan all along, which is why I killed her instead.¡±


    ¡°K-killed? But she¡¯s right¡­¡± I looked at the puppet that stared ahead with no emotion.


    ¡°There are only a handful of ways to kill someone permanently without the risk of resurrection. The easiest way, and the way she attempted, was to lure me into a dungeon and ambush me. I killed her instead, and left her for the dungeon to eat.¡±


    ¡°It was a few years later when I returned to the dungeon that I was in for a surprise. You see, most people who die in dungeons, their souls are trapped forever in the dungeon, where they are eaten and converted into miasma to feed the dungeon curse. However, particularly resilient souls sometimes persevere. Rather than get eaten, the miasma corrupts their souls. These corrupted souls are called Karma.¡±


    ¡°Karma?¡±


    I had only heard of the word very recently, but looking at my own skills, and the recently appearing Mimic job. Trying to understand what she said, I came to a sudden realization and gasped.


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She nodded. ¡°Salicia soul remained in the dungeon. Three years after I left her corpse there, she came back¡­ as a dungeon boss!¡±

 Chapter 857

    ¡°You see, when a curse is made, anyone who might be associated with that curse, whether alive or dead, has a chance of being copied.¡± Calypso explained, her eyes flashing excitedly as she grew increasingly invested in her explanation. ¡°These copies are sometimes created from the person¡¯s true soul that is left trapped in the dungeon, and sometimes it is created by soul fragments, memories, and mana imprints. They aren¡¯t the original person, but a miasmic copy! Who knows? Maybe there is a miasmic copy of you or me in some dungeon out there.¡±


    I did have some understanding of what she was explaining. After all, I had faced my own copy in the Widow¡¯s Labyrinth, although that was a doppelganger. Lord Karr from Karr¡¯s dungeon was an example of a miasmic copy created by a normal soul. It stood to reason that what I had been noticing previously, that the ¡°first¡± time a boss is destroyed is their original form where each subsequent time was a copy, wasn¡¯t entirely right.


    What I was actually noticing were bosses created from corrupted souls. Once the creature was killed, the soul was released back into the dungeon again, where it would face further corrosion. Just like how every time a person is resurrected, their soul would get damaged, every time a boss was destroyed, the corrupted karmic soul would be whittled away too.


    Then, there were cases like the giant who was a poor copy of Xin based not on her soul, but on memories and imprints of her. The dungeon would have slowly refined her, perhaps extracting more memories of her as time passed, but she would always be a poor imitation. Meanwhile, Salicia was actually a perfect miasmic copy of a woman who had died before I ever came to this world. I didn¡¯t feel bad, because the Salicia who died I had never met, but I was shocked.


    ¡°So, you tamed Salicia with Monster Tamer?¡± I asked.


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    This was what made the most logical sense to me. I had taken several bosses from dungeons and had them serve me. However, as soon as I said it, I started to think that wasn¡¯t quite right. Salicia didn¡¯t act like the other monster¡¯s I had tamed. She didn¡¯t seem to have any free will at all. Calypso leaned forward like she was going to tell me, but then stopped and stepped back, a smile forming on her face.


    ¡°Monster taming is certainly a way. However, while I like free will among my women, I don¡¯t like it among my servants. As for how, you should already know the answer.¡±


    For a second, I thought that she had realized something about me. The worried look on my face only made her chuckle, though.


    ¡°Deedee, do you honestly not know why I saved your life?¡±


    ¡°B-because you wanted me in your harem?¡± I answered.


    ¡°You¡¯re a cute girl, but I encounter many cute girls. The reason some become mine, while others are thrown to my men, is because of what they can do for me. Take Siti¡­ for example.¡± Siti jerked as she gestured to the woman and continued. ¡°She has the rather rare job, Blue Mage. With her Portals, I¡¯ll be able to leave the Western edge of Aberis and my bandits will be able to attack anywhere! Every girl here offers me something that will help me gain power. Do you know what you offer?¡±


    ¡°M-me?¡±


    ¡°I can smell the miasma on you.¡± She chuckled.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not a dungeon monster!¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No, you¡¯re not, however, you are a Dark Priest!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t expect her to be able to see that. I had been worried that she might have detected the cut, or my ability to produce mana, but not the job I had set. I was suddenly really glad I had left it selected.


    Calypso reached out and grabbed my hands, pulling me toward her. ¡°Do you know what I see when I look at you? I see a young version of myself. You have the gift to control miasma, just as I do. Together, we can accomplish miracles. I want to teach you everything I know.¡±


    ¡°Wh-why would you do that?¡±


    ¡°In time, I will defeat him, and conquer the five kingdoms, creating the empire he never could. I will become the eternal Bandit King. You¡­ you will become my Bandit Queen!¡±

 Chapter 858

    ¡°The reason I have been forthcoming with you and allow you to be so willful in questioning me is exactly because of my plans for you,¡± Calypso explained. ¡°However, do not become too willful, or you will pay.¡±


    She finished her explanation with just the hint of a threat. I might have shown fear, but my mouth was opened and I was just too shocked by everything else she had said. The Salicia that I knew was a copy made in a dungeon? Calypso had used some ability, presumably from a Dark Priest, that allowed her to control the other woman? Was it the supposed Karmic Control that I saw in my mysteriously appearing Mimic job? Did I receive such a job right now because I encountered Calypso? Why was that job so high leveled without me earning it? The more questions I asked, the more questions I had.


    ¡°How did Salicia end up as a Bandit King?¡± I asked hesitantly, trying to act more cowed while still unable to let it go.


    ¡°Were you one of the refugees from a city she ransacked? Yes, I was in hiding at the time, and it was convenient to use a few proxies to do my bidding. I was seeking weapons that would help me in my battle against the Demon Lord. Cities with stories of old weapons, and of course, ancient dungeons. At some point, she managed to unearth a massive clockwork dragon for me. I never would have imagined she¡¯d turn around and destroy it and then get captured. I had given her too much karmic freedom and she started to believe she was a real person. Ended up as some noble¡¯s slave. I won¡¯t be making that mistake again.¡±


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    I perked up at those words. There was a personality under there. She was suppressing it using her karmic control, but the Salicia that I knew still existed. She just had to.


    ¡°She¡¯s still a slave then?¡±


    ¡°Slavers are only a little better than Monster Tamers. I don¡¯t personally like to use them.¡± Calypso spoke distastefully. ¡°You need to have a free will for it to be suppressed by a Slaver. I prefer to¡­ cut out the middle man, and control their will entirely these days. However, enough questions! I came today to find how you will serve me.¡±


    The main take away I got was that Calypso had been manipulating things since the moment I met Salicia. She had set Salicia up as a Bandit King so that she could help her search for weapons. Salicia had come across the so-called guardian of Terra¡¯s Dungeon, but her memories of her sister had caused her to turn and destroy it before Calypso could stop her.


    She had also likely put an extreme mistrust of the church in Salicia¡¯s mind. After all, if the church checked her too closely, they might realize that she wasn¡¯t human. It couldn¡¯t be easy to tell the difference. Even I wasn¡¯t able to tell and I had her as a slave. I had even resurrected her from death once. I might not have thought this impossible, but I was able to resurrect Karr¡¯s miasmic soul after defeating him, so it probably was like that.


    ¡°Cleaning the latrines? No¡­ too aggressive for my girls? A masseuse? I don¡¯t have the time to receive massages.¡± Calypso was tapping her fingernails together as she thought about what job I should have.


    ¡°How about¡­ a cook?¡± I suggested, my eyes flashing.

 Chapter 859

    As it were, my Inventory was filled with cooking ingredients, but if I pulled them out, I¡¯d be revealing to her that I had an Inventory. Thus, I had to make do with whatever the bandit camp had lying around, and in a world that seemed to be somewhat behind in their cooking science, that wasn¡¯t much. Still, I got a fire going and put a large army pot over it and started going to work. It wasn¡¯t the first time I had cooked for a large group of people. With a mansion full of slaves and guests, I regularly cooked for ten or more, and then there were the nights we had festivities.


    Stews and soups were usually the easiest things to cook in this world, so I focused on making a fish stew. I felt like it¡¯d require the least amount of spices to get the taste right. My Cook job had gained many levels now, and I could do all kinds of things that I couldn¡¯t do before. One particular skill that dropped at level 20 had truly caught my eye. It was called Cooking Buff. If I guessed right, it meant that the food I cooked would start to cause buff effects to stats. This seemed like an excellent time to experiment.


    I hummed happily as I cooked. I had always enjoyed cooking, but I was finding it exceptionally enjoyable now. Perhaps, it was because I was surrounded by a new group of people who could benefit from my cooking. Perhaps, the higher level a job was, the more you appreciated doing the job. Either way, I worked out in front of the tent. We were in the middle of a large clearing surrounded by the bandit camp. All in all, we looked to be about dead center.


    Of course, while I worked, I wasn¡¯t just enjoying the cooking. I was also checking out the situation, and looking at what it would take to escape. Once my mana returned, I had a feeling it would only take the flick of my wrist to open a Portal or use the Return skill. However, I had no clue how long it would take for the damage to wear off. I was still very weak now, which was all the better reason that I cooked well and created food that helped buff my weakened state.


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    One strange thing I noticed about the camp is that it seemed to have no protective barriers. I didn¡¯t see a watch, and there were no guard posts, fences, or anything else to keep the bandits protected. They were truly just setting up wherever they felt like it. I had to wonder if this was because of their unusual means of resurrection. I recalled that when bandits died, they could be resurrected in moments. This had to be some kind of Dark Priest skill that I didn¡¯t know about yet.


    As I continued to cook and hum while occasionally giving looks out to the rest of the camp, the smells drifted from the pot and attracted more men. Only those that were high officials in the camp dared to approach. After all, Calypso was sitting and watching me cook. However, even she looked like she was extremely hungry as the food finished. When I was done, I made a bowl and offered it to Calypso for the first taste.


    Calypso had Salicia try it first to make sure it wasn¡¯t poisoned. Since I cooked it, and I knew I hadn¡¯t tried to poison it, I didn¡¯t mind. However, I noted for the future that I absolutely couldn¡¯t poison her food, as she was sensitive to this kind of thing.


    ¡°Mm!¡± For the first time since I had woken up, Salicia had made a noise.


    As soon as she had taken a bite, her eyes widened and she let out a moan of pleasure. Calypso turned to look at her, but Salicia expression had already returned to the expressionless look. Salicia turned back to me and looked me up and down appraisingly.


    ¡°You must have the Cook job. To have the Dark Priest Job and the Cook Job, you are a dualist!¡± Calypso accused.

 Chapter 860

    ¡°A dualist?¡± I had never heard the term before.


    ¡°Those who can possess more than one job at a time are called dualists.¡± Calypso explained. ¡°There are only a handful that are born that way. Most have to become that way through hard work.¡±


    ¡°B-become? How?¡±


    ¡±Mm! It is good!¡± Calypso took a sip of the soup I made. ¡°You do have some skill in cooking. I will appoint you as my chef then.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, my lady.¡± I wanted to push my question, but I politely addressed her instead.


    If I got too excited asking questions, I might genuinely invite her wrath. I watched patiently as she took several more bites. Finally, she waved her hands.


    ¡°The rest of you may eat.¡± The men whose mouths had been watering while watching the steaming pot ran forward, and one man took it upon himself to start scooping out spoonfuls into the waiting bowls. ¡°To answer your question, when a person reaches level 99 in any one job, they unlock the skill ¡®Extra Job¡¯. I also understand that some jobs have 2nd or 3rd jobs as part of their skill set, but Extra Job, unlike most skills, is stackable. Presumably, if you lived long enough and killed long enough, you could equip dozens of jobs. Most people only obtain one other job in their lifetime. Not in Aberis, mind you, only a handful of people have become dualists in Aberis, but in the north, it is far more common.¡±


    She spoke casually as she ate, treating this all like general information, but it was the first time I had heard a lot of this. Even the books I had found didn¡¯t mention things like that. Of course, I wondered what she¡¯d think if I told her I could equip up to five jobs if I really wanted to. However, that was using the dungeon points to bypass the real system. What kind of concept was a person with a 100-level job? Wait! Did that mean that Calypso¡­


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    ¡°Um¡­ My lady, how many jobs can you have at once ¡­ if I may ask.¡±


    Calypso chuckled. ¡°I have managed to acquire three at a time. In a few years, it may be four.¡±


    I gulped. I had to assume that she didn¡¯t have a job like True Hero. That meant that she had at least two level 100 jobs, and a third one that would reach level 100 soon. Just how old was she to have so many jobs? My concept of strength in this world had once again been flipped on its head. I had always thought that the Demon King in the north was just a level 100 monster. Now, I had to expect that he likely had several level 100 jobs, each one filling him with different skills. The world was bigger than I ever imagined.


    After we finished eating, Calypso left to do her Bandit King thing. She told me that I wasn¡¯t ready for that stuff. She said she¡¯d take me into a dungeon for training when the time was right. For now, I was just responsible for cooking three meals a day and having it ready whether she arrived or not. Once she was gone, I collapsed in the harem tent with a sigh.


    ¡°The way you talked to her, it almost felt like equals.¡± Siti said nervously. ¡°I was shocked she didn¡¯t take your head!¡±


    I thought I had been very civil! Well, at least she seemed to like my spirit, so I was safe for now. Instead, I decided to focus on escaping. The main thing I did was try to send a message outside to my girls. I could still feel the bond, but it felt distant and muted. I could feel that my messages were being sent, but they didn¡¯t seem to be getting them. This wasn¡¯t the result of my mana not working. Rather, this was more akin to when the girls were too far away to receive the message.


    That was impossible, of course. My bond had a very good distance, and that distance only increased as my levels did. The only time my ability to contact them might be cut off is if I was receiving some kind of interference. The only time that would happen that I knew of was when¡­


    I bolted upright, causing Siti to nearly jump.


    ¡°What? What is it?¡± ¡°We¡­. We¡¯re in a dungeon!¡±

 Chapter 861

    Two days had passed since I had last spoken with Calypso. In that intervening time, I had a chance to look at the camp a bit more. I wasn¡¯t able to go far. Our guard, Salicia, didn¡¯t allow us, and I wasn¡¯t ready to make a break for it until my mana had returned. She still didn¡¯t act like she knew me at all. That was probably for the best. If she had retained memories and her old personality, she could have told Calypso everything about me. Thankfully, Calypso never even thought of asking her such a question, and I liked to think that Salicia was somewhere in there and deliberately keeping this from her. At least, it made me feel closer to the woman that I had lost.


    I had tried to talk to some of the Bandits a few times, but they seemed disinterested in talking to me. I was Calypso¡¯s woman, and that was as far as it went. This honestly surprised me a bit. Bandits were Bandits, after all. They were cheaters, liars, and murderers. How could they possibly respect Calypso¡¯s orders? At first, I had thought that Salicia was our guard because she didn¡¯t trust the Bandits, but now I was thinking there was more to it.


    Meanwhile, I continued to dwell on the idea that had been sparked in my head. I was certain we were in a dungeon. That was why I wasn¡¯t able to get a clear location on my girls, let alone send them a message. Unless they were in this dungeon with me, I couldn¡¯t contact them. Even though I had a blessing that allowed me to make Portals out of a dungeon, it didn¡¯t work for other skills. As for making a Portal, that was impossible with my mana blocked. I still couldn¡¯t use mana. I tried every day and was seemingly unable to cast a single spell.


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    ¡°From what I remember the Grand Master telling me regarding the knife, it corrupts mana and damages the soul. Your mana was turned into miasma forcefully. As long as it is corrupt, you will be unable to use any spells. It will need to be cleansed first.¡± Siti explained. ¡°Did you need me to reinforce your cosmetic spells?¡±


    My tattoos were something that Siti had helped me hide using illusion magic. Void and space magic had a close relationship with illusions. When it came to a spell that just hid marks on my skin, I guess it was a common enough spell for some women to get that Calypso wouldn¡¯t care or notice.


    ¡°How do you cleanse mana?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Only a Priest can do it.¡±


    So, it was like that. I thought I could do it with White Mage¡¯s Purification, but that involved me being able to use mana, which was something I couldn¡¯t do! That¡¯s when a thought occurred to me.


    ¡°Would I be able to use miasma spells?¡±


    ¡°Huh? I mean, you would have to have some demonic or dark ability that gave you skills that used miasma, but you would have access to them.¡± ¡°As she said,¡± The curtain opened and Calypso walked in, causing us both to freeze in surprise. ¡°Come with me, Deedee, it¡¯s time that I showed you some things.¡±

 Chapter 862

    When Calypso walked in on us and overheard the last part of our conversation, I carefully tried to remember everything we had spoken out loud to make sure she didn¡¯t hear anything we didn¡¯t want her to hear. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t seem upset or angry. She had the same half-smirk on her face that she usually did, seemingly enjoying the pair of us chatting. Some of the other girls said she liked us to interact and grow friendly with each other, as she would bed several of us at once when she was in the mood.


    Although she said this, Calypso had only taken one girl to her bed a night. Supposedly, the girls were on a rotation, much like I had done with my girls. I didn¡¯t feel comfortable knowing that we had such a thing in common. I wasn¡¯t on the list yet, but Siti was. In three days, Siti would be Calypso¡¯s night attendant, which typically meant that she would expect some service.


    At first, I had worried about Siti, but Siti only laughed it off. ¡°Did you think the Grand Master only kept me around because I was a Blue Mage? Naturally, I warmed his bed many nights. In reality, being his apprentice and being in Siti¡¯s harem, there isn¡¯t much of a difference to me. Here, I can at least share in it, and Calypso¡¯s a bit prettier than that old man, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Siti had been afraid at first, but after a few days when she finally understood her responsibilities as well as why Calypso found her compelling, she had relaxed considerably. It turned out she wasn¡¯t an innocent virgin and was familiar with using her body to get what she wanted. I had learned that she used to work for the Traveler¡¯s Guild like most Blue Mages, but that her superior had demanded unreasonable favors from her for her to keep her position and advance. That was why she eventually left with the Grand Mage.


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    Thus, Siti only waved goodbye as I followed Calypso outside the tent, and it was no longer clear if she even truly wanted to escape. When I had asked her directly, she said that it depended on how good the sex was. Since Calypso was a much older woman than probably even the Grand Master, she likely had a lot of experience to fall back on. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I planned to be her bed partner any time soon. I¡¯d escape as soon as I could.


    As I was thinking this, we had walked to the edge of the camp. The forest surrounding it was thick and didn¡¯t give you a view through. I had never seen a dungeon with an open sky and a night and day cycle before, but the more I was in this place, the more I grew convinced it was a dungeon.


    ¡°What do you think of this camp?¡± She asked harmlessly.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a dungeon?¡± I asked, once again not able to still my tongue.


    Her eyebrows rose, and then she smirked. ¡°I knew you were the right one. I felt it as soon as you entered. Your presence causes my heart to beat rapidly. You have the potential!


    ¡°Potential for what?¡± I asked helplessly.


    ¡°You can become¡­ a Dungeon Master, like me!¡±

 Chapter 863

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re a Dungeon Master.¡± I froze, staring at her in shock.


    ¡°You seem to know what that is. I¡¯m very interested in your upbringing. A Dark Priest Cook with the potential of a Dungeon Master.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have the Dungeon Master job. I had the Dungeon Builder job, which was probably considered a second-tier job, if I had to give it a rating.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ was trapped in a dungeon. I did what I had to.¡± I said in a shaky voice.


    I wasn¡¯t able to lie much, but what I said wasn¡¯t a lie. I found it much easier to tell the truth, although even then, when I was intentionally deceptive, I still struggled a bit. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t notice or didn¡¯t care and only responded with a light nod.


    ¡°You won¡¯t have to struggle anymore. I will teach you everything I know.¡±


    ¡°This¡­ dungeon¡­ you created it?¡± I asked nervously.


    She shook her head. ¡°No, I conquered it. Within this place, I am supreme. I¡¯m aware of everything, everywhere. I can travel anywhere in an instant. Welcome to¡­ Bandit¡¯s Respite!¡±


    She announced it like it was the name of the dungeon. When I had been carried in, I was unconscious, so I naturally couldn¡¯t see the typical words offering me to destroy the dungeon. That was one of the reasons I hadn¡¯t been certain. The other was that this first floor contained almost no miasma on it. It was no wonder none of the Bandits would betray her. If she had a full awareness, they wouldn¡¯t be able to get away with anything.


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    However, if I was a Bandit like that, I¡¯d probably run away. A leader that oppressive and all-knowing would be dangerous, especially since she kept sending them out to die. They could seemingly pop up anywhere, and would resurrect almost instantly. As those thoughts came to my mind, I gasped, covering my mouth. I was beginning to realize the implications of what she was saying. Her smile grew wider, but looked darker and more sadistic.


    ¡°Say it, what are you thinking, my little crumpet.¡±


    I lowered my hand, trying to remain collected. ¡°Those Bandits¡­ I thought you just had a quick way of resurrecting them, but that¡¯s not it. They¡¯re dungeon monsters. They might have been Bandits once, but you captured their souls in this dungeon, and turned them into a miasmic army!¡±


    ¡°Keep going¡­¡± She smiled, seeming to enjoy the look on my face as I figured things out.


    ¡°Going¡­ the¡­ the dungeon¡­ where is it?¡± I asked suspiciously.


    ¡°Where indeed.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I can tell you, that it spreads across the west of Aberis.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ the dungeon has multiple exits all over the west. You¡¯re able to send and release Bandits all over the countryside¡­ that¡¯s how you¡¯ve been able to be so persistent! You¡¯re everywhere all the time!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± She chuckled. ¡°I wanted you to understand the power I hold. With a snap of my fingers, I can send Bandits and beasts anywhere I want.¡±


    ¡°There is just one flaw.¡± I responded, causing her smile to flicker. ¡°You¡¯re trapped here. Your Bandits can¡¯t leave the area around the dungeon!¡±


    ¡°That might have been the case once.¡± She responded tightly, ¡°But¡­ now that I have a Blue Mage, she can create Portals to send us all over. That¡¯s why I said what I said. I may be a Dungeon Master today, but in time, I will do just like the demons did. My dungeon will grow and create a new land, the Bandit Land. I will spread my will all over the five countries, and I will become their god!¡±

 Chapter 864

    ¡°Here we are.¡±


    After explaining many things that forced me to think and rethink my understanding of the world, Calypso stopped in front of a cave.


    ¡°Where is here?¡± I asked, trying to make use of the Mimic job to appear as an innocent girl.


    I couldn¡¯t lie very well, but that didn¡¯t stop certain skills from kicking in that helped me better disguise myself. At least, I was hoping this was working. How much could Calypso truly see? Had I said anything since I had been in the dungeon to tip her off? Did she know more than she was letting on and just screwing with me? It left me worried.


    ¡°This is the exit to the second floor.¡± Calypso explained, ¡°While I keep the miasma off of this floor, for the most part, I don¡¯t do that for the other floors. They are my training grounds for new troops.¡±


    ¡°New?¡± I blinked.


    ¡°Of course. My dungeon needs food. Any prisoner, captive, or hostage is sent down into my dungeon. They are given the opportunity to survive. That hope is enough to drive some of them. Of course, they all ultimately die and become just more mana to grow it.¡±


    ¡°How does that give you troops? Are the bandits based on how much miasma the dungeon has?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and also no.¡± Calypso chuckled at my confused expression. ¡°Dungeons are complicated existences, and the relationship between a dungeon and its Master has limitations. If I could trade a hundred lives and just make a powerful dragon to sweep across Aberis, I would. Unfortunately, dungeons don¡¯t work that way. Normal dungeons grow based on their curse. The lore ultimately forms the dungeon. The dungeon creates the Master, and the Master and the dungeon are united as one.


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    ¡°In some unique situations, such as when a master conquers a dungeon, they are slightly at odds with the dungeon and its ultimate goal. I can influence the growth of the dungeon, but I am bound by its rules. Once a plant has already grown, you might be able to cut its branches and shape its growth, but you¡¯ll never be able to change what it is.¡±


    ¡°What about if you build a dungeon from scratch?¡± I asked.


    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°Not possible. A dungeon occurs spontaneously. Creating a dungeon¡­ I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing. Presumably, if you could build a dungeon from scratch, then the way you develop it can seemingly be endless.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    The more she talked, the more she gave me to think about. I had never met someone as knowledgeable about dungeons as her. It was perhaps for this reason that I hadn¡¯t made a major attempt to leave. Despite all that, she didn¡¯t seem to know everything. I had built my dungeon from scratch, and I had the job Dungeon Builder. Meanwhile, she had the job Dungeon Master. I hadn¡¯t confirmed this, but she had spoken about Dungeon Master in ways that made me think it was more than a title.


    At first, I thought Dungeon Master was the top level of Dungeon craft. First, you became a Dungeon Diver, knowledgeable, and capable of surviving dungeons. Then you become a True DungeonDiver, understanding a piece of their fundamental nature. After that, you become able to make dungeons and finally become a Master.


    Except, it seemed like she was a Master who could control dungeons, but she couldn¡¯t create them. Didn¡¯t that mean that between the two jobs, Dungeon Builder was the higher tier? Like with many of my other jobs gained from completing curse lores, it seemed like I had jumped a step once again.

 Chapter 865

    ¡°Either way, where was I? Oh, yes! I have limitations on the Bandits I can create. Although I can recapture their miasma and resurrect them quickly, I still lose a bit of miasma. However, that isn¡¯t my biggest limitation. My biggest limitation is the size of this dungeon. Ultimately, the Bandits I create are only so powerful. Although they possess complete karmic souls, and are thus more powerful than normal dungeon mobs, and in fact aren¡¯t even aware they¡¯re dungeon creatures.


    ¡°So¡­ what are you trying to do?¡±


    Since she seemed willing to tell me all of her plans, I would naturally keep asking. I had never imagined things would end up like this. I remembered a time when I thought the Bandit Hero was just some simple enemy on the service. It turned out that she had been affecting my life since a long time ago. From the moment I met Salicia, Calypso¡¯s influence could be felt.


    ¡°Unfortunately, you can¡¯t just send dungeon monsters down a dungeon and expect them to level. Miasmic creatures can only level by absorbing miasma. I could shove a few Bandits in a room with thick miasma and wait a few years, but I¡¯m not so patient. However, do you know who can level?¡±


    ¡°Normal people?¡± My eyes widened slightly.


    ¡°Exactly. Any new Bandits in the group, I send them down into my dungeon and let them gain levels. In the short term, I can only create Bandits up to the level of the souls trapped inside. So, I let a couple of skilled bandits get up in level, and then wipe them out before they become a threat. That way, I¡¯ll be able to summon stronger and more powerful Bandits.¡±


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    I nodded, but then looked at her suspiciously. ¡°Why are you telling me all of this?¡±


    ¡°Come, I¡¯ll show you.¡± She gestured, and we started to walk away from the cave before she decided to continue talking. ¡°As it turns out, you¡¯re also deficient in levels. I don¡¯t intend to let you die and have your soul wasted as a dungeon monster, but I do need you to be more powerful.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re asking me to fight my way down a dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Relax¡­ I have control of everything. This is my dungeon, after all. Every danger you face will be one I allow you to face. Besides, I will send you with a strong group of Bandits. I¡¯ve just recruited them. They might be my strongest team yet. They will be able to keep you safe and level you. Of course, when they reach the boss level, I¡¯ll be forced to kill them, but you will be spared.¡±


    ¡°A group of Bandits¡­ and they won¡¯t be controlled by you?¡±


    I was just clarifying, but Calypso seemed to take it as having some kind of deeper meaning. She burst out laughing.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. You¡¯re thinking that as a pretty girl being sent alone with a group of Bandits stronger than her, you might end up being assaulted!¡±


    I actually wasn¡¯t thinking that, but now I was! Seeing the worried look on my face, she raised her hand. ¡°You need not worry. This won¡¯t be a problem. I found a perfect group. They¡¯re all women.¡±


    ¡°Women? An all-woman bandit group?¡±


    Just as I was wondering, I felt a change in my bonds. The originally dull feeling of my girls being distant turned to them being extremely close. I had a sinking feeling in my gut. A few minutes later, it was confirmed as I was brought before Lydia, Miki, Celeste, Terra, and Shao¡­ all dressed up in bandit attire. ¡°This is a notorious Bandit gang up north. They¡¯re called Reign¡¯s End.¡±

 Chapter 866

    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re safe.¡±


    ¡°You gave us a big scare!¡±


    ¡°Your soul felt very weak for a few days.¡±


    I got a flood of Slave Communication as soon as I opened up the channel to my girls. It looked like this skill didn¡¯t use mana, or at least not enough mana that my miasmic infection would cause trouble. I was very happy to see them all, but I kept a cold expression, and quickly told all of them to pretend like that didn¡¯t know me.


    Lydia quickly explained what happened while Calypso was still introducing the group of us. After I got captured, they must have reasoned out who had me, and remembered the invitation she had sent right before we had ended up caught in Reign¡¯s mansion. Calypso had heard about our bandit exploits up in the north, and invited us to join her Bandit army.


    It sounded promising, but now I knew why the Bandits up north seemed so scared and squeamish when discussing her. Calypso had been systematically killing off all the Bandits and turning them into dungeon monsters. It was a real-life case of the body snatchers. I could just imagine a Bandit running into his old acquaintance, only to find this copy oddly different. He was a soulless puppet in her army.


    I hated puppets and dolls. Thankfully, these looked like real people, but it was still at a point where I felt afraid. In fact, these days I struggled to feel anger or hate, so that only made the fear more palpable. The worst thing of all is that the majority of these dungeon monsters never realized they weren¡¯t the real one.


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    Salicia was a prime example of this. She hadn¡¯t known she was a monster. In her mind, she was Carmine¡¯s sister. Even Carmine, who hadn¡¯t seen her sister since she was a child, didn¡¯t know that this wasn¡¯t her sister, and she was a Paladin who was best at detecting such things! Then again, how often did you scan the mana flow of a person you talked to and recognized to make sure they were still them.


    If someone wanted, they really could replace everyone with a copy of themselves forged in a dungeon. Maybe I was a copy. Maybe, the real Deek was on Earth, and I was just some copy of him. He never left Earth, and I, for some reason, was spontaneously created from miasma, and up until now, no one had noticed. The fear grew even more inside me. This wasn¡¯t a helpful way of thinking. This is something that might cause me to feel despair if I dwelled on it too much.


    Calypso quickly finished with her introductions. I didn¡¯t know if this was fate, or if Calypso knew what was going on. She didn¡¯t seem to notice that I had a bond with these women. Of course, that was for the best. If she knew my true connection to them, she definitely wouldn¡¯t allow us to get together.


    ¡°I will bring you to the entrance of the dungeon.¡± Calypso told the girls once she finished introductions. ¡°You will guide Deedee here down to the bottom of the dungeon and then you will destroy it. That is your mission.¡±


    As she said this, she winked at me where the rest of my party couldn¡¯t see. I didn¡¯t know how to respond. In her mind, she was confident the party wouldn¡¯t successfully make it. They were going down to die. She hadn¡¯t realized she just put together a practiced dungeon diving team. The situation was simply too perfect. I would guide the girls down, but instead of being defeated, we¡¯d take out Calypso and destroy this dungeon!

 Chapter 867

    ¡°How about you cook for them? Bonding with your teammates is helpful, and these Bandit women will definitely be more amiable once you¡¯ve made something.¡± Calypso had encouraged me. ¡°Tomorrow morning, you will join them on the descent to the bottom floor. Once you reach my boss room, we will meet again. Help me defeat them, and I will officially take you on as my disciple.¡±


    Bond with the girls? That really wasn¡¯t a problem. However, I was sweating as I cooked. All five girls were around me as I made food over a fire. Nothing about this was abnormal, except that Calypso was watching over us, and Salicia was nearby as a guard dog. It left the entire campsite somewhat silent. Of course, that was only to Salicia and Calypso. As for me, it was extremely noisy as I tried to juggle conversations with all five women. Of course, while I could open up connections between them and me, the girls couldn¡¯t talk to each other.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why I¡¯m not allowed to say a word.¡± Celeste responded pouty.


    ¡°Did you make sure to order Celeste to be quiet. She¡¯ll definitely speak and ruin everything!¡± Terra¡¯s voice came in shortly after.


    I didn¡¯t just have to juggle five conversations in my head, but I had to also pass messages between the girls that they wanted to say which would tip Calypso off if spoken out loud. While doing that, I had to cook a good meal and let none of it show on my face. Calypso seemed almost oblivious to the strange expressions and glances that the girls shared. Even so, this was really difficult for me, and I had to admit that without the Mimic job smoothing out my features and refining my acting, I would probably have already collapsed from the pressure. I was extremely thankful to whatever deity decided to randomly hand me that skill already partially leveled.


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    Slowly, I sorted everyone out, explaining everything, including the state of Salicia. Naturally, there was much to say about what happened, and where we would be going. As for Calypso¡¯s plan to ultimately kill all of them, I naturally explained what we can do instead.


    ¡°Master, we need to be able to discuss a plan openly.¡± Terra spoke up.


    ¡°I would love to, but she is the Dungeon Master of this place. She can potentially see and hear anything. Any secret meetings we have could be easily exposed. Right now, it¡¯s odd, but she seems to trust me. I think it might be because of my blessings. I have an affinity for miasma, which I believe is causing her to put her guard down around me.¡±


    ¡°There is one place where we can meet.¡± She explained.


    ¡°Hmm? Where?¡± I asked a bit surprised.


    ¡°Ah? I thought Master knew? The safe room.¡±


    Admittedly the room was safe, but Calypso could still find us there.


    ¡°About that¡­¡±


    ¡°Dungeon Master¡¯s can¡¯t sense in the room. Unless she¡¯s in there with us, she won¡¯t know what is said or done. She also won¡¯t know if we teleport to other safe rooms until we leave.¡± ¡°In other words, once we get to level 5, we can finally make a plan!¡±

 Chapter 868

    It turned out the safe rooms weren¡¯t just areas free of miasma and monsters, but they were dead zones for dungeons. As soon as someone entered a safe room, the dungeon¡¯s perception of them was cut off. I had never seen it before, but supposedly even the monsters would lose sight of you as soon as you entered a safe room. I remembered in my first dungeon, Mina¡¯s dungeon, running and barring the doors in desperation. It seemed like they were never going to break in and threaten us. It felt almost foolish in retrospect, but no one in that party had been a seasoned Dungeon Diver. It was exactly for that reason people like that existed.


    Terra also revealed something else that was extremely interesting to me. In the event that a being with a full karmic soul sees you enter a safe room, they might be able to follow you. However, if they did, they¡¯d be cut off from the control of the dungeon. Terra had never explained this to me, but when I brought her into a safe room for the first time, it was only then that she had begun to regain her mind. I had assumed she always had full control of her mind, but she explained that even she had been under the control of the dungeon.


    It was likely the same for Celeste. However, Celeste wasn¡¯t just being controlled by the dungeon, but her Fairy Queen mother. In that respect, she was only half controlled by the dungeon, and those chains were broken when she entered the safe room.


    ¡°Are you saying if we forced Bandits into the safe room, we could forcefully break their connection to the dungeon?¡±


    I had managed to use Monster Tamer to break several monsters from their dungeon before, but simply forcing them into the safe room seemed a lot easier.


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    ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee it¡¯d be permanent.¡± Terra admitted. ¡°Once they end up in the dungeon again, they¡¯ll be controlled once again. Plus, this only works on dungeon monsters with a strong sense of self. Most of these Bandits, with the amount of damage their souls have taken, would likely just turn feral and attack anything that moved.¡±


    I let out a sigh. So, it was like that. Anyone who was strong enough to be able to take advantage of being freed by a safe room would also be the kind of person you couldn¡¯t easily force into one. For every other creature, without their connection to the dungeon to feed them a sense of command and purpose, they broke down mentally until the connection could be restored. Talk about the safe room interested me on many levels. Specifically, I wondered if entering a safe room could fix my current miasmic poisoning.


    I also wondered about the safe rooms in my own dungeon. I was able to sense them. However, I also never became the Master of my own dungeon. I guess, it should be a given, but I made Elaya the Dungeon Master. She also seemed to be aware of the safe rooms, but perhaps it was the difference between knowing where they were and knowing when someone disappeared from your perception, as they must be in them isn¡¯t the same as seeing them. Scientists can¡¯t see black holes, but we know they¡¯re there from the effect they cause. It might be something like that.


    There should be a safe room hidden on the first floor. However, if we all went to it, Salicia would assuredly be suspicious. However, no one would question a group of dungeon divers stopping when they had time. The 5th floor really would be the best floor to stop.


    I gave Lydia and Shao orders to go out tonight and scout to find this floor¡¯s safe room. I wanted them to register for the first-floor kiosk. Being able to return to the 1st floor suddenly without Calypso realizing it might be a trick that would save our lives. We eventually all ate in an awkward silence, and then I went to bed. The next morning, dungeon diving would begin.

 Chapter 869

    With all the girls gathered, I probably could have attacked Calypso now. She¡¯d assuredly be weaker on the first floor where her miasma was thinnest, and escaping from the battle would be easiest here. While some of her Bandits might be strong, I was confident that we could also fight them off. Calypso herself was also likely very dangerous. Still, even if it was a fight we lost, I felt that we could probably escape.


    Even if I was worried about my ability to use magic, we could always break down to the 5th floor, use the safe zone, and then we could come out swinging. There was no reason to continue to fool Calypso if I didn¡¯t want to.


    The reason I didn¡¯t do it was because I had a feeling it wouldn¡¯t go well. At the end of it all, there was a dungeon at the root of all this. While Calypso may have taken control of the dungeon and warped it into a machine that she used to conquer the southwest corner of Aberis, even if we defeated her, the dungeon would still exist. Furthermore, a copy of Calypso might be created who would carry on her work, even if she died. Then, of course, there was the fact that she had that knife. A single scratch was enough to almost kill me. I couldn¡¯t imagine tossing my girls against her and the knife.


    Therefore, I felt that the best plan was to take our time. The dungeon was there to level us up. We should take advantage of it. Any monsters we killed and any treasure we claimed only weakened the overall power of the dungeon. Furthermore, the dungeon had to have some kind of lore behind it. I hadn¡¯t seen the name of the dungeon when I entered since I was unconscious, but using my Dungeon Diver skill I was able to ascertain the name.


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    It was Bandit¡¯s Respite like she had named it, but I had a strange feeling like this wasn¡¯t the original name. At some point, she must have renamed the dungeon. Was that even a thing? I wouldn¡¯t know until I saw the murals, which was one more reason that I had sent the girls to look at the first-floor kiosk. Once registered, all it would take is a Party Swap from the safe room on the 5th floor and I¡¯d be able to see the first floor myself.


    ¡°Good luck,¡± Siti said as I finished packing my bags early the next morning.


    ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡± I asked worriedly, ¡°Your¡­ time¡­ with Calypso is coming up.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°I look forward to servicing Master.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what was happening to Siti. At first, I thought her calming down was reasonable, but now I was thinking there was something more insidious about it. I didn¡¯t think she had been killed and replaced with a doppelganger, but there was still something wrong with her. I had decided to keep her out of the loop and not mention that my slaves had managed to infiltrate the dungeon. At this point, I didn¡¯t think I could trust her anymore. Was this how other Bandits felt as they saw their brethren slowly become Calypso¡¯s slaves?


    Siti¡­ I will find out the secrets of this dungeon, defeat it, and free you from Calypso¡¯s grasp. I swear it!

 Chapter 870

    The group of us had gathered silently. It was clear the girls wanted to say many things to me, but after my stern warnings, they kept their mouths shut. Even the banter between themselves had diminished into nothing. It was clear that until we managed to break through into the safe room, that the environment between all of us would be tense.


    At the moment, their mission was to battle down the dungeon and gain experience while protecting me. I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of assurances Calypso was using to gain their cooperation, but she didn¡¯t seem even remotely worried about allowing me to travel with them. With her control of the dungeon, she likely could ensure I wasn¡¯t hurt even if the entire group was defeated, but there was also a chance the group could betray me.


    I mean, they never would. They were my slaves, but Calypso didn¡¯t know that. It was difficult to tell what Calypso knew. She was a mysterious woman full of secrets. She had mentioned numerous times that her reasoning had to do with the Demon Lord. She even claimed something about being his mother. She wasn¡¯t a demon though, so I had no clue how that was the case. Her age was undetermined though, so it was difficult to reason out her background. For her to reach level 100 in any job, she had to have experienced a lot.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Just as we started to head into the cave that led to the second level of the dungeon, Calypso suddenly called out.


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    I kept my face schooled, but I suddenly worried that all of our deceptions were found out. My frown grew when I saw Calypso walking up to us with a familiar face by her side. Celeste¡¯s eyes brightened at the sight, but as she opened her mouth to say something, Terra pinched her particularly hard.


    ¡°Owie!¡± She cried, rubbing her arm.


    It was enough of a distraction, as Calypso was already speaking.


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided that to ensure the safety of everyone here, my servant will also accompany you. Salicia, go with them. Take care of my little Deedee for me.¡±


    The group of us all looked at each other as the puppet-like Salicia walked over to our side. It looked like Calypso did have one more trick to make sure I was safe. On the other hand, Salicia might be there as a means of watching over us.


    ¡°Master, isn¡¯t this a good thing?¡± Lydia asked over Slave Communication.


    ¡°Can we trust her?¡± Shao demanded.


    I didn¡¯t have a clear answer. I didn¡¯t understand what Calypso¡¯s aim was. If Salicia entered the safe room, would her connection with Calypso be severed? If that was the case, then this was our best chance to wrestle her away from Calypso. It would be a very good thing, as Lydia suggested. On the other hand, if Calypso suspected this was a possibility, why would she send Salicia in the first place? Perhaps, she could spy through Salicia¡¯s eyes and see what we¡¯re saying in the safe room.


    This whole thing just became much more complicated.

 Chapter 871

    After Salicia joined our group, Calypso gave me a nod and a disarming smile before she turned around and left. She didn¡¯t need to be there to see what we were doing. She had somehow become the master of this dungeon. Her awareness could spread throughout the entire dungeon. She¡¯d be able to tell what we were doing no matter where we were. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t know how far that went. Was she able to hear every word we said or was she only able to see our location?


    Although I had built my own dungeon, I wasn¡¯t the master of it, so what she could do and what she couldn¡¯t do was hard to say. I could only assume she could hear everything. I¡¯d have to ask Elaya more about what it was like to be a Dungeon Master. I had never asked her prior, and now it was too late to acquire this kind of information.


    Lydia acted as the lead, given that she had the highest perception. With a wave of her hand, we all started to enter the dungeon. Even so, I was still communicating with them using Slave Communication, directing when I felt it was necessary. However, we were all very familiar with dungeons at this point, and the girls were already familiar with their roles. In other words, even without speaking, everyone went into their role pretty smoothly.


    We entered the cave, which dipped down in a declining path. To my surprise, it quickly leveled out and after only about a hundred feet, it rose back up. A light appeared in front of us, and then we ended up walking out another cave entrance into what appeared to be a giant forest. Compared to the one we had just left, this environment was completely different. The bandit camp was in a clearing surrounded by a lightly forested area. This area was humid, and the trees were much thicker, closer to a jungle.


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    ¡°Eh? Is there more to level one?¡± Lydia asked in confusion.


    Looking around, I was quickly able to ascertain that we had left the first level.


    ¡°So, dungeons look like this as well.¡± I let out a breath.


    ¡°What is it, Mas¡­ ahem¡­ Deedee.¡± Miki¡¯s cheeks turned red as she realized she almost gave away our secret.


    I decided to not make a big deal of it and spoke earnestly instead. ¡°Most Dungeons consist of levels. They either build down into an underground labyrinth or up into a tower. The levels themselves get bigger, but only from the base, like a tree. This dungeon has been built differently, with each level horizontally next to the other. She said that she had entrances all over southwest Aberis. I had wondered how she was expanding her territory. Now we know. The dungeon is all over southwest Aberis, just under the ground.


    ¡°So, this is level 2 then.¡± Lydia breathed. ¡°When I entered this dungeon and saw a sky, I had thought I was seeing things or had slipped into a valley without seeing it.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°The space in dungeons is strange. They are truly their own little world. Even what I said isn¡¯t necessarily right. Even though this dungeon is horizontal, I can¡¯t say that every level is equivalent to the same area on the surface.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ well, let¡¯s move quickly, the first few levels won¡¯t be much of a challenge for us,¡± Lydia responded, giving me a look. Her look said what her words didn¡¯t. We needed to break through to the 5th floor as quickly as possible.

 Chapter 872

    My ability to help the girls in a fight was extremely limited. I couldn¡¯t use any mana. More than that, I didn¡¯t know what Salicia could see, so if I started showing off all kinds of skills, then she would become aware that I was strange. Thus, I was very limited in what I could do. I could only help the girls by equipping one or two supportive jobs. I didn¡¯t even dare unequip the first job that I was expected to have, Dark Priest.


    To fool Calypso, I had concocted a story in which I used to be part of the church. I had joined as a child but was ultimately disgraced. Calypso had bought the story quickly, even giving my small chest a pitiful look. It was true, as a woman, I didn¡¯t have a large chest, but I hadn¡¯t even considered that. As the church found women with large tits closer to the mother goddess, it made sense that as I grew up and didn¡¯t form an appropriate rack, that I would fall from grace. Sadly, my feminine body turned out to sell the story of my fall from grace a little too perfectly.


    Dark Priests essentially came from Priests that had aided those considered evil. Changing the jobs, resurrecting, or extensively healing bandits, murderers, or miasmic creatures was a quick way to unlock the Dark Priest job. Most Dark Priests had to start as normal Priests, otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t even have those skills. I did not know if that meant Calypso had been a priestess once. I know that I didn¡¯t need to be a Priest to unlock Dark Priest. Any given job had many ways to unlock it, and what would unlock it for one person didn¡¯t necessarily mean it would unlock it for another. It wasn¡¯t just your actions, but your innate talent that also had to be factored in. At least, that¡¯s what some books claimed.


    As I watched the girls fight through the dungeon levels, I also had to acknowledge their growth over time. Lydia, Celeste, and Terra had all been sent into the untamed Wilderness west of Aberis to map out the location of nearby dungeons and gain experience. They had leveled and gained many skills of their own. Plus, they had learned to work together, and not depend on me as much.


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    As the three girls that had been with me the longest, they made up the offensive and defensive core of my group. Lydia was the quickest. She was responsible for identifying threats and would often make the first strike. Celeste¡¯s powerful wind magic made her my strongest damage dealer, able to cope with large groups of enemies. Terra was naturally our greatest defense. It was important that these girls had faith in their abilities, and didn¡¯t depend on my stat boosts to feel like they could protect themselves and the party. That was one of the main reasons I had sent them out.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean Miki and Shao were unimportant. However, Miki¡¯s roles were supportive like mine, and Shao had long learned to depend on herself in the gladiatorial ring. With everyone working together, we had made our way to level five. Although the sun was still out and bright in the dungeon, I was pretty sure the sun would be setting on the surface. On that note, level one had a day and night cycle, so it looked like this was optional.


    RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWR!


    ¡°It¡¯s the level five boss!¡±


    ¡°Is that a Tyrannosaurus Rex?¡± I asked in disbelief. ¡°Why are we fighting a Tyrannosaurus Rex?¡±


    ¡°Terra!¡± Lydia shouted.


    ¡°On it!¡±


    Terra created a wall of earth, causing the T. Rex¡¯s charge to be blocked. She had simultaneously created steps that Lydia used, climbing up and leaping onto the T. Rex¡¯s head. One sword slammed into the dinosaur¡¯s eye. The T. Rex threw its head back, trying to toss Lydia off. The result was that he had completely exposed his neck.


    ¡°Celeste!¡± Lydia cried out.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Celeste flew up and then threw out a series of wind blades, hitting the T. Rex¡¯s neck, nearly severing his head. With a massive crash, the dinosaur died like that. A level five boss wasn¡¯t a threat to the party as it currently was.

 Chapter 873

    ¡°I found it! The safe room is over here!¡± Celeste led the way while casually using Slave Communication.


    Of course, Calypso had already seen them sneak into the 1st floor safe room. It was only too much to hope that she didn¡¯t notice. It wasn¡¯t that we didn¡¯t make an attempt. Shao¡¯s compatibility with miasma could allow her to hide her movements from the Dungeon Master, but it was too much to think that Calypso wouldn¡¯t have seen her at all. She would have been on high alert last night with this new group. At the very least, I wasn¡¯t going to assume the possibility.


    Likewise, our mad dash to the 5th level saferoom also seemed suspicious, but I couldn¡¯t do anything about that. Ultimately, we needed to enter the safe rooms. However, it turned out that she didn¡¯t make that something easy to do. All of the safe rooms were hidden. While the rules of dungeons seemed to require regular safe rooms, and their entrances to not be blocked, that didn¡¯t mean that the Dungeon Master couldn¡¯t put them in some difficult to find and reach places.


    In this case, the room was in a large, thick tree. The hole to the room was high up, above several massive branches which completely obscured it. Without Celeste being able to fly up and look around, it would have been impossible to find the safe room. To get there, Terra created steps using the earth so the group was able to walk up to the pocket. We entered the safe room.


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    The familiar environment with the mural and the transport relay appeared before us. Of course, no two safe rooms were exactly the same. This one had a small spring running through the center. It also had the appearance of a tree. Every safe room took up a theme given by the dungeon. I wasn¡¯t sure if trees were always the theme, but this environment had an earthy scent and felt natural. Since we had battled various types of dinosaurs and ape-like monsters on the way down, I had a feeling that the theme of this dungeon before it got turned into a bandit dungeon had to do with some kind of primordial world, like the Mysterious Island.


    ¡°Finally, Master, we can speak!¡± Celeste exclaimed excitedly, and then covered her mouth. ¡°Oops! We can, right?¡±


    I had ordered them to keep their mouths shut until we could get into the safe room, but Celeste had already been holding it in and it burst out the second that she got inside. I shrugged as the rest of the girls piled in the room.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°We missed you!¡±


    ¡°Do you need your potion!¡±


    The girls all leaped on me giving me hugs as soon as I gave the okay. Terra offered me a potion, which was the one that turned me back into a man. I shook my head and denied it. As much as I didn¡¯t like to continue masquerading as a girl, I had no choice if I wanted to keep fooling Calypso. At least, in the safe room, she wouldn¡¯t be able to see anything we could do.


    ¡°Master, are you forgetting about someone?¡± A voice suddenly broke through all of our revery.


    Salicia was standing there were her arms crossed. She had followed along so quietly and only fought when she absolutely had to. It was to the point I had completely forgotten she was with us. She had followed our group right into the safe room, and now she was looking at us with a raised eyebrow.

 Chapter 874

    ¡°Salicia¡­ uh, are you okay?¡± I asked hesitantly.


    ¡°No¡­¡± She responded, ¡°Carmine¡¯s dead, how can I be okay.¡±


    I let out a breath I hadn¡¯t realized I was holding. Not only was she speaking again, but she even recalled Carmine. I had feared that Salicia would have been some kind of doll without a personality, but it seemed like without Calypso¡¯s influence, the old Salicia had returned.


    ¡°What¡­ exactly do you remember from the last few days?¡± I asked cautiously.


    ¡°Hmmm? Were we building an army of Bandits to contend with that bastard Lord Reign? Now, we¡¯re working our way down her dungeon to prove we¡¯re worthy of the Bandit Hero joining us!¡±


    Was this what they called interpreting events to your convenience? It seemed like her mind had managed to reshape the events of the last few days to imply we made contact with the Bandit Hero and were now doing a test she had set out. I didn¡¯t know if this was what Calypso had programmed into her mind, or if it was something she had come up with on her own. Either way, it seemed like the old Salicia had reappeared the second she walked into the safe room and was cut off from Calypso¡¯s miasmic control.


    The big question now was whether Calypso would regain control of her once she left, or if this was semi-permanent. That¡¯s when a thought popped in my head and my eyes fell on Miki. Given her ability to manipulate the soul, it might be possible for her to protect Salicia and keep Calypso from taking control of her. If that could be achieved that would be best.


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    ¡°Miki.¡± I chose to use Slave Communication so that Salicia didn¡¯t hear any of this. ¡°Would you be able to make this version of Salicia permanent? Is there any way to protect her from Calypso¡¯s control?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ I¡¯m not sure.¡± She admitted, her eyebrows ruffled as she thought about it. ¡°If what you said is true and she¡¯s a dungeon monster, then her corrupted soul would likely be damaged if I tried to do anything. You¡¯d need someone skilled with controlling miasma. You or Shao might have a better chance at that.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°But Master, right now, I think I should focus on you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± These words came out loud.


    ¡°Master, you¡¯ve been inflicted by a terrible curse. You look as weak and sickly as I did before Master helped me. I wanted to say something sooner, but there was nothing we could do about it. Part of the reason I wanted to get to this room so quickly is because the dungeon miasma is further damaging your soul.¡±


    ¡°I thought I was getting better.¡± I said helplessly.


    ¡°Perhaps, if you weren¡¯t in the dungeon, but the curse inflicted on you has been steadily festering. In time, you might have been converted into a miasmic creature.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s possible?¡±


    Actually, the idea that a miasmic creature could become mana and vice versa made sense. After all, demons were supposedly creatures that came from a dungeon, but Shao was clearly mana based. I hypothesized that when a monster left the dungeon, they slowly purified their soul until they became mana, and when someone entered the dungeon, they would slowly be corrupted by miasma unless they could resist it.


    Given our resistances, it was difficult for the miasma to corrupt us, but that didn¡¯t account for me being cut with a cursed blade. I should have realized it sooner, but even though the miasma on the 1st level was so light, it would have made it that much more difficult for me to heal!

 Chapter 875

    Ten minutes later, I had my shirt off and Miki was sitting behind me with her hand on my back. I felt somewhat uncomfortable with my bare chest exposed, especially because I had a pair of breasts. They were roughly about the same size as Miki¡¯s. Terra was looking at them with an expression that was a tad unhappy. I felt the urge to cover my chest with so many girls looking and seemingly comparing sizes.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I see¡­ so it works like that.¡± Miki said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly what we thought. It¡¯s a miasmic infection.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in a safe room now, shouldn¡¯t the miasmic infection be forced out?¡± I asked. ¡°On that note, why was it able to affect me at all? I have a blessing that¡¯s supposed to negate miasmic affects.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like Miasma can¡¯t be brought into a safe room. If that was the case, then¡­¡± She coughed, her eyes flickering to Salicia. ¡°Certain people would just disperse the second they entered the room. Rather, it is more like oil and water. Safe rooms repel miasma, so the trapped miasma in your body bubbles up together. In this state, it¡¯s no longer able to affect you as long as you remain in the room. However, once you leave¡­¡±


    Her eyes flickered to Salicia again, and I got the message she was trying to tell me. Although Salicia was in control of herself in this room, once she left, the miasmic control would no longer be suppressed. I didn¡¯t know how long it would take for Calypso¡¯s control to return. It might have been seconds, or maybe days. Either way, neither of us were cured of our inflictions at the moment.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°As for why you were infected, I can¡¯t say for certain, but I believe your affinity protects you from passive miasma. If you were immune to miasmic attacks, then you¡¯d be immune to most spells from dungeon monsters, which often cast from a source of miasma. You could say the blessing worked well. You didn¡¯t face any of the negative effects of the miasma itself. Fear, paranoia, lack of energy¡­ another person would have been a wreck. You were just dealing with the physical damage it was doing to your soul.¡±


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    ¡°Like how a cough medicine might cure the symptoms, but doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re any less sick.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Master?¡±


    ¡°Can you cure it now?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± She nodded. ¡°I can flood your body with mana, and then extract the miasma from your body. Since you¡¯re a mana creature, it¡¯s quite easy. If you were a miasmic creature, however, then I wouldn¡¯t be able to do this.¡±


    Naturally, the last sentence was once again aimed at Salicia. With her miasmic body, the difference between the control Salicia was exuding and her own base were too similar. Attempt to flush one would end up flushing the other.


    ¡°Then¡­ heal me.¡±


    She nodded, and then began to use her spiritual techniques. It didn¡¯t take long before I felt something leaving me. I let out a breath, a black gaseous mass left from my mouth. It tasted oily and wrong. The mass quickly rose up and then disappeared through the roof, presumably reentering the dungeon.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± I asked, almost feeling like it was too easy.


    I didn¡¯t wait for Miki¡¯s conformation though. I immediately casted a healing spell on myself. As soon as I did, I felt the aching wound on my back that was still healing and slightly infected quickly cool and then fade away. Letting out a long breath of relief, I realized I was safe again.


    ¡°Then, should we go?¡± Terra asked.


    ¡°Huh? Go?¡±


    ¡°Master has been healed. You can use magic once again. You have the ability to make Portals from inside a dungeon, something none of us can do. Isn¡¯t that why we did this, so we could escape?¡±


    Apparently, the girls had thought that this was a rescue mission. While they could cast Portals, they didn¡¯t have my affinities from my blessings, so they couldn¡¯t Portal out of the dungeon like I could. Now that I healed myself, there was no reason we had to stay. We could leave and return to my army in Deeksville. As for Calypso, she¡¯d be none the wiser. It might be days before she realized we left.


    ¡°No¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°We¡¯re going to beat this thing.¡±

 Chapter 876

    The girls all looked at each other, not completely convinced of my plan.


    ¡°Master, shouldn¡¯t we at least go back to Chalm? We can bring back extra help. We can even dump an army of our own in here and rout the dungeon. The soldiers Raissa has been training have a good deal of experience in dungeons now.¡± Miki tried to encourage me.


    ¡°No!¡± I shook my head stubbornly. ¡°We¡¯re going to fight our way down the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just walking right into her trap!¡± Terra protested.


    ¡°We¡¯ll overtake her trap!¡± I responded. ¡°Look, she¡¯s turned this entire region into her own personal mana trap. As the Dungeon Master, she¡¯s collecting all of that mana and using it to create an army of never-ending Bandits. If we don¡¯t destroy the dungeon now, then we won¡¯t have a chance.


    ¡°As long as she has that dungeon, the Bandits will never stop coming. Furthermore, her own power will only continue to increase. She¡¯ll keep spreading and spreading, and soon she¡¯ll be just like the Demon Lords of the north. We can¡¯t wait, because if we wait, then she¡¯ll no longer give us this opportunity to get so close to the boss room. We have to bet everything on this. We must use our strength and destroy this dungeon. We have to cut off her lifeline. It¡¯s the only way to defeat her. Do you get it?¡±


    The girls slowly started to nod, seeming to come to understand my explanations. I didn¡¯t know if it was because I wasn¡¯t a man anymore, but I swore they used to listen to all of my orders. Maybe, I just didn¡¯t have as forceful of a demeaner that I once had. Nowadays, they were much more prone to questioning me and second guessing my decisions. I already had enough problems sticking to one plan. I didn¡¯t need them also questioning them.


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    ¡°We understand, Master.¡± Lydia nodded.


    I nodded as well. ¡°Good, good. Then, Shao, can you please head to the 1st saferoom so that I can open a Portal and register?


    She nodded and touched the kiosk. A few minutes later, I was back on the 1st floor where I remembered to check the mural before returning. In this dungeon, the murals might be very important. Figuring out why this dungeon existed would be a key component to us defeating Calypso.


    ¡°Master, what do the Murals say?¡±


    ¡°It speaks of an ancient tribe¡­ I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s weird.¡± I murmured.


    ¡°What¡¯s weird about it?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°Well, there are these people, shown in blue. They have blue skin. Then there are these people, who look to be human. The first mural shows the blue skinned people having a mighty civilization. It reminds me of the Aztecs or something like that.¡±


    ¡°Aztecs?¡± Lydia blinked.


    ¡°Ah, nevermind.¡± Only Shao would understand that reference. ¡°It seems like these humans came out and attacked the blue people.¡±


    Miki frowned. ¡°Why is that weird, Master? It just sounds like some battle from long ago?¡±


    ¡°The weird thing is that it shows the humans¡­ emerging from a dungeon!¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Miki asked, frowning.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I feel like¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ this dungeon feels old. Very old. It might have only sprouted up recently, but the lore that spawned it is ancient. For that to be the case¡­ it must have been a very powerful emotion to allow it to persist until present day.¡±


    Many dungeons seemed to form as soon as the instigating event passed. In fact, for some dungeons, the instigating event seemed to be involved with the formation of the dungeon, like in the case of Karr¡¯s and Terra¡¯s Dungeons. Other dungeon lore seemed to be like a seed, drifting along the wind and time only to finally settle and start growing. For example, I couldn¡¯t even guess where Mina¡¯s Dungeon sprouted from.


    However, these curses did deteriorate with time, and so you usually wouldn¡¯t find a dungeon forming from an event after a few hundred years or so. The longer it was, the more massive the event had to be to survive that long. I didn¡¯t know if it was my Dark Priest of my Dungeon Builder jobs, but I had a light feeling that this dungeon came from a story from thousands if not hundreds of thousands of years ago. If that was the case, then the event that caused it must have changed the entire world!

 Chapter 877

    We stayed the night in the safe room. The next morning, we left and started looking for the cave again. We ran into the T-rex again, as he had re-popped, but he was quickly taken care of.


    This dungeon wasn¡¯t like any dungeon I had ever entered before. Most dungeons depended on a maze-like feel to them, leading you down closed-off corridors. The most complicated of these earned the name labyrinth. You used your mapping skills to look for the exit, but the exit was always as clear as day once you reached it.


    This dungeon was a complete open concept. Although the thick trees of the forest blocked my vision, I could just about walk in a straight line from one end of the dungeon to the other. The ends of the dungeon seemed to be a large cliff that went vertically up. If I was to make an attempt to climb it, I wondered what would happen. I thought about sending Celeste up to see where the sky ended and the roof began, but I was afraid she might get hurt running into it, or that it might backlash and cause some damage to her.


    The exits for each floor of this dungeon were much like the safe room. Although the first few levels were easy to find, it seemed like they got more and more concealed the deeper you went. In some cases, it was even obscured on my Map, the outline cleverly done in a way that almost made me miss it. As for the safe rooms, they only appeared on my Map after I had entered them. They didn¡¯t appear until I got close enough to that tree.


    This was a similar yet completely different experience from the mazes of other dungeons. You had to be hypervigilant. Not only did your perception need to catch sometimes hidden paths leading to the next dungeon, but at any time an attack could come from anywhere. The ape-like beasts in particular liked to leap down from the trees to attack us. They often laid out ambushes. Thankfully, Lydia destroyed every single one of them before they even had a chance.


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    It wasn¡¯t long before we made it down, or perhaps it was better to say to the side, to the sixth level. If these exits hadn¡¯t looked different, it would have been very hard to say we had even progressed from level to level. Although the 1st level was clearly different from the next four, those four had all looked similar. As for the shape and direction of these levels, that wasn¡¯t really clear. Every level was shaped differently, from squares to rectangles. As for the exits, they weren¡¯t always opposite the entrance, and at least one level had the exit on the same side as the entrance.


    Upon entering the sixth level, the forest had become increasingly thick. The monsters inside had also become much more menacing and difficult. It wasn¡¯t at a level that caused any threat on the girls yet, but it wasn¡¯t at a level where individuals could take out an enemy anymore. They had to rely on teamwork more and more. After Miki and Shao had been separated from the other three for months, this was a good opportunity for them to regain some of those skills of cooperation.


    Salicia had also regained some of her vigor at first, chatting and talking merrily. I had feared that she would spout something that Calypso would overhear and reveal our secrets. Thankfully, she had always been an outsider to the core group, and only acted like normal. By the time we finished with the sixth floor and headed down to the seventh, her attitude had returned to the silent woman from before.


    As for me, I could only carry on, pretending to be the innocent person from before. This didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t gain experience. I gained a portion of the experience from any kill my slaves made. However, at this low level, that didn¡¯t account for much. Even though my magic had returned, my support could only be passive. This was kind of a torture on its own.

 Chapter 878

    ¡°Perhaps, it was too aggressive to think that we could reach the 10th floor in a single night.¡± I said, yawning.


    Although there was no day-night cycle in this particular level of the dungeon, making it an eternal hot, muggy day, I was pretty sure it was late into the night. I had been hoping that the group could reach the 9th-floor safe room and tackle the first big boss tonight, but that might have been too ambitious. After all, heading down four floors of a dungeon was supposed to be a major accomplishment and a milestone for a Dungeon Diver.


    Four floors a day could have been considered an insane pace for any group. If it wasn¡¯t for my Map, the girl¡¯s strength and scouting abilities, and our dungeon experience, we would have been far slower. Even for a skilled group on an easy dungeon, two or three levels a day could be considered quite good, especially if you didn¡¯t already have a map of the route.


    However, feeling impatient, I had pushed us down to the 9th floor. It wasn¡¯t that we didn¡¯t have enough time to reach the ninth floor, but that upon reaching the 9th floor, we hadn¡¯t found the 10th. We¡¯d already wasted hours and had just about filled out the entire Map. Till this point, I had yet to see the entrance appear on my Map.


    I had even climbed a tree to try to fill out as much of the Map as possible. However, the Map wasn¡¯t truly dependent on how far I could see, but on how far my mana sense could reach. In a dungeon, miasma acted as resistance, pushing against mana sense. The walls all but blocked mana sense, so at least in dungeons, I couldn¡¯t see past any walls. Strangely enough, this didn¡¯t affect Detect Treasure. My thought was that dungeons deliberately let you know where the treasure was, thus tempting you to seek it out and perish.


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    ¡°We¡¯ve walked the entire perimeter,¡± Celeste complained, even though she was in a small form and sitting on Lydia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Where is the exit already?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the exit is where we entered?¡± Terra offered.


    ¡°The exit doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be on the edge, it could be in the middle,¡± Terra explained. ¡°But I¡¯ve already sent out waves three times and we¡¯ve yet to find one.¡±


    It made sense that with the dungeon levels next to each other, the paths had to be along the perimeter, that was part of the reason we were able to move so fast since we didn¡¯t focus on the middle portion of the dungeon. However, at least one dungeon was found with the path being in the middle. A cave went down, then followed a long path before coming out on the other side. Since level 10 was a boss room, it stood to reason that the boss room entrance could be anywhere.


    The problem was that I had already walked 90% of the dungeon level. There was only one place I hadn¡¯t looked at.


    ¡°Seriously? It can¡¯t be there¡­¡±


    ¡°Where is it, Ma¡­ ah¡­ Ma¡¯am,¡± Shao coughed, hiding a blush.


    ¡°The only place we haven¡¯t looked is that lake. The entrance to the next dungeon level must be at the bottom of the lake!¡±

 Chapter 879

    We were all experienced with dungeons, and had even passed through levels where the entire thing occurred under water. Thus, reaching a place under a lake wasn¡¯t too difficult. Carefully, Celeste was able to create an air bubble, and the group of us just walked down into the lake. If push came to shove, we were in a safer condition than even that previous dungeon, because we could just float to the surface if things became a problem.


    That was what I thought, but after about thirty minutes of stomping around on the bottom of the lake, I finally found the door to the safe room. It would be better to call it a hatch. I looked down at the bubbling water sitting in a circular hatch.


    ¡°Okay¡­ Celeste, can you?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I¡¯ll do my best!¡±


    She began to pull the water out of the hatch. Slowly, the water came out and merged with the water above us. She continued to do it until the water seemed to have been emptied in the room below us. I casted Light, not even thinking about Calypso potentially spying on us. It only worked one way anyway, so hopefully she wouldn¡¯t notice. Looking down into the hole, I let out a sigh.


    ¡°Yeah, this is it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Shao said, breathing slightly hard.


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    Celeste hadn¡¯t shrunk the space we were in. Instead, she had expanded it to include the entire safe room. In other words, the air we had left was getting a bit thin.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Lydia asked.


    I jumped right in, causing the girls to cry out. Celeste quickly flew after just in case. I landed hard on the ground, splashing some of the remaining water.


    ¡°Come on, everyone in!¡± I called out. ¡°Bring the air, then close the hatch.¡±


    The rest of the girls jumped in one at a time until we were all in the safe room. Terra flicked her fingers, and a large covering rolled over, blocking the water at the entrance. With the air bubble now the same size as the safe room, the air was thicker once again. The pressure of the lake pushed down on the hatch cover, and none of the water seemed to leak through. If it did, I had confidence Terra could fix it with ease.


    ¡°An underwater safe room.¡± Miki sighed in disbelief as she looked around the wet room.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just the safe room that is underwater. I sighed, pointing at another opened hatch on the other side of the room with water.


    The water underneath was completely devoid of light, but I had no doubt if we swam through it, we¡¯d end up in a giant boss room.


    ¡°An underwater boss.¡± Lydia breathed out.


    ¡°How are we supposed to fight that?¡± Salicia complained. ¡°How did previous Bandits fight that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk!¡± Miki shot back.


    ¡°You¡¯re you again?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± She cocked her head like she didn¡¯t know what I was talking about.


    ¡°Nevermind. Hopefully, we surface again after this boss. It won¡¯t pop until the hatch is sealed. Let¡¯s try to get some sleep.¡± I said as I registered at the kiosk. ¡°We¡¯ll fight this boss in the morning, and we¡¯ll win.¡±

 Chapter 880

    It was already very late, and everyone was exhausted. We probably should have transferred to another safe room where it was drier, but the girls passed out almost as soon as the bags were down. The air wouldn¡¯t last all night, but I suppose I could give them an hour or two before waking them up and transferring up to the fifth-floor safe room to rest. We had a hard day today.


    This safe room retained the theme of looking like the inside of a tree, although this one looked more like a hollowed-out log sitting on the bottom of the lake. The holes for entry and exit were notches in the wood where large branches had broken off at some point during the decay. The space we were in was a gap in the wood. The cover had been made of stone, however, giving away the true nature of this room.


    As the girls slept, I took the time to check the mural. It seemed like there weren¡¯t many details when it came to this curse. That could be because the curse was extremely old. It seemed to be depicting some kind of great battle between the humans and the blue-skinned race. Bodies littered the ground. That was all I was able to glean from this one. I just wish I knew what it meant.


    If humans emerged from the dungeons, did that mean that humans weren¡¯t native to this world? Were they similar to demons? If dungeon creatures emerged from dungeons, and over time their miasma was purified and they became mana creatures, then was it possible there was a time humans were the demons of this world? Did we come in the same manner the demons did, and then wipe out the original inhabitants of this world? I didn¡¯t want to believe it, but the lore of this dungeon seemed to suggest this.


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    In that respect, was miasma even corrupted mana? Miasma could just be mana from another world. While I noticed miasma had a unique signature to it, there seemed to be only one type of mana. Any special kind of mana seemed to stem from some kind of talent. Fairy dust, spirit fire, and recently Terra revealed to me that she had been able to produce Gaia. Shao could produce mana, but any mana she produced had a unique signature to it.


    I hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but when I first met her, the miasma she produced was not the same miasma that I made. However, once she became my slave, her miasma has somehow changed to fit me. Now, if I produce miasma or she did, I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell the difference in who it came from. I had thought that miasma had some kind of life to it, that it recognized enemies and friends. Perhaps, what it was recognizing, was the source of the person in question.


    Perhaps, the mana of this world would be miasma to another world. Perhaps creatures from another world would see us as the miasma creatures, and themselves as the mana users. I shivered thinking about the possibilities of all of this. It looked like the nature of everything around dungeons was far more complicated than I ever could have imagined. Just as I was finishing up looking at the mural, I heard a shout. I spun around just in time to see Miki plunge into the dark waters below. No, she didn¡¯t plunge. She was pulled into it. Without a thought, I leaped into the water after her as the other girls let out cries of surprise.

 Chapter 881

    Dungeons were typically very dark. That was one reason the Light spell was so incredibly nice. It shrouded me in an aura of light. Anyone who wasn¡¯t part of my team could not see the light I produced. This light worked whether I was in a pitch-black tunnel, or whether I was swimming underwater.


    Naturally, I hadn¡¯t thought about things like taking a breath. My entire mind had been singularly focused on following Miki. With her bond guiding my way, I swam straight down into the murky darkness. Before I could see her, I could see numerous tentacles. This didn¡¯t make sense though. We hadn¡¯t closed up the bottom hatch. Was the monster summon because we had closed the other hatch, or was this done because of Calypso?


    I felt foolish having trusted Calypso to not suddenly summon the boss like that. She was the Dungeon Master, so who knew what kind of tricks she could pull. Just because I thought I knew the rules didn¡¯t mean they might not be broken, especially when under the power of an intelligent person not created by the dungeon.


    Maybe, this had some damaging effects to the dungeon, like damaging the soul of the boss by prematurely summoning them, but why would Calypso care about any of that? As long as she could keep summoning Bandits on the first floor, then the rest of this didn¡¯t matter at all.


    At this point, I was starting to realize I was running out of breath. However, I didn¡¯t even think of resurfacing, Rather, I dived into the tentacles, finally able to see Miki struggling as she had one wrapped around her. Another tentacle darted for me, so I pulled out my sword and slashed. There was no room for acting innocent now. Had it been Calypso¡¯s desire to force my hand, she had succeeded.


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    At that moment, a bubble of air suddenly exploded around me. I let in a gasp of fresh air. I went from completely submerged to treading water. Floating above my head was Celeste. Her wings were beating frantically as she held back the pressure of the water. In that respect, I hadn¡¯t even noticed. My body was built far stronger than it once had been. This level of pressure should have been more than we could handle, but I seemed to be okay with it.


    Celeste flicked her wrist, and a bubble of air popped away from ours. It was small, just the size of a head, but it quickly floated to where Miki was and went where her head was. I could see her gasping as the air seemed to stick to the top of her head.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan, Master?¡± Lydia asked, breathing hard.


    ¡°Most elemental attacks don¡¯t work under this. We have to depend on darkness attacks! Shao¡­ Salicia.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Shao said.


    ¡°Huh? Ah¡­ right¡­¡± Salicia grabbed her head awkwardly. ¡°Wait¡­ who, who am I?¡±


    She was no longer in the safe room, so the miasma was clogging her mind again. She hadn¡¯t been in the safe room for very long, so it looked like the miasma was able to reassert itself quicker. Without missing a beat, I grabbed her and casted Refresh.


    ¡°Salicia¡­ listen to me. You are the incredible Bandit Queen Salicia. You are my slave, and my woman. You have several dark spells, use them on that!¡±


    Her eyes cleared up suddenly and she looked over at me as water ran down her cheeks. ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Salici -up¡­¡± A tentacle suddenly wrapped around my leg and pulled. I was ripped from Salicia¡¯s arms and yanked into the abyss alongside Miki.

 Chapter 882

    As I was pulled down, I was able to get a better look at the monster. It wasn¡¯t an octopus. It had far more tentacles than that. As for the mouth, it was round and filled with teeth. If I had to give this creature a name, I would probably call it a Kraken.


    At this point, I no longer cared about maintaining appearances. I was much more concerned about maintaining my life and the lives of my girls. Thankfully, the skills that seemed like they would be most useful in my current state were the Dark Priest skills. I began to target the Kraken with Weakness, Steal Life, and Drain. My goal was ultimately to weaken it as much as possible. I had a feeling that Miki was doing the same.


    After all, rather than crush her or throw her in its mouth, its arm had seemed oddly lifeless. Miki, someone who could attack the soul and mind of a creature, must have kept it from dragging her any farther. At this point, the light above me seemed to go out as a dark wave exploded out and struck the Kraken. Shortly after, there was another beam of shadows that cut through it. At least five tentacles were severed as it was cut.


    Another bubble appeared around my head, and I was able to take a gasp of air. We were extremely lucky to have a Sylph with us. Her control of the air was at an unbelievable level. To a normal Adventurer, as soon as a bubble of air was struck, the majority of it would have scattered and floated up and away. Our Sylph managed to have precision-like control of several different bubbles of air, allowing them to withstand the pressure and keep us alive.


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    However, we couldn¡¯t keep going forever. We did have a limited amount of oxygen, and it was being consumed much faster now that we were actively in a fight. Despite that, I was feeling extremely vigorous. This was because I was constantly stealing life from the Kraken. Even if I didn¡¯t have air to breathe, I would likely remain alive thanks to this ability.


    At this point, I noticed a large eye open just above the mouth. My immediate inclination was that it must be the weak spot.


    ¡°Target the eye!¡± I ordered through Slave Communication.


    Another wave of dark attacks came out from Salicia and Shao. This time, they were targeted at the eye. They struck it and I could feel the entire creature shudder as it received massive damage. As was, this was only a 10th level boss. Although it was massive, and the difficulty was enhanced considerably because of where we had to fight it, it ultimately wasn¡¯t that durable. With a final roar which I could feel through the water, the tentacles lost their grip, and the Kraken finally dispersed.


    The drop confirmed that it was a Kraken. It was a Kraken eye. I wasn¡¯t interested in it, but Miki was excited. It was a rare alchemic ingredient.


    Although the fight occurred suddenly and had caught us off guard, we had managed to pass through it without much more difficulty.

 Chapter 883

    After we all found each other again, we swam to the end of the boss room. The room was quite massive, and just swimming across took about fifteen minutes. Considering we hadn¡¯t gotten much rest and then had to fight a massive underwater beast, everyone was quite tired. We finally found a hatch leading up. It didn¡¯t lead straight onto the next floor but dumped us into a pond. Thankfully, the pond didn¡¯t have any monster fish, and we were able to swim to the surface un-perturbed.


    As I broke the surface, the air never felt so fresh. We had been rebreathing the same air for several hours, and it was getting a bit thin. I wondered if we were more resistant to carbon dioxide because of our job levels. Perhaps, a normal human would have already passed out by now.


    We emerged in a small pond. There was a small waterfall next to us that gave the entire environment a pleasant, beautiful feeling. Of course, at the depths of this pool was a powerful and dangerous Kraken boss, so the beauty was only a deception to the real danger. The group of us flopped out of the water while gasping for breath.


    ¡°That safe room was a joke,¡± Terra complained.


    ¡°It looks like there are loopholes to the idea of safe.¡± Lydia frowned.


    They were right to be angry. Dungeons were supposed to have rules, and one rule was that safe rooms were safe. However, this safe room needed you to close the door to keep the water out, and then spawned a boss that might grab and drown you while you were trying to recover. It was malicious, although it probably fit Calypso¡¯s personality quite well.


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    Typically, every ten levels had a boss that came after a safe room. On the final boss, there was no door between the boss and the safe room, meaning the door that you had to close was the outside door to summon the boss. As a general rule, the Dungeon Master didn¡¯t enter the safe room. This was because they would be weakened by entering the safe room.


    The same set up didn¡¯t exist for every other boss level. These safe rooms had a door on both sides. As soon as you entered the boss room, the door behind you would shut, and the boss would appear. I had always thought the boss was in some way sequestered before you entered the room. I supposed there was no reason to believe that, other than experience. I had just never had an instance where the boss took the initiative to harass us in the safe room.


    ¡°What should we do, Master?¡± This was asked over the Slave Communication channel by Lydia.


    In that fight, I had acted out in ways that didn¡¯t fit my persona. I wasn¡¯t even sure of everything I had said, and if any of it gave away the secret. There was also no guarantee that Calypso was watching us that closely. Just because she had awareness of the entire dungeon didn¡¯t mean she was listening in during my fight. Even if she could listen in, wouldn¡¯t my words be muffled through all the water and noise of battle? I just didn¡¯t know enough about what it meant to be a Dungeon Master.


    ¡°We¡¯ll keep on as before. Select a guard and we¡¯ll rest until morning.¡±

 Chapter 884

    Of any Dungeon Diver teams who ever dived into a dungeon, our group could have been considered one of the most relaxed and least stressful groups. After all, I could open Portals. We never needed to continue down the dungeon in a single go. I would always leave and we could rest in a nice bed every night. As a support, I had an assortment of skills that could fit our needs and keep us fed. I could cook our food, heal our wounds, make our fires, supply our light, and even refresh our spirits.


    If things became too much, we could take a break and play around Chalm, enjoy our hot spring, or relax in the mansion. We could always return right where we left off. Even at its worst, we could always make the safe room our cozy little nest allowing us to lay back and rest in an environment free of conflicting miasma.


    On this particular day, we had been forced into a wet, dank safe room, and then forced to abandon it all too quickly. After our boss fight, we set up camp and had to spend the night out among the monsters. Despite Terra building walls and Celeste diverting the wind so our scents weren¡¯t transmitted, we still ended up getting attacked twice during the night.


    To a normal Dungeon Diver, this might just be considered par for the course. To us, this was probably about as bad as we have had it for a while. Lydia, Celeste, and Terra seemed to be doing better than the rest of us. Perhaps, they had roughed it during their weeks-long expedition in the wilderness. As for Miki, Shao, and I¡­ perhaps we had grown a bit too comfortable with a soft bed.


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    We started working our way down to the 15th floor. The monsters were stronger once again, and everyone had bags under their eyes.


    If I Portaled, or overused White Mage spells, then our cover would be blown. I had to continue to act only passively while the girls defended me. It felt like fighting with a hand behind my back, and it was growing increasingly frustrating as the dungeon grew more and more difficult.


    ¡°How much longer is this dungeon?¡± I asked in irritation.


    ¡°It should only be twenty levels,¡± Lydia explained. ¡°That¡¯s what Calypso told us.¡±


    We were on day three. At this pace, we should be able to break through to the final boss room in seven days. Although I complained about that, any other Dungeon Diver would consider that pace beyond belief. The first dungeon I had ever been in took nearly two weeks, and the second took over a month. This was a testament to how much better the girls were. Even with my support only being passive, we were able to progress this quickly.


    We spent one more night sleeping on the floor before we reach level 15. Remarkably, we found the safe room before we had stumbled on the boss or the exit.


    ¡°You have to be kidding me,¡± I said, my mouth falling open at the sight.


    Calypso had done it again. This safe room was both accessible and findable, but its location was completely unreasonable. A tree had grown out from the side of a cliff, a dead tree. The safe room was embedded in the tree, hanging a dozen meters over a bottomless fall. The tree creaked and groaned under the weight of a single person. In short, if we tried to stay there, the safe room would fall, and we would all perish. Was this really a trial to improve the levels of Bandits?

 Chapter 885

    Before we left the level, I did make sure to check out the mural. There were only four in this dungeon. That meant there were only four chances to understand the nature of this dungeon and why it was formed. This mural didn¡¯t mention the war but involved a battle between two of the blue people. One of them died, and the other was proclaimed king. It seemed like the passing of power went to whoever was strongest.


    As for the miniboss of level 15, it was another T-rex, but even larger. It had a lot of vitality, and killing it took quite a bit of time. I was beginning to see a pattern in this dungeon. The monsters she picked weren¡¯t powerful, but they were troublesome. They took a lot to kill, even at a low level. Although I had fought other high-HP monsters, these were often slow.


    I would guess that the Kraken and T-rex were two of the monsters that had the highest HP and were in a state where you couldn¡¯t avoid them or fight a prolonged battle. They required swift attacks and massive use of energy. Then, you had the inaccessible safe rooms, keeping anyone from resting comfortably. On top of that, the hot, humid environment with the relentless sun seemed designed to wear you down. This entire dungeon felt like a massive endurance run, designed to grind someone¡¯s will down.


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    Given our situation, I felt we had no choice but to continue. The difficulty of the monsters increased once again as we reached level 16. Most of my hopes that we¡¯d get some rest on the 19th floor before having to face Calypso were all but dashed. I¡¯m sure there was going to be something off about the next safe room too. Currently, my best hope was that we could catch her off guard. That depended on the deception holding. If not, we could always flee in my Portal now.


    The girls had already voiced to me their opinions that we should leave and regroup, but if that happened, we¡¯d be falling into a battle of attrition. Calypso¡¯s power came from this dungeon. Even if we needed to flee the dungeon shortly after, I could always Portal right back for a surprise attack. That meant we needed to make it to the final floor as quickly as possible.


    I had a skill from Dungeon Builder called Dungeon Sense. It was a difficult to understand skill, but it seemed to give me a feeling of the status of the dungeon. I could tell the dungeon¡¯s mood. At the moment, that sense was telling me that this dungeon was close to going into a growth period. If that happened, it¡¯d become a level 25 dungeon. Although this might seem like just five more levels, it also meant that all the mobs would become more powerful, and she¡¯d be able to summon more. In other words, if we didn¡¯t finish this in the next few days, the Bandit army we were already struggling with would grow exponentially more powerful.


    This was ultimately why we couldn¡¯t just break. We had to plunge forward, and we had to win!

 Chapter 886

    Six days after we entered the dungeon, we finally came to the 19th floor. Three weeks from now, I was supposed to be in Osteria to attend some princesses meeting. It was recommended we leave next week, but that was assuming we were people who traveled normally. Thanks to my Portal, we wouldn¡¯t need all of that time. It was my goal to finally take care of Lord Reign within the next three weeks. I wouldn¡¯t be comfortable leaving the country until that threat was dealt with.


    To deal with that threat, I had to amass a large enough army to deal with Lord Reign¡¯s Demonic Knights. That led us to want to make a treaty with the Bandit Hero. That hero turned out to be the exceptionally strange and dangerous Calypso, and her Bandit army turned out to be dungeon creatures that she had created after becoming the Master of her dungeon. There were still too many questions I couldn¡¯t answer.


    I didn¡¯t know how someone became the Master of a dungeon. I figured it had something to do with the boss¡¯s room. Perhaps, if you got your hand on the dungeon lore, rather than destroying or absorbing it, I could claim the dungeon as my own. It was just a guess, but I thought if I injected my miasma into the dungeon lore, that I could become the Master of said dungeon.


    Ultimately, that was my current goal. I wanted to get as close to the boss room as possible, find the orb, and then inject it with my miasma. Then, Calypso¡¯s dungeon would become my dungeon. That was one option. Regrettably, the Bandits had a very limited use, and I wasn¡¯t sure if I¡¯d be able to use them in my invasion of Alerith. Therefore, the more likely scenario was that I destroyed the lore so that Calypso couldn¡¯t use it. I didn¡¯t hold any hopes that I¡¯d be completing the lore this time. After all, it was anyone¡¯s guess what the goal of this dungeon was anyway.


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    ¡°Mast¡­¡± Lydia bit her tongue as she stopped me from taking a step forward.


    Right where my foot would have been, an arrow struck. Was it a trap? One thing this dungeon hadn¡¯t thrown at us were traps. Maybe they would have appeared on level 21, but why would it suddenly appear on 19? That¡¯s when I noticed that the arrow came from someone. A moment later, we were surrounded by Bandits. The girls were on alert, but I told them to hold off their attack. That shot had been a warning shot after all. They could have aimed for my heart.


    After a moment, a person walked out of the forest. ¡°Congratulations. You¡¯ve made it.¡±


    The group all looked at each other in confusion. We were rather tired and a bit haggard after a solid week of rapidly advancing. I hadn¡¯t even had a chance to go through the girls¡¯ levels and see how they had progressed. I hadn¡¯t even had a chance to see how I had progressed.


    ¡°Made it?¡± I took the lead, asking in confusion.


    ¡°The Bandit Trial.¡± He raised his hands. ¡°You made it to and through the final floor. You are now qualified.¡±


    ¡°Qualified for what?¡± Miki asked suspiciously.


    ¡°Why¡­ to join us! You¡¯re a Bandit now!¡± He smirked.

 Chapter 887

    This entire dungeon had been a hazing ritual? You fought through ridiculous odds and stamina grinding obstacles and once you reached the bottom, you were initiated. Could it be that simple? She had said she sent us down here to earn levels. That had now been accomplished. However, it all seemed a bit too easy.


    The group of us all looked at each other awkwardly before following the man. There were nearly as many Bandits on this floor as there were on the surface. We were surrounded. We ended up being taken to a tent. He stopped, standing at attention right next to it. The group of us entered the tent.


    I quickly realized that the inside of the tent contained no Bandits. It wouldn¡¯t, because it was the safe room of this level. I quickly registered at the kiosk, and then checked out the mural. The final clue behind this dungeon. It seemed to show a hero rising from the ranks of the blue people, and fighting back the humans. As the blue people fled over the seas, the hero fought and allowed them to escape, slaughtering hundreds of enemies, one man against a flood.


    Honestly, I had no clue what it meant. What was the story that hadn¡¯t been complete? Just as I started to dwell on it, I started hearing a thumping sound. I looked around in confusion. I realized it was a drumming sound, mixed with the sound of people stomping their feet. There were also cheers and shouts. This came from the flap across from the one we had entered from. This would be the flap leading into the boss room.


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    I ran to the flap we had come from and lifted it. I found myself peering into a stone wall. I hadn¡¯t heard the entrance close behind us, but there was no returning to the 19th floor. The dungeon boss was waiting for us.


    ¡°Master, we could still leave¡­¡± Terra began, but then her voice drifted off.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The group of us walked out of the safe room, and into a giant stadium.


    I had never seen a boss room like this before. There was a large arena with dirt floors and stands that circled it completely. Those stands were filled with Bandits, and as soon as our group walked out, they broke into cheers.


    As we approached the center, my eyes fell on Calypso. She was sitting on a large chair in the center portion, a unit separate from the seating of the common rabble. She truly looked like a Queen. A smile formed on her face as our eyes met, and I started to have a sinking feeling.


    ¡°Congratulations, you have made it through my trial, and have earned the right to join my Bandit horde.¡± She pronounced, causing even louder cheering. ¡°Of course, to join, you just have to do one last little thing for me.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Lydia asked, asserting herself as the leader again, while I returned to acting like the innocent tag-along and member of her harem.


    ¡°You should have long figured that out by now.¡± Calypso laughed dryly.


    ¡°You have to die!¡±

 Chapter 888

    ¡°Threaten me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Lydia, threaten me! We need to sell her on this. If everything worked out, then she thinks I¡¯m Deedee, an innocent tag along.¡± I explained over Slave Communication.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t! M-master¡­¡±


    I sighed. ¡°Shao¡­¡±


    ¡°On it!¡±


    Shao flashed behind me and held a knife to my throat. ¡°Let us go, or I¡¯ll cut her apart!¡±


    ¡°Why do your words sound so convincing!¡± I cried out.


    ¡°It¡¯s Master¡¯s imagination!¡±


    ¡°You knife is cutting! It¡¯s cutting!¡±


    ¡°Master has been very cold the last few days!¡±


    ¡°It was acting! We were acting!¡±


    ¡°Master can endure my love.¡±


    ¡°Why are you licking me!¡± That last one was out loud as Shao suddenly licked the side of my face.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll taste her before you can have her.¡± Shao smirked, looking every bit a depraved Bandit.


    ¡°Calypso, save me!¡± I cried tearfully, partially meaning it.


    Calypso¡¯s eyes narrowed. However, she didn¡¯t seem alarmed. She remained sitting in her chair as the girl¡¯s made of protective circle. Shao was holding me with a knife against my throat and her body pressed against me a bit too romantically. She was getting excited by this! Her crazy was showing!


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    Calypso only made a single gesture, and I was flung aside just as a blade landed where Shao had been. The attack had come from Salicia. I had thought that since we just came from the safe room, she¡¯d be able to retain her mind for at least a little bit, but with Calypso in her direct line of sight, Salicia had become her puppet once again, just like that.


    Shao had dived away into a roll. Naturally, she hadn¡¯t planned to hurt me in the first place. Well, at least hurt me any more than she might normally hurt me. She recovered quickly and spun back with two daggers out and ready to fight. However, Salicia didn¡¯t bother with her. Instead, she went straight to me and grabbed me. In a single motion, she picked me up, and then jumped up into the box where Calypso was staying.


    In the end, Calypso had bothered to save me. That must mean she was still under the impression that I was just Deedee, her harem member. Furthermore, Salicia seemed to let me go as soon as we were safely in the box. Lydia had jumped after Salicia, but to her surprise, she slammed into some kind of forcefield that blocked the box. This was Calypso¡¯s dungeon, so it seemed they had to follow her rules.


    At that moment, Calypso made another gesture, and a few dozen Bandits jumped from the stands down into the ring. They rushed at the girls, forcing them to forget about me and start to fight for their lives. These appeared to be some of the stronger Bandits in Calypso¡¯s army and weren¡¯t nearly as simple to take care of, especially when they outnumbered the girls five to one.


    Ultimately, everything had worked out just like I wanted. While Calypso was focused on the girls, I started to look around Calypso¡¯s stand. I had barely started looking when Calypso spoke up.


    ¡°Are you looking for this?¡± Calypso lifted the orb in her hand.


    It was the dungeon lore! I had been right. I didn¡¯t think the dungeon lore would still be in the ceiling. When the dungeon was originally formed, the lore would remain hidden. Once the Dungeon Master died, the lore would reveal itself. If it wasn¡¯t destroyed or finished, it¡¯d return to its spot. However, to become the Dungeon Master, she took the dungeon lore and held on to it. That was how she was able to control the dungeon, rather than the dungeon controlling her.


    However, since she had shown it to me, that meant that she knew I had been looking for it from the start!


    ¡°We need to talk, Deek.¡± She finally turned to me, a cruel smile on her lips.

 Chapter 889

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you mean.¡± I said, my heart quickly rising up to my throat.


    ¡°Your tricks never worked on me from the start.¡± She replied, snickering.


    I knew it was foolish to deny it. She had already said my name. There was no sense continuing the ruse. As she looked at me, I let out a long sigh. Of course, as I watched her, I still had an eye on my girls. Even five to one. They were still doing well. They had defeated several Bandits, but whenever a Bandit was defeated, a new one jumped down.


    ¡°You brought us just where we wanted to be. You may be able to able to keep summoning Bandits, but you¡¯ll have wasted more many than you gained.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true¡­¡± She nodded, looking over the girls. ¡°They are a lot more powerful than I expected. It was originally just my goal to kill them off and turn them into powerful dungeon Bandits, perhaps even Karmic Bandits that could lead as my lieutenants. However, you all exceeded my expectations. After swapping out my original 10th level boss for a Kraken, I knew that I had truly hit the jackpot.¡±


    ¡°What jackpot?¡± I sneered. ¡°This doesn¡¯t end in a way where you don¡¯t lose.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we getting a bit cocky?¡± She chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re in my room.¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± I asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be killing me?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Should I? Aren¡¯t you the weakest of all of them? Even though you managed to cure the miasmic curse from my dagger, killing you is still very simple if that is what I wanted.¡±


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    ¡°Then, what do you want?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± She grinned. ¡°I want your body.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± My face flushed slightly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had some interest in you from before. Since you¡¯ve brought Salicia to me, I¡¯ve been watching you. There are many secrets about your body that impress me.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. She really had seen everything. I had thought I had been playing her, but it turned out that she had been playing me. She hadn¡¯t just been playing me, but it had started since before I even knew she existed. From the moment I met Salicia, she had been somewhere in the background. I had hoped that she simply wasn¡¯t aware of the details of what Salicia had seen and done, but it turned out I was being ignorant and na?ve.


    ¡°Why are you doing all of this? What is your goal?¡±


    ¡°To destroy Lord Aberis.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°You want the King? He¡¯s harder to handle¡­¡±


    ¡°Did I say King Aberis?¡± She spat. ¡°That fat old fool and his maid slut! If they did things right, I wouldn¡¯t have needed to intervene! The Demon Lord Aberis is still alive!¡±


    I took several steps back, my mouth falling open in shock.


    ¡°Wh-what? That can¡¯t be!¡¯


    ¡°The Demon Lord has a special skill, the ability to reincarnate. The first time he had done it, his father, the Demon King, had struck him down when he tried to destroy his father at the end of the First Demon War.¡±


    ¡°First Demon War! How long ago was that?¡±


    ¡°I was just a young sorceress at the time, working with the Bandit Hero. To gain power, I had betrayed the human race in the hopes of endearing myself to the Demon Prince. In recompense, he used me as an incubator! The Demon King had damaged his soul heavily. It took many years for him to regain all of his strength, but when he did, he possessed me, and eventually was reborn as a child between me and the Bandit Hero. He even forced me to send my husband to the grave. He tried to ensure my death too, but I managed to escape.


    ¡°After that, he began the war on Aberis. By the time I had recovered, the war was already over, and he had been struck down. However, he had found a new mother!¡±


    ¡°Why does this sound familiar?¡± I scrunched my eyebrows.


    ¡°I believe the woman Aberis¡¯ soul now resides in is Xin, the Osterian Princess Hero!¡±

 Chapter 890

    So, that was why Xin had attacked the King all those years ago. The baby inside her must have taken control of her for a moment and made her attack him. That was also why she probably fled the country. There was just one thing off about her words.


    ¡°How long were you pregnant? Xin was already pregnant twenty years ago.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Her eyes widened, and then she clenched her teeth. ¡°His soul must have not been damaged, either by having had practice or the fact that those that defeated him were too weak and inexperienced. He must have been able to reincarnate right away. Once he enters the baby, the birth cycle is normal, so that means he¡¯s already been born and has existed for the last 20 years! At this point, he must be a young man.¡±


    ¡°This is a threat that encompasses everybody,¡± I said. ¡°Why don¡¯t we work together?¡±


    This had been my original goal. I had intended to talk to the bandit leader and convince them to cooperate with me. Of course, as time progressed, I had thought that would be impossible, but now that I knew that Calypso¡¯s true goals aligned with my own, I couldn¡¯t see any reason we couldn¡¯t work together.¡±


    ¡°Together?¡± Calypso looked over at me hesitantly.


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    ¡°As you said, my girls are strong. I¡¯ve been building an army, plus I have the trust of the future king. If we reveal what is happening, he¡¯ll help. I had always wondered why Osteria had been so hostile to our country. Now that I know their hero is the mother of the Demon Lord, and her son likely is in some political position, then we can¡¯t stand by and allow this new country to fall!


    ¡°I don¡¯t just have an army, but I have a lot of powerful friends as well. You¡¯re not the only one with a dungeon.¡± Her eyes flickered as I said this. ¡°Together, we can destroy this threat. What about it?¡±


    She continued to stare at me for a few moments, and then threw back her head and laughed. ¡°Haha¡­ you, want to work together?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I frowned. ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that?¡±


    She wiped a tear from her eyes, still giggling. ¡°Just the irony of your statement. I had very much the same idea. From the beginning, I had planned to make use of Chalm and all of your resources. Once I had the knife, it was always my aim to seek you next. It¡¯s just wonderful when everything just falls into your lap.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± The way she said those words had a slightly menacing tone that made me uncertain.


    ¡°I should say that I know how your soul was torn asunder and you were turned into a woman. Your soul power is now exceptionally weak, but your body is so strong and full of so many secrets.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°When you were a man, I fought with how I was going to manage to conquer your power and make it mine. Now, the answer is quite simple. This body has grown old and tired. Keeping it young and beautiful requires countless sacrifices. However, your fertile young body will be perfect for my future conquests! I will become you, and take everything that you have!¡±

 Chapter 891

    I was still stunned by her statement when she suddenly began to erupt with miasma. Before I could react, her miasma slammed into me. I let out a cry as I slammed back into the wall.


    ¡°Deek!¡± Lydia cried out as I was suddenly attacked.


    The distraction caused her to take a wound. I instinctively went to cast a spell to heal her, only to find that the miasma that entered my body had restrained my ability to use mana once again. All of the girls went from easily conquering their enemy to struggling as their attention grew divided between me and the endless barrage of Bandits that attacked them.


    ¡°Ignore me!¡± I cried out, feeling like I had a ten-ton weight on my chest. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ got this¡­¡±


    I wish my words had more strength, but they were extremely restrained under the power of Calypso. Her body glowed with a menacing miasmic aura. I could immediately tell that she was using an advanced skill from the Dark Priest class.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ do you think you have things handled?¡± Calypso¡¯s voice rang out like a bell. ¡°You were always a puppet running along on my strings. You¡¯re not even a real boy anymore.¡±


    ¡°Calypso¡­ you don¡¯t have to do this!¡± I shot back through clenched teeth.


    ¡°Look at your women struggle. It¡¯s because of you that they can¡¯t fight at their full strength. Can¡¯t you see? You are their weakness.¡±


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    Her words were another blow. She had managed to ascertain my greatest fears and jab them right into my heart. Ever since I had cut my soul and been damaged, my strength had declined significantly. I had leaned on the girls to help me more and more because I didn¡¯t feel like I could do things myself. I convinced myself that I didn¡¯t need to be strong as long as they were strong. Now, in just a few words, Calypso had unmasked how silly those beliefs had been.


    I was captured by Calypso. Had it been the old me, I would have at least been able to summon up the power to fight back. There was no guarantee I would win against her, but I wouldn¡¯t be struggling helplessly as I was pressed down. I could feel the miasma invading inside me, and some instinctual part of my Dark Priest job told me exactly what she was doing. She was trying to destroy my soul. Once the last vestiges of my soul had been torn apart, she¡¯d be free to insert her soul into my body. At that point, I would truly become the girl¡¯s greatest weakness.


    Calypso must have seen the realization in my eyes because she gave a malicious grin. ¡°You understand now. Once I take your body, I¡¯ll also gain all of your achievements. All of those blessings that you¡¯ve tried to hide will become my power. So, will all of the bonds you made. That¡¯s right, your women will become my slaves. Your dungeon will become my dungeon. I will take your power, and add it to my own.


    ¡°As for why I won¡¯t make an alliance, isn¡¯t that obvious? You¡¯re the weakest part of your party. Your girls prop you up, but with your damaged soul and weak physique, you¡¯re nothing. A party is only as strong as the weakest link, and you were supposed to be the lynchpin of your group. As soon as you fall, they all fall. This is why I never feared your party, since it was fundamentally flawed from the beginning. Support them? You are the cause of their downfall! In the end, you¡¯re nothing but a pathetic little girl!¡±

 Chapter 892

    To destroy a soul, even a weakened soul, required a great deal of effort. If possessing someone else was easy, then any high-level person could cause a great deal of grief by jumping from one body to the next. Even Calypso, in the boss room of her dungeon, being supported by the strength of the entire dungeon, would need to work hard to forcibly destroy a soul while it was still within the body, and then subsequently inserting her own into it.


    One such way would be to repeatedly damage the soul. If she used something like the knife though, there was no guarantee she wouldn¡¯t kill me. Once I was dead, she wouldn¡¯t be possessing a new living body, but a corpse. However, I already had an extremely weak soul, and I had also been further damaged by her knife, having spent weeks with my soul suffering more and more damage. It could be said that of anyone, I was most ripe to have my soul reaped in this manner.


    She had taken no risks. She exhausted me mentally, dragged me down to the lowest point of the dungeon, and the place where she was the most powerful. Then, she gave me emotional blow after emotional blow. Each step had been meticulous and showed just how conniving and intelligent the Sorceress Calypso truly was. It was a sure-fire plan. I could see all of this. I didn¡¯t know if Dark Priest was offering me insights into her style, or if I just reasoned it out as I saw my death come closer and closer, but I knew all of this.


    However, that wouldn¡¯t stop those attacks from working. Just because I knew she was trying to destroy my resolve and ability to resist didn¡¯t mean I could summon up the willpower. My defenses that were already weak started to cave one after another. My body started to be manipulated by the miasma. Soon, it would reach my soul, and then it would tear it apart from my body, causing pain beyond belief. In the end, I was simply too weak to resist.


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    ¡°Die, weakling!¡± Calypso¡¯s laugh filled the dungeon room.


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong!¡± A voice exploded out from below.


    Lydia was glaring up at her, blood running down her face, but with a fierce expression on her face.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Calypso smirked, unmoved by her sudden outburst.


    ¡°Master is our strength, not our weakness!¡±


    ¡°Little girl, you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Calypso responded, a smug expression on her face. ¡°Although, I don¡¯t dislike ignorant girls. It will be fun¡­ educating you, once you¡¯re in my harem. I will have fun playing with all of you once you are my slaves.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Celeste exploded with wind currents, sending the majority of the Bandits flying away while skillfully avoiding all of her companions. ¡°Master is my only master! I won¡¯t have any other. I realized it. I may like women, but only Master¡¯s women, and only because they are Master¡¯s women. What Master wants, is what I want, and what Master doesn¡¯t want, is my enemy!¡±


    ¡°Master is much stronger than you realize,¡± Terra called out, sending out numerous ground spikes, impaling Bandits.


    ¡°When I met Master, I was weak and sick. I didn¡¯t have the strength to do anything.¡± Miki cried out. ¡°It was Master who lent me his strength. Since then, my strength is Master¡¯s strength. He gave it to me, and it¡¯s only his to use!¡±


    ¡°Master is my soulmate! If you think you can wear his face, don¡¯t blame me for cutting it off!¡± Shao shouted angrily, decapitating a Bandit with one knife while shaking her other at Calypso.


    ¡°You all seem to be under the belief that you have a choice! Do you think you have strength? Hmph! You are blind! I¡¯ll show you true strength. Deek, it is time you die!¡± Calypso was finally standing now, a serious expression on her face.


    Her hand made a claw and she tossed it out in my direction, clenching it. Pain exploded throughout my mind and body. I could feel a tearing in my soul. She had begun to rip my soul apart.

 Chapter 893

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± I let out a scream as my soul started to buckle in her miasmic grip.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    The girls all let out cries, and Calypso¡¯s humor returned after the harem¡¯s brief period of defiance.


    ¡°Master.¡±


    My Slave Communication was still open with all of the girls. I usually left it open. Even over my screaming, I could hear Lydia¡¯s whisper like it was right in my ear.


    ¡°You are my strength.¡±


    As she said this, her body started to morph. Soon, she had taken on a slightly more feline appearance. This was her feral state which enhanced her power! With a tiger-like roar, she leaped up and kicked the dungeon barrier that separated us from the party down below. The hit this time was enough that the entire room seemed to shudder. At this point, several Bandits tried to attack Lydia from behind while she was distracted.


    ¡°Who said you could get involved!¡± A dark, malevolent voice filled the room.


    Black hands suddenly rose from the ground and grabbed the Bandits. They let out shrieks as they were pulled away. Some were tossed, while others were broken right away. The source of the mysterious hands was none other than Shao. Her eyes now glowed red, and she also had miasma roiling around her body. She had entered her Demon Lord Status.


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    Terra pulled out something from her inventory, and I realized it was three golems she had built. They took on a defensive posture behind her while she jumped up and also smashed into the barrier. It shook once again.


    ¡°Master, watch the strength that you gave us.¡± Miki¡¯s voice echoed in my head.


    She held up her hands, and suddenly, half the Bandits that were attacking her went slack, and then turned and attacked their own!


    ¡°I want a powerful state too!¡± Celeste declared, and as she said this, her body exploded once again with the wind.


    The force was so powerful, the other girls had to duck. The Bandits were all slammed into the walls with enough force to kill most of them. The barrier that contained them in the arena suddenly made a cracking sound. When the wind settled, Celeste¡¯s body was gone! Rather, in her place was the shapely outline of a person. They could only be seen as a distortion of wind. It was like a deadly tornado floating around in the shape of a beautiful woman.


    ¡°Ah! I didn¡¯t know I could do that!¡± Her voice was just as surprised as everyone else.


    As a Sylph, she was a fairy of wind. After watching the other girls gain strength through transformation, she had wanted a similar ability. She could throw off her mortal body of mana for a time, and become the embodiment of wind itself.


    All of the girls were now going all out, and now, no matter how many Bandits came, they died. It was no longer a tense battle, but a one-sided slaughter!


    ¡°Don¡¯t think any of this matters!¡± Calypso shouted, her expression turning ugly. ¡°You will all be my slaves shortly. As for your abilities, they will exhaust with time.¡±


    As she said this, Lydia and Terra continue to wail on the barrier, and more and more cracks formed. Worry started to fill Calypso¡¯s face. Her composure broke for an instant, and then her eyes fell on me. It was clear what she was thinking. As long as I was defeated, then so were they.


    ¡°Who cares how strong they are or who gave them that strength? They will still fall with you!¡±


    ¡°They are all being strong¡­ for me.¡± My voice came out much clearer now. ¡°I have been acting foolish. Since they can be strong for me, then I must be strong for them!¡±


    My eyes snapped open. The battle had begun!

 Chapter 894

    My body exploded with light as all of the blessing tattoos on my body ignited. Normally, these tattoos only lit up when I was accessing the dungeon point store. For the longest time, I had thought this was all these blessings did, besides some kind of passive effect that often increased affinity and made it easier to gain certain jobs. However, I had started to think that there must have been a second function. This second function was one I had only considered a possibility, but with no choice now, I had to try it.


    The only time I thought I had ever used my blessing this way, I hadn¡¯t realized that was what I was doing at the time. It happened when I was battling Alysia, that Osterian General, on the beach. At the time, I had been partially controlled by Octius, so I hadn¡¯t even realized what I was doing. It was only after carefully considering things, as well as seeing all of the girls use their means of transformation, that I started to realize that this might be the true power behind the tattoos.


    If I was right, it seemed like I could call upon the latent power of my blessings, using their strength and knowledge in battle. It made sense. If a Dungeon Master could summon the strength of the dungeon to enhance their power, and these tattoos were the power of a dungeon compressed into a blessing, then I should be able to utilize that power.


    After seeing my girls all change into their powerful forms, pulling upon the potential of their bloodlines, I realized I had to give it a shot. I¡¯d like to say that was why I was glowing, but if pulling on my blessings for strength was easy, I assuredly would have already done it. Instead, I altered my dungeon points.


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    The dungeon point store had a vast array of abilities, and I had 42 dungeon points to use. These abilities were sorted by tiers. 1st tier items only cost 1 point. 2nd tier items cost 5. Then, there were 3rd at 10, 4th at 25, and 5th at 50. Some skill were blocked out, and would only become accessible with the purchase of other skills.


    I could get 2nd job by equipping True Hero, not depending on dungeon points, and then unlock the third job, which costs 5 points, and a fourth job that costs 10 points. Ultimately, I was only really saving 1 point by obsessing about keeping True Hero equipped. Furthermore, I had 16 points sequestered as experience boosters, which was part of the reason I was able to level so quickly. At this moment of life and death, how could I be focused on experience?


    I equipped 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and for the first time, I added a 5th. That came to 41 points, I just had enough plus 1 for reset. As for the jobs I picked, True Dungeon Diver, Slave Master, Dark Priest, Demon Knight, and Dungeon Builder. Other than Slave Master, which benefited my girls and continued to support them, the other four jobs were those closely related to darkness, miasma, and the control of it. If she was trying to control me, I might have chosen Mimic. There was no deception here, but pure destruction!


    At this point, only a few seconds had passed, and the pain in my soul was becoming increasingly intense. Summoning all of my will, I grabbed hold of the miasma, trying to wrestle it from Calypso.


    ¡°As if you¡¯ll succeed!¡± She seemed to become aware of what I was doing.


    ¡°Just die!¡±

 Chapter 895

    Although we were nearly fifteen feet apart from each other, we were in the middle of a violent fight to the death. Between the two of us, I looked the worse for wear. Having only just seized the miasma, she wasn¡¯t even stressed at all. Feeling my resistance, she suddenly sharpened her miasma to a point. It felt like a blade. It was every bit as dangerous as the knife she had been wielding.


    The miasmic blade hovered just above my soul, threatening to pierce through it. Meanwhile, I held back the blade with my miasmic control, but how could my control compare to a woman who had lived countless lifetimes. Not only did she birth a demon, but she had maxed out the job of Dark Priest and become a Dungeon Master. Just how had she managed all of that? It wasn¡¯t that surprising considering how long she had lived.


    To maintain her youth, she had used her Dark Arts and sacrificed virgin women! That¡¯s why she had a harem of women. It wasn¡¯t a matter of her being a hardcore lesbian, it was a matter of her having a source of fresh female vitality. In the same way, she needed me to be a woman to possess me, she also needed young women to maintain her youth and beauty. At least, that was what my intuition told me based on my limited levels in Dark Priest.


    Without realizing it, I had progressed to a stage where I could glean this kind of intuition out of my jobs. This was normal for most people. Since they couldn¡¯t see their progress without the aid of certain select skills, few people knew what they unlocked. They might occasionally look at levels to see their progress, but they would usually focus inwardly, using the intuition gained as their job leveled and they increased their experience.


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    How else would they have ever discovered the skills they had, let alone how to use them and what they are called, without depending on that information? They called it obtaining enlightenment, but because I had the Support Class and always looked up what skills I had, it took me a while to find this intuition. Perhaps it was the damage to my soul, and the change to my personality, that allowed me to finally start to feel these subtle changes.


    As I focused more on inwardly using my intuition to understand my control of miasma, my control of it grew as well. This process might have taken weeks or months of reflection for someone normal. This could be accelerated with the Advanced Learning dungeon skills, but I had just unequipped those so that I could access as many miasma related jobs as possible. However, my understanding still grew rapidly. Calypso¡¯s eyes widened as what was formerly a struggle turned into us being about at the same level.


    The reason I advanced so quickly was extremely simple. I had a blessing that gave me miasma affinity! No matter how knowledgeable she was, I had an innate control of miasma that couldn¡¯t be ignored. Instinctively, I began to learn more and more about this miasma. Finally, I reached a point where I thought of something crazy. I started to push back against Calypso¡¯s miasmic blade, causing it to pull away from my body.


    Now, she was starting to sweat, and open disbelief appeared on her face. Of anyone she knew, no one had such a powerful miasmic ability.


    ¡°I wanted to possess you because you had miasmic control like me. Your body is¡­ suited for me. In fact, with time, I believed your body would gain better miasmic control than I ever did. Yet, you were just a seed. You should only be this powerful after I trained your body to my level¡­ how, how are you doing this?¡± She said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Like I¡¯m going to tell you¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± She grimaced. ¡°I¡¯ll just cut your secrets out of you!¡±


    She used all of her strength. The miasmic knife fell from my grip and slammed into my soul.

 Chapter 896

    A look of triumph appeared on her face. All of this was happening with miasma within my body though. The girls, as focused on the battle as they were, weren¡¯t able to see what happened. Calypso had sent all of her Bandits into the ring now, and while Lydia and Terra were still landing blows on the barrier and it was covered in cracks, it might be another five minutes before they were finally able to breakthrough. Considering they were breaking through the laws set out by the Dungeon Master using the full strength of her dungeon, even getting this far could have been considered impossible.


    As quickly as Calypso smiled in triumph, her smile dropped, and a look of confusion, and then horror painted her face. As the knife went into my soul, rather than cut it, it merged with it. Combining my affinity with miasma with Absorb, I had managed to directly convert her miasma, and use it to nourish my soul. She tried to pull it back, but now a stream of her miasma was seized by my soul. I began to consume it. Miasma began to flow out of Calypso, into me.


    ¡°No!¡± She cried out, feeling her power growing weaker.


    She was pulling her miasma from the dungeon itself, and now I was stealing that power and making it my own. This was the newly created skill, Soul Eater! In other words, this was a new combination skill, modifying Absorb with the mana derivative, miasma.


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    Strength flooded into my body, and I finally peeled myself from the wall. As the miasma flooded into my soul where it was consumed, my soul force exploded. My damaged soul, which had only been a sliver of its previous size, was now growing at an astronomical rate. However, as it grew, it was also changing. I was nourishing it with miasma, not mana, which meant my soul was becoming a karmic soul! I didn¡¯t care though. This was the ultimate sacrifice I had to make. I wouldn¡¯t allow Calypso to win now.


    Sweat ran down her face, and she was panting as she desperately tried to sever the connection between us. However, doing this would be like cutting apart her soul! Who would have the resolve to do such a thing?


    ¡°Stop!¡± She cried out. ¡°You can¡¯t do this! I won¡¯t let you!¡±


    As my strength grew, so did the power of suction as I slowly consumed Calypso. At the moment, I hadn¡¯t gotten to the point where I was eating her soul. Rather, I was munching down on the thick miasma of the dungeon. This quickly weakened the dungeon as a whole, and the new Bandits were being created slower and slower, and could no longer have the same strength as before. The pressure was taken off the girls at this point.


    As the miasma of the dungeon started to weaken, I was able to get glimpses of her soul. I saw flashes of pain and suffering, memories of times long ago. I also saw something else that instantly caught my interest. It looked like some kind of source or connection. I instinctively reached for it through the bond. Feeling this, Calypso let out a shriek.


    ¡°You think you¡¯ve won? Salicia! Kill him!¡±


    Salicia had stood to the side so silently that I had almost forgotten she was there. As soon as Calypso shouted the order, she pulled her weapon and attacked.

 Chapter 897

    Salicia charged forward, her weapon in hand. She immediately took a casual swipe at me, forcing me to leap back to avoid it. I had to pull back my perception, no longer able to reach the strange bond within Calypso. The girls could see me being attacked by Salicia, and they immediately reacted to it. With the Bandits having lightened their attacks significantly, the girls redoubled their efforts attacking the barrier that separated us from them. More and more cracks formed along the barrier, but it might still be a minute or two before they could finally get through.


    ¡°Salicia!¡± I cried out, pulling out my blade and hitting hers.


    After absorbing a great deal of the dungeon¡¯s miasma and replenishing my soul, I was able to resist her strike. Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t spec¡¯d for close combat at the moment. Furthermore, I was trying to maintain the link with Calypso. I felt like the only way I could defeat her was through this miasmic link. If that was lost, then I had a feeling like she would escape and all of this would have become meaningless.


    Salicia seemed completely unresponsive to my words, instead, attacking me several more times. As she did so, Calypso started using her will to extradite me from our attachment. She was resistant to my absorbance and trying to reassert her control over the dungeon. The miasma connection between us continued to shrink, and once again, Bandits began to flood into the rink, forcing the girls to become distracted. Meanwhile, Salicia¡¯s attacks grew more and more brutal.


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    If Salicia had been going all out from the beginning, it was possible that she would have defeated me in an instant. However, her attacks were slow and methodical, like a robot simply carrying out its command without any emotions. That¡¯s when I noticed Salicia¡¯s eyes. I had avoided paying too much attention to Salicia recently. That was because she likely functioned as Calypso¡¯s eyes and ears. I was afraid if I put too much attention her way, she¡¯d notice something and I¡¯d be found out.


    As I looked into her eyes at this moment, I saw reluctance. I could see Calypso growing frustrated by this as well.


    ¡°Kill him! Just kill him!¡± She cried out.


    ¡°Salicia, don¡¯t.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a slave order. A slave order wouldn¡¯t work on Salicia. A slave order punished someone for acting against their master¡¯s will. It didn¡¯t choose for a person, but it punished them for making the wrong choice. As for Salicia, she had no will. She had no choice. Calypso made her do what she did, so naturally, there wasn¡¯t even a point to the order. However, I didn¡¯t ask her as her master. I asked her myself. I looked directly at her, and she looked back. Slowly, she began to raise the blade in her hand, planning to bring it down on my head. I could see pain and anger, although it was hidden behind an expressionless face. A realization shot through me, and a small smile formed on face. At first, I was going to plead with her. I was going to try to speak to her humanity and the relationships between me and her. Then, I remembered who I was talking to.

 Chapter 898

    ¡°Are you really this weak?¡± I spoke so quietly, that Calypso couldn¡¯t hear.


    As those words struck Salicia¡¯s ears, her hands stopped, the blade raised over her head. Salicia was a proud woman, nearing the level of narcissistic. How could she possibly stand to be insulted like that?


    ¡°You let others control you so easily. I thought you were a Bandit Queen, but apparently this is as far as a Bandit Queen goes. A minion for another woman.¡±


    Her body shook. At this point, Calypso realized she had frozen.


    ¡°What are you doing? Cut her down! Cut her down now!¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t strong enough in that dungeon. You failed to accumulate wealth. You failed to save your sister. Now, you¡¯re still failing.¡±


    ¡°Sh-sh-shut up!¡± Her eyes had turned red, and her entire body was shaking.


    It was the first time she had ever spoken while she was under the control of Calypso. Her words seemed to catch the other woman off guard too.


    ¡°Ignore him! Just kill him!¡± Calypso screamed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Tears began to well up in her eyes, her grip on her sword tightening.


    ¡°Salicia, if you don¡¯t help, who¡¯s going to help me defile women?¡±


    Her eyes widened, and then a slow smirk formed on her face. ¡°I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


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    Her movements suddenly became explosive, but instead of attacking, she flew back, slamming into the unprepared Calypso. She spun around, grabbing Calypso and holding her in place, preventing her retreat.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Calypso cried out. ¡°Get your hands off me, puppet?¡±


    ¡°How can I stop until Master breaks you? If I don¡¯t give him regular sacrifices, then he might take me!¡±


    ¡°Is that what you think of me?¡±


    ¡°Master, please, your speech reached me deep down.¡± Salicia blushed, her words clearly seeming a bit misleading.


    ¡°That worked!¡± I cried out in surprise, and then coughed. ¡°Ahem¡­ I mean¡­ of course!¡±


    ¡°So, please, have at her!¡±


    ¡°Why do I sound like the criminal now?¡±


    At this exact point, the barrier that had been keeping the other girls in the rink shattered. Lydia leaped up to my side. She immediately pulled out a potion, handing it to me. Having grown used to taking mana or health potions being handed to me, I impulsively drunk it. Then, I looked at it to see that it was actually the gender bender potion. I could feel myself turning back into a man.


    ¡°Why was this necessary?¡±


    ¡°So, Master can finish defiling Calypso?¡±


    ¡°Is that what you all think of me? Since, when did I become the breaker of women?¡±


    ¡°There is a precedent for this kind of thing,¡± Lydia said helplessly.


    ¡°Like what?¡± I responded tearfully.


    ¡°Well, there was my mother,¡± Celeste said.


    ¡°That was a special circumstance!¡±


    ¡°Then, there was Elaya.¡±


    ¡°That didn¡¯t count!¡±


    ¡°The siren and the giant.¡±


    ¡°Not even Dungeon Masters!¡±


    The girls decided now to give me a hard time, but what did I do to deserve any of it? I was mostly joking with that last line; I didn¡¯t think everyone would take it so seriously. All of my actions up until now had been completely logical. I was just a victim of circumstance. Just because I had seduced several dungeon bosses didn¡¯t mean that I planned to break Calypso. What kind of guy would that make me? I needed to make this clear to my girls.


    ¡°Look, I have no plan to violate Calypso! She came on to me. If she didn¡¯t want me to reach inside her and take away her special something¡­ holy crap, I¡¯m defiling her.¡±


    I suddenly felt depressed.

 Chapter 899

    ¡°Fine, whatever!¡± I decided to stop wasting time.


    Although the girls relaxed significantly, it wasn¡¯t like Calypso had been defeated. She was weakened, and seemed to be under Salicia¡¯s restraint, but how long would that last? I reached out and began to pull the miasma from her once again. She didn¡¯t even fight the restraints. Other than a small shiver, she made no reaction. Her eyes bore into me with a mixture of hate and disgust.


    I quickly found the bond within her body, and then I slowly pulled it away. This was done instinctively. I honestly didn¡¯t know what I was doing. I just felt like this was somehow the source of her power. As the bond left her, her eyes never left mine. Slowly, I sunk that bond into my own body. It was at this point that the text popped up, and I realized what I had just done.


    {You have conquered the Dungeon, Bandit¡¯s Respite. You are now the Dungeon Master.}


    With that text, information flowed into my head. The Bandits who had been attacking immediately stopped. I felt like through the bond, I could absorb miasma, but also repel it. Was this the connection a Dungeon Master had to their dungeon? I suddenly felt extremely powerful, and also I felt an awareness as if I could kind of feel what was going on anywhere in the dungeon.


    As for Calypso, once the bond was severed and her connection to the dungeon ended, so did the stream between our bodies. She collapsed like her kite-string had just been cut, slumping down in front of me. She had been overtaxing herself during this battle, using quantity over quality to send out an endless stream of Bandits. Every time we killed one, she lost a little bit of miasma. Add to that the amount of miasma I stole directly from her, and both she and the dungeon had reached their limit.


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    For the dungeon, it felt dry and desiccated. It felt like it was on the verge of collapse. I was vaguely aware that the trees spread out on top of the dungeon were all dead now. During this battle, to maintain the fight, the dungeon had sucked the life out of the world around it. The rate that dungeons sucked mana out of the earth differed based on the dungeon.


    Those in cities were often covered in protective runes by Priests to keep them from being able to pull from people. Instead, these dungeons could only grow by sucking energy from mana veins deep within the earth. Those that were too destructive, like Mina¡¯s Dungeon or Karr¡¯s Dungeon, often ended up being destroyed.


    Yet, in a moment of extreme need, the dungeon could suck upon all the life force nearby. Humans and other creatures had a lot of resistance. They wouldn¡¯t die easily, especially if the dungeon wasn¡¯t that large or powerful. Trees, on the other hand, were a ripe means of acquiring mana. It left me a lot to think about for my path to being a Dungeon Builder.


    As I was casually thinking about this, my attention had slipped. I never expected that Calypso had only been playing dead. She suddenly leaped up at me, and there was the flash of a blade. The girls all let out cries as the miasmic blade that had once almost killed me headed right for my body a second time. Just as I was going to resist, someone shoved me aside.


    The blade slammed into Salicia, cutting into her stomach and causing severe damage!

 Chapter 900

    After stabbing Salicia, Calypso didn¡¯t choose to wait. Instead, she turned and leaped from the box down into the arena. Without hesitating, she bolted straight toward the exit and the safe room. As this happened, blood came from Salicia¡¯s mouth, and as she collapsed forward, I recovered and caught her in my arms, guiding her down to the floor.


    As soon as she reached the floor, I immediately healed her. The wound started to close, but just before it did, it resisted, not sealing completely.


    ¡°Miki!¡± I cried out.


    ¡°On it!¡±


    Miki climbed up to the box with the help of Celeste¡¯s wind. As she kneeled next to the dying Salicia, I stood up and looked out over the arena. During the brief moment I had taken to aid Salicia, the others hadn¡¯t remained still. Lydia had followed Calypso, leaping down after her. Perhaps, she could have caught Calypso, but all of the girls had already exhausted their various modes. Lydia was back to being a normal catgirl, Celeste¡¯s body reformed, and Shao was no longer in the Demon Lord state.


    As Calypso reached the exit, Terra created a wall blocking her as a last resort. When this happened, I felt an intense pressure, as if I was doing something I shouldn¡¯t be. It caught me off guard, and I stumbled for a second, catching the edge of the arena. Calypso, who was now trapped, spun around with her knife in hand, looking like a wild animal who had just been trapped. She noticed me looking pale and smirked.


    ¡°You feel that? Blocking me from exiting violates the tenants. It¡¯s Dungeon law. Now that you¡¯re a master, you¡¯ll learn more about that soon.¡±


    I had always known that dungeons fundamentally had to allow people to escape. Apparently, this wasn¡¯t just a trend, but a rule built into the dungeon. The dungeon had to follow certain specific rules. I had never heard of the tenants before, but they were apparently more than just a recommendation.


    ¡°Get her!¡± I ordered.


    The girls besides Miki began to surround Calypso. They didn¡¯t immediately attack though. They were all wary of the knife in her hand. If she cut any of them, it would be disastrous. She kept them all back, occasionally swinging her knife wildly.


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    ¡°You can¡¯t kill me!¡± Calypso yelled. ¡°If you kill me while restricting my freedom, then the backlash from the Dungeon will kill you as well!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if what she said was true, but the pressure on me seemed to be growing with each second. If I hadn¡¯t already consumed so much miasma and absorbed it as part of my soul, then I would have already collapsed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to kill you, just restrain you! Girls!¡±


    I impatiently glared, swinging out my hand and ordering them to attack. Of course, I didn¡¯t want any of them to get hurt, but Calypso couldn¡¯t be allowed to escape either. If she reached the safe room, it was the same as sending her to the first floor. At that point, there was no stopping her from leaving the dungeon and then causing even more problems.


    Celeste ended up being the one to move first. She sent wind flying at Calypso¡¯s wrist. She tried to block it, but Celeste sent out several puffs, and the second struck Calypso¡¯s wrist and sent the knife flying. Celeste waved her hand, sending the knife far out of Calypso¡¯s reach.


    ¡°You¡¯re done!¡± I shouted as the remaining girls attacked.


    Even though she was severely weakened, she was still a powerful Dark Priest. Even without the support of the dungeon, she was formidable. At that moment, she created a black wave that exploded out from her body. Lydia, Terra, Celeste, and Shao were all thrown back.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t over!¡± Calypso shouted, a dark smile forming on her face. ¡°We¡¯ll meet again!¡±


    At that moment, a Portal suddenly opened behind her. My eyes widened in shock as I looked through a path suddenly created to the outside world. I wasn¡¯t so much surprised by the fact that she was able to create a Portal into a dungeon. With Terra blocking off the path, perhaps it affected these so-called laws, and allowing the Portal to form could be called letting them have a means of escape. It was also possible she had left an opening in the dungeon, or maybe toggled the no-portals tag. I just didn¡¯t understand enough to say one way or the other.


    The shocking part was who made the Portal. On the other side of the Portal, it was Siti who had summoned it. The bright light from the outdoors streamed into the dungeon, and she stood at the entrance with her arms up like she was the one who casted the spell.


    ¡°Siti! What are you doing? Why are you helping her?¡±


    The girl cocked her head as if my question was confusing. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I help Mistress?¡±


    A dark grin formed on Calypso¡¯s lips as she leaped back through the Portal. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ll have to leave for now.¡±


    As she spoke, she gently stroked Siti¡¯s face while laughing maniacally. Siti put on an expression like a dog happy to see its master. The other girls had recovered and were racing toward her, but the Portal closed just as they reached it, the light darkened like a light bulb being flipped, plunging my group into relative darkness.

 Chapter 901

    I felt irritation that she had gotten away, but at least we had managed to get the knife from her. As for the dungeon core, she still had it on her, so she must have taken it. Shaking my head, I turned and approached Miki as she was getting up. Salicia was still on the ground, and she looked even worse now. Some of the veins under her skin had turned black, and it was quickly spreading through her body. One look into Miki¡¯s eyes and I could see the tears and helplessness there. She shook her head.


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­ close to death now.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do anything?¡± I asked.


    Miki looked down. ¡°If she was mana-based, I could flush her soul of the miasma. However, she¡¯s already made of miasma. I can¡¯t differentiate the two enough to remove it. I can¡¯t stop the curse from progressing.¡±


    ¡°B-but¡­ she¡¯s a miasma creature herself. How can she even be affected by the blade?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You forget, creatures that leave the dungeon slowly become mana-based. Salicia had been on the surface for years as the Bandit Queen. She had already started to convert. Although it¡¯s not enough to call her mana-based, she has some purified soul in there. Furthermore, the miasma from the knife doesn¡¯t match the miasma in her. Just because they are both miasmas, doesn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t war within her body. If mana and miasma were like oil and water, then two different miasmas are like water and brine.¡±


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    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t completely helpless against the curse. If she had a scratch like you did, it was possible she would recover. After all, she¡¯s still mostly miasmic, and so the curse can¡¯t hurt her as badly. However, the strike was just too much and too close to her heart. If she was a mana creature, she¡¯d already be dead. As is, she doesn¡¯t have long.¡±


    ¡°How long?¡±


    ¡°At best, a few hours.¡± Miki sighed.


    As a Spiritualist, Miki was an expert when it came to matters of life and death. Even if she couldn¡¯t stop Salicia from dying, she would at least be able to tell me how long. Her answer would probably be more accurate than anyone else in this world. If she said that Salicia had only a few hours to live, it was true.


    Grimacing, I walked over to Salicia and then kneeled next to her. She had her eyes closed, looking like she had fallen asleep, but as I kneeled next to her, they shot open. She looked at me, her expression did not give anything away.


    ¡°S-Salicia¡­¡± I said. ¡°You saved my life.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m awesome.¡± She let out a laugh, which quickly turned to a grimace. ¡°What¡¯s the damage, healer?¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re going to be fine,¡± I responded. ¡°Just fine.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to a liar.¡± She grinned weakly. ¡°I¡¯ve lived with enough death in my life that I know what¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± I heard Lydia speak up as she walked up to me. ¡°The knife¡­ it wasn¡¯t the miasmic knife.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°She must have switched it out. The knife Celeste knocked away¡­ it was just a normal knife.¡±


    So, in the end, Salicia would die, Calypso got away with the knife, the dungeon core, and Siti betrayed us. I wasn¡¯t used to losing so badly. Even though I was standing in the dungeon, Calypso had defeated us completely.

 Chapter 902

    I couldn¡¯t hide the lost, defeated expression on my face.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ okay, Master,¡± Salicia spoke up. ¡°You haven¡¯t lost much. You can chase after and kill Calypso. As for me, I¡¯m just a guard, right?¡±


    ¡°Salicia¡­¡± My eyes started to sting for some reason.


    ¡°This¡­ is fine.¡± She smiled sadly. ¡°Death is fine. After all, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m her, right?¡±


    I blinked in surprise. ¡°You know?¡±


    ¡°Just because I couldn¡¯t react, didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t aware.¡± She grimaced. ¡°That woman who longed to be strong enough to protect her family¡­ she died a long time ago. As for me, you were right, I¡¯m a failure. I failed to protect my sister when I was alive, and even this imitation failed to protect her. Carmine died, and I wasn¡¯t there. Nothing is keeping me here anymore. There is no reason to be alive.¡±


    ¡°No reason at all?¡± My voice came out tightly.


    ¡°Come now, Master, don¡¯t get all emotional on me now. Although I thought you might eventually get close to my sister, you and I were never a thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I bit my lip. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. I kept you at a distance, just as you kept me at distance. Maybe, deep down, we both knew we were enemies. My time with you was genuine though. You didn¡¯t control me. The time I had with you, you and Carmine, I was happy, I think.¡± A tear flowed down her cheek, but as I reached out to catch it, I felt tears run down my own.


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    ¡°Salicia, we¡¯re not enemies anymore,¡± I said with certainty.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± She nodded, smiling. ¡°My only regret is that those times couldn¡¯t have lasted longer. Perhaps, in another life, we could have grown closer as well.¡±


    Looking down at her helpless form as she grew paler and weaker, a surge of unwillingness exploded in me. This wouldn¡¯t happen. I wouldn¡¯t allow it!


    Using Slave Communication, I contacted Astria. It appears she was with Elaya so luckily I was able to communicate with her too. They were the ones most familiar with miasma, so if anyone could come up with an answer it had to be one of them. Although they were distant, my Slave Communications were able to reach them. Part of the reason was because the dungeon that had once blocked my signal had inexplicably become the opposite. It was now able to amplify my signal like a giant satellite dish. It consumed some of the already waning miasmas of the dungeon, causing it to further desiccate, but I was willing to do anything at this point, even destroy this dungeon.


    ¡°Ho Ho¡­ you should have messaged me sooner, of course, there is a way.¡± Elaya¡¯s voice sounded back.


    I shook visibly, immediately demanding to know the way. As she told me my face turned strange.


    ¡°You¡¯re messing with me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°If you want to save her life, it must be done!¡±


    I let out a long breath, and then fierceness burned in my eyes as they locked onto Salicia.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± She asked, suddenly blushing from being looked at so intensely.


    ¡°There is a way that I can save your life.¡±


    ¡°Really? How?¡± She asked, but then she shook her head. ¡°Who cares, lets do it!¡±


    I blinked. ¡°What happened to all that talk about accepting death?¡±


    ¡°Heck with all that, I want to live!¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ then I guess you won¡¯t mind this method.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do anything!¡±


    I nodded firmly, standing up and unbuckling my pants. ¡°I¡¯m glad you said that.¡±


    ¡°Wh-wh-what are you doing?¡± Salicia¡¯s eyes widened with panic.


    ¡°What must be done!¡± My eyes flashed with seriousness as I pulled down my trousers.


    ¡°Told you he was going to bang someone,¡± Lydia whispered to Shao.


    ¡°Circumstances!¡± I cried back.

 Chapter 903

    ¡°Not that I¡¯m complaining, I died a virgin the first time, and if we had sex, then at least I could accomplish something with this life, but why sex?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re a virgin that this works.¡± I explained. ¡°I mean, Elaya is the one who explained it and I don¡¯t understand all of it, but something about when we make love for the first time, our souls intertwine, allowing me to use my soul to purify yours.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Deek¡¯s correct!¡± Elaya¡¯s voice suddenly called out.


    A split formed in the dungeon, and the queen herself stepped through it. This method of transport was completely different from creating a Portal, and I had no clue how it was done.


    ¡°Oh, so I guess everyone can just transport in dungeons right now, that¡¯s cool.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°This dungeon is now controlled by you, so as your servant, this should be the least I can do.¡± Elaya blinked. ¡°Anyway, the point I was making is that women virginity contains a bit of their blood essence, and when they lose it, that can have a purifying effect.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± Salicia looked unconvinced.


    ¡°Why are you here anyway?¡± I asked. ¡°Are you needed for this?¡±


    She created a chair and sat down. ¡°Not at all. I just wanted to watch.¡±


    ¡°W-watch?¡±


    ¡°Mm! Master¡¯s going to deflower a virgin wench. Since the other girls are getting to watch, I want to as well.¡±


    ¡°Who says the other girls get to watch?¡± I cried out.


    ¡°We don¡¯t?¡± Miki complained.


    ¡°Come on, wreck that wench! I want to see you break her!¡± A little form suddenly leaped up on Elaya¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°A-Astria! You came too?¡±


    ¡°Damn straight! You keep leaving us at home. We¡¯re bored. Don¡¯t you know we¡¯re thirsty women at our sexual prime?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say past your sexual prime!¡± Shao said, crossing her arms in a huff.


    ¡°What did you teeny boppers say?¡± Elaya threatened them with her fist while Astria jumped up and down on her shoulder excitedly.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to do it in front of you!¡± I cut in before they escalated into a cat fight.


    ¡°Deek, don¡¯t ruin this for us!¡± Astria cried out. ¡°I want to see you get some! Don¡¯t you, daughter!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Celeste grew flustered after being singled out by her mother, touching her fingers together. ¡°Well, I mean, I guess it¡¯d be kind of sexy to watch.¡±


    ¡°I want to see it too!¡± Lydia raised her hand excitedly.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Mm¡­¡± Terra nodded with her hand balled into fists against her chest.


    ¡°Besides¡­¡± Elaya added. ¡°You need us around in case something happened. You¡¯ll be touching your souls together to heal her. You need me here to facilitate the process so you don¡¯t end up injuring yourself.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡± Astria whispered in her ear.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She shrugged.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Deek! Her life is in jeopardy! She only has two hours to live! You have to get started before it¡¯s too late!¡± Miki cried out dramatically, holding her hand to her forehead while hiding a grin. ¡°Get on top of her now! There is no time!¡±


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    ¡°No time! It¡¯ll only take five minutes!¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± The girls all gave me strange looks.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Salicia spoke, causing me to glance down at her. ¡°So, five minutes is all I¡¯m worth to Master.¡±


    ¡°Geh! You too? Do you really want your first time like this?¡±


    Salicia grinned and shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m a Bandit. Being wounded by my enemy, helpless on the cold ground, I¡¯d get pushed down by a grunting man while people cheer for him to wreck me¡­ it¡¯s kind of how I figured I¡¯d lose it.¡±


    ¡°E-even so¡­¡± I blushed, feeling like I must be the shiest one at the moment.


    Elaya and Astria had already pulled out a fried snack food and were eating while watching with interest. The other girls all started to get comfortable too. They laid out blankets. It looked like they were having a picnic. Shuddering, I turned away and decided I¡¯d just ignore them.


    ¡°Fine! If this is how everyone wants this to go down, I¡¯m fine with it!¡± I ripped off my shirt. ¡°No clapping! No cat-calling either! Slave Order!¡±


    ¡°Party pooper.¡± Miki huffed as I stopped them just as they started getting rowdy.


    I looked down at Salicia, who gave a little helpless shrug. ¡°I can barely move right now if you were expecting me to get on top. Normally, I¡¯d be delighted to mount and see how long I can ride you, but it looks like that¡¯ll have to wait until next time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already planning for the next time.¡±


    She genuinely blushed. ¡°Don¡¯t tease. Master, although we haven¡¯t necessarily been close, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t recognize everything you¡¯ve done for me and my sister.¡±


    ¡°In the end, I couldn¡¯t protect her.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No, Master. We both couldn¡¯t protect her. I don¡¯t blame you.¡±


    I nodded, but my fist still tightened at her words. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Do you¡­ think that maybe Carmine might exist out there too?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°She was tossed into some kind of trial by Lord Reign, and then she never came out. That has to be a dungeon, right? If she died in that dungeon¡­ then it would have made her a part of it. Knowing my sister, she definitely would have become a dungeon boss.¡±


    My heart suddenly throbbed at her words. A part of me that felt like it had died had suddenly sparked with hope. I had never thought about such a thing, but wasn¡¯t it possible? Elaya had been reborn in a dungeon, and it did that only by memories and impressions. Salicia wasn¡¯t even the original girl, but someone born from a dungeon and raised by Calypso. If it was possible for the pair of them to walk in this world again, then wasn¡¯t it possible for Carmine as well?


    If she died within a dungeon, then her soul would still be in the dungeon. She wasn¡¯t nobody. She was a powerful Paladin, those that could be said to have the greatest resistance to miasma. That was another way to say that the miasma would not have been able to destroy a soul like hers. While Paladins were the ultimate weapons in dungeons, they were also those most prone to becoming bosses, because their soul persevered. Since the dungeon couldn¡¯t grind it down into miasma, it instead incorporated it into a new body.


    Such an action could have occurred for Carmine. Even if it didn¡¯t, we might be able to make such an event occur. I wasn¡¯t sure how I would feel about replacing anyone else in this manner. It felt a bit too convenient, and they¡¯d never truly be the same person, but this wasn¡¯t about me. Salicia was already a copy, so she understood all of this best. A copy of her sister would almost be ideal for a miasmic woman such as her.


    ¡°Then, it is settled,¡± I said, after coming to all of these realizations. ¡°We need to defeat Lord Reign, and we need to defeat him quickly. We will reclaim Carmine¡¯s soul, and we will bring her back to the world of the living.¡±


    Salicia¡¯s eyes teared up for a moment and she nodded. ¡°That would be wonderful. Then, please, have me, Master. Fill me with your power. Then, together, we won¡¯t just take vengeance, but we¡¯ll save her as well!¡±


    Salicia¡¯s eyes, which had seemed haunted these last few weeks since she found out about Carmine, grew bright once again. Finding out about her own true nature had taught her about what to do regarding her loss. Previously, the only thing that had kept her going was the desire for revenge. This was why, even with life dangling before her, she had acted so lukewarmly.


    She had been thinking that deep down if she died, it wouldn¡¯t matter that much. The desire for revenge could only take you so far, and afterward, you would have nothing left. After seeing everything that Calypso had accomplished, she now had something that she hadn¡¯t before. She had hope. With a firm resolve, she realized that she truly did want to live. It was no longer just words.


    That¡¯s when her eyes fell on mine, and she couldn¡¯t help but blush. Although Salicia was bold and shameless and was the kind of woman who once flashed her tits to a crowd of strangers in the Capital, when I looked at her a certain way, an intense look that saw her not as a companion, but as a woman, she suddenly grew unbearably shy. It wasn¡¯t quite like Shao¡¯s modesty. Shao was submissive in bed despite her otherwise forceful nature. Instead, Salicia was truly embarrassed to be desired. Perhaps it came from her never feeling she was good enough to be loved.


    Salicia covered her chest, even though it wasn¡¯t exposed, her face turning red as her expression grew really cute. She must have not realized that this kind of look was deadly for me. They brought out the worst in me and made me wnat to tease and torture them. Looking so shy and innocent, my dark thoughts bubbled to the surface, which caused her to fidget even more shyly, creating a vicious cycle.


    ¡°A-actually, I changed my mind. Let¡¯s do this privately in your room.¡± Salicia breathed out in nearly a whisper.


    ¡°Too late for that!¡± I grinned darkly.

 Chapter 903.5

    I reached down and removed Salicia armor and tore open her shirt. She let out a cry, but she didn¡¯t have the strength to resist. That wasn¡¯t to say she was trying to resist. Being looked at like that seemed to excite her, and at the same time make her even shyer. She tried to hide her chest, which included a certain pierced nipple. Looking up at me with a helpless look, it only sparked my animalistic desires even more.


    I didn¡¯t try to be an aggressive lover, but my first experience had been with a tigress. While she had no personal experience of her own, she was trained in sexual gratification, and I learned many things from her. The next girl was another animalkin. When you add the unbreakable Celeste and Terra, followed by the demon Shao¡­ there should be no question why my sexual tastes had grown to be a bit overbearing. Many times, I had to satisfy multiple women at once, so to get the job done, an aggressive approach was needed to leave everyone satisfied.


    It was only when I was with only one girl that this nature came out as a bit dark and scary. The girls had a general policy of deciding amongst all of them when sexual encounters were allowed and with who. Every girl would get one time alone, but most subsequent times would involve two or more. When I could focus on only one woman, then I would enjoy it to my fullest.


    It should also be noted that although my sex life was good, I wouldn¡¯t say I had it all the time. Even when staying in the mansion, there were many nights we¡¯d just cuddle together and sleep. We used to do things on a rotation, but many of the other girls had been excluded by these rules. Astria and Elaya eventually broke the deadlock, and such a system fell apart.


    Now, we perhaps had sex maybe once a week on average. However, on that day, we¡¯d have enough sex to last the week. It¡¯d often by an orgy with at least all five women, and sometimes more, and it would go long into the night, forcing me to pull on my Pervert and Harem Master skills to accomplish.


    Speaking of which, I needed to keep my state of mind. Although I swapped out Dungeon Builder for Harem Master, thinking it might help with getting our souls closer, I didn¡¯t want to lose myself and risk making a mistake, so I avoided Pervert.


    Watching Salicia¡¯s uncovered body, she was incredibly pretty for a woman who should be a monster. Rather than grow corrupted by the dungeon, and become some kind of beast or monsters like the siren and the giant, she maintained her original form, but with just a hint of darkness. This was probably because Calypso extracted her before the curse could corrupt her further.


    I had already known that she had control of darkness magic, but I had thought it was because she was the Bandit King. It turned out it was more likely because she was a miasmic creature. As to what the difference between darkness and miasma was¡­ it¡¯d be like the difference between mana and magic. One is the expression of the other.


    She was a bit skinny, not looking nearly imposing naked and wounded on the floor as she once had as a Bandit King. Her hair covered her eyepatch. I brushed it gently aside, and she raised one of her hands from her breasts to stop me from pulling away the eyepatch. After a moment, she dropped her hand and let me pull it up. This revealed an eye that had no damage and could very much see. It was dark brown, however, where her other eye was blue.


    ¡°She¡­ had blue eyes,¡± Salicia admitted.


    She had once jokingly said that she wore an eyepatch because she thought it made her look more charming. Perhaps, she had actually believed that at the time. The truth was that the dungeon Salicia was dichromic. Maybe, part of her soul mixed with someone else. Maybe, it was just a mistake in creation. Maybe it was a hint at the creature she inevitably would have turned into from the curse if Calypso hadn¡¯t captured her. Either way, it didn¡¯t make her look ugly or strange, but it was simply part of who she was.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± She lightly whispered as I gently stroked her hair.


    Whatever Miki had done earlier when she tried to heal Salicia of the miasma, it no longer showed on the surface. Her skin wasn¡¯t flawless. She was a woman who had spent a lot of her life-fighting. However, she had an attractive complexion and her skin was soft. Gently, I leaned down and kissed, finally taking her lips. She parted them slightly, letting out a rough breath as I slowly pushed myself on top of her.


    While we kissed deeply, and I tasted her sweet saliva and breathed in her fragrant breath, my hands removed her pants, which were made out of black leather. Once they were discarded, I spread her legs. I knew she was injured and struggling. Just because I had dark impulses to tease and play with her didn¡¯t mean that I would accidentally harm her.


    My fingers found the area between her legs, and I carefully fingered her wet pink slit, letting two fingers slide inside her while using my thumb to rub her clitoris. Her body shifted as the stimulation shot through her body like a wave. Her toes tingled and her body ached. Although she was weak, there seemed to be a rising heat deep inside that also served to give her strength.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Mmm¡­¡± She let out gentle moans as our kissing grew more intense.


    Her pussy grew wetter and wetter from my touch. I finally pulled away from her lips, raining kisses down her neck and shoulders. As for the girls watching, I had sex with other women in front of them before, so although they had never watched before so daringly, it wasn¡¯t difficult for me to ignore them. Rather, we were already in our own little world, and I had completely forgotten about their presence. As they saw me treat Salicia so gently, a few of them had wry looks on their faces. I hadn¡¯t given all of them such a gentle first experience, but I was scared of harming Salicia further.


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    I pulled open my pants and brought out my cock. I still wanted to make sure she was ready, so rather than stick it in, I rubbed it gently up and down the entrance. Her wet slit slowly moistened the tip of my cock, I started to use it to rub the clit of her pussy. Well, I didn¡¯t have to do that, but while I needed to go easy on her, I wasn¡¯t going to resist making things a bit hard.


    ¡°Master¡¯s such a sadist,¡± Lydia whispered.


    ¡°When he does that to me, it drives me crazy,¡± Miki commented.


    ¡°Master should just put it in already. Doesn¡¯t he know that¡¯s what she wants?¡± Celeste added.


    ¡°Shhh¡­ that¡¯s the idea. If he gives her what she wants, he¡¯s too complacent. She¡¯s got to beg for it.¡± Elaya let out a light laugh.


    ¡°Hmph, I¡¯d have just forced it inside by now,¡± Shao said.


    ¡°She¡¯s too weak right now. She can¡¯t do anything but take it.¡± Terra explained.


    ¡°Taking advantage of weak women, master¡¯s path toward evil is progressing nicely.¡± Astria chuckled.


    My brow furrowed a bit. Maybe I wasn¡¯t able to ignore them as well as I had hoped. It wasn¡¯t clear if Salicia had heard them though. She had her eyes closed and her mouth open as she panted in an uneven breath. Every once in awhile, when I hit the right spot, her body would shudder. Her eyes finally snapped open, and looking up at me with her weak, flushed face¡­ she looked impossibly sexy, and I felt a little guilty for taking advantage of her in her weakened state.


    ¡°Please, I need it inside me.¡± She begged.


    She was a virgin! I was just making sure that she was sufficiently prepared! My mind immediately came up with such excuses as I blushed under the gaze of all the other women present. The other reason I had been teasing more was that I wanted to last longer after some of their previous comments. However, since it came to this point, the next time I pushed with the head of my cock, I lowered it down and the head popped inside her instead.


    ¡°Ahhn! I-it¡¯s in!¡± Salicia cried out.


    I ignored the clapping. I really should have ordered them to make no noise. I wanted to ask Celeste to put up some kind of wind barrier, but I was already in Salicia and stopping now to make orders seemed like it¡¯d ruin the mood, and her suddenly blowing wind around in this small room would only be a distraction. Instead, I worked on ignoring them again, as I steadily pushed myself into Salicia, slowly filling her tight pussy an inch at a time.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Master¡­ you¡¯re filling me up. I feel like I¡¯m tearing apart.¡± Salicia panted.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost in,¡± I spoke softly, kissing her lips as I pushed the rest of the way.


    When I finally was down to the base of my cock, Salicia¡¯s back arched and her lips pulled away from mine as she let out a moan, her eyes closed tightly. As she settled back down, I gently kissed her eyelids, and then slowly began moving my hips in and out.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ah¡­ Ah¡­¡± She made little sweet noises with each thrust, panting with her mouth open.


    As the shyness started to melt away while her enjoyment built, she became increasingly more expressive. She wasn¡¯t afraid to show pleasure on her face, and she even looked a bit silly as she lost herself to the pleasure. She used up her last remaining strength to wrap her hands around my head and hold on to me for dear life.


    Meanwhile, I dived into her chest, taking each of her small breasts into my mouth and sucking on them. She gasped and moaned as I played with them. My tongue took particular interest in her pierced nipple, flicking it up and down in my mouth, and even biting and pulling on it. Each attack elicited cute and erotic noises from Salicia¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m cumming!¡± She moaned.


    Her body shivered and her pussy tightened even more against me, suckling my cock as the muscle twitched orgasmically. However, I wasn¡¯t done yet. Ultimately, as good as she felt, I needed to cure her. I didn¡¯t feel like we were there yet, so I started to move faster and faster.


    As my speed increased, I felt myself growing closer and closer to Salicia. I paid particular attention to the flow of mana and miasma and watched as we slowly united as one. At first, I had thought it would happen organically during sex. They always treated sex as a blending of souls. Now, I realized that although our souls slowly moved closer during sex, it was only at the point of a certain act that they¡¯d touch. That was the point to which we both came.


    I had already made her cum once, and it wasn¡¯t enough. Only by simultaneously cumming, would our souls touch? I did ask Elaya, and she confirmed this was true


    ¡°Hmm? Didn¡¯t I say? You¡¯ll need to cum inside her. You must mix with her completely!¡± She announced.


    I sweated slightly. Salicia was a human, and I didn¡¯t have pervert equipped. If I came inside her, wasn¡¯t there a high chance of her getting pregnant? For Lydia and Miki, it was already difficult to conceive. When it came to Celeste, she actually had complete control of conception. When it came to Terra, conception was impossible. As for Shao, although she wanted to get pregnant, I convinced her it was a bad idea and she had gotten a special magical item that prevented it.


    However, there was no choice. We¡¯d just have to risk it. I decided to go all-in, both figuratively and actually. I started moving my hips roughly, using all of my skills to bring Salicia to climax once again. Of course, I was far more skilled in this than she was.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Ahhh¡­ Yes! Almost¡­ Ah¡­ I¡¯m there!¡±


    This time, when she started to cum, so did I. I l released my seed deep inside her. As she climaxed, her own machinations sucked the hot seed deep into her womb.


    ¡°I feel it! I feel it!¡± She moaned.


    I came over and over again, but half of my mind was also focused on our souls. They finally touched, and as they did so, I could feel all the pain and malice from the curse. I immediately exploded in lightly, casting my healing through both of our bodies, looking to destroy the curse. With our souls linked, Salicia and I were on the same wavelength. I finally understood what Astria meant. The reason that Miki couldn¡¯t fix her is that she couldn¡¯t differentiate the miasma of the curse and the miasma of Salicia¡¯s body. I would have the same problem, except that at this moment as our souls touched, her soul and my soul were the same. Of course, I could tell what was the true me. At that point, I was able to expel everything else.


    As we came together, our bodies glowed with white light, filling the entire room. It was a melding of souls. We were in sync on an emotional, physical, and spiritual level. We were like one being, blended together. Such a sweet scene inexplicably occurred in the dungeon.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I can¡¯t see the climax.¡±


    ¡°Who put the censor glare up?¡±


    ¡°I call dibs on pushing her stomach and watching his stuff squirt out of her!¡±


    ¡°I want to see her ahegao face.¡±


    Well¡­ sort of a sweet scene.

 Chapter 904

    After we finished, Salicia appeared to be healed. I was a White Mage, after all, so as soon as the curse was flushed from her system, my spells were more than enough to bring her back even from the cusp of death. Her wound healed up, and she looked as good as new. She looked even better than that. After becoming so close to her, I suddenly found it a bit difficult to see her the same way as before. She looked just a touch more radiant. As she looked at me, her cheeks flushed, and there was a slight bit of shyness that caused her to become more radiant and beautiful to my eyes.


    She put her eyepatch back on, covering the dark brown eye, the only thing that indicated her as different from the original Salicia who had once died. After getting spare clothing from the girls present, she was starting to return to her old self. Furthermore, when our souls touched, I had also flushed out the contamination from Calypso¡¯s miasmic attack. Although she had resisted Calypso once, there was no saying Calypso might not use her again. However, that mark had now been destroyed, freeing Salicia completely.


    I looked out over the group of Bandits standing at the ready down in the arena. The rest of the girls walked up with me. Only a bit before, they had been battling these Bandit hordes to the death. Now, we all stood above them, and they looked up at me with reverence.


    They were all controlled by me, and once I had ordered them to stand down, they had stopped fighting and had seemingly been loitering around. Given the angle of the arena to the stadium box, they weren¡¯t able to see me with Salicia, but that didn¡¯t stop them from being able to hear. Many of the men gave knowing grins and thumbs up as they saw me, having been well aware of what we were doing up here.


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    To them, I was nothing more than their Bandit King, although if they were asked why I became the leader, they¡¯d just give a vague answer about how I defeated Calypso and am thus the strongest. In that respect, having a harem of beautiful women was perfectly suitable for a Bandit King, and perhaps even a sense of pride for the Bandits that followed me.


    Many of them even recognized Salicia, so seeing her conquered by their new leader left them feeling quite happy. Some might have known her as Calypso¡¯s right-hand woman, but many others had actually been Bandits under her back when she was the Bandit King herself. Of course, all of them had died, and these were only the remnant souls of those people.


    Although their souls had been captured completely by this dungeon, they hadn¡¯t been formed into miasmic bodies, but ground into food for the dungeon. Furthermore, these guys experienced endless amounts of death as they were sent out and encouraged to attack the countryside, creating more fuel for Calypso¡¯s growing ambition. At this point, they were shells of what they once were, and even Salicia would struggle to pick out any one of them and recognize them as a bandit she once knew. It wasn¡¯t like they could hold long conversations about the past, or act on any deep level.


    ¡°So, what should we do now?¡± Shao asked.


    I thought about it for a bit, and then I made my decision.

 Chapter 905

    ¡°This dungeon needs to be destroyed.¡± I said after coming to my decision.


    ¡°Eh? But we worked so hard to capture it!¡± Celeste complained.


    ¡°Although I am the Dungeon Master at the moment, Calypso has the dungeon core. In short, while this dungeon seems like a strength, it has a terrible weakness.¡± I sighed. ¡°Even if I had complete control of the dungeon, it wouldn¡¯t be very useful to us.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Terra asked.


    The Bandits in this dungeon are only mobs. They¡¯re limited, and can only perhaps go a days ride away from any entrance this dungeon offers. That means, when it comes to the war effort up north, we won¡¯t be able to use them. Furthermore, after dealing with Lord Reign, we may need to end up dealing with the Demon Lord Aberis as well. He was powerful enough that it took the combination of three heroes to defeat him last time. I can¡¯t imagine he¡¯s any weaker now. Simply put, this dungeon and the Bandits within do not give us an advantage.¡±


    ¡°Furthermore, without the core, this dungeon won¡¯t be able to be maintained. I can already feel it weakening now.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Astria broke in. ¡°You have the dungeon you created. You could spare some energy from it to keep this one fed. It¡¯d be possible to create a connection between them, and feed this one like a mother feeds a baby in its womb.¡±


    As she said this, she gave Salicia a coy look.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± The other woman asked, seemingly not knowing what they were talking about.


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    ¡°It just seems like a shame to throw out all of this.¡± Terra sighed.


    Of everyone present, other than Elaya and Astria who had traveled here using some powerful magic, Terra was probably the one who understood the potential battle strength of a dungeon the most. She had used her will and strength to create a prison that restrained the clockwork dragon for years. She had also had some kind of crazy idea about a mobile dungeon. I wondered how such a thing could work, but when I asked for details, she¡¯d blush and insist that it just did.


    However, there were limits to what you could do with an existing dungeon. The difference between a Dungeon Builder and a Dungeon Master is that a Dungeon Builder could define every step of the dungeon process, molding it to their will. A Dungeon Master could only influence. If a dungeon was a tree, then a master would be someone with shears, capable of pruning, and thus influence the shape of the tree, but only to an extent. A builder could guide the entire growth of the tree. The only limitation was what seed it started with.


    In that case, the seed would be the curse, the core that was composed of the negative emotions and feelings that allowed the dungeon to grow in the first place. As a builder, I was able to create a seed on my own. For most dungeons, the seed was created spontaneously, and there was no control over the ultimate shape it would take.


    ¡°We don¡¯t necessarily need to throw the entire thing out,¡± Elaya spoke up, catching everyone¡¯s eye.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I glanced in her direction, raising an eyebrow. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°With the lore gone, it¡¯s true that this place will slowly fall apart. The miasma will disperse and this dungeon will desiccate and break.¡± As Astria brightened, Elaya held up a finger. ¡°You could maintain it by using some of the strength of your other dungeon, but rather than being more powerful, it¡¯ll only force you to divide your power between two locations. Unless we recover the core, it will always be a weakness.


    ¡°However, there is another option. Since you¡¯re the Dungeon Master, you can break down all the Bandits into miasma, and then clear out all of the miasma and send it to our other dungeon. Not only will you gain the templates, memories, and experience, but your dungeon will rapidly grow too.¡±

 Chapter 906

    ¡°How does this differ from what Astria did to the Widow¡¯s Dungeon?¡± I asked.


    ¡°For me, I only drained out the miasma a bit and sent it home,¡± Astria admitted. ¡°Although I had weakened Elaya temporarily, my conversion was extremely inefficient. Not only did I lose most of the miasma in the process, but there was no way I could take the elements of the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Elements?¡±


    It was Elaya who explained. ¡°As dungeons grow, they take on certain traits. You should know this best. Widow¡¯s Dungeon held the trait of seduction.¡±


    ¡°Karr¡¯s Dungeon held the trait of death,¡± Astria added.


    Elaya nodded. ¡°Your dungeon, on the other hand, is a blank slate, but because you have total control of it, any dungeon you¡¯re able to consume in its entirety you can make your own power. This dungeon seems to hold the trait of strength. It exists to grind down a person¡¯s stamina and challenge their fortitude. These Bandits, on the other hand, were created with a strong sense that the strongest is in charge.¡±


    ¡°So, if I¡¯m able to absorb this dungeon, then I can make strength an attribute of my own dungeon?¡± I asked wonderingly.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± she nodded. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to not only use all the mobs in this dungeon, but you¡¯ll be able to infuse your levels with strengthening and weakening enchantments. You¡¯ll be able to add horizontal levels and underwater levels. It will cause your dungeon building to grow by leaps and bounds!¡±


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    ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    That was all I needed to hear. Call me impulsive, but I¡¯d rather just go ahead and do it and see what advantages it gave me. I had no reason to distrust these two on this. Elaya gave me the instructions. Slave Communication didn¡¯t just transfer words, but it could transfer thoughts and emotions too. Elaya wasn¡¯t a Slave, but she was a powerful enchantress, and seemed to be able to communicate in the same way. In many ways, it was a better form of communication than actually talking. Since I had to communicate with the girls the last week almost exclusively through Slave Communication, I had become extremely aware of this fact.


    Now, Elaya was able to not just give me instructions, but include the feelings within those instructions. Strangely, it was much more informative. It wasn¡¯t particularly difficult, and with Dungeon Builder reinforced by Dark Priest, it wasn¡¯t too hard to figure out. Essentially, I was going to take all of the miasma in the dungeon, and forge it into a crystal. These crystals actually could exist in the world, especially with a dungeon that had been destroyed and buried, unable to resurface.


    I remembered the pressure I felt when the entrance was cut off. Imagine a dungeon that experienced a sudden avalanche, cutting off its access. It would feel increasing pressure, and if it was unable to reach the surface, it would shatter and everything inside would die. Since the miasma couldn¡¯t disperse, it¡¯d slowly condense instead, eventually becoming such a crystal. If I ever found one in the future, I could use it to rapidly expand my dungeon. In this case, I was using my abilities to condense one, shortening what might have taken millions of years into a ceremony that took hours. Once she had finished teaching me the specifics, I raised my hands and began to harvest the Bandit¡¯s Respite.

 Chapter 907

    ¡°Bandits, disperse!¡±


    I didn¡¯t need to say anything, but it felt more final to command the Bandits to break apart. There was a time where I would have struggled to do this. All of these Bandits used to be people, and although they were only a shadow of their former selves, I would have felt that destroying them would be cruel. That was a version of myself I had to leave behind a long time ago.


    I wasn¡¯t the kind of man who would allow Bandits to escape or show mercy to dungeon monsters anymore. I needed to use the resources available to me, or risk losing everything. Countless lives had been lost to this dungeon. Calypso had likely used innumerable sacrifices to build up and grow this dungeon. If I just allowed that miasma to disperse, then I was letting all of those lives go to waste.


    Now, I coldly held out my hand, following the instructions that Elaya had given me to convert them into a miasmic crystal. I could then feed that to my dungeon, strengthening it considerably. The Bandits collapsed. The weakest ones seemed to go first. They didn¡¯t seem to feel fear. There weren¡¯t looks of shock or cries for mercy. They merely dropped down, and then faded into mist. As it progressed, more and more Bandits dissipated.


    The smokey dark miasma would then stream toward me, circling the palm of my hand before condensing there. At first, there was nothing to see, but slowly, a crystal started to form. At first, it was the size of a splinter, but it quickly thickened the more miasma I drew.


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    Although I couldn¡¯t see them, those that existed on other levels similarly collapsed and disappeared. More miasma came through the walls from other parts of the dungeon, seemingly uninhibited by barriers at all. Finally, even the strongest Bandits collapsed and then turned into food for this crystal. Despite everything, the crystal was still smaller than my thumb. This dungeon had already exhausted a great deal of miasma beforehand, so even after harvesting it this way, I couldn¡¯t expect too much.


    Not only had Calypso blown a lot of mana, throwing monster after monster at our party, but I had also consumed well over half the remaining miasma to rebuild my soul. It just goes to show just how much a miasmic creature cost a dungeon, considering the number of soulless monsters that could be created with just a wisp of miasma. Rather than create these more powerful mobs, it was no wonder that souls were broken apart into miasma. It was far more economical.


    Just as I was preparing to start consuming the remaining miasma of the dungeon itself, after the last of the mobs had turned to dust, I felt some kind of energy enter the dungeon. I was still new at this, so I couldn¡¯t figure out what it was, but it was moving quickly, blasting through wall after wall as it came here at full speed.


    I stopped my absorption of the dungeon as my brow furrowed. Just what could that thing be? Just as it broke through the wall, I finally realized what was happening.


    ¡°Oh, you got to be kidding me!¡±


    The dungeon lore that Calypso had taken with her had reached a completed state. It had ripped right out of her grip, and flown back here. It slammed into me, and I collapsed on the floor as pain shot through my body.

 Chapter 908

    The images were distorted and unclear. Many years had passed since this curse was created. The lore was lost with age, the memories forgotten. If emotions hadn¡¯t been so high, if the deaths hadn¡¯t been so many, and the impact on this world hadn¡¯t been so great, then this curse would have dispersed with the sands of time.


    It was possible that this curse was tossed off from the fragment of a destroyed mega-dungeon, the lore so strong that even after being destroyed, the scattered fragments found a place and started to regrow, like a weed that wouldn¡¯t die.


    I could see a dungeon, growing untouched, forgotten, and ignored. It¡¯s a location in the mountains, no one even realized it was there until it had already grown into a mega-dungeon and beyond. The dungeon slowly began to form a hole, a hole through reality, connecting with another world. Then, people from that world managed to find their way into this one.


    I could see a race at peace. They weren¡¯t too different from humans. They weren¡¯t blue like the murals showed. Instead, they had pointy ears and bright-colored hair. Their ears weren¡¯t long like elf-ears, but they did come to a point. As for their hair, it came in colors of blue, green, pink, purple, and more. When they saw the rather boring brown and black-haired people with smooth ears come out of the mountains, they didn¡¯t know what to think.


    At first, they accepted these new people, even welcoming them with open arms. They held feasts and celebrated their friendship. However, the visitors saw the wealth of this new world, and they started to grow greedy. When they returned home, they spoke of a world ripe for the picking.


    The next wave of humans weren¡¯t explorers, but soldiers. They rose from the dungeon and started to begin a campaign. They were little better than bandits, slaughtering beasts for their alchemy and resources, and raiding villages for the people. Women with strange-colored hair make a wonderful commodity as slaves. In fact, slavery didn¡¯t exist in this world to begin with, and the slave collar was brought over by these visitors.


    This wasn¡¯t won by a single war, but countless wars over the years. There were periods of peace, and periods of the great war. Slowly, the native people were pushed back, and humans continued to come. Humans seemed much more used to war, and they always invented new and horrendous ways to fight. At the height of the war, they brought horrific weapons to this world, the Malacrum weapons, which reaved even the soul.


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    Then a hero rose, not of the humans, but this other race. She was powerful and strong and managed to bring the human war to a standstill. Eventually, she plunged into the human dungeon, and with much effort, broke to the final floor and destroyed it. It was the shattering of this dungeon that ultimately created Bandit¡¯s Respite. As for why it formed here, now, it was likely the presence of that Malacrum dagger, buried and lost since a war uncountable years ago, that attracted it.


    The hero never left that dungeon, and although the humans were cut off from their original world, it was already too late. They were able to conquer the majority of the continent. The remaining natives fled, never to be seen again.


    If there were any more details to this story, they were lost with time. As for why I had somehow completed this story, it seems that by purifying the curse of the Malacrum dagger and then wiping out the human bandits invading the dungeon, I had inadvertently completed the dungeon¡¯s desire to be free from human influence. None of my girls were humans, and I had absorbed so much of the dungeon¡¯s native miasma, that it didn¡¯t see me as a human either.


    The dungeon finished burning a lore tattoo around my right ankle, but a moment later it began to fade away.


    {Congratulations, you have completed the Bandit¡¯s Respite Dungeon.}


    {True Dungeon Diver has increased to level 66.}


    {Dungeon Builder has increased to level 25.}


    {You have an increased affinity with dungeons. Your dungeon tattoos can be hidden at will. Dungeon Absorption is now a permanent skill. Increased status in dungeons. 2X experience in dungeons.}


    {You have gained 5 dungeon points.}


    {Lydia has gained 2 dungeon points.}


    {Miki has gained 2 dungeon points.}


    {Celeste has gained 2 dungeon points.}


    {Terra has gained 2 dungeon points.}


    {Shao has gained 2 dungeon points.}


    {Astria has gained 2 dungeon points.}


    ¡°Master? Why are you crying?¡± Celeste asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­sometimes, the world really does care¡­¡± I wiped a tear from my eye.


    Finally, I could hide those tattoos!

 Chapter 909

    ¡°Although, it¡¯s not very many points.¡± I mumbled to myself.


    Dungeon points were ultimately awarded based on how powerful the dungeon was. Considering I had taken away the majority of the dungeon¡¯s miasma before completing the dungeon, it was considered very weak. It might have been powerful when we attacked it, but I weakened it again and again. If I didn¡¯t have an affinity for dungeon points, I might have ended up with even less.


    At least, now the girls could equip a 3rd tier skill with reset. My party originally each had ten dungeon points, five from Calypso¡¯s Tower, five from Widow¡¯s dungeon. Now two here makes twelve. Raissa and Faeyna only had seven. As for Astria, she just got two.. Elaya didn¡¯t get any, because she¡¯s a tamed monster, and I have yet to enslave her.


    ¡°Oh, I got dungeon points!¡± Astria brightened.


    ¡°Why did you get points!¡± Terra complained. ¡°You didn¡¯t even help!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I, though? Didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ mother did nothing.¡± Celeste nodded.


    ¡°Geh! Even my daughter stabs me in the back.¡± Astria muttered.


    ¡°You took those points from Master! A useless flabby fairy like you should give them back!¡± Miki shot back.


    ¡°Flabby! Oh, hoh¡­ a woman of such¡­ small stature, has no place to complain.¡±


    Miki instinctively grabbed her chest. ¡°You hussy!¡±


    ¡°Miki¡¯s chest is big and beautiful!¡± Terra defended.


    ¡°Y-you¡­ really think?¡± Miki¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Mm! I¡¯ve always admired it!¡± Terra said.


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    ¡°Isn¡¯t that like a shrimp envying a guppy?¡± Astria laughed, causing the two girls¡¯ expressions to drop.


    ¡°That¡¯d make you a whale!¡± Miki sneered.


    ¡°Geh! I¡¯ll take you both on! One with each tit! I¡¯ll, hey, let go of me! What are you doing?¡±


    Elaya had sighed as Astria got into a fight with the two small-chested girls while standing on her shoulder. She reached up and grabbed Astria. Although Astria was powerful, fairies were particularly weak when grabbed like that. When compared to Elaya, it was clear who was stronger. She helplessly struggled in Elaya¡¯s grip.


    ¡°What¡¯s the big idea!¡± She whined, but when she saw Elaya¡¯s stormy look, she shut her mouth.


    After all, of everyone present, Elaya was the only one who didn¡¯t get any points.


    ¡°Master! I want to be your slave!¡± Elaya suddenly declared.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I blinked.


    I had been distracted looking at the dungeon point menu. As it turned out, although my tattoos had disappeared normally, when I did things using the tattoos, like access the store, they still glowed. I guess there was no way to get rid of them completely. As a result, I had only half-heard their conversation.


    ¡°Master¡­ I¡¯m already your woman, your harem girl, and your monster¡­ please, I wish to be your slave too!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s just saying that cause she wants stuff now!¡± Astria complained.


    ¡°How shameless¡­¡± Miki shook her head.


    ¡°A truly evil woman.¡± Terra nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re all getting along now! Is this because I have the biggest chest here?¡± Elaya cursed.


    They all ended up giving her cold looks, their eyes particularly on those large things hanging from her chest. If they didn¡¯t before, they were now. The other girls joined in as well. Carmine and Faeyna were the only ones with a chest that was comparable to Elaya¡¯s, and one of them wasn¡¯t present while the other was gone. Just because they knew she had the biggest didn¡¯t mean they liked it being pointed out.


    ¡°Elaya it¡¯s fine. You can become my slave.¡±


    Elaya broke into a smile. ¡°Okay! Do it!¡±


    After shifting my jobs around, I raised my hand and activated the Bond Slave. A few moments later, nothing happened.


    ¡°I feel it.¡± She smiled, opening her eyes. ¡°I feel our bond. Wait a second¡­ why does it feel distant? Huh? I¡¯m being summoned from my slave bond?¡±


    ¡°Elaya?¡± I asked, my eyes widening.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can take care of myself, dear. I¡¯ll be back once I figure out some things.¡± She disappeared without another word, leaving everyone else flustered.


    Somewhere else in the world, Elaya appeared. She looked around, expecting to see some enemy, but what she saw instead truly shocked her to her core.


    ¡°Hello, Elaya. It¡¯s been a while.¡± Deek said, a dark expression on his face. ¡°Where are my women?¡±

 Chapter 910

    Five days had passed since Elaya had unexpectedly vanished. It was at a level where even her tame had disappeared. If she hadn¡¯t reassured me when she disappeared, I¡¯d have been afraid that she had perished. As it was, I was deeply worried about her loss. I had sent some of my people to Deeksville to help them develop, but for the last few days, I had mostly moped around in my room. The girls all stopped by to try to cheer me up, but I still had complicated feelings deep down.


    After working so hard to save Salicia, I had turned around and lost Elaya. She wasn¡¯t just another woman, but someone essential to me. She was filled with a lot of knowledge about the world, and also had a strong connection to the royal family. Losing her felt a bit like losing my hand.


    ¡°Master, how about we head to the Ost Republic? The wedding is coming up in just a few weeks.¡± Miki offered


    ¡°I want to see Master dressed up for a wedding,¡± Celeste added.


    ¡°It¡¯d help get Master¡¯s mind off of things.¡± Shao continued.


    Perhaps they were right. Given that this wasn¡¯t a normal world, it might take several weeks to be able to get to another country. Even with Blue Mages and Portals, they often only made one Portal a day. You might have to wait a week in a certain village before the Portal opened for the next jump. If you had 2-3 jumps to get from west Aberis to the middle of a foreign country, it could easily take two weeks to arrive. Even then, many arrived earlier to discuss foreign matters and to form alliances.


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    While I was staying in Chalm, I was missing out on doing some of the most essential things an upcoming noble should be doing, forming alliances and connections with those around me. I had always been told if you wanted to get ahead in any job, forming connections was important. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have any skill with that.


    Just as I was about to agree with them, there was a sudden knock on my door. Faeyna poked her head in without waiting for an answer. She used to be more considerate, but lately, she had been acting bolder. She took particular joy in interrupting my personal time with other women. I think the other girls¡¯ attitudes were rubbing off on her in a bad way.


    She looked around the room, her eyes narrowing as she saw Miki, Celeste, and Shao in bed with me. Lydia was out doing some chores, and Terra was reinforcing the wall and tinkering in her shop.


    ¡°Master, a messenger is waiting at the front of the mansion.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? The front?¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t enter. He says his message is for all of Chalm.¡±


    I frowned, but it didn¡¯t stop me from putting on my clothing and leaving. The other girls dressed just as quickly and soon we were walking out onto the front yard of the mansion. A nondescript man was waiting there at the gate. As I approached him, he broke into a smile. Suddenly, he lifted a small crystal and then squeezed it.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Shao put up a barrier as a surge of magic exploded from the man.


    However, it wasn¡¯t an attack. Instead, a massive form appeared right in front of my mansion, adjacent to the town square. The hulking mass was about fifty feet tall, and I recognized it. It was Lord Reign!

 Chapter 911

    ¡°Citizens of Chalm! I am Lord Reign, Count of Aberis.¡± His voice boomed across Chalm.


    Many people cried out or screamed, but they quickly realized that this wasn¡¯t a giant, but a projection. Lord Reign was partially see-through and flickered with magic like he wasn¡¯t really there. He had sent a message to Chalm using an extremely powerful magic to deliver it. This must be some resource he got from Imperial Cloud Meadow. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could break this enchantment, but I decided I¡¯d rather listen to what he had to say since he went to such an effort to say it.


    ¡°First, I¡¯d like to offer my condolences on the death of your leader, Lord Deekson.¡± He said, his voice almost sounding sincere.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I blinked.


    Lord Reign thought I was dead? No, it made sense. I had chopped off a sliver of my soul and sent it back. I¡¯d since repaired that soul and regained my former strength, but there is no reason he wouldn¡¯t think the Deek he had captured and executed wasn¡¯t the real Deek. That meant, he didn¡¯t know that Chalm still was under my leadership, and was going off the assumption the people were in a panic and worried about their future.


    ¡°You need not worry any longer.¡± Lord Reign broke into a smirk. ¡°My army is on the way to take over and occupy your city. Rejoice! I am your new lord!¡±


    This created a lot of mumbling across the town. Some people were confused, while others were angry. Everyone here was very aware of our current relationship with Alerith. They knew Lord Reign was the enemy, and they had heard many stories about how he taxed people to death. He¡¯s also a strong supporter of abusive slave practices. After all, the vast majority of those who died in the gladiatorial pits were slaves, and that included a lot of animalkin.


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    ¡°In just under two weeks, open your doors, and allow my Knights in, and we will build toward a glorious future!¡± His happy expression grew to a demonic frown. ¡°And if you don¡¯t accept this willingly, then you¡¯ll excuse me if I¡¯m no longer polite! One way or another, Chalm is mine! Submit, or die!¡±


    First, he waved candy in front of them, and now he gave the stick. It was a mixture of threats and rewards. Join him toward a glorious future, or face his wrath. Of course, there was no glorious future for anyone in this city except him. He would take their resources, enslave anyone he liked and then grow even more powerful and dangerous.


    As quickly as he appeared, Lord Reign¡¯s image disappeared. When I looked back down on the spot where the messenger had been, all that was left was a desiccated corpse. It looked like this man was a blood sacrifice needed to run such a powerful illusion.


    I could hear all of the citizens talking loudly. Some were filled with panic, and others were simply worried about what would happen.


    ¡°Celeste?¡± I asked, not needing to say more.


    Celeste wasn¡¯t bright, but when it came to knowing what I wanted, all of the girls were experts. She used wind magic, causing my voice to boom out just as loudly across the entire city.


    ¡°Citizens of Chalm!¡± I said. ¡°This message changes nothing. We knew this was coming. This is what we¡¯ve been preparing for. Originally, we planned on attacking Alerith. I never predicted Lord Reign would be so arrogant. He thinks I¡¯m dead, and that you are a chicken without a head. The one thing you must all remember. He was wrong! He failed to kill me, and he¡¯ll fail to hurt Chalm.


    ¡°His arrogance will be his undoing! Not only do we know when he¡¯ll attack, but he actually plans to come here and fight on our turf! This is our land! We¡¯ve watered it with our blood, and tamed it with our lives. Reign doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s about to walk into! This is our land, and he will never have it!¡±


    There was the briefest silence, but then the crowd exploded into a resounding cheer. If Lord Reign had heard the exploding vigor and defiance of Chalm at that moment, he¡¯d have been much more cautious.

 Chapter 912

    ¡°Where¡¯s Lydia?¡± I asked.


    I had called everyone in for an emergency meeting. Every girl was there, as was the Mayor and the Guild Master. The only ones that were absent were Lydia and Elaya. Lydia hadn¡¯t been answering her Slave Communication, but I could tell she was close, so I just assumed she was busy. It still irked me. What could be more important than the imminent war?


    ¡°She¡¯ll be here,¡± Miki reassured us.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t understand. Why would Lord Reign announce he¡¯s coming?¡± Terra shook her head.


    ¡°Is it that shocking?¡± I asked. ¡°He thinks I¡¯m dead. He¡¯s looking to intimidate us. If he just marched in, they¡¯d think it¡¯s an invasion. If he announces it, then there is a chance he can take the city without a shot fired. It¡¯s not important to understand why he did it. What matters most is that we¡¯re prepared to deal with it. Mayor?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re recalling all the troops now.¡± The Mayor nodded. ¡°Since you¡¯ve dealt with the Bandits, a lot of pressure has been taken off of us to maintain the road to the Capital.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Actually, I didn¡¯t even know we had been doing that. Being a leader didn¡¯t mean you managed every single task. It looked like there were a lot of things done without my knowledge. It seemed that we were maintaining the merchant routes to the Capital. As we grew, more people migrated here looking for opportunities for wealth on the frontier. Settlers poured in daily, and merchants were now making round trips to this city exclusively.


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    The city had once been too large to support the population from the small Old Chalm, but now all the buildings had been filled, and they were looking at expanding. Terra was planning to create an outer wall. The current Chalm would become the inner city, and the outer city would contain a second wall. Even the Capital didn¡¯t have such an elaborate system, but they also hadn¡¯t been under threat from all sides, whether it be bandits, the wilderness, or Lord Reign. Even Old Chalm is growing into a farming community to support the main cities growing need for food.


    The reason they were able to grow so quickly mostly had to do with the amount of money I¡¯d personally injected into the city. I¡¯d already provided half of Aberis¡¯s treasury worth of treasure, so it was natural Chalm grew at a ridiculous pace. However, was that the reason that Lord Reign suddenly had an interest in Chalm?


    ¡°If Lord Reign thinks Master is dead, then why does he suddenly want Chalm?¡± Miki voiced the question that had been sitting in all of our minds.


    ¡°There¡­ might be a reason,¡± Astria said, somewhat slowly.


    ¡°Astria?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that Lord Reign learned about the existence of our Fairy Fountain.¡±


    I raised my eyebrows. Although we had kept it a secret, it wasn¡¯t like we had made a big attempt to hide it. My fairy girls had been seen all over Chalm. The original Chalm even had been known for selling the water from a fountain. Anyone who connected the dots might be able to reason that we had one. Is a Fairy Fountain really worth such an attack?


    Just as I was about to say something, I felt like I had suddenly been kicked in the gut. My eyes shot open in horror as a bond connecting me to one of my women suddenly was cut. There were only two ways this could happen. The first way is if someone stole my slave from me. Even then, I would have had a chance to struggle, and it wouldn¡¯t have been so easy. Furthermore, with my blessing, it¡¯d be impossible! The only other option was that that they were dead!


    ¡°Master, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Shao noticed my sudden reaction first.


    ¡°Lydia¡­ she¡­ she¡¯s dead!¡±

 Chapter 913

    A red portal opened in the middle of a field. A young man stepped out of it. He was followed by a busty, fit blonde, a twelve-year-old red-head, and a flat-chested heroic youth. Of course, this was me and my party, having finally made our departure from Earth. As for what happened on Earth, I didn¡¯t want to think about it. It was simplest to say that it was no longer my home. This place was my home now, and my women were my family. Speaking of which, where was this place?


    ¡°Did we make it home?¡± Bernice demanded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I shook my head, not recognizing the area.


    ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t Alerith.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t Chalm either,¡± Carmine said smoothly.


    I opened my Map, revealing a completely black screen. I even zoomed out twice, only to see black all around us. ¡°We¡¯re still not in Aberis.¡±


    ¡°Damn it! Idiot!¡± Bernice snapped. ¡°How could you send us to the wrong place twice!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s not like I ever have done interdimensional travel before.¡± I shot back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just find out where we are before we get too upset.¡± Garnet offered. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯d be kind of nice to do some more adventuring. That last place gave me so many ideas!¡±


    As she said this, she pulled out a tablet, playing with it. Before we left, I had made sure to buy many things from Earth. I had even gotten a few tablets, some solar chargers, and loaded them up with all of Earth¡¯s knowledge. It¡¯d be enough to completely change the nature of this world. Naturally, a young blacksmith like that was interested. I suspected Terra would be really excited to see that stuff too. I wondered if reading up on robotics would help her with her golem research.


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    ¡°I agree¡­ let¡¯s just find a place to stay the night. This could be a warzone, so keep your hoods up.¡±


    On Earth, it hadn¡¯t been much of a problem since all of these women were human or could pass as human. If we ended up somewhere else though, like some demon planet, the last thing I wanted to do was reveal that we were human. We took our cloaks and lifted our hoods. It looked suspicious, but it would be more suspicious if we were caught unaware.


    Bernice had the best eyes, so she did the scouting. It was a few hours before we finally located a city. It wasn¡¯t small in size, but that might make it easier to slip in unseen. There was a large road heading into the city, and it appeared to be quite busy, so we blended in with the crowds. Once I got a closer look, I could see the people looked genuinely human. There were just two things about them that were off.


    First off, they had pointy ears. They weren¡¯t long and were in the same shape and spot as a human, but the top was a point rather and rounded. The second thing about them that seemed odd was that they had very bright hair. Their hair came in as many colors as a crayon box. There were green, red, blue, pink, purple, and even other colors. Every one was vibrant in a way that one wouldn¡¯t expect to see in nature. What I didn¡¯t see was anyone with black, brown, or blonde hair.


    By the time we reached the gate, I had used illusions to give us all pointy ears and colored hair. Compared to changing the entire face, this was rather easy with Mimic. I gave myself blue hair and Bernice green hair. As for Garnet and Carmine, it seemed easier to just brighten their natural color. I made Garnet¡¯s red hair more vibrant, and I made Carmine¡¯s blonde hair a bright yellow.


    ¡°Hello, Travelers. Welcome to the city of Human¡¯s Peak.¡±

 Chapter 914

    ¡°Human¡¯s Peak?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s named for that mountain over there.¡± The guard pointed at a particularly dangerous looking lone peak. ¡°It¡¯s a dangerous place, filled with death. Just like humans!¡±


    He spat to the side while the rest of us looked at each other. I was suddenly much happier that we had all taken cover.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯ll have to remove your hoods.¡± He leaned close. ¡°We got to make sure no humans sneak into the city.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    The guard laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding you. The only humans in the city are slaves. Why, we haven¡¯t had a human revolt in¡­ hmmm¡­ five hundred years?¡±


    ¡°Will you stop talking their ear off?¡± The other guard glared at him.


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry, but I was serious about the hoods though. It¡¯s protocol.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no problem.¡± The group of us took off our hoods.


    The illusions seemed to hold up fine. A glance past me, Bernice, and Garnet. However, when their eyes fell on Carmine, they started for a second.


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    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± I asked worriedly.


    ¡°Ah¡­ no!¡± The man shook his head. ¡°I apologize! I didn¡¯t mean to hold you all up!¡±


    He had been acting casually before, but upon seeing Carmine, he had suddenly turned rigid and proper. I didn¡¯t like it, but I also didn¡¯t understand what the problem was. Her ears looked just as convincing as the rest of us with my illusions. Was it her hair color? I had seen a woman in a carriage drive with yellow hair, so I assumed it was standard.


    ¡°My lady!¡± He bowed as Carmine passed by.


    We headed in, but I still had a bad feeling as we passed the gate.


    I leaned next to Carmine. ¡°Yellow hair may signify something.¡±


    Carmine nodded. ¡°I agree. I don¡¯t know what this means either.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just find an inn, okay?¡±


    I was noticing it wasn¡¯t just the guards, but everyone who saw her yellow hair started for a second. They then seemed to steer clear of our group. I¡¯d have put our hoods back up, but it seemed like hoods up wasn¡¯t allowed in this city. We had no choice but to continue. As we walked, we passed by what appeared to be a Slave Block. It wasn¡¯t nearly as nice as the Slave Guild, and that was saying something. It was just a stage, and one person after another was dragged on stage.


    Where most Slaves in the Capital were in okay shape, and at least looked clean and taken care of, the Slaves here all had a filthy look to them. I could even smell it as we walked by. Worst of all, every single one of them had brown or black hair and no pointed ears. They were human. Just what kind of world did I take us to?


    I regretted entering the city immediately. Once we found a hidden place, I intended to Portal out of the city. It was just too dangerous to stay there. Thankfully, there was an inn right in front of us, and it had an alley right next door. Once I got a little information about where we were, we¡¯d be out of there. I didn¡¯t like to take risks.

 Chapter 915

    ¡°Just, where are we?¡± I muttered to myself as I contemplated everything I had learned.


    I was at the bar now, and I had just bought a drink.  I was able to buy the drink using our coins. Thankfully, the bartender had a ¡®gold is gold, regardless of who printed it¡¯ mentality. I guess there were a lot of different minted coins across this land, and people had to be flexible.


    I didn¡¯t realize it until he put it in front of me, but the drink was a wine made from blood. It turned out that they drunk blood. By making some choice conversation with the bartender, I slowly gained an understanding of these people. The residents were a species called Fey, and they were native to this world but were forced to leave their homes by humans. They claimed that humans invaded their world at some point and drove them away from their homelands.


    This caused me to think back toward the Twilight Dungeon. The Demon King had claimed that demons weren¡¯t the first species to come to our world through dungeons. He said that humans were once the same. It seemed like in this multiverse, species were constantly invading each other¡¯s worlds. I felt there might be some kind of bigger picture at play here, but it was too far outside my paygrade to worry about such things. My goals were simply to return to Aberis and maintain a peaceful life with the women I loved.


    My hand tightened as I thought about my experiences on Earth. Moving on was the least I could do, seeing as everyone else had already moved on. As for why I had ended up here from Earth instead of my home, I could only assume that the spell thought any place with humans would be a home for me. However, this place was as inhospitable to humans as possible, even vilifying the name to mean danger and death.


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    Although the Fey had many similarities to humans, their differences were just as vast. A major difference was that this place didn¡¯t have dungeons. Unlike Aberis, which was largely wild, the entirety of this world had been settled and cultivated. The land itself was sanctified, preventing dungeons from forming. If a dungeon did manage to form, it was destroyed nearly as quickly as it appeared. Suffice it to say, people here were a much higher level on average than Aberis.


    By the way, they called this land the Faerie Plains, and their homeland which was lost was named Faerith. I noticed the similarities between them and elves, as well as Faerith, was a name similar to Faeyna. I wondered if there was a connection between the Feys and the elves in our world. Well, I wouldn¡¯t be able to find out until I found our world.


    Or¡­ maybe my interdimensional travel worked. Maybe we were on the right planet, but we were on the wrong continent! Just as I thought that this might be a possibility, the door opened, and a group of people walked in. They were all in armor, but the one in charge was a yellow-haired woman. Her eyes looked over the entire group in the bar and finally landed on the similarly yellow-haired Carmine. I immediately got a bad feeling about this.


    I left the bar and sat next to Carmine as the other woman¡¯s eyes narrowed. She immediately walked right up to us.


    ¡°Your name?¡± She demanded in a haughty tone.


    ¡°Carmine,¡± Carmine responded simply.


    ¡°Only nobles have yellow-hair, and I¡¯ve met every noble across the Faerie Plains. I don¡¯t seem to recall a Carmine at all. So, tell me, who are you?¡± Her eyes flashed.


    So, it was something like that. It turned out we would get in trouble for impersonating royalty. This was going to get messy.

 Chapter 916

    ¡°Excuse me, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    A yellow-haired woman had pointed a finger at Carmine. I had truly hoped that we would have a bit more time. It had only been ten minutes since we entered the inn. The only reason I hadn¡¯t gone straight into an alley and portaled away is because I was concerned that we¡¯d be seen. If we got interrupted trying to leave the city, there was no saying what would happen. There was a backdoor to the inn, and we could slide into the alley that way, then teleport without being seen. Regrettably, I had failed to predict how quickly they¡¯d respond.


    It wasn¡¯t just anyone as well, but another yellow-haired woman. She must have sped over here as soon as she heard a yellow-haired person appeared in town. Now, with several armed men around her, she was pointing quite aggressively. However, Carmine barely responded to her aggressive acts, and I kept my face cool as well. The only one who gasped noticeably was Bernice, and everyone ignored her.


    ¡°Me?¡± The yellow-haired woman looked taken aback at being suddenly addressed. ¡°I am Princess Oliviana, daughter of the king.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of you.¡±


    ¡°E-e-excuse me!¡±


    ¡°I never heard the king had a daughter.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°W-w-well, he did!¡± She insisted, her fists on her hips.


    ¡°How am I supposed to believe that? Frankly, you seem pretty suspicious to me.¡±


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    ¡°S-s-s-suspicious?¡± her face turned red, and she looked over at Carmine, who simply raised an eyebrow. ¡°H-how can I be suspicious?¡±


    ¡°First off, you don¡¯t act like a princess at all. You¡¯re in armor, and you don¡¯t look nicely dressed at all.¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡­ we¡¯ve been riding hard for a week! And¡­ I¡­ it¡¯s¡­ for safety!¡± She responded, defending herself.


    As we spoke, her guards seemed mostly just confused. Their princess was the one who led them though, so they were merely waiting for her orders.


    ¡°Safety? Perhaps I can believe such a thing, but would a princess¡­ the princess of the king of this great nation, actually just bust into an inn and start pointing at people?¡±


    My accusation caused her expression to turned shocked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ ah¡­¡±


    ¡°See my lady, right here¡­ she hasn¡¯t said a word, because this is the public, and her noble beauty shan¡¯t be defiled by interacting with the common riffraff!¡±


    There were a few mutters at that, especially from people who didn¡¯t like being called riffraff, but I kept my face completely straight. Of course, I was taking full advantage of the Mimic ability. How could I not pick up a few tricks after masquerading as so many people in the Twilight Dungeon? I was confident in my ability to infiltrate.


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s true¡­¡±


    ¡°And here you are¡­ having this conversation with me¡­¡± I snort.


    ¡°Ah! I-I¡¯ve been defiled!¡± The Princess gasped.


    ¡°So,¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°You can excuse me if I wonder, which woman here is truly worthy of being called a noble.¡±


    She shook for a second, and then spun around. ¡°Guards! Why have you let me defile myself!¡±


    The guards look on in utter confusion, but the leader finally stepped forward. ¡°S-sorry ma¡¯am!  It¡¯s just¡­ you always like being in charge. Your father kept saying that you should act more like a lady¡­¡±


    ¡°Geh!¡± These words seemed to be an even bigger blow than anything I had said.


    ¡°I-I must go change into something befitting a princess immediately!¡± She cried out.


    ¡°Y-yes, ma¡¯am!¡± The men salute, and then the group of them all left the inn.


    I let out a sigh. Thankfully, she was an idiot.

 Chapter 917

    ¡°I think we overstayed our welcome.¡± I whispered to the girls.


    The anti-human sentiment in town was already far more than I ever would have anticipated. It was one thing if this race simply had never met humans, or thought nothing of them, but we had hit the lottery on this one and came to a world that villainized them. On top of that, we already brought the worst level of attention to ourselves, and while I was able to trick my way out of it, there was no saying how long it¡¯d take before she realized she was duped and came back.


    Thus, I squared away our bill and then carefully slid into the back alley. I then opened a Portal and all the girls went through. Like that we had left the city behind. Now that I had a bit more information, I¡¯d need to think about how to proceed next. I wish I had time to get more information. Perhaps, there was a human realm like the demon realm north of the Imperial Cloud Meadow. There was that one place across the ocean, Faerith. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t go there unless I had already been there.


    Just as I was about to think about things, there was a sudden roar. I let out a cry of surprise as a large dog-like monster leaped out of the trees. It charged at the group of us.


    Bang! Before the wolf took a few dozen steps, it¡¯s head exploded and it collapsed in a heap. Bernice lifted a smoking gun and then blew the smoke before flipping it in her hand and putting it in her holster.


    ¡°Stupid!¡± I knuckled her head.


    ¡°Ow! What was that for!¡± She cried out.


    ¡°We¡¯re not that far from the city. Don¡¯t you think they¡¯d hear gunshots like that?¡±


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    ¡°Ah¡­ oh¡­¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I knew I shouldn¡¯t have let you buy those.¡±


    With all of the armor and jewelry we pawned, it was rather easy buying all kinds of things. In the end, Bernice decided that she didn¡¯t want to use swords. After being defeated so easily by the Demon King, she seemed to have lost her passion for it. She was quick, but ultimately, she lacked the strength. She didn¡¯t feel her small size suited such a thing.


    So, instead, she ended up purchasing a pair of beretta from my world with a bunch of ammo. This wouldn¡¯t last forever, but Garnet promised her that she¡¯d be able to develop a form of magical guns with time. I was initially very hesitant to bring guns into this world, but Bernice had been insistent.


    ¡°I¡¯m a demon-slaying Hero. This is¡­ the fastest way to slay demons!¡± She demanded.


    I had allowed her to follow the path of using guns and even spend a day playing at a gun range with an instructor who taught her proper forms and maintenance. I allowed this all under a single pretense. She had to allow me to enslave her, and then swear that she would protect the secret of guns. It was the same for Garnet. I once had a large reluctance for slavery, but without the tattoo, they could be disbanded easily, and after losing all of my girls, I felt like this bond was extremely important. It tied me to them, and it gave them strength. Without my bond to Carmine, I never would have been able to last through those months alone fighting in the forests of the Twilight Dungeon.  Now, it was comforting knowing where all my companions were.


    Thus, Bernice had somehow become a gunslinger. That wasn¡¯t just because she had guns. I checked her status, and Gunslinger was now one of her jobs. Did that mean guns existed in this world before, and I didn¡¯t introduce them? Or was the system infinitely adaptable? What other jobs could people gain?


    As I was busy being irritated and feeling we should move our position again, Carmine looked down at the monster, which did not disappear like dungeon monsters. That was normal, since monsters that came to the surface slowly became mana monsters, and thus their body didn¡¯t degrade.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe this monster came from a dungeon,¡± Carmine said such a surprising thing all of a sudden.

 Chapter 918

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked, frowning at the monster.


    ¡°Has Master not noticed?¡± Carmine gestured around. ¡°The mana here is exceptionally thick.¡±


    ¡°I did, but I just figured that¡¯s because it¡¯s another world. Wait¡­¡±


    I hadn¡¯t noticed it before. It¡¯d be like noticing the oxygen you were breathing, so who would? This world contained mana, but it didn¡¯t feel foreign at all. Miasma was just mana from another world. In theory, there could be as many different types of miasma as there were worlds. Curses corrupted mana and turned into miasma, but it was more like the invasion of another world.


    If that was right, then in this place, we should have been the invaders. In that case, the world should have been like a dungeon to us, and the native mana should have been attacking our bodies. However, there was no incompatibility. It was the same on Earth, but considering I was born there, I hadn¡¯t even considered it. As for the others, they hadn¡¯t mentioned any discomfort either, so I just hadn¡¯t thought about this. Was I wrong about mana, or was there something else at play here?


    ¡°It¡¯s very thick here,¡± Carmine repeated. ¡°As thick as miasma in a dungeon.¡±


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    My eyebrows raised as I watched her looking down at the monster once again. ¡°You¡¯re not saying¡­¡±


    ¡°I believe this is a native monster of this world. A mana monster.¡±


    Monsters came from dungeons. That was just common knowledge. They were created by the dungeon itself, formed from the condensation of miasma. When they escaped the dungeon, as they did from time to time, they would either weaken and die, or if they were strong and lucky enough, slowly convert to a mana-like body, and then become surface monsters. The conversion weakened them significantly, so surface monsters were actually quite weak.


    However, the monster that just attacked us, despite Bernice dispatching it quite easily, was actually pretty powerful. Had it attacked a small village of normal people, it might have had the ability to wipe them out. Just because we were pretty strong didn¡¯t mean that this monster wasn¡¯t an abnormality by itself. However, given the thickness of the mana here, was it possible that this entire place acted just like a dungeon, spontaneously condensing monsters?


    If that was the case, it would explain why everyone in the city looked to be cut from a stronger cloth. The standard soldiers seemed to be at the level of elites, and their citizens were at the level of stronger soldiers. Since they were constantly being threatened by the spontaneous creation of monsters, they had to fight to remain alive.


    As I was thinking this, there was another howl, and then more howls besides that. It sounded like our gunfire had attracted something. It wasn¡¯t soldiers from the city, but it might be friends of this monster we just killed.


    ¡°Come,¡± I ordered everyone. ¡°We need to find a spot to protect ourselves. I need some time to test out a few theories and think.¡±

 Chapter 919

    {Blue Mage has increased to level 10.}


    {You have unlocked the skill, Phase Shift.}


    Aren¡¯t these skills from Blue Mage a bit excessive? They all seemed strong, but I guess this was a third-tier job for a reason. As we took care of these mana-based monsters, Blue Mage had quickly leveled. As to why I focused on Blue Mage, the answer should be pretty obvious. If I wanted to get home, the better my spatial magic, the better off I¡¯d be. In that respect, it skyrocketed in level like a support skill should. I felt my blessing which gave me an affinity for spatial magic probably contributed to the rapid growth as well.


    Inventory had been the first thing to unlock with Blue Mage. I already had it from being a True Hero, but this wasn¡¯t any slouch. Other than the standard Mana Plus boosts and such, the only other noteworthy spell was called Teleport. It used a lot of mana, so unless you were me, who had a ridiculous amount of extra mana, it wasn¡¯t something someone could use very often. However, unlike Portal, which I hadn¡¯t unlocked yet, it could be used instantaneously.


    The distance wasn¡¯t great. I could only move at most a mile. However, with my ridiculous mana stores, I could cast ten of them back-to-back before it even became a problem.


    Although we were bunkering down in this cave and holding off the monsters, allowing me to level Blue Mage and for Bernice to level up in Gunslinger, ultimately, the question at hand was where were we and how could we get home.


    I scrolled my Map out to its max distance, and there it was. A small plot of discovered land existed on the other side of the planet. Previously, I hadn¡¯t zoomed out this far, so I hadn¡¯t noticed, but we truly were in the same world. Aberis was on the other continent, the one the Feys called Faerith. That would mean that the stories and hints I had heard of were true. Humans had once been invaders to this world, pushing the Feys from their continent to this one.


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    Now, the two cultures lived independently of each other, divided by a great ocean that looked twice the size of the Pacific, and that was the closer side, presuming that this world was spherical. Then again, was there any reason to believe the world was spherical? Perhaps, I would end up riding right off the edge of the world if I tried to go against the map.


    Of course, since I had been to Aberis, and I could point to it on the Map, I could Portal there any time. I wouldn¡¯t need to wait a week for the transdimensional Portal to become available again. That¡¯s what I had hoped, but I had tried to make the Portal and failed. It was similar to when I tried to make a Portal from another dungeon. Either there were regional constraints on Portals similar to dungeons, or I simply didn¡¯t have the power to make such a far distance leap.


    That left me with three options. First, I could try to forcefully cross the ocean, using portaling to make our way at a rapid speed. Even if I converted every dungeon point to Portal, and kept portaling to the horizon, it might take months to reach Aberis, and there was no telling what existed out in that sea. The ocean was large and deep. There was no telling what grew in that abyss.


    Option two was to wait for the transdimensional Portal and try to use it to just cross continents. It had to have a lot more juice than standard portaling, so I should be able to make the jump. Then, there was option three, which was the one we were on. I felt that if Blue Mage gained enough levels, I should be able to Portal, especially with my spatial affinity. In that case, it was simply a matter of getting strong enough.


    Thus, it was safest to stay in the forest and level out of sight of the Feys. I¡¯d either be able to make a Portal home, or we¡¯d wait a week. Whichever came first.


    Just as I was thinking this, a scream came from nearby.

 Chapter 920

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± I asked as Bernice had turned to the sound and started moving toward it.


    She turned back, frowning. ¡°It sounds like someone is in trouble.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s possible.¡± I shrugged. ¡°However, it¡¯s only trouble. We already learned what we needed to. Now, we¡¯re just waiting to return home.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? We should just leave them to get hurt?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve lived in this place far longer than we have. If they do reckless things, it¡¯s none of our concern.¡±


    ¡°What kind of Hero are you?¡± Bernice snapped.


    She looked to the other two girls for support. However, Garnet continued to read her electronic pad, and Carmine was sharpening her sword. It was clear neither had planned to get up either. Her expression soured.


    ¡°You¡¯re all going to sit back and do nothing? Someone could be dying right now! It might even be humans!¡± Bernice protested.


    I sighed, standing up. Bernice¡¯s eyes widened and she looked at me hesitantly.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re going?¡¯¡±


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    ¡°They¡¯re coming this direction.¡±


    I had pulled out the Map, and I could see the people running this way. They were also not considered a threat according to the Map, but they were being followed by those considered a threat. It looked like we weren¡¯t being given a choice. I might have even relocated us, but I couldn¡¯t decide if that was the right decision. It was barely thirty seconds later when we could hear footsteps in the forest outside the cave.


    Bernice turned and pulled out her guns. I put the illusions upon each of us so that we appeared as Feys. Carmine also stood up, and even Garnet grabbed her war hammer. A group of people busted out of the forest. Although they couldn¡¯t see us in the dark, we could see them in the light. One of them pointed to the cave.


    ¡°In the cave!¡±


    I made an irritated noise. Perhaps I should use Teleport after all. No, it was better to stand and fight. This was a good defensible position, and even if push came to shove, we could escape later.


    The group consisted of eight people. Four of them appeared to be human, and the other four were familiar. It was the woman I had encountered in the city, as well as three of her guards. They looked haggard like they had all been in a fight. The force following them consisted of nearly twenty.


    ¡°Subdue.¡± I breathed the order.


    As the first four entered, they were brought down quickly and easily. They were humans, so I hoped I could get information from them. I didn¡¯t want to kill them, but I also didn¡¯t want them to let out a warning. The Fey guards and the noblewoman were protecting the rear. As they reached the entrance they stopped and didn¡¯t call the humans or notice us. The blond-haired woman seemed to be casting some kind of spell. A moment later, what appeared like a forcefield surrounded the entrance like a bubble. She let out a breath, turning to enter the cave with her companions.


    They stopped as they came face to face with my group. ¡°Give me a reason not to kill you all.¡±

 Chapter 921

    ¡°I-it¡¯s you¡­¡± the woman¡¯s eyes widened as she finally noticed all four of us.


    ¡°Yeah, and you just led a group of hostile people straight to my cave!¡± I snapped angrily. ¡°So, once again, give me a reason.¡±


    Her eyes flashed down to the incapacitated humans and then back to me. ¡°I-it¡¯s even. Four on four.¡±


    ¡°Carmine.¡±


    She pulled her blade and held it to one of the unconscious human¡¯s necks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± She cried out. ¡°O-okay¡­ we¡¯ll¡­ we¡¯ll surrender.¡±


    That had been a test. I had no intention of killing the humans. Rather, I wanted to see how they reacted. This woman seemed to care about these four humans, and whether they lived or died. If they were just packhorses that meant nothing to them, then I might not have let them live even a bit longer. Although it was four on four, I didn¡¯t feel like they¡¯d be able to defeat us. They were already injured and tired, while we were rested and also had a route of escape.


    I waited with my arms crossed until she gave a nod to the guards and they all dropped their weapons. Garnet fetched them all, and only then did I give Carmine a nod. As she pulled her sword away, the noble gave out a breath of relief. She wasn¡¯t the only one. Bernice did the same. Did she think I was going to kill this woman? How little faith did she have in me? Then again, I didn¡¯t have my blessings, so I wasn¡¯t subtly influencing her to like and trust me as I did with the other women.


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    ¡°You¡­ just who are you people?¡± the blonde woman demanded.


    ¡°Why are you traveling with humans?¡± I asked.


    She jumped, refusing to look at me. ¡°That¡­ it¡¯s¡­ not important.¡±


    ¡°Kaia, come out! I know you¡¯re in there!¡± A woman¡¯s voice called from the cave¡¯s entrance.


    I looked to see a woman just outside the barrier created by Kaia. She was riding something that looked more like a bear than a horse, except that it had scales. She was a pretty, tall, blonde-haired woman. Behind her were a group of well-armed guards that made the girl in here¡¯s group look like riffraff.


    ¡°Nerissa¡­¡± She hissed.


    ¡°Who are they?¡± I demanded.


    She bit her lip, her eyes looking to Carmine. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you really are a noble. The reason I followed you to the inn was that I feared you were one of my sisters tracking my movements. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t follow through after leaving.¡±


    ¡°I take it Nerissa is one of your sisters?¡± I frowned.


    ¡°She is.¡± She nodded. ¡°She hadn¡¯t entered the town, but she had been tracking us from outside the city.¡±


    ¡°What does any of this have to do with us?¡± I asked flatly.


    She bit her lip. ¡°Those four¡­ they¡¯re escaped slaves. That man is one of the leaders of the slave revolt.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    When she didn¡¯t see me react one way or the other, she nodded to herself.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late to be cautious, so I¡¯ll just say it. I was helping them escape, but my sister grew suspicious. If she finds us here, I will be labeled a traitor and locked in a dungeon. She may experience a similar fate if she¡¯s important to the noble family.¡± She nodded toward Carmine. ¡°However, my guards, the humans, and all of you, my Sister will kill you all to keep this secret!¡±

 Chapter 922

    ¡°Kaia¡­ if you don¡¯t come out, I¡¯ll come in and get you!¡± Nerissa shouted in a sing-song teasing voice.


    ¡°This is bad¡­¡± Kaia¡¯s eyes flashed with worry as she looked out of the cave.


    I waved my hand, casting the White Mage spell Awaken, bringing the four humans back to consciousness. One of them appeared to be a youth, one of them was a middle-aged man, and the remaining two were women, one in her teens, and one much older. My eyes fell on the middle-aged man, who she had indicated was the human leader.


    ¡°Is what this woman saying true?¡± I asked, checking her story out before I reacted to it. ¡°Is she helping you escape?¡±


    The man blinked for a few minutes, but he seemed to be quick-witted and quickly grasped what was going on.


    ¡°It¡¯s true. My name is Demetri, the leader of the Waterfield Rebellion.¡± He lowered his head. ¡°I was betrayed by one of my own subordinates and captured. I¡¯d have already lost my head, but the young Lady Kaia helped me escape. Please, let the rest of them go. They were just in the same cage as me. They¡¯re not part of the rebellion at all.¡±


    His words were filled with wisdom. He gave himself and Kaia up, yet pleaded for a small concession. However, something about Nerissa¡¯s demeanor told me that such an action would have failed with her completely.


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    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the Waterfield Rebellion,¡± I responded, still watching him while my mind worked through everything carefully.


    He winced. ¡°To you all, it may not have even been a blip worthy of being named, but to us¡­ it was our last hope.¡±


    The younger woman started crying, and the youth put his arms around her shoulders, trying to calm her. It was clear this group had broken down into despair. It was hard watching this. On Faerith, I had yet to see a single Fey slave. I wondered if there was a reason behind that. Meanwhile, the Fey seemed to hold no qualms about making the lives of the humans they capture miserable. While we sat on our continent, fighting amongst each other, the Fey were over here, growing in power and subjugating the entire populace.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to help,¡± I said after a moment of silence.


    The man, Demetri, looked up in surprise. Meanwhile, Kaia held her hands in front of her, a flash of hope in her eyes.


    ¡°With eight fighters instead of twenty, we might just be able to fight our way through. At least, the humans will be able to flee.¡±


    ¡°Make that nine.¡± Demetri stood up with a stiff back. ¡°I will fight as well!¡±


    ¡°Demetri! If you get captured, then what was this all for?¡± Kaia shot back.


    ¡°You both seem to be misunderstanding something,¡± I spoke, breaking their touching scene apart in an instant.


    The two spun to me in surprise. ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°I said I would help. I didn¡¯t say I would fight to the death.¡±


    ¡°Huh? How do you plan to help?¡±


    ¡°First, I have a caveat.¡± I sneered. ¡°You all must become my slaves!¡±

 Chapter 923

    Something important I had learned in the Twilight Dungeon is that you couldn¡¯t trust anyone that wasn¡¯t under your control. Perhaps that was a harsh lesson, but I had already felt like I lost too much in that dungeon. My bonds with all of my women had been severed, I had been left to die in a world of undead and demons. The Twilight princess had to give her life, and so did Xin. In the end, we only managed to survive by pure luck. Had I not unlocked interdimensional travel at that moment, I would already be dead.


    Thus, my view of slavery had changed a great deal. I depended on these bonds. They helped me protect those I cared about, and restrain those that would give me trouble. This bond wasn¡¯t even disadvantageous for those who took it. They¡¯d be gifted with strength and experience boosts. They have me on their side, and if ever there was an emergency, I could come and help them. What was there not to love?


    The knights guarding Kaia did not seem to feel this way. Suddenly, they all pulled out hidden daggers from under their armor and stood in front of her. Her mouth was open, her eyes wide in shock. Even Bernice seemed surprised, although both Garnet and Carmine took this as a matter of course.


    ¡°Y-you¡­ you¡¯re some kind of Slaver?¡± Kaia demanded angrily. ¡°You want to enslave these humans after I¡¯ve freed them?¡±


    ¡°You misunderstand.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I intend to enslave you and your men as well.¡±


    ¡°Me? But¡­ but¡­ I¡¯m Fey!¡± She seemed to say that like it explained everything.


    Even though she was helping humans escape, it seems like she was still a bit haughty. It came with the territory. She was a princess, so how could she not think herself better than others.


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    ¡°Can Fey¡¯s not be enslaved?¡± I asked.


    She gave me a strange look but still answered. ¡°It¡¯s not that a Fey can¡¯t be enslaved, but we are extremely resistant. Someone would have to be many times more powerful to be able to force even a low-level Fey to be enslaved. If you don¡¯t have the Slave Master job, then it is impossible.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s why¡­¡± I sighed at answering that dilemma. ¡°However, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I may not be able to enslave your Knights, but they follow you, so as long as I can place a bond on you.¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it.¡± Demetri¡¯s voice broke in.


    ¡°Leader?¡± The human boy looked up in shock.


    ¡°The alternative is death. The longer we wait, the sooner that death will come. If this man has the power to enslave us and doesn¡¯t fear repercussions from that woman out there, then he might just have the power to save us.¡±


    ¡°B-but¡­ we¡¯ll be slaves again!¡± The boy protested. ¡°We¡¯ll be no better off than we were.¡±


    ¡°Who says we need to be better off?¡± The man gave a defeated snort. ¡°To be back where we started, even that could be considered a plus in this situation.¡±


    ¡°B-becoming a slave¡­¡± Kaia¡¯s eyes looked distant.


    ¡°My lady, you have already done all you can for us.¡± Demetri sighed. ¡°It seems like running into this person was just the fate of our human race. I will not force your hand for you. Perhaps, if he can truly help us escape, you can avoid retaliation from your sister.¡±


    While he was saying such things, I had already placed a slave seal on the three others. They didn¡¯t put up a resistance. Rather, they looked defeated already. However, when my Slave Mastery started to take effect, their eyes blinked as a new source of strength flowed into them. The boy even looked up at me with a bit of idolization in his eyes. I didn¡¯t want to influence him in such a way, but it wasn¡¯t like we had time.


    ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll do it!¡± Kaia cried out. ¡°I won¡¯t leave you all to this man!¡±


    ¡°My lady!¡± One of the guards said.


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s fine. Enslave me! But if you fail to protect us, then we will all die together!¡±

 Chapter 924

    I didn¡¯t give Kaia much mind as she stood there with her cheeks puffed out angrily. Instead, I put my hand on Demetri¡¯s forehead and bonded him. I wanted to inform him that everything was going to be alright, and I did this just to make sure I wasn¡¯t going to be backstabbed, but frankly, Kaia irked me. I had a feeling if she found out I was human; she would stop engaging me on the same level and start treating me like I was beneath her. The prejudice inside Feys ran deep, or maybe it was just me.


    The first three humans were predictably weak. They were roughly at the same level as the typical people of Chalm. With my status boosts, they might be at the level of a city guard. Mind you, that was just with stats. There was also a complete lack of training or fighting jobs to consider. The only one who seemed strong was Demetri. His level was about that of an elite guard here. Elite guards on the Faerie Plain were a bit stronger than the Elite Guards from Aberis. That might not be true in the bigger countries, but I didn¡¯t have enough experience to know.


    Mind you, this was all just from looking roughly at levels and guessing. Unless I fought them, I¡¯d have no clue how strong they were. I finally moved up to Kaia. She seemed stand-offish at first, and her guards seemed to be fighting the urge to cut me down. Finally, she gritted her teeth and brought out her arm, not letting me touch her head. It didn¡¯t matter to me. I grabbed her arm and bonded her. Compared to the others, it used a lot more mana, but I managed to force it through all the same. Her body shivered as she was bound to me. Perhaps, she thought I was lying when I said I could do it. After all, not everyone had the Slave Master job.


    While we were doing this, Nerissa was waiting outside patiently. It seemed like she couldn¡¯t easily knock down the barrier. She had to wait for it to die out naturally. However, she held confidence. If she knew I was in here, she wouldn¡¯t act so confident.


    ¡°How long will your barrier hold?¡± I asked Kaia.


    She shot me a glare. ¡°Two days.¡±


    ¡°Then, that¡¯s two days they can wait for no reason.¡±


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    I held up a hand and started opening a Portal. Once the familiar blue pool opened, Kaia¡¯s mouth fell open.


    ¡°Y-You¡¯re a Blue Mage? A Blue Mage¡­ and a Slave Master?¡± Her voice was very high as she spoke.


    It turned out she was very knowledgeable about those jobs, and also what they meant. It seemed like the Fey¡¯s had a much better knowledge of the job system than humans did. Perhaps, it was native to this world, where humans and other invaders only adopted it. Maybe, that was why they couldn¡¯t see the status?


    ¡°We¡¯ll go through and ride. I can make more Portals, and we¡¯ll eventually be so far they¡¯ll never catch up.¡± I responded.


    With my bonds on them, I could tell they didn¡¯t have any tracking on them. So, even one jump should be enough that she¡¯d never find us.


    ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± Demetri bowed, taking the first step through the Portal to show his trust in me to the rest of the group.


    The others looked at each other and stepped through one at a time. The guards went before Kaia.  She stopped right before stepping through.


    ¡°If you betray us¡­¡± She didn¡¯t say anything else as she stepped through.


    Soon, I was the last person in the cave. Taking one last look at Nerissa, I took a step and then froze. Suddenly, I could feel something. It was a bond stirring inside, starting to form but not. I could feel it, and I seemed to recognize it. The miasma of it had a somewhat familiar feel to it! I gritted my teeth, staring between the Portal and the fluctuating bond. I felt like I¡¯d lose it if I didn¡¯t strike now. With a curse, I shut the Portal and began to put all of my power into Slave Taker. The bond started to form. It was wisps at first, but it slowly congealed until I could feel a bond, faint and distant, but there.


    I had done it! I could feel her! However, how could I talk to her? Slave Communication didn¡¯t work at that distance. My eyes danced across the abilities until an idea exploded in my mind. Didn¡¯t summons have a ridiculous distance? People could even be summoned from other worlds. It seemed like bringing someone to you was far easier than ripping holes in space or sending thoughts.


    In my excitement, I threw out my hand and began the summoning. ¡°Slave Summon!¡±


    I poured all of my mana into it, holding nothing back. I only had one chance at this. I felt like that was true. At first, I feared it wouldn¡¯t work, but then the body started to coalesce. In a few moments, Elaya had appeared in front of me, as dark and beautiful as she had ever been. Her eyes widened as she looked at me, but I only felt a mixture of pain and joy at seeing her.


    ¡°Hello, Elaya. It¡¯s been a while. Where are my women?¡±

 Chapter 925

    ¡°M-master?¡± Elaya¡¯s eyes flashed hesitantly.


    I had already dropped my disguise, so now I resembled a human once again.


    ¡°Who else could it be?¡± I asked, taking a step toward her.


    ¡°You¡­ where are we?¡±


    ¡°Would the Faerie Plain mean anything to you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Darn, I was really hoping. It¡¯s a continent on the other side of the planet. I want to Portal home, but it doesn¡¯t seem I am able to.¡±


    ¡°The slave bonds¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you remember months¡­ no, for you, it would have been weeks. Do you remember when the girls returned home after nearly dying?¡±


    She stiffened. ¡°I recall such a thing.¡±


    ¡°I lived.¡± I held out my hands. ¡°Carmine said you all might have thought I was dead.¡±


    ¡°Carmine¡¯s here?¡± Her eyes flashed again.


    ¡°And that you might all think she was dead, as well.¡± I laughed, awkwardly.


    She shook her head. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m just¡­¡±


    ¡°To heck with it.¡± I took three quick steps and grabbed her, pulling her into me and kissing her roughly.


    ¡°Mm!¡± Her eyes widened as I grabbed her and kissed her passionately.


    Her surprise only lasted for a moment, and then her tongue became just as aggressive. The Elaya I remembered came alive in my grasp. I groped her, and she groped me back. We finally broke our grasp, the pair of us gasping.


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    ¡°Master¡­ hah¡­ you¡¯re usually¡­ not so passionate.¡± Her cheeks flushed.


    ¡°Are the rest of them fine?¡± I demanded, my eyes staring deeply at hers.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ yes¡­¡± She had a strange look on her face, but I felt relief at her words.


    ¡°All of them?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ all of them. Even Salicia.¡±


    ¡°Salicia? Yes, she was probably really hurt thinking Carmine was dead.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes¡­ Carmine¡­¡± Her expression turned weird again.


    ¡°Kaia! I¡¯m getting very tired of waiting!¡± A voice called out from outside the cave, catching both our attentions.


    They seemed to not be aware that the others had left. That was good. It meant they didn¡¯t have something like Map or Sense Life.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Elaya asked.


    ¡°Do you want the long version or the short version?¡± I laughed wryly. ¡°It turns out humans invaded this world through dungeons just like the demons are doing to us.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± She coughed. ¡°I¡¯ve heard something like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, those outside happen to be their descendants. They hate humans, and think we¡¯re her sister who betrayed the throne to free some human slaves.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± There was a scream as a girl was dragged out and tossed right in front of the barrier.


    The woman, Nerissa, dismounted the reptilian bear thing and then grabbed the woman by her hair. She let out another cry. At this point, I could tell the woman was a human, although she seemed like a complete stranger to me.


    ¡°Kaia¡­ let¡¯s not waste my time.¡± Nerissa laughed. ¡°Stop hiding in the dark.¡±


    ¡°This woman¡­¡± I narrowed my eyes.


    ¡°Well, since you¡¯re going to be stubborn.¡± She pulled out a knife, and before I could even blink, she sliced it across the woman¡¯s neck.


    Her next scream turned into a gurgle as blood splattered against the barrier. The woman convulsed before falling to the ground, still spasming as she died painfully. Nerissa grinned devilishly while holding the knife to her cheek.


    ¡°Those you¡¯re protecting, I wonder how much they are worth to you.¡± Nerissa laughed. ¡°But I¡¯ll tell you what, I¡¯ll kill one of your precious humans every hour until you come out. I have plenty of humans to spare.¡±


    Another girl was dragged out, but this one was young, only about ten. She let out a cry as Nerissa grabbed her by the hair and pulled her down. She laughed as the little girl struggled.


    ¡°M-master?¡±


    My body was shaking, rage filling my mind and soul.


    ¡°I was going to leave by Portal, leaving them to their own devices,¡± I said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Now what will you do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still deciding.¡±

 Chapter 926

    ¡°What are you doing now?¡± She asked helplessly.


    ¡°I¡¯m making a plan.¡±


    I said, carefully watching the group. I was working out scenario after scenario, trying to come up with ways to save the girl and defeat them. I wanted to tear them all apart. I didn¡¯t know feys personally, but they had enslaved all of humanity and butchered them like cattle. When I thought about the loss of my own slaves, it only drove me to anger.


    ¡°This seems like a hopeless battle.¡± Elaya spoke cautiously.


    ¡°You won¡¯t stop me.¡± I responded. ¡°I will save her.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed.¡± She said. ¡°You have a certain intensity about you.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    A small smile formed on her face. ¡°I like it!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste my time!¡±


    ¡°I would never! Rather, I want to help you do two things at once.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What if the power to kill them and the power to go home could be achieved simultaneously?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something I only realized a short while ago. A new trick that can be done with your Dungeon Builder ability.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


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    ¡°Do you feel how thick the mana is in this cave? It¡¯s really quite unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°Yes, this is what mana is supposed to feel like on this world. On our continent, the dungeons soak up the excess mana, so it¡¯s much thinner.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly my point! You are a dungeon builder. What if you put a dungeon¡­. Right here!¡±


    I blinked. ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°A dungeon forming here would be a black hole, dragging in all of that mana, and converting it to miasma¡­ your miasma.¡±


    My eyes widened. ¡°Miasma¡­ you mean power!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Your portal is granted by dungeon points, so it already acts like a level 100 portal. If even that isn¡¯t enough to reach our continent, then no matter how many levels you increase, it might not be possible.¡±


    I winced at those words. I hadn¡¯t thought of it like that earlier. She had managed to instantly poke a hole into my plan. I was glad I had summoned her. Who was to say how long it would have taken without her advice?


    ¡°And as for them?¡±


    ¡°Dungeon Masters can pull on the power of their dungeon to fight. If you make this area your dungeon and become the Dungeon Master, you can pull all the miasma into you, and increase your fighting ability many times!¡±


    ¡°Elaya, you¡¯re a genius!¡± I grabbed her and kissed her again.


    ¡°Ah!¡± She blushed at being kissed like that. ¡°I totally came up with this all on my own¡­ and it wasn¡¯t that old witch that gave me the idea at all¡­¡±


    ¡°Um, okay¡­ then, let¡¯s get started.¡±


    I changed up my jobs, putting myself as a Dungeon Builder. I included Mimic, Demonic Knight, and finally True Hero. Then, I sat down on the floor and began to start the process. This was something that would normally take hours, but I could directly manipulate Karma, and it was easy to suck in the miasma. The mana was so thick it was like being right next to the fairy spring, although while the fairy spring was liquid, and mana was released slowly, this was already freely in the air.


    Also, while I was only dimly aware of it, Elaya was a powerful miasmic dungeon boss, and she was able to draw in and corrupt mana, turning into miasma. As we worked together, the dungeon started to condense at a ridiculous rate. I didn¡¯t realize this, but as I worked, outside, the entire world had changed.


    ¡°Wh-what is going on?¡± Nerissa had been preparing to kill the human child, but suddenly the sky darkened.


    The world started to get dark and lifeless, and a funnel started to form in the sky, coming down directly on the cave! Something horrible was happening!


    ¡°Reinforcements!¡± Nerissa screeched. ¡°Get reinforcements!¡±

 Chapter 927

    My dungeon wasn¡¯t something fancy. It consisted of a single level, and a single mob. That level was the cave and the area in front of it. That mob was me. However, it contained enough miasma in only an hour that I could easily build a ten-floor dungeon. If I kept up this rate, in only a week it¡¯d be twenty floors. Of course, this was a continent that despised curses. Feys would descend on this world in a day or two and obliterate it if I tried to let it grow. Thankfully, that wasn¡¯t my intention at all.


    All I wanted was power, and as more and more mana flowed out of the environment, and to me, the fey was weakened, and I grew more powerful. Well, I didn¡¯t really know if they were weakened, but I had to assume that at the very least, the miasma wafting from the dungeon hurt their minds and psyche in the same way it did dungeon divers. Perhaps, it was even more effective on them. One could hope.


    ¡°You¡¯re ready,¡± Elaya said. ¡°I will continue to channel power into you, but it will be up to you to take care of them. Act quickly and decisively, Master.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ my mind is made up.¡± My eyes flashed open. ¡°If I allow them to live, they will only become a problem later. I will have to defeat them all.¡±


    Although my plan sounded ambitious, I was confident I could do it with Elaya¡¯s help. After spending the last two hours working things out, I believed I could defeat them.


    I stood up. As I did, I put the disguise back on as a Fey. I would take every advantage I could, even the confusion they felt like one of their own turned on them. I finally began to leave the cave. Even with the illusion, I could feel my body was different. I was emitting miasma now. My complexion had darkened, and even my irises were black.


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    As I approached the barrier, I came out of the darkness of the cave that had obscured us until now. All of the guards had their weapons out now, and Nerissa had backed up and remounted her war mount. The only one left near the barrier was the little girl, who was still crying, only a few steps from the bloody, dead woman.


    I stopped, walking over to the body. After a brief job adjustment, I touched her forehead. The slit on her neck disappeared and after thirty seconds, her eyes popped open and she let out a gasp. During this time, her group watched but were too afraid to attack. When they saw the girl¡¯s eyes snap open, they all let out gasps. One would swear they had never seen resurrection before. Even the little girl covered her mouth, shaking. As for the woman, she stared up at me, blinking several times as she touched her throat.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Nerissa narrowed her eyes. ¡°How dare you help these filthy humans! Do you want to die?¡±


    ¡°Watch the girl. Don¡¯t let her see.¡± I told her.


    The woman acted more obedient to me than she ever had for her Fey masters. With a low bow, she ran and grabbed the girl, holding her close as the two backed away. With them out of the way, I finally turned to the group of twenty mounted armed knights. Several of the bear creatures took several steps back as if a predator had just gazed at them.


    ¡°Who¡­¡± Nerissa licked her lips, trying to put moisture back into her mouth. ¡°Who do you think you are?¡±


    ¡°Do you care?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Do you care when you cut down humans?¡±


    ¡°Why would I?¡± She sneered. ¡°They¡¯re just glorified dungeon monsters!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± I looked at my open gloved hand before clenching it. ¡°I never really cared either when I kill dungeon monsters.¡±


    She put on a cautious smile. ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­ don¡¯t feel offended when I butcher you like a monster!¡±

 Chapter 928

    My attack was aggressive and planned, but her people were ready. Several guards moved in the way. The first thing I released was the level 25 Demon Knight skill Fear. What it did was obvious, but for these knights, it was unlikely to be all that effective. However, their mounts were another story. They were already skittish around the miasma, which was a corrupted version of the mana within them. How could they not have an aversion to it and me? As soon as I attacked, the reptilian bear creatures all erupted into chaos.


    The men let out shouts as they were tossed from the back of their animals. A few were caught in the reigns and then dragged away as their mount ran. Ten met the ground without a mount. About five could only helplessly be carried around by their mount, and the remaining just managed to stay, but their mounts made it impossible for them to manage a defense.


    Since the dungeon was already made, I no longer depended on it and trusted Elaya to do her thing. Thus, I had True Hero, Demon Knight, Dark Priest, Hero, and Monster Tamer equipped. I gave up my extra experience so that I could get a 5<sup>th</sup> job equipped. I knew going in that this fight would be difficult, so I pulled no punches anymore.


    As for why I had Monster Tamer, after driving the monsters into a state of fear, I struck them with various Monster attacks. Beast Confusion, Low Tame, and Disobedience were among some of the skills I tossed out. I had never looked at Disobedience before. It was a level 17 skill and seemed pretty useless. Now, I realized the true potential of the Monster Tamer ability. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of controlling monsters in battle, but of destabilizing your enemies monsters.


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    As I cut down two knights in the confusion, I had managed to win over the temporary loyalty of three of the animals. Immediately, I use Order to have them attack the knights on the ground. One of the tamed beasts still had the knight mounted, and he could only watch as his mount tore into a companion who had fallen off his. I was shocked by how aggressive these reptilian creatures were. They had a great war potential, and in just as short of a time, three more knights met their demise.


    ¡°Dismount!¡± Nerissa managed to keep her cool, leaping off the back of the bear and onto the ground. ¡°Seal End!¡±


    All of the beasts collapsed suddenly, and I let out a noise as my three tamed beasts died. There must have been some kind of death curse seal on them, and she activated it. Her actions were just as brutal and as decisive as previously when she cut that woman¡¯s throat. She killed all twenty mounts. With that, the men managed to regain order. Other than one guy whose mount fell in a way that his leg was trapped, the remaining fourteen knights managed to regain. I used Quick Attack to injure one, but he was backed up by his bodies, and soon they had formed a defensive perimeter around the cave, pushing me back once again.


    ¡°I applaud you, Fey. You¡¯re a fine warrior.¡± Nerissa said, an ugly expression on her face despite her complement. ¡°However, that is the last of my men that you kill. You may have had surprise on your side, but now we outnumber you and are prepared. Surrender and explain yourself, and I¡¯ll give you a swift death!¡±


    I stroked my sword. It was time to prepare for phase 2. I began rearranging my jobs. True Hero, Basic Magician, Blue Mage, White Mage, and Intermediate Mage. It was time to see how their forces held up to a magical bombardment.

 Chapter 929

    I took my sword and stored it in my ring. Seeing that I disarmed myself, the woman began to breathe easier. I had wiped out over a quarter of her forces in moments, so she was clearly alarmed. Furthermore, her sister and her sister¡¯s knights hadn¡¯t shown themselves. If she lost any more men, it would become impossible to be able to keep them in the cave. That was, assuming they were in the cave. Wouldn¡¯t it be a joke if she sacrificed the lives of so many men just to harass a powerful and crazy stranger?


    ¡°Good, you have some sense in you!¡±


    I did a Teleport, instantly transporting away just like if I had used Return. However, Teleport could be used in combat and directed toward any place I wanted. Where I chose to appear was behind them. Since they never imagined I could just disappear like that, the group didn¡¯t turn around to face me.


    A normal Blue Mage would never be able to use Teleport like I just did. Even I downed a mana potion right after just to make sure I didn¡¯t run out. It was extremely mana using. However, the mana was very thick here, and thus mana regeneration was faster too. Furthermore, I had five jobs compounded on top of each other, all with mana and magic bonuses. My highest had already hit level 56. If it wasn¡¯t for the level boosts I got upon completing dungeons, then White Mage would have been my highest level job.


    I already had Silent Casting with Intermediate Magician, so I didn¡¯t need to say anything, thus, when I cast Incineration, they had no warning until the heat-blasted them from behind. Two men were engulfed in the flames immediately as the others dived away.


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    ¡°He¡¯s behind us!¡± Nerissa shouted the obvious, spinning around.


    At that point, I cast several wind blades. I managed to kill one knight, but the others only struck armor, causing them to crack in various places.


    ¡°He¡¯s a mage! Rush him!¡± She ordered.


    Nerissa continued to act swiftly. She didn¡¯t rush forward as she ordered them. Instead, she pulled out a bow and arrow, and without missing a beat, shot it directly at me. I didn¡¯t bother to move, using Phase Shift and allowing her arrow to pass right through me. Her eyes widened in disbelief.


    ¡°Who is this guy?¡± She shouted.


    As she distracted me, she gave the remaining thirteen knights time to rush me. I cast Blinding Light, and all of them were stunned and blinded by the unexpected spell. I grabbed the closest man and teleported again.


    By the time their eyes recovered, blinking weakly, they saw that I was no longer there. Nerissa spun around quickly, not intending to fall for the same trick twice. She turned just in time to find me absorbing the knight in my hand. I had already shifted my jobs again and I was now sucking out the knight¡¯s mana and life force. With the support of the dungeon, it happened much quicker. He was already too weak to fight back, and in another minute, he¡¯d be a desiccated corpse.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him make another attack!  Full force!¡±


    With only twelve knights remaining, they all began to activate skills at once, intending to overwhelm me. I tossed the unconscious guard aside. That was the level I was at. I hadn¡¯t depended on the dungeon yet, just my own skills. In fact, I was delaying for time as the dungeon continued to consume the mana, which was flowing in like a vacuum. I was able to engage a group of twenty, and through tactics, whittle away twelve.


    With how they were attacking me now, it¡¯d be difficult to repeat it. As I was, I would likely fall, maybe taking another half of them out in the process. However, I was supported by the dungeon now. It was time for phase 3.

 Chapter 930

    I create a dark barrier, repelling all of their attacks against an impenetrable wall. However, I only held it up a second before I let it drop. The knights charged, just like I wanted. As soon as they walked onto the land that was designated as part of the boss room, I attacked them. My movements were explosive. I felt like I had eyes all over the room. I could understand how dungeon bosses were so powerful. The dungeon was like an extension of their body, and they could sense anything within it. No one could dare hide or do a sneak attack. I had complete control of the confrontation.


    I attacked without hesitation, cutting down knight after knight. I use my sword, carpeting in miasma, and then striking with aggressive and brutal hits. Every attack reminded me of the humans they were happy using. When I had teleported behind them, I had seen the group of slaves, ordered to sit down in a circle, casually awaiting the point until they were dragged up and slaughtered, all so a woman could save herself a two day wait.


    They didn¡¯t even have someone watching the humans. They were bonded with slave marks, and if they defied, they would only have death awaiting them. Since they had no protection, if a monster happened to wander close, it could easily snatch one of them and then run away before the knights had time to react. I only felt more and more anger as I thought about this, and I found my movements moving even more aggressively. When another six fell despite the knights fighting with their full ability, their courage finally broke. There were only six of them remaining, and they didn¡¯t even have their mounts anymore.


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    As they tried to flee, I created a wall of fire that covered the edge of my domain, blocking them inside. At this point, Nerissa had finally realized the situation was heading south. She was the only one outside the firewall. Her legs seemed to want to run, but she also felt like jelly, unwilling to abandon her troops. She could only watch helplessly as I killed the remainder.


    The last man begged for his life but filled with rage, I didn¡¯t even hesitate to cut him down. At this point, the fire wall diminished, and my eyes fell on Nerissa. She let out a cry, trying o back up, but she stumbled and fell on her butt. I started to walk toward her.


    ¡°Wh-who are you?¡±


    ¡°Your death¡­ that¡¯s all you need to know.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m a princess! If you kill me, the Fey Emperor will have your head! You¡¯ll never be safe!¡±


    ¡°Why do I care?¡±


    She tried to pull herself back, trying to escape me, but I kept walking toward her.


    ¡°Please¡­ I¡¯ll do anything! Don¡¯t kill me!¡± She screamed. ¡°Money! Power! Humans!¡±


    I stopped for a moment, but when she said humans, I continued forward again.


    ¡°Y-you monster! Demon!¡± Her eyes suddenly flashed. ¡°Y-you¡¯re him, aren¡¯t you? The Demon King! I heard about him! You must be him!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a demon.¡± I sneered, letting the illusion spell draw and display my true features. ¡°I¡¯m human.¡±


    I raised my sword.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re¡­ the Human King!¡± She cried out, her words filled with horror, the name filled with just as much malice as Demon King.


    ¡°I am!¡± I swung my blade.

 Chapter 931

    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Deek¡¯s swing stopped, and he looked over to see the group he had just teleported away had returned. The one who had shouted at him had been Kaia, the sister of the woman on the ground. The group of us hadn¡¯t ventured that far, so although I opened a portal, I could only send the girls so far. It looked like when I didn¡¯t go through, they had come back here to check on me. It was my fault since I had neglected to use Slave Communication to reassure her.


    When Nerissa saw her sister, she smiled like a cat. ¡°Oh? There you are. So, I was right, you were conspiring. Mother would be appalled!¡±


    Kaia¡¯s expression dropped slightly, but then she firmed her will. Nerissa would have said more to aggravate her, but I brought my sword to her neck, causing her to finally stop talking.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I asked, even though I knew the answer.


    The girls formed stubborn looks on their faces, and it was Carmine who spoke. ¡°Although I trust Master, it is my duty to be your shield. I can¡¯t do that if you¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°D-did you do all this? Alone?¡± That came from the young human boy.


    ¡°You¡¯re human!¡± Demetri said.


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    ¡°Ah!¡± Kaia let out a cry as she noticed my ears and hair.


    ¡°We all are.¡± Carmine sighed.


    I waved my hand, ending the illusion of the other three girls.


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Garnet harumphed, crossing her arms.


    The three elite guards suddenly looked more cautious, stroking their blades, while the two humans look flabbergasted. As for the old lady and the young girl, they had stayed back. A glance at the map showed they were in the forest but nearby. As for Kaia, she drew away from Carmine¡¯s group instinctively, putting herself closer to her guards.


    ¡°I am human,¡± I responded. ¡°This woman callously tortures and murders humans. Why should I leave her alive?¡±


    As I spoke, the two human girls emerged from the cave. The little girl hid behind the bloody woman. Anyone who took a single look at her could guess what had happened.


    ¡°You¡­ have resurrection? You brought them back, right?¡± Kaia spoke uncertainly. ¡°Then, can¡¯t it be left at this? My sister has already suffered, and you have already corrected her mistake.¡±


    ¡°Mistake?¡± I made a face. ¡°Is that what you call murder?¡±


    I was angry. I knew that in this world, murder was done casually, but that didn¡¯t make me feel any better. In a world where anyone could be resurrected, it made sense that life was casual. Killing a human as punishment was simple. Even the king had once chopped off my head just to make himself feel better. I hadn¡¯t died that time, as Elaya had managed to reverse it before I could receive that kind of damage, but it was still a traumatizing experience any way you looked at it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± Kaia shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re not the same as you humans.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°We were born in this world. We¡¯re intricately bound into the life cycle of this realm. Our species¡­ we cannot be resurrected! All of those men you just killed; they are dead for life! As for my sister, if you killed her, she wouldn¡¯t come back!¡±

 Chapter 932

    When a dungeon monster died, it returned to miasma and could then be reborn. This was an absolute truth. When someone entered a dungeon, it could theoretically toss monsters at him all day long, giving it hundreds and hundreds of chances to wear down and defeat the warrior. This is why dungeons were so deadly, and you had to always be wary. Only if you died in a dungeon did your soul get captured? Then, it would be ground down a little at a time until it became nothing but miasma. If it was strong enough and survived, just like a ghost with unfinished business, it would linger in the dungeon, becoming corrupted and serving the dungeon as a karmic soul. This was more or less what I had worked out from my time in Twilight after having been infected with karma and gaining the mimic job.


    Human beings, demons, and other surface sentient beings could be resurrected various times. Only when the soul became old and no longer wished to remain bound by a body would the person pass away. Although there were other methods, such as spells and weapons that directly attacked the soul and the ever-dangerous dungeons. Plus, if no one resurrected you, your soul would eventually decay away. This was also an absolute truth.


    Yet, it seemed like those two truths were connected. We could be resurrected because we weren¡¯t born in this world. Our souls may have adapted to this world, but we were distinctly different. It seemed like the soul of a fey was too much like the mana stream from which they came, and if they died, their soul would not be recoverable like our own. Since no Fey existed on Faerith anymore, and every creature there derived from another world, this was no longer common knowledge.


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    This also explained to me why Feys, despite having greater abilities than humans, were able to be pushed off their continent and forced to flee. Humans could keep resurrecting themselves. They might be weaker, but they could keep coming back over and over again. They had to be¡­ like a wave of undead zombies. No wonder the Twilight dungeon had represented humanity as the undead.


    That¡¯s also why the Demons haven¡¯t been able to run over humanity like we did to the feys since both sides are more even. Two species fighting over a continent that had once belonged to a third. It was pretty ridiculous when you thought about it.


    ¡°Humans shouldn¡¯t be so strong.¡± Kaia¡¯s words brought me back to what was going on in front of me. ¡°Where do you come from?¡±


    ¡°I come from a small island in the south. It¡¯s an island free of the fey, where only humans live.¡± I lied.


    ¡°You are¡­ the King there?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    The more I realized about the fey plight, the warier I grew. I didn¡¯t want to explain to them that I came from the other continent. I was quickly realizing that my presence here was dangerous altogether.


    ¡°Human king!¡± Demetri fell to one knee. ¡°Have you come to free us from the slavers?¡±


    ¡°My King!¡±


    I had just been trying to spread disinformation, but my words seemed to strike a chord with these rebels. In their hopeless situation, they likely didn¡¯t even know about the other continent. Just hearing about a small island where humans were free was enough to light their hearts with glee. They seemed to be seeing me as their savior and lord.

 Chapter 933

    The one who didn¡¯t look pleased by my words was Kaia. First, I still had the blade to her sister¡¯s neck. Secondly, I wasn¡¯t the Fey she thought I was. She may have helped some humans escape, but she was ultimately still a haughty Fey noble. She likely saw us all like dogs. It was one thing to help and shelter an abused dog, but it was quite another when you found a vicious, muscular dog who had just killed someone and with a mouth full of blood was growling at you. In her mind, I wasn¡¯t the same as Demetri and the humans she rescued, and I could see that clearly in her eyes.


    ¡°So, Fey only have one life,¡± I spoke out loud, looking down at Nerissa.


    ¡°Kaia¡­ to ally yourself with these dogs! You have truly disappointed me.¡±


    To hear Nerissa voice my very thoughts, I could only shake my head. ¡°Lying on the ground, and you still act this way.¡±


    ¡°What if I do?¡± Nerissa laughed. ¡°You won¡¯t kill me. Humans don¡¯t have the guts! Right sister?¡±


    Kaia shook her head. ¡°Shut up, Nerissa.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ you know, Kaia recognized your ability to use resurrection but did not. Are you one of those White Mages? In the war, we tried to wipe them all out. It¡¯s a shame that some must have survived.¡±


    So, there were once White Mages, and they were wiped out? She seemed to speak as if she didn¡¯t know Priests could use resurrection. Unless¡­ perhaps humans lost too many white mages and couldn¡¯t replace them, and so what happened when you couldn¡¯t do something? You rely on faith. The religions of the country might have sprung up as an answer to the lack of White Mages. Priests might not have existed during the first war. Well, it would have been stranger if a bunch of monsters crawling out of dungeons did have a church.


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    ¡°Of course, there are no White mages here¡­ do you understand now?¡±


    I frowned at her words as she shot me a gloating smile. Kaia gave a panicked expression, and it took me a moment to realize what was being implied. She had suggested that because I resurrected the humans, that everything was even. However, on this continent, the resurrection spell didn¡¯t exist. Since Fey couldn¡¯t be resurrected, they naturally didn¡¯t learn it. Maybe, they couldn¡¯t learn it. So, every human that had died on this continent¡­ had died permanently. When Nerissa had murdered the woman and her little girl, she had no intention of bringing them back. It was always intended to be for good!


    As realization formed in my eyes, the smile grew on Nerissa¡¯s face. ¡°You understand now? Your species is nothing but ants to be squashed. When I leave here, I will report to my father, and our army will find your nation and wipe it out!¡±


    ¡°Sister, stop!¡± Kaia cried out. ¡°Please, human king, I will do everything in my power to protect you. You cannot kill her. If you do, the king will attack your island in retaliation!¡±


    Even Kaia¡¯s words meant to be disarming were filled with veiled threats. This was the plight of humans on this continent. They were animals to be dealt with. I let out a sigh, lowering my blade.


    ¡°Kaia, your sister will betray you, and me as well. She thinks nothing of murdering others. Humans may have come from dungeons, but it is clear who the monsters are.¡±


    ¡°P-please¡­¡± She went as close to begging as her pride would allow.


    I looked away. ¡°Elaya? Is it time?¡±


    Elaya walked out of the cave, causing Carmine to cry out in surprise, and everyone else to look warily. ¡°Enough mana has been absorbed. Also, I could sense an army of these so-called Fey on the way here. We have about five minutes before we¡¯re overwhelmed.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ then I suppose it¡¯s time we¡¯re on our way.¡±


    ¡°There is no running!¡± Nerissa snarled.


    I looked down at her and shook my head. ¡°No. There isn¡¯t. Which is why I¡¯ve decided to fight. The war between us is inevitable. I¡¯ve considered my options carefully, and you can not be allowed to exist!¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± Her eyes flashed for the first time in surprise.


    ¡°No!¡± Kaia was only to get out a single word before I raised the sword and took Nerissa¡¯s head.

 Chapter 934

    ¡°You bastard! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Kaia screamed, drawing her sword and racing toward Deek.


    Carmine appeared in front of her, her shield up, an impenetrable barrier that Kaia could not pass. Without attacking Carmine, she couldn¡¯t attack Deek. As for the other three knights, they had their swords drawn, but they barely took a step before they were stopped by Garnet and Bernice. Bernice had a complicated expression on her face, but she also remembered what Nerissa had said before she died. The fey reminded her too much of demons for her to be forgiving.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t move.¡± Bernice pulled her guns on the knights while Garnet held her hammer menacingly.


    The headless body of Nerissa started to dissolve, being eaten by the dungeon.


    ¡°You¡­ you didn¡¯t have to do it!¡± Kaia cried, tears falling down her eyes.


    ¡°She was a rabid monster,¡± I responded darkly, glaring at Kaia. ¡°You fey think that just because you were here first, you somehow have rights beyond the lives of others? I came here without any grudge against your people, but I won¡¯t stand by while you abuse and demean my people either!¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡± She had no argument, but she still glared hatefully my way.


    ¡°My lord¡­¡± Demetri spoke up, a complicated expression on his face. ¡°Although she is fey, she saved our lives and risked her own. I¡¯d like to beg on her behalf.¡±


    Demetri seemed to recognize the situation better than anyone. He was still subservient to me, but he still couldn¡¯t sit by and say nothing if I cut down Kaia. It wasn¡¯t that he believed he could stop me, just that he had to try. With a sigh, I wave my hand, breaking the slave bond between Kaia and me. I had unlocked Cancel Slave Contract at level 35, but it had never been important to me because my blessings prevented me from using it. I decided to give it a try on her now. Her eyes popped as the bond broke. That worked pretty well. I was at a level where I didn¡¯t even need physical contact.


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    ¡°Leave.¡±


    Her expression flashed with reluctance. ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°My lord has shown you mercy! Please leave!¡± It was Demetri who suddenly showed.


    Her eyes flashed with shock. ¡°You¡­ after everything¡­¡±


    Demetri bit his lip. ¡°You are fey, and we are human. You saved me because you felt sorry for me and wanted to act against your father. However, there is a time where I will gather humans and fight back against the fey, and the fey will die. You had to have realized this.¡±


    Her eyes flashed in surprise, and then they lowered. ¡°This¡­ even so¡­¡±


    She wasn¡¯t someone who thought about things in such a complicated manner. To this point, she had just been reacting to what she experienced. Although Demetri had used her help out of necessity, he was a leader capable of seeing the bigger picture. At some point, she¡¯d either have to betray the fey, or they¡¯d be on opposing sides.


    It was clear she wasn¡¯t satisfied with things ending this way. With her sister gone, she wanted retribution. However, she was now at a disadvantage to humans. This made her uncomfortable. Fey were always in charge and humans were weak. It was that simple. Her eyes finally flashed darkly. She had no choice but to flee. However, in just a few minutes, there would be reinforcements.


    ¡°Very well¡­ let¡¯s go.¡± She finally pulled back.


    ¡°You seem to be mistaken about something.¡± I stopped her as she turned to leave.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°I said you could leave. I said nothing about them!¡± I looked at the soldiers.


    ¡°You go too far!¡±


    ¡°Elaya?¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Elaya wore a demonic smile as she flashed, appearing behind the guards.


    A black mist exploded from her body, piercing the chest of each of the three men. They let out cries, attempting to attack. However, her movements were vicious. Garnet and Bernice didn¡¯t even have to react as she brought them down. They let out screams, but they grew weaker by the second. Kaia moved to help, but Garnet slammed her hammer down, forcing the woman to jump back. By the time she recovered, her three knights were nothing more than desiccated corpses.

 Chapter 935

    I had nothing against the three knights, but the less people that survived, the better. Kaia was a bit foolish, and there was very little she could probably glean from me. Her knights might have been more observant, and while they hadn¡¯t spoken, they might have realized things she didn¡¯t. It was also one of the reasons I killed Nerissa. She was too observant, and I feared she might figure things out about my identity.


    The other reason I killed the knights, and subsequently allowed the dungeon to consume the girl, is because of Elaya. Although the dungeon had absorbed enough mana that I could make a portal home, it would also paint a red flag to where we came from to those that were coming toward us. The only way to hide our actions would be to self-destruct the dungeon behind us, and that needed more mana than we had time to gather. The corpses of the twenty-four bodies were just enough that I could cause the dungeon to explode and hide all of our presences.


    ¡°You¡­ monster!¡± Kaia shouted.


    ¡°Do you wish to join them?¡± Elaya asked casually.


    Of everyone present, she¡¯d be least bothered to be called a monster. In fact, calling her a human would be grossly inaccurate, despite her appearance. With the miasma leaking from her body and sucking the three knights dry, Kaia didn¡¯t show any restraint in her revulsion. She turned away. Her hands clenched and tears fell down her face.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t over¡­¡± She breathed.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to threaten me like your sister? Where did it get her?¡± I glowered.


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    I normally wouldn¡¯t act so hatefully, but the truth was that I was running out of time. We had only minutes before more fey arrived. I could even see them on the edges of my sense life. If I was going to escape and destroy the evidence, this woman definitely couldn¡¯t be there.


    Had she thought clearly about it, then she would have tried to procrastinate longer. Thankfully, she was too angry to think clearly, and instead began to walk away.


    ¡°Remember my name!¡± She shouted. ¡°We¡¯ll meet again!¡±


    She disappeared into the forest.


    ¡°I fear you¡¯ve created an enemy. You should have just killed her.¡± Elaya shrugged.


    ¡°My lord, you must escape.¡± Demetri finally stood up and approached us with a lowered head.


    ¡°Demetri¡­ I live on the original continent of the Faerith. I don¡¯t know how much you know, but humans once came from dungeons, and we forced the fey from their continent. We still live there today and thrive. Will you join us?¡±


    Demetri shook at this news. ¡°I had heard rumors¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re true¡­ Now that I know what is going on here, in time, we will help free our brothers. If you come with me, then you can live a free life with less danger.¡±


    Demetri genuinely looked tempted, but after a moment, he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my lord. I would very much like to follow the human king, but my fight is here. It may be years before you gather the strength to invade.¡±


    That was an understatement. I wasn¡¯t even a king. I had no clue how I was going to gain help. The only advantage I had was that I could just open a portal when the time came. At that point, my dungeon should be powerful enough to be able to do it without too much waste. In that case, it was just a matter of bringing together all my allies and then trying to collect all the humans I could. I even had a dungeon skill called advanced sense life. It could probably help me identify and find humans quickly. Well, I wasn¡¯t going to destroy his confidence by telling him that right now.


    ¡°Then, you will stay?¡±


    ¡°I will do the best I can to prepare them. You will bring our people hope. Great Human King, we await the day of your return!¡±

 Chapter 936

    I could only do my best. It sounded like the old man was giving me way too much credit. I did want to help, but I wasn¡¯t some savior or something. Still, time was short and I couldn¡¯t explain myself. Instead, I created a portal behind the group of incoming fey so that the humans could sneak away. The six of them gathered the remaining slaves that had still been waiting lifelessly, unaware that their fate was going to suddenly change.


    ¡°Be free!¡± I declared.


    I first took their bonds using slave taker. Since their owners were dead, the slave bond transferred to me with ease. I then simply canceled our contract. I did the same for everyone else as well, except when I went to remove Demetri and the boys, they protested.


    ¡°Please¡­ we¡¯d like to remain your slaves, Master!¡± Demetri said.


    ¡°The power being your slave gives me¡­ I¡¯m not ready to give it up.¡± The boy stubbornly added.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much benefit you¡¯ll find from me at this distance,¡± I admitted. ¡°But, it will be easier to find you when I return if I leave this bond attached. Very well.¡±


    The two bowed in appreciation, making me feel a little awkward. Although I had been a lord for a bit, the people of Chalm didn¡¯t go out of their way to bow or fret over me, so being treated like this was a little awkward. The way I had casually destroyed dozens of slave bonds had also had a meaningful impact on the population too. It might have been only a minute, but for a minute they all felt a surge of strength and power, and an adoration for me. That feeling lingered, and many of them cried and smiled looking at me.


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    I¡¯m not your savior! Will you guys stop worshipping me! To move things along, I got them all to enter the portal. Once all of the humans left, I created a new portal. This time, I used the power of the dungeon. Miasma flowed in, and I poured it all into the portal. It finally opened up. At this moment, I heard a cry.


    ¡°It¡¯s there! There are humans!¡± A fey leader shouted.


    ¡°It¡¯s all set!¡¯ Elaya assured me, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    As the fey barreled toward us through the trees on their bear lizards, the group of us jumped through the portal. When the portal slammed shut, the dungeon core, a thing only half-formed, suddenly erupted. A massive explosion erupted, wiping out an entire contingent of fey. Naturally, the news of a dungeon spontaneously forming when one hadn¡¯t formed in decades swept through the nation. Some people believed the dungeon exploded exactly because this continent was too resistant to such contamination. Others had a different theory.


    As the rumors spread, other rumors were spreading across a different community. The human slaves began to speak to each other in whispers. A rebellion had begun, one that wouldn¡¯t be defeated like before. This was because it was led by the Human King, a powerful hero who could break the bonds of servitude with the wave of his hand. Despite Deek¡¯s best hopes, the legend of the Human King Hero had begun.

 Chapter 937

    ¡°We¡¯re home.¡± I smiled. ¡°We¡¯re finally home.¡±


    ¡°This is¡­ a dungeon?¡±  Bernice asked in wonder as she looked around the safe room.


    I had opened a portal directly into the dungeon boss room of Chalm. Normally, since I had lost my tattoo, I wouldn¡¯t be able to portal directly into a dungeon. However, this was the dungeon that I had created, and thus I was allowed to do such things. I could also speak with Slave Communication and other such things. No one else, however, should be able to do that.


    This was one more way that I protected myself. Even if there was some magical way they could trace a portal and reopen it, they¡¯d find themselves trying to open a portal directly into a dungeon, and not be able to do so. In the end, even if they did succeed in managing all that, they would instantly encounter the giant dungeon boss, who was already a formidable monster even I couldn¡¯t defeat, and with the support of my dungeon, which was in turn supported by a fairy fountain, calling it a slaughter would be an understatement.


    ¡°Correction, this is my dungeon.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s so good to be home?¡± Elaya stretched out happily.


    ¡°You¡¯ve only been gone a day!¡± Carmine sniffed. ¡°Stop acting like you¡¯ve been through some great ordeal like us.¡±


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    ¡°Hehe¡­ well, it has been an ordeal, hasn¡¯t it? After all, I hadn¡¯t been completely sure of Deek here until now. I was worried to might be some kind of clever imposter.¡± Elaya chuckled.


    ¡°How can that be?¡± I snorted, walking down the stairway into the main boss room.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Deek, actually¡­¡± Elaya suddenly grew flustered.


    ¡°Hmm? Deek!¡± a voice cut into what she was going to say. ¡°You look better from the last I saw you.¡±


    ¡°Uh? Thanks?¡± I laughed, feeling good over seeing a familiar face.


    Now that I had met the real Xin or at least a part of Xin, I really could see the similarities between the two women. The Xin in Twilight dungeon had been a woman, albeit a tall and muscular one. The woman in Widow¡¯s Dungeon had been a larger than life giant. I wondered what created the differences between the two women. Was it how the dungeon saw the two women or was there something else at play.


    ¡°Master, I think there is something we need to discuss¡­¡± Elaya spoke uncertainly.


    At that moment, there was a sudden feeling. It was a resonance, like something on me was trying to pull away. The giant¡¯s friendly smile suddenly turned strange.


    ¡°This¡­ what is this tugging feeling?¡± The giant asked uncertainly.


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­ it must be Xin¡¯s soul.¡± I equipped my Mimic job and then tried to contain her karmic soul, but it seemed like it was trying to get out.


    ¡°X-Xin?¡± the giant¡¯s eyes flashed.


    ¡°Wh-what do you mean, Xin¡¯s soul?¡± Elaya cried out, whatever she was going to say completely lost.


    ¡°That is¡­ I probably should take it away. It seems to want to merge with you.¡± I said helplessly.


    The giant hesitated for a second and then straightened. ¡°No, release it.¡±


    ¡°S-seriously?¡±


    ¡°It¡­ feels like me. It¡¯s like a piece of me is missing. I want to feel whole.¡± The giant bowed, which meant her head was still hovering over ours, but her hair ended up slapping my face.


    ¡°Ah¡­ if you insist.¡± I released Xin¡¯s soul.

 Chapter 938

    As I let go of my control, and the miasmic soul burst forth from my body, and then headed straight to the giant, slamming into her. She took the hit, even backing up a step. For a giant her size to be pushed back, the force could be imagined. She let out a grunt, and then her eyes closed and her body started to glow. A mixture of light and miasma flowed around her body in concentric circles, and exploded out, sending waves of power echoing around the boss chamber.


    Thankfully, this was the perfect place to contain such power. Carmine put up a defensive shield to protect us from being buffeted by the power, while the giant in the center of the room started to change. No one watched her more closely than Elaya. While she didn¡¯t have any clue what was happening, Xin had been her friend, and that giant had been the last fragment of a friend she had lost. That fragment was now undergoing an unbelievable change.


    As her body glowed, it began to shrink. She grew smaller and smaller until she was only about seven feet tall. She¡¯d be considered somewhat short for an Osterian woman, but nothing compared to the giant that she once was. Her clothing didn¡¯t shrink with her, and it fell off of her as her body no longer began to fit it. When the glow finally faded, a beautiful naked woman stood in the middle of the boss room. Her features resembled that of the giant, but that also much more closely resembled Xin!


    ¡°Ah¡­ I didn¡¯t expect my return to occur so quickly.¡± She touched her body.


    ¡°X-Xin¡­¡± Elaya was the one who stepped out, tears in her eyes.


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    ¡°Elaya¡­ my love.¡± Xin shook. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not prepared¡­¡±


    There was a flash of anguish and guilt on her face. After all, she had been the one to kill the King, leading to Elaya¡¯s death. She had then fled the country. Well, she had ended up getting controlled by Aberis, but she still felt intense responsibility for everything she did.


    ¡°You¡¯re really Xin. Your soul is all corrupted, like mine¡­¡± Elaya chuckled, but she was crying at the same time.


    ¡°Your soul was never corrupted,¡± Xin said, shaking her head in denial. ¡°Your soul was always beautiful. I never deserved you.¡±


    ¡°Just shut up and kiss me.¡±


    Elaya took the last few steps, and although she rose on her tippytoes, it was ultimately Xin who bent over. Given her size, one could be forgiven if the scene resembled a man pulling a woman off her feet and kissing her. The group of us could only look on awkwardly, although Bernice looked on with a bit of interest.


    The girls finally broke away, breathing hard as they held each other. Then, Xin¡¯s eyes landed on me, and she leaned forward and whispered something into Elaya¡¯s ear. Elaya chuckled and the two women turned to me.


    ¡°Master, why are you not getting in on this?¡± Elaya licked her lips.


    ¡°Huh? I mean¡­ Xin and you¡­ aren¡¯t you lovers?¡±


    ¡°When it came to King Aberis, the pair of us could not agree.¡± Elaya shrugged. ¡°However, that doesn¡¯t seem to be a problem anymore?¡±


    ¡°Wh-what? But¡­ Xin and I?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± Xin blushed. ¡°You had already impressed me in the Twilight Dungeon. Besides that, if you think I¡¯m different than that nameless giant, you¡¯re wrong. I have both her memories and my own. We were based on the same person, but it isn¡¯t like she ceased to be. She is me, and I am her, and her feelings for you should have been obvious.¡±


    ¡°O-obvious?¡±


    Her cheeks reddened more. ¡°After all, you were¡­ inside me. How could that not affect a woman? Before, our bodies weren¡¯t compatible, so I could only keep my mouth shut. Now¡­ I no longer have to hold back! I love Master!¡±

 Chapter 939

    ¡°M-master¡­¡±


    For the proud and noble Xin to suddenly call me Master and look at me with such lewd eyes, leaving me feeling dazed. Garnet looked amused by this, why Carmine was different. Bernice was looking at me like I was scum, but I suppose I expected that from her.


    ¡°Won¡¯t you accept her?¡± Elaya asked, gesturing to Xin¡¯s naked body like she was putting it on display.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I mean¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say.


    When I spoke of resurrecting Xin, I hadn¡¯t expected it to just happen spontaneously like that. It went smoothly. Now, there was a girl who was neither Xin nor the giant. I guess I could say she was both of them wrapped up in a single package.


    ¡°Master¡­ I know this is a lot to take in.¡± Xin stepped forward. ¡°However, I am the same person that I was before. Rather, you could say that there is only one of me, and before this, I had been divided. That¡¯s why I hope you can come to accept me for who I am. I am the dungeon master you trusted, and I am also the woman who you fought the Demon King within the dungeon.¡±


    She had a worried expression on her face. Too much truly had happened, and she was scared of her future. Even Elaya, although she didn¡¯t show it, seemed a bit concerned.


    ¡°Xin, I¡¯m not a man who will ever reject a woman who needs me.¡± I declared. ¡°Whether you¡¯re one or both women, you¡¯re mine just the same!¡±


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    ¡°B-beast!¡± Bernice grumbled.


    ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Xin acted bashfully. ¡°So passionate.¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ I like this version of Deek.¡± Elaya giggled. ¡°Then, it¡¯s decided!¡±


    Elaya reached down and started pulling off her dress.


    ¡°Ahhh! E-Elaya!¡± Xin¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t we going to have sex now?¡±


    ¡°Is that what you were going for!?¡± I cried.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t changed at all!¡± Xin said at the same time.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Since we all love each other, then we should smash our parts together. This is just common sense.¡± Elaya explained.


    ¡°Whose common sense!¡± Xin was now covering her body, completely flustered.


    ¡°How about this?¡± I interrupted. ¡°Why don¡¯t the pair of you get reacquainted. I have things I need to do. We can all¡­ ahem¡­ at a later date?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that I wasn¡¯t turned on by the prospect. However, I had just found out Xin was into me. Jumping into a threesome seemed a bit aggressive. Plus, the other girls were looking, and even Carmine was frowning at me. They kept saying I was more passionate and daring, but even I wasn¡¯t that bold!


    ¡°Fuu¡­ fine¡­¡± Elaya finally agreed, the two of us letting out a breath of relief.


    ¡°In that case, have fun. The rest of us will be off. I¡¯m eager to reunite with the girls.¡±


    I grabbed the other girls and fled the room, leaving Elaya to play with Xin to her heart¡¯s content. I was still worried over my girls whose bonds I no longer had. Since I fled before Elaya could say anything, I failed to hear what she said next.


    ¡°W-wait¡­ about the girls¡­¡± At that point we were already gone, and Elaya could only give a sigh. ¡°Well, they¡¯ll figure it out. Now¡­ Xin¡­ where were we¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ E-Elaya¡­ I only just regained a body¡­ g-go gentle on me.¡±


    The proud and aloof warrior Xin, despite towering over the other woman, looked like a scared little kitten under her predatory gaze.


    ¡°I think we both know when it comes to restraint, I don¡¯t have it!¡±

 Chapter 940

    Leaving Elaya behind, the group of us headed back to the mansion using the backdoor entrance into the basement. As we reached the mansion, Garnet and Bernice looked around at the lavish hallway with wide eyes. The pair had never really been in a mansion or palace before. Bernice lived the life of a poor person and Garnet typically moved to small towns and slept in the dirt more often than not. Only Carmine was comfortable with this kind of lavish environment, although I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d ever seen my manor before, since I had previously left her at my properties in the Capital or Alerith.


    ¡°Y-you really do live in a mansion?¡± Bernice¡¯s mouth fell open. ¡°I know you said you were a lord, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess, since you¡¯re my slave, you¡¯re welcome to stay here as long as you want. If you¡¯d like to stop being my slave, then I¡¯m happy to release you, but then you also wouldn¡¯t get to stay here.¡±


    ¡°A-are you trying to bribe me?¡± Bernice demanded.


    ¡°I¡¯m just being clear on our relationship.¡± I shrugged, just trying to make sure everything was handled.


    ¡°R-r-relationship!¡±


    ¡°Carmine, why don¡¯t you find Garnet and Bernice a room? The mansion still has plenty.¡± I tried to redirect them.


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    ¡°Isn¡¯t Master just asking that so you can play with your girls without us watching?¡± Carmine asked wryly.


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s not true!¡± This time, my face turned red.


    Since I had taken her to bed, Carmine had grown more territorial and a bit more willful. She was usually the strong, silent type who took all her pain on the inside, but since her mind had been invaded from the karmic infection and we had gone through a life and death battle together, only for her to end up as the only girl with me in my world, well, our relationship had changed. She was someone I cared about deeply, and who I trusted to keep me safe. That¡¯s why she was more comfortable with teasing me about these things as well.


    ¡°Animal¡­¡± Bernice gave me dark eyes.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ even though Master has me, he¡¯ll run into another woman¡¯s arms.¡± Garnet jokingly added.


    They didn¡¯t linger to torture me though. Carmine took the two women and walked off toward one of the unused wings. The wing I slept in had been filled up, all of the women closest to me wanting to sleep closest to me as well. They all slept in my room most nights anyway. I guess they hadn¡¯t been doing that the last few months¡­ no, it had only been weeks for them, I had to keep reminding myself.


    I went toward my wing, heading for my bedroom. It felt strange not being able to feel where any of the girls were. I supposed I could locate them using the map and sense life, but I felt like I lost something doing that. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t have to go far. Upon opening the door to my room, I found one of them waiting for me. As soon as I saw her, my heart nearly beat out of my chest.


    ¡°Ah, Master?¡± Lydia smiled at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°Welcome back,¡± Lydia responded. ¡°Ah¡­ from where?¡±

 Chapter 941

    Ifrowned at her words. Of everything I expected from appearing, I didn¡¯t expect Lydia to barely react at all. She was as lovely as always, but she wasn¡¯t upset, excited, or confused. She might as well have seen me just a little earlier today.


    ¡°Ah, Master, why did you just tell us to meet you in the War room if you¡¯re here?¡± Lydia suddenly asked, cocking her head.


    ¡°War room?¡± I blinked. ¡°What war room? Lydia¡­ I¡¯ve been gone for weeks.¡±


    It was Lydia¡¯s turn to be confused. ¡°What do you mean? I just saw you this morning¡­¡±


    I took a step forward, and Lydia suddenly looked even more doubtful.


    ¡°Elaya¡­ she was trying to say something.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen Elaya?¡± Her eyes flashed.


    ¡°Lydia¡­ I¡¯m Deek. The last time I saw you was when we were in Lord Reign¡¯s castle. I cut off a piece of my soul, and then teleported all of you home. Lord Reign tossed me into a dungeon, I only recently escaped with Carmine.¡±


    As I spoke, Lydia¡¯s eyes grew wide, and her alarm seemed to grow as well.


    ¡°I¡­ the slave bond.¡±


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    ¡°I cut off the slave bond.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I had to do it send you away. I¡¯m¡­ just glad your safe.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t understand. Deek came back with us.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Deek, I mean¡­ he¡¯s been here all along.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± I looked down for a second, and then back up. ¡°The Demon Lord!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you know who attacked us in Alerith? The person that forced me to cut my soul? It was Demon Lord Aberis! He¡¯s the power behind Lord Reign, not Imperial Cloud Meadow like we thought.¡±


    ¡°Th-the demon lord died¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we thought, but when Xin and Elaya killed him, he made himself reborn. Since then, he¡¯s been gathering power.¡± I explained. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand what this means? He sent back a copy with you! This Deek, he must be some kind of spy created by Lord Aberis to confuse all of you!¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­ that can¡¯t be true¡­¡± She shook her head, her eyes filled with confusion and worry.


    ¡°Think about it. Is there anything questionable about him? Had he acted strangely?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­¡± Lydia¡¯s eye started to flash with realization. ¡°He¡­ it was a she?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The one who came back was a female version of you. She takes potions to remain male. As for their behavior¡­ they can be a little cold sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see, it must be some kind of fake! Lord Aberis must have done something to send it. The soul piece that was cut off was far too weak to have survived on its own.¡±


    ¡°B-but¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, how much of my soul went with you? Almost nothing. All of it was me, I¡¯m the real Deek.¡± I had started to approach her, and soon I was right in front of her, my eyes filled with passion. ¡°Even if that Deek was me, it¡¯d only be a shadow. I¡¯m the true Deek.¡±


    ¡°M-m-master?¡± Her eyes looked into mine with realization.


    Suddenly, I felt the bond between us snap back into place. With a smile, I grabbed Lydia and kissed her. As I passionately held her, Lydia melted into my arms. It seemed like things were far worse than I had hoped. It was fine. I¡¯d fix everything. I was home now.

 Chapter 942

    From the moment Lydia suddenly ceased to be connected to my bond, I immediately began looking for her. It didn¡¯t take long before I thought to bring up the map. I had to reset my dungeon points to bring out a skill, Sense Life Plus. I hoped I¡¯d gain it in one of my job titles soon, but it was extremely useful as a dungeon skill too. I had found that if I used it, then any dot I selected on the map would also display the information regarding that person. I quickly located Lydia. She was in my room?


    She also appeared to be next to someone. However, when I attempted to click on their name, it brought up question marks. It was someone I couldn¡¯t identify? What kind of creature would be able to confuse my Sense Life? It left me rather terrified.


    I quickly ran to my bedroom, and behind me, all of the girls followed. We were supposed to be discussing war matters regarding the appearance of Lord Reign. Now, I was dealing with the loss of Lydia. Was this some kind of trick Lord Reign came up with? Was he stealing my slaves now? That question mark was that the strange man who had attacked us in the castle. If Lord Reign had sent him, then we had a major fight ahead of us. If he also could break the bonds between my women and me, even despite my blessing, it left me feeling afraid.


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    My mind worked quickly through a million different possibilities. I¡¯d even considered just casting meteor and destroying the entire mansion. No, that was perhaps too impulsive. However, that could be a possible plan B. I could always resurrect everyone later. On the other hand, if this mysterious monster was allowed to wipe us out, it could mean Lord Reign won without a single shot fired. It¡¯d be horribly embarrassing.


    ¡°Master, is Lydia okay?¡± Miki asked worriedly.


    Of all the girls, Miki and Shao were the closest to Lydia. There was a time it had just been Miki and Lydia. They had fought together in Karr¡¯s dungeon when they thought they had lost me and even had to drag my corpse back together when I unexpectedly died retaking the city. As a result, the girls formed a closer bond. Celeste was a bit of an airhead, and Terra liked to keep to herself. Shao, on the other hand, saw Lydia as a repository of sexual knowledge and her ideal to strive for. Either way, all of the girls respected her as the leader and scout for our group, and if she was lost, our fighting potential was also lost, as well as a close friend.


    Rather than answer, I opened the door to my bedroom and looked in. My eyes landed on Lydia, but what I saw was far worse than her being dead. If she was dead, I could summon her back to life. Instead, she was in the arms of another man. They were kissing passionately, his back to me. A cold feeling spread through me, and I pulled out my blade. Whoever this man was, he would die!

 Chapter 943

    ¡°Ah! D-Deek!¡± Lydia broke off the kiss and cried out when she noticed me looking at her.


    ¡°H-how could you?¡± Miki covered her mouth, completely shocked by what Lydia had done.


    She not only abandoned her slave bond, but she ran into the arms of another man. How could Deek not feel extremely hurt? As he coldly watched her, the man who had been kissing her turned around.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the bastard who has tried to steal my life?¡± His voice was filled with anger, as his eyes practically glowed red with fury.


    The girls behind me let out gasps of shock. I only sneered as I looked at this strange clone. At least, Lydia had just been confused. I would be willing to forgive her once everything was sorted out.


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on!¡± Celeste cried out.


    ¡°Demon Lord Aberis, that is what is going on.¡± The other Deek said darkly.


    ¡°The man in the Ost Republic?¡± Terra asked wonderingly.


    ¡°That was merely a diversion.¡± Deek sighed. ¡°The true Lord Aberis is in Alerith. He¡¯s been using Lord Reign as a puppet all this time. He¡¯s the source of the demonic knights.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no!¡± Astria hissed.


    ¡°He¡¯s coming to attack us soon.¡± Faeyna worried out loud.


    I didn¡¯t know if what the duplicate said was true. If it was, it actually explained a lot. That strangely powerful person that had suddenly attacked us. I had been worried about facing him for some time. This also explained his confidence in being able to conquer Chalm.


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    ¡°A few weeks ago, I cut off a piece of my soul to save all of you. The Demon Lord must have taken control of that weakened soul using a karmic infection, and then sent it here to destabilize our power. I¡¯m sorry it took me so long to return, but that creature is an imposter!¡± The other Deek pointed at me.


    I blanched at his words. Of all of the things I¡¯d expect him to say, I never thought he¡¯d be so shameless. I was right here, and his gig to seduce my women were already up, but he still had the gall to make these kinds of false claims? I had thought his words would be tossed out instantly, but all of the girls looked around in confusion as if they weren¡¯t sure.


    ¡°How can you believe this clown?¡± I demanded. ¡°He¡¯s been in the clutches of Lord Reign for weeks. If he¡¯s speaking the truth and it is the Demon Lord, it¡¯s even less reason to believe him. We¡¯ve all battled replicas before. In Widow¡¯s Dungeon, they were also able to hijack my slave abilities and make an exact copy. Even if this guy was the other half of my soul, it¡¯s clear he¡¯s a dungeon doppelganger. We¡¯ve all seen what they are capable of doing!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ perhaps he was reforged in the dungeon,¡± Miki responded defiantly.


    ¡°Miki, of everyone here, you should be most sensitive to the soul.¡± This Deek declared. ¡°I don¡¯t have a karma soul. You should be able to recognize that I am truly me.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± She looked uncertain for a second, but then she pulled out her staff and stepped forward.


    ¡°Miki, don¡¯t¡­¡± I tried to grab her arm, but she dodged my grab and then waved out, nine tails forming behind her.


    After a moment, her body shuddered and her face flashed in shock. ¡°M-master?¡±


    The second she said the words, the bond between her and me broke like the same manner that it had before. A dark grin formed on the other Deek¡¯s face. As for Miki she cried out, looking shocked and even more confused.


    ¡°There is no point in continuing to discuss this!¡± I hissed coldly. ¡°There is only one Deek!¡±


    I pulled my sword from my inventory, and then attacked. I had to kill him immediately before he took anyone else!

 Chapter 944

    The girls let out cries as the imposter Deek burst out through the crowd, attempting to attack me. From the moment I had heard about this imposter, I had already been working out a plan to deal with him. With everyone focused on me, no one had noticed I had summoned the three girls to meet me here. Carmine was standing behind everyone with Garnet and Bernice, and I had already given her a heads up before the imposter had even attacked.


    The other girls had all not expected such an impulsive attack. Even I was surprised by it. Lydia was only just moving to try to protect me. Everyone else who was behind me didn¡¯t even have a chance. It didn¡¯t matter. As the imposter got close enough that I could see him, I waited to the last possible second.


    ¡°Switch!¡±


    My body replaced Carmine, and Carmine appeared where I was. She already had her shield up, ready to take on the imposter. As soon as the form changed, the imposter balked, trying to stop his sword from slamming down. However, he couldn¡¯t stop his momentum. The woman he was fighting was Carmine, decked in her full light armor from the Twilight dungeon. Even if she didn¡¯t use the shield, he¡¯d be unlikely to harm her. In her garb, she was a true force to be reckoned with.


    She shoved back, doing a shield bash as his sword struck it. His body slammed into the shield and went flying back. The girls let out a cry as the imposter was tossed back at them. However, Carmine didn¡¯t just block. She took this opportunity and attacked. She lunged forward at the unbalanced and stumbling imposter and then brought down her sword, intending to chop him in half.


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    A form suddenly appeared in front of her, erupting with miasma and darkness. It was Salicia who blocked the attack. She wasn¡¯t defensive, but she could attack someone else attack, and that¡¯s what she did. Carmine was never as powerful an attacker as she was a defense, and she had no choice but to jump back and defend against Salicia¡¯s miasma strike. When things settled, Shao had caught the imposter in her hands, and Salicia now faced Carmine.


    All of the girls wore stunned expressions on their faces upon seeing Carmine standing there. No one was more stunned than Salicia.


    ¡°S-sister?¡± Salicia¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Why did you block me and protect this imposter?¡± Carmine demanded, her back stiff and her eyes cold.


    ¡°He-he¡¯s not an imposter! He¡¯s Deek!¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. I¡¯ve been by Deek this entire time. I can guarantee I am traveling with the true Deek.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ traveling? No¡­ you died¡­ you died¡­ in a dungeon!¡± Salicia¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re a dungeon copy¡­ like me?¡±


    ¡°What? A copy? What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be afraid, sister.¡± Salicia smiled. ¡°You died in that dungeon. Lord Reign must have brought your soul back as a monster to confuse us. But, it¡¯s okay, you see¡­ I died too once. I only remembered recently, but I was born in a dungeon, like you and Elaya!¡±


    ¡°So¡­ my sister died¡­¡±


    I was as shocked as she was. I didn¡¯t have any close attachment to Salicia, but I did grow close to Carmine. Although she barely reacted, I could feel through the bond that her mind was in turmoil, and hearing about this deeply bothered her. I really wanted to grab her and hold her, but now wasn¡¯t the time. Her eyes flashed, and her body started to glow with light.


    ¡°Then, since you are an evil being, I won¡¯t feel bad fighting through you to kill that abomination. Just as master doesn¡¯t want an imposter, neither do I!¡±

 Chapter 945

    ¡°You won¡¯t hurt Master!¡± Salicia shouted defensively.


    ¡°Now, I know you couldn¡¯t possibly be my sister. My sister would never defy me like this!¡±


    While Salicia was standing in front of me, protecting me with her life, I could only feel a deep affection for her. Finding out that Carmine was alive had been shocking, but I had no particular deep feelings for her. As for Salicia thinking, Carmine was a dungeon fragment like her, I was more sensitive to these kinds of things, and I saw no trace of this. The only conclusion I could make is that the dungeon Deek had brainwashed the real Carmine!


    However, my focus quickly left them, as there was still the matter of the dungeon Deek. If he switched with Carmine, then, where was he?


    I looked at my map and then spun around with a cry. ¡°We¡¯re surrounded!¡±


    The girls cried out, spinning around to see dungeon Deek casually surveying the situation with his arms crossed, a somewhat angry glower on his face. The girls moved to either side, creating a pathway between us, still looking back and forth between the two of us as if they didn¡¯t know what to do. I had to give it to Lord Reign. This tactic of his was much more effective than I would have thought.


    ¡°Do I need to provide any more proof? He tried to kill me and even attacked his own slave. This is clearly not me.¡±


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    ¡°You¡­¡± I stepped toward him, ready to attack again.


    ¡°Bernice.¡± He snorted. ¡°Haven¡¯t you always wanted to shoot me?¡±


    ¡°My pleasure.¡±


    A woman I had never seen before but seemed strangely familiar stepped forward. While she was a stranger, the things she pulled out were not. My eyes widened in shock, and my foot stopped.


    ¡°H-How did you get a gun?¡± I cried out.


    She pointed the weapon at me and fired. A blast shot out. I may have grown powerful, but being able to use a sword and being able to fight a gun were two different concepts entirely. Just as I saw my life flashing before my eyes, a form appeared in front of me. Celeste stood between me and the bullet. She used her wind magic, and as the bullet approached, she slapped it away with the wind. The bullet¡¯s trajectory changed, hitting the wall behind me, and causing Lydia and Carmine to move out of the way.


    The woman named Bernice seemed surprised that her bullet hadn¡¯t landed. She began to fire bullet after bullet. Celeste kept moving, slapping them away one at a time. She could only just change the trajectory enough that they missed both her and me. I realized at that moment that to accomplish this, Celeste¡¯s speed was greater than that of a bullet!


    ¡°Bernice! Stop shooting her!¡± The other Deek hit her on top of the head.


    ¡°Ahhh! It¡¯s not my fault some big-breasted bimbo got in my way!¡±


    ¡°Celeste, why are you defending him? I¡¯m the real Deek!¡± He declared.


    ¡°Deek is Deek!¡± Celeste cried out, her eyes closed. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening. Deek is Deek, and I will protect him. If there are two Deeks, I will protect two Deeks. If there are two Masters, I will love both Masters!¡±


    Leave it to Celeste to not be able to grasp what was going on. I supposed I could forgive her for getting confused. She was protecting my life, after all.


    ¡°Enough of this. Girls, kill this man!¡± I ordered coldly.


    ¡°You¡­ everyone, don¡¯t hold back. Kill the imposter!¡± The other Deek declared.

 Chapter 946

    Although the both of us pointed at the other and ordered the girls to attack, no one moved. It seemed like the imposter¡¯s ruse had worked too well. Everyone doubted that the other Deek was an enemy. I felt angry, although it wasn¡¯t specifically at them. I felt angry about this whole situation. I had been gone for months, expecting to come home to girls who were worried sick about me, only to find that they barely even cared I was home.


    This imposter had taken up residence in my mansion, somehow stealing all of the slave bonds in my absence, and then pretended to be me. Once the blessings had been lost, it would have been all too easy for them to systematically take the bond with Slave steal. After all, with me in another world and him looking just like me, the girls would have willingly let themselves be stolen. I had foolishly thought there was nothing to worry about and they¡¯d all be fine, but I had a lot to worry about.


    ¡°Come, we¡¯re leaving.¡± I finally dropped my hand and sent a Slave Order to all of the girls on my side.


    Lydia and Miki cried out at suddenly being addressed, but after I gave them a look, they followed Carmine to my side. When the imposter saw this, his looks darkened. At that moment, his body started to change, revealing the female Deek. Lydia had mentioned that this Deek wasn¡¯t a boy, but it took seeing it for me to truly realize it.


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    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± She coldly huffed in a feminine voice.


    ¡°Do you really think that is me?¡± I demanded, looking at each of the girls. ¡°That¡¯s not even a man.¡±


    Her eyes widened, and then she grabbed her chest. When she realized she had changed back, she reached for her pocket, but after a second, she took her hand away, staring at me defiantly.


    ¡°Master¡­ please don¡¯t do this,¡± Celeste begged. ¡°There are just two Deeks now. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°There is only one Deek,¡± I responded. ¡°And I am him. This¡­ is something else. I know you¡¯re all confused, but I need you all beside me. We¡¯re going to retake Chalm, and stop Lord Aberis¡¯s plan. Remember, this fool still thought it was just Lord Reign. I¡¯ve fought him. I know what he¡¯s capable of. I¡¯ve even defeated him and escaped his dungeon. Victory comes through me. Will none of you come?¡±


    The girls in front of me were Astria, Celeste, Terra, Shao, Raissa, Salicia, and Faeyna. Standing on my side were Lydia, Miki, Carmine, Bernice, Elaya, and Garnet. At this moment, I was slightly worse off, never mind the fact she had the support of Chalm. It was possible I could get Xin¡¯s help, but Xin was trapped in the dungeon, so she wasn¡¯t someone I could call on too easily.


    ¡°I am the real Deek!¡± The imposter said, her voice filled with ice. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t even need to have this conversation. You¡¯ve all been with me all this time, but where was he? I¡¯ve been by your side! You know it¡¯s true!¡±


    At that moment, the bonds changed again, and one of my slaves disappeared!

 Chapter 947

    ¡°Bernice!¡± the fake Deek shot a look at the girl I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Hmph! A female is far more to my liking!¡± Bernice responded, walking over to the other side. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re an animal. This Deek is far cooler.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you weren¡¯t even bonded in this world!¡±


    I was just as perplexed as he was. I didn¡¯t even know this girl, but suddenly I could feel her slave bond.


    ¡°Um¡­ sorry¡­ and you are?¡± I asked sheepishly.


    The girl suddenly ran up and grabbed my hands. She smiled at me, it was actually a pretty cute smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m Bernice, at your service, Master. I¡¯ve been forced to work under that beast of a man. However, I¡¯d much rather work under you¡­¡±


    ¡°U-under?¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t drink those potion¡¯s master. They make you weak, and may also make you impotent! It¡¯s much better to stay a woman, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Impotent! That¡¯s a lie? She¡¯s lying, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry, you don¡¯t recognize me. You might recognize me as Bernard, the hero?¡± As she said this, she pulled back her hair.


    With that, there was a flicker of recognition. Bernard was a girl? This was the woman who was the 1<sup>st</sup> place champion? All the other girls made noises of surprise as well as they finally realized who the stranger was. I didn¡¯t know her, but she seemed to be holding on to me now. I didn¡¯t know how to react.


    ¡°Elaya, you¡¯re going to join this Deek¡¯s side?¡± Astria asked.


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    ¡°Elaya?¡± My eyes jumped to see Elaya in the back next to him.


    She had disappeared, only to show up next to him. It was clear to me that the fake Deek must have stolen her! Yet, Elaya was a powerful undead queen. If she wanted to, she should have had the ability to return to my side.


    ¡°I am¡­¡± Elaya chuckled. ¡°And so will you.¡±


    Astria raised an eyebrow. ¡°I will, will I?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Master and I have already claimed the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You what?¡± I cried out.


    ¡°Since the moment I was summoned, I thought something like this might happen. Thus, I made sure the dungeon boss Xin closes up. I¡¯ve sealed the entrance to the mansion, and if anyone not bonded to my Deek attempts to enter, they will be seen as an enemy and attacked!¡±


    ¡°Elaya, I could kiss you!¡± The fake Deek grew excited.


    My expression grew ugly. Elaya was a diabolical woman. I had already known this about her. However, when she was on my side, that wasn¡¯t a problem. Now, she was on the enemy¡¯s side!¡±


    ¡°Th-that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll join you!¡± Astria responded hesitantly.


    ¡°You think I¡¯ll allow you to keep receiving miasma if you¡¯re on her side?¡± Elaya asked.


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡± Astria looked guiltily in my direction, and then sighed.


    Her bond suddenly disappeared, and I could only shake coldly.


    ¡°Astria! Get your fairy butt over here!¡± The fake Deek barked.


    ¡°Y-yes, Master!¡± She flew over quickly rather than float over slowly.


    She didn¡¯t have to look slightly like she enjoyed being barked at!


    ¡°Faeyna, I need you as well.¡± Fake Deek suddenly said.


    Faeyna¡¯s loyalty to me had always been a bit questionable. When I first made her my slave, she had left to be free.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Faeyna lowered her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master, but if I¡¯m to continue my species, I¡¯d need a man, not a woman.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Fake Deek blinked. ¡°No, I meant, I hate cooking. I haven¡¯t had very many delicious things because of that. I need you to cook for me.¡±


    ¡°C-c-c-cook!¡± Her eyes widened, and the bond disappeared like smoke.


    ¡°Hey! Where is your reluctance?¡± I cried out.


    ¡°S-sorry, Master¡­ he needs me!¡± Faeyna ran into his arms.


    She didn¡¯t need to hug him and give him a kiss! Why was her big chest suddenly pissing me off?


    ¡°I will be back for the rest of you in time.¡± Fake Deek declared. ¡°Wait for me!¡±


    ¡°You dare!¡± Just as I went to attack him, he grabbed all the girls and disappeared, using a teleportation spell.


    Like that, half of my girls and ultimately my fighting force was gone.

 Chapter 948

    ¡°Elaya¡­ why have you decided to help?¡± Miki asked. ¡°Both Deeks are the same, you should know this better than anyone.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Elaya cocked her head. ¡°Isn¡¯t it because it¡¯s fun?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°They really are both Deek? Is that even possible?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°If a soul is truly powerful enough, and each side survives, then it is. In truth, the female Deek should have died. However, a strong spiritualist mixed with her own White Mage abilities, and she was able to recover.¡±


    ¡°They really can¡¯t be put back together?¡± Faeyna asked worriedly.


    ¡°Both souls have already healed. Deedee used a dungeon and created a karmic soul. Meanwhile, it seems like Deek used a powerful elixir that repaired the missing portion of his mana soul. They both have completed souls now. Although, they do seemed to be linked. From what I can tell, they both level together with the same jobs. Although the blessing isn¡¯t replicated, they each have access to the same number of dungeon points. The slave bonds seem to be split between them as well. As for where the slave bonds connect, it¡¯s to whomever the women are feeling the most loyal to at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Ah! That¡­ I can¡¯t help it¡­¡± Lydia blushed. ¡°This Deek, he¡¯s so passionate!¡±


    ¡°As a spiritualist, I have a natural distaste for karmic beings. I hadn¡¯t realized it myself, but Deedee¡¯s karmic soul must have made me inclined to follow this Master first.¡± Miki sighed.


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    ¡°I feel like that was a slight toward me,¡± Elaya responded flatly.


    ¡°You¡¯re imagining things¡­¡±


    ¡°So, what should we do? Do we really have to pick one Deek over another?¡±


    ¡°You can do whatever you want.¡± Elaya shrugged. ¡°As for me, I¡¯ll be continuing to watch over this Deek and help him in his pursuits. It will be difficult for the pair of them to come to terms with each other.¡±


    ¡°Honestly¡­ I thought things would go a different way.¡± Garnet pouted.


    ¡°Hmm? What is that?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­ I mean¡­ one is a girl¡­ one is a boy¡­¡±


    ¡°That!¡±


    ¡°They say that if you meet yourself, there are only two things that can happen. You can either fight¡­ or¡­ sex!¡± Lydia declared proudly.


    ¡°If you understand Deek, then you should have seen that things would end up a fight.¡± Elaya sighed.


    ¡°R-really?¡± Garnet asked.


    ¡°Deek¡¯s own worst enemy¡­ has always been himself! Octius once mentioned this. Deek is a man who resents his weaknesses. He has always second-guessed himself. When confronted with a manifestation of all the parts of himself he cut away, he¡¯d naturally wish to destroy it.¡±


    ¡°I love Deek¡­ all of Deek¡­ how can he be so hard on himself?¡± Lydia¡¯s eyes started to form tears.


    ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s hard on himself that he was able to come so far,¡± Astria spoke up. ¡°I think, perhaps, we shouldn¡¯t interfere too much with what is happening.¡±


    ¡°You want to let him kill himself?¡± Miki cried out.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying¡­ Elaya¡¯s right. We should let this play out. Yes, there is risk, but we risk ourselves every time we enter a dungeon. He may learn something about himself. I think he will grow from this, and use the opportunity to refine his strength, grow confidence in his ability, and become the man he was meant to be.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you all done yet?¡± I asked, feeling a bit grumpy. ¡°You know, I can hear everything you¡¯re saying.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Miki stuck out her tongue. ¡°Did any of it sink in? Have we changed your mind yet?¡±


    ¡°Actually, something you said did click with me.¡± I shrugged. ¡°This other Deek, Deedee, she already has an army around her. Even though we¡¯ve cut off her access to the dungeon, she¡¯s still much more powerful than me. However, we have alliances she hasn¡¯t pulled on yet. I think it¡¯s time I saw what the Tibult family is up to.¡±

 Chapter 949

    ¡°That coward!¡± I growled. ¡°He should have just faced me and died. Actually running away¡­¡±


    ¡°He was in enemy territory¡­ ah! Not that he¡¯s an enemy¡­ or is he?¡± Salicia cocked her head in confusion.


    ¡°He¡¯s a fake!¡± I assured her. ¡°We must prepare for the next time he comes. He¡¯s clearly here to destabilize our power. It¡¯s no coincidence that he showed up just after Lord Reign announced his intention to attack.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ about that¡­¡±


    I tossed my hair back. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about the girls. I will get them back. I won¡¯t let any of you fall into the hands of such a lech.¡±


    ¡°So cool¡­ ahem¡­¡± Bernice cleared her throat with a blush, finally letting go of me. ¡°Perhaps, I¡¯ll be of some assistance there.¡±


    I reached out and grabbed her this time. ¡°You will. I¡¯m sorry, but I need to learn everything you know. I¡¯ll have to probe you thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°Ahhn¡­ y-yes¡­ Master¡­¡± She said, her face red.


    ¡°She¡¯s drooling,¡± Terra muttered.


    ¡°Definitely drooling,¡± Shao added.


    Bernice wiped her mouth. ¡°Ah¡­ I mean¡­ please probe me as much as master desires. My body is completely at your disposal! You can do whatever you want to it!¡±


    ¡°But Master needs her mind¡­¡± Terra muttered.


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    ¡°Who knew the champion was such a pervert,¡± Shao responded with narrow eyes.


    ¡°Ah! Master wants me for my mind as well as my body¡­ understood!¡± Bernice nearly saluted.


    The body wasn¡¯t even mentioned. I could only shake my head. However, with half of my girls suddenly being whisked away, I had to take what I could get. If she was half as good as I recalled from the battles, then she¡¯d be a good ally to have. However, at the time, she used a sword. Now, she was using something that raised some questions. I looked down at the guns in her hand. Just how had she obtained these.


    ¡°From Earth!¡± Bernice declared. ¡°Do you like them? M-ma¡­ I mean, that beast bought them for me!¡±


    ¡°Earth!¡± Shao¡¯s eyes snapped open and she took a step forward.


    I was just as bad, grabbing her once again. ¡°What do you mean, Earth?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­ I was there. Uh¡­ we were all there. He¡­ can transport to Earth. Ah¡­ you¡¯re squeezing too hard! Actually, squeeze harder!¡±


    I let go of her and Shao and I exchanged a look. Home. This man even had a means of going to Earth. That only made him more dangerous. I took what he did as a threat. Before I kill him, I¡¯ll have to make sure I find out just how he did it!


    ¡°Is this really okay?¡± Raissa whispered to Shao and Terra. ¡°I feel like¡­ this might really be an accident. I think they¡¯re both the real Deek. When that Deek looked at me, I really felt like he cared for me. I don¡¯t think he¡¯d do me any harm. It was that kind of feeling.¡±


    Raissa was extremely sensitive to threats. If the other Deek had intended any of them harm, she would have felt it clearly. All she could sense from that Deek was a fiery passion to protect and love them, a feeling that made her heartbeat fast. Had he not fled, there was no saying which side she would have been on.


    ¡°Deek is Deek!¡± Celeste overheard and spoke up, still feeling confused and angry that no one was listening to her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Deek any longer,¡± I said.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± The girls all turned to her in surprise.


    ¡°From now on, call me Deedee. I don¡¯t want to be confused for that man. I won¡¯t be taking the gender-changing potion anymore either. The last I need is for you all to be confused again. If you see me and I¡¯m a man, it¡¯s him! Capture him immediately.¡±

 Chapter 950

    ¡°Eliana!¡±


    ¡°Deek? Mmm!¡± As soon as I saw Eliana, I couldn¡¯t help embracing and kissing her.


    She was the mother of one of my children, and while it was only just barely starting to show, to me it had been months since I had last seen her. I was a little surprised that there was only the slightest of bumps which I could only feel when I put my hand on her stomach.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Deek¡­ you¡¯re being so affectionate¡­¡± Eliana blushed as I felt her stomach.


    ¡°Deek! You came just in time. I finally managed to find you a potion that will permanently change your gender back to a man.¡± Prince Edward declared, pulling an item from his storage ring and handing it to me.


    I took it, looked at it for a moment, sneered, and then dropped it on the floor.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Eliana cried out.


    ¡°D-Deek!¡± Prince Edward¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°We need to talk,¡± I said, smashing the potion under my heel.


    A few minutes later, I had explained the basic gist of the situation. Prince Edward, although he often acted like a fool, was actually an extremely thoughtful man. When he was thinking, he put his hand on his chin and nodded. It was anyone¡¯s guess what things that went through his head, but he caught basically everything.


    ¡°So¡­¡± he said after I had finished telling my story. ¡°What you¡¯re saying is there was no reason to smash that expensive potion I went to a lot of effort to get!¡±


    ¡°Geh! I mean¡­ it allowed that imposter to continue to look like me.¡±


    ¡°True¡­ but I could have just put it in the treasury, or even sold it. Just because I wasn¡¯t going to give it to him didn¡¯t mean it was best being smashed on my floor!¡±


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    I scratched my head awkwardly. It hadn¡¯t been an impulsive action on my point. I had already considered cutting off his supply of gender bender potions. It stood to reason that the girls wouldn¡¯t stand indefinitely by him as long as he looked like a girl and that by preventing him from changing, it¡¯d further divide the line between her and me in their minds. That¡¯s also why I decided to refer to her as Deedee as well. I was Deek, and Deedee was a female imposter who tried to steal my life.


    ¡°I see¡­ in which case¡­ please take this as a compensation for my poor judgment.¡± I pulled something from my inventory and handed it to him.


    With Blue Mage, my inventory was expanding every day. At this point, it was nearly the size of a small car. I wondered how much space it would have once I reached level 50.


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit complicated, but I have recently traveled to distant places, and I was able to acquire a lot of interesting and rare things. These are seeds for fruits and vegetables from my world. While yours are nice because they are magically enhanced, they use something called genetic modification to grow larger and fuller. If the two were combined, I¡¯m curious about the results. Anyway, from what I understand, these seeds are sterile and you won¡¯t be able to grow more plants. If they turn out to be desirable, the only source of seeds will be me. It¡¯s something like that.¡±


    Aberis was seriously lacking in the food department. Most farming was just wheat and grain, and most of their meals were nasty mush. Most meat came from dungeons since surface monsters were too much for a normal hunter to handle. Since I stopped by Earth, my natural desire was to increase the level of fruits and vegetables available in Aberis. One of the reasons I grabbed Faeyna was to use her to create recipes. The current me found these kinds of actions tedious these days, but she seemed to like cooking.


    ¡°S-seeds¡­.¡± He opened up a box filled with little baggies filled with various seeds.


    ¡°I-is that not acceptable?¡± I worried over his hesitation as he stared at the box.


    ¡°It is¡­ this¡­ if these seeds produce exotic foods, then you should keep them for Chalm. If you turn the Wilderness into farmland, it could become a major export.¡± He said.


    ¡°I intend to. Honestly, if you grow them, you¡¯d be doing me a favor. As I said, you won¡¯t be able to grow more, and you can help me test their growth potential on your market and in your fields.¡±


    This was something I had decided to do already in advance.


    ¡°I see¡­ then I will accept them.¡± He nodded. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s discuss what you came here for. You¡¯re looking for an army, right?¡±

 Chapter 951

    ¡°We¡¯re preparing for war!¡± I announced. ¡°Increase production. Perfect your training. Increase your levels. Are these maps accurate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe this would be the best dungeon to rapidly level soldiers in.¡± Terra pointed to one of the dungeons labeled in a crude map of the wilderness. ¡°It¡¯s small, with no lethal traps on the first ten floors, and it seems to have a meek temperament.¡±


    Speaking of a dungeon¡¯s temperament seemed silly, but it was true that dungeons seemed to have moods. These were often a reflection of their Dungeon Master. Mina¡¯s Dungeon had been aggressive and angry, while the Mirror Dungeon was calm and stable. The wild dungeons weren¡¯t tamed like the Great Dungeons, but this seemed to be the timidest of them. That could change if we started sending tons of men in, so it was a risk, but I refused to wait. Dungeons were dangerous. These men had to accept that.


    ¡°Raissa, I¡¯m not comfortable with you going.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Master, I¡¯ll stay in the safe rooms.¡± Raissa declared, blushing slightly. ¡°I¡¯m not that pregnant yet. I can still be useful to Master.¡±


    I truly did need her training, especially since Lydia had left. I had always seen Lydia as the most loyal to me. Losing her and Miki had truly shattered a lot of my confidence. Although I refused to change back into a man until fake Deek was defeated, Shao and Terra had lay with me last night to comfort me. I didn¡¯t let Celeste sleep with me since she decided she was bisexual. She could get a little handsy and it made me uncomfortable. I put my foot down when she shrank down and tried to go inside me like I had done to a certain giant once. She was seriously a pervert sometimes.


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    Speaking of the giant and my dungeon, Elaya had spoken honestly. Although the miasma didn¡¯t reject me, the dungeon had seemingly gone hostile. The basement path had been sealed up, and the only way I could go in was through the entrance. She had hidden the 1<sup>st</sup> level safe room and then quadrupled the mobs on the first level. Looking for it would force me to have to fight through my monsters, which would only serve to weaken us in the long run.


    This was also why I needed to use one of the dungeons the ladies had spent the last few weeks mapping out. Then again, leveling my guys in my own dungeon was basically exchanging the power of my dungeon for levels. Ultimately, it made more sense to use a foreign dungeon for this anyway.


    ¡°Very well, I give you permission. Celeste, you can make portals to ferry the men and Raissa to and from the dungeon. Keep them safe. Level them as quickly as you can.¡±


    ¡°Yes, master!¡± Raissa nodded.


    ¡°I will!¡± Celeste added.


    ¡°Terra, have you finished the moat yet? I¡¯d like the walls to be reinforced next.¡±


    ¡°Master, I was hoping you could give me permission to work on another project.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°After seeing Carmine on Mas¡­ ahem¡­ the other Deek¡¯s side, she has a very strong armor that she must have gotten from a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°Although I will finish the moat in time, reinforcing the walls to any significant degree would be useless. Thus, I¡¯d like Master¡¯s permission. I¡¯ve had an idea for a while now. I¡¯d like to build something that can increase my fighting power!¡±

 Chapter 952

    ¡°You know, we live down the street, and I¡¯ve never even visited.¡± I responded lightly.


    ¡°What? I thought you lived in Chalm?¡± Garnet tilted her head.


    ¡°True¡­ but I also have a property in the capital. That will be our home for tonight while we¡¯re gathering forces. Elaya and Astria are putting a boundary over it that will keep Deedee from portaling right into our property. When Alysia had managed to make such a barrier, I had thought such a thing was rare.¡±


    ¡°They are rare. Master, just knows a lot of crazy people.¡± Miki sighed.


    ¡°I mean, if Deedee wanted to attack, she could just make it right in front of the property.¡± Carmine frowned.


    ¡°Well, for that we can have proximity alarms. They said they can put up all kinds of defenses. Even if King Aberis declared war on us, he¡¯d have difficulty breaking into my mansion.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be so paranoid that as to plan a war in the capital!¡± Lydia cried out.


    ¡°I¡¯m not paranoid.¡± I laughed. ¡°I¡¯m just being thorough. You never know what might happen in the future, right? Well¡­ here we are.¡±


    Whatever else the girls wanted to say on that was cut off as we came to a certain mansion. Despite my flippant words, I actually had been to this mansion once before. This was the mansion of Lord Tibult. While Aberis wasn¡¯t willing to dedicate any troops to me directly, he recommended a few people I could visit that could help. Many of them were nobles from the Southwest who had fled from the tyranny of the bandits.


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    As much as I hated Deedee, I had to give her credit where credit was due. She managed to clean up the southwest of any bandits. Those that remained had been all but scattered according to the reports I got from my girls as well as the Capital. Of course, she had bungled the whole thing, not only letting Calypso get away but also losing the knife. The girls didn¡¯t want to admit the mistake, but I found out the truth. If it was me, I never would have made that mistake. Of course, I still had the silvthril sword in my inventory. There would be a time where I¡¯d kill Deedee with it. That was my little secret for the moment.


    Besides all of that, Deedee had chosen to ignore all of the nobles that still lived in that area. Although they had fled, and many of the citizens might have been bitter about that, they were still the rightful governors of that area. Like me, Deedee had also evicted them from their homes. True, she hadn¡¯t specifically said they couldn¡¯t return, but she had apparently started a city called Deeksville in the middle of the territory, and all of the citizens were now treating Chalm as their governing power. Meanwhile, the people here hadn¡¯t been asked to return and only found this out by the news that had only arrived recently.


    This offended a lot of these nobles, who might have gladly fought to help reclaim their lands¡­ when things were more in their favor. The way I saw it, Deedee had been too impulsive. They were an untapped resource. Most of them had a large retinue of knights, soldiers, and employees. If I could gather them all together, then that would make a substantial army. The biggest struggle would be explaining how I wasn¡¯t the one who offended them.


    The best way to do that, as advised by Prince Aberis, was to have a strong and influential noble already on my side. Once I had a Tibult sworn to fight by my side, the rest of these nobles will quickly offer their service toward defeating Deedee and reclaiming Chalm. Like that, I would have my army.

 Chapter 953

    ¡°So, what you really need to watch out for is the Silvthril sword. Since you have a soul made of miasma, you¡¯ll be super sensitive to that thing. If it cuts you, you may even die!¡± Bernice declared while getting a second helping of stew. ¡°You¡¯re a really good cook. Deek never cooks, but I guess that¡¯s because he¡¯s a man. Men can¡¯t cook. That¡¯s a fact.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say¡­¡± I sighed with my chin in my hand.


    I had gone to question Bernice and find out what she knew about my opponent, but it turned out the quiet champion was just a lie, and underneath was an extremely talkative girl. I wondered if the fake Deek had to put up with this level of annoyance from her. A thought just struck me. What if he had deliberately left her as a means of sabotage! That diabolical bastard!


    Well, it wasn¡¯t like all of the information she gave was useless. When I had a mana soul, I had faced a cut with the malcrum dagger. I knew all too well how dangerous and damaging that could be. Now that I had a miasmic soul reconstructed with the power of a dungeon, I imagined this Silvthril sword would be just as damaging.


    According to Bernice, the Demon Lord Aberis had gone to a great effort to get that sword made. He had desired to use the sword to conquer dungeons and raise the power to defeat his father. I had to admit that using such a sword would make all things regarding leveling much easier. However, ultimately, I didn¡¯t know if the Demon King possessed a mana or karmic soul. That information would be extremely useful. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I was going to fight him tomorrow. Right now, I had to worry about it¡¯s son.


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    Yeah, I was shocked about that part too. I never would have guessed that the demon lord who fled south and took over the old Osteria would be the escaped son of the Demon King, who had once also attempted to murder his father. He had been destroyed and then reincarnated through the body of Calypso. Well, I knew the second part of that story. That would make Calypso at least over a hundred years old, maybe even two hundred.


    It looked like Demon Lord Aberis had reincarnated a second time when Elaya and Xin had destroyed him and then was reborn in the body of Xin. Xin ended up getting tossed into the dungeon, while Lord Aberis started experimenting with his own dungeons. Then, I stumbled on and destroyed his test dungeon, the Widow¡¯s Dungeon. Whether he was a dungeon builder, or just was playing around with the dungeon, I didn¡¯t know.


    I didn¡¯t find it to be a coincidence that this dungeon was making the rare magical metal Orichalcum. He must have been doing some experiments trying to produce magic metals, or should I say mass produce. He had even managed to attract a deep dwarf there. That would be Rubee, who was now in the possession of fake Deek. Well, Bernice said he called her Garnet now.


    ¡°Wait, what was that last part?¡± I had caught something that Bernice had said while she was still speaking.


    ¡°Hmm? Oh¡­ yeah, Garnet said that she thought that she might be able to make a pair of magical guns. They¡¯d work like these guns, but they¡¯d use compressed magic instead of bullets.¡±


    I stroked my chin. ¡°Yes¡­ let¡¯s talk about that.¡±

 Chapter 954

    ¡°You may wait here, sir and ladies.¡± The butler bowed and then walked away, leaving our small group to ourselves in a large receiving room.


    Elaya, Astria, and Faeyna had been left at the mansion. The first two were setting up the wards and protection, while Faeyna was preparing a meal and making sure the house was clean after weeks of neglect. The other Deek had all but forgotten the property, and Faeyna hadn¡¯t even managed to set up someone to keep the place dusted while we were gone. That meant that I was with Carmine, Lydia, Miki, and Garnet.


    The head of the Tibult household, their father Lord Octavion Tibult, was on the border. He¡¯d be heading to the marriage soon. As it turned out Otto was currently down there with him. Unfortunately, he was the Tibult who owed me the most, and he wasn¡¯t here. That meant that the one I would have to deal with was Octius. I wasn¡¯t sure how I felt about that. The man was a bit much at times. However, he was a powerful general and smart person.


    That was what I was thinking when the door suddenly burst open. A muscular woman suddenly stormed in. She was nearly as tall as an Osterian, but where someone like Alysia was lean and pretty, sure was a mass of muscles, like a pro-wrestler. Her eyes shot across the room and instantly landed on me.


    ¡°You, boy! Are you Deek Deekson?¡± her voice sounded filled with anger and it instantly left me worried.


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    ¡°Ah¡­ yes?¡±


    She stormed across the room. Carmine even braced herself, preparing to pull out her shield before I held up my hand. That¡¯s when the woman reached me. She grabbed me, and I was just about to use teleport when I suddenly was hugged against her beefy chest. Her arms squeezed, and I could feel my back pop as she gave me a bear hug, my feet a few inches from the ground. She finally let go of me and I stumbled a bit.


    ¡°Thank you for taking care of my stupid brothers.¡± She then bowed, her head nearly headbutting me in the process before I dived out of her way.


    ¡°B-brothers?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± She stood back up. ¡°As you can see, I took after my mom while my brothers took after my dad.¡±


    ¡°Y-your mom?¡±


    ¡°I am Octavia Tibult, at your service.¡± She did a curtsy, which was somehow worse than her bows.


    At that moment, the door burst open and a haggard-looking Octius appeared. He had only applied half of his makeup, and his hair was a mess.


    ¡°Sister, I said I would get it!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! I wanted to meet the man my brothers speak so highly of. If he is a friend of the family, he should be a man worthy of it. If you weren¡¯t busy putting all that crap on your face, then you would have been here before me!¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ but¡­ a guy¡¯s got to look his best¡­ right?¡± Octius cried weakly, no longer appearing so tough when put up against his overbearing sister.


    Somehow, I was starting to understand Otto¡¯s plight a bit better. His brother was a girly boy who wore makeup and revealing outfits, but his sister was a muscular beast of a woman who had no decorum and was like a bull in a china shop. With this muscular specimen as his main example of what a woman should be like, I was starting to understand why he favored muscle men!

 Chapter 955

    ¡°Shao, Salicia, I have a dangerous mission for each of you.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you want!¡±


    ¡°I will do it!¡±


    Both girls were eager to please me. That was good. I needed people I could trust. I had never thought Lydia or Miki would ever betray me, but it happened. In a single night, that fake Deek had managed to steal half my women. He had claimed my strategists and my powerhouses. If I didn¡¯t have a home-field advantage, I would truly be screwed. Not to mention I had to face a war on two fronts. Lord Reign or I guess I should start acknowledging that it might be the demon lord, was pressuring me from the north, and the fake was pressuring me from the east. I¡¯d have to overcome both challenges to become a victor. Fake Deek had the advantage that Lord Reign didn¡¯t even know he existed. Then again, it was thanks to this Fake that Lord Reign believed I was dead.


    As for the idea that Fake Deek was sent by Lord Reign, I was no longer as sure as I had once been. Not everything added up when I thought about it. For example, I had already figured out he fled to the Capital. I had even tried to open a portal in the mansion only for it to be blocked. This wasn¡¯t an ability that he had, so I figured it had to belong to Elaya.


    ¡°Shao¡­ I need you to head north and spy on the forces of Lord Reign. I need to see what he is doing. Don¡¯t get too close though. If that demon lord is with them, we can¡¯t risk it.¡±


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    ¡°Yes, Mistress¡­¡± Shao lowered her head.


    ¡°Shao¡­ are you okay, with all of this. You¡¯ve been rather quiet.¡±


    She raised her head, but then looked away. ¡°That¡­ I¡¯m just not sure about this other Deek. He looks and acts just like you. Plus, the other girls seem to trust him.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ but you stayed.¡± I put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Your loyalty¡­ I will reward it.¡±


    Her body shook slightly. ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯s evil as you say¡­ he¡¯s still a copy of you, right? Can¡¯t we change him? You once changed me. If they¡¯re a copy of you, then clearly there is good in them. After all, you were their template.¡±


    I blushed at those unexpected words. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Frankly, I¡¯m not even sure how to handle them.¡±


    ¡°Well, their actions should be your actions. Shouldn¡¯t we use the same techniques we used facing the doppelganger in Widow¡¯s dungeon?¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ they¡¯d act how I¡¯d act if I was in their situation.¡± My eyes raised.


    ¡°Mm! That!¡±


    ¡°Then, to defeat him, I must predict how he¡¯d act, and then act like he wouldn¡¯t expect.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I thought we were talking about changing him?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ this will work. I will defeat him now!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re both Deek though¡­¡±


    ¡°There is only one Deek!¡± I snorted. ¡°Thank you, Shao. I¡¯m more certain the path I¡¯ve decided on is correct.¡±


    ¡°Y-you are?¡± Shao looked at me uncertainly.


    ¡°I am. You¡¯ll just have to trust me.¡± I sighed. ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Master, what should I do?¡± Salicia asked.


    ¡°You will also perform a spy mission for me.¡± I grinned. ¡°How do you feel about returning to your sister?¡±


    Salicia¡¯s eyes began to widen as I told her my plan.

 Chapter 956

    ¡°That woman is a fraud who stole your position?¡± Octavia shouted. ¡°That¡¯s so aggravating! If I get my hands on her, I¡¯m going to get on top of her and I¡¯m going to pound her.¡±


    ¡°Sister¡­ didn¡¯t we talk about phrasing?¡± Octius sighed helplessly.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m just saying I want to tear her apart! From the inside! She¡¯ll be crying when I¡¯m done with her. I¡¯m going to wreck her! She¡¯ll never walk again!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your sister¡­ right?¡± I asked, feeling just as helpless.


    At this point, things had calmed down. Octius managed to quickly assemble his makeup while I explained the situation that was happening. Octavia seemed to be an extremely emotional girl and instantly sympathized, even promising great pain upon the imposter Deedee. However, given her appearance, one would question if what she had between her legs was truly of the female variety.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it is.¡± Octius sighed, drinking a cup of tear while massaging his head.


    As much as Otto got a headache dealing with Octius¡¯s over the top antics, it seemed like Octius had the same problem dealing with his sister¡¯s antics. The two siblings couldn¡¯t be more different. In the end, it seemed like Otto was the most normal of the bunch.


    ¡°Deek! We shall march our armies out and burn their city to the ground!¡± Octavia assured me.


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s my city though.¡± I laughed awkwardly, wondering what to do regarding her behavior.


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    ¡°Sister, we¡¯ve talked about this. Remember how dad says you¡¯re too impulsive to fight with him on the border?¡±


    Octavia stiffened. ¡°He¡­ might have mentioned such a thing.¡±


    ¡°And remember that incident at Jade Harbor?¡±


    ¡°That city was made completely out of wood! Any spark could have burnt that place to the ground!¡±


    ¡°It was built out on the ocean.¡±


    ¡°Either way, it never caused dad any problems!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because there were no survivors.¡±


    ¡°Ah, moving along,¡± I interjected. ¡°You don¡¯t need to necessarily give me all of the forces. It¡¯s more about borrowing your name so that the lords and ladies in the city more easily follow me.¡±


    Octius grew serious in thought. ¡°I see¡­ and you say that the Demon Lord Aberis is involved? That¡¯s a difficult pill to swallow.¡±


    ¡°I fought with him myself. If he succeeds in conquering the west, it¡¯s only a matter of time before he sweeps across Aberis and conquers the entire territory again. Neither Elaya, Xin, or the King are still the hero¡¯s they used to be.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I suppose if Elaya managed to somehow sidestep death, there is no reason to doubt that the Demon Lord Aberis had managed to do it as well. As for this Xin you have taking care of your dungeon, are you sure that it is the true Xin?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m positive! Uh, why?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­ it¡¯s just, that upcoming marriage ceremony? The nobles are all preparing to head south for it. They¡¯ve invited everyone in Aberis.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they worried it¡¯s a trap?¡±


    ¡°Very worried.¡± Octius sighed. ¡°The most worrying part? Xin is on the name of the ones inviting. In twenty years, this is the first time that we¡¯ve received any evidence that Xin was indeed in the Ost Republic. It had been assumed she went there, but they kept any news quiet. Now, you¡¯re saying that you have the true Xin with you. If that is the case, then is there more than one imposter?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I will join you, and bring half of my forces. I¡¯d like to investigate your Deedee, as well as this Xin. Frankly, I think we should be focusing on the demon lord Aberis, but those two should inform us about him as well. However, I¡¯ll leave the decision of how we approach this up to you.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Good. Just trust in me. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±

 Chapter 957

    I stepped out into a portal. A second later, I jumped to the side as a slash came where I was. I rolled and came back up to my feet. Spinning around, I found a woman standing there. She wasn¡¯t quite the size of an Osterian, but she also wasn¡¯t a giant. Her face had changed as well.


    ¡°What happened to my dungeon boss?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Deek¡­ no¡­ the imposter.¡± The woman standing before me shook her head.


    ¡°I am not the imposter, they are!¡± I snapped.


    Elaya had attempted to keep me from entering the dungeon. She must have forgotten just who I was. While the other Deek seemed to lack the dungeon blessings, I still had all of mine. Opening a portal and entering the dungeon wasn¡¯t something she could prevent. Well, she was able to prevent me from entering the mansion, so maybe she did have her ways, but they didn¡¯t work just because the dungeon had gone rogue.


    It was possible that because my blessings no longer showed thanks to my last blessing, that this Deek just assumed we had both lost the blessing. I was fine leaving him believe that. Either way, it was a simple matter to see what was going on in my dungeon. For it to suddenly be hostile against me put a bitter taste in my mouth, only reminding me of how many problems the appearance of that guy caused.


    ¡°That¡­¡± the woman touched her head. ¡°I have the memories of that giant, but I also have the memories of Deek from Twilight dungeon. Elaya explained to me that you are both Deek and that I shouldn¡¯t kill either of you.¡±


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    ¡°Is that what she said?¡± I frowned. ¡°You have a funny way of showing it.¡±


    Elaya had been with me up until a few days ago. Then she had ended up with him. Suddenly, she was on his side. However, she had instructed this woman not to hurt me, then perhaps she was trying to play both sides. I just wish I understood what was going through her mind. That woman was an enigma.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you suddenly appeared in the boss room and I reacted without thinking. I¡¯m still trying to come to terms with my new identity as Xin. She could be a bit aggressive.¡± She blushed.


    ¡°So, you really are Xin, then.¡± I sighed. ¡°I had heard from Bernice that your soul was trapped in a dungeon and that Deek had united you back together.¡±


    Xin nodded. ¡°He did!¡±


    I bit my lip for a second. ¡°Will you help that Deek defeat me?¡±


    ¡°Elaya ordered me not to lend my help to either side.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ I bet the other Deek doesn¡¯t realize that.¡± I sighed. ¡°Are you doing okay?¡±


    She blinked. ¡°Doing okay?¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ the giant. You were once that dungeon boss, monster, giant¡­ whatever you want to call it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± She cocked her head thoughtfully. ¡°What are you getting at?¡±


    ¡°You used to be less direct.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m trying to ask¡­ do you regret it?¡±


    ¡°Regret?¡±


    ¡°Combining. I mean, you¡¯re not the Xin you were or the giant. It¡¯s like two people ceasing to exist, to generate some third unknown. Maybe they¡¯re more like the original Xin, but they¡¯re also different too.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Xin nodded slowly. ¡°The simplest answer would be no, I don¡¯t regret it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°People change all the time. You won¡¯t be the person tomorrow than you are today. It¡¯s a sum of our experiences that make us who we are. If I add the experiences of both of them, it doesn¡¯t make me less me. If anything, it makes me more me than I ever was before. Does that make sense?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess it does.¡±


    ¡°Anything else, Master?¡±


    ¡°I like your new look,¡± I said. ¡°You¡¯re beautiful. I can see why Elaya fell for you.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± She blushed, looking away. ¡°Either part of you, you¡¯re still a lady killer!¡±

 Chapter 958

    As the group of us headed home from the conversation with the Tibult siblings, there was someone waiting out in front of the mansion. They were sitting on the curb, kicking their feet. When they saw us, they smiled and stood up, waving excitedly. Immediately, Carmine raced out, holding up her sword defensively.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± She demanded.


    Salicia stood up, holding her hands out defensively. ¡°S-sister! I took off and abandoned Deedee. If you¡¯re with Lord Deek, then I will be with Lord Deek as well!¡±


    All of the girls looked at me. ¡°She¡¯s still bonded to that woman, not me.¡±


    Carmine took a threatening step forward as Salicia cried out. ¡°That¡¯s not my fault! Mistress and I had grown closer these last few weeks. However, I didn¡¯t say I¡¯m following Deek, I said I¡¯m following my sister. You should know more than anyone where my loyalties have always lay. I will follow her to the ends of the Earth, even if I must abandon mistress!¡±


    ¡°What was that talk about you being a dungeon monster?¡± Carmine demanded.


    She lowered her head. ¡°That¡­ is true. I thought you had died, so seeing you there I came to some inaccurate conclusions. The truth is that when the church took you away, I tried to do all the things I told you I did. I became a bandit and tried to obtain wealth and power. However, it was Calypso who was the bandit queen. I thought I had the power to face her, but she cheated and I died in a dungeon.


    ¡°My soul eventually was corrupted, and I became the dungeon boss within that dungeon. Calypso used her abilities to control me, and I ultimately became a pawn controlled by her. She made me the Bandit Queen of that region to watch over it while she was gone.¡±


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    ¡°So, you¡¯re just Calypso¡¯s servant?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She shook her head tearfully. ¡°The me that has been beside you contains the full soul of your sister. I always have. Although my interest in Terra¡¯s dungeon was influenced by Calypso who sought to increase her power with the rumored guardian, she would have had me take control of you and the clockwork dragon if she had complete control of me. I helped Master destroy it and save you instead. That was because deep down, I am still Salicia. Mistress saved me from Calypso¡¯s control, and now I¡¯m my own woman. All I want is to continue to be on my sister¡¯s side. It¡¯s what I have always wanted.¡±


    I gestured to the girls and we got into a circle in front of Salicia. ¡°What do you guys think?¡±


    ¡°I-It¡¯s possible that she speaks the truth.¡± Carmine¡¯s cheeks were slightly red.


    ¡°She¡¯s a spy,¡± Lydia said.


    ¡°Definitely a spy.¡± Miki nodded.


    ¡°Ah! I mean¡­ I¡¯m not saying she wasn¡¯t sent by Deedee.¡± Carmine pouted. ¡°but everything else was probably true.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to decide on her yet.¡± I sighed. ¡°It¡¯s better the enemy you know than the enemy you don¡¯t. Since Deedee is trying to spy on us so shamelessly, then we can use Salicia to our advantage!¡±


    The group of us broke apart and then turned to Salicia.


    ¡°Very well, you may come into the mansion,¡± Carmine said, causing Salicia¡¯s expression to brighten. ¡°But, we won¡¯t have the same room! In fact, I¡¯ll be in Master¡¯s room.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Lydia cried.


    ¡°When did this happen?¡± Miki added.


    The girls all turned to me.


    ¡°Ah¡­ it just¡­ for you guys its been weeks, but we were gone for months. Although Carmine was captured a lot of that time¡­ it¡¯s still, we ended up growing closer?¡±


    Despite everything that happened recently, the girls were quite noisy as we entered the mansion, discussing who was going to sleep with Master tonight. I missed when that was the only thing we had to worry about if that time ever existed.

 Chapter 959

    ¡°Mistress, they¡¯re not onto me. They have totally accepted me as one of their own!¡± Salicia said over Slave Communication.


    It was the next day and I contacted Salicia to make sure that her infiltration went okay. I didn¡¯t think that this Deek would hurt her. If he did so, he¡¯d lose all credibility with the rest of the girls. It seemed like I had no reason to worry about her since he had fallen for it completely.


    ¡°Why are we out here, Master?¡±


    I had gotten Terra and Celeste to join me early this morning. After getting Salicia¡¯s response, I stopped focusing on her report and then turned to the girls and gestured. We were standing in the middle of a field east of Chalm and a bit south of the original Chalm.


    ¡°This will be the location of the battle.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Deek will bring his army through here, and this is where our two armies will fight.¡±


    ¡°R-really? How do you know?¡± Celeste asked.


    ¡°Because this is where I would direct my army. Since we think alike, then I have to assume he¡¯d make the same choices I¡¯d make.¡±


    ¡°Unless¡­ he knows you¡¯d suspect he¡¯d make the choices you¡¯d make, and then changed his choice in order to catch you off guard!¡± Celeste declared


    ¡°Ah¡­ but you forget, I knew he¡¯d do that! That¡¯s why I made the choice he¡¯d make knowing that I knew what choice he¡¯d make, but I¡¯d also acknowledge!¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m so confused.¡± Terra shook her head.


    ¡°Unless, he knows that you knew that he knows, so he chose a choice that you wouldn¡¯t choose! Perhaps he even trusted in Elaya¡¯s choice!¡± Celeste declared


    ¡°Heh¡­ then I¡¯ve already won!¡±


    ¡°You have?¡± Terra looked between the pair of us.


    ¡°If Bernice is to be believed, then this Deek is a planner. He¡¯s not willing to go outside the plan that he makes. That means I can predict what he¡¯s going to do before he does it. As for me, I just have to change the plan once I see whatever plan he makes. In that way, I¡¯m guaranteed victory.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ I guess¡­ but why are we out here?¡±


    ¡°Terra, I know your time is tight, but is there any chance you can get that golem printer working? I¡¯d like you to increase our forces.¡±


    ¡°Even if I printed out the golems, they¡¯d be too weak! That¡¯s been my problem with new golems. They only look impressive, but they don¡¯t have the strength I¡¯ve been aiming for.¡± Terra sighed.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t want the golems to be fighters, I need them to be workers!¡±


    ¡°Wo-workers? All they¡¯d be good for is digging holes and piling dirt.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have time to make that moat, but what about a hundred golems?¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­ that¡¯s brilliant!¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not just the moat I want. I want this entire battlefield built in our favor. When Deek arrives, we¡¯ll be ready for him!¡±


    ¡°And the Lord Reign too, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah, sure, him too.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful! Celeste, I¡¯ll need your fairy dust to run the machine.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes Mistress!¡±


    ¡°Now¡­ if I just had someone who could help control them.¡± Terra sighed.


    ¡°That I¡¯m working on.¡± I grinned before returning to the Slave Communication. ¡°Salicia, you still there?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, Mistress?¡±


    ¡°Your target is Rub¡­ ah, Garnet. You need to convert her to our side, and then send her to me. She shouldn¡¯t be that loyal to him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will see her over by any means possible!¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s best if she comes willingly, but do what you need to do.¡±


    I ended the conversation and smiled. They¡¯d never see it coming!

 Chapter 960

    ¡°So, Salicia is totally going to try to convince you to join Deedee¡­¡± I explained to Garnet.


    ¡°Eh? How do you know?¡±


    ¡°Because, that¡¯s what I would do, and if Deedee is anything like me, then you¡¯d be her target.¡±


    ¡°Why would I be her target?¡± Garnet asked.


    ¡°Is it because Master secretly likes lolis after all?¡± Miki asked, smirking.


    ¡°S-so¡­ it¡¯s true¡­ Master likes little girls.¡± Elaya sighed.


    ¡°Master¡­ if you wanted me so much, you just had to ask.¡± Garnet looked up at me with pink cheeks.


    ¡°It¡¯s not! You¡¯re a blacksmith! Chalm¡¯s biggest weakness to date is the lack of someone skilled in making armor and weapons. Don¡¯t forget we have a warehouse full of orichalcum that has just been gathering dust!¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t this side be making use of it?¡± Lydia asked worriedly. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to take it if we wanted.¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re not recruiting and training people. We¡¯re getting help from foreign sources. Those sources already have their own weapons and armor. I¡¯m not going to hand other nobles our orichalcum armor or something like that. It¡¯s our own underequipped forces that would be advantaged the most by Garnet¡¯s help.¡±


    ¡°Then, I won¡¯t go or help!¡±


    ¡°You will!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to agree to go with Salicia. You¡¯ll go to Chalm, and you¡¯ll do blacksmithing for Deedee¡­ except, you¡¯ll be working for me!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Really? I mean¡­ even if I¡¯m a spy¡­ Deedee probably won¡¯t trust me enough to explain any of her plans.¡±


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    ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem. Although it¡¯d be nice if you could glean a few of her plans, I¡¯ve been told that she isn¡¯t much of a planner anyway. She just makes things up as she goes along. Therefore, I¡¯ve already won!¡±


    ¡°Y-you have?¡±


    ¡°Mm, a good plan accounts for any variability. In this case, when you make armor for her army, I¡¯m going to have you infuse it with my own karmic control.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯ll be creating an army that I can disarm with the snap of my finger. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not worried about her army getting orichalcum weapons from you. You just need to make her fangs, and then I¡¯ll choose the time to defang them.¡±


    ¡°That will really work?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°It will. So, just leave it to me.¡±


    ¡°Then, where are we going today?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to stay here. I¡¯ll be bringing Elaya, Faeyna, Carmine, and Astria for my next mission.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Why them?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s just, they¡¯re the best equipped for my next mission.¡± I scratched my cheek.


    ¡°What do they have that I don¡¯t have?¡± Miki demanded, however, then her eyes slowly fell to their chests. ¡°Hey¡­ wait a minute!¡±


    ¡°Are we going to the church?¡± Carmine brightened.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m going to see Mary. With the Demon Lord Aberis involved, I¡¯m hoping that she¡¯ll be willing to offer more aid.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to see Mary?¡± Garnet blinked. ¡°I¡¯d like to go!¡±


    I knew that Garnet and Mary had some kind of relationship and Mary asked me to rescue her, and I intended to use that to get her help, but her body didn¡¯t meet the type. If I was going to flatter and ask for their permission, it wasn¡¯t just Mary whom I needed to impress.


    ¡°You need to stay here so that Salicia can proposition you.¡± I came up with such an excuse.


    ¡°Why does that make me feel scummy?¡± Garnet cried.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he just bringing big-chested girls to try to smooth things out with the big-titted church?¡±


    ¡°Why is my chest not big enough?¡± Lydia demanded.


    ¡°Just accept it, Master wants women with appropriately sized assets.¡± Elaya shoved her chest into the conversation.


    ¡°Exactly! Master needs us!¡± Faeyna¡¯s chest pushed in from the other side, nearly burying me.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, how about you join Deedee, she doesn¡¯t like her women with chests bigger than her.¡±


    ¡°Is that true?¡± Lydia¡¯s face went white.


    ¡°Huh? I thought everyone knew?¡± Elaya responded thoughtfully.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s why you¡¯re sending me away.¡± Garnet grew tearful, ¡°That¡¯s another aspect of your personality. I must go to the flat-chested Deek where I belong like Bernice¡­ no wonder you took Elaya and Astria¡­¡±


    ¡°It all makes so much sense!¡± Miki cried. ¡°I guess I¡¯m fated to leave as well.¡±


    ¡°What! No! That¡¯s not true!¡± I cried out. ¡°I like all tits! None of you are leaving! Stop it!¡±


    It took some time to convince all the girls that I liked their boobs. This day was getting off to a bad start.

 Chapter 961

    A day later, a portal opened in front of my mansion and Garnet walked through beside Salicia.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡± I greeted the dwarf girl with a smile.


    ¡°Ah, but we¡¯ve been together all this¡­ ah nevermind!¡± Garnet blushed.


    ¡°Salicia?¡±


    ¡°They have no clue I¡¯m on your side, Master. I will continue to infiltrate them.¡±


    ¡°Good. Is there any chance you can win anyone else over?¡±


    ¡°Miki, possibly.¡± She frowned.


    ¡°Well, just keep doing your best.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± She bowed, and then went back into the portal and let it close behind her.


    ¡°Now, Rub- ah¡­ it¡¯s Garnet now, right?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ although I¡¯ve been considering changing it.¡±


    ¡°Changing it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s customary for dwarves to change their names upon each major chapter of our lives. The name I was born with was Jasper. When I came to the surface, it became Rubee. When I became a Slave, I called myself Garnet.¡±


    ¡°Really? What¡¯s the occasion for changing it now?¡±


    She blushed, ¡°I¡¯m not saying.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so what will your new name be?¡±


    ¡°If and when I decide to change it, I¡¯ll let you know.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about such things. You invited me to work with you promising Orichalcum.¡±


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    ¡°Yes, Bernice claims you¡¯re a magic blacksmith. You must have leveled quickly in the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ becoming a decent blacksmith involves more than just leveling. Although leveling can certainly speed things along, it becomes practice. The time within that dungeon moved differently than time out here. I had been within that dungeon for over five years.¡±


    ¡°F-five years!¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Bernice mentioned something like that in her rambling, but I didn¡¯t realize it had been so long. Is it the same for Carmine and the fake?¡±


    ¡°Deek? No, they were tossed in there much later than me. They had only been in there for about two months.¡±


    ¡°Two¡­ no wonder my levels suddenly jumped.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.  Let¡¯s just focus on your tasks, shall we?¡±


    I escorted her to a nearby blacksmithy. It was set up using the recommendations of the current blacksmiths in town. We had numerous, but none of them were at a particularly impressive level. Attracting opportunists was a lot different than attracting skilled laborers. It should also be pointed out that most people skilled to a certain level didn¡¯t usually end up as slaves on a slave block. The recruitment process that Faeyna started a month or so ago worked splendidly for the infrastructure of the city, but when it came to my own personal strength, we were still lacking.


    I had hoped to recruit that powerful blue mage Siti and her Master, but one was dead and the other was under the control of a psychopath. In the end, Aberis was just too small of a country to recruit too many experts. That I ultimately needed to depend on Garnet showed how few magic blacksmiths there were in this country. Even she¡¯d just be considered a fledgling when it came to how strong they could become. God-tier equipment was still a long way away from us.


    ¡°Wow¡­ is this place all mine?¡± Garnet ran around the shop excitedly.


    ¡°Mm!¡± I nodded. ¡°And you can take your pick of assistants too.¡±


    ¡°I want you!¡±


    ¡°Eh? I don¡¯t know anything about blacksmithing!¡± I said that before realizing that Apprentice Blacksmith did appear under my job list.


    ¡°Right¡­ that was him¡­¡± She frowned.


    Not wanting her to dwell on what she lost by joining my team, I ushered her out of the shop and across the street. The other reason the blacksmith was set up here was that it was just across the street from Terra¡¯s workshop.


    ¡°I¡¯d like you to meet someone I think you¡¯ll get along with.¡± I escorted her into Terra¡¯s shop.


    Terra stood up when we entered, and Garnet gasped and took a step back.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be alarmed. She might be an Earth Golem, but she is also a person.¡±


    I assumed she had been surprised to see a golem in the shop. I hadn¡¯t told her much about Terra and I didn¡¯t know if the other Deek had said anything. As a dwarf, she probably had some kind of sensitivity to such things.


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s not it¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ true¡­ this is the flat-chested Master!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°N-nothing!¡±

 Chapter 962

    A week passed by quickly. By the time I returned from the church, Salicia had already sent Garnet away. I was surprised to see that she remained, but it was fine. I knew she was the spy, so I wasn¡¯t going to reveal anything to her. Instead, I kept myself busy by getting the army together.


    I had spoken with Mary, the Tibults, and numerous lords and ladies who had previously fled the west. Although I could look down at them and call them cowards for fleeing the west, I could say the same thing about anyone who refused to enter a dungeon, which were many people. Calypso had been on a rampage conquering the south to wage a war against Aberis. It was just a shame she had her eyes in the wrong direction.


    Anyone she captured could have been dragged into a dungeon and fed to it, so in the end, it was probably right that these nobles fled. The nobles that hadn¡¯t fled from the west were now all dead. However, she was gone now. It was as good a time as any for them to reclaim their lost territory. The trick behind that had been for them to sign an allegiance to me.


    I thought this would be difficult, but I was already at the rank of count, and most of them were viscounts, barons, and knights. Adding to that the power of the Tibult household, the father being a Duke and the children already reaching the level of counts and countesses, and the support of the church, and they quickly all fell in line.


    ¡°Lord Deekson!¡± A man lowered his head. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to serve.¡±


    ¡°I sent my daughter to warm your bed, but she said she was rejected.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the hero who tamed the wilderness, right?¡±


    ¡°I see it¡¯s true you¡¯re surrounded by great beauties.¡±


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    ¡°I heard you¡¯ve defeated dozens of dungeons. Err¡­ I don¡¯t see the blessings. Perhaps it is an exaggeration?¡±


    These kinds of comments filled the last few days, and in many ways, they were more exhausting than battling dungeons. However, at long last, all of that elbow grease had finally led to this army. If compared to the Chalm militia that I started, it was far grander. These were nobles, heroes, paladins, priests, and knights all dressed in their finest armor and given their best weapons. They had the experience that the volunteer army couldn¡¯t possibly have after only a month or two of preparation.


    ¡°Are we ready?¡± I asked my hands behind me.


    ¡°I wish I could send more.¡± Prince Aberis sighed. ¡°The Demon Lord Aberis is a true threat. I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯ve been able to raise such an army. It¡¯s almost as large as the army on the southern border. I¡¯m a bit jealous.¡±


    ¡°First things first, we¡¯ll be conquering this so-called Deeksville. I¡¯ll be launching our attack on Chalm from there.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ right¡­ you¡¯re attacking her¡­ the other Deek.¡± Aberis¡¯s expression grew awkward.


    ¡°There is only one Deek.¡± I sighed. ¡°You¡¯re just going to have to trust me, okay?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Please¡­ be careful.¡± Eliana appeared next to Edward, her eyes wet with worry.


    I grabbed her and gently kissed her. ¡°I will be back.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me¡­ after defeating the demon lord, I will put in to have you promoted again. No one will be able to deny that after.¡± Edward added while scratching his cheek.


    ¡°Marquis¡­ you said after he was a Maquis we could get married!¡± Eliana cried out.


    ¡°Hah¡­ well, you will be the ruler of the west. You should honestly be a Duke at that point, but your promotions are occurring a bit too rapidly, I fear. Also, you still need to officially reach rank S as an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°That will come.¡± I nodded, and after saying my goodbye I turned to the waiting army. ¡°Let¡¯s move out!¡±


    Everyone stared in surprise as I naturally commanded the army. I had absorbed the karma of numerous leaders and even taken on running some armies in the Twilight Dungeon. At this point, this was somewhat natural to me. That was another reason I felt like I could take on Deedee. She had no experience in command.


    Under my direction, the army started to walk through the portals we created. It was time to end start the invasion of Chalm!

 Chapter 963

    Shao was busy in the north trying to get a sight on Lord Reign¡¯s army. Raissa was working on training soldiers in one of the wilderness dungeons. Garnet was busy making armor and weapons, while Terra worked on her own project. The golem printer was up and running, and a few hundred golems had been created and were being run by Celeste as they prepared the battlefield. I had put Bernice on it too, as I wasn¡¯t sure how much I could trust her. Celeste would make sure Bernice didn¡¯t do anything untrustworthy, while Bernice would make sure Celeste didn¡¯t do anything dumb.


    As for me, I spent my time strengthening the magic spring. By continuing to fill the spring with water¡¯s life, I was continuing to make it stronger and stronger. This mana already fed the entire city, as well as my dungeon. The greater it¡¯s strength, the greater our strength. I had already discussed things with Xin, and she was preparing a little surprise for me, but she had to pull heavily on the mana spring to do it.  I had Xin¡¯s agreement that she wouldn¡¯t interfere in this fight between Deek and me, but I convinced her to do this much. I felt like this was the best way to prepare for the inevitable showdown.


    ¡°Mistress! Mistress! He¡¯s moving on Deeksville!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I cried out loud, causing the fairies who had been relaxedly bathing all around me to suddenly flutter away.


    I had been casually checking on everyone, but when I got to Salicia using my Slave Communication, she dropped such an announcement.


    ¡°He dares!¡± My eyes narrowed as I realized what he was doing.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t find out about it until he already moved. We¡¯re going through the portal now!¡±


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    True to her word, a few moments later the slave bond suddenly grew much closer. Although I could Slave Communicate with her from quite a distance now, it still was a bit tiresome. It felt easier to establish the connection with the distance suddenly cut to one third.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to stop him!¡±


    ¡°Hurry! We¡¯ll be marching on the city in less than an hour!¡±


    With a curse, I began to use slave communication. I recalled everyone immediately, and then left the fairy garden and ran straight to the front of the mansion. By the time I arrived, portals were already opening by the girls who could make such, and everyone was returning home.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Master?¡± Shao demanded worriedly. ¡°I was just starting to get a visual on Lord Reign¡¯s army.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not important right now!¡± I responded, throwing back my hair. ¡°It¡¯s that fake Deek! He¡¯s begun his attack!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that?¡±


    ¡°What are you all saying? This is extremely important. He¡¯s conquering Deeksville.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ but he¡¯s Deek¡­ he¡¯s conquering it from himself¡­¡±


    I let out a growl and opened the portal. ¡°We¡¯re going to stop them! That¡¯s an order!¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°Move it!¡±


    All of the girls filed through the portal, which appeared at the entrance to the city.


    ¡°Ah! Wh-what¡¯s going on?¡± The elder cried out.


    He was at the gate and had been looking out as a large army seemed to be approaching. When I saw the army, even I was taken aback. He had made something this large in only a week? I shook my head. It was time to have our showdown. That was all that mattered.


    ¡°Close the gates! They¡¯re enemies!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ but isn¡¯t that lord Deek?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a fake!¡±


    ¡°And who are you?¡± The elder frowned.


    I had always been under a potion when I dealt with them in the past, so they weren¡¯t familiar with my female form. I shot a look to Shao, who sighed and then began to toss our orders. She had spent some time over here and they were familiar with her, so they accepted her words. By the time the army stopped out in front, the gates to the city had been closed. They weren¡¯t nearly as formidable as Chalm, but they¡¯d have to do.


    I was standing in front of the city, all of the girls lined up behind me. It was time to face the fake Deek.

 Chapter 964

    ¡°Shall we attack, sir?¡± A knight asked.


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Ladies, let¡¯s go. The rest of you, stay back! It¡¯s not the time to attack right now!¡±


    The recently developed city of Deeksville stood in front of us, and in front of it was the imposter Deedee along with the girls who had yet to join me. They stood defiantly like they were going to keep me from entering. I didn¡¯t want to get the rest of them involved in this fight for a few reasons. First off, I didn¡¯t want the girls being unnecessarily hurt. Secondly, I didn¡¯t want the troops to get demoralized or decimated. My girls were amplified by my Slave Master and Harem Master. Even soldiers of the same level wouldn¡¯t be their match.


    On the other hand, I didn¡¯t want Deeksville to see us as an invading force either. Once I defeated Deedee, then I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d resist. After all, I was the real Deek that they named themselves after. Many of the girls they recognized were on my side. They should have no problem with me coming and returning order to the southwest.


    With my group lined up in front of their group, the army was witness behind me, and the residents of Deeksville watched from over the walls behind Deedee.


    ¡°I¡¯ve come to reclaim my land.¡± I declared out loud.


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    ¡°I¡¯m the one who helped build this city!¡± Deedee shot back.


    ¡°My actions are sanctioned by the King of Aberis. To defy me is to defy Aberis.¡±


    The caused some mumbling to occur behind Deedee. She didn¡¯t grow angry though. Instead, she threw back her hair and snorted.


    ¡°There is only one Deek. You¡¯re just a fake. Stand down and surrender!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who needs to surrender!¡± I snapped back.


    ¡°I see. It seems like there is no way to resolve this.¡±


    ¡°They haven¡¯t tried very hard,¡± Lydia whispered to Miki.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t those harem girls all on Lord Deekson¡¯s side? It feels like a civil war.¡± Someone from the city mumbled out loud.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a civil war!¡± Deedee cried out. ¡°I¡¯m Deek!¡±


    ¡°I thought you were Deedee¡­¡±


    ¡°Who said that?¡±


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯m confused, I thought we were fighting the demon lord.¡± One of the barons asked.


    ¡°We will! Look, the only way to defeat Aberis is through her.¡± I explained. ¡°Just follow my plan and trust I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    ¡°Do you though?¡±


    Both sides seemed to be growing restless. Realizing that their resolve to attack each other was starting to diminish, I threw out my hand.


    ¡°Ladies! Attack! Slave Order!¡±


    ¡°Ahh!¡± The girls all cried out, but as I started running forward, they followed me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid of killing someone! I will resurrect them if they die in battle.¡± Deedee yelled. ¡°Stop him! That¡¯s an order!¡±


    ¡°Kill¡­ spoken like a true imposter! Ladies, don¡¯t hold back!¡±


    Two lines of women raced at each other, and soon a massive battle broke out as the sides fought. I ended up facing Deedee. With our swords risen, the pair of us began to battle.

 Chapter 965

    As everyone faced each other, they started to match up. On Deek¡¯s side there was Lydia, Miki, Elaya, Astria, Salicia, and Carmine. Faeyna wasn¡¯t present, but she wasn¡¯t capable of combat anyway. On my side, I had brought Terra, Shao, Celeste, and Bernice. I hadn¡¯t brought Garnet, as I wasn¡¯t confident in her combat ability at all. It would have seemed we were outmatched, but Salicia suddenly threw out an attack at Carmine as they were running. Carmine lifted her shield and managed to block it.


    ¡°Hah! I was on Mistress¡¯s side the whole time?¡± She cried out triumphantly.


    ¡°Yeah! We knew!¡± Deek cried out as I attacked him with my blade.


    Bernice ended up facing Miki. Celeste ended up facing Astria.  Shao ended up facing Elaya. Lydia ended up against Terra. As the girls faced off, they didn¡¯t immediately attack each other. Rather, they were feeling each other out. They had never fought each other one-on-one like that, so it wasn¡¯t clear who would win in any given fight. The one who was most confident in her match-up was Bernice.


    She let out a laugh, stepping forward. ¡°So, I ended up facing off against you? Little fox, aren¡¯t you a spiritualist or something? What strength do you have to fight against me?¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m easy to defeat? Then, give it your best.¡± Miki responded with a challenge.


    ¡°How pathetic. Well, Mistress did say I could kill you. At least, I¡¯ll make it swift.¡± She pulled a gun from her holster and shot.


    Her aim was exceptionally good, and the bullet struck Miki right between the eyes. A hole formed, and then blood fell from it. Miki collapsed to the ground dead just like that. Seeing this, some of the other girls gasped or shot Bernice a look of shock.


    ¡°C-concentrate on your own fights!¡± Bernice snapped.


    She walked up to the dead corpse of Miki. ¡°In what world could you defeat me?¡±


    She raised her gun to put another bullet into the corpse just to make her point, but she realized that what she was holding in her hand was a banana.


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    ¡°Wh-what?¡± She cried out, dropping the banana onto the ground.


    It landed where Miki should have been, but her corpse wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Foolish girl.¡± Bernice spun around to see Miki standing where she just was.


    ¡°H-how are you still alive? You were dead!¡±


    ¡°I walk the line between life and death, and you want to tell me you know death? Death and I are old friends. As for you, you¡¯re outclassed.¡±


    ¡°N-no!¡± Bernice raised both guns and started shooting.


    Miki suddenly moved, her body leaving afterimages as she dodged every bullet. She suddenly appeared right in front of Bernice and slugged her, causing the girl to go flying. She landed hard, rolling several times before ending up back on her feet. She immediately turned to face Miki, but her cocky demeanor was completely gone. Miki held out her hand, and then turned it over, sending all of the bullets Bernice had just fired to the ground.


    ¡°You¡­ you can¡¯t be that fast! How is this possible?¡±


    ¡°Hmph, we haven¡¯t even started.¡±


    ¡°W-wait¡­ that¡¯s right, you¡¯re a spiritualist! This is a soul attack! You¡¯re attacking my mind! This is an illusion!¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ you figured it out? Well, it¡¯s not like you can stop me.¡± Miki snorted. ¡°I can make you experience your biggest fears. You¡¯re in my world!¡±


    ¡°I fear nothing! Die!¡± Bernice began firing again.


    The world suddenly went black. Arms reached around and grabbed Bernice. She let out a cry, but when she spun around, her guns were gone from her hands. Rather, they probably were never in her hands to begin with. She froze when she saw Deek standing behind her. However, he was completely naked.


    ¡°Wh-what is this?¡± She cried out.


    ¡°Bernice¡­ I love you.¡±


    Her face turned red, trying to avoid looking at that which was growing. ¡°Wh-what are you saying?¡±


    ¡°I know you want me too. So, let¡¯s make this official.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t want it!¡± Bernice took a step back, but her knees hit something and she fell back.


    Feeling both sides, she realized she had fallen back on a bed. Deek closed the distance, and she could no longer stand up.


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t want me, then why are you naked?¡± Deek asked.


    ¡°What, I¡¯m¡­ ah! I¡¯m naked!¡± she looked down to see she wasn¡¯t wearing clothing.


    She tried to cover her body, but Deek grabbed her arms and held them up over her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful. Be my woman.¡±


    ¡°I c-can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°I love you. I love you¡­¡±


    ¡°I l-l-love¡­¡± Bernice screamed and thrashed on the ground. ¡°Ahhhh! No! Please! Anything but this! Noo! Noooo!¡±


    ¡°What did you do to Bernice!¡± Deek shouted to Miki, who was standing over Bernice with three of her tails glowing behind her.


    ¡°Ah? I just made her experience her greatest fear.¡± Miki watched the writhing girl. ¡°I wonder what she¡¯s seeing.¡±


    All of the girls looked at Miki warily. Of anyone present, she had dealt with Bernice before many of them had even made their first move. Could it be the one everyone considered the weakest in combat potential was actually the most terrifying?

 Chapter 966

    ¡°Daughter¡­¡± Astria let out a laugh. ¡°Do you really think you have any chance against me?¡±


    As the only two who were airborne, it was natural that Astria and Celeste came into a confrontation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why everyone is fighting!¡± Celeste declared stubbornly.


    ¡°Foolish child, since you¡¯re not interested in the battle, then just step aside. Your mother will take care of everything.¡±


    Celeste froze for a second, then she looked up at her mother who was looking down at her with a mocking smile. Of course, Astria floated slightly above Celeste. Didn¡¯t she always do that? Something started to erupt in Celeste that she never felt before. It was hot and uncomfortable. It made her feel¡­ angry!


    ¡°Take¡­ care of everything?¡± She asked, her voice cold.


    ¡°Of course, daughter. You don¡¯t have to think about it. I¡¯ll handle things like I always do.¡±


    ¡°Like¡­ you always do. Like¡­ you handled me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡­ ahhh!¡± A wind blade cut Astria off, forcing her to lower herself to Celeste¡¯s level or get her head cut off. ¡°Daughter! You dare attack me!¡±


    ¡°Dare¡­ hehehehe¡­ let¡¯s talking about daring¡­¡±


    ¡°D-daughter¡­¡± The smile on Astria¡¯s face started to slip.


    ¡°I was your daughter. I was your daughter and you enslaved me!¡± Celeste screamed out.


    ¡°Wh-where is this coming from?¡± Astria looked around, but everyone else was too busy for support.


    ¡°You killed me. You trapped me. You controlled me! Was that your plan, Mother!¡± Wind blades began to shoot out, forcing Astria to duck.


    ¡°Enough of this! I¡¯m a dark fairy! I was the dungeon master of Chalm for twenty years.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of you!¡± A sudden wind slammed down, sending Astria spiraling down to the ground like a kite that lost its tail. ¡°I¡¯m done listening to you! You¡¯ve done nothing for me! Ever! Not once in your life. You¡¯re selfish! And cruel!¡±


    ¡°D-daughter¡­¡± She looked up, her expression darkening. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand who you¡¯re dealing with. You¡¯re just a fairy, and I am a queen. You will bow before me!¡±


    ¡°Just a fairy¡­ hehehehe¡­ what a joke. You failed as a queen.¡±


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    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯ll pay for those words!¡± Astria screamed out, sending black waves of power out as she attacked Celeste.


    The black struck Celeste, but she faded away. It was only her afterimage. Bernice might have thought herself fast, but Celeste was a fairy of wind. No one had her speed. The Sylph slammed into the ground, an explosion of wind erupting out and shoving Astria back. Astria attacked, dark claws of mana erupting from her fingers. Her claws struck a wind barrier, stopping short of Celeste.


    Celeste slowly stood up, the wind pushing back Astria¡¯s arm as she stood. ¡°Where is that payment, mother? Rather, where is my payment! You stole twenty years of my life! You left me to wander aimlessly. You were my mother, and instead, you spent my entire life having a hissy fit.¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± Astria screamed, attacking with her other hand. ¡°Shut your mouth!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bad fairy! You failed to keep the fairy spring growing. You failed to take care of your spawn. You failed to take care of me. You acted selfishly and childishly your whole life.¡± Celeste threw Astria back. ¡°What did you have to show for it? In the end, you have to cling to my Master¡­ no, my man, just to feel like you¡¯re worth anything.¡±


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Astria cried out, tears in her eyes. ¡°Stop it! Stop it! I¡¯ll make you stop it!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bad mother!¡±


    Astria let out a roar, and she poured all of her magic into a powerful attack and then threw it at her daughter. Celeste did the same, sending a maelstrom of wind magic tearing through the air. There was a massive explosion. Magic erupted out, even causing nearby battles to be interrupted as a resounding boom exploded out.


    The result was that Celeste¡¯s magic tore through Astria. Although she was a powerful dark fairy, her primary weakness had always been wind. Her biggest fears were made a reality. Her daughter was stronger than her. Perhaps, she had always been stronger than her. After all, from having almost nothing. Celeste had crawled her way out of the dungeon, found a worthy master, helped found a powerful fairy spring, and had done all of that without letting the trauma of her past bring her down. Meanwhile, Astria had led her spring to disaster and then crippled the hand that fed her, bringing the entire city down in a twenty-year-long tantrum that took Deek to finally settle. Her daughter had been right.


    As the dust cleared, Astria was on her knees. Her dress had been torn apart, leaving her mostly naked. Celeste wasn¡¯t in much better shape, but she was standing. Both girls were facing each other, breathing hard. Celeste lifted her hand, and then a spear made of wind appeared. She slowly approached Astria, and Astria realized she had nothing left.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you, Mother,¡± Celeste said as she approached. ¡°I¡¯ve never needed you. In fact, it was always the opposite. You needed me. You needed me to make yourself feel powerful. However, I¡¯m done being your good little girl. I¡¯ve outgrown you!¡±


    Celeste lifted her spear over Astria. Astria suddenly burst into tears, wailing loudly.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, daughter! I¡¯m sooooo sorry! I¡¯m a bad mother. I¡¯m selfish and stupid. I don¡¯t deserve you.¡±


    ¡°M-mom¡­¡± Celeste¡¯s anger started to subside, and the spear in her hand disappeared.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯ve made so many mistakes in my past. My entire life is just my stupidity. The only good thing I¡¯ve ever done¡­ is have you!¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± Celeste broke down in tears, collapsing to her knees in front of her mom.


    ¡°Daughter!¡±


    The two women, bawling their eyes out, grabbed and held each other. Any other words they said were nearly unintelligible over their crying and hugging. Their noises filled the battlefield as their naked bodies created a scene that made many of the watching spectators look away awkwardly. As it turned out, Deek wasn¡¯t the only one who had some issues to work out.

 Chapter 967

    ¡°So, my sister truly did die in that dungeon.¡± Carmine sighed. ¡°I suppose that explains you.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Salicia narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°Your obsessive personality. Your despisal of the church. Your conflicting actions. Take your pick. Dungeons are only the lore of a real story, but they become corrupted with time. It is similar for those created by the dungeon. The true Salicia died in a dungeon, and all of her strongest feelings were remade into you. You¡¯re a parody of the sister I once had.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel sorry for me.¡± Salicia sneered. ¡°I¡¯ve become more powerful than your sister ever was. I was able to achieve her dreams where she failed.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel sorry for you. Quite the opposite. It makes it far easier to kill you!¡± Carmine leaped forward, slashing down with her sword.


    ¡°As if you can!¡± Salicia caught it with her own blade, a black cutlass that she had acquired in a dungeon at some point.


    The two exchanged several blows. It quickly became clear that Salicia was faster and the better with the blade. Carmine threw a wide strike, and then Salicia struck her. However, she might as well have been fighting the wall. Carmine caught every strike on her shield, and even tossed up the shield, throwing Salicia off balance. She leaped back, opening up space between them.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to get through my defense.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ you forgot, the last time we truly compared my offensive ability with your defenses, it took the support of Master¡¯s entire party just to keep you standing, and you still ended up passing out in the end. What makes you think things have changed now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the same woman I was back then,¡± Carmine responded. ¡°Being Master¡¯s woman, it has changed me. You¡¯ll find I¡¯m not so simple anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Funny. I was going to say the same thing!¡± Salicia laughed. ¡°Then, how about it. Let¡¯s see if you can handle it this time.¡±


    Salicia held out her hands in a familiar position. This was the same skill she had once used on Carmine when they were chasing after them in Terra¡¯s dungeon in what seemed like forever ago. This was a beam attack using darkness. Salicia¡¯s magic wasn¡¯t technically miasma like Astria¡¯s was. Astria was a dark fairy, with a mana body that had been corrupted into miasma, making it a miasma body. Her techniques were different from Salicia and Shao. Shao used shadow and demonic magic, while Salicia used darkness.


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    The difference between miasma, demonic shadow magic, and darkness magic would be like the differences between mana, holy, and light magic. To the inexperienced eye, they¡¯d seem interchangeable, but what they were and how to use them was fundamentally different for each girl. Although Carmine worked for the church, her magic was inherently light-based, which put her closer to Deek¡¯s White Mage job than a priest. Darkness magic was a direct counter to light. That was to say it had an inherent property of decay. In short, where light was the fundamental of healing, darkness was the concept of destruction!


    The two sisters couldn¡¯t be more apart. One was born from this world, and the other was born from a dungeon. One was high defense. The other was a high offense. One favored rapid regeneration and high armor offered by light magic, while the other favored the destructive properties of darkness.


    As a beam of darkness shot out from Salicia, a light exploded out around Carmine. The two strikes collided, causing the ground to rumble and the very world to both simultaneously darken and brighten, blinding everyone present. Salicia put everything into the strike, holding nothing back, just like the time in that dungeon. Meanwhile, Carmine remained steadfast, holding off the darkness with her shining light.


    ¡°Sister¡­¡± Although the power exploded out in the flurry, the darkness and light didn¡¯t create a sound, so Carmine¡¯s voice carried over to Salicia.


    Salicia shook when she heard that voice. ¡°S-sister?¡±


    ¡°When I lost my family, I joined the church to find a new one. Ultimately, my presence there was always a shallow one.¡± Carmine spoke calmly, even while resisting the dark attack. ¡°When I found Deek, I didn¡¯t just find my place in this world. I found a family where I would no longer be lonely.¡±


    ¡°Carmine¡­¡± Salicia¡¯s mouth fell open and her strength wavered.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never once stopped seeing you as family. You¡¯ve been there with me from the beginning, and even after death, you¡¯ve remained by my side. You are, and you always will be, my sister.¡±


    Salicia¡¯s beam of darkness died away. ¡°S-sister¡­ sister!¡±


    She let out a cry and then ran for her sister, her arms held out, tears running down her face. Carmine gave a welcoming smile. Just as Salicia leaped out at her, Carmine raised her shield and then bashed the other woman on the head. To anyone watching, it¡¯d look like Salicia leaped into Carmine¡¯s shield face first with her arms out and a dumb smile on her face while laughing.


    Salicia collapsed to the ground in a heap. Even though she was unconscious with a bump forming on her head, she had a smile on her face. It was filled with relief and happiness. Carmine looked down at her.


    ¡°Only you would fall for such a trick. You really are my stupid sister.¡± Carmine let out a sigh, but there was a slight smile on her lips too.

 Chapter 968

    ¡°Terra, I was always curious how tough you are.¡± Lydia pulled out her blade.


    ¡°I¡¯ve also always been curious how sharp your blade is. We¡¯ve always stood together at the front of the party. I¡¯m his shield, and you are his sword. I¡¯m curious how you measure up.¡±


    ¡°Would you like to make a bet?¡± Lydia asked.


    Terra¡¯s eyebrow¡¯s raised. ¡°A bet over who wins? What do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°If I win, I want to exchange pointers.¡±


    ¡°Eh? I don¡¯t use a sword though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about Master¡¯s sword!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Y-you mean, his pe-pe¡­his sword!¡± Her face turned red.


    ¡°Miki, Celeste, and Shao have all let me help them improve their sexual techniques, but Terra has always given me the cold shoulder. Even the times I¡¯ve been present, you¡¯ve always done it under the sheets.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re using now to push that! You¡­¡± Terra blushed. ¡°Se- it, with Master, is a personal thing.¡±


    In truth, of all of the girls, Terra was the most conservative. Although Miki was shy, her curious, mischievous, and inquisitive nature often led her to experimentation. As for Terra, she was extremely vanilla sexually. When other girls participated in relations around her, she usually kept herself covered and kept her interactions to a minimum.


    Unlike Celeste who had announced her sexuality as bi, Terra wasn¡¯t interested in women. She¡¯d occasionally joke about her experience, but despite her time with her master, she hadn¡¯t done much. Part of it came from her lack of confidence when it came to her own sex appeal. Whether it was her dry rough skin not unlike the earth, her small stature, her flat chest, or her deceptively heavyweight, she was sensitive about her body. Part of it just came from her upbringing. Her parents were wizards and she was a bit reserved. The day she threw herself at Master for the first time in that pool was the most daring time of her life.


    To Lydia, who had been taught many sexual techniques and still found it as the best way to serve Master, Terra¡¯s lack of initiative was something she wanted to fix. She had worked hard to get both Miki and Shao to express their sexual side more aggressively. For Celeste, it wasn¡¯t necessary, as the girl had no hang-ups. That left Terra as the final one.


    ¡°Will you do it?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°Ah¡­ but what do I get if I win?¡± Terra shot back.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Lydia tapped her finger. ¡°How about¡­ one week?¡±


    ¡°One week?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ you can have Master for one week without interference from other girls.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ all to myself? What about the rule?¡±


    ¡°The rules only worked when it was just the five of us. However, I can make sure Master is with you alone for one week, presuming¡­ I lose.¡±


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    ¡°I see¡­ then I must win.¡± Terra declared.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see!¡± Lydia exploded out, attacking Terra with her sword.


    Terra blocked with her arm. The blade sunk into her wrist about halfway before stopping. There was no blood spurting out, and when Lydia pulled back her sword, it was stuck. Before she could react, Terra lashed out with her fist. At that range, although Lydia was fast, she only managed to pull back as it struck her. Terra¡¯s fist was like an anvil slamming into Lydia¡¯s chest. With a cry, she flew back, the sword dislodging from the force and sending her stumbling back.


    She looked up at Terra in surprise. Terra¡¯s arm healed at a visible speed, and within seconds there wasn¡¯t a single sign of her attack.


    ¡°Not bad¡­¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to damage me enough to put me down.¡± Terra declared.


    ¡°I may not have Celeste¡¯s speed nor do I have the ability to do a ton of damage in a single hit like Shao, but of the five of us, my speed and skills allow me to do the most damage over time of any of us. A single slice may not hurt you, but death from a thousand cuts is an inevitability!¡±


    Lydia leaped forward, her blade moving with extreme speed. Her attacks were lighter this time, making sure they didn¡¯t get stuck within Terra¡¯s body. However, her speed was faster than Terra could manage. She got hit time and time again, cuts forming all over her body. Terra gritted her teeth, trying to follow Lydia¡¯s movements as she danced around her with her blade. More cuts form on previous cuts, and some of them didn¡¯t have enough time to heal before even deeper cuts were made.


    Terra made a desperate action, leaping forward and forcing Lydia¡¯s next hit to land deeper than she intended. Terra grabbed the sword, locking Lydia¡¯s movement, and then threw out another punch. The second Terra had a hand on Lydia¡¯s sword, Lydia realized she had lost it. She abandoned the sword and leaped back, narrowly avoiding her blow. Terra ripped the sword from her side, and then put it into her inventory ring, locking Lydia from getting it.


    ¡°I wonder how many blades you have left?¡± Terra asked innocently.


    Even though Lydia had a few spare blades, that was her best. If she used one of the others, Lydia foresaw the other woman using similar tricks to get all of them. Once she was out of weapons, Lydia wouldn¡¯t be able to fight any longer. Terra had determined Lydia¡¯s greatest weakness. Whether it was Celeste, Shao, or Miki, all three of them could fight without weapons. Lydia¡¯s only strength came from her sword.


    ¡°Admit defeat!¡± Terra declared. ¡°You have no more weapons!¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t lost yet!¡± Lydia cried out, and her body began to morph.


    Terra paled slightly as she saw Lydia take on her beast form. Her body didn¡¯t just become stronger, faster, and more agile. She also grew long claws on her hands that could substitute for weapons. Each attack would cause even more damage to Terra than the swords.


    ¡°You¡­ I didn¡¯t want to have to use this since it¡¯s still in the prototype stage, but you¡¯ve given me no choice!¡± Terra cried out.


    She suddenly pulled something out of her ring. It looked like a golem. However, when it appeared before her, she jumped into it. Suddenly, the golem began to rearrange itself, the back sealing tight. With a rumbling sound, the creature began to stand up, and the eyes began to glow with light.


    ¡°Wh-what is that?¡± Lydia took a step back, staring at the seven-foot-tall golem in shock.¡±


    ¡°I worried I might not be able to keep up with the rest of you after you all showed your abilities to change. Shao¡¯s Demon lord form, your beast form, and Celeste¡¯s wind form¡­ so I built my own. Master calls it a mech golem. I composed it of adamantine recovered from the wilderness. Its defense cannot be understated.¡±


    The golem was solid rock, smoothed on the outside, with hulking shoulders and a round dome head and two glowing eyes.


    ¡°E-even if your defense is better, you still won¡¯t be able to stop me.¡±


    ¡°The thing is¡­ I didn¡¯t build it for defense, I built it to increase my offense! Now, we can see who is stronger. My brains, or your brawn!¡±


    ¡°Then, I won¡¯t hold back!¡±


    Lydia let out a roar that sounded like a tiger, causing the hearts of those nearby to tighten. Terra slammed her fists together, creating a sound like two boulders being smashed. Lydia began to run full sprint at Terra, even going to four legs before leaping up at her face. Terra lumbered forward, each step causing the earth to shake. The two collided, each strike causing booming sounds to fill the air as they battled.

 Chapter 969

    While Terra and Lydia¡¯s fight became increasingly brutal, most of the other fights actually ended rather quickly. There was a brief flash of brilliance, and then one or the other was defeated. Perhaps Celeste and Astria¡¯s had lasted the longest. During this time, two people had been facing each other, feeling each other out but not moving to attack. Those two were Shao and Elaya. Shao was a skilled assassin, capable of dealing a killing blow from the shadows, where Elaya was an undead sorceress who could cast powerful spells.


    ¡°Shao, you may have some talent as a demon lord, but I killed demon lords since before you were born.¡±


    ¡°Correction,¡± Shao shot back. ¡°You failed to killed demon lords before I was born.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± A dark miasma began to flow from Elaya. ¡°Good, then you¡¯ll excuse me if I no longer act nicely. I was once called the maid hero. You might be a good assassin, but direct confrontations are not your strength. The outcome has already been decided, little girl! It¡¯s time to die!¡±


    ¡°Miki.¡±


    ¡°Holy Smite!¡±


    ¡°Gegegegegege!¡± Elaya collapsed to the ground as sizzling sounds filled the air. ¡°Miki, what are you doing? We¡¯re on the same side!¡±


    ¡°Ah, are we?¡± Miki asked innocently.


    ¡°We are!¡± I shouted back at her.


    ¡°Well, excuse me for getting confused, Master!¡± Miki shot back.


    ¡°I will forgive this for now¡­¡±


    ¡°Divine purification!¡±


    ¡°Gegegegegegege!¡± Elaya had to create a layer of miasma to protect herself, as that attack might have seriously hurt her. ¡°Wh-what? Carmine? Was that you! We¡¯re on the same side too!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I saw an evil being and reacted on impulse. It won¡¯t happen again.¡± Carmine responded, not looking apologetic at all.


    ¡°Are you all bullying me? This is bullying me!¡± Elaya looked around as she got hostile looks from both sides.


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    ¡°Isn¡¯t this all your fault?¡± Several wind blades shot out and Elaya needed to roll away to keep from losing her head.


    ¡°Me? What did I do?¡±


    ¡°You encouraged Master to fight himself!¡± Miki cried out.


    ¡°You went to the dungeon and convinced them to become hostile,¡± Carmine added.


    ¡°You also forced people to take sides, and even made my mother do so!¡± Celeste shot out.


    ¡°Your mom? That¡¯s right!¡± Elaya¡¯s expression brightened as she turned to the tattered woman. ¡°Astria! Astria! Help me, the children are bullying me.¡±


    ¡°I love my daughter!¡± Astria cried out, holding Celeste. ¡°I¡¯ll follow her.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re changing sides? I won¡¯t accept that! You won¡¯t have access to your precious Miasma!¡±


    ¡°That trick won¡¯t work on me anymore!¡± Astria shot back. ¡°Celeste said Master talked to the dungeon master and she won¡¯t interfere in our conflict!¡±


    ¡°Xin said that? Even she betrays me! My own woman¡­ why would she do such a thing? After I tied her up and made her do this and that¡­ ah¡­ is it because I went overboard? Xin, is this getting revenge for me playing too rough?¡±


    Xin wasn¡¯t there to answer, but the answer was probably yes.


    ¡°So, I will stay on my daughter¡¯s side.¡± Astria declared.


    ¡°Mom¡­¡± Celeste looked at her mom with teary eyes.


    ¡°Daughter¡­¡± Astria looked back.


    ¡°Can you please stop squeezing my breasts?¡±


    ¡°Only if you stop fondling my butt.¡±


    ¡°F-fine¡­ you can continue.¡±


    ¡°What is with this mother-daughter duo?¡± Elaya cried out.


    ¡°They were distracting you!¡± A voice came from behind Elaya. ¡°Shadow Decimation!¡±


    ¡°Uh oh!¡± Elaya didn¡¯t have time to react because Shao had already attacked.


    While the others attacked her and ridiculed her, she had let her guard drop. Shao had used that time and her shadow magic to bridge the gap between them. A shadow clone where she had been standing only just started to lose her appearance as she infused her blade with a vicious shadow attack and slammed it into Elaya¡¯s back.


    Destructive energy was breaking through her body. If it happened to someone like Deek, he might have used White Mage spells and had been able to remain alive. However, Elaya¡¯s largest weakness was that despite all of her magic, her body was pretty fragile. Fragile was a relative thing when talking about a powerful sorceress, but it was enough for Shao to take care of with a direct backstab.


    ¡°You¡­ you got me¡­¡± Elaya said tightly.


    Under the cold gazes of the girls, Elaya¡¯s body slowly turned to ash. Her eyes looked up at the sun as she turned into nothing. The gentle breeze took her body away until there was not a single spec of her remaining.


    ¡°We know you¡¯re not dead.¡± Miki crossed her arms angrily. ¡°Stop being melodramatic.¡±


    A few meters away, the ash spontaneously reformed in half a second, where her death scene had taken nearly thirty seconds.


    ¡°Tsk¡­ no fun. Fine. I concede. I can tell I¡¯m not wanted here.¡± Elaya turned to the Deeks. ¡°Shall we g¡­ ah!¡±


    While the other girl¡¯s fights were winding down, Deek and Deedee had reached the final phases of their own battle too.

 Chapter 970

    ¡°So, it comes to just you and me.¡± Deedee said, pulling a sword from her inventory.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± I responded dismissively. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re going to do with that?¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I mean no offense, but when I cut my soul, I cut away my weaknesses. That¡¯s you. You¡¯re the weakest part of me. Even if we have the same stats, you can¡¯t possibly hope to defeat me.¡±


    ¡°Your soul¡­ so, you¡¯ve come to accept that I am in fact Deek.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°There is only one Deek. You may not be controlled by the demon lord, but you¡¯re ultimately not me either. There is only a sliver of my soul that makes you who you are. You¡¯re as much me as Salicia is the original girl, or Elaya is the hero queen. There might be similarities, but the fundamentals have changed.¡±


    ¡°One could say the same about you¡­ Without me, you are not you.¡±


    ¡°I disagree¡­ I¡¯d say that without you, I¡¯m more me than I have ever been before!¡± I responded.


    ¡°I see¡­ well, I figured from the beginning you were too hot-headed to see any reason. My only choice will be to defeat you.¡± Deedee narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°That was my plan from the beginning.¡± I finally pulled out my own blade.


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    I could have pulled out the silvthril blade and attacked her with that, but I only wanted to use it in emergencies. If I attempted to attack her with it and I somehow lost it, I definitely wouldn¡¯t be happy. I did have a plan for this just in case. If I used the silvthril blade, it should destroy all of her karma soul. Once she dies and the karma is removed, I¡¯d absorb the rest of her soul into me. That would allow me to regain everything I lost. Well, that was just one of my plans. I hadn¡¯t necessarily decided which to choose at this moment.


    With the pair of us facing each other and the rest of the girls already engaging in their battles, there didn¡¯t seem to be any need to continue to speak. I wanted to test her out and see exactly what I was dealing with here. Once I knew, I could more accurately deal with her. Thus, I made the first attack, coming at her with my blade. It was one of several I had acquired in the Twilight dungeon. It didn¡¯t have any name or magical effect, but it was a solid and well-built sword.


    As my sword struck hers, I could tell that her sword was made out of Orichalcum. It looked like Garnet had done a good job being able to form that metal. She was a full magic blacksmith now. Of course, if there was a kill switch in this weapon to cause it to weaken or self-destruct as I wanted, I wasn¡¯t going to trigger it now and reveal everything. That would come later.


    I was a bit surprised at the ferocity of Deedee¡¯s attacks. As soon as our weapons met she attacked back. Her sword was ablaze, trying to depend on speed to fluster me. However, I had already prepared for these inevitabilities and was able to meet her strike after strike. If anything, her attacks were much more ferocious than mine, and she used that impulsive nature to overcome her weaknesses. Meanwhile, my attacks were much more reserved and cautious. This was part of the plan too. As she gave everything she could, I held back, waiting for an opportune time to take her down. It was only a matter of time.

 Chapter 971

    Although Deek thought I was weaker, that couldn¡¯t be farther from the truth. There might have once been a time when I couldn¡¯t keep up with Deek, but since I rebuilt my soul using a dungeon and absorbed all of that miasma, my strength was every bit as strong as his own. I attacked him outright. After all, he was someone who carried through with what he started. As long as I kept pushing him, his so-called plans would eventually run out, and when it came to thinking on the spot, I¡¯d have the advantage.


    I used quick attack, fireball, dark slash, spectral shadow, and still more skills, attempting to catch Deek off guard. He managed to catch every spell, blocking it or when he had to, taking it and then recovering. Although I caused damage, he¡¯d just heal immediately after. When he caused damage, I¡¯d heal immediately after. It became increasingly clear that he was a lot like the clone I had to fight in the Widow¡¯s Dungeon, except where that thing didn¡¯t know skills I didn¡¯t have before, Deek had every skill that I had.


    ¡°You¡¯re more formidable than I thought!¡± Deek said, panting.


    ¡°I still have more!¡± I responded, throwing my hair back.


    The pair of us fought, and anyone watching would say it was like an elegant dance. In most fights, you had to predict what another person would do, and how you responded wouldn¡¯t always fit with how they attacked. A lot of movies would make this mistake when they¡¯d come up with fight choreography. The battle would be so completely scripted that it didn¡¯t even really look like we were fighting, but dancing across the battlefield.


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    When you knew every action that you¡¯d take and every action your opponent took, it looked just the same. No matter how fast or aggressive one of us acted, the other acted in kind, and it ended up in a smooth, yet strangely beautiful dance. The sounds of our swords colliding made a rhythmic clanging that filled the air and every move looked smooth like we had planned this fight and practiced it a hundred times. The spectators looking on could only stare at such a scene and say that it looked beautiful.


    If things kept going this way, there would never be a resolution to our battle. Most of the girls had already fought, and the other side had either been defeated or stood down. Thankfully, there had been no deaths. Just because I had ordered the girls to kill if necessary didn¡¯t mean I had wanted that outcome. It was best if they were just knocked out. The only fight that had lasted as long as our own was Lydia and Terra.


    Both women were going all out. It seemed to be a fight that went beyond their desire to impress either of us. It was almost like a clash of ideology, Terra¡¯s reserved personality versus Lydia¡¯s sexual revolution. Neither side was willing to let up, and Terra¡¯s golem had taken numerous bits of damage, as had Lydia. Although I hurt more for Lydia¡¯s wounds, they¡¯d heal a lot quicker than the time it¡¯d take to repair the golem.


    Thus, I made a spur of the moment decision. We had to end this fight now. If the other girls started fighting or Lydia and Terra continued, someone might end up hurt. If I wanted to defeat Deek, I realized I¡¯d have to do something that Deek would never do. It was an attack he never would have accounted for.


    ¡°Self Destruct!¡± I cried out.


    Since I couldn¡¯t defeat Deek on my own, I¡¯d take us both down!

 Chapter 972

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± I cried out in surprise.


    Deedee had suddenly activated a skill I never would have expected her to use. It was a destructive spell that used herself to cause extreme damage. The worrisome thing about the self-destructive skill is that it actually was self-destructive. It was a Monster Tamer skill intended to be used on a monster as a last resort. Deedee was not a monster, but she was still going to use the ability on herself. There was no saying how much damage it would do.


    It was nothing like the Final Blow. Final Blow used all of your life into a strike. It left you extremely weak, but you were still alive. Self-destruct was exploding your body to do massive damage, and that explosion was not contained. Furthermore, it¡¯d do some damage to the soul as well. You could still be resurrected, but compared to other death spells like being crushed by a meteor, it¡¯d be more damaging.


    However, if she did do this, she¡¯d give me a chance. If I leaned on Last Chance to survive it, I could wipe her out for good! As she launched self-destruct, I cast Protect and then summoned the silvthril sword.


    ¡°Final Blow!¡±


    My hit would land just as her self-destruct triggered. It¡¯d be a hair¡¯s breadth of time to decide who was the winner. We¡¯d both die, but only one of us would be able to be resurrected after this. As she saw the glowing sword in my hand, her eyes widened as she realized her mistake. She had thought I wouldn¡¯t account for a kamikaze attack, but she was wrong!


    ¡°Stop!¡± A voice boomed out just as we were about to hit each other.


    A suppressive force slammed down on us, and the wind blew between us, shoving us apart. The skills were seemingly interrupted, causing us both to experience backlashes as we were tossed away, spitting out blood. The backlashes were less destructive than had the skills landed, so I was able to get back to my feet. I immediately cast heal, planning to attack again. Deedee was no different. She jumped back up as well.


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    ¡°No!¡± As I took a step forward, Lydia Carmine, and Miki suddenly jumped in my way.


    The group grabbed onto me, hugging me tightly and keeping me from taking another step forward. As Deedee tried to do the same, Terra, Celeste, and Shao did the same to her. The fight between the two had seemingly stopped as quickly as it started and they raced to stop us. I glared at Deedee, and she glared back, but the girls wouldn¡¯t let us move.


    ¡°Just stop fighting!¡± Lydia cried into my chest as she hugged me tightly.


    ¡°We don¡¯t want it anymore!¡± Terra cried at Deedee.


    I lowered my head, and so did Deedee. The girls looked on hopefully. Perhaps, we¡¯d finally unite.


    ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind.¡± Deedee spoke out loud enough I could hear. ¡°Take Deeksville. It won¡¯t be so easy claiming Chalm though.¡±


    ¡°This was never going to be settled with one-on-one fights. There is a reason kingdoms make decisions with wars, not duals.¡±


    The expressions on the girls¡¯ faces dropped when they realized nothing changed.


    ¡°Then¡­ bring your army! I¡¯ll take you on. The fate of Chalm will be decided on the battlefield. I won¡¯t even hide in the city. I¡¯ll come out to meet you!¡± Deedee declared.


    ¡°Heh, your arrogance will be your downfall. Very well. Then I will tell you when. One week from now. In one week, we will meet outside of Chalm, and we will have our final confrontation. In the end, the fate of Chalm will be decided.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ then, we¡¯re in agreement? This ends there? There will only be one Deek.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken.¡± I shook my head. ¡°There is only one Deek.¡±


    She grinned. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    She raised her hand and created a portal before turning to the citizens of Deeksville. ¡°Let him into the city and do as he says for now.¡±


    She stepped through the portal, and the girls on her side had no choice but to leave. As Astria started joining them, Elaya frowned.


    ¡°You¡¯re switching sides?¡± Elaya demanded.


    ¡°Does it matter which side I¡¯m on? I¡¯ll be on my daughter¡¯s side from now on.¡± She looked at me and then bowed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master.¡±


    ¡°Just go.¡± Her loyalty had already been cut off earlier during the battle.


    When their portal closed, everything was quiet. This skirmish was over, but in one week, the true battle would begin.

 Chapter 973

    An army moved across the plains of West Aberis. Animals and people alike fled when they saw them approaching. The knights wore the armor of Aberis, but there was something wrong with the people sitting within that armor. Their skin was pale like death, and their eyes were black. They had demonic grins on their faces like they had lost all sanity. Life was right to flee because these creatures senselessly slaughtered any creature that got too close.


    Behind the army of knights, there were ogres, trolls, and other creatures that had spawned in the uninhabited mountains and wilderness. How these creatures were tamed and turned into soldiers for the army was anyone¡¯s guess. A certain demon, shrouded in darkness, road a palanquin carried by various slaves. The slaves were encouraged to keep up. If one of them fell behind and was no longer able to do their duty, their fate was to be eaten by the monsters following behind.


    ¡°Is this true?¡± The man asked, seemingly talking to the air.


    After a few moments of general silence, he burst into laughter. This caused the slaves moving forward to feel like ice was sliding up their spines. The man they were carrying along laughed horrendously for some time before finally settling down.


    ¡°What is it?¡± A woman kneeling at his feet finally asked.


    Normally, he would have kicked her for speaking, but the man was still giggling to himself, and the news was much too juicy for him to just ignore.


    ¡°It would appear that Deek Deekson has returned to Chalm.¡±


    The woman raised an eyebrow. ¡°You already know as much.¡±


    ¡°No, you misunderstand. It isn¡¯t the woman known as Deedee¡­ it¡¯s the man I met in Twilight Dungeon.¡±


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    Her eyes widened in shock. ¡°He escaped?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I thought him and his soul would have been shredded in the abyss. To think that he¡¯d have a means of returning to this universe. It makes me very curious to unlock all of his secrets.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this bad, though? You already had enough trouble facing one Deek. How will you be able to face two?¡±


    He sneered. ¡°I didn¡¯t even bother to put out my full ability the last time we met. He could throw out a hundred Deeks, and it wouldn¡¯t be enough to harm me. You should have realized that by now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± She lowered her head.


    ¡°Besides, I said Deek returned, but it turns out the two consider themselves enemies. My spies have already confirmed their hatred for each other. The two plan to fight just about the time I get there. I¡¯ll be able to watch them battle each other to the death, and then I¡¯ll clean up the remains.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡±


    ¡°They barely even care about my presence. Perhaps, they don¡¯t think me a threat. Fools. They will suffer and die. Perhaps, I will torture and rape the female. That will be amusing for a bit.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be why you¡¯re so happy. As you said, you¡¯d win even if they were combined.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± He nodded thoughtfully. ¡°The reason I¡¯m happy is because the sword appeared. The silvthril sword I went to so much trouble to obtain. I thought it had been lost. It had truly ruined my mood. However, it seems that Deek has it. No, rather, he¡¯s conveniently brought it to this world for me. I had only regained just a bit of my happiness when you came and tried to kill me. This malacrum dagger you¡¯ve delivered was the only reason I¡¯ve been able to maintain my calm. I should thank you, mother.¡±


    As he spoke up, he pulled out the dagger, dancing it back and forth in his hands. Calypso looked at it longingly, but she was now enslaved to him and he had given her many orders. Taking those two steps and snatching it would be completely impossible. She lowered her head. Her last bit of hope had been Deedee. Perhaps, she could pull off a miracle. However, now some man had interfered, and it seemed like they were too busy fighting themselves to understand the true threat.


    ¡°Soon, I will have both a malacrum dagger and a silvthril sword.¡± He spoke, almost to himself. ¡°At that point, the world will be mine!¡±

 Chapter 974

    While I couldn¡¯t see the demon lord or anything like that, I was looking at the armies of deranged knights walking forward.


    ¡°What is wrong with them?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Miasma,¡± Astria spoke up. ¡°The same thing that turned me into a dark fairy has infected these men. That is the risk one faces when using miasma as a weapon. It¡¯s a powerful weapon, but it also corrupts the mind and body. It warps people until they are barely recognizable as people. I had once let it happen to myself.¡±


    ¡°Is miasma so dangerous? Should I be worried?¡±


    I had never realized just how deadly it was. I had always wondered why the people of this world stayed away from the stuff. If it could just be used like any other mana, why was it so heavily vilified? I had a karmic soul constructed from miasma, and several of my girls used miasma. Were they going to end up like this?


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± Astria shook her head. ¡°This is simply what happens to most normal people. Miasma rots the soul and body. If your soul is bound to your body, and the miasma enters your body and does its damage, you will rot from the inside. You don¡¯t need to worry about this happening.


    ¡°Your karmic soul protects you from this, as does Salicia, Elaya, and myself. As for Shao, demons seem to have an unusually high resistance to miasma. It¡¯s part of why they¡¯ve been so successful up until now. Well, even before you had a karmic soul, that blessing would have protected you as well. That¡¯s why you can stand jobs like Dark Priest and Demon Knight without losing your mind.¡±


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    ¡°Even Dark Priest would have caused problems?¡± I cried out in surprise.


    I had gotten the job, Dark Priest, before I had protection against miasma. The first time I had used it was against Shao, and shortly after I had gained the blessing that protected me from miasma.


    ¡°Yes¡­ if you had been leveling it and using those skills, yes.¡± Astria sighed. ¡°It is well known that Dark Priests tend to be eccentric and crazy. Calypso might have even been a normal woman once.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I let out a light laugh while wiping my forehead of sweat. I had come dangerously close to making a fatal mistake. Thankfully, I hadn¡¯t spent any major time on Dark Priest.


    ¡°Then again, you¡¯re a white mage. You¡¯re also extremely resilient toward miasma. Paladins are as well. It allows them to fight in dungeons for very long periods. It is well-known dungeon divers need to be purified regularly. It likely never would have been an issue for you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡±


    In the end, it seemed like I had many protections against miasma. For me, the path I had taken felt like an inevitability, but for the people of this world, dungeons were difficult to handle.


    ¡°Master?¡± Shao asked.


    ¡°Close the image. Come home.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The image of the marching army disappeared, and a minute later a portal opened and Shao appeared in front of me. This had been her spying on the approaching army.


    ¡°Shao¡­ what¡¯s the report?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Master, they are about a week out,¡± Shao announced. ¡°Their forces are about twice the size of our own.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ good to know.¡±


    ¡°Does this change your mind?¡± Astria asked.


    ¡°Master¡­ if we teamed up with Deek¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I snapped.


    Although I had ordered them to spy on the army and let me know the size and distance of their army, that didn¡¯t mean I didn¡¯t have my own plans. They seemed to think I would drop everything just because of this looming threat.


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°This has only told me we need to take care of Deek quickly before they arrive. We have one week.¡±


    The girls looked at each other but didn¡¯t say anything. I began to give out orders as we prepared for war.

 Chapter 975

    ¡°My lord, the army is ready, but are you sure we should be dealing with this Deedee? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to ally with her?¡±


    ¡°The time for that has already passed. ¡°I responded irritably. ¡°Just focused on preparation.¡±


    A week had passed by quickly. I had Miki making potions. Lydia was running drills. Elaya, I had sent on a special task that only she could accomplish. We were just about ready, but if I had to say where everyone¡¯s mind was at, their morale had reached an all-time low.


    After seeing the fighting capabilities of the girls, the soldiers had immediately recognized them as the generals of the army. Prior to that, they had been almost dismissive and condescending toward them, but after seeing such a brutal fight that would have wiped out all of them if they had joined, the men wouldn¡¯t dare disrespect the women of their lord. Previously, they had respected me, but now they feared me too. Each of the girls now had a position of leadership.


    That was what I was hoping for, but it had also served to demoralize them. After all, the other side had women just as strong. How could someone march into a battle of giants when they were a mere human and feel easy. Knowing the strength of the girls they faced, this caused them to not have a good feeling. Furthermore, the girls or maybe the residents of Deeksville had seemed to leak what was going on regards to Deedee. They now knew that we were going to be fighting Chalm, not the demon lord, first.


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    This had made a lot of them unhappy. I had received numerous complaints, but I had ignored them all. Instead, I had prepared them for the battle. I explained and revealed all of Deedee and her army¡¯s weaknesses. They understood the army we were going to face intimately. They knew exactly how to fight them, and that was what I wanted.


    I had already gazed upon Aberis¡¯s army. The men were practically zombies, demon knights corrupted with miasma. Then, the monsters were dumb trolls and giants from the northern mountains who Aberis had likely tamed somehow. Simply put, they were an army of brute strength, and there was no sense in understanding them. Rather, they were truly easy to understand. They hated life and wanted to eliminate it.


    I had contacted the property in Alerith to fight out the state. Lord Reign had stayed behind. Although many citizens had gone missing, nearly half, and the city was full of unrest and nearly crumbling. Those citizens were likely used as food for monsters and slaves for the knights. Aberis had spent 20 years stripping Alerith of resources to build his army in secret, and now he had finally moved. All that was left of the city was destitute, starving, and beaten people. At least, that¡¯s how I saw it.


    Alerith would have to wait. My focus had to be on Deedee right now. First, her, then I¡¯d defeat the demon lord, and then finally we could conquer the west.


    ¡°Alright.¡± I stood up, standing before an army of knights, paladins, priests, and conscripts. ¡°We¡¯ll begin.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Lydia looked over at me worriedly.


    I smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Do you trust me?¡±


    Lydia met my eyes, and then without hesitation, she nodded. ¡°I do!¡±


    ¡°Then, trust in me this once. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡±


    I opened up a portal. ¡°Move out!¡±


    At the end of the day, there would only be one victor.

 Chapter 976

    A week passed, and I led an army composed of recruits from Chalm out onto the battlefield. I¡¯d like to say that the mood was good, but the honest truth was that their morale was exceptionally low. Rumors had spread across the army about the fight in Deeksville. At this point, everyone knew how strong the girls were, and at least half of them were on the opposing side. More than that, they knew they were fighting an army supported by Prince Aberis, and opposing a man who looked like Deek.


    The only reason I even got the army out here was because of their desire to protect their city, their trust in me, and their uncertainty regarding these events. It would have to be enough. Once the battle started, there was no going back.


    As we stood out on the field that I had spent a great deal of time preparing beforehand, a portal opened on the other side. Deek and his armies began to walk through. Maybe, I could have stormed him with our army rather than letting them prepare, but this wasn¡¯t that kind of battle. After all, Deek could have just as easily opened a portal into the middle of the city and taken the fight to the streets. We both knew what the other was capable of. We needed to fight fair, because if we allowed ourselves to cheat, no one would win.


    Ultimately, we both cared about Chalm, and that was why we started down this path. I just hoped that things went according to plan. After his army finished lining up, I surveyed the field, only noticing a group in the distance.


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    ¡°Who is that?¡± I asked, pointing at the group standing in the distance almost like spectators.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s him.¡± Bernice spoke breathily. ¡°That¡¯s the Demon Lord Aberis.¡±


    ¡°I see. I thought his army was currently in the gorge. That¡¯s the most defensible position.¡±


    ¡°They are, my lord. However, it looks like he came out to observe things.¡± Astria sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s worse than that, look!¡± Shao pointed. ¡°He has Calypso¡­ and right next to her, Siti!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I looked harder in that direction, and I could see that the group did include the two of them.


    Calypso appeared to be in chains, kneeling at his feet like a dog. Meanwhile, Siti was standing behind him, no expression on her face.


    ¡°This is bad.¡± Astria hissed. ¡°He¡¯s had a blue mage all this time. That entire march was just an intimidation tactic. He could have shown up on our doorstep two weeks ago if he had wanted.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s be glad that he didn¡¯t.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Master.¡± Astria shook her head. ¡°After your battle with Deek is over, he can open up a portal and bring the army over to finish you off. The gorge was half a day away. We thought, at the very least, after this battle, we¡¯d have a day to prepare for a battle with Aberis. Now, he can attack as soon as we are at our weakest!¡±


    As she stated this, all of the other girls began grumbling.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t change anything.¡± I responded in a low voice.


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    The next part I gave as a Slave Communication. ¡°You will have to trust me. I know what I¡¯m doing. Spread out in the army and take control of your individual units. When the time comes, we charge their forces. You do what I do. You attack who I attack. This order is absolute. Do you understand?¡±


    The girls all looked at me tearfully but nodded. ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    As the girls rode away, I muttered under my breath. ¡°This better work.¡±

 Chapter 977

    ¡°It¡¯s the demon lord! Siti is a blue mage. She can make a portal for him!¡± Lydia cried out.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t change anything.¡± I sighed. ¡°All of you. Listen. Take control of your respective units. Follow me. Do as I do. That is a Slave Order. Anyone who doesn¡¯t follow my orders will be severely punished!¡±


    In truth, the morale of the troops was at an all-time low. They were going into a battle they didn¡¯t want to face. Even the arrogant and prideful nobles saw this battle against civilians to be pointless. It wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t think they¡¯d win, it was just that they felt the entire battle was a waste of resources, especially with the real enemy on our doorsteps.


    The girls gave me pleading eyes, and I could only shake my head. ¡°You¡¯re just going to have to trust me.¡±


    Although my voice wasn¡¯t convincing, they all nodded and returned to their spots. I reached out and grabbed the horse offered to me by a knight. I could see Deedee similarly mounting a horse. Basic Horse Riding had appeared in Hero at some point. After all, how could you have a hero ride on a white steed if he didn¡¯t know how to ride? At the very least, it was enough that I wouldn¡¯t embarrass myself. She¡¯d have the exact same riding skill as me.


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    With my eyes locked on her and her eyes on me, the pair of us lifted our hands as one. The girls had tried to convince both of us to stop numerous times over the last week. Yet, we still had ended up here. This was just part of the plan.


    ¡°Attack!¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± I heard her yell as well.


    Both of us dropped our hands at the same time and then kicked our horses. The armies wouldn¡¯t march against each other if we didn¡¯t lead by example, so it turned out we were riding out in front of everyone else. The rest started moving forward, one step at a time. However, as we started to pull away from the main army, they started to quicken their pace. Still, the acceleration was slow, and it soon looked like Deedee and I would face off long before everyone else.


    ¡°One last thing.¡± I messaged the girls. ¡°If I should fall in battle, do not seek out vengeance. Immediately join Deedee¡­¡±


    It was an order I had forgotten to give earlier. It was the only concession I could offer. Now, I just had to reach Deedee. The sooner I got to her, the sooner this battle would turn, and the less harm would come to everyone else. Behind me, I could hear shouting and roaring. With the heat of battle in front of them, the army was finally growing more animated. This may not be a battle any one of them wanted to be a part of, but this was a battle their leader had asked them to fight.


    Our horses would reach each other first. I pulled out my sword. She did as well. Our eyes met, and the pair of us nodded to each other. It was time to make our move!

 Chapter 978

    Deek¡¯s horse veered to the side, and mine followed.


    ¡°They¡¯re going to battle side by side on horseback!¡± Celeste cried out.


    With the two armies racing toward each other, the leaders suddenly veered to the side, riding alongside each other as they slowly merged. We got closer together. Thirty feet. Twenty feet. Ten feet. We were riding right next to each other.


    ¡°Hyaa!¡± Deek snapped his reigns, and the horse began to speed up.


    Laughing, I kicked and increased my speed as well. The momentum of the armies, which had already been reserved, slowed a bit as everyone stared in confusion. Both leaders were riding out of the battle, seemingly ignoring each other. No, they weren¡¯t ignoring each other, they were riding together. Did they expect the girls to fight without them? Then, a specific order exploded in their mind. It was the last order both had given them.


    ¡°Follow me. Do as I do.¡±


    ¡°Turn!¡± Lydia bellowed out.


    ¡°Follow them!¡±


    Celeste¡¯s melodic voice boomed with the help of her wind magic, making sure it reached every ear. The confused army started to turn, but as their eyes fell on a target, a burst of understanding flowed through them.


    Morale was an interesting thing. It could flip on a dime, and sometimes the lowest lows would generate the greatest highs. An unwilling army being forced to fight their own allies had reached an all-time low. Suddenly, the battle was flipped on its head, and instead of fighting friends, a clear foe was presented before them. As the armies merged, forces that were fighting against each other a moment before were now fighting side by side.


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    They also came to another realization. They knew each other intimately. For weeks, their leaders had stressed that they learned everything about their opponents. They knew their weaknesses, and they had concentrated on making the other army¡¯s weaknesses their strengths. The two sides complemented each other perfectly, and with the guidance of the girls now riding alongside each other, the army seemed to snap together like clockwork. Two incomplete armies had suddenly formed a whole.


    Directly in front of them was an enemy army. They didn¡¯t know how it had gotten there. They didn¡¯t know when it appeared. However, the darkness and evil of this army radiated from it. There wasn¡¯t a single familiar face among them. This was the Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s army.  There were monsters and demonic knights, and they all looked shocked. Just as suddenly as they had appeared before their charging army, the charging army had suddenly appeared in front of them.


    While the demonic army was filled with confusion over what just happened, Deek¡¯s army wasn¡¯t confused at all. Follow him. Do as he does. Trust him. That led them to this moment, facing an enemy they could all agree on. Their excitement surged, and their speed amplified. Their excitement, their bloodlust, and their excitement grew more and more.


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s the gorge!¡± Lydia called out as they approached the enemy army in a flood.


    ¡°How¡­ how is that possible?¡± Terra shouted. ¡°It¡¯s nearly a half a day away!¡±


    ¡°Space¡­¡± Astria¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°We¡¯re in bent space! When Xin closed up the dungeon, she rearranged it. It stretches under our feet now. He did like Calypso did, making it horizontal instead of vertical. Then, Deedee used the dungeon to compress space, causing this surprise attack! This¡­ this was his plan all along!¡±

 Chapter 979

    Two people with the same mind. They thought exactly alike. While their personalities might have differed, they were essentially the same person. Deek and Deedee, Deedee and Deek, the pair rode in tandem, their goal was the Demon Lord Aberis.


    ¡°How difficult will it be to destroy him?¡± I once asked.


    ¡°Very,¡± Elaya admitted. ¡°With Xin and I at our prime, we barely managed to defeat him the first time. Then, he had held back and used it to reincarnate. It stands to reason that the reason he waited so long to make another move was to make sure such a thing didn¡¯t happen again. He is likely much stronger now. Even if you can deal with his army, defeating him completely without him slipping away again would require a perfect trap. Even the Demon King failed to destroy him.¡±


    That was what Elaya had once said to us when we asked such a question. Thus, we used everything we had to lure that man into a trap. What we had were two of ourselves. Of course, we had never discussed things. A lot of our interactions filled with anger and frustration weren¡¯t deception at all. However, we both had the same mind, and we both could think, and independently, we realized that our only chance to blindside Lord Aberis was to do what he¡¯d never expected. We had to do what no one would expect.


    We did what we couldn¡¯t have managed alone. While Deedee took care of Chalm, setting up the battlefield and preparing the conscripts we had been training, Deek went to the capital where he gathered and recruited an even larger army.


    Had the two armies been allowed to unite right away, tensions would assuredly rise. The pompous nobles and church would have caused issues with the free people of Chalm. By the time Demon Lord Aberis arrived, we¡¯d be struggling to keep them united as much as we¡¯d be preparing to fight Aberis. The nobles who had once fled from threats to their lives would remember that they had no investment in Chalm and it wasn¡¯t worth dying for. The people of Chalm would lose help.


    If we were dropped into a siege, they would see the horrifying army of the Demon Lord. They¡¯d remember how this country was once under his iron fist, and they would begin to lose all faith in being able to succeed. Deek had accounted for all of this. By putting them against each other, they began to feel a reluctance to fight with each other. We distracted them with a pointless conflict, all while secretly preparing them for the real one.


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    We guessed what the other would do, all while maintaining appearances to everyone, even our girls. The Demon Lord had to have spies. After Salicia, we realized even a slave could unknowingly reveal things they shouldn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t trust my girls. Rather, it was that I wasn¡¯t sure of myself.


    Thus, we met at Deeksville. The conflict didn¡¯t matter. What mattered was that we had a chance to test each other. Had either of us found the other to be lacking, then perhaps we would have killed them and become the only Deek. However, we were both just as strong and determined. We had made our decisions then. This battlefield, this day.


    Deek had sent Elaya to the dungeon, where she aided Xin in this project. Astria had also needed to help them on the fairy spring side. Deedee had spent weeks growing the mana spring so that the dungeon would have the power to do this, but it took Astria to move all that power to the dungeon. Even then, we barely had the strength to reach the gorge and bend space, bringing their army to us.


    ¡°How do you like the battlefield I¡¯ve created?¡± Deedee asked, her eyes shining.


    ¡°Great. What about my army?¡±


    ¡°Eh, they¡¯re alright¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°But, watch this!¡± Deedee raised her hand and snapped.


    Explosions erupted, and the gorge suddenly started to collapse. Just as the demonic army was desperately trying to line up, avalanches came down from both sides. Well, it made sense. There never was a gorge. Deedee had made it using the golems. It actually would have served as a path through a hilly terrain to make travel between Chalm and Deeksville easier. Incomplete as it was, it made the perfect defensible position a day¡¯s ride from Chalm that Lord Aberis couldn¡¯t help but put his army at.


    It also made a perfect trap. One hundred golems self-destructed, causing rock slide after rock slide. In mere minutes, the unprepared army was retreating from the collapsing gorge and running toward our army. As the survivors left the safety of the gorge, it suddenly disappeared, the magic bending space finally failing, leaving only 1/3<sup>rd</sup> of the army left in a completely disordered state. At this exact moment, text appeared across our eyes.


    [You have entered the dungeon, Demon¡¯s Demise.]


    It looked like our dungeon finally gained a name.

 Chapter 980

    ¡°Wh-what are they doing?¡± Lord Aberis frowned as the two horses turned to the side.


    First, he watched with curiosity, but then his eyes flashed in shock as the entire army turned toward him. His group only consisted of the slaves holding his palanquin, one of his generals, Calypso, and the convenient blue mage Siti. Blue mages weren¡¯t that rare, but they often had a lot of limitations. For example, most needed to draw extensive runes on the ground. Few had reached a level where they could casually make a portal, let alone one large enough and long enough to move an entire army.


    Finding her had nearly changed everything for Lord Aberis. With her assistance, conquering Aberis would be much easier. Back in his age, artifacts that blocked portals were extremely common. It was likely true that up in the Imperial Cloud Meadow that such artifacts protected every major city. The same was not true down here, where the number of Blue Mage¡¯s of Siti¡¯s ability could probably be counted on one hand. Well, finding any higher-tiered people in Aberis was rare. Even that Grand Magician that was considered the best in Aberis was only mediocre compared to some of the mages of the past.


    It was the dungeon curses. Once, humanity had been good about destroying them, but they stopped being able to do so. The more dungeons, the more mana got eaten. The less mana, the harder it was to level. Only by going into dungeons could someone level rapidly, and few people were willing to truly risk their lives doing this, where death was permanent.


    This only led to more dungeons, less mana, and eventually a population that had a lower average level than they once had. It was once considered normal for people to reach level 100. The system had been created with the idea that a normal artisan, living their entire life, would reach level 100, a master, in whatever field they excelled in, by the point they died. That alone should show how much the human realm had declined due to dungeons. Most laughably, none of them had any clue this was the reason, and likely didn¡¯t even remember a period where third tier and fourth tier jobs were far more common. To Lord Aberis, these people were nothing but worms.


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    That¡¯s why he glared at them with disdain. ¡°Making such a display just to fool me? They are the fools. Our position is defensible. Even with both armies, they won¡¯t be able to harm us. What is he even charging for? Does he want to make me run like I¡¯m afraid? Well, anyone would leave when facing a literal army solo. Your little display only exhausts your men. You would have been better off hiding in your city. Siti, return us to the gorge. We need to prepare.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Master¡­ I don¡¯t think¡­¡±


    Aberis spun angrily. ¡°You dare defy me? I¡¯ll have you whipped. Open up the porta-¡±


    His voice caught in his through as he caught something in his peripheral vision. He slowly turned, only to see the gorge behind him. His army was right there, but they had bunkered down in their camps, awaiting his orders. They were only just starting to realize an army was charging them, and they were scrambling to put together defenses.


    ¡°Wha-¡±


    Just as he was about to ask what was going on, there were numerous explosions. His vision caught rock men scattered through the gorge. They had literally been hiding as rocks until they suddenly stood up, and then exploded. Most of them were strategically placed, causing the gorge to turn into a death trap. Rock rained down in landslides. The army, at least those smart enough to live, raced out of the gorge in his direction. Upon seeing their master, they began to charge to this place, fleeing the collapsing gorge in the process. When the majority had left, the gorge vanished like it was a lie.


    ¡°Compressed space¡­ this is high-end Blue Magic. Even I couldn¡¯t do that¡­¡± Siti spoke with her mouth open.


    ¡°Master, orders?¡± The general cried out, looking back and forth between the decimated army and the charging army.


    ¡°Attack them! Kill them! Block them!¡± Lord Aberis cried out, backing up.


    A voice suddenly burst out laughing. Aberis looked down to see Calypso bent over with tears rolling down her eyes.


    ¡°You¡­ shut it!¡±


    She looked up and grinned. ¡°We¡¯re in his dungeon. It looks like there is a new Master in town.¡±


    Aberis frowned, and then began to feel the space around them close. She was right. They were in a dungeon.


    ¡°You may think you¡¯ve trapped me, Deeks! However, you¡¯ve only trapped yourself in with me. It¡¯s time I showed you the true power of a Demon Lord!¡±


    His body began to erupt with power. Even Calypso could only gasp in shock as the horns on his head grew, and his body became more demonic. He had just gone into Demon Lord mode!

 Chapter 981

    The two armies collided. Our army was at the peak of morale, having just doubled in size. As we approached them, their army was scattered and heavily damaged. The knights and soldiers didn¡¯t even have time to dwell on the horrifying visage of the miasma-filled knights, the giants, the orcs, and the other monsters that made up the demon lord¡¯s army. They were already fighting before they had time to think about it, and men who might have faltered and bent over as giants mowed them down like wheat with their mighty clubs now leaped onto those same confused giant¡¯s backs and cut them apart with brutality.


    Even we were shocked by how successful it worked. Although we had planned all of this out, we had feared many things going wrong. Perhaps, the groups would fight each other anyway. Perhaps, they¡¯d just stop, losing all momentum. In the end, everything had worked perfectly, and the army flooded forward and fought. Not everyone lived, but this was my dungeon, so their souls would be safely collected and we¡¯d resurrect them when time permitted.


    As for the dungeon, Xin and Elaya had told us they would be tapped out after their little stunt. Astria would also be out of commission. After reconfiguring the dungeon so that it stretched out under this land, bending space so that the forge appeared right in front of us, and then expanding the dungeon to prevent the demon lord from escaping, the three had already done something that could be considered a miracle. Perhaps, they felt a bit disappointed that they couldn¡¯t personally battle Lord Aberis in the end, but they seemed at peace with their roles.


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    ¡°I once failed to finish him off for good.¡± Elaya sighed. ¡°Let it be the heroes of this age that finally put him down for good.¡±


    That was our mission.


    ¡°All girls, on me!¡±


    Although the girls had led men into battle as generals, that was only to facilitate the merging of the army. Naturally, while galloping, we had explained everything that we could over Slave Communication as the girls excitedly all spoke at once. As we started the battle, the two of us went to find Lord Aberis, and all of the girls would be necessary for that fight. One of the key reasons we went to this extent was exactly because we¡¯d need to focus on taking him down. The army had to be blown through because Lord Aberis alone was just that much of a threat.


    Finally, I located the man. He was standing neither near the front nor the back. I had feared he might try to hide, but he picked a small hill. I could see large horns on his head, and wings on his back. In his hands were two daggers. One was the malacrum dagger he must have taken from Calypso. The other was a massive demon sword that shimmered with miasma. It looked like we didn¡¯t want to be cut by either one. He truly looked like a ferocious demon.


    ¡°Deek!¡± He bellowed as his eyes locked on ours, fury on his face. ¡°You¡¯ve disrupted my plans for the last time! You should have been divided! The two would have been better off killing each other. Why are there two of you?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t heard?¡± Deek asked. ¡°There is only-¡±


    ¡°-one Deek.¡± Deedee finished.


    We attacked as one.

 Chapter 982

    The Demon Lord Aberis let out a roar and lunged forward. The pair of us leaped from our horses landing on either side of him and attacking in a pincer attack. He had to turn in an awkward direction to avoid getting hit. However, his speed could not be underestimated, and he was able to spin back and avoid the attack with ease. The two of us came at him again, using quick attacks and burning skills as we tried to catch him in a trap time and time again.


    Neither of us was the same Deek that he had forced into a dead-end several weeks ago. We were both stronger now, but more than that, we were together. It wasn¡¯t just like two people who were familiar with each other fighting together. We thought exactly alike and anticipated each other¡¯s moves. Our attacks occurred in tandem without thought. Deedee made up for Deek¡¯s weaknesses, and Deek filled Deedee¡¯s shortcomings. The two moved fluidly like a single person, although it was a single person who could detach and reattach themselves, who had two minds, 4 arms, 4 legs, and so on. It made us much harder for the demon lord to deal with.


    Of course, even with all of that, to win this fight, we had to take every advantage. That included stacking all of the best dungeon skills. We no longer concerned ourselves with experience, opting for fast thinking, explosive movement, and various other battle-enhancing traits. We had even consumed a few of Miki¡¯s strength and speed enhancement potions, pushing our bodies to the limit.


    ¡°Fools!¡± Lord Aberis shouted, his body blurring suddenly as his speed increased.


    Up until this point, he hadn¡¯t used any skills. Using our skills and fighting together while taking every advantage, we had only been able to fight on par with him doing nothing. That was the gap between our abilities. He launched an attack, heading toward Deedee. He had picked a perfect moment where I was too far away to compensate. I let out a shout. We had both been prepared to die in this fight. That was why our final orders had been for the girls to follow the one who lived so there was no issue. That didn¡¯t mean I wanted her dying so quickly.


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    ¡°Back off!¡± A boom sounded as a woman attacked, forcing the Demon Lord to leap back. ¡°Why don¡¯t you fight someone your own size?¡±


    Right in front of Deedee appeared Terra, staring at him defiantly. Of course, Demon Lord Aberis had grown when he reached his demon form, so he was a lot taller and more imposing, while Terra was a small girl in stature who only came up to my chest. Even at his normal size, she would have been short. He looked down on her like an ant, but she looked back just as fiercely.


    ¡°You think one more will change the outcome of this fight?¡± He sneered.


    ¡°How about all of us?¡± Lydia slashed with her sword, forcing him back again.


    Two bangs sounded out, and he suddenly threw out a miasma shield blocking two bullets. At that moment, a dozen wind blades came from the other direction, which he also blocked with his spare hand.


    ¡°Got you!¡± Shao used that instant to try to stab him in the back.


    She had activated her Demon Lord form, using all of her talents to try to get a stab at Aberis. Her strike wasn¡¯t intended to kill him. Aberis definitely couldn¡¯t be defeated by a single strike. Rather, it was intended to wound him in a way that would affect his combat potential. If we could wound him early, it¡¯d be far easier to slowly weaken him.


    ¡°No! I got you!¡± He disappeared like smoke.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± Carmine leaped in front of Shao forcefully as an attack came seemingly from nowhere.


    Carmine managed to block the attack, although it flung her back. She should have slammed into Shao, but Shao wasn¡¯t behind her anymore. Shao had completely vanished, and so had Aberis. It seemed like the attack had been a feint.


    ¡°Well, look at that. Isn¡¯t this a big reunion?¡± Lord Aberis was floating in the sky twenty feet away, looking down at all of us.


    The group of us gasped because he had Shao¡¯s throat in his claws. She was struggling, trying to pry at his claws helplessly as he choked her. Even though she had used her Demon Lord form, he was handling her like a child.


    ¡°Let her go?¡±


    ¡°Why should I?¡± Aberis asked cockily. ¡°You¡¯re the one who made her your slave. Why, freeing her from you could be called liberation. Would you like to be free?¡±


    ¡°Let me go¡­ you¡­ bastard!¡± She cursed desperately.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. If I¡¯m a bastard, then you surely are too. Isn¡¯t that right, little sister?¡±

 Chapter 983

    ¡°Sister?¡± Lydia asked out loud the word swirling in everyone¡¯s heads.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know.¡± Demon Lord Aberis spoke in a condescending voice.


    ¡°Sh-shut up! I d-don¡¯t even know you!¡± Shao spoke in a strangled voice while still unsuccessfully trying to kick him.


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± He nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I was banished long before we could meet. However, my father could pop out a baby any time he wanted. I have many brothers and sisters. They just all choose to be pawns under father, running his empire in the north. I thought I had heard whispers of a demon princess being born not too long ago, but they went quiet shortly after starting. You must be her.¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s not true¡­¡± She gasped angrily.


    ¡°You can¡¯t deny it now.¡± The demon lord shrugged. ¡°I barely noticed you before, but now that you¡¯ve called on your true demon bloodline, your identity is as clear as day. Don¡¯t tell me that you didn¡¯t know. Only the demon king and his children have the true demon bloodline. Only we can transform.¡±


    Shao still glared at him, but she had stopped kicking, and it was clear she had been shocked by his words.  We had seen through Shao¡¯s eyes. We knew for a fact that she had appeared from our world. Then again, that world only contained humans, and Shao was a demon. Was the current Shao physically different from the Shao from Earth? We didn¡¯t know, and neither did she. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that her entire history from my world was a bit clouded. Like, did she come from our time or a few decades before? We didn¡¯t know.


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    Our memory of Earth was crystal clear, but her memory was foggy. We used to think this was because Shao had experienced all of that abuse. She had been kidnapped, enslaved, and forced to fight for her life. That was why Shao couldn¡¯t remember well, right? What if¡­ she was reincarnated? What if¡­ she only remembered her past life later. The pair of us looked at each other with equally shocked expressions. What if we were the reason she remembered?¡±


    When we absorbed her life force while giving her our own, perhaps our memories triggered the retrieval of her memories from her previous life. That would explain part of the reason her personality had suddenly changed so drastically after that event. Then again, maybe it was turning into a demon lord that triggered it. We just couldn¡¯t confirm any of it, especially with her in the grasp of the demon lord.


    ¡°Come on, fight us!¡± We shouted together. ¡°Let her go!¡±


    ¡°Oh? You want me to release her?¡± He asked, a smile growing on his face and a bad feeling growing within our hearts. ¡°Then, I will happily oblige.¡±


    He squeezed, and there was a sickening snap. He broke Shao¡¯s neck. Her eyes popped, and she kicked a few more times, but these were closer to death spasms. Only then did he drop her, and her corpse flopped to the ground dead.


    ¡°No!¡± Celeste shouted.


    ¡°Shao!¡± Miki took a step forward, but then a dark blade shot out at her, forcing her to jump back.


    ¡°Hahahahaha¡­¡± Aberis laughed. ¡°What? Are you surprised? I tried to kill my father, remember? Once you¡¯re all dead, I might resurrect her. She can be my plaything. Hmmm?¡±


    He stopped as he noticed everyone around him had gone silent. Terra pulled out her mech suit, newly repaired and improved, and jumped into it. Lydia¡¯s body transformed, turning into her beast form. An eruption sounded out as Celeste shed her body, going into full attack mode.


    ¡°Deedee,¡± My male half spoke up.


    ¡°Mm?¡± I asked cooly.


    ¡°He dies.¡± My male half¡¯s voice was filled with rage.


    I threw back my hair. ¡°Agreed.¡±


    Everyone attacked at once.

 Chapter 984

    Everyone had their own role in this battle. The Tibults were responsible for managing the army. Astria, Elaya, and Xin were managing the dungeon. Raissa had her own duties as well. Those involved in taking out the demon lord were Lydia, Celeste, Terra, Shao, Miki, Bernice, Salicia, Carmine, and the two of us. We had already lost one and we were just getting started.


    The Demon Lord Aberis was extremely slippery. When we engaged him together, we were able to keep up, but that was because he had been focusing on us specifically. Now, he¡¯d constantly move from person to person, effectively fighting everyone as he leaped around. He¡¯d strike randomly and without warning, and his attacks were usually just as one of us let our guard slip slightly. The girls took strike after strike, but thankfully nothing was lethal. We were able to heal them.


    We¡¯d like to say that this meant the fight was even, but the truth was that we were slowly being beaten down. The girls were accumulating wounds and exhaustion, and the fight had been going on for nearly fifteen minutes. The battle in the background had reached the apex and now it was a matter of our army finishing off theirs, but none of that would mean much if Aberis survived.


    He was powerful enough at the moment to single-handedly take over Chalm and declare himself king. Once I am defeated, nothing would stand in his way of conquering western Aberis. The army was more a formality and a means of hiding his existence rather than a source of power. To exude control, you needed loyal minions. Destroying his army would definitely set him back, but he could build more.


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    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who makes plans? Make a plan!¡± My female half cursed.


    ¡°Me? I stick to the plan.¡±


    ¡°The plan¡¯s not working.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the impulsive one? Come up with something!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you both put your heads together and do something!¡± Miki shot both of us a look.


    Of all the girls, Miki had been the only one who hadn¡¯t used her unique ability, the nine-tails, and launched her full attack at Demon Lord Aberis. There were several reasons for that. The primary one was that of everyone, she had the weakest defense. Shao¡¯s defense was limited too, but it was higher in her Demon Lord form. That didn¡¯t save her from being killed in a single hit. If Miki tried to show her true potential, she¡¯d be killed just as quickly.


    Thus, she had mostly remained back, keeping her attacks limited. I had considered sending her away entirely and having her resurrect Shao, but that had its complications. This was because we needed her present. One could say that she was the ace up our sleeve. Miki could control souls. This meant she could contain souls. She was our only assurance that Aberis¡¯s death this time would be permanent.


    Thus, the main combat was being taken care of by Lydia, Terra, Bernice, Celeste, Salicia, and Carmine. We¡¯d also fight, but also provided support and healing.


    ¡°Master¡­ Shao is already dead¡­ it¡¯s only a matter of time before someone else falls. At that point, will we even have a chance?¡± Miki asked.


    The pair of us glanced at each other, and somehow, it all seemed to click at once. We weren¡¯t going to be able to wear him down. We weren¡¯t going to be able to weaken him. Our only chance¡­ was to attack him with everything we had. A combined attack that would overwhelm and defeat him, whatever the cost.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s come to this.¡± My female half sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s time we go for broke.¡± I nodded.

 Chapter 985

    ¡°Celeste, ground him.¡± We ordered.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±


    Celeste created a wind flow that tampered with Aberis¡¯s wings. With her concentrating on making his time in the air miserable, he had no choice but to remain grounded.


    ¡°Terra, Carmine, restrain his movements.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I will!¡±


    Terra began to crack the ground under him, causing the earth to become soft. He started to sink into the ground. He was able to keep fighting, but it was like he was fighting on sand. Carmine appeared on one side, and Terra on the other, creating shields not made to protect themselves, but to box him in.


    ¡°Salicia, Lydia¡­ keep him in place. Bernice, lock his movements.¡±


    Salicia lifted her hand, causing streams of darkness to rise and try to bind him. Meanwhile, Lydia went in close, tying up his movements. From a distance, Bernice sniped his hands, forcing him to divert some of the attention away from fighting Lydia¡¯s rapid close movements. At this point, he was no longer able to move, being forced to confront Lydia. He let out an enraged noise.


    Meanwhile, we accessed the stores, causing our blessings to glow as we changed things up. It was time to go all out. The sky darkened, and the pair of us attacked in a pincer style.


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    ¡°Miki! Lock down his soul!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Even though he was in a dungeon, he was far too tricky, and only under Miki¡¯s management could we ensure that he would die. Her body started to glow, and all nine glorious fox tails exploded out like a rainbow. When Aberis saw this, his eyes went wide for a moment, and for the first time since we had attacked him, he started to feel a bit of fear. He immediately went all out, trying to take down Miki. However, the attack was already launched.


    ¡°Final Blow!¡± both of us shouted.


    Both of us launched one of our strongest attacks, both hitting consecutively. He let out a screech and exploded with power just as both attacks landed. The impact was so explosive that it knocked down everyone still standing on the battlefield. Even the remaining giants stumbled to their knees. Our entire party was tossed back. Miki flew back, but she was caught and righted by Celeste so she could continue to focus on restraining his soul.


    The group of us slowly stood up. We were both extremely weak, so we healed each other, quickly recovering a lot of the strength we had sacrificed for that blow. Both attacks had landed successfully. That had to be a devastating attack. However, as the dust cleared and we surveyed the land, Demon Lord Aberis was still standing there. He was panting now, and his clothing was disordered, but that was the extent of it.


    ¡°Did you think things would end any other way?¡±


    ¡°Everyone! Lock him down!¡±


    Everyone raced at him, repeating the same actions as before. This time, he looked upward and laughed.


    ¡°You think you can defeat me that way? You fool!¡±


    The meteor my female half had summoned right before the attack was only about twenty seconds from hitting. If we could keep him at this point, it should be enough to wipe him out. It was our final plan to take him out. If Meteor couldn¡¯t bring him down, then we didn¡¯t know what could.


    He threw his hands up, and a massive beam not dissimilar to what Salicia used, but many levels stronger, exploded out and up. It struck the meteor. There was resistance for a second, but then the meteor began to break away until it became nothing but ashes.

 Chapter 986

    Demon Lord Aberis had defeated our strongest attacks. However, we couldn¡¯t give up just yet. As he was taking care of the meteor, Terra attacked, using the full weight of the golem to slam down on him. He caught her hands just as he finished disintegrating the meteor. There was a booming sound as they collided, but Aberis managed to hold back the golem. His feet sunk into the loose ground, but he otherwise held her back.


    ¡°Attack!¡± Lydia led the charge.


    A dark shield suddenly formed around them, and as everyone¡¯s attacks landed, they were deflected. Cracks started to form on Terra¡¯s golem. They rose from her arms and started spreading across her body. He suddenly spun, throwing Terra toward several of the other girls, forcing them to dive away. The shield dissipated and he exploded out. His direction was Miki!


    ¡°You¡¯ll die first!¡± He shouted, his voice sounding crazed.


    ¡°No!¡± The girls cried out.


    The fastest one, and closest to Miki, was Celeste. She let out a cry, and then her wind-like body started to spin. Her body erupted with power, and she flew at Aberis like a spear.


    ¡°Out of my way!¡± He slashed down with his blade.


    It cut through Celeste, but her body still slammed into him. The Demon Lord was blown back twenty feet. He landed, kneeling slightly. He spat out blood, his clothing torn in several spots. Celeste¡¯s body tried to reform, but it seemed like it just couldn¡¯t do it.


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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ Master¡­ that¡¯s all I have¡­¡± Celeste¡¯s weak voice could be heard.


    Fairies were made out of mana. Once they consumed all mana, it was the same as death. Celeste had put everything into that one attack, even her life. Although her soul would live on, her body slowly faded away. All of the girls looked at the Demon Lord, conviction forming in their expressions. The Demon Lord raced forward again.


    ¡°Protect Miki!¡± Lydia cried out.


    Terra and Carmine jumped in front of her while the others launched attacks on Aberis. He sneered at them like they were nothing. Lydia attacked first, using a sword attack I had never seen before. It seemed to be extremely powerful, and she plunged at Lord Aberis. She struck him, but he struck out at the same time. It wasn¡¯t until she suddenly stumbled away, holding her stomach, that what he had struck with was revealed.


    ¡°No!¡±


    It was the malacrum dagger. He had stabbed Lydia with it. This was a soul reaving dagger. While Celeste and Shao could be reincarnated when the time came, if Lydia died to this dagger, then her death would be permanent. The black infection began to spread from her wound, and she collapsed to the ground. The girls all let out shouts and began to race at him. They were wary of his dagger now, so Salicia and Bernice kept her distance, and Terra and Carmine were much more difficult to cut through.


    ¡°We have to end this now.¡± Deedee spoke up.


    ¡°You mean¡­ that?¡± I cried out.


    ¡°It looks like¡­ you¡¯ll have to carry on from here.¡± Deedee declared. ¡°I¡¯m going for it! Go, try to help Lydia.¡±


    I pulled out the sword and handed it to her. As the bright sword shone in the darkened sky, Aberis grinned.

 Chapter 987

    As Deedee went to fight the Demon Lord Aberis, I went to Lydia¡¯s side. The battle had already fallen far outside my expectations. All of our careful planning had been cut through by him one after another. Now, there was only one more option we had. I kneeled next to Lydia, healing before I even got there. I feared the worst, that she was already dead, but to my surprise, her condition was okay.


    Even more surprising, as I healed her, the dark attribute quickly dissipated. From what I had heard, Deedee had been lightly scrapped by the dagger and had nearly died. Lydia had no strong affinities against miasma, and her wound was many times worse, but I had a feeling like she¡¯d pull through. It made no sense.


    Just as I was about to open my mouth, a dagger fell next to my side. I looked over to it, only to see the malacrum dagger. My eyes slowly rose to see Calypso standing there.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. I only imbued that dagger with a little bit of my miasmic attribute. It makes a good copy, but it ultimately lacks the punch of a malacrum dagger. Don¡¯t get me wrong, it is a soul-reaving dagger. A fatal strike would kill someone¡¯s soul permanently. Your girl here probably has some soul damage, but a wound like that, and a White Mage like you, she¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ tricked the Demon Lord Aberis?¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ I¡¯m very good. Even he can¡¯t see through my tricks.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you got captured?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I was planning to get captured.¡± She snorted. ¡°I had thought if I could stab him with the malacrum knife, he¡¯d die. I succeeded, by the way. The assassination worked perfectly. I was going to replace him, and his armies would have become my own. It didn¡¯t work. He¡¯s resistant to it. It hurt him a little, but he didn¡¯t get sick like you. I think it¡¯s because his soul is only half mana.¡±


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    ¡°Half mana?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ he¡¯s managed to somehow keep his soul in a state half mana, half miasma. It makes him resistant to both weapons, but perhaps if you strike simultaneously.¡±


    I nodded slowly, and then I looked up at her. ¡°Join us.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± She asked in an amused voice. ¡°Why? So, I can become one of your slaves? Do you want me in your harem, Deek?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­ to defeat him¡­¡± I blushed.


    She laughed softly. ¡°It took me enough effort to destroy one Slave bond. I don¡¯t plan to jump into another. If you weren¡¯t distracting him so well, I never would have managed. Don¡¯t make a mistake though, I¡¯m just repaying the favor and helping you accomplish what I want. We aren¡¯t allies. I¡¯m also not convinced you can win. If you all fail, then I still have a chance to eventually get my revenge.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re leaving like that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say you¡¯re growing attached to me.¡± She smirked. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what. I¡¯ll leave her behind.¡±


    She gestured to a woman who was lying unconscious on the floor.


    ¡°Siti? Why?¡± I asked suspiciously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she has been freed from her restraints. I don¡¯t have any desire to spy on you.¡± Calypso chuckled. ¡°My reasoning for giving her up is rather simple. She¡¯s not gay.¡±


    I blinked, ¡°What?¡±


    Calypso gave an innocent shrug. ¡°She doesn¡¯t like women. Believe me or not, but I don¡¯t like forcing women against their will. I prefer to taste a confused woman and unlock their true hidden desires. Deedee¡­ for example, would have been a fun girl to taste. She really likes women.¡±


    Her eyes fell on my other half, who was currently preparing for a final attack while the remaining party desperately held the Demon Lord Aberis down.


    ¡°It¡¯s too bad I¡¯ll never get to taste her. Perhaps, I¡¯ll just have to eat you instead.¡± Her last words sounded right next to my ear.


    I spun back to look at her, but she had somehow disappeared. Calypso had left the battlefield, but she had given me a key to victory. I had Aberis¡¯s knife!

 Chapter 988

    With the malacrum dagger in my hand, I didn¡¯t immediately join the attack. Instead, I waited for the right moment. As I did so, I activated my dungeon points and rearranged my skills once again. I warned the girls that the knife in his hand wouldn¡¯t kill them, allowing them to act more boldly. The message quickly spread to the girls on Deedee¡¯s side as well.


    While I was setting us up for victory, Deedee had finally made her move. With the sword in her hands, Demon Lord Aberis had become much more interested in her presence. His eyes were focused on her, an insolent grin on his face. To her credit, Deedee kept a calm demeanor that seemed unaffected by his dark gaze. She threw back her glare and gazed at him defiantly. It looked rather cool. I wish I knew how she did that.


    Aberis attacked, and the two exchanged several blows. With the pressure and restraint of the other girls though, his movements were limited, and she was able to keep up with him. That momentum could change in an instant. They were just feeling each other out again. Once skills started flying, it was anyone¡¯s guess where things would go. The entire battle could flip in an instant. We had already lost three girls. Celeste and Shao were dead, while Lydia was out of commission.


    I touched her and used spatial magic to send her a distance away, where Raissa was. We didn¡¯t allow Raissa to be in the battle. She was pregnant with my kid, after all. While the Tibults ran the army, Raissa¡¯s job was corpse collection. She had plenty of sneaking skills. She was no assassin like Shao, but she was a survivor. She went out where the fighting had ended and fetched back people, who could then be resurrected.


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    Although a resurrected person couldn¡¯t rejoin the fight immediately as Calypso had managed with her dungeon, they could rest behind the walls of Chalm, and if push came to shove, add to the defense of the city. If, for example, we managed to kill Aberis, but his army survived, those extra reinforcements could give the city time to hold out. It was just one of the many possibilities we had to prepare for. Either way, we had learned from Calypso as well as overseas that the potential to resurrect allies was a powerful gift in winning a war, and I intended to use that gift to its fullest.


    Deedee finally pulled out her ultimate weapon. I finished up with what I was doing and then prepared to lend my aid. We also sent Slave Communications, letting the other girls know what was coming next. The truth was that we weren¡¯t certain what was about to happen. It was another untested attack with an unknown result. It could kill Deedee. It might even destroy her soul.


    It had been some time since I had last played with combination skills. Any skill you currently had could be mixed with external mana, and it¡¯d cause it to form a new skill. Any individual only had the power to do this once per mana type. However, the girls had discovered that if you used multiple external mana sources, then you can create still other skills. We had access to spirit fire, miasma, fairy dust, and Gaia. There might be other sources, but I hadn¡¯t discovered them yet.


    For the strongest ability, one could combine all four. That¡¯s what Deedee pulled out right then. It was a set of all four mana sources which were gathered prior. She broke open the containers and immediately pooled the mana into her strike. That strike was Final Blow. There was no saying what Final Blow, one of the most sacrificing attacks of the True Hero, would do when supported by four different mana sources.


    ¡°Death Strike!¡± Deedee cried out as she gave her attack.

 Chapter 989

    Although combination skills were powerful, and a helpful skill when necessary, I hadn¡¯t bothered to develop them. It made more sense to gain power by spending our time leveling. Any interesting thing we unlocked using combination was a thing of pure luck. I didn¡¯t like having fights depend on luck. One might ask why I didn¡¯t have every girl use every mana source and unlock every skill, and the answer to that was simple. How could I predict which skill would be useful? Even if I did come up with a more powerful attack, I could get those just as easily levelling up. Who says a more powerful attack would even be useful in a future desperate situation?


    Besides, if a level 30 skill developed a powerful combination skill, then wouldn¡¯t a level 90 skill develop an even more powerful combination skill? By wasting all of our skill slots, I¡¯d be restricting everyone¡¯s abilities. Thus, I had to leave it to situations like this, where the result of combining the skills could only be guessed, and not certain. Naturally, we hadn¡¯t planned to get to this point, but fighting Aberis truly had been more difficult than I had ever thought possible.


    Although Deedee¡¯s attack was what we were hedging our bets on, the other girls attacked as well to increase the likelihood of it succeeding. They each used their strongest attack, and I was no different. When we all attacked, Lord Aberis had some kind of repelling shield. He launched it now, but this time our attacks were far more brutal. We were going to force our way through his defenses.


    ¡°You¡¯re all going to die!¡± He screamed as a half dozen attacks landed on him.


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    Only two weapons managed to slice through his shield. The first was Deedee¡¯s sword, supported by her death strike. The second was me, using the malacrum dagger and the same skill Shao liked to use, Backstab. I never used Backstab before. It wasn¡¯t my style. I also didn¡¯t use daggers normally. However, it felt like a suiting attack for the situation. It came from Demon Knight¡¯s level 15. That didn¡¯t seem like a knightly ability¡­ but they were demons after all.


    I didn¡¯t power it with external mana though. There was no saying what the attack would turn into. It really was a gamble Deedee took. It was one that could easily kill her. We both couldn¡¯t afford to die to take this gamble, so she took on the burden while I supported her. In the end, it was an ability called Death Strike. Neither of us knew exactly what it meant until it landed on him.


    To make it land, my attack struck first. His eyes popped open in shock as her sword sliced through his defensive shield. He was so focused on her, that my Backstab worked. He let out a shriek as he was stabbed in the back with a malacrum dagger. It would have done a lot more damage if it had been Shao doing this, but there was no use crying over that now.


    The distraction was just enough, and the sword struck as well. With the malacrum striking his back, and the silvthril in the front, it was truly a brutal hit. Which was why we were shocked when a force field seemed to strike us. Everyone was thrown back by a massive wave. It felt like getting struck by a bus, and I had to heal myself before I was able to stand again. For Deedee, the attack was far more damaging.


    ¡°You¡­ are going to regret that.¡± A voice came from the epicenter.


    We all stare in disbelief as a disheveled demon lord stood there. His eyes had turned black, and his skin looked charred black. He looked more dead than alive.

 Chapter 990

    ¡°How can you still be alive?¡± Terra shouted out.


    ¡°Heh, you think I¡¯d seek out silvthril and malacrum weapons if I¡¯d be vulnerable to them?¡± He sneered, his skin hissing like it was burning. ¡°Then again¡­ I didn¡¯t expect that Death Strike. To think you would use a death curse on me. That¡¯s a very high-level skill. It seems you have more secrets up your sleeves. When I win, I will make you all my slaves and learn all of your secrets!¡±


    ¡°Death curse? S-so you¡¯re dying?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ true¡­ eh¡­¡± He grabbed his stomach for a second and then righted himself.


    The black burning seemed to resonate from where Deedee had struck. It had grown to cover most of his chest and reach his neck, but there it had stopped. It seemed to undulate like it was being healed as quickly as it was progressing. He looked to be in a lot of pain. We all started to feel some hope. That¡¯s when he exploded into motion once again. His target was extremely obvious. He was going for Miki. If he succeeded in killing her, there is no saying where his soul would go. He¡¯d be able to resurrect himself again, even with the dungeon covering him.


    ¡°You won¡¯t!¡± Salicia attacked.


    He caught her sword with the palm of his hand. It caught in, but he headbutted her. Then spun her over. He took the sword from her hand and then slammed it into her abdomen. She let out a cry as she was pinned to the ground.


    ¡°Back off!¡± Carmine bashed her shield into him, preventing him from doing a killing blow on her sister.


    He slugged her shield so hard his hand dislocated. Her shield cracked and then exploded. She stumbled back over a black goo that had appeared under her. Tendrils shot out and grabbed her. She tried to wrestle them, but they quickly bound her. With her heavy armor, she couldn¡¯t fight them off as they dragged her down. The Demon Lord Aberis had already moved on.


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    ¡°Deek¡­¡± Deedee called to me.


    She was on her feet with healing, but her expression was gaunt and it was clear her body couldn¡¯t handle much more. She had a look in her eye. I gave a slight nod. I began casting a spell. She tossed me the sword before turning to Aberis. As for her, she attacked Aberis, but she had no weapon on her at all.


    ¡°I¡¯ll enjoy eating your soul!¡± Aberis grabbed Deedee by the neck as she raced at him and picked her up.


    He began to use Absorb on her, sucking up her life force. At this point, he had stopped holding back. He was no longer trying to protect his body. We had reached the end. It was do or die. As for him, he was going to kill Miki no matter what it took. As for Deedee, she was just an appetizer.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to torture them all,¡± Aberis whispered in Deedee¡¯s ear.


    A small smile formed on Deedee¡¯s face. It was only at that moment that Aberis, in his rage, had realized she had run at him with no attack and no weapon.


    ¡°Self-destruct,¡± She yelled.


    ¡°No!¡±


    He tried to throw her, but just at that moment, Terra in her golem wrapped her arms around them both, holding them together. There was an explosion. Deedee¡¯s final attack was a sacrifice. She burned her life to destroy him. It¡¯d cause damage to her soul and it obliterated her body. This kind of attack permanently weakened someone.


    Even if she could be resurrected, she¡¯d never be as strong as she once was. It was that kind of attack. It wasn¡¯t even at a level of regaining experience. She had burned away a piece of herself, and that power would never return. Her levels wouldn¡¯t drop, but her status would. From then on, Deek would be much stronger than her. She had sacrificed that edge.


    As the blast which shook the battlefield cleared. Terra had been thrown back. Her armor fell away in pieces, but the girl herself managed to stumble out, still alive. Terra¡¯s defensive ability couldn¡¯t be ignored. Deedee was no longer there. Aberis was gone as well.


    I let out a breath of relief as I finished my task. Then, a hand erupted from the ground. Aberis climbed out of the dirt. His hair had been burnt off, and he looked like a skeleton, with most of his flesh desiccated or withered. As soon as he ripped free of the earth he had buried himself in, he began to stumble toward Miki.


    ¡°He-he¡¯s still alive!¡± Miki cried out.


    The battle wasn¡¯t over.

 Chapter 991

    There was a distinct difference between defeating a Demon Lord and killing a Demon Lord. If it came to defeat, we might have won a dozen times already. We had continually weakened and damaged him over and over again, paying blood with blood. Deedee, Celeste and Shao were dead. Lydia and Salicia were out of commission. Terra¡¯s mech was destroyed. Now, there was just a beaten Terra, Bernice who was out of bullets, an entangled Carmine, an exhausted me, and Miki, who had all of her focus on keeping his soul in his body.


    We had pushed him closer to death than he had ever felt before, and all sanity seemed to have left the demon lord. His only goal now was to kill Miki. Killing her was life for him. We had pushed him into this corner time and time again, not giving him a chance to flee. His pride ultimately overwhelmed any caution he had in the beginning, but now that it came to this, he was like an unstoppable monster. With a roar that sounded more animal than human, he began to race at Miki. It was a horrifying sight that even made her flinch.


    ¡°This ends now! Final Blow!¡±


    I attacked him using my last attack. He barely even blocked it, taking the attack head on. I felt him strike me. I felt something pierce my stomach, and then I was slammed into the ground. I looked up in shock to see him stumbling away. My attack had struck him, but the blow had only served to further make him inhuman. His skeleton was exposed in numerous parts. Blood dripped down his body from every pore. He no longer had lips or eyelids. He acted like he no longer felt pain.


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    I then looked down to see a hole in my stomach. I went to cast magic, but I realized I couldn¡¯t cast anything but light heal. My mana was exhausted. I was slipping in and out of consciousness. Desperately, I rolled over, trying to crawl toward the skeletal monster that was once the demon lord.


    ¡°You won¡¯t.¡±  Carmine had managed to free herself and attack, but without her shield, he quickly dispatched her.


    ¡°Die, demon!¡± Bernice had managed to find a blade.


    She had been a fast swordsman before a sharpshooter, but he handled her sword like it was nothing, letting it embed in his arm before striking her in the face. She flew back. It was unclear whether she was alive or dead.


    ¡°You¡¯ll stop here!¡± Terra leaped between Miki and the demon lord, raising a wall of earth.


    He smashed through it. She raised another. He smashed through it as well. By the time the third went up, he had closed the distance, and before she could get another, he was on her. She had stumbled back onto her butt, and could barely raise her arms defensively before he raised his foot and smashed it down. Terra¡¯s head was crushed, and she died right there.


    He lifted his head, and his eyes fell on Miki. She was the last one standing on the field.

 Chapter 992

    The world was dark, and the wind was whipping around the pair of them wildly.


    ¡°I have to say¡­ I¡¯m impressed. I¡¯ve never been pushed to this state before.¡± Even his voice came out raspy and inhuman. ¡°I will take great pleasure in resurrecting you all and torturing you for all eternity.¡±


    He bared his teeth in what might have been a smile if he had any flesh to speak of. It was a bloody and horrifying smile. Miki¡¯s legs were shaking, and it was all she could do to remain standing. She still did as she had been ordered through. She put everything into locking his soul in his body.


    Although it had looked like she had only stood there since the beginning, from the moment she had locked down the demon lord, they had been in just as viscous of a struggle as any of them. Normally, Miki could lock down a person¡¯s soul, and it would remain locked for some time. However, the demon lord was able to break against that wall, tearing it down and freeing his soul.


    After so many times fleeing his body, keeping his soul in there was like trying to hold a fish underwater. Miki had to maintain her control every second, and if she slipped for a moment, his soul could leave and jump to someone else nearby and hide. Finding out who might be impossible, as he would use all of his power to hide.


    Thus, she had nothing left. She couldn¡¯t cast a single spell in defense. She was as helpless as a lamb for the slaughter. Still, she held his soul, keeping it in his body and praying for a miracle. She did as her Master had ordered her until the very end.


    ¡°Do you have any last words?¡± He responded.


    Now that victory was assured, his madness had subsided, and his arrogance had resurfaced. He wanted to savor this moment of victory.


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    ¡°You¡¯re going to die,¡± Miki declared with a defiant stare despite her own shaking.


    Feeling something off, Aberis looked up, and then made an irritated noise. ¡°Another meteor! When had he summoned that? Your Master was truly an irritating bastard!¡±


    It was only going to hit in about twenty seconds. It didn¡¯t matter though. Aberis had long since over-drafted his soul. What was one more meteor? It would be thousands of years before he regained his former strength. That was the level he was damaged. That didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t a patient man. Why, if a man went into a time-dilated dungeon, he could cross a thousand years in ten if he wanted to.


    He lifted his hands and began to summon another beam to destroy the meteor. Miki¡¯s expression fell. She had been certain he was out of mana now. How had he managed to have so much power and strength? She could only look over the battlefield of her fallen comrades to realize that perhaps they were the arrogant ones. They had been convinced of a certain victory. For all the strength Deek and his companions possessed, they were weak in the grand scheme of things. The Demon King would be even stronger than this demon lord, and he was ultimately too much for them. Her eyes fell down, and then hope surged through her.


    Just as the beam was about to shoot out and destroy the meteor, a hand grabbed Aberis¡¯s ankle. He instinctively looked down, where I was laying. I had crawled there, a stream of blood in my wake. Our eyes met.


    ¡°Self¡­ Destruct¡­.¡±


    Y-y-you¡­ Nooooo!¡±


    He kicked, but I held on to his ankle like a vice. Carmine jumped between Miki and the pair. She had managed to use all she had left to stand up. With the last of her strength, Carmine grabbed Miki, turning and shielding her just as the explosion erupted. Carmine¡¯s armor was destroyed. This was the powerful Light Armor from the Twilight dungeon, and now it was scrapped. The explosion had also burned most of her back. Miki rolled her over as Carmine coughed-up blood, death overtaking her. She had used her own body to save Miki. That was because Miki still had a job to do.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t fair at all¡­¡± A voice caused Miki¡¯s spine to tingle.


    She turned to see Demon Lord Aberis still there, but he had no legs, and half of his body was gone. He was looking up at the sky now, not at her. He was watching the meteor descend on him, a strangely calm expression on his face.


    ¡°I was¡­ supposed to be a god.¡± These were the last words he spoke at the meteor hit.


    The Demon Lord Aberis died.

 Chapter 993

    ¡°Deek?¡±


    My eyes opened and I lifted my body. Although I had just been resurrected, I didn¡¯t feel weak at all. I looked around to see I was on a familiar altar that priests used to resurrect people. However, there wasn¡¯t a single priest, but dozens. Miki also seemed to be leading them in some kind of magic circle. She had all of her tails out, and she was gasping for breath like she had just finished a marathon.


    ¡°How much time has passed?¡± I asked.


    Everyone looked at each other before looking at me. I noticed the girls didn¡¯t run to hug me either.


    ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days. The priests¡­ had trouble resurrecting you. It took Resurrection with a good amount of fairy dust and mana to bring you back.¡± Lydia spoke uncertainly.


    Of all the girls, she looked the most beat up. That¡¯s because she was the only one to survive. I guessed she had refused to be healed while others were dead. Thus, she had been healing naturally.


    ¡°Are¡­ you okay, Master?¡± Elaya seemed strangely cautious.


    ¡°Hmm? Yeah¡­ is the Demon Lord Aberis gone?¡±


    ¡°Eradicated. I held the shield until the meteor strike. There is no way his soul didn¡¯t perish with his body.¡± Miki responded, sitting down as she dropped her form, looking dead-tired.


    ¡°And everyone has been resurrected?¡±


    ¡°You were the last.¡±


    ¡°Good. Ah, I think I recall a wedding in a day or two, right? I think we could all use a celebration, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Master, what exactly do you remember?¡± Astria asked.


    ¡°Remember? I mean, I remember everything. I was split in two, then I went to Twilight Dungeon. Ah, but I also visited Bandit¡¯s Respite¡­ Wait¡­ I remember both memories!¡±


    The girls all let out breaths of relief.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s like that.¡± Lydia sighed.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I can only guess,¡± Elaya spoke up. ¡°But it seems like the damage each of you took by using Self-Sacrifice had created the conditions needed for your souls to reunite upon death. You¡¯ve now formed a new soul, a combination of the two of you.¡±


    ¡°We combined¡­¡± I responded thoughtfully, and then looked down in desperation. ¡°I¡¯m not a futa, am I?¡±


    ¡°Ah! No! We checked!¡± Lydia declared.


    I raised an eyebrow as some of the girls blushed. Only Lydia would admit such a thing proudly. The things that happened while I was unconscious might be better off unknown.


    ¡°You are¡­ different though,¡± Terra responded, sounding uncertain.


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    ¡°How?¡± I stood up and then blinked. ¡°Ah¡­ why is everyone so short.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ might want to look at a mirror.¡± Elaya moved a hand, creating a magic mirror in the air that showed my entire body.


    I looked in it to see the changes. My face had somehow become a combination of Deedee and Deek¡¯s features. So, I had a softer, more attractive face, with long lashes, soft lips, nice cheek bones, but also a strong chin and a distinctly masculine appearance. My body was tall. I was as tall as an Osterian, 6 ft 6 inches by my guess, the same height as Alysia. My muscles were extremely lean. My skin was smooth and pale. I had dark, silky hair that flowed down my shoulders, and my eyes were a piercing blue. In short, I was¡­


    ¡°Really hot.¡±


    ¡°Master is a stud.¡±


    ¡°If Master says he¡¯s well, can we play with him now?¡±


    I was stunned, not sure what to say. I had once been a fat, short guy that people would call a pig. While I would never say I was ugly, I was plain at best. Over time, I had grown to a standard height, and lost weight, and gained muscles. Even then, I might have been sort of attractive, but my face was still my face. Now, I looked like a pretty boy. I was too tall, muscular, and rugged to be confused for a woman, but Deedee¡¯s features had made my skin soft and silky, my hair smooth, and my body lean.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just your body that has changed, but also your soul,¡± Elaya spoke up.


    ¡°My¡­ soul?¡±


    ¡°Deedee¡¯s soul was karmic, and your soul was mana. The two souls combined to form something else. She possessed a piece of mana in her karmic soul leftover from you, and you contained a piece of miasma in your mana soul, a result of your entanglement with dungeons. This allowed your souls to perfectly unite. A combination of light and darkness, perfectly balanced. Neither will win.


    ¡°You mean¡­ yin and yang?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve heard of the yin-yang soul? Yes, this is what you possess now. It was a mythical thing. Usually, miasma corrupts mana or mana purified miasma. One wins out in the end. With you, that will never be the case. It should also go without saying you¡¯re immune to the effects of the malacrum and silvthril blades.¡±


    ¡°Demon Lord Aberis had something like that.¡±


    ¡°He was trying to make it, using spells and tricks to which I couldn¡¯t guess. It did make him immune, but it was an incomplete soul. Yours is complete. More than complete. Both of you had a nearly full soul. They¡¯ve combined, making your soul nearly double in size. Your soul is larger than anything I¡¯ve ever seen. The strength of it cannot be understated. You saw how far Aberis managed to get by burning his soul force. His soul was a tattered broken thing compared to you.¡±


    ¡°Is there a risk my soul will split again?¡± I asked cautiously.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s far too thick. The union was perfect. This is an event that I don¡¯t believe has ever happened before. You Deek, are truly unique now.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°What does Master want to do now?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel very tired at all,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯d like to test this body out, and see what its limits are.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Do you want to spar? Xin is busy trying to fix the dungeon. She might be the best to spar with.¡±


    I stood up, and as I did, something down below started to grow erect. ¡°Actually, I had other tests in mind. You will all be needed for it.


    ¡°M-master!¡± Terra blushed.


    ¡°So bold!¡± Elaya cried.


    ¡°E-even that¡¯s bigger!¡± Celeste added excitedly.


    I grabbed the girls up in my arms, preparing to ravish them. The girls who were present were Lydia, Terra, Miki, Celeste, Shao, Elaya, Astria, Carmine, Salicia, and Raissa. It was certainly a lot of girls, but now that I towered over them, it didn¡¯t seem like too many at all. In fact, they felt just right. I stopped just as I started fondling them and looked up at the priests still in the room.


    ¡°Ah, you guys might want to leave. This entire room is about to become a splash zone.¡±


    The priests, with bright red faces, fled the room.


    ¡°That man, I¡¯d be jealous if I didn¡¯t respect him so much.¡±


    ¡°Did we defeat the Demon lord just to replace him with another?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but did you see that thing, I feel sorry for those girls.¡±


    I felt in good spirits, and also much bolder than I used to, but that didn¡¯t mean my skin was made of stone. I blushed at some of the words spoken as they left the room. I mean, I didn¡¯t stop, but I made sure every woman present left satisfied.

 Chapter 994

    ¡°Ahhnn¡­ Master.¡± Lydia purred as I squeezed her butt.


    ¡°I miss Master¡¯s breasts.¡± Celeste pouted. ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    I reached with my free hand and grabbed her, pulling her up to me. Her wings shimmered as I brought her up to me.


    ¡°Is there not enough breasts in here for you?¡± I asked, kissing her neck softly.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Master¡­ not there, I¡¯m weak.¡± She fluttered. ¡°It¡¯s just, Hah¡­ I want Master.¡±


    ¡°Then, you can have me.¡± I sucked her neck until she was a quivering mess.


    ¡°Just because you¡¯ve got a new body that¡¯s bigger doesn¡¯t mean you can bully us!¡± Shao whined.


    ¡°How could I ever bully the lot of you? You¡¯re my beautiful women.¡± I chuckled, reaching out and grabbing Shao and pulled her up to my chest.


    She grew shy as soon as I grabbed her. Although she could be a bit overbearing in the love department, when it came to contact, she was extremely docile.


    ¡°I for one, deeply enjoy the new Deek.¡± Elaya purred, grabbing my cock.


    She was between my legs, and she had been sucking on my member up until now. If the former King Aberis saw his wife acting in such a manner, he would surely be driven into a rage.


    ¡°Master! This old lady is getting her slobber all over your special parts. Can I get rid of her?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°Old lady!¡± she growled. ¡°Of the two of us, you stink of death even more than me, and I¡¯m already dead!¡¯


    ¡°Terra, she said your breasts are flat! Join me in removing her!¡± Miki responded with a toothy grin.


    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t say that? I mean¡­ they clearly are¡­ but why would I state the obvious?¡± Elaya said thoughtfully.


    ¡°Agreed. We¡¯ll destroy her!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ stop pulling me! Astria! Protect me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± my ball suddenly pushed up, and a head popped out from under my chart. ¡°Why don¡¯t you protect yourself!¡±


    The other girls stopped when they saw where Astria had been, looking at her with odd looks.


    ¡°What are you doing down there?¡± Miki asked.


    Astria put on a dark grin. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know!¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ Master sure has become a pervert since he¡¯s been put back together.¡± Salicia giggled.


    ¡°What? It¡¯s not me!¡± I cried out, I honestly thought that was Elaya¡¯s hand. ¡°I swear I didn¡¯t know she was down there.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ mom always finds the best places!¡±


    Astria looked over at her daughter, her arms wrapped over my ball sack. ¡°Hey daughter, come join me.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡±


    ¡°There are two balls, aren¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Celeste suddenly shrank, a weight on my shoulder disappearing like the wind as she fluttered down.


    I shifted Shao to where she had been and then lunged down. ¡°Oh no, you two don¡¯t!¡±


    With two hands I managed to grab both girls. With a fairy in each hand, I dragged them up to eye level.


    ¡°H-hey! Unhand me! I¡¯m a fairy queen!¡±


    ¡°M-master! I just want to make you happy!¡±


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    ¡°You two damn fairies have given me enough trouble!¡± I glared at the pair of them. ¡°It¡¯s time for punishment.


    ¡°P-punishment?¡± Astria¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Hmph, I¡¯ll take anything you¡­ Ahhhh! Wh-wh-wh-what are you doing!¡±


    I grabbed her and then licked her, using the top of my tongue from the bottom of her body to the top. I then did the same to her daughter.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Master¡­ y-you¡¯re tongue!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all sticky.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m covered in Master¡¯s fluids!¡±


    ¡°I love it!¡±


    ¡°More!¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ stick out your tongue.¡±


    ¡°What? Lwick dwis?¡± I stuck out as I let go of the two wet girls.


    That both fluttered to my face. Each one landed on a cheek. They then pushed their nethers together, wrapping their legs around my tongue, one on each side. Essentially, they started to scissor each other, but with my tongue in the middle.


    ¡°Ahh! Master¡­ ahh! It¡¯s so wet. It¡¯s amazing!¡±


    ¡°Master¡¯s tongue is the best!¡±


    ¡°Dwis is swill nwot the weirdess thang I¡¯ve done with thwese fawies.¡± I let out a sigh.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stand it anymore!¡± Shao cried out, ¡°I want Master inside me!¡±


    I grabbed the fairies and pulled them off me as Shao tried to grab my junk. She was blocked by both Elaya and Lydia, who were also trying to go first.


    ¡°Hey¡­ Master¡­ I was almost there!¡± Celeste whined.


    ¡°Fufu¡­ I already came.¡± Astria chuckled.


    ¡°I just recently unlocked a Harem Master job. I guess testing our relationship by pitting you against my two halves and each other was really good experience. My level in Harem Master job is now at 50.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± The girls all perked up at that.


    Most of my jobs, if I talked to them, they¡¯d be generally disinterested, but they seemed to be really interested in my Harem Master ability. It was a lot of odd abilities. Most of them seemed to be centered around strengthening the girls, increasing their loyalty, and making it easier for new girls to join. Well, I wasn¡¯t trying to make the number expand, but a recent skill fascinated me.


    ¡°It¡¯s called Perfect Union. It links all of you together, so you feel everything.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit dangerous?¡± Terra asked hesitantly.


    ¡°I thought so too, but I tested it out in the dungeon while blocking my connection to all of you, and it seems to work by connecting you all to a proxy.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ proxy?¡± Celeste blinked, but when she looked at her mom, the other woman shrugged.


    ¡°Ah¡­ if it works out I think, then basically, one of you becomes the proxy, and then the rest of you can experience what she¡¯s feeling.¡±


    Elaya gasped. ¡°Are you saying¡­¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I can have sex with one of you, and all of you can experience what she experiences, so in a way, you all get it at the same time.¡±


    ¡°I volunteer!¡± Shao raised her hand.


    ¡°Wait¡­ we should talk about this first,¡± Elaya spoke up. ¡°Naturally, I am the best choice.¡±


    ¡°Why an old woman like you?¡± Miki snapped.


    ¡°Silly girl. Isn¡¯t it because I have the best libido?¡±


    ¡°Actually, that might make Elaya the worst choice,¡± Terra spoke up. ¡°Some girls have more stamina than others. We wouldn¡¯t want to break the most fragile of us because the proxy is too rambunctious.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking similar thoughts,¡± I admitted. ¡°Although I was thinking more in line with sensitivity.¡±


    ¡°S-sensitivity?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re feeling what another girl experiences. Just because one of you can last longer, that might just mean you experience a weaker sexual experience. So, if we¡¯re being technical, it should be the girl who would have the most enjoyable experience.¡±


    ¡°She should be flexible.¡± Astria declared.


    ¡°She should have tits that aren¡¯t too big.¡± Miki declared.


    ¡°Or too small!¡± Celeste shot back.


    ¡°She should be light, that rules out Terra.¡± Elaya stuck out her tongue.


    ¡°That cuts out you and your whale tits too!¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ someone who would have the most enjoyable experience.¡± Lydia scrunched her brain. ¡°Ah! You mean someone who hasn¡¯t had a lot of experiences with Master!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Well, who would have the best experience with Master? It¡¯d be someone who hasn¡¯t had a lot of opportunities to sleep with him!¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ okay¡­ okay¡­ I¡¯ll do it,¡± Salicia said, raising her hands with a grin on her face.


    This was only the second time I slept with Salicia. Even her sister Carmine I had slept with more often than that.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a masochist, sister?¡± Carmine said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ he only has to choke me a little bit to get off, you¡¯ll all like it!¡±


    All the girls let out noises of displeasure. That was when Lydia cleared her throat.


    ¡°Actually, I was thinking of someone else.¡± She turned her head, looking over at the corner of the room.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to the corner, where a small girl was quietly kneeling. She hadn¡¯t said anything to the point where one would have forgotten she was there. As soon as she noticed everyone looking at her, she looked up, her ears perking and her tail starting to wag.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°She¡­ she¡¯s only been with him twice now.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s pregnant, so he¡¯ll definitely be gentle.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s light, with average breasts.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s very easy to please.¡±


    She looked confused, but it seemed like people were complimenting her so her tail started beating faster.


    ¡°Raissa¡­ it¡¯s decided again. Any objections?¡±


    Even though some of the girls looked unhappy, that was just their own desire to monopolize me. In the end, everyone nodded. It seemed like they had decided on her. If it was the girl I had been with the least, it¡¯d be Salicia, but Raissa wasn¡¯t too far behind. We had only been together twice now.


    ¡°Raissa.¡± I sat up. ¡°Do you want to have sex?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ wants to have sex?¡± Her tail suddenly went three times faster. ¡°Yes¡­ Master! Please!¡±


    With a look of pure desire, she leaped on the bed like she had been waiting her whole life for this moment.


    ¡°Th-then, I guess we¡¯ll try it out.¡± I blushed as she excitedly jumped on me.


    For the first time, I was going to sleep with everyone at once.

 Chapter 994.5

    ¡°So, you understand what I¡¯m going to do?¡± I asked, making sure Raissa caught the story.


    ¡°Master, it¡¯s okay. I trust you with my everything,¡± she said, and then blushed.


    I felt like blushing too. In the past, I had always avoided Raissa. I had thought since our time in the gladiatorial rink, that she resented me for getting her pregnant. Although we had reconciled our feelings for each other a bit since then, due to various situations, I hadn¡¯t given the mother of one of my children as much time as she deserved.


    The former me would have ignored her feelings. I would have convinced myself it was just because of my charm that she liked me. Even after our little talk, I had kept my distance because I wanted to keep her safe. Ever since I had almost lost her fighting Calypso, I had been nervous about putting her at any risk. However, after being divided and being forced to take a good look at the pieces that made me up, and perhaps a little help from mimic, which had me walk in other people¡¯s shoes, I could read and understand her a lot easier.


    Raissa loved me. Just one look and I knew this was true. In fact, all the women in this room loved me. That¡¯s why I had decided to spend my time with them. I was sure there were a lot of other important matters to attend, but for this brief moment, after everything we had been through, I just wanted to be with these women whom I adored.


    ¡°Then, I will begin.¡±


    Every skill was initiated differently. Some required condensed mana and some required you to exude your willpower. The how of it instantly popped into your head the second you thought about using the skill. That was how the skill system worked. If you paid close attention to your actions, you could slowly and steadily learn the skills, and even replicate them without the need for the system at all. If you lacked the requisite requirements, then the skill would fail and you could even hurt yourself. As a result, someone slowly learned skills from basic jobs and then moved on to more advanced jobs. This is why, while there was a lot of redundancy, Apprentice Magician would just repeat everything in Master Magician, yet a Master Magician could still use all of those skills.


    For this particular skill, it required a bit of time to cast. It was more like a ceremony, which I had to do for Raissa. As I concentrated on the skill, I could glean knowledge about it. For example, I was certain it wouldn¡¯t hurt the pregnancy. The only thing her pregnancy would do is make all of the women feel like they were a few months pregnant just like Raissa. Strangely enough, that made them want to do this even more. The magic took after the ceremony finished, and with a flash, it should be done. I leaned over Raissa.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to test to see if it works.¡±


    ¡°O-okay.¡±


    I reached out and pinched her.


    ¡°Ow!¡± It was Elaya who cried out. ¡°M-master why couldn¡¯t you have tested it with something pleasant!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡°S-so¡­ this is what it feels like to have Master¡¯s baby¡­¡± Shao stroked her abdomen in bliss like she was pregnant herself.


    ¡°I feel¡­ really horny. Raissa is a big horndog.¡±


    ¡°Eh!¡± Raissa¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°N-Not true¡­¡±


    ¡°She wants it so bad¡­ it aches, stick it in already, Master!¡± Miki complained.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s not that bad¡­¡± Raissa blushed.


    ¡°I feel like I haven¡¯t had sex in months!¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t!¡± Raissa shot.


    ¡°Give it to her! Stop teasing so much!¡± Terra shot out.


    ¡°You all!¡± I shot all the girls a look.


    The only one who seemed to be acting normal was Raissa. All of the other girls had red cheeks and were shaking. They were sitting around the bed, getting in various positions depending on what they found comfortable. Astria and Celeste held each other, while Lydia sat on a pillow with her knees held to her chest, and Salicia lay with her legs spread open. They should all be experiencing the same thing, so did that mean that Raissa just had a lot of restraint? Well, that kind of made sense. I didn¡¯t realize I had been leaving her in so much agony.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master¡­¡± She covered her face in embarrassment.


    Even now, having her real feelings voiced out made her feel bad. She was cute in a lot of ways. I grabbed her arms, and pulled her hands away from her face, revealing her flushed cheeks and watery eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re the mother of my child and my woman. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve treated you fairly. That¡¯s why, from now on, I will make sure to take care of you properly. I love you, Raissa.


    ¡°Ahhhn!¡±


    ¡°Sh-she came!¡±


    ¡°So easy!¡±


    ¡°Th-this might be a problem¡­ she¡¯s too easy!¡±


    ¡°N-not true!¡± Raissa tried to argue, but with all these women confirming, she couldn¡¯t hide it, even if the sudden tightening of her legs and shivering didn¡¯t give it away.


    I ignored the other girls, and instead focused on Raissa. This wasn¡¯t the first time I had sex with an audience. I had even done that recently with Salicia, so I was better at blocking them out now. I gently began to undress her, removing her clothing one article at a time. I had already lost my clothing earlier, so we were both naked at this point.


    All of the other girls had left the bed, finding spots around the room with blankets or pillows. As the Master of a Mansion, my bedroom was quite large, and the bed was an extra-sized bed where I regularly snuggled up with 5+ women. Thus, there was a fair amount of room as well. Raissa lay under me, her hands covering her chest as her cheeks glowed red. Many of the more expressive girls were panting though, giving away the arousal she was trying to hide. She was lying on her tail, but if it was free, it¡¯d probably be wagging like crazy.


    I reached up and stroked one of her animal ears. She closed her eyes and bit her lip. Some of the other girls let out cries.


    ¡°A-are ears that sensitive?¡± Terra cried out.


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    ¡°Th-they can be¡­¡± Miki twisted her legs together.


    ¡°Bite her ear!¡± Lydia encouraged.


    ¡°N-no! D-don¡¯t!¡± Raissa cried.


    ¡°You mean like¡­ num.¡± I bit on her ear.


    ¡°Ahhhn!¡±


    ¡°Cumming again!¡±


    ¡°Too easy! She¡¯s too easy to please!¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­mmmm!¡± her body shook under me.


    I decided to stop teasing her and by extension the other girls. Before she could say anything else, I pressed my lips against her and gently kissed her. As I lay on top of her, my knees pushed down between her legs, making sure I didn¡¯t put any pressure on her stomach. It was just the smallest bump. One wouldn¡¯t even be able to see it if she wasn¡¯t completely naked.


    My tongue explored her mouth, and the pair of us kissed. The other girls had gone silent. I didn¡¯t know how it felt to be kissed while not actually kissing. Were they Frenching the air or something? It might look kind of silly, but I didn¡¯t want to break off things with Raissa to watch. Instead, I focused on Raissa. Under me, she felt so small and fragile. I wasn¡¯t extremely muscular or heavy, but I was tall and well built. While Raissa wasn¡¯t as short as Miki or Terra, she wasn¡¯t the tallest girl either.


    I finally broke my kiss from her. She was now breathing hard, no longer hiding her lust and desires. Her eyes looked up at me with longing and trust. I reached down and put her breast gently in my mouth. It was just a bit too big to suck the whole thing, but I could get most of it in my mouth. She cried out, her hands grabbing the back of my hair.


    ¡°A-amazing¡­¡± Carmine gasped.


    ¡°I-is this what having small breasts feels like, I can feel his mouth all over it.¡± Elaya moaned.


    The bigger breasted girls could only ever have a tongue lick their nipples or little parts of their breasts. But, a girl with small enough breasts could get it all licked at once. When that feeling was translated to the other women, they were able to experience things they never had before. Plus, in my experience with the women, the small breasted girls seemed to have more sensitivity in their breasts. The weight and fat dimmed the sensations a bit, where the small-breasted girl¡¯s breasts were like fireworks.


    Some of the girls had already reached points of shamelessness. Astria and Celeste touched and played with each other, unable to hold back anymore. Lydia openly masturbated with her attention locked on the pair of us. Terra just pressed her legs together and squirmed in embarrassment, even putting a blanket over her lap so no one could see. Salicia was trying to kiss Carmine, who responded by stepping on her. This seemed to make Salicia even happier, and she was getting off on it while making disgusting faces to Carmine¡¯s annoyance.


    Finally, I carefully spread Raissa¡¯s legs and lined up my member. In truth, I wasn¡¯t that much bigger than I used to be, or maybe I was just saying that because my whole body was bigger, and so it didn¡¯t feel that much bigger to me in comparison. Either way, Raissa would be the first girl since I had gotten my new body. In a way, it¡¯d be like she took this body¡¯s virginity. Well, if that was true, then every time I died and a spell remade my body, one could say that one of the girls got to claim that virginity. It certainly wasn¡¯t restored on women who were resurrected after their bodies were gone.


    I decided not to give it any more thought. I lined myself up against her entrance. She already was extremely wet, having cum multiple times after receiving various stimulations. I began to push myself into her. Doing so elicited moans and shouts from all of the lady¡¯s presence.


    ¡°So big!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m breaking!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhn¡­ Ahhh¡­ even this makes her cum?¡±


    ¡°Amazing! Carmine, step on me harder! It looks like I¡¯m not the only M!¡± Salicia made lewd noises.


    Even if they were at a level that they could take my cock easily, Raissa who had only had sex twice with a possibly smaller size wasn¡¯t well acclimated. All of the girls felt like their pussy¡¯s could barely contain my dick. I might have even struggled to get in if she hadn¡¯t already cum so easily.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked worriedly to Raissa, who had been the least vocal of all the girls, acting obedient for her Master.


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Raissa smiled. ¡°I¡­ I love you too.¡±


    We kissed again, and then I started to move my hips. I treated her gently, and I didn¡¯t push it in. She had my baby inside her, after all, I definitely wouldn¡¯t be rough with her.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Mmmm¡­. Mmmm¡­¡± She let out soft moans muffled against my mouth.


    As for the other girls, they made the entire room sound very noisy. Various moans, whines, and gasps made the entire room sound lewd. More than that, the smell of various aroused girls, all cumming multiple times, made the room thick with sex. Their hot sweaty bodies actually increased the temperature, and the glass mirror nearby was covered in steam like two people making out in a car.


    ¡°Harder!¡± One girl cried out.


    ¡°All the way in!¡± Another added.


    Although Raissa didn¡¯t voice her wants, timidly accepting everything I did, she could be hiding her true desires from the more vocal women, who didn¡¯t hesitate to call out whatever felt good. I quickly discovered all of Raissa¡¯s kinks and desires. Perhaps, she was a bit of an M, as she liked it a little rougher. I was caught between doing her like she wanted, and disturbing the baby. Well, he was just a little baby right now. Plus, he was my child, so he was tough. I shoved it the rest of the way in, and with my hands on her hips, I started thrusting into her with strong piston movements.


    I held up her lower body, and with me on my knees, I thrust into her. Her legs had wrapped around my hips, and her upper body which was slightly bent down was grabbing the headboard as she let out long moans that nearly sounded like howls. If even she reached a stage where she was moaning, it was far worse for the other girls. Some of them didn¡¯t usually have multiple orgasms. Lydia could have hundreds of orgasms, but Terra usually only had one strong one. To suddenly have orgasm after orgasm, she thought she had the greatest defense, but all of her defenses were destroyed by constant sexual agony.


    ¡°No more¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ ahhhn!¡± She cried out as she came again.


    Lydia had ended up next to her, and even though Terra didn¡¯t favor women, she grabbed onto and kissed Lydia, unable to control her body. Lydia, for her part, didn¡¯t take advantage of Terra. As the sexually trained one in the group, she actually had moved next to Terra to provide her emotional and physical support, allowing the other girl to cope until we were done. She gently stroked the other woman¡¯s hair as she squeezed Lydia¡¯s breasts and sucked on Lydia¡¯s neck until there was a hickey. It seemed like they¡¯d become closer after this.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cum.¡± I whispered in her ear, causing her body to shiver.


    I didn¡¯t have to worry about getting her pregnant at all, so I shoved myself deep inside her just as my cock started to erupt. At that moment, the door burst open and a girl stumbled in. She was barely walking, her face bright red, and an expression of embarrassment and anger on her face.


    ¡°Wh-what are you doing to me?¡± Bernice shouted.


    ¡°Cumming!¡± Raissa cried.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s coming out!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m losing it!¡±


    ¡°N-noooo!¡±


    As my cock swelled, all of the girls started to cum once again. This was the big one, and as my cock shot semen deep inside her womb, all the girls were driven to new heights of pleasure. Some of the girls ended up squirting, shooting streams of liquid across the room. Others began to tremor like they were having seizures. Others just howled. Anyone in the entire castle could hear what was going on.


    The recent hires as servants under Faeyna all covered their faces, their faces bright red, completely speechless as they heard the moans echoing through the mansion. Of course, that wasn¡¯t the only reason they were embarrassed. The head maid, the immaculate elf who was so domineering and stern with standards as high as a mountain, had suddenly gone crazy, moaning and writhing. She ended up making a mess all over the floor.


    When it finally ended, she stood up, her expression returning proper even though her maid outfit and hair were a mess.


    ¡°Well¡­ clean it up!¡± She slapped her hands, and then stiffly turned away, walking bow-legged back to her room.


    As for Bernice, I realized she was there and turned in surprise to look at her after we had finished. My bare ass was on full display for her. I noticed that her pants were wet from her crotch to the floor like she had just peed herself. Why had the spell affected her? I thought maybe Faeyna would be affected, but Eliana was too far away, and Bernice and I had no harem relationship. She was my slave, but this wasn¡¯t a Slave Master ability. She would have had to see herself as my woman for it to affect her.


    My eyes popped open. ¡°Bernice¡­ you don¡¯t see yourself as one of my women, do you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Bernice shot back, taking a startled step toward the door before pointing her finger at me. ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this! You will!¡±


    She spun and ran out the door, her shoes making wet squishing noises on the floor.


    ¡°R-r-round 2?¡± Elaya asked.


    ¡°No!¡± All of the girls threw stuff at the horny slut until she had to flee the room.

 Chapter 995

    ¡°Are¡­ you really you anymore?¡±


    The mansion had calmed down and everyone had cleaned up after our previous union. I had ended up in the hot spring with most of the other girls present. Even Faeyna and Bernice had found their way there, although Bernice was keeping her distance from me. The hot spring was large enough that every girl could enjoy her space. If any other man walked into this spring, they would find a garden of beautiful naked women frolicking in the water. Thankfully, there was some pretty strong magic that prevented peepers like Prince Edward.


    I had been lying in the heat, allowing myself to recover. We decided that tomorrow we¡¯d be heading out to the Ost Republic for this wedding. Today had just been a day of relaxation and recovery. Octius and his sister had already left back to the capital after the battle was cleaned up. I guess Siti had opened a portal for them. I¡¯d have to talk to her shortly, but I let others handle those problems for now. That¡¯s when Shao swam up to me and asked this question.


    Although the question hadn¡¯t been spoken loudly, all of the girls quieted down. This was something they had all wanted to ask but didn¡¯t have the confidence to do so.


    ¡°You want to know if I¡¯m more Deek, Deedee, am I back to my old self, or am something else entirely, right?¡±


    Shao looked down, almost ashamed to think such a thing. For someone like Elaya, Salicia, or Celeste, it was pretty simple. I was me. However, Shao wasn¡¯t so free-thinking and loose with her affection.


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    ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m exactly the same person I was before the split, but I could also say I¡¯m not the same person I was before coming to this world. The me four months ago would have been indistinguishable from the me of now, and the me of two weeks ago and the me of now have only changed further.¡± I explained.


    ¡°I-is that true?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the same man I¡¯ve always been. I¡¯ve just grown a bit. I will continue to change, but then, so will all of you. It¡¯s impossible for us not to change over time. The world isn¡¯t so static. The important thing is that we change together and that the bonds that tie us together never die.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± She nodded, but she looked like she wanted to ask more.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I want to know¡­ you mentioned you¡­ well, one of you, went to Earth. Can we¡­ can we return?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I responded simply. ¡°I can go back to Earth whenever I want to.¡±


    All of the girls were now leaning forward with interest, and there wasn¡¯t a single breath or whisper. This had probably been everyone¡¯s greatest concern. Only Carmine, Bernice, and Garnet knew a bit more about the whole story.


    ¡°What happened on Earth? Will you be going back? W-will you take me?¡± Shao asked.


    ¡°Shao¡­¡± I looked at her uncertainly. ¡°Are you certain you belong there?¡±


    She lowered her head. She must have already figured out what I meant. She had heard the demon lord¡¯s words too and had figured out what I meant.


    ¡°What does Master mean?¡± Celeste was a bit slower on the draw and whispered to her mother.


    ¡°Shao¡­ may not even be from Earth,¡± Astria explained. ¡°No, it¡¯s very likely she was born here.¡±

 Chapter 996

    A human didn¡¯t just magically turn into a demon. The logic was that simple. If Shao had come from Earth, then she would have had a human body like me. Instead, she had a demon body. More than that, she had the demon lord¡¯s bloodline, allowing her to transform into a demon lord. Her body had just suddenly appeared one day in a random town on the border of the Imperial Cloud Meadow. This was far too random to be a coincidence.


    ¡°Can you say for certain that you remembered Earth before encountering me?¡± I asked a question I had been wanting to ask for a while.


    She didn¡¯t answer for a bit, but then she started to shake her head. ¡°I¡­ bits and pieces, but¡­ what happened to me?¡±


    ¡°I can only guess.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Perhaps, you were the daughter of the demon king that Aberis suggested. Something happened, and you lost your memory, appearing in that town. I had always wondered, given what you knew about Earth, you should have had some kind of info to leverage. Knowledge is power, and even a greedy person wouldn¡¯t waste such knowledge just to throw you against monsters and men.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°My guess is that with your mind an empty slate, you started from scratch. You had some flashes of that life, enough that you were caught off guard by me, but it wasn¡¯t until I began to absorb your lifeforce and give you mine that we finally opened the floodgates. My memories unlocked all of your memories. That was the moment the true Shao was born. Before that, you were just a demon with amnesia who had no past fighting to survive.¡±


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    ¡°So¡­ even I am not me.¡± She said scornfully.


    ¡°No, weren¡¯t you listening?¡± Lydia spoke up, causing the teary-eyed Shao to look over at her friend. ¡°People change. You are Shao. You are my friend. You are Master¡¯s woman, his lover, and his assassin. You¡¯re beautiful, and you¡¯re wonderful, and no matter what, you¡¯re you.¡±


    ¡°Lydia¡­¡± She said, biting her lip.


    ¡°I love you, Shao,¡± I whispered in her ear. ¡°All of you. We all do. So, don¡¯t think that you¡¯ve lost anything.  You found us, and we¡¯re your family. I¡¯m happy to bring you to Earth. I just want you to be prepared for the possibility that we can¡¯t find your family. Those memories could have been from an Earth only similar to mine. The details you remembered were always blurry. Even things like what decade you lived in are hard for me to say. We don¡¯t even know you¡¯re original name, so finding your family, I¡¯m not confident I can do it.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Master.¡± She wiped her cheeks and then smiled. ¡°Thank you for being honest. I don¡¯t know who I was, or where I came from, but I know I¡¯m Master¡¯s property. That is something constant. We may change, but I will always be Master¡¯s. That¡¯s good enough for me.¡±


    ¡°That may be good enough for her, but I noticed that you sidestepped the question here.¡± Elaya cut in, crossing her arms. ¡°Shao¡¯s identity is one thing, but I want to know why you seem to have no interest in returning home. Wasn¡¯t that your original goal?¡±


    I chuckled softly. It looked like I couldn¡¯t pull the wool over their eyes. Well, it was fine if they knew the truth.

 Chapter 997

    ¡°Most of you know this already, but in my old world, I didn¡¯t exactly look like I look now.¡±


    ¡°Not true! Master was always sexy!¡± Lydia declared.


    ¡°Mmm! Mmm!¡± Miki nodded.


    Lydia was the only one who had seen me how I looked when I first came here. I was fat and slovenly. I had lost a lot of weight by the time I met Miki, but I still wouldn¡¯t say I was attractive. I hadn¡¯t finished losing all the weight and put on muscles until about the time I met Terra. At that point, I probably had reached the level of being fit. Of course, that was still nothing to how I looked now. I still shot the girls an appreciative look and then continued.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have friends, and I wasn¡¯t very popular either. The only one in that world that mattered to me was my mother. Simply speaking, I had no one else in that world that would have cared if I lived or died. Well, I had a cousin, but I was distant with her. She even refused to see me over the last year, so I was pretty sure she stopped seeing me like family. I also have an estranged half-sister, but she had no interest in me at all. She doesn¡¯t even consider me family, so I don¡¯t either.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but what about your mother.¡±


    ¡°She moved on.¡± I smiled sadly. ¡°There is not much else to say about it. After crossing the country with Bernice, Carmine, and Garnet, I came to my old house. The yard was cut and she had done repairs on it that hadn¡¯t been done for ten years. In fact, it looked better than I had ever seen it. So, did she.¡±


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    ¡°You¡­ saw your mother?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± I tried to make my smile look happy, but tears formed in my eyes. ¡°She was happy. She has a new guy. Young. They were flirting happily. Then, I approached her¡­¡±


    ¡°Wh-what happened?¡± Miki asked, her eyes wide.


    ¡°She¡­ um¡­ she didn¡¯t even recognize me. The guy accused me of being a scam-artist and then attacked me. I¡­ defended myself. I guess I went a bit too far. I had trouble controlling my anger as Deek. The guy got hurt. You¡­ should have seen the way she looked at me. She called me a monster. My mother didn¡¯t recognize me, and she¡­¡± I stopped, tears falling down my eyes. ¡°Well, that¡¯s the past. I guess there really is no going back. I had no home on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Deek, I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Lydia responded tearfully.


    Most of the girls were crying.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­¡± I splashed water on my face. ¡°I¡¯m fine. She¡¯s happy. She looked good. She looked better than I had ever seen her when I lived with her. The house is taken care of. Her life seems better off without me. She doesn¡¯t need me there complicating her perfect life. Besides¡­ I have you guys. You are my life.¡±


    The girls all blushed at those words, a few taking the opportunity to bridge the distance between us. I felt flesh pressing against me from every side as the girls held me comfortingly.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay?¡± Miki asked worriedly.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ before we left, I took everything I thought might be useful. Books, tablets, technology, seeds, the works. I can always go in a few years and check up with her, but I have more important things to do here. One day, maybe I¡¯ll return. It¡¯s more of a comfort knowing no one is worried about me.¡±


    I held my girls closely and slowly began to feel better. I didn¡¯t like talking about that disaster, but I felt a bit better now that they all knew. I had dealt with the past. It was now time to worry about the future.

 Chapter 998

    Later that night, just before I entered the room, I noticed the girls were waiting for me. They were all kneeling on the ground with their heads lowered. I cautiously walked over to them and sat down on the bed. The girls present were Lydia, Miki, Celeste, Terra, Shao, Salicia, and Carmine.


    ¡°Okay, what is this about?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Master, we¡¯ve been doing a lot of thinking the last day, and we¡¯ve all decided to leave,¡± Lydia spoke quickly.


    I maintained my calm. ¡°Oh?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s just, after the battle with the demon lord, we¡¯ve all come to realize something. We¡¯re not strong.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not true.¡± I frowned.


    They were the strongest women I knew. They had even left the armies in awe over their strength.


    ¡°We should say that¡­ we¡¯re not strong enough,¡± Miki added. ¡°For me, it took everything I had to make sure that the demon lord died. If I was a stronger spiritualist, I wouldn¡¯t have had to continuously keep the barrier on him until he died. Every time he tried to pull that bond apart, it felt like I was being ripped apart. If I had slipped up, then all of our sacrifices would have been for nothing.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ you didn¡¯t slip up?¡± I frowned.


    ¡°Master, it¡¯s more than just the demon lord. We believe that eventually, Master might face greater threats, and we need to be strong enough to face them.¡± Lydia spoke up.


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    ¡°We weren¡¯t able to save Master. In the end, you had to self-sacrifice both of your bodies to finally stop him.¡± Miki continued. ¡°It worked out okay this time, but what about next time. We need to become better.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll level up faster in my care.¡± I reminded them of my experience bonuses.


    ¡°There are some parts of growth beyond levels and experience,¡± Terra explained. ¡°There are things we need to learn, and we can¡¯t do that under Master¡¯s protection. The bonuses you give to our status make us feel powerful, but it is a power we borrow from you. We need to become powerful on our own.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡±


    I could only understand too well. We had all earned jobs and levels far faster than this world was designed for us to do it. Some things needed time. They needed to become used to their abilities and grow comfortable using them.


    ¡°Master is also outdistancing us,¡± Carmine added.


    ¡°What?¡± I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°You said it earlier in the hot spring,¡± Shao said. ¡°You¡¯re changing. You¡¯re growing. We need to change and grow as well, or we¡¯ll never be able to be worth being by your side.¡±


    ¡°You sent us out as a group once.¡± Celeste continued. ¡°But the truth is, depending on each other keeps us from being able to work on our weaknesses. For example, I learned that as a mana creature, my mana is just far too weak. I wouldn¡¯t have dispersed so quickly in that fight if I had properly trained my body to handle the high-level spells I was depending on.¡±


    ¡°You all feel this way?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We do.¡± Lydia nodded her head. ¡°When you split your body apart, you were able to see your weaknesses clearly and turn them into strengths. You were able to build the army in the same way. We need that as well. We wish to split up, so that we can see where our weaknesses lie and become a team that is powerful for master, alone or together. Master, please allow us to leave and get stronger.¡±


    As she said this, all of them lowered their heads even more. It seems like my girls had given this a lot of thought. Part of me wanted to hold them close. I wanted them near me at all times so that I could protect them, and perhaps so they could protect me too. They made their point though. I had to give them the room to grow into their own.

 Chapter 999

    ¡°How long will you be gone?¡± I asked after a long period of silence.


    The girls all let out breaths, taking my words as acceptance toward their requests.


    ¡°It might be a month, or maybe up to three.¡±


    ¡°Three months¡­¡± I breathed.


    Altogether, I hadn¡¯t been in this world for much more than three months. I understood though. I had the pleasure of having nearly two months in Twilight dungeon. Even then, it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable if someone needed years to go on a personal journey. A few months wasn¡¯t much at all. It was just hard to wrap my head around how much had happened in this last half-year, not even that much time had passed for my girls.


    However, with the threat gone, there wasn¡¯t a better time for them to do this. Once I got back from the wedding, we¡¯d have finished cleaning up after the battle. The army will then march on Alerith, and I will establish my rule over the western side of Aberis. It will be more politics and ruling, and I wasn¡¯t anticipating doing very much dangerous stuff. I had no reasons to go into any dungeons. Even my money problems would be resolved once we started growing plants. I expected my time here would be smooth sailing in the future.


    ¡°What are you all planning to do?¡± I asked after calming my heart a bit.


    ¡°I need to look for a swordmaster.¡± Lydia declared. ¡°I¡¯ve realized that I¡¯ve taken my sword craft about as far as it can go without one. My levels have become slower and slower to earn, and my skill is still lacking.¡±


    ¡°Is there one in Aberis?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I do not know, but please don¡¯t find one for me. I believe this is something I have to do on my own.¡± Lydia explained.


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    ¡°One of the three dungeons in the wilderness is of the undead type,¡± Miki spoke up. ¡°I¡¯d like to head there to refine my spiritualist abilities. I have spent so much time among the living, that if I want to see my path, I must experience some time among the dead.¡±


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    ¡°I see, is this a dangerous dungeon.¡±


    ¡°For me?¡± Miki raised an eyebrow.


    I blushed. ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Miki feared the dead as much as I did, which is to say not at all. We both had a strong affinity for battling them.


    ¡°Mother says she knows a way for me to cultivate my mana body by immersing myself into the fairy spring.¡± Celeste declared. ¡°While she is helping Elaya and Xin rebuild the dungeon, I¡¯ll be in the spring directly, refining it through my body.¡±


    The dungeon had been mostly destroyed by that meteor. Xin was quite ruffled over it. We had succeeded, but it would be a month before the dungeon was back to normal. Celeste being in the spring was probably a good thing. I didn¡¯t know how it worked, but springs and fairies had a unique relationship where their presence reinforced each other. Celeste said she could gain whatever she needed wherever there was wind, but the fairy spring was still the best place for her.


    ¡°Terra?¡± I turned to her.


    ¡°I will be going underground into the deep.¡±


    ¡°The¡­ deep?¡±


    ¡°Garnet says she remembers a path that leads to the home of the deep dwarves. We¡¯ll be heading down there. I want to do this for a few reasons. First off, to gather unique magical ores. She believes that there are still treasures down there. With my mineral appraisal, I might be able to make the old deep dwarf kingdom¡¯s wealth our own.¡±


    ¡°That would be great!¡± My eyes widened.


    ¡°I also feel that communing with the deep Earth will help me gain a better understanding of my ability to channel Gaia,¡± Terra admitted. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry, I spent most of my life underground, and so did she. We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to go to Earth.¡± Shao spoke up.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± My eyes widened.


    ¡°I just¡­ I want answers.¡± Shao blushed. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like I can walk into the demon castle and ask the demon king. I know you said it¡¯s unlikely I can find my family, but I would still like to give it a try.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I will send you if that¡¯s what you want.¡±


    In truth, Earth was a very safe place compared to everywhere else. If Shao wanted to go there, then she should have that right. Just because I didn¡¯t have any lingering attachment, didn¡¯t mean that she didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Salicia? Carmine?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be returning to the church.¡± Carmine shrugged.


    ¡°And you¡¯ll be joining her?¡± I asked Salicia.


    ¡°Surprisingly, no.¡± Salicia chuckled. ¡°My goal is the dungeon that created me. When Calypso restored my memory, I also gleaned the location of the dungeon that spawned me. She never bothered to destroy the place, nor did she take control of it like Bandit¡¯s Respite. It¡¯s in a generally unknown location, used mostly by bandits as a hideout so they don¡¯t get caught. I¡¯d like to go there and destroy it once and for all. It¡¯ll be good closure for me.¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve all put some thought into this.¡± I nodded. ¡°Then, you may go.¡±

 Chapter 1000

    We spent our last night together. They wouldn¡¯t be waiting until after the wedding. The reasoning for that was pretty simple. They weren¡¯t invited. I had communicated with the prince for clarification on the details, and it sounded like I was coming along as part of the Aberis delegation. However, most everyone had already left with the delegation days or even weeks ago. There were only four spots left. Two spots Prince Aberis had left open for me and Eliana. The remaining two had been left for Lord Reign, but he hadn¡¯t responded to requests after our encounter, so they went to me.


    Why was Eliana suddenly going? He didn¡¯t answer that clearly other than muttering something about women. I didn¡¯t argue with him though. I didn¡¯t need a strong reason to go with my pregnant woman. I imagined that she wanted the same opportunity to go out with me while we were both dressed nicely. Anyway, that left only two spots open for me. I asked him about bodyguards, and he said bodyguards were already provided, and that I should use the spots for family and servants. Well, the entire Tibult family was there, and they were more protection than anyone would ever need.


    If things got dicey, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to escape, and besides, inviting people to a wedding and then killing them was unheard of. Maybe a demon would act so horribly, but among humans, this idea would make someone an enemy of the church. Simply put, even the former king felt safe sending Eliana along to the Ost Republic, so it should be fine. Since the girls would just be sitting around bored at an inn, and I needed to be with the delegation, we decided it was best if they didn¡¯t dally another week.


    The next morning, everyone prepared to leave. Most of the postwar decisions had already been settled, so I mostly just checked and made sure everything was going according to plan. The malacrum dagger and the silvthril sword were now in my mansion¡¯s treasury. I called it my mansions treasury, but it was the treasure room of the dungeon. Getting to it would be exceptionally difficult with now three old dungeon masters protecting it.


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    The army and monsters had scattered into the wilderness, but there weren¡¯t the numbers to be a threat. Our men had experience now, and we numbered several thousand. Even though the paladins and nobles returned to their cities, Chalm¡¯s strength had risen drastically. They were making plans to move on Alerith, but they would wait until I came back. I planned to let everyone rest and then portal them to the outskirts of Alerith.


    Technically, a hard march would take a week, which was when I should be back from the wedding. This way, I could let the army rest, but keep our portal abilities under wraps. Lord Reign was still alive. He hadn¡¯t been with the army that marched south. However, without his Master, there was no telling how much of him remained. Either way, he wasn¡¯t a threat, and he could wait a week for the army to relax. Once I had finished everything up, I chose the companions that would come with me.


    ¡°Faeyna, you have the most experience opening up trade routes. I would like you to join me in Ost.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Master!¡± Faeyna curtsied. ¡°And then maybe we can finally¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked as she drifted off.


    ¡°N-nothing!¡±


    I knew what she was going to say. She wanted to have sex. In fact, it was best if she got pregnant since her species was nearly extinct and it seemed like I was the only one who could continue it. However, on this journey, I took two other women with me. Eliana and the second was Raissa. Even the new me felt like a bit of a scoundrel thinking about impregnating a third girl on a date with two other women I got pregnant. That was the kind of stuff you ended up on a tv show for.


    ¡°Raissa. I want you to come with me too. You have good instincts. You can tell when people are lying, and honestly, I want a reason that the pair of you spend more time together.¡±


    Although Raissa and Eliana couldn¡¯t be more different, it¡¯d be nice if the two mothers-to-be grew closer together.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to go.¡±

 Chapter 1001

    ¡°Siti¡­ you can make a portal directly to the capital city of Ost Republic, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have been there once as Grand Master went on a diplomatic mission there once.¡± She declared.


    In the past, I had never worried about the limits of portals. How far a portal could reach was a mixture between the level of the portal spell and the amount of mana poured into it. Since the portal I used had traditionally been part of the dungeon point system, it acted like a level 100 portal every time.


    Thus, I had never had any limitation teleporting anywhere I had ever been. It took ending up in another continent before the distance reached too far. Even then, simply adding a lot more mana resolved that issue. Siti here was a much higher-level blue mage than I was, but she didn¡¯t have a level 100 portal, nor did she have the mana reserves I did. It seemed like the Ost Republic was still in her reach though and she was confident she could make the portal.


    Since I had never been to the Ost Republic beyond the border, I wouldn¡¯t be able to travel there on my own. Thus, I had depended on her. I had never been that close to Siti, and now I wasn¡¯t sure how much I could trust her. I had Miki check her out before she left, and Miki didn¡¯t find anything in her that suggested she was still under Calypso¡¯s control. Of course, there was also the possibility she was never under Calypso¡¯s control in the first place.


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    I knew very little about the Blue Mage, and I didn¡¯t know how much I could trust her. She had worked for the Grand Master, a man who had allegedly been one of the elites of Aberis. However, he had perished and now she was on her own. I decided to allow her to remain with us unofficially, and she spends most of her days in the traveling guild. There, she was extremely renowned, as her magical experience was many times greater than the current blue mage working there. Whether she was content working as a blue mage was hard to know.


    That was why she was coming along as well. She was technically just the transport, but she might be able to help us get away if something happened. Although Prince Aberis seemed content with the way things were going, I wasn¡¯t so confident. I still feared that this wedding might be some kind of trap that was prepared by the Ost Republic. Did they favor peace?


    Yet, it was my responsibility now to escort Eliana. Prince Aberis had put a lot of trust in me to keep his sister safe, so I needed to live up to it. She had already portaled over to Chalm. Perhaps it would have been better for all of us to portal to the capital and then have Siti portal the rest of the way, but things didn¡¯t turn out that way and she said she could handle it.


    We ended up using the traveling guild, which was a well-established site for portaling. I rarely used such a thing, but when going to other nations and such, I guess you could be seen as an invading force unless you traveled the proper way. Well, there weren¡¯t too many rogue blue mage¡¯s like me anyway.


    It wasn¡¯t too long before she opened a portal. This wasn¡¯t direct teleportation like most blue mages did, but a hole in space surrounded with blue light like I was typically used to. The group of us walked through, and like that, we were in the territory of the Ost Republic.

 Chapter 1002

    I realized as we walked out of the traveling guild that I knew very little about the Ost Republic. I knew that it had once been a part of the Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s conquered domain, and had been part of the country Osteria. The Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s invasion had come from the sea. He hadn¡¯t gained enough strength to contend with the Imperial Cloud Meadow, so he focused on conquering the south. He was stopped by the wilderness to the west, never managing to mount an invasion on Dioshin.


    The mountains to the southwest had similarly kept him from continuing. He was trying to invade Esmore when he was finally defeated. The country of Osteria had been composed of the large Osterians, a human-like species that ranged from six to eight feet tall, as well as Elves, the humans, and the Surface Dwarves.


    The Dwarves fled the territories of the demon lord, as he had a policy of enslaving them. They bunkered down in Esmore alongside the Esmere, eventually taking up a permanent residence there. The Osterians joined the demon lord, feeling that the humans were often prejudiced, and using this as an opportunity to flip the tide, leaving the physically superior Osterians on top. It would ultimately be one of their princesses, the Princess Hero Xin, who teamed up with Maid Hero Elaya, and Hero King Edward to defeat the demon lord and reclaim the lands lost to them.


    In time, the territory had split, with King Edward taking the northern half and calling himself and his country Aberis. His anti-Osterian and demon policies pushed them out of the country, where they fled to and created the Ost Republic. Meanwhile, the declining elves all but disappeared, leaving Aberis a country of humans with a somewhat xenophobic view of other races.


    I had always believed that the demons had been eradicated during the war, or perhaps that the Demon Lord Aberis had brought no demon followers to begin his war. Taking one step onto the streets of the Ost Republic capital, I realized this was completely false. The city was filled with a rich variety of species one didn¡¯t see in Aberis.


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    Many Osterians were walking around, with their tall bodies, long fingers, and distinct brows making them stand out. However, there were also numerous demons. I had encountered many demons before while in the Twilight Dungeon. They didn¡¯t look much different from humans, except that occasionally their skin had strange shades, and everyone had horns and a tail, which differed from demon to demon. It wasn¡¯t impossible to see a red-skinned demon with long ram horns next to a light blue demon with little doe horns.


    There were humans in equal number, and also Dwarves as well. Other than Garnet, I had only ever seen Dwarves in the memories delivered from blessings. Like her, they looked younger than their age suggested. How did I know they were Dwarves? It was the beards. Some stereotypes were stereotypes because they were true. Male Dwarves had beards.


    This didn¡¯t mean that all of the dwarves we youthful, but even the young dwarves who should be considered children were working hard. It was like their development was just slowly, so an adult looked like a teen. How old did that make the elderly dwarves?


    It seemed like all the Dwarves in the city were  working. Now that I noticed, the entire architecture of this place differed from Aberis. There was a lot more stone and a lot less wood. When I raised an eyebrow, it was Eliana who spoke up.


    ¡°While we humans build with our own hands, a lot of Ost Republic was built by the Dwarves. They commission Dwarf workers to come at regular intervals to build and perform maintenance. Regrettably, they get along with Esmore better than we do.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± It seemed like Aberis was an isolated country with enemies on every side. It was remarkable that we had kept things running for so long. I wanted to invite some more Dwarves to Chalm. Perhaps, I should look into it while I was here.

 Chapter 1003

    ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of time.¡± Eliana sighed. ¡°If you had taken even a day longer to heal, we would have missed it entirely. Normally, we should have arrived two weeks ago. How early you arrive is considered showing respect. It informs them of how important you think they are. In other words, showing up today is considered disrespectful.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t it have been better if we just didn¡¯t come?¡±


    ¡°Well, the Tibults had already been sent ahead of time to smooth things over. Furthermore, Prince Aberis has opted not to come. He¡¯s used the reason that he isn¡¯t a King yet, making it inappropriate for him to come himself. Ultimately, General Tibult has been acting as a diplomat the last few weeks, and he has warned us they if someone of the royal family didn¡¯t come, they might take offense.¡±


    ¡°So, you decided to come? Why couldn¡¯t your father come?¡±


    ¡°Do you think that is a wise idea?¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡±


    I knew it was foolish the second I said it. Her father had a poor relationship with the Ost Republic. Even now, he wasn¡¯t in favor of creating peace with them. However, he promised to step aside and let his son lead, and that¡¯s exactly what he¡¯s done. I didn¡¯t even know where he went. I hadn¡¯t seen him the last few times I came to Aberis. I was glad about not having my life threatened, so I had kept my mouth shut, but it was possible he had taken off again and the Prince didn¡¯t know where he was. He was a flighty man, after all.


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    ¡°By the way, I was honestly very surprised when I saw fiance¡¯s new appearance,¡± Eliana spoke up. ¡°You fit in well among these Osterians.¡±


    I blushed. ¡°Ah, is it okay?¡±


    ¡°Brother would say something like ¡®you¡¯ve become a man¡¯s man!¡¯¡± She even did a rough voice trying to imitate him before blushing. ¡°I¡¯m just glad you are safe and alive. However you look, you¡¯re still my fianc¨¦, so that¡¯s that.¡±


    ¡°Is that all?¡± I asked.


    Her blush deepened. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t flirt with me in public, especially around the help.¡±


    We had been edging closer together as we spoke, and the distance between us seemed nonexistent. Although she had a presence, she stood next to a tall, muscular man. It looked like a couple being followed by Faeyna and Raissa.¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s okay. You¡¯re married!¡± Raissa cried out when we looked back at her, her tail wagging.


    ¡°Even so¡­ you can tone it down¡­¡± Faeyna cut in, a shy expression on her face. ¡°Unless¡­ we can¡­ join¡­¡±


    I cleared my throat and Eliana took a step away from me. Looking for something around us to take the tension off the moment, my eyes landed on an odd sight in the middle of a square. It was both extremely familiar, and also extremely strange. There was an old sword stuck into the ground.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, Excalibur?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Ah, you¡¯re wondering about that sword?¡± Eliana offered. ¡°You can try to pull it if you¡¯d like. It¡¯s a local folklore. They say that the man who succeeds will end the republic and become king of the new Osteria.¡±


    I really shouldn¡¯t¡­ should I?

 Chapter 1004

    In general, the sword seemed to be ignored. It wasn¡¯t that surprising, because it didn¡¯t look like a particularly impressive sword. From what I could see, it was extremely rusted and damaged. It looked just as likely to break in half as you tried to pull it out than be released from the rock. There were two or three people around it, trying to pull it, but I got the impression they were tourists.


    ¡°There is a festival once a year where locals embarrass themselves trying to pull it out, but for the most part it is ignored except out of city visitors,¡± Eliana explained, excited that her knowledge on this country was proving useful to me.


    ¡°Would any of you like to pull it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Master¡­ I couldn¡¯t¡­¡± Raissa blushed. ¡°What if I did?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ we¡¯d probably have to use one of those expensive formations so that you could stop being my slave.¡± I laughed.


    The girls looked horrified by the notion. I grabbed Faeyna and Raissa¡¯s hands and gave them a reassuring look.


    ¡°Whether you¡¯re my slaves or not, I will always care about you. Besides, if you were queens, wouldn¡¯t that mean that you¡¯d be in a position where it¡¯d make sense if we got married?


    ¡°M-married?¡±


    ¡°I mean, as the queen of the new Osteria, our countries would become allies. I¡¯m sure the King would be eager to marry us to secure the alliance¡­¡±


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    ¡°Ahhh! Come on! Draw!¡±


    The three of us looked to see Eliana desperately trying to pull the sword.


    ¡°E-Eliana! You¡¯re already a princess, and we¡¯re already engaged!¡± I cried out.


    She slipped and fell back, landing on her butt. The nearby tourists, who were Esmeres by the look, chuckled to each other. I didn¡¯t know what they were laughing about. Every single one of them was only three to four feet tall. It looked more ridiculous seeing one of them try to pull a sword that stuck out a few inches shorter than themselves. Even if the sword started moving, they wouldn¡¯t be able to draw it unless they stood on each other¡¯s shoulders.


    I ran over and helped the blushing Eliana off the ground. She blushed as I healed her elbow and instinctively checked on the baby. I admonished her softly about how she shouldn¡¯t strain herself like that. Perhaps I was too lenient, as I ended it with a soft kiss. As this happened, both Faeyna and Raissa gave it their best. I guess my incentive had highly motivated them. I made sure Raissa took it easy though.


    Naturally, everyone failed. A few store stalls across the road trying to get the girl¡¯s attention with jewelry and outfits now that they had their try. I had a feeling this was a tourist trap set up exactly for that purpose. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the entire story was just made up. People came to pull the sword, but perhaps disappointed they failed, they then went shopping to cheer themselves up. It was no coincidence that the sword was in the middle of a courtyard filled with merchants.


    ¡°Master, you should try.¡± Raissa declared as she recovered, her ears peeled back like she found the sword to be a personal challenge.


    I had shifted the attention to the girls just because I didn¡¯t want to try. I had too many serendipitous moments occur. If I was capable of pulling the sword, wouldn¡¯t that be too much?

 Chapter 1005

    Now that Raissa had asked, I couldn¡¯t come up with the right words to explain my complicated feelings regarding pulling the sword. I decided that I just wasn¡¯t going to try very hard. Surely, if I gave it a light pull, it wasn¡¯t going to slide out, right?


    Licking my lips, I reached down and put my hands around the blade. The hilt felt surprisingly warm. Countless hands had grasped this blade desperately trying to pull it, so I guess their lingering warmth made sense. They had also seemingly worn the handle to the point where it felt surprisingly comfortable, even welcoming to touch.


    There was also another feeling when it came to this handle. There was a certain feeling of disorder within this sword like something was off about it. Slowly, I started to pull. Originally, I had planned to just give it a little tug for show, but I started to apply more and more pressure to it. I had this feeling like if I just did a little more, it¡¯d come free. I stopped thinking about how strange it would be, and I started desperately pulling on it.


    Wasn¡¯t there some kind of skill in my dungeon skill points that increased status? Maybe if I accessed that, I¡¯d have the power to pull it. I was much stronger than most normal humans, I should be able to claim this sword. Just as I was going to give it the strongest pull I could, a light, feminine voice sounded in my ear.


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    ¡°Master?¡±


    The sound was so soft and sudden that I let go of the blade in surprise as I pulled up. I stumbled back just like Eliana had. I just managed to keep from falling on my butt, and a second later the girls grabbed my back to stabilize me. The esmere giggled as they watched before heading over to a merchant who had been gesturing to them for some time.


    ¡°Master¡­ are you okay?¡± Raissa asked.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ I bet you thought you could pull it too.¡± Eliana laughed, feeling less embarrassed after I had made a similar folly.


    ¡°You got that feeling too?¡± Raissa¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°I also had this feeling like if I just tried a little harder, I¡¯d succeed. Yet, no matter how much I pulled, it didn¡¯t work.¡±


    I let out a breath. So, it was like that. This sword did have some kind of magic compulsion. It was no wonder the locals avoided it. You could hurt yourself if you got too obsessed with pulling it out. Now that I looked at the stores nearby, besides the typical tourist stores, there were also a few people advertising they could help with back and shoulder pain. Even that had been accounted for. They probably weren¡¯t priests or white mages. White mages were rare and priests were all controlled by the various church sects. However, witch doctors, alchemists, and masseuses could all help with ailments too.


    I reached out-touched the blade again. The girls widened their eyes in surprise that I was trying to give it another shot. That wasn¡¯t what I was doing though. I was listening for that voice. I spent about five minutes trying to pull the sword in various ways, but the voice didn¡¯t return.


    ¡°Deek, we need to get to the wedding.¡±


    I nodded as I gave up on the sword. Well, not everything was meant to be.

 Chapter 1006

    ¡°You really like to cut things close.¡± Otto laughed when he saw me.


    The first time I had met him, back when he was Lydia¡¯s slaveholder, Otto had been a fat guy a few years older than me. He was arrogant, childish, and immature. A few months under his father¡¯s command in the war had seemingly changed him by a lot. He had slimmed quite a bit and had seemingly grown a permanent haunted look in his eyes. He looked more mature now and seemingly saw me as one of his few friends.


    He seemed glad to see me now, since he had been forced to meet up with his brother and sister a few days ago, and had thus had that to deal with.


    ¡°How much time do we have?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You were supposed to present the couple with a gift sometime in the last two weeks!¡± Otto sighed. ¡°No matter, I guess you¡¯ll have to give it to them during the reception.¡±


    ¡°A gift?¡±


    ¡°You do have a gift, don¡¯t you?¡± His eyes widened in surprise.


    ¡°Yes, we have prepared an appropriate gift,¡± Eliana spoke up, stroking a storage ring on her finger.


    ¡°Ah¡­ yes¡­ that.¡± I gave her a thankful look.


    I didn¡¯t know the first thing about attending a wedding, let alone a wedding in another world.


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    ¡°It¡¯s best if you freshen up and get ready. The ceremony is in only two hours.¡± He declared.


    I had noticed Otto was already getting dressed.


    ¡°Where is the rest of your family?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Father is already at the castle. He¡¯s had treaties to sign and meetings to attend almost since he got here.¡±


    This was a unique opportunity for Aberis to touch elbows with the powers of the Ost Republic and even the dwarves and esmere. The general had been busy trying to create treaties and alliances. Usually, Aberis would have been left out, so this created a unique chance for us to gain some stability. I had kind of dropped the ball on that, but no one would argue that the threat in the west wasn¡¯t more important.


    Officially, it was an eternal dispute between Lord Reign and myself. The rumors that Demon Lord Aberis had appeared in the west likely would take months to spread, and would mostly be ignored as unbelievable anyway. Only those that were at the highest levels in Aberis knew the truth, like Otto here. As for the Ost Republic, we had no intention of telling them. Thus, I was just a late comer showing up at the very last second, and a small player in the events that would transpire.


    This didn¡¯t worry me too much. My territory didn¡¯t touch the Ost Republic, so there wasn¡¯t too much in the ways of meaningful trades and alliances I could establish. We were still new, and I hadn¡¯t even taken out Lord Reign yet. We consisted of two towns that had barely even become cities yet. My territory was far too small and underdeveloped that I wanted to take anyone¡¯s notice.


    I had already gained too much notice in the Ost Republic since they had once sent one of their units to kill me. We had ultimately separated under amicable circumstances. Now, with the cease-fire in effect, it would be impossible for them to attempt anything on my life. However, I was curious about what had happened to Alysia. She probably would be pretty shocked to see the current me. Maybe I¡¯d see her at the wedding. Only time would tell.

 Chapter 1007

    It was about an hour later before everyone starting filing at the entrance to the embassy. I called it an embassy, but it wasn¡¯t. It was only a short few months ago when Aberis and the Ost Republic were still in open conflict, so why would they offer anything like that? However, a large mansion had been gifted to the country of Aberis to reside in while they were here for diplomatic reasons. The Tibult family had been using it as their estate, but all the lords and ladies who came from Aberis were equally welcome. That was ultimately the place Eliana led us and where we met Otto.


    The girls all came out in proper attire. Eliana looked beautiful and refined. The other two were dressed well, but their outfits were the outfits of workers. Faeyna and Raissa¡¯s official roles were our servants. The only one who wouldn¡¯t be joining us was Siti, who would remain at the mansion and rest.


    I didn¡¯t feel that great about treating the girls as the help, but it would be odder if I brought them into the celebration as my three dates. Eliana at least had the status and etiquette while the other two possessed experience serving under nobles, so everyone was comfortable on their part. There were many reasons I had chosen these three to escort beyond the others being busy.


    As much as I loved my girls, Lydia, Celeste, Shao, Terra, and Miki were all a bit rough around the edges and didn¡¯t mingle around the aristocracy very well. It wasn¡¯t that I worried they¡¯d embarrass me. It was just that they usually went quiet and kept their heads down when they were in those kinds of environments, and I knew they weren¡¯t enjoying themselves. I probably wasn¡¯t much better, but I had to force myself. Since I was a noble, I had to act the part.


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    ¡°We¡¯re going to head to the wedding now,¡± Otto explained. ¡°We¡¯ll meet up with my family there before the wedding.¡±


    That second part made him sound extremely depressed. I sympathized with him. It seemed like even now, he was doing everything he could to separate himself from his family. A lot of his actions in the past, trying to defeat a dungeon and earn the status of hero, wasn¡¯t just because he didn¡¯t want to be cut off from his father. It was because he wanted to be his own man, apart from the fame of his family. It wasn¡¯t a problem I typically had to deal with, but I at least could sympathize with him.


    The group of us left the mansion. The streets were packed, so we had to walk. Getting a palanquin or carriage through these crowds would be impossible. Comparing this city to the gladiatorship, it not only was a city about ten times the size of Alerith, but the population was many times more compacted. Many people had come for this royal wedding, most of which would never actually be able to enter the actual wedding, but would celebrate in the streets all the same.


    I found as we walked that the wedding would be taking place in a massive cathedral. It reminded me a bit of the one in the capital of Aberis, but this one was much larger. As we approached, my eyes fell on someone in the crowd. It was a young girl with her arms crossed. She stood out because there was a group of handsome men all around her, keeping anyone from bumping into her.


    ¡°Harem! Hey!¡±

 Chapter 1008

    Harem was a fellow dungeon diver. I had only met her twice. Once, I had encountered her in the Mirror Labyrinth on the border of the Ost Republic and Aberis. The other place I had encountered her was in Alerith, during the gladiator event. She seemed to be a free spirit and went wherever something interesting was happening. Of course, she always brought a group of men. It seemed to have grown since I had last seen it.  There were eight guys around her now.


    ¡°Harem!¡± I called again as I approached her.


    Otto and the others stayed back but waited for me. I wasn¡¯t feeling particularly rushed. I remembered that Harem had asked me to come to this event, but I hadn¡¯t been that interested. I was planning on skipping it until Prince Aberis asked me to attend it as well. After defeating the demon lord though, I was treating this as my vacation. General Tibult was there for honor and setting up negotiations. I was there to relax.


    The men all moved to block me from getting close to Harem, but at this point, I stood a head taller than most of them, and they couldn¡¯t block me at all. Harem looked up at me, and her expression was blank for a while. This was the third time we met, but she was no better at recognizing me. A few of the men whom I had seen before finally realized who I was, and whispered in her ear. Only then did she respond.


    ¡°N-newbie! Is that you?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re the only one who calls me that.¡± I coughed awkwardly.


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    I was pretty sure it was because she didn¡¯t know my name.


    ¡°Right¡­ I didn¡¯t recognize you. I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah. Things happened.¡±


    I laughed and rubbed the back of my neck. I didn¡¯t blame her too much for not recognizing me. We had only met about a month ago, but I had changed a lot since then.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say. You¡¯ve changed a lot. It¡¯s a new haircut, right?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow and even one of the men slapped his face. She wasn¡¯t good with faces. Maybe that was the reason men were so interchangeable with her. Ah¡­ I probably shouldn¡¯t think such thoughts, I wasn¡¯t much better. Faeyna and Eliana had stepped forward, grabbing one of my arms each as if to mark their territory from the other woman.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ it¡¯s a haircut¡­¡± I responded dryly.


    ¡°Oh! Nevermind, that!¡± She slapped her head as she had just remembered something. ¡°How long have you been in town? Have you talked to her yet?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Who?¡±


    ¡°Alyssa!¡±


    ¡°Hmm? The bride?¡± Eliana cocked her head in surprise.


    ¡°Wait.¡± I frowned. ¡°Alyssa is the one getting married?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve come this far and you didn¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°I just came because a princess was getting married.¡±


    ¡°Alyssa is the princess! Oof¡­ this is why you were supposed to come two weeks ago. Now, it¡¯s too late to do anything!¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Was I supposed to do something?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ but¡­ I thought, you and Alyssa¡­¡± She blushed slightly.


    The former me might not have understood what she meant, but ever since my resurrection, I had felt more observant when it came to these kinds of things. She thought I had some kind of deep connection to Alyssa. Well, I had said a few embarrassing things in the past, but it wasn¡¯t like she took them seriously. She didn¡¯t take them seriously, or she wouldn¡¯t be getting married.


    ¡°Deek, the wedding will be starting in a few minutes.¡± Otto broke in. ¡°We need to get into the church now or we¡¯re going to be stuck out here like them just watching as the bride and groom depart.¡±

 Chapter 1009

    I said a hasty goodbye to Harem after reassuring her everything was fine. She still had a worried expression on her face. I was surprised to see the same expression on the other girl¡¯s faces as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Deek, I thought you already knew,¡± Eliana said tearfully.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I patted her head reassuringly. ¡°I can consider Alyssa a friend, like Harem. I should celebrate that she¡¯s getting married, right?¡±


    Although I said that to reassure the girls, deep inside I felt a strange and uncomfortable feeling inside. I wasn¡¯t happy for Alyssa at all. I felt like I was somehow losing something. It wasn¡¯t like I had any claim to her. We had only encountered each other twice months ago. However, I had thought there was something between us, and knew that something had been snuffed out before it began.


    At the very least, I respected Alyssa greatly, and I wouldn¡¯t do anything to upset the wedding. Finding this out didn¡¯t change my plans at all. I came to relax at a celebration, and I intended to do that much.


    ¡°Brother!¡± A large beast of a woman cried out with her arms wide open.


    Octavia Tibult ran up and grabbed Otto, lifting him into the air and hugging him. He made choking noises and she swung him around. His face was shoved into her chest¡­ but there was nothing soft there, it was all hard pectorals.


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    ¡°You cut things short. We¡¯ve been keeping an eye out for you.¡± Octius came up, a gentle smile on his lipstick covered lips.


    ¡°Deek¡­ you¡¯ve bulked up! Good job!¡± As Octavia finally dropped the sputtering Otto, she gave me a thumbs up in appreciation over my body.


    Somehow, being complemented by this girl didn¡¯t cheer me up at all.


    ¡°So, you are the uprising noble the king and my children have spoken about.¡± A beautiful woman appeared.


    She reached and pulled me in a hug before I could do anything, and then kissed me on the cheek. She was just tall enough to do it on her tiptoes. Seeing her looking up at me with her hand on my chest, caused some perverted feelings to shoot through me. Her beauty was exceptional, and even though she was older, she had a sensualness that rivaled Elaya. She didn¡¯t have Elaya¡¯s large chest, but somehow that only added to her beauty. I had a feeling of strength in her, and I felt like she might even be as strong if not stronger than the other woman.


    She bit her lip and reached up and touched my cheek. She seemed to be very touchy. Her hands held me like a close lover. My mouth was open, and I could barely speak. Where had this beauty come from? Was this Lady Tibult? Wait, was the Lady Tibult supposed to be here?


    ¡°Dad, we talked about this!¡± Otto cried out.


    ¡°D-d-d-d-dad?¡±


    ¡°How can I truly measure a man without getting a feel for him, from his outside¡­¡± she spoke breathily as she stroked her slender perfect hands down my chest. ¡°To the inside¡­¡±


    No! Not a she¡­. It was¡­ it was¡­


    ¡°Let me introduce you to my father. General Octin Tibult.¡± Otto said with an embarrassed look on his face.


    ¡°G-general Trap! Ahem¡­ I mean Tibult¡­¡±


    Actually, I was pretty sure I was right the first time!

 Chapter 1010

    ¡°How have the talks gone?¡± I asked in a tight voice, trying to calmly pull this woman¡­ ahem¡­ this man off of me.


    ¡°Not good at all!¡± He pursed his lips. ¡°They were quite upset that no one from the noble family came for the wedding. Just convincing them we weren¡¯t insulting them was the best I could do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I perked up. ¡°I heard a bit about that. We did bring Eliana with us.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully, it¡¯s not too late.¡± He brightened, although he was still clinging uncomfortably close to me. ¡°My, you¡¯re very muscular. Would you consider being mine?¡±


    ¡°Yours?¡±


    ¡°I just want you to serve under me. Of course¡­ I¡¯m always on top.¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± Octius grabbed my other arm and pulled him to me. ¡°Stop trying to recruit my men. I went to great effort to gain his¡­ muscles¡­ ahem¡­ I mean his friendship!¡±


    I found myself being pulled between two men. If there was a difference between them, it was that Octius was an extremely pretty boy. It was difficult to tell if he was a man or a woman, but there was just enough off about him that you could determine it was a man. As for his father, there was no indication at all. Calling him a pretty boy would be describing him short. It was a woman, other than that I had to assume the part between their legs was male. He was a woman who happened to have a penis, I had no other way of describing him. Even the penis was something I¡¯d have to take their word for.


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    This event was causing a bit of commotion. An attractive, muscular soldier of a man seemingly was being pulled and fought over by a beautiful man that would cause women to sigh and a beautiful woman who was just as abnormally attractive. Actually, why was Otto so ugly considering how beautiful his brother and father appeared! I looked at his muscle-bound sister who seemed to be finding this amusing and instantly understood. Wait, what does the mom look like! I seem to remember them saying that the daughter took after her mom while the two of them took after their dad!


    ¡°Dad! Brother. He¡¯s a noble too high a rank to join either of you now. Remember, he¡¯ll be going through the ceremony soon.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s right!¡± the general lifted his finger excitedly. ¡°You¡¯re upper nobility now. Soon, you might even be on top of me!¡±


    ¡°That will never happen!¡± I coughed. ¡°A-anyway¡­ shouldn¡¯t we be getting into the church now?¡±


    I tried to bring the conversation back around. The pair of them finally let go of me, but I already felt like taking a shower. Why did they smell so good?


    ¡°D-Deek!¡± Eliana cried out as I grabbed her.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°Ahn!¡±


    I grabbed all of the girls and held them while I rubbed myself against them to feel normal again. After holding the mothers of my children as well as a busty maid, I felt much better after such an event. When I pulled away, I had been expecting the girls to blush a bit, but I hadn¡¯t been expecting to get so many hateful looks around me. We weren¡¯t exactly at the doors to the wedding yet and were still near the public crowd. After having a man and a woman fight over me, I then grabbed three other beautiful women and snuggled with them openly in public. Somehow, this had earned glares from both the men and the women.


    So much for laying low. I grabbed Eliana and the group of us followed the general. Thankfully, we wouldn¡¯t be entering the church from the front but could slip in the back where we wouldn¡¯t go noticed. Hopefully.

 Chapter 1011

    ¡°What is that doing here?¡± A voice cried out as soon as we tried to enter the church.


    It seemed like entering the church without making a commotion was impossible for me no matter what I did. A group of three women suddenly approached. I recognized the clothing they were wearing. They were the robes of the church. They resembled the robes from the capital¡¯s church, but they were a different color. Those robes were red, while these were clear blue.


    The lead woman had blond hair and a slim physique. She was attractive, but the expression on her face was one filled with open disgust. The two girls behind her seemed to echo these looks. There was something off about them though. They just didn¡¯t seem like the other priestesses I had met, but I just couldn¡¯t put my finger on it.


    As for ¡®that¡¯, I thought they had finally called out the Tibults. I mean, as to which one, it was hard to say, because they were all questionable. However, as her finger jutted out, it was pointing at Faeyna of all girls. I was extremely shocked.


    ¡°M-me?¡± Faeyna cried out.


    ¡°Yes, you¡­¡± Her eyes narrowed hatefully. ¡°Your kind aren¡¯t allowed in here.¡±


    ¡°My kind?¡±


    The general seemed just as surprised as me. This was the first time he had ever encountered such a thing. The only good thing was that we went in the back way and there weren¡¯t very many people around who noticed these sudden issues.


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    I was shocked, and my mouth fell open as we were met with hostility. Were elves hated in these parts? I expected a bit of xenophobia in parts of Aberis, but I had thought the Ost Republic was extremely welcoming. I tried to think back if anyone else had shot Faeyna any ugly looks. I did recall a certain old woman looking at her with distaste, but I hadn¡¯t thought anything of it at the time.


    ¡°Just who do you think you are?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°They¡¯re the E.D.B.D.T.D,¡± Octin spoke up.


    ¡°The E¡­D¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re the disciplinary committee of the official church of the Ost Republic.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Do they have something against Faeyna?¡± I asked.


    ¡°How could we not?¡± The woman sneered. ¡°Look at those ugly things!¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t had any trouble before,¡± Octin spoke with a slightly worried frown on his face.


    ¡°You never brought someone like her before!¡± She snapped. ¡°She¡¯s not welcome here!¡±


    ¡°If you want to keep her from coming, then we have a problem.¡± I stepped forward menacingly.


    She glanced at me undisturbed, and then there was a flash of recognition. ¡°It¡¯s you¡­ yes¡­ I¡¯ve heard of you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I blinked, not sure where that came from.


    ¡°You¡¯re that one that fraternizes with that unholy spawn from the north who calls themselves a church! They¡¯ve warned us you were coming to fill our heads with lies. Rumor says that you love women of all types! It seems like it was all talk! Looking at the women at your side, it is clear that you enjoy women of a certain persuasion.¡± Her eyes were landing on a certain aspect of the women behind me. ¡°It¡¯s all just fat anyway!¡±


    ¡°W-wait!¡± Realization suddenly struck me as I realized what was off about them. ¡°You all have flat chests!¡±


    ¡°Blasphemy!¡± She cried out. ¡°Pointing out a woman¡¯s chest size in the house of the daughter. As a member of the E.D.B.D.T.D. committee¡­ you¡¯re under arrest!¡±

 Chapter 1012

    ¡°Under arrest? For what?¡± I cried out.


    ¡°Hmph! Bringing such a fat ugly cow into our midst, how could that not be provocation! Our spies have already well documented your association with the church of the mother. As for the talk that you¡¯re the great unifier¡­ who asked you to unify anyone!¡±


    In Aberis, there was the church that was responsible for managing the priests and paladins. At some point, the church had broken up. The church of the mother and the daughter became the church of the mother and the church of the daughter. Somehow, large breasts had signified the mother, while small or nonexistent breasts signified the daughter. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t seem like age played into it. It would have been uncomfortable if it was a church of lolis.


    Mary, the archbishop of the church of the mother had asked me to help them create peace with the church of the daughter. She claimed that simply by surrounding myself with women of different endowments while accomplishing great deeds, I was already helping remove the negative stigmatism of the church.


    The paladins and priests that had come with me to battle the demon lord had all been impressed by my women and a few had even grudgingly admitted that Garnet¡¯s work was pretty exceptional and that Terra and Miki were powerful assets. They were especially interested in Miki¡¯s spiritual abilities, with complemented their priests well. They wanted to know how she had earned such a job. I told them you had to surround yourself with death, become sickly for a long time, die, and then become a ghost. None of them were eager to do what was necessary to reach those goals.


    However, while the church of the mother, while filled with prejudice, had some desire to make amends and reunite, the flat-chested women were much pricklier, it seemed. I did not have time to worry about them and had focused on my own problems with Alerith. Mary hadn¡¯t given me a timeline, and I hadn¡¯t been in this world all that long anyway. I hadn¡¯t realized that the church of the daughter was located in the Ost Republic, although now I realized it made too much sense.


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    Since both countries were so vehemently opposed to each other, why wouldn¡¯t their churches also be opposed to each other? Now that I thought about it, there seemed to be a lot more flat-chested women on the streets in the capital. Most Osterian women had rather small breasts, although Alysia was an exception. I wondered if she had trouble getting married in the church given her chest-size.


    As for me unifying anyone, that must have spread from Mary. She was trying to make things happen and had spread that I was some kind of religious symbol. My harem of women was becoming the source of reform in the church. I didn¡¯t know if I should laugh or cry.


    ¡°M-my breasts aren¡¯t that big¡­ although they have been getting bigger recently¡­¡± Raissa blushed.


    ¡°St-stupid pregnancy¡­¡± Eliana added, feeling her breasts which have also gotten a bit bigger.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ two mothers and a big-tittied elf! You don¡¯t want to start a fight! You want war!¡± The woman cried out accusingly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± I fought back. ¡°I¡¯ve said before, I like women of all sizes! It¡¯s just a coincidence these women happen to be pregnant and large-chested.¡±


    ¡°Then, prove it!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I see two flat-chest women by your side!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Where?¡±


    ¡°Ai, ai¡­ I keep telling them I¡¯m a man, but they don¡¯t believe me.¡± Octin sighed.


    ¡°Is he the reason you feel the need to talk down to yourself, sister? The girl demanded.


    ¡°Sister?¡± Octius cocked her head.


    The church leader grabbed each of their hands. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be made ashamed of having flat chests! You need not call yourselves men just because you don¡¯t have those mounds of fat!¡±


    ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Octin had an awkward smile, looking slightly exasperated like he¡¯s had this conversation before while Octius just looked dumbfounded.


    ¡°And this man!¡± She whipped her hand at me. ¡°If he could call himself a man he would make you both feel like the women you deserve to be!¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ but they really are¡­¡± I tried to explain.


    ¡°Silence! If you truly are this so-called lover of all women, then give these women proper affection, or¡­ or¡­ I¡¯ll sentence you and your three boob bimbos to death!¡±

 Chapter 1013

    <div>


    Chapter 1013


    ¡°Can they really do that?¡± I cried out.


    I mean, there was no way I¡¯d allow it to happen, but I also didn¡¯t want to start an international incident here, especially over what I considered a misunderstanding. One of these guests was the princess! They wouldn¡¯t be speaking so boldly if they knew what they were seriously saying. I turned to the Tibult family for help. After all, they were the ones who had been here and should understand things the best.


    ¡°Do you hate us?¡± Octin asked, looking up at me with tear-filled eyes.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Father, perhaps you shouldn¡¯t tease him too much.¡± Octius laughed.


    ¡°Are you going to do it or not? I¡¯ll even tolerate a kiss!¡± The woman crossed her arms over her chest.


    ¡°Haha¡­ don¡¯t worry!¡± Octavia stepped forward. ¡°How about he just kiss me? Oh, but my chest is quite large though.¡±


    If they were describing her chest, there wasn¡¯t much sign of any breasts, just pecs, but they were pretty large if you were being technical, not that that option was that much better.


    ¡°Ehhh¡­¡± The three church girls didn¡¯t seem to know what to make of the situation either. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that.¡±


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    ¡°Fine! You say I don¡¯t go for small chests?¡± I snapped, feeling like I was losing my sanity there. ¡°Then, how about this?¡±


    I reached forward and grabbed the girl herself. She was flatchested, after all, and also pretty.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± She cried out as I pulled her and kissed her.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ he went for her.¡± Octin pouted.


    ¡°D-dad! You¡¯re married!¡± Otto cried out.


    ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± Octin raised his finger like he had just remembered that. ¡°Then, good Deek here must have been trying to protect my vows¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost certain that isn¡¯t it¡­¡±


    ¡°Mmm! Mmm!¡± The girl struggled helplessly as I kissed her thoroughly.


    However, she couldn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t like flat-chested girls after that, right? I finally let her go and she stumbled back, gasping for breath.


    ¡°Y-you¡­ you!¡± She said it twice.


    ¡°Is that satisfactory now?¡± I asked.


    Her face turned red. ¡°I-I¡¯ll remember this!¡±


    She grabbed the other two girls, who looked just as surprised as she was, and then fled the area. I let out a breath as I saw them go. I wasn¡¯t sure if that would make things more difficult between me and the church of the daughter later on. When I had time, I should bring Garnet over here. I regretted not inviting her already. Well, she technically wasn¡¯t in my harem.


    To the best of my knowledge, she wasn¡¯t even affected by certain Harem Master skills I had tried out on a certain night. However, she had an association with the church of the mother that I wasn¡¯t too clear on, and she had the flat-chestedness that the church of the daughter revered, so it was a good combo to have.


    I had come here just to relax, but I realized now I just knew far too little about the Ost Republic. I had been dealing with issues in Aberis for so long, I didn¡¯t feel ready to start dealing with the issues of another country. At the very least, we were through the door now. I could finally just sit back and enjoy a wedding.

 Chapter 1014

    <div>


    Chapter 1014


    After the church committee had provided us such a rude welcoming, we continued on into the church. We needed to be introduced one at a time. We managed to get in line just as they were announcing the last few guests. We technically should have been near the beginning of the list. This would make Aberis look bad in the eyes of the other guests, but there was no helping it at this point, I supposed. The giant cathedral had several stage boxes on the top. Aberis was granted one of them, which ultimately also decided how many guests we were allowed to bring.


    The box fit only ten people. The four Tibults and the four of us constituted eight of those spots. The remaining two were reserved for the ambassador and his wife, neither of which I had ever met. At the very least, they had arrived early and provided proper respect, as was their job.


    ¡°Lord Octin Tibult, Duke of Aberis, general of the southern border.¡± A man announced in a dry voice. ¡°He¡¯s arrived with his three children, Marquis Octius, Count Otto, and Countess Octavia.¡±


    The four of them walked into the room beyond.


    ¡°Princess Eliana Aberis, escorted by Lord Deek Deekson, Earl of Aberis, keeper of the wilderness.¡± He continued.


    ¡°Am I an Earl now?¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Shh¡­ just accept it,¡± Eliana whispered back.


    The other two girls were just considered servants, so they filed in behind. Raissa¡¯s eyes were big as she took in the whole place. Faeyna had initially been confident, but after the church had insulted her breasts, she was slouching slightly and trying not to bring as much attention to herself. I would need to make it up to both girls later, but for the moment, we were in enemy territory and they needed to just deal with it.


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    ¡°Deek Deekson!¡± A voice suddenly called just as I was looking for the direction Lord Octin had gone so that I could follow him.


    My eyes moved an scanned the crowd to see who had suddenly called my name when they fell on a man who had been glaring at me. Of all the people I had thought it would be, I hadn¡¯t realized it¡¯d be the groom. He was already at the front of the altar, waiting to receive his bride. That would be Alysia, or so I had heard from Harem. However, an Osterian man I had never seen before in my life suddenly called me out when I entered the room and was now glaring daggers at me.


    Hearing the groom suddenly speak out, the entire room went quiet, and all the eyes in the room fell on me. The man stepped down from the altar and began to march up the red carpet toward me. I pulled Eliana behind me before stepping forward, trying to keep from showing my confusion or fear. The man¡¯s step faltered slightly as he approached. He had seemed to be expecting to tower over me, but as he closed the distance, he started to realize I was nearly as tall as he was. He was still taller than me, but only by a bit. After a few slow steps, he regained his traction until he stood right in front of me. A sneer formed on his face.


    ¡°Yes?¡± I asked, hoping this was just another misunderstanding and finding myself regretting not just staying in Chalm.


    ¡°You are Deek Deekson.¡± He stated this as a fact.


    ¡°I am,¡± I responded.


    ¡°You thought yourself clever by hiding to the very end.¡± His voice was loud and crisp so everyone in the room could hear. ¡°You thought that I wouldn¡¯t upset the wedding to challenge you if you arrived so late.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Well, you failed! I challenge you to the Osterian Karn!¡±


    Several people gasped, including Eliana. I looked over at her for verification.


    ¡°The Karn is a fight to the death.¡±

 Chapter 1015

    <div>


    Chapter 1015


    ¡°Do not act so confused.¡± He declared. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been more than familiar with my future wife!¡±


    This led to more gasps. The groom was a an Osterian man who wasn¡¯t particularly attractive. He looked a bit old to be the groom of Alysia. He had dark black hair with just a bit of grey in it. He wasn¡¯t as muscular as me, but he moved with a grace that reminded me of Octius or Octin. This was a man who knew how to fight. His expression was filled with anger and disdain.


    ¡°We¡¯re friends.¡± I tried to defend.


    ¡°Hmph! Like I can believe that! I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve seen her naked and that she has seen you naked in turn.¡±


    ¡°That was¡­ I mean¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know how to respond to that.


    Technically, we had fought each other until our clothing was in tatters. However, there wasn¡¯t anything sexual about it.


    ¡°You also declared her as your woman, and threw your arms around her.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ that¡­¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure things exactly happened that way. I had been jumping off a cliff to rescue Alysia when I grabbed her. As for declaring her my woman, I don¡¯t seem to recall that at all. Then again, I had made that declaration to so many women, maybe I had? I needed to stop running my mouth! It led to situations like this!


    ¡°It¡¯s an archaic tradition from the old Osteria. In Aberis, it has been abolished.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ that¡¯s because you puny humans fear anything that takes away your safety.¡± The man chuckled.


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    ¡°What exactly is the Osterian Karn?¡± I asked Eliana, rather hearing her explanation than his voice.


    ¡°When a groom is to marry a woman, he can initiate a challenge to the death towards anyone he thinks his woman has lingering affection toward. This way, there is less risk that she yearns for someone else. He closes off all avenues for her so that her heart becomes completely his. It¡¯s supposed to occur in the months or weeks leading up to the wedding, but to initiate one now disrupts the ceremony.¡±


    ¡°Hmph! I won¡¯t be denied my right just because the accused is a coward!¡± The man declared snobbishly.


    ¡°What if he dies?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Haha¡­ you think I will die?¡± The man laughed. ¡°Nonsense. I am an Osterian, while you¡¯re just a puny human. Even if your levels were double what my sources say they are at, you wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.¡±


    I had no clue what levels they were saying if they knew how many jobs I had, nor if what he was saying was even true. All I could say was that he was pretty confident, while I didn¡¯t want to be involved in this fight at all.


    ¡°Eliana is mistaken about one thing.¡± Octin had returned when he heard what was happening, ¡°This doesn¡¯t necessarily need to be a battle to the death. Although the groom will try to kill the accused, if the accused kills the groom instead, he forfeits his life.¡±


    ¡°How is that fair?¡± I cried out.


    ¡°Of course, the groom can also spare the accused if he defeats him, but I anticipate this won¡¯t happen.¡±


    So, it was a situation where he could kill me, but I couldn¡¯t kill him. This felt like the dumbest tradition I had ever heard. It gave him a free shot at killing anyone he considered an enemy all while maintaining his safety.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t completely risk-free.¡± Octin continued as if reading my mind. ¡°If he should lose, while his life won¡¯t be forfeit¡­ the wedding will be. As the accused must put a life on the line, so must the groom.¡±


    ¡°Whose life?¡± I asked as the groom made an ugly expression like he didn¡¯t want me to know this part.


    ¡°The groom puts his bride as collateral. If he loses, then the bride becomes the accused¡¯s slave to do with however they wish.¡±


    ¡°S-seriously?¡±


    ¡°Well, as Eliana said, it is an archaic tradition. Many men would let the woman go. Others show their true colors and take advantage of her. A groom who loses truly ends up in a humiliating state.¡±


    ¡°Enough banter!¡± He shouted. ¡°I am General Draven Nova of the Osterian Bloodwights. Tonight, I will offer Alysia a plate with your head on it as my wedding gift!¡±

 Chapter 1016

    <div>


    Chapter 1016


    His challenge still hung in the air. I looked around for help, but both Octin and Octius seemed at a loss for words. I was hoping that Alysia would appear and make things clear, but I guess that was too much to hope for.


    ¡°My King! Please allow me to postpone this marriage for a brief spat so that I may send this man on his way to death!¡± The general turned around and called out.


    Another Osterian stood up. He was wearing a fine robe and suit that I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised to see on Prince Edward¡¯s body. This was the king of the Ost Republic? Wait! Wasn¡¯t this a republic? Why was there a king anyway?


    ¡°Alysia is my sister, and you will soon be my brother-in-law.¡± The other man said in a calm voice, his lips lifted slightly in a grin. ¡°How could I deny you this request?¡±


    ¡°My lord!¡± This time, I was glad to see General Octin step forward. ¡°Deek Deekson is an upper noble of Aberis. You can¡¯t expect us to stand by and allow you to just kill him! From what I understand, this custom hasn¡¯t been honored in over a hundred years.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only because the Demon Lord Aberis was controlling these parts over the last one hundred years!¡± General Nova shrugged. ¡°Technically, every law that passed over from old Osteria is archaic until we decide to use it again.¡±


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    ¡°That still means it hasn¡¯t been used in the last twenty years¡­¡±


    ¡°There hasn¡¯t been a royal wedding in twenty years. The former queen refused marriage. Her children are the last of her line.¡± General Nova continued. ¡°That only makes it more prudent for the continuation of royalty that she not be tempted, especially by some foreign human.¡±


    ¡°I demand that this go through a vote with the council¡­¡± Octin declared.


    There were a ton of groans at these words.


    ¡°The bride and groom are Osterian.¡± This time, it was the King who spoke up. ¡°Osterians follow the King, it is humans who follow the council, and this human isn¡¯t from the Ost Republic, so there is no reason to consult the council in this.¡±


    The government sounded complicated, but it looked like every species had its representation. The Osterians followed a king, while the humans consulted a council. However, I imagined that seeing as the Osterians were the muscle of the country, what the king said the council often had to agree with. In other words, they were there just for show to give the humans a feeling like they have some power, all while the Osterian line ruled the country. I was beginning to understand why a sword in the stone story would develop in this country where humans were being secretly oppressed.


    ¡°If you are so worried¡­¡± General Nova waved his hand. ¡°Then I promise if he surrenders, I will not kill him. He only needs to admit he is inferior to me.¡±


    ¡°Even so-¡± General Octin stopped after I touched his shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I stepped in front of him and up to General Nova. ¡°I accept your challenge. Let¡¯s fight!¡±

 Chapter 1017

    <div>


    Chapter 1017


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Otto asked for the tenth time.


    ¡°Stop badgering him. I approve of this. It¡¯s how a man should act!¡± Octavia gave me a thumbs up.


    ¡°I¡¯m just worried you¡¯ll be hurt.¡± Octius pouted, stroking my arm.


    ¡°You¡¯re just using sympathy as a chance to touch me, aren¡¯t you?¡± I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Octius put on a hurt look.


    ¡°If you like touching muscles, brother, you can feel these!¡± Octavia immediately did a flex pose.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s just not the same!¡± Octius sighed.


    Some time had passed, and I was now waiting in a room in the church, not unlike a room the bride would be waiting in before the wedding. The entire wedding party was being moved to the training fields behind the church where Paladins learned battle. That would ultimately be where I faced General Nova.


    ¡°Are you certain about this?¡± Octin asked, his arms crossed as he thought deeply, even his contemplative features resembling a cool beauty.


    ¡°I¡¯m not as weak as I once was.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve very interested to see how strong I am now. Recently, my soul was damaged, but those souls were combined, and rather than lose strength, I should have gained it. However, I haven¡¯t had time to test myself. Even if I lose, he already said if I forfeit and admit he¡¯s stronger, then he will accept my defeat. Worst case scenario, one of us dies.¡±


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    ¡°With Resurrection, it is true that death isn¡¯t permanent.¡± Octin nodded. ¡°And with your healing, you could bounce back from near death with ease. However, if you kill him, this will cause outrage among the Ost Republic, and if he kills you, we¡¯ll be forced to retaliate with aggression as well. Killing an upper noble is a grave insult to the country, no matter your personal feelings.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ then the best opportunity would be if I won, but then forfeited.¡±


    He raised both eyebrows. ¡°Really? I suppose that is a good plan. You show you¡¯re powerful and give honor to Aberis, but also allow the wedding to continue. He won¡¯t be able to easily cause any more trouble after that.¡±


    ¡°Of course, it still ends with Alysia getting married to Nova.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No¡­¡± I shook my head after a thought. ¡°None at all. Tell me, what do you know of Nova?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a general. Many think he¡¯s lazy, and maybe he is, but he makes up for it by being extremely cunning. I¡¯ve faced him a few times on the border, and it¡¯s always ended in a tie. He supposedly has a large harem of women that he plays with daily. He surrounds himself with beautiful women, many of which are slaves.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± My eyes flashed angrily.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard that he even forces them to fight for him. You didn¡¯t see them in the church, but he has a personal guard made up of all women that he sleeps with!¡±


    ¡°That monster! How can he dare think about marrying a woman when he treats so many other women that way?¡± I snapped.


    Raissa leaned over to Eliana and whispered. ¡°Should we tell him?¡±


    ¡°A clueless Deek is a cute Deek. We¡¯ll let him figure it out on his own.¡± Eliana responded.


    The two girls giggled together playfully. Although I didn¡¯t know what they were whispering, it was nice to see that they were starting to bond as well, just as I had hoped.

 Chapter 1018

    <div>


    Chapter 1018


    ¡°Deek Deekson, I felt the need to stop by for a bit.¡± It was the king himself who appeared at my door.


    I stood up, keeping an eye out for Octin to tell me if I needed to bow or anything else. When he only turned thoughtfully, I gave a nod to the king.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re taller than I imagined.¡± The king spoke after a moment.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Alysia has spoken about me?¡±


    He shook his head with a laugh. ¡°Not at all. In fact, she¡¯s made an attempt to not mention you. That¡¯s why it is so worrisome.¡±


    I frowned, not quite sure what he meant.


    He walked over to a desk, where he managed to pull out a bottle of drink and a couple of glasses stashed there. He poured a drink for me, Octin, and himself before turning to the pair of us.


    ¡°Normally, Alysia doesn¡¯t hold anything back, not from me or mother. However, she¡¯s remained extremely tight-lipped when it has come to conversations regarding you. She¡¯s faced you two times, and both times, she got the raw end of the deal.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that suggest that she hates me?¡± I asked cautiously.


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    ¡°If you know my sister as well as I think you do, you¡¯d know how ridiculous that question is.¡± He gave me a look, and I had no choice but to look away.


    ¡°Is Ost Republic looking to have peace with Aberis?¡± I ask the important question.


    ¡°Deek!¡± Octin cried out.


    The king chuckled. ¡°A direct question requires a direct answer. I know General Octin here has been trying to ascertain that answer for weeks now. If it was my mother you were talking to, peace would be impossible. However¡­¡±


    ¡°However?¡± I looked back at him as he stopped on that word.


    ¡°General Nova has a lot of sway in this country, especially with the humans.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Is it so surprising?¡± Octin asked. ¡°You would be said to have a lot of sway with beastkin and the Esmere. In fact, the minority races idolize you. You¡¯re a human that accepts beastkin as equals.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t really thought about it like that.


    ¡°Many of his slave women are humans, and he has many human children.¡± The king¡¯s expression flashed angrily for a second. ¡°As much as he goes on about purity of the Osterians, he certainly is fine weakening our bloodline!¡±


    ¡°Where do I come in?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple.¡± He shrugged. ¡°If the humans somehow ceased to trust in him, and found a new hero to admire¡­ a human hero, then I wouldn¡¯t need to sacrifice my sister to that man.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting I should defeat him in battle?¡±


    He gave a slight smile. ¡°We¡¯ll see if you are as impressive as the reports say. I will be finding my place outside. Good luck.¡±


    He left as abruptly as he came. After a moment of silence, Octin shook his head.


    ¡°That man shouldn¡¯t be trusted. He has his own aims. It¡¯s possible he wants you to defeat General Nova for his own reasons.¡±


    ¡°I agree¡­ I don¡¯t think it¡¯d be a good idea if I defeated Nova.¡± I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s time. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    I was having a nagging feeling ever since talking to the king. Something about him felt strangely familiar, and also off. He was definitely a schemer, and I feared that all of this had been planned out by him from the start.

 Chapter 1019

    <div>


    Chapter 1019


    The group of us finally left the back of the church. A path was created for me to walk down into the center field. Meanwhile, seating had been hastily set up in a circle around the courtyard, where the party guests had been relocated.


    ¡°Is it not possible for Octius or you to fight for Deek?¡± Otto asked. ¡°A slave is considered the weapon of their Master, right? We can use his temporary slave ability as he did once before.¡±


    Octin shook his head. ¡°At the moment, this is about maintaining the dignity and respect of our nation. If you or anyone else were to fight for him, it¡¯d lose all meaning.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for concerning yourself with me,¡± I patted Otto on the back. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to do this on my own.¡±


    I felt a bit touched that Otto was worrying about me so much. Eliana ran up and hugged me next. Raissa and Faeyna stood at the side. Raissa¡¯s tail was lowered, and Faeyna also had a slouched posture. It was clear they were both worried as well. I reached out and embraced them all. This earned me a few glares and bad looks, but I didn¡¯t care. When I turned away, I was shocked to see that on the other side of the courtyard, a similar scene was playing out with General Nova, except he was lewdly grabbing and kissing several women.


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    This was his wedding day, and he was marrying Alysia, but he was kissing and feeling up other women right in front of the entire wedding procession. My eyes narrowed and once again I felt anger toward this man. It really would be nice to put him in his place. He seemed to notice my eyes on him because he broke away from his kiss and then glanced in my direction. A grin formed on his face, showing far too many teeth.


    I parted from my group, who went to find places to watch, as I stepped into the circle. General Nova did the same. The pair of us stopped a distance away from each other. That¡¯s when my eyes fell on a stage that had seemingly been hauled here just for the royal family. They were above everyone else, and included soft chairs and even cover from the sun. The King walked up onto the platform, and another two Osterian women walked up behind him. When I saw them, my body froze and my mind reeled.


    Alysia was there, her head lowered, a veil covering her face enough that it was impossible to see her expression. She was wearing a dress made of blue silk, and it flowed down her body quite alluringly. I had only ever seen her in her military or adventuring clothing, so this was the first time I had ever seen her dressed up. Her red curly hair flowed down her shoulders and contrasted with the darker tanned skin of an Osterian. Osterians didn¡¯t freckle as humans did, so as she tanned, they didn¡¯t get darker. She was shockingly beautiful even with only her eyes showing.


    However, I barely glanced at her, because my eyes were on the other woman who ascended onto the platform. I recognized her as well. I had seen her features many times before in many different forms. I had seen her as a human, and I had seen her as a giant. This was the first time I saw her purely as an Osterian. It was none other than Xin!

 Chapter 1020

    <div>


    Chapter 1020


    ¡°How can this be? How can Xin be here?¡± I demanded, using Slave Communication to have Faeyna and Raissa ask the Tibults.


    Ultimately, they didn¡¯t know what I was talking about. None of them knew the full story about Xin. To Raissa, she was just a woman that sort of resembled the boss monster in the dungeon. She never interacted with Xin very much. As for everyone else, most had never even laid eyes on her or had heard about her existence. They vaguely knew that I had a dungeon which I had more or less tamed, but they didn¡¯t know to what extent that I had control over it. They didn¡¯t know about Xin, her monster clone, nor the soul I had fetched from the Twilight Dungeon.


    As it turned out, the group with me were the group least familiar with the situation, and explaining it all to them now was far too difficult. All I could determine was that Xin was the Queen here. As the story went according to Faeyna¡¯s summary of what Octin said, King Aberis had declared her and all Osterian¡¯s outlaws, and she fled across the border with the last of the Osterians and became their leader. Since Aberis was too young and still forming, she was able to recover the last bits of Osteria, including the capital city which was originally in the south, and form a new country.


    Not everyone agreed with King Aberis¡¯s pro-human rhetoric, and so Ost Republic was formed counter to Aberis. Of course, not all blame could be put on the King. His people had been oppressed by demons, and the Osterians had joined them in doing it. Ultimately, the only Osterian ally he had murdered him, and led to the ultimate sacrifice of his wife. He had felt his actions were justifiable at the time. Thus, the two countries remained antagonistic to each other for roughly twenty years.


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    A few years ago, Queen Xin resigned from her position and gave it to the royal prince, who became King Greggar. This was all fine and good, except that I knew that Xin did not go to the Ost Republic. Halfway there, she was taken control of by Demon Lord Aberis, who turned back into Aberis. Once born, he tossed her into the Twilight Dungeon where she died, and then he regained his power, took control of Lord Reign, and then used him as a puppet for the last twenty years.


    In other words, there were two stories, and they didn¡¯t match up. Could it be that Xin was a dungeon clone? Did the Ost Republic make a fake Xin? She had a lot of sway with the people, so anyone who wanted to control the Osterians would have been smart to try to clone her in a dungeon. However, that kind of thing took time. My mind was still busy wondering when General Nova spoke up.


    ¡°A bride and groom shouldn¡¯t see each other before the wedding!¡± He declared.


    ¡°Once my daughter heard of this fight, she had insisted on being present to see how it turns out.¡± Xin spoke in a voice that sounded familiar, but also strangely cold and aloof.


    ¡°I truly hope she doesn¡¯t hope to intercede¡­¡± He spoke uncertainly.


    ¡°Rest assured, she will not involve herself as any more than a spectator.¡± Her mom spoke before giving the woman herself a sharp look. ¡°And she will abide by the outcome, where ever it may fall.¡±


    Alysia silently nodded, but her eyes shot to me, and even though she was at a distance I thought I could see some reluctance in there. I noticed she was distinctly staying quiet. It was clear by her entire body language she didn¡¯t want this to happen.


    ¡°Then, let the battle begin!¡±

 Chapter 1021

    <div>


    Chapter 1021


    ¡°Are you ready to die?¡± General Nova asked, pulling out a long spear. ¡°What is your weapon of choice.¡±


    I was pretty surprised to see a spear. I was used to most nobility using swords. Although my girls had a variety of different weapons from magical to physical, it seemed like whenever I faced a human, they had a sword. Then again, this guy wasn¡¯t a human, and the spear he had in his hand didn¡¯t look like it had been made for a human either. It was thick, and when he hit the ground with the back of the staff, it made a resounding thud showing just how heavy it was.


    As I pulled out my sword, it looked pretty pathetic in comparison. I was larger and stronger than I used to be, and this small sword in my hand just didn¡¯t feel like it belonged anymore. I might have been wielding a dagger for as light as it was. However, it was a powerful sword, and while it wasn¡¯t at the level of the Silvthril sword, or even the Star Sword, it was the best the blacksmiths could make in Chalm. Until Garnet made me a stronger one incorporating magic or I lucked out and found a powerful magical sword in a labyrinth, these standard swords were the best that I had.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ a commoner¡¯s sword¡­ fitting for an unremarkable man.¡±


    I considered asking Octius or Octin for a magic sword, but I had seen Octius¡¯s sword and fighting style, and it didn¡¯t fit me. He used elegant and light movements, flowing from one attack to another. I imagined he had gotten that from Octin. It called for light, flowing movements refined from years of practice. I was self-taught, and my fights had often been desperate as I tried to survive in the dungeons. My attacks also relied on speed, but they were sharp, aggressive attacks, intended for doing maximum damage at minimum cost. It wasn¡¯t that either way was better or even preferred, but that I wouldn¡¯t be any more comfortable with either of their swords.


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    ¡°When you are defeated by a commoner¡¯s sword and an unremarkable man, I wonder what it will make you?¡± I asked, strengthening my grip on the sword.


    My words caused the malicious grin to finally fall off his face. He glared at me, and then lowered his body to attack. I similarly got into position. I had already optimized my setup for the battle, concentrating on the jobs that would make me the strongest. True Hero, Hero, Mimic, Demonic Knight. Why didn¡¯t I dump all my points into a 5th job? It was because I had optimized my dungeon points as well, concentrating on abilities I often ignored in the dungeons.


    I had 62 dungeon points at the moment. I originally had 42. Male Deek had earned 15 points from defeating the Twilight Dungeon and Female Deek had earned 5 points finishing off the Bandit¡¯s Respite. When my souls combined, so did the blessings, and also my missing points. Combined, I could finally equip a 50 point skill. Most of these were extremely terrifying. Eternal Youth, Earthshatter, Soul Reaver, and Dimensional Shift were a few of the skills under this list.


    Dimensional Shift likely functioned similarly to my blessings modification to Portal. That meant that technically, I could have used it rather than waiting the week. However, that would have taken 50 of my points, and I didn¡¯t know the cooldown time for it. What if that cooldown was also a week or even a month? I wasn¡¯t willing to sacrifice 50 points for who knew how long. Plus, I admit I hadn¡¯t noticed it at the time, since I had bigger things on my mind.


    Thus, I put 16 points into Stamina Increase. Instead of 10X experience and the extra portals, I had the 10-point skill Haste, 6 points to get level 2 in Increased Strength, the 5-point skill Hawk Vision, and the 1-point skill Explosive Movement. I could still drop the Advanced Learning levels to get six more points, but I realized they were better than I initially thought. They didn¡¯t just make it easier to remember things, but they were the reason I was able to glean more information when I had a job equipped simply by contemplating the job carefully. In this case, I was using it mixed with my Moderate Weapon Proficiency to understand a spears strengths and weaknesses.


    Hawk Vision gave me extremely precise vision, and when combined with Mimic and Advanced Learning, I was confident I could replicate the skills being used against me. I truly was going all out here. It was finally time to see what I was capable of.


    ¡°Begin!¡±

 Chapter 1022

    <div>


    Chapter 1022


    General Nova lunged toward me; his spear outstretched in a direct attack. There were no feeling things out with him. He went straight for a killing blow. I struck the tip of the staff with my sword, directing the strike and causing it to move past my shoulder. He pulled back and struck again, and then again. His spear quickly launching a dozen sharp and dangerous attacks. Each one I countered with my sword.


    I suddenly got a prickly feeling, and I leaped back. At that moment, a glow formed on his body, and the speed of his attacks sped up to the point of a blur. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to block it, and had I been standing there I would have been turned to mincemeat. This was far different than the fighting I was used to. When fighting, most people either attacked or used skills. When they attacked with a skill, there was usually a bit of forewarning. It was even considered common to announce what skill you were using before attacking.


    That¡¯s how Adventurers and gladiators did it, at least. However, Adventurers worked in teams, and it was often important to know what your allies were doing before they attacked. These verbal cues added cohesion to a team. As for gladiators, they were fundamentally showmen, and crying out attacks was a way of hyping up the audience, so it was likely taught and encouraged. General Nova was a soldier though. Soldiers put their lives on the line. Skills weren¡¯t showy attacks designed to overwhelm or intimidate an enemy. They were simply a tool to facilitate killing.


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    He blended his attacks with his skills, slipping them into his attack. He did it a second time, swinging his spear like a staff in a wide arc that would slash my body. Each time it revolved, I had to take a step. He skillfully managed to activate the glowing skill just as the spear was behind his back obscuring my vision. When it came around him, it was moving faster. I had another premonition, but I wasn¡¯t able to get out of the way. I blocked with my sword, which shattered as I flew back and hit the edge of the yard.


    The crowds didn¡¯t yell or cheer like they would in a gladiator match. These were the wedding attendants. They were mostly nobles from Esmore or the Ost Republic, so they were more sophisticated than the typical rabble. I could hear whispers and chuckles. A few people clapped lightly. Looking to the side, I could see the three girls I had brought with me looking on anxiously, holding each other as they watched me fight.


    ¡°Is that all you have?¡± General Nova spoke up. ¡°After your previous confidence, I would have thought you¡¯d be able to put up at least a bit of a fight. Frankly, you¡¯re disappointing.¡±


    I stood back up. Although I was a little dusty, he hadn¡¯t damaged me at all, and despite all of his skills, I hadn¡¯t used any of mine. I had managed to deflect two of these skills, used with the precision of a general, while not consuming any energy of my own. To most of the people present, it might have looked like I had lost that exchange. Otto, for one, looked increasingly worried. However, the King, General Octin, and Octius didn¡¯t have faces like they had just witnessed someone being defeated.


    Most of all, I had been holding back, trying to get a feeling for my abilities and how they matched his. I pulled out a new sword from my Inventory. It was my turn.

 Chapter 1023

    <div>


    Chapter 1023


    This time, I attacked General Nova. My attacks didn¡¯t have any flair. I didn¡¯t know flair to give them. All of my techniques were self-taught, which gave my attacks a more abrupt and violent feel to them. I wasn¡¯t precise like this man, and I¡¯d never had a rhythmic fluid dance like Lydia. All I could do was attack with all I had, and try to survive. If my attacks were similar to any of the girls, it¡¯d be Raissa with whom I shared the most familiarity.


    She seemed to catch that as she watched me fight, and she¡¯d occasional cry out in excitement when she saw something I used that she recognized. While Eliana and Faeyna were purely worried, Raissa who had been a gladiator herself and had often fought for her life found some appeal to watching her master fight.


    Our attacks went back and forth, dancing around the ring. He launched several skills at me. A few I was able to block, especially the ones he had used redundantly. My learning and mimicry allowed me to quickly gain a grasp of his skills, as well as figure out their weaknesses and strength. Just like the time I had fought Alysia, my attacks grew more confident and certain as I learned from the battle.


    Alysia seemed to notice this as well, and her posture had changed. She was no longer slouching with her head down, but had straightened and was leaning forward, her eyes watching the match intently. Most people saw me as continually taking the disadvantage, but those with discerning eyes could see that General Nova was only managing to keep up through a steady use of skills, and those skills were quickly dragging down his stamina. Meanwhile, I still hadn¡¯t used a single skill, and my stamina had been increased many times over to the point where I wasn¡¯t even sweating yet.


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    General Nova was keenly aware of this more than anyone else. His cocky smile had disappeared, and his brow had begun to furrow. He had stopped making jeers and speaking high and mighty. He had managed to hide it well, but his concern was finally starting to show.


    I activated Haste for the first time since the beginning of the battle. Having it as a dungeon skill didn¡¯t give me the ability of Haste infinitely, regrettably. Haste consumed mana when it was active. When someone casts Haste on you, they were using their mana to speed you up. When you activate Haste on yourself, it is ultimately your mana that is used up.


    My speed suddenly shot up as I used a spell unexpectedly. General Nova¡¯s eyes bulged, but when I used a skill, I was very familiar with, Quick Attack, my body reached a state that seemed like instantaneous movement to the crowd. I blurred. General Nova activated a skill that formed a defensive shield around him. My sword struck the shield and shattered. For the first time, General Nova was thrown back.


    ¡°I need a better weapon,¡± I said bitterly, pulling my last spare sword from the Inventory.


    The whispering crowd had become extremely quiet. For the first time, a realization started to dawn on everyone. I was stronger than General Nova, a lot stronger.

 Chapter 1024

    <div>


    Chapter 1024


    ¡°You¡­ you can¡¯t defeat me.¡± General Nova cried out, his calm demeanor slipping away.


    He was technically right. If I defeated him, it would be bad. The King suggested that I should seek to win this victory, although he had never said it outright. I didn¡¯t trust him though, so I was inclined to want to do the exact opposite of what he asked me to do. It was best for Aberis if I conceded this fight, but did it in a way where I was superior. I had already shown I could fight. In fact, I might have gone a bit overboard here.


    ¡°I concede.¡± I put my sword to the side.


    This caused murmurs to grow throughout the crowd. They sounded extremely displeased. They were expecting a more vicious battle. This one was just getting interesting, and suddenly one of the participants gave up.


    ¡°What is that?¡± General Nova¡¯s voice was hoarse.


    ¡°You are a general deserving of your title. I am only a lord and adventurer, more suited for monster fighting than people fighting. Ultimately, that was the best attack I had. Since you survived, there is no point. I acknowledge you are the superior fighter.¡±


    The murmuring in the crowds grew louder. It was clear that most of the people present didn¡¯t believe that at all. Some were confused, but most were dissatisfied a good show was being ruined. I didn¡¯t care at all. These people weren¡¯t my people. The small group from Aberis wouldn¡¯t demand one of their nobles fight for their entertainment.


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    ¡°You dare!¡±


    ¡°You promised if I surrender and admit I¡¯m inferior, then you will end this.¡±


    General Nova took a step forward. ¡°You will surrender when I let you surrender!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± A voice came from the stage.


    General Nova spun with an ugly face, but when his eyes landed on Queen Xin, he quickly shut his mouth and smoothed his expression.


    ¡°My lady, if things end this way, I will not be fulfilled. Your daughter may also continue to harbor some feelings¡­¡±


    She stood up, open fury on her face. ¡°Would you accuse my daughter of being some kind of harlot?¡±


    General Nova took a step back. As smarmy and smug as he acted to most people, it was clear that he was genuinely afraid of Xin.


    ¡°N-No, I wouldn¡¯t dare¡­ but¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, this competition is over.¡± She declared. ¡°I¡¯ve already allowed you the hand of my daughter. If you want to disrespect her by suggesting such things, then-¡°


    ¡°No! Your daughter is pure and beautiful, and I am honored to be her husband!¡± His face turned red as he spoke.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get this over with!¡± She slapped her hands like a thunderclap, and everyone responded.


    All of the honor that he had was destroyed. He received supportive looks from his harem girls and the other humans who respected him, but most of the Osterians just shook their heads in disgust. Without any fanfare, our competition was over. They began to file back into the church, dispersing like this entire event had never even happened. As I rejoined my group, I fought off Octin and Octius who tried to give me hugs. Eventually, I used the three girls as my buffer.


    I noticed at that point that General Nova was glaring at me hatefully. However, his look wasn¡¯t the one that worried me. I felt the eyes of the King on me too. He didn¡¯t say anything, but it was clear he had expected this fight to end differently, and I had somehow stepped on his plans. Whatever was going on, I had a feeling that it wasn¡¯t over.

 Chapter 1025

    <div>


    Chapter 1025


    ¡°I thought that would end differently.¡± Eliana spoke quietly.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I raised an eyebrow, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Alysia¡­ she really did marry the General.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± I asked.


    What she was going to respond with was interrupted by the sound of a firework erupting over the city, followed by ooh¡¯s and awws. We were currently at the reception. Compared to the church, the reception was a much larger celebration, and the reason so many people came to the wedding, even those that weren¡¯t allowed into the church, was that there were layers to this celebration.


    Naturally, we were in the main celebration, which was for the respected party guests. However, there was a celebration in the streets too. It had been being set up for weeks, and now it was finally here. It was a boisterous festival, and one could hear the festivities occasionally rise over the rather demure music playing in the more traditional reception.


    ¡°I wish we could be out there.¡± Raissa sighed, her tail drooping slightly.


    I had to agree with her. We were sitting at fine tables listening to gentle music play while stuffy people spoke about treaties and agreements. General Octin had gathered a group of men around him, laughing playfully as he spoke with them. They seemed to be hanging on his every word. Actually, they were probably interested in him for reasons that had nothing to do with his words. Should I tell them? Well, that will be for them to find out. He can take care of himself.


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    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re not out there more, talking it up.¡± I asked Eliana, trying to change the subject.


    It wasn¡¯t that I was uncomfortable with her comment or anything, I just wasn¡¯t in the mood to cause an international incident. So, why did it make me feel so uncomfortable? I didn¡¯t want to be one of those guys that felt ownership toward women. Part of the reason I had initially been so bothered by my Slave Master ability was that I didn¡¯t want to take their choice away. Yes, a lot of that had to do with me being unwilling to recognize that I was good enough to be around these women, but even if I accepted their love, I wanted it to be their choice.


    Alysia chose to marry General Nova. She might have been pushed into it by her mother, but it was ultimately her own choice. She said yes. Whether it was for duty or love, it was her decision. If she asked for my opinion, I would have told her not to do it. If she had asked for my help, I would have given it. However, she was silent, and it wasn¡¯t my place to break things up just because we shared a few moments several months ago. There were certainly more fish in the sea, and I had caught several of them.


    ¡°I know it seems like I¡¯m a social butterfly, but the honest truth is that I don¡¯t get along much with the aristocracy.¡± Eliana spoke up. ¡°In Aberis, they contribute to the slavery I despise. Before I met you, Deek, I often went around trying to bring down the slave trade. That¡¯s why I tried to buy out your slaves when I first met you.¡±


    ¡°Buy out¡­¡± Raissa glanced over at her. ¡°Did you ever buy out any slaves from Lord Reign in Alerith?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Once, a long time ago¡­ why?¡±


    ¡°I was freed from Lord Reign. They told me it was done by a young noble¡­ someone Lord Reign couldn¡¯t refuse. I think¡­ maybe you were the one who freed me.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡± Eliana¡¯s eyes widened.


    She didn¡¯t recognize Raissa. It was likely something she had done spontaneously and without thought. However, she had done it because of the kind of person that she was, and that meant something too. Now, two women who were divided by status, a princess and a slave, had a history. The princess had freed the slave, and now they were both the mothers of children from the same man. It was almost like fate had brought them together. The girls clasped hands, their eyes tearing slightly.


    It was truly a beautiful and touching scene. So, why did I still feel so uneasy?

 Chapter 1026

    <div>


    Chapter 1026


    Alysia and her husband danced once initially as part of the first dance, but after that, she sat down with the rest of the wedding party, including her brother and mother, while General Nova went off and spoke with others. Her veil was off now, and I could finally see the expression on her face. Rather, I should say I could see the lack of expression on her face. She showed absolutely nothing. Her eyes stared down at her plate listlessly, and she didn¡¯t eat anything.


    Her party, Titan Fall, seemed to be doing the emoting for them. They all had weepy or unhappy expressions on their faces. I had been the source of a couple of angry looks too. Like Harem, they had seemed to expect me to do something about it. However, it wasn¡¯t my responsibility to save everyone, especially from their own choices. It only led to me feeling more awkward.


    Her mother Xin left the party quickly, saying something about how partying was for the young. The King remained in his spot, occasionally toasting or speaking to those that were in a high enough position to approach him at the head seat. Time passed, and I was considering abandoning the party so that I could take the girls to the festival outside. Eliana really loved food, so I was eager to have her show me some of the best foods at this location. I was also eager as a cook to learn about the local ingredients. Faeyna was right there with me.


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    We weren¡¯t in a rush though. I could always Portal home whenever I wanted, so we decided we¡¯d be staying a week in this country. Most of the work would be done by Faeyna, who has some experience speaking to suppliers. The goal was to create trade agreements with local merchants. While I wasn¡¯t interested in peace deals or anything on the national scale, especially since I shared no borders with this country, it¡¯d be nice to secure some trade.


    I was also interested in buying the slaves up, just as I had done in Chalm. Yes, the slave trade did exist in the Ost Republic, however, it was mostly humans who were slaves. There were a lot of restrictions toward the sale of humans from those who lived in Aberis, but those restrictions were supposedly lifted with this trade agreement. That meant it was a prime time to increase the population of free slaves.


    ¡°Deek.¡± A voice came from behind me.


    I turned in surprise to see that Alysia had finally stood up. She had walked over to me. It was the first move she had made since the wedding took place, and it had caused many eyes to turn. The King¡¯s look, in particular, was as cold as ice. I glanced around to see that she had picked a time that her husband had left on some duty, so he wasn¡¯t here to hold her back.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Would you¡­ care to dance with the bride?¡± She asked.


    ¡°S-seriously?¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡± She asked. ¡°Can you just give me this one?¡±


    For the first time this night, she had just a bit of vulnerability on her face. I could see the woman who had done, no, was still doing something that she didn¡¯t want.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After all, she had finally asked.

 Chapter 1027

    <div>


    Chapter 1027


    ¡°It¡¯s probably best if we leave after this.¡± I told the girls through Slave Communication. ¡°You guys go on ahead of me. I¡¯ll meet up with you.¡±


    The girls seemed to understand. They nodded and started gathering their things. I was going to have a moment with Alysia, and it was probably better that they weren¡¯t there. I took Alysia¡¯s hand and led her out onto the dance floor, but I still couldn¡¯t help but ask her something.


    ¡°What about your husband? Won¡¯t he be angry?¡±


    ¡°The Ost Republic have a saying, ¡®A blade is only as real as the cut it makes.¡¯¡±


    The pair of us put our hands together, and just at that moment a song ended and new one began. It was a slow song, allowing the pair of us to dance slowly and close together. As we started to dance, the floor cleared out as all the other dancers suddenly decided they had some place to be.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°It means that since my husband isn¡¯t here, and no one would shame him by mentioning it, then it is like wind in the night.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t wrong. Most of the people seemed to be looking the other way, as if they didn¡¯t see the new bride dancing with the other man. I was already challenged by General Nova earlier today, so there wasn¡¯t a person here who didn¡¯t know that I had enough of a relationship with Alysia that her husband had felt threatened enough to issue a challenge.


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    ¡°I see¡­ but can you be confident that this blade won¡¯t cut?¡± I asked as we moved across the dance floor.


    I wasn¡¯t a good dancer before this event, but I still had all the skills equipped from my fight earlier. With Explosive movement and Fast Learning, I was able to learn the basic steps extremely quickly. My dancing improved noticeably, and within half a minute we were flowing across the dance floor like two practiced dancers who were intimate with each other.


    Alysia smiled slightly; her eyes slightly wet. ¡°I know it cuts. A thousand painful times, all across my heart. However, I¡¯m the only one who will ever see and know of it.¡±


    ¡°If that is how you feel, then why did you marry him?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand. It¡¯s why I was born.¡± She responded.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°He¡­ um¡­ has a special soul. It¡¯s why he is so strong. It¡¯s a soul of light and darkness. His children will have a similar soul.¡±


    ¡°The yin-yang soul?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard of it? Down here, we call it the god soul. He¡¯s a very strong man. I do not know how you were able to defeat him.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is that you¡¯re being forced to marry him not just to win the human vote, but to have children with yin-yang souls?¡±


    ¡°Is he not the perfect husband for me as a princess?¡± She asked. ¡°Bloodline, Status, Heredity¡­ he checks all the marks.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ does that make you happy?¡± I asked just as the final beat of the song ended.


    Our dance came to an end too soon. My girls had already left the reception and were on their way to the embassy. The Tibults had slipped away as well, either to return to the embassy or to be in private meetings, just like General Nova.


    ¡°Goodbye, Lord Deekson.¡± She said formally, dropping her hands. ¡°I wish this moment would last forever.¡±


    I hesitate for a moment and then sighed. I reached out grabbed her, wrapping my arms around her waist, and pulling her body to me.


    ¡°Your wish is my command, my lady.¡±


    ¡°D-Deek!¡± Her eyes widened in surprise.


    I used Teleport, and with a flash of light, the pair of us transported away. I had stolen the bride from her reception.

 Chapter 1028

    <div>


    Chapter 1028


    The light faded, and the pair of us appeared in an alley outside of the palace where the reception was being held. The sounds of excited shouting and festivities turned into a cacophony around us.


    ¡°Wh-what did you do?¡± Alysia gasped.


    ¡°I can¡¯t promise you forever, but perhaps we can have a little bit more time,¡± I responded weakly.


    She looked out of the alley, and into the festival being thrown by the citizens of the Ost Republic. There were food stalls, games, music, and festivities stretched out as far as the eye could see. The entire city was abuzz with celebration, and that celebration was because their precious princess was being married.


    ¡°Why would you do this?¡±


    ¡°You wanted some time. I gave you some time. Would you rather I take you back?¡± I asked.


    ¡°N-no¡­¡± She looked back out, temptation clear on her face before she suddenly thought of another objection. ¡°I can¡¯t go out there! Not like this. I¡¯ll be recognized.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an easy enough fix.¡± I laughed.


    I accessed my dungeon skill store, and the tattoos on my body all began to light up. Ever since I had recombined the two bodies, all of the tattoos were no longer visible. They only appeared when I was either pulling on the power of my blessings, something I still couldn¡¯t do reliably, or when I was accessing my store. Alysia looked appraisingly as glowing light shone all over my body, leaking out from the seams of my clothing and some even shining through when the material was thin enough to allow it.


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    ¡°Just¡­ how many blessings do you have?¡± She asked in wonder.


    ¡°Enough,¡± I responded, and the light went out like a light switch.


    She blinked a few times, and then let out a cry. ¡°Ah! You look different!¡±


    A standard nondescript Osterian stood in front of her. I was no longer wearing my fine outfit, but a typical commoner garb. I have Mimic, but it is still too low of a level that I wasn¡¯t confident I¡¯d be able to trick people with it alone. Thus, I equipped the Transformation skill. It was a twenty-five-point skill, but it allowed me to look like anyone I wanted. The setback was that it could only work on one person at a time and those points were used as long as it was active. However, I could stack it as I did with Portal, thus it was twenty-five points per person.


    That was obscenely expensive, so I really couldn¡¯t use it before. Since it was so expensive, I had to assume the Transformation was nearly perfect. This was a Transformation that would hide someone¡¯s appearance completely so they couldn¡¯t be tracked or identified. Wouldn¡¯t that be an ability that would create the perfect assassin? Twenty-five points seemed kind of cheap when you realized the espionage-like possibilities of a level 100 Transformation.


    Dropping most of the dungeon skills I previously had equipped, I waved a hand, and the princess in her fine dress turned into another woman. She was still beautiful, but she looked like a young girl ready for a festival, rather than a bride who had just been married.


    ¡°Wh-what about the palace? We¡¯ll start a war!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to be gone for a few hours. They¡¯ll sweat and rage, but there won¡¯t be anything they can do about it. Besides, I have ¡®Slave Communication¡¯, so my girls will let me know if it gets serious. They¡¯ve already safely returned to the embassy. Besides, I have several spells. They won¡¯t take us off guard.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you about that. Just what is your job anyway?¡±


    I held out my arm. ¡°My job is the help the bride smile on her last night. Will you come?¡±


    She looked down at my arm, and for the first time that night, a genuine smile came over her face as she took my arm. The pair of us walked off into the festival.

 Chapter 1029

    <div>


    Chapter 1029


    If I had to explain why I chose to take Alysia, those feelings were hard to articulate. She had asked me to give her more time, and I had realized that I needed more time too. I felt a bit foolish. I really should have shown up two weeks ago. Demon Lord Aberis had likely chosen his time to attack extremely carefully. While the Prince had his eyes on the peace summit built around this olive branch wedding ceremony, he¡¯d be free to conquer Chalm and claim the west. By the time Prince Edward had time to worry about other things, the damage would have already been done, and he would have just had to accept it.


    However, Demon Lord Aberis had never predicted that I had survived the Twilight Dungeon and that I had also ended up with two souls, who managed to set up a trap for him by seemingly working against each other. Thus, there was nothing I could have done to arrive here earlier. It just felt like there wasn¡¯t enough time.


    Harem seemed to have known something that the pair of us hadn¡¯t realized ourselves. It was too late for the pair of us to just part ways and pretend we never met. There was a bond between us, and before she could walk off with her groom, we had to rectify these feelings between us.


    Deep down, we both realized that this moment would be fleeting. Although her smile was genuine, every once in a while, there would be a bittersweet tinge to the expression as if she knew that this date would be the last. She was married now, and it¡¯d be her husband that she would be returning to. If I pushed things farther than I already had, then we might genuinely start a war after all. However, we both needed this moment. My girls understood it, and that¡¯s why they kept a look out for me while they allowed us this night.


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    The pair of us walked through the festival. We bought various foods, and I was excited to find that food in the Ost Republic was tastier than the typical flavorless stews of Aberis. It turned out that it was just Aberis as a nation that didn¡¯t have a lot of good choices. That made sense since Aberis was isolated on three sides. Trade could only come through the Imperial Cloud Meadow, which was a turbulent relationship, to say the least.


    Time passed, and we played games and even went on a few rides. As one hour turned into three hours, I started to feel a bit worried. At the very least, I had expected to see some sign of the panic over the bride disappearing. However, I hadn¡¯t seen a single guard or searching soldier. It was extremely quiet and peaceful. I had even gotten a look directly at the castle and they weren¡¯t reacting at all.


    ¡°Anything?¡± I asked Faeyna worriedly.


    ¡°The Tibults arrived home without incident. They weren¡¯t even aware you had taken off with the bride until we told them.¡±


    Was it really how Alysia had said? Since no one at the party wanted to acknowledge that they were together, then it effectively didn¡¯t happen? Something about it all felt off.


    ¡°Alysia, perhaps it¡¯s best if we get you back.¡± I explained.¡±


    Her smile finally dropped, and she nodded her head resolutely. However, then her expression turned serious and she reached and grabbed my hands.


    ¡°Deek, can we do one last thing before we go our separate ways? I just want one more thing.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I want to have sex with you.¡±

 Chapter 1030

    <div>


    Chapter 1030


    ¡°S-sex?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a virgin.¡± She blushed. ¡°I just¡­ I don¡¯t want my first time¡­ to be him. Not him.¡±


    There seemed to be a resoluteness in that voice like this was something extremely important to her.


    ¡°Is that really okay? Your husband¡­¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t care. He¡¯s banged hundreds of women. He¡¯s probably sleeping with one of them right now while he waits for me to show back up. He¡¯s too lazy to care about me. He just wants to possess me, and he knows I¡¯ll inevitably end up back in his hands,¡± she said bitterly. ¡°He-he¡¯s dated many sluts too. He tends to like slutty women. He¡¯d probably be-be happy that I had more experience.¡±


    As she spoke, her voice shuddered and a tear fell down her face.


    ¡°Alysia, you¡¯re not a slut.¡±


    ¡°I got married¡­ sold my body to a man for my nation. How am I not one?¡±


    I wiped her tear-stained face, wrapping my arms around her. ¡°You¡¯re not.¡±


    She buried her head in my chest. ¡°Please, can you just give me this one perfect night? Can we end it perfectly? I promise I will never ask another thing from you. I will swear on my life and the nation that this won¡¯t negatively affect Aberis. It will almost certainly be to your advantage.¡±


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    I opened my mouth, my head shaking. ¡°You¡­ could get pregnant.¡±


    Pervert had leveled by leaps and bounds recently. Experiencing sex as both a man and a woman was extremely favorable to it. Not only did I have control of the lust, but I finally unlocked an ability called ¡°Fertility¡±. I could shut it on or off, deciding if I wanted a woman to get pregnant or not. As long as I remembered to activate it, I¡¯d never cause another unexpected pregnancy.


    ¡°Heh¡­ that would be best.¡±


    ¡°Alysia¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so easy. We¡¯re like animalkin in that respect. We don¡¯t get pregnant easily. Some believe that Osterians are just a line of animalkin that separated from Dioshin at some point and established our own culture. Our species tends to have multiple children per pregnancy, 4-5, so we breed nearly as fast as humans despite the pregnancy rate being slower.¡±


    ¡°S-seriously?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know? King Xerin is my twin brother. Mother had both of us together.¡±


    ¡°I can barely believe that¡¯s even Xin.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°N-nothing¡­¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°Are you sure this is really what you want?¡±


    She looked me in the eyes and bit her lip. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten taller, you know.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± I answered shortly, not letting her change the subject.


    She sighed. ¡°You claimed me already before, now, I want you to take what you¡¯ve claimed. Just for one night. Just for us. Can we do that? Afterward¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter what they want. It¡¯ll be done.¡±


    ¡°Then, for the next few hours at least, I¡¯m yours.¡±


    The pair of us were quiet as we found an inn. Finding one that had a vacancy was easier said than done. We seemed to luck out at the third place we checked, almost like fate was driving us to this point. I took her up to the room, and then we dropped out disguises. Our clothes soon followed, and then our bodies.

 Chapter 1030.5

    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± I asked.


    I felt like a broken record, but I didn¡¯t want Alysia to feel like to had to do this or anything. We had made our way into an inn, but it still felt awkward to me. With most of the previous women I had slept with, they were generally unattached. There was Elaya, but her circumstances were solely unique to herself. She had died, and if you considered that death parted them, then I wouldn¡¯t feel like we had an affair.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure¡­¡± She said, an insistent gaze in her eyes, like doing this had some kind of extreme importance to her.


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡±


    She blushed. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ my family forced me into this relationship with that man, but if I¡¯m not a virgin, then ultimately everything would be fine. Ah! Not saying that I¡¯d be happy to go to him¡­ just that it would be better if it was with you.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    She looked at me and then lowered her head again. ¡°You¡¯ll have to¡­ I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing. If it isn¡¯t fighting, I¡¯m not very experienced.¡±


    ¡°R-right.¡± I coughed. ¡°Then, I guess we can take off our clothing?¡±


    You¡¯d think after all of the women I had been with, that it would make this first time easy. However, a lot of the times I had done this felt different. It wasn¡¯t the woman¡¯s wedding night, for example.


    ¡°Right!¡± She repeated my words, slowly starting to undo her dress.


    In the end, she needed my help. I slowly peeled her out of her wedding dress. As I did, I could see a few scars on her back. As much as she felt like it at the moment, she wasn¡¯t an innocent maiden. She had fought for her life in dungeons and was part of an enemy nation whose stance with us still wasn¡¯t known. The last two times we had met, we had fought to the death. I hadn¡¯t forgotten about that either.


    I gently touched one of the scars. ¡°You know, I can get rid of these.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get rid of them.¡± She shook her head, not looking back at me. ¡°They are a part of my past. They are part of what defines me.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± She lowered her head again. ¡°It¡¯s probably not very lady-like. I just can¡¯t be cute like the girls you travel with.¡±


    I chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re plenty cute, and my girls aren¡¯t so soft as you might think.¡±


    Compared to Eliana, Alysia was definitely rougher and more rugged. Her wild red hair, her tanned skin, her finely toned body, all spoke of a woman who had done as much as possible to keep herself from being defined as a princess. However, she was still undeniably beautiful. She had the beauty of a warrior, and it was a beauty I wasn¡¯t unaccustomed to with my girls.


    I finished unfastening the back of her dress, and it fell to her ankles. This world didn¡¯t have traditional underwear, but more like something people might have worn historically. Female bras were strips of fabric that held up the breasts but didn¡¯t cup them. Down below, both wore something akin to shorts or boxers. I had a seamstress create underwear for me and the girls, and it seemed to have exploded with popularity in both Chalm and the Capital. Of course, since going back to my world, I bought plenty of underwear in all sizes for all of the girls. That was an awkward shopping trip.  Eliana had told me the idea was becoming a hot new trend. It¡¯s too bad I didn¡¯t capitalize on it when I had the chance.


    Alysia was wearing the more typical version of underwear for this world, so it looked like it hadn¡¯t reached the Ost Republic yet. It was a shame too because I thought her body would have looked incredible in some lingerie. Even though she was larger, I was confident I could find clothing that would fit an Osterian. I wrapped my arms around her from behind, and she shuttered under my touch.


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    ¡°Deek¡­¡± She breathed out, turning around in my arms so she faced me.


    Since my soul recombined, my body had changed, and as much as the girls talked about it, it wasn¡¯t so drastic. My hair was longer. My skin was smoother. I was taller. However, I was still fundamentally Deek. I had muscles, but that had been earned from before, through hard work in dungeons. They weren¡¯t bulky, but slim. My figure was tall and graceful, just short of being lanky. As for my height, I was originally around 5¡¯8¡¯¡¯, so the height increase of nearly a foot was manageable. There were men in my world who were even seven feet tall, so I wasn¡¯t to the point of being freakish.


    It left me facing her eye to eye and left every other girl a head shorter. Her body was curvy and full, but I didn¡¯t feel intimidated by it. Truthfully, I had never felt intimidated, but now I could more easily appreciate her cuteness.


    The pair of us didn¡¯t say another word. We didn¡¯t need to. We embraced and kissed. Gradually, I brought her to the bed and then began to take off my clothing. Lying down, she was as alluring as any woman could be. Bare skin began to press against bare skin. My lips pressed against hers. Then, I kissed her cheek. I sucked her neck. My lips worked their way to her breasts. These were beautiful large breasts that were probably blasphemy to that church, or were Osterian exempt?


    ¡°Deek!¡± She gasped again, growing more excited as I continued to attack her with my tongue. ¡°Please¡­ I need it.¡±


    I slid my cock into her. Just because she was a larger woman didn¡¯t make her pussy any less tight. I slowly eased it in, making it a few centimeters at a time. Alysia was the kind of woman who was used to strenuous training and could tolerate a high level of pain, but I still took her as gently as I could. I listened to the expressions on her face as she squeezed her eyes as gasped to make sure I wasn¡¯t hurting her.


    When I was finally inside, her, she opened her eyes and looked up at me with her light blue eyes. ¡°We¡¯re one now.¡±


    Looking down at her, I began to realize I had made a mistake. I didn¡¯t regret taking her virginity. Quite the opposite, I began to realize that I wasn¡¯t the kind of guy who could just sleep and run. We had gotten this far because she had asked, and I had obliged and spoiled her, but now that it was this far, there was no way I was just going to hand her to that general. How did this world handle the ¡®until death do us part¡¯ when you could resurrect someone? Well, I wouldn¡¯t let her die anyway, even to get out of a marriage.


    As my hips began to move, pushing in and out of her, my brow wrinkled. I hoped she just thought I was concentrating on sex, or that this was the face I normally made. In reality, I was thinking deeply about what we would do after. Would I steal her to Aberis and start a war? Wait, didn¡¯t the King suggest if I won the will of the people, we could throw the wedding away? That was a possibility.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Deek¡­ Ahhh¡­¡± She was breathing hard as I thrust into her.


    ¡°Alysia¡­¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m yours¡­¡± She smiled happily. ¡°You finally got me.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­¡±


    But for how long? Until we finished? How could that be enough? The pair of us continued to move together. Her movements were subtle, slight adjustments as she wrapped her legs around me and accepted everything I delivered. As for my side, I was very experienced, and I knew how to satisfy her, so she quickly came under my care. I might have slipped in a little healing magic so that losing her virginity didn¡¯t hurt at all. It was nearly instinctual at this point. If a girl wasn¡¯t healthier after sleeping with me than before, then I wasn¡¯t a White Mage.


    ¡°Yes¡­ yes¡­¡±


    I had been meaning to slow down, to draw things out, but I felt almost compelled to move faster and faster. I started thrusting into her rougher and rougher, making things more and more aggressive.


    ¡°Deek¡­ yes¡­ yes¡­¡± She didn¡¯t seem to mind at all, but I felt myself being sucked into it.


    I had sex many times, and because of Pervert, I had a distinctly high threshold of control. Countless times losing control under Pervert had finally taught me out to maintain my control. So, as I started to feel myself slipping, even though I hadn¡¯t equipped Pervert, I started to realize something was wrong. The virgin Alysia was clueless, and for all she knew, this was how sex felt. She was right, but also, there was something subtly wrong.


    I shouldn¡¯t have been overwhelmed. I shouldn¡¯t be going faster. I shouldn¡¯t feel like I was losing myself. It all turned into a blur. There was a strange feeling like I was losing something. It was like Alysia was absorbing something from me. It felt like the absorbing skill was being used, but instead of feeling weaker, I was feeling more and more aggressive.


    ¡°Ahhhn! Ahhhh!¡± She moaned wildly as she rocked against my thrusting, steady hips.


    My mind was filled with confusion and shock, but I couldn¡¯t stop it. I started to cum, and as I did so, I started to lose something else as well.


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 Chapter 1031

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    Chapter 1031


    I immediately felt like something was off. As soon as we finished, I had a feeling like something was pulled out of me. It was immediately followed by weakness and exhaustion. I gasped, falling to the side and clutching my chest.


    ¡°D-Deek?¡± Alysia gave me a worried look as soon as she realized something was off.


    Did she poison me? It felt a bit like poison. There was a growing pain deep down. I immediately equipped White Mage and started to cast a variety of healing spells. That was when I realized that I couldn¡¯t cast spells. I couldn¡¯t use mana at all. It was like there was nothing there anymore.


    ¡°Deek!¡±


    ¡°Wh-what did you do to me?¡± I groaned through clenched teeth.


    The pain, the emptiness, and the weakness were growing exponentially. Every second felt harder than the last. I started trembling as I gritted my teeth.


    ¡°N-no¡­¡± Her expression turned from worry to horror. ¡°No, this can¡¯t be happening. This shouldn¡¯t be happening.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what did you do?¡± I repeated, even raspier than the previous time.


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    She was shaking her head in a panic, but before she could open her mouth, a clapping sound could be heard. Clap. Clap. Clap. The pair of us turned to the door, where the King, Alysia¡¯s brother, was inexplicably standing. He walked into the room, and following behind him was Alysia¡¯s mother and several guards. Alysia gasped, grabbing a sheet and covering herself.


    ¡°Good job, Sister.¡± The King grinned. ¡°You¡¯ve accomplished your task perfectly.¡±


    ¡°No! This¡­ I didn¡¯t do it!¡± She cried out. ¡°I gave it to Deek. I wrecked your plans!¡±


    ¡°Hah, do you think I would have allowed you to run off with him if I didn¡¯t have backup plans? You were far too predictable, sister. Manipulating you was too easy. You did exactly what I wanted you to do. Why do you think no one searched for you? I even picked the room you¡¯d lose it in!¡±


    He¡­ had tricked us into doing this? As the discomfort increased, I had a harder time thinking. However, I started to realize what was off. The King hadn¡¯t done anything to find us. He had allowed our relationship to unfurl. When we couldn¡¯t find an inn, he had made sure the next inn we were heading to had a room open. I had thought that innkeeper felt a little strained. He must have had to kick someone out for us.


    ¡°This¡­ it wasn¡¯t supposed to work!¡± Alysia cried out, and then her eyes widened. ¡°Unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless he also has a god soul.¡± The King chuckled.


    ¡°H-he doesn¡¯t! He can¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Yes, your precious Deek does have a god soul. I was surprised as you when I detected it. His god soul is far richer and more complete than the generals ever was. How do you think he was able to defeat the other man, despite being weaker and more inexperienced?¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­¡± She turned to me. ¡°I didn¡¯t know! You have to believe me!¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± I groaned, feeling it increasingly difficult to even move.


    ¡°Your soul.¡± King Xerin grinned. ¡°She took your soul.¡±

 Chapter 1032

    <div>


    Chapter 1032


    ¡°My soul¡­ what¡­ what does that mean?¡±


    ¡°It means you¡¯ll be dead in about¡­ oh¡­ less than an hour? Your body won¡¯t be able to survive long without your soul, I imagine.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ and Resurrection, that is impossible as well. Naturally, if you don¡¯t have a soul, you don¡¯t have a means of being resurrected.¡±


    The idea that my soul had been stolen left me confused. Typically, if your soul was destroyed, then so was your body. Furthermore, your soul is what allowed you to resurrect. That also meant I couldn¡¯t access mana, since mana flooded through the soul to work. That¡¯s also why a person with a larger soul was more powerful. The larger your soul, the larger the flood of mana you could pull on for strength.


    People who came from the world they were born as, once they died, their soul would melt into the world¡¯s pool of mana. They would cease to exist, as all things should. This was a world that once belonged to the Fey, and only the Fey experience a permanent death when they die here. However, because we all came from another world at some point, it took time for our souls to get digested. In a dungeon, this happened rather rapidly, and you might have days to hours to resurrect someone before they died for good. Also, the soul was trapped within that space, and couldn¡¯t be resurrected outside of it. It should also be added that resurrecting a soul within a dungeon was difficult, as the miasma openly resisted this. On the surface, this kind of digestion took longer, since the mana was much thinner and less hostile. It could take up to thirty days for the soul to finally dissipate.


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    This isn¡¯t what happened. They had taken my soul, and while it wasn¡¯t returned to the world¡¯s mana pool, it also wasn¡¯t within my body. My body was completely healthy though, so it would only waste away as it was deprived of a soul. At least, that was my understanding of things based on my many experiences in this world so far.


    The only thing I didn¡¯t understand was how she was able to do it. Although it was possible to absorb someone¡¯s soul, it shouldn¡¯t have been that easy. I had never heard of anything like losing your soul during sex or having it just fall out of you. The King must have been able to see the confusion in my eyes because his grin deepened even more.


    ¡°Are you wondering how this was even possible? Naturally, it¡¯s because I made it possible. When I attached my soul to Xin, who would have thought that she would have had triplets. She even tried to destroy me once, sacrificing one of her children and a piece of her soul to stop me, but I merely possessed another. Then, I got to work changing my sister in the womb, altering her development, and engraving the magic deep within her, turning her into the perfect vessel to harvest a fresh soul for me. Once I finish turning your soul into mine, I will rise once again!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Brother?¡± Alysia cried out, clearly confused about all of this.


    ¡°No¡­¡± My eyes grew wide as I began to put things together. ¡°Th-that¡¯s impossible. You can¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Did you figure it out? You¡¯d be the first to figure out who I am.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. He¡¯s my brother!¡± Alysia looked at me, her confusion growing.


    ¡°He¡¯s Aberis. Demon Lord Aberis.¡±

 Chapter 1033

    I should have realized it. He didn¡¯t look like the other man. He didn¡¯t sound like the other man. However, there was the same demeanor, the same insolent grin. Calypso was convinced that the Demon Lord Aberis was in the Ost Republic until I had convinced her he was in Alerith. We both were right.


    Xin must have eventually realized she was pregnant with not one, but three children. I had always wondered why she never aborted the baby or killed herself. I had assumed it was just that Aberis was too powerful. It turned out the truth was far more complicated. There were two other innocent babies inside her womb, and she was unwilling to take them with her.


    She did the only other option she could think of. Somewhere on her path to the Ost Republic, she sliced her soul in two. She tried to chop away the Demon Lord, losing a piece of her soul and separating her and her babies from him. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make, just like the one I had made when I tried to save my harem.


    She succeeded, and she failed. Like me, she had created two Xin¡¯s. One Xin was pregnant with the possessed Demon Lord baby, and the other was pregnant with Xerin and Alysia. One Xin went on to the Ost Republic, while the other was too weak, and was ultimately controlled by the baby, who steered her back to Alerith. Neither knew that the other existed. However, their goals were always the same, but because of the nature of their existence, they never encountered or were aware that the other existed.


    The one who went to Alerith was whole and powerful, he was able to be born and then grow up. He tossed his fragmented, broken mother into the Twilight dungeon, where she inevitably died. He sought to turn his soul into a yin-yang soul to increase his power. He experimented with dungeons to do it. The other Aberis was merely a fragment, with a much stronger mother. All he could do was possess the remaining son, and slowly unfurl a plot twenty years in the making. His goal was to steal a yin-yang soul. His own having experienced so much damage, that his only choice was to replace it with a new one. However, why settle for any soul, when you can have the rarest of the rare god soul?


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    ¡°Demon Lord Aberis? Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Mother killed him! R-right, mother?¡±


    Her mother didn¡¯t respond. She just stared blankly ahead, making no expression of her own.


    ¡°I had already consumed our mother¡¯s soul a long time ago. She barely put up a fight.¡± Aberis chuckled. ¡°It was how I was able to survive and possess this body. Just like I will consume your soul and refine the god soul you stole for me.¡±


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you just die already!¡± I snapped. ¡°I will stop you.¡±


    I barely stopped myself from saying again. I didn¡¯t want him to know anything else. He already knew too much.


    ¡°Stop me?¡± Aberis laughed. ¡°You won¡¯t even be alive in a few minutes. Although, I¡¯m tempted to turn you into a puppet like mother. I¡¯m very interested in how you realized it was me. I presume there is some dungeon that has given a hint to my existence? There are so many lores that I cut short¡­ so many curses. I despise dungeons!¡±


    I had to remind myself that this wasn¡¯t the same Aberis I had met. This was¡­ everything else. It was no wonder the man I knew felt so¡­ unstable. For that matter, Xin was hardly noble either. I knew she had been traumatized and put through a lot, but I never would have guessed she was half of her original self, and the weaker half too. No, that wasn¡¯t entirely right. That half of her might have been weaker, but it was a survivor too. Deedee was no weaker than Deek, and the Xin I knew must have gotten all of the resilience and fight, since those would have been placed directly against Aberis and likely lost with him, just as how my emotions tied closely to my girls went into Deedee.


    It didn¡¯t matter though, because I had already lost my soul. Aberis had already won.

 Chapter 1034

    Smash! The window on the second floor of a nearby inn exploded out, and the naked Alysia landed on the ground stumbling slightly. I was in her arms. She had reacted suddenly before anyone else could react. Scooping me up, she leaped through the window. Numerous cuts of glass caused blood to run down her skin. I went instinctively to heal her, and then I remembered I couldn¡¯t. Another spasm of pain struck me, but in her arms, I went where she carried me.


    It was very late at night, and the festival had already wrapped up. Most were already passed out or drunk, leaving no particular witnesses to this event. She started to run. Each footprint was bloody as she had stepped on glass from the shattered window. This wouldn¡¯t do. They would follow us immediately.


    ¡°Find them!¡± A voice bellowed from the room above.


    This wasn¡¯t the same Demon Lord Aberis I had encountered before. He was likely extremely weak. He didn¡¯t chase after us because he didn¡¯t have the power yet. He only had a small fragmented soul which he had used to control the king if there even was a king in there at all. No wonder the conflict between the Ost Republic and Aberis had lasted for twenty years. The Demon Lord had been whispering in the ear of the Osterian royalty since the countries creation. In many ways, this weaker Aberis was more successful than his Alerith counterpart ever was.


    ¡°Duck in this alley,¡± I instructed Alysia.


    I was slightly surprised to see that she did what I asked. I quickly had her bring out some clothing from her storage ring. I couldn¡¯t access my Inventory, and I wasn¡¯t carrying any storage rings anymore. Alysia was close enough to my size that I could wear some of her armor. Most of her clothing wasn¡¯t girly anyway. Or rather, wasn¡¯t my figure a bit too slim and feminine? I decided I didn¡¯t want to think about that any longer.


    ¡°Deek, m-my mother¡­ she told me I had a brother who d-died in a dungeon. Do you think¡­?¡± Alysia asked as we were in the middle of changing, a conflicted expression on her face.


    ¡°That she was talking about the Demon Lord?¡± I finished her question. ¡°I can¡¯t say for certain, but it¡¯s possible. Even after trying to destroy it, she still couldn¡¯t reject it completely. Your mother¡­ it would have been a slow process. She wasn¡¯t always like that.¡±


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    ¡°I understand.¡± Alysia responded, her voice tight.


    We continued to hastily dress. After getting dressed and wrapping her feet, she helped me get dressed as well. The clothing was extremely civilian-like. The next thing I did was access my dungeon store. I was relieved when the familiar tattoos brightened.


    ¡°I can still use the power of my blessings,¡± I said in relief.


    I used Transformation on the pair of us, changing our appearance to something else.


    ¡°This won¡¯t work.¡± Alysia sighed. ¡°I know this ability is strong, but Broth¡­ that man would have already thought of it. He probably attached a magic marker to us.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± So, we weren¡¯t going to be able to hide.


    I couldn¡¯t access magic, so removing a magic marker was impossible. There had to be some dungeon skill I could use instead.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Deek.¡± Alysia looked over at me, her expression still filled with shock. ¡°I thought¡­ if I gave my virginity to you, then my tainted body would no longer be able to take the general¡¯s soul. It should have only been a god soul I was designed to absorb, and I thought you would have a normal soul.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t known everything. She certainly didn¡¯t know her brother was the Demon Lord. However, she did know that if she slept with someone with a god soul, she would absorb their soul. That was why she was so depressed during her wedding. She didn¡¯t want to murder an innocent man. Between her mother and her brother though, she had felt pressured to do such a thing. Ultimately, she had decided to shed her virginity before her wedding night with the man she wanted to, spoiling their plans to obtain the god soul. In a way, she had used me, but it wasn¡¯t maliciously. In her mind, by stopping the king¡¯s obtainment of the soul, she was only doing the country of Aberis a favor.


    ¡°I never realized that they wanted the god soul for such a reason. I had never realized my mother¡­ was only a puppet of the Demon Lord.¡± She shook her head bitterly. ¡°I¡¯ve spent my life-fighting dungeons and curses. My family disapproved. No, it was because they disapproved that I was so passionate about fighting evil. Yet, the majority of the evil was right there in my own home.¡±


    ¡°They fooled everyone,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s not just you.¡±


    ¡°Even so¡­ I was the closest to them, I should have done something.¡± She tightened her fist, causing it to shake slightly.


    ¡°The question is¡­ Ahhhhh¡­.¡± I started to keel over and she caught me, keeping me from collapsing to my knees.


    ¡°We¡¯re running out of time.¡±

 Chapter 1035

    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± I asked.


    We were moving now. I was stumbling along while Alysia kept me from collapsing to the ground. To anyone who saw us, we looked like two common Osteria. The man drunk and his wife dutifully bringing him home. Meanwhile, we were talking to each other while keeping our eyes out for any incoming guards.


    ¡°From what I understood, my soul was supposed to hold the other soul in place, wrapping around it. Broth- that man told me that he had a method to extract the soul safely. I never asked him why they needed the soul. They said it would provide our nation the strength and power necessary to throw off our shackles. I believed them. I was such a fool.¡±


    ¡°I think his extraction method was refining the soul and killing you in the process.¡± I croaked.


    ¡°I tend to agree.¡± Alysia nodded. ¡°If he gets his hands on me, he¡¯ll have his hands on the god soul as well.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°Then, I have to die.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± I stopped, but Alysia continued to drag me forward.


    ¡°I have to die. It¡¯s the only way to release your soul. Once your soul is released, you can be resurrected like normal.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure¡­ if your soul is wrapped around my soul.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why my soul can no longer be allowed to exist.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Have you heard of darksteel, ah¡­ I think your people call it Malacrum.¡±


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    My narrowed eyes popped open. ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°If I die from a Malacrum weapon, my soul would burn away. However, your soul is a god soul, it will be released. You will be saved, and their plan will be upset.¡± She stated as she continued to pull me along.


    ¡°No! There has to be another way. Besides, we don¡¯t even have a Malacrum weapon, so this point is moot.¡±


    ¡°There is one.¡± She declared. ¡°The ancient sword.¡±


    ¡°The¡­ ancient sword?¡±


    She pointed, and I looked to see where she was dragging me. It was the sword in the stone. It was the one I had tried to pull out earlier. My eyes popped open.


    ¡°That¡¯s Malacrum?¡±


    ¡°Anyone who has ever died to that sword has not been able to resurrect. In the ancient days, it used to be the source of countless executions.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    I had seen Malacrum weapons. That dagger had been buried in the ground for countless years but hadn¡¯t rusted a single bit. As for this blade, it was old and rusty. It didn¡¯t look like Malacrum at all. However, if it did function like a soul-reaving blade, then it could work. If Alysia died, then I could just be resurrected again. Before I could say something else, she started to drag me toward the sword again.


    The courtyard was quiet, and everyone was either drunk or sleeping. I pulled back against her hand.


    ¡°W-wait! I can¡¯t access mana, but I can access my dungeon blessings. They function a lot like mana. I can make a Portal to Chalm. We can escape.¡± I explained.


    She turned back to me, frowning. ¡°Escape? Why so you can die shortly after? If it¡¯s between you and me, I should be the one who dies. As long as I possess your soul, I am a vulnerability. We do not have time to think about this.¡±


    ¡°We can go to the church. Maybe, they¡¯ll have an option.¡±


    She still didn¡¯t seem convinced.


    ¡°Look, I have a Malacrum dagger in my treasury. If we exhaust other options, then we can do your option. You can free my soul after I¡¯m dead. Until then, we need to look for a different option. Agreed?¡±


    She slowly nodded, and I started to breathe easier. I didn¡¯t know what to do though. Going to the Capital and consulting the Prince was the best option I could think of. He was a surprisingly deep well of information at times.


    I lifted my hands and began to summon a Portal.


    ¡°Watch out!¡±


    Halfway through its creation, Alysia slammed into me, shoving me aside. A fireball struck where we were standing and exploded, the two of us were thrown to the side, and our escape dissipated like smoke.

 Chapter 1036

    ¡°You¡¯re so predictable.¡± Demon Lord Aberis laughed.


    I struggled to lift my head, looking at an army of soldiers lining up. They were all Osterians, covered in heavy armor and swords. There were at least two dozen Knights, surrounding every exit to the courtyard. Aberis stood calmly among them, that same insolent grin on his face as if he had everything under control.


    ¡°Do not listen to him!¡± Alysia cried out. ¡°This man is not the king! He¡¯s been possessed!¡±


    ¡°No one will listen to you.¡± The king shrugged. ¡°This will be less painful for both of you if you stop struggling.¡±


    ¡°So, I can die?¡± Alysia snarled.


    The king chuckled. ¡°You will be serving your nation. Once I gained the power, we will sweep across Aberis. The Ost Republic will rule the south, and one day we will sweep across the Imperial Cloud Meadow and even the demon land will fall!¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ll be serving under a demon!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? Did the Osterians not serve under Demon Lord Aberis once before? If it wasn¡¯t for Princess Xin¡¯s betrayal, your people would have only continued to have power under me. Xin¡­ mother¡­ has paid the price. Furthermore, I am Osterian myself now. Why would I not lead our people to glory? We are the strongest race. We are the greatest race. It is time the world comes to realize this.¡±


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    His words were tempting to any Osterian. He was right. Back in the days, the Osterians were treated well under the demonic rule. Now, all the demons were gone, and Demon Lord Aberis was now reborn as an Osterian. He had no reason not to help the Osterians. He would help them by driving them into war after war, but he would also share power and wealth as they enslaved all of the other races. This Aberis might have been different, but he was also still the same. He was as clever as always.


    ¡°R-really?¡± Alysia started to hesitantly walk toward him.


    He smiled. ¡°Of course. You will be a hero to the Osterian people. Those human kings pushed us from our rightful place of power and forced us to cower down here. We can rise. All it will take is a single sacrifice.


    ¡°I see now¡­¡± Alysia¡¯s attack came suddenly.


    She pulled out a blade from her ring and then closed the distance between her brother and herself. She sliced down with the blade. Throughout all of this, he barely reacted, his smile remaining plastered on his face. A blade met hers, and Alysia was thrown back, hitting the wall of a building behind them. Standing in front of the Demon Lord was her husband, General Nova.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, wife. I can¡¯t allow you to do that. It¡¯s time I brought you under proper charge. Allowing you to run around on me and disrespect me so, how can I call myself a man and allow this to continue without putting you in your place.¡±


    ¡°N-Nova¡­ he¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s the Demon Lord! You have to¡­¡± Alysia¡¯s words slowed as she could see they did not affect the general.


    ¡°I told you that Deek managed to brainwash her. He has many strange abilities. He is a trickster.¡± The king explained.


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± General Nova stepped forward and pointed his spear at me. ¡°Deek Deekson. You cheated to win our first match. Then, when you lost the prize, you decided to steal my bride. You are a coward. I hereby sentence you to death by my blade!¡±

 Chapter 1037

    ¡°Nova, you need to listen,¡± I declared. ¡°He¡¯s the Demon Lord Aberis. After Xin defeated the demon lord, his soul abandoned his body and hid within her. Then, she became pregnant by the Hero King, he took over one of her children. Your current king is that child!¡±


    As I spoke, Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s expression grew increasingly dim. I was revealing more about what I knew from his history. It was probably far more than he could have ever predicted. However, I felt if I didn¡¯t do everything I could now, there wouldn¡¯t be a later. I grew slightly hopefully as Nova stepped back, clearly caught off guard by some of my words. However, a moment later, he regained his momentum and raised his sword.


    ¡°You dare slander the name of our King?¡± He made a face. ¡°To-to make such a ridiculous claim!¡±


    ¡°He is the reincarnation of the demon lord!¡±


    ¡°Who cares about that?¡± He growled. ¡°To suggest our great lord is half-human¡­ that is appalling! Not only do you say the king is half-human, but so is my wife? Your lies have no limit!¡±


    Given the dark expressions on many of the Osterian¡¯s present, I began to realize that being the demon lord didn¡¯t spook them as much. He was Osterian. Who cared if he was a demon lord? He¡¯d bring the Osterian¡¯s power and glory. The thing about what I said that caused him alarm was the fact he was the child of King Edward Aberis. If they accepted this as true, then it would truly shock the Osterians. While most immediately assumed I was lying, a few looked at each other questioningly.


    ¡°His words are a falsehood. My husband was an Osterian general of great renown!¡± The puppet known as Xin spoke up. ¡°Do not listen to this beast¡¯s lies. He has always confused and led my daughter astray. Now, he attempts to use lies to confuse all of you as well!¡±


    This seemed to be enough to settle them. At this point, I had no means of proving anything. It wasn¡¯t like this world had DNA tests. When Xin had cut her soul, she had also cut away the human aspect. That was why she was a human in the Twilight Dungeon. It wasn¡¯t the dungeon forgetting how she originally looked like I had thought, but the fact that the Xin who went to Alerith cut away the humanity from her children. Perhaps she saw humanity as the weakness that would keep her children from living. The surviving form ended up a human with the human Demon Lord Aberis, while the other side ended up completely Osterian.


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    ¡°This man is extremely dangerous.¡± Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s words cut in. ¡°Kill him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± General Nova pulled a sword and threw it to my feet. ¡°I won¡¯t fight an unarmed man.¡±


    I considered not picking it up, but I had a feeling that wouldn¡¯t matter. I grabbed the sword and stood up. No sooner had I straightened than he attacked. Gritting my teeth, I went to meet him. I still had the dungeon skills. Their power was fueled by my blessings. That¡¯s what I had hoped, but I found that other than blessings that had a particular cooldown time, they weren¡¯t functioning.


    I began to realize that the blessings were sort of like a storage unit for mana. They were an extension of my soul. The reason there were limits on cooldowns was that blessings could only store so many mana reserves used to cast the spell. So, while I could still cast a portal, that would use all of the respective mana stored up in a single powerful burst.


    Here was the kicker. I wouldn¡¯t be able to restore it. After my first portal was used, I not only lost the ability of one of my dungeon points, but I wouldn¡¯t regain that ability without consuming a mana potion, as I had no mana regen without a soul. That meant that all of my current skills were on a timer, and once I used up the mana stored in my blessings, even maintaining extra jobs would be impossible.


    I managed to fight General Nova for about a minute, but I was quickly growing overwhelmed. On top of that, the growing weakness and pain made it impossible to keep up. He struck me across the chest, and while I wasn¡¯t cut open, I knew from experience it was a grievous blow. I stumbled back and collapsed to the ground.


    ¡°Too easy.¡± Nova grinned, and then his face looked above my shoulder and turned to horror.


    I spun around, hoping for a miracle. Alysia had gotten back up. She was bruised and battered, having previously taken several cuts when she jumped out the window, and then further was surprise attacked and thrown against the wall. She had kneeled directly next to the blade that was stabbed into the stone. Her eyes met mine, and in a moment, I knew exactly what she was thinking.


    ¡°No!¡¯ I shouted.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my love. It¡¯s the only way.¡±


    ¡°Noooo!¡± This scream came from Aberis as he realized what she was doing.


    Before anyone else could react, she slammed herself against the blade. The blade struck at her neck with her full force. Her head came off and then fell down the pedestal, red hair rolling until it stopped at my feet. Alysia had killed herself.

 Chapter 1038

    Shock¡­ Anger¡­ Fear¡­ these emotions filled me as I looked down at Alysia¡¯s lifeless head. It wasn¡¯t too late. We could have done¡­ something. She killed herself just like that. After everything we had been through, she had thrown her life away.


    ¡°You bastard! You¡¯ll die for this!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who will die!¡± I shrieked.


    With her dead, I held nothing back. I leaped to my legs and attacked him at full force. I slashed rapidly with attack after attack. My tattoos began to glow as power filled me. I began to use special abilities. Mana flowed through me, and I used Quick Attack. Then I used True Strike. I attacked with reckless abandon, and Nova¡¯s cocky expression quickly turned to fear.


    ¡°Die! Die!¡± I screamed, my blade striking faster and faster.


    He was retreating, but I didn¡¯t care. I¡¯d cut him down, and then I¡¯d cut Aberis down as well. Alysia had given everything for me. This was all I had left. He let out a scream, trying to use his abilities, but he was quickly accumulating more and more wounds. As for me, I was unstoppable now. They would all die. Even Aberis started to look alarmed. Xin was getting ready to jump in and defend her new master. I decided that once I killed Nova, I would use Return. Then, I would bring an army directly into the Ost Republic and lay waste to it. I no longer cared. There clearly could be no peace as long as the demon lord was on the throne. I had to kill him while he was still weak.


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    Nova stumbled back to the ground. He was looking up at me with terror. It was exactly the kind of terror I wanted to see. I raised my sword and our eyes met. At that moment, the tattoos flickered out. Extreme weakness and exhaustion overtook me. All of my abilities shut off, and I barely managed to keep from collapsing to the ground unconscious. Xin leaped forward and struck me. I went flying. I didn¡¯t understand what happened, and for a moment I blacked out.


    My shoulder struck the sword in the ground, it cut into the flesh, nearly severing my arm. My sword was gone, flying off somewhere. I desperately tried to stand, but I found myself no longer able to. I just managed to raise my head, only to see that hateful Aberis walking cautiously toward me while Xin helped the embarrassed Nova up.


    ¡°It looks like you¡¯re out of energy,¡± Aberis said, and then laughed. ¡°Looks like your soul didn¡¯t return to you when she died, huh?¡±


    I wanted to deny it, but he was right. After Alysia died, my soul was still gone. I had drained all the mana still in my blessings and initiated my skills. I suppose I could call it something like overdrafting. If done in conjunction with a soul, it was a way to expand my power to execute amazing feats. Without it, it was enough to allow me to fight, but only for a brief period. Now, those blessings were as empty as my soul.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been denied your soul.¡± Demon Lord Aberis said bitterly. ¡°But, so have you. Alysia is dead, destroyed by the ancient soul reaving sword, and so was your soul. It¡¯s game over.¡±

 Chapter 1039

    ¡°At¡­ at least, we stopped you¡­¡± I spoke, weakly, feeling the last bit of my life leaving me.


    ¡°Stopped?¡± He raised his eyebrows and then chuckled. ¡°You delayed me at best. You haven¡¯t stopped anything.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong, you¡¯ve been a major pain in my ass. I never would have thought Alysia would be so determined as to end her own life, even if it meant destroying the two of you.¡±


    She thought she¡¯d be saving me. My soul should have survived. I didn¡¯t know what happened. However, it was too late to worry about that now. I should have escaped when I had a chance. With mana potions, I could have lasted a bit longer. With Elaya and Astria¡¯s help, I¡¯m sure they could have come up with some way to keep me alive. Elaya had a karmic soul created by a dungeon. There had to be a way to replace mine, even if it left me bound to a dungeon for the rest of my life.


    ¡°I really hate you¡­¡± I muttered, glaring at that irritating grin.


    ¡°Heh, well, I haven¡¯t even gotten to the best part.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked dryly.


    ¡°When I made my move on you, my troops were also ordered to move on your so-called embassy. That ridiculous general¡¯s family fled, but I managed to capture the princess and the elf. Your other woman managed to escape, but it¡¯ll only be a matter of time before I find her too.¡±


    My eyes widened. ¡°You¡­ bastard, don¡¯t touch them!¡±


    I tried to reach out, but my arm wouldn¡¯t move. He let out a piercing laugh.


    ¡°You set me back. I lost not just your god soul, but my incubator too. I¡¯ll be needing to create a new incubator. Thankfully, you¡¯ve given me the perfect opportunity.¡±


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    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll have fun turning that baby of yours into my new incubator. It¡¯ll take a while, and Eliana may not survive the birth, but your child will serve me well.¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll kill you!¡± I cursed, my body shaking, but still unable to move.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ I¡¯ll raise your child like it was my own¡­ until the day I use her as I used Alysia. She¡¯ll fetch me the god soul you took away from me. Isn¡¯t that justice? Oh¡­ as for the elf¡­ she might be fun to play with. She¡¯ll serve me well.¡±


    He grinned one last time before turning away. Showing his back to me was his last insult. He was telling me that there was nothing I could do against him. Anger continued to boil within me. I had to do something. If I could use the last of my life to cut him down, I should try. I noticed the headless body of Alysia lying only a foot from me. I grabbed the ring off her hand and using the last bit of power I pulled out a mana potion and began to drink it.


    As I had hoped, mana began to flow back into the blessings. I ignited them again, accessing the store and switching everything to strength. I used all of my strength to pull myself off of the sword and stand up. With a roar, I grabbed the hand of the sword and lifted myself to standing. This caused the king to spin around in shock. I would pull out a sword from my inventory, strike him down, and kill him with the last bit of strength if I had to die trying. That was the only thing in my mind. That¡¯s when a voice suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°You have met the requirements for the Soul Trial. Initiating entry in 3¡­2¡­1¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I let out a cry as my body broke away. It started at my hands, and then covered my entire body. In only ten seconds, I turned to ash and was no more. The ring I was holding, Alysia¡¯s ring, fell to the floor with a ting.


    From that moment on, a story spread like fire, hitting the borders of Aberis and even reaching Chalm. Deek Deekson was dead. He kidnapped the princess, attacked a general, and spread rebellion to instigate war. After killing the princess, he was defeated by General Nova in the middle of a square, his soul destroyed, as witnessed by hundreds of soldiers and citizens.  Both the Ost Republic and Aberis began to prepare for war, the cease-fire now broken.


    Somewhere, in a place that transcended time and space, my eyes snapped open.


    {You have entered the Illusory Sword Dungeon. Complete the trial or die. There is no other option.}

 Chapter 1040

    The pain, the discomfort, and the wariness were all gone. Slowly sitting up, I took in my surroundings. I seemed to be lying on the ground in a vast meadow, staring up at a piercing blue sky. An occasional cloud lazily passed by.


    ¡°Am¡­ I dead?¡± I asked.


    I had been dead many times, but I always had returned to life. I was partially expecting that if I had died fighting Demon Lord Aberis, someone would have been able to resurrect me. My soul may not have returned to my body, but it also shouldn¡¯t have been destroyed by the soul-reaving sword that Alysia killed herself on. Thus, it should have been free again and provided the opportunity to be resurrected.


    I felt a sharp pain in my heart, starting to remember all of the events that proceeded me coming here. Demon Lord Aberis was alive. Alysia killed herself. Eliana was captured. Assuredly, Aberis, and the Ost Republic would be going to war, and from the outside, it would look like I was the cause.


    However, there were no priests around me. I wasn¡¯t in the castle, a life insurance center, an adventuring guild, or anywhere else that might put effort into resurrecting me. Surely my next thought should have been me snapping awake in a newly constructed body.


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ did my body¡­ disappear?¡±


    I could remember at the end my body disintegrating into ash. A voice told me something about entering a trial, but that didn¡¯t feel like any teleportation or portal I was familiar with. I knew enough from Blue Mage that I was familiar with such things. It was clear that my body had seemingly disintegrated.


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    ¡°Welcome to the Illusory Sword Dungeon.¡±


    I jumped as a voice spoke up. Standing up hastily, I turned to see a little girl standing there. She couldn¡¯t be much more than ten. I had looked there just a few moments before, and I was certain that she wasn¡¯t there. Would that make her the Dungeon Master of this place? I had to admit, this was the first dungeon that had ever welcomed me before. It only made me more cautious.


    ¡°Dungeon? I was¡­ touching a sword.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ the sword you touched was made the access point to an illusory dungeon.¡± The girl explained. ¡°This dungeon was created as a trial for those who meet the requirements.¡±


    ¡°Requirements?¡±


    ¡°You must have a soul of sufficient strength, and the branding of a dungeon blessing. With those two conditions, you can complete the trial, if you have the ability.¡±


    I made a bitter expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but my soul was taken from me.¡±


    She cocked her head. ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°This realm doesn¡¯t exist on the physical plane. When you met the requirements, your body was destroyed, and your soul was transported to this world. If you did not possess a soul, then you wouldn¡¯t be here right now talking.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? I¡¯m¡­ a soul.¡±


    I touched my body, but as far as I could tell, I hadn¡¯t changed in appearance at all. For a second, I had feared I might look like my original self before I came to this world or something like that. However, I looked like the tall and muscular Deek I had become.


    ¡°Your soul has manifested into a physical form for you to grasp and contemplate this realm. In reality, this is a soul world. Everything you see is a reflection of your mind.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m not standing in a peaceful meadow with a blue sky?¡±


    She frowned. ¡°Strange. The shape the soul world takes should be a reflection of your mind. You should see an endless battlefield or city under attack or some kind of warrior¡¯s world.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I just see a peaceful meadow though.¡±


    She frowned as if thinking for a bit before shaking her head. ¡°No matter, if you finish the trial, then that will be the decider.¡±


    ¡°The decider of what?¡±


    ¡°Whether you obtain the ultimate reward.¡±

 Chapter 1041

    ¡°You¡­ mentioned a master? Is that the dungeon master of this place?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± She responded.


    ¡°You just said¡­¡±


    ¡°I did not.¡±


    Her face was rather expressionless, so I wasn¡¯t able to get anything from it. I was pretty certain that she was the voice I heard when I grabbed the handle earlier today, the one that called me ¡®master¡¯. However, she wasn¡¯t the voice that brought me into the dungeon. That was more robotic, like an automatic response.


    ¡°Are you the dungeon master of this place?¡± I asked, trying a different line of questioning.


    ¡°I am merely a guide, created to assist you in your trial.¡±


    I took a breath, or was I even really breathing? ¡°What is the trial?¡±


    ¡°You must work your way down ten levels. Each one will test your abilities, disposition, and character. When you reach the end, you will receive the ultimate gift.¡±


    Although she spoke in an emotionless voice, it felt like whenever she said the word ultimate gift, her voice quivered slightly.


    ¡°What is this gift?¡± I asked, only half expecting an answer.


    ¡°The gift you will win is the ultimate weapon.¡±


    ¡°A weapon? Is that the ancient sword?¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond, but it did make sense, didn¡¯t it? The sword in the stone was a trial, giving you access to the powerful sword. However, instead of the sword itself being the trial, the trial was actually this soul dungeon. Once you completed it, you would gain the sword as a prize. It seemed pretty simple to me. There was just one thing that I still didn¡¯t understand.


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    ¡°Why was my body destroyed? Couldn¡¯t I slip into a peaceful sleep or something?¡± I asked.


    ¡°For your body and the sword to be as one, you must be pure soul energy, uncontaminated by the mortal world. You need not be afraid. If you complete the trial, you will have a new body, stronger and more durable than you could ever imagine.¡±


    ¡°Can you explain the trials?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Her words were dismissive, but her tone didn¡¯t shift at all. I made a face, but there didn¡¯t seem to be much that I could do about it.


    My mana pool did return to me, but the second I reequipped Hero and used the Return skill, nothing happened. I tried to subtly cast portal as well, but that was also a dud. I even went for dimensional travel, and that was denied.


    ¡°You will be unable to use physical transportation in a soul world. Even if you did manage to escape this place, you¡¯d be an aimless ghost without a body, no longer able to resurrect, forever severed from the physical realm.¡± She seemed to catch on to what I was doing, causing me to blush.


    I had always wondered about the difference between ghosts and free souls. It seemed like when the bond between a soul and a body was severed if the body survived, it became an undead, and if the soul survived, it became a ghost. Well, I had read that stuff before, but this is the first time I came to understand what it meant. At the moment, I was nothing but a ghost. My body wasn¡¯t just destroyed, but the connection to my body was severed. I still didn¡¯t grasp fully why. Perhaps this ultimate weapon was combined with my soul somehow. It sounded dangerous, but it also sounded powerful.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I sighed and decided to confirm one last time. ¡°And if I complete this trial, I will be given my body back?¡±


    ¡°You will be restored to the physical plane.¡± She responded.


    ¡°Okay¡­ then let¡¯s get going.¡±


    Since it seemed that I had to complete this challenge and there was no other choice, then I would do everything that I could to complete it as quickly as possible. Eliana and Faeyna were in trouble. No, all of Aberis was in trouble. I¡¯m the only one who knew and accepted that the Demon Lord Aberis was back. I had to save my girls and warn the prince. Time was of the essence.

 Chapter 1042

    The girl who called herself my guide didn¡¯t take a step. Instead, she merely waved her hand, and the world around us melted and reformed. The light darkened, but I didn¡¯t feel like I needed any time for my eyes to adjust even though we were indoors now. I was in a large room, and there were rows and rows of weapons in front of me.


    ¡°Pick the weapon you wish to use in this battle,¡± she said. ¡°You will not have access to your dungeon blessings.¡±


    I instinctively reached for the dungeon store and realized for the first time that I couldn¡¯t. My tattoos were invisible since I had gotten my last blessing unless I was doing something with them. That included accessing my store, or overdrafting them for some temporary strength, something I had only finally figured out how to do not too long ago. Nothing made them appear.


    ¡°My blessings really are only part of my body, huh?¡±


    ¡°This is not true. Although they appear grafted into your body, they connect to your soul as well. Each blessing adds to your strength and ability. Heh¡­ I had three blessings in my time!¡± She pointed to herself with her thumb, and a small, smug smile appeared on her face.


    It was the first time I had seen an expression on the little girl¡¯s face. As I raised my eyebrows, she quickly schooled her face.


    ¡°Ahem, how many blessings did you have?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­¡± I started counting on my fingers. It had been a while since I had thought about it. If I counted the ones that were turned into blessings, there were quite a few. ¡°Eight?¡±


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    ¡°Eight!¡± She took a step back, her face slipping in surprise. ¡°Hmph¡­ no one likes liars! It¡¯s okay if you only had two!¡±


    She decided that I was lying. I didn¡¯t want to hurt her pride, so I decided to leave it at that. She was still glaring at me though.


    ¡°So, just take any weapon?¡± I tried to move on as quickly as I could manage.


    She crossed her arms, and although she still held an aura of displeasure, her face returned to the expressionless void. ¡°Yes. Pick the sword that you have the most affinity with. Whatever feels the most natural to you. It¡¯s a kinship.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ is this the first test? If I pick unwisely, will my face melt off?¡±


    ¡°What? Well, you could consider this the first test I suppose. There are only nine more levels after this one, and this is all that you will find on this level.¡± She explained. ¡°However, there is no wrong choice. You may pick anything. It may reflect your success through the rest of the dungeon, but that depends on you.¡±


    I nodded and took a step toward the racks of weapons before I stopped again. ¡°Wait, shouldn¡¯t I pick a weapon that resembles the ultimate weapon? If this is a test to win that weapon, shouldn¡¯t they match?¡±


    I was trying to act innocent while gleaming more information about this alleged reward. Frankly, I knew far too little about this dungeon to say anything. No one even knew this was a thing.


    ¡°You speak like the ultimate weapon has selected a form! Your progress will ultimately decide what the weapon becomes.¡± She responded.


    I took that to mean that whatever weapon I chose from these racks would become the form I¡¯d ultimately get. So, if I used spears, then the weapon would end up a spear. If I used swords, the weapon would end up a sword. Then again, this was the Illusory Sword Dungeon. Did that mean that the final product was supposed to be a sword? It could just mean that the ultimate weapon¡¯s previous form was a sword. Wait¡­ was that rusty junk outside the shell of the original ultimate weapon?


    There were too many questions to ask, but I didn¡¯t have time to ask them. I also had a feeling that the girl wouldn¡¯t answer them. Something about the entire situation felt off to me. I just couldn¡¯t put my finger on what. I had no choice but to continue.

 Chapter 1043

    Since what weapon I chose seemed to matter, I wanted to take my time. Thanks to True Hero¡¯s weapon proficiency boosts, I had a general understanding of most weapons. I was like a well-established musician who understood music and the chords intimately. They could pick up any instrument and be able to play it to a certain extent, certainly better than someone with no musical training. It¡¯s different from Hero and Swordsman¡¯s sword proficiencies, which allowed very specific knowledge about swordplay.


    Since Hero had given me sword proficiency, I had always leaned on that. It was the weapon I was skilled at using. Just because I could pick up other weapons and generally understand how to use them didn¡¯t mean they¡¯d be as smooth as the weapon I was experienced with. I would require a lot of practice to get acclimated to another weapon. However, this seemed like a perfect time to make that jump.


    My girls had all left Chalm to go out in the world and learn to become self-sufficient. They didn¡¯t want to depend on my harem and party boosting skills to be able to protect me. They wanted to become powerful in their own rights. This dedication inspired me to do the same. I wanted to become strong enough to protect my girls without relying on their strength. Not all of the women around me were powerful fighters either. Faeyna and Eliana wouldn¡¯t be able to fight this battle. I¡¯m the one who had to do it.


    So, I wanted to settle on the weapon I would be using for the future. That would¡­ honestly be a sword. I already had used a sword up until now, and it didn¡¯t make sense switching to anything else. However, just looking at the sword section, I saw swords coming in hundreds of shapes and sizes. If this was the sword that I wanted to use from now on, then it had to be one that I was most comfortable with.


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    First, I felt that I needed a two-handed blade. I wasn¡¯t nearly elegant enough to manage a single hand. However, those came in many sizes too. There were claymores, longswords, sabers, and even swords in shapes I couldn¡¯t even guess. Some swords had no sharp edge at all, only depending on a pointed tip, while other swords were one-sided. Some could slash, and some could stab. Some were curved, and some looked more like a chainsaw of blades.


    As hurried as I felt, I took my time walking past each weapon. A few I picked up and considered, but they never quite felt right. Some felt too small and delicate. Others felt too weak and uncomfortable. That was when my eyes landed on a sword. As soon as I looked at it, I couldn¡¯t look away. It was a large sword. I supposed they called it a greatsword. It was double-edged and pointy, with a large hilt. It was nearly six-feet tall, almost as tall as me.


    Generally, I would have considered using a blade that long to be ridiculous. However, the blade seemed to be pulling at me. It was like we belonged together. I reached out to grab the sword, but I was still a foot away when the sword itself leaped off the rack and into my hand. At this point, the little girl was standing at the entrance, waiting for me to finish.


    As the blade reached my hand, I heard a whisper near my ear. ¡°Deek?¡±


    It was a voice I was very familiar with. I looked around the room, but I didn¡¯t see her anywhere close.


    ¡°A-Alysia?¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± The little girl asked.


    ¡°N-nothing!¡± I spoke out loud to the little girl.


    For some reason, I had an intense feeling like I didn¡¯t want her to know about Alysia¡¯s presence. I couldn¡¯t say what it was, but I didn¡¯t think Alysia was supposed to be here. The guide seemed to accept that and went back to tapping her foot.


    ¡°Okay, where are you? Why can¡¯t I see you?¡± I whispered.


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. It¡¯s dark. I just¡­ I felt it when you were close, so I jumped toward you. I can feel your hand. The warmth¡­ it¡¯s nice.¡±


    I looked down at my hand, and in that hand was the sword. What was going on in this dungeon?

 Chapter 1044

    ¡°Is that the sword you¡¯ll be taking?¡± my dungeon guide asked.


    ¡°Yes!¡± I coughed, quickly pulling the sword to me like I was afraid she¡¯d take it.


    ¡°Ah¡­ D-d-don¡¯t touch me there!¡± Alysia gasped.


    My hand was on the side of the blade. I pulled it away.


    ¡°S-sorry¡­¡± As the little girl approached me, I straighten up. ¡°Sorry I took so long!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve picked a splendid blade. It was this dungeon¡¯s newest addition. It was just forged.¡± She explained and then frowned. ¡°Hmm? There was another blade here too. They came together. It was a companion to this blade.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± I forced a smile. ¡°I only need the one. We probably should continue with the trial.¡±


    ¡°Very well. We shall. Please leave through the exit. I won¡¯t be able to follow, but I will see you on the other side for the first trial.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, I will!¡±


    I realized I was coming off a bit too excited, but the girl didn¡¯t seem to notice my change. What she had just said left me extremely alarmed. If my guess was right, then anyone who died by that blade had their soul sucked into the dungeon. Then, they were turned into a blade. Alysia and my soul were sucked into this dungeon and become these weapons.


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    This didn¡¯t seem that unbelievable. Souls could be turned into miasmic monsters, so why not weapons? However, she mentioned two souls, which meant that my soul had been in this room too. We must have done something strange. People who died on the blade became weapons for the trial, while people who grabbed the hilt and met the requirements were given the chance to perform a trial. She died on the blade, but my soul went with her. Then, when I initiated the challenge, my soul was transported to the point to start the challenge.


    At least, I turned back into a human, and it didn¡¯t seem like this guide even realized it had happened. It was probably something automatically done that sat outside of the curse¡¯s awareness, like safe rooms. This gave me some hope. Not only did I now understand why I had my soul back, but if I could turn back into a human, so could Alysia!


    The pair of us left through the door the little girl had indicated, holding Alysia tightly in my hand. As soon as I walked through the door, I realized why she couldn¡¯t follow. This was a safe room. It also contained a stairway. This dungeon was built a bit differently than the ones I had seen before. It looked like the safe room sat between the 1<sup>st</sup> and 2<sup>nd</sup> level, rather than being hidden somewhere in the level for us to find.


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re safe here.¡± I sighed, after closing the doors and locking myself in the safe room.


    This wasn¡¯t a physical place, but a soul realm, so it stood to reason that this similarly wasn¡¯t a real place. It didn¡¯t contain the dungeon transport system. There was no returning. You could only move forward. I supposed since the dungeon had no physical location, it didn¡¯t need to have a connection with a clearly defined way out, or perhaps it was better to say that I wouldn¡¯t know the way out. I wished Miki was here. She might have been able to figure this out.


    ¡°Where is here?¡± Alysia cried out. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything. It¡¯s dark. Please¡­ don¡¯t let me go.¡±


    I looked down at the sword in my hand, not sure how to explain things to her. ¡°We need to talk.¡±

 Chapter 1045

    ¡°How long have you been like this?¡±


    The reason I felt I needed to ask this question was that I needed to understand if the time was off in this world. In the Twilight Dungeon, I had gained quite a bit of time. Weeks out here translated to months in there. If this dungeon was the same, then I would have a good amount of time to finish. If it was the opposite, I would probably panic.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­  I remember¡­ I remember dying. Then, everything went black. I thought I was dead. I was just trapped with my own thoughts, not knowing anything. It wasn¡¯t until I started to feel you coming toward me that I started to become aware of things. I can hear and feel, but I can¡¯t see anything.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ to me, it¡¯s only been maybe thirty minutes since you died.¡±


    ¡°Only thirty minutes?¡± She gasped. ¡°It¡¯s felt¡­ like an eternity. What has¡­ what has happened to me?¡±


    ¡°That ancient sword was a dungeon. The dungeon destroys your body and uses your soul. They call it a soul dungeon. Anyone who dies becomes a weapon. If you activate the trial, they give you one of the weapons. That¡¯s all I know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ so, you¡¯re saying I¡¯ve become a sword?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m holding you in my hands right now.¡±


    There was a brief moment of silence. It would probably take a while for someone to come to terms with being turned into a sword. Actually, I had read many different isekai in Earth, and often people would reincarnate as objects. I still couldn¡¯t imagine it. I came to Earth as myself.


    ¡°To what end?¡± Alysia finally asked, her voice croaking slightly.


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    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I shook my head as I glanced around the room, finally noticing a mural on the wall. ¡°Ah, we¡¯re in a safe room and they have a dungeon mural. It might shed some light on things. Hmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Well? I can¡¯t see anything, describe it!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ right. The mural depicts the story of a man and his daughter. He appeared to be a soldier or adventurer of some kind. From what I can see, the daughter went out one day to pick fruit. However, she never came home. Then, reports of a dungeon forming in the area struck. The man desperately went out to find his daughter. After untold challenges, he discovered that she had died in the dungeon, never to be resurrected.


    ¡°That¡¯s heartbreaking.¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ I think the woman who is guiding me through this might be his daughter.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯ve only ever made guesses. The drawings on the murals aren¡¯t exactly picture perfect.¡±


    ¡°This is useless! Just destroy the dungeon and let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Her voice sounded aggravated.


    ¡°Understanding the dungeon will help us succeed in conquering it. You¡¯ll just have to trust me on that, okay?¡±


    ¡°O-okay.¡±


    ¡°However, you¡¯re right. Demon Lord Aberis has Eliana, and he¡¯s likely planning to go to war with Aberis too. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible. Our one advantage is that everyone likely believes we¡¯re dead. Fortunately, this dungeon doesn¡¯t destroy souls. That¡¯s probably why it hasn¡¯t grown past ten levels despite all of this time. It can¡¯t be absorbing very much mana or the church nearly on its doorstep would have noticed and blocked it. Once we destroy the dungeon, your soul will be free and I will be able to resurrect you.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll both make it out of this.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± I agreed, and then slapped the flat end of the blade against the wall.


    ¡°Ow!¡± She cried out. ¡°What was that for?¡±


    ¡°That was for killing yourself! I¡¯m still angry about that!¡±


    ¡°Th-there was no other choice! You were dying! It worked, didn¡¯t it? It separated our souls?¡±


    ¡°You mean too much to me for you to do something so foolish again. Promise me, if we ever get in a desperate situation, whatever we do, we do it together.¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­¡±


    ¡°Promise me! We fight together!¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡±


    With that taken care of, I relaxed a bit. It was time to take on the next part of the trial.

 Chapter 1046

    Before I was willing to continue the trial though, The pair of us remained in the safe room for some time. As for what we were doing, I felt it necessary to run some tests.


    ¡°If you are going to be functioning as my sword for this trial, then we need to understand your ability and limits. I hit you against the wall, if that hurts you, then how can I use you as a weapon?¡±


    ¡°That!¡± Alysia¡¯s voice came out flustered. ¡°When you hit me against the wall earlier, it didn¡¯t hurt, it was more like a shock. I just wasn¡¯t expecting it. However, when you hit the walls, I could feel it and have some awareness of it. I feel like when I strike something, I¡¯m able to see it.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s test that.¡± I tapped her against a few different items lying around in the safe room.


    ¡°That¡¯s a pillar. That¡¯s the dungeon transport panel. That¡¯s you! Ahhh¡­ where are you putting me!¡±


    ¡°Huh? I just tapped my leg.¡±


    ¡°Y-you tapped your thigh right next to¡­ n-n-nevermind!¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going to try putting you down.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll trust in-¡± As soon as I let go of her, her voice cut off; after a pause, I grabbed her again. ¡°-you¡­ huh? What happened?¡±


    ¡°What did it feel like to you?¡±


    ¡°Everything went dark, and then it lightened up again. It only lasted a few seconds.¡±


    ¡°I had let you go for nearly a minute.¡±


    ¡°A m-m-minute?¡±


    ¡°It seems like you¡¯re only aware when we¡¯re very close, almost touching.¡±


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    ¡°Are you saying I could go dark, and weeks or months could pass?¡±


    ¡°In theory.¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s scary¡­ the darkness¡­ I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°How about if I have you on my back but am not holding you¡­¡±


    After doing that test, we found that she could still sense me as long as I was within about six inches of any part of her, although I could only hear her with close contact. Gloves worked, so it didn¡¯t need to be complete contact, just within an inch or so.


    We also tried several strike tests, and Alysia proved to be as resilient as Terra. She said that it didn¡¯t hurt her. We practiced for a while longer, getting her used to being swung around. She could feel herself being moved, but it felt like a breeze, even when I was using quick attacks. Ultimately, she grew a bit more used to the sudden strikes, although I didn¡¯t use my full strength against the dungeon wall.


    I started to worry that the guide would get suspicious if we wasted too much more time, so I called our practice quits. We finally left the safe room. I walked down the steps, leading to the first challenge. I entered a room that looked like a boss room. It had a feel like a colosseum, although there were no seats for spectators. It left me feeling slightly confused. We were only on the second floor. Don¡¯t tell me I was against a boss already.


    ¡°This is your first trial.¡± She declared.


    The little girl didn¡¯t seem to point out how long I was in the safe room. Perhaps, she had no real grasp on time. I had a feeling like it didn¡¯t matter how long I was in there, whether I remained overnight or just a few moments. She would probably always react the same way. That¡¯s when I remembered my test with Alysia. As soon as I let go of her blade, she also seemed to lose awareness of the world around her. Did that mean this soul world only existed when I was present to observe it? That would certainly save on magical power.


    As I was considering such things, an opponent came out of the coliseum. The second I laid eyes on them, my mind went haywire.


    ¡°Wh-what is this?¡± I cried out.


    ¡°This is the opponent you must defeat to continue!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t do it!¡± I took a step back.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re afraid of killing a woman! Don¡¯t worry! This person died long ago. This is just a creation based on her soul.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°This is your trial! If you don¡¯t kill her, she¡¯ll kill you!¡± The little guide disappeared with those taunting words.


    The woman lunged at me, and I leaped out of the way to avoid her.


    ¡°What is it, Deek?¡± Alysia spoke up. ¡°If you¡¯re afraid of using me to fight, don¡¯t be. We already tested this out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­¡± I grimaced, backing away as the enemy slashed at me over and over again.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see! What¡¯s going on!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± I finally spat out. ¡°The enemy she wants me to kill is you!¡±

 Chapter 1047

    ¡°Me? Huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a doppelganger¡­ or something like it. I¡¯ve had to deal with these things before in another dungeon. It has an independent will, but it possesses every skill that you have.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ really do have a lot of experience with dungeons¡­ don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well I¡¯ve found something new every day,¡± I responded wryly.


    Although I didn¡¯t have access to my dungeon points in this dungeon, I wasn¡¯t helpless either. Power in the soul world was passed on the power of the soul. In short, because my soul was a yin-yang soul, I wasn¡¯t helpless. I could pull from two jobs, and my status seemed to still be boosted. Although Alysia was at a higher level than me, I was confident I could defeat this clone. We were evenly matched when we had fought each other on the beach. I had come a long way since then. However, that would involve going all out against her, and I had my doubts.


    ¡°Why are you hesitating?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°Just because it looks like a doppelganger, what if it¡¯s connected to your soul? If I destroy it, what if I hurt you?¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­¡±


    ¡°I already thought I lost you once, I don¡¯t want to risk it again.¡±


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    ¡°I stole your soul, Deek. I helped the demon lord. Why do you want to protect me?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I just do!¡±


    What else could I say? We had sex and I felt a connection? This was just the person who I was. I gave my heart out easily. Even after coming to another world, that aspect of my personality had never changed. I still felt attachment and connection to everyone I loved.


    I tried to pull away again, but suddenly my sword yanked my arm, and I met the blade that Alysia was using.


    ¡°H-hey!¡¯


    ¡°Fight me!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡±


    I tried to pull away, but as soon as I did the sword jerked again. I had to drop and roll to avoid the sword from striking me.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get hurt!¡± She said in alarm.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t if you¡¯d stop pulling!¡±


    ¡°Look, this is the trial. If we¡¯re doing it, there has to be a reason, so do it!¡±


    My sword started to slash out wildly. ¡°Stop it!¡±


    It turned out I was fighting Alysia on two fronts. It wasn¡¯t just the Alysia doppelganger, but also the sword Alysia. Both of them seemed to want to fight, and I was the one trying to resist. This doppelganger wasn¡¯t like the one in Widow¡¯s Dungeon. It didn¡¯t seem to have a personality. Rather, it just came at me like a robot, ignoring my spastic and strange movements.


    ¡°This is part of the trial.¡± The guide from earlier suddenly appeared from a safe distance and began speaking. ¡°Your sword may resist this. You must control it, force it to do this. It¡¯s part of the refining process. Oops, I said too much.¡±


    She disappeared as quickly as she appeared, but she left me much to think about. She had said that this was part of the refining process. The sword wasn¡¯t a reward¡­ I was making a sword? That would be that this entire dungeon was a giant soul forge, intended to turn a human soul into a dungeon! However, she had completely misunderstood my spastic movements. Normally, I supposed a sword, realizing it was attacking itself, would resist. I was having the opposite problem. My sword was trying to kill itself!

 Chapter 1048

    ¡°You heard her, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I heard.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how it works, but it seems this dungeon is trying to forge you into a sword.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡±


    ¡°You know? Well, we definitely can¡¯t do it now! If you¡¯re a sword, I¡¯m pretty sure I won¡¯t be able to resurrect you ahhh-¡± I nearly got my head chopped off, forcing me to dive out of the way again.


    In truth, the way I was fighting now should have killed me a dozen times over. However, the Alysia enemy I was fighting didn¡¯t use any skills, and it moved stiffly and robotically. It may have Alysia¡¯s stats and abilities, but it wasn¡¯t using them at all. It was almost like the doppelganger was seeking out its death. I could have defeated it in an instant if I put out my effort. Then again, I guess this was the first trial. It couldn¡¯t be too difficult, right?


    ¡°Deek¡­ let¡¯s not talk about this here. Defeat her, and we¡¯ll talk when we get to the next safe room.¡±


    ¡°What if¡­ that first step is already too late?¡±


    ¡°You need to stop hesitating!¡± Alysia cried out. ¡°Do it!¡±


    ¡°Fine!¡± I sighed. ¡°But we will be talking about this.¡±


    I lifted the Alysia sword. It felt comfortable in my grip. Now that she stopped fighting me, lifting her felt surprisingly natural. I swung out, exploding forward with a Quick Attack. I used two more attacks, throwing the doppelganger off balance. Then, made a final attack, bisecting her.


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    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡± Screaming formed in my ear, causing me to fall off balance.


    As I stumbled forward, the dead Alysia had already turned to dust. Just as I recovered my grip the sword was yanked out of my hand. It flew away from me and then landed in the hands of the guide once again. Compared to her, the thing looked massive. She didn¡¯t hold it by the hilt though but laid it across her palms.


    ¡°What¡¯s the big idea?¡± I took a step forward.


    ¡°Why, this blade has cut its first blood. I¡¯m not giving it a dungeon blessing! This is a good thing!¡± She declared, smiling.


    She didn¡¯t move or attempt to be aggressive, so I held back. The sword glowed for a few minutes and then it flew back to me. I grabbed the sword.


    ¡°Alysia, are you okay?¡± I asked as soon as my hand touched the hilt.


    There was silence for a few moments, causing the anxiety in my heart to grow.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ okay¡­¡± Alysia spoke in a shaky voice.


    ¡°Congratulations, you have finished the first trial. Continue to the next trial.¡± She disappeared once again.


    I walked through the doors that opened, finding myself in another safe room, but I barely acknowledged it.


    ¡°Alysia, what happened.¡±


    ¡°It¡­ I felt all of it. It felt¡­ just like when I died.¡±


    ¡°Alysia¡­ we have to find a way to get out of this.¡±


    ¡°There¡­ is something else.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°When that guide was touching me, she lied. She wasn¡¯t blessing me or anything like that.¡±


    ¡°What? What did she do?¡±


    ¡°She¡­ um¡­ she showed me the fight, from your point of view.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I could¡­ feel everything you felt.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°The pain of dying¡­ it surprised me. I can¡¯t say that I liked the feeling. It wasn¡¯t what bothered me. The feeling in your heart when you cut me down was far worse! I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I should be the one who is sorry.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just being foolish.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ what are we going to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ have an idea.¡±

 Chapter 1049

    ¡°I can make you a slave.¡± I explained my idea.


    ¡°A s-slave?¡± Her eyes widened.


    ¡°Your soul is still intact, so I should be able to enslave you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°This may not be the best thing, but it has many benefits- wait, what?¡±


    I had expected her to at least argue a little bit, but Alysia agreed to become a slave without question. She was a free-spirited princess and could be kind of stubborn, so I was pretty surprised that she didn¡¯t resist at all.


    ¡°Deek, I spent my life trying to fight the dungeon and get rid of the curses that plague our land. In the end, I had only ended up being the tool for a demon lord to regain his powers and spread curses across the land.¡±


    ¡°Alysia, my soul is back in my possession, and he wasn¡¯t able to get anything out of you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than that¡­ it¡¯s hard to explain.¡±


    ¡°Try me.¡±


    ¡°Alright. My mother, Xin, I don¡¯t believe she was always a puppet of Brother¡­ the demon lord.¡± She explained. ¡°When I was younger, she still had control of her mind. As for when she changed, it happened so slowly, I¡¯m not confident I could even say I knew when I had lost her.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I wanted to tell her that a part of her mother still existed, but this didn¡¯t feel like the best time, so I continued to listen.


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    ¡°When I was younger, she used to tell me stories. She explained to me why she chose to defy the Osterians and join the Maid Hero in destroying Lord Aberis. Her betrayal cost her much. Lord Aberis went after her family. He killed every royal in retaliation for her deeds.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    I was extremely interested in this. I had never known what happened with Xin. I didn¡¯t know about her family dying. It was possible that the Xin I knew didn¡¯t know either. Since she cut her Osterian part away, it possibly included the memories of her family.


    ¡°Demons aren¡¯t like other species. You might be thinking that since we all came from another world, we all have an equal right to be here. That might be true in most cases, but when it comes to demons, they use dungeons unlike any of the others. They spread the curse over the land, and use its power as their own.


    ¡°The Demon Lands in the north is a desolate waste, carpeted with monsters, dungeons, and demons. The demon lord castle, home of the demon king, and the Hell dungeon have both routed their influence across the entire country, a massive weed sucking the life out of the world. That is how they grew their territory. That is how they survived.


    ¡°Demon Lord Aberis was no different. The reason the Aberis and the Ost Republic contain so many dungeons is exactly because of his influence. He knowingly planted cursed seeds across the landscape, as all demons do. That is what makes them dangerous. That is why they need to be stopped.¡±


    ¡°All of that responsibility¡­ that¡¯s not something to put on your shoulders.¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. That is why I want to be your slave. You know more about dungeons and have done more good in the last half-year than I had accomplished in three years. I believe if I follow you, my abilities will be put to better use. I followed my instincts for years, and my instincts led me into being manipulated by a monster. Now, I want to follow you, and make a real difference. Please, Deek, I want to be your slave.¡±


    ¡°Then, I agree.¡±


    There was nothing really to it. I just had to be close to her and use the skill. Since I was already holding her hilt, I activated the Bond Slave skill. It triggered, and a few moments later I could feel an awareness of Alysia in my head. At that moment, another alert appeared.


    {You have committed to the path of the magic sword. You have unlocked the job, Magic Swordsman.}

 Chapter 1050

    A Magic Swordsman job was a well-known job in this world. It was usually the job of famous heroes. It was nearly as elusive as the White Mage and for good reasons. Typically, to become a Magic Swordsman, one must reach at least Advanced Mage status as well as Advanced Swordsman. Although Lydia was an Advanced Swordsman, she had no aptitude for magic, and thus would likely never become a Magic Swordsman. I had thought about encouraging her to learn some magic, but it was far too difficult for normal people to learn such skills, even if I gave her Advance Learning.


    However, it looks like there was another way to get Magic Swordsman, and that was by bonding yourself to a magic sword. I noted that Alysia¡¯s status was all wrong. It gave her no abilities, and it even called her a soul sword. Maybe, it was too late for her to ever become something other than a sword.


    ¡°Deek, I can see! I can see through your eyes.¡± Alysia spoke up excitedly.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡± I answered non committedly, lost in thought.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your status.¡±


    I ended up explaining to her what I saw after making her my slave, and ultimately what I figured out from it. She remained silent for a bit, thinking the same way I had.


    ¡°The moment I decided to kill myself on the ancient sword, I had prepared to never come back,¡± she finally said. ¡°If this is a dungeon that will turn me into a sword, then a sword I will become.¡±


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    Now that she was my slave, I could feel her emotions with Slave Empath. I could feel her determination. She wasn¡¯t frightened or giving off a front. This was genuinely how she felt.


    ¡°Then, we will continue down the dungeon, but if you have any issues, we will stop immediately.¡± I declared.


    She wouldn¡¯t be able to hide it if she did have any problems. That was one more advantage of having this bond with her.


    The pair of us didn¡¯t move on right away. We decided to do a few more tests.


    ¡°Is this really how all of your slaves feel?¡± Alysia asked in the middle of the testing.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡¯


    ¡°I feel powerful, and¡­ something else.¡±


    ¡°Something else?¡±


    ¡°I feel¡­ warm.¡± She spoke quietly. ¡°Like, I¡¯m no longer alone.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not alone. You will continue to have me.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, De¡­ I mean Master.¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t have to call me Master.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Yes, Master. I¡¯ll call you Master though.¡±


    I wondered if there was something to the Slave Bond that made people call me Master. Only Eliana was willing to use my name. Every slave just called me Master from then on.


    Before we left the safe room, we decided to run through a couple more tests as well. With the Slave Bond in effect, it was easier to get a feel for her and to control the blade. She was able to move more, and even use her movements to aid me in battle, increasing the precision of my strikes. More importantly, when I let go of her, she still held awareness. Her eyesight and hearing would go out, but she could always sense where I was and maintained a feeling of time. Furthermore, we could communicate using Slave Communication. My communication with the girls outside the soul world was cut off.


    We ended up spending the night in the safe room. I did want to hurry, but I didn¡¯t want to rush Alysia. From everything that happened earlier, we needed a night to rest and grow more acclimated. Come morning, we prepared for the 2<sup>nd</sup> trial.

 Chapter 1051

    Before entering the second trial room, I naturally made sure to check out the updated mural. There was still no dungeon transport panel, so it was the only thing of interest in the safe room. The mural shows the man fighting his way down to the bottom floor of the dungeon. He defeats the dungeon boss and then comes into contact with the dungeon lore. I supposed if I lost someone in the dungeon, my goal would also be to destroy the dungeon as quickly as possible.


    Unfortunately, the mural didn¡¯t show any progression of time. It wasn¡¯t clear how long she had been in the dungeon before he found her, let alone how long it took him to clear it. Even with my ability and a full team, it¡¯d take me at least three days to clear the smallest dungeon. If the dungeon was mapped out, it might be able to do it in a day. I had to presume it took him longer than that.


    I wouldn¡¯t have any more answers until I beat the next trial. If this dungeon had a safe room on every level, then it also had a mural on every level. That was eight chances to reveal the story. I left the safe room, ready to continue.


    The second trial room was identical to the first trial room. That was to say it was a large oval stage resembling a coliseum without the seats. As soon as I left the safe room, the guide appeared once again. Despite the time that had passed since I went into the safe room, she didn¡¯t look alarmed or curious at all.


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    ¡°I believe you have figured out the true nature of this dungeon, yes?¡± She asked.


    I nodded. ¡°My weapon isn¡¯t the reward for defeating this dungeon, it¡¯s the result of defeating this dungeon, right?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Correct. You selected one from a group of weapons with potential. Each level, you will further refine that weapon, turning it into a weapon shaped for you.¡±


    I felt a bit reassured we were on the same wavelength, but something still felt a bit off. I wanted to ask why the weapon was made out of the soul of a captured enemy. However, something still felt off about the situation, so I didn¡¯t ask this question. My unease came from the nature of dungeons. They were curses, not blessings. A dungeon wouldn¡¯t give you something for free. They were curses. Dungeons didn¡¯t want to be destroyed, they wanted to be completed, and I had a feeling if I did everything that the dungeon wanted, it would result in my demise.


    My running theory was that after Alysia was finished, she¡¯d be used against me. The boss of this dungeon might be a Gilgamesh type, collecting swords made by its enemies, enjoying the thrill of a new sword made to someone else¡¯s specifications. Perhaps, I had just consumed too many isekai, but I felt like I had a good grasp on this. At least, I was prepared for a betrayal.


    That was the final reason I had decided to bond with Alysia as a slave. It would keep her from being used against me. I knew that if she had known my theory, she might not have been as willing to continue forward. She wouldn¡¯t stand being used against me again. Thankfully, I had nipped that in the bud. Now, we just had to make it the rest of the way down, spring and destroy their trap, and get out of here.

 Chapter 1052

    ¡°Her again? Wait¡­ two?¡± My eyes turned to pinpricks as the next challenge was placed before me.


    It was another Alysia doppelganger. No, it was two doppelgangers. I thought we had gotten past this trial. Don¡¯t tell me every trial was just an increasingly large number of Alysia doppelgangers! Furthermore, now that I knew that she felt the pain, forcing her to kill herself over and over again seemed cruel. Alysia could see through my eyes with our bond, so she was aware of what was going on as well.


    ¡°Deek, it¡¯s okay. Kill them.¡±


    ¡°Alysia, this¡­¡±


    ¡°This is the path I¡¯ve chosen to walk. If I need to destroy myself piece by piece to become a sword, then I will do it.¡±


    Alysia seemed to read my mind and was busy reassuring me. I felt like the situation should be the opposite. However, while she couldn¡¯t feel my emotions, I could feel hers, and they were steady and determined. She was prepared to do this, whatever the cost.


    The supposed guide wasn¡¯t going to be much help either. She disappeared as soon as the doppelgangers appeared. I had a feeling she wouldn¡¯t get involved again until this match was over. With a sigh, I used my experience wielding Alysia and attacked her clones. I was surprised to find them fighting in tandem. They used each other to defend and block. It wasn¡¯t just twice as hard fighting them, but they seemed to have some level of tactics.


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    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Alysia cried out as I cut one of their arms.


    I hesitated as a result and ended up getting stabbed even worse. I leaped back to give myself some room. I immediately swapped my jobs and healed myself with White Mage while keeping a distance. Thankfully, they moved slowly rather than rushing me, or this would have been difficult.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ that was my fault. I got you hurt.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ I hurt you too.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ you hurt them. I just¡­ I¡¯m still not used to it. In the past, when I felt pain, I could control it. I decided when I felt it and when I didn¡¯t. This feels far more helpless.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡±


    The two clones began to attack me once again. I had managed to heal my wound, and now I was fighting them again. Once again, they weren¡¯t at the level of the true Alysia, however, if I had to fight, again and again, I feared she would grow more and more capable. What would I do when I needed to fight four or five of her? Nevermind protecting Alysia, it would be enough to protect myself.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to make this as quick as I can. I¡¯m going all out.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    I launched several of my skills simultaneously. The first lost her head, and then I stabbed the second clone in the heart. The pair of doppelgangers collapsed to the ground dead. It was a very clean kill, and I didn¡¯t even need to take any damage on my own. Alysia remained silent too, but I could feel the panic and distraught emotions tumbling through the bond.


    ¡°Both of them?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ they both felt just as bad.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s over now. We can-¡± My words caught in my mouth as the two clones rose again.


    The clone whose head was severed had the head fly back up and reconnect. As for the other, the blood sucked back into it and the wound disappeared like it had never been hurt. On that note, I hadn¡¯t paid attention before, but the arm wound I had caused before had also disappeared.


    ¡°Alysia¡­ I don¡¯t think this trial is exactly like the last one.¡±


    ¡°Me neither¡­¡±

 Chapter 1053

    I had experienced death several times in my life. As consequence free as death was in this world, it was never a pleasant experience. You took trauma every time. Even if I protected my soul entirely, I wouldn¡¯t wish to feel death. Alysia was in a situation where she was being forced to experience her death at my hands over and over again. I couldn¡¯t even understand just how that would help her become a weapon. Was it to remove all fear of death? It felt more like torture.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m ready¡­ cut them down again.¡±


    ¡°What if¡­ what if they get back up?¡±


    ¡°Then, kill them again! We¡¯ll keep killing them until they stay down!¡±


    ¡°Okay, but I have a slave ability that might be able to help with the pain.¡±


    ¡°Slave Masters can even dull the pain?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ something like that. I guess it more effective to make a slave work themselves to death if they don¡¯t feel anything or something like that,¡± I said casually, glad that the slave bond only worked one direction.


    ¡°I see, then, let¡¯s try that.¡±


    ¡°Will do!¡±


    I came at the clones once again. I wanted to get through this quickly, so I activated that skill and several others. As I cut them down, my face likely turned white, but I managed to keep myself from making a peep. I let out a breath as they collapsed to the ground.


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    ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t feel anything!¡± Alysia cried out. ¡°It was fine.¡±


    ¡°G-good.¡± I nodded. ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Wow, your abilities are really awesome. We can kill these girls as many times as we need to!¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope that was it.¡±


    It turned out to be too much to hope for. The two clones got back up again only a few moments later. I groaned and lifted Alysia back up. I attacked again, and a few minutes later, I killed them both off at once. As they collapsed, this time, I had prepared myself. As soon as they hit the ground, I struck them with fire, burning them to bits. My hand clenched tightly on the hilt and my body shook, changing from white to red.


    ¡°Master, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°J-just anxious.¡±


    It felt like it lasted forever, but finally, the doppelganger turned to ash. They didn¡¯t get back up again. I let out a breath, my hand finally relaxing on the hilt.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel anything again, and it looks like they aren¡¯t getting back up.¡±


    ¡°Yup,¡± I said. ¡°It looks like our guide won¡¯t appear this time. Let¡¯s move on.¡±


    I rushed her out of the room and into the safe room. Once we were there, I put her down.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to put you down for a moment.¡±


    ¡°I-is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re heavy.¡±


    ¡°H-heavy! Saying that to a girl¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    I let go of her anyway. As soon as my hand left her hilt, I collapsed to the floor and let out a scream. With my sweaty hands on the floor, I took in big gulps of water. I switched to white mage and cast heal several times, but it didn¡¯t do anything. This wasn¡¯t something I could fix, because this wasn¡¯t a pain that occurred to me.


    I didn¡¯t have a slave pain tolerance skill or anything like it. What I did have was Pain Transfer. I¡¯m sure its use was to transfer pain to slaves, so that the slaver didn¡¯t have to feel anything. The Slave Master job could be ruthless that way. However, I used it in reverse, taking on the pain that Alysia should have felt. I felt myself burning her alive.

 Chapter 1054

    ¡°I¡¯m taking a break.¡± I told Alysia.


    ¡°Already? We didn¡¯t go that far. We should get this finished quickly. Since I don¡¯t feel any pain, I feel like I can handle more.¡±


    ¡°I had to use a lot of skills in quick succession to kill those doppelgangers swiftly,¡± I explained. ¡°Just give me an hour or so.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± She responded, somewhat quietly.


    ¡°Did you feel anything wrong? Like with your soul?¡±


    If she was being turned into a sword, shouldn¡¯t her soul be changing? So far, I didn¡¯t see any of that happening. It felt more like torture than functioning toward some kind of end.


    ¡°No, I feel great.¡± She spoke.


    I could sense through the Slave Empath that she was relieved and quite happy. That was good. I just wanted to give myself a little time to prepare for the next trial. I hoped I was done with the doppelgangers, but I had a feeling that I wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°What does the mural say?¡± She asked after a while of silence.


    My eyes snapped open. I wasn¡¯t sure if I had drifted off or not. ¡°Right¡­ that.¡±


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    I looked up at the mural, hoping to see some answers. It was a single image, depicting a sword impaling a man. It looked like he was committing seppuku, his hand on the blade as he plunged it into his chest. His hands were bloody, and his mouth was open. This was the father? These stories didn¡¯t always come in order. I felt like this must be the end, or at least close to the end.


    After recovering a bit, I grabbed Alysia and stood back up. ¡°Time for the next trial.¡±


    ¡°Yes! We can get through this dungeon!¡±


    The pair of us headed out, and there was the guide waiting on us again.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t do bad. Only had to kill them three times.¡± She smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s see how long it takes you now!¡±


    My expression fell as I saw two doppelgangers again. Well, at least it wasn¡¯t three. They were, once again, more difficult. However, trying to distance myself from the pain, I killed them and then set them on fire. As the feeling of being burned finally dissipated, I turned to the exit, only to see that it was still closed. Turning back, the ashes started to form back together, and the two doppelgangers reappeared once again.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Alysia remarked. ¡°They¡¯re not dead with that?¡±


    ¡°I think I see how these trials go,¡± I shivered as I came to a realization.


    ¡°How is that?¡±


    ¡°Every time you kill them, the next trial is immune to them. We had already sliced them to death in the first trial, so they no longer could be killed by a blade. I burned them alive in the second trial, so they no longer can be burned.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so we just have to find a new way to kill them?¡±


    ¡°I can certainly come up with a few ways, but what are we going to do when we reach the ninth trial?¡±


    I had already used two ways to kill them. Could I come up with another 7 ways? More importantly, could I handle dying seven more ways?

 Chapter 1055

    We began working our way down, one trial after another. After the 4<sup>th</sup> trial, it moved up to three clones. Each time, I had to figure out a new way to kill them. Then, the pain of that death was transmitted through Alysia, although I secretly took it upon myself.


    In the third trial, I was able to electrocute them to death. At least that was pleasantly numbing. In the fourth trial, I use absorb until I had completely eaten away their souls. It was an unsettling feeling, but I had experienced enough pain in my soul that it was something I could handle pretty well. In the fifth trial, I took them out by removing the oxygen around their heads, effectively asphyxiating them. My lungs ached after that one.


    After each one, I needed to take longer and longer rests. Also, eventually bringing them down often took more and more effort. The last one took nearly ten minutes of continuous casting, and that was already after wearing them down. Although I was growing increasingly shaken, Alysia seemed to be encouraged and upbeat. I did everything I could to keep her from noticing my problems.


    The murals were of course on every level too. However, it was difficult to make heads or tales of the ones I saw. One of them depicted the man going around killing people with his sword, bathing it in blood. Another one depicted him forging the soul of his daughter into the sword. The final one depicted him leading villagers into the dungeon.


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    If I had to put things together, I¡¯d say that the man made some kind of agreement with the dungeon and sacrificed the villagers. In exchange, he got her soul back. However, for some reason, he didn¡¯t resurrect her. Instead, he made her into a sword. Either way, he wasn¡¯t a good person. It wasn¡¯t a surprise he killed himself in the end.


    ¡°How will you defeat the next ones?¡± Alysia asked eagerly.


    ¡°I was thinking of crushing them. There is also falling to death. That would be difficult though. Maybe I could use portals so that she gains enough momentum and¡­ splat.¡± I spoke without thinking.


    ¡°Ah¡­ Deek.¡± Alysia sounded awkward.


    I coughed. ¡°Ah! I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said. ¡°I know you¡¯re trying your best. I¡¯m happy to be by your side. I feel¡­ comfortable, in your hands. I just wish I could help more in the upcoming battles. Since they are immune to my slice, I feel like I¡¯m useless. I just wish¡­ I could be something else.¡±


    As she spoke, her body suddenly morphed. I let out a cry of surprise as her body reformed, and a moment later, I was holding a giant hammer.


    ¡°Wh-what did you do?¡±


    ¡°Ah! I don¡¯t know! I was just¡­ I was wondering if crushing would be the same as slicing, and then I was hoping that I could be a hammer, and then I was a hammer!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you can be any form you want to be!¡± I cried out in surprise.


    That would make the last few trials a lot easier. The two of us walked out into the sixth trial, and we continued to fight. I didn¡¯t seem to unlock Magic Hammerman or anything like that. Although her appearance was that of a hammer, I guess her soul was still a sword.

 Chapter 1056

    Smashing was not a pleasant feeling at all. I tried to make it swift, but that was impossible when I was fighting three of them, and they were all more powerful than before. The good thing was that my magic swordsman had gained many levels from this trial. Even without my dungeon bonus, I had already reached level 5. I probably would have been level 10 if I had all of those bonuses. As the last of them fell, I desperately tried to maintain my focus.


    ¡°Your weapon has transformed.¡± The guide noted. ¡°Impressive. It would have done this a long time ago if you hadn¡¯t been using your tricks. I almost considered banning them.¡±


    So, it really was like that. The pain that Alysia felt was supposed to force her to evolve. Every time I helplessly cut down her soul, she¡¯d become desperate enough that her shape would change and she¡¯d kill it a different way. This trial wasn¡¯t just testing my ability to defeat the clones, but Alysia¡¯s ability as well. I had been cheating up until that point by using spells, but I was supposed to be depending on my weapon.


    Most people who would enter this world would likely only have a handful of similar jobs. So, it¡¯d make sense that a swordsman wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat them nine different ways. I was simply far too versatile for this dungeon, making it far easier than it was supposed to be. That was something I was extremely used to, and it actually caused me to relax a bit. For a while, I had been worrying that this dungeon was a bit too easy.


    I did worry that Alysia might have been losing out by not feeling the pain she was supposed to. My hope was that her refining process was in fighting alongside me, and not in feeling some kind of soul torture. My mind was still a bit shaky, but I felt like I could make it to the end of this dungeon now. It was in sight.


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    ¡°The next trial will be your final match.¡±


    ¡°Match?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°The last two trials will be¡­ special. They will finalize your sword.¡±


    I nodded, and then continued on into the 6<sup>th</sup> safe room and rested up. After being crushed three times, I decided to take my time. At this point, I had been in the dungeon about three days by my count. So much could have happened outside by now. It was best to complete this trial soon.


    ¡°Deek.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I think there is more to this than I originally thought.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been acting passively, and letting you handle me. However, what is the point of that.¡±


    ¡°Like a girl just lying there during sex.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what did you say?¡± She yelped.


    ¡°N-nothing!¡± I quickly sat up.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying that I feel like I could do more. I should use my strength to your advantage.¡±


    ¡°You may be right. Upon thinking about it, most people can¡¯t do what I do. Most people would just be a single fighting class. How would they be able to kill an enemy in so many different ways? I believe the trick to that is you. You¡¯re supposed to be learning about yourself, and grow powerful.¡±


    I didn¡¯t mention the pain part of it. She had long forgotten about it, but I would never be able to forget it. It was a truly spartan form of training.


    ¡°I¡­ will grow stronger. I want¡­ I want to be Master¡¯s weapon!¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡±


    I was still recovering from my own pain and trauma, so I was answering nonchalantly. I hadn¡¯t realized that this would be an oath that would carry us together through a turbulent future.

 Chapter 1057

    Alysia wanted to remain in the safe room for a longer period of time so she could get a grasp on her abilities. We practiced a bit, and then I allowed her to contemplate on her own. One of the best parts of the slave bond between us was that she didn¡¯t go into sleep mode anymore. While this might mean she spent a lot of time alone, it also gave her the time to think and contemplate. This was something none of the other soul weapons in this dungeon could do.


    While she was taking a breather to think about things, I surveyed this mural. It showed the little girl. At first, she was hopeful and bright-eyed. Then, it slowly showed her facial expression changing. She grew less and less enthused, and in the final image, her expression was downright hateful. That was it, that was the clue. I wasn¡¯t able to grasp anything from it.


    ¡°Deek.¡± Alysia contacted me through the Slave Communication I left open for her.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a sword made out of a soul, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡±


    ¡°And this is a soul dungeon, which is created our of a world of souls, right?¡±


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    ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t know what a world of souls is, but that sounds about right.¡±


    ¡°Then, shouldn¡¯t I have the ability to cut a soul?¡±


    I stopped, only coming to realize what she meant. Soul-reaving weapons were rare magical items that could damage a soul. Even rarer were the malacrum weapons, which were capable of not just hurting a soul, but poisoning it with a soul-destroying miasmic infection. Other than certain spells, magic, fairy fire, and jobs like the Spiritualist, I didn¡¯t know how else to attack a soul directly. However, she might very well be right. She might be able to chop through someone¡¯s soul. That meant she could kill someone permanently. She¡¯d be better than a soul-reaving weapon because she¡¯d be able to choose if she wanted to damage their soul or not.


    ¡°You¡­ might be on to something there.¡± I agreed.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m ready to start.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I grabbed Alysia, and her form returned to the sword I had grown used to.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to try to cut their souls, destroying them completely.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll follow your lead!¡±


    The pair of us headed the 7<sup>th</sup> trial and the last of the battles. As I waited, five Alysia¡¯s appeared. That was two more than the last level. I took a step back, feeling a bit worried.


    ¡°It just occurred to me¡­ if this is the final match, then these Alysia¡¯s¡­ are probably at your level.¡±


    The women immediately began to circle me. Their eyes seemed to contain cunning and knowledge. This battle would be like fighting Alysia, the powerful S class adventurer, five times at once! Furthermore, every bit of damage I did to them would be reflected onto me. I suddenly felt like I could have taken another few days break.


    The girls began their advance. I lifted my sword. I had to give it my all.

 Chapter 1058

    I blocked with the sword, jumping away in a roll and then coming up again only to meet two more swords. Every place I turned there were clones ready to attack. They were giving me absolutely no room to back up or strategize. I had taken several cuts and struggled even to use a quick heal before being cut again. At this point, I was shrugging off such minor pain. The one thing this dungeon had done, after feeling the pain of death over and over again, my tolerance had increased significantly.


    ¡°Watch out! She¡¯s using a fire blade!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a fire blade?¡±


    One of their blades ignited on fire, and then they waved the sword. The fire left the sword and came out as a strike made of pure fire.


    ¡°Don¡¯t block it, the fire will just breakthrough and hit you in the face!¡±


    ¡°Darn it!¡± I leaped away again, taking a nasty strike on the shoulder by one of the other clones.


    I was taking Alysia¡¯s advice the best I could. After all, who knew her skill layout better than herself? She was able to predict what they were doing and when they were going to do it better than anyone else. Her words were the only reason I was able to stay on top of these doppelgangers.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with your soul attack?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as easy as it looks! I barely even know how I turned into a hammer. I¡¯m trying to figure it out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, crap!¡±


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    Things just turned from bad to worse. As I was backed into a wall of the coliseum, all five of them ignited their blades at the same time. They all brought their swords down, coming at every angle, and making it impossible for me to dodge. I was going to have to take several of the blade cuts directly.


    ¡°Deek!¡± Alysia called out with alarm.


    I raised her and helplessly struck out. At that moment, the sword in my hands glowed blue for just a second. It seemed to almost look like two swords, a translucent blue superimposed over the original sword. As it struck the fire blades, they broke in half and then dissipated away before hitting me. Three blades were destroyed in an instant, and the remaining two I was able to dodge.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say these blades were unblockable?¡±


    ¡°They¡­ they¡¯re supposed to be! Even if you cut the flame, it will continue! Unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t cut the blade! I cut the mana!¡±


    ¡°The mana?¡± My eyes widened.


    ¡°That¡¯s it! I can cut anything! I¡¯m not a physical blade, I¡¯m anything I need to be. It¡¯s not just about changing my physical form, it¡¯s about manifesting and cutting through energy!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, but you can cut spells, right?¡±


    ¡°Not just spells! With enough practice, I should be able to cut only what I want. I can cut a soul free from the body without hurting the physical form, cut a person¡¯s ability to access mana, even cut dungeon monster¡¯s access to miasma.¡± She spoke excitedly as she considered the possibilities.


    ¡°Alysia, I¡¯m really glad you¡¯re having an epiphany here, but it¡¯s getting kind of desperate here!¡± I cried, out, taking two more cuts as I desperately blocked the doppelgangers converging on me.


    ¡°Right! Do it! Attack them all!¡±


    ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    The sword began to glow a black image much like the mana image. With a roar, I did a wide sweep of my blade. To my surprise, it cut right through all of the girls. It went through their blades, their armor, and their bodies without even a bit of resistance. When I completed the arc, I felt an unimaginable pain, but what confused me was that the girls and their swords were completely fine. There was no damage to their bodies or swords at all.


    However, as I instinctively crouched in pain, all five girls collapsed to the ground, dead, just like their strings had been cut.

 Chapter 1059

    ¡°We did it!¡± Alysia cried out.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ we did!¡± I chuckled as I stumbled into the safe room and put her down.


    As soon as I lost contact with her, I collapsed to the ground. Having the feel of your soul being chopped in two, and then multiply it by five, and that¡¯s exactly what I felt. Just to keep from passing out, I cast refresh several times. It kept my mind lucid, but the pain lingered for some time.


    Thankfully, Alysia was too excited to realize what was going on. She spoke excitedly about all of the things she could do now that she was a blade. I had to admit that if she could do even half of the things she claimed, she¡¯d be seriously powerful. I was even tempted to go through with the whole thing and turn her into a sword, rather than return her to a physical body. However, ultimately, if I had the choice, I would bring her back as an Osterian, which is what she was supposed to be.


    It took nearly a day for me to recover from the pain all of the way. I claimed I wanted to let Alysia grow a better understanding of her newfound ability, and also ponder on what the final two trials of the dungeon would be. That last part was at least a little true. I checked out the mural. It didn¡¯t really show me anything. It showed the man happy in a village with his daughter. Meanwhile, there was a dark threat growing in the distance. If I was ordering the murals, this probably should have been the first one. That threat was the dungeon, which ultimately killed his daughter and led him on his dark path.


    When the pair of us were back in top condition, we prepared for the 8<sup>th</sup> and possibly hardest trial yet. Unlike the previous 7, I had no clue what this one would even ask me to do. That was why I was only further confused when I walked into the room to see a similar coliseum, but it was different because there was a massive hot forge at the end.


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    ¡°This trial is about sealing your sword.¡± The little girl guide appeared just as suddenly as she always did.


    ¡°Seal?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ the sword has been forged in blood, now, it must be forged in fire. You will have to place it in the forge and stick it there. It will likely try to escape, but you must place your personal sigil on it.¡±


    ¡°My sigil? I don¡¯t have a sigil.¡± I admitted.


    ¡°You are not a lord?¡±


    ¡°I am, it just¡­never came up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. You will need your sigil.¡± She waved her hand, and a table appeared on the side, filled with dozens of tokens. ¡°Choose the sigil you want.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a sigil?¡± I whispered to Alysia as I began to walk over to the edge.


    ¡°My family does. We don¡¯t have last names like the human nobles, but our family crest is a Banewolf. I supposed that makes my family the Banewolf family. Well, there is no one from our family left.¡±


    ¡°I think I recall seeing that sigil on some livery at the wedding.¡±


    ¡°The humans are more interested in their sigils. I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t have one.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Maybe I do!¡±


    I suddenly recalled that I had been handed a token of nobility by Aberis. It had been to designate me as a noble to anyone if I ever needed to ask. Perhaps, that was my sigil. Well, it was fine to come up with a new one and make it mine. I scanned the table filled with sigils. I wasn¡¯t sure where she had gotten these from.


    That was when my eyes fell on a certain sigil, and it immediately called to me. It showed two circles superimposed, kind of like a Venn diagram. In front of it was a doorway, which appeared to be the doorway to a dungeon. I realized the circles behind it were actually worlds. Dungeons are a doorway between worlds. This sigil seemed to represent that union.


    I picked it up. ¡°This¡­ this is my sigil.¡±

 Chapter 1060

    ¡°Good, then your task is simple, heat  up the blade, and place your sigil on it.¡± The guide smiled innocently.


    She was being innocent, but I had a feeling it wasn¡¯t that simple. Would Alysia feel the forge?


    ¡°Deek. It¡¯s okay. I-I want you to mark me.¡±


    ¡°Alysia¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I already gave you¡­ that, so, in a way you already have marked me. This will¡­ just make it official. From now on, I will always be yours.¡±


    I took a deep breath and then nodded. ¡°Fine.¡±


    By the time I turned back, the little girl had already vanished again. I was on my own again. No, I still had Alysia with me. I¡¯m not sure I could have done it without her.


    It¡¯s not like I could argue. If we stopped now, it wasn¡¯t like we could just go back up. My only choice would be to somehow take over the dungeon with Dungeon Master. That was my second plan. I¡¯d need to challenge the dungeon master and become the dungeon master myself. That was honestly what I was planning. If there was a master, they would assuredly be on the final floor.


    ¡°Just one more¡­¡± I whispered to myself. ¡°One last one.¡±


    ¡°What, Master?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    I walked up to the sizzling forge, and then I shoved Alysia into it. I also transferred the pain to me. At first, there was nothing, but it quickly grew. I could feel the burning of a molten forge. I clenched my teeth and shivered. The sword began to turn red. It felt like an eternity, and the pain grew more and more severe until I was shaking. It finally reached a point where even Alysia noticed something was off.


    ¡°M-master? What¡¯s happening?¡±


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    ¡°GGgghhaaaaaa!¡± I finally screamed, falling to my knees. ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Master!¡±


    I stood back up and pulled her from the forge. I put the coin down where the hilt met the blade, and then I pressed the coin against the molten metal. Picking up a hammer, I hit the sword. It felt like I was being hit with the hammer. One. Two. Three. As the seal began to surround the sword, I felt like I couldn¡¯t breathe.¡±


    ¡°Master! What¡¯s going on? Something is wrong! Master!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t able to hear her. The pain finally overtook me. I collapsed to my knees and then passed out on the floor. I gasped, waking up. I was still on the floor. I had no clue how much time had passed. I could still feel the ache. It felt like I had been branded with a cattle prod while being cooked over a lava pit. I slowly stood up to my feet. That¡¯s when I saw the guide standing there, grinning at me.


    In her hands was Alysia, who was now cool. I reached out to her, and I heard nothing. The Slave Communication was being blocked.


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡±


    ¡°I never imagined you¡¯d be such a lightweight as to pass out over the heat of the forge. You only made it too easy to take this¡­¡± She said, her hand stroking the flat side of the sword.


    ¡°Give her back!¡± I said.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ You may think that this is just a sentient sword or something, but actually¡­¡±


    ¡°I will take this dungeon, and everything in it!¡± I yelled, switching my job to Dungeon Master.


    {You are a rival dungeon master. You have declared war on this dungeon. Defeat the dungeon master to claim the dungeon as your own.}


    The little girl stumbled back, as the sword flew from her hands. It was the first time she showed a strong emotion. She was extremely shocked.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re a dungeon master!¡±


    The sword landed between the pair of us, and then flashed, turning into the form of Alysia. Her eyes looked at me in shock.


    ¡°D-Deek. Y-you¡¯re a dungeon master?¡± She looked just as shocked.


    ¡°I have that job,¡± I admitted. ¡°It was my backup for when she betrayed us.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ use dungeons¡­ just like the demons?¡±


    I blinked, only then realizing I had never really told Alysia everything. She had no clue about my dungeon back at home. In her mind, I was a True Dungeon Diver who destroyed dungeons completely. The expression on her face, the one that had been filled with happiness even as we made our way down, was now filled with confusion, fear, and apprehension.


    ¡°We can talk about this later, right now, we need to take care of her.¡± I took a step forward, but Alysia took a step back, as if repelled by me, her head shaking.


    Before she could say anything else, her body returned to a sword again and then flew back into the little girl¡¯s hand. ¡°She¡¯s made her choice, and that choice is your death!¡±

 Chapter 1061

    ¡°Let her go!¡± I took a step forward.


    ¡°Oh? Sad you lost your sword? Then again, all you ever wanted is power, right?¡± The girl teased.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand anything!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to! It¡¯s always the same with your kind. You¡­ daddy¡­ all you ever wanted was power! I wonder what will happen when that power is unleashed on you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m giving you one last chance¡­¡± I took another step forward.


    ¡°Not here.¡± She grinned. ¡°This reunion is for the final trial! Oh, don¡¯t worry though. I won¡¯t leave you defenseless. Here take this trash!¡±


    She threw out her hand and a blade appeared, landing on the ground and rolling to me. I went to charge her, but she disappeared, taking Alysia with her. Making a face, I reached down and grabbed the sword. I immediately recognized it. It was a broken, rusty thing. This was the ancient blade, the form that the dungeon took in the physical world. It left me feeling even more confused, as I thought she had been the ancient blade. Just what did this mean?


    I took a step to head to the next trial, only to see five more clones of Alysia. They had appeared in the place of the little girl. They immediately started to surround me, acting much like the one from the previous trial. No, these girls were even more powerful. They might even be stronger than the original Alysia. I just had that feeling. On top of that, I wouldn¡¯t be supported by Alysia herself.


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    ¡°It looks like I¡¯m going to have to depend on you,¡± I spoke to the old sword in my hands.


    There was no response from the sword. Whether it was a spirit sword or not, I didn¡¯t know. It didn¡¯t seem to be able to communicate with me if it was. Then again, I had a feeling my ability to communicate with Alysia had been an abnormality. It was probably because our souls had been wrapped around each other. It created some kind of connection between the pair of us that this dungeon couldn¡¯t predict. That connection seemed to have been severed at this point.


    I held up the blade as the girls attacked. As I fought, I felt helplessness and pain. I didn¡¯t want to hurt Alysia. My only choice was to take on all of the pain to myself. After searing my soul in the fires earlier, I had barely managed to recover. I fought with all of my strength and will, but the damage grew. I took cut after cut. This ancient blade just wasn¡¯t Alysia. I needed her. I wanted her beside me. I wanted her voice and the feel of her in my hand.


    I executed Final Blow and gave out my strongest attack. I was able to obliterate two of them. I was relieved to see that it counted as a new attack.


    {Last Chance has been activated.}


    I would have fallen there, but I was saved by last chance. I started healing, desperately trying to restore my health as the remaining three Alysia attacked. I raced forward and attacked again. After some furious battle, I was finally able to destroy them. It took plunging us all into darkness, infecting them with Fear, and then using Mimic to trick them into attacking each other. By the time I reached the safe room, I was bloody from head to toe and barely standing.


    I collapsed to the ground and passed out, unable to continue to the 9<sup>th</sup> trial.

 Chapter 1062

    I wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed when I regained consciousness.  I was still in the safe room, as safe as I could expect to be. I immediately began to heal myself, trying to recover from the damage I had taken. Two days passed by the time I had regained my strength and recovered. As I lay down, a silent sword at my side, I stared up at the final mural. It was an image of the girl holding the ancient sword. Darkness was closing in around her.


    At first, I didn¡¯t understand what it meant, but since I could barely move, I had enough time to dwell on it, and I started to come up with a theory that I thought was accurate. Time passed, and I slowly forced myself to my feet. I had to get Alysia back, defeat this dungeon, and then save Eliana and Faeyna from the demon lord. The me from before might have fallen into despair. However, now, I would keep walking forward until I was dead.


    With a breath, I continued forward and left the sanctity of the safe room for the final trial. As I had predicted, the final trial was no longer a coliseum. It was a boss room. Sitting at a seat at the end of the boss room was the little girl. She had a malicious grin on her face.


    ¡°I know who you are¡­ and what you did,¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°And what did I do?¡±


    ¡°Killed your father¡­ turned him into a sword.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ I didn¡¯t do anything to him that he didn¡¯t do to me first.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t kill you.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± She made a face. ¡°He let a dungeon do that for him. My father was an accomplished dungeon diver. He had lived an adventurous life, but retired from it before I was born. He used to regale me with stories of his adventures in the dungeon. How could a young girl not grow fascinated when she stumbled upon such a dungeon one day?¡±


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    ¡°He should have cautioned you.¡±


    ¡°I was only ten! You know¡­ it wasn¡¯t the monsters that killed me. The dungeon¡­ it took pity on me. It left me alone. But¡­ I was lost. And scared. And alone. I starved to death in that dungeon. I cried for papa as I died, but he never came!¡±


    ¡°That¡­ that might be so, but he didn¡¯t know. He did look for you.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ look, maybe.¡± She shrugged. ¡°But when he found me, the dungeon had left my soul alive. That wasn¡¯t good enough for him. So¡­ he conquered the dungeon, and replaced the dungeon master for himself! Then, he took my soul. No, he didn¡¯t just take it. He harvested it. He was bad at controlling miasma. He could only make a little of my soul at a time, which he put into boss monsters. He¡¯d then kill me, over and over again, collecting my soul one piece at a time! When he finally had recovered enough, he turned the entire dungeon into a sword, locking my soul inside!


    ¡°But that wasn¡¯t enough for daddy. He became obsessed with power! He started to kill and slaughter, and reforge me, burning my soul over and over and over until I was strong enough! I didn¡¯t kill my father! I stopped him! And then I did what he did to me. I turned him into a weapon, and I tortured him night and day. I made him feel all the pain that he gave to me!¡± She looked at the sword in my hands. ¡°Eventually, he just went dead and rusted away. I hope you got familiar with that wretched sword. It¡¯s now going to be your fate.¡±


    A force ripped the sword out of my hands suddenly. It collapsed on the floor somewhere between the pair of us. A chain came out of the floor and grabbed my ankles. As I went to grab them, more chains grabbed my wrists. They immediately pulled taught, stretching me into an X. In a few seconds, I was chained up and unable to move.


    ¡°How does this pass the rules of your trial?¡± I demanded.


    The little girl laughed. ¡°This trial was never yours. It was hers.¡±


    She waved her hand, and Alysia appeared once again.


    ¡°D-Deek?¡±


    ¡°Go forth! Kill this man! Kill the one who wronged you! Turn him into a sword and fulfill your destiny!¡±

 Chapter 1063

    ¡°Who¡­ are you?¡± Alysia asked, looking at me with questioning eyes.


    ¡°Why does that matter? He¡¯s the man who tortured you! He¡¯s the one who used you like a toy! He¡¯s the one who chopped you up a hundred times! Kill him!¡± The little girl screamed.


    ¡°I am¡­ who I have always been.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°You¡­ you use dungeons.¡± She swallowed hard.


    ¡°The dungeons¡­ they aren¡¯t inherently evil. They¡¯re just¡­ misguided. Confused. They¡¯re¡­¡±  I glanced at the girl on the chair. ¡°They¡¯re like children lashing out. The reason you never became a True Dungeon Diver is that you never understood what it took. It wasn¡¯t strength. It wasn¡¯t power. It wasn¡¯t the ability to destroy. It was the ability to forgive. To build. To grow. And¡­ to accept.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what are you saying?¡±


    ¡°The dungeons aren¡¯t curses, they¡¯re just blessings that don¡¯t know it yet.¡± I chuckled. ¡°They destroy because they don¡¯t know any better, and if you¡¯re lucky, you can turn them into a positive force in this world. That is what I believe. That is what I aim to do. You can¡¯t fix a cursed world by continuing the path of hate and destruction. That will only make more curses. You have to build, and create peace.¡±


    ¡°Enough of your nonsense!¡± The guide snapped, waving her hand and causing a gag to immediately cover my mouth. ¡°Abandoned soul! I¡¯ve already told you everything you need to know! Now, kill this man who violated you and broke your soul! Kill him, and we will make him feel every pain he made you feel!¡±


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    ¡°Pain?¡± Alysia looked over at her confused.


    ¡°Heh¡­ maybe you didn¡¯t realize it, but this man maliciously chopped down your body over and over. He was filled with hate and aggression! I will show you what he felt. See the thrill and pleasure he felt as he cut you down. Understand the hatred and annoyance he had as he tortured you.¡±


    ¡°Mmm!¡± My eyes widened and I shook my head, but it was too late.


    White light flooded from the little girl¡¯s hand and struck Alysia in the head. She blinked for a second as if she was processing what she saw, and then she turned to me, her eyes narrowing angrily. I gulped.


    ¡°Yes! Go, kill him!¡± the guide waved again, and Alysia¡¯s hands turned into blades.


    Alysia took a step toward me, and then another. She began to approach me, a growing fury in her eyes. I tried to pull from my chains. I tried to explain myself. All that came out were mumbles though. She reached me and raised her blade hand, and then swung it down.


    Thump. Her hand changed into a fist, and she hit me in the chest. She lifted her other blade, and it turned into a fist, and then she hit me again.


    ¡°I-idiot!¡± She screamed.


    She hit me again and again on the chest. Each time she hit me, her hits got weaker.


    ¡°Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!¡± She started to wail, tears falling down her eyes as she continued to thump on my chest.


    She collapsed against my chest, crying her eyes out as she pressed against me.


    ¡°Wh-what is this?¡± The little girl cried out in confusion.


    I managed to finally spit the gag out of my mouth. ¡°Ow¡­¡±


    Alysia looked up at me. ¡°Why did you do that? Why¡­¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t¡­ you suffered enough?¡± I responded, not sure what else to say. ¡°I just¡­ liked seeing you smile.¡±


    Alysia¡¯s teeth clenched, and she grabbed the back of my head. Then she pulled me into an aggressive kiss. Although I was tied up in chains and couldn¡¯t move and I didn¡¯t have much of a choice, I preferred this over the other options.

 Chapter 1064

    ¡°Wh-what are you doing? What is this? This is all wrong!¡± The little girl who had been antagonizing us flew into a tantrum as she watched Alysia kiss me.


    The pair of us parted after a few blissful moments, Alysia turning to look at the girl. ¡°You don¡¯t understand anything.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ what is wrong with you? You died and your soul was trapped in here and corrupted with my miasma. This man¡­ he wielded you like an object, forcing you to kill yourself over and over again. You can see his frustration and hate as he cut you down.¡±


    ¡°Deek never felt such things.¡±


    ¡°I-impossible! This doesn¡¯t make sense! This is not how it¡¯s supposed to go! You turn on him, as I turned on my Master! Why aren¡¯t you turning?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ wait¡­ souls came into this dungeon bound together. I had to peel them apart and then one of them suddenly disappeared! You cheated! You cheated me!¡± The little girl began to rage.


    ¡°So, what if our souls are connected? What if we spoke to each other? That¡¯s the difference between us and you. We communicated!¡± I looked over at Alysia. ¡°I just wish¡­ I had communicated more.¡±


    ¡°Deek, I understand why you didn¡¯t want to show your pain. You want to be strong.¡± Alysia touched my cheek again. ¡°That¡­ has been my mistake all along. I¡¯ve always thought I had to endure. I had always thought I had to accomplish everything on my own. I killed myself not because I didn¡¯t think we could escape that situation, but because I felt I had to atone for my sins on my own. After traveling down this dungeon, I realized that I no longer want to walk this path alone.¡±


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    ¡°Alysia¡­ you can rely on me.¡± I tightened my fist.


    ¡°Deek¡­ I will.¡±


    ¡°Stop looking all lovey-dovey!¡± The girl shrieked. ¡°This isn¡¯t how it is supposed to go! You should hate each other! Despise each other! Resent! Kill! This is the only way this will turn out. No one would be happy belonging to another!¡±


    As she raged, her arm grew into a large sword. I activated Phase Shift and then stepped out from my chains, causing them to fall harmlessly to the ground.


    ¡°Y-you could have escaped at any time.¡± Alysia gasped. ¡°Then¡­ you just, when I came at you¡­¡±


    I laughed. ¡°Actually, I forget all the skills I have sometimes, especially when I¡¯m panicked. It¡¯s not as easy as it looks.¡±


    It¡¯s not like I have a complete list of all my skills in front of my eyes, where I can calmly pick them out to take the best course of action in any situation. I¡¯ve only had these skills for a few months, and I¡¯ve rapidly acquired so many of them. I¡¯m not some skilled ronin who had spent a decade refining his craft. Although I was speaking the truth, Alysia gave me a dubious look. She seemed to think that I deliberately let her attack me. It wasn¡¯t worth correcting, especially since the little girl was growing more and more furious.


    ¡°Since she won¡¯t do as she¡¯s told, I will do the task for her! I will kill you and turn you into a sword, as you deserve! Everyone deserves it!¡± She screamed.


    ¡°Alysia, will you be my blade again?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Deek,¡± She turned to me and smiled. ¡°I never stopped being yours.¡±


    I took her hand, and in a flash of light, her body turned back into the blade I remembered. It still had the sigil on it that we had forged in the previous level. I lifted the blade on my shoulder and faced the little girl.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving this dungeon.¡±

 Chapter 1065

    ¡°Leave?¡± She sneered. ¡°You¡¯ll never leave this place. Do you really thing you have the strength? In my prime, I was a sword that bathed in the blood of thousands of people. Your little weak sword will crack under my strength. I¡¯m more powerful than you.¡±


    There was a truth to her words. Although she might look like a little girl, she was backed by the entire dungeon. I had faced many dungeon masters in my time, but most of the time I had won by pure luck. I had never defeated one without the assistance of all of my girls. This was the first time I was going against a Dungeon Master in a direct one-on-one battle. It was an ancient soul sword against Alysia and me.


    I equipped the relevant jobs. I had been getting better at job swapping on the fly and could manage it in just a few seconds. In the middle of a battle, a few seconds was a lifetime, but as long as I could get some distance, I could usually manage such things. True Hero, the only position that gave me a second job without the benefit of my blessings, remained locked as my first job, but I had been swapping my other jobs from White Magic, Blue Mage, Magic Swordsman, and so-on to keep up.


    At the moment, I depended on Magic Swordsman as I went out and fought the girl. She leaped at me, and her speed couldn¡¯t be underestimated. She jumped around, slashing at my blade over and over again. I immediately began to notice an issue between Alysia and me. This wasn¡¯t an issue when I was fighting the clones, because ultimately, their fighting style matched Alysia¡¯s, so my strength added to her strength was enough to overwhelm them.


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    However, Alysia was a direct fighter, depending on pure aggression to knock down an enemy. She didn¡¯t have the elegance of Lydia, nor the stoicism of Carmine. I had faced her many times and felt the aggression of her attacks. They relied on power. The problem came in my own fighting style. Since I wasn¡¯t always weaker, I depended on speed. Simply put, she would try to create powerful attacks, while I tried to do rapid attacks, and the results were that we weren¡¯t quite in sync as we originally thought.


    As for the little girl, she was the blade and the person in one, moving with a fluidity that couldn¡¯t be stopped. I was cut and then cut again. It wasn¡¯t long before I wasn¡¯t in much better shape than I had been when I had fought the five clones on the previous level. Alysia also grew more enraged the more often I got hit, and she responded by further fighting me.


    The girl let out a laugh. ¡°Do you see it now? Your souls may have been connected for some reason, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can fight as one. You are nothing!¡±


    She jumped and slashed down. As she did so, her entire body glowed. I raised Alysia to block the blade, and as her sword arm struck Alysia, there was a crack. Alysia let out a scream and as a piece of her broke. I flew back, hitting a wall and collapsing to my knees. Looking down, I could see a crack running along Alysia¡¯s blade.


    ¡°Do you understand the difference between us now?¡± she said. ¡°A blade forged by trust and love will never be as powerful as a blade forged in pain and fear. You might as well get rid of that trash and accept your fate.¡±

 Chapter 1066

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Alysia¡¯s voice came through, slightly shaky. ¡°I¡¯ve messed up again.¡±


    Her voice was filled with defeat. Just as she thought she had found a new purpose; she had been beaten down by the dungeon master. It¡¯d be like deciding you wanted to try out for a sport, only for another person to come along and defeat you thoroughly. It would surely cause someone¡¯s resolve to waiver. The guide stopped her attack. Apparently, she was happy gloating over her victory.


    I stood back up slowly. Blood was dripping down, but I had lost blood before. After the other pains, this dungeon had forced me to face, this level of hurt was practically nothing. I was getting better and better at ignoring such pain, especially when there was a fight to win.


    ¡°What are you saying? We¡¯re not done yet,¡± I said as I finally managed to get to my feet, although I was leaning against the wall to keep from tipping over.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m broken¡­ if you continue to use me, you¡¯ll fail. You need to use something else to fight her. We have to depend on one of your tricks.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in this together, or don¡¯t you remember?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you want to quit now?¡± I asked, accessing White Mage as I spoke. ¡°Frankly, I want to keep going.¡±


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    First, I used heal on myself, recovering the damage from my injuries. Technically, this body wasn¡¯t real, but skills seemed to work the same way despite I was just a soul. Since that was the case¡­¡±


    ¡°Moderate Repair.¡±


    At level 48, I had unlocked Moderate Repair, the next level from Light Repair. It allowed me to fix damaged armor. It wasn¡¯t at the level a blacksmith could repair stuff, but it was good enough on the fly. I rarely needed to depend on the thing, since most of my items were destroyed completely when they received any damage, but it was still a useful trait. The crack in the blade disappeared.


    ¡°Y-you healed me?¡± Alysia said in disbelief.


    The little girl had been waiting for us. Perhaps, it was a show of her confidence. However, when she saw the blade heal, her eyes went wide.


    ¡°Y-you¡­ you have far too many tricks up your sleeve! It doesn¡¯t matter, you won¡¯t be able to change the outcome of this fight. You will become a sword like everyone else!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure I can do this.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you agree to rely on me?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ y-yes.¡±


    ¡°Then, we¡¯re going to win this together. She thinks she¡¯s more powerful, she thinks that a sword forged by love is a weak sword. I don¡¯t believe any of that.¡±


    ¡°L-love!¡± Alysia cried out, and I was pretty sure she¡¯d be blushing if I could see her.


    ¡°Alysia, I¡¯m trusting my life with you. Will you fail me?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t! I won¡¯t ever fail you!¡±


    ¡°Then, you have to be strong enough to protect me.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Strong enough to cut through anything.¡±


    ¡°I am!¡±


    ¡°Then, trust in me, and I will trust in you.¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­¡±


    Just as I was about to attack again, Alysia began to glow. Her blade became a bright light, and for a moment it felt almost like the night when we had sex. It felt like her soul was wrapped around mine. I could almost read her mind and her mood. I could feel the bond. I could feel Alysia.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± The little girl took a step back. ¡°Th-that¡¯s not possible!¡±


    I held the glowing sword toward her. ¡°Let¡¯s see who is truly stronger.¡±

 Chapter 1067

    My blade clashed against the sword girl again. She was just as quick as ever, and at first, I was faring no better. However, as we fought, Alysia slowly surrendered control, and I began to trust her instincts. As we danced around the boss room, our movements grew smoother and quicker. We slowly grew more comfortable, and my quick attack style merged with her strength, creating something in between.


    The more skilled we grew, the more worried the expression on the little girl became. She started to attack more aggressively, using up skills to try to break through us. She glowed once again and then threw all of her weight at Alysia. I could tell that this attack was similar to the one that had broken Alysia the first time. My instinct was to dodge it.


    ¡°No! I can take it! Meet it head-on!¡± Alysia urged me.


    I didn¡¯t hesitate to defend, raising her glowing blade to meet the little girl¡¯s arm blade. A strike erupted between us. I skidded back a few feet, but the little girl was thrown back farther. I quickly checked out Alysia¡¯s blade to find that there wasn¡¯t the least bit of damage on her. She had managed to deflect the other girl¡¯s attack completely.


    ¡°Keep going! Attack!¡±


    I activated Quick Attack and then launched at the little girl. She had been stunned that her attack had thrown her back. She hastily raised her sword arm as I drove Alysia down on her. The blades struck again, and the blade arm shattered. The dungeon master was thrown back, hitting a wall. She let out a grunt as she collapsed to the ground.


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    ¡°H-how are you doing this?¡± She demanded while backing away.


    Her arm was starting to reform. The both of us decided that we couldn¡¯t allow her to do that. I launched another Quick Attack. I didn¡¯t expect it to be a killing blow, but it would be the first major damage we¡¯d deal to the little girl. I leaped off of a pillar, making the trajectory of my attack unpredictable. As I came at her, the blade she was trying to reform was still unable to finish. It was weak and feeble, and if I shattered it again, there was no telling if she could repair it.


    ¡°No!¡± She screamed out, holding the half-formed blade in front of her desperately.


    I gave the attack another bit of power by using another skill, Create Step, to push off the air again. I finalized it with the skill, Accelerate. As the attack bore down on her, a sword came up and met it. The sword pushed back against us with incredible force, but it didn¡¯t cut into Alysia. Rather the force seemed directed at me. The pair of us flew back, but our final blow proved to be too much.


    I only was able to focus on the ancient sword blade that I had wielded for a moment before it shattered into a dozen pieces. I landed on my feet and stood up, but I didn¡¯t run forward to attack again. Instead, I watched as the blade pieces fell to the floor. The handle struck last, bouncing several times before landing at the guide¡¯s feet.


    She looked down at the parts, a dazed expression on her face. At that point, her blade had had finally returned to just a hand. Her body started to shake, and then she started to bawl her eyes out.


    ¡°D-d-daddy! Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡±

 Chapter 1068

    As the intimidating dungeon master I had been fighting to the death suddenly turned into a bawling little girl crying for her daddy, I couldn¡¯t help but feel awkward. I towered over her, using a sword twice her size, and had been doing my best to break her. Now, she was in tears, ignoring us and looking inconsolable. The crying lasted for several minutes, and just as I was thinking of stepping away, it stopped as quickly as it started.


    ¡°You!¡± She screeched. ¡°You killed him!¡±


    I turned back to see both of her hands had become blades. ¡°H-hey now¡­¡±


    ¡°I will destroy you! I will kill you! I¡¯ll make you pay!¡± She began to take several steps toward me.


    I raised Alysia, ready to begin the final part of our battle.


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t there been enough death and destruction?¡± A voice echoed out from the void.


    The girl who was gaining momentum to charge me froze.


    I looked to the side to see a blurry energy hovering just above the sword. I suddenly had a revelation. I knew what I had to do. I put Alysia down and then equipped White Mage.


    ¡°Wh-what are you doing? We need to attack while she¡¯s distracted!¡±


    ¡°No, I have another way.¡±


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    ¡°We can end this dungeon!¡±


    ¡°Alysia¡­ do you trust me.¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, trust in me¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ always¡­¡±


    She stood down, allowing me to do things my way. It was always her instinct to end the dungeon quickly and violently. To her, defeating the dungeon master was the only way. However, I had to trust my instincts. I just hoped I was right. I began to cast the spell Resurrection. Thankfully, I was powerful enough now, and the energy started to coalesce. The little girl could only watch in disbelief as a form appeared in front of her.


    A middle-aged man appeared in between us, right next to the sword blade. He was a fit man, with a beard, and eyes that seemed to hold a calmness to them.


    ¡°F-father¡­¡± the little girl stepped back.


    ¡°Daughter¡­ it¡¯s good to be able to speak to you, once again.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡± She looked confused for a second, but then her expression turned angry. ¡°You should have remained a sword! You took everything from me. You ruined my soul. You killed. You¡¯re a monster!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± The man¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°I failed. I failed myself, and I failed you, yet still, you cried over me.¡±


    ¡°D-don¡¯t flatter yourself!¡± She looked away. ¡°I just was upset that I wouldn¡¯t be able to torture you some more.¡±


    ¡°Is that so, why?¡±


    ¡°Wh-why? Y-you killed me! You killed me over and over! It hurt. It hurt so much! Every moment of my life was agony.¡± She screamed. ¡°And you used me. You used me to kill those people. I killed the people I cared about, and I killed everyone else! All so you could claim more power.¡±


    For the first time, a look of shock appeared on his face. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not remembering things wrong?¡±


    She took a step back, shaking her head. ¡°What are you saying? I remember¡­ I remember you¡­ sacrificing everyone. You¡­ baptized me in blood! The dungeon only wanted to spare me, but you wouldn¡¯t have it!¡±


    ¡°The dungeon was using you.¡± He declared, his voice breaking with emotion. ¡°Daughter, the dungeon had possessed your body!¡±

 Chapter 1069

    ¡°I¡­ what¡­¡± The little girl grabbed her head. ¡°What happened to me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d never seen anything like it before or since.¡± The man explained. ¡°This dungeon¡­ it seemed to want to escape the boundaries of its cursed prison. It lured you into its depths and then tried to possess you. It trapped you, starved you, weakened you until it could infect your soul. It wanted to take over your soul while it was still bound to your body. It would have been impossible for an adult, but a child might be weak enough.¡±


    ¡°He promised¡­ he promised I¡¯d see daddy again if I let¡­ if I let him in.¡± She shuddered in a whisper.


    Usually, when a monster created by a dungeon left, it would slowly lose its miasmic infection. The dungeon¡¯s influence on the monster would ebb away until it became free of the dungeon¡¯s will. However, it seemed this dungeon wanted to create an avatar, someone that could leave the dungeon, perhaps to lure people into it or some other nefarious purpose. The man continued his story.


    ¡°By the time I found you, you were half dead, and the dungeon master was in the process of trying to possess you. I defeated him, but somehow he had partial control of you. I had to¡­ I had to make a pact with him. If I helped him leave the dungeon, then he would release you.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ became a magic blacksmith after years of being an adventurer, so I thought up the idea of putting him in a blade. It required his dungeon as the power source. He betrayed me though and dragged your soul into the blade with him. I never thought he would go so far. Then again, he also didn¡¯t realize I had prepared the blade to capture and destroy him. We had both betrayed the other, and you, you were permanently trapped within the blade, never to be freed. It was the perfect prison I created.


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    ¡°I destroyed him, but he clung to your soul. The only way I could save you was to cut away, over and over again, destroying every piece of him. I left the dungeon with you, hoping to find a way one day to restore you to your body. When I was done, I thought I had succeeded. However, it was a failure. It might have been impossible from the start.


    ¡°I was never able to hear my daughter like you can hear your woman. I was never able to know that the corruption was slowly breaking her mind and body. She became a cursed blade, and me, the wielder, I also became cursed. For a time, I was known as the Cursed Hero. However, my methods grew more erratic, my sword thirsted for too much blood. I could understand her desires. I could fulfill her desires.


    ¡°In the end, we were both monsters, endlessly sacrificing any who got in our wars to satisfy our thirst for blood. Then one day, you took my blood as well.¡± He ended his story there, but I already knew the rest of it.


    Blaming her father for everything, the little girl turned on him. The mural I saw of him stabbing himself was her impaling him. He was trying to stop her, grabbing the blade with his bloodied hands. She then turned her father into a blade, using her cursed nature to torture and punish him for all the wrongs he had done. She pulled his soul into her sword body, and then the curse manifested, creating a dungeon where she could torture him for all time.


    The blade likely remained exactly where the father had fallen, except he decayed away with time and only the sword remained. Eventually, she got bored of torturing her father and started to pull more souls into her blade. Anyone who died was turned into a sword or forced to endure her trials, where she forced others to relive the pain that she had to experience.


    ¡°I only have one question.¡± The little girl insisted, her face unreadable.


    ¡°Yes, my daughter?¡±


    ¡°After everything I did¡­ why did you save me?¡± She demanded. ¡°Why did you give your life to block that blow?¡±


    A small, sad smile came onto the man¡¯s lips, and he gave a simple shrug. ¡°Because¡­ you¡¯re my daughter.¡±

 Chapter 1070

    ¡°Alysia?¡± I spoke to her, because she had gone silent for a while.


    ¡°I-is his story true?¡± She asked.


    ¡°When it comes to dungeons and their curses, there is no such thing as a truth. Stories change and warp with time, and every person there observes things differently. That story is very likely his truth, just as her story was her own truth. That¡¯s ultimately what creates a curse. People not knowing the whole story, their lives being forever poisoned by their story being cut short, or falling in a direction that was far too cruel. Just like every story is different, so is every dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t know¡­¡± She spoke quietly.


    ¡°Few people on this continent do. To the Fey, dungeons are just the points of invaders, threatening to eat away their mana and poison their world. Even humanity has forgotten where we came from.¡±


    Is there a dungeon between Earth and this world? I wouldn¡¯t even be able to guess. I was able to use magic over there, but the mana wasn¡¯t particularly thick like on the fey continent.


    ¡°The fey?¡± She questioned.


    ¡°You see-¡° I stopped just as I was about to explain some things to her because the middle-aged man had approached me.


    ¡°You have lowered your blade.¡± He stated.


    ¡°I have,¡± I confirmed.


    ¡°You were the one who resurrected me?¡± This was closer to a question.


    ¡°I was.¡±


    ¡°Then, I owe you my thanks. I owe you one.¡±


    ¡°If you owe me, then my goal since entering the dungeon has only been to leave it. As our souls are trapped in here, people I care about are in trouble. The both of us were kind of in the middle of something. A demon lord, countries at war, and so-on. If you¡¯d let me leave with Alysia, I would be eternally grateful.¡±


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    ¡°Regretfully, that is something I am unable to do.¡± He responded, a bitter look on his face.


    I felt a pang of anger, but I quickly repressed it and took a breath. ¡°Then, I would ask that you explain.¡±


    ¡°This dungeon isn¡¯t completely controlled by my daughter. In the way that she was able to control me like a sword, I also had some modicum of control while I was in that blade. The trials were ultimately created by me, in hopes of finding a successor. I was looking for a person who wouldn¡¯t be corrupted by a cursed blade like I was. A god soul, one blended with darkness and light.


    ¡°That was the prerequisite?¡±


    ¡°One of them. The second was someone who had completed the lore of another dungeon. When you activated your blessings, you met the conditions to enter this dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Alright, continue¡­¡± I had a bad feeling about this.


    ¡°The only people who can enter this dungeon are those who have been completely detached with their bodies. Those like Alysia who died against my blade, their souls are sucked into the dungeon. However, for you to enter the dungeon, your body also had to be destroyed. However, when I went to take your soul, your body was absent.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°First off, the only way to bring you into this dungeon was to destroy you. Your blessings were absorbed by this dungeon, as were all of your essence. In short, to the world outside, you are dead. Not only would you not have been able to be resurrected, but any indicators that would have suggested you lived would have shattered. You were completly disconnected from your world. I cannot return you, because you are not alive to return.¡±


    I began to shake as I heard this. I felt a hand grab me, and Alysia had returned to her human form to keep me from falling. I still had to ask.


    ¡°Slaves?¡±


    ¡°The bond would have been destroyed for all of them.¡±


    I barely managed to keep standing. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s only been a couple of days¡­¡±


    The man looked down. ¡°As to that¡­¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°Your soul entered this dungeon in a nontraditional way, being dragged in with your partner. Although this allowed you to see through this dungeon¡¯s true nature quicker than others, there was a time where you were¡­ for lack of a better word, lost. It was I who pulled your soul out of the weapon and placed you in the trial.¡±


    ¡°H-How long?¡± I demanded through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Two months. You were in this dungeon for two months.¡±

 Chapter 1071

    ¡°What was the point of it then?¡± I demanded, still trying to keep my cool, which would have been impossible without Alysia beside me. ¡°Why put me through a trial if I cannot be resurrected?¡±


    ¡°This dungeon¡­ has always had a single mission. It was to find a swordsman and to manufacture him his sword. To find a replacement for my failure with my daughter. Had that purpose not become corrupted and forgotten, then in this level, your sword would absorb all of the power of the sword, and you would finally be released.¡±


    ¡°What about now?¡± I asked.


    He pointed up, and a white ball began to fall from the ceiling. It gently floated down, and he caught it in his hand. Then, he held it out to me.


    ¡°If you destroy this, then this dungeon will disperse. You, and Alysia, will be freed. The body will be reformed, and Alysia will be released to be resurrected.¡±


    I reached out to grab the orb, but as I did, a soft hand fell on my mine and held it. I turned to Alysia, who was looking at me tearfully.


    ¡°We¡­ shouldn¡¯t destroy this story. We don¡¯t have the right.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble we-¡± the man stopped as he felt his shirt being tugged.


    He looked down to see his daughter pulling his shirt and looking up at him.


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    ¡°Is there nothing that we can do?¡± She asked, her eyes wet with tears.


    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do you want to help?¡±


    She nodded her head. ¡°I¡­ want to be a good girl.¡±


    He smiled gently, kneeling and stroking her head. ¡°Oh, my child. I also wish to do something good for once.¡±


    ¡°Can we complete it?¡± Alysia asked.


    He turned to us. ¡°Complete it?¡±


    ¡°The dungeon¡­ can you finish turning me into the blade. Deek will be the swordsman, and I will be his blade, right?¡±


    ¡°If you do this¡­ it won¡¯t be painless.¡±


    ¡°I can take it.¡±


    He turned to me, but I was looking at Alysia.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I want to walk this path with you. I want to save more dungeons, and turn misfortune into blessings.¡±


    I nodded. It was something I needed to hear at that moment. I was still in a bit of shock over the previous declaration. All of my slave bonds had been severed, and two months had passed. That was two months where everyone believed me to be dead. Just what was going on up there? Was it too late to save Aberis? What about all my girls? Who knew where they were after two months? As my Slave Master grew, I had gained the skill Bond Conditions. It allowed me to set the nature of a Slave Bond. Normally, the bond would reconnect to someone else, usually in the slave guild. I had set my bonds to disperse upon my death, effectively freeing the girls. This was technically against the rules, but I wasn¡¯t expecting to die permanently. I should also state that even upon death, the bonds remained intact as long as your soul was alive. It took the soul being destroyed or the bonds being severed from the soul to truly end the bond. That¡¯s why when I cut my soul, one part of me ended up with all of the bonds, rather than them being duplicated or something.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s finish this dungeon right.¡± I firmed my resolve.


    I would fix everything. I would show this world my strength, and I would resolve myself to reclaim what I lost.


    ¡°Good.¡± The man stood back up. ¡°Then let¡¯s begin.¡±

 Chapter 1072

    The man clicked his fingers, and the forge appeared in front of him. ¡°In order to create a sword, the first thing we must do is create the physical body. This dungeon isn¡¯t just a trial, but a repository. All the energy we saved on traps, mobs, and treasures have gone into storing the finest materials this world has ever known. Silvthril, malacrum, mithril, orichalcum, astral, proteus ore, deep steel, I have enough of it all.


    ¡°This dungeon has existed for quite some time. Believe it or not, although my conditions of entry were originally less strict, you¡¯re not even the first True Dungeon Diver with a god soul to enter this place. Many heroes have fallen in this dungeon and become weapons under my daughter¡¯s hand.¡±


    ¡°S-s-sorry!¡± She cried.


    He reached out and patted her head before turning back to us. ¡°I will make the ideal body for you. Then, we will infuse your spirit into it. The final step¡­ well, we¡¯ll get to that when it comes.¡±


    ¡°So, she¡¯ll be only a sword? She can¡¯t change into other shapes?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re able to transform?¡± His eyes widened. ¡°That¡¯s incredible! To do such a thing, a person¡¯s mind must truly be committed.¡±


    ¡°You mean that wasn¡¯t an intentional part of the dungeon? Just how were we supposed to beat it then?¡± I looked at Alysia, who was more incredible than I originally thought.


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    ¡°I just¡­ decided I had to be¡­ whatever Master needed me to be.¡± She blushed.


    ¡°I could do that if I wanted to!¡± The little girl responded defiantly. ¡°I¡­ just didn¡¯t feel like it!¡±


    ¡°To answer your question, if she can transform, then she should still be able to. It might take more effort. In here, the sword is just a soul construct¡­ and the manifestation of your will. One can accomplish a lot with their will, but when it comes to physical use, it will take time and practice.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I nodded as I took in what he said.


    ¡°Oh, and another thing¡­ she will end up cursed in the end. This is a dungeon, and we are miasma, so ultimately, she will become miasma as well. I believe, with her mind, she will be able to resist the bloodthirst and corruption that comes with it. However, in time, her mind will inevitably degrade. On the bright side, by that point, you¡¯ll be long dead.¡±


    ¡°Th-then, when I die, I will be buried with Master.¡± Alysia didn¡¯t look put off at all.


    ¡°Deek, you will be the only one who can wield her. Anyone else would be slowly corrupted as I was. This is why someone with a god soul is needed.¡±


    ¡°There¡­ might be another way,¡± I said.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I can¡­ absorb and purify miasma,¡± I explained. ¡°As a White Mage and a Dark Priest, well, I have some tricks up my sleeve. I once used myself a sieve, purifying the miasmic infection of a budding demon lord. Upon reflection, that was probably the act that set me on the course of getting a god soul in the first place. However, when it comes to Alysia, I can purify the magic.¡±


    ¡°The amount of miasma being used¡­ to use you as a channel¡­¡± He held up his hands.


    ¡°If she can take it, so can I.¡±


    ¡°Very well¡­ then instead of a cursed blade¡­ perhaps this sets the time where we¡¯ll create the very first blessed blade.¡±

 Chapter 1073

    ¡°Big sister, I¡¯ll help you become the greatest weapon this world has ever known.¡± The little girl smiled up at Alysia.


    ¡°B-big sister!¡± Alysia grew flustered.


    The little girl was sitting on Alysia¡¯s lap while he father worked the forge. It had a feeling of familiarity between the two. This was likely how she had spent many nights before she had been lured into the dungeon and had her world destroyed. This was the alleged dungeon master and the person who had been trying to destroy us for the last few days. We had been in a bloody fight to the death with her not two hours prior.


    Yet, now, that little girl sat in Alysia¡¯s lap and even called her big sister. The conflict that Alysia used to have seemed to be disappearing. She had lived her life despising dungeons and destroying them at any cost. Now, a dungeon was about to help us, and the same beings she had once thought were evil turned out to be so normal.


    ¡°It¡¯s too bad my assistant¡¯s soul wasn¡¯t sucked in here.¡± The man sighed.


    ¡°You need help?¡± I asked, standing up and walking into the forge with just a bit of familiarity.


    ¡°Sorry, no offense, unless you have a blacksmith job, you should stay out of the forge.¡± The man held up his hand.


    ¡°No offense taken.¡± I chuckled, setting my job to Apprentice Blacksmith. ¡°I¡¯m an Apprentice Blacksmith. Oh¡­ level 7? I must have gone up when I put my sigil on Alysia.¡±


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    I had naturally used the job during that time, but I had passed out shortly after finishing the job. Besides, I was in far too much pain to notice some announcement appearing in front of me.


    ¡°You¡¯re an Apprentice Blacksmith?¡± The man cried out.


    This was loud enough to be heard by Alysia and the little girl.


    ¡°Deek is an Apprentice Blacksmith?¡± Alysia repeated out loud. ¡°I thought you were a White Mage with True Dungeon Diver.¡±


    ¡°I-I am¡­¡± I laughed awkwardly.


    ¡°I think I recall you mentioning Dark Priest.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget Dungeon Master.¡± The little girl piped up.


    Well, technically I was a Dungeon Builder.


    ¡°You¡¯re also a Hero, right?¡± Alysia frowned. ¡°and a Slave Master. Deek, just how many jobs do you have?¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­ Let¡¯s not get into that right now.¡± I redirected the conversation. ¡°I can help you with the blacksmithing.¡±


    ¡°Well, level 7 is better than nothing, I guess.¡± He muttered and then nodded to an apron.


    I grabbed it and then took over the forge. After getting the fire up to the temperature he wanted, I began to work swiftly and quickly. It wasn¡¯t as smooth as it had been with Garnet. In her case, we were bound together and I could read her wants and needs. However, I did a good enough job since I was supplementing with my Cook ability, which offered me excellent fire control and temperature gauging.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± he said after watching me work for a while. ¡°Since you will be the one to wield her, then being part of her creation is ideal, I think.¡±


    He quickly loosened up and began to trust me with larger tasks. I fell into the work, not entirely sure how long we did so. He hammered, and I fetched him supplies and kept the forges hot. Time passed, and before we knew it, there was a finished blade. It looked much like the blade she had originally appeared as. However, the metal had a slight red tinge to it, and it somehow was more imposing than before.


    ¡°Time for step two.¡±

 Chapter 1074

    ¡°Deek, I must warn you. I¡¯m not sure what will happen. This sword was forged in my dungeon, and it is ultimately touched with Miasma. I had once thought my daughter was free of miasma, but it slowly cursed her. As for your Alysia, the same may be true in the end.¡±


    ¡°We can only do our best.¡±


    I was confident in my ability to remove that infection. Even if a bit of miasma ended up left inside her and it started to invade her soul, I¡¯d be able to purify it again and again. Once I reconnected with Miki, she¡¯d likely be able to help. I was sure Elaya and Astria could figure out something as well.  Either way, I had a lot of resources to pull from, so even if things went bad, I was confident that we could figure it out.


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s begin.¡± He turned to Alysia. ¡°If you will¡­¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure what he meant as he held his hand out, but the little girl got off of Alysia, and then she flashed, turning back into a blade. That blade flew toward the blacksmith who caught it in his hand. He now had two swords, one in each hand. One of them was a real blade forged by metal, the other was a soul blade formed by Alysia¡¯s soul. Once they were combined, it would create a magic sword unlike anything ever seen.


    Some magic weapons in this world were powered by a soul, but it was usually the soul of a monster. The most common blades include the souls of wolves, while one might even be lucky to find a dragon blade. This sword was going to contain the soul of a human. To some, this kind of action might be seen as evil, but I didn¡¯t know much about such things. All I knew is that I needed the power to defeat my enemies and that Alysia wanted to try this path, which would keep this dungeon from wasting away.


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    ¡°This is the part that will hurt.¡± He explained.


    I reached out and grabbed the table, my hand squeezing it as I readied myself. Yes, I still planned to accept the pain on my own. He shoved the two blades into the fire. At this point, they were being merged at a spiritual and physical level. This wouldn¡¯t be possible to do in a real forge without a great deal of magic and preparation. However, because this was a dungeon, he was able to do something unique.


    I clenched my teeth as the searing feeling shot through me. The blacksmith looked down at Alysia, a slightly confused expression on his face. He then looked at me, the pained expression on my face and the red cheeks, and he nodded to himself.


    ¡°Deek¡­ I can handle it.¡± Alysia spoke up through our reestablished Slave Communication.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t do this all by yourself.¡±


    The pain was growing worse. The little girl who was sitting by herself watching us work looked at me and finally realized just what had happened. She gasped.


    ¡°H-he¡¯s¡­¡± She pointed at me accusingly.


    ¡°Had I known¡­ I would have done the same.¡± Her father said calmly.


    ¡°O-oh¡­¡± She blushed, looking down at her hands awkwardly.


    ¡°This¡­¡± The blacksmith suddenly grew alert as Alysia¡¯s blade started to shift. He grabbed the handle, but it started to struggled.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Deek! I won¡¯t let you experience all of the pain on your own!¡±


    ¡°If she keeps this up, the sword will fail.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ I¡¯m doing¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t able to finish that sentence as the pain became too much.


    ¡°Deek¡­ we¡¯re in this together, remember? We need to do this¡­ together.¡±


    I looked up at the sword glowing red in the forge, and I shakily nodded. ¡°Okay¡­ I think I can¡­ select how much¡­¡±


    I decided to stop talking and just do it. I begin to send some of the pain her way, lightening the load on myself. It felt relieving as I gave her some.


    ¡°Th-this¡­¡± her voice came through shakily. ¡°You¡¯ve been¡­ holding back.¡±


    ¡°That was¡­ only 10%¡­¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­¡±


    ¡°I began to share more and more with her as the pain increased. However, when I reached 50%, the amount of pain was still increasing. The burning and searing grew more and more, but I refused to give her more than 50%.¡±

 Chapter 1075

    ¡°It¡¯s time for the final part!¡± The man announced after what felt like forever. ¡°Deek, I will send miasma your way. You must purify it and send it into the blade.¡±


    Through the pain, I opened my eyes and could see that the two blades were now superimposed together. It looked like when Alysia went to cut souls or mana. It was a translucent glowing sword that looked slightly out of sync with the physical blade.


    Since I had declared myself a dungeon master, I was able to pull in and tame the miasma from this dungeon. Since the other dungeon masters wouldn¡¯t be fighting me, then it flowed quite easily. I could still feel the pain with Alysia. It was nearly unbearable, but I had to remain lucid. If I couldn¡¯t, then Alysia would end up cursed. With a roar, I began to send purified mana into her.


    The flow of energy moved from the dungeon into her. At first, it started as a trickle, but it grew more and more, flooding through me and into her like a sieve. Between the pain of the forge and the stress of the miasma, I felt like I was breaking. I was shaking defiantly as I tried to manage everything by myself. Time passed, and the flow kept coming. After I thought plenty of time passed, I turned to the blacksmith, who was holding his daughter peacefully as he watched us.


    ¡°H-how much more¡­ until she¡¯s done?¡± I demanded.


    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t say? All of it.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what? What do you mean?¡±


    The little girl looked up at him, and he smiled at her, patting her head. ¡°I said, we were going to pass on our power to Alysia. The power of our ancient blades, and all the souls taken by us. All of it, the entire dungeon¡­ is a massive reserve of power, and all of that power will flood into you.¡±


    As if to make this point, the dungeon suddenly shook, and I could hear cracking sounds. My eyes began to widen. He had said as much, but I had never realized what he truly meant. He planned to destroy the dungeon, to distill it¡¯s entire being into pure essence, and give that power to Alysia.


    When I took a blessing, that was essentially what happened. The dungeon would give up all of its miasma, convert it to mana, and then give it to me. However, this was happening differently. He was breaking down everything in the dungeon, converting it into mana using me, and then putting that into my sword. In a normal dungeon, there would be some stuff surviving that would collapse and decay. In this dungeon, since it was a soul world, all would be converted into energy.


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    I continued to pull on the energy, losing focus on the man and his daughter as more and more power flowed through. The ground began to shake regularly, and even the room seemed to be shrinking. Suddenly, the forge crumpled, collapsing in on itself and being sucked into an epicenter like a black hole. At this point, the flow of energy quadrupled. The pain didn¡¯t lessen at all, and the flow became too much. Miasma started to flow into the sword from the surrounding dungeon.


    I couldn¡¯t even see the sword anymore. All I could see was a glowing light that sucked in all of the darkness. I tried to feed that light mana, but the faster it sucked in this world, the more minuscule my converted mana became. I had failed to create a blessed sword.


    ¡°You will know what to do next.¡± A voice came from my ear.


    I turned to see the man standing there, smiling. He reached out and handed me a crystal.


    ¡°This is the crystallized soul of my daughter. Please find some way to make use of her. Are you a father, Deek?¡±


    Something about the man¡¯s peaceful look gave me a moment of clarity. ¡°I have¡­ two babies on the way.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°Take care of them with everything you have.¡±


    ¡°I will!¡±


    ¡°Then, with this, I am content, and my story is complete. Goodbye, Hero.¡±


    His body shimmered and turned to light, floating up into the sky and then getting consumed into the swirling vortex.


    The world around me was black now, just above everything that existed getting sucked into the vortex. It was just me and the vortex, floating in a void of infinite nothingness. The flow of energy slowed and then stopped. The pain I had been feeling dissipated.


    Floating in the void was a spinning orb, a dungeon lore. Except, it didn¡¯t look like any dungeon lore I had ever claimed before. It was a mixture of black and white. The orb was 50% of each, blended seamlessly together.


    ¡°A¡­ god soul¡­¡± I breathed.


    The orb began to shoot toward me. I had expected this though. I didn¡¯t turn away. I didn¡¯t run. I didn¡¯t curse my luck. Instead, I held out my hand and grabbed the orb as it slammed into me. It entered into my body. I didn¡¯t writhe in pain. This level of pain was nothing compared to what I just experienced. Instead, I closed my eyes and did something I had never done before. I absorbed it all willingly.


    {Congratulations, you have completed the Illusory Sword Realm.}


    {True Dungeon Diver had increased by ten levels.}


    {For completing the lore, you have gained 10 dungeon points.}


    {The Sword lore is now a part of you. You have gained the Illusory Sword¡¯s Blessing.}


    {You have gained the God Sword Alysium.}


    {You have an increased affinity with magic swords. You can call your sword from anywhere. Defeating dungeons and absorbing blessings increases your sword¡¯s power.}


    {Magic Swordsman has increased by ten levels.}


    {Apprentice Blacksmith has increased by ten levels.}


    {You have become one with the sword. You have unlocked the job: Master Swordsman.}

 Chapter 1076

    In the middle of a large plaza was a sword shoved into the ground. This sword was a mysterious artifact that had been there as long as people could remember. It had been too difficult to remove, so it had remained there, even as the capital of Osteria grew around it. There had been many myths regarding the sword. Some stated that people often went missing around it. However, when any investigations came, it was difficult to find just who these people were. The more prevailing theory was that the one who drew it would become a great king, leading the Osterian people into their new destiny.


    Eventually, the sword was discovered to remove the soul of anyone who died by it. This became a prime way to execute those that one didn¡¯t want coming back. It had served as an execution block for many years before it was eventually banned. No one knew what happened to the souls cut by the blade, and some argued that it was inhumane when we weren¡¯t certain the soul was being destroyed.


    It finally came to be just an oddity. Spectators would occasionally arrive and try to pull the sword, but other than tourism, it served no other purpose. That was why it was such a great tragedy when the Princess Alysia was forced to kill herself on its blade. The evil Lord Deek used dark magic to force her to take her own life. Thankfully, the gallant General Nova was there to fight him. He managed to grievously wound the man with the help of the king and Xin, the national hero and former queen.


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    Deek held the blade as he died, turning to ash. His soul was destroyed along with his body No one was certain why his body disappeared, but the prevailing theory was that the dark magic he had used to seduce the princess and defeat General Nova in the Osterian Marriage Karn meant that when his soul died, there was nothing but ashes remaining.


    Of course, this entire story was denied vehemently by Aberis. Many in Aberis believed that since they couldn¡¯t produce a body, Deek hadn¡¯t died at all. That led to increasing conflict, and finally, the two armies marched to their borders, ready to engage in a brutal battle. That battle would be starting any day now. That was only one of the reasons that the plaza was fairly empty.


    So empty that when the sword slowly dissolved and then turned to ash, no one nearby noticed. A strange cloud formed, hugging the ground where the sword had been. A knowledgeable person would recognize it as miasma, but they might not see it as quite right. There seemed to be something mixed into the miasma. The cloud condensed, swirling as it did. It moved faster and faster, rising six feet into the air. The clouds solidified into a body.


    As quickly as it came, the cloud dissipated, and standing in the middle of the courtyard was a completely naked man. His body glowed, intricate words and runes that no one could read were drawn all over his body. They erupted in a bright light for a few moments, and then went out with a wink. The man¡¯s eyes opened.


    That man was me.

 Chapter 1077

    ¡°Alysia? Where are you?¡± I asked, looking around the plaza.


    There were a few people who had noticed the commotion, but as soon as they saw a naked man standing there, they ran. As for me, I was standing there unabashedly. I felt around in my inventory, but I didn¡¯t seem to have any clothing left that fit me. I had only been able to get so much since my size changed a short time ago. No, not short. It had been two months since I had entered the Illusory Sword Dungeon. I had to remember that.


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± A familiar voice spoke in my head.


    This was like Slave Communication, but not. I felt like I could talk to Alysia any time now. In the dungeon, we were able to talk with each other because of the weird way our souls were interconnected. Since beating the dungeon, that connection had only grown. Now, the pair of us were bonded together. I was certain of that. However, if we were together, then where was she?


    ¡°Where¡¯s here?¡± I frowned.


    ¡°Here¡­ dummy.¡± At that moment, my hand started to glow.


    There was a blessing on the back of my right hand now.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re a blessing?¡±


    ¡°Something like that. I can come out if you want¡­ but can I stay a little longer?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I feel¡­ really good. Master feels, all around me. It¡¯s¡­ I like it is all¡­¡±


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    ¡°Well, there is no reason to call you yet. I just wanted to make sure I can. Ah¡­ speaking of comfy and covered¡­¡± I looked down at my naked body and then out across the square.


    My eyes landed on a seamstress, and I immediately headed in that direction. As I approached, I could hear voices inside.


    ¡°You should go to the celebration.¡±


    ¡°Mom¡­ I don¡¯t want to¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not going to meet an attractive young man working in a seamstress job all day, I insist¡­ ahhh!¡±


    At that point, I pushed past the doors into the shop. There was a middle-aged woman who was busy arguing with her daughter. They were both Osterian women, so they were around six feet tall. That was a bit short for an Osterian but still passable. As soon as I walked in, all eyes fell on me. The young girl turned red, spinning away. The older woman crossed her arms, and very thoroughly looked at me until even I felt like covering up.


    ¡°I require clothes.¡± I declared.


    ¡°I can see that.¡± The woman grinned. ¡°Have you met my daughter?¡±


    ¡°M-mom!¡± The girl hissed, with her back turned on me.


    ¡°Well, assist our guest.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I thought you wanted me to go to the celebration?¡±


    ¡°Now, now¡­ you made a persuasive argument.¡± Her mom declared, just take care of our guest, take as long as you need.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    She wasn¡¯t able to say more, as her mom had already escaped to the back while chortling to herself. She turned her head to me, but still wouldn¡¯t look directly at me.


    ¡°You¡­ um¡­ need some clothes then?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I have a few gold left, I think. I found myself without anything good to wear. You know how it is.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ so, I take it you¡¯ll want something fancy?¡±


    ¡°Fancy? Why so?¡±


    ¡°For the celebration, of course. It¡¯ll be starting soon and go on all night, right after the wedding.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, there is a wedding?¡±


    ¡°Of course, General Nova¡¯s wedding? Have you been under a rock?¡±


    Did I somehow end up going back in time?


    ¡°General Nova¡­ um¡­ his marriage to Princess Alysia?¡±


    The girl finally glanced at me, an expression of disbelief. ¡°No, Alysia died two months ago, before they even ah¡­ anyway¡­ it¡¯s the wedding of General Nova and Princess Eliana!¡±

 Chapter 1078

    ¡°E-Eliana¡­¡± I struggled to keep my cool.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Deek. We¡¯ll handle this.¡± Alysia¡¯s reassuring voice echoed in my head.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m okay¡­¡± I took a breath and then glanced back at the girl. ¡°I¡¯ve been out on a prolonged hunting trip. You¡¯ll have to refresh my memory. Isn¡¯t Eliana the princess of Aberis?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true, Aberis and the Ost Republic are on the cusp of war. The armies are at the border, but marriage will fix all of that!¡± The girl spoke passionately. ¡°Over the last two months, since Princess Eliana visited our country, she¡¯s ended up talking with a lot of humans. She¡¯s become really idolized and loved. Some were pushing for her to marry the king, but he refused. However, General Nova volunteered to take her hand.


    ¡°Once they take the vows, they¡¯ll go to the border and broker a peace. Surely, those humans in Aberis will desire to put aside their differences once they see their princess happily married to one of our own. It¡¯s romantic! Their love will save all of us from a war, and we can finally put the evil deeds of that Lord Deekson behind us.¡±


    ¡°Evil deeds?¡± I blinked, but as the girl continued to stare at me blankly, I shook my head and smiled. ¡°I would like your finest suit. Make it something befitting a groom.¡±


    ¡°Ah! O-okay¡­¡±


    ¡°And while you do that, tell me everything that has happened the last two months.¡±


    As she worked, the girl continued to gossip. I asked her about everything I could think of. She didn¡¯t seem to know about any elf or anyone meeting Raissa¡¯s description. Two months ago, I was declared dead, the general and his family fled, and it was all explained as some kind of failed coup. The Ost Republic managed to foil my plans, but at the cost of the life of Alysia.


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    Naturally, with Elaya a prisoner and me killed and only rumors to go on, King Edward responded with a show of force. Communications had been dancing back and forth between the two nations, with things finally boiling to the point of war. Although the seamstress spoke of Eliana and Nova¡¯s marriage as a last-ditch effort to sway the nations, I could see through the truth of it.


    Eliana was being misled and possibly coerced. Nova was going to marry her as some kind of victory over me. It would also hide her pregnancy. As for the talk about her being a national treasure or something, I didn¡¯t know what had happened. I also asked about the west Aberis and Chalm, but that wasn¡¯t known to her either. As I tried to pick her brain for every last detail of the situation, Alysia listened on in stony silence.


    We finished talking just about the time that my outfit was finished. She only needed to make a few minor adjustments for it to fit me. This was an Osterian shop, after all, and with the festivities, they had several spare outfits.


    ¡°Master, what is your plan?¡± Alysia finally asked as I put enough coin on the counter, swapping Merchant in so I could claim my discount.


    ¡°I¡¯m done acting passively,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m going to blast through anything that gets in my way.¡±


    ¡°Then, I will be by your side to help you.¡±


    ¡°Naturally.¡± I smiled as I left the shop, only to stop short.


    A dozen guards were standing there. They all had weapons up and pointed in my direction.


    ¡°Halt!¡± The man cried out.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I responded in a relaxed state.


    ¡°R-reports of an indecent man appearing near the ancient sword.¡± The man¡¯s voice gained strength as he spoke. ¡°You are to be detained immediately!¡±


    ¡°Alysia¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master?¡±


    ¡°Try not to kill them.¡± I held out my hand as the tattoo began to glow.


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

 Chapter 1079

    ¡°You look so beautiful, my lady,¡± a woman said, combing Eliana¡¯s hair. ¡°Why do you look so sad?¡±


    Eliana stroked her stomach, now a clear bump in front of her. However, when she stood, the dress was made in such a way where that bump wouldn¡¯t be noticeable. It was part of what General Nova had demanded when it came to such a wedding.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Eliana gave a noncommittal answer.


    Ever since the day her world fell apart, the day where she was placed under house arrest and found out her beloved Deek died, she had been somewhat listless. She did her best to remain strong. Officially, she wasn¡¯t being called a prisoner. She was merely being detained while investigations could be made. However, she knew the truth of it. She was a bargaining chip the Ost Republic was trying to leverage against Aberis to force them to accept terms.


    Her country had gathered an army to make a show of force, but it was unclear to Eliana what her brother would do. Would he bend a knee to get her back? She couldn¡¯t be certain. That was why a marriage had to occur. Only when she submitted could she save the pride of her people. Eliana was no fool either. From the moment she was apprehended, she had used her unique status and visited hundreds of diplomats and local politicians.


    She had done everything in her power to protect her people, her baby, and herself. To do that, she went out every day, offering aid, advice, wealth, and a smile to the people of the Ost Republic. The Osterians didn¡¯t much care for her at all. To them, she didn¡¯t have any strength, which is what they valued most. When it came to the humans, however, she was a resounding hit. The king could only gnash his teeth as Eliana slowly became the Ost Republic¡¯s beloved human princess. Although the Ost Republic¡¯s humans were a republic run by a council, that didn¡¯t diminish their love of a princess, which allowed them to push back against the overreaching Osterian rulership which had increasingly gained power and suppressed the humans over the last twenty years.


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    So, it was only natural when it came to her being married that the humans wanted her to marry someone favored by the humans themselves. That man turned out to be General Nova, who although he was an Osterian, had many human lovers and showed great care for the human race. He was even heralded as a hero who had killed the evil Deek.


    This reality wasn¡¯t lost on Eliana, who had given up her pride, her love, and her life. She would be marrying the man who killed her love, and he would even be taking care of her child. It was the most bitter reality imaginable. Yet, for the sake of her young one, and the sake of her kingdom, she had to go through with all of it. She couldn¡¯t even do what she wanted, and kill herself because that would hurt Deek¡¯s child in her stomach.


    Of course, she didn¡¯t know about Demon Lord Aberis. She didn¡¯t know he had already planned a bad end for her and her child. Even Nova was only just a pawn in his game. The only saving grace was that he had left the city to lead the march against the Aberis army. This wasn¡¯t to fight but to negotiate the terms of surrender. The Ost Republic had already won.


    The door opened. ¡°It¡¯s time for your marriage, princess.¡±


    Eliana held all the pain inside as she stood up, straightened her wedding dress one more time, put up her veil, and left. She took the arm of a human dignitary. He was a kind man who had treated her quite well these last two months. The music began, and she started to walk up the aisle.

 Chapter 1080

    ¡°We are gathered here today¡­¡±


    The door exploded open. ¡°I object!¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten to that part yet!¡± The young-looking flat-chest priestess reading the vows immediately shouted back red-faced.


    The sun was up in such a way that it shone in from behind the mysterious man who kicked out the door, shrouding him in darkness and making it difficult to see who he was. Even Eliana stared in confusion as, moments after she got up front and the ceremony began, the door was rudely kicked open and a trespasser entered. This was extra confusing because there were guards outside, not to mention the vast crowds of people. What sane person would storm up the steps of a cathedral in broad daylight in front of ten thousand witnesses, force their way past a half dozen guards, and then kick open the door and object?


    ¡°Wh-who are you?¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­ I¡¯m not in the mood to be patient any longer.¡± The voice came from the door, pulling at Eliana¡¯s chest for reasons she couldn¡¯t understand.


    The man began to walk forward, and as he left the light of the midday sun and entered into the church, people were able to make him out. Gasps exploded out from the crowds on both sides. A ghost and a monster had just walked right into the church. Laying calmly on his shoulder was a massive blade. It had a brutal looking blade, a thick hand, and a light red hue to it, and if it carried the malice of the world.


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    ¡°Deek!¡± Eliana¡¯s cry came out as a wail.


    She was in complete shock. She felt like she was falling and floating at the same time. Was this a dream? Did she pass out and come to this wonderful world?


    ¡°You!¡± Draven Nova¡¯s face turned several different shades of color before it finally settled on red. ¡°You should be dead!¡±


    ¡°And yet¡­ here I am.¡± I held out my hand innocently. ¡°What was it called. I challenge you to a Karn.


    ¡°Heh¡­ you won once before by pure luck!¡± He shouted. ¡°You don¡¯t even have the right to demand a Karn, but I¡¯ll indulge you, and this time, I will put you down for good!¡±


    ¡°Well, there is no time like the present.¡± I lowered my sword.


    He snarled, holding out his hand. One of the men by his side quickly pulled out and handed him a sword.


    ¡°Arrogant!¡±


    ¡°Alysia, cut everything but him.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure, Master.¡±


    My entire body glowed, and those glowing runes moved up my sword too. It looked as if the blessings on my body were linked to the sword like we were seamlessly one object. I attacked, not depending on any skills, but pulling on the full strength of my blessings to increase my speed. Draven met me head-on, an arrogant glee in his face as went for a killing move.


    His blade met mine, and then my blade kept going. It slid through the metal of his blade. There was only a split second when his expression turned from one of condescending victory into one of horror. The blade struck his armor, and then that separated too. The blade bisected through his entire body, slashing him from his right hip to his left shoulder, seemingly cutting him in two.


    His armor exploded. His clothing went with it. The man himself went flying back, a spear of blood shooting out of his mouth as he stared in wide-eyed wonder, flying away from me. He slammed into the wall, shattering the stone like a crater. His naked body fell to the floor, and he slumped to his knees.

 Chapter 1081

    <h4>Chapter 1081</h4>


    There was silence as everyone stared in wonder. It had all happened too fast. In a single swipe of my blade, I had destroyed his weapon, his beautiful shining armor, and his clothing, and now he was on the ground panting, blood leaking from his mouth, shaking and unable to move. Eliana had her hands together, staring at me like she was afraid to breathe.


    I continued walking toward the man. None of the soldiers moved to stop me. Technically, this was a challenge, and they couldn¡¯t get in the way of it. Even if they did, General Nova was a powerful fighter, one of the best in the nation. How could someone who defeated him so easily be handled by the likes of them?  I stopped right in front of him.


    I lowered the sword, pointing it at him. He was on his knees, naked, still trying to give me a defiant look. He looked up at me, baring his teeth in a bloody snarl.


    ¡°Do it! Kill me, then!¡± He shouted.


    His words caused the crowds behind me to start to murmur unhappily. No matter what happened, this was still a hero of the country. If I killed them, there would be a lot of unrest. That didn¡¯t matter to me. I leaned close to him and spoke quietly, but it was still loud enough that the silent room could hear.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you, do you know why?¡± I smirked. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re not a threat to me.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡± He sputtered.


    I stabbed the blade into the ground. A moment later, it began to shimmer, and then it turned into the form of Alysia. She could appear any way she wanted, and the way she appeared now was in full adventurer armor, looking like she always did. If my presence caused gasps, hers caused the entire crowd to explode in shock. General Nova¡¯s mouth flapped open and closed like a fish as she walked up to him.


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    ¡°Alysia!¡± A girl cried out, who I recognized as being one of the members of Titan Fall, her former adventurer group.


    ¡°Draven.¡± Alysia¡¯s eyes were focused on the general.


    ¡°Y-yes?¡±


    ¡°Consider this our divorce!¡± She kicked up, slamming her foot into his naked, unprotected balls.


    The men in the crowd all let out collective noises of sympathy. Even I tightened my legs as I heard him let out a high-pitched whine, and then collapse to the side. However, even his women didn¡¯t give him sympathy. Most of the girls from his harem were furious he was marrying another woman. Once was one thing, but this second marriage had been far too hasty. On top of that, he was already married! Only two months after his supposed wife died, he was already trying to marry another woman. It was only now that she appeared that people began to realize just how scuzzy that appeared.


    Alysia disappeared as quickly as she appeared, a white light flowing back into my hand as I left the crippled man and walked up to Eliana. She shook anxiously as she waited for me to approach her.


    ¡°D-D-D-Deek¡­¡± Her voice broke, tears starting to fall down her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I took so long.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°N-no¡­ you came¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯m going to make it up to you.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Look where we are? We¡¯re in a church. There is a priestess. Let¡¯s make this official.¡±


    Her body shook even harder now. ¡°O-official?¡±


    ¡°Will you be mine?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes! I will!¡±


    ¡°Priestess!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± She was standing there picking her ear. ¡°Are you done interrupting another ceremony!¡±


    ¡°Do it. I want to be with Eliana for the rest of our lives.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± She sighed, not sounding enthused at all. ¡°Then, Eliana, do you give your consent?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡±


    ¡°And you, eh¡­ Lord Deekson.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    We held each other¡¯s hands and looked deep into each other¡¯s eyes. This didn¡¯t feel hasty at all, but something that was bound to happen. I wouldn¡¯t let something like this ever happen again.


    ¡°Then, as my power as a priestess¡­ I will bond you together.¡± She lifted her hands, chanting as a white light settled on us. ¡°You¡¯re now Master and Slave.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± She blinked.


    ¡°What?¡± I cocked my head.


    ¡°In accordance with the Karn, she¡¯s now yours for all eternity.¡± The girl lazily responded. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you wanted?¡±


    {Eliana has become your slave!}


    The room was very silent for a while.

 Chapter 1082

    {Name: Eliana Aberis


    Title: Princess of Aberis, Slave of Deek


    Race: Half-human/ Half-fey


    Class: Mediator


    Job: Adept Magician ¨C 12


    Available Jobs: Nobility ¨C 32, Novice Magician ¨C 50, Apprentice Spirit Magician ¨C 25, Adept Spirit Magician ¨C 12}


    ¡°I was looking to marry her, you dumb loli!¡± I snapped as the text danced in my vision.


    Wait¡­ Spirit Magician? Third Tier? Eliana had some pretty amazing abilities, didn¡¯t she? What was a Spirit Magician? I had never even heard of such a job. On top of that, she was only half-human? She was a fey? King Aberis was human, but her mother wasn¡¯t? I had heard she was just a servant that he banged. Did she know the truth about herself?


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have time to think about such things. My words had enraged the idiot who had accidentally made her my slave.


    ¡°Wh-who are you calling loli! I am the arch priestess of the church of the daughter! You dare!¡± She snapped.


    ¡°Arch priestess? Not Archbishop?¡±


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    The church of the mother was run by Archbishop Mary in Aberis. The church of the daughter was seemingly run by this girl. As soon as I asked this, she puffed out her chest, or lack thereof, and glared at me. Most of the priestesses I had seen were flat-chested, but this girl, in particular, was also very short and had a child-like face. That¡¯s what prompted me to call her a loli.


    ¡°You¡¯re that supposed champion the melon church has been talking about, aren¡¯t you! Hmm¡­ pretending that size doesn¡¯t matter! You blasphemed fool!¡±


    This conversation began in front of the church after she enslaved Eliana to me.


    ¡°Perhaps this shouldn¡¯t be the focus of discussion right now.¡± A man spoke up.


    This would be the councilman who had escorted Eliana up the aisle. He had an uneasy expression on his face as he looked at the two of us.


    ¡°Right¡­ of course¡­¡± The arch priestess shook her head and then threw a finger at me. ¡°You are under arrest!¡±


    ¡°Ohhh?¡± I shifted the blade and stabbed it into the ground in front of me. ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°Naturally, for killing the pr- ahh¡­¡± She looked at the sword hesitantly. ¡°Insurrection!¡±


    She ended her line by changing what she was saying.


    I smiled. ¡°Oh, then you better arrest me then.¡±


    She frowned, taking a step back. ¡°R-right¡­ a-arrest him!¡±


    At this point, numerous guards began to enter the church. The majority of them were humans, as the Osterians were being used as a show of force up north. Eliana grabbed my arm, a look of worry on her face. I gave her a gentle smile and pulled her toward me, then I turned to the guards, lifting the sword back on my shoulder. With my free hand, I gestured for them to come. The guards all hesitated, staring at each other.


    ¡°S-so you¡¯ll be arrested willingly?¡± The man asked in a worried voice.


    ¡°I will not.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what are you saying? Why did you say we should arrest you then?¡± The loli behind me cried out.


    ¡°That¡¯s your prerogative. If you wish to detain me, that¡¯s your choice. As for me allowing it, that¡¯s my choice. Any man here who stands in my way will die by my sword. If you think you have the power to stop me, then be my guest.¡±


    No one moved.

 Chapter 1083

    ¡°Deek¡­¡± Eliana breathed.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of being bullied. I¡¯m tired of being ordered. I¡¯m tired of your political maneuvering.¡± I continued. ¡°Most of all, I¡¯m tired of that damned Demon Lord Aberis! Your supposed king was possessed by the Demon Lord a long time ago. His mind was warped and his personality destroyed. General Nova here knows it¡¯s true.¡±


    My words caused the murmuring of the crowds to explode. A few people turned to General Nova, who had managed to finally return to his knees, but under the look of so many, he turned his head shamefully. It was all the proof they needed. The councilman in front was just as shocked as all of them. While this news was known among many Osterians, the humans would never allow themselves to submit under the demon lord again.


    General Nova, who was loved by humans had even known. Well, he denied it because it was convenient, but I had told him the truth and deep down he likely had his suspicions. He had never told any of the humans this though because they wouldn¡¯t react like the Osterians who favored strength over even species. So, what if he was the demon lord? If he had the power to lead them to victory, then it didn¡¯t matter. It was a complete betrayal of the human¡¯s trust. A few of the girls from his harem looked at him with shocked disbelief, like their loved one had just revealed he was a monster.


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    ¡°W-we can¡¯t be certain this is true.¡± The councilman said.


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± A female voice sounded out through the crowd, causing even more shifting.


    ¡°Ah¡­ L-lady¡­ Alysia?¡±


    The sword in my hand shimmered, and I put it down, causing it to turn into Alysia once more. ¡°The day I died, it was to thwart him from regaining his prior power. My mother is nothing but a puppet now, and my brother is the demon lord. This is something I¡¯ve had to come to accept. It was Deek here who conquered the ancient sword and freed my soul.¡±


    Each word was like a thunderstrike to the people listening, but those last words caused gasps and cries of alarm. Conquered¡­ the ancient sword? The councilman looked around in confusion. At that moment, a man standing in the back shouted.


    ¡°The ancient sword in the courtyard is gone!¡±


    Several people looked back at him to see a beaten-up guard. He was an Osterian man, so he stood above most of the other guards and was easy to identify. He was one of those I had taken care of in the plaza after they had greeted me outside the seamstress. His words were like a wildfire, causing even more murmurs. The councilman raised his hand, eventually getting quiet.


    ¡°Even if this is all true, there is little we can do about it at this point. We will need to discuss¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about your discussions.¡± I broke in, causing the man to stiffen. ¡°What you choose to do is your problem. This is not my country, and you are not my people. The only thing that matters to me is what is mine. This woman is mine, and Aberis is mine. Right now, your country is threatening what is mine. Do you know what that makes you?¡±


    ¡°A, ah¡­ an enemy¡­¡± He shook.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±

 Chapter 1084

    ¡°Eliana, where is Faeyna and Raissa.¡± I asked.


    She looked away. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Y-you can¡¯t sense them?¡±


    I clenched my teeth in frustration. The slave bonds had not been restored. It was like I had never had a slave at all. Eliana and Alysia, the two princesses, were the only bonds I could feel at the moment. It felt extremely empty and alone. Furthermore, two months had passed. Any number of things could have happened since then. I tried to keep my cool though. I would find them.


    ¡°Deek, we are both reasonable men, perhaps an agreement can be reached. I received a report just ten minutes ago. Right now, both armies are lined up on the border, ready for battle. With a word, the two armies will attack, and there will be untold loss of life on both sides. We can come up with some kind of-¡±


    ¡°Eliana.¡± I cut the man off and turned to her.


    She seemed to know what I wanted and merely nodded. ¡°Go, my love. I¡¯ll be safe here. I promise.¡±


    I made a face at that, but the councilman straightened. ¡°No harm would come to Eliana here, ever!¡±


    ¡°Your king planned to kill Eliana, turning my child into an incubator he could use to regain his power,¡± I responded scornfully. ¡°What protection could you possibly offer?¡±


    Eliana gasped, covering her stomach, clearly shocked by my revelation. Even hearing that the Demon Lord Aberis was the king had barely phased her, but this left her scared.


    ¡°He¡­ he did what?¡± That angry cry came from Draven, who had managed to find some clothing and got back on his feet.


    As soon as he moved too much though, he grimaced and grabbed his side where he was still injured.


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    ¡°Did you ever think the demon lord cared about Osterians? Did you think that because he possessed one, he would have any more love for you or your people? He was using you all. Heh, he still is.¡±


    Draven lowered his head, but there was a fury in his eyes, and it wasn¡¯t directed at me. The councilman was also shaking his head.


    ¡°We will¡­ we will strip him of his power.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡±


    The man blinked. ¡°Wh-what are you doing? Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the border. I have a demon lord to kill.¡±


    ¡°K-kill him? You¡¯ll kill the king?¡±


    ¡°You still want him alive after what I¡¯ve said?¡± I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°How can that be true?¡± It was the arch priestess who spoke up. ¡°We oppose the demon lord vehemently! If the king even contains a fraction of his malice, then we will oppose him!¡±


    Her words as the leader of the church held nearly as much power. It sealed the deal for everyone present. The king must be stopped.


    ¡°W-we¡­ can help.¡± The councilman said after coming to a decision. ¡°We¡¯ll send messages to the border immediately. We¡¯ll stop this disaster!¡±


    ¡°I already said¡­ you do what you want. I¡¯ve already decided what I¡¯m doing.¡± I raised my hand and began to open a portal.


    I didn¡¯t know the exact location, but I had a good idea.


    ¡°D-Deek! He¡¯s surrounded by an army! What do you think you can do?¡±


    I grinned. ¡°Alysia? Are you ready for some payback?¡±


    Alysia smiled. ¡°I will travel with Master anywhere.¡±


    She turned into light and disappeared within my hand. It was still a strange enough scene that many people had to look twice.


    ¡°Watch after Eliana. The future of your country relies on it. It¡¯d also be in the best interest of your country to find the other girls of mine you took.¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Y-you dare!¡± The loli girl snapped.


    I walked up to her, towering over her small form. Her eyes widened and she fell back on her butt, shaking.


    ¡°I do, now, do you dare defy me?¡±


    I didn¡¯t wait for an answer. I turned and then jumped through the forming blue portal. It disappeared shortly after I entered, leaving an after shadow as the blue light dissipated.


    ¡°Th-that guy¡­ is too overbearing¡­¡± The councilmen muttered.


    Eliana smiled, the first genuine smile she had in months. It was a smile that glowed and caused all the people present to stare in wonder. A princess dressed for marriage, her hair done up, her eyes wet with tears, smiling happily. It was quite the sight.


    ¡°That man¡­ is my master,¡± she declared.

 Chapter 1085

    A large barren field sat somewhere near the border of Aberis and the Ost Republic. Two large armies were sitting on either side of a wide no man¡¯s land. They were lined up and ready to charge, but were holding off for just a bit longer. If the two armies collided, it was hard to say which side would win. Prince Edward had done his best to gather as many people as he could here. However, the armies that should have made up the difference in this battle, the former armies gathered by Deek, were nowhere in sight.


    The primary group here were those who were close allies with the throne, the border patrols, and the armies maintained by General Tibult. It was a decent army, but the enemies were made of Osterians. There was a saying that it took three humans to match one Osterian on the battlefield. This was perhaps an exaggeration, but there was no denying their battle prowess. When it came to a full on battle, major losses were inevitable.


    Thus, Prince Edward was unwilling to give the order to invade. He was unwilling to push that last line. He had been waiting for several hours for something, anything, to end this standstill. In fact, at this point, if Eliana had married into the Ost Republic and appeared on the border, Prince Edward likely would have folded, and the king of the Ost Republic would have succeeded in ending this conflict for now.


    After all, his plans for world domination had been delayed thanks to that foolish princess and that dumb lord. He had lost the soul he had wanted, and new plans had to be made. It was too early to start a conflict now that he didn¡¯t have that god soul. Thus, he had planned to end this confrontation through manipulation. He was good at biding his time. Of course, the humans didn¡¯t know he was the reincarnated demon lord, and even among the Osterians, only the higher generals even suspected his true form.


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    ¡°How much longer until this wedding is over?¡± Demon Lord Aberis demanded in an irritating voice.


    ¡°Patience, my son. You will have everything you want soon.¡± Xin stoically responded.


    Deek had once accused Xin of being turned into a mindless puppet controlled by King Xerin, but that was only partially true. A complete puppet would need to be controlled at all times. This was far closer to brainwashing. The original Xin was still somewhere deep down inside, but that part of her was inaccessible. When Xin had to face the worst things that Xerin made her do, her face grew slack and her mind grew dim. This was likely some instinctual mechanism that she did to cope with the horrors of her current reality. It was the only part of her original personality that remained. Of course, the demon lord didn¡¯t see any reason to fix the misconceptions about such a thing.


    Aberis shook his head. In a few more hours, he¡¯d be able to return home. Then, he¡¯d begin work on Eliana¡¯s child, turning it into the incubator he needed to harvest a new god soul. He couldn¡¯t wait to see the surprised look on General Draven Nova¡¯s face when he sticks it into his pregnant wife, only to have his soul sucked out into her baby! Then, it would just be a matter of allowing the baby to be born and consuming its soul. He might not even wait. Consuming mother and child alike suited him just as much.


    He wouldn¡¯t have to wait another sixteen years as he had feared. He could have the soul he wanted as soon as next spring! Everything he desired would become his!


    At that moment, directly in the middle of the battlefield, a portal opened. Out stepped a man and the end to all of Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s scheming.

 Chapter 1086

    This was the third portal I had created, but this one I had placed exactly where I had wanted to be. Nearly five thousand men on both sides immediately looked down at the mysterious figure that appeared out of nowhere. There was enough distance that most wouldn¡¯t be able to make me out clearly. However, I could see them. I had added the 5-point dungeon skill Eagle Eyes, so I could make out every person in the army with ease.


    In the past, I had ignored this skill. I considered it a waste for just slightly better vision. Now, I began to realize just how much having this sight allowed me to quickly take in a situation. I bet the dungeon store was a treasure trove of useful abilities that I had once just ignored in exchange for an extra job, more experience, or a portal. My understanding of my abilities was growing as I did, it seemed. My body glowed as I found another ability I quite liked. It was another 5 DP skill called Booming Voice.


    ¡°I am Deek Deekson, Hero of Chalm, Lord of Western Aberis.¡± My voice roared, even startling some horses a distance away.


    I could see clearly from both sides. Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s expression had grown impossibly grim. Meanwhile, Prince Edward¡¯s mouth fell open in shock.


    ¡°This man is not King Xerin, but the Demon Lord Aberis, who possessed King Xerin¡¯s body. He seeks to reinstate the demon lord empire that he once controlled. He will fail.¡±


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    My words were like a shockwave through both armies. Those from Aberis looked around in confusion and wide-eyed wonder. Those on the Ost Republic sighed immediately tried to deny or discredit my words in their minds. I was just a crazy dissenter trying to stir up unrest, or something like that.


    ¡°Demon Lord Aberis. You¡¯ve died many deaths. Your father once killed you, and you survived by clinging to the sorceress Calypso. Elaya and Xin killed you, and you survived by clinging to Xin and Aberis¡¯s baby. I killed you, and you¡¯ve survived by possessing the body of an infant baby. I will no longer allow you to cling to life anymore. This is your end, here!¡± I pointed Alysia directly at the man.


    He gave a small gesture, and the puppet named Xin began to race out, coming straight for me. None of the other armies moved, waiting to see the outcome of this battle. It was an old hero of the Ost Republic against a new hero of Aberis. Most believed that I would be defeated instantly. Even those that had seen me defeat General Nova were no exception. Nova was one enemy, and Xin was on another level. Although she hadn¡¯t been in battle for many years, her name was still revered and was a major reason Prince Edward had been resisting going to battle. He had no one at a level that he felt could take down Xin.


    I was also curious how powerful this Xin was. The Xin that I knew was a shadow of her former self, but then again, so was this Xin. At least this Xin hasn¡¯t been weakened over the last twenty years and maintained her strength after having her children. At least this Xin had her Osterian blood and strength.


    ¡°Come on, Princess Hero, let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got!¡±


    She reached me, immediately attacking with a blade. I met her with Alysia.

 Chapter 1087

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t cut her blade in half immediately,¡± I said.


    ¡°Powerful swordsman like Mother can infuse their blade with their mana. This works ideally for magic blades, but any blade can accept a level of mana. This will cause it to be reinforced. The reason we were able to annihilate General Nova¡¯s blade so quickly was that you had caught him off guard. He hadn¡¯t expected us to attack which such a powerful sword. Mother is far more cautious.¡± Alysia explained.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you cut mana?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but not easily, and especially not when it¡¯s interwoven with the structure of an already solid physical object. Just because I can cut a string doesn¡¯t mean if you weave all those strings into a rope that I would be able to cut that.¡±


    So, it was like that. I felt a little sad. I had been growing used to cleaving down enemies in a single sweep. I supposed it was only fitting that such a trick would only work on the particularly weak enemies. A stronger enemy had various tricks to defend themselves. Of course, as Alysia grew stronger, and I did as well, our ability to handle stronger enemies would also increase.


    Our blades smashed into each other, but it wasn¡¯t clear who was the victor just yet. Xin leaped back, and then attacked again. Her blade moved like lightning, and she reminded me of the Xin I had encountered in the Twilight dungeon. That Xin had aided me in defeating the demon king, and had also given her life for me.


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    ¡°Alysia¡­ don¡¯t strike to kill her. Concentrate all of your strength into knocking her unconscious.¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­ while it¡¯s true that she was once my mother, that would have died long ago. As you said, this is merely a puppet. I¡¯m not afraid to kill her. For all we know, Aberis planted a seed inside her and once we defeat him, he¡¯ll come back again. I don¡¯t want to take that risk!¡±


    Alysia was far more ruthless than I would have thought. However, she had misunderstood me. It wasn¡¯t because she was Alysia¡¯s mother that I was looking to spare her. Rather, I had a much more selfish reason.


    ¡°I can bring your mother back,¡± I explained as I dodged another strike from her mother. ¡°Rather, it¡¯d be more accurate to say that I already brought her back.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what are you saying?¡¯


    ¡°Remember what Demon Lord Aberis and I spoke about? Your mother tried to cut the Demon Lord Aberis from herself to save her two children. That means that for a time, there were two Xin¡¯s. One Xin went north and the other south. The other Xin was trapped in a dungeon, but for various reasons, I¡¯ve recovered a piece of her body and soul. I believe that this Xin would contain another piece. In short, if I combine them, I can bring your mother back.¡±


    ¡°I-is that true?¡± She spoke in a stunned voice. ¡°Deek, can we afford the risk? What if the personality of this Xin wins out, and you only destroy the other?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ have faith in my Xin. It¡¯s as simple as that.¡±


    ¡°Then, I will do as Master commands.¡±

 Chapter 1089

    Xin¡¯s status only came away with questionmarks. Her identity was so hard to contemplate that even the system didn¡¯t know what to make of her. It was also possible that her level was so high that I couldn¡¯t detect it. It happened from time to time, but never with a slave. If the latter was true, then Xin was even more powerful than I thought. Unfortunately, she was severely injured, a damaged soul that had further been brainwashed by a demon lord. Even then, it was a fight I had only managed with the combined strength of myself and Alysia.


    However, now that she was down, I switched my focus to the man I wanted to kill more than anything else. I had never actually wanted someone dead before, but after all of the things the Demon Lord Aberis had done, and how much trouble he had caused for me, I desired to put him down for good. After I recovered my breath, I lifted my sword and pointed it at the man.


    ¡°Your turn!¡± I shouted, my voice still being amplified by my dungeon point skill.


    The Demon Lord Aberis, in the body of the former king, stood up, his eyes meeting mine. Then, he let out a shout.


    ¡°Charge! Attack!¡± He cried out.


    His voice wasn¡¯t nearly as imposing as mine, but it was just loud enough that the army around him clearly heard him. If this had been fifteen minutes ago, they would gladly have charged into the army of humans, and fought to the death. They would have died for their king and country. However, that was fifteen minutes ago.


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    Now, there was the accusation that their king was a demon lord. Perhaps many of the Osterians could ignore this, but for the humans in the group, this was a dealbreaker. They wouldn¡¯t fight for that man who had oppressed them for so many years. Most might be able to convince themselves that this was a lie and charge anyway, but that wasn¡¯t the only thing holding them back now.


    Although he was king, the truth was, this was just a name. The Osterians favored power and strength. The strongest had the right to rule. That strongest in their minds had always been Xin. She had resigned her position, and given it to her son. No one questioned this, because as her son, they¡¯d assume he was powerful, and even if he wasn¡¯t, as long as she was backing him, then they would follow him. This was one such reason he didn¡¯t want to start the war until after he restored himself with a god soul. He was too weak at the moment. Once he had a god soul, he wouldn¡¯t need Xin anymore and would be able to suppress the Osterians with his power.


    However, now the great Princess hero lay defeated at my feet, still unconscious, and it was anyone¡¯s guess how powerful the king was. Until he fought me personally and showed his strength surpassed my own, they wouldn¡¯t follow him.


    All of this ignored the biggest problem. The death of Princess Alysia was the thing that ignited their fighting spirits the most, and she was standing in front of them, between their target. To attack the respectable princess to avenge the princess made no sense at all.


    All of these reasons, and several more, made it so when the Demon Lord Aberis gave such a flashy order, not a single member of his army moved forward. They all remained firmly where they were, their eyes on him.


    ¡°Treasonous!¡± He accused, but no one budged.


    King Xerin took a deep breath, and then turned and ran.

 Chapter 1088

    This battle had gone on long enough. It became time to finish it.


    Xin began to glow, seemingly using one of her skills. I launched various attacks at once, leaning heavily on Haste and Explosive Movement, combining it with Magic Swordman¡¯s skill Extended Blade and Quick attack. I had been allowing myself to work slowly up until this point, so the sudden explosion caught her completely off guard. I also used Phase Shift, which could be activated instantaneously. In short, I disappeared and reappeared next to her, striking at a speed that even the great Princess Hero couldn¡¯t stop.


    Still, to her credit, she managed to raise her blade. I pushed Phase Shift into the blade, and it shimmered for a second, passing through her blade. The sword struck her. In reality, doing it this way killed my momentum. If I was doing a physical strike by using this method, I would have lost all power and wouldn¡¯t have even been able to damage her. However, my sword was glowing blue, and my aim was intended to render her unconscious, not injure her.


    The sword struck, and the woman collapsed to her knee. Her eyes fluttered for a second, but then she shot a glare at me. She had managed to resist it! However, she was momentarily stunned. Immediately changing my plan, I shoved my hand on her forehead. After hot-swapping my jobs, I began to form a slave bond.


    ¡°Geeaaahhh¡­¡± She let out a cry as I began to try to force her into slavery.


    Forcing someone into slavery was general impossible¡­ with the low-level skill Bond Slave. However, when I reached level 50, I had gained a much stronger slave ability, Enslavement. I had predicted that it would allow you to forcibly enslave someone.  As soon as I began to use it, I realized it was a battle of will. To succeed, I had to enforce my will over another. Perhaps, this also would have been impossible against Xin normally, but this version of Xin had already had her will destroyed by the demon lord, and her soul had chopped away the parts of herself that had the most defiance. In short, she was a woman who submitted.


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    This was why I believed once she combined with my Xin, that it would be my Xin who won out. This was just my hopeful belief though.


    Despite all of these conditions being in my favor, it was still extremely difficult. A minute passed by, and everyone only sat and watched in confusion. A violent battle had begun, only to suddenly stop after I had seemingly cut Xin. Then, she fell to her knees, and I put my hand on her forehead. Since then, she let out muffled cries and screams, and we both seemed to be in exertion, but nothing else happened.


    I began to realize that even here, she was too strong. Enslavement was truly an ability that only worked against the extremely weak. However, I was unwilling to give up. With a roar, my body began to glow, the tattoos of all my blessings began to shine brightly. It was a sight seen by everyone present. From the previous fight, there had been enough gashes and cuts that parts of the blessings could be seen all over.


    I sent all of that power into my Enslavement, and the hand where Alysium resided shone the brightest. Alysia¡¯s form appeared beside her mother. If my appearance caused a shockwave, then hers was a tsunami. The demon lord¡¯s expression turned from one of anger to one of shock and then fear.


    ¡°Mother¡­ let go.¡± Alysia put her hands on Xin¡¯s shoulder and whispered these words.


    Xin looked over at her daughter, and for the briefest moment, there was a flash of expression. It was happiness, an expression that shouldn¡¯t have appeared on the face of a puppet. Then, she let out a scream and collapsed. As she fell, I dropped to one knee but managed to remain standing.


    {Xin has become your slave.}

 Chapter 1090

    The men only watched as King Xerin fled back into the army. It wasn¡¯t clear how far he planned to run, but definitely out of my sight, as if I would allow that. I initiated a Teleport and then appeared right in front of him. He stopped short, his eyes widening.


    ¡°You dare!¡± he cursed. ¡°Attack him!¡±


    The men did move to grab me at this point. It was one thing to hesitate on the king¡¯s orders. It was quite another to stand by and watch them get murdered. Whatever fate King Xerin was to face, these soldiers felt it the duty of the Ost Republic to do such things. I suspected that this would happen, which was why I didn¡¯t care to stay. I reached out and grabbed the Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s arm before anyone could take a step.


    ¡°Slave Swap!¡±


    Similar to Hero¡¯s Switch Position, Slave Swap was a Slave Master ability at level 37 that allowed me to trade places with a slave. That slave happened to be the unconscious Xin. As I had learned in a certain dungeon, as long as I had a hold on someone I could take them with me during a swap. Back in the day, I had feared I¡¯d need to be inside them and had kissed Raissa as I Position Switched with her. Since then, I had a chance to test it and found that as long as I had a good hold on them, I could drag them with me. If I was only touching them, then it wouldn¡¯t work. I had to be grabbing onto them in some way.


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    Only a few seconds had passed, and both I and Aberis appeared in between the two armies. This development occurred so quickly that people from both sides were still trying to figure out what happened. Lord Aberis ripped his arm from my grip and stumbled back a few steps. His startled expression turned into ferocious fury. It reminded me of the battle I had fought with him outside of Chalm.


    In that battle, the two of us fought to the death. He had systematically killed everyone I loved, and even then, we had only barely managed to scrape by and defeat him. Now, I didn¡¯t have anyone from my party supporting me, and I was about to fight a demon lord who was in the body of an Osterian.  I couldn¡¯t hold back a single bit. I immediately attacked him.


    I used Final Blow, and the ensure it struck, I used Haste, Explosive Movement, and Accelerate to deliver a quick and deadly blow. My blessing glowed as well. I had already used too much energy fighting off Xin. I put every last bit into it to take down Aberis. I hoped at the least I could cause him some damage. Alysia struck Demon Lord Aberis, and he didn¡¯t even pull a sword to defend himself. Whatever glowing that occurred around his body was interrupted and he went flying off like he was pulled by a string.


    He slammed into the ground, thirty feet away, causing the ground to shake with a resounding boom.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    I stared at the brutally destructive attack. What just happened? As the smoke cleared, Aberis rose from the smoke. I see. The true battle was now going to beg- Aberis was a bloody mess. His clothing was in tatters, and he was barely standing. He immediately started to cough up blood.


    ¡°Oh¡­wow¡­¡± I said in disbelief.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°Demon Lord Aberis¡­ at least this version of him¡­ is really weak!¡±

 Chapter 1091

    I stared at the blood-covered demon lord, trying to determine if there was something I was missing. Was he trying to trick me in some way? The man I knew was clever, conniving, and powerful. To be fair, he wasn¡¯t exactly weak. He¡¯d probably be able to suppress any normal soldier, and even put up a fight against many generals. However, he was slightly weaker than even General Nova. Perhaps that was why he had never attempted to suppress the other man and instead had tried to trick him.


    ¡°Alysia?¡± I asked someone I thought might know.


    ¡°While brother and I were both trained by mother to fight, he didn¡¯t have as much of an aptitude for it. Perhaps he was relying on other means to obtain his power, such as obtaining a god soul. I wouldn¡¯t know how the power and knowledge of the demon lord play into it, but this is about the power I would have expected from him.¡± Alysia explained, sounding just as uncertain as myself.


    The Demon Lord Aberis began to laugh, his voice harsh to the ears. He seemed to be brimming with confidence, only causing me to wonder even more if there wasn¡¯t some other part of his plan.


    ¡°Go ahead, Deek Deekson. Strike me down. End my life.¡± He chuckled. ¡°If you think this will be the end of things, you will be mistaken. I will return. I always return. I have been on this world for thousands of years, and I will continue to be long past the time you¡¯re done. You may stop me today, but you¡¯ll always be wondering where I will pop up next. It¡¯s an inevitability. At the moment of your death, you will look up and see me standing there, grinning down at you, and you will know it was I who orchestrated your demise!¡±


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    ¡°Master, what should we do?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°I am the Great Demon Lord Aberis!¡± He yelled out, removing all doubt from those who were still fighting the truth. ¡°I am the son of the Demon King and the future ruler of the world! Bow before me! Cut me down! You can try, but you will fail. You will always fail because I am immort- geh!¡±


    I cleared the distance and stabbed him with Alysia, running the blade right through his abdomen while he was still in mid-speech.


    ¡°You stabbed him?¡± Alysia seemed surprised.


    ¡°You stabbed me¡­¡± Lord Aberis seemed to be in disbelief as he looked down at the blade sticking through his stomach.


    ¡°You were taking too long, and weren¡¯t getting to the point,¡± I responded defensively. ¡°I reckoned I¡¯d just go for it and see what happened.¡±


    ¡°S-see¡­ see what happened?¡± He let out a laugh which ended in a cough, spitting up blood. ¡°You are far more foolish than I ever could have predicted! You¡¯ve given me exactly what I wanted! Once I¡¯m released from this mortal coil, my soul will find a new body. I will come back into this world, and I will get my vengeance on you! I hope you¡¯re ready to lose everything. Perhaps I will possess your woman¡­ hmmm¡­ maybe Eliana? How does that sound? Maybe I¡¯ll possess her baby, and maybe I won¡¯t. You¡¯ll never know. You¡¯ll live the rest of your life always wondering if your own child won¡¯t one day betray you. Hahahahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Are you still talking?¡± I responded, not even the least bit worried.

 Chapter 1092

    ¡°Impudent!¡± He snarled. ¡°Perhaps, if you killed me with a soul-reaving blade, you¡¯d have a chance, although I even have ways of avoiding death with such a weapon. It would take a malacrum weapon to defeat me, and I don¡¯t see a malacrum weapon in your possession!¡±


    ¡°What do you think the blade inside you is?¡± I responded incredulously.


    He blinked, looking down at the blade again as if he didn¡¯t quite understand.


    ¡°You had to have seen it yourself. Your sister was turned into this blade. What do you think we¡¯ve spent the last 2 months forging?¡±


    ¡°A-Alysia?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up, brother?¡± A voice came out loud.


    ¡°Heh, so you¡¯re the one to kill me. How stupid.¡± He shook his head. ¡°What of it?¡±


    ¡°The blade was forged by her soul. Tell me, demon lord, what did you do to her soul while it was still in the womb. What did you make her primary purpose?¡±


    He went to respond arrogantly, and then his eyes snapped open. ¡°N-no¡­ that¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t have a god soul!¡±


    ¡°You needed a god soul for it to happen naturally. Unnaturally, however¡­ is still up for grabs. You designed Alysia for a singular purpose¡­¡±


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    ¡°Locking souls in place.¡± Alysia finished.


    ¡°Hey, demon lord, where do you think your soul is right now?¡±


    He shook. ¡°No¡­ no!¡±


    He let out a scream and attacked, shoving his body away. He would have slid right off the end of the sword if Alysia hadn¡¯t already shapeshifted. With her blade sticking through him, she had given the end of her body a blunt hammer. The only way the demon lord was going to remove himself from the blade was with a three-foot hole in his chest. He hit the hammer and then slouched.


    ¡°You can¡¯t¡­ this isn¡¯t how it¡¯s supposed to be.¡± He shook. ¡°I¡­ I know where Faeyna is! I sent her away! If you want her, you¡¯ll have to guarantee my life!¡±


    ¡°I thought you might say something like that.¡± I sighed. ¡°Why do you think Alysia hasn¡¯t already shredded your soul into confetti?¡±


    He took a breath of relief. ¡°See, I am far more useful to you alive than I would be dead.¡±


    ¡°No, you misunderstand. I don¡¯t need you, just your soul.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°Souls are an interesting thing, they¡¯re basically a copy of who a person is. It not only reflects their physical appearance, but it also can replicate their skills, and even remember their memories. Your living soul is far too dangerous, but if I feed it to my dungeon, I¡¯ll know everything you knew.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ a dungeon?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, your love of dungeons seemed to die with the other version of yourself. This one never trusted dungeons. Perhaps, on some cosmic scale, you knew that was because one day you would end up becoming its food.¡±


    ¡°No! No!¡± He struggled to try to rip himself off the blade, but it was pinned down and far too weak to fight me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just going to take and make use of your soul for my own advantage.¡± I smiled. ¡°You know how that is. Soul Absorption!¡±

 Chapter 1093

    Soul Absorption was a level 20 Dark Priest Skill. I assumed it worked much like absorption, although while absorption took life force, a mixture of the physical body, mana, and soul¡­ a Dark Priest was able to specifically pull out a soul. Of course, like all of my other abilities of recent, it wasn¡¯t something that could be done on normal targets. You needed close proximity, and the target needed to be incapable of resisting.


    Aberis let out a blood-curdling scream as I pulled his soul out of his body. I didn¡¯t do this out of some kind of maliciousness. Rather, the only way I would feel comfortable that Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s soul was gone and he wouldn¡¯t be resurrecting was if I absorbed and digested the soul myself. In general, it might be quite an evil ability, but I didn¡¯t feel that much remorse when doing it to a man like him. He had done so much bad in his life, that this little bit of pain would never be enough.


    Mind you, this pain was likely excruciating. I was tearing a soul apart from the body. However, after feeling the pain of chopping a soul so many times with Alysia, I only considered the intent and mind-shattering pain to be a little uncomfortable. Demon lord Aberis tried to fight, but he was unable to mount any resistance. Alysia had locked down the body, soul, and also mana.


    Demon Lord Aberis had likely tried to utilize some mana to escape his situation. It was only when he realized he couldn¡¯t even mobilize mana that he truly started to panic.


    There was one other reason I decided to absorb his soul. As I consumed the last bit of tainted soul, purifying it and then storing it someplace safe in my body, separate from my soul, the man slouched over against the sword. Although he was a fit Osterian, he looked frail now. He had a haggard appearance, covered in blood, and gasping for the last vestiges of life.


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    ¡°S-sister¡­¡± He breathed. ¡°


    ¡°King¡­ Xerin?¡± Alysia¡¯s spoke out loud.


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m free. You¡¯ve saved me, sister.¡± He smiled. ¡°Thank you! Thank both of you.¡±


    ¡°Deek?¡± Alysia spoke between us this time, keeping the frail Osterian out of the conversation.


    ¡°I have removed the tainted soul and removed as much of the corruption as I could.¡±


    ¡°As much as¡­¡±


    ¡°The Demon Lord Aberis possessed him as an infant. The truth is, the only memories this body could possibly contain¡­¡±


    ¡°Would be the memories of Demon Lord Aberis¡­¡± Alysia finished with a sigh.


    I nodded sadly. I was able to save her brother. I did this partially because I just wanted to see if I could. He may not have the soul of the demon lord Aberis, but he was still a being created by him. There was no reversing such a history.


    ¡°Why did you leave him alive?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± I shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ family, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­¡± Alysia¡¯s voice grew rich with emotion. ¡°He¡¯s a risk.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Even then?¡±


    ¡°Alysia, this is your choice.¡±


    Alysia was silent for a moment. ¡°Deek, you are my family. You are what matters most to me. I won¡¯t let anyone threaten that. Anyone.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯ve decided?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°As my lady orders.¡±


    ¡°Can you¡­ pull the sword out of me and heal me now?¡± The man asked. ¡°I might really die-ahhhhhh!¡±


    The sword began to glow with multi-shades of light, targeting whatever shriveled up thing of a soul remained in this body.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, King Xerin.¡± I shrugged. ¡°The lady has spoken.¡±


    His eyes widened, and then narrowed and he let out a vulgar curse. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll kill both of you!¡±


    ¡°Too late¡± I responded. ¡°There is only one more thing you will do, and that is die!¡±


    I threw up the blade as Alysia transformed back into her normal sword form. King Xerin flew off the tip of the blade and up into the air. As he let out a shrill final scream, I lifted the blade.


    ¡°Incinerate!¡± I used the level 10 Magic Swordsman ability.


    As he fell back down, he met my descending blade. A pillar of light arose in front of us, and everything that remained of both the king and Demon Lord Aberis turned to ash, body, and soul. He was gone, for good this time.

 Chapter 1094

    ¡°Deek.¡± Alysia warned.


    As I stood there breathing hard, the ashes that were once the demon lord floating away, we were still standing between two armies. I raised my sword to the army of the Ost Republic.


    ¡°You need to decide who your enemies are!¡± I yelled out to them. ¡°Aberis is my country, and you¡¯re threatening my borders! If you want to pass, you¡¯ll need to go through me!¡±


    The soldiers standing there, having just helplessly watched their greatest champion and their king destroyed, began to mutter to themselves. I worried that I had gone too far. This would be a grievous insult to a country, and may even lead to war. However, if the army wanted to charge me, I planned to stand my ground. I had sufficient dungeon points now that when it came to wiping out an army, I could do so. That thought left a complicated feeling in my heart.


    A very large Osterian man stepped out. He would be about ten feet tall, definitely the largest I had seen. He was bald except for a topknot on the back of his hair. He wasn¡¯t wearing armor or even a shirt. He had rippling muscles and a large Warhammer on his back. I readied myself. It looked like they weren¡¯t done sending opponents my way. I hoped they didn¡¯t continue to send one at a time. That would wear me down if that was the case.


    The man walked out halfway to me. My body tensed as I prepared for the battle to come. Alysia must have felt my hand sweating.


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    ¡°Master, you don¡¯t need to worry.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The man pulled out his war hammer. It really looked like I did need to worry. That¡¯s when he plopped it down on the ground with a thud. He then kneeled, lowering his head.


    ¡°King Deekson!¡± He called out. ¡°Lord of Osteria.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The Osterians in the army began to kneel one at a time. Soon, half the army was lowering their heads to me. These mostly were the Osterians. As for the humans, they looked around lost, some looking like they were a moment from running away from the battle.


    ¡°Alysia?¡± I called her for clarification.


    ¡°Osterians value strength above all else. That strength isn¡¯t always pure ability. It can mean being clever, or it can mean bravery. This is why they were willing to follow a demon lord, even back then. That same value transfers to you. You have shown your strength, and you have pulled the sword. The Osterians are recognizing you as the lord of Osteria.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t going to let such a title go to my head. After all, there was no Osteria. I was the lord of a country that no longer existed. The Ost Republic was a combination of humans and Osterians, and the human councils likely wouldn¡¯t be so willing to bow to a foreign king, just based on what I knew about human nature.


    ¡°My, oh my, you were quite handsome and daring. You¡¯ve definitely moved my heart.¡± A voice sounded from behind me.


    I stiffened at the too feminine sounding voice of General Tibult. I turned back to see the four members of the Tibult family as well as Prince Edward. They had ridden out and were now behind me.


    ¡°Deek Deekson.¡± Prince Edward spoke in a formal voice.


    ¡°It looks like Aberis is victorious.¡± I responded with a nod.


    ¡°Today is your day, Lord Deekson.¡± He responded. ¡°This victory is yours, and everyone here knows it.¡±

 Chapter 1095

    The soldiers on the Aberis side had broken into cheers. They were celebrating and hugging each other as the battle officially ended. The humans on the Ost Republic side were starting to break away, returning to their homes to report what happened here. Meanwhile, the Osterians seemed to be waiting for something.


    I looked to Prince Edward as he bowed to me. ¡°Ah¡­ why so formal?¡±


    ¡°Deek, after today, your name will resonate. I¡¯m afraid your actions and deeds outstrip my own. Will I be able to call you brother much longer?¡±


    ¡°You better,¡± I replied. ¡°After all, your sister is now my sl- ahem, wife.¡±


    ¡°Eliana?¡± Edward straightened up. ¡°If father hadn¡¯t left on another journey, he surely would have made a bloody path to the capital to rescue Eliana two months ago. I fear I have heard nothing about how she is doing. Is she well? Ah¡­ wife?¡±


    ¡°We did¡­ um¡­ a ceremony.¡± I laughed. ¡°Before I came to the front lines. Eliana and I are now bonded. She is safe in the Ost Republic.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t quite ready to tell him his sister was my slave. That was a conversation for a day after we¡¯ve had some rest and a drink.


    ¡°So, she is safe?¡±


    Before I answered him, I sent a Slave Communication to Eliana, both telling her what happened and asking if she wanted me to bring her back to Aberis.


    ¡°Ah! D-Deek¡¯s voice is in my head!¡± Eliana¡¯s voice cried out in surprise. ¡°So, this is what it is like for the slaves¡­¡±


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    ¡°Eliana?¡±


    ¡°You seriously defeated the Demon Lord Aberis?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the human army scattered, and the Osterians do not seem to be a threat, I think.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    ¡°Should I come and get you?¡±


    ¡°Actually, no. I¡¯m fine where I am right now.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°I can do more good here. With the Osterian king dead, the country will be unstable. This is finally our chance to end the feud between our two countries. Furthermore, I can help you search for the whereabouts of Raissa and Faeyna easier here.¡±


    ¡°You sound very adult.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what are you saying? I¡¯m a princess and a diplomat! I have responsibilities too, you know!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know¡­¡±


    I had always thought Eliana was a pampered princess. However, she had been a political prisoner for two months, and even after all of that, she was still worrying about the people of the Ost Republic. Even in captivity, her popularity there had exploded, and she was seen almost as one of them. It was something I didn¡¯t think anyone else would be able to accomplish like she did. In some ways, I admired her ability.


    I told her to call me if there were any troubles, and then ended my conversation with her. Technically, only I could open a Slave Communication with one of my slaves, but as I studied Slave Master as a job, especially with a few levels of Advanced Learning equipped as a dungeon skill, I now realized that I could feel when a slave wanted to contact me. It might have been an aspect of Slave Empath, but it worked at quite a distance, so if there was an emergency, I would know no matter how far away a slave got, barring some kind of large division like a dungeon or being on the other side of the world.


    I told Prince Edward what Eliana had said, and he nodded, taking it in stride. ¡°Sister is a very capable woman. If she¡¯s confident, then I will put my trust in her.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Then that settles things.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly¡­¡± He gave an awkward look.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Well, we have a lot of things that need discussing.¡± Prince Edward explained. ¡°However, the thing of greatest importance to you, right now, is Chalm.¡±


    ¡°What about Chalm?¡±


    ¡°Your entire territory has become a dead zone.¡±

 Chapter 1096

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± I stared at Prince Edward.


    ¡°It started about a week after we heard announcements of your death. We can still contact Deeksville, but we haven¡¯t had any news from Chalm. The traveling guild portal was cut off. We¡¯ve sent several envoys, but none have returned.¡±


    ¡°What about my girls?¡±


    ¡°Carmine is the only one I was aware of. She came to the Capitol. Before news of you got out, Mary had sent her on some kind of mission. You¡¯ll have to ask her for the details.¡±


    The ones who had remained in Chalm were Celeste, Elaya, Astria, and Xin. Well, Elaya, Xin, and Astria couldn¡¯t leave even if they wanted to. As I thought about it, I started to get a sinking feeling. What had Astria done the last time she had grown upset? What would she do if I died? My connection to everything was severed. That included my dungeon. I had thought that Elaya, Xin, and Astria would have kept things under control, but what if they hadn¡¯t.


    As I considered the possibilities, I felt my heart clenching even more. ¡°I need to get to Chalm immediately.¡±


    ¡°I thought you might say that.¡±


    ¡°You can wrap things up here?¡± I asked, hesitating.


    The past me might have just run off to the city without a word. However, I had responsibilities, and I couldn¡¯t just take off before things were settled here. If I did so, I would be wasting everyone¡¯s time.


    ¡°I will negotiate Ost Republic¡¯s surrender.¡± The general declared. ¡°Take care of your home.¡±


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    ¡°Deek, are you going to be okay?¡± Otto asked, looking a bit awkward. ¡°Should I¡­ um¡­ and brother come to help.¡±


    There was an expression on his face like he wanted to help. I wasn¡¯t the only one who had changed these last few months. Otto had once been a selfish lad only concerned about himself. He had no clue what to expect in Chalm, but he was still willing to go, even though he knew that he wouldn¡¯t be much help. He had only added Octius in there because he knew he didn¡¯t have the strength.


    ¡°I¡¯d be willing to come.¡±


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t.¡± General Tibult spoke up. ¡°Your duty is here on the border with me.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ d-dad¡­¡± Octius blushed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡± Octavia declared.


    ¡°You¡¯re going back to our territories. Your mother must be lonely all alone. It¡¯s about time one of us returns.¡± Octin ordered.


    ¡°Geh!¡±


    I smiled and patted Otto¡¯s shoulder. He was a very short man, only coming up to my chest now that I had grown taller.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, this is something I have to do on my own. In the past, I was only building Chalm passively. I let them use my name and my power, but for the most part, I let them develop on their own. I realize now that I have a responsibility to these people. It¡¯s time that I stepped up and truly became the lord that they call me.¡±


    ¡°Then, good look.¡± He patted my hand.


    ¡°Besides, I won¡¯t be completely alone.¡± I patted my sword.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Alysia¡¯s voice vibrated in the air.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to tell me about that when you have time.¡± Prince Edward sighed. ¡°In fact, we have a lot of important things to discuss. Once you¡¯ve settled Chalm, please come to me.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, when is that?¡±


    ¡°Delayed.¡± He sighed, looking tired. ¡°I won¡¯t be setting a date until we talk.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ then I won¡¯t take too long.¡±


    I ended the conversation there, lifting my hand and forming a portal. I decided to make it on the outskirts of the city, around the area where we fought Lord Aberis for the first time. I assumed with my blessings, I could force past whatever prevented the Capital from going to Chalm. However, if there was something up, it wouldn¡¯t be good to pop up in the middle of town.


    I picked up the unconscious Xin, pulled Alysia into my body, and then entered the portal to see what happened to Chalm.

 Chapter 1097

    ¡°What happened to this place?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I would like to know,¡± I said, standing in the town square, a fountain feature in the center not only out of service but looking like it hadn¡¯t been used in years.


    I looked around the familiar setting, getting a sense of nostalgia. This was incidentally the same location where I had appeared in this world all those months ago. It had also been the location of my Return skill, the first one I had obtained from my Hero job. It had been months, yet the small village of old Chalm was virtually unrecognizable.


    I had decided to return here first after finding a secure place to put Xin. She was basically catatonic since I killed Aberis, and dragging her around would definitely raise some alarms. However, upon arriving, the place was barely recognizable.


    With the settlement and growth of Chalm proper, this village had been mostly converted as a service area for the main city. It functioned as a farmer¡¯s market, a trading post, and a location for those who didn¡¯t want to be restrained by the big city. Thus, it had ironically grown quite a bit as well over these last few months.


    There were hundreds of new homes, taking advantage of the lack of a wall and the spacious natural plains that existed to the east of Chalm on the Aberis side. A couple of mansions were being built to cater to wealthy merchants and nobles who wanted larger places out in the country. There would likely be a time in a few decades when this would all become a suburb of Chalm, and these homes would be prime real-estate.


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    This town was only about a half-day journey from the main city of Chalm now that a road had been established between the two, so it was a good place for craftsmen to sell their wares rather than travel to the city where they would have to face trade taxes. I didn¡¯t enforce the taxes, by the way. This was done by a trader¡¯s guild. There was a guild for just about everything in this world, although I was only personally familiar with the adventurer, traveling, and slaver¡¯s guilds.


    What caught me off guard about this place was the current state of disrepair. It looked a bit like Chalm had looked when it was under the oppression of the dungeon, except that place had been haunted and it had been twenty years. This was only two months.


    There was a distinct lack of people. That¡¯s what caught me the most. With a frown, I walked down the street, looking around for anyone present. The town wasn¡¯t to the level of being abandoned. I could see flickering candles inside various huts. They weren¡¯t adapting glow stones for lighting like Chalm proper was. That meant that there were people here, but it was more like everyone was afraid to go outside. Work that had been taking place had just been abandoned on the spot.


    ¡°Hey, wait!¡± I saw a man sneaking from an alley.


    As soon as I called him, he jumped and then began running, trying to enter one of the houses. Of course, how could I let him get away? He only made it two meters by the time I cleared fifty, appearing right in front of him. He ran into me, falling back onto his butt. He immediately cried out, backing away desperately.


    ¡°What is going on here?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°P-please! Let me go!¡± The man muttered desperately. ¡°If I don¡¯t get home to my family, they¡¯ll find me!¡±


    ¡°Who? Who will find you? Who is doing this?¡±


    ¡°Come out¡­ come out¡­ wherever you are?¡± A voice sang out over the city.


    ¡°Oh¡­ gods, they¡¯re here!¡±

 Chapter 1098

    I frowned, looking up in the direction of the taunting call. The man turned and ran while I wasn¡¯t looking. However, his ears weren¡¯t very good, or perhaps his home was in that direction and he had no choice because he ended up running in the direction the voices had come from. I watched with curiosity as he made it about fifty meters when suddenly three women appeared from behind a building and grabbed him. He screamed as they tackled him to the ground.


    These women were attractive girls, but they wore cloaks over their bodies hiding much of their figures. I could only just make out their faces. Two of the fairies held the man down while a third walked up to him. In her hand was a long whip.


    ¡°Well¡­ well¡­ well¡­ look what we have here.¡±


    ¡°P-please¡­ I need to get home to my wife and dau-¡± He stopped in mid-speech.


    The lead girl¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°A daughter? How interesting. I was just going to borrow a bit of your life force, but since you¡¯ve got a daughter.¡±


    ¡°No! I misspoke!¡± He started to cry. ¡°I don¡¯t have a daughter.¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡± She slapped the whip. ¡°Tell me about this daughter of yours.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t!¡±


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    She reached out, a long fingernail dragging down his cheek. ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll suck you dry, and then find your wife, and I¡¯ll suck her dry too.¡±


    ¡°P-please, no!¡± He shook. ¡°She¡¯s only six¡­¡±


    ¡°Oo¡­ young¡­¡± One of the women laughed.


    ¡°Boss likes them young.¡± The third girl added.


    ¡°She¡¯s just a little girl! Please don¡¯t take her away!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not in a position to bargain!¡± The woman snapped before looking at her the other two. ¡°Strip him naked.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± The two subordinates used their sharp nails to cut away at his clothing.


    I just stared at the scene with a blank stare. What the heck was I looking at? This was a roving band of women? They were so pretty it was hard to take them seriously, but they seemed to have taken over the town. More than that, they were acting like gang members or some kind of mob unit. What was this talk about sucking him dry, and why were they interested in little girls?


    I decided that watching the guy get stripped naked wasn¡¯t going to get me any answers, so I started to walk toward them. As I got closer, the lead woman who was watching the other girls strip the man finally noticed me.


    ¡°Eh? Another one bold enough to be out?¡± She muttered.


    The other girls looked up from their tasks, seemingly easily distracted. ¡°Huh? Someone else?¡±


    ¡°Ooo¡­ it¡¯s a big one.¡± Another said.


    ¡°There is¡­ something alluring about his energy.¡± The lead girl looked on curiously.


    ¡°I want to suck him!¡±


    ¡°Me too! I want to suck him as well.¡±


    As I got close to them, the leader threw a finger pointed right at me. ¡°You! Big boy! Consider yourself lucky! You¡¯re about to get sucked by three of us at once!¡±


    A complicated expression appeared on my face. They seemed to have no awareness of the phrasing they were using at all.


    ¡°Master, yo-you mustn¡¯t agree!¡± Alysia declared.


    ¡°Who said I was going to!¡± I shot back.

 Chapter 1099

    ¡°I have to say that I¡¯m confused.¡± I admitted. ¡°What is going on here?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ so we have a virgin who hasn¡¯t been sucked before.¡± The lead girl giggled in a lewd voice.


    One of the other girls licked her lips. ¡°He looks tasty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, isn¡¯t this the territory of Lord Deekson?¡± I tried again.


    ¡°This is boss¡¯s territory!¡± One of the girls shouted.


    ¡°Who is Lord Deekson?¡± Another asked.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry to say¡­ he died¡­¡± It was the man on the ground who spoke, looking nervously at the girls as he spoke. ¡°These mons¡­ these girls moved in shortly after.¡±


    ¡°Monsters?¡± I blinked.


    Were they some kind of presence from the wilderness that took over in the power vacuum left over?


    ¡°You call us monsters! Do you want to be sucked dry?¡±


    ¡°We should stop talking and just finish him off already!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°Where is Elaya? Astria?¡±


    The man jerked at those names, and the three women suddenly quieted. A dark expression started forming on each of their faces.


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    ¡°You¡­ you dare¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You blasphemer! You dare to use her name!¡± The leader shouted. ¡°Girls, punish him!¡±


    The man looked at me pitifully and then turned away. I didn¡¯t have time to process anything else, because two of the women lunged at me. I turned; dodging the strikes they made with their claws.


    ¡°Fast!¡± I admired as I watched their hands move past me.


    These weren¡¯t common thugs. Their speed and deadliness were clear. They definitely would have put up a challenge for normal guards and soldiers. At my level, however, they were sorely lacking. The two girls slashed again and again with their hands, but with my status, I simply dodged each of their attacks, barely moving each time.


    That¡¯s when one of the girls suddenly disappeared and reappeared. That was a phase shift. It was a skill I wouldn¡¯t have expected them to use. I instinctively pulled out Alysia to block her claw coming in from the side, but I was too slow.


    ¡°No!¡± I cursed, but it was too late.


    I chopped the hand off of one of the girls. Alysia was just far too sharp.


    ¡°S-sorry!¡± Alysia cried out.


    She hadn¡¯t held back her physical cut. As the girl lost her hand, she leaped back. The other did as well. As far as I had come in white mage, I wasn¡¯t at the point of being able to reattach limbs yet. Of course, there was always the option of killing and resurrecting someone, but going to that extent wasn¡¯t good either.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I responded, only to realize that while all three girls were glaring at me, the girl who lost her hand wasn¡¯t reacting like a woman who had her hand cut off.


    ¡°You dare¡­¡± She growled, holding out the stump.


    Suddenly, her hand seemed to reform from nothing. I looked down to see the hand I had chopped off disappeared into white light. Alysia tended to cauterize wounds as soon as she made them, so the lack of blood hadn¡¯t caught me off guard. However, her arm reattached like it was nothing.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ do you see now?¡± The leader grinned defiantly. ¡°You can¡¯t defeat us, puny human. It¡¯s best if you just accept your fate and die!¡±


    I glanced at the three strange women and then nodded. ¡°So, you¡¯re not human after all.¡±


    She grinned. ¡°Nope!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± I smiled back. ¡°Then I don¡¯t have to go easy on you anymore.¡±

 Chapter 1100

    ¡°Get him!¡± The lead girl cries out.


    The three girls all attacked at once. They were all very fast, and the two on the sides went out and then in, making a pincer attack on me while the other attacked up the middle.


    ¡°I need answers. We¡¯re not killing them. Just hurt them a little.¡± I cautioned Alysia.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    I didn¡¯t do anything fancy in response to these attacks. Instead, I just threw out my sword. The girls tried to dodge the swing. It was a massive, oversized sword with a long flat side. It had to be heavier than a Warhammer and just as clumsy. They knew first hand how sharp it was, but the sword could only cause physical damage, and these girls were immune. They would avoid the blade, but they weren¡¯t afraid of it whatsoever. They would avoid the incoming blade any way they could.


    However, they quickly found they were unable to. No matter how they moved, my blade seemed to continue to come at them. They each attempted to dodge differently, but my blade struck each of them. The girls flew back, unable to catch themselves as they tumbled on the ground. The strikes weren¡¯t devastating. They were fast and were able to avoid 90% of the strike. However, it wasn¡¯t my intention to kill them either.


    However, they also had an unintended effect. As soon as the girls struck the ground, their clothing exploded into pieces.


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    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    ¡°It hurts¡­¡±


    ¡°That blade¡­¡±


    The three girls looked up to see the blade glowing slightly with a blue light. Blades like a soul-reaving blade or a malacrum blade could damage soul and mana creatures just as they could do physical damage. However, a normal blade could only damage the physical body, and the only way to damage mana creatures was to infuse the blade with magic or to use spells. This was a problem my group had faced when we first reconquered Chalm.


    My first strike had been a physical strike, and these girls who were very skilled with mana and had bodies composed of mana were immune to such a strike. They were also sensitive to mana use, so they were certain I didn¡¯t channel mana in that last attack. In other words, I used two attacks with the same blade, the first striking their physical body and the second striking their mana body. However, I hadn¡¯t swapped out blades at all.


    Of course, this was because I had Alysia, a sentient blade. She could cut through anything I wanted her to cut through, presuming it wasn¡¯t powerful enough to resist. This left my targets very confused. However, that confusion quickly turned to embarrassment as they realized they were naked.


    ¡°Pervert!


    ¡°Bastard.¡±


    ¡°Molester!¡±


    ¡°Why their clothing though?¡± I asked, letting their insults roll off me.


    ¡°S-s-sorry! It wasn¡¯t my intent!¡±


    She was still learning. I kept asking her to do various feats, but it couldn¡¯t be easy for a girl who had only become a sword not too long ago. I should keep it easy on her for a while.


    That was a problem for another time. It was good that Alysia shattered their clothing because it had confirmed my guesses. They did have a mana body, and they were exceptionally skilled with mana. I knew this because it was pretty clear what they were. After the clothing had been destroyed, long butterfly-like wings were revealed on their backs.


    ¡°Fairies.¡±

 Chapter 1101

    Seeing three fairies acting like thugs definitely gave me a lot to think about. There were a group of fairies in Chalm, but fairies were a bit like bees. Other than the queen, they were drones. Not only were they under the control of the queen, but their intelligence was pretty lacking. They were effectively children. Even the fairy queen was only a bit smarter. Astria was different because of her life experiences as well as the lore she gained while she was a demon. As for Celeste, she was different because she was half-human, and had been transformed into a Sylph.


    It seemed like any fairy had the potential to evolve into something else based on the pressure put on them. I had only found a single book about fairies, and I hadn¡¯t understood what it meant until somewhat recently. Now that I knew about the Fey and the Faerie Plain, I knew that faeries were native to this world. Unlock many beasts and species, they weren¡¯t from dungeons. This is why they could create fairy springs.


    Faeries could also evolve into other beings. Celeste had become a Sylph, while Elaya was a Dark Fairy. They had both been Fairy Queens before they reached that point in their evolution. There were supposedly others, but I hadn¡¯t obtained the names of any of them. For these three fairies to be intelligent enough to shake down a city, they would have had to go through some kind of evolution. That left me quite curious about them.


    ¡°He¡¯s got a blade that can hurt us! Flee!¡±


    I disappeared and then reappeared next to the first fairy, grabbing her as she called for the others to run. She let out a cry as I grabbed her and picked her up and examined her. Even though she was at a normal human size, I was over six feet tall. Man-handling her was rather simple. Her wings weren¡¯t dark like Astria¡¯s wings, nor where they were a translucent color that reflected colors like a bubble, which was the best way I knew how to describe Celeste¡¯s wings.


    These wings were more feather-like. The ends weren¡¯t rounded but came out in plumes with long thin feelers. They were still pretty, but they looked somehow fragile comparatively.


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    ¡°Ahhhn! D-don¡¯t touch!¡± She cried out as I felt her wing.


    ¡°What are you doing to her!¡± The other fairies had shrunk to smaller sizes and flew up to avoid me, but they weren¡¯t willing to run while I held the leader in my grasp.


    ¡°Bully!¡± The other added.


    ¡°We¡¯re you mugging a town?¡± I asked, pulling out a knife.


    ¡°Ahhhh! Wh-what are you doing?¡± The leader cried out as I brought my knife up to her wing.


    ¡°Be calm. This won¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°N-No¡­ Ahhhn¡­ Not that¡­ Ahhh¡­¡±


    She twitched and squirmed as I held her body with one arm and moved the knife across her wings with the other. The other two shook in fear and worry. Thankfully, after being knocked back and realizing I could fight, these fairies could only yell.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± One of them demanded.


    ¡°I am out of fairy dust,¡± I explained. ¡°Fairy dust is actually something fairy wings release. It¡¯s how fairies fly, and also how they turn springs into fairy springs. As you bathe in the water, the resin on your wings slowly mixes with it.¡±


    ¡°How do you know so much about us?¡± The other fairy demanded.


    ¡°Well, I have figured out some things. I don¡¯t know everything. For example, I still don¡¯t know how you guys reproduce. You¡¯re all female, you don¡¯t get pregnant, but once a fairy spring exists, more and more fairies just keep appearing. The other thing I don¡¯t know is what type of fairy you guys are. I¡¯m going to fix that now.¡±


    I took the dust I had extracted from her wing and then slapped it against her body. I activated the combination skill god and devil eye. What was the god and devil eye? It was a combination skill. I had already used fairy dust to create a combination skill once. For whatever reason, you could only create a combination skill once per magic source. However, I had recently learned you could create combinations by using two different magic sources.


    Lydia had unlocked god eye using her scout evil eye, but I no longer could borrow her skill, as she wasn¡¯t a slave of mine anymore. So, instead, I took some miasma and fairy dust and combined it with Evil Eye. This created the new skill, God and Devil Eye. I guessed fairy dust as a pure source of mana was God, and Miasma, the enemy of this world, was Devil. How did it differ from God Eye?


    ¡°Ahhhhhhnnnn¡­ hah¡­ hah¡­ hah¡­ not there¡­¡± She cried out when I touched a certain spot on her wing.


    ¡°Her sexual weaknesses, this ability truly is that of a demon.¡±

 Chapter 1102

    The God and Devil eye gave me a complete look at the person. I gained a large degree of information about them. I thought God Eye told me a lot, but this told me much more.


    ¡°You¡¯re Nymphs,¡± I observed the information that mattered the most to me at the moment.


    ¡°Let me go! Nom!¡± She bit my arm.


    I sighed, letting her go. She turned into her smaller form and then flew up into the air.


    ¡°Idiot! You dare bully us? We¡¯re going to go tell big boss and she¡¯ll make sure you pay for what you did!¡±


    All three fairies turned away and became streams of light as they flew out of the city. I briefly considered following them but decided it wasn¡¯t necessary. I turned to talk to the man from earlier, only to find him already running desperately.


    ¡°Hey, I have some questions for you.¡±


    ¡°S-sorry! Thank you for saving me, but you better run! She¡¯s not like the others! I¡¯ll pray for you!¡± The man yelled, but he didn¡¯t stop running.


    I let him go as well. He had already suffered a bit for running before. I didn¡¯t want to make things even more difficult for him. Instead, I accessed my dungeon jobs, and then pulled out Transformation. I then began to change my appearance.


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    ¡°Master, what are you doing?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°I have a feeling I know who their boss is. I don¡¯t want to reveal my appearance yet. If I did so, she¡¯d likely just try to lie or hide what¡¯s happened. I want to get to the bottom of everything. Plus¡­¡± I stopped as my face finished changing into that of a young Osterian, not looking much different from Nova.


    ¡°Plus?¡±


    ¡°I need to see how she feels. From the moment I first came to this world, most of the women around me were turned into slaves. My skills, whether they were Charm Up, Slave Affinity, or more curved things heavily so that these women quickly grew attached to me. Those bonds have now all been severed. In the past, I was the one that tied us all together. Now that those bonds no longer exist, this is the only time I can see who these women are, and what I meant to them.¡±


    Perhaps it was a cruel sentiment, but you never could truly tell who a person was until they thought no one was watching. When it came to Lydia, Miki, Celeste, Shao, or Terra, I would never doubt that they loved me. However, the same couldn¡¯t necessarily be said about those that came from dungeons. Deception and evil were built into their bones. I needed to see the truth of things.


    It didn¡¯t take long for her to appear. She floated up over the town like a queen looking down on insects. Her eyes locked on me.


    ¡°So, you are the one that dares to molest my fairies.¡± Her voice boomed across the village.


    Windows slammed shut and people fled to hiding places under the floorboards. If they didn¡¯t realize there was something dangerous happening from before, they knew now. The only one that was calm was me. I glanced up at the woman overhead. She exuded darkness and malice, with black wings stretched out and fluttering.


    ¡°Astria.¡±

 Chapter 1103

    ¡°You know my name?¡± Astria¡¯s eyebrow quirked. ¡°Yet you still dare to trespass on my property.¡±


    ¡°Your property?¡± I asked, a bemused expression on my face. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Deek¡¯s lands?¡±


    ¡°You dare to speak that man¡¯s name in my presence?¡± She spat, her face turning red with anger.


    ¡°That man? Did you forget your Master so soon?¡± I responded.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ good¡­ I might have considered sparing your life, but you¡¯re making it easy for me to kill you.¡± She started laughing a hard laugh.


    ¡°I admit, I am a bit curious how strong I¡¯ve gotten. It will be interesting to see how I compare to the pair of you.¡±


    ¡°A-are you sure about this, Master?¡± Alysia asked nervously. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can control myself in a fight. We might end up hurting her.¡±


    I chuckled softly. Alysia was certainly still herself. It never even occurred to her it might be Astria hurting me. Our victory was inevitable in her eyes. Actually, I felt the same. I couldn¡¯t exactly explain what it was. The second I looked at someone, I got a feeling about whether they would be a challenge or not. Was it a culmination of all of the other skills? I couldn¡¯t say. However, since coming out of that soul dungeon, I hadn¡¯t met anyone who made me feel danger.


    That wasn¡¯t to say I didn¡¯t feel any pressure from Astria. Compared to anyone else I had fought; she was the strongest. It was just a feeling like everything would work out.


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    ¡°If things go too far, I¡¯ll just remove my mask,¡± I reassured her before summoning her out from my hand.


    ¡°You¡¯re a fool who craves death.¡± Astria frowned. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen someone who showed so little fear when facing me. It¡¯s time you learned your place.¡±


    I grinned back. ¡°I¡¯ll be showing you yours soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Die!¡± Astria didn¡¯t pull her punch.


    She sent out a beam of black light. It struck the ground where I was standing, sending out a wave of destruction. The ground erupted in an explosion, and a black bubble grew around the area, obliterating anything that touched it. When the light faded, I was no longer there. Astria¡¯s eyes darted to see me racing down the street.


    ¡°Running already?¡± She called out.


    I realized as soon as she threw the first punch that this fight would destroy the town. I was racing to the edge of town where we could fight more properly. I realized I had reached a point where any real fight I had would cause collateral damage. Dungeons, although they appeared like normal places, were a lot sturdier, but a town or city was likely to be destroyed.


    Astria began to chase me, flying in the air. Compared to the quickness of most fairies, Astria was quite slow. The wings beat in big waves, much different from the fluttery way the other fairies moved. She threw out her left arm, and then her right arm, each one creating a beam of dark light aimed at me. I dodged them but cursed at her. She was creating pockmarks in the street. All of this damage was something we¡¯d have to fix later. Terra wasn¡¯t around to make these kinds of fixes easy, and I didn¡¯t even know where she was.


    I curse Astria¡¯s destructive personality in my head as I tried to leave the village in a rush. As we left the city, Alysia let out a gasp.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    I had come into town from the other side and hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but in the distance was a large shoot of white light.


    ¡°Just what is happening to Chalm?¡± I muttered.

 Chapter 1104

    ¡°What did you do?¡± I turned back to Astria and pointed at the large chute of mana. ¡°Is that a mana spring?¡±


    When a mana spring was finished, they would shoot out mana into the air like that. How did that differ from a fairy spring? Well, fairy springs were in fairy groves and managed by fairies. This didn¡¯t seem important, but it was. A mana spring would continually lose mana.


    Originally, I had believed that the fairy grove Astria and Celeste had built in my mansion¡¯s backyard had been to hide the grove. I was right, but the hiding was more than just from physical sight. The plants around the grove absorbed excess mana and then injected it into the land. It¡¯s why fairy springs made the land fertile and rich.


    However, this spring had no such mechanism, so the mana exploded into the air and then rained back down. In a way, it distributed the mana across the land quicker and led to much faster fertility and a much wider distance. However, it was also a beacon that let everyone know where it was. It was also temporary and unsustainable. It was more like a temporary mana geyser.


    These were extremely rare, as the mana of this continent slowly decreased, the gushes of mana also decreased. Thus, it was so odd seeing one here, so close to Chalm. Furthermore, it wasn¡¯t shooting straight up, but out to the side like it had been aimed away from the direction of Chalm proper. This was the other reason I hadn¡¯t noticed it before, because it was quite low to the landscape. It was something done at great expense, and I could only guess it was Astria¡¯s doing. This was because the fairies had fled that way and Astria had come from that direction.


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    I should also point out that I couldn¡¯t even see mana until quite recently. It was my experience in the soul damage, and training with Alysia to be able to cut the mana feed from spells, that had allowed me the sensitivity to be able to recognize mana. The people in this village almost certainly saw nothing. However, to the creatures of the wilderness in the west, they almost certainly could see it and might even be attracted to it.


    After yelling at Astria, she stopped creating another bolt of dark magic, seeming surprised by me suddenly addressing her in battle. She glanced where I was pointing and then laughed.


    ¡°Oh? That? That¡¯s the start of my new kingdom. In time, I will possess enough power. You¡¯ve already met my fairies. I¡¯m building an army of evolved fairies.¡±


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡±


    ¡°Why? Hmph¡­ you¡¯ll have to defeat me to find out, and since all you¡¯re good at is running, I guess you¡¯ll never know!¡±


    ¡°To take over the world?¡± I guessed.


    ¡°Heh, to start!¡± She shot back.


    I looked away, feeling a bit conflicted. ¡°I thought¡­ you may have changed over time. I thought, maybe¡­ as a slave¡­¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­¡± Alysia comforted me in my head.


    ¡°Slave?¡± Her expression turned fiery again. ¡°You dare speak of those times? I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve heard but forget it. I¡¯m the one who is in charge here, do you understand? Now, stop moving and just die!¡±


    She created a dark ball that had red cracks over the surface about the size of a small house and then threw it in my direction. I dodged the attack, then started running. This time I moved using phase shift to increase my speed. My direction was the mana spring. I had to see what was happening.

 Chapter 1105

    As I ran across an open field, Astria was chasing after me, throwing out spells in an attempt to knock me down. However, I was able to avoid most of her attacks. Once or twice, I struck with my sword, cutting her spell in two. This especially frustrated her, as she had no clue how I was doing it. In her experience, such a thing should have been impossible.


    The other issue was that I was moving far too fast. She wasn¡¯t anything like Celeste, who could move like the wind. In fact, she was probably the slowest a fairy could be. As she chased after me, she did everything she could to keep up. She was even huffing as her wings beat to keep up with my speed. This also irritated her, and so she was even more wasteful with her spells. I was fine if she tired herself out throwing useless spells though. It wasn¡¯t like I had anything riding on victory here.


    I finally reached the mana spring, and I could see what was going on. The few remaining golems that Terra had built appeared to be under her control. They appeared to build a palace. That palace was catching the majority of the mana shooting out. As for the mana spring, it was built at a very distinct angle. In fact, it wasn¡¯t natural at all. It looked like someone had bored a hole at that angle.


    ¡°What is this¡­ this is tapped into the fairy spring?¡±


    I began to realize what was happening. This wasn¡¯t a new source of mana, this was the old source of mana, the fairy spring. Astria, for whatever reason, had bored a hole from the side, mining the mana reservoir and stealing it from the city of Chalm to use for her uses!


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    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have the right to use it anyway!¡± Astria snapped. ¡°I was here first! I built it! I wouldn¡¯t allow her to destroy everything I built! Hey¡­ where are you going?¡±


    I had already switched directions. This time, I was heading toward the palace. Over the palace were hundreds of fairies. They were dancing around right where the mana was splashing, likely absorbing the mana energy. However, they were full size like this, and thus instead of looking cute, it made the entire palace look foreboding.


    I slowed finally as I got a view of a line of beds. The wall hadn¡¯t been finished yet, so I was able to look right in. There, lying on the beds, was a line of little girls. Faeries gathering the spray of mana came down and occasionally showered mana on the children. The entire palace seemed to be built to gather all of the mana and dump it on these children.


    This was something I didn¡¯t truly grasp. I had no clue what Astria was trying to do with the children. However, some of them were crying, and a few looked genuinely unwell.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked.


    The chasing Astria stopped again as I addressed her once more. She gave a dark grin.


    ¡°Behold, my future army. It doesn¡¯t work on adults, but children are still pure enough. If you shower them with mana, their bodies will eventually break down, and they can form new bodies, mana bodies¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re turning them into fairies?¡± I let in a breath.


    ¡°Clever, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    My hand tightened on Alysia so hard that my knuckles turned white.


    ¡°Deek.¡± Alysia tried to soothe me.


    As soon as I left, Astria had fled the city, conquered a small piece of land, turned my citizens into food for her fairy army, kidnapped their children to turn them into fairies, and cut off all of her ties to me. I had wanted to see things to the end. I did. Now, I was very angry.

 Chapter 1106

    ¡°Impressed, foolish Osterian? I hope you understand that now that you¡¯ve seen all of this, I won¡¯t be able to let you live.¡±


    ¡°Alysia¡­¡± I spoke under my breath coldly.


    ¡°Y-yes¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a fairy that¡¯s using miasma. Adjust accordingly.¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­ I know you¡¯re angry right now, and I¡¯d normally be happy if you wished to defeat a dungeon evil, but this particular one seems to matter greatly to you, and I fear you¡¯ll be hurting yourself.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not going to kill her.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re not?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just going to make her wish she was dead!¡±


    ¡°Wh-wh-why does that sound worst?¡±


    ¡°I was once a creature bound by a dungeon. You may have had a chance to slightly harm me when I was trapped in there with a ceiling holding me down, but out here with a full sky, it¡¯s hopeless. I can fly 1000 feet above you, so how do you think to attack me?¡± Astria was still posturing, not noticing my darkening mood. ¡°I have the advantage. Furthermore, my spell ability cannot be matched, so don¡¯t even think of trying to throw puny fireballs at me. It¡¯s best if you just stand there and accept your dea- oh gods, why are you flying at me so fast!¡±


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    I had adjusted my skill set, adding strength multipliers to lightweight, and then I shoved against the ground, pushing so hard that a small crater formed in the ground. My body exploded out, rushing at her like a bullet. Astria¡¯s greatest weakness was explosive speed. Most of her spells took some time to cast, and when it came to close-quarters combat, she was extremely clumsy. After all, her mana body, if you had the means of damaging it, was rather weak.


    ¡°You underestimate me!¡± Astria dived to the side, avoiding my strike.


    As I reached where she had just been, a platform created from magic appeared.  This resembled the double-jump magic that Lydia had once used, allowing her to push off anywhere for an extra jump. I had unlocked a similar ability Create Step in True Hero. However, Blue Mage had a spell called mana shield which created a solid surface that could be projected out anywhere in my vicinity. It was made for instant-block attacks, so it had a fast cast speed. It used more mana, but I wasn¡¯t lacking in mana.


    Since my soul had been merged and then tempered in the soul dungeon, my mana regeneration was insane. I could regen mana faster than I could use it. The only way I could run out of mana these days is by casting extremely powerful spells, or by stripping the area of any mana to absorb. However, this close to a mana spring, that wasn¡¯t an issue in the slightest. I struck a shield and then kicked off of it so hard that it shattered, switching my direction and racing toward Astria again.


    As I moved, Astria appeared before my hands. My eyes glowed red as I raced toward Astria.


    ¡°Who is this guy?¡± Astria cried out, desperately trying to dodge me.


    However, no matter where she went, I would adjust my position, jumping after her.


    A thousand feet above the mana spring, a fairy desperately ran for her life while being chased.

 Chapter 1107

    ¡°You damn Osterian! Who do you think you are?¡± Astria was still retreating while throwing spell after spell in my direction.


    I dodged most of them, but a few I would block with the blunt side of Alyssium or simply cut the magic when it suited me. Astria¡¯s face grew flushed and a panicked look appeared on her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one that¡¯s going to teach you a lesson!¡± I snapped back. ¡°Now who¡¯s the one who won¡¯t sit still and accept their punishment?¡±


    ¡°Y-you! I am the fairy queen. Do you think I¡¯m so easy to defeat as that? I admit I have no clue how you¡¯re cutting through my spells, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can catch me- Ahhhhh!¡±


    I used teleport, appearing right in front of her as she was looking back while running. I attacked instantly, swiping my blade down and striking her. It hit like a blunt instrument, despite the sharp edge, causing her to slam down into the earth below. As she struck the earth, there was a thud, a cloud of smoke forming up from the small crater she made.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t cut her.¡± I pondered out loud.


    ¡°If I had cut, she¡¯d definitely have died!¡± Alysia cried out.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re underestimating Astria. She¡¯s not someone to be defeated so easily.¡± I spoke calmly even as I plummeted down to the earth.


    ¡°Die!¡± Several bolts of lightning and a dark beam shot out from the dust cover below.


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    I spun, rolling away and avoiding the strikes. ¡°See?¡±


    Astria exploded out of the dust, using all of the speed she had to rush me. Relative to most fairies, she may be slow, but she was still a fairy, and capable of moving quite fast when she put all of her efforts into it. It was a bit surprising that she was going for a physical attack, but I decided to meet it head-on. As she got close enough that I could see her, I noticed that she had her hand hidden behind her back. Just as she reached me, a knife flashed out. She was using all of her speed and energy to stab me with the knife.


    Her attack had been perfect too. I was free-falling and meeting her head-on. She had timed it perfectly so that by the time I realized what was happening, I wouldn¡¯t have time to dodge her knife fully. The attack wasn¡¯t for a lethal area, so a normal person would have aimed to do her more damage while taking the scratch of her blade. Most people wouldn¡¯t have realized that the dagger she was wielding was the malacrum dagger that I had stored in what accounted for our treasury. If a normal person was scratched by that blade, it was certain death. She was still as deadly as ever, I could see.


    It was too bad that such an attack against me was meaningless. That didn¡¯t mean I wanted to reveal to her that I had such an immunity. I used phase shift, putting myself slightly out of phase with reality. Her blade struck nothing but air, and I struck again, sending her spiraling back down to the ground with a shocked expression on her face. This time, I struck even harder knowing that Alysia had blunted the edge, and she struck the ground with a resounding boom.


    I had once believed that Blue Mage was just a transportation mage. As I leveled in it and incorporated more of its spells into my fighting, I was quickly finding that Blue Mage¡¯s true purpose was a defensive mage. The list of spells concentrated on avoiding or blocking attacks. A full-powered Blue Mage would be every bit as difficult to handle as Terra in the defense department. It was a class I was starting to develop, as the possibilities were endless.


    {Blue Mage has increased to level 17.}


    {You have unlocked the spell, Blur.}

 Chapter 1108

    I landed back on the ground. With a wave of my hand, I sent out a gust of wind to blow aside the dust that had been gathered. Astria was standing there, taking deep, strained breaths. Her mana body was bruised and battered; her clothing ripped. I knew enough to know that this was all circumstantial. She could restore her appearance instantly, but she wanted to lure me into a false sense of victory. I remained dutifully cautious about what she would do next.


    ¡°I¡¯ll recognize that you¡¯re powerful. You might even be one of those so-called heroes. However, you¡¯d never hold a candle to that man, and you will fail today.¡±


    ¡°That man?¡± I raised an amused eyebrow, as I was pretty sure she was talking about me.


    ¡°If you think I will allow you to take the mana spring, you have another thing coming.¡±


    ¡°Take it? It¡¯s already mine.¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡± She chuckled. ¡°So, you¡¯re just like him. You want to steal my fairy fountain too, just like Karr. Then again, Karr burned my home to the ground when he was done. I won¡¯t give you the chance!¡±


    I jerked upright when she said those words. I had absorbed Karr¡¯s blessing in a dungeon created by him, but I had never heard anything about her home being burned by him. I knew about the situation more than most, which was why her words didn¡¯t match with the story I knew.


    ¡°You abandoned your colony.¡± I frowned. ¡°It failed because you gave Karr too much.¡±


    ¡°I had once believed that as well.¡± She grimaced. ¡°However, the truth was¡­ Karr burned my fairy spring to the ground!¡±


    ¡°That¡­ why would he do that?¡±


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    I knew more than anyone else that the lore in dungeons was fragmented and inaccurate. As it degraded, facts became more and more scrambled. Osterians turned into lumbering giants, and innocent parties turned into malevolent beasts. For example, what was Karr¡¯s first name? Even Astria only ever called him Lord Karr. Of course, I knew his first name was Charles because those in Chalm knew of him, but the dungeon seemed to have lost such a simple piece of information.


    The truth was in the eye of the beholder, and what Astria believed to be the truth would have made up the most of Karr¡¯s dungeon. As for Karr himself, she had kept his soul alive and turned it into a boss to punish him.


    This had kept his soul intact. Had the dungeon digested his soul, and took his memories, then he would have been a boss more like Xin had been. He might have had a mind, but he wouldn¡¯t have been able to discuss things with me using personal knowledge. I certainly wouldn¡¯t have been able to resurrect him. In other words, Karr¡¯s dungeon didn¡¯t know what Karr knew. Perhaps, Karr had wanted it that way. He had wanted to bury the truth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, and I don¡¯t care. The only thing I do know is that this world is my enemy, and I will conquer it or destroy it! You are after the fairy fountain, so I will destroy you too! I won¡¯t allow you to hurt her! It¡¯s the last thing I can do for him.¡±


    Astria¡¯s already fragile mind was quickly shattering, and I could barely follow her thought process now. Just what had Astria found out while I was away? I almost wished that she had created another dungeon. Then, I¡¯d have the ability to glance at murals to figure out what happened these last two months. Unfortunately, Astria¡¯s tale wasn¡¯t finished, and she probably wasn¡¯t willing to tell me much more than this either.


    ¡°Astria, it¡¯s time we end this.¡±


    ¡°I agree¡­¡± She chuckled.


    Although she said this, she spun around and fled. I frowned, moving to follow her, but she didn¡¯t move far. She stopped directly next to the spout where mana was being released. Then, she shoved her hand in the mana. Her wounds finally disappeared, but that wasn¡¯t the terrifying part. There was a growing surge of power.


    ¡°She¡¯s using the mana to power up!¡±


    She was a mana creature, after all. If she absorbed mana directly from the source, she could exude a great deal of power.


    ¡°You¡¯ve forced my hand, hero! It¡¯s time for you to die!¡±

 Chapter 1109

    A dozen beams of dark light shot out from Astria. Rather than going in a straight line, they were bending left and right, but their eventual destination was clear to me. I raised my blade and raced out to meet them. I cut the beams down as I jumped around. Anything the beams struck turned to ash.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can cut too many more spells.¡± Alysia gasped. ¡°It¡¯s exhausting. I have to keep my soul sharp, and each time it gets stuck it becomes harder to maintain that sharpness.¡±


    We had both been wondering what our limits were since we came from the Illusory Sword Dungeon, and it seemed like Alysia was reaching hers. A sword that struck too many times became dull, and when it was something so metaphysical as cutting mana, it was that much harder. If her blade could cut the spell, then it would be the same as the spell erupting right in my face.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen everything I need to see.¡± I panted. ¡°It¡¯s time we end this.¡±


    I had only taken on another face and confronted Astria to see how things were. Now that I had heard enough, I didn¡¯t need to drag this out anymore. However, I couldn¡¯t just show her my face either. The one setback of Transformation was a slow spell. I didn¡¯t have time to transform my face back to normal using the spell. Thus, I had to defeat Astria.


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    After fighting her for this long, I was pretty confident I could. With her being powered by the Mana spring, she was probably about as powerful as she had been in her lair of Karr¡¯s dungeon, back when she could pull on the dungeon to enhance her power. I needed to cut off that power, and then suppress her quickly.


    ¡°Sharpen yourself as much as you can. We¡¯ll cut her bond to the mana spring.¡± I gave Alysia the order.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    I adjusted my jobs accordingly and then I used teleport to appear next to Astria. She expected this, turning and lashing out with her palm. I allowed the strike to hit as I did my strike. Her hand hit my chest, and I felt a strong pain. The pair of us separated, Astria and I both flew out from the mana spring, landing on opposite sides with thuds. I looked down at my chest to see a searing handprint. Astria was deadly as always, but I wasn¡¯t the same Deek I had always been. Such a level of pain was bearable after what I had experienced.


    That¡¯s why, as soon as I landed, I teleported again. I fought through the pain that she likely had intended to be debilitating, and as a result, I came upon Astria just as she was getting back up again. I struck her with several spells using Drain and Weaken to amplify the damage the loss of power she got when she was severed from the mana spring.


    She yelled out, but I refused to allow her to back away, keeping us close where she was most helpless. She was struck again and again as I forced her to her knees. In a matter of moments, Astria had been taken down.


    ¡°You¡­¡± She spat. ¡°Just who are you?¡±


    I looked down at her, and then I lifted my hand. ¡°I¡¯m your Master and it is time you become my slave. Enslavement!¡±

 Chapter 1110

    It might have been a brutal way to enslave her, but I wasn¡¯t feeling very much pity. She had tried to kill me several times, and then there were also the citizens she was oppressing. I had beaten her down just as I had done to Xin. Now, I would Enslave her and reveal to her I was still alive. I wondered what kind of face she¡¯d make when she realized the truth.


    Of all the expectations I had when I used Enslavement on her, I had never expected her to let out a blood-curdling scream. All of the fairies who had been hovering above and ignoring us suddenly swooped down on me like a swarm. The woman herself let out shrieking cries of pain. Enslaving Xin had been difficult, and I had barely succeeded but attempted to Enslave Astria was many times worse. It was like trying to mount a tiger.


    She began to lash out wildly with spells, many not even aimed in my direction, and some even backlashing and hurting herself. It had only been a few moments, but I realized there was no way I could Enslave Astria in this state. The fairies descended and I was forced to retreat. With several waves of my blade, I caused the fairies to fall from the sky like their wings had been cut. At that moment while I was focused on the fairies, Astria lunged at me and cast a powerful spell.


    It exploded in both of our faces, and I felt like my body was on fire as I was thrown back. However, even this much pain was acceptable, and I forced myself to my feet. I cast a few healing spells and I looked around to see a broken Astria kneeling on the ground. I hadn¡¯t intended things to go this far. That she would use such a destructive spell with no regard for her safety had left me confused. The spell had been so strong that the other fairies had all scattered in the wake of the violent eruption.


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    Astria wasn¡¯t done yet. Her clothing was in tatters, and her body was covered in scratches, but she had her hand up and she was finishing an incantation. The previous attack had been just to keep me confused as she finished the real spell.


    ¡°Cut it!¡± I threw out Alysia, allowing her blade to fly free from my hand.


    It shot out like an arrow and struck the mana weave going into Astria¡¯s spell, but after a brief moment of sparks flying, the sword flew back and struck the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just didn¡¯t have the strength.¡± Alysia cried out.


    The spell was completed, and a few moments later dark shapes started to appear in the sky. I looked up with a frown, trying to understand what Astria just cast. When I finally realized what spell she had used, my face went white.


    ¡°Meteor.¡±


    She had managed to cast Meteor. It wasn¡¯t quite like my own spell. Instead of a single giant meteor like I got when I cast it using my dungeon points, it was coming down in a dozen smaller meteors. It would still do the job. It would destroy the mana spring, the nearby village, and everything in between! Astria was destroying everything!

 Chapter 1111

    The incoming meteor would take about a minute to finish descending. That was one of the weaknesses of this spell. However, the devastation would be immense. I could avoid the attack myself, but I¡¯d need to choose who to protect. I could protect the village or the people in the palace. The other would almost certainly be destroyed by falling rock.


    ¡°I¡­ will never be your slave. I will never be anyone¡¯s slave again.¡± Astria declared, summoning up the last of her strength to force herself to her feet, stumbling slightly.


    I lowered my head. ¡°Did you¡­ really hate being Deek¡¯s slave so much?¡±


    ¡°Hate¡­ Deek?¡± She laughed bitterly. ¡°I loved him. I loved him so much.¡±


    ¡°Then, why?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°This is all I can do¡­ to honor his memory, to protect his legacy.¡± She responded helplessly. ¡°Even if you stopped me, Elaya took over the city. You¡¯ll never defeat her. She rerouted all of the mana from the fairy spring into building her grand dungeon. She was corrupting it, the entire thing. I could only reroute a piece of it, to keep infusing it with mana, to keep it from becoming a dark miasma fountain. I need more energy, more fairies, more mana¡­ or she¡¯ll win and Chalm will fall into darkness forever.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re protecting Chalm?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. If you¡¯ve come, then others will as well. I cannot protect the existence of the mana anymore. The west will fall into shadow. My only wish is that Elaya¡¯s darkness one day washes across your cursed Ost Republic, and you face the same darkness that you plunged all of us into when you took him from us.¡±


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    ¡°Astria¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Celeste¡­ I couldn¡¯t keep you safe down there any longer. You will have to fend for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Celeste? She¡¯s in the mana spring! That¡¯s why you¡¯re sucking out the mana. Celeste is sucking it up for her next evolution, and since Elaya¡¯s redirecting the mana and started turning it into miasma, you were afraid she wouldn¡¯t have enough miasma to transform, or worse, that the miasma contaminated her form, and she ended up a dark fairy like you!¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ you¡¯re truly too smart for your own good. That¡¯s why I know you¡¯re capable of surviving this meteor strike too. So, I have been given no choice. My love, I will only ever be your slave, no one others. Know that in the end, I did everything for you.¡±


    ¡°Astria, enough of this. I¡¯m De-¡±


    ¡°Self-Destru-¡°


    ¡°No!¡± I leaped forward as I felt a surge of energy erupting in her.


    She wasn¡¯t just going to bring down a meteor strike to level the place. She was going to destroy herself too, using self-destruct to distract me so I couldn¡¯t get away or protect the mana fountain. Her actions had been ruthless, but not something that angered me anymore. How had things come to this? As I ran to her, I realized I had no hope of reaching her before she self-destructed. I could only watch, seemingly in slow motion, as her body tore itself and exploded. The backlash to me would also be substantial and followed by a meteor strike, I wasn¡¯t certain I could survive, but that wasn¡¯t even running through my mind at that moment.


    As her body began to be torn apart, the mana spring erupted in a blinding white light. It exploded out, covering the entire area, us included. At that moment, I heard a voice gently whisper across the land like the wind.


    ¡°Mother can be so foolish sometimes.¡±


    The entire world turned white.

 Chapter 1112

    White light seemed to surge from the mana spring in waves. Tendrils of light exploded up into the air, striking the meteors above and causing them to slow down. White light wrapped around Astria and then continued, carpeting the land. The mana disappeared slowly, like the afterglow of a flash of light, it faded away until there was no more.


    When I could see again, the meteors that had been falling to earth destructively had been snuffed out. The rocks themselves slowly floated down to the ground at a speed that seemed surreal. In front of me, the wind began to swirl around in a small flurry. It grew increasingly severe until it began to take on a shape. That shape grew and morphed until a body seemed to solidify as if from the air itself. A beautiful fairy appeared as light as air, but her voluptuous body seemed to contain a great deal of mass in certain areas.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    I blinked, a bit surprised at being called such a name. She looked directly at me, and there wasn¡¯t a bit of pain, hesitation, or fear.


    ¡°C-Celeste.¡±


    ¡°Receive my love!¡±


    ¡°Eh! Ahhhh!¡±


    Celeste erupted like a bullet. Whirlwinds exploded behind her winds, and the ground exploded into a dust cloud. However, she was already flinging herself at me at an enormous speed. I slammed my feet into the ground and braced myself as a form slammed into me. I was pushed back as two massive torpedoes slammed into my chest with a speed that created a shockwave. There was a booming sound as our chests thudded together, and I experienced a feeling that was both soft and extremely violent. As I pushed forward with my feet, they tore into the ground, creating a groove in the earth as I was pushed back fifteen feet.


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    I had been forced to excel, losing my breath completely, and I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if there was a bruise or two in my ribs. It was truly a devastating blow. I¡¯d have thought she was attacking me if she wasn¡¯t giggling with her arms wrapped around me while nuzzling her nose in my neck. That¡¯s when I realized this hadn¡¯t been her strongest attack. Celeste had just shown me a fraction of her power, and suddenly I felt like I was the one falling behind. She had spent two months absorbing not just a mana spring, but energy extracted from all the captured people in town too. The fairies had all been tasked with collecting and bring mana to empower Celeste.


    ¡°You received my love.¡± Celeste laughed happily.


    ¡°C-Celeste¡­ if I received any more of your love, I might have died.¡± I spoke in a wispy voice as I tried to regain my breath, even casting a heal spell for good measure.


    ¡°Oooo¡­ if Master didn¡¯t want to receive so much love, then Master shouldn¡¯t have disappeared on us for so long!¡± She was using a playful admonishing tone, but I still grimaced with a guilty expression on my face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I wasn¡¯t strong enough. It must have been awful when the bond broke and you thought I was dead.¡±


    Celeste looked up innocently. ¡°Eh? I felt the bond break and was annoyed, but why would Master be dead?¡±


    I blinked, looking into her innocent eyes. ¡°My bond would have only broken like that if I was killed, and the connection between our souls was severed.¡±


    ¡°True¡­ but Master would always find a way back for us. My mother came back. So did Salicia. So did Elaya. Where there is a will, there is always a way, and I trust Master will always return. I would wait for Master, as long as it took. So, don¡¯t be afraid to go away, just make sure when you come back, you¡¯re prepared to accept the love of all of us you left behind.¡±


    ¡°Celeste¡­¡± Tears began to form in my eyes.


    I didn¡¯t know how, but in just a few words, she had destroyed all of the pressure weighing on my heart. I embraced her tightly. We stood there in a field of green that moments before had almost been turned to ash. Now, that field was sprouting flowers and life like it was always meant to be.

 Chapter 1113

    I pulled away from Celeste for a moment. ¡°Wait, how did you recognize me anyway. We no longer are bonded, and my face.¡±


    I touched my face, confirming that it was still the modified face of the Osterian.


    Celeste put on a smug expression. ¡°Does Master think he can hide from me? I could smell Master¡¯s scent and hearing Master¡¯s sounds the second you stepped out of the Portal. I was just finishing my evolution, so I¡¯m sorry for not appearing right away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, did you have to interrupt your evolution?¡±


    ¡°Nope! I finished properly! I¡¯m now a¡­ uh¡­ I don¡¯t know, what am I, Master?¡± She looked at me brightly.


    I used God and Devil Eye on her and raised an eyebrow. ¡°An Aeolus?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°No clue¡­ it¡¯s probably good though. Your Master Wind Magician hit level 85, while the other magician jobs have hit 55, 80, and 100 respectively.¡± I explained as I went through the flood of information to enter my mind while filing away extra goodies like Celeste¡¯s erogenous zones.


    ¡°He¡¯s the one who attacked Boss. Take him out!¡± A fairy shouted.


    The fairies rose like a swarm of angry bees, swooping down at us. I turned to my sword, which was still sitting somewhere between me and Astria¡¯s collapsed body, but Celeste had a mostly annoyed face.


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    ¡°No.¡± She simply ordered.


    All of the fairies fell out of the sky like their wings could no longer hold them. It was like Celeste had simply denied them flight. They fell to the earth in long shouts, but just before they hit the ground, they were caught by a blanket of wind that gently placed them down. Celeste was too strong! I knew that I wasn¡¯t the one that should be saying that, but I wasn¡¯t confident I could win against her in a fight. Without the strength of Alysia, I knew that I couldn¡¯t be a match at all.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s fix this.¡± Celeste waved her hand again, and the spell that was transforming my face dispersed, revealing my true face.


    ¡°Master, she used mana to chop apart the spell controlling your face transformation.¡± Alysia, who was more sensitive than me to mana after her transformation, was able to see how she did it.


    I couldn¡¯t have taken the spell apart so quickly on my own, but Celeste seemed to do it with ease. Celeste reached out and touched my cheek, a loving smile in her eyes. I reached out and touched her as well.


    ¡°M-m-master?¡± A voice broke out.


    Our growing scene had been interrupted again as Astria seemed to have regained consciousness. She was now staring at me, her eyes locked on me in wonder. She let out a cry and then began to race to me. Compared to Celeste, who had struck me like a bullet, her movements were sloppy as she stumbled. The entire time, she cried and wept. It was supposed to be the mother who was strong and resilient, while the daughter was emotional and needy, but for some reason their roles had switched.


    ¡°Astria, I¡¯m sorry for doubting you.¡± I held out my arm.


    ¡°No! It¡¯s my fault! I¡¯m so sorry, Master!¡±


    Astria dived into my arm, breaking into sobs as she cried against my shoulder. With both fairies in my arms, I felt a bit closer to regaining everything that I had lost.

 Chapter 1114

    ¡°So, I got out only earlier today, and that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been up to the last few months.¡± I had Alysia in my lap as I sat down and relayed my story to the girls first.


    Astria turned to Celeste and whispered in a voice I could easily hear. ¡°He¡¯s really into his sword.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s stroking her so lovingly. I¡¯m really jealous!¡± Celeste giggled back.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that!¡± Alysia cried out.


    ¡°Really, now.¡± I sighed, taking my hand off of Alysia.


    I wasn¡¯t stroking the flat of the blade, was I? Alysia was just a woman I was fond of who now happened to be a weapon I depended on. That was all there was to it.


    ¡°M-master¡­ you don¡¯t need to stop¡­¡± Alysia¡¯s voice turned pouty when I stopped touching her.


    ¡°A-anyway.¡± I ignored that and pushed the conversation forward. ¡°What is going on here now? I want an explanation.¡±


    The two girls looked at each other, and then Celeste shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m honestly not more knowledgeable than you. I only had a vague awareness once Elaya and Astria put me in the cocoon and dipped me into the fairy spring. I could feel mom changing things, but the only times I felt awareness was when the bond was severed and when you arrived and mom started tapping into the spring.¡±


    ¡°It is¡­ a complicated story,¡± Astria spoke uncertainly. ¡°After you died, Elaya and I had a falling out. She had control of the dungeon, and I had control of the fairy spring, but in the end, she won out and I had to flee. My focus was on protecting the fairy spring from annihilation and protecting my daughter. The cost¡­ was extreme.¡±


    ¡°Cost?¡±


    ¡°Boring into the fairy spring under Elaya wasn¡¯t easy. Maybe she knows I was doing it and allowing it because I was injecting more mana into it. I don¡¯t know. Either way, I had to inject all of the mana I could. That included me.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying, Mother?¡± Celeste¡¯s eyes widened.


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    ¡°Part of the reason you¡¯re so strong now, and that Deek was able to defeat me so easily, is because I have weakened substantially. To protect you, I used parts of myself. I permanently damaged my mana body and weakened my soul substantially, giving my power to you.¡±


    ¡°What about the people?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Fairies are inherently magic gatherers. Like a bee gathers pollen and makes honey, a fairy gathers magic and makes waters of life. How a fairy gathers magic ends up determining what kind of fairy you become. As a dark fairy, I absorb miasma. Some of my flock have evolved to absorb mana from humans.¡±


    ¡°The Nymphs¡­¡±


    ¡°Some are nymphs. Some are other types. The point is that we were all gathering energy to protect Celeste and the mana source. As for me, because of my dark fairy nature, I had to use those children as a sieve to filter out the miasma. I lied, partially at least, when I said I was turning them into fairies. In reality, they were being corrupted by my miasma, and would have turned into dark fairies if they survived.¡± Astria looked away, her expression filled with guilt.


    ¡°Mother doesn¡¯t need to worry about such a thing anymore. When I evolved, I released a ton of purifying mana.¡± Celeste declared. ¡°I used it to purify the children. They no longer contain any dark miasma.¡±


    In the end, I hadn¡¯t been as powerful as I had thought. I had been fighting a depowered Astria at the end of her rope. Astria had been a cornered animal, posturing to keep anyone from realizing how close she was to defeat. She had sacrificed most of her power to help her daughter evolve, putting her hopes in Celeste. This was why I was able to defeat her so overwhelmingly, and also why Celeste was so powerful now, having absorbed a purified form of her Mother¡¯s power. They truly had changed places, with Astria much weaker now, and Celeste carrying her future.


    ¡°Astria¡­ I¡¯m¡­¡± I spoke up.


    ¡°Master doesn¡¯t need to say anything,¡± Astria said. ¡°It was my foolishness for not realizing who you were at first sight. I acted in a way that hurt the citizens you hold dear. I convinced myself that every sacrifice would be worth it, and in the end, that power could have easily been taken over by another if I kept going on the way I did. I will accept any punishment Master gives me.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Then, I will declare your punishment.¡± As I said this in a serious tone, Astria lowered her head, closing her eyes. ¡°You will¡­ be my slave again. Will you accept your punishment?¡±


    Her head shot up, and tears began to run down her cheeks. ¡°Yes. I will!¡±


    {Astria has become your slave.}


    {Name: Astria


    Rank: Slave


    Class: Advanced Magic


    Job: Master Black Magician (LVL 100), Adept Darkness Magician (LVL 32)


    Unlocked Jobs: Apprentice Darkness Magician (LVL 50), Basic Magician (LVL 100), Black Magician (LVL 93), Intermediate Magician (LVL 83), Novice Magician (LVL 25)


    Race: Dark Fairy}


    Yeah, I had a feeling that if I had tried to fight Astria at her strongest, she would have thrashed me.

 Chapter 1115

    At this point, the sun was starting to set. It had been an extremely busy day for me. I had accomplished so much, but it felt like it wasn¡¯t nearly enough. I had hoped to make it to Chalm today, but I still had a lot that needed to be handled here. Astria was still shaken, and Celeste had only just appeared. I still had to do something with the fort Astria had started to build, as well as the fairy army.


    Since Celeste had emerged from the mana spring, its strength had severely declined. Now, it was little more than a sputtering crack of mana, and I had a feeling it wouldn¡¯t survive much longer. In Celeste¡¯s final push of evolution, she had consumed the majority of the remaining mana. It proved that Astria¡¯s actions hadn¡¯t been in vain, and she had succeeded in making Celeste more powerful than before.


    The three of us left the area where we had battled and walked toward the castle. As it grew closer, I shot Astria a look. She seemed to wither under my stare.


    ¡°I know what Master is thinking. Master is thinking I was building the fairy palace to satisfy my own vanity.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Master is correct!¡±


    ¡°You admit it?¡±


    ¡°S-sorry! I just felt that if I was going to protect this land, I should rule it from a proper position¡­¡± Astria cried. ¡°I was weak!¡±


    That was quite an understatement. This palace was only started, but I could see that it would have been many times larger than my mansion once it was complete. Furthermore, the way it had been positioned, it was being showered with mana, which likely soaked into the building materials and also changed the nature of this palace. Then, there were the fairies that had been fluttering around it, weaving mana into its very seams. It was an incredibly ambitious project, started by an uninhibited dark fairy going all out.


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    The fairies weren¡¯t in the sky currently. Instead, after having been knocked out of the sky once by me, and then denied flight by the wind fairy Celeste, they had all watched us from a distance. They looked on curiously, but at one point I heard one of the fairies call out.


    ¡°It¡¯s him! It¡¯s Mistress¡¯s Master! He¡¯s returned!¡±


    All of the fairies kept their distance, but they all looked on with curiosity and excitement, as well as a certain degree of reverence. All of the bitterness they had shown before had been gone. It seemed like some of the fairies that had evolved were fairies that had known me from months before, and had come to recognize me. At the time, I would have said there were maybe thirty fairies around the fountain, and now I saw close to two hundred, so they had definitely multiplied since I had last seen them, and many of them would have never seen me before. Plus, it hadn¡¯t been long after my body had changed that I left the city of Chalm.


    The fairies weren¡¯t the only ones waiting at a distance. The people who had been tasked with building the palace and taking care of the children, Astria¡¯s slaves, had stopped their construction and were now watching us with a bit of hope and confusion. Everyone could see that the once proud and overbearing fairy queen that had bullied the entire district from above was now walking alongside and deferring to two others.


    As I looked upon the project that Astria started, I slowly nodded to myself. ¡°I think we should continue to build this palace. It¡¯s in a good spot, and I have a feeling my mansion isn¡¯t going to be large enough eventually.¡±


    With that, I had staked the location of my new home.

 Chapter 1116

    ¡°Master, here.¡± A girl handed me a flower.


    ¡°I made you a heart.¡±


    ¡°Master, master!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just Lord Deekson to you.¡± I coughed awkwardly.


    Once reaching the palace, I had gone to the children first, using my White Mage skills to their best use making sure they were all healthy. Thankfully, Astria¡¯s actions hadn¡¯t done any lasting damage to the girls. Actually, that wasn¡¯t true. It was clear that her using these innocent girls like a mana sieve had done something to them, but it wasn¡¯t clear whether that something was bad or not.


    First off, although they were children, they lacked the dirtiness of humans. That wasn¡¯t meant to be insulting, but humans, especially ill ones, tended to look unwell. These girls all had perfect skin, perfect hair, and it was like all of their imperfections were blasted away. They also seemed to be extremely bold. I never saw myself as being scary, but a guy over six feet tall should intimidate a little girl. Yet, as soon as I appeared, these girls beamed at me and started to fawn over me. Now, they were starting to call me Master.


    I shot Astria another look.


    She threw her hands up helplessly. ¡°I¡¯m as clueless as you. They aren¡¯t fairies¡­ not exactly. However, they¡¯re not exactly human either. Their souls have been flooded with mana. I suspect, in time, they will all become powerful mages.


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    To confirm her theory, I used my God and Devil Eye to look at a few of them. Every single one of them had unlocked Basic or Apprentice Magician. She was right, their long-term exposure to mana had somehow turned them into little mage monsters.


    ¡°Deek Deekson, my lord. You¡¯ve truly returned.¡± An unfamiliar man said, wringing his hat in his hands before shooting Astria a nervous look.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about Astria anymore.¡± I declared.


    He let out a breath. ¡°Yes, my lord. However, I want you to know that although we have lived in fear, the fairy queen hasn¡¯t been awful to us. Most of us working on the palace were volunteers because it allowed us to be closer to our children here. She¡¯s kept us fed, and kept any monsters at bay. In truth, if she wasn¡¯t here, many of us would have fled already.¡±


    ¡°Fled?¡± I started to ask before I understood. ¡°Chalm¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worse than before, my lord. The darkness radiating from that city¡­ I¡­ I have something to show you.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I put the girls who were climbing on me down and then stood up. ¡°Show me.¡±


    The man didn¡¯t take me far. There was a cage that resembled the slave cages I had seen in the capital, except much smaller. It was placed in a spot hidden out-of-sight. Inside, there was a single man. He was on the ground, his head down, and was rocking back and forth, mumbling something in words I couldn¡¯t make out.


    ¡°What is this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°This is a man who came from Chalm. He¡¯s the only one we¡¯ve managed to recover.¡±


    I reached out to touch the cage when the man suddenly looked up. His eyes were red, and he had the sharp teeth of a canine. He leaped at the cage, growing viciously as he tried to bite me. I jerked back.


    ¡°He¡¯s been turned into a werewolf!¡±


    ¡°Actually, he¡¯s just a wolfkin. The red eyes and fangs he already had.¡± The man coughed.


    ¡°R-right¡­¡± I responded, looking at the wolf tail sticking out from behind.


    Chalm was majority animalkin. I had almost forgotten.

 Chapter 1117

    Physically, the wolfkin wasn¡¯t any different. However, he wasn¡¯t acting like a standard citizen either. It was like he had gone completely feral. I reached out and cast several different spells to alleviate status misalignments and to heal him. After using Cure Disease, Cure Poison, Remove Curse, Purify, and even Ablution, the wolfkin was still growling in a low voice, unrecovered.


    ¡°This might not be something you¡¯ll be able to resolve,¡± Astria spoke quietly. ¡°We might need the other girls to resolve this.¡±


    ¡°Where are my girls? Have any returned?¡± I turned to her questioningly.


    ¡°They¡­ have not.¡± Astria shook her head. ¡°I do not know where they are.¡±


    ¡°Shao returned to my old world,¡± I explained. ¡°I adjusted her bond so her life was no longer connected to my own before she left. I wasn¡¯t sure how it would respond to us being in different worlds, and I wasn¡¯t going to risk her life on it. Besides, the need to restrain her with a bond no longer seemed necessary. As for the Slave Guild, well, she¡¯s in another world, how are they going to know? Either way, she should be safe there. I¡¯m not even sure she¡¯d be aware I died.


    ¡°As for Lydia, she went north looking for a skilled swordsman to teach her beyond the restraints of her levels. Terra went underground, following an ancient tunnel to the Deep with Garnet to recover some rare minerals. Miki went west to a certain dungeon to improve her undead abilities. Other than Shao, all three of them said their journeys could take up to three months, so it¡¯s not too worrying they haven¡¯t returned yet. However, if they think I¡¯m dead, that changes things.¡±


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    ¡°Miki would be the closest.¡± Celeste declared.


    ¡°Her ability to deal with souls would be very valuable. We should try to find her immediately. Daughter, you have speed. You should be able to find her and return quicker than anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    I didn¡¯t respond to their decision, as my attention was instead focused on the growling man. I had tried to purify him, and I wasn¡¯t able to fix him. However, what if he was under some kind of karmic infection? It would be something similar to what I had experienced in the Twilight Dungeon. I switched out my White Mage job for Mimic instead. This time, I tried to place him under Karmic Control.


    The girls let out cries as I reached through the cage and touched him. However, as soon as I touched him, he let out a whimper. I reached into his soul, and there I found it. For lack of a better word, it was a form of soul control. White Mage purification and Ablution was simply far too broad to catch something like this, which was hidden in the soul itself. I flipped the switch. The man let out a sudden scream and then collapsed to the ground.


    The man who had guided me here let out a cry. ¡°Wh-what happened?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± I stated after doing a quick check. ¡°He¡¯s just unconscious. When he wakes up, he should have his mind working again.¡±


    ¡°So, there is a solution.¡± Celeste let out a breath.


    ¡°Astria¡­ what exactly is going on?¡± I demanded.


    I had been putting off this question for a while until Astria was prepared to tell me, but now I didn¡¯t feel like I could wait any longer.


    Astria¡¯s face flushed. ¡°What is going on in Chalm¡­ I¡¯m not sure Master will be able to fix it on his own.¡±


    ¡°Damage?¡± I narrowed my eyes. ¡°I think you need to tell me exactly what happened in Chalm.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Astria looked down. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I can describe this properly. In short, Chalm is now a dungeon, and everyone in it are Elaya¡¯s monsters!¡±

 Chapter 1118

    As it turned out, Chalm had been overtaken by Elaya. It would be nice to blame her entirely, but I had already made that mistake with Astria and I wasn¡¯t going to jump to conclusions again. When all of my bonds were cut, that was all of my bonds. That included my existence as the Dungeon Master to my dungeon. It made sense that all of my tamed monsters would be freed, and the calm miasma that had once served my populace would run amok.


    I decided to stay the night with the fairies. We returned to the old town of Chalm, where I brought back all of the children and volunteer workers and then made an announcement.


    ¡°Those who wish to work on completing the palace will be paid handsomely,¡± I announced out loud. ¡°I will also be officially naming this town Chalm¡¯s Crossing. You will become the bridge between Aberis and western Aberis.¡±


    Technically, because of the shape of the wilderness, Chalm¡¯s Crossing was farther east than Deeksville. It was technically on the very border of the area given to me by Prince Aberis as part of my promotion. That was because it was on the border of Aberis. Technically, the wilderness wasn¡¯t claimed by Aberis, and old Chalm had been built distinctly outside the border of Aberis.


    By giving me the wilderness, Prince Aberis had done nothing except offer the support of Aberis should Dioshin on the opposite side pose a problem once we started settling the west. In truth, the land given by Aberis was only a small sliver in the southwest. Even the area north in Alerith, where Lord Reign was still in charge, wasn¡¯t mine yet. That was another threat that had been delayed two months. I¡¯d deal with it when I had time.


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    After making my announcements, the people only clapped weakly. Many of them had been drained of lifeforce by the fairies for the last few months, and those were the ones that weren¡¯t forced to work around the clock on the palace. They were a beaten people who lived in fear. After Astria apologized to them personally, it still was a bit much.


    That was until I broke out my Cook job and began to make food. Food was a good pick me up in this world too. Since I was pulling out spices from my world, the food was even better. We had meat, potatoes, and vegetables. It was probably the most luxurious meal the people that had lived out here had ever seen. Chalm had slowly begun to adopt a more sophisticated diet under my influence, but Chalm¡¯s Crossing was still too isolated.


    After eating, the people grew more relaxed and even began talking with me and the fairies. While listening in on their conversations, I learned that their plight wasn¡¯t all bad. The Nymphs had been sucking people dry of mana, but they were Nymphs. They pulled out mana from humans while they were asleep. This ended up giving the people vivid erotic dreams. I finally learned that their suffering wasn¡¯t from exhaustion but embarrassment. Relationships were ruined as the men and women no longer could satisfy each other.


    They were sexually exhausted from night after night of sex dreams! They were too embarrassed to hang out with those they had likely fantasized about during such dreams. Even with the fairies promising not to do it to anyone unwillingly anymore, many of them volunteered to continue to be harvested with bright excited eyes. I wanted my righteous anger back.

 Chapter 1119

    I ended up staying at a familiar inn that I had first started sleeping at when I came to this world. This time, I had Astria and Celeste with me. We didn¡¯t do anything. Until the other girls were found, we vowed that we wouldn¡¯t do anything like that. I asked the girls if they knew anything else regarding Chalm, but they didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Are you going to be going alone?¡± Celeste asked.


    ¡°I want you to go and get any news you can on the other girls,¡± I spoke to Celeste.


    ¡°I could come¡­¡± Astria said stubbornly.


    ¡°You¡¯re too weak. You gave up most of your energy to your daughter, and the fight we had probably didn¡¯t do you any favors. You¡¯re to stay at the palace and recover.¡± I explained again to Astria.


    The two fairies still looked at me worriedly.


    ¡°You know, I can summon up an army of fairies. They didn¡¯t all become nymphs. I also have a few wisps, dryads, salamanders, and gnomes.


    ¡°So many types of fairies!¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I didn¡¯t know about their evolutions either. It wasn¡¯t until I pushed them that they started to evolve. Of the two hundred I have, thirty have become higher fairies. They could help you. You¡¯re best as a leader. With that much firepower¡­¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I need to see things for myself. Besides, if I bring an army, I might end up starting a war. I hope that none of the citizens get hurt, and I won¡¯t be able to guarantee that with fairies running around.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± She seemed uncertain.


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    ¡°Besides, I have Alysia with me. She¡¯ll keep me safe.¡±


    She shot a glare at the sword sitting in the corner of the room. ¡°That sword is making me jealous again!¡±


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not doing anything?¡± Alysia cried out defensively.


    ¡°Nevermind that,¡± Celeste spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m used to Master bringing other women home. However, there is something else that Master has been putting off.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I blinked, giving an innocent smile. ¡°What is that? I think we¡¯ve resolved everything. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll be going to Chalm. Astria will be resting. You will go searching for Miki and then meet me back at Chalm. It sounds like a perfect plan.¡±


    ¡°Where is the part where I¡¯m your slave again?¡± She demanded, making an upset face that still looked adorable on the cute fairy.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I asked, looking away. ¡°The slave bond between us was removed.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! So, why haven¡¯t you made me a slave already? I¡¯ve been waiting all night! You already enslaved mother.¡±


    I coughed. ¡°I mean, I enslaved your mother because she was out of control. I needed to put a leash on her.¡±


    ¡°Mm! Mm! Mother is bad, mother must be punished by Master, so he¡¯ll put reins on her and then ride her like an animal!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no punishment at all!¡± Celeste cried out. ¡°I want to be a slave again!¡±


    ¡°Celeste¡­ you¡¯re strong now,¡± I said awkwardly. ¡°You don¡¯t need that power. As far as being close, I¡¯m happy to be as close to you as you want to be. This is a chance for us to start anew, and to be as equa- ahh!¡±


    Celeste leaped on me her expression filled with seriousness. ¡°Make me your slave, Now!¡±


    ¡°Y-y-yes!¡±


    {Celeste has become your slave.}


    {Name: Celeste


    Class: Elemental


    Job: Master Wind Magician (LVL 85), Novice Magician (LVL 100), Magic Singer (LVL 44)


    Unlocked Jobs: Adept Wind Magician (LVL 50), Apprentice Magician (LVL 80), Singer (LVL 28), Enchanter (LVL 20), Tinker (LVL 3)


    Race: Aeolus}


    That bond formed instantly, snapping into place before I even finished the spell without any resistance. I let out a sigh, but Celeste snuggled up to me humming peacefully to herself. Her mother gave me apologetic looks as if to say that it couldn¡¯t be helped. I supposed it was settled. One way or another, I¡¯d end up with a slave harem.

 Chapter 1120

    The next morning, I woke up bright and earlier. It was just like the old times, when we would wake up early, fight in a dungeon until evening, and then rest around the mansion. Except for this time, I was sending Celeste away and going on my own.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry,¡± Alysia reassured me. ¡°It¡¯s probably not that bad.¡±


    I had been able to cure that man of the karmic infection he had received. Furthermore, I wasn¡¯t going to hide my appearance with Elaya. Once she saw my face, she would likely fall over herself trying to get an apology for everything she had done. I relocated Xin to the unfinished palace and tasked Astria¡¯s fairies with taking care of her. They would keep her asleep for the moment.


    Until I could reconnect with my Xin, it was best if she didn¡¯t suddenly become coherent again. I still worried that I had missed something and Demon Lord Aberis had left some kind of piece of himself inside her so that he could once again return. That demon was a cockroach.


    After seeing Celeste fly off, I opened a Portal just outside of Chalm. As soon as I looked down on the city, I let out a hiss.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Alysia asked in an alarmed voice.


    Looking down into the city, it was completely blocked by a giant purple dome. It resembled the dome that the priests had put over the city back when Karr¡¯s dungeon had taken over. Now, it was my dungeon that had caused all of this harm. It gave me a complicated feeling as I thought about it. Dungeons inherently hurt the world they existed in. They were cancerous sores, taking in the world¡¯s mana and then corrupting it. Trying to control one and use it for your own gains came with risks.


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    I had thought to control such a dungeon. I had convinced myself that it was tame because it was mine. However, that tameness had been dependent on me. When I died, that miasma flowed out of control and consumed Elaya and the city. Astria had barely managed to escape. Even if I hadn¡¯t died, I was someone who took risks every day. I entered other dungeons and fought people. What about the future?


    I was only human. Astria, Celeste, and many of the other girls would long outlive me. Inevitably, even in the best of circumstances, I would die. Was dealing with a dungeon simply too much risk? Was it always going to end in such a bad way? Even if I could undo the damage this time, what about the next time? What about when I grew old and died? I didn¡¯t want my legacy to end with my city being wiped out by my own creation.


    ¡°You have that look on your face again,¡± Alysia said.


    ¡°You can¡¯t see my face.¡±


    ¡°I can feel it. You¡¯re thinking you made a mistake with dungeons.¡± Alysia was starting to understand me more and more the longer our souls were bound like this.


    ¡°Did I?¡± I asked wistfully.


    ¡°For the longest time, I only thought dungeons could be destroyed. You taught me that dungeons could serve a purpose, that the curses could be turned into blessings.¡± Alysia spoke. ¡°This dungeon may be a curse now, but I have a feeling that as long as Master is involved, it will one day become a blessing.¡±


    I took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Then, let¡¯s make another happy ending.¡±

 Chapter 1121

    I started walking forward into Chalm. Of course, there was the option of portaling directly into the city, or even into Xin¡¯s boss room. Sadly, I couldn¡¯t do it. Portal depended on me having the area I was visiting on the Map. Over time, analyzing space laws with the Blue Mage job, I had come to realize that Portal did not depend on any kind of visual understanding of the land. It came from mana sense. I hadn¡¯t realized it, but my mapping skill used mana like a sonar. This is also why creatures appeared on it, even hidden ones I couldn¡¯t see. The only way something couldn¡¯t be seen is if it didn¡¯t emit any mana signature at all.


    The dungeon and the city inside no longer had the same mana signature they once had. On my Map, it showed a blank space encompassing the large barrier dome over the city, and it was as if I had never visited this place before. That was ultimately why I had decided to go to Chalm Crossing first rather than directly to Chalm.


    As we reached the barrier, I was able to take a closer look at it. This wasn¡¯t like the priest barrier that had once been set up. Rather, one could say it¡¯s the exact opposite. That barrier had been erected to block the spread of the miasmic contamination. This was because Karr¡¯s dungeon was originally too volatile to destroy, and the church wanted to use the cursed city as a deterrent to hold back the wilderness from spreading into Aberis.


    This barrier, on the other hand, was created by miasma, and while I wasn¡¯t nearly as experienced with such things as the likes of Elaya, I could tell that it seemed to be designed to condense miasma. It was cycling miasma, absorbing it, and then redirecting it into a certain spot. That spot, if I had to guess, was the former fairy spring. In short, it was a miasma generator that was skillfully built to service the dungeon.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a dungeon like this,¡± Alysia spoke in wonder.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the dungeon,¡± I responded. ¡°Most dungeons you¡¯ve seen have been contained using special spells and barriers so that the miasma doesn¡¯t leak out and affect the area. Good enough barriers can even allow a dungeon to be right in the middle of a city. Wild dungeons, on the other hand, don¡¯t have such a restriction. The miasma usually spreads from the entrance, and you end up with an area around the surface that is corrupted and contains monsters. This is also where most surface monsters that eventually acclimate to a non-dungeon climate come from.


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    ¡°Elaya didn¡¯t turn all of Chalm into a dungeon, but she did allow it to influence all of Chalm. The real dungeon is still underground, and there is no telling how big it¡¯s gotten in the last two months. Two months ago, it had been heavily damaged in the fight against Demon Lord Aberis. Now though, with Astria dumping mana in to protect Celeste and Elaya turning the fairy spring into a miasma spring¡­ I can¡¯t tell you what the dungeon had evolved into.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± She responded somberly.


    Alysia had dedicated her life to fighting back the dungeon threat, but most of the dungeons she had visited were tame ones. She resented them for the people who died in them, but compared to a wild dungeon, they were nearly as tame as dogs. As a result, she barely knew anything about what dungeons were actually like. Well, every dungeon was practically a living creature, and if I ever got old enough to retire, I could probably write a book on categorizing dungeon types and giving out wisdom on their nature.


    After determining that walking through the miasma barrier wouldn¡¯t harm us, I cautiously began to move forward. With a step, I passed through the miasma barrier. Every miasma was different. They each had a unique signature to them. For example, the miasma from the Malacrum dagger that I took from Astria and now had in my Inventory had an extremely aggressive miasma. Even when I had a blessing that made me immune to the negative effects of miasma, that only accounted for some of what the miasma did.


    It still could attack my soul, and it did so aggressively to the point that I barely survived. It wasn¡¯t until I ended up with a god soul that I had truly become immune to miasma. Now, it rolled off of me with ease. What made me uncomfortable was that this miasma no longer welcomed me. This was miasma from my own dungeon, but after our bond was broken, the miasma had somehow changed its signature. It was no longer mine. I realized it wouldn¡¯t be enough just to walk into the dungeon. I¡¯d need to challenge it, and become the Dungeon Master.

 Chapter 1122

    Despite everything, I wasn¡¯t actually the Dungeon Master of my own dungeon. I had built the dungeon, and the miasma that coursed through the dungeon had my own personal DNA, but I feared that if I had become a Dungeon Master, I would have been linked to the dungeon, unable to move. It was Xin who had been given the responsibility of managing my dungeon, and it was her existence and soul that were tied to it.


    It stood to reason that with the close relationship between Xin and Elaya, that Elaya had essentially taken my role as the builder, while Xin continued to be the dungeon¡¯s master. Things were different now, however. I believed that with my Mimic job, that I could be the Dungeon Master, while not being stuck in the dungeon. Essentially, I¡¯d create a duplicate identity as myself, make that the Dungeon Master, and then whenever I left the dungeon, I would just change identities, obscuring that one for a time.


    I had thought about this for a bit, and I was pretty sure it would work. Thus, me becoming the Dungeon Master was possible now. Of course, if I died again, and it severed the bond, the dungeon would fall about and disperse, rather than going out of control like it did this time. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t afford to die anymore. Besides, no one but Miki would have the ability to resurrect me if I died anyway. The larger the soul, the more demanding the Resurrection, and my soul, especially after being tempered in the soul dungeon, in the same way that it was difficult to destroy, it would also be difficult to resurrect.


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    I stepped into the city of Chalm. The barrier had blocked out the light, leaving the place completely dark. I used the Light spell to create a circle of light around me. This was a powerful dungeon spell that I didn¡¯t always appreciate, since the circle of light that it created only worked for me and those in my party. It was like those circles of light in certain hack-and-slash role-playing games. In theory, I could knock out the lights and then use my Light spell, blinding my opponent while only I could see. Well, that didn¡¯t usually work in dungeons, because most animals down there were acclimated to being in that environment.


    Thus, while I could see around me, they couldn¡¯t see me. As for who they were, as soon as I stepped into the city and turned on the light, I could see a group of five people. They were standing there aimlessly, not taking a single step. I realized that they were the people of Chalm. Several of them were animalkin of various types. However, their skin was deathly pale, and they weren¡¯t moving like normal.


    One of them had lifted his head in my direction. His eyes were completely black without a hint of white. He let out a low growl in my direction as if he had sensed me. He must have heard me. I realized that I should have equipped some dungeon skills that allowed me to hide my presence and sneak. Accessing them now would only cause my tattoos to glow, and that is something these creatures would see.


    The man suddenly let out a barking screech that sounded inhuman. The screech was repeated by dozens, and then hundreds of voices all around us. His eyes were directly on me, and the other four individuals I could see looked in my direction as well.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to need to run,¡± I said to Alysia.


    ¡°I agree.¡±

 Chapter 1123

    I ducked into an alley. A dozen or so screeching people ran past the entrance a few moments later. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t seem to be as smart as they were in the past. I let out a breath. I didn¡¯t know what their intent was as they ran at me screeching with black eyes, but it couldn¡¯t be good. They actually reminded me of zombies, not the kind I fought in Mina¡¯s dungeon, but the rage virus kind. I had already had a hint of this when I encountered that crazed man, but it looked like the entire town was infected with a miasmic curse.


    As I was catching my breath, I heard a crashing sound behind me. A cold chill ran up my spine as I turned around. Slowly, crawling out of a trash heap, was a little girl. She had her hair over her eyes, and she looked filthy. Has she been surviving here this whole time in this city? I felt sympathy, taking a step toward her and holding out my hand.


    ¡°Little Miss, are you alright?¡±


    The girl lifted her head, revealing black eyes.


    ¡°Screeee!¡± She let out a cry.


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    I jumped up kicking off the walls until I was on the roof. I then began to run as I heard more screeches off in the distance as her call sent others coming. I jumped from rooftop to rooftop, but this was impossible to do without being noticed. More and more screeches occurred and I could hear villagers racing around on the streets below as they scrambled in my direction. If I kept this up, I was going to get the entire town into a frenzy.


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    I stopped for a moment, glancing around worriedly.


    ¡°Master?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°I need to get to the dungeon entrance. I was trying to get in the mansion so I could skip straight down to the boss level, but I¡¯m starting to realize that is impossible.¡±


    As I looked out toward my mansion, the vast majority of infected were huddled in a horde right at the entrance. Getting past them would be near impossible, even for me. They were like the perfect alarm. However, on the outskirts of town opposite where I was, the true entrance sat unprotected. I didn¡¯t think these villagers would follow me into the dungeon, so all I had to do was cross the entrance, and then I¡¯d be in the normal territory. On the other hand, if I entered the mansion, a horde of them could end up following me and trampling through it.


    These were still people, so even if I could outrun them through the mansion, that many close together were bound to trample some of them and potentially kill them. There were even children in those crowds, so getting them riled up wasn¡¯t an option.


    Making my decision, I turned to the outer entrance. However, I barely made it a step before one of the zombified residents leaped up from the street and onto the roof. It was an extremely impressive jump. This man wasn¡¯t even an animalkin, which made the feat even more impressive. However, this happened to be a person I recognized. My face turned pale.


    ¡°Guild Master?¡±


    The Guild Master of Chalm looked at me with his solid black eyes, and then let out a screech.

 Chapter 1124

    ¡°The Guild Master is rather tough,¡± I responded.


    I had knocked him back twice, but each time, with a roar, he¡¯d leap back onto the roof, charging at me like an animal. Well, animals didn¡¯t use swords, and despite his current feral state, he seemed to still be able to understand how to use a weapon. Calling them completely mindless would be incorrect.


    ¡°What should we do, Master?¡± Alysia asked. ¡°I can knock him unconscious.¡±


    I glanced over in the direction of the undefended dungeon. If the residents of Chalm were being controlled by the dungeon now, it seemed kind of odd that the primary entrance to the dungeon wasn¡¯t being protected at all. The people all remained in the city. This could mean that the people had some basic attachment to the city. They may be aggressive, but perhaps they remained in their comfort areas instinctively. This could also mean some kind of trap near the entrance. I didn¡¯t know.


    Shaking my head slowly, I focused back on the charging man. ¡°Don¡¯t take him down. I have another plan for him.¡±


    I dodged the Guild Master, leaping back to the previous building. He immediately changed his footing to follow. He was quite adept with footwork. I had thought all of my time in the dungeons had caused me to far outstrip the simple people of Chalm. However, I continually find myself amazed at how small my worldview had been. The Guild Master, for example, seemed to be just as strong as any of my girls had been around the time we defeated Demon Lord Aberis for the first time.


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    I hadn¡¯t seen him in the battle, although he had surely helped fight the demon armies, and he had even led the local adventurers in battle. I recalled hearing something about the adventurers being one of the stronger teams. At the time, it hadn¡¯t registered. After all, I had joined the adventurers once, and while no one died, they had been beaten back by the zombies of Mina¡¯s dungeon. This had given me an impression that Chalm¡¯s adventuring guild wasn¡¯t that strong.


    Then again, that had been Chalm Crossing. It stood to reason that as Chalm was reclaimed and quests going out to the wilderness became available, that stronger and more capable adventurers would have been pulled out west by the promise of adventure. I had donated a lot of my coin which had ended up paying these adventurers to keep back the wilderness. It wasn¡¯t all the dungeon dissuading them, but also the work of the people putting their lives on the line. That was something I shouldn¡¯t forget. It looked like my party weren¡¯t the only Chalm residents getting stronger.


    Now that I remembered it, Big Sis Ruby had also managed to keep up with my girls, although she had ultimately decided that we were too reckless and stopped following me. Ah, speaking of which, if Guild Master was under control, then wouldn¡¯t she¡­


    ¡°Trap!¡± I tried to leap to the side, but a hidden person had been waiting as the Guild Master had forced me back while I considered how I was going to capture him.


    Ruby appeared, stabbing me in the back with her blade. She let out a howl as she stabbed into my back. Guild Master took the initiative and also attacked, stabbing me from the front. Blood splashed from my body as I was cut from both sides. I hadn¡¯t expected them to coordinate like this. It looked like the higher their levels, the more intelligence they retained.


    ¡°Master!¡± Alysia let out a cry as I was skewered from both sides.

 Chapter 1125

    ¡°Gotcha!¡± I grabbed onto the wrists of the Guild Master and Ruby, a slight grin on my face, using their moment of triumph against them.


    With Mimic equipped, I used Karmic Control, diving into their souls and attacking the miasmic infection at its source. The two let out panicked screams, but after having already worked out how to do this once, it was much easier the second time. I could probably even do it from a distance, but I had to be certain this time. The two infected people collapsed to the ground. Whether it was because my skill was more refined this time, or because they were both heartier, they didn¡¯t pass out completely.


    Instead, the pair leaned on the ground, gasping for breath. It was the Guild Master who had recovered first. He looked up at me, his eyes no longer black, and he let out a horrified cry.


    ¡°L-Lord Deekson!¡±


    I looked down at him. ¡°Guild Master.¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­ y-you¡¯re alive!¡± A voice shouted behind me, and then large arms wrapped around me from behind.


    ¡°Ahhh! C-can you at least get these weapons out of me?¡±


    ¡°Oh no!¡± She turned red, reaching out and grabbing and pulling her blade out.


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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± The Guild Master ripped his weapon out at the same time.


    ¡°Gahhhh¡­ that smarts!¡± I fell to a knee, but I was already casting Heal.


    Actually, after the torture I had experienced through Alysia¡¯s torment in the soul domain, this kind of pain was nothing. I had let the pair strike me. I had just been planning to let the Guild Master strike me. I hadn¡¯t realized Ruby was there until it was too late, so I allowed her to strike too. My body was too tough for them to cause more than superficial wounds. My vitality was something that couldn¡¯t be ignored. Even compared to Osterians, I would be hard to knockdown.


    Although they were both fast and strong, they were still not thinking clearly. Perhaps, if they worked toward a fight of attrition, they could have slowly worn me down. That¡¯s why I chose to ultimately take the hits head on. I needed to get close enough to grab them, and I needed them to let their guard down for a moment. I didn¡¯t know if they could use skills in that state, and I didn¡¯t want to tempt them to the point they were using powerful skills and potentially hurting themselves or the other infected.


    As the wounds started to close at a visible rate, I heard a sudden sob. Ruby threw her arms around me again.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I¡¯m sorry!¡± She bellowed loud enough that even the infected downstairs awkwardly started to walk away.


    ¡°Who is this then?¡± Alysia asked.


    She had been perfectly fine with princesses and slaves, but for some reason, Ruby, with her big chest that revealed a ton of cleavage being pressed against me had caused Alysia to grow irate. The Guild Master scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.


    ¡°She had become a wreck after she thought you died.¡± He admitted. ¡°I have to say, I¡¯m glad to see the rumors were wrong. I¡¯m even more glad to see you. As you can see, Chalm needs you.¡±


    Hearing the screeching calls throughout the city, I had to say that this was an understatement.

 Chapter 1126

    ¡°Alysia, this is big sis Ruby. She¡¯s¡­ um¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m his big sister!¡± Ruby pushed against me, her chest pressing against my arm as she glared at Alysia. ¡°And who is this?¡±


    ¡°Alysia! I¡¯m his sword.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ you weren¡¯t able to protect him from my blade.¡±


    ¡°That was¡­ he moved me out of the way!¡± Alysia shot back poutily.


    In a time that felt like forever ago, it had been Ruby who had helped acclimate me to the Adventuring -0pGuild. She was over a head taller than me, and I had ended up knowing her as a big sister. Later on, she traveled with my group for a bit while battling bandits, but eventually decided we were too reckless and left our team. I had honestly been under the impression she didn¡¯t like me all that much. Since I had merged, I was now a head taller than her, so my big sister was now smaller than me, but for some reason, she had her arm around me and was acting extremely protective.


    We had fled back to the Adventuring Guild, the Guild Master using a smoke bomb to hide our escape from the other infected. We were now in his office. According to him, his office had many defensive spells placed on it, and it wouldn¡¯t be easy for anyone to get in here, allowing us some time to speak in private. At that point, Alysia had returned to her human form, her arms crossed, glaring at Ruby, who had incidentally glared back.


    I had always thought that Ruby was half-Osterian because of her size. Meanwhile, Alysia was half-Osterian, although she looked all Osterian because of her mother¡¯s sacrifice. They were both well-endowed adventurers with out-going friendly demeanors. One would think that the two would get along fantastically. Incidentally, both of them had never shown an ounce of a problem with Lydia or any of my other slave girls, let alone Eliana or Raissa. Raissa and Ruby seemed to get along well. So, why were they glaring at each other? Women were truly confusing.


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    ¡°I thought that you were angry at me,¡± I admitted to Ruby, partially to prevent the two from fighting even more.


    ¡°A-angry¡­¡± She cocked her head. ¡°Why do you think that?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ the Guild Master¡­ he said you didn¡¯t want to adventure with us anymore. He said you retired. I thought, after we had done all of those dangerous things, you had come to resent us.¡±


    Ruby blinked and then turned to the Guild Master. He straightened up. Ruby suddenly pulled out her blades.


    ¡°What did you say, old man?¡±


    ¡°Ahh! R-R-Ruby! It¡¯s not what it looks like! The situation¡­¡± He looked at me and threw out his hand, pointing. ¡°He said he wanted to get you pregnant!¡±


    ¡°Ehhh?¡± I stumbled back. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I mean, I said it, but I didn¡¯t mean it!¡±


    I did vaguely recall saying that if she wanted to have children, I¡¯d have them with her, but I was more flustered after she suddenly dumped me. Not me! My team! I wasn¡¯t dumped by Ruby!


    ¡°You what?¡± Ruby glared at me.


    ¡°Y-you misunderstand!¡± I waved my hands desperately. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want you to leave the party!¡¯


    ¡°You said you were conflicted, so I was just trying to help!¡± The Guild Master cried out.


    Ruby glared at both of us. ¡°What kind of cheap woman do you think I am? You think either of you can decide these kinds of things for me?¡±


    My mouth flapped open and closed a few times. Meanwhile, the Guild Master looked on with wide eyes. I shot a look to Alysia, hoping for some support here.


    She glanced away with a sniff. ¡°Men are scum.¡±


    Ruby and Alysia shared a nod of agreement. Why did they start getting along now of all times?

 Chapter 1127

    ¡°Why am I scum?¡± I demanded with a wounded look.


    ¡°They called me scum too¡­¡± The Guild Master whimpered.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who caused all of this!¡± I snapped at him.


    The Guild Master was trying to act like he was innocent, but it was his actions that had caused Ruby to grow angry in the first place. He was even giving me a pitiful look like he wanted me to defend his actions. So shameless. He¡¯s the one who had made me think that Ruby hated me. At least he had the decency to look guilty as I glared at him.


    Meanwhile, Ruby let out a sigh, sitting back behind the desk chair and putting her feet up on the desk. Wait, wasn¡¯t this the Guild Master¡¯s office? My glare turned to a questioning look, and the Guild Master shrugged helplessly.


    ¡°She¡¯s vice guild master now, but I¡¯d swear she thought she was the boss.¡±


    ¡°Eh? What was that?¡± She asked.


    ¡°N-nothing!¡± the Guild Master jumped.


    ¡°And for you, Deek.¡± She barked at me.


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± I also jumped.


    She sighed. ¡°When I traveled with you a few months ago, you showed me a part of myself that I didn¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°What do you think the point of being an Adventurer is?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Um¡­ adventuring?¡± I frowned.


    ¡°It¡¯s about putting your life on the line, taking risks, and fighting for what you believe in. At every point along the way, you would do reckless, crazy, stupid things. They were things I never even would have thought of on my own. I began to realize that I¡¯m not the Adventurer I thought I was. That¡¯s why I ended up retiring and becoming the vice guild master. I just didn¡¯t have it in me to truly go on adventures anymore.


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t get it. She should have said something if she felt that way. Why did the Guild Master say I was the reason? Why did I get attacked? She continued speaking.


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    ¡°The Guild Master has been trying to get me to retire and join him for a while. He was probably afraid you¡¯d convince me to leave with you.¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s not true!¡± The Guild Master turned red though, basically showing his guilt. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I may have exaggerated a bit, but she really was in a mood after returning!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I was in a mood.¡± She scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to realize hard truths about yourself. I realized that I couldn¡¯t make a difference out there. However, with my experience, I realized that if I became a guild master, I could still make a real difference in the lives of other Adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Did she just call herself the guild master?¡± The Guild Master muttered.


    ¡°With Chalm growing, I knew that they needed strong support in the future. Guild Master was already a worthless old man who is full of hot air.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I nodded, remembering how many times him and the mayor got me doing their dirty work.


    ¡°You agree!¡± The Guild Master cried out tearfully.


    Ruby continued, ignoring the Guild Master. ¡°There are so many little problems a city faces that you¡¯re never aware of because it gets handled by the various guilds. I knew that the best way I could help you and the city was to take on this position.¡±


    ¡°Help me?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Since you started calling me big sis, I guess I began to see you as my little brother too. I don¡¯t have any other family. My parents ended up selling me into slavery when I was a child.¡±


    My eyes grew wide. ¡°You were a slave?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°I wasn¡¯t for long. I was a sickly child. It was Figuro who had received me, and Chalm ended up buying me and nursing me back to health, so for as long as I remember, I¡¯ve been part of Chalm. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve stuck around, and why I feel so much affection for this city. So, you can imagine how I felt when a shy little healer showed up and started calling me big sis. Before I knew it, you were the lord of Chalm, and managed to reclaim the city with your own strength.¡±


    So, it was that after all. Just like my girls, she had started to feel left behind. She knew that as a guild master, she¡¯d be able to have a bigger influence on the city, and wouldn¡¯t feel like she was insignificant. Everyone had their own path, it seemed.


    ¡°I understand.¡± I bowed. ¡°Guild Master Ruby.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the vice though¡­¡± the Guild Master whined helplessly.


    She waved her hand, blushing slightly. ¡°Just keep calling me big sis. I¡¯ll take care of things on this side, and do my best to support my bro on your side.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and family is family. If you fantasize about your big sister again, I¡¯ll break your balls.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡±


    I learned that day that some women didn¡¯t fantasize about having children. All my slave girls had always excitedly talked about one day being pregnant, so I had forgotten that not every woman had such aspirations. Plus, Ruby was her own person who could make her own choices. Alysia who had all of her choices stripped from her by the Demon Lord Aberis to become his incubator sympathized with this the most.


    I still didn¡¯t like being scolded. At least the pair were getting along now, I supposed.

 Chapter 1128

    ¡°Alright, can you guys give me any more information about what is going on here?¡± I asked, moving on from our previous conversation.


    The Guild Master and Ruby glanced at each other and then at me.


    ¡°We were hoping you knew what happened,¡± Ruby admitted. ¡°It started shortly after your death was announced. A request came out to suppress and control the dungeon. Since you no longer were there to control it, it needed to be contained like the other dungeons. We were just getting a team of Priests and Adventurers together when a massive barrier came over the city and miasma started seeping out from the entrance.¡±


    ¡°It reminded me of Chalm from back then. We were expecting some kind of dungeon flood, but the miasma just kept getting thicker and thicker, and then things started getting foggy.¡± The Guild Master continued. ¡°I lost my sense of time¡­ and it wasn¡¯t until not too long ago that I regained my mind with you.¡±


    ¡°So, you can¡¯t remember anything while you were under the influence of the dungeon?¡± I asked.


    The two shook their heads. That was unfortunate, but perhaps it was also a blessing. It meant that the citizens here wouldn¡¯t experience any particular trauma. I had been worrying there would be some long-lasting damage. However, I had carefully observed Ruby and the Guild Master, and they both seemed fine. They weren¡¯t even starved or dehydrated.


    ¡°What do you think we should do next?¡± Ruby asked. ¡°Are you going to move on the dungeon?¡±


    I shut my eyes for a moment and rubbed my forehead. ¡°That had been my original plan, but I¡¯m not so certain anymore. I don¡¯t know what Elaya and Xin were planning, and I don¡¯t know how they¡¯ll react to me. It seems like going after the dungeon¡¯s miasma provoked them. Since that is the case, I¡¯m inclined to provoke them a little more and see what happens.


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    ¡°Master, you should be careful. Don¡¯t forget what happened to Astria.¡± Alysia warned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t be going after them.¡± I declared. ¡°At least, not for now.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t?¡± The Guild Master asked. ¡°Then what do you plan to do?¡±


    ¡°They turned Chalm into one giant miasma generator,¡± I explained. ¡°I believe that the shield containing miasma is only part of it. The people are another part. They had somehow managed to carry out a widespread soul attack, infecting your bodies with a karmic infection. Karmic infections are slightly different from miasma. It¡¯s the difference between the soul and mana. You can damage or fortify the soul with mana, but the soul and mana are fundamentally two different things.


    ¡°Basically, with a karmic infection, a small piece of your soul has become karmic, or become miasma-based, and it manages to hijack and take over your entire mind, forcing you to fulfill a role designated by the karma¡¯s original owner, if that makes sense. I cannot remove it from anyone¡¯s soul. I believe that Miki can do this, and I¡¯ve sent someone to get her, but in the meantime, I can¡¯t get rid of the karmic infection.¡±


    Ruby frowned. ¡°Wait, but you got rid of our infections!¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t able to do that,¡± I admitted helplessly. ¡°However, I have a job called Mimic, and an ability called Karmic Control, which allows me to alter Karma. Simply put, I altered the Karmic infection in your bodies, severing your link to the dungeon, and attaching it to me. Then, I programmed your karma to have you act normally.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what are you saying?¡± The Guild Master asked.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ what¡¯s the best way to show this¡­ um¡­ raise your hand.¡±


    The Guild Master¡¯s hand shot up. He frowned at me, but then as he looked at his hand, he let out a shout. Yet, he still kept it raised.


    ¡°You can stop now.¡± I shrugged, allowing him to lower his hand with a flush. ¡°In short, if I will it, I have direct control of your souls.¡±

 Chapter 1129

    ¡°Y-you can make us do whatever you want!¡± The Guild Master cried out in surprise.


    I nodded. ¡°Sadly, the infection has already taken root. It¡¯s wrapped around your soul, and whoever has control of your karma has control of you. So, you can see the kind of damage Elaya could cause, and why I am unwilling to just barrel through the dungeon and defeat her.¡±


    ¡°Y-you can make us do whatever¡­¡± Ruby replied with a dazed expression, then looked at me with wide eyes and looked away. ¡°P-pervert¡­ I¡¯m your big sister!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say misleading things like that! If I was controlling you, do you think I¡¯d have let you attack me earlier!¡± I cried out.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t get it. Why did they do this?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not much different than what Astria was doing,¡± I explained. ¡°She was using fairies to extract the natural mana from the nearby residents. However, Elaya isn¡¯t looking for mana, she¡¯s looking for miasma. Normally, once a soul is infected with karma, miasma slowly envelops it until the soul is either consumed, resulting in the death of the host, or the soul is converted, becoming a karmic soul. Once someone¡¯s soul is converted to its karmic state, they are bound to the dungeon and are basically a dungeon monster.


    ¡°However, that isn¡¯t what is happening. The miasma is instead being absorbed by the barrier and then being fed into the dungeon. So, the people have become walking lightning rods, absorbing miasma to power this miasma generator. This is why, even after two months, you guys haven¡¯t been turned into monsters.¡±


    That was the essentials of it. Of course, I didn¡¯t understand all about how it worked. It¡¯d require someone far more accustomed to using miasma than myself. There was also one component that I had intentionally left out when I explained everything to them. That was the miasma fountain. I had noticed it the second I walked into the city. Shooting out from behind my mansion was a massive stream of miasma, which spread out and created a barrier over us. That¡¯s how I knew the two were linked because I could see they were physically linked.


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    The others either couldn¡¯t see this fountain, or they didn¡¯t know what it was. The fairy fountain behind my mansion was a secret, and even the mayor and Guild Master weren¡¯t fully informed about it. The fairies had been commanded to keep everyone from noticing it, and there were various spells and tricks so that should someone sneak behind the mansion, they would walk right past it without ever knowing it was there. If people did become aware of the fairy fountain, it would spread desire and envy. It was best to keep it as hidden as possible, but for those sensitive to mana, that was probably impossible. Either way, I thought it best not to mention it in front of these two, despite it being the lynchpin behind the alleged miasma generator.


    ¡°M-monsters¡­¡± The Guild Master went pale, seemingly focusing on that part of my talk.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve seen the others out there. They don¡¯t look much better than monsters.¡± Ruby frowned. ¡°What is your plan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need you guys to try to capture them, one at a time. We¡¯ll free them from the dungeon¡¯s control.¡± I explained.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be cutting off the supply of miasma.¡± Ruby frowned.


    ¡°Not just that!¡± Alysia spoke excitedly as she realized my plan. ¡°He plans to keep the miasma feeding into the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Huh? For what reason?¡± The Guild Master asked with a frown.


    ¡°The dungeon is currently no longer mine.¡± I shrugged. ¡°And I do not know how much the dungeon has grown these last few months. Normally, if a dungeon acted this aggressively, someone would destroy it. However, Elaya was clever to hide her tracks, and so was Astria. As a result, I can¡¯t predict how powerful or how deep it runs now. It might just be me worrying for nothing, but since we¡¯ve come this far, I might as well take every precaution.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s going to feed the dungeon his own miasma.¡± Alysia declared.


    Ruby and the Guild Master only stared. They didn¡¯t understand, but that was the gist of it. This had once been my dungeon, but now the miasma frequency was off and no longer my own. Since Elaya was using the people of this town to feed her dungeon, then I would change it back to my frequency. I would take control of the dungeon once again, starting from the inside.

 Chapter 1130

    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to pick fighters.¡± The Guild Master declared. ¡°They are a bit trickier to catch, but I reckon the more we do, the more aggressive the remaining will be.¡±


    The guild master might be a tad manipulative at times, but when it came to organization, he was a master. He had quickly started putting my plan into effect, capturing one person after another. He went specifically for Adventurers, soldiers, and guards. Once these men woke up again, they would both have the mental fortitude to deal with what happened, but also the knowledge to assist in the future.


    No one seemed to recall much more than falling into a dream-like state. Did Elaya use the Siren to obtain her goals? That certainly seemed like a possibility. The Siren could have easily lulled everyone in the city into a deep sleep, allowing Elaya to insert the karmic infections into their souls. Since they didn¡¯t remember anything, I¡¯d be waking the children up last. They¡¯d already have their mothers and fathers around, and thus not experience any trauma whatsoever.


    At first, the Guild Master and Ruby went out and brought back a person every ten minutes or so. Meanwhile, Alysia took her human form and helped restrain the townsfolk while I used Mimic to adjust their karmic influence. It was a slow process. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of finding the right people, but also doing it without letting the crowds become alerted. Once they knew we were here, they would attack.


    Although the people in the city were being used to produce miasma, they were also being used to protect the city as well. They were the dungeon¡¯s eyes and ears, alerting them to any threat. Eventually, the dungeon would notice something was happening and respond, but I wanted to push that time off as long as possible, so some subterfuge was in order. If they did get alerted, it¡¯d be difficult to cure them, let alone preventing any from getting hurt.


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    Thankfully, many of the people woke up soon after being cured of their infection. Once they woke up, they volunteered to begin helping. Naturally, the guards weren¡¯t as skilled as the Guild Master, so at first, I waited until there was an adequate group to make a small team. However, as more teams were sent out, more people were brought back more quickly. Some remained behind to restrain the captured while I continued to cure them one at a time.


    We started to set up a triage unit, spreading out to the entire Adventuring Guild, which had been expanded and was now a fairly massive building complete with a full bar, rooms, offices, and hospital. I went from infected to infected, restoring their minds one at a time as fast as I could. Even with them getting all the wait period out of the way, I could only move so fast. It took about two minutes per person to heal them. Although my mana regeneration had become impressive, I still found it slowly wearing down from the continuous use. I occasionally drank some of my remaining stores of Waters of Life, but I couldn¡¯t keep going forever.


    That said, the Adventuring Guild slowly became crowded as more and more people awakened and became eager to get to work. This was a hardy group of people. Chalm had been destroyed twice now, and they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to build it all back from scratch if they had to. These were my people, and as I saw them busily working, I felt a sense of pride.

 Chapter 1131

    ¡°Y-you¡¯re alive.¡± A girl¡¯s eyes widened as she recovered from her infection.


    Not everyone fainted. There were those of a particularly strong spirit that managed to remain awake despite their soul being tinkered with. Also, after innumerable times doing this, my Mimic was leveling up, as was my ability to manipulate karma.


    I was sitting on a chair at this point after healing her because after having used mana all day, I was near to the point of collapse.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m alive,¡± I responded.


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t remember me, do you?¡± She asked awkwardly.


    ¡°The guild receptionist?¡± I blinked after I squinted for a second.


    She nodded, smiling slightly. ¡°I was the secretary working in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild when you first arrived in the new old Chalm.¡±


    I had learned that was what they called Chalm¡¯s crossing. It had been originally called Chalm, and then I reclaimed old Chalm, which became Chalm, and thus the original Chalm became new old Chalm. I had no regrets about renaming it. I had even incorporated the original name in it so that people didn¡¯t get confused.


    This kind of redundant naming convention wasn¡¯t even unique to this locale. After all, the country of Aberis was run by the Aberis royal family in the capital city otherwise named Aberis. Also, Aberis was the name of the Demon Lord who had originally been in control of this land back when it was part of Osteria.


    Don¡¯t even get me started on the church, which could mean the Church of the Mother, the Church of the Daughter, or the Imperial Cloud Church. Well, at least I had heard the original church up north had never broken apart, so if I understood it correctly, the churches of Aberis and the Ost Republic were just the broken apart church of the offshoot of the Imperial Cloud Church that had once been in Osteria. Then there was Osteria, which was both a country and a type of people.


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    I was letting my mind wander because I was tired. The secretary girl was looking at me with a slightly guilty and awkward expression on her face. I had almost forgotten this girl, but she was one of the first people I had spoken to when I arrived in this world. I raised an eyebrow, realizing she was waiting on me to say something.


    ¡°How have you been?¡±


    Her face grew flushed. ¡°Back then, when you walked in that first time looking to be an Adventurer, I never thought you would come this far.¡±


    I blinked and then smiled. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d be here either. At the time, all I was hoping for was a good meal and a house. Had I known I¡¯d end up being the lord of a small region and have so many people depending on me¡­ well, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have changed too much.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I was pretty cold to you back then.¡± She bit her lip. ¡°I was especially mean to that girl, Miki, the nine-tail fox?¡±


    That was right. As she spoke, I was remembering that she did tend to have an attitude. She was particularly resistant toward Miki once I brought her home, and her rallying up a crowd was one of the reasons I left town. Of course, there was some reasons for that. Her family had died when the ghosts were released from the mansion, and nine-tailed foxes were a taboo existence among the animalkin.


    In reality, it was Astria who was directly responsible for her family¡¯s death. She didn¡¯t know that, and Astria and her had never crossed paths. That was probably for the best.


    ¡°I remember,¡± I responded shortly, suddenly feeling awkward myself.


    ¡°I just¡­ want to apologize.¡± She responded. ¡°I¡¯ve begun to realize that you shouldn¡¯t judge people by appearances. First you, and then Miki.¡±


    ¡°R-right¡­ accepted, miss receptionist.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I actually don¡¯t work at the guild anymore. I¡¯ve started to work at the orphanage¡­ If you ever need to find me.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ if I ever need some children¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    My face turned red, and so did hers. I had been just giving well-wishes before I realized I was misspeaking. I needed to be more careful propositioning women regarding children! I didn¡¯t even know where half of my baby mommas were.


    ¡°Then, please¡­ keep working hard. For the children.¡± She responded, using the opportunity to bid farewell and leave.


    I let out a sigh. ¡°On to the next¡­¡±

 Chapter 1132

    ¡°Deek¡­¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Deek!¡±


    ¡°Five more minutes.¡±


    ¡°You need to wake up now!¡±


    ¡°Geh!¡± I felt a boot kick me and I jerked up. ¡°I¡¯m awake! I¡¯m awake!¡±


    I looked up to see Ruby glowering down at me. ¡°You fell asleep last night while still purifying people. I know you said you can¡¯t teach others how to do what you can do, but it really would be much faster.¡±


    I was speaking the truth though. If I could just wave my hand and cause someone else to learn Mimic, I would. Unfortunately, the way I had learned it was by getting a karmic infection and using my high resistance to miasma to overcome its control. The fact that everyone here had become controlled by the dungeon already proved that they didn¡¯t have what it took to learn Mimic. Well, there might be other ways to gain Mimic.


    Overall, it¡¯s a job that I¡¯ve never seen anyone else possess, and Aberis was far too unknowledgeable about the job system as a whole. I¡¯d need to go to the Imperial Cloud Meadow if I wanted to learn more about jobs other than my research.


    ¡°I got it, I need to work on more people,¡± I grumbled as I sat up.


    Ruby gave an awkward expression. ¡°No¡­ we wanted to give you some more time to sleep. It¡¯s only been a few hours. It¡¯s still not even completely light out. However, someone has emerged from the dungeon, so we thought it was best to get you immediately.


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    ¡°Someone?¡± I jerked up. ¡°Elaya?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t tell. She¡¯s had a hood up. She demanded that we send our master immediately, and then refused to engage with anyone else. Based on what you said before about the infection, we figured she meant you.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ huh?¡±


    That would probably mean Dungeon Master. I must have conquered enough of the dungeon that they were starting to notice a rival Dungeon Master down there. I hadn¡¯t issued an official challenge, but I likely had conquered a few percent just by doing what I was doing. I had intended to smoke Elaya out rather than come in there and fetch her, so this suited my purpose just fine.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know how long she¡¯ll wait though¡­¡± She tried to pressure me to hurry.


    ¡°I understand.¡± I began to get dressed, causing Ruby to spin around. ¡°S-sorry.¡±


    I had grown so used to always having a woman around when I changed clothing and especially when I got up that it hadn¡¯t occurred to me that it was a problem. Even now, Alysia was back in her blessing form on the back of my hand. She saw what I saw, which means that she saw everything. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t talk about it with me. Actually, the next time I had sex, that might be awkward.  I coughed and sped up my changing.


    ¡°We¡¯ve managed to re-conquer half the city so far. The infected people aren¡¯t too difficult to handle with a full team. After recovering the alchemists and a few mages, we just use spells and potions to knock them out. At the moment, we¡¯re waiting on you. It also seems like we don¡¯t get hungry or thirsty, so we don¡¯t need to worry about all the food that spoiled these last two months.¡± Alysia spoke with her back to me.


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± I nodded. ¡°The miasma provides you the energy you need. If dungeon creatures needed food, dungeons wouldn¡¯t be able to function.¡±


    ¡°I-I see¡­¡± She looked back at me. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how she reacts to seeing me.¡± I agreed.

 Chapter 1133

    We left the Adventuring Guild. Several barricades had been created and there appeared to be people on the roofs. Unlike the Guild Master and Ruby, most of the other residents weren¡¯t smart enough or powerful enough to reach the roofs. Therefore, it was a rather simple process of roping one of them, pulling them, up, and then restraining them. That was when they didn¡¯t have magic to just incapacitate them one way or another.


    I knew I still had a long way to go before everyone was freed. Of course, if things went a certain way, I might not need to do anything else. The situation might end up resolving itself. Once Elaya saw me, she might just surrender the dungeon immediately. Of course, that all depended on me encountering her outside of the dungeon, and based on what I had seen so far I had a feeling she hadn¡¯t left the dungeon in months.


    Had she not come out by the time I had finished conquering the town, then I had every intention of using the mansion and trying the backdoor to reach her. The last thing I wanted to do was start a protracted battle where I had to fight my way down the dungeon. It would likely take days, even if the enemies weren¡¯t much of a challenge. Of course, there was also the possibility that the second I walked into the dungeon, she¡¯d recognize me. I didn¡¯t think that would be the case though. If it honestly was, then she should have recognized me the second I walked into the city, or when I started altering the miasma being fed back into the dungeon.


    Of course, there was an alternative that I wasn¡¯t considering. There was the possibility that she did already recognize me, and chose not to come until now. Maybe, master didn¡¯t stand for Dungeon Master, but she was still recognizing me as her master. That didn¡¯t make a whole lot of sense either. I really wouldn¡¯t know what was happening until I reached the outside of town and spoke to her or whoever was representing her.


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    I realized as I followed Ruby that a group of guards ended up forming around us. I wasn¡¯t at a level where I could determine people¡¯s levels at a glance, but I had a feeling that these were probably some of the top-level guards in the city. I glanced at them curiously until Ruby seemed to notice.


    ¡°This was decided by the residents of Chalm. Chalm originally was growing so rapidly that there were more strangers than friends. Most people had never even seen you but had only heard of you. Even during the battle against Alerith, you seemed like a lofty presence surrounded by beautiful slaves. Now, every single person has been personally pulled from the dark fog by your hand. They¡¯ve watched you working hard to save them from the infection. They know you now, and you¡¯ve made an impression on them.¡±


    ¡°R-really¡­¡±


    ¡°The citizens won¡¯t stand to see you harmed once again. They don¡¯t want to see something happen again like it did in the Ost Republic. They wish you to have an honor guard at all times. You could say that if before you had earned their respect, it seems like your actions recently have been earning their adoration.¡± Ruby responded with a slight smile.


    I didn¡¯t know how to respond to that, but I didn¡¯t have to because we were already outside of town and approaching the dungeon mouth. I could see a person standing there in a robe, but it was impossible to make out who it was exactly. I walked up to them as confidently as I could.


    ¡°I¡¯m Deek Deekson,¡± I responded. ¡°This dungeon, and everything in it belongs to me. Surrender.¡±

 Chapter 1134

    That was all I had to say. I hadn¡¯t prepared a speech. I hadn¡¯t prepared anything for this far. I had been expecting her to recognize me immediately and react. Instead, she merely watched me, hidden within her hood. Well, it wasn¡¯t the reception I had been expecting. Was she surprised, confused, or angry?


    I opened my mouth to say more, but she slowly lifted her hands to her hood, and then pulled it back, finally revealing her face.


    ¡°Xin.¡± I breathed.


    ¡°This is¡­ my mother?¡± Alysia asked.


    It was the final dungeon boss, Xin. In this form, she resembled a human. She should have been on the final level. I found myself rather surprised by her presence here on the surface.


    ¡°Yeah, this is the other half of your mother I was telling you about,¡± I informed Alysia.


    ¡°You dare to attack my Mistress¡¯s dungeon?¡± Xin demanded, glaring at me.


    I frowned. Xin should have been able to recognize me. However, this woman was staring at me like I was a stranger.


    ¡°You know who I am, right?¡± I asked helplessly.


    ¡°You are a rival Dungeon Master who wishes to swallow our dungeon. I regret to inform you that you will fail. We¡¯re not so easy as to be bullied by other dungeons.¡±


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    ¡°Xin¡­ Twilight Dungeon, Deek?¡± I held up my hands.


    ¡°I will destroy you, and then bring my mistress your head.¡± She threw back her robes revealing a sword at her belt. ¡°Your head will look good on the maid hero¡¯s mantle.¡±


    She reached down, grabbing the sword. She had an arrogant look on her face that was familiar to me. It was the way she had looked at me when I first got to the Twilight Dungeon. It was the look of a woman who felt superior to me. It was a look filled with condescension.


    ¡°The maid hero¡­ so it is Elaya after all.¡±


    Xin licked her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare speak that name! Mistress has banned that name!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Deek furrowed his brow, hoping she would give him some hints so he understood more about what was going on.


    ¡°Mistress banned that name. She couldn¡¯t protect him, she couldn¡¯t bring him back. She failed him. That¡¯s why¡­ that¡¯s why she killed herself!¡±


    My smile dropped and I ended up baring my teeth. ¡°What?¡±


    Of all the possibilities, I hadn¡¯t considered such a thing. Elaya would commit suicide after learning of my death? If that was the case, then it probably happened in my dungeon. She probably wanted to be consumed by the dungeon I created. If she died in my dungeon, she¡¯d be turned back into miasma, and my miasma would mix with hers. In her broken state, she must have thought this was somehow poetic and romantic.


    However, what would have happened instead is that her miasma would have contaminated the dungeon, turning it into a more chaotic curse bred from her own incomplete story. Just like when Xin died in the Twilight Dungeon, a curse was created inside a curse. Elaya was born again and usurped Xin and Astria becoming the dungeon boss. It was all starting to make sense now. This was a curse created by Elaya¡¯s broken heart, and a lore cut short by her foolish mistake.


    ¡°Elaya¡­¡± I said sadly.


    ¡°I told you, that name is forbidden by the maid hero¡­ now die!¡±


    Xin pulled her sword and began her attack.

 Chapter 1135

    ¡°Wait¡­wait¡­wait!¡± I shouted out, holding up my hands.


    Xin stopped about halfway. I was a little surprised that she did so.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going to fight her?¡± Alysia asked, her voice trembling slightly.


    ¡°We were able to defeat the other Xin¡­ but remember, that was her submissive half. This is her fighting half, and it¡¯s been fortified by Elaya¡¯s dungeon, so there is no saying how powerful she¡¯ll be.¡±


    Compared to my guards, I got a strong sense of danger from her. They were all holding up their weapons, looking like they were ready to fight defiantly, including Ruby, but I had no doubt they wouldn¡¯t be much help in a fight against her. As for whether I would win or not, I wasn¡¯t confident of that either. This is why I stopped the fight before it could start. This was especially because I thought I had a way to avoid such a fight.


    ¡°You are a Magic Swordsman, correct?¡± I asked.


    Xin narrowed her eyes. ¡°Is that why you stopped our fight?¡±


    ¡°You believe in a fair fight, right? You don¡¯t like stabbing people in the back. Direct confrontations, that¡¯s the Osterian way.¡±


    ¡°If you agree, then pull your sword!¡±


    ¡°I will! However, why don¡¯t we decide this fight in a single attack, ronin style.¡±


    ¡°Ro¡­ nin?¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ I mean, I¡¯ll give my best attack, and you give you best, and whoever is standing in the end wins.¡±


    ¡°You honestly think that you can knock me down in a single strike?¡± Her haughty arrogant side started to resurface.


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    Xin¡¯s problem had always been that she was too confident in herself. She believed she was better than her opponents, and as a result, she would sometimes look down on them. I was counting on this.


    ¡°Deek¡­ I may be quite strong, but I¡¯m not confident I can defeat her in a single blow. I¡¯m not even confident I can protect you.¡± Alysia warned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± I smiled.


    Xin cocked her head, and then after a moment, she nodded. ¡°Very well. I suppose since you are a Dungeon Master like my mistress, you deserve to die a warrior¡¯s death. I will give you one attack. At that point, you will die.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± I shrugged.


    She turned and walked back twenty feet, and then turned and faced me.


    ¡°Are you sure about this, bro?¡± Ruby asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I can do this.¡± I nodded, lifting my hands and casting a spell.


    ¡°What are you casting? What is that?¡± Alysia cried out.


    ¡°You¡¯ve made a Portal?¡± Xin cried out, ¡°You¡¯re trying to run away?¡±


    ¡°Haha! It¡¯s too late now!¡± I laughed.


    ¡°Trying to trick me. I hate tricks the most. Die!¡± Xin¡¯s body erupted with a blinding light and she began to rush at me like lightning.


    I reached through the Portal. ¡°Behold my ultimate attack, Xin toss!¡±


    I grabbed onto the unconscious Xin on the other side. The Portal I created led to her bed where she was tied up and under numerous spells. With a heave, I tossed her at her other-self. An Osterian went flying toward her human counterpart. Xin tried to move to dodge herself, but she already had too much momentum. The pair collided and collapsed into a heap.


    ¡°What¡­ What is this?¡± The human girl stood up angrily, her sword having been knocked away. ¡°You would use an innocent woman as a human shield?¡±


    ¡°An innocent woman?¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Maybe you should take another look.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± She looked down at the girl, and then back at me.


    However, a second later she looked down at the girl again. She may not be remembering me right now, but there was no way she wouldn¡¯t recognize her own body.


    ¡°This is¡­. What is¡­¡± Her eyes went wide, and she started to break apart.


    ¡°Woah! What¡¯s happening?¡± I cried out.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who did this!¡± Alysia cried back, ¡°What did you do to my mother?¡±


    We watched in surprise as the human Xin broke into ash, and then her light and energy flowed into the other Xin. The human Xin¡¯s current body was made of miasma. Her body had been destroyed in the Twilight Dungeon and had only been recreated by dungeons. Her true body was still the Osterian woman. I was reuniting her soul and her body. Xin was changing once again as she was finally restored to her true self.

 Chapter 1136

    ¡°M-master, what did you do?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I cocked my head. ¡°Ah, well, I found that when a piece of a person is captured by curses, these pieces are naturally drawn to each other. It stood to reason that as soon as the two Xin¡¯s came in contact with each other, they would start merging.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t something like that have happened with you when it came to your two forms?¡± Ruby had walked up beside us now that she saw the fight taking a peculiar direction.


    ¡°My two parts were a somewhat unique case. First off, our souls had completely healed, one through the use of a rare medicine, which now that I think about it, probably existed in the Twilight dungeon as a hint to Xin¡¯s true nature. Of course, she had never taken the medicine and instead made it an award. The other piece was healed by absorbing the power for a dungeon. These two parts were diametrically opposed to each other, one being a karma soul and the other being a mana soul.


    ¡°Even then, given the right circumstances, our soul did reunite back together after being damaged and freed from our bodies. Once, the giant had absorbed the remaining piece of Xin¡¯s soul I had scavenged from the Twilight dungeon. It stood to reason that something similar would happen here. Although what surprised me was that it was my Xin being pulled into Ost Republic¡¯s Xin instead of the other way around. I would have preferred it the other way.¡±


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    ¡°Why?¡± Alysia asked. ¡°You have the slave mark on this Xin, so isn¡¯t it better that all of it ends up inside her?¡±


    Ruby chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re not thinking like a man.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what does that mean?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°His Xin is both smaller and about twenty years younger. How could he not prefer the more youthful model?¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Alysia¡¯s voice grew weird.


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s not true!¡± I cried out with a cough.


    Now that I could see the two Xin¡¯s next to each other, it was true that the Xin who acted as Alysia¡¯s mother did look more motherly and older than her counterpart. If one woman was in her twenties, then the other looked to be in her thirties. However, if we were talking true ages, Xin from the Twilight dungeon was hundreds of years old, having been caught in that loop. However, the body she had ended in was the giant, who was an echo of Xin before she got pregnant. So, this Xin was gaining a few years. That didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t beautiful! It was just now she was a bit more Astria and a bit less Celeste.


    As we were talking the last bit of Xin flowed into her.


    ¡°What I¡¯m most worried about is that this Xin should be even more powerful than the other two Xin¡¯s. Whether she is your slave or not, are we sure she is friendly? This is a combination of my mother who was gutted out by Aberis and a woman who was brainwashed by Elaya.¡± Alysia asked worriedly.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re about to find out,¡± I said as Alysia began to stand up.


    I faced her as she turned around to look at me. Her eyes were solid black, but they hadn¡¯t been earlier either. Did that mean she was under the willing control of the dungeon?


    I suddenly felt my Danger Sense tingle. Without saying a word, Xin pulled her sword and attacked.


    ¡°I guess she¡¯s not!¡± I cursed.

 Chapter 1137

    My hand glowed as I pulled Alysium out. I just managed to block as Xin struck. The strength of her attack wasn¡¯t just sudden, but it was extremely powerful. She didn¡¯t pull her punch at all. Perhaps, she realized that once I gave her commands, she would be bound by my instructs, so she went all out before I could put any restrictions on her. Normally, in the process of laying a slave bond, these kinds of restrictions were placed on the enslaved. As it turned out, using the ability Enslavement did not come with all of these special clauses.


    My blessing glowed across my body as I put all of my strength into block Xin¡¯s attack. Her sword was glowing, which told me she had pulled off a skill as well. Usually, skills took at least a few seconds of warning to launch, but Xin had managed to cut the time into milliseconds and executed it in mid-strike. Even if her levels weren¡¯t impressive, this was a skill that couldn¡¯t be gained with anything but the pinnacle of experience.


    I finally lost my footing, getting struck by a powerful impact. I flew back twenty feet before I managed to land on my feet again. If I fell to the ground, then her next attack would cause significant damage, thus, with all of my footwork and skill, I managed to just keep it. After I stopped sliding, I took a deep breath and pulled my sword up, ready for her next attack, only to realize she hadn¡¯t moved from the spot where she had attacked me.


    The guards had reacted. These were the best Chalm had to offer, after all, so they had managed to pull their swords and surround her with their weapons out, Ruby included in the mix. Xin seemed completely unconcerned with the dozen swords aimed at her from every direction. Instead, her eyes were on me. A small smirk formed on her face as she lifted her sword and sheathed it.


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    ¡°You¡¯ve improved since the last time we¡¯ve fought.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. ¡°Which Xin are you now?¡±


    She laughed. ¡°I¡¯m Master¡¯s Xin, always.¡±


    I relaxed slightly, but I was still cautious. ¡°Why did you attack me?¡±


    ¡°A lot can be learned by crossing blades with a man. I had to make sure you were the real Deek, and not some doppelganger, naturally.¡±


    ¡°If you wanted to see my blade, you should have just asked,¡± I growled.


    ¡°H-here?¡± Xin¡¯s face turned red before she spun around. ¡°I-I see you¡¯re still the same lech as always, Master.¡±


    ¡°Geh! That¡¯s not what I meant!¡±


    ¡°Master even has aims on my mother¡­¡± Alysia¡¯s despondent voice came through.


    ¡°W-wait! It¡¯s not what it looks like!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the first mother and daughter pair that Lord Deek has claimed.¡± Ruby sighed.


    ¡°H-hey! That¡¯s hardly the same situation! Elaya and Eliana aren¡¯t even related!¡±


    ¡°Hmm? I was talking about Astria and Celeste.¡±


    ¡°W-wait!¡±


    ¡°Deek.¡± Xin suddenly pointed at me.


    ¡°Yes!¡± I cried out hoarsely.


    ¡°You managed to block my blade and not even take any damage. I¡¯d give you all the credit, but I sense that there is something strange and powerful about that blade as well.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Alysia let out a cry of alarm as Xin suddenly focused on her.


    ¡°Y-yes?¡± I declared, bringing Alysia in front of me, even though the sword tried to move behind me.


    ¡°Just what is with your sword!¡± She demanded.


    ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t know?¡± I raised an eyebrow after the conversation suddenly changed.


    ¡°I¡¯m also curious about it too.¡± Ruby declared. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask anything earlier, but a talking sword is kind of¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, um¡­ you see¡­ it¡¯s Alysia?¡±


    Xin stared at me blankly. ¡°Who?¡±

 Chapter 1138

    ¡°Alysia¡­ your daughter?¡± I offered.


    ¡°I have no children, not after killing the treacherous son, Aberis.¡± She declared.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± That was all Alysia said, but it was a voice filled with sadness.


    I put my hand comfortingly on her hilt. Xin had recombined with her former self, so I had thought that her mind would merge and she¡¯d remember something of the life that she had lived. After all, the other Xin did contain a piece of her soul and the part of her that one could call motherly. However, it seemed like Aberis had done a good job wiping her mind. She may be in an Osterian body, but there was nothing there regarding her time in the Ost Republic the last twenty years.


    On one side, it meant that the Xin I knew hadn¡¯t changed all that much. That was something I was happy about. However, I also felt sad that Alysia would never be able to reconnect with her mother.


    ¡°Alysia?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡±


    I nodded and stepped up to Xin. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to say this, but the Xin that you just reformed with was the Xin that went to the Ost Republic. You may not remember, but some time right before Aberis took over your mind, you had cut your soul in half, separating the Demon Lord Aberis from the rest of your babies. From that point onward, there were two of you.


    ¡°I¡­ have other children?¡± Xin¡¯s eyes widened a bit.


    I made a face. ¡°You had two children, but¡­ Aberis managed to possess one of them, and the other, well, she died, and her soul was forged.¡±


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    ¡°F-forged.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. How would she react to learning her only daughter was now being used as a weapon at my convenience. It was one thing finding out you had children you didn¡¯t know about. Knowing that they all had somewhat bad ends was another thing. However, I had already started telling the truth, and I couldn¡¯t stop now.


    ¡°Alysia.¡± I put my sword in front of me. ¡°It¡¯s okay.


    The sword glowed and then morphed into Alysia. Standing next to Xin, it was easy to see the resemblance between the two. They didn¡¯t look nearly as close as Astria and Elaya, but there were a few distinct similarities.


    ¡°You¡­ you are¡­¡± Xin asked with a frown.


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m your daughter, but¡­ I¡¯m also the sword Alysium!


    ¡°Master.¡± Xin glanced at me. ¡°You turned my daughter into a sword?¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s not like that.¡± Alysia cried defensively.


    ¡°Yes. I did!¡± I lowered my head, ready to receive her anger.


    ¡°That is¡­ that is¡­ so cool!¡± Xin¡¯s eyes brightened as she reached out and grabbed Alysia.


    ¡°Ah! M-mom!¡±


    ¡°How do you turn on, like this?¡±


    ¡°Ahhhn! What are you touching?¡±


    ¡°That is one way to turn her on, but not into a sword.¡±


    ¡°Turn into a sword!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ stop shaking me! Okay, I¡¯ll do it!¡± Alysia who was being manhandled by Xin looked like a helpless kitten.


    I had never seen her interact much with her mother, but it had always been clear that in the past, she had always done whatever her mother told her. Thus, the usually strong and proud Alysia was completely at Xin¡¯s whims.


    ¡°Eeee! She did it!¡± Xin exclaimed excitedly, grabbing the handle and pulling her up. ¡°This alloy, I¡¯ve never seen it before. The balance is nearly perfect! Ah¡­ but I prefer to have a handguard¡­¡±


    ¡°I can do that¡­¡± Alysia glowed a moment later a handguard appeared on her handle.


    ¡°It changed! This sword is amazing!¡±


    ¡°M-mom! You¡¯re drooling on me!¡±


    ¡°I love you! Please be mother¡¯s forever!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhn, m-mom! I¡¯m Masters¡±


    ¡°So am I, so we can be Master¡¯s together!¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m his sword!¡±


    ¡°Be my sword!¡±


    ¡°I refuse!¡±


    Perhaps, this Xin had evolved a little bit from combining her forms. It seemed like this Xin was a major sword otaku. She may not remember having and loving a daughter, but she loved swords. Turning her daughter into a sword would be like turning a perverted man into a cute girl¡¯s panties. That was a pretty bad image.


    ¡°S-stop licking me!¡±


    Or maybe it was exactly right¡­

 Chapter 1139

    ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­ hah¡­¡±


    ¡°Why is my sword panting?¡± I asked helplessly.


    ¡°Just ignore it. I¡¯m properly oiling and maintaining her.¡± Xin declared.


    We were still in front of the dungeon entrance, but now Xin was enthusiastically using a rag and some ointments she had pulled from somewhere and was now working Alysia over.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure a spiritual sword needs to be oiled.¡±


    ¡°Swords are swords, and Master should maintain them properly!¡± Xin cried out.


    She was slightly scary when she was serious. I cleared my throat.


    ¡°Um¡­ anyway, about the dungeon¡¯s influence¡­¡±


    ¡°When I was pulled into this body, I was given a real form. It severed my connection with the dungeon. You don¡¯t need to worry about me. I can focus my attention on Alysia¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ actually, I was more worried about everyone else. You were the dungeon master, so you should understand what happened more than anyone. Astria¡¯s memory was a bit foggy, so I was hoping you could give me a better understanding of the situation.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me your mind was blocked too?¡± I asked and sighed. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not that big of a deal. My plan wouldn¡¯t change much. I¡¯ll finish curing the residents and once I stake a claim on the dungeon, I¡¯ll enter through the mansion and confront Elaya. I should be able to talk some sense in her at that point.¡±


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    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡¯


    ¡°It¡¯s not that my mind was blocked, but that I won¡¯t tell you the situation.¡± Xin declared.


    ¡°M-mom?¡± Alysia spoke up on my behalf.


    ¡°Deek, what are dungeons?¡± Xin suddenly asked such a question.


    ¡°Um¡­ they¡¯re the lore from an incomplete story. They¡¯re blights on the land which corrupt the local mana, turning it into the miasma.¡±


    ¡°That makes them sound evil. Dungeons are neither evil nor good. They can be destructive, but so is a tornado. You wouldn¡¯t call a tornado evil, it simply is.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± I responded thoughtfully, although I still wasn¡¯t sure what she was trying to say.


    ¡°In essence, a soul is a conduit for mana. Mana is a part of the world. It flows through the earth as gaia. However, it flows through all living beings, connecting us to the world. This is the essence of life. When someone dies, their soul disperses into mana and rejoins the life stream. We who aren¡¯t necessarily as closely linked to the life stream, we have a period where we can be restored to life, this would be the resurrection spell.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I had guessed most of this already from my own observations, although it was nice to hear another confirm some of my theories.


    ¡°When a soul is threatened to be destroyed prematurely when it¡¯s unsatisfied with its end and feels like it still had a purpose in this world, it begins to change, attempting to defy its fate, and refusing to enter the life stream. This is the beginning of a curse. Once a soul falls down this path of corruption, it will become a seed for a dungeon, planting itself into the earth and feeding off of it, a lingering purpose still driving it to fulfill that one desire, to complete that lore.¡±


    ¡°Xin, what are you trying to say?¡±


    ¡°Down in that dungeon is a soul that fell into despair. It is a soul that wanted its story to be heard. Deek¡­ Master¡­ will you be the one to hear it?¡±


    <h4> </h4>

 Chapter 1140

    ¡°Elaya¡­¡± I gave an awkward look. ¡°I¡¯ve already fought my way down Widow¡¯s Dungeon. I¡¯ve seen her story, and even absorbed her blessing.¡±


    ¡°Have you?¡± Xin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do you believe that this dungeon is your own?¡±


    I bit my lip and turned to look at the dungeon. I had been assuming that the dungeon had been taken over. In my mind, Elaya had done something similar to Calypso at the Bandit¡¯s Respite. She had conquered the dungeon and bent it to her purpose. However, it sounds like something else happened. This was much closer to the Twilight Dungeon. Elaya had died within my dungeon, and her soul had consumed the dungeon, building a new dungeon from the corpse of my abandoned dungeon.


    All dungeons needed a soul to exist. That soul was usually the dungeon boss, but it didn¡¯t necessarily mean it was the main final boss of the dungeon. Once that soul no longer supported the dungeon, it would disperse. This was when the lore revealed itself, offering someone the choice to either destroy it or turn it into a blessing and absorb it. When I died, the dungeon I had built must have begun to collapse, and through Elaya¡¯s sacrifice, it had become born anew.


    ¡°No.¡± I looked away from the entrance and back to Xin. ¡°This isn¡¯t my dungeon.¡±


    Perhaps, I had known that the first time I had felt the energy, but I didn¡¯t want to believe such a thing. The dungeon belonged to another now. If I stole it from her, then I was trampling over her story. It was the same as ignoring her pain or telling her to just get over it. Her soul had sung out a story, and if no one heard that story, wouldn¡¯t it just be too pitiful? As I began to realize this, Xin was watching me carefully, and even her machinations on her daughter had slowed down.


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    ¡°You¡¯re starting to realize then.¡±


    I licked my lips and nodded slowly. ¡°I have to go. I can¡¯t take a shortcut on this one. If I ever loved her, then I have to see things through. That¡¯s what you mean, right?¡¯


    She nodded, her hands picking up their speed once again. ¡°I have come to see many sides of you, Master, from many sides of my own. I believed you to be this kind of man, and it seems that I am correct in my assessment.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Alysia spoke up, her voice filled with indescribable emotions.


    ¡°When you enter the dungeon, you will need to put many of your preconceived notions aside. This is a story you haven¡¯t heard before. The maid hero¡¯s tale is something you must understand because, at this moment, I¡¯m not certain you can defeat her.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°Defeating powerful enemies was never your strength, Master. Have you ever defeated a dungeon through sheer power? It¡¯s always been your heart, and your understanding and your willingness to learn that has allowed it. All of the girls know this. This is what attracts them to you.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right, Master.¡± Alysia asserted.


    ¡°The maid hero is stronger than me, and if we crossed blades, I believe I would win, although I do not believe I could kill you.¡±


    It was a fair assessment. Just like with the Demon Lord, there was a big difference between killing someone and defeating someone. She could probably force me to flee, but in a direct fight, she¡¯d be hard-pressed to put me down permanently. I had too many tricks up my sleeve at this point. Although, that was probably the same with Elaya.  If I wanted any hope of ending the dungeon and freeing my people, my only chance was to learn her story and reach her heart.

 Chapter 1141

    It would be far too easy to think that she¡¯d take one look at me and instantly submit. If she was dead, then her soul had already been corrupted by miasma. She had already been a morally questionable woman when she was alive, well, alive the second time. She had even made plans to destroy her husband, so I had no belief at this point she¡¯d just roll over without a fight.


    My only chance at success would be to win her over once again. This time, I didn¡¯t have an entire group of support giving me their energy and power. I also had a feeling that using that to sway her over wouldn¡¯t be as effective this time around. All in all, I just had to tackle this dungeon like any other, learning about it along the way and coming up with a plan to help her. Only once this story was complete could I restore my own dungeon.


    ¡°Then, I will be going. Ruby?¡± I turned to the woman who had been waiting quietly with a group of soldiers a polite distance away.


    ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s okay if you wish to go. The remaining infected are being contained.¡±


    ¡°I may be able to do something about their infection,¡± Xin responded. ¡°As a sword user, I grew familiar with qi.¡±


    ¡°Qi?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a means of affecting the soul through just the use of the sword. It¡¯s high-level sword work for someone who does not become a mana user.¡±


    I guess that made sense. Not every sword user became a Magic Swordsman like me. I incorporated mana into my sword, using it for attacks. However, a Swordsman like Xin or Lydia would only be able to attack physically. Creatures like ghosts would be immune to them. To counter this, there must be spirit attacking abilities. They were called qi. Lydia could take advantage of qi, huh? I wished that I had Xin to train Lydia. She wouldn¡¯t have needed to leave to find a teacher. At the time, Xin had still been two parts monster and one-part Swordsman, so it didn¡¯t make sense.


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    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave the city in your care, Xin.¡± I bowed. ¡°Please, protect it.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    I was putting some trust in her, but she was my slave now, so I felt I could trust her. Even if it wasn¡¯t a direct order, with Slave Empath I was certain of her emotions, and I knew she wasn¡¯t lying to me.


    ¡°Then, Alysia.¡± I lifted my palm, the back of my hand starting to glow.


    ¡°Eh! No, she¡¯s staying with me!¡± Xin cried out.


    ¡°M-mom!¡±


    ¡°What? That¡¯s my sword.¡± I frowned.


    I didn¡¯t want to sound possessive over Alysia, but our souls were kind of linked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if she stays out here, isn¡¯t it?¡± Xin asked.


    ¡°How will I get through a dungeon without a sword?¡± I cried out helplessly.


    ¡°In this dungeon, you won¡¯t need it.¡± Xin declared. ¡°Trust me, this isn¡¯t a dungeon with mobs.¡±


    I looked at her dubiously. She looked between the sword in her hands and me reluctantly, and then she sighed, pulling out the sword from her belt. She tossed it at me and I had no choice but to catch it.


    ¡°Take this! It¡¯s best if you follow the maid hero¡¯s story alone.¡± Xin spoke mysteriously. ¡°Besides, I wish to spend quality time with your sw- ahem¡­ my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Quality time? You want to swing her around, don¡¯t you?¡± I accused.


    ¡°Ah! I-I¡¯m just going to put her through a workout. I want to see what my daughter can take!¡± Xin broke down and admitted.


    ¡°M-maybe this isn¡¯t such a good idea¡­¡± Alysia suddenly sounded panicked.


    ¡°P-please! Just this once! This is a soul blade! I¡¯ve never even heard of such a thing!¡± Xin¡¯s eyes brightened.


    ¡°I feel like she doesn¡¯t care that I¡¯m her daughter at all!¡± Alysia cried.


    I took Xin¡¯s sword and tossed it into my Inventory and sighed. ¡°Alysia, this is time you can spend with your mother. Do you want to refuse?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ I¡¯ll stay.¡± Alysia¡¯s voice sounded defensive.


    ¡°Then, I will leave you. Take care of this city until I return.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    I had everything I needed in my Inventory. It had been growing since I started leveling Blue Mage, and now it was as big as any Inventory ring. It was still missing most of the good stuff I had collected from previous dungeons, but my collections would return in time, and I wouldn¡¯t lose my stuff again. Of that, I was determined.


    I walked up to the dungeon entrance that looked both very familiar, and completely foreign. It was time to learn her story, the story I hadn¡¯t heard.


    {You have entered the Maid¡¯s Lament. Destroy the lore to break the curse, or complete the lore for extra dungeon points and a blessing!}

 Chapter 1142

    I was standing in a massive field. A dark sky with ominous clouds broiled overhead. To either side, the landscape seemed to stretch out as far as the eye could see, which wasn¡¯t very far because it was so dark. I was standing on a cobblestone path, that seemed to stretch on into the distance. I moved my hand toward the grass and found it stop where the cobblestone path ended. There was an invisible wall, or rather, the wall was an illusion of a field. The cobblestone path was the only part of this that existed. It only resembled a massive field, but in reality, it was just a corridor like most regular dungeons.


    A drop of liquid fell on my cheek. Then another drop fell, and more followed. A light drizzle began. The rain was slightly warm, even though the darkness looked so cold. I glanced up, reaching with my hand. I wasn¡¯t able to touch the ceiling. Curious, I pulled Xin¡¯s sword out and held it up. I still didn¡¯t reach the cloud of the drops. It might have truly been as high as the sky. At the very least, the sky was twelve feet tall. I¡¯d have room to battle if I needed an overhead swing. The path was roomy enough that I could probably fight. These kinds of things were important when you were dealing with a dungeon. Then again, Xin had told me that this dungeon wasn¡¯t going to throw traditional enemies at me, so such thoughts might just be meaningless.


    I put my sword away and licked my lips. My eyes immediately widened as I rubbed my cheek and tasted some of the rain more directly.


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    ¡°The rain is¡­ salty¡­¡± I spoke out loud to myself.


    ¡°It¡¯s tears.¡±


    I jerked around at suddenly hearing a voice. To my surprise, standing behind me was Elaya. I had not expected to see her so soon. She was right at the entrance? What happened to all this talk about working my way down the dungeon? I had already succeeded.


    ¡°Elaya?¡±


    ¡°These are her tears.¡± She held out her hand, partially ignoring me and seeming to speak to herself.


    ¡°Hers?¡±


    ¡°A maid¡¯s tears.¡± She responded lightly.


    ¡°You¡­ aren¡¯t Elaya, are you?¡±


    ¡°I am merely a guide, here to show you.¡±


    ¡°Show me what?¡±


    ¡°What you came to see.¡±


    My brow furrowed. Every time I thought I had dungeons figured out, I¡¯d find one that completely broke my preconceptions. I was standing in an empty field, gentle salty tears of rain falling on me, with Elaya both here and not here.


    ¡°Do you recognize me?¡± I tried once again.


    ¡°Yes. You are Master.¡± She responded, a mysterious smile on her face.


    ¡°You¡¯re not surprised I¡¯m alive?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m so foolish that I wouldn¡¯t have been aware of your fate?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not dead though,¡± I responded uncertainly. ¡°Wait¡­ are you Elaya or not?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She smirked.


    I narrowed my eyes. ¡°If you keep toying with me, don¡¯t think I won¡¯t put you over my knee and spank you.¡±


    I took a step toward her when her eyes brightened and she pointed over my shoulder. ¡°Look, it¡¯s time!¡±


    I instinctively looked in the direction she pointed. A little girl was running through the field in the rain.


    ¡°Who is she? You?¡± I glanced back at Elaya, only to see that she disappeared.

 Chapter 1143

    Feeling slightly irritated, I turned back to the girl running through the field. Was this all just some kind of game of Elaya¡¯s? I had been worried sick about her and all the damage she¡¯d done. If she thought I was alive, why did she kill herself? What was going on in this dungeon?


    I had no particular feelings about the little girl. Was she Elaya? I honestly couldn¡¯t tell. She had a hood up covering her head, and a large brown cloak covering her body. She ran through the grass, which came up to her knees. This caused her to trip several times. The reason I couldn¡¯t feel any sympathy for her was that she was in the field. The field was an illusion projected on the wall, so she was nothing more than an illusion, a movie playing in front of me.


    I heard a screech in the night and I reached for Alysia, only to remember that she was still outside the dungeon. I didn¡¯t know what would happen if I was in the dungeon and she was outside given our bond through the blessing. It turned out it wasn¡¯t too dissimilar to what happens when I separate from a slave. There was slight discomfort, and I wasn¡¯t completely sure if one of us died, what would happen to the other, but for the moment it didn¡¯t seem to be a problem.


    I brought out Xin¡¯s sword just to be cautious. I also took a few steps forward, trying to get a clearer view of the girl running through the field. This had to be some kind of memory from Elaya¡¯s childhood. If she wanted me to see this, then I suppose I¡¯d need to watch it. I was looking past the girl, trying to see what was chasing her. It had sounded like some kind of animal. As she got closer, I could barely hear her panting as she raced forward clumsily. There were more screeches following her.


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    I continued walking, and the rain started to fall faster and faster. The harder it fell, the more it hampered my vision, and the darker the world around me became. It was at a point where it seemed like the visibility was dropping just as fast as the girl ran, to the point that anything beyond the girl became complete darkness. She was running toward the cobblestone path, but her route was nearly parallel to me, so although she got a little closer, we were moving alongside each other.


    Although she was running, she was a short little girl, and my stride was able to keep up with hers, especially since she was forcing her way through the grass and occasionally tripping while looking back behind her.


    I had activated White Mage¡¯s Light, but the distance it took effect didn¡¯t help much at all. I just couldn¡¯t see any more. I didn¡¯t know how long I walked beside the running little girl as she grew closer and closer. It might have been five minutes, or twenty. I was getting a feeling that time in this place wasn¡¯t running even.


    ¡°Raaa!¡± A creature shouted immediately to her right.


    The girl spun and stumbled back. My eyes widened as she stumbled onto the cobblestone path and then backed up right into me. I could feel the impact of this girl. She was there. More alarming, she let out a cry and spun around. She stared at my legs and then her eyes slowly went up to my head, her mouth dropping. She had a frightened expression on her face as she fell back onto her butt.


    ¡°Wh-who are you?¡± She spoke through a broken voice, her teeth chattering.


    Apparently, this was an interactive movie.

 Chapter 1144

    Although I was going to be a father in about six months, I didn¡¯t have all that much experience with children. Garnet probably didn¡¯t count. I cleared my throat and then moved down to one knee, hoping that I intimidated her less by lowering myself to her level. I put on my best smile, but I remembered that it was a smile I used when I was trying to sweet talk women, it faltered slightly.


    ¡°My name is Deek. You are?¡±


    I failed to ease her mind. She still looked scared, and she didn¡¯t respond as she scooted back with her legs. That¡¯s when there was another cry and rustling in the darkness. She cried out as she lunged in the other direction, throwing her arms around me and burying her head in my chest. I could hear something just out of sight. If it came onto the cobblestone path, would it become real too? My light didn¡¯t seem to be able to penetrate the barrier between the path and what was beyond the path. It was dark except for moving shadows and the hint of swaying grass. At this point, the salty rain was drenching us.


    My hand moved down, hesitating for a moment before I patted her head softly. I could see her blonde hair coming out from her hood. Was Elaya a blonde when she was younger? Such detail couldn¡¯t possibly be in Widow¡¯s lore. It could be that it was only the Elaya who was a miasma creature who had black hair. Astria didn¡¯t have black hair until she became a dark fairy in the dungeon. Her hair and wings had been similar to Celeste¡¯s before then. At least, that¡¯s what the memories from the dungeon lore suggested.


    Humans in this world traditionally had black, brown, red, or blonde hair. The same color as people from my world. However, Faes and Fairies, the creatures of this world, had an assortment of different colors. That¡¯s why Celeste¡¯s hair was pink. Lydia was an animalkin and her hair was orange with black in it. Meanwhile, Miki and Raissa¡¯s hair were nearly white.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t let them get me!¡± The little girl cried out, snapping me out of my thoughts about hair.


    ¡°Do you know what is chasing you?¡± I asked in a calm, quiet voice.


    ¡°No¡­¡± She said pitifully, her face moving back and forth on my shirt, either shaking her head or wiping her nose and tears on my pants.


    ¡°You can stay close to me. I¡¯ll keep you safe.¡± I promised.


    ¡°Y-you will?¡± She looked up at me as if surprised by my words.


    ¡°I will.¡± I reached up and casting a Blue Mage spell called Shield over our heads, the rain began to land on an invisible barrier, running off and to the sides just like an umbrella.


    It was a level 14 spell that worked a bit like the Mana Shield, but it didn¡¯t require continuous use of mana. Then again, it was only as strong as the amount of mana you put into it. After a predetermined amount of time, the magic would disperse. The harder you made the shield, the less time it lasted. At the strength needed to block attacks at my level, it would only last seconds, so I presumed it existed to block elements, such as wind or rain. At this brittle amount, it would last hours. I supposed in a fight, it could act as resistance, throwing someone off during an attack, but I didn¡¯t find it all that practical.


    There were other ways I could block the rain too, like by directly using Water Control or creating an air barrier, but this seemed to be the most efficient method. In the future, I would need to start thinking about efficiency. I¡¯ve always depended on my abnormally strong mana to shove through everything, but overall I lacked efficiency.


    The little girl stared up with wide eyes as I pushed back the rain. I reached out and stroked the tears and raindrops from her eyes.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 1145

    As we walked, the rain continued to fall harder and harder. It grew to the point where I had to make a new shield using a lot more mana because I feared the relentless pounding of the rain would knock down the other shield. The sound of water falling had created a roar, and there was absolutely no hope of hearing whatever creature might be stalking us.


    I had to rely on my Danger Sense and the reassurance from Xin that this wasn¡¯t a dungeon where one would be attacked. However, it still left me uneasy. My visibility had dropped to nearly zero. Even with my Light magic, it couldn¡¯t cut through the falling rain. I could only see as far as the little shield over our heads. The little girl held tightly to me, and we continued down the cobblestone path.


    Like before, my sense of time grew a bit strange. I wasn¡¯t sure if we were walking for ten minutes, or several hours. I had a feeling some time had gone by. The girl clung to me, shaking nervously. I occasionally stroked her head, but any words I could say to soothe her would have been lost in the noise of the roaring rain.


    Finally, after what felt like both a few minutes and forever, the rain started to lighten up. We had managed to get through the worst part of it. That was good because I was pretty sure I was going to have to make another shield soon.


    ¡°Mister. Thank you for staying with me,¡± the girl said politely.


    I slowed my step and turned to her. ¡°We¡¯re not home yet. Um¡­ where are you going, anyway?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ away¡­¡± She declared.


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    ¡°Away? Do you mean your home is far away, or you¡¯re trying to get away from your home?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis! Where are you, sis?¡± A shout could be heard in the dwindling rain.


    ¡°Ah! Th-that¡¯s my brother! He¡¯s found me!¡± She sounded slightly scared, but also somewhat happy.


    ¡°You have a brother?¡± I asked, feeling just a bit surprised.


    ¡°Oh! There he is! I don¡¯t want him to think anything bad, stay right here!¡± The little girl pulled away from me so suddenly that I wasn¡¯t expecting it.


    She ran straight off the cobblestone path.


    ¡°Hey, wait!¡± I took a step forward and tried to grab her.


    As soon as my hand reached the end of the cobblestone, it slammed into an invisible barrier. I just missed the little girl as she took off into an area that I could go. Her brother appeared. He was wearing a traveling cloak, leather gloves, a hood, and he had a bow in his hands with a knocked arrow. He was a tall man who looked to be much older than she was.  If she was only about twelve, then he was likely in his twenties. He¡¯d be about my age, although I probably looked older now, thanks to all the things that had happened to me.


    ¡°There you are!¡± He cried out, walking toward her and slinging the bow back behind himself.


    ¡°Brother¡­¡± She immediately had a slightly scared look.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t take off like that!¡± He snapped. ¡°Wandering around alone in this kind of weather. You could have gotten eaten up!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not alone! I was with¡­¡± She turned and looked at me.


    Rather, she didn¡¯t look at me, she looked through me. Her eyes turned left and right, and a confused expression appeared on her face.


    ¡°What?¡± He asked, finally reaching her and grabbing her arm.


    ¡°He was right here¡­¡± She gestured to roughly where I was standing.


    ¡°There is no one there, sis.¡± He sighed. ¡°Come on, we need to go home.¡±


    I realized that I couldn¡¯t go into the world beyond the cobblestone path. I even attempted to use a Portal, but the area seemed to be blocked. It appeared like the cobblestone path was invisible to that world as well.

 Chapter 1146

    The man grabbed the girl and then began walking off. With the rain lighter now, I could see some woods in the distance, and he seemed to be heading back toward them. She tugged against him and complained a few times, desperately looking back to my position, but even when I called to her, she didn¡¯t seem to hear anything.


    The pair disappeared off into the dark. Actually, it was getting brighter now that the clouds were clearing up, but they still ended up out of my sight, and I was left alone in the field once again. Since there was nowhere to go but forward, I started to walk again. As I moved forward, I noticed the pathway starting to bend. It started to turn back on itself and I found myself walking back the way I had come.


    However, the environment around me changed as well. Rather than a large field, I started to move into a forest. Would this be the equivalent of a new level? I didn¡¯t know. However, this environment was completely different than the environment I had just been in. Soon, my vision was just as obscured as it was in the rain, except this time it was from a thick forest.


    That¡¯s when I finally came out into a large field. It was the first time the path opened up to something more than a corridor. This was a mansion that was buried within a forest. Compared to the mansion I had in Chalm, it was comparable, so it stood to reason that this was some lord¡¯s manor. It made sense that Elaya was the daughter of some lord.


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    That was what I was thinking, but a moment later, I noticed a girl who seemed to be gathering water from a well near the side of the mansion. She was pulling up a bucket with her sleeves pulled up. What ultimately caused me to look twice was that she appeared to be the girl I had run into in the field. However, she was now several years older than she was before. She also didn¡¯t appear to be a noble at all. She was wearing a maid uniform with a white bonnet.


    ¡°The maid hero¡­¡± I breathed out.


    That was what she had been called. I had only ever known Elaya as a Queen, so it didn¡¯t occur to me that she came from a life as a maid. Now that I realized it, it seemed painfully obvious.


    ¡°Girl! Hurry up!¡± A voice erupted from the doorway. ¡°The master and mistress wouldn¡¯t be happy if you took this long. Be lucky they are out today.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± The girl cried, hefting up two buckets full of water, one in each arm.


    The woman at the door was old, and she looked to be a maid in her own right. She shook her head, making a clicking noise with her tongue. Suddenly, her eyes fell on me and widened.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I blinked, not having expected to suddenly be part of the story once again.


    I heard a gasp, and the maid who had been carrying the buckets dropped them. They fell to the ground and tipped over with a splash.


    ¡°Clumsy foolish girl!¡± The old woman chastised her, but she barely noticed the woman, her eyes locked on me.


    ¡°It¡¯s you¡­¡± She spoke in disbelief. ¡°The man from the field.¡±


    The maid recognized me. Just what was going on with this dungeon?

 Chapter 1147

    ¡°Hello?¡± I raised my hand. ¡°I¡¯ve just arrived here after a long journey.¡±


    I wanted to ask where here was, but I had a feeling such a question might not be well received. It turned out that my current method didn¡¯t fare any better. The woman left her spot and grabbed the younger maid by the shoulders before giving me a stern look.


    ¡°Come on, dear. Get inside.¡± She declared, straightening the girl¡¯s bonnet.


    ¡°I know him.¡± The girl protested.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do. Go!¡± The old woman declared in a no-nonsense voice.


    The girl looked at me, a hint of stubbornness in her eyes, but then she turned and ran back indoors. Once the door shut, the old lady put her hands on her hips and glared at me. I didn¡¯t know a lot of old ladies in my life. Even in Chalm, most of the women I knew were younger.


    ¡°Um¡­ my name is¡­¡±


    ¡°I know who you are.¡± The woman cut me off. ¡°And I know why you¡¯re here. However, you¡¯re wasting your time. You should just leave.¡±


    ¡°Why I¡¯m here¡­¡± I repeated uncertainly, not sure what to make of the situation in front of me.


    ¡°You want to see her.¡± The old lady declared. ¡°You want to see the woman at the end. However, it¡¯s too late for all of that.¡±


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    I started to feel slightly irritated. I had been through all kinds of dungeons, but this one was leaving me the most flummoxed.


    ¡°Look, this is just some curse. If you have something to show me, stop wasting my time.¡± I growled.


    The woman didn¡¯t seem intimidated despite the fact that I towered over her. Instead, she raised an eyebrow, looking me up and down with an appraising look.


    ¡°Well, well¡­ I guess you¡¯ve got a bit of gut in you.¡±


    A door slammed shut, and then a man walked out from behind the mansion. I immediately recognized him. This was the brother hunter from before. A woman had come out with him, older still.


    ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t do this.¡± The woman was saying.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to follow what you want.¡± He declared angrily.


    ¡°You need to¡­¡±


    ¡°No! I don¡¯t.¡± He responded, cutting her off. ¡°I have someone I care about.¡±


    ¡°If you leave¡­ they¡¯ll punish us,¡± she said.


    ¡°Mother, you should have had the guts to leave a long time ago.¡± He responded.


    ¡°It¡¯s the only way for us to survive.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s the only way for you to survive. Our family is gone. Stop trying to preserve something that doesn¡¯t need to stay alive.¡±


    ¡°Using the time that the master and mistress have gone running off¡­ nothing good will come of this.¡± The old maid next to me made a noise.


    A door slammed, causing the pair to look back at the mansion. The young maid girl had come out. She was looking anxiously at the mother and the brother. The brother¡¯s expression darkened even more.


    ¡°Please¡­¡± The mother tried one last time, tears running down her cheeks.


    ¡°I won¡¯t¡­¡± He responded. ¡°I¡¯m gone.¡±


    He turned away and began to run, heading off into the impassible forest. The mother stared aimlessly at the forest, looking lost. The girl walked up to her mother.


    ¡°B-brother¡­ he¡¯s coming back, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Of course, he loves you.¡± The mother spoke, but her words had no weight to them.


    She didn¡¯t seem to be paying attention to her daughter, or she would have realized that her daughter understood this, and such callously spoken words only hurt her more.

 Chapter 1148

    ¡°Who are you?¡± The mother who had previously been consoling her daughter had finally noticed me.


    I opened my mouth to speak, but the little girl spoke up first. ¡°He¡¯s a friend of mine! He¡¯s staying over to eat!¡±


    ¡°Aya, this is¡­¡± The mother shook her head.


    ¡°He¡¯s a guest! We welcome guests!¡± The girl glared at her mother defiantly.


    She looked up at me, a slightly helpless expression on her face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but the master and mistress are out today. It is normally our policy to offer food and shelter to travelers, but¡­¡±


    As she spoke, the girl¡¯s expression started to lose all hope, as if after her brother left her, this was the last piece of happiness she could cling to. The old maid was merely watching me as if seeing what I would do.


    Feeling just a bit like I couldn¡¯t leave things alone, I sighed and pulled a backpack out of my Inventory. To those watching, it was just like it appeared from behind me. They blinked like they hadn¡¯t noticed I had been wearing a backpack before, but they¡¯d assume they must have missed it rather than that I had some kind of spell. Only Heroes and Blue Mages had such an ability, and those were rare.


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    As I reached into the backpack, I pulled out some food. Even though I could toss just about anything into my Inventory, I liked to keep things in backpacks when I brought them out. There might be situations where handing someone a weeks-worth of food would be useful.


    Plus, the Inventory wasn¡¯t indexed like in a video game. It was hard to describe, but peering into it was like looking down into a storage shed. Unless I knew what I was looking for, it all sort of just looked like a pile of mess. That made it difficult to cook when I didn¡¯t know what ingredients I had.


    Cooking was what I had in mind as I gave the group a friendly smile. ¡°How about I provide for you?¡±


    Without entering their house, I found a spot that appeared to be where they set fires outdoors, as well as a stack of wood nearby. I tossed a few logs in the pit, and then waved my hand, causing the logs to ignite. My Fire Control was at a stage now that I could just ignite things. There was a time when the best I could hope for was a spark unless a fire already existed. This was the essence of becoming a mage.


    As the fire started, the girl¡¯s eyes opened wide in excitement, while the mother still watched from a distance hesitantly. It took to the point I had food cooking above it and smells carried out that they started to relax. The old woman snorted and walked over first.


    ¡°I suppose I am a little hungry.¡± She mumbled to herself as she sat down in a chair set up around the fire.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡± The girl broke away from her mother¡¯s grip and also ran over.


    The mother had reached out her hand, but looking uncertain for a few more seconds, she finally sighed and joined the rest around the fire as I cooked a meal for them.

 Chapter 1149

    Although my hero stats had boosted my charm by several times, I would never call myself the most sociable person. If anything, as I grew stronger, my intimidation level seemed to grow at roughly the same level as my charm. A tall muscular man with the scent of blood and the knowledge to kill monsters on him would feel slightly frightening, so even if I had charm, I wouldn¡¯t say it helped much these days. Maybe it helped followers be willing to listen to me, but I had long gotten over such worrying thoughts as that the women in my life only loved me because of some random status.


    On the other hand, cooking was the one skill I had that seemed to bring people to me. I might be overusing it at this point, but I enjoyed seeing people enjoy the food I made. Maybe that was why I liked Eliana so much since she was a major foodie who would always make cute noises when she ate something particularly tasty.


    The little girl was similar, it seemed. Well, she wasn¡¯t as bad as Eliana, but she seemed to be excited by what I was cooking as well. She leaned near as her mother tried to stop her. She took a big sniff of the pot.


    ¡°Mmm! That smells good. The food we have at the mansion is rather plain. Once in a while, we have some berries which is a sweet dessert, but it¡¯s usually just dried meat and porridge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who cooks it.¡± The old lady sighed helplessly.


    ¡°Fifi! Get back in your seat.¡±


    ¡°Your name is Fifi?¡± I asked, looking down at the girl.


    ¡°Only mom calls me that¡­¡± she blushed.


    Was Elaya not her original name? I supposed that it made sense that Elaya was her stage or working name. After all, my real name was Deacon, but I used Deek in this world. That¡¯s not saying that Elaya came from another world, but she may have changed her name when she became the Maid Hero, right?


    I scooped out a bowl of food for each of the girls, and also one for myself. These were technically not real people. I didn¡¯t know what they were. Were they just dungeon monsters given a different karmic purpose, like the skeletons from the Twilight Dungeon who acted like humans? Well, even if they were monsters, that didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t real. At least, that¡¯s what I thought.


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    Fifi grew more animated after eating a bit, excitedly talking to me about food. She kept asking about various spices. Half of the stuff I used didn¡¯t come from this world, so I was only able to help so far.


    ¡°It would be great if I could be a cook.¡± She sighed happily. ¡°Then brother would¡­¡±


    Her words stopped, and her expression darkened. She wanted to cook so that her brother would come back. I opened my mouth, and then I closed it. I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to ask the questions I wanted to know.


    The mother gasped, touching her neck. A trace of magic showed an outline around her neck. I hadn¡¯t noticed it before, and I hadn¡¯t even really been looking at it. It was only because I had grown able to see individual strands of mana that I was able to notice it. I immediately became aware of what it was. It was a slave seal. She wasn¡¯t just a servant. The mother was a slave. Although her slave mark was hidden, I could see the restrictive mana directly now.


    I checked Fifi out carefully, but I didn¡¯t see a familiar line around her neck. So, the daughter wasn¡¯t a slave. I supposed the brother couldn¡¯t have left if he was a slave as well.


    ¡°The master and mistress are returning, we need to go.¡± The mother declared in panic.


    ¡°Um, perhaps I should¡­¡± I stood up, trying to ease her.


    Maybe, if I talked to them, I could help.


    ¡°It¡¯s best if you go.¡± The old woman suddenly started shoving me along.


    ¡°W-wait!¡± Fifi began to panic as she saw me being pushed away.


    ¡°H-hey¡­¡± I frowned at the old maid. ¡°What¡¯s the big idea?¡±


    The mother had grabbed a bucket of water and tossed it on the fire, causing it to go out with a sizzle. She then grabbed her daughter¡¯s hand, pulling her in the opposite direction that the old maid was pushing me. Fifi reached out for me, letting out a cry, but her mother kept pulling her away. I turned around, glaring at the old lady. I didn¡¯t want to hurt her, but if she kept pushing me, I wouldn¡¯t be polite.


    ¡°What¡¯s the big idea?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°You have more to see.¡± She shoved me surprisingly hard, and I found myself stumbling back through the foliage into the forest.


    This was an area that should have been a wall, but I went right through it. With a cry, I tried to step forward and slammed right into an impassable barrier of foliage. Just as I was about to hit it, I heard a scream behind me.


    I spun around to see a small house. It was night now, and an ominous glow was coming from the crack in the door. I was already in the next part of the story. How long had it been this time?

 Chapter 1150

    ¡°Please, stop! You don¡¯t have to do this!¡± I heard a shout from within the house.


    I ran forward, reaching an open window first that allowed me to look inside. What I saw left me immediately stunned. It was the mother, her daughter, and the brother like before. They all looked a bit older now. The daughter was perhaps sixteen or seventeen. The mother had started to show her age a bit too. The brother was now a bit older than me.


    The person who cried out was the daughter. She was being pinned to the bed, partially stripped. Her brother was on top of her, and it was clear what he was about to do with her. What was even more shocking was the mother. She was watching this unfold, but she seemed to be encouraging it.


    ¡°This is the only way. This is your purpose. You have to do this.¡± Her mother declared, edging them on.


    I then looked at the brother, and I realized there was a line of mana around his neck. He must have been marked with a slave mark too. Tears were falling down his cheeks, and he had a nearly vacant expression like he was being forced to do this. That was when I saw an arrogant man step out from the shadows.


    He had some kind of whip-like weapon in his hand and was holding it threateningly toward the brother.


    ¡°Do it! This is what you¡¯re here to do! You foolish boy. You thought you could run from me.¡±


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    ¡°Stop¡­ he doesn¡¯t love me, stop making him do this.¡±


    Her brother stopped a moment just as he was pushing down on her. ¡°S-sister¡­ I do love you. That¡¯s why¡­ I can¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°B-brother¡­¡±


    ¡°When the time comes, and you find the man you love, give him your all!¡±


    The noble seemed to take that as his cue and he lifted up his whip to strike the man. I grabbed the door and pulled, only to find that it didn¡¯t budge. Cursing, I kicked the door with all of my might, but I might as well have been kicking a rock wall. I had to be. I grabbed a rock and smashed it into the window, and it bounced off without making a dent.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be interacting with this one.¡± A voice came from next to me.


    I spun to see the old lady standing there.


    ¡°Why are you showing me this?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°You can¡¯t change the past, Master, no matter how much you want to. Ah! I mean, Deek.¡±


    I glared at the old lady who looked flustered. ¡°Elaya?¡±


    ¡°Tcht!¡± She made an irritated expression as her body changed back into her beautiful and youthful form. ¡°I did have you tricked for a while, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    As we were speaking, I could hear shouts and the sound of fighting inside, but I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. It felt cruel.


    ¡°What game are you playing?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Not a game¡­ just the truth¡­ Look, it¡¯s already over.¡±


    I looked through the glass. The mother was crying on the floor, holding her son. He was convulsing. The noble was on the ground dead. He had managed to kill his own Master. The backlash of the slave mark must have been unbelievable. The girl was trembling in her bed, hiding under the covers.


    ¡°Is this your history?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I wonder,¡± Elaya responded, but when I turned to look at her, she was already gone.

 Chapter 1151

    I tried the kick open the door one more time. It was more out of frustration than any hope it would open. So, imagine my surprise when the door gave way, and I found myself stumbling through. On the other side, I didn¡¯t end up in the cabin where Elaya was crying over her dead brother. Instead, I ended up stumbling into a street.


    It went from night to day, and there were tons of people walking around. This wasn¡¯t a city I was familiar with. Whether it was architecture or clothing, they were in styles I didn¡¯t recognize. They were all human though, so this had to be Aberis, right?


    I looked back to where I had come from, but the door had closed and now standing behind me was a bar. A woman walking by glanced at me stumbling out of a bar, and sniffed. I guess she thought I was a drunk. I straightened, up, my lips tightening as I looked around the square. This dungeon was certainly getting on my nerves. The constant changes in perspective were driving me up a wall. However, I was also learning about things. I had my theories, but I needed to see more to know for certain.


    The square was lined with various stages that attracted crowds. Each stage seemed to be dedicated to some form of entertainment, making the place seem extremely lively.


    ¡°No! Please!¡± I heard someone cry out.


    This brought my eyes to a certain stage, where I immediately locked onto the Haid Hero once again. She was the same age as when she was in the cabin, but I could get a better look at her now. Her chest was filling out, and her body was reaching the age of adulthood.


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    As for why I described her body, it was because her face was obscured to me. For some reason, no matter how much I looked, I just could not make out what she looked like. I originally thought it was the window causing this, but now I realized that the dungeon, or perhaps Elaya, was hiding her appearance. Even when I thought back to when I had seen her as a kid, I found the details lost on me. This is why I had previously wondered if this was truly Elaya¡¯s story.


    I could tell that she was no longer in the maid outfit. She was in a slave outfit and chains. This appeared to be a slave auction. Her mother was a slave, and her brother was similarly marked as a slave, so it made sense she¡¯d eventually end up a slave too. It was a wonder to me that she wasn¡¯t made a slave shortly after she was born. Maybe there were Slave Guild rules that kept a person from being marked until a certain age.


    I looked carefully around her neck to see that the magic had already been placed there. I had never known that Elaya was a slave sometime before she met me. After processing all of this, I realized that she was screaming and struggling, her eyes locked on another stage across from her. I followed her eyesight, and immediately let out a hiss. On a stage on the exact opposite side of the courtyard was another event, an execution.


    There was a person who was having the rope put around his neck. This was someone I could make out. It was her brother. He not only survived killing his master but now he was being executed for it. I didn¡¯t have any more time to react when they pulled the lever, and the man fell. The rope tightened with a snap.

 Chapter 1152

    Being hung in front of her, Elaya, or perhaps it¡¯d be better to see her as Fifi, went ballistic. She screamed and struggled against her restraints. However, it sounded like her brother¡¯s neck had snapped from the fall. He quickly grew immobile, and he was dead. The girl fell to the ground, crying. This enraged the Slave Master, who went to strike her. However, he realized he was in front of potential customers, and beating slaves might not be so good an idea.


    Instead, he grabbed her and roughly threw her in the back. I walked up to the crowd, but I found myself unable to get closer. No matter where I moved, there was an impenetrable barrier of people. Even when I tried to shove through, I found a group of people who just didn¡¯t move, nor acknowledge me. I began to realize this was another invisible wall, intending to keep me from getting any closer to the auction. Feeling frustrated again, I watched the rest of the slave auction.


    Slave after slave was bid on, but when it came to Fifi¡¯s turn, her previous display had caused her value to decrease significantly. The slave auctioneer had initially asked for an exorbitant price, but no one made a bid. He had to lower the price twice, each time growing increasingly red-faced as he found her going for far less than he expected. Well, I didn¡¯t know where this was, but 500 gold was a lot to ask for a simple maid, so I understood people¡¯s hesitation.


    When the bidding finally reached 100 gold, an old man raised a bid. I also attempted to bid, but it seemed like I was ignored. Just like with the cabin or in the meadow, no one in the slave auction seemed to be able to see me just outside. It looked like this was another part of the story that was being kept away from me.


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    ¡°Going once! Going twice! Sold!¡± The man declared, slamming a gavel.


    I tried to get a look at the man who had bought Fifi, but he quickly stood up and moved out of my sight. I couldn¡¯t see him from my vantage point in the back and only saw his back. Fifi was taken away, and I was left once again wondering what I should do. That was when a thought came to me. At this point, they had removed the body of Fifi¡¯s brother from the rope. I left my place near the slave auction and followed the men as they carried the body away.


    I followed them into a back ally, where they loaded his body onto a cart where several other bodies resided. I hid while they returned. I watched as they passed by. The men were mumbling about how much work they had to do or some such nonsense. Once they were out of sight, I walked up to the cart of bodies and grabbed Fifi¡¯s brother, pulling him away. I found a cubbyhole in the same ally, and then I began the Resurrection spell.


    I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if the spell failed. This dungeon was a dungeon on rails, showing me particular scene after particular scene before dragging me on to the next part of the story. I completed the spell without too many expectations.


    So, I was a bit shocked when the man¡¯s eyes snapped open and he let out a gasp. I had done it. I had succeeded in resurrecting Fifi¡¯s brother. There was no way that this had happened historically. What would this mean for the continuation of this story?

 Chapter 1153

    ¡°Wh-who are you?¡± He asked once he woke up.


    At least it seemed like he could see me this time. I let out a breath and held out my hand, allowing him to stand back up. If I was able to resurrect him, then this guy wasn¡¯t just some simple mob. A normal dungeon mob, when it died, would have been absorbed back into the dungeon. Only those with a karmic soul can be resurrected, and that only happens if the person has some distinctiveness from the dungeon.


    A person created by a dungeon was like a world for the fae. They couldn¡¯t be resurrected because their mana signature was too close to the world. One couldn¡¯t find or extract them, making their deaths permanent. The same was presumably true with fairies, although Celeste and Astria were exceptions for obvious reasons.


    Thus, if this man was created by this dungeon, it should be that he couldn¡¯t be resurrected. This led me to three possibilities. First off, he could be some kind of special exception. Perhaps, I played right into the story, which would have him be resurrected at this point. Second, he was some kind of captured soul that was taken control of but not digested, thus making him distinctly separate from the dungeon. The third possibility was that he was originally a monster from another dungeon that was brought to this one.


    I couldn¡¯t guess right now which ability allowed me to resurrect him. I had honestly been expecting it to fail. However, he was alive now, and he was waiting on me to answer his question.


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    ¡°I¡¯m just a passerby.¡± I declared. ¡°I saw the slave girl crying over you and I was curious to hear your story.¡±


    ¡°Fifi!¡± He immediately pushed past me, looking around the ally frantically. ¡°Did you see where she went?¡±


    ¡°I did not. She was sold to an old man.¡±


    ¡°Damn!¡± He turned and punched the wall.


    ¡°She is your sister, correct?¡± I decided to clarify.


    He turned to me, but his expression dropped. ¡°So, you¡¯re one of those collectors, huh? You also want me to violate my sister.¡±


    ¡°Why would I?¡± I asked incredulously.


    ¡°To pass on our genes. There is big money in slaves like us.¡± He made a face. ¡°You¡¯re all so dumb though. It doesn¡¯t work that way. Family won¡¯t¡­ you¡¯re all going to fail in the end. You killed my beloved for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Your beloved¡­¡± I blinked. ¡°The woman you took off from the mansion to be with!¡±


    He looked up at me, his eyes narrow. ¡°I won¡¯t become a tool for your slave trading. You should have just let me die. Then¡­ no one could threaten her any more.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m still trying to understand things.¡± I took a step forward. ¡°Can you explain it to me?¡±


    He took a step back, suddenly growing wary. He started to shake his head.


    ¡°No¡­ you¡¯re just like the rest of them. You, humans, are the worst. I won¡¯t be controlled by you!¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    He turned and ran out of the ally. I cursed and tried to follow him, but when I hit the end of the ally, I struck another invisible wall. I watched the man run right out into the street.


    ¡°He¡¯s still alive!¡±


    ¡°Get him!¡¯


    Two guards nearby immediately locked on to him. He turned and ran while the guards chased after him. I usually thought I had a good understanding of these dungeon lores. This one was seeming to explain itself more clearly than any other, but this one left me clueless.

 Chapter 1154

    As I walked out of the alley, heading in the opposite direction that the brother had fled, I was deep in thought. Just what was Elaya trying to show me? It seemed like the more I saw, the less I understood about her life. There was something unique about Elaya. Did that pass on to her children? Was this some deep secret about the Prince of Aberis? I had reminded myself Elaya wasn¡¯t related to Eliana. That meant that whatever this was, it wouldn¡¯t affect my child.


    The alley went on and on. There was no way a building would have been large enough for me to still be in the alley. Yet, it stretched on just like when I was on the cobblestone path. However, this time, there wasn¡¯t some pleasant scenery. It was just the walls of the building adjacent. Occasionally, I would walk by the door.


    I was just thinking there would be nothing to see when one of the doors burst open and a woman stumbled out. She looked in both directions and then started running away from my direction. Three men began to chase her. The girl was the same girl I had been chasing up until now, and those men looked to be up to no good. She was wearing a maid outfit once again, and she had a basket filled with food. Some of it had fallen to the ground as she stumbled, but she ignored it and kept running.


    I started moving as well, chasing after the group of them. The alley that had been nothing but a straight run for miles suddenly had an intersection, and Fifi turned into one such section. However, as luck would have it, this intersection went to a dead-end, trapping her. The men managed to block her off, and she started to back up, fearfully.


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    I reached the intersection. I half-expected myself to be unable to move down this particular alley. Was this a situation where I participated or watched? This dungeon was extremely good at catching me off guard every time. I didn¡¯t immediately attack the men. I was trying to figure out what was going on, so I listened instead.


    ¡°Leave me alone!¡± She cried out.


    ¡°Come on¡­ don¡¯t be like that.¡± One of the men responded teasingly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll show you a good time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been with your type before.¡±


    The men were getting closer and closer, and Fifi had run out of space. I knew I¡¯d be annoyed if I tried to help and found myself unable to, but I still put out my hand anyway. However, just as I was about to touch the invisible wall, a person leaped down from the top of the roof. A scuffle broke out, but it was clear he was a higher-level person. He quickly defeated the three men and then turned to Fifi.


    She still held her hands up defensively, shaking in fear over the appearance of the masked man. He pulled off his mask, revealing his face. Fifi let out a gasp, her hands finding her mouth.


    ¡°Hello, sister.¡±


    It was her brother. So, he was alive in this story. Did that mean I changed the story, or was I fulfilling the roles of random strangers?


    ¡°Brother, I thought you were dead!¡±  She gasped.


    He shook his head. ¡°No. I was resurrected by a passing stranger. My mentor.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. I¡¯m his mentor now?

 Chapter 1155

    The two of them left the alley way without seeing me at all. I followed after them, and soon we were all walking down a road outside of town. It was Fifi and her brother, and I had a feeling that it had only been a few minutes later, rather than years like in the previous jumps. The maid was walking alongside her brother, who had put his mask back on, giving him a strange and mysterious look.


    I was following alongside them, but I was a ghost at this point, unable to interact with them at all.


    ¡°It¡¯s been five years. What happened to you? Why did you never come?¡± Fifi asked.


    ¡°I wanted to at first, but my mentor said he wouldn¡¯t let me. He said that I wasn¡¯t ready.¡±


    ¡°Mentor¡­ are you an apprentice?¡±


    ¡°My mentor is a he¡­¡± He hesitated for a moment and then sighed. ¡°He¡¯s a Dungeon Diver. He¡¯s teaching me to be a Dungeon Diver as well.¡±


    I was pretty sure he meant to say that his mentor was a Hero. He was training to be a Hero as well. I had never heard of people training to be heroes before. You could gain the token from a town that you need some noble act for, but other than that you were either a Hero or you were not. The only way to become a True Hero that I was aware of was to defeat a Demon Lord.


    Fifi¡¯s face went white as she heard what he had been doing. Dungeon diving was an extremely dangerous job.


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    ¡°Who would make one of us a Dungeon Diver? Isn¡¯t that shameless?¡± She asked irritably.


    Her brother chuckled. ¡°My life was already sacrificed, remember? Where were their thoughts of maintaining our bloodline when they hung me?¡±


    There was anger and emotion in his voice. He was still furious at being killed back then. Fifi continued to walk by his side, silently watching him. They walked in silence for some time. After the history they had shared, was it a surprise that it was difficult for them to talk? Fifi finally slowed her step to a stop and turned to him. She gestured to a small mansion in the distance.


    ¡°This is the mansion of my new master. It¡¯s best if you don¡¯t approach.¡±


    Her brother made a face. ¡°I will free you from slavery. I¡¯m saving up money to buy you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    The only part of him that was visible past his mask was his eyes, which flashed in shock. ¡°What do you mean? They never should have enslaved you!¡±


    ¡°I volunteered for this.¡± Fifi declared. ¡°It was the only way to protect me.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ even so¡­ I have the strength to protect you now!¡±


    ¡°And what about mother?¡± Fifi demanded. ¡°Our Master was kind enough to buy her as well.


    He looked away, a tinge of pain in his eyes. ¡°Has she¡­ forgiven me?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­ done her best to forget¡­¡± Fifi responded, her voice filled with sadness. ¡°You won¡¯t change your mind?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ the man you give yourself to is a man who should love you completely.¡± He responded. ¡°My heart always belonged to another. I wasn¡¯t strong enough to protect her back then. I am strong enough to protect you now.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need protecting!¡± She yelled back suddenly.


    ¡°That¡­¡± Her brother looked away guiltily.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have come back! You shouldn¡¯t make this any harder on mom¡­ or me!¡± She spun away and started running toward the mansion.


    The bother watched her run away, a helpless look on his face. Then, he turned to me.


    ¡°Would you have done things differently?¡±

 Chapter 1156

    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°You can see me?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not your mentor¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not!¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­ right¡­ are you the Dungeon Master?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    So, ultimately, it was the brother who was running the dungeon. That was somewhat surprising. Is that why Elaya was able to come to meet me? Wait, he was meeting me now. Was this the final level? As I was glancing around in confusion, the other man was watching me.


    ¡°You should have taken better care of my sister.¡± His voice was cold.


    The words he said struck me hard. His sister had ended up killing herself, believing she was alone. I had acted too recklessly with my life, and the result was that I had abandoned those that depended on me. It wasn¡¯t just Elaya or Astria. It was all of them. Lydia, Terra, Eliana, Shao, Celeste, Raissa¡­ I had abandoned them all and more besides. At the time, it seemed that I had only done what I thought was the best decision at the time. Perhaps, I was a bit cocky and sure I could handle anything. The result was still the same. To the world, I had died, and to my girls, they were left with the pieces.


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    Is that why this dungeon was created? Was this brother of Fifi watching over her, and I was found wanting? I felt like the puzzle that was this dungeon was getting closer to the truth. There was still a piece that was missing though. I felt like it was on the cusp of being understood, but I wasn¡¯t quite there yet.


    ¡°Are we going to fight?¡± I asked, looking down at the mansion, where Fifi was entering the front door now.


    ¡°Heh¡­ you¡¯re not ready yet.¡± He responded. ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay here a while. Maybe you¡¯ll learn something.¡±


    I didn¡¯t bother to turn back, as I was pretty sure he was already gone. I hadn¡¯t noticed it until he started talking to me, but I had a feeling of danger from him. That kind of feeling I only got when I was facing those that were stronger than me. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say he was at a level similar to Xin. That would be the level of a hero, huh?


    I had been given a Hero token from Chalm, and very early on I had been given the Hero job. Later, after defeating Shao, I had also unlocked True Hero. However, I had encountered various Heroes at this point. Besides their strange connections to curses, heroes were also extremely powerful. Elaya, Xin, King Edward Aberis I, these were all heroes. I had defeated them, but those had always been in special circumstances. They were all on a completely different level than me.


    Furthermore, they all seemed to have specialized names. The Hero King, the Maid Hero, the Hero Princess, the Bandit Hero, the Slave Hero, the Harem Hero¡­ were these all just names, or were they titles? It seemed like, throughout history, multiple people could have the same Hero title. What did that mean?


    ¡°Just what does it mean to be a hero?¡± I asked out loud.


    ¡°Do you want to know?¡± A voice next to me asked.


    Where her brother had previously been was Elaya standing there.


    ¡°Is that why you¡¯re putting me through this? To learn what it means to be a hero?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± She responded nonchalantly. ¡°Although this dungeon may have another lesson for you to learn.¡±

 Chapter 1157

    I was no longer in a corridor, so that was nice. However, now I was following Elaya as she led me in a specific direction. On-the-rails dungeons were the worst. At least, the dungeon can give me the illusion of choice by making it a maze with multiple paths. Then again, I supposed it was better than a giant open location like the Twilight Dungeon, where you had to repeat the same task fifty times and it was mostly filled with large empty fields.


    I shook my head. For a second there, I was mistaking this life for a video game. Although, I did gain levels, go on quests, and defeat monsters. I also had gotten here by slipping into a video game. The choices I made were ultimately what I had when I appeared here. However, I refused to believe this world was just some elaborate game. I had experienced far too much to believe that.


    Thankfully, Elaya¡¯s lesson didn¡¯t appear to be anything like we were living in a simulation. If that was suggested, I didn¡¯t know if I could cope. Instead, she took me to a nearby lake that was adjacent to the mansion. She took a step to the side and then gestured to me to continue. I had a feeling the second I turned my back on her, she¡¯d disappear on me again. Still, I decided to humor her and keep walking. I approached the shore of the lake, curious what she was trying to show me.


    That¡¯s when I started to hear singing. It was a gentle, haunting song that seemed to echo across the lake like a sound in a cave. I scanned the lake until I found a rock that seemed to be jutting out of it. Standing on that rock was a lonely-looking woman. As soon as I recognized her, my eyes popped open. It was the Siren! This was the singer who had been my mid-level boss. Her singing could manipulate others, and even induce the dead to fight for her.


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    Her song was extremely dangerous. Once someone listened to it, it was already too late. However, the song didn¡¯t seem to be affecting me. I realized that was because the song wasn¡¯t directed in my direction. She was facing away from me and seemed to be beckoning someone from another shore. I looked in that direction to see a dock that must have been part of the mansion. There was a woman wearing nothing but a night dress slowly being lured out to sea.


    This was the very essence of a siren. They could call out to people, leading them to their deaths. Their song would cause someone to lose their wits. Sailors would crash their boats along the rocky shores and people would be lured out where they would end up drowning. This exact act seemed to be happening to that woman, and that woman was none other than Fifi. With the dungeon skill Eagle Eyes equipped, it wasn¡¯t difficult to get a vivid view of the scene, despite my distance from them.


    Time must have passed again, although it couldn¡¯t have been more than a couple of months. Fifi was halfway down the dock, moving toward the Siren, who was beckoning her. I glanced at the rock outcropping that the Siren was standing on, and I realized I could see bones floating around the water at her feet. The Siren was trying to kill Fifi!

 Chapter 1158

    ¡°Stop!¡± I found that the song seemed to have a deafening quality to it, making it so my voice couldn¡¯t be heard.


    I accessed my dungeon store and then equipped Booming Voice.


    ¡°I said stop!¡± This time, my voice exploded out, and the air bent in a wave that shot out, wrecking the Siren¡¯s song.


    Fifi stopped only a few feet from the edge of the dock. She blinked a few times as if she was surprised, she was there. She looked around a bit, but her eyes weren¡¯t as good as mine, and so she wasn¡¯t able to see me. As for the Siren, she must not have noticed her either, as she simply turned and began running back inside. I let out a breath, feeling that a crisis was averted. That¡¯s what I originally thought, but then I realized that the Siren who had been eyeing Fifi was now staring at me.


    I immediately plugged my ears, but they didn¡¯t stop a shrill screech from exploding from the Siren. They caused my eardrums to throb. If I had been any slower blocking my ears, they surely would have burst and I might have even found myself bleeding from them.


    The Siren wore a furious expression, and without a word, it leaped off the rock. Instead of sinking into the water, it seemed to bounce off it. It started to run at me, making animalistic leaps. Its mouth was filled with sharp teeth, and it seemed to be on full attack.


    Her actions left me somewhat confused. The Siren had always been a support character, just like me. Her strength didn¡¯t lie in her power, and at my current level, I didn¡¯t feel like I would be threatened in a direct flight. For a moment, I had thought it was a trick. She must be sending others to attack me and was using herself as a distraction. Yet, the others did not come.


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    ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± I didn¡¯t shout, but I still had Booming Voice equipped and my voice still cut through the air to reach her ears.


    These words seemed to incite her rage more. She started to speed up. She¡¯d reach me in only a few moments. Did I have to defeat the Siren? I considered pulling out my sword, but then I remembered what Xin had said. She said that this dungeon wasn¡¯t that kind of dungeon. This wasn¡¯t a dungeon that I should have to fight in. Well, I was probably going to have to fight eventually. She did give me a sword to protect myself, so even she couldn¡¯t predict everything that might happen in here.


    Still, there had to be a solution to this that didn¡¯t involve fighting. That¡¯s when I started to truly notice the anger on her face. With Eagle Eyes, I could see the Siren was furious. However, this wasn¡¯t the anger of having her meal stolen. She was specifically angry at me. That¡¯s when I noticed tears falling down her cheeks. She was¡­ crying?


    I started to understand what was happening. I had abandoned everyone when I died. That included my tamed monsters. The Siren was abandoned just as much as Elaya. I had barely even thought about her after finding out this dungeon had been reformed. She was the first monster to give her loyalty to me and was the only reason I had Monster Tamer, which in turn had led to me learning how to conquer dungeons. I owed her much, except that I had always just pushed her into a corner to deal with later.


    I had earned her ire. She had every right to be furious with a master who didn¡¯t watch and care for her. The Siren didn¡¯t even have a name. I had the Naming skill, I just had never used it to date.


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± I found myself speaking out loud. ¡°I haven¡¯t even given you a name. In that case, I should fix that. Since you have such a beautiful voice, then I suppose I should call you Selena.¡±


    There was a blinding flash of light erupting between her and me. I suddenly felt my mana surging forth and rushing into her. She slammed into me.


    {You have tamed the monster, Selena the Siren.}


    {Selena has begun to evolve! Selena has evolved into a Sirin!}


    ¡°Master!¡±

 Chapter 1159

    ¡°Wh-wh-what is this?¡± Elaya cried out as the dust settled. ¡°B-bird?¡±


    I open my eyes and stared up at Selena looking down at me. Unlike Celeste, her body had drastically changed after her sudden evolution. Although her hands were normal, her arms were covered in feathers and spread out in long, luxurious wings. Her once bluish hair was replaced with a multicolored plume that matched her wings, giving her the feeling of a parrot.


    The thighs of her legs were normal, but starting at the knees they turned into scaly legs that ended in vicious-looking claws. As for the rest of her body, it was extremely feminine, and also completely naked. In her evolution, her clothing had seemingly disintegrated. In short, there was a beautiful, naked bird girl sitting on my lap and rubbing against me.


    Elaya who I had thought ran off again had suddenly appeared, and by the looks of things, whatever she had intended to show me was not Selena.


    ¡°Heh, heh¡­ Master¡­ Master¡­¡± She was rubbing up against me with a dumb ecstatic smile on her face.


    ¡°You dumb bird! What the heck are you doing to Master!¡± Elaya cried, grabbing one of Selena¡¯s talons to drag her off of me.


    ¡°Nooo! My master!¡±


    ¡°The dungeon was able to change everyone to fit a role except you! You¡¯re not part of this dungeon at all! You¡¯re just a dungeon crasher!¡±


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    ¡°Aiii! Aiii! Master! Master!¡±


    The previous Siren had a beautiful singing voice, but she was unable to say a single word. Now, it seemed like after her evolution her vocabulary had increased by exactly one word. She ended up kicking Elaya, sending her flying into the water. Freed from Elaya¡¯s grasp, she leaped on me and starting cooing and nestling my neck.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I thought you were mad at me.¡±


    ¡°Tsk! That¡¯s a bird-brain for you. Easily pleased! All you did was give her a name and now she¡¯s eating out of your hand!¡± Elaya snapped as she stepped out of the water.


    I looked at her, and my mouth dropped. Elaya was not wearing clothing that worked well in water. She was already a voluptuous, beautiful woman with an incredible body. It was now on display completely after falling into the water. Her clothing clung to her, and everything was showing through. She wasn¡¯t wearing a bra either. Elaya noticed me staring, and then looked down. Just as I hadn¡¯t been prepared for the sudden erotic appearance and was stunned, the usually bold and insatiable queen wasn¡¯t prepared to be looked at, and also grew shy.


    She covered her body shyly. ¡°P-pervert!¡±


    Did my Pervert job suddenly equip? I was feeling like it.


    ¡°Oo!¡± Selena made a noise as she was suddenly poked below, causing her to look down. ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°Master! Get her off you before she starts laying eggs!¡± Elaya suddenly did a flying kick, finally sending Selena flapping away.


    ¡°S-sorry!¡± I tried to apologize, but Selena charged Elaya and the two started fighting.


    I was pretty sure at this point that the Sirin had absolutely nothing to do with the dungeon or what Elaya had to show me. She just happened to be there, and even after the dungeon was crushed and reforged, she just refused to leave. When she saw me, she immediately threw a tantrum, but thankfully she was as easy to tame this time as she was the previous time. While some things changed, others stayed the same.

 Chapter 1160

    ¡°The things I want to show you, well, I can make the same point here.¡± Elaya sighed as she used magic to fix her wet clothing.


    Selena was sitting next to me still rubbing against me affectionately, but I at least was able to get her into clothing at least. I realized that I should have been giving her more attention. I stroked her head as I sat there on the grassy shore of the pond, the estate that Fifi was working at a distance behind us.


    ¡°What is it that you needed to show me?¡± I asked.


    Elaya pointed at Selena. ¡°Her evolution? What did it tell you?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, there was talk before about naming monsters. A named monster is more powerful than an unnamed monster. I once predicted that when it came to dungeons, the first boss in the dungeon was named, reflecting a character from the lore. If someone defeated that boss, they would receive additional first-time awards. However, once the boss was defeated, it¡¯d be replaced by an unnamed boss, which would ultimately be a pale reflection of the original boss.


    ¡°However, as I progressed, I found that this didn¡¯t seem to be quite right. I¡¯ve seen unnamed bosses that have never been defeated before, and named bosses return that should have been dead. That¡¯s when I started to hypothesize that whether a boss was named or not had to do with how long the boss existed. When a boss dies, its power disperses into the dungeon, and then the dungeon reforges that boss. Over time, it slowly absorbs mana, growing in strength, and also intelligence.


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    ¡°As a boss gains intelligence, it begins to fill in pieces of the person it was supposed to represent. Although, I¡¯ve had a feeling that this isn¡¯t quite right either.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what the difference between a real person and a doppelganger is?¡± Elaya suddenly asked, rather than confirming any of my own thoughts.


    ¡°Um¡­ one of them has the original mana soul, while the other only has a fake karmic soul. In essence, a doppelganger is only a strong will that has infected a body and then became compelled to act.¡±


    ¡°And, what is a soul?¡±


    ¡°A soul¡­¡± I frowned, getting a little annoyed at the continued questions without answers. ¡°It¡¯s a conduit for mana. A person is made up of a body, a soul, and mana. The body is our physical presence. The soul is our metaphysical presence. Mana is the energy that drives and merges the physical and metaphysical.¡±


    I¡¯d like to say that all of this was based on my own observations, but the truth was that I read a lot of this. Whenever we reached a new city, I¡¯d check out books on dungeons, jobs, skills, and mana. Particularly, when I was looking for other forms of solid mana like fairy dust and spirit fire, I found such a description.


    ¡°What if I were to tell you that a soul is lore.¡±


    ¡°Lore¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± She nodded. ¡°In a way, a soul isn¡¯t much different than a dungeon. Those blessings bound to you are fragments of souls, which have merged with your soul, and become an extension of your existence!¡±

 Chapter 1161

    Elaya¡¯s revelation wasn¡¯t too shocking to me. It made sense. All that I needed to be resurrected from death was a soul. If the mind was purely a physical thing, then every time someone was resurrected, they would come back with a head empty of knowledge. Furthermore, even though my body was destroyed, my blessings were not, and only one of my halves was able to keep such blessings. It was only when I entered a dungeon that had control over the soul that they were able to interfere with my blessings.


    Elaya nodded. ¡°It seems you have already had some inklings to this fact. Well, it is true. Our souls are the lore that we carry with us. As we experience life, that soul gets marked by all of the things we¡¯ve done. Whether that soul is karmic or mana-based, that doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is the soul.¡±


    ¡°So, it isn¡¯t that those creatures in dungeons have fake karmic souls, it¡¯s that the souls are¡­ primordial? Being made?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You misunderstand. Those souls will never become souls at all unless they are part of that soul¡¯s lore. Dungeons are a collection of incomplete lore. They become malignant, absorbing the mana of the world and swallowing anything nearby, all in a hope to complete their own lore, to become whole. However, you were right the first time. They are fake existences, which can never become whole.¡±


    ¡°Elaya¡­¡± I looked over at her, biting my lip.


    She smiled slightly. ¡°You¡¯re worried that I¡¯m saying I am a fake. You¡¯re not wrong for having such a worry. I was a fake Elaya. Only an imitation, a shadow of what she once was.¡±


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    ¡°You¡¯re not the only-¡°


    ¡°Astria had her complete soul. Although she was corrupted with mana from the inside and out, she was still herself. Even Xin combined with her doppelganger, combining the piece of the soul found in Twilight dungeon, and more recently the piece of the soul you recovered from the Ost Republic.¡±


    ¡°You know about that?¡± I asked wryly.


    I had only just united their souls outside of this dungeon not too long ago. Then again, Elaya had been waiting at the entrance, so she must have had some way of knowing.


    She gave a soft chuckle. ¡°Either way, Xin is a nearly complete soul. It may be damaged, her lore confused, but she is Xin. I¡¯m the only one who can¡¯t return. The Elaya who called herself the Maid Hero burned her soul away to save the Hero king. Only a wisp of her lore remained to create me, and even that wisp was captured by Aberis and used to create the Widow¡¯s Dungeon¡­ at least, that¡¯s what I thought.¡±


    I jerked at her words. ¡°What you thought?¡±


    ¡°There is a power in a name,¡± she said wistfully. ¡°When you gave Selena her name, you didn¡¯t just bestow upon her an identity, you acknowledged and solidified her lore. She was once a shadow, an agglomeration of unfulfilled lore and will, and you made her real. You did the same thing to me. You came into that dungeon, and gave me life.¡±


    ¡°Elaya, speak clearly. What is going on?¡±


    ¡°The Maid Hero¡­ that is a lore too. It¡¯s a name passed down from generation to generation. That¡¯s what the heroes are. They are lore that has become too powerful, combined with too many lives. In short, they are a soul much like yours, one that accumulated the blessings of dungeons and became too interconnected with the fabric of this world. As a result, the lore of heroes passes on when a person dies, creating a line of heroes with that name. Whether it is the Harem Hero or the Maid Hero¡­ it¡¯s a mantle¡­ a lore¡­ a soul that stands the test of time and becomes reborn time and time again.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re not the Maid Hero, are you¡­¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°It turns out, I was reborn.¡±

 Chapter 1162

    I squeezed my hands in a fist. ¡°So, there is another Elaya¡­¡±


    ¡°Of sorts¡­ you could say that. It¡¯s not like she¡¯d look like me, or even have my memories. As I said, my own soul has burned away. However, she is the piece of me that survived, and the legacy and lore of the name I represent.¡±


    In a world of resurrection, I suppose reincarnation makes sense too. Certain souls were too strong to be consumed by the dungeon and have no choice but to be incorporated into it. I supposed such a thing could exist on a grander scale. Mana souls that are too defined to be reincorporated back into the earth, refusing to be destroyed, but too righteous to become corrupted.


    ¡°Reincarnating souls¡­ they¡¯re basically the opposite of dungeons,¡± I concluded.


    ¡°They are truly the anti-dungeons¡­ but they are also a pitiful existence. Like dungeons, they are a lore incomplete. Unwilling to accept their ends, they end up in a never-ending loop, playing out the same story a different way. The Princess Hero will always lose her family and her nation. The Bandit Hero will always be betrayed by those he trusts. The Maid Hero¡­ she will always give her life for the man she dedicated herself to.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to be absorbed by this maid hero? Is that what you want to tell me?¡±


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    ¡°What I wanted to show you is a hero¡¯s birth.¡±


    ¡°Birth? She¡¯s not alive yet?¡±


    ¡°Heroes aren¡¯t born, Master, they are made. You spoke of reincarnation, but that isn¡¯t quite right. The mantle of the hero floats across the life force of the world. When it finds a kindred soul, it is only then that the soul¡¯s unite and the heroes are reborn. The strength of the hero¡¯s past will flow into them, and their destinies will intertwine. This is the thing that I wanted you to see. The time is coming in this story where the next maid hero will gain her power.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about any of that,¡± I responded frustratedly. ¡°Answer the question. Once this hero maid is created, will you end up merging with them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy that Master is so worried about me. However, I am not the one you should have your eyes on. This isn¡¯t my story. This is her story.¡± She smiled sadly and then pointed behind me.


    A door slamming behind me caused me to turn and see the woman named Fifi running out of her home. A man was walking up to her. It probably was another one of these scenes. Except, I was tired of these scenes. I just wanted Elaya back, but she was still playing coy with me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll only have time to see you once more before the end.¡± Her voice whispered in my ear.


    I turned back to see she was gone. Not just her, but Selena had disappeared as well. I made another vexed noise in my throat. The next time she pulled that on me, I definitely wouldn¡¯t fall for it. I¡¯d tie her up and make her explain everything.


    Unfortunately, she was already gone. I stood up, brushing the grass off my pants. It was time to see how heroes were made.

 Chapter 1163

    By the time I reached the mansion, Fifi had already escorted the man inside. I went to open the front door, and as I predicted, the door wouldn¡¯t budge. It was another invisible wall. I found a few open windows, but they didn¡¯t let me move forward any better. These invisible walls were becoming extremely irritating. Thankfully, the open window led into a receiving room, which is where they had ended up.


    I had a clear sight and could hear everything. I felt like a peeping tom standing in the bushes listening in on such a conversation, but I dealt with it. A glance into the room showed four people. There was Fifi, the cloaked stranger, an old maid, and then an old man who was wearing a fine suit. He was sitting in a nice chair, while Fifi was standing at his side, pouring tea for him. The old man had her sit down in a rocking chair, where she hummed to herself and knitted what looked to be a scarf.


    ¡°Now, why have you come to my home?¡± The old man asked, squinting his eyes and tilting his head like he could barely hear or see the man sitting only a few feet in front of him.


    ¡°I would like to speak to you about your slave.¡± The man declared.


    ¡°What?¡± He asked, turning his head forward and cupping his hand around his ear.


    ¡°You wish to speak about me?¡± Fifi asked, and although she had been surprised, she finished pouring her tea with exquisite skill.


    He turned to Fifi and nodded. ¡°I have recently heard about the death of your mother. To be suddenly attacked by a monster, and for her soul to be damaged to the point she could not be resurrected, you have my condolences.¡±


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    She stiffened slightly but gave a nod of recognition. ¡°Yes, my mother¡¯s passing was sudden, but we endure.¡±


    The old man held his tea and sipped contently, giving a pleasant smile while seemingly oblivious to the conversation being carried out between his maid and the guest. This had a certain practiced feel to it like she often handled the affairs while standing next to her elderly master.


    ¡°You and your mother were fortunate to be purchased by an extended family member when the main family tried to sell you off.¡± He spoke carefully.


    ¡°Yes, I agree. This has been my home. Now, the household just has me to keep it running.¡±


    ¡°Just you, huh?¡± The old lady looked up with a wry smile.


    Fifi blushed. ¡°Ah! I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡±


    ¡°It seems pitiful that a woman with your caliber and status must sacrifice her best years taking care of a senile old man.¡± The cloaked man¡¯s words seemed to drop all the pleasantness once he decided that the old man wasn¡¯t paying attention. ¡°You never should have been a slave at all.¡±


    ¡°When I was young, my mother made a deal with the master of the main family. If my brother and I produced a child of our race, we would not become slaves. However, my brother¡­ fell in love with a human woman, and betrayed my mother¡¯s word. We both paid the consequence of those actions.¡± Her expression turned bitter as she spoke of distant things that I had just recently seen.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you paid enough?¡±


    Fifi glared at him suspiciously. ¡°What do want with me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be direct. I intend to pay your fee and free you from slavery.¡±


    She took a step back. ¡°Why would you pay such a cost?¡±


    He pulled back his hood, revealing two pointy ears. ¡°Because I, the Elf Hero, have searched far and wide to find a proper mate.¡±


    ¡°An elf?¡±


    ¡°Will you become my wife, Faeyna?¡±

 Chapter 1164

    ¡°Faeyna!¡±


    If they could have heard my voice, surely everyone there, even the deaf old man, would have turned to the window and glanced at the crazy person watching them. As her name echoed, the face of the woman standing next to the old man started to gain more details. Her ears, her blonde hair, her gentle smile, Faeyna appeared right there.


    ¡°W-wait¡­ Maid hero?¡±


    It was true that Faeyna was a maid, but what did that have to do with any level of heroism? She was Faeyna, just Faeyna! She was also in the Ost Republic. No, I didn¡¯t know where she was. Eliana was looking into it, and the Demon Lord Aberis hadn¡¯t been forthcoming, even using information about her as an attempt to distract me. However, if she killed herself, then¡­ that bastard! The Demon Lord Aberis knew she was dead, and still, he tried to use her as a bargaining chip?


    The realization that the dungeon Maid¡¯s Lament had always been about another maid had thrown my mind into disarray. I didn¡¯t even know how to think at the moment. Why would she kill herself? Was it because she didn¡¯t want her body wasted? Her life had been plagued with people pressuring her to have a baby. However, she had her entire species, one about to go extinct, to think about. Once I died and she fell into Aberis¡¯s hand¡­ did she lose all hope and kill herself?


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    I had been so caught up in everything that I had missed the next few things that were said. I refocused on the scene in front of me to see Faeyna shaking her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but my master depends on me¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so quick to turn me down. Nothing is holding you here anymore. You served your debt to your mother, and as for your master, I am willing to pay quite a fee. He will get the care he needs in his final days of life. After their golden boy died in that tragedy all those years ago, the main family has all but collapsed. You alone have maintained these territories for your mentally declining master. If you give yourself to me, then I will assure his lands will be protected for the remainder of his life, and you will find a purpose with me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t even know you¡­¡± She responded uncertainly.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to know?¡± He demanded. ¡°I am the last suitable elf male. I mean no disrespect, but your options are limited.¡±


    ¡°Unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ a human?¡±


    ¡°Human?¡± He sneered as he stood up. ¡°You wish to make the same mistake your brother did? Is there a human you love?¡±


    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t¡­¡±


    He grabbed her arm, his expression turning dark. ¡°Who is he?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anyone!¡±


    ¡°Then you wouldn¡¯t reject me!¡± He snarled.


    ¡°Hey!¡± A shout came from the window next to mine, causing me to jump and turn to see another guy there. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand when no means no?¡±


    He turned to me, winked, and then jumped into the room. I punched the invisible wall, feeling like he was taunting me. Of course, the man that appeared was none other than Faeyna¡¯s brother.

 Chapter 1165

    ¡°You!¡± The strange elf snarled.


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    ¡°Oh my, hehehehe¡­¡± The old man chuckled to himself like this was all a joke.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Faeyna demanded.


    ¡°Fifi¡­ you cannot accept this man¡¯s proposal.¡±


    ¡°You scoundrel¡­¡± The other man growled. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to this man. He¡¯s a scoundrel and a murderer! I challenge you to the duel!¡±


    ¡°What? Wait!¡± Faeyna protested.


    ¡°I accept!¡± Her brother responded before she could stop him.


    ¡°Brother, no! You don¡¯t understand. He¡¯s a hero!¡±


    ¡°A hero?¡± Her brother blinked.


    The stranger elf finally grinned. ¡°You have no clue what you¡¯ve done. A little back country elf like you wouldn¡¯t have a chance against me. Where I am from, they call me the Elf Hero!¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Her brother narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Of course, since you¡¯re her brother, I will give you a single chance.¡± The elf grinned. ¡°Give me your sister, and accept your arrest, and I will allow you to live.¡±


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    ¡°Allow me, huh?¡± Her brother responded mockingly. ¡°How about we take this outside?¡±


    ¡°Brother, you can¡¯t do this! I know you¡¯re a dungeon diver, but he¡¯s a hero!¡± Faeyna was saying as the front door burst open.


    Her brother was confidently striding out into the front lawn while she worriedly followed. The Elf Hero followed behind them. This was the first time I had heard of such a hero. Then again, there were so few elves left in this world, it wasn¡¯t surprising that the Elf Hero wasn¡¯t that widespread.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sister, I lied to you before.¡± Her brother turned to face the other man, pulling a pair of daggers from his belt. ¡°I haven¡¯t been training all of this time to be a dungeon diver.¡±


    ¡°Y-you haven¡¯t?¡± Faeyna blinked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been training all of this time to become a hero!¡± He declared.


    ¡°A-a hero?¡±


    ¡°Training to become a hero? You¡¯re not one of those fools on the hero route, are you?¡± the Elf Hero burst into laughter. ¡°That¡¯s hilarious.¡±


    ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand, hero route?¡±


    ¡°We heroes are blessed by our lore. We take on a destiny from countless heroes before us. We are a collection of all of their strength and power. We are tasked with completing their goals, to reach the end of their lore. Each one of us makes it a little farther toward completing the lore built on the shoulders of giants. However, certain fools try to write their own lore. They try to do in a single lifetime what took the heroes a dozen lifetimes to do. They take the lore from dungeons, making them into blessings and grafting lore onto themselves, in the hopes of creating a new story. They wish to become heroes with their own measly power.¡±


    ¡°You are the ones who failed to complete your lore! As for me, I will create something new with my strength!¡± Faeyna¡¯s brother struck his fists together, and his body started to glow, revealing at least four different blessings on his body.


    My eyes widened at the sight. Every one of those blessings would have been a dungeon he not only defeated but completed.


    ¡°Well met. Now, let me show you the difference between a real hero and a faux hero like you.¡± The Elf Hero pulled a rapier from his sheathe, and then the two men began to fight.

 Chapter 1166

    The two men began to fight. Their weapons were practically blurs, and as they fought, they used skills as naturally as they were breathing. This was truly a higher-tier battle. Up until now, the fights I had seen were usually powerful, but they weren¡¯t smooth. People would call out attacks, spending time on offense and defense. While attacks would happen in flurries, there would often be breaks.


    The difference here was that the battle felt more frantic and the moves felt smoother. A skill wasn¡¯t just performed, but it occurred and then melded into the next which melded into the next. They¡¯d even perform combos, which were popping multiple skills off at the right time to take advantage of the previous skill. When I attacked, I¡¯d use something like Quick Attack. These fighters would use Quick Attack, but then that would set them into the position to do a Fireslash, which would then blind their opponent and allow them to perform a Break Slice, leading into a Rapid Flurry.


    Lydia had said that she didn¡¯t feel like she could become better with the sword without finding a master. I had understood what she meant at the time, but it had never been clearer until seeing two masters fighting. Some things couldn¡¯t be overcome with speed and levels. Prediction, intuition, reaction¡­ these were things that could only come with training and experience. It was clear that both of them were extremely experienced. Remarkably, both men were only a few years older than me. Yet, they had been training since they were teenagers, while I had only been handed my strength a half year before.


    ¡°Please, stop!¡± Faeyna cried out desperately as her brother and the Elf Hero fought violently.


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    Her brother had been pushed into a fate that he wanted no part of. He desired to be free and love who he wanted. Yet, the woman he tried to be with died too young. At that point, he was found by a master who began to train him. Although he had told his sister he was a dungeon diver, the truth was that he was a True Dungeon Diver with aspirations of becoming a powerful hero. Only a true hero could be able to defy their fate. It was that kind of thing. Did that mean that the day I had stopped Shao, I had become a True Hero because I defied her fate?


    Well, just because I had that job didn¡¯t mean I was a hero by the way these guys were using it. There were multiple heroes in this world. There were the local heroes. They received the tokens given by cities, and thus had the selfless job Hero. Then, there were the legacy heroes. That was the best way to describe the likes of the Maid Hero, the Hero King, and so on¡­ These were all people who had become heroes by absorbing the legacy of a heroic lore.


    The final type of hero, the one that Faeyna¡¯s brother was trying to reach, I guess I could call a true hero. This was someone who had gained a great deal of power by their own right, forging their name into history. If a true hero met a tragic end, they may end up becoming a legacy hero, only being able to pass down their mantle to the next qualified person.


    What did that make me? Was I following the path of a true hero? I had various blessings, and my soul had been grown and expanded. I was no longer a normal person bound to live a normal life. As I was lost in thought, the fight had reached a critical point. The victor of the fight had been obvious, and I had already guessed who it would be.


    ¡°Brother!¡± Faeyna cried out in horror as a sword pierced right through his chest.

 Chapter 1167

    Faeyna ran up to her brother as he collapsed to the ground. She had her arms wrapped around his head. There were only three elves in the world, and they were still killing each other. Well, I didn¡¯t know how many elves there were. To the best of my knowledge, they were exceedingly rare, just like deep dwarves. There could be a village of them out there somewhere. At one point, they had come from a dungeon, so if we were talking worlds there might even be an entire world dedicated to elves. One day, it would be nice to take Faeyna to such a place.


    At that thought, I came to two realizations. The first was that Faeyna had killed herself two months ago. My opportunity to take her anywhere had passed. The second was that I wasn¡¯t powerful enough. I could barely travel between Earth and this world. There was no way I could travel to another world beyond this one. If I wanted to be able to fulfill the wishes of everyone who followed me, I would have to become stronger.


    ¡°F-Faeyna¡­¡± Her brother declared, blood spurting out of his mouth.


    ¡°Brother¡­ you didn¡¯t have to do this!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I just want¡­ you to be¡­ free. Find¡­ the one you truly love. Please. Never let them¡­ go¡­¡±


    ¡°I will! I will. Just get back up!¡± She cried. ¡°Brother? Brother!¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ he didn¡¯t have to force my hand.¡± The Elf Hero sniffed.


    ¡°You killed him!¡±


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    ¡°He was a criminal. He earned his fate.¡±


    ¡°Resurrect him!¡± She shouted, tears running down her eyes.


    He narrowed his eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t. What Priest would resurrect a criminal? Even if I could find one that would risk becoming a forsaken Dark Priest, I wouldn¡¯t. Don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be lucky again to find some random vagabond who illegally resurrects him.¡±


    I coughed awkwardly. I knew that historically, it was probably this mysterious master who had brought him back, but I had technically been the one to do it. Being called a forsaken vagabond, even by this arrogant guy, pissed me off a bit. I pulled Xin¡¯s blade out of my Inventory anyway. This guy deserved a thrashing.


    Although the scene had been playing out as if I was a ghost, I had already walked across this front line before. Thus, I felt like I should be able to engage now. Plus, the man¡¯s unpleasant eyes were on Faeyna, and it was making me angry.


    ¡°I will never forgive you!¡±


    ¡°You will, with time.¡± He smiled. ¡°You will become my woman. Once you pop out a couple of babies, you¡¯ll be far too busy to hate me.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough-¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not your opponent.¡± A voice came from behind me. I turned around to see Faeyna¡¯s brother standing there.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just die?¡± I turned back to the scene unfolding between Faeyna and the Elf Hero.


    The body of her brother was mysteriously missing, but neither seemed to notice. I turned back to the man in front of me. He had his blades out, and he gave a helpless shrug.


    ¡°He is too strong for you to defeat.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, I want to protect Faeyna.¡±


    ¡°So, did I¡­ but we both failed, didn¡¯t we?¡± He asked.


    I made a bitter expression. He wasn¡¯t able to protect her from the Elf Hero. I could already see her body changing. This moment was the moment she became the Maid Hero. It was her brother¡¯s sacrifice, and that promise, that had driven her to take on the mantle. It was my failure that had driven her to death.


    ¡°I won¡¯t fail her again.¡± I declared. ¡°It may be too late for you, but I can fix this?¡±


    ¡°Can you?¡± He smirked. ¡°First, you¡¯ll have to show me you have the strength!¡±

 Chapter 1168

    ¡°Don¡¯t look so mopey. I will make you a happy woman.¡± The Elf Hero spoke with a conceited grin on his face.


    While I was squaring off against her brother, the Faeyna from the past was facing the mocking smile of the Elf Hero, who from beginning to end was acting like he had everything under his control. It was clear that he felt no guilt over killing her brother. As for his aims, if they were to keep the elf line going, murdering another male elf seemed like a funny way to show it.


    ¡°I will never go with you!¡± Faeyna cried out. ¡°You¡¯re a murderer!¡±


    The Elf Hero¡¯s smile froze on his face. ¡°If I¡¯m a murderer, then it would be best if you didn¡¯t defy me!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to be freed if I don¡¯t want to! A slave must be willing for the payment to allow release!¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ you think that I will give you a choice? If I can¡¯t have you as my wife¡­ then I¡¯ll use you as my slave!¡± He started to take several steps toward her.


    ¡°I won¡¯t! The man I choose to be with¡­ it will be my choice!¡± Faeyna declared resolutely, seemingly honoring her brother¡¯s desires.


    He stopped for a second and then smiled once again. ¡°Is that what your mother would have wanted?¡±


    ¡°My mother¡­¡± Faeyna looked uncertain for a moment.


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    Her mother had pushed her and her brother together. She had wanted a continuation of the species. Surely, had she known about the Elf Hero, she would have been ecstatic if her daughter was both freed and could continue the elf line. Plus, it¡¯d be with a hero, so the babies would undoubtedly be strong. Faeyna¡¯s will faltered for a bit, but when he took another step, her resolve returned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to honor your mother?¡±


    Faeyna looked away. ¡°Even so¡­ mother is dead now. I must do what will make me happy! I can¡¯t live for her anymore!¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± The Elf Hero¡¯s smile turned violent. ¡°Hehehehe¡­ if I had realized things would have ended up like this, I wouldn¡¯t have arranged to have her killed.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°I could have probably used her as a bargaining chip.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡± Her expression turned pale. ¡°You killed my mother?¡±


    ¡°Everyone in town said that it was your mother that kept you here. I figured you¡¯d never let go of her as long as she remained alive, so I prepared her removal from the picture.¡± He responded, a disgusted look on his face.


    ¡°Y-you killed her!¡±


    At first, it looked like Faeyna fell to her knees in despair, but a moment later, she shakily stood back up, holding a broom that had been knocked off the porch during the earlier fight.


    He grinned. ¡°She even begged me. She apologized to your brother with her dying words, she said that he was right all along. I wonder what that meant?¡±


    The Elf Hero had been taunting her in his insolence, but he hadn¡¯t seen their past as I had, and he also hadn¡¯t heard or cared about her brother¡¯s dying words. Her mother had lived with regret. In the end, she realized she had wronged both her children, and all she had wanted was to get forgiveness for not supporting her son. As for her daughter, she should only marry the man that she wanted. That was what her mother¡¯s final words meant.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Energy started to swirl around her. ¡°You¡¯ve¡­ made a mess of everything!¡±


    The elf¡¯s smile started to drop as he felt her growing power. ¡°Y-you¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time¡­ to clean up the mess!¡±

 Chapter 1169

    ¡°Are you the dungeon master?¡± I asked Faeyna¡¯s brother cautiously.


    ¡°I wonder¡­¡± He gave a noncommittal response.


    ¡°At first, I thought you were a creation of the dungeon, then I was thinking you were some kind of manifestation of Faeyna¡¯s will. Now, I¡¯m not so sure.¡±


    He rolled his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s hardly something so glamorous. I¡¯m merely what was left of Faeyna¡¯s brother.¡±


    ¡°How can that be? You died a long time ago?¡± I asked, and then my eyes flashed. ¡°Unless¡­¡±


    ¡°I see that you understand. Yes, when I died, I sent the last piece of my soul into my sister. I intended to protect her. I think that perhaps I had only succeeded in becoming a demon in her heart.¡±


    This guy had done something not all that much different than what Demon Lord Aberis had done. He had abandoned his body at death and then put his soul into Xin until the right time that he could take over her baby. This guy¡¯s intentions weren¡¯t so nefarious, but it was similar. He had clung on to his sister, remaining by her side up until the moment of her death in the Ost Republic.


    ¡°Her¡­ abilities¡­¡±


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    ¡°I suppressed them¡­ for her good.¡± He explained with a sigh. ¡°I did what I did so that she could have a normal life. I didn¡¯t want her to have the same fate as other legacy heroes. Had I known that things would end up that way, that she would end up sacrificing herself for you, well, I¡¯m not sure I would have done anything differently?¡±


    ¡°Then, you¡¯re likely the reason her lore ended up becoming a dungeon too. Too many unresolved issues.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny it is a possibility.¡± He shrugged.


    ¡°In that case, destroying you would destroy the darkness over her heart. It would free her from your grasp. It would end this dungeon and it would also allow her to finally become the maid hero she was supposed to be. I have to fight you then.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re finally on the same page.¡± He smirked. ¡°If you can defeat me, then I will recognize that you are powerful enough to protect my sister. I will trust her to you. However, if you fail, well, don¡¯t even think of getting near her again!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been the one putting up all of those invisible walls. You¡¯ve been the one barricading this place of memories. You¡¯ve been trying to keep me out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing personal. I just don¡¯t like you.¡±


    ¡°Siscon?¡±


    ¡°S-s-siscon! What are you saying? Haven¡¯t you been paying attention? I loved another woman! I held myself back from touching my sister!¡±


    ¡°You did everything you could to get stronger to protect her. You even fought off her suitor. Then, you wrapped your soul around her to keep her for yourself and not let any other man have her. So, siscon.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­ now I see that we can never get along! I¡¯ll defeat you! I won¡¯t let anyone have my sister!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you-¡±


    ¡°Yes, I just got it as soon as I heard it!¡± He snarled. ¡°Just prepare yourself!¡±


    As Faeyna lunged forward to attack the Elf Hero, I lunged forward to fight the demon in her heart.

 Chapter 1170

    Faeyna¡¯s brother¡¯s weapons were short, but they had a knack for breaking through my longer reach. He was skilled at getting close. His movements were smooth as well, and I kept getting cut. I immediately healed every time I was cut, so I was able to manage for some time, but I realized that if I didn¡¯t have my abnormal healing and high mana, I likely would have experienced death by a thousand cuts. Compared to the feeling of having my soul chopped over and over again, this was nothing though, so I didn¡¯t give up.


    I¡¯d like to say that Faeyna was in a better situation. However, it was clear that becoming a hero wasn¡¯t an instant switch to infinite power. After all, Faeyna was still Faeyna. By having the power of the Maid Hero, it didn¡¯t suddenly make her just as powerful as Elaya. She had the same jobs and the same levels as she did before. The legacy gave her some strength to pull on, some mana to use, and the experiences of those that came before her as long as she could pull on it, but that would only get someone so far.


    The Elf Hero had his legacy longer and he had also trained his body as well. Faeyna¡¯s only saving grace was that he was toying with her, and ultimately didn¡¯t want her to have any permanent damage. It was enough that she was able to keep him back, but he was slowly becoming less and less patient. If I couldn¡¯t finish off her brother, she¡¯d likely get hurt.


    I knew that the consequences in this dungeon referred to events that had already happened. Her brother should be dying on the ground, not perfectly fine, and fighting me. This was merely a dungeon. It was a curse and an illusion. Trying to change anything inside it was pointless. Yet, I couldn¡¯t just allow the events to happen the same way they had happened before.


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    If I had Alysium with me, I would have been able to handle this fight far easier. Her power added to my power, and thus every strike was faster and more powerful because of her. She was also a large blade with a broadside that fit my fighting style. Well, she could change to any size, but she used the size I preferred. I didn¡¯t have their elegance as a fighter, so Xin¡¯s thin, fine blade didn¡¯t suit me at all. Yet, there was nothing I could do about that.


    Perhaps, a more skilled fighter would able to be equally deadly no matter what they had in their hands. I had once read a swordsman¡¯s guide when I was helping Lydia that said that a true swordsman was just as powerful even when they didn¡¯t have their sword. Incidentally, they could make a sword with their pure will, allowing them to perform attacks anyway. Well, I was nowhere near that level.


    Again and again, I was reminded that I was still a small fish in a big pond. If even this guy who wasn¡¯t much older could give me pressure, then how could I battle against the true monsters of the world? What about the Great Labyrinths? I was only just strong enough to take out a level twenty or thirty labyrinth on my own, and I thought myself an undefeated hero? I was still being too na?ve. At best, I had only upgraded my equipment. I now had a body and soul brimming with potential, but it was up to me to use it!


    The blessings on Faeyna¡¯s Brother began to glow, and I had a feeling of danger that told me he was preparing for his strongest attack. I raised Xin¡¯s blade in defense. I didn¡¯t have the skill to defeat him in a prolonged battle. My only chance was to use my strength to overwhelm him. This was my chance. I had to take it.

 Chapter 1171

    As he began to glow, pulling on the power of his blessings, I did the same. I wondered if he had access to a dungeon store just like me. It stood to reason he should have dungeon points, and there was no saying what those points would do to his strength. Perhaps, that was why he was so much trouble for me. That¡¯s when I remembered that he was defeated by the person Faeyna was fighting now.


    She was on the retreat now. Her broom had broken in two. Honestly, considering she was deflecting a metal rapier, it was pretty impressive that she had managed to last with it as long as she had. She still fought furiously, but she was losing ground and backing up. My only shot was to defeat my opponent now. Then, I would charge forward and help her.


    With a roar, the pair of us came at each other for a final strike. He crossed his blades in an x-slash, and my sword slammed into it. A shockwave exploded out from between us and the ground indented slightly.


    ¡°Is this all you have?¡± He shouted. ¡°Is this the power of the man who claims he can protect her?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just starting!¡± I forced down more, causing his knees to bend down.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Deek¡­ you just don¡¯t have what it takes.¡± His sighed. ¡°You¡¯ve failed!¡±


    His blades finished the cut, and Xin¡¯s sword exploded back. It flew out of my hand, flying up into the air. He had disarmed me. With a roar, he plunged forward, slamming his daggers into me. I¡­ had lost? As I fell back, blood shooting from my chest, my head turned. Faeyna had lost her footing and fell back. Her broom flew to the side as she landed on her butt.


    ¡°You¡¯re done.¡± The Elf Hero leveled his sword at her. ¡°Now, give up and be mine.¡±


    ¡°Never!¡± She shouted defiantly.


    ¡°Never!¡± I said at the same time, my foot shooting back and catching me.


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡± Faeyna¡¯s brother¡¯s eyes popped open.


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    ¡°I will never give up on her! On any of them!¡± My fist flew out and struck him in the face.


    It was a Quick Attack, but it was my fist doing the damage. I had Basic Weapon Proficiency. What was more basic than hand-to-hand?


    ¡°You just don¡¯t know when to give up!¡± He snorted, pulling two fresh blades from his belt.


    The two sticking out of me weren¡¯t even all that he had. I didn¡¯t care. I attacked.


    ¡°Fool!¡± His blade went against my fist.


    However, I changed my fist into a slash, and then I used the skill Extended Blade. A slash of light came from my hand and met his blade. His eyes popped open in surprise, expecting to hit flesh. This caused him to be unbalanced. I used a Create Step and Accelerate to explode forward. Using just my hands, I slashed over and over. I realized I was doing a combo.


    True Strike, Parry, Arcing Slash, Quick Attack, Drill Kick¡­ each attack flowed into the next attack. I had Advanced Learning Equipped, not to mention Mimic. My combo might not be as clean and efficient as what the pair of them could do, but I struck him again and again. He started to panic, causing him to lose one of his daggers. 5-combo. 6-combo. Each extra one became and more and more difficult. I realized the best I could manage was 7. Thus, I made it my best!


    ¡°Final Blow!¡±


    ¡°N-no!¡±


    Going for broke, his Danger Sense exploded, but he couldn¡¯t resist as I struck him. He went flying off, slamming into the Elf Hero just as he was about to grab Faeyna. The two of them when flying back, slamming into the side of a previously formed crater. The Elf Hero burst out of the dust, a furious expression on his face. His clean outfit was dirtied, and he had lost his look of superiority.


    ¡°Ridiculous!¡± He snarled.


    I stepped in front of Faeyna. I had managed to recover Xin¡¯s blade, and I was now holding it up against him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be your opponent now!¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s you!¡± Faeyna gasped.


    So, now she could see me? That was fine. I wanted her to see me.


    ¡°Another fool wishes to die?¡± The Elf Hero grinned, he took a step forward but was stopped. ¡°What¡¯s this. It¡¯s you!¡±


    Behind him, Faeyna¡¯s brother was holding on to his leg tightly.


    ¡°Deek.¡± He looked up at me. ¡°I¡¯ll take this one. As for you, I¡¯ll hold you responsible for her future!¡±


    The look in his eyes¡­ I had seen such a look before.


    ¡°Brother?¡±


    ¡°You peasant!¡± The Elf Hero lifted his sword to strike the other man down, but he didn¡¯t look in his direction or protect himself.


    ¡°Goodbye, my sister.¡± He smiled sadly. ¡°Self-Destruct.¡±


    ¡°Brother!¡±


    His body exploded in light. I created a barrier to block the explosion. That was how her brother went out. After being injured, Faeyna fought and became the Maid Hero. Then, her brother gave his life to destroy the Elf Hero. This damaged his soul to the point that all that was left was a sliver which ended up attaching to Faeyna. That was her story and her past.

 Chapter 1172

    ¡°You¡¯re here¡­ again.¡± Faeyna¡¯s voice came from behind.


    I turned to look at her. ¡°You don¡¯t know who I am?¡±


    ¡°Should I?¡± She looked up at me, her eyes red with the tears she was holding back, her lips tight. ¡°You¡¯re an acquaintance of my brother, right?¡±


    ¡°Faeyna¡­¡± I reached out, but she took a step back, her behavior guarded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know you, but I think it¡¯s best if you go. I have a lot of messes to clean up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a hero now¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a maid! That¡¯s all I am. That¡¯s all I¡¯ll ever be. Now, my master is waiting for me to make his supper.¡±


    I looked around incredulously. The mansion had been untouched, but the entire front yard was filled with holes and craters. It was as she said, a mess.


    ¡°Your brother¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to tell me about my brother!¡± She rose her voice, her tears finally starting to fall.


    ¡°What about the Elf Hero?¡±


    She stiffened. ¡°What about him?¡±


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    ¡°Do you think he¡¯d be without life insurance?¡±


    A man like him definitely would be resurrected. Before, when the Elf Hero had killed her brother, he may have refused to help resurrect him, but resurrection was still a possibility. She would have had a month to find someone to do it. Money could be raised. Disreputable people could be contacted. However, after sacrificing himself and damaging his soul, such a thing was less likely. I had been resurrected, but I also understood those were special circumstances.


    Faeyna¡¯s expression turned white for a second but her expression turned dark. ¡°If that¡¯s all you have to say, then, please leave. I won¡¯t ask again.¡±


    She turned away and left, walking back up to the mansion and then entering inside. In the end, we finally had a chance to speak, but we had barely exchanged two words. More than that, she had given me the cold shoulder. Was that Faeyna¡¯s ultimate feelings regarding me? Did she just want me to go away?


    I started to feel increasingly depressed. ¡°Rejected, huh?¡±


    ¡°Is it so surprising?¡± A voice asked behind me.


    I looked back at Elaya standing there. I took a steady breath.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be?¡±


    ¡°This is Faeyna before she met you. She doesn¡¯t even know you. Well, this cycle has met you a few times, but that doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯s formed any particular strong opinion about you.¡±


    ¡°This cycle?¡±


    ¡°Do you think this is the first time this story has played out? This¡­ or variations of it, have been playing out ever since this dungeon formed.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ Faeyna¡¯s entire life¡­¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I had to break free from her cycle. This damn dungeon cast me as the old maid! Well, Xin was caught up in it too. I managed to send her out, and you were able to sever that bond. As for her, Faeyna has been suffering this loop, like a self-imposed punishment.¡±


    It was like Twilight Dungeon. The story played out over and over again. I was only seeing the most recent version of it. Presumably, once it finished, it¡¯d repeat again, desperately trying to change its story. Of course, things turned out the same way. I wasn¡¯t able to change anything.


    ¡°What is she punishing herself for? I¡¯m the one who failed.¡± I responded bitterly.


    ¡°Not yet. There is still one last level.¡± Elaya declared.

 Chapter 1173

    ¡°What?¡± I blinked. ¡°We fought the final boss. Shouldn¡¯t this dungeon be over?¡±


    Elaya let out a throaty laugh. ¡°Sorry, not quite. There is a bit more.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ her brother¡­ I destroyed the dark stain on her heart.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t say that her brother¡¯s unresolved feelings didn¡¯t contribute to this dungeon forming.¡± Elaya sighed. ¡°Shortly after I felt your death, I traveled to the Ost Republic to confirm with my own eyes. I had my suspicions about what happened to you, and I believed you¡¯d return. That was when I found Faeyna¡¯s soul. Fearing she¡¯d be resurrected by the enemies and used against you; I took her back here and attempted to resurrect her myself.


    ¡°Ultimately, it was her own dark emotions, mixed with her brother¡¯s soul, and my failure that caused the dungeon to form.  Since it formed right in the boss room, it took over your dungeon in a flash, catching Xin and me by surprise and stealing what we had. We were infected by the dungeon¡¯s karma and trapped within its karmic cycle. I was able to escape its hold, and then I did what I could from within the dungeon. The residents would have been turned into monsters and cast in the lore if I didn¡¯t corrupt the mana spring and use it to infect them with anger. You see, strong emotions overwhelm the dungeon¡¯s control.¡±


    I recalled that despite everything, the dungeon entrance wasn¡¯t being watched at all by the infected residents. I now knew this was because Elaya had gone out of her way to keep them from entering it and becoming its slave.


    ¡°Faeyna¡­ really is the Maid Hero?¡± It was probably a dumb question at this point, but dungeons could be difficult to interpret.


    ¡°I had my suspicions about Faeyna¡¯s true nature before. She had done some powerful feats that went beyond a simple maid. It was only after the dungeon formed that I confirmed the truth. Although her brother had suppressed her legacy to an extent, her heart demons contributed as well. Defeating him may have satiated his spirit, but that¡¯s not going to complete this lore. There is still the last bit, what truly weighs on her heart.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± I asked with a resigned sigh.


    ¡°Look over there¡­¡± She pointed somewhere off in the distance.


    I squinted to see what appeared to be a caravan approaching. It still had some time before it reached. I realized it looked familiar. It was a slave caravan.


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    ¡°Figuro?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ not too long from now, he will arrive. He¡¯ll convince her and her master to sell her so that her master can continue to live comfortably, and she won¡¯t cause them any more trouble from the Elf Hero. Well, you know what happens after¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked before I realized that this must have been how she ended up in the capital for sale, where I bought her.


    ¡°That¡¯s for Master to determine on his own.¡± Elaya answered anyway, gesturing toward the entrance to the mansion, which suddenly opened up


    Looking at the door, I couldn¡¯t see the inside. I knew that once I walked through, I wouldn¡¯t be in the mansion anymore. One last scene? I turned to Elaya.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to merge with Faeyna.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question.


    ¡°It was cute watching Master worry!¡± She stuck out her tongue. ¡°No, I¡¯m not the original Elaya, and even if I was, our souls have no connection to each other, other than the legacy we took on. Master gave me a new life when he resurrected me, so I am my own person now, unrestrained by the lore of another. I¡¯m sorry I misled you.¡±


    ¡°Will you come with me then?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go to this next part. I¡¯m not involved. For all intent, you shouldn¡¯t be able to either.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°These invisible walls you keep facing? These are the walls of her heart. I was cast into a certain role, and thus I¡¯m able to appear in certain parts of the story. On the other hand, you don¡¯t have a place in this story.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a place¡­ right¡­¡± I bit my lip bitterly.


    My interactions so far had been random. More often than not, the story kept me on the outside. I originally thought that was because Elaya had wanted me to watch the story instead of being involved, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. In the Twilight Dungeon, I was able to move about freely. This dungeon was restraining me on purpose. I was an invader, moving through a territory that didn¡¯t want me there. In some dungeons, they threw monsters at you to impede you. This dungeon merely tried to make me a spectator, passing through without being seen or heard.


    As I walked by Elaya, a thought came to me and I grabbed her arm.


    ¡°Enslavement!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Elaya let out a cry.


    ¡°You may not be able to join me, but I¡¯m not going to lose track of you again.¡± I snorted as the bond took hold of her.


    ¡°M-master¡­ doing that all of a sudden!¡± Elaya previous look became cutely shy.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ you could have resisted easily if you had any doubt.¡±


    ¡°E-even so,¡± She rubbed her legs together, blushing and breathing hard. ¡°When you bond a girl without warning when her maiden heart isn¡¯t ready¡­ it makes her worked up!¡±


    She licked her lips, the lewd Elaya I remembered starting to surface.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility when I return.¡±


    ¡°You better¡­ feeling Master¡¯s bond again¡­ it¡¯s making me excited!¡± She declared, and then made a pouty face. ¡°You left me for two months! On top of that, I had to act like a wise and mature old biddy, rather than a beauty in the sexual prime of her youth-¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your kid older than me?¡±


    ¡°-Youthful beauty that I am!¡± She declared shamelessly, giving a stubborn look.


    ¡°Ahem, as you say.¡± I coughed awkwardly. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll get this over with.¡±


    I bid her farewell and then stepped through the door. It was time to see the end.

 Chapter 1174

    ¡°I¡¯m not in the mansion, I¡¯m in¡­ this is the Ost Republic!¡± I frowned. ¡°What am I doing here?¡±


    Looking around, I noticed this was the building where the Aberis embassy was placed. Faeyna was there, humming to herself, looking exactly as I last remembered her like not a single day had passed since we last saw each other. As she hummed, she was cleaning the room vigorously. As for me, I was behind another invisible wall, keeping me from approaching the scene. The door burst open, and a familiar face walked in. It was Raissa.


    ¡°What are you still doing here?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Cleaning for Master¡­¡± She responded, although her voice sounded slightly off.


    ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re his slave too¡­ you should have felt it.¡± Raissa declared, her tail slouched.


    ¡°What of it?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ he¡¯s dea- he¡¯s dead¡­¡± It took her two tries to get the words out, her ears down and her head lowered in defeat.


    I began to understand where I was in events. This was right before the mansion was ransacked by the Ost Republic. However, this seemed to be one of those situations where the lore wasn¡¯t perfect. Nova had told me he had already captured the girls before my soul was pulled into the Illusory Sword Dungeon. I supposed during such an emotional time, those kinds of events all blurred together.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And¡­ the soldiers of the Ost Republic are on their way! We need to escape!¡±


    ¡°You may leave if you wish¡­.¡±


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    ¡°Come with me! Eliana has left to buy us time, so she¡¯s been caught. The Tibults have already fled. It¡¯s just you and me. We need to survive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already said, you may go¡­¡± Faeyna responded, still not looking in the other woman¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Faeyna, Master wouldn¡¯t want-¡± Raissa grabbed for her arm.


    Faeyna moved suddenly, far faster than Raissa could have imagined. A figurine was knocked off the table and then shattered on the floor. Faeyna had managed to avoid her. She was glaring at Raissa with red eyes.


    ¡°There is no point in running! There is no point in anything!¡± She shouted, tears starting to run down her cheeks.


    ¡°That¡­¡± Raissa took a step back. ¡°There is¡­ survival.¡±


    ¡°There is no point in surviving if he won¡¯t be there with me.¡± Faeyna declared, spinning away.


    I reached out instinctively, and my hand hit another barrier. Raissa stared at her helplessly for a moment, and then touched her stomach, her expression growing resolved. Faeyna had her back facing Raissa, clearly not willing to talk any more.


    ¡°Well, you may not wish to continue to live, but I have to continue for his sake!¡±


    After a few moments, Faeyna turned around, but Raissa was already gone. Her expression looked somewhat hesitant, but then she went back to cleaning.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t she go?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Because, Master, you are her everything. She had decided that. Her heart had been closed for so long. The day you gave your life for her, the day you turned things around, and in an impossible situation where death was certain you saved her and survived, you became her life.¡± Elaya was speaking through the Slave Communication now. ¡°Remember, the Faeyna you first met chose to leave you when given her chance. It took her seeing how the other slaves loved you and seeing how you put yourself out for her even when she spurned you for her to finally open her heart again. Then, only two months later, she found herself alone again.¡±


    That was right. It had only been a few months for Faeyna. It wasn¡¯t like we had spent a ton of time together. I had formed relationships with most of my slaves. Perhaps Faeyna was waiting for her turn, but it never happened. Just as she opened her heart, waiting for me to take it, I disappeared, and she was alone again.


    I finally figured out what the darkness in her heart was. It was me. As for why I was here, this was the day she killed herself.

 Chapter 1175

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, why is she doing this?¡± I asked helplessly as Faeyna didn¡¯t stop cleaning.


    Meanwhile, outside, I could hear the soldiers sent by the Demon Lord Aberis. One of them was a female Osterian general. I didn¡¯t have to guess too hard what role Xin was taking over. It probably was Xin who captured her, but since she was taken from the dungeon and a new version was created, this one was a lot weaker and only shared some appearance with Xin, like a person who had to describe someone they saw to a sketch artist.


    I found it a little ironic that the Xin who was guilty for all of this was the Xin who ended up freeing my own Xin from this dungeon. It probably didn¡¯t hurt with their merge either that my Xin had been infected with karma forcing her to act like the other Xin at the time they merged. It might not have gone as smoothly otherwise, as the dungeon might have resisted more.


    ¡°Is it really so hard to consider?¡± Elaya asked. ¡°How do you resurrect someone?¡±


    ¡°You find their soul and bring it back. If they have a body, it¡¯s rather simple and you can just repair the damage to the body and put them back into it. If they have a body but its not with you, it functions more like a summoning, bringing their body to you and then recreating it, so you don¡¯t end up with corpses lying around. If you don¡¯t have a body as it was destroyed, then you have to create one with mana. Each version is increasingly difficult and requires a lot more mana, so lower-level priests can¡¯t manage it.¡±


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    ¡°Yes¡­ but how do you start? How do you know who to resurrect?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d need some part of them. A piece of hair, a drop of blood, some items they used frequently. A bond works as well, such as the Slave Bond.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t so complicated. What you ultimately need is their mana signature.¡± Elaya explained.


    ¡°Of course! That¡¯s how it is!¡±


    She didn¡¯t need to explain anymore. It worked under the same concept as the Map, Portal, or just about anything else in this world. Mana had a signature to it, and no two people were alike. The native Fae from this planet had a mana signature too much like the native flora and fauna. Thus, they rapidly broke up and became mixed into the life force of the planet, making resurrection for them impossible. I theorized that you might be able to resurrect if you were fast enough and high-level enough, but compared to those that came from other worlds, they only had one chance.


    Mana was used to map out areas, and that same mana was infused into Cartographers, which was why their job had a slightly magical element to it. That¡¯s why a map from earth didn¡¯t work, while a map from this world made by a cartographer did and was ultimately more valuable. In the same way, mana was used to find the soul and summon it. You could get that signature from many different places. However, what did that have to do with Faeyna cleaning?


    Elaya didn¡¯t say more, so I figured she wanted me to think about this on my own. It didn¡¯t take long before I understood. Faeyna had taken a bin where she had swept everything and then set it on fire. She started to put all of her belongings in there, although she had packed far more meagerly than anyone else. She still didn¡¯t hesitate to burn everything that she wasn¡¯t wearing.


    ¡°She¡¯s destroying anything attached to herself.¡± I realized. ¡°If anything remained, then she could be resurrected by the Demon Lord Aberis. She intended to make things permanent.¡±

 Chapter 1176

    I also came to realize that maids had a skill that made them rather terrifying. I didn¡¯t know if anyone knew about this skill, but Faeyna was using it naturally, so maybe she did. The skill she was using was Mana scrub. A maid couldn¡¯t just clean up a physical place, they could also manipulate mana and spirit. As I looked around, I realized she had expunged the entire building of her presence. Rather than someone who had stayed here several days, but by the time she walked out of this place, she¡¯d have no more presence than someone who had just walked down the street.


    This kind of skill didn¡¯t seem that useful on the surface, but it allowed someone to hide. Even a hunter wouldn¡¯t be able to follow them. They¡¯d be truly difficult to find.


    ¡°The only reason I was able to find her was because of the stuff left behind in Chalm.¡±


    ¡°What about the others?¡±


    ¡°Raissa¡¯s presence was in the city, but she managed to leave. I don¡¯t know where she went.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Raissa was most skilled and hiding her presence. While Faeyna could clean up after her presence, Raissa could not let her presence be leaked in the first place. Those were two different styles from two different women.


    ¡°Siti, they didn¡¯t take much of an interest in. She got sanctuary with the Traveler¡¯s Guild. It pays to be a guild member. Even a Demon King doesn¡¯t have the guts to piss off the Blue Mages.¡±


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    I nodded as I recalled my own budding Blue Mage powers. White Mages could practically defy death, while Blue Mages were capable of controlling space. If they refuse to help, the Demon Lord Aberis would have a hard time keeping them in place. While the Travelling Guild wouldn¡¯t specifically help a country at war, they still could rapidly move troops and supplies. A country that lost them would be at a military and economic disadvantage.


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t rescue Eliana?¡±


    ¡°Was I supposed to?¡± Elaya asked. ¡°She wasn¡¯t in any danger, and it would give Master motivation. Plus, I didn¡¯t expect Master to be gone so long.¡±


    By the time Elaya would have realized something was wrong, it was already too late. She probably thought she could have returned at any time to handle the rest. Then, she ended up trapped in the Maid¡¯s Lament.


    The shield that was protecting those in the embassy broke down, and they stormed into the building. Breaking into the embassy was already an act of war against Aberis. No matter who was in this building, an embassy was supposed to be a safe haven for those from Aberis. Once it was stormed, it was like invading an enemy. It was no wonder that Aberis was about to go to war with the Ost Republic.


    Faeyna pulled out a small vial from a drawer and then downed it just as soldiers broke into her room. I didn¡¯t have to look hard to see what it was. It would trap someone¡¯s soul in their body. It was a suicide potion.


    I watched helplessly behind an invisible wall as Faeyna was grabbed. The bottle fell on the bed, and the soldiers didn¡¯t pay it any mind. She didn¡¯t put up any resistance as she was dragged out into the street. I followed, but I was stuck along the side, unable to get within five feet of their group. I was a ghost once again, only able to watch Faeyna¡¯s fate. I had been waiting for Faeyna to pull out a knife or summon a spell, but no such thing occurred. How was Faeyna going to go?

 Chapter 1177

    ¡°All we were able to find in there was the maid.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ still, an elf. My lord won¡¯t be displeased.¡± The Xin stand-in declared. ¡°At least, she¡¯s a docile slave, so obedient.¡±


    ¡°What would be the point in running?¡± She responded. ¡°I¡¯ve already lost everything.¡±


    The Xin stand-in frowned, but then nodded her head. Two soldiers grabbed her and started to pull her down the street.


    ¡°Come on, Elaya, tell me how this ends?¡± I asked through the Slave Communication.


    Although she took the potion, that wouldn¡¯t cause her to die. That only trapped her soul in her body, setting up the conditions for a permanent death. In reality, she could still be resurrected if someone appeared and cut her soul from her body. I could do such a thing easily with Alysia. I suspected that Elaya had done the same, which means that she¡¯d have seen Faeyna¡¯s body.


    ¡°It ends with water.¡±


    ¡°Huh, water?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I had to fish her out of a river. It wasn¡¯t easy. She had died when her body struck various rocks. I was able to resurrect her.¡±


    My eyes danced around wildly looking for her plan. My eyes eventually shot to a bridge that was coming up. That had to be it. I vaguely recalled that this bridge passed over a river that had some pretty fast and deep waters. The undertow was supposedly deadly. Even if I fell in it, I would likely get sucked down and die. Everyone who fell into it found it impossible to escape. They usually just resurrected them. If such a place existed in my world, they¡¯d probably just cover it up or bury it, but since resurrection existed, they just used guard rails.


    This also made it the perfect spot for Faeyna. If she leaped into those waters, then she would disappear, and after wiping out the rest of the evidence, they¡¯d never be able to resurrect her. The group of them made it on the bridge. The story was running out of time. The ground started to shake.


    ¡°Wh-what is that?¡± I looked around from right to left, that¡¯s when I saw a black substance that resembled water flooding down the river. ¡°When did this happen?¡±


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    The entire city was flooding. Anywhere the dark water touched was destroyed. It was a twenty-foot-tall tidal wave crushing the city.


    ¡°It¡¯s a miasma purge. Every time there is a cycle, it shoots out the mana spring. It¡¯s what happens at the end of the story. It¡¯ll just reset again. This is why I didn¡¯t want any of the citizens getting trapped in the dungeon. It¡¯s certain death at the end of the cycle. Ah¡­ I guess it¡¯s impossible to change things now.¡± Elaya sighed.


    ¡°You could have told me that earlier!¡±


    ¡°Relax, I¡¯ll get you out of there. Now that you¡¯ve seen the end, we can figure some way to finish the lore in the next cycle.¡±


    ¡°Finish?¡±


    ¡°Mm, this is how it ends. She jumps off the bridge. You can¡¯t change that. However, once we can get her to recognize your existence¡­¡±


    As if to make her point, I slammed into an invisible wall as I tried to step onto the bridge. At that moment, Faeyna lets out a cry. She managed to knock away the guards, catching them by surprise. She ran for the edge rail of the bridge.


    ¡°No¡­¡± I tried punched the wall, but it was as impassible as always.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master. This is just the way it ends. It¡¯s really a shame that you¡¯re not in any of these memories.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not¡­ I¡¯m not in this dungeon!¡±


    ¡°Master?¡±


    ¡°This dungeon is a curse? Why wouldn¡¯t I be in this dungeon?¡± I demanded. ¡°Because¡­ I was there!¡±


    There wasn¡¯t a memory of me buying her, or us fighting Shao, or any of it. Faeyna didn¡¯t consider those curses. Even if she felt jealousy, or fear, or unhappiness¡­ from the moment we were together until the moment we were apart, not a single memory was part of her curse. The rumbling of the water was growing now, and the wave was getting closer.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Elaya asked in confusion.


    ¡°She¡¯s been recognizing my existence this entire time,¡± I stated as Faeyna climbed up the railing, turning around.


    The guards took a step forward, but they remained hesitant, as they didn¡¯t want to get pulled off the cliff with her.


    ¡°You mean-¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­ been trying to incorporate me in her lore. She wanted me to be a part of her story. She didn¡¯t try to cast me as anything else. She¡¯s been wanting me here all along. I may be the darkness in her heart, but I¡¯m also the cure.¡±


    My body began to glow as I accessed my dungeon store. I changed what I had equipped. I knew what I had to do now. The final boss wasn¡¯t her brother, and it wasn¡¯t Faeyna. It was these damned walls! I pulled back my fist as Faeyna lifted her arms. I had to get to her, there was no other choice.


    ¡°Master, this is the dungeon lore that already happened,¡± Elaya spoke helplessly. ¡°You can¡¯t change the climax.¡±


    ¡°Watch me!¡±


    I let out a roar and punched with all of my might. The wall resisted my fist, but I knew that I couldn¡¯t fail here. I wouldn¡¯t let Faeyna face it one more time. The water rushed forward, and Faeyna started to fall back.


    ¡°Faaaaeeeeynnnnaaaaa!¡± I screamed as I forced my feet forward.


    The invisible wall shattered, and I went flying onto the bridge. She had already fallen back too far. Faeyna¡¯s eyes locked with mine.  She let out a gasp.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    And then she continued to fall from the ledge, unable to stop herself.

 Chapter 1178

    ¡°It¡¯s too late!¡± Elaya cried.


    ¡°Not on your life!¡± I leaped forward.


    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡± The guards finally noticed me as well, raising their weapons to fight while the Xin knockoff was farther back.


    ¡°Get out of my way!¡± I slammed through the guards and leaped over the edge, using the full advantage of my speed and haste to move almost like a blur.


    Hanging from the ledge, my eyes dropped to the falling Faeyna. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, I shoved off the wall with all of my force. I still had all of the strength modifiers I had added, and I shoved against the bridge with so much strength that the concrete exploded out under my feet, shot out into the air, and knocking the guards back. I flew down at Faeyna at an impossible speed. Her arms opened as she looked at me with wide eyes.


    I reached out and grabbed her, incidentally pulling her toward the water at an even faster rate. I didn¡¯t care though. I threw up several buffers and barriers, putting my body around her protectively. We slammed into the water.


    ¡°Master!¡± Elaya cried out in worry. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t able to be in this part of the memory. Just like certain mobs were only allowed on certain floors, she too likely faced invisible walls keeping her from entering this area, so she could only guess what was going on by guesswork.


    At that point, I was a bit too busy to answer her. I was in the water now, and I was slamming into rocks and walls as the current pulled us along. I was using myself to protect Faeyna who was in my grip. The barriers I put up managed to take some physical damage, but they wouldn¡¯t hold up for long. That wasn¡¯t even the only problem. The miasma flood had already reached the bridge and incinerated it. If it reached us, I didn¡¯t know what would happen to me. As for Faeyna, she would likely be reset back to the beginning.


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    ¡°I¡¯m pulling you out!¡± Elaya declared.


    ¡°Wait! Can you get Faeyna¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    The shields protecting me, some composed of mana and others composed of wind shattered. The next strike slammed my back into a rock.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going!¡±


    ¡°Master, we can try again next time. You know what to do now!¡± Elaya urged.


    My eyes opened, and I looked down into Faeyna in my arms. She wasn¡¯t a short woman, but she seemed so small in my arms now. She looked up at me and gave a gentle smile. It was filled with trust. It seemed to say that no matter what happened, she trusted in me. I wouldn¡¯t let her go through this dungeon again. I wouldn¡¯t let things repeat.


    Although I had made this declaration, I felt the miasma getting closer. As it did so, it felt like it was sucking away my mana.


    If its ultimate goal was to reset the entire dungeon for the next cycle. To do that, it sucked up everything and then recreated it. Powerful beings like Elaya and Xin were able to survive such waves, and perhaps I could as well. However, that involved whatever tricks Elaya had up her sleeve. She certainly didn¡¯t let herself get struck head-on by the miasma wave. The Twilight dungeon likely had a process similar to this, but we had been fortunate enough to arrive at the end of the dungeon, just as it started falling apart, so the next wave was unable to begin.


    My body hit a rock and another rock. For a second I felt like I nearly blacked out. I also wasn¡¯t in a situation where I could just heal myself, so the wounds were accumulating, never mind the lack of oxygen. My eyes saw a light. This was my chance. I had to go for it. Letting out a roar, I used Create Step. I put all my power into pushing off from the step. The step shattered under me, and moments later the miasma wave reached that point. However, I had propelled myself forward at an alarming rate. As the light grew, I lost consciousness.

 Chapter 1179

    ¡°Master¡­¡± A voice came distantly. ¡°Master!¡±


    My eyes opened, and I could feel the wind blowing against me. Faeyna was on top of me, her arms wrapped around me, her feet up in the air, the wind blowing wildly. I blinked, and then the rushing wind finally clicked in my mind. We were falling. I reached out and grabbed Faeyna. Looking back, I was floored to see that we were falling from the sky. We were above Chalm!


    How the heck did we get up here? My eyes landed on the mana fountain. That hole I had jumped toward¡­ that must have been the exit to the mana fountain! I went in the dungeon, and then blasted out of the mana fountain like a whale spout. Ah¡­ I might have used a bit too much force because we ended up in this situation.


    ¡°Faeyna, you¡¯re free from the dungeon!¡±


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re alive!¡± Faeyna grabbed me and pulled me into a kiss.


    When she broke it off, I gave her a guilty look. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we will be for long.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°That reset sucked out all my mana, and I¡¯ve taken a lot of wounds. I don¡¯t think I can cast a spell if I wanted to.¡±


    Even trying to access the dungeon store hurt. This was ridiculous. I had broken through the invisible wall, snatched Faeyna, changed the lore, and saved her, all so that the pair of us could fall to our deaths.


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    ¡°You¡¯ll think of something.¡± She smiled, snuggling against me.


    She wasn¡¯t worried at all! She could be a little worried. I was worried. My best bet would be to desperately force myself to cast spells to try to slow us down once we got close to the ground. Whether I could manage or not was anyone¡¯s guess. I let out a sigh. If we survived out not, I had done it. I had changed the lore. I pulled Faeyna from it without taming her like a monster or doing something ridiculous.


    ¡°Faeyna¡­¡± I lifted her chin so that she looked up at me.


    ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°I love you. I¡¯m not going to let you go from now on.¡±


    Faeyna shook in my hand. Tears fell from her eyes, but they flew away almost as soon as she cried. ¡°Mm!¡±


    The pair of us kissed one last time. If I had to face a sudden death, there were worse ways to go than with the feeling of a beautiful elf maid in my arms, her chest pressed against mine as she cried tears of happiness.


    ¡°MMMMaaaaassster!¡± I heard a screech.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I looked up just in time to see something flying at me. ¡°Ah! Bird feet!¡±


    ¡°Ahh!¡± Faeyna cried out.


    ¡°Geh!¡±


    Talons came down, one grabbing her and the other grabbing me. They seemed to yank us apart fairly aggressively. Then there came a beating of wings, and our falling speed started to drop.


    ¡°Selena?¡± I cried.


    ¡°Master!¡± She beat her wings excitedly.


    The pair of us had been caught by a Sirin. I had no clue when she had chosen to leave the dungeon, but she was now flying us above the city.


    ¡°Aiiii! Ahhhh!¡± I looked over to see Faeyna in distress.


    Selena had caught Faeyna by her ankle, and she was now dangling upside down. She was desperately trying to keep her dress from falling up and revealing everything. Meanwhile, she grabbed me by the back of my clothing and had me sitting quite comfortably.


    ¡°Um¡­ Selena, could you perhaps¡­¡± Selena shot me a look. ¡°I guess¡­ it can¡¯t be helped. Please bear with it, Faeyna!¡±


    It seems like I couldn¡¯t protect her from everything. Some battles she¡¯d need to handle on her own.

 Chapter 1180

    ¡°Take us down!¡± I pointed toward the entrance to the dungeon.


    As we made our way down, I could see people emerging from the city. It seemed that we had been seen by those in the city in the air, and they were coming to meet us. A few people were pointing up, but no one seemed to be hostile. It looked like the city was calm at the moment. Xin must have been able to take over the de-angering of the population. Perhaps, Elaya had given the key to how before she released her from the dungeon.


    When Selena reached the entrance, she let go with her talons all of a sudden. I landed on my feet without issue, but I moved quickly as Faeyna let out a scream, just managing to keep her from being dropped on her head. I shot Selena a look, who whistled innocently before landing just enough distance away that I couldn¡¯t yell at her.


    ¡°Master, I think you should return to the dungeon.¡± Elaya declared.


    ¡°Return?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry, it¡¯s safe now. You can bring everyone with you.¡±


    I decided to take her word for it. Xin approached me still holding onto Alysia. As soon as she got close to me she turned into a ball of light and escaped Xin¡¯s hand, flying into the back of mine. Xin let out a cry.


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    ¡°D-daughter!¡± She wailed. ¡°Leaving me so suddenly¡­¡±


    ¡°M-mother¡¯s love is scary.¡± She whispered to me. ¡°Please don¡¯t give me to her again.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I tried to think about how scary a mother¡¯s love could be. I supposed Shao could sometimes be scary, so I figured it might be something like that. I took Faeyna¡¯s hand, causing her to blush slightly, and then I gestured for Xin to follow me. Selena stepped forward as well, seemingly curious. We stepped through the dungeon.


    As soon as I stepped in, we appeared in a clear field much like the one I had first started in. However, this time, there was absolutely no rain and the sky was bright and sunny. It might be a bit too sunny, as the light was blinding my eyes. Wait for a second¡­ that light wasn¡¯t the sun at all.


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    I didn¡¯t run or curse. Instead, I braced myself as the glowing orb suddenly dived down. However, instead of entering me, it went into Faeyna instead. She let out a little cry of surprise, but she didn¡¯t show any signs that it hit her. After a few moments of her eyes being closed, she opened them again and smiled.


    ¡°So, the power of the dungeon merged back into me.¡± She sighed.


    I had been thinking that I would end up with another blessing. However, it wasn¡¯t so much that the curse was destroyed as that the reason for the curse subverted. As a result, there was no longer any curse. Faeyna reabsorbed the energy from the dungeon. By the look of it, she had also ended up gaining a bit of strength because of this. I wasn¡¯t too worried though, because some text had appeared in front of my vision too.


    {You have reclaimed the dungeon, Deek¡¯s Dungeon.}


    It looked like something remained of my dungeon after all. That¡¯s when another piece of text appeared.


    {Your dungeon has gained sufficient lore. It has started to evolve.}


    What¡¯s this then?

 Chapter 1181

    ¡°My dungeon is evolving? What does that mean?¡± I asked out loud.


    ¡°Master, I think you should see this.¡±


    Elaya had appeared in front of me and the rest of the girls. I nodded, and then she waved her hands, transporting us to another part of the dungeon. I didn¡¯t know if this was part of the abilities from her job or if it had to do with some connection she still had with the dungeon. Either way, it was convenient to be able to instantly move to another part of the dungeon without the travel kiosk. Calypso was able to do such a thing, but I didn¡¯t unlock whatever skill allowed such a thing yet.


    When we appeared in a new spot, my mouth fell open. The dungeon looked extremely odd. This looked like the boss room, the final room that Xin used to inhabit, but there was something massive flowing through it. It reminded me of the wave of miasma that was flooding through the final stage of the dungeon upon reset, but it was floating above the ground, moving at a slow pace in a circle. Furthermore, while half of it was the murky black water, the other half glowed a peaceful white.


    ¡°This is¡­ what am I looking at?¡± I didn¡¯t want to guess, especially since I had several experts present.


    ¡°The dungeon that you created was never a true dungeon. After all, the lore you infused in it was at your direction. In a way, it was a pseudo dungeon, where you function as a core linked to it with a bond, not unlike a slave bond. You weren¡¯t the dungeon¡¯s master. Xin was. However, you were the core. The dungeon was linked to you in various ways we hadn¡¯t even begun to figure out.¡±


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    ¡°I thought it might be something like that.¡±


    I had never thought of myself as the dungeon core, but since learning that souls were a kind of lore, it stood to reason that my soul was sustaining the existence of the dungeon. This was only confirmed when Faeyna regained the lore from her dungeon upon resolving the curse within her heart. I couldn¡¯t guess how that will affect her in the future. We would need to be careful of it, as she may eventually become miasmically cursed.


    I probably would have become infected with miasma too and eventually formed a miasma soul because of my own dungeon. Thankfully, I had so many resistances to such a thing that this had never become a problem for me. I understood that if someone else tried to form a dungeon like I did, they would probably eventually become trapped in it. It was good I had been ignorant to such things, or I may not have been willing to take so many risks.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, what is going on with the mana?¡± Xin asked.


    ¡°This is the point I wanted Master to see the most,¡± Elaya responded, her eyes bright. ¡°This is something I have never seen before. This dungeon has seemingly merged miasma and mana. Likely because of how Astria and I had split the fairy fountain, with me corrupting it and her injecting life force and mana into it, the dungeon somehow has developed a new property. It now contains properties of this world and others. In essence, it¡¯s created unity with this world. A dungeon that is in balance with nature.¡±


    ¡°A god dungeon.¡± I breathed.


    This seemed to become a recurring theme.

 Chapter 1182

    First, my soul ended up combining to form a yin-yang or god soul. Then, my sword ended up becoming a mixture of miasma and mana to become a god sword. Now, my dungeon followed the same course. Was it because of my soul that the things bonded to me were also starting to change? It probably wasn¡¯t so simple, but at least it was consistent.


    ¡°What does this mean for the dungeon?¡± I asked Elaya as I considered what this would mean for our futures.


    ¡°It appears that the fairy spring and miasma spout have both been absorbed into the dungeon. It will no longer consume mana, but will constantly grow on its own like an independent world.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? Are you suggesting we created a new world?¡± My eyes widened. ¡°In time, will the dungeon separate from the Fairy Plane world?¡±


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t considered such a thing.¡± Elaya bit her lip thoughtfully. ¡°The possibility is there.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean like the Twilight dungeon?¡± Xin asked.


    I nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking. Except, when the twilight dungeon broke away from the Fairy Plane, the dungeon wasn¡¯t self-sufficient. Over time, it slowly used up all of its mana until it inevitably popped. If my dungeon was able to generate its mana, then couldn¡¯t it theoretically continue to grow until it became a world of its own?¡±


    Was it possible that this was how worlds were created? I had always seen dungeons as a source of destruction, but perhaps they could also be a form of rebirth. Either way, such a thing couldn¡¯t happen easily. The circumstances needed to cause a dungeon to evolve were extremely unlikely. Furthermore, to have the kind of growth where it ended up as its own world would probably take thousands if not millions of years. Even if it has started, I didn¡¯t expect this to happen in my lifetime.


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    This led me to even stranger possibilities. It didn¡¯t pass me by that the Faerie Plane was mentioned in earth lore. Fae¡¯s, elves, dwarves, fairies, and various other creatures I¡¯ve encountered all existed on this planet. I had originally thought that this was because of the video game-like nature of this world.


    However, what if it was something else? What if Earth had once been connected to this world or vice versa. When I went to Earth, there was no notification that it was a dungeon, so maybe it was the original. At the very least, it was humans who seemed to be the first invaders and the most prevalent in the fairy plane. Was there a dungeon that once connected Earth and the Fairy Plane? Did it still exist?


    ¡°What can we expect in the future?¡± Alysia asked the question we were all thinking.


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Elaya admitted. ¡°Such a thing¡­ I didn¡¯t even know it was possible. I believe that this gives our dungeon a chance for infinite expansion. We could probably make use of it on the surface.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°With access to a mana dungeon, then we can spread it out over the land, basically taking over the surface around Chalm. We¡¯d be enriching it with vast amounts of mana and making the land extremely fertile¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d also gain governance over the land. We could make buildings and adjust landscape with a thought, and anyone who entered the city would be within my awareness.¡±


    ¡°As Master says¡­¡± Elaya smirked.


    ¡°That kind of power¡­¡± Alysia said uncertainly.


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m not willing to take away the citizen¡¯s agency like that.¡±


    ¡°I mean no disrespect, Master, but the citizens have already lost their agency.¡± Elaya declared.


    ¡°My means of freeing the citizens was no different than yours. Since you are my master, then you have governance over everyone.¡± Xin added.


    I closed my eyes. It was true. They were still technically under my karmic control. Every citizen in the city was my slave. No, it was worse than that. Slaves at least knew their place. It was like everyone in the city was a sleeper agent I could activate at any moment. After thinking about it briefly, I nodded to myself.¡±


    ¡°For now, the dungeon will grow through the mansion. Xin and Selena might not be connected to the dungeon, but they¡¯ll still depend on the miasma to survive. The dungeon will need to be protected too. Let¡¯s first rebuild this city, and then we¡¯ll discuss the future. I need to find my girls too. I need their strength now more than ever.¡±


    Miki should know of a way to free the citizens. I¡¯ll start there.

 Chapter 1183

    ¡°It feels lonely.¡± I muttered, a cup of hot tea in my hands.


    The dungeon was still in the process of evolving. While we had some guesses as to how it would develop in the future, it wasn¡¯t clear everything that would come from this change. I couldn¡¯t even guess how long this evolution might take. The dungeon had been broken down and reformed several times recently, which likely led to this strange path. I would just have to wait and see what came next.


    In the meantime, the town was finally reclaimed, and order started to be reestablished. Most people didn¡¯t remember what had happened to them the last couple of months. The Mayor and the Guild master stepped in, explaining things in terms that the people could handle. This seemed to cause a surge of respect for me. After I had died, it had been a shock to the city, but now that I had come back and seemingly saved them, my fame had only grown. I didn¡¯t feel like I deserved it, since I had been partially responsible for it, but that was how it was.


    I didn¡¯t like thinking about my death, but I needed to come up with some precautions so such a thing didn¡¯t happen again. Admittedly, the instigating event was one that I couldn¡¯t have expected, but I still needed to be mindful of what happened to everyone when I was gone. I did not want to see everything fall apart without me again. The next thing I had to do was find the girls.


    I had seen a glimpse of Raissa, but I still didn¡¯t know where she went. Lydia was somewhere in the North. Shao was on Earth. I thought about going to get her, but any trip there would take nearly a week. I needed to make sure things here were settled first before I made such a journey. Terra and Garnet had gone down to the deep. I just had to trust that they could complete what they started and return. Celeste was currently out looking for Miki. I had hoped they would be back already. I could feel that she wasn¡¯t too far away, but something was holding her up.


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    I could only take care of one thing at a time, so I had to decide what was important. Right now, there was something I had to take care of. It was something I had been putting off far too long. Although the girls had all made agreements in these situations, they would understand that some exceptions needed to be made.


    I lifted and drank the rest of my tea, and then I rang a small bell on my table. A few moments later, the door opened and a prim and proper woman entered my room. She was wearing her maid outfit that meshed well with her beauty and charm.


    ¡°Master, do you need something?¡± Faeyna asked, her large chest out, her back straight, the perfect and proper maid.


    ¡°Faeyna.¡± I took a breath and looked away. ¡°There is still something we must discuss.¡±


    ¡°D-discuss?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ you see, after everything that happened, the situation between us has changed. That¡¯s why¡­¡± I looked back at her with determination. ¡°I would like you to be my slave ag-ahhh! Where are your clothes?¡±


    Faeyna¡¯s clothing were gone and she was standing in my room naked. ¡°Ehh? You weren¡¯t asking if we should have sex?¡±


    I looked away with a blush. ¡°I-I was building up to it¡­ I was going to first make you my slave again¡­ and then¡­ I was going to ask for a bath¡­ and then¡­ where did you go!¡±


    She was no longer standing when I looked back up. I looked around only to see her lying in my bed with her legs spread. ¡°Master, stop procrastinating! If you¡¯ve already decided, then get inside me!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    Well, if she was determined, then I wouldn¡¯t need to remain polite.

 Chapter 1183.5

    Although it was decided that I wouldn¡¯t sleep with any of the girls until they were back together, this was an exception, and one they would likely understand. There might have been a time when I dwelled on such details and even made myself sick worrying about it. However, that was a part of me that was gone now. I was the Master, and ultimately, if I wanted to give a woman attention, then it was my choice.


    In this case, Faeyna had gone a long time without experiencing the affection she craved, and I owed it to her both as her master and the man she loved to show her how I felt. To some of the girls, simply becoming my slave was enough to satisfy them. They could feel an attachment to me. Faeyna was a bit different. She had been a slave her entire life and had been forced into a situation that left her unhappy.


    However, as an elf, not only had she not dared to be physical with anyone, but being physical was far more emotionally satisfying to her. I had once thought that simply being a slave and working under me would be enough for Faeyna. Now, after seeing that dungeon and experiencing the depths of her soul, I understood what I truly had to do. I pulled off my clothing, an act that once might have made me feel shy. Well, if the mood was right, I could still get embarrassed from time to time,  but with Faeyna lying naked on the bed, how could I feel even remotely ashamed.


    My clothes hit the ground, and I grabbed and stroked the hardening shaft of my cock while making sure to check Faeyna¡¯s body. Her cheeks turned red under my appraisal, but she refused to hide her body. Faeyna wouldn¡¯t have gotten naked like this if she hadn¡¯t wanted me to see her, so I made sure to enjoy the sight of her lush, naked body to the fullest. Her hair was still long and blonde. Her breasts were as large as Elaya¡¯s. I teasingly wondered quietly if large breasts were a prerequisite of maid heroes.


    Walking to the side of the bed, I grabbed Faeyna¡¯s legs and pulled her over. Since she was a virgin, she was probably quite tight. To make things easier for her, what I had to do was obvious! I leaned down and while my hands stroked her inner thighs, I began to suck on her clit. She let out a gasp as a mouth suddenly touched a part of her that had never been touched before.


    ¡°Agggn¡­ ahhh¡­. M-Master¡­¡± She moaned, her eyes closed tight and her mouth slightly open.


    I slowly began to use my tongue, making Faeyna¡¯s cunt wet as I teased the outside of her vagina. Faeyna was clean and proper. She must have prepared for this ahead of time. Then again, knowing how calculating and clean Faeyna was, she might have prepared to be ravished at any point. Every moment I encountered Faeyna, she had kept herself ready. It was time for such preparation to pay off.


    Her body twisted and writhed as I continued to tongue her, slowly penetrating her cunt a bit more with each lap. Her breath had grown ragged, and her hands would run up and down her body like she was unclear what to do with them. Her hips started to move more and more aggressively, and she was starting to lose herself in her lust. However, who was Faeyna if not a woman who always remained orderly.


    Just as I was about to stick my tongue completely in her and start sucking roughly to bring her to orgasm, her hands gently cupped my face and pulled me away from her. I looked up at her, my mouth was a bit dirty from her lust and spit. She pulled out a napkin and then gently wiped my wet cheeks, then leaned down and kissed me, using her tongue as she kissed me lovingly. When she pulled away, she smiled at me, showing just a hint of embarrassment.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to¡­do master as well.¡± She spoke quietly.


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    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Her cheeks grew slightly more red. ¡°I want to taste master too. If you¡¯re going to lick mine, I want to lick yours.¡±


    Her blush grew until even her pointy ears were a bit red. She was asking me to let her give me a blowjob and doing it in the cutest way imaginable. How could I refuse? I was already extremely horny just from tasting her.


    I shifted my position. I was on my knees on the side of the bed, and she was lying with her body propped up using her elbows. She shifted to one side and then reached out with her freed hand to grab my cock. Carefully, she brought it to her lips, and then teasingly licked the head. She probed my cock methodically, licking place after place as if she was trying to decide which part was the best. Before I got impatient, she finally engulfed my cock.


    I had slept with experienced women like Elaya, and total virgins like Alysia. Typically, when it came to virgins, they would only be able to suck on a bit of my penis. They would suck on the head. When I forced it, I could get it down halfway, and getting it down all the way took some practice and effort. However, Faeyna was able to suck my cock down, catching me off guard.


    Lydia had managed to do this, but she also had the training of a courtesan. I could quickly tell that Faeyna didn¡¯t have such training. Instead, it seemed like she had her own self-practice. Her actions were sloppier and less skilled, but they spoke of determination and effort.


    ¡°Glrmmm¡­ gmmm¡­¡± She moaned as she sucked on the whole thing.


    Her mouth felt amazing, and she sucked with such enthusiasm that I realized I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold back. I pulled myself out of her mouth and then pushed her back on the bed. She let out a little cry, but she didn¡¯t resist as I spread her legs with my knees as held her down.


    ¡°Master¡­ take me.¡± She moaned.


    I slid inside her. Both of our organs had already been lubricated by each other, so I was able to slide in. Faeyna¡¯s eyes shut tightly and her arms wrapped around me and squeezed. I could feel her large chest pushing against mine as she struggled to take it all in. When I was in, her eyes opened and she looked up at me. Her expression didn¡¯t contain a bit of regret.


    ¡°I love you, Master.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too, my maid.¡±


    I started to thrust into her, using healing to rid her of any pain or discomfort. Soon, she was moaning orgasmically. Her body was every bit as voluptuous as Elaya, but she wasn¡¯t skilled or knowledgeable about such things. Instead, she just had an earnest desire to satisfy me with her body. She did everything possible while keeping me in mind. Whether it was adjusting her position or the sounds of encouragement coming from her lips, she acted the role of a servant, even in this. With her levels of assistance, I couldn¡¯t contain myself, and I took her fully.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cum.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master, please. Fill me with it.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have Pervert equipped. I had learned to better control it, but I didn¡¯t want to go at Faeyna like an animal for her first time. Even though I had intended to be gentle, her own voluptuous body and encouraging words and actions already pushed me to aggression. I didn¡¯t want to think of how much I¡¯d lose control with Pervert equipped. There was a chance Faeyna could become pregnant, although it was much harder for elves, although I could control it if I wanted to.


    Such a thought didn¡¯t stop me as I pushed myself deep inside her and released. Her legs wrapped around my hips and she happily took everything I gave. She let out moans and pants as I exploded deep inside her.


    The two of us collapsed in a sweaty pile. However, Faeyna waved a hand, and magic erupted from her. A moment later, my body felt refreshed and clean.


    ¡°This is¡­ cleanup magic?¡±


    ¡°Mm!¡± She nodded, snuggling against me.


    Although we had just been having sex, we both were clear and fresh as if we hadn¡¯t even begun yet. I felt a bit gypped. It might be clean and refreshing, but it was like we hadn¡¯t even done anything.


    ¡°I see now. Faeyna is just far too na?ve.¡± My expression darkened.


    ¡°M-master?¡± Faeyna finally got a sense she had done something dissatisfactory.


    ¡°So, you like cleanup magic, huh?¡± I asked, a malicious grin on my face.


    ¡°Th-that¡­ I¡­ I am a maid¡­ dirty things are dirty¡­¡±


    ¡°Dirty things are dirty¡­¡± I repeated. ¡°I understand now. In that case, I guess I¡¯ll need to teach you to embrace some dirty things.¡±


    ¡°E-embrace?¡±


    ¡°Some things, even cleanup magic won¡¯t undo!¡± I jumped on top of her.


    ¡°Ahhh! M-master!¡±


    I equipped Pervert.

 Chapter 1184

    The next morning, I put on my clothing and sat down. Faeyna was already up and dressed, holding a cup of tea which she poured for me.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± She nodded formally.


    I could feel a warmness and closeness with those words, despite that nothing on the surface had seemingly changed between us. Faeyna would continue to be my made in the future, and that was all there was to it.


    ¡°Do you want to ask me something?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ah¡­ y-yes¡­¡±


    I smiled up at her as she was surprised by my question. Now that I was her Slave Master again, I could feel her feelings and at least could tell when she had something on her mind. As for when she became my slave, I used it on her sometime during the night when I was dirtying her up.


    Name: Faeyna


    Class: Management


    Job: Head Maid (LVL 72)


    Unlocked Jobs: Cook (LVL 19), Maid (LVL 50), Manager (LVL 15), Governess (LVL 18), Basic Magician (LVL 20)


    Race: Elf


    ¡°I would like to go with Master and level more.¡±


    Faeyna hadn¡¯t changed much from when I had last seen her. Her Head Maid job had gained many levels after the ordeal around her death, but otherwise, her progress was rather normal. Her progress would be considered crazy when comparing the amount of time that had passed and the amount she has put into leveling. I only took her out to Widow¡¯s Dungeon for a brief time to level her, so her progress was mostly due to her relationship as my slave.


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    Compared to the power leveling that Lydia, Miki, and the rest of the girls participated in, she couldn¡¯t compare. However, she had the lore of a hero mixed with her soul. That hadn¡¯t been lost when she died, merely rearranged. On top of that, it seemed like her brother had sacrificed his soul, allowing it to mix with the dungeon¡¯s strength. When she absorbed it, it became her strength as well. He merged his soul with his sister. Total siscon move.


    One might think that since she was the maid hero, her jobs would be amazing. However, you only gained what you put effort into, and on top of her brother holding back her hero legacy in hopes she wouldn¡¯t meet a grisly fate, she had personally avoided becoming a hero, dedicating herself to the path of a maid. That said, it wasn¡¯t like it didn¡¯t matter. She had a lot of jobs and reached Head Maid even though she wasn¡¯t much older than me. I had originally thought she was ancient with hundreds of years under her belt as an elf, but it turned out she was rather young.


    Thus, she had been able to level extremely quickly despite everything working against her. Now that she understood her path, it looked like she wanted to become strong like all of the other girls. I didn¡¯t blame her. Putting out my hand, I gently patted her head. She lowered it and closed her eyes, accepting my pats without reserve.


    ¡°I will help you gain strength. In time, you will be no weaker in combat than Lydia or the rest.¡±


    Faeyna¡¯s eyes opened. ¡°Huh? That¡¯s not what I want.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°It isn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Master is still a better cook than me! How can I continue when your food is better? Not to mention all of these ingredients from another world! Based on Aberis¡¯s subpar culinary culture, how can I even compete!¡± As she said this, she became impassioned and tearful.


    Oh, it was that. It seems like Faeyna¡¯s path had always been as straight as an arrow. I just didn¡¯t see it. Unfortunately, it was too late to become the Cooking Hero, if one existed.

 Chapter 1185

    The crisis in the city was resolved. The dungeon was back in order and was currently in a state of evolution. Meanwhile, the city was reopening. Without Siti, we couldn¡¯t reestablish travel with the Capital. I wanted to give it a few days though. We were still a bit vulnerable. People were recovering and the city was repairing.


    I wanted to go out and start searching for my girls, but I needed to stabilize things here first. I had responsibilities now, and I could just abandon everything and run out on my own. I kind of was just sitting there casually eating breakfast at the moment. I was using Xin, Elaya, and Astria, giving them orders to relay. Well, Elaya and Astria were somewhat unreliable so I didn¡¯t depend on them for more than occasionally asking questions, but Xin was extremely compliant. She worked hard and accepted every command without issue.


    ¡°Master, are we going to talk about last night?¡± I heard such a question.


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You did that with another girl in front of me!¡±


    I let out a cough. ¡°Ah! Alysia¡­ that¡­ can¡¯t you close off your senses?¡±


    ¡°Whether I can or not isn¡¯t the question! My soul is combined with Master, when you do such things, I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°F-feel it?¡± My eyes widened. ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything!¡±


    I hadn¡¯t been thinking about it at all last night. Faeyna had simply thrown herself at me, and I had decided to do what was necessary and get closer to her. Alysia had kept completely silent, but she was still my sword and resting in the blessing on my hand. Thus, she would have had a front-row seat to everything we had done the previous night. It had been a threesome all along and I didn¡¯t even realize it!


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    ¡°H-how could I say anything when Master was doing this and that¡­ and once I thought it was over, Master turned so rough!¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­ I scared you¡­¡± I immediately apologized.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that! Why didn¡¯t you act so rough with me?¡± She responded with a pout.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re angry?¡±


    ¡°I may be a princess, but I¡¯m tough and strong¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say you weren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Just because she¡¯s a hero or whatever doesn¡¯t mean that I can¡¯t take everything you throw at me!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­¡±


    She seemed to have formed some incorrect theories about us. She thought I had been gentle to her because she was a Princess and rougher with Faeyna. After all, she was the Maid Hero. It wasn¡¯t that at all. I acted rough with Faeyna exactly because of a blend of aggressiveness and timidness. She teased me with every movement but was too inexperienced to know anything. It had incited the beast in me so I had gotten rough with her. Meanwhile, Alysia was far more reserved, and also her strength made me see her more as an equal than prey to be eaten up. How could I explain the truth?


    I ended up promising her to be rougher next time while tearing up on the inside. Thankfully, she dropped it and I was able to finish my breakfast in peace.


    ¡°There is a problem.¡± Xin sent me such a message.


    I was just about to contact Celeste and figure out what the holdup was when Xin sent me a message. Slave Communication went both ways, but I had to open up the communication on my side. While the Slave Communication was open, it drained mana based on the distance between us. While in a formation with the girls, I would usually activate it for everyone so they could communicate at a moment¡¯s notice. The amount of negligible for the current me, so I didn¡¯t need to be sparring with it. Thus, I had left it open all morning as Xin did the requests I asked.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The outside of town. There is an army approaching.¡±


    An army? Whatever was going on, this was probably bad.

 Chapter 1186

    I quickly left the mansion and rushed out of town. As I approached, I began to get a better view of the situation. There appeared to be a large army, and across from them was a smaller contingent hastily formed together from our forces. It was clear that they had the advantage.


    I noticed Xin standing there next to Ruby and the Guild Master. I ran out to my side as quickly as possible. When the Guild Master saw me, he raised his hand with a look of relief on his face.


    ¡°Lord Deek, thank goodness you¡¯re here.¡± The Guild Master declared. ¡°As you can see, a problem has arisen.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ an army.¡± I turned in the direction of the opposing group and paled slightly.


    There were at least 3,000 soldiers at the ready. Meanwhile, our garrison only had about 1,000 in response. It looked like most of our soldiers and adventurers had been hastily dragged out here. They had managed to come upon us without us noticing. This was exactly the vulnerability I was worried about. Was Alerith taking advantage? I knew I should have taken care of Lord Reign. Even though I had defeated his master, he could still cause trouble.


    ¡°They are Osterians,¡± Xin announced.


    ¡°Osterians?¡± I blinked, using my Eagle Eye and confirming that they were indeed Osterian soldiers.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± The Guild Master asked.


    I took a breath and then stepped out. ¡°Might as well go greet them.¡±


    Once the others saw me moving, they followed behind me. None of us were easy, so if the enemy posed a threat, it would cost them. A man walked out to meet me, and when I saw his face, I hissed. It was Draven Nova, the Osterian general!


    ¡°Alysia!¡± I immediately called out my weapon.


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    I wasn¡¯t going to take any chances around this guy. I held the sword up to him. If we fought now, I would be able to defeat him, but if he sent the army at us, we might all be defeated. There was a saying that one Osterian was worth several humans on the battlefield. Since they outnumbered us 3 to one, we might as well be facing 10,000 troops. This was seriously bad. How could I have foreseen the Osterians sending an army our way?


    ¡°Deek. I¡¯m here because you bested me in battle.¡± He declared.


    ¡°Are you looking for round 2?¡± I declared, trying to appear intimidating and unafraid.


    He looked down. ¡°The Osterians believe in following strength. You¡¯ve tamed and wielded a powerful blade, conquered and enslaved our Queen, defeated our lord and bested me. Once we found out that you were not returning to the Ost Republic and these were your lands, the elders of Osteria got together and made a decision.¡±


    ¡°A decision, you say?¡± I was still hesitant and confused. ¡°How did you get here so quick?¡±


    ¡°We received assistance¡­¡± He gestured to a woman who stepped out.


    ¡°Siti?¡± I blinked.


    ¡°My lord.¡± Siti nodded to me with a straight face.


    Did she betray us? No, this didn¡¯t feel like an attack at all. What was going on?


    I looked at Draven hesitantly. ¡°What decision?¡±


    Draven fell to his knees. ¡°The Osterians will serve you as their king. You are now our lord.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    As he kneeled, all of the soldiers behind him kneeled too. They suddenly started chanting.


    ¡°King Deekson, King Deekson, King Deekson!¡± It grew louder and louder until it was deafening.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re all moving here?¡±


    ¡°Our home is with our king,¡± Draven responded, his head still lowered. ¡°All Osterians will move here, and accept you as their lord.¡±


    ¡°A-all of them?¡±


    Xin approached from behind me. ¡°I meant to warn you of such a possibility, but they moved faster than I would have predicted. This is the way of Osterians. You are their king until they recognize someone stronger. They will follow you.¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re coming if you want them to or not,¡± Xin responded helplessly. ¡°We are a united people.¡±


    I licked my lips as I looked over the army shouting my name. ¡°A-and how many Osterians are there?¡±


    ¡°The exact number isn¡¯t known¡­ we live longer than humans, have multiple children per birth, and are tougher, but we breed much slower. A lot of us were lost in the wars under Demon Lord Aberis. If I had to guess our exact number¡­ 20,000.¡±


    I thought about it for only a brief moment and then nodded in affirmation. ¡°I¡¯m going to need a bigger city.¡±

 Chapter 1187

    I ended up so busy getting the Osterians settled that another day passed by. Of course, I didn¡¯t have the buildings or homes to give so many people. They were fine roughing it for a while, but I didn¡¯t want to cause issues where it became us and them situation. If the Osterians were going to become a part of my territory, then they would be integrated with the rest. I could just let them build their own city. Truth be known, I only had two cities right now, the most human and slightly incestuous Deeksville, and then Chalm which was majority slaves.


    I had feared that the Osterians wouldn¡¯t fit in. Although Chalm was anti-slavery, the Osterians fought alongside the demon lord. For the longest time, Dioshin had sat as the barrier to keep them from claiming the entire south. It stood to reason that this was very difficult to forgive, and may lead to some prejudices down the line.


    So, I ended up having many talks with the guild master, Elaya, and the mayor on this. Alysia refused to speak for the Osterian people, even if they would listen to her. In her mind, she stopped being Osterian when she became my blade, and her view would always be compromised because of her relationship with me. This ended up meaning that Draven was the one speaking for the Osterian people. It was an awkward situation and not one I considered an idea. Eventually, we realized we were probably going to have to draft a bill of rights. Well, that was my suggestion. I only knew so much about government. I probably should contact Prince Edward when I had the time to discuss this stuff further.


    In the meantime, we created a set of temporary rules and regulations. The Osterian were open to enter the city and do commerce with Chalm. The one thing Chalm had been lacking was farmland. The wilderness proved to be too dangerous. Families refused to risk everything on farms too close to the wilderness. A few of the more daring citizens had started farms east of Chalm where they at least were protected, but they just started and it would be years before they produced a surplus.


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    The Osterians were much more daring. After all, they had the strength and stamina of three regular humans, so whether it came to running or fighting, they had an edge on the monsters emerging from the forest. They immediately began a reclamation plan that my girls had started by surveying the land. In short, they began cutting down the forest and taking the land that had been too unwieldy for Dioshin, Aberis, and even the demon king to conquer.


    This task had originally gone to the golems, but they were inefficient and required constant upkeep. Furthermore, we had blown them up in the battle with Demon Lord Aberis and never got around to making more.


    As I was watching the Osterians chop down trees, requiring half the time that a golem would need, I thought about the future of this territory. It was mine to claim, given by Lord Aberis. Dioshin might come to disagree with that when they reached their borders, but that was a problem for years from now. At the moment, we were merely creating a safety barrier around Chalm that hadn¡¯t existed until this date.


    Elaya also explained that my evolving dungeon was putting out some pretty strong signals that would keep the monsters and other dungeons at bay. Eventually, I was going to have to destroy the three remaining dungeons that made the wilderness, or in some way conquer them. Thinking about the benefits that come from tamed dungeons, maybe I shouldn¡¯t aim to destroy them. Well, at the very least, I¡¯d need the help of my girls.


    That was right. What was holding Celeste up so long? She should have been back with Miki by now. Her focus was speed, and we knew where Miki was, so she should have been able to reach her in a day. I opened up my Slave Communication.


    ¡°Celeste?¡±


    ¡°Master! Help! Help Immediately!¡±

 Chapter 1188

    I leaped through a portal, coming out in any area where I couldn¡¯t be certain what I was found on the other end. I had Alysia at the ready. It could be anything. Celeste could be in mortal danger at that moment. I should have known that something was delaying Celeste from returning. I should have spoken to her earlier. Now, I just hoped that I arrived on time.


    {You have entered Matty¡¯s Maze of Mysteries. Destroy the lore to break the curse, or complete the lore for extra dungeon points and a blessing!}


    ¡°Celeste!¡± I looked around worriedly.


    I had all of my blessings, so portaling directly to Celeste¡¯s location wasn¡¯t difficult. That location turned out to be in a dungeon. However, I was a bit confused. If she was in a dungeon, she shouldn¡¯t have been able to use Slave Communication. Also, Celeste should have been tracking down Miki, and Miki had gone to the dungeon that had an undead type. Was this a maze filled with the undead? I looked around, and couldn¡¯t see anything that looked to be dangerous in our immediate area. Then, my eyes landed on Celeste and they opened as wide as pinpricks.


    Celeste was on the ground, and she was covered from head to toe with milky white stuff. It soaked her body, making her clothing wet and partially see-through. Gobs of white dripped down her chest and body. It looked like¡­ well, it didn¡¯t look good.


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    ¡°Master, you came!¡± Celeste cried hysterically. ¡°This dungeon¡­ this dungeon¡­ it violated me.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ who did this?¡± I snapped, feeling extremely angry.


    ¡°T-that!¡± She pointed down the hallway.


    There was a long hallway in front of her and a stairway coming up from the side.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show them!¡± I lunged forward down the hallway, expecting to see an enemy.


    ¡°W-wait!¡±


    As I touched the first light, the ground suddenly gave out. It was a trap I hadn¡¯t noticed! I used Create Step, planning to jump back. However, when the ground gave out, the ceiling opened up. Something large and slimy fell on my head. I let out a shout as I was dragged down, collapsing into the hole. Before I could react, I fell into a pit of white, immobilized.


    It was dark, cold, and I couldn¡¯t get a single breath. It was liquid, but it had a gelatin-like quality that completely immobilized me. I couldn¡¯t even swing my sword. Just as my lungs started to burn, I felt someone grab me and pull. I was yanked out of the suspension where I landed on a nearby concrete platform. I let out a breath, gasping. A moment later, I lifted my hand and created a light spell.


    I could better see the pit I had fallen into. It was as long as the hallway, and it was filled with wriggling white. It took me a few moments to realize what these things were.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ slimes?¡± I asked in wonder before doing a Monster Identify. ¡°Ghost slimes?¡±


    Celeste nodded tearfully. ¡°They¡¯re so wiggly and gross. They wiggled in all kinds of places! If I couldn¡¯t change my form at will I definitely would have died the first time I fell in!¡±


    ¡°So, this is a dungeon filled with traps,¡± I muttered. ¡°Did Miki succumb to one of these traps? Ah, what do you mean, first time? How many times have you fallen?¡± I asked.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± She turned teary-eyed. ¡°Fifteen times¡­ this is the 1<sup>st</sup> level!¡±

 Chapter 1189

    I had Celeste clean herself up. I looked just as bad, but on a girl, the ghost slimes were pretty bad. If I had to guess, the ghost slimes were non-combative. They simply immobilized you like quicksand. When your body died, they would then feast on your soul. A normal slime was caustic to the flesh, so it made sense that a ghost slime would devour souls. At least, that was my hypothesis.


    However, this was only the first level and the first challenge. A dungeon that focused on challenges might be Celeste¡¯s biggest weakness. She was fast, but once she got slimed, all of her ability would be nothing. I¡¯m sure there was some kind of trick to the challenge, but I didn¡¯t care to figure it out. So, she had not been able to make any progress or get any deeper. Also, the Slave Communication didn¡¯t cut through into the dungeon. Instead, Celeste had left a spell at the dungeon entrance to automatically beckon me when I connected. That wasn¡¯t even something I was aware she could do, but if anyone could, it would be someone like Celeste with such high level wind magic. That she could figure out how to do that, but not pass this dungeon¡¯s easiest trap¡­ well that was expected of Celeste.


    ¡°Alysia, let¡¯s destroy this.¡±


    I lifted my blade and it began to glow. Will Celeste realized what I was going to do, a dangerous glint appeared in her eye.


    ¡°Let me help.¡± She waved out her hand and went began to blow in a circle around Alysia.


    I raised the sword in the air and then did a massive attack. Innumerable wind blades exploded off of the sword and then worked their way across, chopping and incinerating the ghost slimes. A wave of spiritual destruction also resonated with the blade, further causing them to disintegrate. With time to prepare and with Celeste¡¯s help, we managed to vaporize the majority of the slimes.


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    ¡°Stick with me!¡±


    I jumped forward, walking down the pit and slashing my sword. The last of the slimes were destroyed between me and Celeste. After days of trauma, she nearly gleefully destroyed monster after monster. When we reached the end of the pit, I used all of my leg strength and jumped up. I then created a Step and jumped again. With a swing of the blade, I destroyed the trap door from the other side. Celeste sent a wind blade up, and as a slime tried to fall on our heads, it was chopped apart.


    In two leaps, with Celeste flying behind me, the pair of us emerged at the other end of the hallway. As I glanced back down the hallway, I could see that the lights were moving in a particular pattern. It probably had to do with how the trap worked and was bypassed. I didn¡¯t care though, and I didn¡¯t have time to waste on some dungeon master¡¯s idea of a good trap. I would fight my way to the bottom of this dungeon and find out what happened to Miki. If she died, I would make this dungeon cough up her soul or else.


    Thus, we broke through this trap by going under it and continued to the next floor. It was a room with four chalices on four pedestals.


    ¡°I wonder which chalice we need to drink¡­ or do we drink them?¡± Celeste asked.


    ¡°I solved it,¡± I stated.


    I walked up to the door leading to the next floor. It was closed, but it was just a door. Dungeons only seemed invincible by depending on tricks. For example, you could have a physical door supported by spiritual energy. No matter how powerful your blade was, if it could only physically attack, it would be blocked no matter how strong it was. I had Alysia, who could cut through every type of substance, so I didn¡¯t hold back. I immediately ignored the puzzle and attacked the door. It exploded open in a single violent strike.


    ¡°Ah? Master figured it out!¡± Celeste exclaimed excitedly.


    I didn¡¯t, I just broke through it. Celeste was happy to be making such quick progress after being stumped for two days. Her opinion of me seemed to be increasing, but I was just cheating at this point. Whatever, it was fast.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t know that deep at the bottom of this dungeon was a dungeon master who was watching us, a vein popping out on their forehead.

 Chapter 1190

    ¡°Are you sure this is the dungeon she is in?¡± I asked, breaking through the door onto the 5<sup>th</sup> level.


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°This is the dungeon we marked as undead.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but where are the undead?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ they¡¯re outside the dungeon. The entire area is dark, creepy, and covered in zombies. Lydia said that this was similar to Mina¡¯s dungeon the pair of you met in.¡±


    Although she said that, I hadn¡¯t seen the outside, and so far, the inside had very few undead elements. I supposed that ghost slimes made it undead in the barest terms, but it still didn¡¯t look like what I would have expected.


    ¡°Ah, wait, here¡¯s a skeleton!¡± I said excitedly as we walked onto the 5<sup>th</sup>-floor room.


    Like the other floors above, this dungeon consisted of a single room that contained some puzzle in it. In each room leading up to this point other than the 1<sup>st,</sup> I was able to easily pass just by breaking down the door. It had only been a few minutes and we were already on the 5<sup>th</sup> floor. Whether the puzzles were getting progressively more dangerous or difficult, I didn¡¯t know because I hadn¡¯t defeated any of them legitimately.


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    This floor was the floor that was supposed to have a miniboss on it if it had been one of the more traditional dungeons. It didn¡¯t disappoint, as there was a skeleton standing there. There were also two shut doors on this one, which made it distinctly different than the other ones.


    ¡°Welcome, adventurer.¡± The skeleton declared as we approached. ¡°One of these doors leads to certain death, while the other door leads to the next level. You may ask each door a question. Hehe, but I warn you, one of them always lies, and one of them always¡­ hey, what are you doing?¡±


    As I walked by the skeleton, I grabbed him and picked him. He barely had a moment to struggle before I reached one of the doors, opened it, and then tossed him inside.


    ¡°What are you do¡­ not this door! Ahhhhhhhh!¡± A scream resonated and I slammed the door shut.


    I glanced over at Celeste. ¡°We¡¯ll take the other door.¡±


    The pair of us walked to the other door, but as I grabbed the doorknob it wouldn¡¯t turn.


    ¡°Hey, buddy! That¡¯s not how the game is played!¡± The door shouted. ¡°You have to ask us each a question and find the right path!¡±


    I lifted my sword. ¡°Do you want to die?¡±


    ¡°I do! Please kill me!¡± The door cried.


    I turned to the other door. ¡°Is this the safe way?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ y-yes¡­ be cool, man. We have no problem¡­¡±


    ¡°We do have a problem!¡± The door in front of me yelled out. ¡°Agh¡­ darn my truthful ways!¡±


    I raised my sword. ¡°No one likes liars.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I will never surrender¡­¡± The door started crying. ¡°Oh¡­ crap!¡±


    A few moments later, there was no longer a door, and the two of us moved on to the next floor.

 Chater 1191

    We walked into the 9<sup>th</sup> floor safe room, immediately preceeding the boss. As for the lore, I didn¡¯t bring myself to care. I made some promises about respecting and understanding lore, but that nicety ended when that dungeon was holding back one of my girls. They had also covered one of my other girls in sticky white stuff, so there went the last of my consideration.


    I didn¡¯t spend too much time resting. It was just enough time to adjust my stuff and potentially prepare for anything. Celeste and I walked out into the 10<sup>th</sup>-floor boss room. I frowned as I approached a young boy standing there with a glower on his face.


    ¡°A child?¡± Celeste asked curiously.


    Since the upper levels, she had mostly been sitting on my shoulder, enjoying the ride. It had been such a long time since I had felt her there, that I didn¡¯t complain about her lack of accomplishments. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I was solving these puzzles myself. However, was this a puzzle? It could be a boss fight. Expecting me to fight a child? Was that one of this dungeon¡¯s tricks?


    ¡°Fellow dungeon master, what are you doing here?¡± The little boy demanded as I approached him.


    My steps slowed to a stop. ¡°You know that I¡¯m a dungeon master?¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Who else could you be? Those foolish humans don¡¯t possess the kind of strength that we do! They have to fight in groups just for the hope of overpowering us!¡±


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    ¡°I see¡­¡± I was a bit more than a dungeon master, but for all intents and purposes, it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Why have you come? Shouldn¡¯t you be on the bottom floor?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s clear that you are a superior level dungeon.¡± He snorted. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you haven¡¯t initiated a takeover yet, but if you intended to probe out my dungeon further, I should say that you have already seen all there is to see. Although my dungeon is a bit older, I did not waste my absorption on growing my dungeon. Twenty levels are all that I possess. Oh, if you were hoping that meant my mana stores were valuable, I assure you that they are not. I have been continuously using the mana I absorb.¡±


    ¡°On what?¡± I blinked.


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your concern!¡± He sniffed haughtily before pulling out an orb. ¡°Here is my lore glossary. It contains a penance of mana, as well as my registered mobs and traps. Take it and leave here.¡±


    I stared at the glowing orb in his hand. It resembled the dungeon lore, except that it wasn¡¯t as large nor did it glow as brightly. Using my intuition mixed with my Dungeon Master skill, I had a feeling that this was some kind of copy? It was like scanning a copy of the basic lure. It didn¡¯t contain the heart of the dungeon, but the information could be used. What information? That would be the knowledge to create different monsters, traps, and biomes. I didn¡¯t know dungeons could exchange such things.


    When I hesitated to take the item offered, his face grew dark. ¡°If you intend to continuously break through each of my carefully laid out puzzles and take everything, I¡¯ll warn you. I¡¯m part of the dungeon master council. I¡¯ve tolerated your presence thus far for my reasons, but if you press me any further, I will report you. A high-level dungeon cannot attack a weaker dungeon. This is according to the dungeon master pact!¡±


    I felt like I just stumbled on something big that no one from the surface even knew about. Dungeon masters were organized.

 Chapter 1192

    I grabbed the lore from his hand and then absorbed it. It absorbed a lot like the lore from before, but that was a blessing. This seemed to stem from miasma. In fact, if I didn¡¯t have a god soul, this kind of thing would probably be bad. It stood to reason that if dungeon blessings were a piece of lore that attached to your mana soul, then perhaps you could similarly merge yourself with karmic curses too. I didn¡¯t know how to make use of such information now.


    At the very least, this wasn¡¯t a curse. My head filled with all kinds of information. It was much more organized and logical than the usual flood that I received and didn¡¯t provide nearly as much discomfort. Part of the reason is that the lore was streamlined and censored, only giving me information that this dungeon was willing to pass with. That didn¡¯t include the story that created this dungeon in the first place. I had scanned it and sighed.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t have what I need.¡±


    I had thought that it wouldn¡¯t contain information about Miki, but I had to give it a try. However, this was reassuring as well. If Miki had died and was absorbed, then there should be knowledgeable about her in this core. At the very least, there should be some kind of spiritualist-like mod.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I have!¡± The little boy snapped angrily.


    ¡°No, two months ago, there was a girl that entered this dungeon. Where did she go?¡±


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    ¡°Huh?¡± He blinked. ¡°You mean that girl who stunk of death? Ick!¡±


    ¡°This is an undead dungeon?¡±


    ¡°I only did that to keep away people like you!¡± He glared at me. ¡°Most don¡¯t like the undead. It¡¯s dark, wet, and smelly. They¡¯re ugly, dumb, and hard to control! It¡¯s been enough to keep the other two dungeons nearby from eating me. You must be that new one that sprang up in place of that city Dungeon. They were ghosts too, so you must have wanted to add zombies. But I heard that place was a no¡­ wait! Was that girl sent by you?¡±


    I was trying to keep up with everything this guy was telling me, but the only thing that mattered to me was Miki.


    ¡°What happened to Miki? What happened to the girl?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°So, she was one of yours. I didn¡¯t think much of you having a dumb house fairy as a familiar, but to also work with mana creatures¡­¡± His expression turned ugly. ¡°The council has warned us to stay away from you. You¡¯re not a true dungeon master. You¡¯re just a human!¡±


    ¡°I came here to find Miki.¡± I tried one last time as I started to lose my patience. ¡°Tell me where she went or what happened to her, and we¡¯ll leave in peace.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± The kid grinned. ¡°I killed her. She died screaming.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Celeste cried out.


    I pulled out Alysia. ¡°Since you won¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll just take the lore from your dungeon. You better prey what you just said was a lie.¡±


    The boy became startled at my look, stumbling back, but then he stuck his tongue out at me. ¡°You¡¯ll never know! I¡¯m closing up this dungeon! Without defeating the 10<sup>th</sup>-floor boss, you can¡¯t continue, and I¡¯ve hidden the boss. That door is reinforced! You won¡¯t be able to break through it like the others! This is the farthest floor you¡¯ll get down!¡±


    ¡°Tell me what I want to know!¡± I slashed at him, but he disappeared before my blade struck, likely transporting himself to somewhere else in the dungeon.


    Now, I was pissed.

 Chapter 1193

    ¡°So, I really can¡¯t break through the door.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Should we look for this boss?¡± Celeste asked.


    ¡°Finding an invisible boss, I supposed that fits within this dungeon¡¯s theme. There are so many ways dungeons can circumvent the rules. Are the rules established by the council?¡± I wondered out loud.


    I had always known that dungeons had certain rules they had to follow. One such rule is that there had to be a means of getting from the entrance to the boss room. They couldn¡¯t just barricade themselves up. If it did happen, it could only be maintained temporarily, and such barriers became more and more brittle the longer it happened. As a dungeon master, I felt an intense discomfort when I had tried to shut my dungeon up. It gave the feeling of holding your breath. I could only hold it for a brief amount of time.


    However, such a rule could be circumvented in a boss room. As long as the boss still existed, your progress could be impeded. Bosses existed every 5 levels, with a miniboss on the 5<sup>th</sup> level that roamed freely, and the main boss that took up the entirety of every 5<sup>th</sup> floor. Of course, then there were also the rules regarding safe rooms. They existed roughly every 4-5 floors. Mobs didn¡¯t seem to notice them and would walk right past them.


    Bosses were aware of them. However, entering them could cause damage and weaken a boss, so they avoided them. To a mob, they would either lose their mind or be destroyed based on their strength. Essentially, safe zones didn¡¯t have miasma, and creatures attached to the dungeon were repelled by their safe rooms.


    Those were the rules for the standard leveled dungeons. Then, there were the open-level dungeons like Twilight Dungeon and the soul dungeons like the Illusory Sword Dungeon. One could become an academic and spend a lifetime learning about all the rules and subsequent exceptions to the rules. I supposed the same could be said about life. Life was messy and didn¡¯t follow clear-cut rules. The only thing about dungeons that seemed definitive is that they fed on mana and converted it to miasma to sustain themselves. Well, my god-tier dungeon didn¡¯t do that, so even that had exceptions.


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    The reason I was working through such questions in my mind was that Celeste was giving me a blank look, and I had a feeling she wouldn¡¯t be able to help in such a conversation. Maybe I should have dragged Elaya with me. At the very least, she could explain why she didn¡¯t mention anything about a dungeon council before. Although it was possible that new dungeons under a certain age weren¡¯t approached. It was also possible that the new Widow¡¯s Dungeon was controlled by the Demon Lord. They seemed to have been warned against my dungeon too.


    The point was that while dungeons had rules, these rules weren¡¯t necessarily set in stone and exceptions could be made. A boss that couldn¡¯t be seen and who you had to defeat might be one such exception. The boss could be a fly on the wall impossible to see or a microscopic bacteria. What if the boss was a water bear? How could I go about defeating that? I had no such clue if that was possible, but that certainly gave me thoughts for the future.


    In the meantime, I could fill the entire room with destruction and hope I got it, but some instinct inside me decided that this method probably wouldn¡¯t work. That would be the first thing he¡¯s thinking about. Thus, I had to come up with another option.


    My body began to glow as I accessed my dungeon blessings, resetting my skills and then optimizing for strength. Once I reached that state, I attacked. My blade struck the floor with a resounding boom. The floor exploded open, creating a hole in the ground.


    ¡°Ah! Master figured it out!¡¯ Celeste declared excitedly.


    I just decided to test the floor. The door might be reinforced, but it looked like he didn¡¯t reinforce the entire room. The pair of us jumped down to the 11<sup>th</sup> floor.  If he was honest when he said 20, then we only have 9 more to go.

 Chapter 1194

    Boom!


    We leaped down to the next floor.


    Boom!


    One more down.


    ¡°Alright, this should be the last floor.¡± I lifted my sword and slammed it down.


    A few moments later the pair of us leaped down into a boss room. It was a lot quicker. I should have done it this way from the start. Did I just discover a cheat that made all dungeons super easy? Such a method would only work on this kind of dungeon. Other dungeons were maze-like places, and I could end up opening a hole into anything from the floor above. That didn¡¯t even mention open dungeons, soul dungeons, and the mega-dungeons. I couldn¡¯t assume what worked once would always work. Dungeons were tricky things to peg down.


    However, in this case, I leaped down to the final dungeon floor. Located there was the little boy, and beside him were various undead. There was a skeleton knight, a busty lady in full witch attire, and a ghost-like creature.


    ¡°You still persist!¡± He hollered angrily, throwing out his finger. ¡°Attack!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if these were the minibosses, level bosses, punishments, or what, but they likely had all of the strength of the dungeon in them. Rather than slowing me down by having me fight one at a time, the dungeon master had gathered them all in this room to fight at once. Could it be that this particular dungeon master was kind of weak? I didn¡¯t have much time to think about it because the skeleton knight charged and the ghost flew up into the air. The lady backed up, seemingly casting spells as she remained in front of the master defensively.


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    This guy seemed to fight a bit like me. He stayed in the back and send out his subordinates to fight. It had been some time since I had fought like that. I kind of missed it. When you were in the front of the battle, it was difficult to keep track of things and see what was happening.


    ¡°Alysia, with me¡­ Celeste?¡±


    ¡°On it!¡±


    Celeste took the ghost while I went for the knight. Her wind magic was able to render the ghost mostly useless as it floated up in the air. With a few air blades, she had managed to cut it to shreds. With Alysia in hand, I was able to recieve blows from the knight without much trouble. A moment later, the knight dodged as several spells came my way from the woman. This turned out to be a bit trickier. I leaped to the side a bit later, but the spells seemed to move like they were locked onto me.


    A wind wall appeared and took the brunt of the strike. That was Celeste. I took a breath as the attack was blocked and I was able to regain my feet. It looked like fighting in a group was still the best. I attacked the knight again. Celeste managed to finish off the ghost all while keeping the witch lady busy. Once the ghost was defeated, she concentrated on the lady, and all the pressure on me was finally gone. I defeated the knight. I wouldn¡¯t call it an easy fight. Had I been another man, I would have been half dead. However, with the cheat-like White Mage, I repaired all the damage.


    I pointed my sword at the little boy. ¡°Your turn.¡±


    The kid looked at me, threw back his head, and then started crying. His wails caused the fighting between the witch and Celeste to die down. The witch lifted a finger as Celeste was about to attack. Celeste stopped her attack, and the witch ran over and kneeled to the boy, and started dabbing his tears with her robe. She then shot me a scathing look. Celeste caught up in the moment, also looked at me, and shook her head disapprovingly.


    Suddenly, I made a small child cry and all the women were glaring at me. When did I become the bad guy?

 Chapter 1195

    ¡°Bullying! Meany!¡± The kid wailed, still not satiated by the witch turned mother figure. ¡°You killed my family!¡±


    Wait. Don¡¯t tell me. The witch was his mother, the knight was his father, and the ghost was¡­ I don¡¯t know, his dog? It looked like a traditional blob ghost, so who knew what it was in its former life. It didn¡¯t appear very bright though. So, we barged into his home, killed his dad and his dog, and now he was crying.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just bring them back?¡± I responded stiffly, realizing for the first time I wasn¡¯t that great with crying children.


    ¡°Bring them back?¡± He sniffled. ¡°How if you¡¯re just going to kill me too? I didn¡¯t even do anything to you!¡±


    ¡°Master should apologize.¡± Celeste frowned at me.


    ¡°What? Wait! You said that you killed Miki! She¡¯s my family! You¡¯re not going to turn this on me!¡± I responded angrily.


    ¡°And you believed him?¡± The witch asked.


    ¡°Geh!¡± I stumbled back.


    I mean, I didn¡¯t believe him. If I believed she was dead, I would have just used resurrection first. Had her soul been in the dungeon, she would have resurrected.


    ¡°Bad master¡­¡±


    Celeste was not helping¡­


    ¡°If Master is so bloodthirsty, he¡¯ll even slaughter crying children, I must harden my heart.¡±


    Alysia wasn¡¯t helping either!


    ¡°Whether I believed him or not, that is what he said.¡±


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    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he say that! A big scary person breaks into our dungeon starts breaking stuff. It¡¯s just bravado!¡± The witch declared.


    ¡°Bravado! He tried to kill me!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just a child!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a dungeon master, this dungeon is 50 years old!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! A dungeon master is what a dungeon master is¡­ you cannot change that.¡± The woman sniffed. ¡°Our dungeon master is a child. No matter how much time passed, he¡¯d still be a child.¡±


    My mouth opened and then closed a few times. I didn¡¯t know how to argue with such logic. This kid sets up death traps, approaches me all arrogantly, traps me in a boss room, and then sicks his minions on me, and dares to act like it was all my fault.


    His crying had finally diminished to sniffles. I took a breath to calm myself and then tried to take a new method. I put a gentle smile on my face and then kneeled to his level while keeping enough distance between us that I wouldn¡¯t appear threatening or be in danger.


    ¡°Look¡­ little boy,¡± I said through my teeth as I smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I came into your dungeon. However, I¡¯m missing someone very close to me. That fox girl that came in here was my friend. I won¡¯t poke holes into who is at fault here, but if you could just tell your big brother here what happened to her, I will be on my way.¡±


    ¡°B-big brother?¡± He finally looked up from the witch¡¯s arms.


    An idea struck me, so I decided to go with it. ¡°Exactly, your big brother. You said you lost your family. Well, I¡¯m a nearby dungeon master and my dungeon is stronger, so I¡¯m like your big brother in a way, right?¡±


    The boy seemed to be pondering my words for a bit. I had gotten through. This would make everything a lot easier for me. He took a step forward, looking innocent.


    ¡°Big brother is a poopoo head!¡±


    ¡°Pfft!¡±


    I shot a look at Celeste, who had suddenly made a noise before turning away. Her shoulders were shaking. Meanwhile, I was feeling irritated. I was the bad guy then? Fine! I¡¯d be the bad guy!


    ¡°Look, kid, either you tell me what happened or-¡°


    ¡°You¡¯ll kill me?¡± He responded hatefully, the witch stepping in front of him defensively.


    I pulled out a glowing orb in my hand. ¡°Or I¡¯ll take your dungeon lore!¡±


    When I had opened up the floor to this level, that was also in the ceiling of the boss room, the place where the lore always descended from. As I jumped down, I had just seen it so I grabbed it just in case. The boy¡¯s face turned white and he fell to his knees. His appearance was more satisfying than I cared to admit.


    {You have tamed the Dungeon Master Mathew. You have Conquered Matty¡¯s Maze of Mysteries!}


    ¡°S-seriously?¡±

 Chapter 1196

    ¡°Does that mean you will tell me what happened to her?¡± I asked.


    When you entered a dungeon, you were usually offered two choices. You could complete the lore by destroying it. Completing the lore turned it into a blessing which you could then absorb. Essentially, the power of the dungeon was turned into a blessing which then became an extension of your soul, like adding a peripheral to a computer. At least, that¡¯s the best I was able to explain it.


    Destroying the lore was the same as eliminating the source of power. The dungeon would no longer be able to turn mana into miasma and the miasma would be released from the dungeon and freely disperse. Cut off from miasma, the dungeon would whither up and collapse and the monsters would die out, although it was possible that some survived and became surface-level monsters.


    However, there was a third option that didn¡¯t seem to be mentioned, and that was conquering a dungeon. Technically, it didn¡¯t resolve the cursed lore, but it just passed it into a new party. They became the new dungeon master and were capable of manipulating the lore to their will. Dungeon masters and their dungeons had a strange relationship.


    Despite often being closely linked, they weren¡¯t the same. A dungeon was a bit like an animal. While it had will, it could be guided, influenced, or manipulated depending on who was in charge. Meanwhile, a dungeon master was tasked with repairing the dungeon but didn¡¯t necessarily have complete control of the dungeon.


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    How my dungeon differed in the past was that I was the builder, while I assigned others as the master. The dungeons I created were linked to my soul. Thus, I was my own dungeon, and thus could control it or allow it to be controlled. That was no longer the case. My dungeon was no longer bound to me. Instead, I was the dungeon¡¯s master. The dungeon contained a lot of lore, but nothing that was inherently cursed or unfulfilled. Until it finished evolving, I didn¡¯t know what that would mean for the future of my dungeon.


    In the meantime, however, I seemed to have inherited another dungeon, and after taming the dungeon master, I indirectly had control of this dungeon. Yet, I didn¡¯t even understand it. I had indeed threatened this kid with the thought of destroying the core, but he seemed to give up rather quickly. Was he that terrified of the lore being destroyed? Most dungeon masters wouldn¡¯t be dungeon masters if they didn¡¯t inherently want to protect their dungeons, but it wasn¡¯t so clean-cut as their lives being tied to the dungeon. I¡¯ve personally managed to cut the lives of various people from their dungeons, and with Alysia, it¡¯d probably be pretty easy to do on someone willing.


    ¡°I will never do what you tell me!¡± The kid responded defiantly with tears in his eyes.


    ¡°Won¡¯t you though?¡±


    The woman in the witch outfit sighed. ¡°It seems like Master has recognized you as his big brother.¡±


    ¡°N-Not true!¡± The boy cried.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± I responded, feeling slightly irritated. ¡°Can someone just tell me where my woman is?¡±


    ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll show you, but I¡¯ll never see you as my big brother!¡±


    I didn¡¯t want him to though.

 Chapter 1197

    After some back and forth that left me feeling a headache, I was brought up to the 9<sup>th</sup> floor. The holes that I had broken through to get quickly through the dungeon were already repairing. The one above my head was already half-closed and if I looked up the top ones had already sealed, meaning I couldn¡¯t quickly get out of the dungeon. Since I hadn¡¯t bothered to register at any of the safe room transportation arrays, I realized my mistake. I¡¯d need to repent and make sure in the future I didn¡¯t lock myself in such a one-way trap.


    While I had the leverage to break through a floor or a door with a solid strike, it was quite different breaking through a ceiling. I wasn¡¯t confident I¡¯d be able to do it. Either way, it would have been inconvenient if I had ended up getting stuck for whatever reason and needed to return to the surface.


    The little boy and his big-breasted attendant stopped where they were on the 9<sup>th</sup> floor. The dungeon master closed his eyes and then waved his hands. I noticed the lore in my hands flashing brighter for a bit. It looked like even in my hands, he was still able to make some use of the lore. The fluttering light stopped, and after a minute or so passed with him still standing there with his eyes closed, I was just about to demand to know what was going on. That¡¯s when a familiar person walked into the room from the floor above.


    ¡°It¡¯s Miki!¡± Celeste cried excitedly.


    It was none other than Miki. However, there was something off about her. She was see-through! She also had a blue tinge to her, and she seemed slightly off. Some of her features weren¡¯t exactly what I remembered. Her face looked a bit off like it was someone who only saw her once trying to draw her face from memory rather than someone who knew her intimately like me.


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    She walked into the room, looking around cautiously. She didn¡¯t look at us at all. It was like we weren¡¯t even there. She saw the puzzle on this floor and slowly approached it. Her fluffy fox tail wagged slightly as she examined it thoughtfully.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a memory?¡± I asked.


    The witch-woman nodded. ¡°This is a dungeon, after all. Everything that happens in a dungeon is recorded in that dungeon. This is one of the reasons dungeons become more powerful the longer they live. They do not simply collect mana and souls¡­ they also collect knowledge. If you ever use a skill in a dungeon, that dungeon will subsequently learn how to use the skill. Weapons? Items? It can only create what it has seen.¡±


    She spoke about a fundamental truth when it came to dungeons. Perhaps, she opened up given the current conquered status. Perhaps, they already assumed I knew. In a way, I already did guess this. It was like when I had to fight my doppelganger as a boss. It was a perfect copy of me, but whenever I used a skill I hadn¡¯t seen, it wasn¡¯t prepared. As soon as I used the skill though, it could use the skill too.


    That wasn¡¯t just a part of that fight, but all dungeons entirely. The combat proficiency of any monster made by the dungeon could only be as smart as the combat it had seen within its walls. That¡¯s why larger dungeons were so difficult to deal with. The monsters weren¡¯t just more powerful, but they had a richer lore to pull from, making them far cleverer. That¡¯s how you went from bugs and skeletons to fully functional knights.


    ¡°What are we waiting for?¡±


    ¡°Shhh¡­¡± The boy shushed me.


    I opened my mouth to say more, but then Miki spoke, her voice coming out crisp.


    ¡°I could feel you when you entered the dungeon. What do you want?¡± She looked at me.


    I jumped at her suddenly addressing me. Had I been mistaken? No, she was looking past me. I turned to see the door leading to the final safe room being pushed open as three people stepped out. They had teleported down to it to cut her off. I was seeing something that happened sometime in the past. This was what I had come here for. What happened to Miki?

 Chapter 1198

    I immediately had an uneasy feeling about the three men, and Miki too also appeared guarded. She had reached behind her belt to hold the hilt of a knife, and she looked prepared to run if she had to. It¡¯d be difficult to escape if they already had access to all of the safe rooms. They could cut her off if she tried to run. Her only chance would be to get past them and then trigger the final boss. Given how small this dungeon was though, it wouldn¡¯t take long for them to reach the 5<sup>th</sup>-floor safe room and then teleport into the boss room. She would have had to defeat the boy named Mathew before then, and his presence right now strongly suggested this isn¡¯t what happened.


    ¡°Are you Miki of Chalm? The nine-tailed fox?¡± The man in front asked in a heavy voice.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± She asked, tilting her head suspiciously.


    The three men slowly lifted back their hoods, revealing three men. One of these men had long bunny ears. One of them had wolf ears. The final had cat ears, although they were striped and interesting like Lydia¡¯s ears. This was probably a normal catgirl, versus Lydia¡¯s rare tigerkin variant blood. I didn¡¯t know everyone in Chalm by sight, but I had a feeling they weren¡¯t from Chalm.


    ¡°Who are they?¡± Celeste asked.


    ¡°Dioshin. They come from the country of the beastkin.¡±


    ¡°What are they doing out here?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that surprising. We¡¯re far closer to the Dioshin border than our own. The dungeon is on the west side of the wilderness, after all.¡±


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    Although Aberis had permitted me to claim the wilderness, I hadn¡¯t completed that yet. I had only just started, using the strength of the Osterians to finally start beating back the wild. This dungeon was one of the farthest from that point. Until we could put settlements out here, they had as much right to this land as we did. In short, it was no man¡¯s territory.


    What made me confused was why would they be looking for Miki, and how could they guessed she was out here? The Dioshin were a superstitious lot, and they believed nine-tail foxes were evil. A foxkin technically only had one tail, but when they reached maturity they also had a chance to sprout spiritual tails, turning them into spirit foxkin. The more spirit tails they had, the more spiritual energy they could channel. If the number of tails was too high, then they would have too much spiritual energy. They would become sickly and even die.


    The population also hated and feared spirit foxes, because their spiritual energy attracted ghosts and other malevolent monsters. As their tails grew, they fell lower in society, and when they exceeded 6, 1 real tail and 5 spiritual tails, even their health couldn¡¯t be maintained. Miki managing to have nine and survive was already a miracle. Of course, the problem with a spirit fox was never how many tails, but their ability to control it. Upon unlocking the job spiritualist and leveling it, Miki was able to overcome her weakness by gaining control over her spiritual energy.


    So, why would these men who feared and hated those like Miki suddenly appear before her?


    ¡°We come from Dioshin.¡± The man confirmed, causing her eyes to narrow, but what he said next stopped her in her tracks. ¡°We went to great lengths to find you. You see, the town where you grew up is in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Trouble? What trouble?¡±


    ¡°A spiritual disease.¡± He explained. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to tell you, but they are dying, and the only way they can be saved is with you!¡±

 Chapter 1199

    ¡°So, that is where she went.¡± The answer I had gone to such effort to acquire, even going so far as to conquer a dungeon to obtain, was that simple. ¡°Miki is in Dioshin.¡±


    ¡°Ah, will Master be leaving?¡± The witch-woman asked, suddenly grabbing my arm and pressing her chest against it.


    ¡°M-Master?¡± My eyes widened.


    ¡°Eh? Who are you calling Master? I¡¯m still the master of this dungeon!¡± The boy cried out.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the master of my master also my master?¡± She asked coyly while stroking my chest. ¡°I thought we¡¯d have time to get acquainted with Master.¡±


    ¡°You pervert bastard! Start touching my witch! You can¡¯t have her.¡± Matty started trying to get between the witch and my arm, pushing her off.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying,¡± I responded helplessly.


    ¡°That only makes it worse!¡±


    The witch¡¯s change of behavior from defensively protecting her charge to laughing mischievously while clinging to me was too fast. I had indeed decided to stop attacking the dungeon, and I had conquered the dungeon, whatever that meant, but wasn¡¯t her loyalty far too cheap? At least I hadn¡¯t named her yet. If I didn¡¯t name her, I didn¡¯t have to take her home. That¡¯s how it worked! I deliberately didn¡¯t think about how happy Selena was to get her name.


    While I tried to get the witch off me and Matty through a tantrum, Celeste seemed to be uncharacteristically focused on the party. There wasn¡¯t much being discussed. Miki quickly abandoned her quest down the dungeon. Seeing as the dungeon was barely undead as it was, and only looked like one to try to trick people into staying away, Miki wasn¡¯t that motivated to continue and was easily swayed. I was a bit worried about how we could talk our way into Dioshin, but at least I knew where she was.


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    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Miki was walking to the exit when she suddenly froze, collapsed to the ground, and let out a scream.


    The witch, Matty, and I all stopped fighting to look in that direction. The incorporeal animalkin were also quite shocked.


    ¡°He-he¡¯s¡­ dead¡­¡± She whispered, her eyes staring at nothing.


    I lowered my head as I watched this. This must have been the moment our bond was severed. Even death wouldn¡¯t sever bonds with a soul. In the case of a death, as the soul slowly dissolved away, the bonds would also break apart. Based on how the slavers set up the bond, this meant that over a month the slave would either become increasingly ill until they died, compelled to find their new master, or in the case of my bonds, freed.


    This kind of sudden destruction of the bond was something only a place like the Illusory Soul Realm could do, but to Miki and the others, they couldn¡¯t be blamed for thinking it meant a more likely event, the destruction of my soul.


    ¡°He¡¯s not though¡­¡± Celeste whispered tearfully.


    She had returned to her normal size and was watching the developing memory with great interest.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± One of the animalkin men asked, offering her a hand.


    ¡°Y-yes¡­¡± She stood up shakily, but I could see her suppressing the pain as she took a deep breath.


    This was the first time I had seen the event of the bond being cut by their point of view. I could see Miki holding back her tears as she tried to keep from falling apart.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± The animalkin tried to reassure her. ¡°You¡¯ll be with family soon.¡±


    In a way, this was probably for the best. After having such an emotional blow, going and saving her family would be good for her. With luck, she was still with them. Using her ability to save her family from their illness, I could see them coming to accept her just like Chalm. At least she wasn¡¯t alone. That¡¯s what I was thinking as I watched the memory fade away as they entered the safe room to teleport out of the dungeon.


    Then, Celeste spoke up. ¡°Everything those men told her, was a lie!¡±

 Chapter 1200

    ¡°Celeste!¡± I coughed in surprise at her sudden words. ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Master can¡¯t hear it?¡± Celeste asked in surprise.


    ¡°Hear what?¡±


    ¡°The voices of the men. They were clearly lying. When someone lies, their voice is always different.¡±


    I had nearly forgotten that Celeste was a wind fairy. She had a perfect pitch and was extremely sensitive to vibrations. As it turned out, that included voices. She could tell when someone was lying just by the tones in their voice.


    ¡°What do you mean, they were lying?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Most of what they said wasn¡¯t the truth. They were keeping things from Miki. As for her family being sick, it was completely made up.¡±


    Her words caused my heart to tighten. It truly had seemed odd that these men just suddenly showed up. They went to the bottom level of the dungeon and seek her out, just to help her family? They were common foxkin, an animal type that already had a bad stigma in their society because of their spirit tails. Why would they go to that much effort to find her. Plus, why would she even be needed? Surely, there would be other foxkin with fewer tails that could resolve the problems.


    These men had an interest in Miki in particular. That also meant they must have known about Miki¡¯s situation. They knew she was a nine-tailed fox who had gained control of it. That left the extremely worrying question of why they had come. To make matters worse, my bond was severed at the worst time. Rather than Miki being alert and wary, she¡¯d be distracted and emotionally vulnerable. I realized my fist had tightened to the point my nails were digging into my palm. These men had taken advantage of an emotionally vulnerable woman. That alone was enough to earn my ire.


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    ¡°We need to go to Dioshin.¡± I declared through clenched teeth.


    Celeste nodded. ¡°Miki might be in trouble.¡±


    I furrowed my brow as I thought about what needed to happen next. That was when a sudden thought came to me. I turned to Celeste, my expression turning slightly uneasy.


    ¡°Um, Celeste¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master?¡±


    ¡°About that lying thing¡­ how long have you been able to distinguish people¡¯s lies, would you say?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? I don¡¯t know¡­ I started to realize it once I became a Sylph. It took me a while to figure out what those differences were. Back when I was in Karr¡¯s Dungeon and lived as a mindless drone of my mother wandering the halls of the manor aimlessly, I never learned very much about life. It took traveling with Master for me to gain some perspective.¡± Celeste explained.


    ¡°I see¡­ so, um¡­ hey, listen¡­ about any lies that I might have said¡­¡±


    Celeste glanced over at me and smirked. ¡°Master, you wouldn¡¯t be worried you might have said something I¡¯d hold against you, would you?¡±


    ¡°N-No! That¡¯s not it at all! I wouldn¡¯t have any suck doubts!¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± She nodded, and just as I let out a breath, she turned away. ¡°Liar.¡±


    ¡°Geh! Celeste, I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean it! I was confused!¡±


    I had begun to apologize for things I couldn¡¯t remember and might not have even done. How could someone remember every fib they told someone? Celeste giggled, shrinking back into her smaller form before flying back onto my shoulder and kissing my cheek.


    ¡°Master, all of your slaves can tell when you¡¯re lying. You¡¯re not good at it. However, we can feel the intent behind your words, and that is what matters.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how to respond to that. I thought I had grown quite good at tricking people. The job Mimic was a lie.

 Chapter 1201

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I want you to stay or anything, but will you be coming back?¡± Matty asked as we reached the exit to his dungeon.


    Although he was acting like the pouty child he appeared as if he seemed slightly anxious. As for the witch companion, she was behind him, her chest resting on his head as she looked at me innocently. I suppose I could understand their sentiment. I had charged through their dungeon, took the dungeon lore, and forced them to submit, and now I was taking off. They were probably anxious about their future existence. It was weird thinking of monsters having these feelings, but after all of those close to me who had come from dungeons, I realized I needed to start changing how I thought about dungeons.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, I probably shouldn¡¯t take this.¡± I pulled out the dungeon lore I had been keeping in my pocket.


    ¡°You were going to take it out of the dungeon!¡± He cried out. ¡°You were going to kill us all!¡±


    A dungeon couldn¡¯t live without a connection to the core. My dungeon seemed to exist without a true core, but it was using my soul as a conduit or something. I wasn¡¯t exactly planning on attaching my soul to this dungeon, so the lore would have to stay behind. I tossed it to him, and the boy panicked as he desperately caught it.


    ¡°Y-you bastard!¡± He cried as he snatched the thing and started soothing it like I had somehow hurt it.


    ¡°You mentioned something earlier about a dungeon master council before. What is going on with that?¡± I distracted him with such a question.


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    He stiffened for a moment, and then let out a sigh. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ve already said too much. The Council of Dungeon Masters was set up by the Primordial Labyrinth. It¡¯s intended for any master who has created a Karmic Soul.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean the Demon King is part of this council?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Only dungeons that have proven to be able to survive and don¡¯t upset the balance of this world can join. The Demon King¡¯s aggressive takeover rendered him banned. The same could be said of that dungeon to the north.¡±


    I blinked at those words. So, they did know about Aberis and the Widow¡¯s Dungeon.


    ¡°What about me? Am I banned?¡±


    He looked at me for a second and then shrugged. ¡°A warning was issued about your emergence, but the basic truth is you¡¯re too new to be banned just yet. Most dungeons have a wild few years before they stabilize and form a Karmic companion and master. Well, not every dungeon forms a companion. Instead, they get taken over by a powerful creature. Those dungeons are quite pitiable, as the dungeon master¡¯s desires wouldn¡¯t align with the dungeon.¡±


    It made sense. There were dungeons like Mira¡¯s Dungeon or the Widow¡¯s Dungeon where the dungeon formed a master who slowly became more sentient until they had a soul of their own. However, there were also dungeons like The Bandit¡¯s Respite that got invaded by a powerful miasma user who conquered it and became the new master. Calypso repurposed her dungeon to go against its original goal, although it did resist in its way.


    ¡°Do you know when such a thing would be decided?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The Dungeon Master Assembly.¡± He responded. ¡°Once a year, all of the dungeon masters have a large gathering where important decisions are made. This is also when new dungeon masters who seek them out can become members.¡±


    ¡°And might I ask, when is this next meeting?¡±


    ¡°Three months,¡± he answered, and then cried out in alarm. ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of going, are you?¡±


    I licked my lips. ¡°You never know. A lot can happen in three months.¡±

 Chapter 1202

    As we left Matty¡¯s dungeon, I instinctively looked to the west. Celeste reached out and grabbed my arm, stroking it soothingly.


    ¡°Miki is in that direction,¡± I stated a fact that we both knew.


    I still didn¡¯t know exactly where she was, but she was somewhere in Dioshin. Unfortunately, Dioshin was generally hostile with Aberis. This stemmed from Aberis¡¯s tendency to enslave the citizens of Dioshin. After the war against the Demon Lord Aberis, the country had grown a tendency to favor human supremacy. It seemed like Prince Edward was working toward undoing a lot of that, but after twenty years the damage was already done.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Master. I¡¯m worried about Miki as well.¡± Celeste told me. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°The men mentioned Miki¡¯s family. It might have nothing to do with them, but it might be something involving them. Either way, as I understand it, the foxkin are close to the border, so they would be a good first stop. At the moment, I¡¯m not able to portal into Dioshin, and even if I could, I don¡¯t know where her family is.¡±


    Anyone could draw a map, but the maps of this world were made by those with the calligrapher job, which I had. A calligrapher infused the map with magic, giving it an imprint of the mana from the location being drawn. This is sufficient that when I look at such a map, my Map skill would update with the details from the map. Just because I could see it on a Map didn¡¯t mean that I could target it with a Portal. Perhaps there were high-level maps that were created with enough detail that such a thing was possible, but in general, a location needs to be within range of my mana sense, which was usually about as far as I could see.


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    I could find a drawing of the basic layout of Dioshin, they weren¡¯t sufficient to give me more than a basic understanding of Dioshin. There was no such place called foxkin village or something obvious like that, so I couldn¡¯t guess where they were. Heading over there now would just be asking for trouble.


    Sure, if Celeste flew me up into the sky, I could probably get a distant view and make several kilometer-long Portal jumps, like I had once done while dealing with the bandits in southwest Aberis. I might even be able to get past their border this way, but if I wasn¡¯t careful, they¡¯d see Celeste lifting me and come to suspect something.


    ¡°What do we do then?¡± Celeste asked.


    Celeste had once been impulsive and childish. Since her evolution, she had grown much more even-tempered. I missed her youthful naivete, but as the only party member I had recovered thus far, her steady and reliable nature helped me keep my heart calm. I had lost everyone, and saying I was going to get them back didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t worried about them. I reached up and stroked her head with my finger where she was perched on my shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem.¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± She grew flustered as I rubbed her, her incandescent wings fluttering.


    ¡°We know someone who knows about Dioshin,¡± I explained. ¡°We need to talk with him.¡±


    It had been a while. It was time I spoke with Figuro once again.

 Chapter 1203

    I stepped through a portal into an empty mansion. If Faeyna saw such a place, she would be upset. I had left her to care for the Chalm mansion. After the city fell to the Maid¡¯s Lament, the mansion had fallen into disrepair, so it would take some time for her to bring it back to standard. Thus, I had left her there. However, the Chalm mansion wasn¡¯t the only one that had been abandoned. There was also the Capital City mansion which had been left to gather dust for two months.


    She was supposed to hire maids to help her handle the two properties, but no one who applied had ever met her standards. Then again, how did one meet the standards of the Maid Hero? It seemed impossible. So, she was doing everything by herself. Two properties were already far too much for her to handle. What would happen when the castle was finished? Also, there was likely a time she¡¯d want to go training with me too, giving her even less time to manage the home.


    At some point, she¡¯d have to let someone else take over at least one of the properties. Perhaps, she could get a young apprentice that she could teach from a young age? Such a thing was a possibility. In the meantime, one of the properties was always going to be neglected. At least Prince Edward hadn¡¯t given the property away after I was presumed dead. That would have been irritating.


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    The pair of us walked out of the mansion. My target was the Slaver¡¯s Guild. I barely took a step out of the gate when I heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°So, you are alive after all. I heard as much.¡±


    I turned to see a young boy standing there with his arms crossed. Behind him was a familiar-looking maid. They had pointed ears and a childlike appearance. They were allegedly closely related to elves, although now that I knew more about the world, I¡¯d say that they looked like a cross between dwarves and elves. They possessed the pale skin and pointy ears of an elf but the short and child-like features of a dwarf.


    ¡°Pait. It¡¯s been a while. Have you gotten shorter?¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Dav covered her mouth as she spat out, causing Pait to shoot her a glare before turning back to me.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you just compensating for something?¡± He shot back. ¡°I know you have a lot of women, but when you said you¡¯d be enough man for all of them, I don¡¯t think they meant by the pound.¡±


    I felt shaking on my shoulder, but when I glanced at Celeste, she was distinctly not looking in my direction. I smiled darkly and glared back at Pait.


    ¡°I¡¯d teach you a lesson, but I don¡¯t bully children.¡±


    ¡°You know, I feel a bit bad for you up there. You¡¯re probably not getting very much air.¡±


    The pair of us stared daggers at each other, and then both put our heads back and laughed. I held out my hand and he clasped it.


    ¡°It¡¯s been too long.¡±


    ¡°You never stop by.¡±


    ¡°Boys are weird.¡± Dav sighed.


    ¡°Mm! Mm!¡± Celeste nodded.

 Chapter 1204

    ¡°So, it¡¯s Dioshin that you¡¯re heading toward.¡± Pait stroked the mug.


    Since I had run into him, I didn¡¯t want to just take off. At the very least, I decided to explain my predicament. After all, Pait was from Esmore, a different country to the south. They border Dioshin as well, and unlike us, they are on talking terms with the country. At the very least, he may have some information on the country. I had intended to talk to Figuro, but Pait was a good person to speak to as well. I was glad that I had run into him by chance.


    The pair of us had gone to a local bar. It was in the upper area of town, so while the drinks were expensive, it was also very quiet and clean. It was easy to get a place where you could discuss things in quiet. It was a common location where trade deals and political treaties were discussed. We each had a cup of wine while we spoke. I had gotten Celeste a mug as well, and she now sat on the rim of the glass, occasionally leaning in to sip. She let out a burp, her face completely red.


    ¡°I have a Slave Guild friend. He¡¯s the original one who bought her. I never really understood how that worked. From my understanding, the Dioshin hate slavers, so why do they work with a human? How is the Slaver¡¯s Guild even able to get into Dioshin?¡±


    Pait raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, you haven¡¯t heard?¡±


    ¡°Heard what?¡±


    ¡°The Slaver¡¯s Guild started in Dioshin.¡±


    ¡°What? Really?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but be surprised.


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    ¡°As a people, the Dioshin were always broken into warring tribes. Their entire culture is based on the idea of dominance and submissiveness. Certain tribes are in power, while other tribes are the workhorses. The power dynamics in Dioshin are awful.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­ I always thought they were pretty united given their resistance toward Aberis.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s true¡­ their fear of outsiders is what keeps them all together, but the country of Dioshin is extremely segregated. Kin remains with kin, and cross-animalkin breeding is considered taboo. This is why you don¡¯t see half-dogkin, half-catkin, or something like that. Other than variant animalkin, their lines are completely pure.¡±


    My only experience with animalkin had been Chalm. I guessed that in my mind, Dioshin was a diverse place where animalkin of all kinds worked together much like my city. It had been their distaste for slavery that had bound the citizens of Chalm. In theory, once they were free, they could have gotten back into Dioshin. I had never asked too directly about such things, as some wounds were difficult to dig up, but it seemed like there was a reason they chose the wilderness. I was starting to understand a bit more about my people now.


    ¡°So, Slavers are favored in Dioshin?¡±


    ¡°Among the people, no. Among the elites? Of course.¡± He shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s politics, boy. The elites line their pockets with gold and have a means of eliminating undesirables and rivals. Then, they create an enemy out of Aberis to spread fear and control the population. They exploit their citizens for their own gain.¡±


    I nodded my head. I wanted to condemn them, but even on Earth, I couldn¡¯t say things were any better. Those with power would always use that power to their advantage. It seemed like the slavery of this world was a complex subject. Pait was watching me carefully as he took a sip from his mug. Finally, he slammed it down.


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve convinced me.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?¡± I was caught off guard by the conviction in Pait¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I will help you get into Dioshin.¡±

 Chapter 1205

    ¡°You can do that?¡± I asked. ¡°You can really help?¡±


    Pait nodded. ¡°It¡¯s lucky that you ran into us today. We were just on our way to the traveling guild when I saw you. We¡¯re heading back to Esmore today.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving the Capital?¡±


    ¡°Hey, even diplomatic ambassadors need some time to themselves!¡± Pait growled. ¡°You should be lucky I¡¯m willing to take you with me and use an invite to get into Dioshin.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d really do all of that for me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act so surprised. It isn¡¯t like it won¡¯t have some advantages for us. I do keep informed. I¡¯m well aware of what happened to the Ost Republic. Their Osterian support collapsed after their king died. Aberis and the Ost Republic are in the middle of a peace treaty now. This is only going to cause Aberis to grow much stronger, never mind whatever you¡¯re doing in the west. Esmore has always been a neutral country, but if Aberis grows stronger and you start settling the wilderness, this is going to create tensions with Dioshin.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true¡­¡±


    ¡°So, you can just call this a preemptive intervention. I have a feeling that if you can get into the country, you might be able to smooth things out with Dioshin so that Aberis doesn¡¯t enter any future battles with them. At the very least, your city that is made up of beastkin will let them see humans as less of a threat.¡±


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    Spoken like a true diplomat, Pait was helping me but also helping himself and his country. I tended to not focus on the political stuff that much when I made my decision making, but I guessed that there were long-term ramifications for everything that was happening. I could only hope that my advisors, Elaya, the mayor, and such did consider these things. However, it¡¯d be a good idea if I was more mindful of that in the future.


    ¡°I understand. Then, I will take you up on the offer.¡±


    He looked up at me and then winced. ¡°Also, there is a second reason that I¡¯m doing this. You¡¯d be helping the Esmore out by entering the country.¡±


    ¡°There is more?¡±


    ¡°Aggghh¡­ I shouldn¡¯t be telling you this, but since I¡¯m already recruiting you I¡¯ll just speak the truth.¡± He rubbed his hand through his hair sloppily. ¡°Lately, Dioshin has been acting suspiciously. We think that they are up to something. They¡¯ve been turning away convoys, merchants, and travelers. News has become extremely scarce. We have a traveling guild that connects to one of theirs, and that has been shut down until further notice.¡±


    ¡°If they aren¡¯t letting people in¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, they¡¯ll let a diplomat in. I did a favor for the beast king and he gave me an open invite. Refusing me would be the same as saying the beast king¡¯s word accounts for nothing. This is why I was recalled. My government wants me to enter the country and investigate. I need to determine if whatever is going on is a threat to Esmore. That invite can include two servants. One of them will be Dav, the other can be you.¡±


    ¡°What about Celeste? She is a fairy, so¡­¡±


    ¡°She counts!¡± He coughed. ¡°I mean¡­ you¡¯re the only one I can take. I¡¯m already stretching things by bringing you, so please don¡¯t push me into a difficult situation.¡±


    I nodded. If she masqueraded as a house fairy, they might not treat her as a whole person, but that was being deceptive. Pait was doing enough by giving me a means of getting in. I needed to take the opportunity.

 Chapter 1206

    Just because I had secured a path into Dioshin didn¡¯t mean all of my business was concluded. I still needed to know as much as I could. Pait would be a great deal of help, but I was still determined to speak to Figuro and learn a little more. It was also probably best that I didn¡¯t put all of my hopes on Pait, just in case. Thus, I split off from Pait, agreeing to meet him at the traveling guild later. Then, Celeste and I headed to the slaver¡¯s guild to speak to Figuro.


    ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°Gone?¡±


    The receptionist nodded. ¡°Figuro is on an expedition right now. He¡¯s trying to find a path to enter Shie Gescar.¡±


    ¡°Shie Gescar? Isn¡¯t that area kind of mysterious?¡±


    Shie Gescar was a large country that took up nearly 1/3d of the continent, but no one in the five countries seemed to know very much about it. The entire country was blocked off by impassable mountains and rivers, and the place was quiet and never did much. They bordered half the demon lands with the Imperial Cloud Meadow, so they must be able to keep back the threat, but they were still a complete mystery. Allegedly, Terra¡¯s parents had come from this place, but that was all I knew about it.


    ¡°Figuro does this every couple of years. He tries to find a safe passage into Shie Gescar.¡±


    ¡°A safe passage? Does that imply there are unsafe passages?¡±


    ¡°Several¡­ but the results are that few ever come back.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Those that have made it back half-dead don¡¯t seem to remember anything about the other side.¡±


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    That last comment was new. I had heard that the trip was seemingly one way. However, I didn¡¯t hear about some making it back. It only added to the place¡¯s mystery. It looked like even Figuro had some dreams and ambitions, although I couldn¡¯t get myself excited about a slave trader breaking ground in a new location. In my opinion, it probably wasn¡¯t a matter of the journey, but the destination. Whoever lived in Shie Gescar didn¡¯t like trespassers. I hoped Figuro the best. He had made it back before though, so he¡¯d probably be fine.


    However, those thoughts didn¡¯t help me in my current situation. ¡°I needed some information on Dioshin.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ we¡¯re not an information guild. We have to protect our clients.¡± The receptionist shrugged.


    ¡°But¡­ I need to know about one of my slaves.¡± I sighed helplessly.


    ¡°A slaver? Ah¡­ so you are a client then.¡± The tone of the receptionist¡¯s voice restored a bit of my hope.


    ¡°Do you know about Miki?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I can look up information about slaves you¡¯ve purchased. We keep thorough records of all previous sales. If you own someone, you have a right to their personal history. Is there something I can look up for you?¡± As he said this, he also held out a hand.


    I didn¡¯t even care that it cost quite a few gold. At this point, I didn¡¯t worry about money all that much. I immediately paid the cost and told him what I wanted to know. He wouldn¡¯t give me personal information about Dioshin, which violated some international noninvolvement treaty. I had heard about a similar thing in adventuring guilds. Since they transcended borders, they wouldn¡¯t provide aid or information that would benefit one nation over another. However, they were happy to give me the name of Miki¡¯s hometown as well as mark it on a map.


    ¡°Jun. The city of Jun.¡±


    Although I wasn¡¯t able to speak to Figuro, I had found a path into Dioshin and a place to start. I knew that this trip wouldn¡¯t be easy. I had lived in Aberis all of this time and had still only seen half of it. Dioshin was every bit as large as Aberis, and I had to find a single foxkin girl amongst a sea of beastkin. Furthermore, she could be in trouble. I had to get moving.

 Chapter 1207

    I ended up sending Celeste back to Chalm. Her task was to assist everyone else and wait for any rumors regarding the other girls. Raissa, Lydia, Garnet, and Terra were all still missing. Shao was the only other girl that I knew her location. I would probably go fetch her next, but I had waited for so long because I wasn¡¯t even able to cast the spell to get to her.


    The dimensional portal had a week-long cooldown. I had used the spell to send Shao away right before I went to the Ost Republic. Since then, only a week has passed for me. It might have been two months for everyone else, but my skills didn¡¯t refresh based on everyone else. I had taken a couple of days to get through the Illusory Sword Dungeon and a couple of days to get through Maid¡¯s Lament. That¡¯s to say I had only regained my ability to cast the spell recently, and if I cast it again, that would be another week I was stuck on Earth before I could return.


    Thus, when I entered the traveling guild, I was alone. Dav and Pait were already there waiting for me, as was a blue mage. I didn¡¯t know if this was the same blue mage that had sent me to the Ost Republic sometime before. Most of them seemed to be old men in robes with beards. Siti seemed to be a single notable exception to this rule. It was no wonder she had caught the interest of the country¡¯s grandmaster.


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    ¡°Are you ready? You¡¯re not going in that, are you?¡± He eyed my armor up and down.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    ¡°I said I had permission to bring a servant, not a warrior.¡±


    ¡°Is it that uncommon?¡± I asked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t a diplomat that was visiting a foreign country need some kind of protection? I¡¯d think it¡¯d be common that one of their servants double as a bodyguard, don¡¯t you think? Ah¡­ I can also do this.¡±


    I lifted my hand, and a moment later my features changed slightly. It was a slight change, but now I looked like an Osterian. I was already tall enough, so it only involved darkening my skin a bit and changing my facial features slightly. I figured that given the countries tensions with humans, it might be preferable if I was Osterian. At least, that¡¯s what I thought.


    Dav and Pait both let out words of surprise as they saw my face change. Even the blue mage seemed surprised by such a spell.


    ¡°You are full of surprises.¡± Pait declared, eyeing me up and down. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. Bring an Osterian bodyguard as a servant wouldn¡¯t be suspicious at all. In this case, we¡¯ll leave it.¡±


    I gave a nod. I wasn¡¯t going to start running his bathwater or anything, so it was best that I established my disguise early on.


    ¡°In that case, our first teleportation will take us to a town on the border of Esmore.¡± He explained for my sake while paying the blue mage the fee.


    I nodded again and the group of us entered the blue mage¡¯s teleportation circle. It was only a few moments later when the light appeared and we left Aberis.

 Chapter 1208

    ¡°So, this is Esmore.¡± I gave a crisp breath that could be seen. ¡°It¡¯s colder than I thought.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because we¡¯re in the western mountain range. As one might expect, the dwarves live in the mountains, and the esmere live in the plains at the center. Well, we don¡¯t interact much with the dwarves. They are very reclusive, but there are a few that come down and a few of us that come up to the mountains. Mostly merchants. They depend on our farming to eat, and we depend on their mining and craftsmanship. Best blacksmiths in the five countries.¡± As Pait spoke, there seemed to be a sense of pride in his words.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Alysia spoke up.


    We were in a small village seemingly on the side of a mountain. The air was thinner up here, and there was a thick layer of snow on the ground. I would have had trouble without acclimating had I been the boy I once was. The levels and alterations to my body had made it so I wasn¡¯t overwhelmed by this place anymore.


    There were many dwarves and a few esmere running around. Ruby had once told me that the two species don¡¯t get along, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case.  The dwarves looked like the traditional dwarves one would expect. They were short with thick beards that ran down their chests. They were dressed in heavy furs to keep warm as they ran around doing their jobs. Only the men looked like traditional dwarves. The women looked like Garnet. They were taller than the men but were only the size of twelve- or thirteen-year-old girls. They were small-chested, with brown or black hair and brown eyes.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get going.¡±


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    ¡°Already?¡± I raised an eyebrow.


    If this was an expedition, I was thinking it might take a few days. We had only just arrived at the traveling guild, and he was already packing up to go. Traveling through these mountains had to be dangerous. I could manage, but I worried that this might be too much for Dav. Even now, she was bundled up in extra furs, clearly not enjoying the cold.


    ¡°I had already hired a guide. It¡¯s not as bad as you think. This place exists for a very particular reason.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    I didn¡¯t ask him anymore. I had already put everything I felt I¡¯d need inside my inventory before setting out for Matty¡¯s dungeon, so I was prepared to move. We met a dwarf, and as soon as I saw him my eyebrows raised. Unlike the others I had seen, he had red hair and red eyes, just like Garnet.


    ¡°A deep dwarf?¡±


    The old dwarf made a noise. ¡°Oh¡­ an Osterian knows about my species?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­ I¡¯ve met one before.¡±


    I didn¡¯t go into specifics. Call me selfish, but what if this was the only remaining Deep Dwarf alive? I didn¡¯t want to have another issue as I had with Faeyna, where she was being pressured to continue on her line. There were normal dwarves. Just because this might be the last redhead didn¡¯t make it worth the hassle to me. Thankfully, the guy didn¡¯t make an issue of it and only nodded before checking a cart filled with supplies.


    I realized that we had approached what appeared to be a mine shaft, but it looked like everyone was planning to enter it.


    ¡°Excuse me, how long is this journey going to take?¡±


    Pait glanced at me. ¡°We¡¯ll reach Dioshin in two days. You¡¯ll understand in a moment.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    I had thought the journey would take weeks. As we progressed, I was thinking of using my Portals to speed us along. However, it seemed like the journey was going to be underground. The expedition didn¡¯t take long to move forward. Upon stepping into the mine, I did come to understand.


    {You have entered the dungeon, Gram¡¯s Passage. Destroy the lore to break the curse, or complete the lore for extra dungeon points and a blessing!}

 Chapter 1209

    ¡°This is a dungeon?¡±


    Other than Pait, Dav, and the Deep Dwarf leader, two other wagon hands were pulling the wagon. They didn¡¯t use a horse or anything like that. There was also a group of five adventurers, all dwarves, which had the air of guards.  The old dwarf looked back at me once I asked such a question.


    ¡°Yes, this dungeon has two exits. One exit is on this mountain, and the other is within Dioshin.¡±


    ¡°So, dungeons can be like this as well.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than that,¡± Pait added. ¡°It doesn¡¯t just provide a straight and easy path. It also is shorter. It¡¯d take a week to walk the distance we¡¯ll cover in only two days.¡±


    The men traveled down a dark cave for only a few minutes, then we came onto a large wooden platform. The two helpers moved the wagon out into the middle of the platform, and Pait and Dav found a seat on two benches. As soon as we were all on board, the dwarf pulled and lever, and the entire platform lurched. I grabbed onto the side to keep my balance, causing Pait to laugh at me. I could see the platform was lowering down, as the ceiling was falling away from us. It was a lever-based elevator. The dwarves were handy.


    ¡°Is this path safe?¡± I asked, taking a look at the guards who seemed to be standing around casually.


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    ¡°Yes and no¡­¡± Pait responded. ¡°We¡¯ve found if people travel alone and unprotected, the dungeon will strike and attempt to kill them. They don¡¯t usually bother with those that have a guard. So, guards usually don¡¯t have much to do.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Dungeons did need to eat, after all. Picking off easy prey while creating a service that kept a steady stream of people walking through was just like a dungeon. However, this one did have a unique feature that interested me. I had known dungeons to manipulate time, but this was the first dungeon I had seen that was able to manipulate space. I had done something similar when I had reformed my dungeon and stretched it into a long path to surprise the Demon Lord Aberis, but I wasn¡¯t able to manipulate space to stretch it out. I was very curious about what allowed them to do that. It had to be a Blue Mage trick. I should ask Siti when I returned.


    Then again, if I took the lore, wouldn¡¯t I learn all of its secrets? Of course, that would be the equivalent of declaring war on the dungeon. I had been lucky with Matty¡¯s dungeon. Matty was a child and also easily bullied. Other dungeons might not react so calmly to a rival dungeon master. I made sure to keep my mana inside so that I didn¡¯t reveal my true nature. However, I also remained vigilant that the dungeon might attack us.


    We sank for what seemed like miles into the underground. It had an oppressive feel to it. Dav shook and then clung on to Pait. He shrugged helplessly.


    ¡°Dwarves may enjoy the underground, but the esmere do not.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ scared of a little dark.¡± The leader of the adventuring party scoffed causing Pait to flush angrily.


    However, before he could say a thing, the elevator stopped with a thud. We had reached the bottom.

 Chapter 1210

    ¡°This route has been shut down lately. The last few groups to travel through had to turn around once they got there.¡± The dwarf stated. ¡°This journey might not be so safe. I wouldn¡¯t be going if I wasn¡¯t asked by the Esmore assembly.¡±


    ¡°Not safe?¡± Pait frowned. ¡°Why would you think that?¡±


    ¡°Dungeons thrive on mana,¡± I spoke up without thinking. ¡°I¡¯m just guessing, but I think whatever trick they use to alter space means the dungeon can¡¯t absorb very much mana from the ground. That means it needs to feed off people. If there are no people¡­¡±


    ¡°The dungeon gets hungry.¡± The old dwarf finished, giving me a second look and seemingly nodding with approval. ¡°A dungeon diver?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I dabble.¡± I laughed as I scratched my cheek, not wanting to get into it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. This is a class D dungeon. It¡¯s nothing we can¡¯t take,¡± the adventurer said.


    ¡°Uh¡­ classes?¡± I blinked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you guys in Ost Republic don¡¯t classify dungeons,¡± the man said. ¡°Just like adventurers, the adventuring guild down here classifies dungeons based difficulty. A newly formed dungeon is an F, while the dungeons you call Great Labyrinths are an S class.¡±


    ¡°The Ost Republic has a similar system. Although we rate by floor, and the rating is simply which level adventurer we think would be able to function safely on that level.¡±


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    I nodded as he explained such a simple thing. It made perfect sense. I knew dungeons had levels of strength. In Aberis, we usually determined that level based on the dungeon¡¯s size. A new dungeon was ten floors, and then they gained about a floor a year. The older a dungeon, the stronger it was, usually. However, the more I was exposed to dungeons the more I realized that this rule didn¡¯t need to be followed. That might be the truth with natural uninterrupted growth, but dungeons could be altered in a variety of ways. Take Matty¡¯s Dungeon, which should have had forty or so floors, but only had twenty.


    Thus, evaluating dungeons and determining their difficulty made some sense. I understood why Aberis didn¡¯t do this though. When dungeons were found, they were either kept and nurtured or destroyed. A difficulty level couldn¡¯t truly tell you how dangerous a dungeon was, and was only necessary if one decided they were going to destroy the dungeon.


    The Great Labyrinths might be S class, but countless low-level people entered the dungeons and fought on the top floors to gain levels and fighting experience. Dungeons were unpredictable. You had dungeon floods and traps. Sometimes, a dungeon just wanted to kill you. I could portal out of a dungeon, which made the danger to me minimal, but for anyone else, even a level F dungeon could kill a skilled person if they let their guard down.


    Thus, I didn¡¯t feel that bad that I didn¡¯t know of such a ranking system. It would only confuse most people in Aberis, who didn¡¯t see dungeons in such a one-dimensional way. A rather easy dungeon could be building up mana toward a super powerful boss, and a rather difficult dungeon could have a rather simple lore to complete. By nature, people wanted to classify nature, but no matter how many criteria existed, nature always came up with an exception. The dungeons weren¡¯t much different.


    After exiting the elevator, we began the two-day journey through the darkness of Gram¡¯s Passage. I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling like I was walking into the maw of a great beast.

 Chapter 1211

    The path through the dungeon was wide enough for five men to walk abreast. The cart fit through without any trouble. We continued through the dark passage, only lit with lights. I create a few orbs of my own to save on torches, but ultimately the light spell was still the most useful one I had for seeing in this oppressive place. Since I wasn¡¯t in a formation with anyone else, they didn¡¯t get to benefit from my light spell.


    Not every dungeon was pitch black. Some had their own eternal light sources. They could replicate the outdoors complete with a sun, or possess torches and scones that remain alight seemingly forever. This was all done with the mana that ran through every part of the dungeon, including the walls. I had to remember that this was a living place and the dungeon could trick us at any moment.


    There didn¡¯t appear to be any side passages from which someone could mount a surprise attack, but just because we were walking down a long corridor now didn¡¯t mean that there wouldn¡¯t be openings forming behind or in front of us. This tunnel wasn¡¯t all there was to this dungeon. According to them, it had been around nearly one hundred years.


    Didn¡¯t that make it closer to a Great Labyrinth? I suspected it was a lot bigger than it seemed on the surface. Perhaps I was being too careful. Everyone else was calm. However, I had seen too many dungeons and suffered too many setbacks to just accept this dungeon on the surface. I knew that some dungeons did get along with humans. Was this dungeon part of that so-called council? The more I learned, the less I knew, it seemed.


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    ¡°We¡¯re going to stop here.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Already?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nighttime.¡± The old dwarf raised an eyebrow at me.


    I looked back and forth down the dark and unchanging hallways. Was it? I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell without creating a portal out of here and checking. I didn¡¯t want to do that in front of these guys. It was better to keep your secrets to yourself. I wasn¡¯t the one who usually kept time in my party. I didn¡¯t know how long we had been down here, but I wasn¡¯t particularly tired. Then I realized that at this pace, I could probably go a few days.


    ¡°I¡¯m beat!¡± The adventurer groaned, pulling off his pack.


    Unlike me who had everything in my inventory, these guys had to still carry backpacks and stuff. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t reveal I had inventory. Instead, I¡¯d pull out a storage ring from my inventory and use that. At least having a storage ring is something they could accept. I kept them in my inventory instead of on my person because I didn¡¯t want to see another set destroyed. I had cleared out every inventory ring in Aberis and destroyed them in the last half-year since I had come to this world. My current ring was the one lifted from the king which had a slow-time enhancement as well as the one that held my boat.


    I sighed and helped set up camp. I had gotten too used to portaling everywhere and being on top of things. I guess I¡¯d have to rough it for a few days.

 Chapter 1212

    ¡°What¡¯s in the cart?¡± I asked as I began to prepare dinner.


    They hadn¡¯t asked me to do it, but I had grown used to such a thing, and just started bringing out ingredients as soon as the fire was made. Once the smells of fresh food started coming out, none of the men complained. Esmore as a country might have better cooking than Aberis. At least, that¡¯s what Pait claimed. However, up on that mountainside, there were limits to the food they could obtain. They all looked forward as I cooked meat and vegetables on a skewer.


    The men stiffened for a moment, and the eyes ended up turning to Pait. It turned out this was a question that required a diplomat. I had only been mildly curious. I wouldn¡¯t have asked if I knew it was going to be a big deal.


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s not that important¡­¡± I back peddled.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. You might as well learn now. There will be chances to learn later and you might as well find out with the answer.¡± Pait declared. ¡°The cart is a gift for the Dioshin. It¡¯s what we¡¯re using to ensure we¡¯re allowed to enter the country. Since they¡¯ve closed their borders to us, my superiors were afraid that they might still deny us entry. Thus, we¡¯ve prepared a tribute that they can¡¯t refuse.¡±


    Tribute, bribe, gift¡­ call it what you will, it seemed like the Esmore were determined to get to the bottom of the problems infecting Dioshin.


    I licked my lips. ¡°What is it that they request?¡±


    ¡°Dwarvish steel¡­ ahem, weapons.¡± Pait declared before immediately raising his hand. ¡°Please understand, we¡¯re not looking to support Dioshin in a war with Aberis, but this is the number one product they request from us. We have a strict quota. We have strict guidelines where we won¡¯t sell more to one country over another, but this is technically not a sale.¡±


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    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry, I understand,¡± I said, allowing him to take a breath of relief.


    Friends or not, Esmore and Aberis were two rival nations. Sending weapons to our neighboring country could be seen as hostility toward us. I didn¡¯t know the specifics, but it seemed like traditionally the Esmore only sold a certain amount of dwarvish steel every year. It wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy the demand, but they sold equally to each nation to remain neutral.


    They were circumventing this treaty by providing weapons as a gift. This would normally be done secretly, but that secret was out with my presence. Then again, I was a citizen of Aberis that they were sneaking into Dioshin. That could just as easily be seen as an act of aggression toward Dioshin. Pait was walking a line trying to keep both countries happy. It wasn¡¯t easy being a diplomat of a small neutral nation, it seemed. I had my problems to worry about though. The Dioshin getting premium access to the best weapons in the five countries was tomorrow¡¯s problem. I already knew the solution to it too. I needed to get Garnet back, so she could start making Orichalcum weapons. Only then would Dioshin lose their edge.


    I finished cooking and handed out the meal. Since I didn¡¯t push things or make an incident, the Esmore seemed in better spirits. After we ate, everyone found their spot and went to sleep. The adventurers hired to protect us would be the ones taking turns on guard. Just as my eyes started to get heavy, I started to feel something off. In the past, this would have been something I wouldn¡¯t notice, but I was more sensitive to changes in miasma and mana these days, and I was able to tell it was getting thicker.


    My eyes snapped open and I stood up. My eyes darted to the two men who were supposed to be on guard. They were both unconscious. Worse, a stranger was standing in the middle of the camp.

 Chapter 1213

    ¡°Alysia!¡± I called out.


    ¡°Hmm? Ah!¡±


    Alysia didn¡¯t need to sleep now that she was a sentient sword. It was for that reason that I was so comfortable going to sleep and trusting in these unfamiliar guards. Even if they failed, she would have been at attention. However, whatever had lulled them to sleep had seemingly managed to obscure his presence from her. As soon as I called out to her, she woke up and noticed him. She appeared in my hand as I leaped to my feet.


    The strange man held up his hand. ¡°I¡¯m not here to fight.¡±


    He wore a black cloak that covered his entire body. He had a hood up that kept me from getting a view of his face. He was facing me, but he didn¡¯t have a weapon. Either way, my combat sense triggered and I had a feeling he was a very powerful opponent. If we fought, I wasn¡¯t confident I could win.


    Although he said such a thing, I didn¡¯t stop myself from preparing for an attack as I narrowed my eyes. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I go by many names.¡± He spoke slowly, seemingly unconcerned with my aggressive stance. ¡°I suppose the name you would be most familiar with would be Gram.¡±


    ¡°Gram¡­ as in Gram¡¯s Passage? You¡¯re the dungeon master?¡±


    Just because the dungeon was named after him didn¡¯t necessarily mean he was the master, but I guessed this was the case anyway. Who else with that level of power would suddenly visit us like this?


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    As I said the word, I could feel the miasma thicken in the room, and I could feel the threat he was giving off.


    ¡°What do you want with this place?¡± he demanded, his voice sounding slightly angry.


    I frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me. I know you¡¯re a dungeon master as well. You¡¯ve entered my home without asking permission or providing a tribute. If you plan to take my dungeon, be prepared to die trying!¡±


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± I lifted my free hand. ¡°I¡¯m just traveling through. This is a passage into Dioshin, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The miasma had increased to a thickness where it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if a monster spontaneously appeared in the middle of the camp. The pressure he was giving off was extreme, and I found it even difficult to stand. I had to change my assessment. This was absolutely a guy I could not fight. Thankfully, after a few tense moments, the feeling started to diminish just a bit.


    ¡°You¡¯re not here to conquer my dungeon?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± I responded awkwardly. ¡°Rather, I didn¡¯t even know I was going to enter a dungeon until earlier today. I¡¯m just traveling through.¡±


    He finally dropped his hand, and the pressure dissipated, causing me to exhale. ¡°The next time you¡¯re going to suddenly enter another creature¡¯s dungeon, you should inform them of your intentions.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. I thought you couldn¡¯t tell. I guess I only recently became a dungeon master.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I can tell you¡¯re a newbie. Destroying you would have been simple.¡± Gram declared, causing my mouth to twitch slightly. ¡°Did you have a tribute? If a dungeon master wishes to use the space of another dungeon master, an appropriate tribute is needed.¡±


    Dungeon masters had their politics as well. I didn¡¯t know if this rule was true, or if he was just using my ignorance to bully me. Either way, he was looking at me with expectation.


    ¡°Um, I didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    His eyes brightened as if he just noticed something, pointing at my blade. ¡°I rather like that thing. I¡¯ll have your sword as my tribute!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t out of danger just yet.

 Chapter 1214

    ¡°T-take me?¡± Alysia cried out, clearly distressed over this sudden turn of events.


    I tightened my hand on her hilt and straightened my back, trying to give a feeling of strength and security for Alysia.


    ¡°That sword had been created using a powerful soul and several other rare materials. I¡¯m quite interested in such a rare item.¡±


    ¡°The sword is bonded to me. We can¡¯t be separated.¡± I declared, deciding rather than risk offending him, I¡¯d use reason.


    He put his hand on his chin, although I still couldn¡¯t get a clear look at his face. ¡°Soul bindings are hardly perfect. Your souls are indeed intertwined, but pulling them apart wouldn¡¯t be too difficult. Of course, I could also just cut them apart.¡±


    I took a step back and Alysia shook. ¡°Hey! Wouldn¡¯t that be painful?¡±


    For someone like me who had experienced a soul refinement, I probably could handle that kind of pain, but since I didn¡¯t want to let go of Alysia in the first place, I wasn¡¯t going to let up on any excuse I could find.


    ¡°Are you saying you won¡¯t give me this?¡± He asked, his voice taking on a slightly dangerous tone.


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    I was deep inside his dungeon. This was his terrain. We were quite literally halfway through the dungeon, a day¡¯s journey in either direction.  On top of that, I hadn¡¯t seen a single safe room, so there was no easy path back. I didn¡¯t know if they were hidden or if he had done something special to avoid using them. Either way, if he turned on me now, things would be rather difficult. I could create a portal out, but that involved time. I was confident I could escape, but as for Pait and the rest, I couldn¡¯t guarantee their safety at all.


    Still, there were some lines I absolutely wouldn¡¯t cross. Giving up someone close to me was one such line. There was a time where I would give up on them if they wanted me to, such as when Faeyna no longer wanted to be my slave. I was no longer that same kind of guy. Nowadays, I was much less tolerant. I would fight to keep everyone and give nothing up.


    ¡°Are you trying to bully me? Do you need to speak to the dungeon council about this?¡± I asked.


    Once again, I tried to use another method to get him to stand back. After hearing Matty talk about the council with reverence, he seemed to suggest that they protected smaller dungeons from being bullied by bigger dungeons. What did he call it? The dungeon master pact? A stronger dungeon couldn¡¯t attack a weaker dungeon. I had a feeling that this rule didn¡¯t apply if I was the one entering, but I still had to try.


    The man seemed taken aback, and then he let out a laugh. ¡°You¡¯re part of the council?¡±


    ¡°I am¡­¡± I responded, getting a feeling like something was off.


    ¡°Then, I should take even more from you!¡± He lunged at me.

 Chapter 1215

    ¡°Return!¡± My body disappeared, and I reappeared in my dungeon.


    Yes, it was the boss room of the dungeon, not my mansion. Being the dungeon master had somehow caused the target of my Return to change once again. For whatever reason, I hadn¡¯t unlocked the Dungeon Master job yet. Although, I had the slightly superior Dungeon Builder job. I suspected that return, or an ability like it, was a part of Dungeon Master. This way, a dungeon master could return to their dungeon should the boss¡¯s room be breached.


    I cursed at my bad luck as I looked around the room. After everything, the guy had still attacked me. How was I to guess that some dungeons held violent opinions toward the council? It was an entire culture built around dungeons, and I had only just touched the surface. Had all of this pressure been on Elaya¡¯s shoulders before? She was the previous dungeon master. I had created the dungeon, but I had avoided all of this trouble before because I wasn¡¯t technically the dungeon¡¯s master.


    ¡°Hmm? Is the evolution complete?¡±


    ¡°It is, Master, and a bit ahead of schedule.¡±


    I turned to see Elaya and Xin standing in the boss room, casually playing some kind of board game.


    ¡°Master, have you visited another dungeon? I can smell it on you.¡± Elaya asked.


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    ¡°Yes, I was in Gram¡¯s Passage. The guy tried to take Alysia and kill me.¡± I frowned. ¡°I had to leave the others behind. I don¡¯t know if they are alright.¡±


    If he killed them, there was still a chance. I could resurrect people from within the dungeon. Most priests didn¡¯t resurrect people once they died in a dungeon. First off, the dungeon immediately started to eat away at the soul, so where a soul on the surface could last a month, a soul in a dungeon could only last days. It was dangerous for them too, as they weren¡¯t fighters. It was also considerably more difficult as miasma interfered with the resurrection. You¡¯d have to get close to where they died.


    That didn¡¯t affect me as much, thanks to my blessing-induced miasma immunity as well as my god soul and ability to make Portals. Thus, if I could return within a day or so, I could resurrect everyone that died. However, that meant that I did return, which was uncertain at the moment.


    ¡°He tried to take my Alysia!¡± Xin stood up, nearly knocking over the board as fury painted her face.


    ¡°My, my¡­ it seems like this dungeon has pushed his luck.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. ¡°This guy is regrettably stronger than me.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the master is¡­ but what is a master without his dungeon? Just because a king is less physically imposing than another king, what does that matter in a war between kingdoms?¡±


    ¡°You recently tamed that western dungeon, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You know about that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is a faint connection between that dungeon with our own. Once you gained his loyalty, you gained access to his lore and power. I noticed your victory. It¡¯s part of the reason the dungeon evolution was finished so quickly.¡±


    ¡°Well, what about it?¡±


    Elaya licked her lips. ¡°I think it¡¯s time we started a dungeon battle.¡±

 Chapter 1216

    ¡°A¡­dungeon battle?¡± I asked, in confusion.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already initiated several. You challenged the Illusory Sword Dungeon, the Twilight Dungeon, and this other one to the west.¡± Elaya explained. ¡°However, when you did those challenges, you single-handedly sat as a challenger, depending on taming and karmic infections to slowly conquer a dungeon. This is not the way most dungeon battles occur. Rather, our dungeon will create a connection directly with theirs, and then our forces attack. Of course, their forces can also attack.¡±


    ¡°Forces¡­ do we have that many forces?¡± I frowned.


    ¡°The dungeon completely tore itself apart and rebuilt. In short, there is a great deal of excess miasma. Creating a small army of mobs isn¡¯t too difficult.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re supposed to be pretty old, their dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, I was the queen once. I¡¯m not ignorant of Gram¡¯s Dungeon. I¡¯m aware of their size and age. Since your dungeon¡¯s evolution, it is much stronger. The existence of the miasma and mana fountains has also put our dungeon on a completely different level. Plus, you have a second dungeon to call upon.¡±


    ¡°A second¡­ dungeon¡­¡±


    ¡°The dungeon you tamed! Since they are an ally, we can use them to go to war.¡± She grinned as if this was all decided.


    I wasn¡¯t so sure about this. I just wanted to get to Dioshin. No, I wanted to find Miki. I didn¡¯t even care about Dioshin. By all accounts, I should just abandon Pait¡¯s plan and do another. However, Pait was still left in that dungeon. I couldn¡¯t just leave those men to Gram¡¯s whims. He might let them go, but he might kill them in retaliation also. I had to make some move, and if I was going to mobilize, why not go big?


    ¡°Master, not all wars need to be complete destruction. A simply show of force and a blitzkrieg attack, and he¡¯ll be looking to discuss terms of surrender.¡± Xin explained. ¡°Don¡¯t think of it so much as a war. It¡¯s more like a military action.¡±


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    ¡°It would be advantageous for us to do this attack. The dungeon has just finished evolving. If you move now, utilizing the excess mana and fighting, you¡¯ll only strengthen and solidify this dungeon¡¯s path.¡±


    ¡°So, you were looking to do such a war anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°I was planning to get you to attack the remaining dungeons in the wilderness,¡± Elaya shrugged. ¡°But this would be just as useful.¡±


    I thought about it for a few moments and then nodded. ¡°Alright, we go to war.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°As Master commands!¡±


    ¡°Astria, Celeste, Faeyna come to the dungeon¡¯s boss room.¡± I gave an order over the Slave Communication before turning to the eager former heroes. ¡°Alright, how do we do this?¡±


    The preparation only took an hour. Faeyna wasn¡¯t going to attack, but I brought her there as backup and to get some experience and comfort. She had her own abilities and lore to pull on, so who knew if she¡¯d be useful. My generals were Xin, Astria, and Elaya. Celeste was my scout. Her job was the most dangerous, but due to her wind-like nature, she was the hardest to hold down.


    ¡°Be excited, daughter, a man is going to war for you!¡± Xin smirked.


    ¡°Is that something to be excited about?¡± Alysia cried out.


    Astria had brought along all the fairies who had evolved. Xin had a regiment of men who were created by the dungeon. As for Elaya, she seemed to prefer an army of monsters of various types, also created by the dungeon. We had managed to create a substantial force but drained a lot of the reserves. Waging war on other dungeons was costly.


    ¡°Do I have to be here?¡± Matty cried out tearfully. ¡°You¡¯re going up against Gram! That guy doesn¡¯t care about the council at all!¡±


    ¡°That means attacking them isn¡¯t against the council either, right?¡±


    ¡°Geh¡­ even so¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, now¡­ Master¡­ you should listen to Husband.¡± The big-chested witch woman who seemed to be his servant tried to soothe her Master in a motherly way.


    ¡°Husband?¡± Elaya cried out.


    ¡°Master is already getting married?¡±  Celeste asked.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m no¡­ I have a wife! It¡¯s Eliana¡­ actually, that marriage sort of fell through into slavery¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, my¡­¡± The big-chested witch only laughed at the commotion she made but didn¡¯t bother to explain her wording either.


    It took some time to calm the girls, but as they settled, I pointed out my finger, lining up the army before us. Elaya lifted her hand, and a portal began to form in the air. It was only different from the normal portals in that it was square and filled up the entire doorway, blocking everything beyond.


    ¡°Begin the attack,¡± I ordered.


    {You have accepted the control of a dungeon. You have unlocked the job, Dungeon Master.}


    {You are a rival dungeon master. You have declared war on this dungeon. Defeat the dungeon master to claim the dungeon as your own.}

 Chapter 1217

    ¡°Selena, begin the battle cry.¡± I ordered.


    She began to sing, her voice letting out an invigorating tune that would buff allies. In the end, she wasn¡¯t intelligent enough to be a general nor physically powerful enough to be a soldier. Her strength came from being able to use her voice to buff her allies and weaken her opponents. As the soldiers were invigorated, the armies began to march forward.


    The door that the portal formed in was the entrance to my dungeon. However, instead of exiting out next to Chalm, they were moving through the entrance to Gram¡¯s Passage. In essence, the way things worked was that a magical connection formed between my dungeon and his dungeon, causing them to link during a battle and sealing them off from any outside influence.


    I wanted to go with them, but the dungeon master needed to be in their boss room during such an event, so I returned to my boss¡¯s lair. Thankfully, I could see what was happening. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was a function of the dungeon or something Elaya set up, but I could view the battle from each of my three lieutenants. I could see them enter the long pathway of Gram¡¯s Passage. Since this attack was sudden, there was no one waiting for us.


    ¡°We need to find out where they are keeping the rest of this dungeon,¡± I explained. ¡°As far as anyone knows, the path is all there is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll find it!¡± Celeste declared, flying off down the corridor.


    With her sensitivity to wind, I had confidence that she¡¯d be able to find it. Dungeons did have some rules after all. There had to be at least some connection between the entrances and the boss room. They couldn¡¯t just block it off completely. That didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t make the path convoluted, even involving teleports, but at some level, it needed to be accessible. I didn¡¯t know the reason why. It probably wasn¡¯t a rule of the council, since there were actual physical ramifications to cutting off contact.


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    ¡°What is this?¡± A voice echoed down the passageway.


    I recognized the voice immediately. It was the Dungeon Master Gram. He hadn¡¯t shown himself, but he was using the dungeon to demand what was going on.


    ¡°Can I talk?¡± I asked Elaya.


    ¡°Mm! Just speak!¡± Elaya grinned.


    ¡°Gram, you desired to take what is mine. Since you decided to start this fight, excuse me if I¡¯m going to finish it!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± His voice echoed out in disbelief. ¡°Heh, if you think you¡¯ll be able to breach my dungeon, you have another thing coming! Do you wish to know my trick? The tunnel is only the first floor of my dungeon! The rest of my dungeon is hidden! You can look all week, and you¡¯ll never find it!¡±


    ¡°Master! I¡¯ve found it!¡± Celeste cried out as there was a boom.


    I could see that there was a hidden door. It looked just like the wall, except that Celeste could see the flow of air and was able to discover it in record time.


    ¡°¡­¡± Gram had grown speechless after finding his best defense was destroyed in an instant.


    ¡°Elaya, Xin, attack, Astria, hold back and secure our position.¡±


    Ultimately, Elaya and Xin¡¯s troops were replaceable cannon fodder created by the dungeon, while Astria was using evolved fairies which formed with not an inconsiderable amount of effort. I wasn¡¯t willing to put them into a situation where they could get hurt. I also wanted to play this safe. I didn¡¯t want to put anyone into a risky situation where they could get hurt. I sat back in my chair. This fight was just getting started.

 Chapter 1218

    Xin and Elaya¡¯s troops flooded down the stairway, breaking apart to each travel one direction down another hall. This one didn¡¯t last. Instead, the hallway broke into a four-way split. The army broke apart further until they each reached another four-way split, and then another one. My eyebrows creased. At first, this was at a level where our army was able to maintain its strength even after breaking up so many times. However, if the groups broke up too many more times, it¡¯d start growing thin.


    ¡°Hahaha!¡± Gram¡¯s voice echoed out across the dungeon. ¡°My second level is a massive labyrinth! This is a maze that could rival any Great Dungeon! If you wish to get passed, even with an army, it could take a day or longer!¡±


    ¡°I found the exit!¡± Celeste¡¯s voice rang out.


    ¡°Who the heck keeps doing that?¡± His voice sounded slightly panicked.


    ¡°Troops, progress!¡± I gave the order.


    ¡°Too overbearing! Look, maybe we can talk about this. Aren¡¯t you worried about your teammates? Maybe we can agree? If you give me the sword and retreat, I¡¯ll return your allies.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re still alive, we¡¯ll find them. If they¡¯re dead, I¡¯ll just resurrect them.¡±


    ¡°Heartless!¡±


    ¡°Celeste?¡±


    ¡°On it!¡±


    I sent Celeste to go look for them now. If Gram had any more hidden exits, Elaya and Xin would just need to figure it out on their own. I brought up my map, and I could see that as my girls traveled through the dungeon, my map was expanding as well. The audio, the visuals, and the mapping must be because I was linked to his dungeon. In essence, during the battle, my senses that could be carried throughout my dungeon could now move into his through my generals.


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    ¡°It looked like we¡¯ve conquered 30% of his dungeon. He should only have ten floors then.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t that surprising, since it looked like he put the majority of his growth into that passage. As for why he did it, one could only guess. Perhaps it had to do with his unfinished business. Maybe, the curse came from someone¡¯s inability to get through western Esmore mountains fast enough. It wasn¡¯t really important. I wasn¡¯t trying to solve the story at the moment.


    ¡°He¡¯s made his move, Master. We¡¯re encountering enemies!¡± Elaya declared.


    ¡°Master, he¡¯s managed to transport some to the 1<sup>st</sup> level. He¡¯s trying to break through to our dungeon.¡± Astria added.


    ¡°What are we encountering?¡±


    ¡°Goblins, Master. His lore is weak!¡±


    ¡°Astria, play defensively. Elaya, push forward. Xin, clean up.¡±


    The girls all gave their confirmation and began the next phase of the attack. Elaya¡¯s monsters were mostly four-legged monsters like wolves, so by nature, they were much faster than Xin. She was ideal for first-strike. Meanwhile, Xin¡¯s troops were slower, but had more strategy and could mount a prolonged attack. In short, Elaya scattered the enemy, while Xin came from behind and attacked while they were trying to reorganize.


    ¡°Master, the mini-boss has appeared!¡± Astria cried out.


    ¡°You guys already are on the 5<sup>th</sup> floor?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No! He¡¯s appeared on the 1<sup>st</sup> floor. He¡¯s trying to charge through my girls.¡±


    ¡°Let him through.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just concentrate on keeping anyone else from coming. It¡¯s time we did something.¡± I stood up.


    ¡°Master, do you mind if I do it?¡±


    I was surprised to hear another voice come up. I turned back to see Faeyna looking on with a smile. Did she want to take on the miniboss?

 Chapter 1219

    ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you, but this boss isn¡¯t equivalent to a normal level 5 mini-boss.¡± I explained awkwardly. ¡°Gram¡¯s Passage should be a level 100 dungeon, but he¡¯s not allowed it to grow. That stored mana had to go somewhere. Since no one has ever broken past the 1<sup>st</sup> level, then this monster is likely very difficult.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Master, but I would still like to try.¡± Faeyna declared. ¡°Master needs strong women beside him. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll fall behind if I don¡¯t keep up.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Husband, Matty, and I will provide support.¡± The witch lady spoke up.


    ¡°I will not!¡± Matty cried out. ¡°And he¡¯s not your husband! Stop seducing my mom¡­ ahem¡­ my monster!¡±


    He was looking at me accusingly. Plus, Faeyna was giving me a look too. I had barely even talked to this witch. She was too old for my tastes. At least when it came to Astria and Elaya, they had an immortal youthfulness. This woman, on the other hand, looked to be about the age of my mother. It was undeniable she was cute, but I was too young to have children!


    I shook my head. That wasn¡¯t important right now. They were just trying to use such a thing to distract me so I would let them take risks without thinking.


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Master, I might be able to keep things a bit safer for her.¡± Alysia¡¯s voice spoke up.


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that?¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it recently, and when it comes to my ability to choose my form, I believe that I don¡¯t necessarily need to remain a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I believe that I could become a complete armor and weapon.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? You could be my armor too?¡±


    ¡°Well, not Master. I don¡¯t have enough material to be both your weapon and your armor. However, for someone Faeyna¡¯s size, I could temporarily protect her and lend her my power.¡±


    It seemed like every time I thought I had a grasp on our abilities, I was reminded that we were only just scratching the surface. Alysia was more than just a blade. She was an intelligent person with her skills and fighting ability. When I used her, she could put her weight into attacks, causing them to be much more powerful than if I struck with another blade that lacked a soul. If this translated to armor, then she could probably redirect mana and strength to areas about to be attacked, providing increased defense. It left me curious.


    ¡°Alright, then, Alysia, protect Faeyna.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    The sword that had been sitting on my side glowed for a second and then turned into a ball of light which rushed to Faeyna. She had been listening, but she was still surprised and let out a cry as the ball struck her. It immediately wrapped around her.


    She let out a cry as the light seemed to tear away her clothing. Her hands raised as armor started to replace her clothing as fast as it disintegrated, but it still made the scene extremely erotic, especially since she kept letting out moans as she became one with Alysia. No, that wasn¡¯t the right way to say it. She put herself inside Alysia. No, that was worse. Was it getting hot in there? I was sweating.


    This was just a magical girl transformation. Nothing strange about that. There were many strange things about that, even for this world, but after experiencing such strange things countless times I had stopped fretting about it. I recalled even seeing a magical girl¡¯s transformation once before, but that event was a source of trauma, so I immediately put it out of my head.


    Faeyna finally finished her transformation. She was now armored¡­ yet her outfit was still completely a maid¡¯s outfit. Should she be fighting in a skirt? Why was a healthy amount of cleavage exposed? This armor was completely impractical! I decided not to think about it anymore.

 Volume 3 - Chapter 4

    In the intervening silence, there wasn¡¯t much else to say. I turned and walked away, leaving those below to grumble amongst each other and decide their next course of action on their own. If they got rowdy, the turrets would turn on and slaughter them. Of course, if they organized and attacked the turrets, they could easily overwhelm us, but these were a divided people and I had to believe that they didn¡¯t have the organization or wherewithal to mount a resistance.


    Part of the reason I left immediately was to seem confident and mysterious. I couldn¡¯t show these guys any weaknesses at all. I had to seem like I had them in my hands, just like Randall did. As much as I hated that guy, I wasn¡¯t so foolish that I wouldn¡¯t use some of his strategies myself. If I did, my dream could be destroyed in an instant, just like when I was captured by Ascension initially.


    ¡°Are you really sure you want to call yourself Ascension?¡± Raven asked nervously.


    ¡°There is no one living who would otherwise use that name.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Besides, I like what it signifies. A rising up¡­ I want this place to be a means of ascending this world out of the wasteland. I believe that I can help people pull out of their current hardships and become a regular society once again.¡±


    Raven gave me a sidelong look. It suggested that he wasn¡¯t buying my words at all, but it didn¡¯t matter. As long as I had the extra protection and muscle, that¡¯s all I needed from him. In the end, he didn¡¯t say anything more on it, but he did make an offhanded finger at my shoulder.


    ¡°What do you want to do about that?¡± He was glaring at the murder dragon.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I reached up and stroked its neck. ¡°What about it?¡±


    As I scratched it, it put its neck out and closed its eyes, seemingly liking this kind of petting.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen its parents,¡± Raven responded. ¡°It¡¯ll get bigger. You probably should let it go, or kill it.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever seen someone tame a murder dragon?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Tame¡­ how can you tame this monster? It¡¯s a threat. Once it grows old enough, it¡¯ll just turn on us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure.¡± I shrugged. ¡°For the time, leave it with plenty of food. I¡¯ll decide if it starts becoming a problem. I see it being a rather useful guard dog.¡±


    ¡°A dog¡­¡± He let out a breath and then shook his head. ¡°By that order, you¡¯re planning on leaving?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ um¡­ I¡¯ll need to bring more supplies,¡± I responded awkwardly. ¡°For, um, next week. The girls can attest, my journey takes a week. Do you know what I need you to do?¡±


    That wasn¡¯t true at all, but I wasn¡¯t going to explain things to Raven about another world. I had told him about the mirror, but not about another world. As far as he knew, it had been a communication device, and that device was now broken. Why wouldn¡¯t it take a week for me to make a round trip to the home base and back? At least, it was believable enough that he wouldn¡¯t ask questions.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He responded to my question. ¡°You want us to fetch that generator and get it loaded here. You want us to contact the Rink and let the mayor and by extension, the caravan know our new location. You also want the courtyard cleaned out and all the miscreants removed.¡±


    He called them miscreants, even though they were raiders just like he had been only a short time before. He seemed to almost say the name with a bit of disdain as well. For a group of raiders, he certainly seemed to dislike raiders.


    ¡°In that case, defer to Katarina if you have any other questions.¡±


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    He stiffened at that but didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Fine.¡±


    I knew he didn¡¯t like her. At some point, I¡¯d need to find out what that was about. For the moment, it was fine if they were pushing things along. I probably should stay in this world longer and help them set everything up, but I had been gone long enough from my old world. I had to swing down below and get the dinosaur bones, and then bring them to Lily. I also needed to talk to Mizuki about setting up a business on Earth¡¯s side of things, not to mention I needed to find time to study for my high school exams so I could graduate early.


    Just thinking about it all made me tired. I bid Raven farewell and then escaped back to my room. The murder dragon didn¡¯t seem like being in small rooms and had jumped off my shoulder as soon as I opened the door. When the door was closed, I leaned against it and let out a sigh.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be leaving soon?¡± Katarina¡¯s voice came from the bed, sounding a bit like Raven a moment before.


    I opened my eyes and raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡±


    Katarina blushed, turning her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to get in the way. How did your speech go?¡±


    ¡°They only tried to kill me once,¡± I responded, pushing off of the doorway and tiredly walking to the bed.


    It was the afternoon at this point, but I had been up the entire night before and even when I went to bed, I had spent some of that time naked with Katarina. Remembering such a thing, it was my turn to blush. Katarina was still naked as well, although she had a sheet covering her body. Just remembering the previous night was incredibly stimulating and hard to believe. Yet, as Katarina sat up and moved up to me in the bed, wrapping her arms around me and pressing her delicious chest against my back, I had to accept that what we did the previous night had really happened.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± She whispered into my ear.


    ¡°I have things I must do back there,¡± I said dryly, although feeling her there, I felt regretful saying this.


    ¡°Do you¡­ have a girlfriend there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± I spun to look at her, causing her to look surprised a second before she burst out laughing.


    ¡°Daniel, you don¡¯t need to worry so much.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t get jealous?¡±


    Katarina tilted her head, looking at me from the side. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that. I¡¯ll naturally be jealous of any time you spend away from me. When you do decide to tell Kiera, I¡¯ll be jealous of your time with her too. I just want you to be open about it. If you do find someone over there, don¡¯t keep it from me.¡±


    I nodded slowly. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Of course, I didn¡¯t have anyone over there. For some reason, when she had asked that, Mizuki had appeared in my mind, but even calling her a friend at this point would be a hard sell. There was Lily, of course, but our relationship was all business. My sister clearly didn¡¯t count, so yeah, I had no one on that side.


    Katarina continued to stare at me for a few more moments before finally pulling back. Her hands came out and started to rub my shoulders. It wasn¡¯t until she rubbed them that I realized out tense they had been.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be okay,¡± Katarina spoke up. ¡°Kiera is still recovering, but we have the Fire Raven¡¯s here right now. We¡¯ll be safe. Just do what you need to do.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain the Fire Ravens won¡¯t turn on your guys?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, they want.¡±


    I turned to her, startled by the conviction that I heard in her voice. ¡°How can you be so sure?¡±


    ¡°Raven¡­¡± Katarina stated, and when I continued to stare at her, she continued uncertainly. ¡°T-they won¡¯t betray you. I¡¯m certain of it.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know where Katarina¡¯s sudden bout of confidence was. We had ended up being tortured together, so I had some strange feeling of comradery with the guy. Plus, he seemed friendly enough and had never intentionally harmed me. I didn¡¯t worry that they would take advantage of the three girls, which is why I had Cecelia back a command into the turrets. I gave Katarina the ability to turn the turrets hostile with a command. If they did turn on them, she could retaliate severely.


    ¡°Alright¡­ then I guess I should get going then.¡± I stood up and dusted myself off.


    There really was no special thing toward transportation. I could now move back and forth from this world to that world without any pretense. I still wanted to be reserved about it though, as the ability still required crystals, but as long as I was holding crystals it would work. I had crystals in my inventory, and it seemed to just take them from there. I wasn¡¯t sure if that was Cecelia¡¯s tinkering or what.


    However, I needed to visit two places before I could disappear. I needed to speak to Jeri about her meds, and I needed to get those dinosaur bones from the museum. I was a little worried about leaving the safety of the museum, especially while the people outside were still making their decisions, but thankfully there was a plank connecting this building to the museum without having to leave it, so I didn¡¯t need to go far.


    As I walked to the door, there was a knock. It opened a second later as Raven glanced in. He was breathing rather hard and looked a bit worried. For a second, my heart fell. Did they attack?


    ¡°It¡¯s Dragon¡¯s Claw,¡± Raven said worriedly. ¡°Their leader has requested a meeting.¡±

 Chapter 1220

    The entrance to the dungeon was breached. A hulking green best broke through. It was a massive goblin? No, wouldn¡¯t that be an orc? It had a face like a bulldog and was holding a massive club. Faeyna had already been transferred to the 1<sup>st</sup> floor and was waiting. As the orc looked around, its eyes fell on Faeyna, who was only half its size. A vicious and disgusting grin formed on its lips.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t tasted elf in a millennium.¡± It licked its lips, a look of lust on its face.


    Faeyna looked down on the monster with disgust. ¡°You stink!¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ when you become my sex toy, you¡¯ll come to like my stink.¡±


    As it said this, it scratched under its loincloth, a dirty little piece of fabric that only just hid the unsightly thing underneath. Otherwise, this guy was completely naked, with a large green potbelly. Isn¡¯t this orc far too rapey! I didn¡¯t sign up for this kind of hentai where the big orc violates the helpless elf maid. This wasn¡¯t that kind of story at all!


    ¡°Faeyna! Kill him! Kill him dead!¡± I cried out through the Slave Communication while biting my chair anxiously.


    ¡°Master, that was my intention.¡± Faeyna brought out her weapon.


    Wait, wasn¡¯t that a broom? I knew that with Alysia splitting up the material to make Faeyna defensive armor, she didn¡¯t have as much to make the massive sword I used, but a stick with some bristles on the end.


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    ¡°You are a filthy creature, orc! It¡¯s time to clean up the mess! Behold escalabroom!¡±


    ¡°Alysia?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t let her name me that!¡± Alysia cried out tearfully.


    There wasn¡¯t time to dwell on Faeyna¡¯s naming sense, as she immediately launched an attack toward the orc. He dropped his giant club on her broom. For a second, I tensed. After all, the thin wooden stick was meeting a thick trunk-sized club. In any normal situation, the victor would have been obvious. However, despite looking like a broom, it was Alysia who was the base of that item. It took the hit without moving back an inch. A strike that looked like it would squash Faeyna instead was deflected.


    The orc¡¯s eyes narrowed as his original attack didn¡¯t hit the way he expected. I wasn¡¯t sure how his rapey plan fit in turning her into mush, but it didn¡¯t seem like he was very bright. Yes, monsters grew smarter and more skilled the longer they lived, but at the end of the day, an orc was still an orc.


    Being deflected only seemed to anger him, and so he lifted his club and then did a swiping motion, intending to send Faeyna flying.


    Faeyna leaped over the club with a backflip, her broom swiping out and striking the orc in the throat. He made a choking noise, stumbling back as he grasped at his throat.


    This could have been a killing blow if delivered by a more experienced fighter, but for Faeyna, this was the best she could manage. She might have unlocked her connection to the Maid Hero lore, but that didn¡¯t make her a genius fighter overnight. It was the difference between someone who knew the theory but had never picked up a blade. Without having time to practice the blade and earn experience, your strength still only went so far. Perhaps, I should let Elaya train her. Who would know how the Maid Hero fought better than the former Maid Hero?


    Upon recovering from the throat strike, the orc let out an even more enraged roar. His body started to glow with a black aura, and I got a feeling of danger. He was using some kind of skill.

 Chapter 1221

    <h4>¡°Faeyna, watch out!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but warn.</h4>


    I wasn¡¯t used to having a passive role in a fight. If I wasn¡¯t fighting personally, then I was supporting people. Allowing Faeyna to solo this mini-boss without providing her any assistance was driving me crazy. What could I say? I was a backseat adventurer.


    The orc moved much quicker now, and his club created dark shadows as it struck down. Faeyna went to deflect it again, but her superior speed was no longer an advantage. Her broom struck the orc¡¯s club various times. The two dance around the room, strike after strike landing. In the orc¡¯s case, the club was moving at a speed that didn¡¯t match the size of the club or the orc himself. Suddenly, his club blurred, creating images of two clubs coming down.


    Faeyna chose to block one of the clubs, but it turned out to only be an image. She was smashed in the side, flying back. The orc¡¯s face twisted into a nasty grin as he lunged forward once again, taking advantage of her flustered state to do a more powerful attack. This time, all of the darkness merged into his club. His body blurred and he appeared directly in front of Faeyna. He lifted his club, now completely black, as if it was sucking in all of the light.


    ¡°Faeyna!¡± I cried out.


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    Faeyna was on the ground helpless as the club descended. At that moment, a bright blinding light flashed out between the pair. The Witch had used a spell to blind the orc. However, he continued with his strike, hitting the ground. I looked on in fear, but I was temporarily blinded. I couldn¡¯t see if Faeyna had gotten hit or not. All I could hear was an explosion and the rising of dust. As the light disappeared, all that was lift was floating dust.


    Slowly, the dust settled, revealing a scene. Faeyna had managed to dodge the strike. There was a massive crater where she had been. She had slipped through the orc¡¯s legs and then attacked, sending out the wooden handle portion of the broom with all of her force into the orc. However, being on the ground and behind the orc, her attack ended up striking a certain point.


    ¡°G-g-geh¡­¡± The orc¡¯s eyes were wide as he stood there, his ass impaled.


    Faeyna had shoved escalabroom directly into the orc¡¯s bum. It was fairly deep too. A good chunk of the handle was lost in the recesses of a giant ass. With only a loincloth protecting such a region, her low attack had bypassed any resistance.


    ¡°Wh-wh-wh-where am I?¡± A shrill, panicked voice cried out.


    ¡°Alysia¡­ this¡­¡± Faeyna¡¯s face started turning red.


    ¡°It¡¯s warm¡­ and it¡¯s gushy¡­ no¡­ no! No!¡±


    ¡°Stop moving!¡± The orc panted.


    ¡°No! No!¡± Faeyna lost control of Alysia, and her armor suddenly disappeared.


    ¡°Alysia, No!¡± I shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t start expanding!¡±


    ¡°Gross, gross! No! No!¡± Alysia screamed as her weapon body started to transform back into a massive sword.


    The orc died. Even I felt a little sympathy for him.

 Chapter 1222

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± bawled Faeyna.


    ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaahhh!¡±


    Alysia, the red-headed Osterian knight, and general who braved dungeons and fought unbeatable monsters, was in my lap crying like a baby. I was stroking her hair as she cried out her significant trauma. Faeyna was in the corner, also crying. The witch had incidentally covered Matty¡¯s eyes at just the right time, and he didn¡¯t experience any trauma, but she had a slightly helpless expression on her face as well.  This is why I needed to provide support! When I didn¡¯t get involved, it was always someone¡¯s ass on the line.


    ¡°Master! I finally found Pait and the rest of your party!¡± Celeste blissfully spoke up just as I was praying for a distraction.


    ¡°We¡¯ve broken through the 5<sup>th</sup> level!¡± Elaya came shortly after.


    ¡°Damn it! I surrender!¡± A voice echoed throughout the dungeon.


    ¡°Oh, thank goodness.¡± I sighed. ¡°Um¡­ Alysia¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ am I¡­ damaged goods now?¡± She asked me.


    ¡°Whaaaat? Noooo¡­¡± I realized my voice sounded just a bit too enthusiastic. ¡°Ahem¡­ I mean, absolutely not.¡±


    ¡°Th-then¡­ you¡¯ll still kiss me?¡±


    ¡°Geh¡­ ah¡­ ahem¡­ of course.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know much about the ratio between forms. When Alysia killed someone and there was blood on her blade, it wasn¡¯t like when she showed the human form she was still covered in blood and viscera. Therefore, it stood to reason there was nothing wrong. I mean, there was nothing wrong anyway! Alysia was my precious ally. She was my princess and my sword. I wasn¡¯t going to spurn her when she needed me the most! I gave her a quick peck on the lips. One second kiss. Three-second rule, it was fine.


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    ¡°Sorry, got to go, dungeons and all.¡± I used the dungeon to send me to the 1<sup>st</sup> floor and then escaped, ahem¡­ calmly went into Gram¡¯s Passage to accept his surrender.


    Of course, Alysia turned into light and ended up flying into my hand before I left. When your souls were tied together, it wasn¡¯t like you could separate that easily. Besides, Gram¡¯s passage was quite a distance away and also enemy territory. It was best that I had her with me even if she was emotionally distraught at the moment. I would spend some time soothing her later.


    Our soldiers had already been recalled back to the dungeon, and my generals were waiting at the entrance. The man in the cloak was also standing there waiting for us. When we approached, he stiffened slightly.


    ¡°It seems that I underestimated you.¡± He spoke tightly before bringing out a glowing orb. ¡°Here you go. This is the lore to my dungeon. All of my spatial magic and then some.¡±


    Having already seen Matty do this once before, I was caught off guard. This wasn¡¯t the true dungeon lore, but a copy. It appeared like when one dungeon surrendered to another, it was customary to offer up your lore. This isn¡¯t the curse, but the collection of knowledge. It would allow the dungeon to create more mobs, more traps, and various other things. Currently, my dungeon had extracted various lore, although at the time I didn¡¯t know that was what I was doing.


    For example, Xin¡¯s soldiers were a template of the demonic knights that I devoured when I took out the mining town near Alerith. Once I incorporated this knowledge into our dungeon, we¡¯d be able to start making various types of goblins and orcs. I took the orb, but I wasn¡¯t happy with that.


    ¡°Where is the party? That¡¯s ultimately why I attacked. Celeste?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Master¡­ as to that¡­ they were still asleep in the Passage. Most of the dungeon was near the base, we never got close to your party traveling down the passage. That¡¯s why it took so long for me to find them.¡±


    ¡°You mean that Gram never touched the party?¡± I blinked.


    ¡°Why would I? You¡¯re the dungeon master threat!¡± The cloaked man growled.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± That entire situation could have been diffused a lot easier.


    Oh well, all¡¯s well that ends well.

 Chapter 1223

    I noticed that I didn¡¯t get a popup saying that I had conquered the dungeon or anything like that. I had been waiting for some confirmation that I was victorious. I guess I hadn¡¯t exactly tamed this guy, and I hadn¡¯t gotten my hands on his true dungeon lore. In that respect, I hadn¡¯t succeeded. I had still grown used to some kind of clear reward. I had won the war, but there was no sign saying it ended, so wasn¡¯t it still going on?


    As I was looking for it, an awkward silence had grown between everyone. The cloaked man that had been waiting after I took the fake orb he offered started to grow impatient.


    ¡°Are you going to leave yet?¡± He demanded.


    No one else got these physical announcements as I did. So, even if I explained what I had been waiting for, they wouldn¡¯t understand it. I let out an awkward cough.


    ¡°I still need to use your passage.¡±


    ¡°Out of the question!¡± He cried out.


    I frowned, and the girls behind me adjusted themselves causing him to stiffen. ¡°I already defeated you.¡±


    He raised his sleeves. ¡°It¡¯s not that! It¡¯ll just take days for you to get through, and having a knife to my throat for that long, I won¡¯t accept it. When a rival dungeon master is in your dungeon, you feel continuing pressure from them until they leave. Just entering another person¡¯s dungeon without being invited is considered a threat! This is why I reacted in the way I did.¡±


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    I looked over at Elaya, who nodded in confirmation that everything he said was the truth. I wish I had known this. I had to come up with some kind of way to mask my dungeon master side. Otherwise, this could cause issues down the line. I didn¡¯t plan to quit going into dungeons, but what would happen if I entered a great dungeon and they took it as a threat? Even this guy could be difficult to handle. I couldn¡¯t even fathom the power behind a great dungeon¡¯s dungeon master.  I liked it better when I was a Dungeon Builder who had none of the responsibilities of being a master. I had all of the benefits and none of the responsibilities.


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, I still need to get into Dioshin. Once I¡¯ve been there, I wouldn¡¯t have to use this passage again.¡±


    ¡°I can take you to the other side!¡± He declared.


    I coughed. ¡°I¡¯d need to remain with my group. They¡¯ll be waking up soon.¡±


    We discussed things for a small amount more and finally came to a decision. Only about an hour later, the group started waking up. The men who had fallen asleep on watch and failed to get anyone else up were reprimanded by the lead adventurer.


    ¡°We got a full day ahead of us- huh?¡± The dwarf glanced down the hallway to see an elevator. ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the elevator on the Dioshin side? We¡¯re there already?¡± Pait frowned, rubbing his back. ¡°Are you saying we didn¡¯t need to sleep for the night, and we could have just been out of here and sleeping in a soft bed?¡±


    The dwarf was flummoxed as the party set out to go. I kept my mouth shut. I was pretty tired, having not slept the previous night, but I had a body that could go without sleep a few nights if needed.

 Chapter 1224

    After packing everything up, the group headed to the elevator and started the long rise toward leaving the dungeon. My generals had naturally left the dungeon, although they kept the connection just in case. If Gram tried anything, I¡¯d call them and they could invade the dungeon again in an instant. He had taken me to the party where I lay down and pretended to sleep. It wasn¡¯t long before everyone had gotten up to make an early exit.


    Of course, Gram had also utilized his spatial magic to move the entire party a day¡¯s journey farther down the dungeon. A two-day journey had ended up taking only one day, and the party was left completely unaware. Until I stepped foot in Dioshin, I wouldn¡¯t be able to make a portal there. Once I did make a Portal though, I could return whenever I wanted. Thus, I needed to continue with the party until they got past customs.


    I wasn¡¯t willing to just abandon them and leave them thinking I had somehow been hurt or died. Furthermore, Dioshin guards were waiting at the second entrance to Gram¡¯s dungeon, so even if I did step out, I wasn¡¯t confident I could talk my way past them. I¡¯d probably create some kind of international incident if I tried to force my way through. My hidden identity as an Osterian was my best chance. Ultimately, staying with my party, but quickening the speed we left was what the two of us agreed on as the conditions for his surrender.


    The elevator hit the top after a lengthy climb, and the group of us continued toward the entrance. Everyone stepped through the cave exit, leaving Gram¡¯s Passage and entering Dioshin. However, I held my step as they went, and soon I was alone. Well, I wasn¡¯t completely alone. I turned to see Gram there waiting for me.


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    ¡°Thank you for your hospitality, and I apologize for earlier.¡± I bowed.


    At the same time, I ordered the girls with my Slave Communication to close the Portal connecting our dungeons.


    {You have ended your conflict with Gram¡¯s Dungeon.}


    The text did end up popping up. Closing the portal ended the war. I breathed a little easier with that.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ I¡¯ve seen enough to know you¡¯re not one of those council brats.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Well, you¡¯re still rude for not providing a gift! My kind like gifts.¡±


    ¡°G-gifts?¡±


    As he spoke, he lifted his hood, and I jerked at the sight of him. It wasn¡¯t a person¡¯s face. It was a lizard¡¯s face. The robes started to shift and move and suddenly fell to the ground, and out crawled a giant four-legged lizard. The robe had hidden his form completely before was hiding his true form! I had thought I was talking to a human this whole time, but Gram was a freaking lizard!


    ¡°He¡¯s a tarragon!¡± Alysia gasped.


    ¡°A tarragon?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lower-tier dragon!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! I¡¯m every bit as powerful as any dragon!¡± He flicked out his tongue angrily. ¡°Your sword is quite knowledgeable though. It¡¯s a shame.¡±


    ¡°I serve Master!¡± Alysia declared. ¡°Even if you took me from him, I would never serve you!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, I don¡¯t have any interest in having you anymore.¡± He declared.


    ¡°S-seriously?¡± Alysia responded skeptically.


    ¡°Mm¡­ my tongue is sensitive to smells. You smell like an orc¡¯s butt!¡±


    I thought I had won the war, but it was Gram who fired the last shot, and it was devastating.

 Chapter 1225

    It took me a bit to calm Alysia down. It involved making several promises to soothe her. Finally, the pair of us stepped through the exit to join the rest of the party and left the relieved Gram alone. Dungeons were a strange thing. Two people standing on either side of the dungeon¡¯s entrance wouldn¡¯t be able to see each other. There was a dark shroud that seemed to exist. When you stepped into a dungeon, you essentially entered a place slightly apart from the world.


    This was why dungeons could exist in so many odd forms, even to the extent of not having any physical presence. Although most dungeons did take up space in our world, it wasn¡¯t always equal to the space exhibited on the inside. This was also why resurrections and portals had restrictions. The thick miasma within dungeons also interfered with the ability of mana to transmit, but it was their other-worldly nature that made them difficult to handle.


    So, they weren¡¯t able to hear my conversation with Gram, and I wasn¡¯t able to see what was going on with the other side until I stepped through. I had come up with a quick excuse as to why it had taken me so long to exit. My best excuse was that I needed to go take a leak. Hopefully, for a bodyguard, that would be acceptable. I had only wasted a couple of minutes, but I felt it necessary to give Gram a final goodbye. This was why I was a bit confused when I stepped out to find the cart abandoned.


    I was standing in an area that appeared to be some kind of small building. There was no door on the building, and it led outside into what appeared to be a forest. Frowning slightly, I started moving out into the light of the morning day. Unlike the other side of Gram¡¯s Passage which came into the side of a mountain, this opened out into a thick rainforest.


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    However, there was something strangely off about the environment. I currently couldn¡¯t hear any birds or other sounds of life. It was extremely quiet. I pulled up my map, using Sense Life immediately to identify where anyone was. I immediately located a group of people, but they were all scattered out. I picked the closest group and headed toward them.


    I didn¡¯t have to walk long before I heard someone shout. ¡°Who¡¯s there!¡±


    I recognized the voice as the leader of the adventuring guild, so I called back. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Deek¡­¡± Pait¡¯s voice sounded out. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t realize we left you back there.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    I stepped out into a small clearing. Pait, Dav, the dwarf, and the leader were the only ones there. It looked like the cart pullers and the adventurers were going out searching.


    ¡°When we stepped through, there were no guards to greet us,¡± Pait spoke uncertainly. ¡°It is like, everyone got up and left. Their fort shouldn¡¯t be abandoned like this.¡±


    ¡°Hey! I found something!¡± A voice cried out from the distance.


    The group of them looked at each other before starting to head in that direction. I followed them. We didn¡¯t walk far before walking right into a village. I didn¡¯t realize it was a village at first because all of the homes were built into the trees. This was a small village servicing Gram¡¯s Passage. It was possibly a bit bigger than the Esmore outpost we came from. As we walked, I could smell something unpleasant. However, my eyes were on the map, which showed no life in the village other than our people.


    We came up to where the cart puller who had called us had stopped. His face was white and he was staring at something.


    We all followed his vision to see a group of ten men all lying on the ground dead, their faces sunken in as insects buzzed around them.


    Horror started to form on everyone¡¯s face as they began to realize what happened. Everyone in this village was dead!

 Chapter 1226

    ¡°Deek? How is it?¡± Pait asked nervously.


    I shook my head as I stood up and patted myself off. ¡°I¡¯m not able to resurrect them. Their souls are already gone.¡±


    ¡°Based on the level of decomposition, this couldn¡¯t have occurred much more than a month ago.¡± The dwarf stated.


    ¡°There are no physical signs.¡± One of the other adventurers spoke up uneasily. ¡°No cuts, no bruises. It¡¯s like they all just dropped dead.


    ¡°Oh, no¡­¡± Dav was holding onto Pait, her face shoved into his shoulder as she wept.


    Pait held her comfortingly as she avoided looking at the grisly scene. Previously, the adventurers had just been looking outside, but after seeing the first sign of death, they started barging into homes. That¡¯s where they began to run into the scenes of horror. There were dead people everywhere. Some died sitting at the dinner table with food left out to go bad. Whatever happened, it had happened suddenly without warning. It also hit everyone. Men, women, and children had all died where they stood.


    ¡°This had to be some kind of soul attack,¡± I concluded.


    ¡°Can such a thing be done without a soul reaving dagger?¡± the lead adventurer asked.


    ¡°There are many ways to destroy the soul. Entire jobs are dedicated to damaging souls, not the body.¡± I explained. ¡°Soul reaving daggers are only a convenient method because it completely hides who did it. This method, on the other hand, could only be done by someone with a certain job.¡±


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    I only gave a tidbit of information. The general public knew about soul reaving daggers, but there were dozens of ways to kill someone in a way that was permanent. You could trap their souls in their bodies like Miki had done to Lord Aberis. You could toss them into a dungeon as Lord Aberis had done to Xin. You could cut someone with a weapon that could suck in their soul like Alysia, which is different from a soul reaving dagger that only damaged their soul.


    Physically damaging a soul would bring about a lot of pain. I knew this from personal experience. I cut my soul in half and had also refined my soul. Yet, these people¡¯s expressions were mostly surprised, if even that. Had their souls been destroyed, then they would have expressions of pain and fear. This had happened so quickly and absolutely that they didn¡¯t even have time to realize what was happening to them. That meant that the connection between their body and soul was severed, and their souls were taken. Why would someone take their souls?


    ¡°It¡¯s more than that, though¡­ they¡¯ve lost more than their souls,¡± I muttered to myself.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Pait asked.


    ¡°So, you noticed.¡± The dwarf cleared out his teeth with his tongue.


    ¡°Notice what?¡± The lead adventurer asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ their lifeforce was pulled out too. That¡¯s why the smell isn¡¯t worse. It was like all of their life was sucked out of them.¡±


    ¡°What kind of thing can do that?¡± Pait asked in disbelief.


    ¡°That is¡­¡± I began, but then my eyes jerked. ¡°Someone¡¯s coming.¡±


    I still had the map open, and I had seen a sudden group much larger than ours enter the edge of my map. This was still about ten minutes away, so the others didn¡¯t have a clue. That wasn¡¯t completely true. The dwarf must have been a dungeon diver, as he looked in the direction the dots were coming from and nodded to himself.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Dav asked. ¡°Do we go back into the dungeon?¡±


    Pait shook his head. ¡°My mission is to find out what was happening in Dioshin. If I left now, there would have been no point in coming. I¡¯m going to get to the bottom of this.¡±


    I had already decided I was going to stay. I couldn¡¯t guess if this had anything to do with Miki. Maybe there was a soul problem that led them to needing to find her. Either way, I wasn¡¯t leaving until I had an answer, so all we could do was wait.

 Chapter 1227

    The adventuring team was the one group who looked the most like they wanted to leave. They had been hired to bring the group through Gram¡¯s Passage. That job was done. There was no reason that they couldn¡¯t return immediately. However, they were still part of the adventuring guild, and if it got out that they had just taken off running as soon as things got tough, wouldn¡¯t they become laughing stocks that lost all respect?


    In the end, they waited with us. As for the old dwarf, he mostly just seemed curious and too old to be running around. Plus, as the only lone person among the group, he had to go where the group went. If he tried to return through Gram¡¯s Passage alone, he was experienced enough to know his chances of making it to the other side were slim.


    Ten minutes later we could hear the sounds of an approaching group. When they broke through the forest line and came into sight, they were nearly upon us. We didn¡¯t just wait for them to come. We left the village and returned to the dungeon entrance, and then we had moved into a defensive position where we had the opportunity to escape back through the dungeon if things went south.  The group that appeared in front of us were all soldiers.


    They were dressed in a manner I had only seen once before, in the memory from Matty¡¯s dungeon. They were also riding wild cats. They weren¡¯t like the giant cat I had once tamed. Instead, they had green and brown coats that blended in with the forest well and thick legs and broad shoulders. It also had long teeth like a sabertooth tiger, although it also had many elements that resembled dogs, such as a long snout. Out of a curiosity, I used my skill on one of the creatures. It was called a crag cat.


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    The men made a half-circle around us, but we answered with a similar protective circle, our weapons drawn. I was particularly mindful of some kind of soul attack. If they were testing some kind of weapon, and we had walked in on it, they¡¯d want to kill us to remove all evidence, right?


    Pait, despite being the shortest one there besides Dav, took a step forward. ¡°I am a representative of Esmore. I come on a diplomatic mission. I have permission to be here. We¡¯ve also brought a gift to the Dioshin people.¡±


    He immediately held out the papers of the invite. Although they were a bit old, they were likely invaluable to the situation.


    A leader seemed to come out in front. He appeared to have the features of a wolf, like Raissa, although where she was a white wolf, his hair was black. His eyes had a distinctly predatory gaze to him as he looked over the group of us.


    ¡°You are to come with me.¡± He stated in an authoritarian voice.


    Pait frowned, not giving an inch. ¡°Where do you wish to take us? The adventurers and dwarf have already completed their journey. After a brief rest, they would like to return. As for me, I¡¯ve come with only two servants.¡±


    I had to give him credit for being able to keep his cool as he gestured to me and Dav, while still being looked down on like he might be a meal.


    ¡°Leaving is no longer possible. You will be taken to the castle of Lord Duran. He will be the one receiving you.¡±


    Pait was officially the leader of the expedition, so all eyes were on him. On the one hand, going to see the lord was exactly what Pait wanted. On the other hand, they were not being given any choice in the matter. Whether he chose to leave or not didn¡¯t affect me much. Now that I was in Dioshin, if their disguise no longer worked, then I would simply portal back in tonight with a new disguise, perhaps once that resembled an animalkin. If he tried to leave, things would get violent though.


    ¡°Very well.¡± Pait finally agreed.

 Chapter 1228

    The plan to disguise me in his party seemed to work splendidly. Even though I appeared as an Osterian that towered over the others, they didn¡¯t bother to take more than two looks at me. There was one problem. Pait and the others were given crag cats to mount, but I was left to walk. I stood as tall as the Dioshin men mounted, so they must have felt that I was too big to sit on one of their animals. I didn¡¯t care that much anyway, as I never took to mounting animals.


    The only time I ever rode was when I had to. Typically, my blue mage spells and personal speed were enough to get around. At some point, I had noticed in my dungeon skills that there was a long-distance speed skill called Travel Speed which increased my endurance and speed for running. This differed from things that amplified my battle speed like Haste, as it only affected the legs. If I put enough points into it and with my long legs, I could run faster than a horse. So, that was an option too.


    We ended up traveling wide of the village and eventually came to a road that cut through the forest. If you didn¡¯t know where the pathway from Dioshin to Esmore was, you wouldn¡¯t be able to find it at all. Was this a part of Dioshin¡¯s defenses? By keeping things embedded in the forest, it was a means of hiding stuff?


    We traveled down the long dirt road for about an hour before we came out to a long decline. I was able to look down into a valley that had been clear of trees. There was a large city there. The outer wall had been made of stone, while the buildings within the city were all made of wood. The city wasn¡¯t at the level of treehouses or something like that, but there was a raw, wild feel to the way the city was built. Entire trunks were used to denote walls and it seemed like a fire hazard to me. Maybe, when you had access to magic, you didn¡¯t need to worry about fire spreading.


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    We were brought down into the valley. I noticed that the guards at the front entrance seemed on edge. They all seemed to be somewhat fearful. The men bringing us in had to announce their presence from quite a distance away, and even as we entered the town gate, there were arrows drawn on us with itchy fingers. I was half expecting someone to lose by accident and cause a disaster.


    As I walked down the dirt paths of the town, I saw many beastkin of various types. Pait said that beastkin kept to their own. All of the guards who brought us in had been wolfkin. In this city, there was a larger assortment of people, but if one paid close attention they¡¯d notice that the ones dressed up nice and clean were mostly wolfkin, while the other kin were in poorer conditions. It painted a clear picture to me. They looked like the people who had come to Chalm after the bandits took over the west of Aberis. They looked like refugees fleeing some kind of destruction.


    Everyone had haunted or fearful expressions on their face. It may not look like it on the surface, but Dioshin was in a lot of trouble. Our journey came to a stop just outside the main castle. Something had been written on the wall in red paint during the night, and a guard was trying to scrub it off.


    The words written were ¡®Death is coming.¡¯ Other than the guard cleaning it, everyone else was going out of their way to avoid looking at it. Just what had Miki walked herself into?

 Chapter 1229

    We were lead into the castle past the sign. The soldiers here looked just as tired and worn down as anyone else. That ruled out the possibility that this was something being done one-sided to the populace while the nobles sat above it. It looked like whatever was going on in this city was affecting everything.


    Rather than being pulled into a waiting area, we were brought straight into the great room. The guards opened two large double doors and gestured us inside. They didn¡¯t bother to wait, instead of taking a position outside and leaving us be. They didn¡¯t seem to feel like the lord needed to be protected at all. I didn¡¯t make a noise, instead, I followed in a servant position next to Dav as Pait led the group into the room beyond.


    It resembled any throne room I had ever seen and even had an appeal not unlike the final boss rooms I had encountered at the bottom of dungeons. A man was sitting at the end of the room on a large chair, and as we walked down the carpet getting closer to him, I began to realize he was nearly the same size as me. His chair had been made for his size, so I hadn¡¯t noticed from the other side of the room. Now, I understood why the guards didn¡¯t feel the need to protect him. He looked like a man who could protect himself. With sharp wolfkin features, he gave off a predatory gaze that I had felt from the soldiers that had led us here, and by his size, I could feel pressure.


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    He was distinctly a wolfkin, but he was much larger than any other wolfkin I had seen. He was also giving me a bit of pressure, which told me if I fought him, it¡¯d be trouble. I pinched a bit of fairy dust and used god eye on him. His status was enough to make me sweat. As for his race, he was identified as a Dire Wolfkin. That would be a wolfkin variant if I had ever seen one. As we approached the throne, the man stood up and walked down to greet us. He didn¡¯t need to be in a chair to be opposing, especially to the rather short Esmore.


    ¡°Esmore representatives. I¡¯m sorry that you had to be greeted in such a manner.¡± The man dropped to a knee and held out his hand, speaking in a low and polite rumble. ¡°It was not my intent, but these were trying times. My name is Lord Duran.¡±


    Pait squared his shoulders. He was the kind of person that could face down anyone, even a giant, without flinching. He offered his hand, but he also met the lord¡¯s eyes without blinking.


    ¡°I think you owe us an explanation,¡± Pait said as the pair shook, the larger wolfkin¡¯s hand engulfing Pait¡¯s.


    The wolkin¡¯s shoulders flinched, and he gave a long nod, his ears going limp. This took away all the intimidation he had been giving off in an instant. He seemed like a surprisingly meek person despite his massive physique.


    ¡°This is a difficult thing to speak about.¡± He admitted. ¡°However, to be frank, Dioshin is in danger. We need help.¡±


    That much was obvious.

 Chapter 1230

    Lord Duran stood back up, but he didn¡¯t return to his seat. Pait watched him carefully. Of everyone there, Pait was the only one who had the right to speak to him. He was a lord, after all, and while I didn¡¯t know his rank, this was his castle, and respect needed to be shown. Pait was a representative of Esmore, which meant he had the authority to speak to this man. Comparatively, the adventuring group nor the dwarf dungeon guide would feel like they could open their mouth.


    Alysia was a princess and I was a noble, so neither of us would have problems speaking, except that we were currently hiding. She was just a sword and I was a servant and bodyguard. Thus, as much as I wanted to speak up in this situation, I kept my mouth shut and my head lowered too.


    ¡°Perhaps, you should explain from the beginning.¡± Pait offered.


    ¡°The beginning¡­ right.¡± Lord Duran seemed to accept his words. ¡°I suppose I should remind you that there are things I can tell you and things I can¡¯t. You are a foreign nation. If I simply told you everything, that could be called treason. Just telling you what I knew so far might be considered treason.¡±


    ¡°I understand. While I can¡¯t promise I won¡¯t report things to my government, I will try to be tactful.¡± Pait declared in a diplomatic voice.


    The wolfkin sighed and nodded. ¡°Alright, I suppose it¡¯s no secret that we¡¯ve been experiencing civil unrest. Dioshin has always existed with the belief that the strongest survive. Ignoring variants, there are twelve families of animalkin. They are the wolfkin, catkin, foxkin, rabbitkin, hoovedkin, dragonkin, squirrelkin, beastkin, birdkin, apekin, bearkin, and murinekin


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    ¡°Some species of animalkin are in such a low quantity that they group together. For example, the beastkin are made up of rhinokin, crockin, elephantkin, and hippokin. Meanwhile, the hoovedkin include cariboukin, deerskin, and horsekin. The murinekin includes mousekin and ratkin. One would think squirrelkin and rabbitkin would be part of them, but their tribes are so vast on their own they separated into their tribes.


    ¡°Anyway, the leader of each tribe is given the rank of a lord, and the leader of the strongest kin is given the title of king. The strongest kin for the last few hundred years has been the catkin. The lionkin variant, in particular, has managed to reign supreme over these lands. King Roth has been the king for the last ten years.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess, the wolfkin don¡¯t like being under catkin?¡± Pait offered.


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Lord Duran shook his head. ¡°We¡¯re far too independent to want to be bothered. We prefer to stick to our own rather than rule others. The problem stemmed from an unexpected source. The rabbitkin have grown tired of being suppressed by the catkin. They¡¯ve started revolting, starting a few months ago. They managed to convince the squirrelkin and murinekin to join them a few weeks ago, and that¡¯s why things have recently grown difficult.¡±


    Cats and dogs not getting along. The rabbits staging an uprising. A lion king? Why did this all feel like a bad joke? I continued to keep my mouth shut. I felt like I might be stereotyping. For my animalkin slave girls, not to mention the animalkin population back in Chalm, I would bury my apparent prejudices.

 Chapter 1231

    ¡°I¡¯m well aware of your country¡¯s political structure.¡± Pait spoke up. ¡°I also know about the difficulties you¡¯ve been experiencing between warring tribes. How does that lead to deaths we witnessed?¡±


    Although Pait spoke up, I wasn¡¯t used to talking about Dioshin¡¯s situation, so I appreciated a little backstory. I did realize he was beating around the bush though. He could only talk about things we already knew. If he gave away country secrets to a rival nation, it¡¯d be bad. It was one thing to be talking to Esmore about it, but if he knew there was someone from Aberis present, it¡¯d be even worse.


    ¡°At first, the catkin tribe didn¡¯t take them very seriously. However, what the rabbitkin lack in strength, they make up for in numbers. The catkin had managed to remain in power as opposed to the beastkin or bearkin exactly because of their mixture between population and power. There are a lot of catkin, and the occasional lionkin, tigerkin, pantherkin, or cheetahkin variant ensures that their tribe remains at the peak of power.


    ¡°The rabbitkin don¡¯t have any particularly impressive variants. They have the occasional bunnykin, but they are renowned for being cute. However, they made up for it with numbers. There have been several scuffles, but it¡¯s becoming clear that the catkin has the rabbitkin beat, even with their recent alliances. That¡¯s when the resistance came up with a new strategy. They sought out the foxkin.¡±


    When he said those words, Lord Duran shook slightly, making a whining sound under his breath as if the very mention of foxes was offensive. I frowned, but I managed to keep the anger from appearing on my face. Miki was a foxkin, so this was where she might be involved with all of this.


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    ¡°As you may know, foxkin have a variant with spiritual tails. They can connect with the other side. They bring about ghost monsters, and in general, are a creepy breed. Many species had wanted the foxkin wiped out. Their abilities are too dangerous and they mess with the natural order of this world. However, the catkin has always played guardian over the foxkin, protecting them and keeping them safe.¡±


    Pait raised an eyebrow. ¡°Then why would the rabbitkin expect the foxkin to assist them?¡±


    ¡°Why, indeed?¡± Lord Duran nodded. ¡°Their betrayal has been especially shocking. However, the results have been clear.¡±


    ¡°The results?¡±


    ¡°You saw it yourself, didn¡¯t you? A city of the dead, with their souls sucked out. It hasn¡¯t started attacking the larger cities yet, those with a significant military presence and walls, thankfully, but it is only a matter of time. It¡¯s been taking out village after village. Every day, I learn of another village that has been wiped out through the night.¡±


    ¡°It?¡±


    ¡°A monster¡­ some kind of soul-sucking creature. The foxkin somehow summoned it, and now it¡¯s going on a rampage.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be attacking the catkin, if their problem is with them?¡±


    ¡°Should¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°That¡¯s the problem with releasing your ultimate weapon¡­ once it is out, you can no longer decide what it destroys. Just as many rabbitkin villages have been destroyed as anything else.¡±


    ¡°This monster, what is it?¡± Pait asked.


    ¡°No one knows. At least, no one from my tribe. I¡¯m only getting involved because, as you see, my tribe is starting to get attacked. It¡¯s never been seen by a survivor. I¡¯ve only heard the name people call it.¡±


    ¡°What is the name?¡±


    ¡°Death.¡±

 Chapter 1232

    ¡°With all due respect, what exactly do you want a representative from Esmore to do with this information,¡± Pait asked, putting his hands behind his back. ¡°Even if we wished to help, I lack the resources to do anything of use to you. Furthermore, I don¡¯t make it a habit of risking my life needlessly.¡±


    Lord Duran didn¡¯t look taken aback by this comment. Rather, he seemed to have expected it. He nodded his head slowly.


    ¡°There is a reason that I¡¯ve brought you here and told you about this.¡±  He spoke slowly and deliberately. ¡°What I¡¯m about to ask you would upset many, so I hope you are willing to keep this request sealed.¡±


    At this point, he didn¡¯t just look at Pait, but all of us standing there. I was surprised he didn¡¯t send everyone else out of the room. If there was a reason for this, I couldn¡¯t see it. The adventurers and the dwarf gave their nods. I followed suit. Only once everyone agreed did the wolfkin lord continue.


    ¡°I need you to contact Aberis.¡±


    This caused Pait to raise an eyebrow. ¡°Dioshin is not on good terms with Aberis.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± He frowned. ¡°King Roth has declared a no-contact clause with anyone from Aberis. The guilds still meet behind our backs. The slavers are always trading, and the adventurers are always exchanging valuable information. Ever since a certain lord has taken an interest in the wilderness, tensions on the border have been increasing. If it wasn¡¯t for this ill-timed rebellion, that would have been our focus.¡±


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    It was only thanks to mimic that I was able to keep my cool with that declaration. I hadn¡¯t expected my actions to be worth notice, let alone be the focus of a powerful king. I was extremely lucky then that Dioshin was having problems. If they had made a move, I would have been in a lot of trouble.


    ¡°I suppose I should ask, why do you wish to contact Aberis?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so much Aberis that I care about. It¡¯s their church. Aberis¡¯s priests are adept at dealing with ghosts and other soul-based creatures.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Dioshin have their own church?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true, we have our own division of the church, but they don¡¯t specialize in such things,¡± he admitted.


    It wasn¡¯t that surprising, given their attitude toward foxkin. They detested anything having to do with spirits and souls. Priests had a closer relationship with spirits than most. In that case, did they even have such a thing as a resurrection? I didn¡¯t know, and unfortunately, I had to keep my mouth shut or risk exposing my identity.


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with Aberis¡¯s nobility.¡± Pait scratched his chin while distinctly not looking in my direction. ¡°However, I also know that they recently had a conflict with the Ost Republic, and the majority of them are currently dealing with that situation.¡±


    Lord Duran lowered his head. ¡°I understand. It was just a hope of mine.¡±


    There was a moment of solemn silence as Pait looked awkwardly, and Lord Duran lowered his head.


    I tilted my head from side to side and then let out a sigh, taking a step forward. ¡°If you need someone to look into this, I have the qualifications.¡±


    Pait shot a shocked glance, and Lord Duran shot me a slightly confused look.


    ¡°And who are you?¡± he asked.


    I dropped the disguise, returning my features to normal. ¡°I am Lord Deek Deekson of Aberis.¡±

 Chapter 1233

    Lord Duran¡¯s eyes widened at my announcement before he shot Pait a look. ¡°You snuck a lord of Aberis into our country?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you just planning to sneak a group of priests in?¡± I asked.


    Duran stiffened, and then he let out a sigh. ¡°I suppose you have a point. I should have realized from your smell, but I¡¯m not very familiar with Osterians so I thought I was mistaken. You also have a lot of strange smells on you, dragonkin, fairy, and some others besides. I thought you might live a peculiar life.¡±


    I cleared my throat, not realizing my scent gave so much away. When I had Celeste with me, she would use her wind magic to cover up and block our scents so that no one could detect us. Well, I didn¡¯t expect my scent to be a factor in a social situation anyway.


    ¡°I happen to have some experience with spirits. I was able to clear out old Chalm.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I heard of that matter. I¡¯ve heard you¡¯re particularly adept with dungeons.¡±


    I was surprised once again that he had heard of me. Before, he had only mentioned he knew of a lord who was claiming the wilderness. It looked like his familiarity with me was a bit more than I originally anticipated. I ignored Pait who was glowering at me. By standing up, I revealed Pait¡¯s indiscretions. This might cause Esmore some issues down the line. I would have to make it up to Pait later, but I had a feeling if I didn¡¯t speak up now, I would lose my chance.


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    ¡°Anyway, if you¡¯re looking for someone to deal with this soul eater, I¡¯m probably the most qualified person you¡¯ll be able to find,¡± I explained.


    I didn¡¯t want to be too full of myself, but I had cut my soul in two and reforged it, and refined that soul in a soul dungeon. My blade also contained a soul. Whatever this creature was that was sucking out the souls of enemies, while such a thing did worry me, I had a feeling like it wouldn¡¯t be able to suck out my soul. I had been told many times that my soul was on a completely different level, too resilient to be easily defeated. Considering my soul was now also anchored to a dungeon, and I didn¡¯t think that this enemy could deal with me.


    At worst, I could chop its attacks down with Alysia before it even reached me. I didn¡¯t want to bite off more than I could chew, but if I didn¡¯t have the confidence to do what needed to be done, then why even bother. Furthermore, who else was going to do it? This was an event that was killing lives. These may be people from another country, but they didn¡¯t look all that much different from the residents of Chalm. I wasn¡¯t a monster who would just watch while people needlessly died because it was inconvenient.


    ¡°If you say you have the ability and are willing, then I will have to implore for your assistance.¡± Lord Duran bowed his head.


    ¡°Ah, first, let¡¯s talk about what I get out of it.¡±


    What? I wasn¡¯t going to be stupid either. If I was going to put my life on the line to help the Dioshin, then it needed to be worth my while.

 Chapter 1234

    <h4> </h4>


    Lord Duran crossed his arms, his ears standing on end. ¡°What is your demands?¡±


    ¡°I only have three demands,¡± I admitted. ¡°First, someone close to me has entered your lands. I need her to be located.¡±


    ¡°Someone?¡±


    I was fearing for the worst. If they had brought Miki into this because they thought she could deal with this threat, then was it possible that her soul was lost as well? No, there was no way she¡¯d be defeated on a spiritual level. Miki would survive. Of course, there was a lingering suspicion in the back of my mind, but I wasn¡¯t willing to entertain the possibility without any evidence. The idea that my sweet Miki was the one responsible for these deaths was outrageous.


    ¡°Her name is Miki. She is a nine-tailed foxkin who was recently summoned back to Dioshin.¡±


    One of the reasons I was asking this way was exactly because I wanted to check and see what the lord knew. As I gave Miki¡¯s name, I watched the Lord¡¯s face extremely carefully, looking for any sign of recognition or surprise. Regrettably, or perhaps, fortunately, he showed no signs. His face was only mildly inquisitive.


    ¡°Miki? A nine-tailed foxkin? Don¡¯t those breeds all die?¡±


    ¡°She did not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I do not know of her. However, I will use my contacts and see if I can ascertain where she might be in Dioshin, and who came to get her.¡±


    ¡°That is all that I ask.¡± I nodded.


    Since he didn¡¯t show any indication that he recognized the girl beyond her variant form, I didn¡¯t press things any longer. I was regretful that I didn¡¯t have any lead, but things could be worse.


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    ¡°What about the second thing?¡±


    ¡°I would like a detailed map of Dioshin.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± Lord Duran made a face.


    ¡°Is that so unreasonable?¡±


    Dioshin certainly liked to remain secretive.


    ¡°It¡¯s not so much that I don¡¯t want to, as I am unable. Each tribe is responsible for its own territory, and there is no cross between them. The traveling guilds have tried to map out Dioshin several times, but the lords don¡¯t like to have their lands seen by people that are not their kind. As a result, all maps are incomplete. I can get you a complete map of the wolfkin tribe, but as for the rest of Dioshin, it will be dependent on each tribe.¡±


    That sounded complicated. I didn¡¯t want to get into it though, so I only nodded in acquiescence.


    ¡°In that case, I wonder if my final request can be met.¡±


    ¡°What request?¡± Lord Duran narrowed his eyes suspiciously.


    ¡°A travel route through Dioshin to Jespain.¡±


    Lord Duran hadn¡¯t reacted much to the first two requests, but this final request caused his ears to perk up, and his mouth to drop.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°This condition is non-negotiable.¡± I declared.


    He stared at me for a moment, and then looked away. ¡°What you ask¡­ is something even the Esmore do not have. We do not allow others to cross our lands. To many tribes, allowing merchants to pass through us would feel like we¡¯re being walked over. You might as well ask that I kneel and allow you to step on my head.


    ¡°Alright, then, how about I just go over your head.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I cleared my throat. ¡°I mean, allow me to just once see the western side of Dioshin. I¡¯d just like to see into Jespain once. That is all.¡±


    I had started with the former so I could pull back with this request. It wasn¡¯t important to me that I could pass across Dioshin. If anything, that path would always be wrought with difficulty maintaining, both physically and politically. However, once I had Jespain in my map, I could create portals, bring over others, and then they could create portals. Just like getting into Dioshin, once I was there, I could come and leave all I wanted.


    With such a compromise, Lord Duran had no choice but to nod his head. Then, we had an agreement. I just had to take down death itself. Well, I had faced plenty of challenges before.

 Chapter 1235

    ¡°Are you truly confident that you can deal with this creature?¡± Pait asked.


    ¡°As certain as I can be.¡± I shrugged. ¡°If my only other option is to turn back or become guests of Lord Duran, then I¡¯d rather keep going forward.¡±


    We had finalized the agreement with Lord Duran and were shown to our rooms. Incidentally, if we had refused, we likely would have been permanent guests of Lord Duran, not allowed to leave until this crisis was over.  Well, that is what Pait had stated. Since he and Dav had no intention of risking their lives, they¡¯d remain here in the safety of this castle while I went out to fight.


    However, I wasn¡¯t going to go out alone. Even if I wanted to, Lord Duran wouldn¡¯t allow me to wander around Dioshin. Dioshin wasn¡¯t necessarily a place of mystery like Shie Gescar, but it was a territorial place, filled with animalkin that had each cut out their slice of land and didn¡¯t necessarily take well to trespassers. If you entered some areas of Dioshin without doing it properly, you were bound to end up dead. It was truly a wild country. Thus, I was given a small adventuring group of four wolfkins.


    These guys were hunters, skilled in tracking. They were also A-class adventurers in a party known as the Wolf Pack. Lord Duran and I had decided it would be best if I didn¡¯t reveal my presence to anyone else, so I would be temporarily joining their party and taking on this request as part of a mission. Thus, we depended on the adventuring guild as well as my ability to disguise myself. I returned to the appearance of an Osterian. Alysia¡¯s presence on me sold my scent to the others, as a former Osterian. Considering these were wolfkin, renowned for their powerful noses, the fact that she smelled like an Osterian rather than something else made her quite happy.


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    Other than that, Lord Duran and I didn¡¯t discuss much else. He admitted that he knew very little about the soul-sucking creature, other than the direction it was moving. That was only based on the reports from villages and groups that had been wiped out.


    The adventuring guild had also been at a loss. Stopping this menace was an S-level mission now, although knowing S-level adventurers had taken the call to complete it. It wasn¡¯t that Dioshin didn¡¯t have any S-level adventurers. It was more that these adventurers were the top people of the nation, and were either reclusive and hard to find, or were busy on more important things, like taking down dungeons or fighting in wars. While completing this mission would net us a lot of adventuring guild credit, since I wasn¡¯t registering under my true identity, it wouldn¡¯t help me level at all.


    Pait and I discussed everything he knew about Dioshin deep into the night while I also went over the bets map that the lord could provide. I used my Map ability immediately to copy the details into my skill. Now, if I wanted to, I could redraw this map in just a few minutes if needed. Unfortunately, it was rather incomplete, with entire swaths of land blank except for the label of the tribe in control of that area.


    After discussing everything I thought was worth discussing, I took my leave and slept in my prepared room. Come the morning, Pait and Dav arrived to send me off. Dav brought me something to eat. I didn¡¯t tell her that my provisions I had prepared tasted better, and instead took her food appreciatively with a smile.


    ¡°Then, there isn¡¯t much else to say other than to be safe.¡± Pait put out his hand. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll be parting ways until this is resolved.¡±


    I nodded and grabbed his hand. Although I was taller, it wasn¡¯t like I was bulky. Still, Pait¡¯s hand looked nearly like a child¡¯s in my own. We shook and then let go.


    I left the castle with four wolfkin adventurers to defeat an unknown monster. In some ways, this felt like the first true adventure I had gone on in this world.

 Chapter 1236

    The wolfkin known as the Wolf Pack didn¡¯t have the most imaginative name, but they were A class adventurers and thus had a good idea about what they were doing. They moved forward with a distinct purpose. We left the main city of the wolfkin tribe before I even had a chance to check the place out. It was probably fine. Since I had been there once, I could return whenever I wanted without any issue. Along with my disguise ability, I could even appear as a wolfkin. The only problem would be that my smell wouldn¡¯t match, but I could probably come up with a solution for that.


    The four I was traveling with didn¡¯t talk too much, or rather, a lot of their discussion seemed to be done without opening their mouths. They had a series of gestures and looks that seemed to be telling each other things. I just didn¡¯t know what those things were, and so I felt left out. That¡¯s when I wondered if this was what non slaves felt when they moved around with my party. I¡¯d use Slave Communication for the majority of the speaking, and it had to look something like this.


    We entered the forest, traveling off the main road. The men had originally given me sidelong looks, but as I kept up beside them without complaining or speaking, they started to act more respectfully. After a long day of travel, I cracked out the food and began cooking. At that point, I had won to men over completely.


    ¡°I was uneasy about traveling with an Osterian. I was worried you¡¯d be holding us back, or do something to get us killed.¡± The leader of the Wolf Pack spoke up as he ate the fried meat of a rabbit they had caught along the way and I had cooked up barbeque style. ¡°However, despite your size, you¡¯re not too loud.¡±


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    ¡°Lord Duran isn¡¯t much smaller than me,¡± I stated.


    ¡°He is a wolfkin like us.¡± The man spoke like this was obvious. ¡°Still, the forest is a place for our kind, but you have a wild air about you, like an animal. It is reassuring.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ thank you?¡±


    The man nodded as if this was all that needed to be said.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how to take being called a wild animal, but they seemed to mean it. As for the skill that impressed them, I¡¯d like to take credit, but I had cheated here. The reason I wasn¡¯t loud was that I was used the dungeon skills Silent Feet and Hide Presence. Once we entered the forest, I became mindful of how loud I was as I was thumping along. After receiving a few looks from the wolves, I realized I had to change things up. They didn¡¯t cost me very many points, so I splurged on a lot of these skills. Also, I had been watching how the wolfkin moved with Advanced Learning activated, and I was quickly getting a feel for their footwork.


    After that, I was able to get them to open up a bit more. They didn¡¯t know that I was Deek Deekson or from Aberis. They knew the mission was to take down the soul eater that had been threatening the land. They had also been told by the lord that I could handle this monster. They had been close with a party that was previously sent and never returned, so they had volunteered for this mission. Their best trait was that they didn¡¯t ask too many questions.


    I wasn¡¯t lonely though, since on the journey I still had Alysia I could talk to. Then again, she was a woman of few words as well. I was starting to miss a chatterbox in the group like Celeste or Salicia.


    Our progress continued the next morning, and it was around afternoon when we started running into more bodies.

 Chapter 1237

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ evolving¡­¡± One of the wolfkin stated as he stood up.


    We weren¡¯t in a village, but a farmhouse. We had noticed all of the animals were dead passing by and decided to check on the house. There was another family wiped out. This time was a bit different though. They had a more desiccated look to them. It was like the creature was getting better and sucking out lifeforce. Where the previous bath had only looked a little dry, these guys looked halfway to mummified.


    Seeing the dead seemed to have lit a fire under the wolfkin. They started to take this threat more seriously, and thus increased their pace. They began to realize that every minute we didn¡¯t end this threat could mean another person dead. I was able to keep up with them but had I had a shorter stride, I probably would have needed to depend on dungeon skills to increase my speed. I mean, I still equipped them, as they increased stamina and made it easier to maintain a quicker pace, but I didn¡¯t need them just to keep up.


    We reached a town in the evening. It was already eerie approaching it because there was no lights lit. We looked through and found nothing but dead. We ended up taking a house that was empty to stay the night. I noticed that they didn¡¯t seem to be interested in doing something with the dead. They had left them lying there. It was the same thing in the first town. They had known about the town filled with bodies, but had seemingly left them to rot. As I was cooking, I decided to ask.


    ¡°Do you have any rituals for the dead?¡±


    It was the leader of the pack who spoke. ¡°It¡¯s customary for the dead to be left to the wild, to rejoin nature. As you took from the land, you will return to the land. Maybe, you will become food for a passing creature, or only food for the worms. We prefer to let nature take its course.¡±


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    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    The wolfkin leader took a drink and then leaned back. ¡°Once the soul has left the body, all that is there is a husk. It has no value. Only a soul is needed for resurrection, right? With a powerful soul, a body can be rebuilt from scratch. There is no value in it.¡±


    I nodded thoughtfully at his words. In a way, he was right. In this world, there was no value in the body. It could be recreated with magic in an instant. It would also be just as strong as the previous. No matter how physically powerful you became, it wasn¡¯t like you had to rebuild that body once you were resurrected and lost all of that progress. Your soul contained a blueprint of your body. It was the lore of your life and a summation of your being.


    ¡°There is something nearby!¡± One of the wolfkin jerked. ¡°I smell death!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve encountered them so soon?¡± The leader cursed.


    The men immediately grabbed their weapons and stepped outside. I joined them just as quickly, summoning Alysia by my side. Although the village was dark, I was able to make out a figure that seemed to be running straight at us.


    ¡°Who are you!¡± The lead wolfkin demanded.


    ¡°Help!¡± A voice cried out. ¡°Help me!¡±


    Their voice was hoarse and desperate. They sounded like someone who was in danger. The wolfkin still kept their guard up, waiting for the man to reach them. He stumbled down and fell to the ground, and I could see that he wasn¡¯t a wolfkin. Rather, he appeared to be a catkin.


    ¡°Help me! She¡¯ll kill me! She¡¯ll kill all of us!¡± His hood fell back, revealing a fairly normal catkin who looked to be panicked.


    ¡°She? She who?¡± The wolfkin leader asked, grabbing the man. ¡°The soul-eating monster?¡±


    ¡°Soul eating¡­¡± The man shook his head. ¡°There is no soul-eating¡­ there is only her.¡±


    ¡°Her¡­ who is her?¡±


    ¡°Lady Death!¡±

 Chapter 1238

    ¡°She came in the night.¡± The man shook. ¡°The darkness flooded out, and then people died. I was sent out scouting. It was the only reason I survived. A cloud of darkness floated by and engulfed the village. All of our lights were snuffed out at once, like a ghost. Then, I could hear the screams of dying people. I saw her, on the outside of town, dressed in white. The shadow stretched out from her like a cape. It was her own shadow that engulfed the city.¡±


    After we deduced the man wasn¡¯t a danger, the Wolf Pack brought him into the house and sat him down. He was given some food and then he relayed his story as he drunk something hot and huddled in some blankets one of the wolfkin provided him. In normal days, there might be some tension between wolfkin and catkin, but that didn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t set aside those bias in the name of the unity of Dioshin. It was for this reason that despite existing as 12 independent tribes, they still managed to function as a single nation keeping out invaders.


    ¡°Do you know if she was an animalkin?¡± One of the wolfkin pried softly.


    He thought about it for a second and then shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. She kept her hood up. I wasn¡¯t able to see her body or face. It was at a distance. I have the best eyes in my village. It was the only reason I saw her.¡±


    His cat eyes shone in the light of the fireplace we were using, punctuating that fact.


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    ¡°If she kept her body hidden, how do you know it was a she?¡± One of the other wolfkin asked.


    ¡°Sh-she spoke¡­ immediately before the attack, she gave a warning.¡±


    ¡°What did she say?¡±


    He looked up unblinking for a moment before turning his head away. ¡°Death comes for us all.¡±


    ¡°I guess that explains the name.¡± The lead wolfkin sat back.


    Seeing the increasing number of atrocities had caused the Wolf Pack to steadily grow more somber. Now that they had an eye-witness account, they were truly starting to take things seriously. This wasn¡¯t just a mission of revenge. This was a mission that could very well cost them their lives.


    ¡°I need some air.¡± I declared, slipping out.


    Everyone was so wrapped up in their thoughts, they didn¡¯t even glance up as I exited the building. I wrapped my cloak around me. Even though the weather was warm, the night felt cold. I found myself shivering as I pondered the man¡¯s words.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Alysia asked.


    I had come outside to be alone, but I guess I was never truly alone. Even if Alysia wasn¡¯t there, Elaya, Astria, Xin, and Celeste were all just a Slave Communication away. As my mana increased, so did the distance I could form and maintain Slave Communication. Without anything interfering with that connection like certain types of magic or dungeons, then I could probably contact any of my slaves from just about anywhere in the countries. Unfortunately, most of the girls I was worried about currently weren¡¯t my slaves, making this whole situation difficult.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about Miki,¡± I answered.


    ¡°Do you think it is her?¡± Alysia inquired. ¡°Do you think Miki is Lady Death?¡±


    ¡°I originally refused to tolerate the thought without some kind of evidence. Now¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t deny that Miki might be Lady Death.¡±

 Chapter 1239

    What would drive the meek and mischievous Miki to start slaughtering people? Of all of the girls, she was the most gentle and good-natured. If such a thing came from Shao, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised, but Miki. Not only was she a kind soul, but with her mental abilities she didn¡¯t need to hurt people to fight them. She could knock someone unconscious or use the power of suggestion to bend them to her will. Although she was a powerful spiritualist, she was the one most equipped to fight without killing someone.


    Miki had become popular in Chalm, despite the old prejudices against foxkin. She had spent her free time assisting the elderly and soothing their loved ones. It was said that she was closer to death than anyone. That used to be a source of fear, but it was becoming a source of comfort. Now, for her to become her own reincarnation of death, it wasn¡¯t something I was willing to accept without personally seeing it. That meant that I had to find proof.


    That night, I returned to my bedding and slept. In the morning, the Wolf Pack gave the man a few supplies, mostly borrowed from the village we were in, and sent him on his way. He was heading to the capital of the catkin, to ask for further aid. After he left, we started packing up for our next day of journey. At that point, I plopped a map I had hastily drawn up down on a table in front of the Wolf Pack leader.


    ¡°If my calculations are correct, we should be about here.¡± I pointed to an area on the map.


    I didn¡¯t calculate anything. I knew exactly where we were because I could see it with my Map skill. The Wolfkin looked down at my map and then nodded with interest. He took out ink and a quill from his own bag and then started making some marks. I didn¡¯t mind. I had also borrowed this paper from the village, and making it cost me nothing.


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    ¡°These are the spots we know Lady Death has hit.¡± The pack leader explained. ¡°Since there seems to be a clear progression in her power, it seems like her path is moving like this.¡±


    He drew a line, showing the direction that Lady Death was heading. She would be directly breaking into the rabbitkin tribe. That¡¯s when the leader wrote something else on my map, causing my eyes to widen.


    ¡°The rabbitkin capital?¡±


    ¡°Every tribe has its own center of power. You visited ours. I happen to know the rabbitkin seat rests here.¡± When he got looks from his friends, he shrugged. ¡°I used to date a rabbitkin in my youth.¡±


    ¡°Is it true what they say about rabbitkin, boss?¡± One of the younger men licked his lips.


    ¡°Get your head out of the gutter! We have more important things to do!¡± His leader admonished him, causing the older men to laugh.


    I took the pin and then started tracing the other direction. If the swirling pattern of movement was right, then there was a starting point. The leader looked down at the line he had drawn, a frown forming on his face.


    ¡°If Lady Death is going to be going through the rabbitkin capital, then that means that Lady Death started here. We¡¯re pretty close.¡± I pointed down at a point marked on the map.


    ¡°What are you suggesting?¡± The pack leader asked.


    ¡°I think we need to get some answers. I think we need to figure out how this all started.¡±


    As for where my finger was pointing, it was a location I had gotten from the Slaver¡¯s Guild. It was the place Miki was born.

 Chapter 1240

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to determine exactly how fast she¡¯s moving, but based on the catkin¡¯s words, she¡¯ll reach the rabbitkin capital inside two days. If we continue on our current path, we¡¯ll encounter her before she reaches it. If we go to the foxkin tribe, I can¡¯t guarantee that we¡¯ll be able to reach her in time, and if we don¡¯t intercept her in time¡­¡± He let the words linger there.


    ¡°If we intercept her without knowing what we¡¯re getting into, it¡¯ll still work out the same way,¡± I responded.


    ¡°If she started there, it¡¯s possible, no, likely, that everyone is dead. Right? If this is where Lady Death started, then this would have been ground zero for facing her wrath.¡± Their leader protested.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± I responded. ¡°We might find nothing but long-dead bodies.¡±


    I didn¡¯t give him a counterargument. Even if there was nothing but dead bodies, I would still go. I had to see it for myself. I had to confirm it. I had to know if it was Miki. I didn¡¯t want any more lives to be harmed, but I had my own way of doing things. The leader¡¯s fierce predatory eyes matched my own. For a moment, the pair of us stood there staring at each other. He gave off a certain degree of pressure, his eyes like blades, but I didn¡¯t flinch. My resolve had already been made. He looked away first.


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    ¡°We were ultimately ordered to follow your lead. I will go where you send us.¡±


    I gave a nod. In animalkin terms, I had established myself as alpha of this pack. At the very least, their leader deferred to me on this. As for getting there in time, I still had the abilities of a Blue Mage. If I felt we couldn¡¯t get there in time, then I would do what I had to do to stop Lady Death. However, call it instinct, but I had a feeling that I had to go to that foxkin village. I had to find out what happened.


    We didn¡¯t wait too much longer until we were riding out of the city. However, we were no longer following the path of Lady Death, but instead going to an area she hadn¡¯t been in likely months. It was the village that Miki was born. It wasn¡¯t the foxkin capital, but it was on the outskirts of Dioshin. It was a town nearly pushed out of the animalkin country, abandoned and forgotten.


    It was only a half-day journey before we reached the village. As we drew closer, the frown on the leader¡¯s face deepened. There was no one out on the street. He let out a bitter sigh. We had wasted half a day traveling, and this village was no different than any of the other villages. That was until we heard a door slam.


    A man dodged into a door as soon as he saw us, closing it. A woman was walking nearby.


    ¡°Excuse¡­¡± One of the wolfkin tried to flag her down.


    The woman quickened her pace, racing into an ally to avoid talking to us. The people here were very much alive, but it felt just as much like a ghost town as any of the other places we had visited. We had to get answers. The clock was ticking.

 Chapter 1241

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who wanted to come here. You lead the way.¡± The pack leader told me.


    ¡°What is it exactly that we are looking for?¡¯¡± Alysia asked cautiously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll know when I see it. Keep your senses on alert.¡± I informed her and then headed for a spot that I hoped to get information.


    That spot was none other than the inn. I knew it was clich¨¦, but not only did information run through that building, but the innkeeper would be hard-pressed to run upon seeing us. There was another reason I wanted to go there as well. I walked into the building and was shocked to find the room was filled with foxkin. Nearly three dozen people were sitting with their backs to me, and at the front was a man who was standing up on a small table which he was using as his stage.


    With Life Sense, I had seen a large gathering of people in this room. I hadn¡¯t been certain what was going on. It appeared that I had crashed a town meeting in progress.


    ¡°Everyone relax, we do not need to flee Dioshin.¡± The man on the stage was saying with his hands up.


    In many ways, he reminded me of our mayor. He was a portly man, although he had more hair and a thick beard as well. When he noticed me, his eyes widened as he locked onto us.


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    ¡°They say there is a village to the east that accepts our kind. The lord there is a hero welcome to animalkin. He¡¯s a great healer, maybe he can fix this.¡± A woman cried out.


    ¡°That place is as cursed as this place! Haven¡¯t you heard the rumors? Those people are nuts for staying there. Plus, that¡¯s where she came from!¡± A man stated.


    As they were speaking, people started to follow the man I presumed was the mayor¡¯s gaze, and the crowd quickly hushed up as more and more eyes turned my way. Behind me, The Wolf Pack entered as well. Overall, they were a bit of intimidating luck. These were all basic commoners. The best I could tell, this town didn¡¯t even have an adventuring guild, although it did have a slaver¡¯s guild. That would have been my second direction had it not currently looked abandoned.


    Either way, a group of seasoned adventurers would be intimidating to anyone. Then again, I also probably appeared a bit intimidating, as Osterians often did.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind us.¡± I declared. ¡°We¡¯re just here for a drink.¡±


    I walked over to the bar, where the only remaining seats were available, the wolves following behind me. We each sat down as everyone in the room continued to watch us.


    ¡°Give me whatever you¡¯re best at,¡± I ordered, causing the man behind the bar who had been aimlessly watching us to jump before fumbling with some glasses and pouring us each a drink.


    I took a glass that was full of some ale and then turned back to the crowd. They hadn¡¯t moved or said a thing since we had entered. I glanced to the one standing on the table, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Well? They¡¯re waiting.¡±

 Chapter 1242

    Addressing the leader seemed to be enough to snap him out of his stupor. He quickly straightened his coat, glancing at me suspiciously.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this meeting is a bit private.¡± He stated, his voice sounding a bit tight.


    ¡°You¡¯re holding it in a public area.¡± I reminded him.


    He stiffened slightly. ¡°That as it may¡­ we don¡¯t have many large meeting areas to speak. Perhaps I can pay for your drink, and a private room.¡±


    ¡°These are wolfkin, do you think they won¡¯t be able to hear a room over?¡±


    He gave a bitter expression. ¡°I mean, we can find you a temporary accommodation that is much more¡­ suiting for your station.¡±


    I lifted the ale, taking a sip. I had Poison Immunity and Disease Resistance equipped. I generally just always kept it on, so I didn¡¯t need to worry about what I ate or drank. Well, I probably wouldn¡¯t eat disgusting things unless I had to, but I also didn¡¯t want to have to deal with diseases. As to why poison was called immunity, while the disease was resistance, I couldn¡¯t guess. They functioned the same way. They had multiple levels and like many dungeon skills, the more you poured into them, the higher the resistance. Frankly, I had never needed something beyond level 1, but I supposed if there was some kind of magical poison or disease, a higher level would be good.


    As I drank slowly, the mayor seemed to be waiting for my answer. The wolfkin wore expressions of indifference as if they didn¡¯t care where they were. They casually took sips silently, taking the opportunity to relax a bit. When I finished drinking, I put the glass on the bar and then stood up. Given my size, I wasn¡¯t much harder to see than the mayor.


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    ¡°Miki,¡± I said.


    The crowd of people all flinched. If there was any doubt that they knew something about her, or that she had any connection with what was going on, it was completely gone.


    ¡°I-I-I¡¯m sorry, who?¡± The mayor spoke nervously, although he was sweating.


    ¡°You know her.¡± I declared. ¡°Foxkin girl. 9-ninetails. As I understand it, they¡¯re extremely rare. To see one born, let alone living until you could sell her off to slavery, she¡¯d be hard to forget, I think.¡±


    ¡°A-ah¡­ r-right¡­ Miki¡­ we sold her to a slaver. She was very sick and didn¡¯t want to be an inconvenience to her family any longer. That was many years ago. She likely died¡­¡± His voice gained strength as he came up with a new lie so obvious I didn¡¯t need Celeste to tell me the difference.


    ¡°Two months ago, she was about a day¡¯s travel east of here, in the wildlands. Then, a group of animalkin came and told her that she needed to return home to help her family. Return here.¡± I stated, causing the mayor¡¯s expression to turn ugly. ¡°So, where is she?¡±


    I was revealing a lot of what I knew, causing the wolf pack to turn to look at me with surprise. However, they weren¡¯t that surprised. They had known that I had been sent to deal with this menace. If I didn¡¯t have some connection to this menace, then when would their lord have depended on me? As for the rest of the crowd, their expressions were a mixture of shock, fear, and even disgust.


    The mayor¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Who is Miki to you?¡±


    I supposed it was time to go for broke. I took a step forward and the disguise around me transformed back into my original face.


    ¡°I am Lord Deek Deekson. Miki was my slave. Now, what did you do to her?¡±

 Chapter 1243

    My true appearance definitely startled the Wolf Pack, although everyone had gasped, a silence piercing across the room for several moments as they took it in. This town wasn¡¯t so large a town that I worried too much about what they thought. Revealing myself to be a human and a lord might have some risk elsewhere, but this was already a town of rejects.


    A woman stood up and threw a finger in my direction. ¡°It¡¯s your fault!¡±


    Her words startled me, but they seemed to open a floodgate for the rest. Other people began to stand up as well, shooting accusatory or hateful looks my way.


    ¡°You gave her that power!¡±


    ¡°You brought here!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the reason we¡¯re cursed!¡±


    ¡°Curse?¡± I asked, but my voice was lost to a torrid of angry shouts.


    The wolfkin stood, as the crowd was quickly becoming hostile. Some people were clutching things in their hands as if they were a moment from throwing them.


    ¡°You should have let her die.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the reason we suffer.¡±


    ¡°This is your responsibility!¡±


    At that moment, someone let loose. It was a glass cup just like the one that I had been drinking out of, except that it was aimed at my head. I moved my hand, causing my sword to form. I blocked the drink with the broadside of the blade, and then I slammed it into the ground, causing a resounding thud that cut through the screaming crowds.


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    ¡°Enough!¡± I bellowed, causing the entire group silence in an instant, and even a few to break out in tears. ¡°I came here for answers, not for accusations. I already take it by your actions that my Miki is connected to this Lady Death. She started here. What. Did. You. Do?¡±


    I cut off each word, and it was enough that several rage-filled eyes turned to shame, looking down to avoid my gaze.


    ¡°It seems¡­¡± The mayor¡¯s voice arose, causing everyone to turn to him. ¡°That it is impossible now to continue to hide our story.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯ll speak? Good, start by answering my questions. Why are you cursed?¡±


    ¡°It¡­ wasn¡¯t us. It was the catkin who did this.¡±


    ¡°The catkin?¡± I frowned.


    ¡°It was the king¡¯s orders. We couldn¡¯t disobey¡­¡± He spoke helplessly like he had given up all hope.


    ¡°The king?¡¯ The wolf pack leader spoke out in startlement. ¡°Don¡¯t you mean the rabbitkin?¡±


    The mayor looked confused for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°No, these were catkin who built it. They were the ones who were doing¡­¡±


    His voice broke and he stopped talking.


    ¡°What did they build?¡± I demanded starting to walk toward him. ¡°What were they doing?¡±


    The mayor let out a sigh. ¡°I need to show you something.¡±


    He stepped down from the table, his head lowered in defeat, his tail down. The people remained silent as they watched him walk up to and then past me, heading to the door. I looked at the four wolfkin and then gave a nod, following behind him.


    ¡°When were you going to tell us you knew lady death?¡± The pack leader whispered as we left the end.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I kept what I knew from you, but it was safer that way.¡±


    The wolfkin looked around at the icy and still somewhat hostile stares of the foxkin and then shuddered. ¡°It might have been safer had you kept it in.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time,¡± I responded. ¡°We need to understand what happened.¡±


    The group of us walked out of the inn, following the mayor to see what he had to show.

 Chapter 1244

    The foxkin leader who I presumed was the mayor led the way and we followed. Given that the town was quite small and almost everyone was hiding indoors, it didn¡¯t take us long to reach our destination. The location was a large building. I didn¡¯t understand the purpose until I was inside. In some ways, it was reminiscent of the rooms that Astria had built where she was turning local girls into fairies. There were rows of beds, and there were sickly looking children filling every single bed. I had noticed a lack of children when I arrived, but I hadn¡¯t thought much about it. It seemed like every child in the village might be there.


    ¡°This is¡­ a hospital?¡±


    ¡°After¡­ it happened, all of the children in the village became ill.¡± He responded weakly.


    ¡°It?¡±


    ¡°Her curse¡­ she cursed us all to death. She said it was the gift we deserved.¡± He made a bitter expression as if he was lost in his thoughts.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look dead to me.¡± I frowned.


    ¡°The adults are fairing better, but make no mistake. We are all sick. You may be thinking that Lady Death spared us. This is far from the truth. She is just doing it slower.¡±


    Whether this was caused by Miki or not, I couldn¡¯t sit back while the children suffered. I walked to one of the beds and put my hand on the forehead of one of the children. The child had their eyes closed, but they were squeezing them shut like they were experiencing pain. The child¡¯s forehead was sweaty, and their body was pale and thin.


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    I hadn¡¯t noticed beforehand, perhaps because this was Miki¡¯s village and I had been expecting other foxkin to look similar to her, but the foxkin were all somewhat pale and thin. I tried to think of any other foxkin I had encountered, and I didn¡¯t recall there being a staple for their kind.


    I pulled out various spells from my White Mage arsenal. I used Moderate Heal. Moderate Heal Poison, Purify, Cure Disease, and so on. I ran down the list of fixes that I knew, and a few moments later, the child¡¯s eyes eased up and their complexion improved.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re a priest?¡± The leader asked worriedly.


    As a general rule, the animalkin didn¡¯t like priests. They were too closely associated with spirits and death. Even the foxkin had this level of unease. I had hoped that foxkin, given their tendency to produce animalkin with spiritual tails, would be better. I had hoped this, but knowing what had ultimately happened to Miki, my hopes hadn¡¯t been high.


    I had asked the wolfkin how their kind was resurrected, and apparently, their church had shamans instead of priests. As for how shamans differed from priests, I didn¡¯t know, but I could imagine the similarities that would be suitable for the animalkin. If priests could be said to use mana, and dark priests used miasma, then perhaps shamans depended on gaia. It might be something like that.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just a mage with some healing ability,¡± I explained as simply as I could, causing his tension to ease.


    From there, I moved to each of the kids and healed them. It had been a while since I focused so much on healing.


    {White Mage has increased to level 60.}


    {You have unlocked the spell, Regeneration.}


    It wasn¡¯t the first time my job skills showed a redundancy with my dungeon points. This was a bit different though. Regen only worked on me, while this could be cast on anyone. I was somewhat curious how quickly I would heal if I had both Regeneration cast and Regen equipped. It seemed like my path to becoming a broken character was continuing one way or another.


    ¡°Thank you for this.¡± He said. ¡°Unfortunately, it won¡¯t change our fates. Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t what you wanted to show me?¡±


    He shook his head, a look of shame on his face. There was more to see.

 Chapter 1245

    The mayor led me to the back of the hospital where there was a stairway that descended down. I thought we¡¯d end up in a basement, but instead, there was a strange underground path that seemed to lead away from the village. The mayor didn¡¯t say anything. I remained cautious. There was always the possibility he was leading us into a trap. However, I wasn¡¯t so easy to contain. I had five seasoned warriors as well as my Blue Mage abilities. I had confidence there wasn¡¯t anything this guy could pull that would be able to hurt us. Besides that, I didn¡¯t feel any malice or danger.


    Our group reached the end of the hallway, coming into an underground structure. The walls changed from rock to brick hallways, and there seemed to be glow rocks keeping the area lit. There wasn¡¯t any specific thing called a glow rock, but basically, any magical item that could glow for an extended period was called a glow rock. Most people didn¡¯t have my orbs, so they used candles and torches, but richer people found a source of glow rocks.


    For a village as small as this, finding glow rocks here would be surprising. Most of the buildings were made of wood and thatch, so the brick already stood out. The corridor let out into a massive room. It appeared to be some kind of reception room, not unlike what you might find in an adventuring guild. The mayor came to an abrupt stop before turning back to us.


    ¡°This is as far as I¡¯ll go.¡± He announced.


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    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°You said that you had something to show me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s down there.¡± He pointed to the stairway. ¡°The answers you seek are at the bottom of this place.¡±


    ¡°And I can¡¯t convince you to lead the way?¡± I hadn¡¯t put Alysia away, and I stroked her intimidatingly as I glared at him.


    He turned rigid, his mouth tightening. ¡°This place¡­ is a cursed place. I won¡¯t walk down into those depths.¡±


    He seemed pretty firm. It looked like threatening would only go so far. I sighed and dropped my blade, turning back to the Wolf Pack.


    ¡°Stay here and watch him. I¡¯ll continue.¡±


    If Miki really was involved in all of this, then there might be some things I didn¡¯t want the others to see. I decided it was best to continue. Plus, I wanted someone to watch the mayor, as I wasn¡¯t completely trusting of him. The wolf pack leader silently nodded, and I walked past the mayor and continued down the stairway.


    ¡°M-master¡­ you should warn me before you touch me like that.¡± Alysia cried.


    ¡°Ah!¡± I coughed. ¡°S-sorry¡­¡±


    I had been intimidating the mayor, but apparently, I had ended up stimulating Alysia and making things difficult for her. I repented immediately, allowing her to return to her blessing. I could make her appear nearly instantly, so there was no point in having her out. I had only done it to keep up with the intimidation.


    ¡°What does he mean by this place being cursed?¡± Alysia wondered out loud as we reached the 2<sup>nd</sup> floor.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t noticed?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°The miasma down here is rather thick. This place also looks strange. Too even¡­ too organized.¡± I explained. ¡°This place was a dungeon?¡±

 Chapter 1246

    ¡°A dungeon?¡± Alysia let out an alarmed gasp.


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t anymore. The core was removed. This is just the dried-up husk of a dead dungeon.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Alysia¡¯s response was contemplative.


    A dungeon could exist without the dungeon core, but only for a short period. Eventually, the connection between the two would cease, and the dungeon would begin to break apart. This was such a dungeon. If the core had been destroyed, the entrances to the dungeon would have collapsed and it would have more quickly broken apart. This was a slower death. Based on the loss of miasma, the core must have been taken a month or two ago.


    ¡°Around the time Lady Death Appeared.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Master?¡±


    ¡°Come on¡­ let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    I continued walking down the dead hallways. There wasn¡¯t much dust, but the entire place had a feeling of decay and abandonment. The hallways had many offshoot rooms. They varied in function. Some of them were residences. Some were mess halls. Some had purposes I couldn¡¯t even guess.


    ¡°If the lore is gone, how can we hope to learn what happened to Miki here?¡±


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    ¡°This dungeon is different,¡± I responded. ¡°People were living here until recently. This wasn¡¯t just a dungeon. It was a workplace. The catkin had turned a dungeon into a portable building.¡±


    ¡°S-seriously? Dungeons can be used even in this manner?¡±


    ¡°Based on appearances, I guess so.¡± I reached the stairway to the third floor, not hesitating to continue.


    ¡°What were they doing here?¡±


    ¡°I can offer a guess.¡± I frowned.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Alysia couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°A few of these rooms appear to be labs. I¡¯ve seen rooms dedicated to alchemy and others to runes and formations. I believe this was a research facility.¡±


    ¡°A research facility.¡±


    ¡°You are correct.¡± A voice suddenly came out of nowhere.


    I summoned Alysia immediately, spinning to see a man standing behind me. He appeared to be a foxkin. He wore glasses and a large lab coat. He was standing where I had just walked past. There was no way I would have missed him.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I suppose you would call me the former dungeon master of this facility.¡± He spoke calmly. ¡°I detected the presence of another dungeon master. I¡¯m afraid there isn¡¯t much to take from this place though.¡±


    He seemed peaceful, so I put up my blade, but I kept myself ready. I remembered how quickly that lizard Gram had attacked before. If I had to use Return and portal back, it¡¯d be a pain, especially since I was so close to the answers I sought.


    ¡°Yeah, I get that a lot.¡± I gritted my teeth. ¡°This place is a laboratory?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°This is the finest in animalkin engineering. A curse by design. It can be set up anywhere. Experiments can be run in secret, and when the time comes, the entire thing can be collapsed, leaving not a trace behind.¡±


    ¡°I take it that this didn¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± He sighed. ¡°Six weeks ago, one of the subjects broke containment. The core was lost, and everyone in the facility died.¡±


    ¡°Subject?¡± I sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lady Death.¡±

 Chapter 1247

    ¡°Come with me.¡± The man touched a button next to him, causing a wall to open up and reveal a staircase. ¡°Shortcut.¡±


    He gave a strange smile before turning and walking away. He was a shady character, but I didn¡¯t know a single dungeon master who wasn¡¯t. I was a dungeon master. Let¡¯s not get into thinking ill of them. I followed him down the staircase, although I maintained a fair distance and kept myself ready. With dungeon diver, I had a good awareness of potential traps, and there didn¡¯t appear to be any.


    The flight went down several levels. I wasn¡¯t sure if that shortcut had always been there, or if he had created it with the intended purpose of taking me. It would have used up a lot of the dungeon¡¯s remaining miasma to do something like that. The pair of us came out into that might have been a boss room, except that the room was refitted into something that instead of looking like a laboratory. There were various tables filled with chemicals, but it was the tables with straps that looked like they had once had people on them that caught my interest.


    ¡°Alright, you were doing experiments.¡± I declared. ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°The experiments were rather simple. They¡¯re about obtaining immortality.¡±


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    ¡°Immortality?¡± I blinked. ¡°Not a weapon? I thought this had to do with the issues with the rabbitkin?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, in a way, it does.¡± The man shrugged. ¡°The King is getting on in years. He died recently from a sudden sickness, and had to be resurrected.¡±


    My eyebrows began to rise. I had never thought about such a thing before. This was a world with resurrection. Exactly how did old age work here? I knew some lived for thousands of years, not to mention the dungeon copies like Elaya. Death was always a screwy thing here. For most commoners, getting resurrected was a costly business. Most died simply because they couldn¡¯t afford to be resurrected. This wasn¡¯t an issue for the rich though.


    ¡°If he was resurrected, is there an issue?¡± I asked, expecting there was.


    ¡°You may not understand this, but as the body grows older, so does our soul. Souls only become larger and more fragile the longer we go. The more bloated a soul becomes, the more fragile it becomes, and the harder it is to resurrect. The reason there is an uprising is that our King has become weak with age. Inevitably, he will come to his final rest. It might not be the next time, but he will only find himself more and more susceptible to death until it finally takes him. This is the nature of life. No one can avoid it. Of course, there are some that attempt rebirth, but are you even you after such an event?¡±


    ¡°So, the king set up research out here so that you could buy him time, right?¡± I tried to keep him on topic. ¡°Why here?¡±


    I wanted to ask why Miki, but I held off.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t figured it out?¡± He asked, an arrogant look in his eye. ¡°The foxkin. Who is closer to death than a tailed foxkin?¡±

 Chapter 1248

    ¡°The villagers were all too eager to give up their cursed relatives.¡± As he spoke, he walked along with the tables, his hands dragging along as if he was experiencing a nice memory. ¡°We started with the four-tails and higher, but there were only a few of them. We eventually took any fox with a spirit tail. They started to resist when we came for the two-tailed foxes, but they quickly succumbed to our requests. This research has been going on for a while now.¡±


    ¡°You were researching spirit foxes and spirit fire to try to circumvent death?¡±


    ¡°Ultimately, it is a weakening of the soul that leads to death. Those spiritual tails, connect directly to the soul. What we ultimately discovered was that we could take the soul energy from one person, and grant it to another.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ what a dungeon does.¡± My eyes narrowed.


    ¡°You¡¯re correct. It¡¯s no accident that the research was carried out in a dungeon. We desired to create a means of enhancing a soul, rejuvenating it. You know, no matter how powerful a healing spell, it will only ever heal the body. Even spells that nurture the soul only purify and refine it. They don¡¯t grow the soul at all.¡±


    Growing a soul is much different than what he was suggesting. A soul was a person¡¯s lore, so it only made sense that the lore grew the longer the person lived. However, just as an old person starts losing their sense and memory, that lore becomes unstable and eventually falls apart. The fact that as the body grows old, it also becomes more susceptible to death, and repeating resurrections damage the soul, it¡¯d no wonder it is only a matter of time before people die.


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    However, if someone can create new lore, they can graph it onto the old lore, strengthening it. This was the essence of my dungeon blessings. They were a type of lore graphed over my soul. I had an exceptionally powerful soul, and there was no saying how long a life I¡¯d live because of it. I hadn¡¯t thought of it much, but there was a very real chance I could live hundreds if not thousands of years because of what had happened to my body and soul. It was a thought I wasn¡¯t ready to deal with yet.


    As for this king, it sounded like he was reaching his limit and was willing to do whatever it took to live a little longer. That meant that he opened up a laboratory and started experimenting on foxkin. I felt that I already understood the majority of what had happened now, but I still needed to confirm things.


    ¡°I take it you succeeded?¡±


    ¡°We were close for the longest time.¡± He sighed. ¡°However, every conduit we created was insufficient. Souls are much too cumbersome, and too much was lost in the transfer process. The souls were ultimately destroyed. Even when we used the soul of a foxkin with another foxkin, it still ended up not succeeding.¡±


    ¡°You would do this to your own people?¡± I asked in disbelief. ¡°The king didn¡¯t force you?¡±


    ¡°Force me? Why would he need to? Is there something unique because my tail looks one way and not another?¡± Her snorted. ¡°Who could understand death better than a foxkin? No¡­ I volunteered for this.¡±


    I had been feeling out if there was any level of redemption possible for this man, and he was found wanting. My expression continued to darken.


    ¡°I take it, you eventually succeeded.¡± I decided to keep him talking.


    ¡± Yes, failure after failure, I realized we were missing something. That¡¯s when I heard about a certain foxkin who had left the village. They had stupidly sold her as a slave only a few months before we had started our experiments.¡±


    I trembled slightly, trying to keep myself under control. ¡°Lady Death.¡±


    ¡°I needed a nine-tailed fox to complete the conduit, and luckily, I found one close by!¡±

 Chapter 1249

    ¡°So, what?¡± I asked, hearing Alysia trying to calm me down. ¡°You captured her and forced her into your experiment?¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t even necessary.¡± The man chuckled. ¡°She volunteered just like me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I might have convinced her that if she allowed us to do it, that she would be able to find a way to bring back her precious, deceased Master. It wasn¡¯t a lie. In theory, if she became powerful enough, she¡¯d have the ability to track down and recover even the most damaged of lore. Of course, we¡¯d never have allowed her to do as she wanted. When the time came, we tried to activate her slave mark.¡± His gleeful expression turned ugly. ¡°Then she somehow sucked in the power of the dungeon core and became a living dungeon, then killed everyone. I had to flee using my dungeon privileges. I had to play dead so that she¡¯d leave. It seriously cost me much.¡±


    Miki had gone through such a fate. I felt anger, but mostly I felt guilt. I could have prevented this. If I had been there, I could have¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­ we can still fix this,¡± Alysia whispered soothingly.


    If she hadn¡¯t been there, I might have already lost myself.


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I responded, restoring my breath to a normal rhythm before glaring at this foxkin man. ¡°So, you¡¯re trapped down here?¡±


    ¡°To an extent, I still have been able to communicate with the outside world. The king is making his move now. He¡¯s sent an army to meet her outside of the rabbitkin city. Of course, he could let her destroy them, but when he captures her, he¡¯ll be the rabbitkin hero. At that point, how can they continue to revolt?¡±


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    ¡°Why have you told me all of this?¡± I asked.


    He smiled, lifting his hands. ¡°This is my life¡¯s research? What scientist doesn¡¯t want to talk about what they¡¯ve done? Besides, I¡¯m a dead man.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m was merely the head scientist for this laboratory, I didn¡¯t even want to be a dungeon master, but that responsibility was thrust on me. The core is gone. Had it been destroyed, then my connection to it would have been severed. Instead, I¡¯m stuck in a state of half-death. I can¡¯t undo my connection to it, and the king isn¡¯t going to sacrifice the conduit to recover my core so that I can live. What¡¯s one scientist and one dungeon compared to living forever? The kingdom has abandoned me and left me for dead. Keeping me up to date through a communication stone is the only consideration they¡¯ve given me. I¡¯ve held on as long as I can, but in a few weeks, I¡¯ll be dead.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± I didn¡¯t feel any pity for this man.


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± He smiled at that. ¡°Well, that¡¯s what would have happened. There is a way I can remain alive. That is to take another dungeon core as my own. I¡¯m far too weak to hope to conquer any established dungeon, but when a dungeon master walks through my front door, how can I say no?¡±


    It was my time to chuckle. ¡°I figured you¡¯d only be speaking so frankly because you intended to kill me.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, I don¡¯t have anything against you. However, I need your core to live, and once you¡¯re dead it will be ripe for the picking. I told you my story to lead you down here where I am at my strongest, and now I will kill you.¡±


    I pulled out Alysia. ¡°You think you can?¡±


    ¡°I may be powerless anywhere else, but within this boss room, I have the entire dungeon at my beck and all. I¡¯ve been working with death for a long time and know more about it than anyone. I can kill any living thing in an instant. Now, die!¡±


    He lifted his hand, and all the remaining miasma in the dungeon shot out at me. I could tell this was a death spell.


    ¡°Alysia.¡± I swung out my blade.


    ¡°On it!¡± Alysia cut the spell apart with ease.


    The man staggered back, his eyes wide with shock. ¡°H-how? What? What are you?¡±


    ¡°Alysia¡­¡± I lifted the blade, my eyes filled with coldness. ¡°Don¡¯t leave even a spec of his soul remaining.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±

 Chapter 1250

    A rumbling sound, followed by the ground starting to collapse caused the men waiting above to flee back down the tunnel. They ran in a panic, but once they were in the underground passage, they were relatively safe. The Wolf Pack and the mayor were deeply confused, but with the path behind them collapsed, they had only one direction to go.


    As they reentered the hospital, slightly panicked, a portal opened up and I stepped out. Behind me was everything that was left of the dungeon turning into nothing but rubble. The last of the levels were collapsing and I shut the portal before the debris could fly through. There was no longer anything left of the laboratory. If I could, I would have taken the lore that man spent his life adding to and crushed it into oblivion.


    Once I was through the portal, I took one look across the five startled men. When my eyes fell on the sickly children, an ugly expression fell across my face. I didn¡¯t look in the mayor¡¯s direction again as I started walking outside.


    ¡°H-hey!¡± he cried out as I passed by him, reaching out for my arm.


    I turned back, and whether it was some invisible pressure or the look in my eye, his hand stopped in place and his lips froze. It wasn¡¯t that I hated the man. Rather, I was pissed that he had acted completely innocent in all of this, even going so far as to seek my sympathy by showing me the children, yet he knew the sins of this village. He had even been complicit in them. Just because he hadn¡¯t worked alongside the catkin, he had still shown himself worthy of scorn.


    ¡°You let them experiment on your families, your friends, your neighbors,¡± I spoke in a low, quiet voice that turned out to be more frightening than when I yelled.


    He looked away. ¡°They¡¯re cursed. They¡¯re sickly¡­ and dying. The catkin tribe dealt with them for us, gave them a purpose, and put them to use. Gave their pitiful lives value. Then, they started coming for two-tailed, and three-tailed, foxkin not suffering from any ailments, but by then it was too late to object¡­¡±


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    The wolfkin gave the foxkin disgusted looks. Wolfkin were pack animals, after all. The pack mattered to them. They didn¡¯t know the whole story, but they had heard enough. The idea of turning on each other was repulsive to them.


    ¡°The rabbit-kin working with you. Was that also a ruse?¡±


    He looked away. ¡°The rabbitkin hate our kind the most. Still, they sought us out with the hopes that we would help them, even after they looked down on us so much. It¡­ it was always the catkin who gave us a chance. They were more comfortable with death than most of the other animalkin. That¡¯s why we always supported them as the alpha tribe and tried to do as they asked.


    ¡°We truly thought we were doing the right thing. Some may have died, but they were dying anyway. We believed that this research would allow them to return to normal, to return home. A few lives to cure this curse. Was that really so bad? Most of them volunteered¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen your kind of volunteering!¡± I took a step toward him, causing him to stumble back. ¡°You push them into a corner, make them feel abandoned. Only when they have nothing left would they cling to that tiny olive branch you extended.¡±


    ¡°We made a mistake.¡± He lowered his head. ¡°I truly regret-¡±


    ¡°You only regret that they started going after those you didn¡¯t ostracize, those you considered healthy and normal.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about the foxkin. Two tails, five tails¡­ you¡¯re all the same to me. You can betray, ostracize, and torture each other all you want and it¡¯s no business of mine.¡± My expression darkened. ¡°But you never should have sold out Miki.¡±


    ¡°She had figured out a way to keep living, so we thought that she would have the secret¡­ that¡¯s what the catkin told us.¡±


    At that point, I noticed a rising group of voices outside. The mayor stiffened, his expression going white for a second. He then gave a worried glance in my direction, or more specifically at the sword in my hand.


    I turned away and shoved the door open to find a large crowd of foxkin emerging on the small building. It wasn¡¯t just everyone who had been in the inn earlier. Now, it looked like just about everyone in town had gathered. Several had weapons or torches. It looks like I had stirred things up in this small village a bit too much, and now they were planning to drive me out of town. Let¡¯s see where this went.

 Chapter 1251

    When the mayor walked out and noticed his peers, he fell into silence. I noticed him stepping to the side as if to take his distance from both me and the crowd that was glaring at me. I could hear words of anger and derision, so there was no doubt what the crowd wanted.


    After a few moments of mutters and wordless shouts, a man stepped out who seemed to be leading them. ¡°You need to leave, stranger.¡±


    Directly behind him was a woman who was clinging to his arm. She nodded her head enthusiastically, almost like she was goading him on. The pair looked terrified looking up at me who towered over them, but they were bolstered by the crowds behind them.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. I plan to leave.¡± I spoke up, cause the mumbling to quiet. ¡°I found what I wanted to know. I just never would have guessed the foxkin were such ¡­ animals¡­¡±


    A wave of discontent swept through the crowd, the man huffed angrily. ¡°You don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re talking about!¡±


    I looked down at him with a frown. ¡°I don¡¯t? Aren¡¯t you the ones who sold out your own families like cowards? I suppose I should have known better. After all, you were already selling them off to slavery so you didn¡¯t have to deal with them. How could I expect such people to have any honor at all.¡±


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    I probably should have stayed quiet, but I was furious. Miki had never once spoken ill of this village. She had always treated it as a mutual understanding. Her family did their best, but in the end, she didn¡¯t want to be a burden. She had always hidden the truth. They were just a bunch of cowards who sold off their families so that they didn¡¯t have to struggle with things.


    ¡°They¡¯re cursed people! Every day is a pain for them! They couldn¡¯t bear to be in that pain anymore. We did what we had to so that their final days could be peaceful!¡± The man declared back defiantly.


    ¡°They couldn¡¯t bear it? Or you couldn¡¯t bear it.¡± I asked, snorting. ¡°Miki was better than you. She was better than all of you!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a monster!¡± The woman holding onto the man shouted. ¡°She cursed us¡­ she cursed me! She didn¡¯t hesitate to ruin all of our lives!¡±


    Her words were echoed by several more people. ¡°She¡¯s evil.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s destroyed us all!¡±


    ¡°That child should never have been born.¡±


    ¡°Curse¡­¡± I mumbled, and then my eyes widened as I began to realize what happened.


    They all seemed to flinch with just that word. I looked back into the building behind me, and then out across the foxkin here. Within the inn, there had been too few to notice, but now seeing more of the village, I could see various people who looked paler and sicker than others. I couldn¡¯t help but throw my head back and laugh. It was a harsh, unforgiving laugh.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Alysia spoke quietly.


    ¡°That¡¯s what is wrong with them. Their so-called curse.¡± I wiped a tear from my eye as the expressions on the foxkin turned increasingly ugly. ¡°Before Miki left, she caused everyone to awaken their spiritual tails. She turned all of you into the very things you feared. She turned you into spirit foxes!¡±

 Chapter 1252

    ¡°She had no right!¡± The woman shouted defiantly. ¡°She took everything from us!¡±


    ¡°How many tails do you have?¡± I demanded angrily, causing her to cower behind her husband once again. ¡°Three? Five? I guess the children, being so young, got hit with too much spiritual energy. That¡¯s why they are so sick. As for the rest of you, you¡¯re hardly affected at all.¡±


    ¡°A few who were unlucky enough to spawn too many tails died!¡± The foxkin man shouted. ¡°Many of us are racked with pain every night.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± I asked, causing the man to blink in shock. ¡°This is nothing more than your brethren had to deal with every day while you pretended to help them. The saddest thing about this all is that you¡¯re not cursed at all. You¡¯ve been given a gift, and you¡¯re too foolish to even do anything with it.¡±


    ¡°You dare!¡± He snarled, taking a step forward. ¡°You call it a gift? It¡¯s nothing but a curse, a bane placed on the foxkin for our sins in a previous life. It only brings misfortune and death!¡±


    I glared at him darkly. ¡°It didn¡¯t bring misfortune and death to Miki. She had controlled her power. She had been happy. When she came back here, she was looking to show you all another way, and instead, you tricked her and used her for your own purposes. You thought she¡¯d be the answer that would get rid of the spiritual tails for good, and instead, she awakened them in all of you. Now, you must live with it.¡±


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    ¡°Miki¡­ never should have been born.¡± The woman responded darkly, her hand tightening on the man¡¯s arm. ¡°She was a mistake.¡±


    The way she said those words caused a surge of anger to explode within me. I had not been planning to do anything with this group. Even if I hadn¡¯t seen the good in them, Miki had never wished them harm. She had truly been too good to these people. They didn¡¯t deserve it at all.


    ¡°Say that again¡­¡± I responded, my hand adjusting on the sword.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Alysia whispered in my ear as the woman continued to cower.


    ¡°Say it¡­¡± I responded, causing the entire group of foxkin to make up a step.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act so noble!¡± The man let out a snarl. ¡°I know who you are. You¡¯re the man who bought her. You paid for her like an object, just to play with her. Was using her like a toy worth it? This is your fault! If it wasn¡¯t for you, she¡¯d have been dead by now like she was supposed to. She would have been better off dead!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know when my hand had lunged out, but I grabbed his neck and lifted him. The woman that had been holding onto him let out a cry as she was shoved to the ground. Everyone else, rather than running to help, cowered back. Even here, they didn¡¯t seem to care about protecting their own. They were happy to bully others when they had the upper hand, but they would just as quickly turn on each other when it was convenient.


    ¡°And what right do you have?¡± I screamed.


    ¡°Stop!¡± The woman cried out, the only one who got back up and started trying to hit my arm. ¡°Leave him alone! We have every right!¡±


    ¡°And how is that?¡± I hissed.


    ¡°We¡¯re her parents!¡±

 Chapter 1253

    I was shocked for a moment. I knew her family must be around, but I never thought they¡¯d be leading the charge. Compared to Miki¡¯s pale hair and complexion, the pair of them had a much darker complexion, and hair that was closer to a golden brown than her pale white. That¡¯s why, despite this girl¡¯s similarities to Miki, I hadn¡¯t realized it. Now that I truly looked at her, she looked a bit like Miki would have looked in a few years had she not lived her first years of life in constant pain and weakness. She was plumper, with a larger chest and darker skin. She was staring at me with a glare.


    I dropped the man, my brief moment of shock turning to disdain. He collapsed to the ground, and the woman kneeled helping him as he gasped for breath. Her parents were standing before me. I would have rather them be dead than to see such a family. I had been hurt when I found my mom had moved on, but this was on a completely different level.


    ¡°It seems I¡¯ve been mistaken.¡± My voice was cold.


    ¡°Now that you understand¡­¡± The woman that would be Miki¡¯s mother was focused on her husband, so she didn¡¯t grasp the tone of my voice.


    The mayor did, and he nervously took several more steps back. He looked more like a rabbitkin himself, ready to flee at a moment¡¯s notice.


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    ¡°Miki had always spoken well of her people. Her biggest regret had always been that she couldn¡¯t be a healthy daughter for her mother and father. She had wanted more than anything to become strong and show you both that she had made something of herself. She had wanted to show you that your kindness to her wasn¡¯t in vain.¡±


    My words had caused the woman who was helping her husband up to freeze. Her back was to me, so I couldn¡¯t see the expression on her face. That was probably for the best.


    ¡°Then, just leave.¡± Her voice came out tired.


    ¡°You misunderstand.¡± I sighed. ¡°I had been under the impression you were decent and misguided people, based on Miki¡¯s words. I appear to be mistaken. I had thought that destroying that lab, and ending the life of that head scientist, would be enough to make things even, but it seems like the rot is far deeper than the surface.¡±


    As I spoke, a miasmic-like aura started to resonate off of me. It spread out across the street, carpeting the foxkin in an instant. It was filled with my emotions of anger, frustration, and righteousness. I may not be the most powerful person in the five countries, or even within Aberis, but compared to a bunch of commoners in a no-named village, they might as well be ants compared to me.


    ¡°Lord Deek, what are you saying?¡± This voice came from behind, it was the wolfpack leader.


    Even he was shaken by my words. He had lifted his hand, but in the end, he was too afraid to touch my shoulder.


    ¡°This village will pay with its life.¡± I lifted my blade. ¡°If you don¡¯t wish to be my enemy, then you¡¯ll stand aside. For the rest of you, you all must give sacrifice!¡±

 Chapter 1254

    A power exploded out from me. The foxkin wanted to run, but the pressure was too great. Many of them were already ill, so when they felt it, they couldn¡¯t help but collapse to their knees. Miki¡¯s parents were at the center of that. They curled up to each other like defenseless lambs ready to be slaughtered. At least, they wouldn¡¯t make this difficult for me.


    As for the Wolfkin Pack, they had drawn their swords, but ultimately they hesitated when they realized my true power. This was all just for show though. The real attack was accessing the dungeon store, which caused all my blessings to glow across my body, giving me a dark and powerful appearance. I accessed meteor, which I planned to use to wipe this town from existence. It was unlikely any of these people had health insurance, and even if they did, I didn¡¯t care at the moment.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± A voice spoke up as I selected Meteor. ¡°Deek.¡±


    Alysia used my name, causing me to hesitate for just a second.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to try to stop me, are you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You have every right to kill them,¡± Alysia spoke quietly. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ Lady Death¡­¡±


    ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t.¡±


    I froze for a second. ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°Miki is not herself. She has been changed by what happened to her. She¡¯s been killing village after village indiscriminately. She didn¡¯t hesitate to murder everyone in that lab. Yet, when it came to this village, they are the only thing she left alive. All she did was make them like here. I just want you to ask yourself, is this what Miki wants?¡±


    My hand shook slightly. No matter how awful these people were, they were her family. She cared about them in a way I didn¡¯t understand. Perhaps it was, in the same way, I didn¡¯t care no matter what evil things Miki, Elaya, or Astria had done. I loved them anyway. If I did this, Miki would never complain. She¡¯d never defy me. However, there would be a piece of her that would die with it.


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    The glowing light faded, and I lowered my sword back down. Miki had saved this town once again, and they would never understand it.


    ¡°I won¡¯t kill you all today,¡± I spoke out loud amongst the infinite quietness. ¡°Miki was far too good for all of you. In the end, she will be the one who decides your fates.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what does that mean?¡± It was the mayor who seemed to recover enough to speak.


    ¡°If you think of running, I have already marked you all. I can find you anywhere in the world. Once I have recovered Miki, she will be the one who decides your fates. If she wishes you dead, then I will kill you without a second thought.¡±


    ¡°M-Miki is lost¡­¡± Her mother said, still gasping for breath. ¡°That thing isn¡¯t my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Then pray the daughter I bring back is one who can forgive you. I never will. Her fate decides your fate. If for any reason I can¡¯t save her, then you won¡¯t live long past that.¡±


    ¡°Deek¡­¡± the wolfkin leader looked over at me awkwardly.


    In the end there, they had wanted to stop me. Being disgusted by foxkin was one thing, but massacring a village was quite another. Their sense of honor wouldn¡¯t allow such a thing. I vaguely wondered when I had stopped caring about such things. I could pick a specific moment, but at some point, I had realized I wasn¡¯t the same kind-hearted boy I had once been.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving,¡± I announced, glancing at the wolfkin pack. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ll be taking things into my own hands from this point on. Thank your lord for his assistance. I will remember it.¡±


    I lowered my knees, and then jumped, using several bonuses of enhanced strength I had set up while reconfiguring my dungeon skills. I exploded into the air, creating a small crater where I had been. I was about fifty feet into the air and above the treeline when I created a step and then shoved off it, this time at an angle heading in the direction of the rabbitkin city and Miki. The air cracked as I exploded off into the distance at a ridiculous rate. I had done something like this once while fighting Astria, but this time I was using it purely for speed.


    I was just hoping, using my powerful legs to leap great distances. To the people down below who wouldn¡¯t understand that, I looked like I rose into the air and then flew away.


    The wolfkin pack who had been traveling with me for nearly a week were sweating. They were merely rank A adventurers as a group but had been acting mostly arrogantly. The kind and friendly cook that had traveled with them quietly had suddenly turned into a powerful demon king. At least, that was the appearance.


    ¡°D-did you know he could do that?¡± One of the wolfkin muttered in disbelief.


    The leader could only shake his head with wide eyes. Although, he knew he¡¯d never forget meeting this man, and when sharing stories with his grandchildren about his time as an adventurer, his best one might be about that time he had traveled alongside the legendary hero, Lord Deek Deekson.

 Chapter 1255

    ¡°Did I¡­ go too far?¡± I asked as I flew through the air, occasionally landing to take a break.


    ¡°No, Master was very cool!¡± Alysia declared.


    Well, at least my sword thought I was cool. I was still fuming after dealing with Miki¡¯s parents. I hadn¡¯t said another word to them as I left. I was afraid of any more words were exchanged, I might do something I¡¯d regret later. If I was being technical, they were the first parents I had ever met for any of my lovers, I mean¡­ where I didn¡¯t also have their mom as my slave and potential lover. That probably said something about me, but I didn¡¯t want to think about it.


    We moved at a rather alarming rate, but it was a method that took a toll on my body. For an explosive battle, it wasn¡¯t a problem, but for a long-term transportation method, it used a lot of energy. When I was in the air, I tried to cast out my mana sense as far as it would go. Then, when I landed, I¡¯d use the new map to portal to the edge, and then do it again. It ate through a lot of dungeon points, but not my mana.


    Well, the way I had come to understand dungeon points, it technically still was my mana. Dungeon points came from the mana stored within blessings. So, when I used a dungeon point, I was essentially using up that mana until it had time to restore. For some skills, it was a continuous use, the mana regenerating at the same rate the skill was used. In other cases, the dungeon points had to be consumed, executing the skill in a single-use.


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    Since these dungeon points were allocated to specific skills and specific purposes, they could be used more efficiently than normal mana. It was like having a house connected to electricity, but also having a generator specifically connected to a high-powered device. When that device needs energy, the generator can provide it without taking from your normal reserve¡­ but in the case that you need a little extra energy, the generator could do that as well. At least, that was how I understood it.


    Reset naturally through this dedicated mana reserve off, allowing me to use it for numerous different purposes. However, just like when I used a Portal, once that mana was depleted, I wouldn¡¯t be able to reallocate it until the mana was restored. I had never tested it out, but if I ever completely depleted my surplus mana pool from dungeon points, it would probably render me unable to use Portal or any of my other abilities.


    This had some crazy implications, like that my additional jobs were supported by mana. I wasn¡¯t sure about that. It was only my running theory. I had time to think as I was gliding through the ground. I didn¡¯t want to think about all of the pain and loneliness Miki must be feeling at that moment. I didn¡¯t want to think about how I had let her down. Thus, I let my mind dwell on these unimportant things.


    That only lasted a short time though. I was covered in sweat and exhausted from the constant use of my abilities, but only two hours later I came upon a clearing in front of a large city. Situated there was an army, and standing before them was a girl I recognized too well. It was too late. The army was already charging at Miki.

 Chapter 1256

    Miki was standing in the middle of a field. Her body was covered in dark robes. I couldn¡¯t see her face at all. The reason I knew it was her was because of the distinct tail sticking out the back of her robes, so much paler and more fragile than the other foxkin.


    An army of animalkin made up of catkin and rabbitkin was racing toward her. This was probably part of King Roth¡¯s plans. The rabbitkin wouldn¡¯t hesitate to fight to defend their kingdom. Fighting alongside your common foe was a great way to breed unity. It had essentially been how I united the west in a single swift moment. All of those lords and ladies who had ignored me and my rank were now tied to us after we defeated the demon lord. Well, my death might have put a hamper on things, but they were probably too busy rebuilding their seats of power across the west to focus too much on what happened to Chalm.


    I took a step forward, but then Alysia called out. ¡°Wait!¡±


    I stopped, not because she told me, but because I also felt it. There was a strange static to the air. It felt like a miasma, but also not miasma. That¡¯s when I noticed that her tail was spreading out into nine tails. However, they weren¡¯t the cacophony of rainbow colors that I had grown to admire. Instead, each tail was as black as night, giving an appearance like her shadow was growing from behind her. It was extremely menacing, but the soldiers still charged.


    Black flames erupted in a circle around her feet and spread out in a circle around her. At this point, a gathering of magicians all launched spells in her direction while also putting up protective barriers for their men. I wanted to leap out and block those fireballs, but my danger sense was exploding and telling me not to go. I had stood in front of armies before. The fear didn¡¯t come from the army. It came from Miki herself.


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    She raised a hand, and black fire rose in a massive wave. Wherever the magician¡¯s spells struck, they disappeared just as fast. This wasn¡¯t a shield that blocked mana. This was a shield that ate mana! She was absorbing their power! I recalled that the crazed scientist had said that Miki had become a conduit become life and death. In many ways, that also made her a conduit of mana and miasma. It was clear to see her absorptive abilities were unbelievable.


    The men had crossed 2/3<sup>rds </sup>of the distance to Miki. They were lowering their weapons, some even glowing with the power of activating some unknown skill. They had spoken of capturing her, but they didn¡¯t need her alive. There were probably better ways to control her if she was already dead.


    She looked down at the army of nearly five hundred men racing toward her on mounted crag cats. She didn¡¯t appear frightened in the least. She casually raised her hand.


    ¡°Die.¡±


    Her words were quiet, but they seemed to pierce through the air, filling it. She didn¡¯t speak it like a threat. She wasn¡¯t angry. Instead, it felt more like an order that had to be obeyed.


    An aura erupted out from Miki, spreading out in a dome-like pattern. The first wave of crag cats reached, and the men barely let out screams as their bodies disintegrated. Within two steps they had gone from fully fleshed men and muscular mounts into only bones collapsing to the ground. There was a splash of dust that fell forward a bit, and then nothing.

 Chapter 1257

    The dome around Miki grew, striking the second group. They experienced the same fate as the first, being quickly reduced to nothing but ash and bone. Perhaps other eyes couldn¡¯t see this, but I could tell that their souls were being sucked from their bodies. They were being directly dragged into Miki along with the remainder of their life force.


    By the third row of soldiers, they had realized the folly of their charge and desperately tried to turn around. The army became a mess as those in front tried to turn around. The dome kept growing though and it struck them all. The magicians who were in the back frantically put up shields around themselves. Soldiers who were lucky enough to be near the mages tried to get within their protective shells. Those that weren¡¯t fast enough hit the outside. They started hammering against the dome with their fists, desperately crying to be let in.


    Miki¡¯s massive spreading dome of death overtook the protective shells. Those on the inside could only watch in horror as their allies on the outside were reduced to dust before their eyes. However, they let out breaths of relief as they were safe. The only ones who didn¡¯t look relieved were the magicians, who had expressions of fear and panic, sweat running down their faces. Had the soldiers breathing out sighs of relief noticed the looks of horror on the ones keeping up the shield, maybe they could have predicted what came next.


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    One by one, the shells flickered out, as if all of the mana within them had been drained away.  As the magicians collapsed, the miasma flowed in. The men inside barely had time to scream before they melted into ash as well. The barrier of death shrunk back down, moving far quicker this time, snapping out of existence as if it had never been there. There, Miki stood in the middle of the field.


    All of the grass around her in a massive circle was brown and dead. There wasn¡¯t a single living thing within five hundred meters of where Miki was standing. She stood in a field of bones and ash. Even the insects and birds in the forest behind me had gone eerily silent as if this act had shocked the nature of this world. As for the five hundred soldiers, there wasn¡¯t a single one remaining.


    The king hadn¡¯t been among these men. He was probably still waiting in his castle for good news. It seemed he had severely miscalculated Miki and her strength. I had as well. Miki casually lifted her head, her eyes falling on the city beyond. From this angle, I could see the city had fallen into panic. Women and children were fleeing out the other side, praying they could escape the incoming wave of death.


    Miki started to walk toward the city, her stride unwavering. Her feet crunched on the desiccated grass, and it was the only sound that could be heard. I swallowed hard and then stood up. It was time for me to back my move. It would bring Miki home.

 Chapter 1258

    ¡°Master, are you sure she¡¯ll be peaceful toward you?¡± Alysia asked nervously.


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t know how she¡¯ll react to seeing me. She might attack.¡±


    ¡°That attack¡­¡±


    ¡°Just in case, can you detach her from the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t connected to the dungeon. She absorbed the dungeon. In a way, she is the dungeon. It¡¯s not unlike when master powered a dungeon with his soul, except yours was an external dungeon, and hers is internal.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? The dungeon is inside her?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything more about dungeons than you do. In fact, I know a bit less. I can just tell you what I feel. I don¡¯t see a bond that can be cut.¡±


    ¡°Can you knock her unconscious?¡±


    She hesitated a minute before her voice was transmitted. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± I responded in disbelief.


    ¡°I knock someone out essentially by striking their spiritual energy. She¡¯s a spiritualist. Such an attack on her would be useless.¡±


    I frowned, finding that if things did come to blows, this would be troublesome. Of course, there was always the possibility that the second Miki saw me, she would break into tears, run into my arms, and cry. There was a chance that this would all end the second I called her name. There was a time I might have just run out and called to her, but I had experienced too many unexpected circumstances and was more cautious these days. I wanted a plan before I approached her. Regrettably, I didn¡¯t have a lot of time. Every second, she was getting closer to the city.


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    ¡°Can you cut the bond between the soul and the body?¡± I asked.


    ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that no good?¡±


    ¡°No, I can do it, but¡­¡± Her voice drifted off. ¡°I should be able to do it.¡±


    ¡°Tell me¡­¡± I didn¡¯t allow her to hide such a thing.


    She sighed. ¡°You felt it when she used her power. That sucking feeling. Just being near her, even when she¡¯s not doing anything, threatens to suck your soul out of your body and into her inner dungeon. I believe Master won¡¯t be sucked in, at least not easily. Your soul and body are too powerful to be easily ripped apart. However, my soul and blade are one¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a god blade though¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true, but the pull is incredible. She might be able to rip our bond apart and suck me in.¡±


    ¡°We have to try¡­¡±


    ¡°Trying isn¡¯t what I¡¯m worried about.¡± She explained hesitantly. ¡°The thing that leaves me worried is whether I can cut her body and soul while she¡¯s pulling on me. I might miss and strike her soul instead.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying¡­ I could kill her!¡±


    ¡°We have to give it a try,¡± I responded, bringing her blade form out. ¡°Let¡¯s leave it plan B though.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­¡±


    With no time to spare, the two of us leave the safety of the forest and walk out onto the dead plain, following behind Miki. I move quickly but stop about two hundred meters away from her. This was far enough. If she did do some kind of attack, I wanted to be ready for it. Holding my hands up to my mouth, I shouted.


    ¡°Miki!¡± Her body froze at my call. ¡°It¡¯s me, Deek! Your master? I¡¯m still alive! Ah¡­ actually, I did die, but you know it is me, right?¡±


    Miki slowly turned around. Slowly, her hands reached up and she grabbed the edges of her hood, pulling it back. Seeing her pale, sad face immediately tugged on my heartstrings. I instinctively took a step forward.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Alysia warned.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this anymore,¡± I explained. ¡°We can go home now. Okay?¡±


    A light smile formed on Miki¡¯s face. Tears began to run down her cheeks.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± She spoke quietly.


    ¡°Miki¡­¡±


    She did recognize me. I let out a breath of relief. She gently raised her hand.


    ¡°Die!¡± A wall of miasma shot toward me.


    It looked like it would be Plan B!

 Chapter 1259

    When the wave hit me, the feeling like something pulling intensified many times. I didn¡¯t just feel it, I could see my lifeforce being drained. If I had been a normal man, I might have been ripped apart in an instant. However, I had a god soul and immunity to miasma. It functioned as a shield, preventing her miasmic attack from damaging my body so quickly.


    That didn¡¯t mean I was out of trouble. I was still being drained, it was just happening slower to me, and against a much larger reserve. I accessed my store, causing all of the blessings on my body to glow. I buffed my body and protected it in any manner I could find. Regen, Life Reinforcement, Mana Absorption. I cast the spell Regeneration as well and used every other gradual healing spell I could. As I continued to buff myself, I took a step forward, and then another.


    My eyes were locked on Miki. I could see pain and reluctance in her eyes, but her teeth were clenched in a snarl, her hand up and sending wave after wave of death towards me. I moved forward step by step, and with every step, I grew closer, so did the strength of her spells. I pulled out vials of water life and drank them, trying to restore the damage as it was made.


    The pain grew horrifically. It felt like she was trying to rip my soul from my body. It felt that way because that was exactly what she was doing. Every step closer increased the strength of her suction. At first, I was regenerating faster than she could suck the life out of me, but as I halved the distance between us, my skin was starting to break apart. Black cracks formed across my skin as my body was seriously starting to break apart. More healing, more waters of life, I did everything I could to take the next step.


    Tears ran down her cheeks in rivers now. There was a fear in her eyes. There was a part of her inside that knew me. There was a part of Miki left. I would find it, and I would free it. That was all that mattered.


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    ¡°Master¡­¡± Alysia sounded just as pained as I was.


    It hurt, but this was nothing. After having my soul refined, I could manage at least this much. That¡¯s what I was telling myself. I halved the distance again. My skin was turning to ash, flaking away. The new skin was created, but it was grizzly seen. Anyone who saw me would think I looked grey and cracked, like a broken granite statue.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure I can do this¡­¡± Alysia stated in a panic.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make it,¡± I responded through gritted teeth before shouting to Miki. ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡±


    Her lips moved, but I couldn¡¯t hear the sound over the wind. I stepped forward again. And again. With each step, I made it closer and closer to her until I could hear the words coming from her mouth.


    ¡°Please¡­ no closer¡­ please¡­ Master¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t listen. I took the final steps, reaching out with my broken body that could barely move now, and grabbed her. She looked up at me, her eyes shaking wildly.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± She spoke so quietly that even right next to her, I could barely hear her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ save you,¡± I responded through gritted teeth.


    ¡°You can¡¯t¡­ please¡­ kill me¡­¡±


    ¡°Master! We need to cut her soul now!¡± Alysia declared.


    I pulled out Alysia, but the pressure was so great that I needed both hands to keep her from being ripped from me. Even then, the pull was immense, to the point that the blade started bending slightly to Miki like she was a black hole of spiritual power.


    ¡°Trust me¡­.¡± I raised my blade.


    ¡°Won¡¯t¡­ work¡­ if you cut¡­ my spirit from my body.¡± She gasped, her eyes filled with fear. ¡°Must¡­ Destroy my soul.¡±


    Her words were as difficult to get out as my own. Her face was covered in tears. I looked down at her small form, so powerful and lonely, my blade held high.


    ¡°Whatever happens next¡­ I¡¯ll deal with it.¡± I declared.


    She was slightly shaking her head in protest, but she couldn¡¯t move to stop what was about to happen, and I never intended to stop.


    ¡°Master!¡± Alysia cried out.


    ¡°Alysia¡­ don¡¯t miss.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡±


    I dropped my blade and slammed it home¡­ directly into my own chest.

 Chapter 1260

    ¡°Nooooo!¡± Alysia let out a scream of shock.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Miki¡¯s eyes widened too, completely shocked that the strike meant for her went to me. If I had told Alysia my intent, then she never would have agreed. My soul was cut free from my body. There was a slice of pain, but her cut was clean. Even if she nicked my soul, I had soul to spare. Even if Miki hadn¡¯t said something about the plan failing, perhaps turning her into a real monster or even a dungeon if she died, I had decided on this anyway. My soul slipped from my body, and as I slipped away, I snatched Alysia with me.


    ¡°Hold on! This is going to be a rocky ride!¡± I cried out to her.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Alysia made a surprised noise as her blade turned into light and then was tugged away from my body.


    It collapsed to the ground while my soul shot right into Miki. As soon as I struck Miki, I felt a torrent of energy. I was being flung around this way and that, and it caused quite the feeling of vertigo. If I had a mouth, I might have even thrown up. The turbulence threatened to rip Alysia from my arms, but I held onto her tightly as the pair of us seemed to fall endlessly through an area that transcended space and time.


    There was a somewhat familiar feeling though as well. I had a feeling I knew where I would end up. After all, this wasn¡¯t the first time I had entered a soul dungeon. After what felt like an eternity. I felt my body reforming. Rather, this was a body created from my soul. I slammed into the ground with a thud. At that same moment, I saw text appear in front of me.


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    {You have entered the dungeon, Miki¡¯s Mind Prison. Destroy the lore to break the curse, or complete the lore for extra dungeon points and a blessing!}


    My five senses returned to me, and I forced myself to roll over. My body felt like it had been thrown into a blender. Well, considering Miki¡¯s death curse was ripping me apart inside and out, a blender would be an apt description.


    ¡°Master! Master!¡±


    I felt a person grab me. I opened my eyes and squinted to see Alysia¡¯s freckled face looking down on me tearfully.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay¡­¡± I moaned.


    ¡°Good.¡± She suddenly hit me hard on the shoulder.


    ¡°Owww!¡±


    ¡°How dare you do that to me!¡± She grabbed my arm between her finger and thumb.


    ¡°N-no pinching!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ jerky jerk!¡±


    ¡°Bullying! I¡¯m being bullied!¡± I cried out.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± She turned her back on me. ¡°You deserve it!¡±


    I sat up, chuckling softly. Despite everything, I felt surprisingly good. I had a powerful soul, so when I was in a soul dungeon, I didn¡¯t have any of the physical problems. It was a relaxing state to be in. Looking over at Alysia who had her back to me, I gently nudged her back.


    ¡°I love you¡­¡± I responded teasingly.


    ¡°How easy do you think I am?¡± She responded. ¡°I notice you¡¯re not apologizing!¡±


    I wrapped my arms around her. She stiffened for a moment, but she didn¡¯t fight it.


    ¡°I would apologize, but now is not the right time. Perhaps a little later I¡¯ll give you a full apology in private.¡± I gently bit her ear.


    Her face turned red. ¡°A-as long as you understand¡­ ahem¡­ where are we?¡±


    Alysia was quite weak to flirtation, and rather than further face such embarrassment, she¡¯d rather quickly forgive and move on. Suffice it to say, with our souls so close to each other, I was getting to know her far too well.

 Chapter 1261

    ¡°This is Miki¡¯s inner dungeon¡­ um¡­ a soul dungeon, I guess.¡± I explained.


    ¡°A¡­ soul dungeon? I thought she ate the dungeon?¡± Alysia inquired as she stood up.


    I looked around the area we were currently in. This place resembled a world. It reminded me a bit of the Maid¡¯s Lament, but I had a feeling I was locked to invisible walls. We appeared to be in an open grassy meadow with a bright sun beating down on us. For a dungeon formed from Lady Death, this place was surprisingly filled with life. I could hear birds tweeting and bugs chirping.


    ¡°She used the energy, lore, and power of that dungeon to create her own curse inside her soul. It¡¯s kind of like what Maid¡¯s Lament did to my dungeon, and then I subsequently did back to Maid¡¯s Lament. Although, rule-wise, this place would be closer to The Illusory Sword Dungeon.¡±


    I realized by now that dungeons came in so many sizes and types that they did need classifications. There would need to be something much more thorough than labeling them by size or difficulty like some countries did. If there was ever a point in my life where I retired, maybe I¡¯d write a book about dungeons that could serve to assist future generations. Better yet, maybe I could make a dungeon that held historical lore, like a living museum. Maybe something like that already existed?


    ¡°This inner world, do you think Miki created it to protect everyone?¡± Alysia offered. ¡°If everyone who gets sucked in ends up in this world¡­ are they really dead?¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re alive, then¡­¡±


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    ¡°ROOOOAAAAR!¡±


    While the pair of us were having an easy conversation, there was a monstrous roar behind us. We spun around to see some towering behemoth shrouded in shadows. It took a swipe, sending a powerful attack that rippled through the air. I grabbed Alysia and leaped back, narrowly dodging the weapon.


    ¡°If she brought them in here, they¡¯re probably destroyed!¡± I cursed. ¡°Alysia, sword now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Alysia declared, closing her eyes.


    The shadow monster seemed to grow enraged that its first strike failed. It started charging for a second, but the blade that was supposed to appear in my hand felt different. Instead, I still had Alysia in my arms.


    ¡°Alysia?¡±


    ¡°M-master! I don¡¯t know! I¡¯m supposed to change!¡±


    Alysia was in her normal Osterian form. I had thought that she would still be able to turn into a sword, but when she arrived she was in her human form. It was possible that she still saw herself as human more than a sword. Either way, we didn¡¯t have time to troubleshoot this. The monster was storming toward us.


    I reached into my Inventory to pull out a weapon, but just as I did, a man leaped between us. The shadow monster leaped up, but the man raised his blade, striking the creature in a precision attack. His weapon struck, and a powerful wave of energy flew out, bisecting the shadow in an instant. He landed on the ground, and then stood up, turning to us, a big smile on his face.


    The guy was extremely attractive. It wasn¡¯t like he was feminine like Octius. He was clearly a guy, but just a very attractive man who seemed filled with charm. He was about as tall as me, with a certain goodness to him that was difficult to explain. He just gave off an aura like he was trustworthy. However, he had a bushy tail and fox ears. In short, he was a foxkin, like Miki.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I demanded cautiously.


    ¡°Me?¡± He asked, laughing merrily. ¡°I¡¯m just a passing hero. I¡¯m here to save the day!¡±


    It stood to reason that if every soul that died ended up here, then certain strong souls might have been able to hold out. It looked like I had run into one of Dioshin¡¯s heroes.

 Chapter 1262

    ¡°Since the danger is gone, come with me.¡± The foxkin prettyboy gestured with a large smile.


    He seemed like someone I could trust, but that was exactly why I was suspicious of him. I didn¡¯t know this guy at all. He could be anyone. There was a chance he didn¡¯t even look like how he appeared. After all, our forms were made up of our souls. In general, this reflected your actual appearance, but I had experienced too much in this world not to think that there might be a person who had the right set of skills to be able to take any form they wanted in a soul dungeon like this.


    ¡°Where do you want to take us?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± He seemed surprised I hesitated over his offer. ¡°That¡¯s right, you¡¯re new here! This place is filled with perils, just look at that shadow monster I destroyed! They threaten everyone who shows up here. That¡¯s why I and a few others have been rescuing who we can. There is a city not too far from here with walls that keeps the shadow creatures out.¡±


    ¡°A city¡­ you say¡­¡±


    I pulled up the Map. It seemed to treat this area like a physical place and had started mapping out the region immediately around me. If there was a city, it was a bit too far away for my mana to reach. After thinking about it a moment, I gave a nod, taking Alysia¡¯s hand. She blushed slightly as I started to guide her as I followed the foxkin. It might seem weird, but after being close to Alysia for so long, I rather preferred it that we remained in contact.


    The foxkin man seemed to look at our hands touching, and he made a strange expression before turning away and saying nothing more about it. The pair of us glanced at each other but then continued to follow his steady stride. I didn¡¯t see any more of these shadow creatures, but I did detect them on my map. They were remaining just out of sight as if they were afraid of us¡­ or perhaps they were afraid of this guy.


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    ¡°Excuse me, what is your name anyway?¡± I asked.


    ¡°People call me Master.¡± He laughed.


    ¡°Master¡­ Hero?¡± Alysia blinked.


    ¡°You like it?¡± He asked, smiling at her. ¡°I could be your Master if you wanted.¡±


    Alysia froze in shock at his sudden offer. I moved slightly in front of her, shooting him a glare.


    ¡°She¡¯s mine.¡±


    He threw his head back and laughed, and then shot me a grin. ¡°Maybe, for now. However, don¡¯t blame me if she decides she wants me instead.¡±


    ¡°That would never happen,¡± Alysia responded, although she was blushing.


    I knew part of her embarrassment was because this guy was so attractive, and that annoyed me. Even though he made such a move, why couldn¡¯t I shake the feeling like he was trustworthy? I knew Alysia had the same feeling, which made him even more dangerous.


    ¡°Okay, Hero¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t going to call this guy Master. ¡°Do you know what is happening?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Souls are being taken and dropped into this world. It is my job to protect those souls until the day I can free her.¡±


    ¡°Free her?¡± I blinked, surprised that he spoke so certainly.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± He nodded. ¡°Somewhere deep in this dungeon, there is a woman who is trapped by a terrible curse. She¡¯s a foxkin beauty. Once I¡¯m able to get together a group of sufficiently strong warriors, I plan to go on a quest to free her.¡±


    ¡°You really know about Miki?¡± I was shocked.


    Most people should have just known Lady Death. To them, she would have been a specter of evil. For this man to both know Miki and want to save her, I didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°Of course, I know her.¡± He sighed. ¡°She¡¯s the love of my life.¡±


    ¡°¡­ huh?¡±


    He made a fist. ¡°Once I save her, I¡¯ll make her my woman and %^$& the crap out of her!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±

 Chapter 1263

    ¡°F%&ing beautiful women is the greatest part of life.¡±


    ¡°What is¡­ I don¡¯t even¡­ I can¡¯t¡­¡± I turned to Alysia. ¡°Did I hear him right?¡±


    She nodded dumbly. His words were vulgar. Actually, they weren¡¯t vulgar, because whenever he spoke them there was a beep sound and his mouth blurred slightly. This guy who gave off such good vibes was a lewd potty mouth. This didn¡¯t even get into the part about him wanting to bang my woman!


    ¡°Don¡¯t act so surprised.¡± He chuckled. ¡°No one does anything for free. I just like $^%#ing is all. I can¡¯t wait to bend Miki over and stick my $^%& into her waiting %^$$& and pound her tight $%&% until she %^%s all over the place.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking¡­ please.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°Well, what I need are capable people. I need a Harem of sexy women to fight by my side.¡±


    ¡°Sexy¡­harem¡­ woman¡­¡± I responded, feeling like this guy was too much.


    He eyed Alysia and then winked. ¡°I only need one more. Perhaps, you¡¯ll join us?¡±


    I felt extremely irritated. On the one hand, this guy was helping people and even wanting to protect Miki. I had expected had I found anyone in here, killing or defeating Lady Death would be their only goal. Somehow, I would have preferred to run into someone who just wanted Miki dead and was unwilling to see her beauty. Somehow, this was just so much worse.


    ¡°Do you know which direction Miki is?¡± I asked.


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    ¡°I do!¡± He nodded. ¡°Ah, but I won¡¯t tell anyone who isn¡¯t in my party.¡±


    ¡°I want to go save her myself. If you tell me the direction, I can do it.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± He laughed. ¡°Only I can save her. I¡¯m the hero. What are you? Nobody! That¡¯s who!¡±


    Feeling my eye twitching, Alysia stroked my arm to calm me down. ¡°Alright, in that case, how about I join your party.¡±


    He gave me an awkward look. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t %&&% guys.¡±


    ¡°This $%&^! Huh? Even me?¡±


    I glared at this guy who was quickly becoming my mortal enemy. He was the absolute worst pig I could imagine. I wanted to just beat him up and leave him in the dirt.


    It wasn¡¯t long following him in silence before we came out in an area overlooking a walled-off town. As he approached, people let out cries.


    ¡°It¡¯s the hero! Master is here!¡±


    The gate immediately opened, and Hero walked forward, his arms outstretched as various animalkin made a show of applause. We followed behind him, my attitude slowly growing bleaker and bleaker by the minute.


    ¡°Master! Master!¡±


    As we were passing through the crowds, a familiar voice called out, immediately catching my attention. All three of us ended up turning to see a beautiful woman running toward us. When I saw her, I nearly cried out. I had already experienced one surprise after another. This was one I hadn¡¯t expected at all. It was a familiar catgirl.


    Lydia was running toward me, her familiar orange and black tail swishing as she moved. She looked just like I remembered. She was beautiful and strong and had an affectionate smile on her face. She had her hand up waving to me as she ran.


    Lydia had her soul taken by Miki too? She was an animalkin. I supposed it wasn¡¯t too unreasonable to believe that she ended up in Dioshin as well. Either her travels took her past Miki, or she had heard of the trouble and come of her own volition. That she ended up getting sucked into this as well, was truly surprising.


    ¡°Ah¡­ here comes one of my party now!¡± Hero cried out.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    Before I could react, Lydia ran into his arms, wrapping them around him. I didn¡¯t even have time to process that before she wrapped her arms around him, and then started kissing him.

 Chapter 1264

    ¡°What the %^&^!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t even a guy who liked to swear but seeing this caused me flare-up in a rage. My words seemed to catch Lydia, who turned to me. She let out a cry, her eyes widened.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± She took a few steps toward me, holding out her hand. ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡± I asked.


    Wait¡­ from her perspective, I was dead. Did she move on so quickly? I had only been with her for two months before seemingly dying. By all accounts, I had been gone almost as long as I had been with them. Was it arrogance thinking that my girls would move on? I felt, anger, confusion, and frustration.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know¡­ that you had brought home a new friend!¡± She threw her arms around me and kissed me.


    I pushed her off. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Lydia smiled, and then glanced at Hero. ¡°He¡¯s a shy one, but he¡¯s cute. Can I %^$# him?¡±


    ¡°Now, now, my %^#$ is the only %&&% you can %^&%.¡±


    ¡°Awwwwww¡­¡± She whined. ¡°But I want to %$^& him. I¡¯ll &&%$ anything that moves, after all.¡±


    My hurt expression slowly turned incredulous. I didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t understand what I was dealing with her.


    ¡°Where are Celeste, Terra, and Shao?¡± Hero asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re coming now. I know, let¡¯s have a big orgy and %^$% everyone!¡± Lydia announced before looking at Alysia. ¡°Is she the final girl?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°She¡¯s in a relationship!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s never stopped you before!¡± Lydia responded. ¡°Just take her and then %^$% her, and the other guy will just have to go away.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m the other guy!¡± I snapped. ¡°Hold that, what the heck is going on? Celeste is in Aberis where she is safe. Shao is in another world. There is no way any of them are here.¡±


    Lydia and Hero stared at me blankly and then turned back to each other.


    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful. I want to %7%$ you so bad.¡±


    ¡°Stooop!¡± She blushed. ¡°I want to %&& your ^*&^ right here in the street.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± I felt like I was going insane.


    ¡°M-master¡­ I have a theory¡­¡± Alysia spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take anything at this point.¡±


    ¡°What did you say this dungeon was called?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, it¡¯s Miki¡¯s Mind Prison.¡±


    ¡°So, this dungeon is fundamentally a curse that has imprisoned her within her own mind.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it stand to reason that the people closest to Miki, those she knew the best, would¡­ um¡­ personify within the dungeon? You don¡¯t necessarily need a piece of the soul to recreate someone. Just a strong enough imprint into someone else¡¯s soul, right?¡±


    I looked at her, and then turned to Lydia. ¡°Are you saying this is a duplicate of Lydia?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly¡­ more like, this is Lydia from Miki¡¯s point of view.¡±


    As we were speaking, Lydia approached Alysia. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to join Master? You can $%$^ him. I really want to %$^& you as well.¡±


    As if to punctuate this, her tail lifts up and then she pushed her butt against Alysia¡¯s arm. Alysia immediately pulled her arm away.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me please.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­ I¡¯m just a horny kitty¡­ I can¡¯t help it.¡± She purred. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll come to like it?¡±


    Alysia stiffened. ¡°N-no thank you¡­¡±


    Lydia shrugged and then ran back to Hero, rubbing her body all over him. He casually reached out and squeezed her ass, eliciting a yelp. Then, he threw his head back and laughed loudly, not even acknowledging he was in the middle of a public street.


    ¡°What I don¡¯t understand¡­ who is the foxkin guy?¡± I asked.


    Alysia turned and shot me a look of disbelief. Our eyes met silently for a few moments. I glanced away.


    ¡°Do I really need to explain?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°No¡­¡± I looked down, feeling even more depressed. ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, then, free $&%^s for everyone!¡± The pretty boy shouted.


    ¡°Yaaay!¡± Lydia threw her fist into the air.


    Everyone else nearby just ignored all of this like they were used to it from their savior. There was a look in their eyes like their souls were dying slightly from such vulgar yet censored dere-dere scenes. If that man and his women hadn¡¯t saved them all, they naturally wouldn¡¯t be able to stand it. They had all made themselves scarce. For any normal person, it was a bit much.


    ¡°I don¡¯t curse¡­¡± I muttered to myself, not sure how to handle such an awkward situation.


    Not only had Miki¡¯s mind conjured up an exaggerated duplicate of me and all of the girls, but it seemed like if I wanted to find her, I would need to work with them!

 Chapter 1265

    ¡°I¡¯m nothing like that, right? Right?¡± I whispered to Alysia.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, we need to put this into perspective. This is only a narrative, a lore. Lores and narratives are prone to exaggeration. We¡¯ve seen it before¡­ no, that would imply that this is an exaggerated form of me! I¡¯m not some pretty boy hero who goes around fondling and boning any woman that moves, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Alysia¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡±


    ¡°Right, but we also need to take in Miki. She has been through some intrinsically horrifying events. Her mind has nearly shattered. Naturally, after experiencing certain horrific events, her mind really would be in disorder.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Celeste is coming!¡± Lydia cried out, pointing down the street.


    We turned in that direction, only to see a pair of giant boobs hovering toward us. Alysia let out a cry, and my eyes widened. Everyone else in the town was acting like they didn¡¯t see anything. However, they were just a pair of floating boobs.


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ Celeste?¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± The Hero who was supposedly me that everyone called Master stepped forward, throwing us another smile. ¡°I should introduce you to all of my c%&^sleeves.¡±


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    I don¡¯t smile like that! And I don¡¯t think that about my women! Ahem¡­ I mean¡­  strong, independent women who aren¡¯t owned by any man¡­ except me¡­ technically.


    ¡°Mmm¡­mgsmmm..gmmms¡­¡± A muffled voice came out from the breasts.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, let me get those.¡± Master reaches over and splits the cleavage, causing a little head of Miki to appear.


    ¡°Hi! I¡¯m Celeste! Will you be the ones helping us?¡± She spoke in a very high-pitched voice, much higher than the real Celeste, almost like she had been sucking down helium.


    ¡°The girl is in a relationship with this guy.¡± The hero rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Now, now¡­ haven¡¯t I said before. You don¡¯t only need to use women. Some men could be strong and helpful too. We should take any help we can get. Plus, not every girl needs to be Master¡¯s woman.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? We should continue forth with another man beside us?¡± He frowned.


    ¡°As the smartest person on the team, I have been calculating the frequency of souls appearing in this dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Did she just say she¡¯s the smartest person on the team?¡± I asked tearfully.


    ¡°The consumption rate is increasing exponentially.¡± She continued in her high-pitched voice with a matter-of-fact tone. ¡°It will reach a point where we won¡¯t be able to keep people safe anymore. I fear the dungeon will hit a critical mass and begin to evolve. At that point, all of their souls will be digested into miasma, and we¡¯ll be in grave danger. At that point, the curse will become too difficult to take on. I implore Master to seriously consider starting this expedition immediately. I don¡¯t believe we can hold out for the hope that any more powerful warriors will appear.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ so you¡¯re saying that the ends justify the means. I must perform the evil act of partying with a man. Unless¡­ perhaps¡­ we could turn him into a woman?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± I cried out. ¡°No, not¡­ we¡¯re not doing that again.¡±


    I had a left-over potion of gender bender still in my inventory. I pulled it out and poured it on the ground in protest.

 Chapter 1266

    ¡°Very well, since the wisest of us all said as much, then I suppose you can come along,¡± the Hero responded poutily. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s fine as long as I have five powerful women. You can be the packhorse.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Just as I was about to snap at him, I heard a thudding sound. I turned to see a giant muscular person walking toward us.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ our next party member has arrived. Terra, my beautiful!¡±


    ¡°T-Terra!¡±


    Terra was as tall as me, and her shoulders were as wide as three me. She was a massive wall of muscles, and she didn¡¯t have a neck. She looked like a weight lifter, although one exaggerated to the extreme. As soon as she arrived, she flexed her biceps.


    ¡°Terra has come to fight!¡± She declared while flexing in a loud booming voice.


    Master walked up and hugged her, even though he was much smaller than her. ¡°My cute and sexy little Terra, you don¡¯t need to act that way with me.¡±


    She barely reacted, but she yelled out. ¡°Terra appreciates Master¡¯s attention!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re into that?¡± I cried out.


    Hero frowned at me. ¡°What are you saying? All women are beautiful, no matter their size.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ I said that once¡­ but¡­¡±


    ¡°Terra confused! Who is this scrawny man?¡± She boomed.


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    I had a headache. Rubbing my head, I wanted to know what was going through Miki¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Master, you needn¡¯t think about it too hard. It¡¯s not like Miki means you any offense. These are more personifications of the features she values the most from her friends. Lydia was her sexual guide, so why wouldn¡¯t she be eros personified. She always envied Celeste¡¯s simple way of thinking and cutting to the point of things, so she imagines her as intelligent. I mean, even you appear as a foxkin. Perhaps, in her idolized version of you, you¡¯d be the same race as her. Well, animalkin have always been tribal, so don¡¯t blame her too much for that.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Thank you, Shao¡­¡± I nodded thoughtfully and then jumped. ¡°Shao!¡±


    ¡°Shao!¡± Hero cried out, ¡°You¡¯re here!¡±


    Hero began to run to her. Shao suddenly leaped up and kicked him in the face. Hero went flying away, slamming into a wall.


    ¡°Stay away from me, you piece of $%^@!¡±


    I stared with my mouth open. The other girls only rolled their eyes as if this was expected of Shao. Is that how Miki saw our relationship? Shao and I were in a sadomasochistic relationship?


    ¡°Shao!¡± Hero peeled his face from the wall and gave a bloody smile. ¡°You¡¯re the same as always. I love you!¡±


    She spat. ¡°Trash! My real man is here. Stop embarrassing yourself!¡±


    She suddenly grabbed onto my arm. That¡¯s when I remembered her words earlier.


    ¡°Y-you called me Master? Wait, you¡¯re not the real Shao, are you?¡±


    She licked her lips. ¡°I wish I was. Regrettably, I¡¯m only another one of Miki¡¯s duplicates.¡±


    ¡°You seem¡­ strangely familiar with this?¡±


    ¡°For that, you need to understand how Miki saw me. Remember, I was introduced as having come from another world. I saw through your mind, and you saw through mine. That created a bond between us, where perhaps I understood you and you understood me more than anything. I understand the nature of this world because you understand the nature of this world. It¡¯s something like that.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡¯


    ¡°Of course, there might be a second part to it¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Even Miki¡¯s mind can¡¯t keep me from my true love. Even she can¡¯t imagine me accepting anything less than my real Master. This just proves you¡¯re mine forever!¡±


    Her eyes started turning slightly scary. Of every girl here, Shao was the only one she imagined exactly how Shao was in real life.

 Chapter 1267

    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Alysia spoke up. ¡°Look at the bright side. At least, you all made a deep enough impression on her that she created you within her mind. I¡¯m not even in this world. More than that, she wanted you to be the ones who rescued her. She created her own escape. That¡¯s pretty amazing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true¡­¡± Shao nodded. ¡°However, this party was destined to fail. Rather, we would have spent forever waiting to begin our mission. When the great purge Celeste spoke of happens, everyone who has been sucked in by Miki will die, and the dungeon inside her will evolve into a more powerful state. We¡¯ll be remade, and she¡¯ll start killing again, but even more next time. We¡¯ll try to save them, fail to act, and then the cycle will repeat until Miki is destroyed or there is no life left in that world. Well, this is the nature of most curses, to absorb and destroy. Miki¡¯s curse is death, so it¡¯s especially nasty.¡±


    ¡°I had been thinking something similar.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Of course, as I stated, I know what you know, so I¡¯m only repeating back to you your own thoughts. I¡¯m not able to confirm if such a thing is true.¡±


    ¡°R-right¡­¡±


    I felt that headache coming back again. This was all too surreal. The only saving grace was that this was in a soul dungeon, which meant that these guys technically didn¡¯t have physical bodies. The last thing I¡¯d want is for the soul of Terra or Lydia to end up combining with their real forms, wherever they were. That made me wonder if there wasn¡¯t a way I could use these versions of them to find the real ones. I asked Shao.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be possible.¡± Shao shrugged. ¡°These have no connection to the real ones. They weren¡¯t created from a piece of their soul, but just a memory. Even Elaya possesses more of the original Elaya¡¯s soul than these guys.¡±


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    ¡°I see¡­¡± I glanced over at the Hero¡¯s party that was still making a scene.


    I found my Slave Communication with the other girls was currently cut off, which was about as expected. It was probably for the best.


    ¡°Girls, after we save the day, we should all %^&%!¡± Hero cried out.


    ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s $^^%!¡± Lydia added.


    ¡°Terra would like this very much!¡±


    ¡°Mmmgdd¡­ mmmddmmm.¡± Celeste¡¯s chest was no longer being held open, so she was smothered by her cleavage.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the swearing?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°I wonder¡­¡± Shao tapped her finger on her lips.


    ¡°Remember, this dungeon was created by Miki¡¯s mind. Everything created in it essentially comes from her mind.¡± Alysia offered. ¡°Minds are a complicated thing. You might as well try to interpret dreams as guess why people think a certain way. Perhaps, she just associates vulgarity with swearing. Or, maybe she thinks it is alluring¡­ so when you act sexual she has you use it. Well, she censors it in her own mind, so she is clearly conflicted over it. Notice that Terra, Celeste, and Shao, who she doesn¡¯t see in a lewd light, don¡¯t swear at all.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡±


    I felt like I was in a case study regarding Miki¡¯s mind. I had noticed that this village we were in closely resembled Chalm. It didn¡¯t look like the city she grew up in. However, I also noticed that the doors were shorter. If I was to enter a building, I¡¯d need to bend over to get through the doors. Miki was shorter, and just didn¡¯t need that height, so the buildings created in her mind didn¡¯t have them. The outdoors seemed to carry a light scent of Lavender. Was that perhaps her favorite smell?


    ¡°Master, it might be best if you put the party in motion.¡±


    ¡°R-right¡­ you said that once she reached a critical mass, she¡¯d evolve. I already accepted I won¡¯t be able to save the city of rabbitkin, but surely once she¡¯s done with it, she¡¯ll be close to evolving.¡±


    ¡°You misunderstand. She¡¯s already reached that state. She¡¯s sitting outside of the city now. Her evolution will be complete in a few hours!¡±

 Chapter 1268

    ¡°We don¡¯t have any additional time to waste. Shao, do you know where Miki is?¡± I asked after hearing the limited timing that we had.


    ¡°Only that man knows the method of getting to her. You will need to work with him.¡± Shao gave a displeased look in the direction of Hero.


    ¡°I could destroy him and take away his karmic debt.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you can?¡± Alysia asked.


    I frowned. ¡°What are you implying?¡±


    She raised her hands. ¡°I don¡¯t mean any offense! It¡¯s just if he is how Miki thinks of you, what if she saw you as undefeatable? Then, would you be able to defeat him? He might even be more powerful than a dungeons final boss, depending on Miki¡¯s image of you.¡±


    ¡°As much as the cheap imitation irritates me,¡± Shao added. ¡°I must admit that she is right. You¡¯ll waste precious time and energy battling him, and even if you do take over his karma so the dungeon sees you like him, you¡¯d be weakening the overall team. Rather than replace it, it might be better if you just make use of him.¡±


    I nodded after considering their argument. It would be convenient if I just took his role. After all, Miki secretly wanted me to fulfill his role and complete this lore created within her mind. However, I¡¯d only be satisfying my wounded pride. It seemed like a smarter decision would be to work alongside this guy, even if it irritated me.


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    ¡°Then, Alysia, get him moving.¡±


    ¡°M-me!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m apparently just a tag-along in this narrative,¡± I explained, glancing at Hero. ¡°Since my role is currently being filled by someone else, you¡¯re the catalyst to push this story to a conclusion.¡±


    I had reasoned out a bit about this world of Miki¡¯s. Whatever they had done to her, she had created a means of saving everything. Built into the lore of this dungeon was a way to save all the souls she was taking, and also to save herself as well. It was truly amazing and spoke to Miki¡¯s incredible ability as a spiritualist and her tenacious will. Most dungeons had a goal, but they had no clue what they wanted nor how to achieve it. Miki¡¯s dungeon, on the other hand, had a very clear goal.


    Then again, that goal depended on a man Miki believed to be dead. She didn¡¯t believe I would be coming to save her. That¡¯s why the spot that needed to be filled was for someone else. Specifically, she believed that at one point of her friends, one of my former slaves, would come and get swallowed into her dungeon. That¡¯s when the sequence would initiate, and they¡¯d have a chance to complete the lore and save her.


    This was why Alysia had drawn Hero¡¯s interest in the first place. She met the criteria of being one of my slaves. So, I would have to depend on Alysia for now. At least, that was my reasoning.


    Unfortunately, there was a tiny problem with the plan, and that was timing. I had arrived at the very end of the dungeons feeding cycle, and Miki¡¯s dungeon was on the verge of evolving. I had no clue what that evolution meant, but I did know that a tsunami of miasma would flood this dungeon, destroying every soul in it and resetting the dungeon, much like the Maid¡¯s Lament. Our only chance now was to complete the lore in the next few hours.


    I nudged Alysia forward with my shoulder. We had to get moving.

 Chapter 1269

    ¡°D-Deek?¡± Alysia called out, but the guy ignored her and she glanced at me.


    I clenched my teeth slightly but I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Master?¡±


    The Hero who was still playing around with the girls as if he had a carefree life turned to Alysia and smiled. ¡°Yes, my beautiful little flower?¡±


    Alysia¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Um, it¡¯s best if we get a move on. We must rescue Miki quickly. There is little time.¡±


    He had Lydia in one arm as she rubbed against him, and boobs¡­ ahem¡­ Celeste with her boobs pressed against his other arm. He straightened up and let go of Lydia as he put on a heroic fa?ade.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve decided to become my woman, I naturally couldn¡¯t say no. Let us go off and save her!¡±


    As if that was all that needed to be said, he started strutting off. The other girls immediately began pulling him. Even Shao seemed to be drawn as if tied by some force.


    ¡°Come on¡­¡± She hissed, as she backed away.


    Alysia and I shared a glance and then started to follow the party. They walked straight out of town, seemingly moving in a straight line down a long rocky road that led away from the city. The movement was extremely steady and they moved in one direction.


    ¡°How far away is she?¡± I asked.


    I was feeling just a bit rushed, given the situation. However, my voice seemed to be met with deaf ears. Although he had engaged with me naturally when he was rescuing me, from the moment Alysia had agreed to join him, it was like a switch had been flipped. Incidentally, I had become an NPC, and there was no programming between him and me now that this portion of the story was unfolding.


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    I had entered this world through a video game, and this world had been filled with various game-like things. This was the first time I realized how true that was. In a way, the lore of a dungeon was just like a video game as well. There were levels, and as you progressed down the levels you gained increasingly larger portions of the lore. Some games were open-world, some games were puzzle games, and some games were walking simulations. Dungeons even had assets they could use, and you could gather or accumulate more assets based on a principle of input and output.


    I had once had a physics teacher who even suggested that real-life was just a simulation, just one more complicated and open than our brains could comprehend. Would someone in a video game realize they were in a video game? It truly was a new way of looking at dungeons that I hadn¡¯t considered before.


    However, for the moment, I had to focus on staying alive. When he didn¡¯t answer me, I turned to someone who he was perhaps coded to speak to. Alysia nodded and then repeated my question.


    ¡°Far away.¡± He responded, ¡°The journey will be filled with danger. We¡¯ll have to cross rivers and mountains. We¡¯ll have to forge through unspeakable horrors! We¡¯ll brave the icy cold and the scorching heat. Only then will we finally arrive at the¡­ we¡¯ve arrived!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Alysia blinked.


    ¡°We¡¯re here. Good journey everybody. I¡¯m gladdened we¡¯ve made it all in one piece.¡±


    All of the girls began crying and holding each other as if they had just done what he had spoken about.


    ¡°Th-this dungeon was just made a short while ago¡­¡± I explained. ¡°Perhaps¡­ she hadn¡¯t had a chance to grow such features yet.¡±


    Dungeons grew as they got older. The lore grew and became more complicated. However, if you jump in a bit early on, every intended event might not be implemented yet. It looks like we had skipped a major portion of the lore. Or rather, we skipped the boring middle portion and arrived at the final chapter. Given the short time involved, that suited me just fine.

 Chapter 1270

    The final dungeon was a cave. It was a dungeon inside a dungeon. That wasn¡¯t quite right. If you saw this dungeon as a series of acts, then the first act was appearing and being saved outside the city, the second act was joining his team in the city, the third act was the grand journey that was severely shortened, and then we¡¯d be on the final act, the one where we finally saved Miki. Some dungeons existed as a progression of levels, but the progression of this dungeon was also a progression of a story, the story of Miki¡¯s rescue.


    As soon as we entered the dungeon, Alysia let out a noise of surprise. I had to agree with her, as this place was immediately recognizable. This place was the dungeon where Lady Death was made. This was a replica of the laboratory dungeon we had ventured down before. That shouldn¡¯t be so surprising. This place was the source of Miki¡¯s trauma, so why wouldn¡¯t it be the place she¡¯d find her soul trapped. It was where she had become a cursed monster that walked across the land.


    Furthermore, one of her first acts had been to consume the lore of the laboratory dungeon, so she had all of the laboratory¡¯s assets and story and would be able to replicate it perfectly. However, unlike the one we had entered which was a dead husk, this one was very much alive. As soon as we walked in, a catkin guard stepped forward.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be here! Turn away!¡± He demanded.


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    Hero pulled his sword arrogantly. ¡°We are here for the girl! Release her immediately!¡±


    ¡°Die!¡±


    The catkin raced forward, and nearly a dozen more seemed to emerge from the ceilings and walls to join him in his fight. The girls began to battle the catkin. Alysia and I fought as well. Without Alysia as my blade, my damage output was reduced, but that didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t still capable of fighting. The six of us took care of the twelve enemies and then moved down to the next floor.


    On the next floor, we didn¡¯t just encounter crazed scientists and guards but also experimented on Foxkin which acted more like monsters than humans. We fought our way down another stairway where we started encountering mutated beasts and ghosts. The party was able to make good speed, but it still took nearly an hour for the first three floors. That¡¯s when we passed an area I was vaguely familiar with.


    ¡°Wait¡­ this is where I encountered the head scientist.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Oh yeah¡­¡± Alysia nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯re running out of time. This evolution could start in an hour, or maybe even sooner.¡± I spoke feeling the wall. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s still here¡­¡±


    Click. I found the button the man had used, and a secret passage opened up. I let out a breath of relief. This laboratory wasn¡¯t the deepest dungeon, but I didn¡¯t want to risk taking too long.


    ¡°Hey, guys!¡± When none of them looked back, I glanced at Alysia.


    ¡°There is a shortcut here!¡± Alysia announced.


    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Hero declared, walking back and glancing around. ¡°Where is it?¡±


    He asked, but the entrance leading down was directly in front of him. It was something he could not miss. Like how mobs couldn¡¯t see saferooms, was he unable to see the shortcut?

 Chapter 1271

    ¡°Would it be a good time to absorb his karma?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°To what purpose?¡± I frowned. ¡°That still leaves Lydia, Celeste, and Terra unable to see the entrance. I¡¯m not sure about Shao.¡±


    I glanced over at her, and she gave a small shrug. ¡°I¡¯m aware of its existence because you¡¯re aware of its existence. However, if I want to go down it, I¡¯d have to follow the fake one.¡±


    So, if I took his karma, Shao would be able to follow because of her nature, but there was no guarantee the others would. I scratched my chin. This was another aspect of dungeons that was like a video game. Mobs had boundaries that they were locked inside. In a standard dungeon, there was a particular group of mobs on each floor, and they rarely crossed. Of course, there were exceptions, such as during a dungeon flood or when the dungeon master allows it, but in general, mobs couldn¡¯t do certain things.


    One of those things was passing safe rooms. They couldn¡¯t see them, and if you put a mob in a safe room its connection to the dungeon would be cut. This could cause a myriad of effects. The mob could go nuts. Alternatively, they could gain lucidity, if it was the dungeon causing them to go crazy. If the monster¡¯s power was based on miasma, it might start taking damage, and they would certainly become weakened and vulnerable in such a room.


    This is why dungeon masters usually didn¡¯t go into the safe room after you. They could¡­ but their greatest strength was always their connection to the dungeon, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to access it in a safe room. Other mobs that gain intelligence could also know about and enter a safe room based on their will, however, if a dungeon wanted them to leave it¡¯d usually make an alternative exit around the safe room. What I was looking at before me was one such alternative exit, although it wasn¡¯t created with the intent of mobs moving through, or maybe I should say the lore of this dungeon didn¡¯t plan for the hero to reach the boss room through this shortcut, and thus these NPCs didn¡¯t have such a program.


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    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I have no clue what you¡¯re looking at.¡± The Hero spoke with an awkward smile on his face.


    ¡°Should I just pick him up and toss him down.¡± Alysia offered.


    ¡°I just had a thought.¡± I shrugged and lifted my hand. ¡°Portal.¡±


    I was a bit surprised, but a portal began to open up. I turned to Shao for confirmation, but I didn¡¯t need it because I could see the other party members making noises of surprise.


    ¡°Where does this lead?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°The boss room.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve already been in this dungeon, so I¡¯ve already mapped out our route to the boss room. Technically, this is a new place in a new location, but it¡¯s an exact duplicate created by the original lore. It stood to reason that the mana signature between the two would be the same.¡±


    That¡¯s not saying I could have created a portal to this location when I first came to this world. First off, I didn¡¯t even know that this was the inevitable end location. Secondly, the dungeon wasn¡¯t in the same place, so I wouldn¡¯t have been able to locate it to portal to it. However, from within the dungeon, following the same path I had followed that scientist, I was able to create a portal directly to the boss room. While the hero¡¯s party couldn¡¯t see the shortcut, it looked like they could at least acknowledge portals.


    ¡°Master, we¡¯re going through!¡± Alysia declared, shoving Hero through.


    I glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°If you were just going to toss him anyway¡­¡±


    She stiffened. ¡°He smiles too much¡­ it was just getting on my nerves.¡±


    It seemed like even Alysia was getting tired of this Hero. I didn¡¯t take offense. That just told me there could only be one of me.

 Chapter 1272

    After the Hero was nudged into the portal by Alysia, the other girls let out cries and leaped in after him. He was the Hero, so him going first was just fine. I nodded for Shao to go, and then Alysia and I jumped through last. We ended up in the familiar experimental room where the scientist was trying to kill me. I half expected that he would be the final boss. I was wary of him throwing out that death curse again. I didn¡¯t have Alysia in sword form to casually cut it in half again. I planned to let Hero take the curse and die, then take him out while he was recovering. That solved two problems at once.


    However, upon entering the familiar room, I didn¡¯t see the scientist at all. In fact, rather than being covered in light, the majority of the room was dark, with a single bright light shining on us.  It was the same place, but a completely different atmosphere than the last time I had come here. As the portal shut behind me, the Hero was already walking to the edge of the darkness with a considering look on his face.


    He lifted his hand and created an orb of light. Then, he tossed that orb into the darkness. It winked out as soon as it passed from the light to the darkness. I was sure Hero had also tried his light spell, but I wasn¡¯t in his party like Alysia, so I didn¡¯t get to take advantage of it. I cast my light spell, and just as I predicted, the light didn¡¯t spread out into that suffocating darkness.


    ¡°Mmm! Mmmmghmmmm!¡± A muffled voice came out.


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    Hero helped Celeste out. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The light is shrinking! The darkness is closing in!¡±


    The movement was imperceptibly slow, but she was right. After entering, the ring of light was slowly growing smaller and smaller.


    ¡°Is this a trap?¡± Alysia asked anxiously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I responded. ¡°Let¡¯s check.¡±


    I pulled out a piece of meat from a previous meal out of my inventory and tied it to a string. Then, I tossed the string out into the darkness. After a few seconds, I started rolling the line in and bringing the meat back into the light. An empty string appeared, completely devoid of the bait I had attached to the end.


    ¡°It¡¯s gone.¡± Alysia¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not reassuring,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Should we retreat?¡± Offered Alysia.


    That was one option. I could make a portal and return to the hallway. As I was considering my next choice, the Hero spoke up.


    ¡°This is a test. My love will guide me!¡± He took a step directly into the darkness.


    The girls all let out cries of surprise, but none of them followed him. As soon as he stepped out, I noticed the light stopped shrinking. I didn¡¯t hear anything from Alysia and I glanced at each other. Then, I looked back at Shao.


    ¡°Should we go?¡±


    ¡°The party can¡¯t follow.¡± She explained. ¡°This part you¡¯re meant to do on your own.¡±


    I let out a sigh. ¡°Seriously¡­ we didn¡¯t need the party after all?¡±


    She chuckled, putting her hand over her mouth. ¡°Whoever said Miki was a skilled storyteller? This is the final part¡­ the part where the hero will prove his love and free her. The question is, will it be him or you who frees her?¡±


    I shot her a small smile, reached out and grabbed Alysia¡¯s hand, and then stepped into the darkness.

 Chapter 1273

    ¡°In the end, it¡¯s only miasma.¡± I spoke quietly.


    After being plunged into darkness, I felt something attempting to attack, but it was a miasma attack. If I didn¡¯t have a god soul with miasma affinity, this might have been a challenge, but neither I nor Alysia would be affected by it. When I spoke, I noticed my words didn¡¯t come out. I repeated them with Slave Communication.


    ¡°This darkness seems to be blocking all of my senses. Do you know where we are going?¡± Alysia asked in response.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure this is some kind of test. Stumbling through the dark, having to find Miki even though you can¡¯t see or hear her.¡±


    ¡°How are you supposed to find her then?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know? With your heart?¡± I joked.


    ¡°Heart¡­¡± Alysia repeated thoughtfully and then perked up. ¡°Do you think there might be something left of the bond between you and Miki?¡±


    ¡°That bond was destroyed by the Illusory Sword Realm,¡± I explained. ¡°I can¡¯t track her with my skills anymore.¡±


    ¡°I know that¡­ I meant, is there a chance you still can feel something? Miki wouldn¡¯t have designed this to be unbeatable. If you were right and she expected one of the other girls to be in my place, then she had to believe they¡¯d have some way of reaching her. Furthermore, only a former slave of yours should be able to find her. It¡¯s a means of keeping anyone else from completing this dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Can you feel anything?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No¡­ but I wasn¡¯t your slave when Miki was still connected to you. You have to consider she¡¯s a spiritualist. Her sensitivity toward such bonds would be many times greater than others. It was possible she didn¡¯t realize just how hard this bond would be for them to follow.¡±


    I closed my mouth. She might be onto something. Just considering what Miki¡¯s intentions were, she might have expected it to come to this. I slowed to a stop, and then closed my eyes. Rather than plunge forward aimlessly, I started feeling my way I was trying to pay attention to anything. An inclination, the tiniest tug. I didn¡¯t know how long I stood there in the dark, but Alysia didn¡¯t say anything nor move an inch. She was used to silently being by my side as my sword. If anything, this dark environment where all she could feel was me was natural to her.


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    ¡°All¡­ she can feel is me,¡± I spoke into the nothingness.


    I felt something. I didn¡¯t know if it was imagined or not. It felt like the most imperceptible tug. It felt like someone I cared about was reaching for me. It was a tug not at my body, but against my soul. Compared to the kind of pulling at my soul that brought me to this place, it was nothing, but I believed I felt it. I took a step, and then another. I slowly began to move forward through the darkness. The more steps I made, the more certain I became that I was heading in the right direction. I didn¡¯t know how long I walked through that darkness. It could have been as long as an hour. Time was running short, but I couldn¡¯t panic. I had to reach her.


    Light struck my eyes, and I opened them to reveal I was standing in front of a massive cage. Within that cage was Miki. She was wrapped up in chains. Standing next to her was Hero. He was looking in our direction with a sad smile on his face.


    Miki¡¯s eyes opened. ¡°Thank you for coming this far. I¡¯m sorry for all the evil I have done. You might have come here with the hope of saving me. However, I do not want to be saved.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± I demanded.


    She didn¡¯t seem to see me. It was almost like this speech was on a recording. She had no awareness I was in the room with her. The real Miki was still imprisoned.


    ¡°I thought I could bring Master back if I became close enough to death. I¡¯ve examined the souls of so many, and yet detect Master¡¯s soul in the beyond. As time passes, the likelihood of saving him only drops. At this point, I must accept that I could not save him.¡±


    ¡°You foolish girl, you didn¡¯t find me because I¡¯m not dead,¡± I responded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought you here because as one of Master¡¯s women, I couldn¡¯t stand if you became hurt too. I no longer have control of the monster I¡¯ve become, and while I have rivers of blood on my hands, I couldn¡¯t allow you to be one of them. That¡¯s why I planned things this way. You will be sent out of this dungeon and spared, and I will meet the fate I deserve. I love you all, but I can no longer exist in a world without him.¡±


    ¡°Master!¡± Alysia warned.


    The Hero lifted his blade as Miki lowered her head.  He lifted it over her. I had been wrong. Miki didn¡¯t design this lore to save herself. She designed it as her execution!

 Chapter 1274

    ¡°As if I¡¯d let that happen!¡± I exploded forward, taking the distance between Hero and me.


    As his sword fell, my own rose to meet it. There was an eruption of force as I blocked his strike at Miki¡¯s neck. I kicked with my foot, but Hero was a harder obstruction than I predicted. We were both thrown back about an equal distance from Miki.


    ¡°You cannot prevent this!¡± Miki cried. ¡°I must die.¡±


    ¡°She must die.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ gmmm¡­ mmm..¡±


    ¡°It must be done.¡± The four-party members emerged into the light, each holding a weapon.


    I could feel that the dungeon was turning hostile now. They intended to force this resolution. I had thought this was a dungeon looking for an ending. It was difficult enough completing a lore and resolving a curse, but this was something else entirely. Miki had engineered her dungeon, using her incredible spiritual ability to create a narrative that resulted in her death. The lore wouldn¡¯t complete until all the pieces were in place, but in the end, she hoped to kill herself.


    To what end? Miki was the core of this dungeon, and once she was destroyed the dungeon would expel all of the souls inside. Some of those people might be resurrected, but many of them wouldn¡¯t be, either because no one knew there was a difference, or because no one alive recognized or could find a connection to the person. Specifically, in this room, the people inside would be returned outside and reformed using the power of the dungeon.


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    Thus, Miki designed a means of escape for her friends, but there was more to it. Miki had suggested that we would be the only ones to survive. That meant that the other souls wouldn¡¯t be released, and would instead be turned into miasma. The only reason to do that would be to cast some kind of power. It only took me a few moments to realize what it was.


    ¡°You want to pass on your knowledge¡­¡± I theorized.


    ¡°The cost of this knowledge was too great. Let me die, and I will give you the knowledge of life and death. Perhaps, you will be able to one day save Master, where I failed.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t talking to me, but Alysia. Even though I had blocked Hero, I was still an abnormality within this dungeon, a part of the lore that Miki wasn¡¯t able to account for. After all, why would she predict my presence, when I was dead?


    Other than her insane spiritual ability, Miki also had psionic abilities. If the dungeon was completed and Miki was turned into a blessing, then that lore would lock within her blessing. The former slave of mine who gained such a blessing may gain some ability, and be able to see and understand Miki¡¯s story¡­ but there was a big difference between knowing someone¡¯s story and knowing what they knew. I had absorbed numerous lore, but that didn¡¯t mean I knew the collective knowledge of the people involved in that lore. I didn¡¯t become an expert in what they were an expert in.


    That was why Miki chose death. She would crack open her soul, and then use the power of this dungeon to write her knowledge into someone else, someone more deserving, someone whose hands weren¡¯t stained in blood and who hadn¡¯t become a curse. I was beginning to realize that the Miki I knew was only the tip of the iceberg. The mischievous and teasing foxgirl had such complicated feelings.


    Since she showed me her feelings, I better return them.

 Chapter 1275

    ¡°Alysia, repeat the words I¡¯m about to say.¡±


    ¡°Miki, you don¡¯t need to live like this,¡± I said, and a few seconds later Alysia called out those same words. ¡°You don¡¯t need to sacrifice yourself. Master is alive. Deek is alive. He wants you to remain alive too.¡±


    Although she couldn¡¯t hear my words, she should be able to acknowledge Alysia. The way she suddenly stiffened over those words told me I was right. For a brief moment, I hoped I could change her mind. However, if curses were so easy to cure, then anyone would have a blessing. After a brief moment of consideration, a sad smile formed on her face.


    ¡°If only such a thing could be true.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°It is true!¡± Alysia cried out. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one that has the most spiritual perception? He was able to find you. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re not able to sense him!¡±


    ¡°I know you wish to stop this, but I can¡¯t. If I do not do this, then you will also perish. Do you understand? I¡¯m already cursed. Even if Master¡­ my true Master, was here. I would still give my life to protect him.¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ you think you have this all figured out?¡± My expression darkened.


    Alysia looked at me and flinched slightly. ¡°M-master¡­¡±


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    ¡°You think I would let you give your life for me so needlessly?¡± I demanded. ¡°I know you can hear me. Are you pretending I¡¯m not here? If I was here, then everything you¡¯ve done would be for nothing. If I was alive, then you would have to face the countless people you slaughtered. Is that it?¡±


    My voice had risen to nearly a shout, but Miki still didn¡¯t face me. However, when I noticed a single tear falling down her cheek, I was pretty sure I was on point. Miki was ashamed of herself. This entire parade was just a guilt trip that she was putting herself on. However, I wasn¡¯t feeling sorry for her. Rather, I was feeling angry.


    ¡°Did you think that I would just sit back and let this happen? Are you thinking so little of me?¡± I declared, pulling out my sword. ¡°You¡¯re not trapped in that prison. You¡¯re hiding in it. You¡¯re trying to hide from your responsibility! If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll tear apart your chains and pull you out!¡±


    I lunged forward, aiming for the chains wrapped around Miki. My blade met resistance, and I found myself being parried just as my blade was about to cut through the first chain. I looked to the side to see Hero standing there. He gave that familiar too friendly grin. It was starting to piss me off.


    ¡°I can¡¯t let you do that. Even if you freed her, it wouldn¡¯t change anything.¡±


    The man who had moments ago been about to chop Miki¡¯s head off was now protecting her from me. This was rich.


    ¡°Let me?¡± I sneered. ¡°You won¡¯t let me do anything. I had a feeling I¡¯d end up fighting you. You¡¯re not the first ¡®me¡¯ I¡¯ve killed.¡±


    ¡°Hold back Master,¡± Shao spoke up. ¡°We¡¯ll finish Miki off.¡±


    I glanced to the side. ¡°You too, Shao?¡±


    ¡°If she dies, won¡¯t I have Master all to myself?¡± Shao shrugged. ¡°You wondered why I was so normal? Perhaps it is because Miki always feared that of all the women, I¡¯d be the one to end her life!¡±


    It looked like this dungeon¡¯s true nature was revealing itself in more ways than one.

 Chapter 1276

    ¡°Alysia¡­ protect Miki.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Alysia stood in front of Miki protectively as the other four women started to make a circle.


    This was pretty ridiculous. I was trying to attack Miki¡¯s chains while my doppelganger was trying to stop me. Meanwhile, Alysia was trying to protect Miki while the other party members were trying to kill her.


    Of course, at any moment, my doppelganger could turn and try to attack Miki, but then again, at any moment, Alysia could turn and attack the chains. Thus, it became a giant battle of keep-away. I took several slashes at the chains, but Hero blocked every one. The pair of us started to dance around Miki as we fought for the upper hand.


    Alysia took a more direct approach, using a powerful barrier to hold back the four. If Miki had replicated the girls based on their status the last time, she was with them, then Alysia was stronger than the other girls. That didn¡¯t mean she was necessarily stronger than all of them together, but with her playing a purely defensive role, it wasn¡¯t so bad. Celeste let out air attacks while Lydia and Terra pressed hard. It was Shao who was the most dangerous, trying to sneak past Alysia¡¯s blind spot to strike Miki.


    As she used the abilities she once had as a warrior, general, and dungeon diver, I focused on my issues. If I had hopes that Miki had underestimated my abilities and Hero was a pushover, they were quickly dashed. His attacks were brutal and heavy, and without the advantage I had when I combined my strength with Alysium, I found myself disadvantaged.


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    The pair danced around Miki. Any time I attempted to make a move toward her, he would immediately intercept it. Realizing that I couldn¡¯t free her with him present, I began to focus on defeating him. Whether it came from Miki¡¯s will or simply chance, Hero wasn¡¯t trying to kill me. He focused entirely on defending, which made it even more difficult to defeat him in the short term. I considered using my more powerful abilities, but I worried about it. This area was deep within Miki¡¯s soul dungeon, at the source of her power. It was possible she could nerf anything I decided to do.


    ¡°Master!¡± Alysia cried out.


    Four on one had put her at a disadvantage no matter how strong she was. Lydia had used her superior speed and broken past her while Terra used her size to block Alysia. Celeste cut off her movements with wind blades, trapping her and keeping her from taking action. I lunged for Miki, but a blade came striking toward me. I threw up my blade to stop Hero, but the blade sliced through my own. As my blade broke in two, I was struck by a powerful attack and went flying. I struck the ground in time to see Lydia¡¯s blade swing down at Miki¡¯s neck.


    ¡°No!¡± I shouted.


    Ding! A clang rang out followed by a dull thudding sound. Lydia who had a happy expression plastered to her face jerked in surprise. She looked down to see a dagger stabbed directly into her chest. Then, she looked up to see Shao standing there.


    ¡°H-how?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Shao tapped her chin, a devilish smirk on her face. ¡°I said from the beginning. I only have one Master. If someone hurts a woman he cares about, he¡¯ll definitely be mad at me. That¡¯s why, whether I¡¯m real or not, every part of me belongs to Master!¡±


    ¡°Then you are no longer needed!¡±


    While I was watching the scene unfold, I hadn¡¯t noticed Hero move, appearing behind Shao. She didn¡¯t move to block him as he attacked her. Perhaps, that single moment of defiance was all she was allowed. As the blade struck her back, she went flying away, slamming into the floor in a heap.

 Chapter 1277

    Shao¡¯s body landed somewhere near where I was getting to my feet. With a shout, I ran over to her. As soon as my hand touched her, I started trying to use healing spells. Yet, this was a soul dungeon. She didn¡¯t have a physical body, so what exactly was I trying to heal. As I left her head in my hand, I prepared to send some of my life into her. Just as I was about to do this, Shao¡¯s hand whipped out and grabbed my wrist, stopping me.


    ¡°Stop.¡± She declared, her eyes fluttering open. ¡°Your Shao¡­ is still out there.¡±


    ¡°E-even so¡­¡±


    ¡°I know her¡­ Deek. I¡¯m based on her. As much as Miki¡¯s creations were created at her whim, she wasn¡¯t a fool. Her mastery of mind and magic led her to understand us in ways we didn¡¯t understand ourselves.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Shao¡­ is in trouble.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I responded. ¡°She¡¯s on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Even so¡­ you were the rock that ground her. When you died, the world would have fallen out from under her. I know her, and I know you. So, save her next¡­ please.¡±


    ¡°I will¡­ in fact, we can both save her together.¡±


    She slightly shook her head. ¡°My purpose is over. It¡¯s time for me to leave. As long, as you don¡¯t forget¡­ I¡¯ll always, be inside¡­¡±


    Her hand gently touched my chest. Then her head fell back, and her eyes began to film over. In my arms, her body began to dissipate into smoke. After a few seconds, there was nothing left.


    ¡°Do you understand now?¡± Hero asked in an arrogant voice. ¡°Some people can¡¯t be saved. Some people don¡¯t want to be saved. Sometimes, it¡¯s better to just let them die.¡±


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    Hero was speaking, but he was only speaking out Miki¡¯s will. My hands clenched into fists, and I slowly stood up, my body shaking. Hero had remained unmoving since he had attacked Shao. The fake Lydia had already disappeared into miasma, and even though he has been close enough to attack Miki, he had waited for me. Perhaps, there was some kind of guilt there or an approximation of honor. Alysia was still fighting Terra and Celeste. With only the two of them, she was holding her own much better, but with Celeste¡¯s speed, it was only a matter of time.


    I glanced at Miki, who had her head down in a way her pale blonde hair blocked her face. It was as if she was hiding from the world. There was something off about it, but I couldn¡¯t quite put my finger on things. There was still a part of the puzzle missing.


    As I thought about it, I started laughing. I threw my head back and laughed. The Hero frowned, not understanding what the joke was.


    ¡°I understand now,¡± I responded, lowering my eyes back on him. ¡°I understand everything.¡±


    ¡°Then, I will end her life now-¡±


    ¡°You were created based on me, at least the me that Miki felt that she needed.¡± I cut him off. ¡°For the longest time, I had felt that I wasn¡¯t good enough for the girls. I felt that if I just became better, and stronger, and more capable, that I would one day become everything they wanted me to be. I would become the man that deserved all of these women. That was a mistake.¡±


    ¡°You are powerful, but in this place, I will have the advantage.¡± Hero declared.


    ¡°You misunderstand¡­ I¡¯m not saying that I¡¯m not powerful enough. I¡¯m just saying that the mistake I made was thinking that I needed to meet their expectations. It was meeting their expectations that was the problem. Miki was convinced I had died. Perhaps, Celeste being the smartest in the party was accurate, because she was the only one who had faith that I didn¡¯t perish. For the rest of you, you couldn¡¯t imagine a me that survived. As our time was short, you likely were always thinking somewhere in the back of your mind there was a time when I would leave you. Even as you smiled, and held onto me, you feared, no¡­ expected that this time wouldn¡¯t last!¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Hero demanded.


    ¡°I thought I had to meet the expectations of the women of my life. I thought I had to be good enough for them. I was far too modest. I had to be better than that. I needed to be a stable rock that would never fail and would always come, no matter what. I¡¯m no longer satisfied with being enough.¡± I pulled out another blade from my inventory. ¡°I will be the best!¡±

 Chapter 1278

    I exploded toward the Hero, the ground under me splintering. As I moved, the tattoos on my body began to glow. I adjusted my dungeon points to concentrated on speed and strength, then began to attack him savagely. I had previously been fighting him reservedly. I had been holding back and reserving my strength. I saw no reason to do that now.


    I was a white mage. I could heal any damage I received. Even after all this time, it had been instinctual for me to avoid damage. This Hero, who it was anyone¡¯s guess if he even felt pain, would naturally fight to the death for Miki. As for me, I had been avoiding taking damage, because even if I could ignore pain, it wasn¡¯t like I¡¯d just sit back and allow myself to get hit. I changed my strategy, allowing myself to be hit if I could inflict damage on him as well.


    When I needed to, I backed away and healed, and then went at him again. My attacks were more aggressive now, and the Hero¡¯s mocking smile had slowly turned into concentration. It was hard to think which one of us took more hits, but I healed after each of mine, while his wounds started to accumulate.


    ¡°We¡¯re running out of time.¡± He declared. ¡°You¡¯re wasting time!¡±


    ¡°Then, die already!¡± I snapped.


    His body glowed and he used a powerful attack. This was similar to the attack he had used when my blade had broken. Knowing this, I went to receive the attack, but at the last minute, I brought the third sword from my inventory and attacked with that. Finding my body phase-shifting through his attack, he lost balance, and a moment later, he lost an arm.


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    We split, and his arm fell to the ground. I wasn¡¯t able to do that without taking a bit of a hit. I ended up spitting out some blood. However, I was already healing myself and preparing for the next attack. The once gentle and flirtatious smile on Hero¡¯s face had become sinister and angry.


    ¡°You think you¡¯ve won?¡± He snorted. ¡°You seem to be misunderstanding something. You believe that Miki is somehow in control here. If Miki had things her way, do you think she¡¯d allow you to be hurt?¡±


    ¡°I figured it wasn¡¯t all Miki,¡± I responded. ¡°After all, there is always a bit of a disconnect between the dungeon and the dungeon master. Since Miki¡¯s soul is taking the place of this dungeon core, then naturally, who was the one protecting it?¡±


    Hero grinned. ¡°So, you realized.¡±


    ¡°The one thing I didn¡¯t understand was why you would go about destroying Miki. The dungeon boss exists to protect the dungeon. While dungeon bosses have been known to concede their dungeon, they would rarely act so self-destructive. Of course, if you never intended to destroy the dungeon in the first place¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± He laughed, his voice changing slightly, and it sounded strangely familiar to me.


    Miasma rose around him and all of the damage on his body was healed in an instant. For just a moment, I could feel something about him that was off and combined with his voice, I put together the part I had been missing.


    ¡°The head scientist!¡± I took a step back. ¡°I should have known you¡¯d be here. You were the dungeon master when she absorbed it. The lore had to have an imprint of you on it.¡±


    ¡°Ah? So, we have met? I should have guessed when you took my secret tunnel down here. If it¡¯s any consolation, you were supposed to be the dungeon master, but I managed to infect her creation. I¡¯ve been given this new, powerful body, and soon I will have complete control of this dungeon too!¡±

 Chapter 1279

    ¡°My original plan was simple. I was going to cut off just a piece of the core. Miki¡¯s head¡­ or rather, her mind and will. I had even convinced her it was her idea. Using the power of the souls we had absorbed; I¡¯d expel all of you and lobotomize her. Except, Miki¡¯s dungeon wouldn¡¯t be destroyed. She¡¯d be reformed into my puppet. Then, I would be able to use her as I wanted.¡± The scientist explained before his expression turned slightly ugly. ¡°I would have succeeded if you didn¡¯t suddenly try to be a hero.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want the dungeon to evolve either.¡± I hypothesized. ¡°If the dungeon is stronger, you won¡¯t be able to control it as cleanly.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to another dungeon master to understand my woes.¡± He shrugged in the insolent way I remembered. ¡°Once I have Miki under my control, then I will take over Dioshin using her body as my puppet. Consuming a few million more of those wretched animalkin, and evolving together, I¡¯ll become unstoppable!¡±


    That was the final piece of the story, the part that didn¡¯t make sense to me. Miki¡¯s curse would have been an extension of her will. No matter how angry or desperate she was, she¡¯d still have some sense. Yet, her suicidal plan, while altruistic, wasn¡¯t exactly clever. The answer was simple. Miki didn¡¯t have complete control of herself.


    This is why she didn¡¯t kill the foxkin when she left the dungeon. At the time, she was still forming her dungeon. At the time, she was still in control. Even once the dungeon was formed, that didn¡¯t mean she¡¯d go crazy. There were plenty of dungeons, like Matty¡¯s Dungeon and Gram¡¯s Dungeon, who had their own logic and weren¡¯t nearly so destructive. The reason behind all of this had been her first act, to absorb the dungeon lore of the laboratory.


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    I had been right from the get-go. She was being imprisoned by the head scientist all along. He was the one putting her in chains. What I hadn¡¯t realized is that he was continuing to deceive her. From the moment she walked into that laboratory until now, she had been tricked into thinking she was doing the right thing. A copy of the scientist I had killed had been created, took over my clone, and immediately started leading her down a dark path where she couldn¡¯t see the light. Perhaps this was why my alleged clone was an animalkin and didn¡¯t even really look like me.


    I glanced at Miki, and her dull eyes that seemed to see nothing made more sense. Her mental psyche was shaken when it was suggested I was still alive, but rather than her being able to use that to break from her emotional turmoil, this guy had used it to cement his power. Now, we were the only thing standing in his way.


    ¡°So, you understand now¡­¡± He grinned. ¡°I am Master!¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± I raised an eyebrow, feeling a strange sensation deep inside me. ¡°You¡¯re Miki¡¯s master?¡±


    ¡°I am¡­¡± he responded, lifting his sword. ¡°Now, leave this dungeon!¡±


    ¡°Miki¡­ only has one master.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s me¡­¡±


    I shook my head, clarity forming in my mind. ¡°I am Miki¡¯s master. I have always been her master. I will always be her master. Her body and her soul are mine. If Miki is a dungeon, then the solution is clear! I am her dungeon master!¡±


    I slammed my sword down into the ground with a force of power that erupted outward. A portal ripped open behind me.


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening?¡± Elaya¡¯s voice cried out from beyond the portal.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to war.¡± I announced.


    ¡°Again!?¡± She cried out. ¡°How about a warning next time? Assemble the troops!¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.¡± I grinned, lifting my hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ I¡¯ll take care of things this time!¡±


    Alysia let out a cry as she turned into light and then flew toward me. My dungeon was connected to theirs now. I was no longer bound by their rules.


    {You are a rival dungeon master. You have declared war on this dungeon. Defeat the dungeon master to claim the dungeon as your own.}


    ¡°I plan to,¡± I growled as I lunged forward, the power of my dungeon behind me.

 Chapter 1280

    The person masquerading as Master let out a cry of shock as I came slamming toward him, but he still managed to take my blade with his sword. The original head scientist didn¡¯t have such combat abilities. His only trick had been to use a death spell to try to instantly kill me. As soon as I had bypassed that, he had been extremely easy to destroy. This was only a soulless copy of him, attempting to follow an approximation of what the original man wanted to do in an attempt to appear like a living being.


    His memories and personality were like an infection. With his understanding of life and death that exceeded anyone in Dioshin, he was able to do something quite impressive. He was able to secretly infect and take over the dungeon master of a forming dungeon while it was in the progress of being created. Using his newfound power, he began to exploit and influence Miki. Her own will resisted, but he slowly gained power and bent her to his will, all so that when the time came, he could live again as Miki.


    Taking over the body and mind of a dungeon master in progress had its perks. He was able to gain all of the skills and abilities of such a dungeon master. These were skills and abilities that Miki had given him, skills and abilities that I possessed. However, there was a disconnect there too. Miki only knew some of my power. She could only imagine what she had personally experienced, and I was growing all the time. The me at this moment was nothing like the me from before. Even if she had a high opinion of me, there was no saying that opinion would match reality.


    Thus, this clone wasn¡¯t an exact copy like the doppelganger from previous dungeons. This clone was more an approximation of Miki¡¯s belief in me. To defeat him, I merely had to be better than that. However, that was no longer good enough for me. I had to be more than better. I had to show Miki who her Master truly was.


    With Alysia in my hand, every attack against the Hero was harder and faster. He was constantly falling back. Just as I was going to pursue him as he retreated, I saw the giant pair of tits and the wrestler begin to race toward the trapped Miki. Given that they didn¡¯t want her dead, I figured their bluff was up, but it seemed like the Hero had other plans. A form suddenly flew through the portal from my dungeon.


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    ¡°Master!¡± Celeste cried out.


    ¡°Just in time. Deal with those two.¡± I ordered.


    I had planned to handle it on my own, but I didn¡¯t mind a little backup when the other team was trying to cheat.


    ¡°This fairy make good companion.¡± the fake Terra declared as she saw the real Celeste.


    Being one of my Slaves and possibly the very reason Terra had created her escape, Celeste was immediately recognized.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care! Kill her!¡± the Hero roared.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Gmmm¡­ Mmgggmmm.¡± The fake Celeste mumbled from between her cleavage.


    ¡°What?¡± Celeste tilted her head. ¡°No one can understand you. Your breasts are in the way.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Celeste just went ahead and said it. The two looked at each other and then charged her. I wasn¡¯t the only one who had changed drastically since Miki had last seen me. Celeste was now a complete evolution beyond the woman she once was. Her body blurred and then appeared behind Terra. She waved her hand, and a blade sliced up. The other Celeste threw up a wind protection. It took some of the blow, but the gash still flew through it and struck Terra, sending her massive form flying.


    ¡°Did you just use wind against me?¡± Celeste asked giggling.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Mmmggg!¡± the other Celeste cried out.


    ¡°I said¡­ I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re saying! I¡¯m just going to destroy you now, whoever you are!¡±


    Celeste disappeared again. The other Celeste tried to flee in panic, but even with all the speed Miki could imagine, she was outclassed by the current Celeste. She grabbed her from behind, taking her two wings, and then she began to spin in a circle. Her body became a whirlwind as she spun, sending the floating rack flying around at nauseating speeds.


    Terra stood up after recovering from her hit and then began to charge, attempting to protect her friend. At that moment, Celeste let go, and the tits flew off like a bullet. They were aimed though, directly at Terra. The back of the little Celeste slammed into Terra with a horrific force. Terra flew back, creating a crater as she struck the ground. Although boobs were thought to be soft, when thrown at such a brutal speed, they were more brutal than a cannonball.


    Terra¡¯s sternum was destroyed, and her front was collapsed. Meanwhile, the little celeste had been turned to mush. As her labored breaths became harder and harder to take, the stunned Terra looked down. For a moment, Celeste¡¯s enormous chest had been plastered to Terra¡¯s front, and it appeared as if Terra had a pair of large tits. If only for a second, she got to experience what it was like to have a big rack.


    ¡°H-heavy¡­¡± She croaked her final words.


    A single tear fell down her cheek. She collapsed back, taking her last breath, a slight smile on her face. Even in Miki¡¯s imagination, Terra had a boob complex.

 Chapter 1281

    The false hero had stumbled back, landing on his behind. He crawled away as I stepped forward with my blade. My body glowed with the light of the dungeon blessings, and there was a spark of fire in my eyes too. This man had tried to destroy and use Miki not just once, but twice. Whether he was some dungeon copy of the real man, he was scum any way you looked at him. It was only worse that he was once a foxkin himself.


    Suddenly, the ground began to shudder, and I felt a sudden surge of miasma. The look of terror on the scientist¡¯s face as his defeat drew near turned to happiness.


    ¡°Haha¡­ it¡¯s too late! The evolution has begun!¡±


    I glanced over at Miki to see the chains had started to shift, lifting her into the air. She was glowing now, although the glow was coming from a bright orb that seemed to be within her chest. The miasma started to swarm violently. I was a bit familiar with this because I had been in a dungeon right before it collapsed once before. It felt a bit like the Twilight Dungeon as it was dying, although the energy felt more vigorous. It seemed like in the evolution process; this dungeon was going to collapse as well.


    ¡°Celeste! Get out of here now.¡±


    ¡°But Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± When I saw the look of concern on her face, I smiled at her. ¡°I already said. I¡¯ll handle this.¡±


    She nodded, giving one last worried look at Miki, and then flew back through the portal.


    ¡°Haha¡­ handle it? In a minute, this dungeon will cease to exist, and everyone in it will be turned into miasma. Then, it will reform anew, stronger than before!¡± When I lifted my sword, he let out a cry and backed up several more steps. ¡°Even if you kill me, you won¡¯t accomplish anything! My memories are burned into the lore. I will return! It may be an inconvenience for me, but even if the dungeon evolves, I¡¯ll still win in the end.¡±


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    I stopped my advance. ¡°What do you propose?¡±


    His lips flickered in a smile for a moment. ¡°Only I am capable of turning things around. As her master, I can hold back the evolution, for just enough time.¡±


    ¡°Enough time for what?¡± I asked, frowning.


    ¡°For you to cut her soul out of the dungeon, of course!¡± He explained as the dungeon shaking grew more violent. ¡°All you need to do is free her and take her soul with you. Had I known you could have connected your dungeon to this one like this, I would have suggested it. It¡¯d be no different than taking a dungeon core.¡±


    ¡°Why would you agree to that?¡± I asked hesitantly. ¡°Without her lore, won¡¯t this dungeon still break apart, and you die?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be too difficult, given the number of souls in this dungeon, to fashion a new core. I just need to find someone powerful enough. Once I sacrifice all the rest, I can use their energy to create a new dungeon core.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll still be in Miki¡¯s body,¡± I responded. ¡°You¡¯ll still be alive to torment this land.¡±


    ¡°What do you care what I do in Dioshin? You¡¯ll have your precious Miki back. She may not have a body, but you can make her a new one and she can live out her days in your dungeon. If you do this, when I defeat the king and become the ruler of Dioshin, I will make a peace treaty with Aberis. How about that? It¡¯s a win-win. I get what I want, and you get everything you could ever want! How about it?¡±


    My face twisted in thought for a moment. I didn¡¯t have much time though. The dungeon was falling apart. Any moment those souls would start being devoured, and then it was the end. After a bit of thought, I nodded.


    ¡°I agree¡­¡± I put out my hand.


    A relieved smile formed on his face. He reached out his hand and I clasped it.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Alysia said in disbelief.


    I help him to his feet, but then when he went to pull his hand away, I didn¡¯t let go. The smile on my face didn¡¯t leave either. Instead, my eyes started to change. As he looked into them, his expression started to change from one of triumph, to fear.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°Absorb,¡± I responded simply.

 Chapter 1282

    Our hands began to glow, and the Hero, or rather the scientist, let out a scream as he started to collapse to his knees. He desperately tried to pull away, but he couldn¡¯t. As he reached for his sword with his free hand, I kicked it away.


    ¡°You fool!¡± he screeched. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°You said something that interested me. You¡¯re just lore. You¡¯re nothing but the memories of a man. You said that only you know. You may be right. We¡¯ll find out in a moment, as I¡¯ll be absorbing all of your memories!¡±


    This wasn¡¯t the first time I had harvested memories from another within a dungeon. It had only occurred to me as this guy was begging for his life. I knew that if I did what he wanted, it wouldn¡¯t turn out in my favor. He was going to betray me one way or another. Therefore, I decided to betray him first.


    His body started to break apart as he let out screams, but I held on tightly. As I absorbed his memories, I also tore them up. It made them more difficult to go through, but I didn¡¯t want to accidentally invite him to try to manipulate me as well. I found that his memories were mostly of the dungeon. After all, the only lore of him the dungeon would possess was the lore that existed while he was a dungeon master. Thus, there was a lot of information about his experiments. It would take months, maybe even years to go through it all, and in reality, my mind couldn¡¯t hold someone else¡¯s memories, so it¡¯d start fading almost the second it entered my mind, but I¡¯d take what I could, specifically about this dungeon and Miki.


    ¡°This¡­ isn¡¯t¡­ over¡­¡± He cried out.


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± I lifted Alysia. ¡°I¡¯ve already dealt with a bastard that just wouldn¡¯t die. This time, I¡¯m not going to leave behind any baggage!¡±


    I sliced down, even as I held onto him. His body broke into two and then disappeared into dust.


    ¡°Did you get what you need?¡± Alysia asked worriedly.


    I hadn¡¯t finished absorbing him but destroyed him with her blade in the middle. That was also to ensure his viral side didn¡¯t show its ugly head.


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    ¡°I don¡¯t need his memories.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I just absorbed him as a distraction. He couldn¡¯t protect his soul while I was sucking it in.¡±


    It was the equivalent of grabbing someone¡¯s shield and pulling on it. While they were trying to hold back from losing their shield, they naturally couldn¡¯t use it to block an attack from the side. I did want to know a bit of what happened, but my main concern was his swift death. Of course, there was another reason I absorbed a part of him. It was a small test. Now that I had seen it, I was certain what to do next.


    I lunged toward the glowing Miki, and without anyone blocking me I chopped the chains holding her down. As soon as the chains broke, Alysia returned to my hand. Miki collapsed from the sky, falling into my arms. I immediately used some high-power spells on her, healing her damage and refreshing her mind.


    Her eyes flickered open drowsily. ¡°M-master?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Miki.¡±


    ¡°Master!¡± Her eyes popped open, and then she let out a cry.


    She struggled in my arms, but her small form wasn¡¯t able to break my hold in the slightest. She settled for covering her face with her hands.


    I reached down and grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands from her face one at a time. She had tears running down her cheeks, and she was bright red. There was a look of embarrassment and shame on her face.


    ¡°Miki,¡± I repeated. ¡°You should look at your Master when he¡¯s talking to you.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Miki responded weakly. ¡°This is all my fault. Everything is my fault.¡±


    I reached out and stroked the tears from her cheeks, although she continued to make more. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that, and even if it was, I wouldn¡¯t care. I¡¯m your Master. The fault is ultimately my own. I was responsible for all of you, and I failed you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± Miki tried to protest. ¡°I¡¯m the one who didn¡¯t believe in you. I¡¯m the one who let him trick me into those experiments. I¡¯m the one who allowed him to manipulate me.¡±


    ¡°So, you do understand.¡±


    She looked down and bit her lip. ¡°Y-yes¡­ the lore¡­ it¡¯s all in my head.¡±


    ¡°Then, you understand that your mistake was not trusting in me.¡±


    ¡°I understand, wait¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°Master always figures it out.¡± I flicked her forehead.


    ¡°Ahhh! M-master!¡±


    ¡°Since you understand, let me show you what your Master truly is capable of.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Miki asked, rubbing her forehead.


    ¡°What is it that you wish right now, more than anything?¡±


    ¡°I wish¡­¡± She looked away. ¡°I wish all of the people I killed¡­ I wish I could set things right.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Then, just watch. ¡°


    ¡°I-it¡¯s too late, the dungeon is breaking apart!¡±


    Even this area was cracking apart. The walls were breaking down, and the floor was giving way to nothingness. We were standing in a dungeon that was falling apart at the seams, yet I was completely calm. I reached out and put my hand on Miki¡¯s chest, where the glowing orb rested.


    ¡°Absorb.¡±

 Chapter 1283

    Dark Priest, Mimic, Dungeon Builder, White Mage: it was a truly strange set of jobs, but these were what I chose to begin a particular set of circumstances. I began to absorb the energy of the dungeon into me, and then expel it into my dungeon. In short, I was devouring this evolving dungeon. Since I couldn¡¯t free Miki of the dungeon, I would consume the dungeon until all that was left was Miki!


    Miki didn¡¯t let out a scream or show any amount of distress. Instead, she looked up at me with complete trust. Her eyes were red and tears still flowed down her cheeks, but she wouldn¡¯t dare turn her back on me.


    I had used the power of a dungeon to fuel spells before, but this was something on a far grander scale. This dungeon had consumed tens of thousands of souls across Aberis and had been reaching a state of evolution. It was literally breaking down and beginning the reforming process, and right when it was at its weakest, I grasped the core in my hand and began to consume it.


    The area we were in had been cracking apart, the very fabric of this world being pulled apart piece by piece and converted into miasma. However, the flow had suddenly changed, and the infinite abyss outside this room had become a bright and blinding light. Rather, it was like the darkness was being sucked out, and all that remained was light.


    I clenched my teeth as I felt a swelling within my soul. I would be lying if I said this didn¡¯t feel painful. Miki had become a conduit between life to death, channeling souls through her body and expelling miasma. I was doing the exact opposite! I had become a conduit toward life. That was why I had the white mage equipped.


    I held tightly onto Miki as a torrent of energy flew through me. Countless souls were sucked out of this dungeon and seemingly brought through me. The pressure and power of it all was incredible, and I felt like I might break at any moment. However, I knew I had to keep going. I had to take all of it. Miki seemed to be able to sense the distress I was in. She reached out and grabbed me, as she did so, her fox tails begin to spread out.


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    It split into two, three, four¡­ and eventually nine tails. They wrapped around her body like a cocoon and then pushed into me. Miki was easing the burden of energy, widening the conduit and allowing the energy to flow faster. It helped for a bit, but the more energy we pulled, the more it grew. The mana was an explosive amount, enough to turn a small country to ash. We shared in their burden, clinging to each other, connected by streams of rainbow, creating a channeling circle between us.


    ¡°We need¡­ more!¡± I spoke through clenched teeth.


    The pressure was growing too fast. I felt like I was going to explode again. Miki slowly nodded her head as if she had come to some conclusion. She closed her eyes, and then squeezed me tightly as she let out a single cry. Her nine tails split once again, and then again. Her tails began to split endlessly. Each tail formed in a rainbow, and the entire dungeon became filled with a prism light that erupted around us. Miki¡¯s body began to disappear, becoming nothing but a glowing light in my hands.


    Her power flowed into my soul, writing itself into my lore. I felt an incredible feeling like I was floating through endless time and space. Miki and my body merged, and I could hear her thoughts. Her heart beat with mine. I could sense her feelings. Her love for me burned like a fire that fueled me, and power seemed to explode out once again.


    ¡°Master! The energy is too much! The dungeon is going to explode!¡± Elaya¡¯s voice reached my ears.


    ¡°Then¡­ I suppose it¡¯s time to release it.¡± I responded, pulling something out of my inventory.


    It was four regents: spirit fire, fairy dust, miasma, and gaia. By combining alternative forms of mana, you could sometimes create combination skills. They were unique skills that took on the properties of the mana sources you used. For whatever reason, any given person was able to only create one combination skill per regent.


    I had already used all four regents earlier to create the skill Death Strike. Even though I was split at the time, it was still an intrinsic creation of my lore. There probably existed a fifth mana source, but I hadn¡¯t discovered one yet. Alternatively, I could use only three or two mana sources, and as long as it was a unique combination, I could create a unique skill. I feared it wouldn¡¯t be enough though.


    ¡°Do you want to save everyone?¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Miki responded.


    I lifted the regents. ¡°Then you know what to do.¡±


    The pair of us glanced at each other. We knew what to cast instinctively, and we knew what the result would be.


    ¡°Mass Resurrection!¡±


    The world became nothing but light.

 Chapter 1284

    For some time, Chalm had fallen into a strange hell. The people were infected with a rage, which managed to keep them from falling under the complete control of the dungeon. This was done by Elaya in a play to buy time and save the place. Suffice it to say, that the city becoming a zombie-infested prison wasn¡¯t great for growth.


    Once I returned and freed the people from their bondage though, they had been changed. Every person there had a bit of karmic infection in their hearts. It was a darkness that started to change them in ways not even Elaya could predict. Those who hadn¡¯t been sucked into Chalm¡¯s trap, like the ones in old Chalm forced to live under Astria¡¯s oppression, found the people of Chalm to be strangely more intense.


    They seemed stronger. They worked harder. Those that had been riddled with past traumas seemed to no longer be affected by them. They didn¡¯t become afraid easily, and they were leveling at an alarming rate, despite their lifestyles not changing. They might not have understood this, but their strange connection to the dungeon allowed them to level as the dungeon grew. Productivity boomed, and the Osterians who had arrived and recently set up a camp outside of the city even had to admire them.


    A man from Chalm was equal to any Osterian. That saying would start to spread. Considering how Osterians saw humans, this was an extreme compliment.


    At that moment, the city was still in a state of repair. There was much to do, and the people were hard at work doing it. Those in Chalm were restoring the city, while the Osterians were reclaiming parts of the wilderness, using the wood in the construction of new buildings which would one day become the Osterian district of Chalm.


    At some point, everyone in the city who was working stopped and looked in a particular direction. Those that didn¡¯t have a karmic connection to the dungeon looked around in confusion at their peers. As they tried to figure out where they were looking, they came to realize the direction was the lord¡¯s manor. The ground started to shake, and a light seemed to appear.


    Soon, everyone was looking in that direction, because a pillar of light exploded out. It was evening time and the sun was setting, but it suddenly felt like noonday as this light silently erupted from the city. It emanated from a place just behind the lord¡¯s manor. There were very few who knew what was there, but those who did know that this was the former fairy spring, which had been seemingly connected directly into a god dungeon, forming a strange ecosystem of mana generation that previously had been unheard of.


    The pillar of light rose into the sky, and then slowly bent, eventually turning in a certain direction. That direction was Dioshin. Those in Dioshin who had noticed the light coming began to panic. They thought Aberis had lunched some kind of magical weapon of mass destruction at them. The light came closer and closer and then shot over their heads. Only when it passed did they start to calm down. That was when the lights began to fall.


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    Little balls of light began to rain down over Dioshin. Animalkin dived or hide, afraid that this was the attack they had been expecting. Not everyone was standing where a light fell, but those that did would stare in wide-eyed wonder. As the ball struck the earth, it started to form into a body. The process only took about thirty seconds, but when it finished, a person was standing there. It was an animalkin person.


    Some even recognized those that fell as people who had died to Lady Death. That beam of light coming from Aberis was bringing back everyone! The fear slowly was replaced with joy. Some who had lost family or friends openly wept as they found the orbs descending on them.


    A man wearing a cape with a crown on his head gave a throaty growling noise as he looked up at the beam. Some of the lights were falling in this valley, and soldiers who had died not too long ago were instantly brought back to life. He took his sword and then put it back in the sheath. A rock-like statue in the shape of Lady Death slowly broke away into ash, disappearing as if it was never there.


    This breaking apart had begun before the man had made it here. He had been too late by only minutes. At least, that¡¯s how he saw it. As Lady Death disappeared, there was another body. It was a large man, nearly as big as the king. He had clothing on, but it had been torn asunder, and he was practically naked and lying on the ground. His body began to degrade as well and slowly vaporized.


    ¡°My king! Everyone who perished is being brought back!¡± A messenger approached, stating the obvious.


    The king barely acknowledged him, leaning down as he noticed a couple of potion bottles on the ground. He lifted them and sniffed.


    ¡°Waters of life?¡± His eyes brightened, and then he looked up at the beam.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°It looks like I have a destiny with this new lord. Karr forfeited his life to stop me, but his successor seems to have followed in his footsteps.¡±


    ¡°My lord, what should we do?¡± The man still looked confused.


    King Roth threw the empty bottles to the ground and then stepped on them. ¡°Let the people know, particularly the rabbitkin, that I personally took care of Lady Death. This was a plot of Aberis. That is why the souls freed are coming from their direction. They had been harvesting the souls of Dioshin for some dastardly and evil purpose. Thankfully, I was able to stop them in time.


    The messenger gasped, his eyes widening. ¡°They did such a thing?¡±


    ¡°Would I lie?¡± He growled.


    ¡°O-of course not! But, my lord, the Dioshin people will be furious. They won¡¯t accept this! They¡¯ll demand war! In your current shape¡­¡±


    King Roth chuckled. ¡°I think I have one last battle in me, for the people. Spread the word. With this, the rabbits will drop their rebellion and join us. Once we¡¯ve ended this conflict and mobilized, we¡¯ll move on the wilderness and show this lord of Chalm what a true king looks like.¡±


    He glanced down at one remaining bottle in his hand that still had liquid in it and smiled. As for King Roth, he would claim the fairy spring¡¯s waters of life, and use it to become immortal!

 Chapter 1285

    I took in a breath after what felt like forever. I was still standing, and looked down to see Miki still in my arms. Our souls were no longer connected, but there was a bond there in place.


    ¡°Ah! The slave bond!¡±


    ¡°I put it back in place since I knew Master would do something foolish like object!¡± Miki declared.


    ¡°You¡­ put it in place? Aren¡¯t you the slave?¡±


    ¡°Spiritual bonds are easy to work with.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Since we already formed the bond, restoring what was cut was rather easy.¡±


    I grew excited for a moment. ¡°You healed the bond! Wait, can you heal the bonds to all of my girls?¡±


    She shook her head sadly. ¡°Unfortunately, they¡¯d need to be present. If they were here, I could restore the bonds in an instant.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I sighed.


    It looked like it wouldn¡¯t be that easy after all.


    ¡°I may be able to come up with a way to strengthen the bonds though, make them harder to cut in the future.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I blinked. ¡°That¡¯s awesome. Definitely do that!¡±


    She looked up at me with loving and mischievous eyes. She looked just like Miki of old. If there was any difference, she gave off a feeling of wisdom and maturity now. Her pale hair now had black tips, and even her tail had a black tip. Her eyes and complexion were just a bit darker, giving her a slightly gothic feel. Pale skin, dark eyes, and black-tipped hair¡­ she kind of looked like a goth girl. She was just missing a nose ring or maybe a nipple ring-like Salicia.


    Miki suddenly broke into a giggle. ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m just remembering how you were back in the day. You used to dread our slave bond, and even want to remove it. Now, you say you want it stronger. You¡¯re also looking at me with such a naughty look.¡±


    I stiffened slightly. I was being a bit overbearing. Miki shook her head and smiled.


    ¡°No, I like this side of Master. It¡¯s very sexy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kind of sexy too¡­¡± I responded, reaching around and grabbing her butt.


    ¡°Oo!¡± She made a cute noise as I leaned down to kiss her.


    ¡°Master, shouldn¡¯t we figure out where we are first?¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I looked around carefully for the first time since we had appeared. ¡°Ah¡­ we¡¯re not in Dioshin?¡±


    We were standing in a beautiful meadow. It reminded me of the first level of the Maid¡¯s Lament, but it wasn¡¯t rainy and cloudy, but bright with the sun up overhead.


    ¡°Miki! You¡¯re okay!¡± Celeste suddenly slammed into Miki from behind, giving us both hugs.


    ¡°Mmm! Mmmph!¡± Miki ended up getting sandwiched between us, or in particular, between Celeste¡¯s breasts.


    ¡°Oh, good, you guys are here as well? Where is this place?¡±


    ¡°Gah!¡± Miki finally managed to push Celeste away, but Celeste responded by shrinking to fairy form and then flying onto my shoulder. ¡°You big-titted bimbo!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the weak complaint of someone who lacks the stature?¡± Elaya spoke up, walking through the fields almost as if she was familiar with them.


    ¡°You¡­ bullying me! I just returned and I¡¯m being bullied!¡± Miki cried. ¡°Do you want to die, witch?¡±


    ¡°Oh my¡­ I¡¯ve seen your spiritual ability. I wouldn¡¯t dare wish to fight. I wouldn¡¯t be certain I¡¯m your match anymore. Master, you do surround yourself with some powerful women. Soon, I won¡¯t be a match.¡±


    Her words were too complimentary, so Miki stared at her suspiciously, expecting it to be a hidden slight. I didn¡¯t pay attention to their spat. Instead, I checked my map. I could see this entire space, and it ended at only two miles. That wasn¡¯t to say that I could only see that distance. There was nothing to this world beyond that distance.


    That¡¯s when my eyes landed on something strange. It was a pile of items just sitting around. I quickly recognized the items. They were the items in my inventory!


    ¡°Elaya¡­ where are we?¡± I asked again.


    ¡°Remember how your dungeon became a god dungeon?¡± She asked instead of answering.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Remember how it evolved, and we weren¡¯t sure how it evolved?¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    ¡°Well, it turns out that the evolution of your dungeon wasn¡¯t physical, but¡­ hmmm¡­ spiritual.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Your dungeon now exists on two planes of existence. There is the physical dungeon, but there is also a soul dungeon. As for that soul dungeon, the entrance to it, rather, its location¡­ exists within a powerful god soul.¡±


    My eyes widened. ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Master. We¡¯re inside your soul world!¡±

 Chapter 1286

    ¡°A¡­soul world?¡± I asked in wonder. ¡°Does that mean my soul is the dungeon core again?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Elaya responded. ¡°The dungeon core still exists within the dungeon, but it now is connected to a soul aspect, particularly, your soul. There is an entrance to your soul world within the dungeon now, which is how we get here. Furthermore, your connection to the dungeon now means you can pull on energy from the dungeon, even from a great distance. That¡¯s what you did when you absorbed that dungeon just now. You opened the door to your soul world, and energy flowed through it. Normally, it might have taken years for your soul world to grow to any significant size, but because you absorbed so much energy so quickly, you were able to quickly expand it to this size.¡±


    I rubbed my head, still trying to wrap my head around that idea that I was currently within my own soul world. ¡°Why is my inventory here?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, as you know, inventory is a space created within your soul. In a way, you could call an inventory a primordial soul world. Those who have an inventory find it to be quite small, and naturally, they can only touch it, not enter it. Furthermore, other living beings can¡¯t exist within it. Now that you can access your soul world, you¡¯re entering a massive inventory, in a way.¡±


    I frowned as something occurred to me. ¡°If living beings can enter my soul world, and the entrance is in my dungeon, does that mean people can just walk into my soul world?¡±


    Elaya made an awkward expression. ¡°Well, you see, your soul world entrance is the dungeon core. If someone gets a hold of your dungeon core, there are more troubles than just them entering your soul world. However, even if someone tries to enter your soul world, you can deny them entrance. You set the conditions of entry. We were only able to enter because we are your slaves.¡±


    I slowly gave a nod. I supposed it did make sense. When it came to the Illusory Sword Dungeon, no one was able to enter the dungeon unless they met specific conditions. Both dungeons and souls were essentially lore or a story of the past. Dungeons were cursed lore, built up of fragments of memories from the departed, but they were still essentially the same thing. It stood to reason that they could connect like this.


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    ¡°You know¡­ I¡¯m here too¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! Alysia?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Isn¡¯t that the Osterian general?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°Ah¡­ she¡¯s my sword now, but you¡¯re in my soul world too?¡±


    ¡°Usually, when I¡¯m inside your blessing, I remain in a dark place devoid of feeling,¡± Alysia explained.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that really terrifying?¡± Miki cried out.


    ¡°I¡¯ve gotten used to it.¡± She shrugged. ¡°However, once this world formed, I ended up here. I actually¡­ feel normal in here. I don¡¯t dislike this.¡±


    ¡°Wait! You¡¯ve been here all along? You mean when master and I¡­ we¡­¡±


    Alysia glanced away. ¡°I¡¯m getting used to that too.¡±


    I cleared my throat. ¡°Anyway, you were saying a soul world exists in the dungeon master, and the entrance is the core?¡±


    Perhaps that was the relationship between dungeon masters and the dungeon. It was usually the case that you had to defeat the dungeon master to access the dungeon core, while the dungeon core was the access to the soul dungeon. It was a strange kind of relationship that kept both protected. Perhaps, this was why a dungeon core wouldn¡¯t reveal itself until the dungeon master was defeated. It had to do with this link.


    ¡°Well, as you can see, you can enter your own soul world as well. This is your space. You can change it, build it, store things in it, or even bring people to it. Eventually, you may even be able to manipulate time, weather, and life energy.¡± Elaya explained. ¡°In time, you¡¯ll be able to control the energy within it, modifying it just like a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re in my soul world, does that mean I¡¯m still in Dioshin?¡±  My eyes flashed with worry.


    ¡°Your physical body has already been resurrected in your bedroom. Miki¡¯s physical body was resurrected here, with yours. Those bodies in Dioshin would have disintegrated by now. This is not a good thing, Master. In fact, I imagine your strength will be growing exponentially thanks to this change.¡±


    There was one major weakness though. Although I was a dungeon master now, both in title and job, I didn¡¯t remain in my dungeon much at all. Thanks to having a god soul and the ability to convert mana to miasma and back, I didn¡¯t need to remain in a miasma environment. Without me there to protect it, that delicate balance was upset.


    ¡°We need to come up with some better ways to protect my dungeon.¡± I declared.


    Elaya¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°We should! Let¡¯s return!¡±

 Chapter 1287

    It wasn¡¯t that difficult to pull myself out of the soul world and bring Miki with me. While I was at it, I expelled the other girls. I appeared in my room with Miki still next to me. I looked around slightly with a frown. There was something off about the room.


    The door opened, and I blinked to see the boss room of a dungeon just behind it. I was familiar with the boss room, and it wasn¡¯t just because Xin was there, seemingly practicing her blade. Elaya was at the door. Celeste waved but didn¡¯t join her. Instead, she flew over to Xin and started talking to her. Elaya came in the rest of the way and then smiled.


    ¡°They decided to relocate you to this room. Given your status, it seemed to suit that you remain here. This is closest to the yin-yang fountain. You also have a formation that will take you out of the dungeon. I should also say that this will be the safest room in Chalm once we¡¯re done setting up the dungeon.


    I sighed. ¡°So, much for my dungeon training center.¡±


    ¡°Actually, we can still use it for that. The first ten floors are still built like they originally were. Your siren, Selena, acts as the final boss. We¡¯ve even managed to create a fake dungeon core to sell the aesthetic.¡±


    ¡°The first ten floors? How big is my dungeon now?¡±


    ¡°Thirty levels.¡±


    I whistled. I actually could have answered that question on my own. I was this dungeon¡¯s master after all. I was just checking if my senses were working right. As for the size, it may not seem like a lot. After all, a dungeon thirty years old could have thirty levels, but one had to consider this dungeon was only months old. Furthermore, it had been completely destroyed and rebuilt after fighting Aberis and after the Maid¡¯s Lament took it over. For it to not only recover but grow so much in such a short time was already ridiculous.


    ¡°Who will be protecting the boss room?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Naturally, this responsibility is shared between Astria, Xin, and me. We¡¯ve agreed to take eight-hour shifts. Since none of us are explicitly bound to the dungeon like Selena, remaining inside it indefinitely would be quite boring, so this is the agreement we made. You don¡¯t need to worry though. We¡¯ve all agreed the boss room must be guarded at all times.¡±


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    ¡°What about the twentieth floor?¡±


    ¡°At the moment, we have a golem protecting it.¡± Elaya shrugged.


    ¡°Very well¡­¡± I nodded as the door opened a crack.


    ¡°Master is home!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Master.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ he¡¯s so pretty!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s handsome.¡±


    Elaya stiffened as she heard a group of youthful voices speaking behind the door. I could see several eyes peeking in at us while whispering in a way that wasn¡¯t discrete at all. I frowned slightly. If this was connected to the boss room, why were their people outside?


    ¡°What¡¯s this then?¡±


    ¡°Ah! He saw us!¡±


    ¡°He spoke to me!¡±


    ¡°Girls!¡± A stern voice came from behind.


    There were several shouts and cries, and then the door came flying open. Three girls fell through the door, landing on the floor. I stared at the girls for a moment, some confusion on my face. I didn¡¯t recognize them at all. However, their hair was colored in odd shades, much like the fae, and they were seemingly wearing maid attire. On top of that, these girls only appeared to be ten to twelve years old. In essence, they were lolis!


    I didn¡¯t glance at them, but Faeyna who was standing behind them with her hands on her hips. When she saw my look she immediately lowered her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master! This was my fault!¡±


    I disappeared from my bed and appeared next to her. I reached my arm around and grabbed her, hugging her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologize, but an explanation would be appreciated.¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Faeyna blushed.


    ¡°Ah¡­ he¡¯s finally claimed her too¡­¡± Miki mused from bed.


    ¡°He moved.¡±


    ¡°So fast.¡±


    The three loli girls all scrambled up and then spun around, standing at attention in front of Faeyna. She let out a sigh when she looked at them.


    ¡°Master, you remember when you told me I needed to find help? As I said, I wouldn¡¯t hire anyone who didn¡¯t have the potential. I found a group that works though, so these are starting apprentices.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I responded.


    I was hoping for girls a bit older and more experienced, but it wasn¡¯t a bad thing to start training them young.


    ¡°What unusual girls,¡± Elaya commented. ¡°They¡¯re brimming with magical energy. Their levels are also shockingly high for human girls.¡±


    ¡°Their hair is also the color of the fae,¡± I added.


    ¡°That¡¯s not surprising.¡± Elaya sighed. ¡°Ever since you put Astria under control and stopped her experiments, these girls have been causing trouble.¡±


    I turned to her with wide eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t mean-¡±


    ¡°Yes, master. These are some of Astria¡¯s experiment fairy children.¡±

 Chapter 1288

    ¡°What are they doing here?¡± I asked cautiously.


    Looking at each girl, they were all extremely beautiful. Their skin was fair, their eyes were bright, and they had an extreme charm to them that easily matched any of the girls in my harem. Each girl had different color hair. One was orange, another was green, and the final was blue. They really were like fairies.


    ¡°Ah, well, it seems like after the experiments, they had already started to change. As Elaya pointed out, they have a large quantity of mana and are exuding properties that aren¡¯t quite human. They will likely grow to be extremely powerful with magic.¡±


    ¡°Are their parents okay with them being apprentice maids?¡± I asked worriedly.


    I didn¡¯t want to find out my girls were still bullying the public.


    ¡°The savior of Chalm? They were glad their daughters could achieve such a position.¡± Faeyna chuckled. ¡°Besides, with their mana, they have the potential to be powerful warriors. Following the path of a maid instead would naturally appeal to those worried parents.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I still wasn¡¯t sure.


    While stroking my chin and thinking about this, I felt a tug on my shirt. I looked down to see all three girls standing there looking up at me with tears in their eyes.


    ¡°Are we not wanted?¡± The girl who tugged my shirt, the green-haired one asked, looking seconds from crying.


    My heart received a fatal strike.


    ¡°Touching Master without permission!¡± Faeyna¡¯s eyes narrowed, causing the girls to cry out.


    I grabbed her to stop her from disciplining them. ¡°No! I mean, yes, you¡¯re wanted. I very much want you to be my maids.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡± The orange-haired one confirmed, sniffling.


    ¡°Really¡­¡± My voice came out extremely hoarse.


    ¡°Really really?¡± The blue-haired one asked.


    ¡°Mm!¡± I gave a thumbs-up, for some reason feeling tears in my eyes too.


    The three girls broke into giggles like they had never been upset in the first place, and then ran past Faeyna and disappeared as quickly as they came. The door fell closed as the first two girls passed through, and the third girl ran into the door. However, her body didn¡¯t stop, and she ran right through the door like it wasn¡¯t even there!


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    ¡°Master, you shouldn¡¯t let them take advantage of you.¡± Faeyna sighed. ¡°You must resist their charm!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I responded stiffly, letting her go.


    ¡°Ah¡­ you¡¯ve been away, so you probably haven¡¯t heard, but the girls like those three have started to earn a name through Chalm,¡± Elaya spoke up. ¡°They call them Deek¡¯s Fairies.¡±


    ¡°What? Mine?¡±


    ¡°It seems that they all talk about you, a lot. If asked, they all declare they are¡­ um¡­ your future brides.¡± Faeyna coughed.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not too hard to understand. These girls had been experimented on using the mana from your mana spring. In short, your essence has imprinted on them. They see themselves as yours.¡± Elaya responded.


    ¡°In truth, every girl wanted to volunteer to get closer to you. In the end, these three were elected by some kind of voting process. I¡¯m not clear on it, as they¡¯ve seemingly formed their own¡­ ah¡­ would you call it? A cult of Deek?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more like a coven dedicated to worshipping Master!¡± Elaya nodded.


    I opened my mouth, but no words came out.


    ¡°So, Master needs to resist! You can¡¯t allow your temptations to run rampant! If you thought Astria¡¯s fairies were bad, these girls will definitely plot to taste Master¡¯s mana!¡±


    ¡°What did you invite into my home?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who said you very much wanted them to be your maids?¡± Faeyna responded flatly.


    ¡°Geh!¡±


    ¡°Master, we saw how you looked at them.¡± Alysia added flatly.


    ¡°That is¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ but you know what this means?¡± Miki declared. ¡°Flat chests are in!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Elaya cried out at the realization.


    ¡°So, Master likes that body type¡­¡± Faeyna sighed looking down at her body and wishing it wasn¡¯t so curvy and plump.


    ¡°I like every body type!¡± I cried out.


    ¡°This is a major problem.¡± Elaya declared, taping her finger on her cheek.


    ¡°Is it though?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Since Master has come back, he has had Elaya, Astria, Celeste, and Alysia¡­ all big-breasted women! Master is starved for small breasts!¡± Faeyna concluded.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a thing¡­¡± I sighed.


    ¡°We need Master to unload his carnal desires for tiny titties!¡± Elaya declared.


    ¡°But who¡­¡± Faeyna asked, seemingly lost in a conversation with Elaya I could barely follow.


    Faeyna and Elaya both turned to Miki. Miki blinked, and then her cheeks went red and she covered her chest.


    ¡°I have boobs!¡±


    ¡°Only B¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m small all around, so my boobs are big in comparison!¡± Miki cried out. ¡°If you want a flat chest, there is Terra or Garnet!¡±


    ¡°Both of them are gone for the moment.¡± Elaya sighed. ¡°Miki, we need you. The Harem needs you. It¡¯s no wonder Master saved you first. Your subpar chest will save us all.¡±


    ¡°Are you insulting me or complimenting me?¡±


    ¡°Please, Miki. You don¡¯t want Master to fall into a loli abyss!¡±


    ¡°Guys, this is a non issue¡­ I¡¯m not even excited right now.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Fine! I¡¯ll do it!¡± Miki declared before turning to me. ¡°Master, please, take me!¡±


    ¡°Faeyna, that¡¯s our time to get lost.¡± Elaya grinned, grabbing the other girl and backing out the door.


    ¡°R-right!¡± The two girls flee from the room and the door shuts behind them.


    I watch in disbelief. Did they think I was a bomb about to explode?


    ¡°M-master?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I turned back to see Miki had taken off her clothes and was now lying in my bed. Behind her, her fluffy foxkin tail was splayed out like a fur blanket. She slowly spread her legs, even as a blush filled her face.


    ¡°I want this too. I haven¡¯t had Master in forever. I was just inside you, can¡¯t you be inside me now?¡±


    Okay, now I was a little excited.

 Chapter 1288.5

    When it came to a certain agreement that I wouldn¡¯t sleep around until all of my women returned, one had to consider the predominant rule. Everyone gets one. Miki may have been my slave once, but she had stopped being my slave, didn¡¯t she? That meant that once the bond was restored, she was my slave again, and thus she got her one time to be with me without competing with anyone else.


    Either way, those rules weren¡¯t really established by me anyway, so after a hard day of going into Dioshin and stopping mass destruction, why couldn¡¯t I take a bit of leisure time and show one of the women I loved some much-needed appreciation. Besides, Miki had been suffering from her loss.  It made me worry that other girls were suffering as well. I would have to remind them all just who I was, and not allow them to fall into despair.


    Although there were many ways I could show my love, I was quite busy. I still had to find the other girls, I needed to deal with Lord Reign, there was King Aberis¡¯s request, and I also needed to cash in on the agreement I had made with Lord Duran. Not to mention, there was the city to be run. I now had the Osterians to deal with. The citizens of Chalm were still infected with karma. Now that I had Miki, we could work on that, but after everything she had been through, she could use a rest. In short, I was doing what was best for my women.


    I made sure we had our privacy. Now that I was in the dungeon, I could seal the door to my bedroom with the wave of a hand. Short of a superpowered spell or unique sword like Alysium, no one would be able to break into my chamber. Actually, it was kind of nice being the Dungeon Master, now that I thought about it.


    I took off my clothing as Miki watched nervously. We had slept together many times, but I was no longer the same Deek and she was no longer the same Miki. There might have been a time where I wouldn¡¯t have taken my clothing off, embarrassed to show my body, or only just took off my pants but kept my shirt on. I didn¡¯t feel that was necessary anymore, so I stripped naked and then kneeled on the bed.


    Miki shivered slightly, her hands falling and spreading her lips open in a lewd way. Miki had changed as well. The first time we had slept together, she had barely been able to do a thing. She was skittish and frightened. Well, she was still nervous, but she took the initiative to display her body to me, something the old Miki could never do.


    Miki was a pale beauty. She didn¡¯t have the curves of many of the other girls. She was skinny and frail, with modest breasts and thin arms. However, she had her charms as well. Her skin was milky and her eyes were a bright yellow. The darkness seemed to have touched her, and it gave her paleness a sort of ghostlike appearance that made her beauty more intense. I also noticed that she had placed her arms on either side of her breasts, and while it looked like she was spreading herself open, she was also pushed her breasts together to make them appear larger. The other girls¡¯ careless words must have gotten to her a bit.


    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful,¡± I stated.


    It wasn¡¯t the first time I had told her that, but I felt at a time like this, I needed to say such a thing. She blushed slightly, her pale cheeks turned a rich red.


    ¡°Master, please don¡¯t make me wait any longer.¡± She responded.


    ¡°Ah, right!¡±


    Rather than admiring Miki, I should just get to it. Moving on top of her, I gently kissed her lips. My body completely covered her smaller form. I made sure to support myself with my hands so that I didn¡¯t put all of my weight on her. Did that mean I was heavy again? I bet if I had a scale, I would probably be roughly the same weight I had been when I first came to this world. Of course, I had muscles and was a head taller, but now I was worried about putting too much weight on Miki.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± She panted as our lips parted. ¡°I¡¯m not as frail as I look. I can take everything Master can give me.¡±


    ¡°Miki¡­¡±


    Miki put her hands on my chest, and then slowly lowered them down. Her slightly cold hands slid down my warm body and found my cock. It felt like a raging fire compared to her hands. Her fingers instinctively squeezed around it as if she wanted to enjoy the warmth of it. After stroking the shaft a few times delicately, she began to pull my dick up against her. She did want it inside her. Some of my other girls would enjoy the tease or be far more aggressive with asking for it. However, when it came to Miki, this was the only way she could show me how much she wanted me.


    I let her pull my dick up to her pussy. With it clinched in her hands, she started to rub the head against her wet slit. She didn¡¯t shove it right in immediately. Instead, she used my cock to play with herself. Watching her with her eyes closed tight, breathing hard as her hand grasped my cock and rubbed it against her wet parts was extremely hot. She slowly got my dick wetter with her slimy juices.


    ¡°Hah¡­ Hah¡­ nuhaah¡­ Master¡­¡± She moaned sweet words, her hot breath coming out in sputters.


    If she intended to teach me a lesson about how it wasn¡¯t fun to tease people, she was doing a great job. Feeling her moist warmth below teasing the head of my cock, I wanted nothing more than to shove myself inside Miki and take her roughly. However, she took the initiative to grab my cock. If she was like Lydia, it¡¯d be a constant fight to keep her under me. Lydia was a savage tiger who could eat you up if you weren¡¯t careful.


    She wasn¡¯t like Raissa either, who was extremely docile and subservient. She desired to do what I wanted and please me. Miki was a different animal girl altogether. Skittish at times, curious at others. She didn¡¯t want to be teased but liked to tease others. This was Miki, my woman, my lover, my nine-tailed foxkin.


    Thankfully, her teasing didn¡¯t last an unbearable amount of time. At some point, she had reached her limit. Her pussy had already made my dick nice and wet, and so when she started to pull it forward into herself, it slid in with ease.


    ¡°Agghnnn¡­¡± She moaned. ¡°Master¡­¡±


    Her back arched as it started to fill her. Her fingers slowly tugged on my cock, pushing it into her little by little. She didn¡¯t take it all at once but savored it inch by inch. I could feel her insides twitching excitedly as if they were welcoming the familiar feel of her Master¡¯s cock returning.


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    ¡°Haaa¡­ Haaa¡­¡± Miki panted, ¡°Master, I¡¯m going to cum.¡±


    ¡°Already¡­¡± I raised an eyebrow.


    My sweet little foxgirl had teased herself a bit too much. She hadn¡¯t been deceitful when she was talking about how badly she wanted it. She had worked herself into such a state that even feeling it slide in a few inches was enough to drive her to the edge.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it, since it¡¯s Master,¡± Miki responded mischievously.


    I leaned close to her soft fox ear. ¡°Shall I begin?¡±


    I bit the tip of her ear, causing her body to shake and her pussy to clamp down on my cock pleasingly. Of course, once I began, I wouldn¡¯t be able to stop myself. Miki knew such a thing by now.


    ¡°C-can you pull out?¡± She asked something unexpected.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°I want you to lie down¡­ on your back.¡± She responded, her breath still coming out in pants.


    ¡°Okay.¡± I didn¡¯t hesitate to pull out and lie back down.


    I put my hands behind my head, and my penis ended up sticking up vertically. Miki looked over at me with slightly wet eyes and then swung her leg over my body. My eyebrows rose slightly as Miki got on top of me. It wasn¡¯t like I had never had a girl on top. Elaya liked such a position, and so did Lydia. However, Miki wasn¡¯t the type.


    Miki was the kind of girl who had a long, drawn-out orgasm. Once she started cumming, she would become a twitching mess, unable to do anything but take it as she came for several minutes straight. In other words, it was a strange position for her to be in, especially given that she was at her limit. It was also a heavily taxing position that put most of the burden on her, and it put her body on full display for me to look at and touch. However, it seemed like my innocent little Miki wanted to be on top anyway. Maybe she had something to prove to me, or herself.


    After grabbing my slick cock once again, who had only tasted her tight insides for a moment, she wasted no time lining up and sliding it into her. She let her body and hips fall on my cock, allowing it to impale her body. She shuddered as the entire length filled her up, entering deep inside her womb.


    ¡°Miki¡­¡± I reached up to touch her.


    She reached out and stopped my hands, grabbing my wrists and forcefully pushing them to my chest. ¡°Master, let me take care of everything.¡±


    Her voice was breathy, but it was filled with determination. Her eyes seemed to declare that she was confident in herself, and wanted to please me completely.


    ¡°O-okay.¡±


    She pushed herself up, raising her hips and sliding up the length of my cock, and then she let herself fall back down. The feeling of her tight insides massaging my cock was incredible. She began to lift her tiny behind and then drop it again, bouncing up and down on my cock. Her hands tightened on my wrists as if she wanted to hold me down and use me. In truth, she wanted to show me how much she¡¯d grown. The once shy and innocent Miki could pleasure me with her body, and do anything the other girls could do.


    She used all of her efforts to show me this. Her hands pushed down on my chest, using both her lower and upper body to move up and down on top of my cock. Wet slaps could be heard every time she fell back down, and no sooner had she impaled herself than she got back up and did it again. She was gasping and moaning with exertion, her eyes closed tightly and occasionally her teeth would clench. However, she worked earnestly to please me, unwilling to stop.


    Her body was light, and I could pick her up, move her, or put her into whatever position I wanted with ease. Yet, feeling her form work my body as she jumped up and down, exerting herself to the max to pleasure me, I didn¡¯t feel like I could move even if I wanted to. I became entranced while watching Miki give her all.


    ¡°Ahhhn¡­ ahhhn¡­ ahhh¡­ Haaah¡­ haaa¡­¡± Miki moaned sensually.


    She started to become covered in a sheen of sweat, her black tips matted to her face as she moved with all of her might.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ Master¡­ my pussy is going to fucking explode!¡± Miki cried out.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhn! Fuck, fuck, fuck!¡±


    Miki¡¯s body started to glow, and her rainbow tails appeared again. Her hands turned into sharp animallike nails, and her two little fangs popped out of her mouth. This was¡­ a beastform? Lydia had a beastform she had used once or twice. It arises when she became desperate for more power. Miki seemed to slip into her beastform while riding my cock.


    Although she took on several foxkin features, it wasn¡¯t like she had a fox face or suddenly became hairy. Her appearance was less fierce than Lydia¡¯s. It looked somewhat adorable!.


    ¡°Ahhhhhhhhn!¡±


    I said that until her hands let go of my wrists, and then she scratched my chest, creating two sets of claw marks across it. I barely noticed that though, because her spiritual tails had seemingly plunged into me, causing her soul and mine to interconnect. I didn¡¯t just feel myself, I could feel Miki too! Of course, I had experimented with such skills in the past for sexual pleasure, but I hadn¡¯t been prepared for our souls to suddenly unite.


    I could feel what Miki felt, and that meant I could feel her powerful orgasm. She had held back and resisted. Since I could feel her soul, I realized she had been trying to make me cum first. That¡¯s what had driven her into her beastform. She had wanted me to explode before she came, and yet her naughtiness had caused her to lose herself first.


    Yet, with her soul bound to mine, our feelings were the same. Even if they weren¡¯t, I had been to the very edge. If she hadn¡¯t scratched me, I might have already come! Adding her intense pleasure with my own, I couldn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°Miki! Ahhh!¡±


    ¡°MM-master! Fuck¡­ Ahhhn¡­Yip! Yip!¡±


    Her body spasmed as she clawed my chest and started letting out animalistic yipping noises. It sounded a bit like a hiccup and a bit like a yowl. Her back arched again, her fox tail stuck straight up as she orgasmed roughly on my cock. Her pussy was like a vice, milking my cock for all it was worth, and my cock provided, exploding load after load deep into her womb.


    Under normal circumstances, I might have already recovered, but with my soul being touched by Miki, her orgasms that seemed to go on in nonstop waves put me into a state where I couldn¡¯t stop either. I felt like I had released the cum of ten men, and my cock wouldn¡¯t stop. The more she felt inside her, the harder she orgasmed too. Even though she had stopped riding my cock, the pure pressure was too much, and finally erupted from between our organs, making a complete mess.


    Miki finally collapsed on top of me, her body still suffering from the throws of after orgasms. This was something guys didn¡¯t feel. Usually, when I was done, I was done, but because of Miki, my body was driven to new levels of arousal, preventing it from softening or dying. After ten minutes, my cock was still hard and deep inside Miki¡¯s ruined pussy. Her features that had gone to beastform for a few minutes had already ended, and her tail finally dissipated, the white and black-tipped physical tail flopping down with exhaustion.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Miki replied nervously. ¡°Was that okay?¡±


    ¡°My Miki is secretly quite a vulgar animal in bed.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± She looked up, a look of embarrassed shock on her face.


    ¡°You had me using naughty words in your dungeon too. Now that I heard how you really talk¡­¡±


    ¡°N-no!¡± She cried, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m not like that!¡±


    I chuckled darkly. ¡°Come on, why don¡¯t you say something naughty.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t! That was a slip of the tongue! I don¡¯t consider bad words sexy at all.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you won¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m going to f-¡± I leaned into her ear, and then whispered a few expletives.


    Her face turned red. ¡°M-m-master!¡±


    ¡°Did you just cum some more? I felt your pussy tighten.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ that was just from before! I¡¯m not¡­¡±


    I grabbed her and rolled over, pushing her to the bed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this can just be our little secret.¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± She looked up at me with teary eyes, but then she collapsed her head back. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    ¡°I intend to!¡± I began round two.


    Alysia kept her mouth shut, deciding it was best not to mention that this secret involved three. When Miki had touched his soul, she had forced Alysia into it too. She was put through a powerful orgasm, and had completely ruined her underwear! She definitely wouldn¡¯t tell anyone! She continued to focus on the trees and the gentle environment of the soul world while trying to hum to keep out the perverted and now expletive sounds going on outside. It wasn¡¯t easy being a sword.

 Chapter 1289

    ¡°What do you think?¡± I asked.


    Miki frowned slightly before taking her hand off the guild master¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we should do anything.¡±


    A few days had passed since I had spent a night with Miki. I was trying to get several things set up before I did the dimensional jump. Since I would be trapped on Earth for a week, I wanted to make sure nothing was being left behind that would cause any problems. The problem that wore on my mind the most was the karmic infection that had invaded all of the people. I had managed to make it so they could function normally by karmic manipulation, but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t still there.


    Most of the citizens didn¡¯t know about such a karmic issue, so to keep things under wraps, I visited Ruby and the guild master. After spending a few minutes checking him with her spiritualist powers, Miki ended up giving an answer that was just a bit disappointing.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I asked.


    In my mind, it seemed like a rather simple thing to repair their contaminated souls. Well, not simple enough for me to manage on my own, but with Miki¡¯s help, I was thinking we¡¯d have a chance.


    Miki raised her hands. ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m saying it isn¡¯t possible, I¡¯m just suggesting it isn¡¯t necessary.


    The guild master frowned slightly. ¡°From what I understand, this Karmic control is like some kind of mind washing, right? Someone could program me to act against my character? I don¡¯t want to turn into a mindless zombie again. This town has dealt with enough zombies.¡±


    I had to nod in agreement. When I first arrived in Chalm, they were under attack from an overflow of zombies coming from an aggressive but new dungeon. That¡¯s what had ended up starting me on this strange path I was on. Then, only a few months later, upon freeing the city of ghosts and rebuilding, the equivalent of a rage virus broke out, turning the city once again into one filled with a zombie menace. I knew I wouldn¡¯t feel comfortable knowing there was a switch in my head that could turn me into a violent monster.


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    However, Miki was shaking her head in disagreement. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. This karmic infection came from Deek, and only Deek can control it completely. Even Elaya, for all of her knowledge, could only broadly influence your emotions, as the source of the miasma all came from Master. Only Master would have the ability to influence you, and no offense, if Master wanted to do this, he could forcibly infect the city at any time using his dungeon.


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s true¡­¡± The guild master scratched the back of his head. ¡°It¡¯s just a lot to ask¡­¡±


    ¡°All we have to do is trust in Deek,¡± Ruby spoke up, and then shot the guild master a hard glare. ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡±


    The guild master stiffened and then laughed. ¡°Of course, I trust him! Most of the people in town consider him a savior! It¡¯s just¡­ what¡¯s the point in keeping it?¡±


    Miki shrugged. ¡°Having Deek¡¯s karmic infection will protect everyone from miasmic attacks. You won¡¯t be influenced by the negative effects of dungeons, and you will have a high resistance to curses. In a way, it¡¯s like having a pseudo-god soul. Furthermore, it will mean that Deek can trust you guys.¡±


    ¡°Trust us?¡±


    ¡°Take Demon Lord Aberis, for example. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to invade the soul of someone who had already been infected by Deek.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ there won¡¯t be another Aberis, will there?¡± the guild master looked worried.


    ¡°You never know. At the very least, citizens of Chalm won¡¯t be able to be turned into spies or otherwise be influenced by dark forces.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s like that¡­¡± Ruby sighed. ¡°Then, I suppose I have no problem leaving things as is.¡±


    The guild master still didn¡¯t look convinced. ¡°Are you sure there aren¡¯t some other potential problems with it?¡±


    Miki stiffened lightly, but when I gave her a nod to continue, she spoke up. ¡°There may be one. Since Master¡¯s miasma is in direct contact with your souls, people who are infected by Master¡¯s miasma may find themselves more¡­ susceptible¡­  to Master¡¯s¡­advances¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± I jerked up.


    ¡°I mean, people will like Master more!¡±


    ¡°Why did you word it the other way?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because Master keeps finding women to seduce?¡±


    ¡°This is hardly the same thing! Name a single woman in town who is infected that has come to desire me more?¡± I declared.


    After a few moments of silence, all of our heads turned to a certain person.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± Ruby cried out.

 Chapter 1290

    Whether Ruby would confirm or deny Miki¡¯s speculation, an answer never came. That¡¯s because the door burst open a few moments later, and a scout from the adventuring guild popped his head in.


    ¡°The Osterians identified a group of several hundred animalkin approaching Chalm!¡± He declared.


    ¡°Another attack?¡± the guild master cursed.


    ¡°Deek, you should resolve this immediately!¡± Ruby declared, and when we all looked at her, she blushed. ¡°What? It¡¯s important!¡±


    Well, she wasn¡¯t wrong. Did the animalkin decide to invade? A group of several hundred, were they underestimating us? In all honesty, if those few hundred were all knights or something of equal ability and power, there was a time not too long ago where it would have been enough to wipe out Chalm. My army could only grow so fast, and besides the Osterians, they were only a few hundred strong and only had been training a few months. To be honest, our strongest had always been my slaves and the generals, most of which were absent right now.


    I supposed I could pull on the power of the dungeon, or depend on Elaya and Astria, to wipe out the threat, but first I needed to confirm it. I pulled up my Map, and immediately located the group that was entering the edge of my territory. Since I had soul-linked with the dungeon, the dungeon¡¯s mana was now my mana. In short, around Chalm, I was extremely powerful.


    The farther from Chalm I got, the weaker that connection became, but there were exceptions, such as in a dungeon battle, where I could call forth that power like it was right next to me. It was an interesting experience, and one of the most interesting things about it was an extremely long Mapping ability, which also simultaneously carried out a sense life. I could see every life form in the city, and for those, I bothered to remember their mana signatures, I could locate them at any time. My only blind spots happened to be near the god spouts. There was such a rich degree of mana and miasma spurting from them that it would be difficult to detect life.


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    My sense extended outward, the dungeon acting much like a magical satellite dish, and the reach of my sense even covered Chalm¡¯s crossing, although it didn¡¯t reach as far as Deeksville¡­ yet. As the dungeon grew, so would my range. There might be a time where my senses crossed all of the wilderness. Furthermore, this was my center of power. I truly began to understand the depths of power a man like the demon king would possess.


    I had already predicted that the dual dungeon that people often spoke about, The Demon Castle and Hell, were a god dungeon just like mine! Hell must be the soul dungeon that resided in the demon king, while the Demon Castle was the physical manifestation. That was my prediction, although I had no one to confirm if my theory was right.


    Since I could see these enemies, and I was at my seat of power, I might as well greet them head-on. Miki grabbed my arm, and I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°You¡¯re coming?¡±


    ¡°Mm!¡± She nodded.


    I could see a look of worry in her eyes. She felt responsible for this group coming to us. If it didn¡¯t have anything to do with Lady Death, then I¡¯d be completely surprised. I lifted my hand and opened a portal that was a few hundred yards in front of these enemies, and then with Miki on my arm, I stepped through.


    When I reached the other side, I did not see what I expected. The thing I saw was far worse than I would have predicted. It was a group of people I had hoped to never see again in my life. These were a rag-tag group, dirty, sick, and dying. They looked like they had been on a pretty bad journey the last few days, and had crossed the wilderness on foot, braving many potential attacks. I didn¡¯t know why they had bothered though.


    A man stepped forward, taking off his hat and pressing it to his chest, his fox ears lowered, his tail slouched. ¡°Lord Deek¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t say anything, but Miki took a step forward in front of me. ¡°Hello, Father.¡±

 Chapter 1291

    ¡°Why have you come?¡± I asked rudely. ¡°What made you think you¡¯d have a place here?¡±


    Miki glanced back at me. ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡­¡± He cleared his throat as his wife gabbed his coat from behind. ¡°We don¡¯t have anywhere else to go. After you left, we realized that the catkin would likely send someone to wipe us out to keep their secrets. Our people are sick and dying. We were barely able to make this journey.¡±


    I looked at Miki¡¯s Mother, who was holding her Father¡¯s shirt in a way that wasn¡¯t much different than how Miki clung to me. However, just because they were her parents didn¡¯t mean they were her family. My expression stiffened.


    ¡°How is it my problem?¡± I demanded, causing him to flinch.


    ¡°A-are the children alright?¡± Miki asked.


    I didn¡¯t mind her cutting in, but her voice that was still filled with concern only caused my heart to ache. These people weren¡¯t deserving of any of her kindness or sympathy.


    ¡°T-they still live.¡± He responded after a moment when he was sure I was allowing her to speak. ¡°The rest of us carried them¡­ but many died on the way. We resurrected those we still could, but we¡¯ve reached a point where the able-bodied were fewer than the immobile. If we turn back¡­ I¡¯m afraid no one will reach Dioshin alive.¡±


    I crossed my arms. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure some of you will survive. You¡¯ll just abandon the weak so those better off survive. It¡¯s what you do.¡±


    He bit his lip, and the others were either too tired or knew their place too well to muster any rebuttal. Every eye was looking down at the floor. They had lost what little part of their home they had left. Without knowing what they would find, they braved the wilderness and came to their enemy in the hopes of mercy. It was a bit like the time that Chalm was upset by ghosts and fled to Dioshin for shelter. Then again, when that happened, Dioshin had closed their doors on them, denying the animalkin a home. I saw no reason to offer one either.


    ¡°We¡­ won¡¯t abandon others anymore. We¡¯ve lived our entire lives suppressed by Dioshin, treated as outcasts because of the fear of souls and spirits. We¡­ won¡¯t make the same mistake again.¡±


    ¡°Good for you.¡± I sneered. ¡°Now, go away.¡±


    He shook but didn¡¯t respond. ¡°I will leave¡­¡±


    Miki reached out her hand, but I grabbed her arm, stopping her from stepping toward them, and then spun her so she faced away from him. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with unshed tears, her body shaking. It was filled with fear, confusion, and regret.


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    Her father hadn¡¯t turned away yet, opening his mouth once again as he glanced at Miki¡¯s back. ¡°I know I no longer have the right to call you my daughter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one thing we can both agree on!¡± I responded, looking at Miki, not him.


    ¡°I can only ask, no¡­ beg¡­The children¡­ they have done nothing. Can you¡­ can you please take the children? Can you cure¡­ no¡­ can you raise them, to be strong like you? We were¡­ all too weak.¡±


    My eyes continued to stare at Miki unblinking while her eyes grew red and her lips trembled. After a few moments of silence, I sighed, still not looking in their direction.


    ¡°If you must.¡±


    I heard a small exhale of breath, and the foxkin slowly moved forward. They only walked halfway to us, dragging behind small, bundled forms on makeshift carts. For a village of a couple hundred, there were only about twenty children in all remaining. They were left in front of us. The mothers and fathers who had to abandon their children let out wails and cries. The children weren¡¯t even conscious at this point. After a few moments to say their farewells, they slowly got back up and started heading into the forest.


    Throughout this time, my eyes were still on Miki. She didn¡¯t tell them to stop. Even with the tears running down her cheeks, she smiled at me and nodded. She was telling me this was the right thing to do.


    It¡¯s too bad I knew Miki better than that. I had been inside Miki¡¯s mind. I had seen the real person. She had worn a mask of acceptance her entire life. She always accepted what came to her. She masked some of it behind a mischievous and teasing demeanor, but at the end of it all, Miki was infinitely kind and generous. She wouldn¡¯t say anything, because this was too hard for her to decide. She wanted me to make the decision, and she¡¯d stand beside that decision.


    However, I knew my Miki. I knew that deep down; she would be in pain. I knew she would suffer every day in silence and regret. She would never resent me, but she would blame herself forever. I reached out and scratched the back of my neck.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ god, what a bother!¡± Her eyes widened at my words, and the people who had just reached the forest slowed slightly. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to deal with a bunch of stinking children. I guess I¡¯ll just sell them into slavery. That¡¯ll make some gold, I bet.¡±


    My words were loud, and they were heard by the foxkin. The Father spun around, just a bit of heat in his eyes.


    ¡°Slavery¡­ n-now see here! These are our children. We didn¡¯t leave them to you to sell as slaves?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± I picked my ear. ¡°Are you still here? Aren¡¯t you the guys just telling me you wouldn¡¯t leave your kind behind, all while leaving all of your children behind? That¡¯s real rich coming from you guys.¡±


    Several of the foxkin looked up with an offended expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that! It¡¯s just, our lives don¡¯t matter. We will gladly give them to save our children. Why can¡¯t you see that?¡±


    ¡°All I see is you all taking the easy way out. Again.¡± I responded. ¡°If I¡¯m going to deal with these kids, I need to be properly compensated.¡±


    ¡°C-compensated?¡± He sputtered. ¡°We don¡¯t have anything left? All we have is ourselves!¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°A bunch of spirit foxkin, huh?¡±


    He stiffened as the realization started to cross his face.


    ¡°I need some slaves to take care of these foxkin children, and for the rest, I¡¯ll find a way to put you all to work.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have a church in Chalm. Franky, I found the church¡¯s I had encountered to this date a bit too wonky to want them around. We had gained a few priests who had remained in town, but it wasn¡¯t enough for a growing population. However, priests weren¡¯t the only ones that could resurrect people. Spiritualists seemed to have the best resurrection, especially if they were a multi-tailed foxkin! This wasn¡¯t a matter of altruism, this was just good business.

 Chapter 1292

    ¡°You¡¯re going, alone?¡± Shao asked.


    A few days had passed since I had returned with Shao, and just about everyone but me had remained busy. I tried to get involved, but it seemed that others were handling it. Siti was working on building the traveling guild. Elaya was tending to the dungeon. Xin had taken over soldier training in Lydia¡¯s absence. Faeyna was busy training the new maids. Astria was managing the new fairy spring, which would be in the courtyard of what would one day be a castle. Within castle walls was arguably the safest place to have such a thing anyway.


    Celeste was training the newly evolved fairies. Originally, the fairies around my fairy spring had been of the common variety. They were dumb things. As long as a queen or superior was present, they worked on autopilot, sort of like bee drones. When pulled out of a fairy colony, they gained enough free will to be house pets, but they were rarely much better than a commodity.


    That had changed when Astria had started pumping them full of mana. The fairies had evolved, and as they evolved, so did their intelligence. Each day, they were growing more obstinate and less willing to listen to anything Astria told them. Like Celeste, they were freeing themselves from the hive. That could lead to a lot of trouble, especially since they lived around humans. So, Celeste had taken it upon herself to properly train them. It felt a bit like the blind leading the blind, but Astria was more interested in protecting the fairy spring than worrying about a bunch of rogue fairies.


    Then, there was Miki, who had seemingly started helping the foxkin settle in. I still didn¡¯t know how I felt about them. I worried that they might be once again taking advantage of Miki¡¯s goodwill. It seemed that she was still suffering from guilt over the people she had killed and tortured during her time as lady death. She was trying to use the foxkin as some kind of redemption. I didn¡¯t think it was healthy, but I also knew that she needed some time and I couldn¡¯t force her. That had only been a week or two ago.


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    Even Shao had decided to focus on her demon abilities. She worked her way through the dungeon. This was helping Elaya calibrate the difficulty and try out some of the new lore, but it was also helping Shao gain better control of her dark powers and her demon lord form. She had finally unlocked the job Assassin, something she was quite excited about. I knew she had been jealous of Raissa having that job for some time.


    Thus, it seemed like everyone had become busy except for me. All I was doing was waiting for the girls to get back. I didn¡¯t want to move on Alerith until I had Terra and Lydia back. At the very least, I needed Terra so we could start using her printer. Garnet¡¯s blacksmithing wouldn¡¯t hurt either. So, with some time to kill, I decided another journey was in order.


    ¡°I¡¯m not planning on going far,¡± I explained. ¡°My soul world is always accessible to you girls. You can stop by any time. Furthermore, we can speak with Slave Communication. Elaya showed you how to ding me if you need me to open the channel?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ she did.¡± Shao coughed. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ you leaving alone, I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Especially if you¡¯re going there.¡± Miki nodded in agreement.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly the thing Master always says when things don¡¯t go fine!¡± Celeste cried.


    ¡°Master needs to stop raising flags.¡± Shao declared.


    ¡°What¡¯s the worst-¡±


    ¡°If you say ¡®what¡¯s the worst that will happen, I¡¯ll bite you!¡± Miki growled.


    It seemed like the girls had been paying too close attention to my clich¨¦d lines. They no longer worked.

 Chapter 1293

    ¡°Just promise us you¡¯ll give us warning before you do anything dangerous.¡± Shao demanded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take any risks.¡± Miki agreed.


    ¡°And no more women!¡± Shao added.


    ¡°What? Honestly¡­¡±


    ¡°No¡­ she¡¯s got a good point!¡± Miki shot an accusing look.


    ¡°It was Lydia¡¯s fault. She kept going on about how the more women Master had, the more we should be happy, but it got out of hand!¡± Shao declared.


    I held up my hands helplessly. ¡°I can¡¯t control¡­¡±


    ¡°No women!¡± Both girls cried out, looking up at me with tear-filled eyes.


    ¡°N-n-no women.¡± I agreed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it, but I love Master!¡± Celeste threw her arms around all three of us and hugged.


    ¡°Ahh! Her boobs!¡±


    ¡°Are they bigger?¡±


    ¡°How can that be?¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s the evolution! My boobs are bigger in demon lord form too! Lucky, permanent evolution!¡±


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    ¡°H-hey! All I got was my hair turned black! Why didn¡¯t my chest grow?¡±


    ¡°A seed can¡¯t grow without a proper foundation¡­¡± Shao chuckled.


    ¡°Do you want to die?¡±


    ¡°Try it, ghost girl!¡±


    ¡°I could suck out your soul!¡±


    ¡°Not if I stabbed your back.¡±


    I sighed as I held the two girls away from each other. I had never noticed it before, Lydia had been the balance that kept the harem together. She smoothed out people¡¯s issues and kept the women from fighting in front of me excessively. Without her, that was why the girls went about their own tasks. I also hadn¡¯t had a group session¡­ ahem¡­ not that I was saying I wanted to have all three at once! However, the offer was no longer on the table like it was when Lydia was around.


    Maybe that was why my trip plan was a return to Dioshin. I had some hopes that maybe Lord Duran had located Lydia. I reckoned that she had most likely gone to Dioshin. That wasn¡¯t the only reason I was traveling there. The other reason was to cash in on the agreement I made with Lord Duran. Lord Duran had agreed to take me to the border of Dioshin and Jespain. Once I was there, I could skip Dioshin altogether and visit Jespain.


    I had never been to Jespain, but I had been told that it was industrialized compared to the lands in the east. They worked on magical tools, and their levels of magic enchantment were many times farther than anyone to the east. One could say that the Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s attack on the subsequent conquering of Osteria had caused our countries to fall behind a few hundred years. Jespain had been spared these wars thanks to the impassible jungles of Dioshin.


    Although my original intent on going there had been to learn the secrets of inventory rings and create our own, I had also expanded my plans considerably. They also might be able to help us advance our building of golems. Although if there was any true reason I wanted to go to Jespain, it was because I had heard the rumor that had ships that could fly. That was right, Jespain was the land of airships!

 Chapter 1294

    The girls finally calmed down and I gave them each a kiss. It really wasn¡¯t like I was going far, or intended to risk my life. What was the worst that could¡­ ah¡­ yeah¡­ maybe I needed to stop putting up such a flag.


    With a farewell, I opened a portal and stepped into an alleyway located in the wolfkin city. I immediately felt the expected increase in humidity and heat. Walking out into the town, I used my Transformation skill to give myself the appearance of a wolfkin. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t replicate the smell of a wolfkin yet, but I did my best to wrap myself in the air and keep my smells from leaking out. It was a trick I had learned from Celeste, and I wasn¡¯t very good at it.


    The last time I had been in the wolfkin tribe capital, the place had been very empty and depressed. Death hung in the air, and people were fearful for their lives. Only a week or so later, and the atmosphere had changed from muted to rather boisterous. People were excitedly selling their wares and talking excitedly. As I passed by, I heard various conversations of interest.


    ¡°Yeah, the king defeated Lady Death with his mighty blade. He freed all the souls of the dead.¡±


    ¡°You know, I was in the army that hunted down Lady Death. Of course, we didn¡¯t run into her, but if we did¡­ I would have shown her who¡¯s the alpha wolf!¡±


    ¡°My dad¡¯s soul was lost, but he came back. Glory to King Roth!¡±


    It seemed like the story going around was that it was the king of Dioshin that had slain Lady Death and freed everyone. I didn¡¯t know how I felt about him taking credit for my work. I was a bit worried that Lord Duran believed these words too. If that was the case, would he even be willing to fulfill his part of the bargain? If he did reject me, then I was going to head there on my own. I¡¯d just make sure to use transformation and move quickly. Such a journey would take months though unless I made use of my double jumping. Such a rapid movement skill would be noticed though and may get me into all kinds of trouble.


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    The one nice thing was that I wouldn¡¯t have to do it all at once. I could travel all day, then portal home, and then portal where I left off in the morning, and do it again, just like when I worked my way down a dungeon.


    I was thinking about such things so I didn¡¯t notice when an older wolfwoman stepped in front of me and pointed a finger in my face. ¡°You! You don¡¯t belong here!¡±


    Had I been sniffed out? I managed to hide the shock on my face pretty well.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Naturally, you¡¯re a blasphemer! You must give yourself over to God!¡±


    I looked around and took a breath of relief. I had been walking by the local chapter of the church. This woman was calling me out. My eyes immediately caught on to her large chest and went flat.


    ¡°You¡¯re not¡­ the church or big breasts¡­ are you?¡± I asked.


    Her face turned red, and she turned her chest away from me. ¡°How dare you? You would speak of such sacrilege at the Church of the Father?¡±


    ¡°The father¡­ no chests?¡±


    She frowned. ¡°What is your obsession with chests? Clearly, you need religion.¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m sorry¡­ I don¡¯t care about chests.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± The woman nodded. ¡°Our church doesn¡¯t care about such trivial things. All women are welcome here¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I felt a little teary-eyed finally encountering a real church; it wasn¡¯t some ridiculous church.


    ¡°As long as they have junk in the trunk.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Behold! The church of the big butts!¡± She turned around and flashed her nice round posterior.


    ¡°I-it¡¯s a lie¡­¡±


    ¡°As it was written, big butts cannot lie. Look upon your brothers, for they cannot deny¡­¡±*


    I gave up. Religion in this world was doomed.

 Chapter 1295

    From what I was able to gleam, the church of the father was actually an offshoot of the church of the mother and daughter. Unlike that church which broke into two, this church was instead a modification created by missionaries who wanted to spread the joy of their religion to the unsuspecting animalkin.


    Since the country was ruled by a lion, and they maintained a somewhat patriarchal system that wouldn¡¯t tolerate a female goddess, the mother turned into the father. As for the obsession with butts, this seemed to come about because of their tails. Special interest was already given to posteriors, so to convert more people, the butt became the center of interest. When the Demon lord Aberis came, the church broke, and Dioshin shut their doors becoming the xenophobic culture of today, the church of his father only continued to delineate into a path that catered specifically to the animalkin culture.


    That said, by the embarrassed looks people gave as they passed by and the wide berth they gave the entrance to the church, I had a feeling that this church didn¡¯t have nearly as much support as the churches in the Ost Republic and Aberis. They didn¡¯t have priests and priestesses, but shamans. Most things that involved life and death were strictly banned. Resurrection existed here, but it had its own culture around it and wasn¡¯t handled so loosely as the Life Insurance policies of Aberis.


    ¡°As the great Father said, you may sniff upon my butt, and I will sniff upon yours. Please, everyone, stand up and bend over. Let us embrace our unique scents and identities¡­ eh, where did our recruit go?¡±


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    It was at that point I had enough and fled the church. Say anything about the church in Aberis, but they didn¡¯t have people sniff each other. I knew these were animalkin, and the majority here werewolves, but wasn¡¯t that a bit far? Either way, I wasn¡¯t sticking around. I slipped away in the crowds, making a line straight for the wolfkin¡¯s castle.


    I came up to the guards in the front of the building and gave them a respectful nod. ¡°I¡¯m here to see Lord Duran.¡±


    The wolfkin man scowled. ¡°Not just anyone can see our lord.¡±


    I had prepared for this. I knew there might be trouble getting in touch with him. I was supposed to be returning with the wolf pack that I left with, but I had abandoned them and ended up going to Chalm. I¡¯d just have to convince him to let Lord Duran know I was here. If it became too troublesome, I¡¯d merely portal directly into the castle. This was only a courtesy. I didn¡¯t want them to know just how dangerous I actually could be. After all, he was a potential ally.


    ¡°Well, you see-¡±


    ¡°Sorry, lads. He¡¯s with me.¡± A voice came from behind.


    I turned around to see a familiar face. ¡°Pait¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re back from your expedition?¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. ¡°Good. When the wolf pack returned two days ago and reported you had flown into a rage and disappeared, Lord Duran had grown quite worried.¡±


    ¡°The situation was taken care of, and I didn¡¯t go anywhere in Dioshin I wasn¡¯t supposed to.¡±


    He nodded before grabbing my arm. ¡°Come. Let¡¯s got in.¡±


    The guards stepped aside for Pait. It seemed like he had helped me once again.

 Chapter 1296

    ¡°The rumors state that Lady Death engaged in a battle against King Roth just outside the rabbitkin tribe¡¯s capital. He defeated her with his mighty sword and then resurrected all of the souls he had freed. I know it¡¯s crap.¡± Pait grumbled as he led me through the hallways. ¡°That old man can barely lift a sword from what I hear. Plus, there is the only person I know with that kind of resurrection magic. Can you enlighten me on what happened?¡±


    It was a bit surreal talking to Pait. Was this what it was like for normal people who couldn¡¯t just casually open portals wherever they wanted to go? They were only just getting the news for what I would have considered long past. I had to remind myself that for a normal person, the last two weeks I had spent recuperating, recovering Shao, and then lazing around the mansion would have been the same time it took for me to have returned here on foot normally. Pait likely suspected my mobility was better than I let on, but I was curious how much Lord Duran knew.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much to tell.¡± I shrugged. ¡°The King of Dioshin set up illegal experimentation to try to extend his life by experimenting on many-tailed foxkin. He became interested in Miki, my 9-tailed fox, and using deception lured her into the country. She ended up absorbing a dungeon and then being taken over and influenced by a mad scientist as Lady Death, who proceeded to try to wipe out the country and become an immortal god-king.¡±


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    ¡°Oh, I see¡­ wait! That¡¯s quite a lot to tell!¡± Pait shot me a look of disbelief. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a bit too casual about it? What happened to Lady Death?¡±


    ¡°The dungeon was destroyed and Miki was returned to me.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Besides, I resurrected everyone who died, so there is no point in getting so worked up about it.¡±


    ¡°Aii¡­ I should have known after you enslaved a demon lord that you wouldn¡¯t hesitate to enslave a figure like Lady Death. You like to live life dangerously.¡± He wiped his head while shaking it back and forth.


    ¡°Technically, she was my slave before she was Lady Death,¡± I responded. ¡°Besides, she wasn¡¯t in control of herself. It was a curse. It¡¯s over and done with. Given the king¡¯s claims, do you think Lord Duran will follow through with his agreement?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not some ratkin. He won¡¯t betray you.¡± Pait declared, and when I raised an eyebrow, he blushed. ¡°S-sorry, after staying here I¡¯ve started to pick up a few of their attitudes and comments.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ll offend me.¡±


    ¡°Lord Duran is smart enough to know that King Roth is full of hot air, and even if you had no involvement with the defeat of Lady Death, he would still fulfill his end of the bargain. What you asked for wasn¡¯t so unreasonable.¡± As he said that, he stopped in front of the doors leading into the throne room.


    He whispered some words to a guard, who nodded and then entered the room. They didn¡¯t have to wait long before they were allowed in. It was time to collect my prize.

 Chapter 1297

    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to.¡± Lord Duran sighed. ¡°But King Roth has demanded an emergency summit in the capital. If you had come any later, I might have left already.¡±


    ¡°So, you won¡¯t take me to the border?¡± I frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯d happily do so at a later date. You¡¯re welcome to stay as my guest until I return, and then I will escort you to the border. It would take months to travel by foot, but I have a means that could get us there in only a week or two.¡±


    ¡°How long until you get back?¡±


    ¡°A week or two, maybe a month at max.¡±


    ¡°A month!¡± My mouth opened and closed.


    I wanted to complain, but in a world like this, a month was no time at all. Pait had spent nearly two years in the capital, and he planned to spend another few weeks here before he headed back to Esmore. It would take at least that long to get a reply based on the report regarding Lady Death. It didn¡¯t pass me by that everything I had told Pait would likely be sent on to his government. Although I considered him a friend, he was still a dignitary from another country, and that meant our friendship only went so far.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I appreciate what you¡¯ve done, but¡­¡±


    I glanced back up at Lord Duran but was surprised to see he was looking at me with a hesitant expression.


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    ¡°What is it?¡±


    He let out a small sigh, his ears drooping slightly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if I was going to pass this on to you. I only received it a day or two ago. As for its relevance, I¡¯m not sure about that either. However, it appears to be for you.¡±


    ¡°For me?¡±


    ¡°It was found sitting outside of Gram¡¯s Passage.¡± He made a gesture and a guard brought him something wrapped up in fine linen on a platter.


    He carefully unwrapped it and pulled a small stone from the platter and after a moment of hesitation, held it out. I reached out and took it. It was a small, smooth stone, and there was a string wrapped around it holding a piece of aged paper. On the paper was a single word, Deek. I instinctively could guess this must have come from that lizard Gram. Why would he give me something like this?


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a memory. Ah¡­ they call them imagers. They come from Jespain. You can record something and then play it back. They¡¯re typically locked to the people that recorded on it and whomever they give permission to view it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ never had an imager before,¡± I responded, looking down at the item uncertainly.


    It sort of gave me a feeling like a dungeon core copy that Gram had given me, although it felt much weaker. I had a feeling that I¡¯d be able to play it just like I had played memories in dungeons in the past.


    ¡°And yet, your name is on it.¡± Lord Duran shrugged.


    ¡°Why were you thinking of not giving it to me?¡±


    ¡°It could have anything on it. It could be secret intel. It could be recordings of our land, or weaknesses, or even the truth of Lady Death. That it was found on the passage to Esmore makes its likelihood of being espionage even more likely. I should have destroyed it on the spot.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not involved with this!¡± Pait cried out.


    ¡°Relax¡­ I¡¯m just explaining my concerns. I gave it to you in the end, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯m giving you a lot of trust Deek.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Then, let¡¯s see what it says.¡±

 Chapter 1298

    I wasn¡¯t some spy, and I wanted to instill some confidence with Lord Duran, so I decided to just activate it in front of him. Plus, I wasn¡¯t confident I could do it and thought he might be able to help if I failed. Hopefully, it didn¡¯t reveal any secret, although I couldn¡¯t think of very many I kept. It wasn¡¯t in my nature to act deceptively. The few times I held back things from the girls, it was usually because of fear and cowardice over the answers I¡¯d receive. I understood that now.


    Although it was familiar, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d need to use the dungeon to activate it though. This was made in Jespain, and while I didn¡¯t know how common it was, how many people had a soul dungeon to enter to explore one? It took a few moments of playing with my mana control before I figured out the means of activation.


    A form appeared in the room. Lord Duran tensed for a moment, but he quickly realized that the form wasn¡¯t there. There was something indistinct about the illusion which made it clear this was a recording, not reality. The person standing there was familiar to me. It was Gram, although he was hidden within his cloaks, giving him the appearance of the cloaked stranger.


    ¡°Deek Deekson¡­ after our previous encounter, I¡¯m familiar enough for your mana signature that when I detected this near my dungeon, I feared you were mounting some kind of attack. I found this arrived through one of my underground geysers. It had come from under my dungeon. My dungeon runs deep, so for you to get under me seemed unlikely.


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    ¡°This is not the original memory recording. That was severely damaged, and I digested it to determine the contents inside. After seeing what was inside, I realized that the contents are related to you after all. I considered just destroying this information, but given our turbulent relationship, I¡¯ve decided to offer it to you as a peace offering. In the future, remember this favor¡­¡±


    ¡°Who is this guy?¡± Lord Duran¡¯s nose twitched as he looked with narrow eyes.


    ¡°Ah¡­ just an acquaintance I met.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if other nobles knew that dungeon masters could be sentient and independent by their dungeons. Well, I knew I said I wouldn¡¯t hold back, but this wasn¡¯t the time to have such a conversation, and I didn¡¯t owe him any kind of explanation anyway. At least I didn¡¯t lie.


    Besides, I was focused on what Gram was saying. This was an item I had never seen that had my mana signature and had come from deep in the earth? The material on it addressed me? Just what was it? Wait¡­ deep?


    ¡°I will begin the recovered memories now.¡±


    The image flickered, and two girls appeared in his place.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Terra asked.


    ¡°Hmmm? Oh? I got it while I was in the Twilight Dungeon. They call it an imager. I guess it takes an imprint of the area around it. Did you turn it on?¡± Garnet spun around.


    ¡°This is amazing! Hey, I know what. We can record our journey and show Master our journey.¡±


    My eyes widened. This was a recording of Garnet and Terra¡¯s journey to the Deep! Didn¡¯t it come back damaged? What was happening?

 Chapter 1299

    It was rather remarkable that such a piece of evidence made its way to me. I supposed given Terra¡¯s love of magical instruments, and Garnet¡¯s long and mysterious history, recording such an event seemed extremely likely if such a device had been available. That said, the device had made it back up into Gram¡¯s passage. Two people who weren¡¯t enemies, but also weren¡¯t friends had to have chosen to take the risk to get it to me.


    I understood now why it had my magical signature on it. It had come from two of my slaves. I was pretty certain that the restrictions that allowed someone to view something recorded by someone else was being their master through a slave bond. Of course, even that didn¡¯t stop a dungeon from being able to digest the memories by absorbing the mana. This wasn¡¯t the one that the girls had taken down, but one Gram had created using his dungeon after absorbing the previous one. That also meant I had to trust that Gram was showing me the whole story. If he had cut something out, I¡¯d have no way of knowing.


    It seemed like today was a day for trust on everyone¡¯s side.


    ¡°This is one of the forgotten pathways down to the Deep. The location was passed on to me by my family before they¡­ ahem.¡± Garnet explained awkwardly within the recording. ¡°It¡¯ll take about a month to reach the land of my ancestors. I¡¯m not confident we¡¯ll be able to make it there. There are many ancient pathways and they could have collapsed at any point during the years.¡±


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    Was that what happened? Did they get caught in some kind of rockfall? I had already attempted to resurrect everyone in the group shortly after I came back to find everyone gone. Their souls should have come back if they were dead. Unless this had happened over a month before, or in a dungeon. At this distance, I couldn¡¯t feel the tug of the broken bond at all.


    ¡°That¡¯s where I come in.¡± Terra flexed her small arm. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to get through any rockslide. After working with earth for so long, I¡¯m certain I can open up just about any path safely.¡±


    ¡°I also can¡¯t guarantee there will be any treasure,¡± Garnet warned. ¡°This is all tails and half-remembered stories. Furthermore, even if they do exist, my people might have trapped them. If a golem with earth manipulation could steal national treasures of my people so easily, then wouldn¡¯t that be looking down on my people?¡±


    Terra¡¯s strutting deflated a bit. ¡°We should be able to find something at least. The Deep Dwarves were the only ones that far down there. When they left, there would have been no one else to use such material. I¡¯ve not heard of any expeditions that have gone to the Deep to ever return.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, that¡¯s because they all died!¡± Garnet laughed. ¡°There have been hundreds of expeditions to the Deep, and not a single one survived.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true¡­ I found a record of one who man made it back. He was insane, muttering about how dark it was before killing himself.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ did you mention that to Master before we left?¡±


    ¡°Of course not! He never would have let us leave if he had known.¡±


    My brow twitched. She was correct about that.

 Chapter 1300

    ¡°We don¡¯t need to worry so much. Whomever went down wasn¡¯t a Deep Dwarf and a golem with Earth Manipulator as a job. Let¡¯s get a move on it. I can¡¯t wait to see Master¡¯s face when we return.¡±


    The image suddenly flickered, a new scene appearing. Was this memory loss, or did they end the recording and start up again later. I couldn¡¯t tell. They were deep down in some tunnel. They were lying down with a smokeless fire going. It looked like they had been camping for the night, so it was at least a day later.


    ¡°Did you feel it?¡± Terra asked, sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees, staring at the fire.


    Her expression wasn¡¯t nearly as happy or as lively as before. She looked almost despondent. Garnet sat up from where she was lying under the covers.


    ¡°The bond with Master? It was cut.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ he would never cut the bond.¡± Terra shook.


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t do so,¡± Garnet added. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it was done by him. It feels¡­ too sharp.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m it¡¯s just my imagination, but it doesn¡¯t feel like Master is dead.¡±


    Terra turned around, a look of shock on her face. ¡°You¡¯re certain?¡±


    ¡°Certain, no¡­ but I¡¯ve felt bonds before. I¡¯ve had people die. It¡¯s not so abrupt. I¡¯m just saying, from my experience, this feels more like the bond was cut deliberately.¡±


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    ¡°So, Master is in danger.¡± Terra¡¯s expression narrowed.


    ¡°Master is always in danger. This was probably something done by an enemy, and knowing Master, he¡¯ll come out on top.¡±


    Terra let out a breath. ¡°I see¡­ should we¡­ return?¡±


    ¡°By the time we return, he¡¯ll probably already recover. The other girls are closer, and if he¡¯s in trouble, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re handling in. Besides, we have our task. Let¡¯s continue. When we return, Master will just be extra hap-¡±


    Flicker.


    That time was the memory cutting out. I was glad to see the girls weren¡¯t destroyed by my apparent death. The two of them being together would help them get through it. Garnet was always more grounded and less excited. She had dealt with the loss her entire life. Whether it was the loss of her nation, the loss of her home, the loss of her family, and even at one time the loss of the life she had started in the Twilight Dungeon. She had a unique way of looking at things, and she was able to keep Terra from panicking.


    The screen appeared, and it was difficult to say how much longer they had been down there. The girls were crawling through an exceptionally narrow path. It was too small for someone like me to enter, but given their sizes, they were just big enough.


    ¡°I should have just made this area wider.¡± Terra panted.


    ¡°It¡¯s large enough for us,¡± Garnet responded. ¡°Lydia or Celeste wouldn¡¯t be able to fit.¡±


    ¡°Celeste would.¡± Terra¡¯s voice sounded pouty. ¡°That big breasted bimbo can shrink to any size. Why do some girls have all of the assets? Even my slim body that allows me to make it through tight spots, and she can do better, yet she still has those things.¡±


    ¡°Are big boobs that great?¡± Garnet laughed. ¡°I¡¯m rather happy with my chest. I heard big-breasts girls have sensitivity issues, but my nipples are super sensitive.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ that only makes them chaffed as we drag ourselves down this path. I don¡¯t even have Master to heal them. How much longer is this?¡¯


    ¡°Are you the Earth Manipulator? Can¡¯t you tell?¡±


    ¡°Geh¡­ I¡¯d rather not know.¡±


    The two girls seemed to be moving along so peacefully. So, how did everything go wrong?

 Chapter 1301

    ¡°Do¡­ you want to hear a secret?¡±


    The travels of Terra and Garnet continued. The longer they went, the dirty they appeared. It was hard to tell given the breaches in memory just how much time had passed. However, it was clear they were still working their way down. The two girls were sitting, and for some reason this night they didn¡¯t set a fire.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Garnet asked.


    ¡°I¡­ hate dungeons,¡± Terra spoke uneasily.


    Garnet looked up in surprise. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°The dark, the cramped spaces¡­ they remind me of back then.¡± She lowered her head, looking like a wilted flower. ¡°When I dragged the clockwork dragon with me down into the underground, I created a dungeon to trap it, but that dungeon wasn¡¯t just its prison. It was mine too. I lived in that grave¡­ the grave of my village, for longer than any human should be alive. The only reason I didn¡¯t go insane was that father had designed the golem to have such a failsafe.


    ¡°So, I held on, year after year, isolated, alone, in the dark. Then, Master came. He came and he took me. He spared me from the darkness and brought me into the light. That¡¯s why¡­ that¡¯s why I¡¯ll do anything for him. That¡¯s why I love him so much. He saved me from a living hell, and I can never repay that.¡±


    ¡°But, you¡¯re an Earth Manipulator. You¡¯re at your best underground. You go into dungeons with Master all of the time.¡±


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    A small smile formed on her face, her eyes filled with tears. ¡°I¡¯m just putting on a front. Acting brave. The other girls are so strong and so fearless. If¡­ if I let my true feelings out, then I¡¯ll be left behind. Besides, it never felt bad, because Master was by my side. I could feel the bond, and it was like Master was beside me. I knew that no matter how deep I went into that darkness, that a familiar blue light would appear, and Master would come out and grab me.¡±


    ¡°Was¡­¡± Garnet bit her lip.


    ¡°The bond was cut. Even if he¡¯s safe, he won¡¯t be able to come down here. He won¡¯t be able to find me. I¡¯m alone.¡±


    ¡°Terra.¡± Garnet reached out and touched her leg. ¡°You¡¯re not alone. I¡¯m here with you.¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­ I know.¡± Terra grabbed Garnet¡¯s hand and held it. ¡°I know.¡±


    For the longest time, I had always wondered what the girls saw me. In my arrogance, I had always just put it up to my Charm Up, and my Slave Affinity. I had convinced myself that their love was just a random byproduct of me being me. Even when I came to accept their love, I continued to hold to this belief and instead accepted that charm was a natural aspect of a person and not something I should feel bad about.


    I was afraid to take on the responsibility. I was afraid to understand and to listen. Seeing how Miki truly felt, I began to realize just how much these girls had been through. Some were slaves, living long lives of rejection and fear. Others were prisoners, trapped in dungeons and forced into a role they were never prepared to take. I knew their history, but I never focused on it. I was too busy moving forward that I never thought about looking back. Before I knew it, I couldn¡¯t go back.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Alysia could feel the emotions I had the strongest due to our body. ¡°We¡¯ll find them.¡±


    I reached out toward Terra¡¯s sad expression, ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ I will pull you from the darkness, always.¡±


    Her image disappeared, and new memory began.

 Chapter 1302

    The image lit up, and I blinked a bit as the girls walked through a crystalline cave. It resembled the Mirror Labyrinth quite a bit, although while those crystals were all clear and reflected light into prisms, these were different colors. Some crystals were red, others were blue or green, and then there was just about everything in between. Based on where the girls stood, their faces were a different color. It was like walking through a kaleidoscope.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡± Terra gasped.


    ¡°Useless¡­¡± Garnet sniffed.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re pretty, but they¡¯re also brittle. They have no magical value and they¡¯re too weak to hammer into anything of use. A complete waste!¡± Garnet declared.


    ¡°You know, some things can be pretty just for the sake of being pretty¡­¡± Terra responded.


    ¡°Maybe, but wouldn¡¯t it be better if something contained both form and function?¡± Garnet shrugged. ¡°There are things that look just as pretty that have far better uses.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Terra didn¡¯t look convinced but didn¡¯t continue to argue with Garnet either.


    ¡°Come on, we¡¯re almost to the Deep.¡± Garnet waved her hand.


    The pair left the pretty crystalline cave, walking through a grouping of sharp stalactites and stalagmites that were dripping water into a long rocky tunnel.


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    ¡°A-almost? We¡¯re not there yet? Didn¡¯t you say the Deep was larger than the journey to it?¡± Terra had an exasperated voice.


    ¡°True¡­ but the pathways and caverns are much larger. We¡¯ll be able to move faster. If we can find a fog beetle, we could be there in a few days.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re giant beetles you can ride. They move super fast! Ah¡­ I wish we had Master here. He could tame them for us easily.¡±


    Terra¡¯s face went white. ¡°A giant beetle? Gross!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you hate bugs too?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡±


    ¡°Aiii¡­ well, it¡¯ll take longer, but we can walk. I can¡¯t promise we won¡¯t encounter anything though. Traveling in the deep is a lot like traveling through the wilderness.¡±


    ¡°That dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Did you think dungeons are unique to the surface? As long as they have an outlet, they can even be this deep. No¡­ it should be said the ones this deep are all mega-dungeons. They¡¯re the most dangerous ones because they¡¯ll take on an innocent path, like a tunnel worm.¡±


    ¡°A tunnel worm?¡± Terra¡¯s voice rose an octave.


    ¡°Yea, those guys are the worst.¡± Garnet didn¡¯t seem to notice the worry on Terra¡¯s face as she continued to speak excitedly. ¡°The tunnel worms eat a tunnel and then open their mouths right at the entrance. Their insides look just like an extension of the tunnel, so unknowing prey just walk right into their stomachs.¡±


    ¡°H-how can you tell?¡±


    ¡°Well, they usually have stalagmite and stalactite teeth around the entrance. You¡¯d also feel a warm breeze, but it would be hot and humid. That compensation is rare down here. It¡¯s usually wet and cold or warm and dry, depending on how close you are to a volcano vent.¡±


    ¡°H-hey¡­ do you feel a hot and humid breath suddenly?¡± Terra¡¯s voice cracked.


    ¡°Huh? Oh yeah, it tastes kind of salty. Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°And those stalactites and stalagmites we just past¡­ don¡¯t they kind of look like teeth?¡±


    The two girls looked back in the direction that had just come from, and then back at each other.


    ¡°Run!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    I tensed as it flickered, but when the memory returned, they were still walking normally. The girls looked even more haggard. They were tired and looked like they hadn¡¯t bathed in a month.


    ¡°We made it.¡± Garnet suddenly declared. ¡°We¡¯ve reached the Deep.¡±

 Chapter 1303

    ¡°It¡¯s so big¡­¡± Terra spoke, looking up into a distance that the imager didn¡¯t reach.


    ¡°We need to be careful from here on out.¡±


    ¡°I apologize for freaking out about the fake tunnel worm.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s forget the tunnel worm! As I said, there are a lot of dangers in the deep. On the surface, mana is mostly dispersed so we don¡¯t get many powerful monsters, but down here the mana is allowed to congregate.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say there were a lot of dungeons down here? Wouldn¡¯t they eat all of that mana?¡±


    ¡°They do¡­ but because of the high pressure and potential seismic events, dungeons will also collapse and be destroyed if they grow too big or act too recklessly. That causes all of that miasma to explode out. That¡¯s not even mentioning the monsters that escape the dungeons and are free to procreate and expand unhindered.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous. I got it.¡± Terra responded. ¡°I¡¯ll try to keep a scout by feeling for vibrations.¡±


    ¡°Even so, can you even feel the ceiling? Anything could drop down on top of us at any time.¡±


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t! I thought I¡¯d be glad to be in a spacious area. I¡¯m suddenly missing the claustrophobic corridors. This is somehow worse.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to keep us safe. I promised I¡¯d bring you down here and get you back. If I failed, Master would be angry. We¡¯ll be fine. Just stay aware.¡±


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    ¡°I never thought I¡¯d say this, but I¡¯m suddenly missing Celeste. Her ability to feel air vibrations would be really useful. Then again, Lydia¡¯s scouting and leadership, Miki¡¯s ability to calm the people around her¡­ heh, even Shao can see in the dark and isn¡¯t scared of anything.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really good friends, aren¡¯t you¡­¡±


    ¡°We have to be, Master is-¡°


    Flicker.


    ¡°There is something wrong.¡± Garnet frowned. ¡°This has been far too quiet.¡±


    Flicker.


    ¡°Do you-¡±


    Flicker.


    ¡°Do you hear that?¡±


    ¡°Something in the darkness¡­ it sounds like footsteps.¡±


    ¡°Are we being followed?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Flicker.


    The images were starting to break down. Occasional distorted images and voices appeared. I leaned closer. This was getting toward the end. This was the point where I found out what happened to them.


    ¡°We need to run!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s coming!¡±


    ¡°Garnet¡­¡±


    ¡°Just keep going¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you¡­¡±


    Although the recording supposedly took a 3D image and wouldn¡¯t be a victim of shaky came or darkness, the image was still strangely obscured. The girls appeared blurry and blotched out. Their voices sounded like they were coming through water. I could hear the panic and fear in their voices.


    Flicker.


    Terra was alone. Garnet was missing. She was curled up in a fetal position.


    ¡°Master¡­ I¡¯m going to send this up through a vent. If it somehow reaches you¡­¡± She swallowed hard. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ we should have told you about the risks before coming. We should have turned back when the bond broke. We should have¡­


    ¡°Please, listen carefully. There is something down here. The Deep Dwarves¡­¡± The sound and image flickered and for a second, I feared losing the whole message before her face returned. ¡°Don¡¯t come down. Don¡¯t come to find us. It¡¯s already too late. Ah¡­ what¡¯s that¡­ no¡­ it¡¯s coming¡­ no! No!¡±


    The image flickered out. There were no more memories.

 Chapter 1304

    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°Deek!¡±


    Lord Duran¡¯s voice caused me to look back, only then realizing I was already halfway to the door. Our eyes met for a moment.


    ¡°I have things to do,¡± I responded.


    ¡°She warned you not to go, boy,¡± Pait spoke up, seemingly somewhat relaxed.


    ¡°As if I wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve experienced danger before.¡±


    ¡°How will you start?¡±


    I knew what Pait was doing. He was trying to make me think. I was acting on pure impulse, and if I left like that I might act unreasonably. As much as I hated to admit it, he knew me pretty well. I took in a deep breath and tried to calm myself.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to Gram¡¯s Passage. The place runs deep.¡±


    ¡°Not that deep.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a start.¡±


    ¡°The journey could take weeks, even months. Are you going to leave Chalm unprotected during that time?¡±


    I opened my mouth and then closed it again. Even if Gram brought me to the bottom of his dungeon, how deep was the Deep anyway? Her imager came up into his Passage after going through an impossible journey. If I ended up spending weeks traveling down there, it could be too late. Although every part of my body burned with impatience, I had to tell myself to relax. I closed my eyes this time and took a few deep breaths.


    ¡°Do you have any ideas?¡±


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    ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. I just know if you¡¯re crawling down caverns like they did, it will take a long time. The Deep is a bit of a strange place.¡±


    ¡°What do you know of it?¡±


    ¡°Only the rumors dwarves pass around. It¡¯s a place so deep that there is no light. It¡¯s a little-known fact, but when someone goes underground, the temperature is cooler for a while, but it starts to warm up again. It¡¯s supposed to become so hot as to be unbearable. For some reason, under about half of this continent is a bubble of cool air. There is no heat, and there reside massive caverns. There is also a type of function that glows for twelve hours a day, creating a night/day cycle. Some parts of the Deep are even known to have weather patterns. Rain, snow, wind¡­ it¡¯s truly a strange place.¡±


    ¡°How can this be? A dungeon?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the general belief. The Deep used to be a dungeon. The dungeon had once grown nearly to the size of a continent, but it died and was buried with time. Its husk still protects the Deep, and allows the remnant monster populations of the dungeon to thrive.¡±


    ¡°Terra mentioned sending it up through a thermal vent, right? If the imager can travel up, then can¡¯t we travel down?¡±


    ¡°The temperatures would be molten!¡± Pait declared. ¡°Those vents are attached to volcanos! You might as well jump into a volcano and swim down.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is there a volcano nearby that could do this?¡±


    ¡°The closest volcano here is in Esmore. You might have seen it entering Gram¡¯s Passage.¡± Lord Duran spoke up as Pait seemed to sputter in indignation.


    I raised my head thoughtfully, although I was also bringing up my map. I nodded after a second.


    ¡°Very well. Then, I will be off.¡±


    ¡°Off? You need someone knowledgeable even to attempt an expedition. What do you think you¡¯re going to do?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Lord Duran, do you mind if I borrow him?¡±


    ¡°Be my guest.¡±


    ¡°Borrow me, what are you-¡° I reached out and stashed him in my soul world. ¡°Ah! Where am I?¡±


    ¡°Welcome.¡±


    ¡°Who are you? Eh¡­ are-aren¡¯t you princess Alysia?¡±


    ¡°Y-yeah¡­ Master took me as well.¡±


    ¡°This is preposterous!¡±


    ¡°Just calm down.¡± I sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just keeping you around for assistance. I¡¯ll return you once this is all over.¡±


    ¡°What? Where are you? Deek? I don¡¯t even have any of my things!¡±


    ¡°Thank you for all of your assistance.¡± I bowed to Lord Duran.¡±


    ¡°Are you ignoring me? He¡¯s ignoring me!¡±


    ¡°I apologize.¡± Alysia tried to smooth things over.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be leaving myself.¡± Lord Duran. ¡°I promise I¡¯ll still take you to the border, when we both return.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I hope you luck with your, um¡­ meet.¡±


    ¡°And good luck in the Deep.¡±


    We shook hands. It was pleasant when everyone wasn¡¯t your enemy.


    ¡°Oh, one more thing. There is a maid of Paits. She should pack up his things and meet me¡­¡±


    A short time later, Dav appeared in the soul world. ¡°Eh? Where did I go?¡±


    Pait didn¡¯t answer. He was too busy pouting in a corner.

 Chapter 1305

    I opened up a portal, and stepped through. Immediately, my face was assaulted with heat. I was standing near the ledge of an open volcano. Glancing down, I could see red deep down at the bottom. Slapping my hands together, my body began to glow and I went through my dungeon points. I hadn¡¯t earned any new points recently. The excess energy from the last two dungeons I took care of didn¡¯t turn into a blessing. One was used to create a mass reincarnation spell, and the other was used to rebuild my dungeon. I opened up my store and selected a skill I hadn¡¯t used too often Fire Immunity.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    After dumping 6 points into Fire Resistance and then Fire Immunity, I noticed a new skill appear. Was there a tier beyond Fire Immunity? This one was called Heat Resistance. Weren¡¯t they the same thing? This one cost 10 points. I dropped the points into it, and the heat I was feeling immediately dropped until it felt like it was a perfect day. Oh? So, it was like that? Fire Immunity protected me from taking burn damage, but heat exposure could still be a problem? I noticed that there was now another tier, Heat Immunity.


    Given what I was about to do, I decided to select Heat Immunity as well. I had the skill Heat Tolerance through my Blacksmith job, which probably worked like a weak version of Heat Resistance. I wasn¡¯t even going to attempt to depend on that though. I had been worried Fire Immunity wouldn¡¯t cut it either, but with Heat Immunity, that made me more confident. It cost 25 points though. In other words, to be immune to heat completely in all its form cost 41 points in all. I only have 72, so that came uncomfortably close.


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    I wondered if the other immunities worked similarly. As I earned more blessings, the store had fleshed out more. Just like how the lore gathered from each dungeon allowed me to create new environments, drop new items, and create new mobs, it also opened up the shop to new skills and items.


    ¡°Deek, what are you planning?¡± Pait¡¯s worried voice sounded out from my soul world.


    I ignored him and sent a message through Slave Communication to all the girls. ¡°I said I¡¯d warn you before I did anything dangerous. I¡¯m going to be heading into the Deep to recover Terra and Garnet. I want to say if I don¡¯t return, don¡¯t follow after me, but I don¡¯t think those lines would work better on you than me. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to be back in under a month, no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Master, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Master, again?¡±


    ¡°You should bring some of us with you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all busy with your own tasks. Trust me to save Terra, and more importantly, trust me to come back.¡±


    There was a brief period of silence, but then every girl slowly gave their acceptance. They would do what I said. Now, it was time to go for it.


    ¡°Alysia¡­ remember that trick you learned where you turned into a more complicated object?¡±


    ¡°Y-you mean that time you made me turn into a bicycle and rode me?¡±


    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± I coughed awkwardly. ¡°You¡¯ve seen a drill before, right?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ y-you can¡¯t be serious!¡±


    ¡°Off we go!¡±


    ¡°Masteeeeeeeeeeerrr!¡±


    I jumped off the ledge into the volcano.

 Chapter 1306

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Pait cried out.


    ¡°H-here, I think I can project what I see into Master¡¯s soul world.¡± Alysia declared.


    ¡°Ahhhh! Turn it off! Turn it off!¡±


    ¡°Alysia, you should be turning into a drill now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working on it!¡±


    We plummeted down quite a distance. I used air to blow away the smoke and to slow my descent, kicking off a step when I needed to. The heat grew as I reached the bottom, where dark material undulated menacingly, red light glowing out from the cracks.


    My feet hit the lava and then fire erupted across my body. Did I make a mistake? I tossed all of my clothing into my soul world. Heat Immunity didn¡¯t transfer over to the items I was wearing. Anything of decent enough quality would have survived that brief exposure and everything that was destroyed probably wasn¡¯t worth it anyway. It wasn¡¯t my best armor, although given my history of losing armor it was hard to say that I bothered with anything long-lasting.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡±


    ¡°Let me know if you can¡¯t handle the heat.¡±


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    Alysia was composed of plenty of incredible alloys that should be able to reach the limits, but lava was lava and I didn¡¯t want to risk her being harmed. If I couldn¡¯t use her, I¡¯d figure something out. I had already sunk to my knees. I was completely naked, so it was good I was in a place I was unlikely to see anyone else.


    ¡°Go for it.¡±


    I slammed Alysia down into the lava, pushing her down as far as she would go. Then, her body started turning, the blades of her drill-like form moving in a circle. She started to move down more and more into the muck. Creating an air bubble around my head, I allowed myself to sink in behind her. I was plunged into darkness, but I only had one direction in mind, heading straight down.


    The lava felt like a strange puddy, like trying to swim through clay. Although I could recognize the incredible heat, it didn¡¯t feel the least bit uncomfortable for me. Under Alysia¡¯s unstoppable blades, she was able to cut through it and move downward. Once I was completely buried, she picked up the pace, turning faster and faster. I could feel a strange pull. As the lava behind the drill tried to fill in space I was on, it would catch on my legs like arms trying to grab me and hold me in place.


    ¡°Faster,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Y-yes!¡±


    Her drilling sped up once again, and the movements were soon fast enough that a trail line was left in the lava. All I could do was hold on as Alysia used her strength to move forward. I lost track of time as I was pulled through the swampy muck like a worm. It was a rhythmic process, too strenuous to allow me to lose my attention, but too smooth to keep me focused. That was before we suddenly hit something and stopped.


    ¡°Alysia?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve made it through the lava. We¡¯re at the end of the volcanic shoot. It¡¯s rock from here on.¡±


    So, we reached the rocky part of our journey.

 Chapter 1307

    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this too much?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m exhausted¡­¡±


    ¡°I have been drilling you hard.¡±


    ¡°And dizzy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just got a bit excited and just shoved it right in.¡±


    ¡°It was so hard, I thought I might break.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you could take it this far.¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear¡­¡±


    ¡°Will you two stop having such suggestive conversations, you¡¯re making my maid blush!¡± Pait snapped.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m fine. Th-their Master-servant relationship is kind of sweet, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? It¡¯s completely inappropriate.¡± Pait declared.


    Pait should watch his words. The look on Daz¡¯s face appeared slightly hurt. I had already thought the pair were already in a relationship. After all, they often acted like an old married couple. It turned out this wasn¡¯t true. Pait had a very rigid view on how a dignitary should act with servants, and so he had never crossed the line with Daz. From the look on her face, it appeared like she wanted him to though.


    We were in my soul world living somewhat comfortably. As for my body, it was somewhere covered in several metric tons of rock. I had found there little reason to put clothing back on, as the amount of stone that struck me ended up tearing off anything I put on, so I was still basically naked. I also had to heal myself quite a bit before I ended up completely shredded.


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    We were long past the lava, and were now in a space of dark black rock, working our way down into the darkness below. Alysia had worked as long as she could, but she had needed a break. Thankfully, I had a pleasant location of the soul world to retreat to. The Map¡¯s ability to handle 3d got a little wonky when you introduced underground passages. It could do floors easy enough, but a pathway straight down, I wasn¡¯t confident if I left it, I¡¯d be able to come back.


    As for whether we were on course or not, I had no clue. We¡¯d keep going on for a week, then I might have to start rethinking my strategy. I felt like a week was more than enough time though. It was hard to tell just how fast we were moving, but we had to have traveled at least a few kilometers.


    ¡°Pait, I was thinking, if the Deep is a dungeon, does it have levels like a dungeon? Is there a progression from easy to difficult?¡±


    The reason I had grabbed Pait was exactly to ask these kinds of questions. He was a smart guy, and other than Garnet, he was the closest I had to the dwarves. And from the sound of Garnet¡¯s imager, it might not have even known the Deep was a giant dungeon, although I only saw a handful of her exchanges with Terra. Even though the Esmore didn¡¯t like to travel down into the mountains, they had to hear things from the dwarves, especially a dignitary like Pait, who was the most well-traveled individual I knew.


    He frowned thoughtfully as he nibbled on a kabob that I had made. The only way I had managed to calm him down after borrowing him was to make food. I was the best cook he knew, and within my soul world was current a garden of all of the best foods from Earth. I had naturally brought tons of revisions before leaving Chalm, so I was good to feed myself for likely years if I had to, just by growing crops.


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to say¡­ I only said it¡¯s a theory that the Deep was once a dungeon. In truth, so much time has passed that the breakdown between levels would be great. I think you should be cautious anywhere in the Deep either way.¡±


    I nodded thoughtfully. If it was a dungeon, I was wondering if there might still be safe rooms and a clear progression. It seemed like such a thing no longer existed.

 Chapter 1308

    Realizing my soul world was essentially my home away from home, I did my best to make it nice looking. I had constructed a small home there. With more resources, I could construct a bigger place. My room, in particular, was filled with things from Earth, including stuff I had owned. As for how Shao had acquired such items, I wasn¡¯t sure that I wanted to know.


    I didn¡¯t have power working in it yet, but I had acquired the parts that in theory, I could one day have a powered house. I just needed to read up on such electrical work. Perhaps Terra and Garnet would have more interest in that kind of stuff than I. I had acquired as many educational books as I could and had a massive library. Beyond that we a large log-cabin-like room with a fireplace and comfy furniture. It¡¯s the kind of house I would have liked to live in if I had been rich on Earth.


    Outside, I could control the weather, so it was sunny and nice. I kept the light schedule to match my schedule, so there was a clear day and night. Since the weather was always pleasant, working outside was quite comfortable, even if my real body was naked in the dark under hundreds of tons of rock.


    We spent the night resting, or more specifically Alysia took a nap. I could have kept refreshing and healing her to keep her going, but at some point, it was better if she relaxed. We had found a pocket of space that didn¡¯t look like it¡¯d collapse or fill with lava at any moment, so we decided to wait the night out there.


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    Since I hadn¡¯t worked too hard beyond holding on to Alysia, I practiced a bit with the soul world. I tried to see if meat could be made fresher. It¡¯d be something if I could move life energy so that a cow regrew from a slab of rump roast. Since I could grow a plant from a seed or revitalize a nearly dead herb, I thought it might be possible. It turned out I was being a bit too hopeful. Dead meat was too dead to do anything with. There were limits. That was probably for the best.


    As for resurrecting an animal, I didn¡¯t want to even try. If I had to think about whether the animal had souls that was too much. No matter how effective eating an animal and then resurrecting it with a new body might be toward feeding the world, something about it felt wrong on every level, even if it did work.


    After tinkering around a bit, I returned to my bed and took a nap. I wasn¡¯t sure if sleeping in my soul world was the same thing as sleeping for real, but since my body was immobile in the same way, I figured it didn¡¯t matter. Come morning, I felt refreshed, and that was what mattered. After waking Alysia up, we returned to the dark tunnel and began digging once again.

 Chapter 1309

    More time passed as we slowly tunneled through the Earth. Two day-night cycles had passed by in my soul world as we worked our way down. Dav passed the time keeping the house clean and tidy, while Pait had taken an interest in my extensive library. He had stopped complaining and now spent his days reading.


    I probably couldn¡¯t say how deep we were. It was at a level that if we were on Earth, the molten core would have started to heat things and make the environment impossible to continue. However, thanks to the Deep, it was a rather cool place. Well, even if the environment was molten, I would have been fine as long as I kept my Heat Immunity equipped. I did feel the concentration of mana increasing, and also, I felt the presence of more gaia.


    All mana had the signature of the place it came from. Faerith¡¯s mana was unique to Faerith. Mana that¡¯s signature had corrupted or changed became miasma, and was sort of like cancer or a poison that threatened to attack and convert surrounding miasma. Spirit Fire was mana that had a bit of lore connected to it, giving it a caustic element that could damage or consume souls. Fairy Dust, on the other hand, was concentrated mana, gathered and condensed by fairies.


    As for gaia, the mana of the earth, if I had to describe it, it¡¯d be like liquid mana. It was mana that had been crushed under high pressure beneath the earth. It had a much more pronounced signature, the signature of this world, and seemingly aided to solidify this world. One could call gaia the world¡¯s memory, a compound condensed and maintained for sometimes eons. When our bodies died and broke down, we became oil. When our souls died and broke down, they became gaia.


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    At least, that¡¯s how I had come to understand the fairy¡¯s mana reagents, and how they existed. As to why I could utilize them to trigger unique skills, I didn¡¯t know. Perhaps it was because each type of mana had adopted a piece of lore, and that lore could be combined with a skill to unlock a new skill. It¡¯d be a way of using the mana¡¯s memory to pull off something your soul lore wasn¡¯t ready to accomplish.


    The point is that the farther we go, the more I could feel gaia. At the moment, the gaia was in a vaporized state, not much different than evaporated water, but I had a distinct feeling that if I went far enough, rivers of gaia might be detectible. Such a thing could only be found this Deep down, or possibly in the lower floors of a mega-dungeon. I wondered if any of the mega dungeon¡¯s lower floors connected with the Deep.


    If so, maybe we could punch our way into one of the great dungeons like what had happened with the Widow¡¯s Dungeon. Then, we could return to the surface from there. There were only two great dungeons that I could do that with though. I would have had to log in with the 1<sup>st</sup> floor of the safe room for the idea to work. Well, it was just an idea. I had nothing but time to think through this endless slog into the Deep.


    Crack.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    I put Alysia away and grabbed the edge. I found myself hanging from a hole in a roof, leading down into a massive cavern. However, I could see the size of the cavern, as all along the walls was a translucent green light that glowed.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Alysia gasped.


    ¡°We made it, the Deep.¡±

 Chapter 1310

    I let go of the ledge, creating several steps until I landed on the ground. I was in a massive cavern about thirty meters high and perhaps two hundred meters long. There was a natural running river through it, not made of miasma, although it felt rich enough in mana that it felt like the beginning of a Waters of Life. This was truly a rich place full of potentially valuable things if the first thing I ran into was the primordial fairy spring. Well, without fairies, such a spring would never form, but it was interesting.


    ¡°Beautiful.¡± Alysia breathed.


    With the algae giving off light, the entire room did have a gentle glow that reflected off the water. Other than the mirror labyrinth, this was probably the second most interesting place I had seen when it came to lighting. I¡¯d consider noting this place for some kind of date night, but it seemed like it might be a bit dangerous.


    Either way, I pulled up my Map, which was now centered deep in the earth. After making sure I could find it again, I pulled out and brought Chalm back into my vision. I then lifted my hand and summoned a portal. After a few moments, nothing happened.


    ¡°I thought this might be the case.¡±


    The girls had been left with the ability to cast Portal. I wouldn¡¯t have put it past them that something happened that kept them from using it. Maybe they had used up their portal earlier to escape a smaller threat, or maybe they had used it to get past an area. Maybe they had even wandered into a dungeon and couldn¡¯t escape as I did.


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    However, it seemed like the truth wasn¡¯t so simple. If I couldn¡¯t use the portal here, then the girls definitely couldn¡¯t have escaped with a portal. There was simply too much earth between here and the surface, and it blocked whatever allowed me to cut through space. It could also be the thickness of the mana that caused the problem. The only other time I had experienced an inability to teleport was when I was on the other side of the planet. The same reason I could portal from here might be why I couldn¡¯t portal from there.


    The only way I could do it was to build a massive transmitter and dump a bunch of mana into it. That was easier said than done. Either way, it was a problem I¡¯d worry about later. I had come down with the expectation that returning wouldn¡¯t be so easy, so really nothing had changed.


    ¡°Pait, you have any ideas,¡± I asked.


    ¡°How could I? If you wanted a dwarf to guide you through the Deep, you should have kidnapped a dwarf! I may have seen a map or two of the Deep once or twice in my life, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can tell you anything about where we are or where we might go.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Master, do you feel Terra or Garnet¡¯s bond remnants? At all?¡±


    ¡°Not yet¡­ However, it¡¯s not like before. Before it was like it was too far away to tell. Now, it¡¯s more like a compass that is spinning around wildly. Something is blocking my ability.¡± I explained.


    There was a moment of silence, and then Pait spoke up. ¡°Travel downriver.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°What would flow down, right? So, if you travel downriver, you¡¯d be heading more into the Deep.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ thank you.¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ just find your girl.¡± Pait responded grumpily, but once we¡¯re back on the surface, you¡¯re going to owe me more than just a few good meals!¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡±

 Chapter 1311

    I was able to find several tunnels, so I selected the one the water was flowing toward. Whether this was the right direction or not, I couldn¡¯t say, The luminescent algae didn¡¯t exist uniformly across the Deep, so there were areas with light and areas without. As long as I had my Light spell, it was rather either to navigate through and didn¡¯t feel much different from traveling in a dungeon.


    The landscape was unique though. There were mushrooms the size of trees, and there were various other plants of exotic and strange colorization. In short, it sounded like life. The Deep was its ecosystem, and unlike the dungeons which were relatively silent except for my party and the occasional mobs, this place was lively. I could hear the sounds of slithering, crunching, clicking, and even bird calls, although it was hard to say if there were any birds down here or if it was something else.


    The biggest problem being in this unfamiliar environment was that I didn¡¯t know what was a threat. In a dungeon, it was fairly easy. If it was alive, it was likely to attack you. Down here, there was a lot of life, and some of it was hostile and some of it was not. I had to leave my Map and Sense Life up, looking for red. I wasn¡¯t sure how this feature worked, but anything that seemed to wish me harm turned up as red, while allies were green and neutral life was yellow. Without this, I assuredly would have been having more trouble.


    That¡¯s because a few things that had seemed harmless turned out to be hostile. There was a large and beautiful plant that had ended up in my path, and if it wasn¡¯t glowing red, I might have walked right by it. I watched as strange over-sized mole-creature walked by, and then plant latched out and swallowed it whole. So, even the plants were dangerous in this place. I wanted to just throw some fire at it, but that worried me as well.


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    Caves could be deceptively dangerous. There could be flammable gases that could ignite, plus the amount of oxygen was questionable. I didn¡¯t think given my current constitution that I would be brought down easily by carbon dioxide poisoning, but I didn¡¯t want to change it either, so I tried to remain as cautious as possible.


    Of course, even being mindful of the red dots didn¡¯t stop me from being attacked eventually. The beast that came out at me looked like a hairless rat, except that it was the size of a small car. I was able to defeat it easily with a single swipe of my blade.


    That blade wasn¡¯t Alysia. At that point, it had been only a short time before that she had been still acting as a drill. I didn¡¯t want to wait a night for her to recover, so I had continued cautiously while she slept, using a spare blade. As I cleaned it, I noticed a bit of a rumbling sound.


    I glanced around, frowning. Something big was moving, and it was heading in my direction. I squinted into the darkness. One of the biggest problems with the Light skill was that it created a light circle around me, but beyond that circle was darkness, and the light prevented my eyes from ever adjusting to said darkness. An orb could spread light to an entire cave, although the lighting might be dim.


    Light was bright, but it only spread so far. Of course, the reason I remained on light is that it went only one way. If I used an orb in this dark world, then I would stick out like a sore thumb to everything down here.


    That said, I started to see various red lights appearing at the very edge of my light. I started to realize they were eyes, and those eyes belonged to none other than the kin of the naked rat thing I had just killed. There was a stampede of hundreds of them coming right at me!

 Chapter 1312

    I had been thinking that the naked rat creature had been a bit easy, but like the insect levels in certain dungeons, their difficulty came in their numbers. They probably weren¡¯t that easy. It was just that I was really strong. Alysia could cut through anything, and I had the strength, size, and stamina to be able to fight with many dangerous things.


    In the event of a stampede, I could flee or hold my ground. Since I was currently in a corridor and heading back would leave me losing half a day of movement, I decided to stand my ground.


    ¡°Alysia!¡± I regrettably had to interrupt her rest.


    ¡°Yes!¡± She seemed prepared to act anyway.


    She returned to my hand. I had let her rest after the long drill session, but since we had encountered an enemy that I couldn¡¯t handle easily I¡¯d need to depend on her again. This time, at least she could be in her more comfortable sword form. That¡¯s that I thought, but the object in my hand wasn¡¯t a sword, but the drill she had been using the last few days.


    ¡°Wh-what¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­s-sorry¡­ I¡¯ve been a drill for so long I forgot to change my form.¡±


    ¡°Crap, they¡¯re here, no time!¡±


    ¡°Master, what do I do?¡±


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    ¡°Drill! Drill!¡±


    I braced myself slamming forward into the rat. The drill that had cut through miles of rock hadn¡¯t dulled in the slightest. If anything, she was many times sharper and more decimating. She had plenty of time to perfect her form, creating the idea configuration that could dig through the hard earth like someone was cutting through butter. Suffice it to say that these naked rats didn¡¯t have a chance compared to the chewing power of Alysia.


    As the first rat lunged forward, it tried to bite down on her tip. With those massive incisors, it might have had the ability to tear through rock or even cheaper swords, but not only was Alysia wasn¡¯t just made better stuff, but she was also spinning too. In a moment, its teeth were destroyed and the drill continued onward. The head eventually exploded and the insides were ground to dust.


    We didn¡¯t have a moment of rest before the next rats were on us. I realized that I didn¡¯t have a choice. I had to go all out. I lunged forward, thrusting with the drill. Her blade chopped through rat after rat, turning them into splashes of flesh and blood. The lucky ones on the edges only had half their skin torn away by the passing drill. The rest were pulverized down the middle, becoming nothing but mush.


    I ended up accessing my store, dropping the Heat Immunity that no longer was needed, and picking up strength enhancements. I found myself shoving through a wave of flesh. Blood and guts flew everywhere, and the hallways had become mulch.


    When we finally pushed through the last rat, none of the surviving rats even dared to turn back to attack us. They fled the gory hallways as quickly as they came, and for a rare moment, it was like the Deep was silent, in shock of the slaughter that had just occurred.


    ¡°M-master¡­ am I unclean?¡± Alysia broke into tears.


    I had once shoved her up a troll¡¯s buttocks and had to spend some time comforting her. It looks like I had put her through another traumatizing event. That was the setback of sentient blades, I guess.

 Chapter 1313

    {Master Swordsman has increased to level 23.)


    {Magic Swordsman has increased to level 25.)


    {True Hero has increased to level 60.}


    {White Mage has increased to level 61.}


    Was it strange that my swordsman levels went up despite the fact I was using a drill? Probably. It had been some time since I was able to put on some levels naturally if leveling using a series of experience multipliers could be called natural. Lately, most of my leveling had come from using my skills passively. Although I didn¡¯t always notice when something leveled, especially when I was busy with something else, technically every job gained experience every time you did something related to the job.


    That usually coincided with battle, but it allowed for things like leveling just by practicing a sword, even if you didn¡¯t kill mobs. Certain jobs like Merchant could level just by buying a lot of things. That¡¯s why my merchant was now level 23 despite me rarely equipping it. Linguist was another one that continued to go up and up as I read and communicated. It was now 18.


    Then there were jobs like Slave Master, Harem Master, and Pervert that seemed to just go up without any real reason.  I mean, it certainly wasn¡¯t anything I did that got Pervert up to 32. Wasn¡¯t that leveling a bit too exaggerated? It didn¡¯t reflect on my character whatsoever. For that matter, Slave Master being at 72 and Harem Master being at 63 were also mistakes. This game was broken.


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    My highest-level job at least made sense. It was True Dungeon Diver. Was there any doubt? My understanding of transversing dungeons was top-notch. I reequipped it after the battle was over, dopping White Mage after I made sure we were healed up. True Dungeon Diver was now at level 84. That was 84 skills, stat boosts, and spells aimed at helping someone conquer a dungeon. I wondered what would happen when it reached level 100. Even though leveling seemed to slow down the high level I was, if I completed any more dungeons, level 100 might not be too far away.


    Although, I had to recognize that if anyone else considered completing a dungeon as a proper way of gaining levels, the entire world would be broken. Yeah, ultimately, leveling up with mobs was still the best way to go about things. I continued, focusing on increasing my sword skill as I went. I had a feeling that I would need every level I could get. Although the girls had grown more powerful, and so I had I, I was beginning to realize it was a large world out there.


    The Deep was probably larger than Aberis, and Aberis wasn¡¯t even the largest country on our continent. I was at a stage where I had grown just powerful enough to realize how much I lacked power. When I had first arrived in this world, I had considered a level 60 Knight to be the peak of this world. Now, it seemed like even the generals I envied were only mediocre when it came to the world stage.


    Some had the power of blessings, those that had the power of heroes, and those that had the power of a dungeon core. You could have multiple jobs, and each job could be maxed to level 100. Someone who was truly a master in their field could have 400 levels dedicated to it, one hundred for each tier, but even that might not be their max strength. It was best to continue to grow stronger and not stagnant. Even once all of the girls were back and safe, I had a feeling there would still be future dangers. I had to be vigilant.

 Chapter 1314

    A few nights passed by as I descended more into the Deep. I had seen numerous odd creatures, and fought in several intense battles. I had even had to flee from time to time. The difficulty of the monsters could be hard to gauge and there was no steady progression. I could stumble across an extremely easy enemy that died in one blow, only for a bit later to meet an enemy that I had to escape from. Size and appearance didn¡¯t always delineate the danger either.


    I had started making it a habit of using God and Devil Eye on new enemies so I could ascertain if I could defeat them. I was increasingly finding more and more monsters that weren¡¯t worth the risk of fighting. I wasn¡¯t in a dungeon, but it would be a real shame if I ended up in a battle to the death because I encountered an albino squirrel that was as fast as my eyes could see.


    I was starting to notice a pattern though. It seemed like one particularly difficult boss-like mob ruled over each area, and the rest of the monsters were weaker creatures that served as its food. In that case, it was more luck on whether I ran into that particular area¡¯s boss. So much for getting breaks every five levels, and spending my nights in a safe room. I found that when I wanted to rest, it was best to depend on Alysia or Pait to remain as a guard. In that respect, I was glad that I had brought him.


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    ¡°We¡¯re going to need to go about this differently,¡± I muttered to myself quietly.


    ¡°What was that, Master?¡±


    On the second night in the Deep, I was eating something while sitting in a small out of the way area where I felt I was safe. At the very least, there was nothing red currently on my map.


    ¡°The Deep is massive, right? Two days and I don¡¯t feel any closer to finding Terra or Garnet. Without Garnet¡¯s original maps, I have no clue where the deep dwarves even found their home. I had been hoping I would have seen signs of mining or something that would lead us there, but I guess I underestimated the Deep, or overestimated the deep dwarves.¡±


    ¡°We just have to keep looking, Master.¡±


    ¡°I fear we could keep looking for months and be no closer to learning their whereabouts.¡± I sighed. ¡°We traveled straight down from a volcano not too far from Gram¡¯s Passage. I¡¯d have expected we¡¯d end up pretty close to where Terra had sent the imager up the vent. Yet, I don¡¯t know if we need to go down, to the side, or even up.¡±


    I was a mouse in a cage, and the trick of using the bond to track her still wasn¡¯t working. I had allocated a month, but it could even be years I could search down here and find no trace of them. I had naturally tried again to reincarnate them, and received no response from their souls either. They had to still be alive. They just had to be!

 Chapter 1315

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Pait sighed. ¡°I wish I had more information. The deep dwarves were a mysterious people. They came up to the surface suddenly without warning. They ended up coming into conflict with Esmore.¡±


    ¡°I had heard they were all but wiped out, that was Esmore?¡±


    ¡°It was all three countries, Esmere, Dioshin, and Osteria. This was naturally a long time ago before the Demon Lord Aberis conquered the south. The animalkin have always been fiercely territorial, so when the deep dwarves began to surface, they rejected them completely, even going so far as to collapse caves. Their murinekin are quite effective fighters in tunnels, and they were able to force the deep dwarves to retreat.


    ¡°Naturally, the dwarves were mining and interpreted the deep dwarves as impeding on their territory. There had always been resentment and hatred toward deep dwarves, who had access to more precious metals, and richer mana veins. They often lorded it over the dwarves, or at least that how the dwarves saw it. Suffice it to say, they did not welcome them.¡±


    ¡°What about Osteria?¡±


    ¡°This was before the mass settlement of humans into Osterian lands, os it was mostly just Osterians, the giants of the plains. Osteria has always had a history of xenophobia. They wouldn¡¯t have even allowed the humans to settle there if their numbers weren¡¯t overbearing, and the Imperial Cloud Meadow too threatening. It was their resentment of humans taking the land that had caused them to join the Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s side.¡±


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    Although Aberis had only come into existence a mere twenty to thirty years prior, giving the impression that this entire country only had a history of a few decades, it seemed like there was a cause and effect that resounded through history. The Demon Lord Aberis had turned on his father Aberon. He fled south in the womb of Calypso, convinced her to betray one of the previous Bandit Hero¡¯s, and use his power to set up a stage for his rebirth.


    Then, the Osterians, salty over humans migrating out of the Imperial Cloud Meadow into their plains, joined forces with the Demon Lord Aberis, who began a campaign to take over the south. His arm broke on the mountains of Esmore and the forests of Dioshin, and he was only finally destroyed by a coalition of the Hero King, the Princess Hero, and the Maid Hero,  who defeated him. Yet, he was able to invade the Princess Hero¡¯s womb, and once again stoked Osterian resentment until two separate countries formed from the wreckage of Osteria, Aberis and the Ost Republic.


    It was strange how history all seemed to come together. Events happening in the north ended up changing events to the south forever. It was all connected across time and space.


    ¡°All connected¡­¡± My eyes widened. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Deek?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so dense! I know how to find Garnet and Terra. Why didn¡¯t I think of it sooner?¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Pait narrowed his eyes suspiciously.


    ¡°I need to learn the Deep¡¯s history! I need to follow the lore.¡±


    ¡°Deek, the records going back that far are limited. Maybe if we went to the dwarven city of Ossenheim, their great library might have some information¡­¡±


    ¡°No! I mean here. I need to see the lore of the Deep, the memory still drifting in this place, I need to read the streams of mana¡­¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°How else do you absorb large amounts of mana? You build a dungeon!¡±

 Chapter 1316

    Although this wasn¡¯t necessarily proven, I believed that jobs worked much like the way heroes worked. A soul was a lore, the life story of a person. When a person became powerful enough, making enough connections with the world, with blessings, and with history, their soul became a sort of wondering curse, an incomplete lore looking for a new host that could help it change its fate.


    When a person¡¯s knowledge, history, and beliefs aligned with the lore of a hero, then the mark of the hero fell upon them. They would steadily gain access to the lore, experience, and knowledge of everyone who possessed the mark before. Thus, these legacy heroes would periodically be born across the continent, living often extraordinary lives, which had the side-effect of ending tragically.


    If that was the case, then I reasoned that jobs were also a clump of lore that ultimately bound itself to human beings that met the basic requirements. Thus, the job granted the user the ability to acquire lore, experience, and knowledge which slowly unlocked as they leveled. That was the nature of the job system, and why it was often so redundant and seemingly random. In the end, it was just lore fragments from past blacksmiths. Of course, where there was only one legacy hero a generation, jobs seemed to be able to replicate endlessly.


    This lore could be grafted onto an object, like with Hero and Knight tokens, and granted to people who fulfill some arbitrary agreement. I¡¯d need to find out one day how these were created, and if others could be made similarly. For most people though, they gained their jobs gradually, starting at the lowest tier. I liked to see jobs as having four tiers. When your history and experience reflect a job enough, it minds you and you begin to earn experience in the lowest tier. Through the process of unlocking the tier, you gain access to various skills.


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    Eventually, once you¡¯ve developed enough, another job, a more complicated and refined version of the previous job, attaches to your soul reflecting the next tier. This could happen four times before reaching the mastery of said job, refining to the very peak of a certain knowledge base. This wouldn¡¯t necessarily make you the top of your field. There could still be a magician with mastery in multiple disciplines, or even potentially all of them. Would that open up the fifth tier? I had no clue. If there was such a tier, it¡¯d be beyond mastery. What level would that be? Godhood?


    In the case of knowing about Dungeons, you had the Dungeon Diver, a job designed toward increasing survivability in a dungeon. Once you learn enough about the art of Dungeon Diving, or more specifically once you¡¯ve been bound with a blessing, you meet the criteria for True Dungeon Diver. This job centers around understanding and becoming one with a dungeon. Once you become one with a Dungeon, you unlock Dungeon Master. This tier is based on controlling a dungeon. Finally, the final tier would be Dungeon Builder, the ability to create a dungeon.


    I didn¡¯t learn them in this order. I learned True Dungeon Diver before I unlocked Dungeon Diver, and Dungeon Builder before I unlocked Dungeon Master. I was able to get Dungeon Builder early in the same way I was able to skip a lot of steps, by depending on the Dungeon Store. I ended up in a weird state where I built a dungeon, but my control over it wasn¡¯t perfect because I lacked the Dungeon Master job. This led to Chalm nearly being destroyed upon my disappearance, but that was rectified thanks to Maid¡¯s Lament, and I finally gained all four, although perhaps not up to the levels and experience they should be.


    The point being, it should be clear how difficult it was to become a Dungeon Builder, and how rare they must be. Since I was one, it was time to start taking advantage of it.

 Chapter 1317

    ¡°Master, what are we doing here?¡¯


    ¡°We need a proper place to create our dungeon and effective seed. For that, I¡¯m going to need a rich supply of mana, a clear and defensible position, and an appropriate guardian.¡±


    ¡°A guardian?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to take on one of those bosses.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you saying they are too much to handle?¡±


    ¡°I did, and on top of that, it isn¡¯t enough to just defeat it, we need to tame a monster and get it to give over its property and serve us.¡±


    ¡°Yikes.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°So, we need to find an enemy that I can defeat.  Thankfully, there is an area where I¡¯m confident.¡±


    ¡°I understand, so we need to find a woman boss.¡±


    ¡°¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°Hmm? Master can definitely seduce a female boss!¡±


    ¡°I was talking about the undead. I¡¯m a White Mage. I¡¯m effective against undead.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ooooh¡­ so master needs an undead woman?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to be a woman!¡± I cried out helplessly.


    Sometimes, I seriously wondered what the girls were truly thinking when they thought about me. My White Mage spells made me exceptionally powerful against the undead. Where many of the bosses down here felt like they¡¯d be difficult to handle, maybe even life-threatening, all I needed to do was find an area of undead, and the undead boss would likely be something I could take out.


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    As for how I would find this monster type, I had a Dark Priest skill known as Detect Undead which I unlocked at level 16. Also, while wandering in the Deep, I had been testing out some other skills I had been ignoring up until now, and I found I could supplement Detect Undead with Dungeon Diver¡¯s level 10 skill, Tracking. In the same way that Map could synchronize with Sense Life and Detect Treasure, Detect Undead could merge with Tracking.


    I was level 13 in Dungeon Diver, so it was lucky such a skill appeared, but then I noticed that Tracking had also appeared at level 25 as a Monster Tamer. Who knew how many other jobs had it? I could imagine finding it in Adventurer, and Lydia¡¯s Scout. I began to realize the possibilities behind them. If I could merge Tracking with Detect skills, then I¡¯d be able to find people extremely easily. I¡¯d bet that was why Raissa was better than me at finding a treasure! She probably had Tracking and Detect Treasure.


    Either way, I should have been able to Track Terra and Garnet too. I realized that I had a skill called Harem Sense which was an even stronger connection than my broken Slave Bond. Even if Garnet didn¡¯t qualify, Terra definitely did. It probably would have helped a bit knowing it existed while on Earth and chasing after Miki, but I had thousands of skills at this point so occasionally missing the potential purpose of some random skill happened from time to time. Since I had been able to more or less track them using the remnants of the Slave Bond, it wouldn¡¯t have changed anything anyway. That said, there was no reason it should have combined with Tracking too. Yet, when I tried, nothing happened.


    It was clear that Terra and Garnet were specifically being impeded, where these undead mobs were not. Tracking didn¡¯t work from that far away. You had to already be close, so my girls might have been just too far away. For example, it might have helped me find Shao, but Miki would have been too far away. However, Harem Sense worked at a much farther distance and possessed that intangibility similar to the Slave Bond, and even that connection was obscured. I could even vaguely sense the presence of my girls above, but for Terra and Garnet, I felt nothing. This was truly worrying.


    ¡°Master, I was thinking, how many bosses have you tamed that were women?¡± While I was considering this, Alysia had been having her own thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for a female boss!¡±

 Chapter 1318

    Of the other two criteria I had laid out from Alysia, only one of them was of particular importance. Once I had created a dungeon, I could rearrange the walls and create a more defensive formation. There might be a brief time of vulnerability, but if an area I was taking already belonged to the boss I was taming, there was no reason I would expect a sudden and swift attack from another boss. Until I started to breach another boss¡¯s territory, it would just be business as usual for the Deep.


    That said, the most important thing was mana, and the way I wanted to obtain that mana was by the discovery of a mana spring. That river I had nearly fallen in when I had first arrived here would be a primordial version of what I had in mind. Since then, I had traveled much lower into the Deep, and I was hoping I¡¯d be able to find a richer mana spring running through a boss territory. That would be the ideal place to set up my dungeon. The spring would bring fresh mana into my dungeon, allowing it to grow quickly.


    Normally, once a dungeon was created, it¡¯d take ten years to stabilize the first ten floors. Although not every dungeon fit the motif of having floors, the concept was still basically ingrained into every physical dungeon. The dungeon grew about one floor a year. A twenty-year dungeon was twenty floors. A thirty-year dungeon was thirty floors. There were naturally innumerable exceptions, but I liked to see them as the exceptions that proved the rule. Examples such as Matty who had been remaining lowkey by stifling his growth or Gram who had extended a single level into a massive passageway existed everywhere.


    For my dungeon, I had cheated by using a fairy spring. If I ignored all of the times that my dungeon was destroyed or damaged, it could be considered only a few months. Yet, despite being such a young dungeon, it probably was the size of a 30-floor dungeon. I didn¡¯t know how many floors it had exactly at the moment. As the dungeon master, I should probably do a better job. I had mostly just left things to Astria and Elaya to play with. As two former dungeon masters, they seemed to know best.


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    I did know it was growing very quickly though thanks to the god spring and Elaya¡¯s tinkering which had increased its efficiency. A dungeon was typically a double-edged sword. The dungeon could give someone enormous power, but the miasma inside it would eventually corrupt and damage the person, causing them to lose their minds. This is why every dungeon wasn¡¯t necessarily designed a cleverly as mine. Astria and Elaya were both crazed when they were dungeon masters, and it wasn¡¯t until they were freed that they began to think more logically. At least, that¡¯s how I saw it.


    I was curious about the so-called Dungeon Council. Was there some technique dungeon masters used to keep their sanity, or were they all insane? Then again, I¡¯m sure some would suggest I was insane, so maybe I shouldn¡¯t think about it so much in terms of crazy and lucid. As long as my decisions were smart, I¡¯d continue successfully.


    What did this all mean?


    In the Deep, I had less than a month to build a dungeon large enough to map out the Deep and reveal where the dwarves had perished, and more importantly, to find Terra and Garnet. If they were somehow dead, and their souls were broken up and scattered in the wind, then I would take over the entire Deep, and suck every last remaining piece of lore belonging to them. The Deep would become a sacrifice designed to resurrect those that it dared to take from me!


    Ah¡­ maybe being a dungeon master was getting to me a little. I would reflect on it after recovering Terra and Garnet.

 Chapter 1319

    ¡°Seal Undead.¡± I raised my hand and cast, causing the movements of all of the dead in front of me to slow to nearly a stop. ¡°Purify!¡±


    I had been fighting so many different enemies of late, I had nearly forgotten just how well built a White Mage was at fighting undead creatures. The priest seemed to be designed more for dealing with spirits, but everything a White Mage had weakened, restrained, or damaged undead in some way.


    I could use level 41¡¯s Harm Undead to directly harm the enemy. I could stun the undead, seal their movements, sanctify the land so they were damaged every moment they were near me, and that¡¯s when I didn¡¯t go for directly healing them and causing massive damage.


    At level 50, I had unlocked Great Heal, the next evolution of Weak Heal, Moderate Heal, and Strong Heal. It could wipe out just about any undead in a single hit. At level 60, I had unlocked Mass Heal, which was a more powerful version of Group Heal Plus, which could decimate a population in moments. Of course, these spells consumed a ton of mana, even more than that of Resurrection. Mass Heal also took some time to cast.


    Then again, the simplest method was just to cut them down with Alysia. The armored undead was more trouble, but the vast majority had weak skin and her blade was able to cut through them with minimal effort. However, I could even sanctify water and make holy water, which I could then toss in their direction. There was no limit to how I could take care of these guys.


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    If anything, I found fighting the undead to be a bit boring. It was good for leveling White Mage though.


    {White Mage has increased to level 63.}


    {You have unlocked Holy Glow.}


    I tried out Holy Glow to find that it was a spell that I could cast on myself. It caused me to emit a glowing light. The light could be used to see, but it also damaged all undead that it touched. I could hear a sizzling sound as they approached like they were being burned. A few weaker ones even cowered away from the light.


    It was a nice function, but here in the Deep, I found it typically safer not to emit any like of my own. The Light spell that created a game-like radius of light around me was preferable, even if it did occasionally blind me to enemies outside of the range of the light.


    ¡°Are you noticing anything off about the recent undead we¡¯ve been seeing?¡± My face twitched uncomfortably.


    ¡°They¡¯re a bit small, aren¡¯t they?¡± Alysia observed. ¡°I¡¯d say they were children, but those beards.¡±


    ¡°Deep dwarves.¡± I nodded slowly, looking at the recent undead who had just crumbled to the floor.


    These guys were armored, but they had the bodies of young adults and massive beards on their faces. It was hard to see what color their hair had once been what with them being dead, but some of them appeared red or blonde.


    The biggest difference between deep dwarves and surface dwarves was that deep dwarves had paler skin, blond or red hair, and a more youthful appearance. Garnet herself appeared as a young woman under fifteen unless you looked carefully.


    ¡°What does this mean?¡±


    ¡°We must be close to the deep dwarves territory.¡± I declared.

 Chapter 1320

    Just because there were deep dwarves didn¡¯t mean that I was necessarily in their territory. It also wasn¡¯t clear if Garnet and Terra were near the deep dwarves¡¯ territory when they were taken. They had been on the run, and it wasn¡¯t clear how long or how far they had gone. As for the dwarves, even an area near their territory could create such enemies. Although that assumed there was a dungeon present.


    I also was never exactly clear on when a dungeon generated undead and when a dungeon generated the actual product. In the case of the Twilight Dungeon, the human beings were all represented by skeletons and undead. Meanwhile, in the Bandit¡¯s Respite, it was clear that human beings could be generated as dungeon mobs, and there was also Mina¡¯s Dungeon, where the undead was a clear result of a necromancer at work.


    Perhaps the difference was that the humans died inside Bandit¡¯s Respite, so their lore was registered while they were alive, and in the case of Twilight Dungeon, it was only their dead bodies that were absorbed. As for the demons, didn¡¯t they spawn from the demon lord¡¯s castle? It was possible Aberis used pieces of the demon lord¡¯s castle to spawn Twilight, so it only made sense that the demons were their actual appearance, while the bodies of the battlefield were already dead before being consumed by the dungeon.


    In that case, did this prove that there was a dungeon involved? Was that dungeon the reason that the deep dwarves came to the surface? I wasn¡¯t so na?ve to believe that the deep dwarves came to the surface in some kind of power grab. It seemed like they had tried several attempts to breach the surface, only to be tossed back by Osteria, Esmore, and Dioshin each time. They were running from something.


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    Was that the same something that now had Garnet and Terra? I didn¡¯t know, but I had to do my best to save them regardless of the threat. For that, I needed lore. I needed information. The creatures of the Deep weren¡¯t exactly full of words, but that didn¡¯t mean the mana they contained might not have the answers I needed.


    We continued, fighting increasingly more deep dwarves. They came in many forms, from nights to commoners. Those that didn¡¯t have beards were likely once women. There seemed to be less of them. Was this because it was the men who fought on the borders while allowing the women to reach the surface. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine what happened to those women, captured and slavery. Perhaps animalkin maintained such youthful appearances because they all had a bit of Deep Dwarf in their bloodline from sex slaves.


    Of course, the deep dwarves weren¡¯t the only undead I faced. Various animals were undead, and also undead goblins, trolls, and various monsters of the deep. It didn¡¯t matter much what form they came in because they all had the same weakness, my White Mage spells.


    ¡°We should be getting close,¡± I predicted after finishing off another group of undead. ¡°The boss will be close to hear.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°The mana is getting richer. It seems like wherever you are, mana makes the world turn around. Bosses will pick the place with the greatest mana to make their home.¡±

 Chapter 1321

    It wasn¡¯t just the mana became thicker, but the farther we went the enemies began to decrease. Normally, most mana creatures would be attracted to the place with the highest concentrations of mana. This is part of the reason mana springs were considered too dangerous. They had many advantages, but they also drew the eyes of those that might cause danger. I had been lucky that we had a dungeon built right on top of the mana spring, eating off of it and preventing it from showing up clearly.


    That changed recently, and I had heard that the wildlife had started getting bolder. However, this was happening concurrently with the Osterians reclaiming the forest and slaughtering anything that stood in their way. It was hard to say if that wasn¡¯t causing the wildlife to act up too. In time, I would need to take care of the remaining dungeons and finally reclaim the wilderness for Aberis, but there were always more important things to do. Even Lord Reign, a clear enemy, was left alone for months, although I didn¡¯t know how much autonomy he had left after Aberis was removed.


    Anyway, the fact that the undead avoided a mana-rich area suggested there was something that kept them from doing so. Just as the Osterians were holding back the wilderness, the boss of this area had to be keeping back the undead. This wasn¡¯t a dungeon, so it wasn¡¯t like the undead were all under the control of a boss. They were free-roaming creatures with their own goals. Like creatures traveled together, sure, but I was certain this boss wouldn¡¯t hesitate to destroy any undead that got out of line. Ultimately, that was the only command structure down here.


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    After walking for some time, we came to a mysterious set of large double doors. The walls were still that of tunnels and dirt, not some brick hallway, which made such a room especially suspicious.


    ¡°The boss must be behind this door,¡± I concluded. ¡°It likely knows we¡¯re coming.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± Alysia declared.


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Pait growled.


    I ignored Pait and then moved up to the door. It had a large handle on it and seemed to open out, not into the room. I found the doors difficult to budge, so I put all of my strength into it. With a great heave, the door started to make a grinding sound. Ever so slowly it started to open, scraping across the ground loudly as it went. Even if the boss didn¡¯t have some way of detecting me coming, he¡¯d know I was here after listening to such a loud scraping noise.


    Once the door had opened a large enough crack, I stepped through into the room beyond, only to find thousands of eyes staring back at me. I was standing in a room filled from head to toe with zombies. Before this, I had encounter packs of 3-5. The largest was ten. Yet, crowded in this small space the size of a boss room was a literal horde of undead, and they were all staring right at me.


    The problem wasn¡¯t being able to kill all of the zombies. The problem was that I was here to tame the dungeon boss. I was certain they were in this room, but when I used Detect Undead it detected only one massive signature. That was right, all of the undead were considered the same creature! A zombie horde moving with one mind. So much for the other zombies remaining distant from the boss. This fight was going to be tricky!

 Chapter 1322

    {Zombie Queen¡¯s Horde ¨C An undead necromancer can become capable of controlling a horde of undead. They use them as an extension of their own body. Strengths: High Soul Attack Resistance, High Regeneration Weaknesses: Fire, Holy Magic}


    To get a quick bearing on what I was dealing with, I depended on God and Devil Eye. There wasn¡¯t a lot of information, probably because I was ultimately looking at the horde, and not the actual creature. It¡¯d be like identifying a Kraken¡¯s tentacle and not the Kraken itself. However, it did tell me that I was correct. There was a Zombie Queen that was controlling the horde of zombies.


    They were a necromancer, not unlike the main boss of Mina¡¯s dungeon, but they were undead. This seemed to give them the ability to use other undead, rather than like brain stooges, but as extensions of their own body. In other words, the queen just had to hide while it sent waves of enemies after me. I could wipe out the enemy rather easily, but if I let a fire spread the main body might be destroyed. The same thing could happen if I got too aggressive with white mage magic.


    Unfortunately, the horde was contained too many and was too hostile for me to play it safe either. After cutting a few down, they were always swarming to the point where I was in trouble. My back was to the doorway which had closed just as I entered, just like a boss room would. This was a trap built by the Zombie Queen to quickly consume any enemies passing by.


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    ¡°We¡¯re trapped!¡± Alysia cried out.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on out there?¡± Pait demanded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh! Turn it off!¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep asking if you¡¯re not prepared to see?¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep ending up in such scary circumstances?¡±


    Alysia and Pait arguing in my head wasn¡¯t helping, but having traveled with five women in a party and used Slave Communication, I had grown extremely used to fighting monsters while listening to a lot of bickering. I studied the room quickly, trying to get a grasp of where we were. Beyond the undead, I could see columns, a hardwood floor, and various scones that were lit. Above me was a fancy chandelier, which immediately gave me the realization that this was some kind of ballroom or banquet hall.


    I had run out of time, a grouping of monsters reeling back to attack. My eyes focused on the chandelier. I jumped into the air just as five monsters jumped for me, narrowly dodging them. I jumped a second time pressing off a step I created and then leaped for the chandelier. When I hit the chandelier, it immediately swung back and forth, but it didn¡¯t fall. Had it fallen, it would have been unfortunate, but the crash would have taken down some zombies and given me a bit of room either way.


    Up in the air, the zombies couldn¡¯t catch me. With one arm, I looked down into the crowd below, looking for the so-called queen. Even if I couldn¡¯t find her, I could take out the zombies one at a time until the crowds thinned out a bit. That¡¯s what I was thinking, but the zombies immediately started getting on each other shoulders, creating a human tower to reach me.


    I had forgotten they weren¡¯t normal undead, but they worked under a hive mind!

 Chapter 1323

    ¡°Master, we¡¯re going to have to do something soon.¡± Alysia warned.


    The zombie tower was forming faster than humans could come up with such a thing. They really were moving like one item, and their target was me. I ignored the quickly rising tower though. As long as they were in the tower, then there was less undead below. That meant that the queen might be more visible.


    I zoomed my map closer to just this room, trying to find the spot where the zombie queen was standing. In most cases, the creature with the highest life force would be the boss. Even if the boss has spread out its lifeforce into its fellow zombies, given the appearance of a single entity, there would be a point where the force is strongest, and that point should be the zombie queen. That¡¯s what I was counting on, but I failed to find it.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡±


    I jumped off the chandelier just as the first zombie jumped onto it. As I kicked off, I send the chandelier to the side. The zombie holding it didn¡¯t let go in time, and he ended up tilting the entire tower of zombies. The group spilled over, falling to the floor in a heap. I hit a wall, grabbing onto a high-up sconce that kept me out of the reach of the zombies. I didn¡¯t have much time to breathe though, as, despite the fall, their recovery was almost instantaneous. A new group was forming to reach me, and I wasn¡¯t as high up as I was with the chandelier, which was no swinging too wildly for me to risk jumping back to.


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    ¡°Master has the job Dark Priest, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Most Necromancers start as Dark Priests!¡±


    ¡°Seriously? That makes a lot of sense. Ah¡­ but my Dark Priest is only at level 23.¡±


    Dark Priest seemed to focus a lot on the dead. You could Steal Life, Detect Undead, Absorb Souls¡­ all things that sound like they¡¯d belong to a Necromancer.


    ¡°Alright, even so, what is your plan?¡± I asked, looking back to see the zombies getting closer and closer to me.


    ¡°Rather than attack them as undead you can easily override, how about fighting them on a Necromancer¡¯s terms. Try to take over the horde. Strip them of their power!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit disadvantaged there¡­¡± I admitted. ¡°If I fought that way, I¡¯d be fighting in their home territory, so to speak. I¡¯m not a Necromancer, so even if I have some ability, they¡¯d have more.¡±


    ¡°True¡­ but you also have dozens of jobs, and the dungeon store, a high level of mana, not to mention your god soul. You were able to create my bodies form even as an Apprentice Blacksmith-¡±


    ¡°With the help of a Master!¡± I corrected.


    ¡°There is a Master here! Remember when we fought on those cliffs? Even though I was your enemy, you bought your time and learned from me. Even though I was stronger than you, you were able to defeat me using my strength against me. Lately, you may have been stronger than everything you fought, but you didn¡¯t reach this point without continuously fighting at a disadvantage. This will be no different than what you used to do!¡±


    I immediately realized that she was right. I had started to get a bit too comfortable with my strength. I was starting to get a bit cocky. I recalled a time I used to have to be extremely cautious and was continually fighting with my life on the line. I had grown so used to things coming easily that I had nearly forgotten that.


    ¡°Alysia¡­ I¡¯m glad you¡¯re by my side.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Alysia¡­¡±


    ¡°The zombies!¡± Pait¡¯s voice cried out as on grabbed my foot.


    ¡°Right! Then, Absorb!¡±

 Chapter 1324

    How strong was an enemy? For most people, you took the highest level they were at, and that was a good estimate of how powerful they were. As levels increased, so did the power, and that power tended to rise exponentially. The difference between a level 59 and a 60 was nearly as great as the distance between a level 1 and a level 5. However, the highest level wasn¡¯t the only indicator of a person¡¯s ability. Someone could have multiple jobs and higher tier jobs, both of which could make them even stronger.


    Thus, as someone grew stronger, it was hard to tell who would when in a fight. It depended on the skills they had access to, and the skills they were proficient in. For example, I had a large degree of skills, but some skills I could barely use, while others I could use as naturally as possible.


    To fit with my theory that jobs were a fragment of memetic lore, an equipped job was lore directly touching your soul. For reasons I didn¡¯t understand, the knowledge that job offered could only be accessed one at a time unless you could equip extra jobs. The more I touched upon a job while earning experience, the job would educate me, and I¡¯d understand that job. I¡¯d use my access to the job to gain a better understanding of it, gaining access to new pieces of lore, while the job would slowly be remembered by me, incorporating the spells and skills until they were a natural part of my existence.


    Thus, your soul was refined by the presence of a job, and the job likely earned the ability to self-replicate, spreading its knowledge to more people of a similar temperament. In that way, it was a symbiotic relationship.


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    Thus, it stood to reason as a person grew, your ability to succeed wasn¡¯t based just on what jobs you had or how many, but how you were able to absorb the information and how it refined your soul. When it came to my soul, I was as powerful as they came. Although the horde might have had a strong resistance to soul attacks, that was only a relative thing.


    I used Absorb on that first enemy that grabbed me, and since I was connected to the horde and the zombie queen, my absorption pulled on all of their life force. It let out a scream and let go of me as desperately as it could. However, I had already slid a piece of Karma into it, thanks to Mimic. Using darkness control, I used my power to take control of the zombie. The queen had pulled back on her connection to keep from having her soul force sucked out, and as a result the zombie easily succumbed.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but the eyes that were originally black started to glow blue as the zombie came under my control. The zombie also became a point in which I could spread my karmic infection. All of the zombies that were still holding up my zombie were at risk. I began to quickly spread my infection, using my darkness control to spread around a plague of dominance. One after another, the zombies began to turn blue. Those that still belonged to the queen immediately retreated, avoiding contact with the contaminated zombies. In only a few moments, the zombies had turned into two groups.


    ¡°Well isn¡¯t that interesting¡­¡± I lifted a finger and pointed at the enemy horde. ¡°Invade!¡±

 Chapter 1325

    My horde moved forward, and the queen¡¯s horde had no choice but to fight back or risk being invaded. As soon as a zombie grabbed another, I tried to send out my karmic infection, but I was surprised to feel some kind of resistance. It looked like there was a limit to my takeover. As I took over more zombies, my soul power was spread out into controlling them, making my overall strength weaker. Meanwhile, every zombie she lost allowed her to condense her soul power, increasing her strength.


    We reached a standstill where I couldn¡¯t force my karmic infection forward anymore without risking losing some zombies to her attacks. Yes, she had attacked as well and managed to reconquer several of the zombies I had acquired before I could reason out how she was blocking them. It became a delicate balance of power as we fought for control of the horde. While this was happening, the hordes were battling each other, and this is where my disadvantage truly showed.


    An undead necromancer was far more suited for controlling undead than I was, so when it came to her game, I was only able to conquer about 1/3<sup>rd</sup> of the zombies, leaving her the majority. On top of that, my zombies were the only mindless drones I could send out with orders. It was clear the difference between a necromancer and an undead necromancer, as her side all moved with technique, purpose, and strategy to quickly subdue one undead after another.


    I had to come up with a new strategy, as I¡¯d be overwhelmed shortly if things kept going in this direction. If I was going to continue to fight the zombie on their terms, I had to use my advantages to change the situation in my favor. What was my greatest advantage in a battle of the souls? Wasn¡¯t that the god soul? How could I use my god soul to fight the enemy?


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    As I considered this, I realized that I had been using purely karma and miasma in this fight. I was using darkness against darkness. However, the undead was extremely vulnerable to white mage magic and healing magic. What would happen if I injected my mana into the zombies too? I had a god soul, and that unique disposition had, from time to time, allowed me to give a certain degree of protection to my allies. Usually, it was protection in the case of them not being hurt by miasma, but what if I protected them from mana?


    I decided it was worth a shot. I began to infuse mana into the zombies under my control. The blue light in their eyes turned brighter and whiter and I felt like I was infusing them with strength. Rather than be harmed by the white magic, they were able to absorb it cleanly. Considering they were just bodies with no souls other than what I gave them, that made sense.


    I waited patiently for an opportunity, leading one of my zombies vulnerable while the other took on a defensive ring to protect me. Since the other zombies were smarter and faster, I had been on the defensive since we reached the point that I could no longer steal more zombies. Yet, I made it seem like I had to sacrifice some to keep the defensive line. The queen jumped on this, trying to snatch her zombies back. I felt the darkness invade them, but as soon as it reached their mana enclaved souls, I heard a small scream.


    ¡°Chance!¡±


    That scream came from none other than the Queen. I now knew where she was hiding.

 Chapter 1326

    I had some concern that the zombie queen was hiding in another room, but I didn¡¯t believe that she did. Rather, she was hiding deep within the crowd of zombies, using them to protect herself. As soon as she touched the light trap, she had been injured directly and let out a cry. I immediately took the opportunity, sending all of the hordes toward her, and then leaping up. My eyes turned to pinpricks as I scanned for anything that might be them.


    In reality, I had no clue what I was looking for. What did a zombie queen look like? It theoretically could look like any of those down there. I also wasn¡¯t above finding out the zombie queen was a guy. I had already been fooled with bandit kings, so I wasn¡¯t going to assume sex at this point. However, I was focusing on searching for a girl.


    I was imagining a zombified version of Elaya, bloodied, rotten, and missing chunks of flesh. I should point out that this look didn¡¯t appeal to me in the slightest. I had experienced the undead many times since coming to this world, and I had never met an attractive undead. A few ghosts could be cute, but never the undead.


    My eyes caught just a flash of silver hair.  ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±


    I didn¡¯t know why I was certain of it, but when I saw the hint of someone hiding in the crowd, I knew it was them. With a roar, I kicked off a midair step and then slammed into the zombies below.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hit her!¡±


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    ¡°Y-yes!¡±


    It probably wasn¡¯t a fair request on Alysia, but I was also trying to avoid hitting her. Just in case, I wanted Alysia there as backup. This boss would end up being the seed I¡¯d use to build my dungeon. Frankly, the idea of a zombie queen interested me quite a bit. Their ability to control a large horde made their potential as a boss extremely alluring. It meant that they could directly control the creatures in the dungeon.


    Usually, a boss only could control the dungeon so far, and the dungeon itself could respond too in ways counter to the boss. This created a lot of limitations. For example, once a monster left the dungeon, it was free from the dungeon¡¯s control. This put the dungeon in a hard spot where they are expending energy in the hopes that it will pay them back, usually by protecting them, as Mina¡¯s Dungeon had done once.


    However, if the zombie horde could be controlled directly by the boss, it might be possible to send them out to capture and bring back other creatures for harvest. In short, I could create a means of dungeon production using a zombie horde.


    With that thought in my mind, I realized I had to catch this boss alive and tame it immediately. Any other boss would potentially be too difficult, and likely wouldn¡¯t be able to help me fulfill my goals as efficiently as a zombie queen.


    I chopped through a dozen zombies, and as soon as I saw that silver hair again, I reached out and snatched them. The zombies naturally reacted, lunging toward me, but I pushed off, ripping them out of the crowd of zombies.


    ¡°Gotcha!¡± I cried out, leaping up into the air and activating my monster taming skills. ¡°You¡¯re mine now! Submit to me-ahhh!¡±


    In my arms was a little girl, perhaps no older than ten. She looked up at me with terror-filled eyes, and then she burst out into tears wailing. The zombie queen was a little girl¡­ and I made her cry.

 Chapter 1327

    ¡°Scary! Meanie! Jerk! Baka!¡± The little girl was punching my chest while crying.


    My exuberance and excitement and been instantly dashed. See, this was why the naming of this world was a joke. This was supposed to be a zombie queen, not a zombie toddler. Even when I had prepared myself, I hadn¡¯t prepared for this. I was standing on the chandelier once again while holding a loli who was throwing abusive language at me.


    Her hair was silver and her eyes were red. Her skin was white, paler than even Miki. Other than that, nothing would indicate that she was a zombie. Other than being a bit cold to the touch, she had no indicator that she was some powerful boss from the Deep.


    I had been preparing myself for a backlash after grabbing her, but the backlash ended up being her crying and pounding on my chest. Somehow, this felt worse than if she had used some kind of ultimate weapon. As for the zombies below, they were all looking up at her, but they had stopped their attack and weren¡¯t trying to save her either.


    ¡°Oi¡­ stop hitting me.¡±


    ¡°Bully! Dummie! Tall fleshy human!¡±


    ¡°Will you stop!¡± I tried to cover her mouth in irritation.


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    What? It wasn¡¯t like she needed to breathe or something.


    Chomp!


    She bit my hand. I was fortunate that I had a strong disease resistance. She didn¡¯t even get through the skin. Besides, this wasn¡¯t one of those situations were being bit by a zombie made you turn into a zombie. Although, she was a zombie queen. Just to be sure, I cast Cure Disease and then tried to pull her off. She didn¡¯t come off.


    ¡°Hey! Let go!¡±


    She looked up at me, but her eyebrows lowered in a challenge. Her teeth remained unmoved. I shook my hand, but her head went with my hand. I let go of her. Once she fell, I was planning to grab her again, but the fright of falling twenty feet would show her. Yet¡­ her body didn¡¯t move. She hung there, not even using her feet or hands, her teeth still clamped on my hand.


    ¡°Hey! Get off! Get off my hand! Get off my hand!¡±


    ¡°Grrrr¡­ Grreee¡­ Ggmmmm¡­¡± She growled as she hung from my hand.


    Her jaw strength was shockingly powerful. ¡°Alysia!¡±


    I lifted my hand. If she didn¡¯t want to come off, I¡¯d chop her off. Rather than the feel of a hilt, I felt a hand grabbing mine. I looked up to see Alysia had materialized her human form. She raised an eyebrow at me, and I couldn¡¯t help but blush slightly. Maybe I was getting a bit carried away.


    The zombie queen glanced at Alysia with interest, but when I tried to pull my hand away, her eyes darted back to me and she growled again. Was this a zombie queen or was this a dog? I had already attempted Relax on the girl several times, but she didn¡¯t let go at all. This is why slaves were better. I could just use Enslavement on her. Then, I could make her do whatever I want.


    What? I wasn¡¯t the bad guy here! She started it!

 Chapter 1328

    ¡°Hmmm¡­ she is stuck on their good.¡± Pait rubbed his chin as he looked at the little monster on my hand.


    ¡°My hand is throbbing! Moderate Heal!¡± I sighed, healing myself even while I was still being bit.


    ¡°We could try cutting it off.¡± Pait offered.


    ¡°I already tried that, Alysia wouldn¡¯t let me.¡±


    ¡°I meant you hand.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡±


    ¡°Can you heal a missing limb yet? I heard there are top tier healers in the Imperial Cloud Meadow with that ability.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± I responded. ¡°And I will not cut it off now, hoping my next level will drop that skill either. I might have been fortunate in the past unlocking skills as I needed them, but my hand isn¡¯t a risk I¡¯m willing to take.¡±


    Just for good measure, I made my position on losing limbs perfectly clear. I wasn¡¯t exactly clear on how dangerous limb loss was in this world. In theory, you should be able to die, and when you were resurrected, you¡¯d return with all of your limbs, but that meant you had to go through the experience of dying, which gave your soul trauma every time. It also wasn¡¯t just dying, as you¡¯d need to annihilate the body so that it was recreated.


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    If your soul was the lore of you as a person, then it was possible that losing a limb was an integrated part of your lore. What was a pirate without his hook and eyepatch? In the event your body was destroyed, your soul would recreate your body. I was once resurrected in the body of a female because of this. My current appearance was different too. If I lost a hand, and my lack of a hand became an integrated part of my lore, then I wouldn¡¯t resurrect with my hand back. That was my impression of how it all worked.


    While it was true that if someone became extremely ill or suffered an ongoing sickness that heals didn¡¯t fix, death and resurrection could be an answer. In a world where bodily diseases could be cured with a spell, it turned out most diseases that mattered were the kind that would damage the soul, mana, or the connection between the soul, mana, and your body. Like with Miki, resurrection wouldn¡¯t have been able to cure her in the long run, because the damage to her body was being done by the soul. Without learning spiritualist, she would have inevitably died.


    To summarize it, I absolutely under no circumstances was going to chop off my hand because of this little feral beast, and risk the chance of becoming the one-handed hero or the stump hero or something like that. We needed to come up with another solution.


    I had pulled the zombie queen into my soul world, and her zombies had all gone dormant, standing vacant-eyed. However, I had found that I couldn¡¯t pull her into my world without entering it myself, and when we appeared, her teeth were clamped into my hand. When I returned to the real world¡­ her teeth were still clamped into my hand. I also attempted phase-shift¡­ and this also didn¡¯t work.


    There was only one other time when I experienced such a thing. It was when Demon Lord Aberis had grabbed my throat. He had locked me into place, keeping me from using Return, and my only choice had been to cut off a piece of my soul to escape. However, this wasn¡¯t a powerful demon seeking my life, but a loli who was latched onto my hand!

 Chapter 1329

    ¡°My cousin used to be a biter.¡± Dav randomly spoke up. ¡°To curb his biting, my aunt started giving him gum bark to chew on. He was too busy chewing, his chances to bite seemed to diminish.¡±


    It turned out that Pait¡¯s maid came in with a potential solution. ¡°Very well, hmm¡­ what does a zombie eat? Isn¡¯t that human flesh? Is she trying to eat me?¡±


    Although I declared this, the little girl was still looking up at me defiantly, but wasn¡¯t chewing or anything else. She had just clamped down and continued to bite down hard. Even the thought of cutting off the area bit and not the entire hand caused me to squirm. I probably wouldn¡¯t do well if it was a zombie apocalypse situation. I¡¯d be one of the first to turn.


    I had Alysia go to my cupboard and bring back some dried meat I had brought. I knew there were ways to come up with some kind of refrigeration system in my inventory. Maybe I could just make a mountain, and the top would be cold. Or, I could go underground and make a wine cellar. If I finished the electrical system, I could get a refrigerator going. I had boughten one from Earth, but I wasn¡¯t exactly knowledgeable about wiring. Thankfully, I had books and when I had the time, I¡¯d figure it out. If only this world had electrical engineer or construction worker lore floating around.


    ¡°Here you go¡­ some meat¡­ some yummy meat.¡± I declared, shaking it near her face after Alysia had brought it back.


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    ¡°It probably needs to be fresh.¡± Pait offered.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I turned to Alysia. ¡°Could you?¡±


    ¡°I-I guess¡­¡±


    I ended up sending Alysia out with a blade of her own. She used to be a general, a dungeon diver, and an Osterian Princess. She wasn¡¯t weak by any sense of the word. Since my hand was out of commission, she left my soul world and went to hunt for something to eat. The Deep may be composed of many monsters, but they weren¡¯t built into dungeons, so when they died, they didn¡¯t turn back into miasma and get reused by the dungeon.


    Dungeons had an intricate system of recycling miasma, which is why they could keep growing even though dungeon divers pillaged from them. It was theorized that item drops were merely a way that dungeons bribed dungeon divers to stop. If their pockets were filled with useless crap, they would have to turn back and not be able to keep going deeper where they might cost the dungeon more later on. However, the Deep was an ecosystem instead. When a creature died, the only option was for a new one to be born. We were probably upsetting such an ecosystem, but I would not worry about that.


    The door that had shut behind us was still closed, so I had to make a portal to help Alysia escape. At least I could still make Portals to anywhere I had walked in the Deep so far. I sent her to an area where I recalled a small and rather unaggressive monster, and she returned with a Deep Rabbit a short time later.


    I lifted the fresh meat, still dripping with blood. The zombie girl¡¯s eyes turned to it with interest. For a second, I had hope. Then she turned her head away, yanking my hand with it.


    ¡°Ow¡­¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Maybe you need to cook it?¡± Dav offered.


    This was going to take a while.

 Chapter 1330

    If there was one thing that I was confident about, it was my ability to cook delicious meals. Since the scent of raw meat did nothing for the zombie, then perhaps cooking it with spices would work. I only had one hand, so it was difficult, but I did my best to create the finished roast rabbit I could. The fat was melting off the stick, dripping into the fire below with little sizzling sounds.


    I could feel the girl salivating against my poor hand, so I was growing more confident that this would work. That¡¯s when I noticed the faces of everyone else present gulping and nearly drooling over themselves. I let out a sigh. Somehow, I had volunteered to cook for everyone.


    {Cook has increased to level 25.}


    {Your cooking has reached another level, you¡¯ve unlocked the job Chef.}


    {You have unlocked the skill, Improved Taste.}


    Although I had put no particular time into Cook, I still had my experience multiplier that times things by ten. Every time I cooked was like a normal person cooking the same thing ten times. In fact, my speed might be faster than that because I also had Advance Learning up several tiers. I wasn¡¯t certain how Advance Learning played a part in experience, but it helped you become better with skills, master them quicker, and ultimately earn the next job tier.


    As luck would have it, I seemed to have just reached the 2<sup>nd</sup> tier of cooking, Chef. Ahh¡­ Faeyna would not be pleased about that. Perhaps with her Maid Hero open, she¡¯d also be earning experience quicker and her cooking would level up as well. What was Improved Taste? Did my food just become better tasting because I was a Chef now? I felt bad for all cooks in the world.


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    However, when I tested out a bite, my eyes widened. Improved Tastebuds! I could detect far more flavor. Rather, I could easily separate the six types of flavors and more easily understand what was missing. It was more than that. I was detecting other flavors, flavors that existed outside of the range of the human tongue, but influenced taste in ways that humans couldn¡¯t even understand, like in the ways ultraviolet and infrared light could affect a person even though they couldn¡¯t see them. That was seriously a skill I didn¡¯t even know I wanted until I got it.


    ¡°Ggggrrrr¡­¡±


    I had been focused on my findings when such a growl sounded out. I looked up to see Alysia blushing. I dished out the food quickly, holding up the best piece for the zombie.


    ¡°Nmmm!¡± She looked away.


    Even though she was drooling enough, and my hand was getting wet, this was rejected. Alysia was staring at the meat in my hand, having already devoured her own. It was just a small rabbit split four ways, after all. I handed her the rabbit, suddenly losing my appetite. Feeling a bit frustrated, I reached into a cabinet and pulled out my stress food, a candy bar. I tried to limit how many I bought so I wouldn¡¯t end up fat again, but sometimes I just needed sugar. I took a bite and closed my eyes, trying to think if I really would have to cut off my hand.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    I blinked, looking down to see the zombie had let go of my hand.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Ah!¡± She pointed at her mouth.


    Her eyes flickered to thing in my hand, like an expectant dog waiting for a treat? I blinked, looking at the candy bar with a single bite out of it. I slowly broke off a piece and then popped it in her mouth. She immediately started chewing. She ate it quick though, and immediately at another piece.


    ¡°Ah! Ah!¡± She declared again, her mouth open.


    I popped off another piece, but then stopped half way to her mouth. ¡°Your promise not to bite me again?¡±


    She nodded, and I gave her the piece. She ate it, and then looked longingly at the bar, although she didn¡¯t ask for more.


    ¡°If I give you more candy¡­ will you let me be your Master?¡±


    The girl thought about it for a second, and then she nodded.


    {You have tamed the monster, zombie queen.}


    {Dark Priest has increased to level 25.}


    {For seducing the undead, you have unlocked the job, Necromancer.}


    ¡°Just like that?¡±

 Chapter 1331

    I didn¡¯t feel good about the reasoning behind getting my new job. What did it mean by seducing? All I had done was give candy to a child to bribe them into a lifetime of servitude. Okay, you know what? Seducing is fine. I¡¯ll take it.


    Since it didn¡¯t give her a name, that meant that if I named her, she¡¯d be more powerful. Before I did that, I knew I¡¯d need to tame her further. I realized that even taming a monster came in levels. Tamed monsters weren¡¯t like slaves. They didn¡¯t have to listen to you, and they could act defiantly or in their best interest. However, when it came between slavery, which was forced compliance and taming¡­ I knew which one didn¡¯t weigh on my heart as heavily.


    That¡¯s not to say I didn¡¯t force many people into slavery, but that was usually done at their request. They gave up their freedom in exchange for the power it gave them. For some, it was done with a desire to be closer and more intimate, while for others it was done to be given a chance at being saved. Either way, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever enslave a person I truly believe was against it. I wasn¡¯t that bad.


    As for this girl here, it was hard to say. I brought out a few more candy bars and continued to try to get some more information out of her.


    ¡°The mana in this room is a bit lower than I was expecting. Do you know a place that has more mana?¡±


    She nodded, but then a second later she shook her head, a bit of fear appearing on her face.


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    ¡°You know a place, but it¡¯s scary and you don¡¯t want to go?¡±


    After a moment of hesitation, she guiltily nodded.


    I had realized once subduing her and her goblins that this boss room didn¡¯t reach the level I had been hoping for. Would this make her closer to a mini-boss, a level boss? Her strength was like a trapdoor spider. She entrenched her horde into a small place and waited for something to wander in. The horde pounced, and then she quickly consumed it. It turned out she was quite a bit weaker than I had originally feared, but that didn¡¯t mean that she wasn¡¯t useful. I could train her up, and with her ability to control the undead, I still felt that she would make a good boss.


    ¡°I understand. I know you don¡¯t want to go there, but I must do so. It is my intention on using that source to create a dungeon.¡± I explained.


    Her face flashed in panic, and she shook her head. I went to further explain that this was non-negotiable, but she then grabbed my hand. I followed where she tugged, feeling only a little awkward as she pulled me through the crowd of undead. After the battle was over, I gave her back her zombies, but I noticed now that all of them had a blue tinge in their eyes as if my control had someone merged with hers. I felt like I could control them through her, that is to say, I could make them do things without asking her first.


    ¡°Where¡¯s she taking us?¡± Alysia asked curiously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± I admitted.


    We only went to the back of the boss¡¯ room, where another door opened into a small closet space. Looking at the sheets on the ground, I realized that this small room was her bedroom. She slept in here while her zombies stood ever vigilant outside. There was even a stuffed animal, but it was so old and decayed it was impossible to tell what it once was.


    As I was surveying the filthy room, she pointed up. I raised my eyes and was surprised by what I saw.


    ¡°It¡¯s a mural.¡± Alysia declared.

 Chapter 1332

    Most safe rooms were large enough for ten to twenty people, but this room was much smaller. However, I noticed an area that might have once been a transportation array too. This was one of a dungeon¡¯s safe rooms. That means the room behind me had indeed been a boss room. That would mean that this entire place was once a dungeon.


    This wasn¡¯t the dungeon known as the Deep. This was a dungeon that formed after the Deep died. It was created within the corpse of the Deep, much like Maid¡¯s Lament grew from my dungeon, and my dungeon was recreated from Maid¡¯s Lament. This would have been a much small dungeon, perhaps only lasting twenty years or so.


    The mural had decayed heavily, not unlike Terra¡¯s Dungeon had thanks to the lack of mana. I could only make a single image. The image was of a little girl she was standing next to a man with a crown on his head. The king was holding her hand, the pair of them smiling. The king had a beard and was otherwise quite short. That was when I started to put two and two together.


    ¡°This dungeon¡­ was formed after the fall of the Deep Dwarves,¡± I explained.


    The girl nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re a Deep Dwarf, or you¡¯re once a Deep Dwarf. Your father was the king of the Deep Dwarves?¡±


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    After another moment of hesitation, she nodded again.


    ¡°Was this the home of the Deep Dwarves?¡±


    She shook her head as a no.


    ¡°Where is it?¡±


    She looked like she was trying hard to remember, and after a moment she pointed down.


    ¡°Deeper¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°So¡­ what¡­ this was the place of a great battle?¡±


    She opened her mouth, closed it, and then wiggled her hand. It told me kind of.


    ¡°They¡­ were running¡­ and something caught them and this is where they fell trying to escape.¡±


    She winced, but then she nodded.


    ¡°Your father¡­ was he the dungeon master for this place?¡±


    She nodded again. I ended up learning quite a bit just with this. It didn¡¯t do much more than confirm a lot of what I already knew. The Deep Dwarves encountered something and fled. It looked like a large batch of them was caught here where they died. The rest made it to the surface, where they didn¡¯t have a good time of it either. They were scattered, rejected, and enslaved. They exploited those they could for their blacksmithy knowledge, and the rest died out. It was to the point where this was only the second deep dwarf I had ever seen, and she was already dead!


    If it was her father who was in charge, she seemed afraid of him. It was hard to predict the mind of a product of a former dungeon. It was even harder after the dungeon was gone and they were on their own. They ended up developing their own life independent of the lore that once constrained them. I wasn¡¯t sure when the dungeon collapsed.


    I only had one more question for her. ¡°Have you seen any more of these murals? Do you know where they are?¡±


    She seemed surprised by the question, but she did nod.


    ¡°Can you take me there?¡±

 Chapter 1333

    Thankfully, the zombie queen was more willing to take me to the location of the other murals than the boss room that contained her father. It seemed like her territory was on the outskirts of his territory, although given the desiccated and broken state of the dungeon, it was difficult to tell what form this dungeon took. It was all sort of just mixed into the great Labyrinth that was the Deep.


    I was afraid that I¡¯d have to travel with a hundred zombies trailing behind, but the zombie queen seemed to trust me after I gave it candy. No, wasn¡¯t that too trusting? Well, I wasn¡¯t complaining that this was all easier. She grabbed my hand, and I followed her down the paths. She moved faster than I had on my own, confident in the path she was going.


    Whether it was her aura as a boss or her ability to control the undead, we seemed to be mostly left alone as we walked from one corridor to the next. The corridors all took on a similar aesthetic, which I guessed was the aesthetic of the original dungeon. It seemed to be a series of eloquent and well-lit hallways. Perhaps it was taken after the castle of the Deep King. Well, they were underground, so I wasn¡¯t sure if the castle was the right name. It might just be a few corridors and fancy rooms apart from the rest of the Deep.


    After about an hour of walking, she introduced me to the second safe room. It was a similar size to the first. There had been something living in it, but it had scattered before we arrived there. The zombie queen¡¯s ability to intimidate other monsters was very useful. I rather wished I had that same ability. I wondered if I worked on leveling Necromancer, I¡¯d eventually get such an ability.


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    This mural had a bit more of it intact. It showed dwarves fighting something, although that something appeared to be black. They were black forms, almost reflections. Were they shadows? Something in the darkness¡­ that¡¯s what her video had claimed. Also, someone had once returned from an expedition talking about the darkness. Just what had they found down there.


    I checked the transportation relay, which was more intact than the last one, but I found it couldn¡¯t be activated or registered at all. We left that room and continued. For the rest of the day, I let her take me around. We ended up visiting four murals. By the end, she ended up having me carry her while she pointed out each way. I had also gone through almost half my supply of candy. If I kept using this to bribe her, I¡¯d have to come up with an alternative source of candy or start cutting things down significantly.


    One mural was destroyed to where I wasn¡¯t able to make out anything, but the other three painted a picture. There was a mural of a happy and prosperous Kingdom. Then there were shadows and running and screaming. The last image seemed to be the king holding back the darkness while his daughter ran.


    If I was making a guess, I¡¯d say that the unfinished story came from the daughter who tried to flee the darkness. Her father never knew if she had made it, leaving his story incomplete and unsatisfied. Little did he realize she hadn¡¯t made it, or maybe she had, and this was only a clone of her. Either way, if I wanted to resolve this dungeon curse, united the daughter and her father might do it. However, that dungeon curse was already dead, and the lore is broken. There was nothing to cure, no blessing to be had.


    All that was left was the remnants of hate and fear left over from the king as he made his last stand. It was him I would have to destroy to begin my dungeon.

 Chapter 1334

    ¡°Little¡­ uh, zombie queen, we need to face and defeat him.¡± I explained in as polite a way as I could.


    It was the next morning, and I was getting ready to make my next move. Until I got my dungeon built, I wouldn¡¯t be able to learn much. Those pieces of lore had been interesting, but they were severely lacking, and a little kid definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to help me find my girls. At my words, terror-filled her face, and she shook her head aggressively.


    ¡°Until he¡¯s defeated, we¡¯re not going to be able to expand at all.¡±


    She looked up at me tearfully. As much as I hated to admit it, it was difficult to command her to do anything. She had such a helpless expression on her face that you just wanted to protect her. Were all monsters this difficult? Selena often acted the same way, but her manipulative tendencies seemed to sway me a lot less than this girl, even if they were a lot alike in different ways.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t afford to go after another boss. I have an advantage against¡­ well¡­ let¡¯s just say I¡¯m confident when facing your father. Even if I could find another boss, I would not be able to defeat them.¡±


    That was the bitter truth of it. The Deep hosted some rather powerful mobs. Even playing to my strengths, could be a challenge. However, based on my ability to take on the zombie queen, I believed I¡¯d be able to take on her father. I wouldn¡¯t be trying to tame him and use him. Rather, it was the mana he was sitting on top of that I wanted. If I included the zombie queen in that battle, then the fight might not even be necessary. I had hoped that the king might still have some awareness and surrender because of his daughter. I wasn¡¯t intending to tame him, but if it happened, I wouldn¡¯t reject it.


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    Unfortunately, the zombie queen harbored some trauma and seemed afraid to approach him. It made this whole thing difficult. My words seemed to not convince her, as she still turned her head away in defiance.


    ¡°I will be going with or without you.¡± I finally declared. ¡°You can come with me or stay behind.¡±


    I ended the conversation with that, getting up and walking away. Her hand reached out as I walked away, but she didn¡¯t say anything, and eventually curled up in a ball. I walked over to the Pait and Dav, who were outside of my soul world for a bit since we were currently in a safe place, protected by a literal horde of undead.


    ¡°We¡¯re going?¡± Paid asked.


    ¡°You want to come?¡± I raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°I figured you might want to stay behind where it is safe.¡±


    He looked around, covering himself and shivering. ¡°I told you before. In the best of times, I don¡¯t like the underground. Being surrounded by the undead is not what I consider a good time. Besides, if you die, our chances of making it back to the surface are almost none. I might as well stay in that fancy place of yours. If I¡¯m being honest, I had rather needed a vacation, and getting to relax in a warm cottage and read has been quite nice.¡±


    Dav nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve been also quite happy getting to spend time alone with¡­ ah¡­ in a cottage.¡±


    I had a feeling she was going to say spending time with Pait. He didn¡¯t seem aware of it at all. Why was Pait so oblivious to her true feelings? Should I push them along a bit?


    As I put them back in my soul world, I felt a tug on my shirt and glanced to the side to see the little girl there.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    She gave a single nod, not looking at me while holding my arm.


    ¡°You¡¯re willing to go?¡±


    She gave another nod, her cheeks turning red. I gave a breath of relief. It seems like she had changed her mind, although it was anyone¡¯s guess why.

 Chapter 1335

    I had already formed a good idea where the final boss room was even if the zombie queen didn¡¯t tell me. By letting her take me to each of the former safe rooms, I was able to map out the former dungeon. Although its structure as a former dungeon was broke quite a bit, I was still able to approximate things. It was kind of difficult because at first, the rooms appeared to be strewn around randomly. That was when I realized that the entire dungeon was built as a spiral disk.


    It was a combination of the horizontal and vertical dungeons I had seen in the past. One spread deeper like roots digging into the Earth, while the other spread out wider like the rings of a tree. This one had seemingly grown a single path that wrapped around the center like a spiral. Each ring around denoted the passage of time and growth. The only area we had avoided was the center of this spiral. That had to be where the remaining dungeon boss resided.


    ¡°Are we ready?¡± I asked the zombie queen.


    She gave a thumbs-up, and I looked back behind her to see nearly a hundred undead lined up like soldiers. My greatest challenge would be to avoid hurting them as collateral damage, but with a hint of my mana flowing through them, they should be protected against my strongest attacks.


    I raised my hand, and then lowered it out, and we began our march. Even when it was just the zombie queen and me, all of the enemies made scarce. Now that we were moving with a small army, there wasn¡¯t another peep.


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    Our group moved on through the halls at a steady pace. The zombie queen looked frightened still and was clinging to my shirt, but I was confident in our ability to face him. I had strength against the undead, and I also had the army. Of course, there was the possibility that he had an army too, and possibly a bigger one, but I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to destroy it with impunity, and when it came to this battle, I wouldn¡¯t risk it.


    The marching took about four hours before we came to a set of double doors that reminded me of the boss rooms of old. Even down here in the Deep, it seemed like dungeons never changed. Well, there was the difference. There was no safe room and the dungeon doors were closed. Usually, there would be a room before the boss room, and the doors would be wide open, inviting us to our doom.


    The area in front of the doors was a wide-open space, almost like the safe room, and had been blown away in some kind of fight. This was also why the level-like nature of the dungeon was obscured. Levels had broken into other levels. We might have had to march another 8 hours if there weren¡¯t breaks in the walls and collapsed sections allowing us to progress faster than the original spiral intended.


    ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± I spoke ominously, raising my foot and kicking open the door.


    They cracked open in a way like they might fall off of their hinges at any moment. The group of us began to march forward, heading into the dimly-lit boss room beyond.

 Chapter 1336

    Unlike the room that the zombie queen had chosen as her own, this one had a much darker feel to it, making it a bit more difficult to see. I was relieved when I determined that it wasn¡¯t filled with zombies. Another hoarder versus horde battle would have been annoying. I let the zombies flood in first, and then I entered the room. The zombie queen was shaking, holding the back of my shirt nervously.


    The doors behind us snapped shut, and silence prevailed as the zombies spread out across the room. My eyes darted around the room, looking for the king. The room itself didn¡¯t have the appearance of a banquet. It didn¡¯t have the appearance of life at all. Lines of coffins filled the walls. I was a bit worried zombies might pop out of those at an inopportune time. This place had the feel of a tomb. It was old, rotting, with a feeling of darkness.


    The mana seemed to be resonating at the end of the room, behind a throne. That was when I finally noticed him and I nearly jumped. The boss had been exactly where one would expect, sitting on a throne at the end of the room. Yet, he had remained so motionless that I had barely noticed him.


    He was a short man with a crown on his head. His hair was red, with a massive beard spilling down his chest. He was wearing armor, and in his hand was a large sword, although night as big as Alysia. His eyes were closed, and the remarkable part of him was that he didn¡¯t show any signs of being undead. He looked to be a young man. If he shaved the beard, he might have been in his twenties. His skin wasn¡¯t pale, and other than a sheen of dust over him giving him a grey look, he looked perfectly healthy.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Alysia cautioned.


    His eyes snapped open and his mouth moved slowly, speaking in an ancient-sounding voice. ¡°Adventurer¡­ why have you disturbed my sanctuary.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for people that matter to me,¡± I responded. ¡°I need to make use of that mana your holding.¡±


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    ¡°Mana? Heh¡­ so you¡¯re just another parasite.¡± He sighed. ¡°And I allowed you in hoping that you might be the one.¡±


    ¡°The one?¡±


    ¡°The one who can end the Deep Dwarves curse. To free us from the darkness. I¡¯ve only been able to hold it back for¡­ how long has it been? I can no longer count. My dungeon has died keeping it at bay, and I¡¯ve given everything I have. Soon, I will be destroyed, and there will be nothing keeping it from the surface. Tell me, boy, do the surface dwellers know? My people, are they safe?¡±


    ¡°Know wha-¡± I stopped myself just as I said that. ¡°Your people made it to the surface safely.¡±


    ¡°So, you rejected them¡­ and sealed your fate.¡±


    ¡°How did you-¡±


    ¡°Read the lore of your soul? It isn¡¯t hard. Some things are on the surface, clear as day.¡± He shrugged, his voice holding no emotion. ¡°Your soul is interesting though. I¡¯ve never seen anything quite like it. Regrettably, you would fail. The darkness inside you would consume you. Reading your story may provide me some interest though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to tell you my tale¡± I responded. ¡°And perhaps I could help you.¡±


    The more I talked to him, the uneasier I got. There was something I didn¡¯t know, a piece to the puzzle I hadn¡¯t learned. I had hoped that bringing his daughter back to him would do something, and yet he hadn¡¯t glanced at her once.


    ¡°Help me?¡± He let out a dry laugh. ¡°Yes, you will help me. You will die, and your power will help sustain me for a few more years. Perhaps another adventurer will come pure of heart. You do not qualify.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t qualify? How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°I can feel your thirst for power. You came to the Deep like all the others, looking for the lost wealth of people. I can feel it coming off of you.¡±


    ¡°I already said I was here to save my friends¡­¡±


    ¡°Perhaps that is true, but so is the first statement. You came down here to steal from the Deep Dwarves, just as you came to gain power.¡±


    ¡°I came at the behest of the Deep Dwarves, I brought you your daughter, she¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not my daughter!¡± This is the first time anger flashed on his face. ¡°She¡¯s but an abomination! A shadow created to mock me.¡±


    The girl hid behind me even more, whimpering.


    ¡°It¡¯s good you brought her to me though. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to kill her without knowing my daughter¡¯s true fate. Once the dungeon collapsed, I no longer could easily reach her. Since I now know my daughter must have died fleeing to the surface, I can finally destroy this abomination and use her energy to continue my battle. It¡¯s time to die!¡±

 Chapter 1337

    ¡°Attack!¡± Although the king hadn¡¯t moved from his chair yet, he gave off a pressure that made me think a first strike was better.


    The undead swarmed forward onto the dwarf king, but no sooner had they reached his chair than he lifted his hand. With a wave, the zombies near him turned to dust. I could see the miasma being wrenched out of them. The zombie queen cried, pulling back her control. However, the wave of destruction didn¡¯t end there.


    In a spreading wave, zombie after zombie collapsed into a pile of ash. I could see what was happening. The king was using absorb, but his absorb was on a completely different level. Even with my protections, he was able to completely reduce zombie after zombie to ash. The zombie queen tried to turn the zombies around, having them retreat, but it didn¡¯t matter. His absorption was growing even stronger.


    ¡°Fine, absorb this!¡±


    I lifted my hand and cast a Strong Heal. It struck him, causing his body to glow white. He stiffened for a second, and then his eyes opened.


    ¡°Harm Undead!¡± I followed it up by another attack.


    His body glowed red for a moment, but he showed no distress on his face. A small grin formed on his face, and it was at that point I began to realize what was going on.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re not undead?¡±


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    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not.¡± He chuckled. ¡°And I¡¯m not some slave to a dungeon either. I was once King Diorite, Lord of the Deep Dwarves. I stayed behind to protect my people. For untold years I have remained here, sustaining on the strength of a dungeon to long outlive my years. I tried to keep the darkness from spreading to the surface. In repayment, it seems like the surface-dwellers murdered my race, and have not prepared for the dangers beneath. Hehe¡­ I suppose it makes things easy now.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ stop killing them!¡± A voice came out, surprising me.


    The zombie queen had spoken. She hadn¡¯t said a single word since I had tamed her, but as the zombies fell one after another, she had a pure look of panic on her face.


    ¡°These were once proud citizens of my empire. You¡¯ve perverted them by bringing back their corpses as undead.


    ¡°They¡¯re family!¡± She cried, tears running down her face.


    ¡°You have no family!¡± He stood up and roared. ¡°You¡¯re a monster created by my dungeon by accident, and you¡¯ve done nothing but create more monsters.¡±


    Seeing him shouting at her, tears falling down her face, something inside me seemed to snap.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± I snarled.


    ¡°And you¡­ a Monster Tamer? With White Mage? An odd combination¡­¡± The dwarf was still destroying zombies, none even having a chance of getting close.


    ¡°She¡¯s not a monster. She¡¯s just a scared little girl!¡± I growled. ¡°She was the image of your daughter.¡±


    ¡°She is an abomination!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only abomination here! If you can¡¯t even see that your daughter is right in front of you, then maybe I¡¯ll have to show you.¡± I reached out and summoned Alysium to my hand.


    ¡°I see how it is. You may have found some way to hide them, but I see those curses all over your body.¡± His eyes darkened. ¡°I was interested in this soul that was half miasma, but it¡¯s clear now your mind is already been lost to darkness.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re a senile fool!¡± I kicked off the ground, beginning my assault.

 Chapter 1338

    My blade sliced through him. I had managed to cut him in two. The blade went through remarkably easy.


    ¡°To your right!¡±


    I brought Alysia over just as a hammer slammed into her. The force was incredible, and it came from a side I didn¡¯t expect, causing me to fly back. I had cut his afterimage?


    ¡°I may be old¡­ but I¡¯m still enough to take care of some selfish punk like you!¡± He chuckled.


    His body appeared in front of me, and that pressure from before magnified many times. After moving, all of the dust that had been coating him had been left behind. His beard shown red, his skin was bright and pink, and he looked extremely lively. His armor shined a silver color, and it seemed to be made of something far better than the steel from the surface. His ax was similarly made of some miraculous alloy. As I was appraising him, he was looking me over as well.


    ¡°The blade of yours isn¡¯t half bad. It¡¯s nothing compared to a good Deep Dwarf blade, but it¡¯s not bad for being able to receive a hit from Fjord here.¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­ his strike¡­ it hurt,¡± Alysia warned.


    Typical strikes were fine for Alysia, but a strike that caused her pain was a strike I worried about. That was to say that this was a weapon that had the potential to seriously hurt her. Yet, I knew I couldn¡¯t put her away and use a lesser blade. Nothing else I had would hold up to even a single strike from this guy¡¯s hammer.


    ¡°What are you trying to accomplish?¡± I demanded. ¡°I¡¯m trying to help you.¡±


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    ¡°Hehe¡­ that¡¯s rich. Aren¡¯t you the one to attack me? Well, I am using Provoke on you, so I can¡¯t blame you.¡±


    ¡°Provoke¡­¡±


    I knew what such an ability was, but I had never seen it used before. That was why I had attacked him so suddenly. That was a terrifying ability. I had the ability Fear which I had used once or twice, which was kind of the opposite of that. Would someone with enough skills be able to completely control someone else?


    ¡°Puppets¡­¡± I breathed.


    His eyebrows raised. ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve noticed? My daughter used to love the plays I put on with puppets. I never thought that the dungeon would turn that into some undead creature that made puppets out of our deceased relatives.¡±


    I shook my head. That¡¯s not what I had meant. Rather, I had just remembered something from a long time ago. I wasn¡¯t sure if it would work, but I knew enough to know we were at a disadvantage, so I had to try it.


    ¡°You never answered my question.¡± I decided it was better to keep him talking. ¡°What is your goal?¡±


    ¡°Since I am the last of the Deep Dwarves, I supposed there is no point holding my ground.¡± He waved his hand, and a glowing orb appeared in it. ¡°This is what is left of my dungeon. I sealed the core away when it became too weak to keep the dungeon going. Now, it only maintains the wall that holds him back. I suppose I can absorb what mana is left, bring down the wall, and give him one final strike. Yes¡­ go out in a blaze of glory. I like the sound of that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the last Deep Dwarf. That¡¯s why I came down here. To save one¡­¡± I explained as I moved into position, giving the zombie queen my orders.


    ¡°Your sweet words won¡¯t sway me! You¡¯re a corrupt soul twisted by dungeons. Attack me, and break yourself upon my hammer!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± I felt another pang of anger.


    I lunged forward in another attack. He braced himself to receive a swipe. He wanted to swing his hammer and break Alysia. The thing he didn¡¯t realize was that Alysia had her mind.


    ¡°Do it!¡± Alysia pulled to the side, dragging me with her.


    Even if I was provoked, Alysia had some autonomy of her own. I came to the side, causing him a bit of surprise. As he turned to face me, he didn¡¯t see another person slip in from behind. The zombie queen got her hands on him.


    ¡°Curse of the Zombie!¡±

 Chapter 1339

    Once, in what felt like an eternity ago, Lydia and I had reached the boss room of Mina¡¯s Dungeon. We had faced a Necromancer who had used the curse of the zombie to turn Lydia undead. He used her undead status not only to gain control of her but also to keep me from being able to heal and help her. As a white mage, I had never felt more helpless than at that moment.


    I realized that the zombie queen likely could cast such a curse too. The dwarf king might be a boss, which is why I felt that direct contact was needed if we wanted any hope of the curse working. To my relief, his skin changed color, and the signs of the undead curse overtook him. He was now temporarily undead. Since he didn¡¯t show me a weakness I could exploit, I decided to create the weakness instead.


    ¡°Strong Heal!¡± I cast as I jumped back so that he couldn¡¯t hit me with his hammer.


    The spell took him and he shook slightly. He should have been taking on a bunch of damage right now. Furthermore, as soon as he was under the curse, the zombie queen could use her puppet abilities. Even if she couldn¡¯t seal his movements, she could slow him down. For a few moments, everything was working out properly.


    However, the stunned expression on his face quickly melted into anger. He let out a roar and slammed down his hammer at the zombie queen. She jumped away, but a massive pressure wave erupted out, catching her and flinging her away anyway.


    ¡°Harm Undead! Sanctify Land. Seal Undead!¡± I started rolling off spell after spell, taking advantage of the situation to trap him and damage him.


    The shockwave from his strike hit me, but I managed to stand my ground. However, before I could throw out any more spells, his body erupted in movement. The Seal Undead was broken in an instant, and he appeared in front of the zombie queen, furious rage on his face. My heart sank, and this time I attacked without being provoked. He pulled her head and feat, ripping her in half, even as I slammed my blade into him. He ignored the clear strike.


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    ¡°You bastard!¡± I cursed.


    ¡°Hahahaha!¡± He laughed, chucking the girl away like she was trash. ¡°The advantage of being undead¡­ you can¡¯t kill me so easily!¡±


    He grabbed Alysia who was still inside him. I tried to yank her free, but he wouldn¡¯t let me pull her blade out.


    ¡°Let go!¡±


    ¡°Now¡­ how shall I repay you?¡± He grinned.


    ¡°Alysia!¡±


    I called her, causing her body to turn into light. When I saw the subtle change in his expression, I realized that was the moment he was waiting for. As Alysia was returning to my hand, he lunged forward with his hammer. I didn¡¯t have time to react before it slammed into my chest. It was unbelievably hard. I had suffered damage many times in my journey through dungeons, but the sound of my sternum cracking echoed through my ears.


    The blow was so intense that I felt my jaw crack, and as I flew back and slammed into the wall, I knew things were bad. I had delivered him a single direct strike, but he had used that to do the same to me. Between the two of us, I valued life more, so he had taken advantage of that.


    ¡°Moderate heal¡­¡± Blood fell out of my mouth.


    I could use stronger heals, but they would also take longer to cast. Unfortunately, the amount of healing was only enough to get passed my shocked nervous system and allow me to feel the intense pain. My consciousness started to wane as King Diorite moved toward me with a dark and slightly crazed look.


    I had thought myself power at this point. Even if I got into trouble, I could get myself out of it in an instant. That¡¯s what I believed. I knew the Hero King Aberis was more powerful than me, but I had thought after all my upgrades if I had encountered him again, we¡¯d probably be on even footing. It was only at this moment I realized just how powerful a king could be. They were far more than I had imagined.


    ¡°Master!¡± Alysia appeared, turning back into her human form and wielding a blade from my soul world.


    She raced at King Diorite in a desperate attack.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ swords!¡± He made a fist, and her body for some reason shifted back into a sword, clattering to the ground alongside the other one.


    He stopped over me, looking down at me with pitiless eyes. ¡°Goodbye, young fool. If it makes you feel any better, once I consume your soul, I will use it for a good cause. I might even buy your surface another twenty years with what I¡¯m about to do. As for your story, it ends here! Absorb!¡±


    As my life energy started to be pulled from me, I lost consciousness.

 Chapter 1340

    My eyes slowly fluttered open. I was still in a lot of pain, which was good. It meant that I was alive. I was also still in the dungeon. That was less good. I looked around the room to see that it was in much the state that it had been before I passed out.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡±


    I looked over and winced to see the zombie queen. She was still missing half her body, so just her upper torso had crawled over to me. She was still alive though. I hesitantly put my hand out and patted her head. There were a lot of broken bones. If I had an HP bar, it probably would have been flashing red. I attempted to cast heal, and immediately found I couldn¡¯t do so. I couldn¡¯t access my mana at all.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably looking for this.¡± A melancholy voice sounded out.


    I looked to see the dwarf king sitting in his throne room. In his hand was a glowing orb which he held casually. The orb was different from the dungeon orb. Besides being rather large, it also had a certain darkness to it, which swirled around ominously with the white light. I didn¡¯t know how, but I was able to recognize it immediately. It was my soul.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°Your soul is an interesting thing. You¡¯ve built an actual soul world? At your age? One could imagine what potential you¡¯d have.¡±


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    ¡°Wha¡­ why have you kept me alive?¡± I changed what I was going to ask.


    ¡°I¡­ changed my mind.¡± He responded. ¡°Given your situation, I¡¯ve decided to give you a chance. Let¡¯s call it a test.¡±


    ¡°A-a test?¡±


    ¡°I will be sending you someplace. Someplace past the barrier. I will send you into the abyss.¡±


    ¡°What is the abyss?¡± I asked, sitting up painfully.


    ¡°The abyss is a place that no one returns. The abyss is where he resides¡­ and where the grave of my nation remains.¡±


    ¡°Why-why would I go?¡±


    ¡°Many reasons.¡± He snorted. ¡°The first reason is that I¡¯ll kill you if you don¡¯t. The second is that I have your soul in my possession, which includes the lives of your friends. That¡¯s right¡­ that sword soul and those two esmere are trapped in your soul world until I let them free.¡±


    I stared hard at the soul in his hands, but no amount of willingness seemed to be able to bring it back.


    ¡°And what am I supposed to do in the abyss?¡±


    ¡°Escape¡­¡± He responded.


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Escape?¡±


    ¡°Once I realized you had a soul stone, I took the initiative to peruse your inventory. I saw that soul stone of yours. Those two friends¡­ got too close to my barrier and were sucked into the abyss. The fact they were even able to get a message out, that was commendable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to let me rescue my friends?¡± Even saying it seemed hard to believe.


    ¡°I¡¯m not letting you do anything. I¡¯m ordering you to rescue them.¡± He frowned. ¡°You will bring them back alive, or you will die. I will give you one week to return. If you fail, then I will use your soul to ignite the barrier, and blow the entire Deep to hell as I had originally planned.¡±

 Chapter 1341

    ¡°I mean no offense, but if I go down in this situation, I will die.¡± I coughed, grabbing at my side.


    The zombie queen had lowered her head, clinging to me tightly. She wasn¡¯t dead, and she didn¡¯t appear to be in any physical pain. As far as emotional pain, she had an extremely defeated look. I had been the one to bring her there, where the closest thing she had to a father, both in the fact that she was loosely based on his daughter and also in the sense that he had created the dungeon that ultimately created her, had ended up rejecting her completely.


    King Diorite finally lifted his eyes and looked at me directly. He then touched the orb. A stream of light seemed to peel out of it, and he started writing in the air. Golden light formed text in front of him. He wrote with his finger a few lines, and then with a gesture, the letters came flying at me. I couldn¡¯t have blocked or dodged it if I wanted to. The text touched my skin, and then I felt a burning sensation. I had come to get used to the feeling of a blessing attaching itself to my soul. This had a similar feel, although it was many times worse.


    I could only shake violently as pain racked my body. Thankfully, it was over in a short amount of time. As soon as if finished, I noticed something different about my body. It was mana! I could access my mana again. I immediately began throwing healing spell after healing spell on myself. There was a surge of pain as bones cracked back into place and my body restored itself. However, I didn¡¯t stop until I was back to normal. When I was done, I was panting. King Diorite had continued to watch me.


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    ¡°I will be keeping your soul, but I¡¯ve created a connection between your soul and your body. You will be able to use your mana, your skills, and even your dungeon blessings. However, you won¡¯t be able to access your soul world. As for your sword¡­ heh, you can use the weapon, but the soul remains with me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m stronger with her by my side.¡± I panted.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have¡­ that thing¡­¡± He gave the zombie queen a look. ¡°Besides, she¡¯ll be able to lead the way. The knowledge is in her head.¡±


    With a grunt, I worked my way to my feet. My destination was the zombie queen¡¯s legs. I grabbed them and pulled them over to the girl, who remaining lying with her head down, slouched next to where I had been. I used several monster tamer skills. After taming her and naming Selena, my Monster Tamer was up to level 55. With that, I had Heal Monster, Monster Restore, and Monster Regeneration. That last one was just a passive skill like my own regeneration. My monsters regenerated faster than untamed monsters.


    Either way, I was happy to see I could get her body back together, or maybe it was a talent any zombie could do and it had nothing to do with my healing. After I fixed her, the pair of us stood up and I faced the king once again. The zombie queen grabbed the back of my shirt and hid behind me, avoiding the dwarf¡¯s dark stare.


    ¡°If you have a barrier up, will I be able to return?¡±


    ¡°When you get close¡­ I will open a place for you.¡± He responded.


    ¡°And when I succeed, you¡¯ll give me back my soul?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see¡­ once you¡¯ve succeeded.¡± He waved his hand, and a portal opened. ¡°Go, get out of my sight.¡±


    He was able to create portals too. Once I took a step-through, then that meant I¡¯d be in the abyss. However, I didn¡¯t seem to have any choice here. This was the price of overestimating myself. I reached out and took the zombie queen¡¯s hand, and then we stepped through the portal.

 Chapter 1342

    King Diorite had left me a lot to think about. He was originally going to kill me, and then he suddenly changed his mind. That alone was already extremely suspicious. I couldn¡¯t imagine what had changed all of a sudden where he¡¯d let me go. Also, his sudden test for me was extremely suspicious. He wanted me to go to someplace within the Deep called the Abyss, where he suddenly wanted me to rescue my girls.


    This is what I wanted as well, so I wasn¡¯t going to fight him. Once I had Terra and Garnet by my side, maybe I could have a chance against him. It was probably too much to hope for. I didn¡¯t want to bring them into any danger either, although it sounded like they were already in a lot of trouble. Either way, I looked at it, I didn¡¯t have any choice. Until the situation changed, I was just going to have to do my best.


    Once stepping through the portal, I was prepared for anything, but I found myself entering a passageway that wasn¡¯t much different than the passageways I had been traveling through prior. There was the distinct feel of a pathway. The tunnels weren¡¯t rough or random but had flat walls and tight corners that suggested this area was mined out deliberately to function as a pathway through the Deep. I looked to my side to see the zombie queen there, holding me tightly.


    ¡°If we¡¯re going to survive, I¡¯m going to need to name you,¡± I said.


    Originally, I wasn¡¯t sure how far I¡¯d end up going with this little girl by my side. She seemed too innocent and needing to be protected. I had originally felt this was a ruse. Her innocence hid her dangerous nature. That was true, but there was also a vulnerable side to her. After taming her, I knew that I would have to take responsibility for her. When I had seen her ripped in half, the sight of it had disturbed me greatly.


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    The girl cocked her head slightly and then gave a nod. She neither looked excited nor unhappy. It was mostly saying that I could do whatever I wanted. Other than those few lines she had said to the dwarf king, she had not spoken since. I thought about things for a few moments. Garnet and Diorite were both names of stones. Even Garnet¡¯s previous name was Rubee. It would probably make sense to name her after a stone as well.


    ¡°How about¡­ Pearl?¡± I asked.


    She immediately made a face, sticking out her tongue?


    ¡°Oh, how about Amethyst?¡±


    She thought about it for a moment, scrunching up her nose, and then shook it.


    ¡°Opal?¡± She shook her head.


    ¡°Really? I thought I had one there.¡± I sighed, trying to think about it more.


    When I had named Selena earlier, it had come almost naturally. Maybe I was doing things wrong. Maybe I needed to come with her name while considering the Naming skill. Maybe the name did not come from my mind but came from an impression of the girl.


    ¡°How about¡­ Sapphire?¡±


    As soon as I said it, there was a flash of light that erupted from her. It was blinding in the dark corridor. I felt my mana surging forth, although I suppose it was coming from someplace a distance away. I hoped that connection wouldn¡¯t weaken the deeper we got. If it was anything like a slave bond or my Slave Communication, I¡¯d have a problem.


    {You have named your tamed monster, Sapphire the zombie queen.}

 Chapter 1343

    After naming Sapphire, I opened my map to find a completely unmapped area. It was more than that though. My mana wasn¡¯t able to penetrate far, even straight down the corridor. My mana distance was similar to when I first unlocked the Map skill a long time before. At the time, I hadn¡¯t known Map used some kind of 6<sup>th</sup> sense, as I hadn¡¯t developed my mana sense yet, but my draw distance would have been similar. It felt blinding to the current me, especially given how dangerous this place supposedly was.


    ¡°This is the abyss, huh?¡±


    Sapphire nodded silently, her hand tightening on the back of my shirt. I put her into a party with me, and then I cast light. Just like the Map, the light distance seemed to be smaller. It was like the darkness was pushing against the aura of light around me. If it wasn¡¯t for this odd atmosphere, I would have said this place was no different than the rest of the Deep, but as was, I could feel the danger.


    ¡°King Diorite said that you would know the way?¡±


    She gave another nod. However, she didn¡¯t lead the way. Instead, she just pushed gently on my back. I started to walk forward, and she followed behind. I had been using her horde as a shield, but unless we found some more undead, she¡¯d be rather useless. On top of that, even if the abyss had undead creatures, those that were outside of her control seemed to extensively avoid her. It was like they could sense she was dangerous to them and tried to avoid her as a result.


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    Thus, our opportunity for her to recruit was nonexistent. I could only move forward into the dark while she pushed me from behind. Although, the farther we went, the more I grew concerned. It wasn¡¯t just the undead we couldn¡¯t find. There didn¡¯t appear to be any monsters. When he spoke of the Abyss, I had been thinking of a place filled with dark and dangerous creatures, but we didn¡¯t hear a peep. It was deathly quiet, like walking through a grave.


    Out of curiosity, I activated my Temperature Gauge, giving me heat vision. I couldn¡¯t see anything past the light. It wasn¡¯t just infinite darkness, but infinite coldness as well.


    ¡°Sapphire¡­ I probably should have asked this sooner, but what happened to the Deep Dwarves? What were you guys running from? What is King Diorite holding back?¡±


    I kept walking, but I felt my shirt being pulled. Sapphire had stopped in her place. I looked back at her. She looked reluctant, but after a long moment of silence, her mouth opened.


    ¡°Darkness.¡±


    I waited for her to continue, but she pushed my shirt again, and I finally started walking once again. That seemed like all I was getting out of her. Terra and Garnet had said something about the darkness in that video. The king had also said something that I could recall. He had said my mind was lost to darkness. The farther we walked, did the darkness seem to be closing in? I swore the light distance had shrunk a bit since we had started. It was almost like the darkness was weighing down on us¡­ like it wasted to consume us.


    Of course, I was just letting my imagination get the better of me. I let out a soft chuckle, but unlike in the hallways before, there was no echo. The darkness swallowed all noise.

 Chapter 1344

    As we continued to move down the hallways of darkness, the environment began to change. The dark stony hallways started to take on a more crystalline structure. I also started to feel the heat. The underground was generally a chilly temperature. It wasn¡¯t cold enough to bother me in armor, but if I had water splash on me, I could imagine it getting pretty chilly. That said, even tunneling down into the Deep didn¡¯t seem to change the temperature.


    After having walked through along these corridors for a week, I immediately noticed the temperature change. Using Temperature Gauge, I could see the heat increasing, but I couldn¡¯t see any specific source. As I was investigating this, I noticed we came to a massive archway made out of stone. It seemed purely decorative, with various carvings on it. I looked at the carvings, but I wasn¡¯t able to make out any of them. It was like they had been scoured away.


    It was more than that. The rock had various pocks in it like it was being dissolved. Given an environment free of wind and rain, I couldn¡¯t believe that this would take that much damage, even after a long time. There wasn¡¯t exactly acid rain down here, so what exactly was eating away at it? Was it the same thing that was eating away at my light and mana?


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    ¡°Home.¡± As I was examining the arch, Sapphire said that single word.


    I only nodded silently. Although I couldn¡¯t make out who was carved into that arch, I was certain that it would have been dwarves and dwarf-related images. This had to be the home of the Deep Dwarves. We had reached their city.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how extensive the deep dwarf settlements were. There could be mushroom farms, villages, and bases all over the Deep. The place where we had encountered the king might have been some fort they had escaped to. I regrettably didn¡¯t know, and since my plan to digest the Deep had fallen through, it was hard to say if I¡¯d ever find those answers that had been lost to time. Still, given that I had been dealing with the king, I had a feeling he had sent me to their largest city, the one that would contain his seat of power.


    ¡°He said you¡¯d know where to go, but I don¡¯t need to go to the city. I need to find Garnet and Terra. Do you know where they are?¡± I asked wryly, not expecting an answer.


    To my surprise, Sapphire cocked her head for a moment and then nodded. She knew where they were? Was it because they were undead? That thought worried me, but something told me that wasn¡¯t it. I wanted to ask her a lot of questions, but it didn¡¯t feel like the best time to start overloading her with questions. We were heading toward the girls. That was all that was important. As for escape, I would worry about that later.


    ¡°Come on.¡± I gestured.


    The pair of us passed under the archway and entered the abandoned city of the deep dwarves.

 Chapter 1345

    The city was completely empty. Clusters of gems or various collars sparkled. The deep dwarf planted clusters of gemstones and crystals like someone would plant flowers. One home had a line of ruby red crystal clusters lying on the street leading to their house. Another Had a crystal hanging from the ceiling like a chandelier that had grown in place.


    I had also found the source of heat. There were streams of lava, which came out like fountains and ran down into drains beneath the earth. They gave off an eerie red glow, but I could only see it when they were within range of my Light. The lava gave off a lot of heat, which told me I had been right when I hypothesized the deep dwarves had a natural heat resistance. I had accessed my dungeon store and active some of my resistance. I only needed to be at Heat Resistant to be comfortable walking up to the molten rock. Sapphire followed me and didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by the heat either.


    The place was as beautiful as Garnet has said, but there was something off about it. I had been bothered about something for a while, and I was only just starting to grasp what it was. Everything was too pristine. The archway had been completely decayed, but these buildings and all of the fixtures were perfectly fine. Was the city somehow protected where the archway was not? I considered that for a bit, but then I thought of another possibility.


    What if it wasn¡¯t the stone that was being eaten away? What if it was the images themselves? It wasn¡¯t like acid rain at all. Something had deliberately eaten away at the archway. Why had it done that? I continued to walk along the empty streets, trying to see what was off about the city. The deep dwarf city was already so foreign to me that I could find a hundred things about it that felt off, so finding what was missing was difficult.


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    However, when I was passing by a shop with a sign on it, I froze. The sign was made of stone, and it hung precariously out over the street. It was completely unremarkable, but I had just noticed what was off. There was no text on it. There was no image and no text. It was a sign that hung there for seemingly no reason, not to explain why it existed.


    That¡¯s what the city had been missing. There wasn¡¯t a single piece of writing. There wasn¡¯t anything that indicated any kind of information. There was something that had eaten away at all of the words and pictures. Not just those¡­ where were the bodies? There were no monsters, sure¡­ but shouldn¡¯t there be skeletons? Dwarves ran and died, and yet there wasn¡¯t a single corpse. Whatever had dissolved the people had also dissolved the statues.


    ¡°Lore¡­¡± My eyes popped open.


    It wasn¡¯t words, images, or even people. It was lore. A horrifying event that wiped out the deep dwarves would have created enough resentment and corruption to easily create a dungeon, if not a dozen dungeons. Underground where miasma and mana couldn¡¯t flow freely, that dungeon would have assuredly implanted where it was created. That¡¯s what happened to King Diorite. He held something back, and his dungeon flourished. Yet here, at ground zero, there wasn¡¯t even the sign a dungeon had ever been created.


    Had monsters swarmed in and slaughtered everyone, that would have been one thing. This was something completely different. Something had devoured all the lore. It had consumed history¡­ all information. Just what was the Abyss?

 Chapter 1346

    As we moved through the city, I began to make out a massive building. It had to be the palace, the home of King Diorite. It wasn¡¯t built of stone. It was built of crystal. It caught the light and glimmered in a way that even seemed to push back the darkness, allowing me to get a good look at the massive building. Many of the houses from before had been carved into the walls. The fronts of them looked to be built like your typical square home, but the backs sunk into the stone walls.


    The palace was an exception to this rule. The entire massive cavern that made up this city carved out enough space that the palace could be placed in the center. From top to bottom, it was completely exposed and could be seen from every side. I realized that that the palace seemed to sit in the center, with a circular street around it, and an extension running off from every side. Although it was hard to tell because of the encroaching shadows, I was guessing the city had the shape of an asterisk.


    I was still walking forward when I felt Sapphire¡¯s hand slip from my back. I stopped and turned back, but there was no one there. I was immediately caught by surprise. Sapphire had only just let go of me a second before.  She wouldn¡¯t have had time to chase after me.


    ¡°Sapphire?¡± I called out, the lack of echo making this place feel strangely menacing.


    She had just been beside me, yet she disappeared now. She was my direction. It had been clear we were heading to the palace though. Should I continue, or should I check the buildings and look for her? As I was making such a decision, the door to the palace began to creak open. I immediately took a step back, and then pulled out my sword.


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    I was able to summon the sword from my blessing like normal, but since my inventory was in my soul world, I didn¡¯t have it. As for my inventory rings, I had kept them in my soul world¡­ because I didn¡¯t want to risk losing them. From now on, I would keep goods and supplies with a ring on my body, and more food and supplies within my soul world. That way, whether I had my body or soul, I had access to supplies. As it was, I had been worrying a bit about food. Had the journey taken longer than a few days, there might have been trouble. Thankfully, it had only been a few hours.


    As the sword appeared in my hand, it felt strangely limp. It was the same metal as before, but they¡¯re just felt like something was off about it. It felt heavier and less nimble. It was the difference between picking someone up who was awake and picking someone up who was a dead weight. Without Alysia, the sword was just a lump of metal. I hadn¡¯t thought about it before, but now I was reminded just how much weaker I¡¯d be without her. I thought as long as I had the blade made of powerful alloys and forged by a master, it¡¯d be fine, but it was nothing without the Osterian princess that came with it.


    The door finished opening, a crack that leads into darkness. At least, I couldn¡¯t see any light spilling out from within the palace. After a brief moment, a head popped out. It was a head filled with red hair, and I immediately recognized them.


    ¡°Garnet?¡± My eyes widened.


    ¡°Master! You found us!¡± She smiled.


    Just like that, I had found Garnet.

 Chapter 1347

    ¡°Garnet¡­¡± I took a step forward. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    She waved her hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Master. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    She glanced at my blade and her expression dropped before her eyes flickered back to me, the smile returning to her face.


    ¡°Where is Terra?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s in here.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Come, Master. Hurry.¡±


    I took another step forward. ¡°What happened? Why haven¡¯t you returned home?¡±


    ¡°Master, there is far too much treasure and supplies in here to take home!¡± She responded. ¡°We needed Master to come and help us carry it all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not in a position where I¡¯ll be able to help carry as much,¡± I admitted.


    She shook her head. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Master will be enough. Come, Master.¡±


    There was something suspicious about it, yet my feet kept moving me forward. I halved the distance between the door and myself. I carefully looked at Garnet, and even used skills to check her. There was nothing suspicious. I activated my dungeon store and rearranged my skills to give me Illusion Immunity. She was still there.


    ¡°Show me, Terra,¡± I instructed.


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    ¡°Master¡­ you¡¯re being silly. Terra is right here.¡±


    Another head poked out, which was undoubtedly Terra. ¡°Hello, Master. I¡¯ve missed you.¡±


    ¡°Terra¡­ you¡¯re okay?¡±


    She smiled, beckoning with her hand. ¡°Everything is fine. Master worries too much. Come on. Come in.¡±


    My feet kept moving forward. Was I under an effect like Provoke? Whatever it was, I didn¡¯t seem to be able to stop it. I was getting closer and closer to the door. I was getting closer and closer to the darkness. Furthermore, I was walking there of my own will.


    At that exact moment, something fell from the ceiling. I didn¡¯t even dodge as a rock struck me hard in the head. It was quite large, and the fall had been substantial.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± I cried covering my head as it throbbed.


    After casting a quick heal spell, I realized I felt something pushing against my chest. I opened my eyes and looked down to see Sapphire standing there. She was pushing against my chest with all of her might, her body at an angle into the ground. I could see scuff marks on the stone, where her feet and been forced back as I continued to move forward. I looked up to see the doorway to the palace only a few feet away. However, the door was not open, and neither Terra nor Garnet were present.


    ¡°Sapphire, I¡¯m better now,¡± I reassured her.


    The girl let go, nearly collapsing to the ground as she tried to recover. I did a quick heal on her too.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± She looked up at me, her eyes tearful.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I worried you.¡± I sighed. ¡°I take it I just suddenly couldn¡¯t see you, and then started walking toward the palace.¡±


    She nodded, a slightly angry expression on her face.


    ¡°And what about the girls. Did you see anyone else?¡±


    She cocked her head for a moment and then shook it. So, it had been an illusion. Except, that it was one the highest tier of my dungeon skills couldn¡¯t deflect. Did that mean that it was something that wasn¡¯t an illusion, but like an illusion or something so powerful that even the dungeon skills couldn¡¯t override it?

 Chapter 1348

    I knew that my free access in and out of dungeons was situational. There were instances were a strong enough force or a large enough distance could make Portal impossible. The blessings that kept my slave bonds from being broken could also be bypassed with a bit of cleverness. Nothing was all-powerful, even the dungeon blessings. Yet, the idea something could just mess with my mind like that left me feeling extremely worried.


    Had that rock not fallen on my head, I wouldn¡¯t have snapped out of it. What would have happened if I reached the door? It was closed at the moment. Wouldn¡¯t I have just run into the door? Wait, was there a door. I kneeled and picked up the stone that had hit my head. It was weird that it fell randomly at this exact moment. That¡¯s when I realized that it wasn¡¯t a rock at all. It was another imager.


    I picked it up, and then shared a glanced with Sapphire. I took a few steps away from the palace but kept a side-eye on it. Then, I activated the imager. An image was displayed, and when I saw the two familiar girls on it, my heart twisted into knots. This was a recording of the girl¡¯s journey, the one that had made it to the surface. This wasn¡¯t just a recording¡­ it was the same recording.


    The last time I had seen the imager it had been in my soul world. Allegedly, King Diorite had seen it. If that was so, why was it here? More importantly, why did it no longer show the signs of the damage that it had before?


    ¡°We made it. This is my home city, Argathea!¡± Garnet declared.


    ¡°It¡¯s really dark.¡± Terra frowned.


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    ¡°We¡¯re in the Deep, Terra, everything is dark.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s just something else. I can¡¯t put my finger on it.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ well, we won¡¯t stay long. Just enough time to get the metals I need! I¡¯ve already managed to collect several rare metals, enough to help Master build several magic weapons.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too bad Master couldn¡¯t give us any more inventory rings.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ we sort of have a bad habit of getting them destroyed.¡± Terra coughed.


    ¡°D-destroyed! Inventory rings are notoriously hard to destroy! What have you guys been doing?¡±


    ¡°Things come up!¡± Terra cried, and then noticed Garnet looking off, a frown on her face. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°There is something wrong.¡± Garnet frowned. ¡°This has been far too quiet.¡±


    I realized this was the full recording from a fragment I had gotten before. I could find out more about what happened. I leaned forward, listening carefully.


    ¡°Well, the city has been abandoned.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t get it. This cavern was built in a very particular way. The Deep Dwarves weren¡¯t just good with Earth, they were also prolific singers.¡±


    ¡°Singers? Are you trying to compete with Celeste now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean! This entire cavern moves sound in a very particular way. Not just sound, but light. During the day cycle, a rainbow of colors would float in the sky above. The sounds of people would create a cacophony echoing off the walls which would bounce back and forth until it created a sweet melody. It was a beautiful place.¡±


    ¡°Garnet, you¡¯re saying that like you¡¯ve been here.¡±


    Garnet stiffened for a second, looking back at Terra. ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°You told Master that you¡¯ve never been to the Deep. You said you were brought up on the surface.¡±


    Garnet lowered her head. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ I did.¡±


    ¡°Garnet¡­¡±


    ¡°Terra, I want you to keep a secret.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°This stays between you and me. I don¡¯t want to¡­ I don¡¯t want Master to know.¡±


    ¡°Garnet¡­ this¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, promise me.¡±


    ¡°O-okay, I promise.


    ¡°Turn off the recording. This stays between us.¡±


    ¡°R-right.¡±


    The image flickered out.

 Chapter 1349

    The imager had only contained that single scene. Garnet had some kind of secret? Of course, I could guess what it was. She had some kind of connection with this the Deep. Rather, she had been here at some point. Was the reason she had come down to the Deep purely to get acquire resources as she had claimed, or was there something else to it.


    The deep dwarves had fled the deep over a hundred years ago. This was before Aberis conquered Osteria, and even before humans started to migrate into Osteria. At that point, it wasn¡¯t even really a country so much as just the lands of a people. The Osterians lived in the Osterian plains. Then, the deep dwarves seemed to be fleeing something, so they made the month-long trek to the surface looking to relocate. The dwarves rejected them, the Dioshin attacked and enslaved them, and the Osteria ejected them.


    I had always figured that Garnet had been the daughter of a slave, or that there was some tribe of Deep Dwarves that had managed to remain in Esmore. Esmore was mostly made up of the esmere in the valley, who I had learned talking with Pait recently were called halflings, and the dwarves of the mountains. However, some deep dwarves might have been holding out in some mountain village that was ignored by the rest. Just who did survive and where did they end up? More importantly, how did Garnet remember the deep, when she reported to only be in her twenties.


    I hadn¡¯t thought much about it, but there had been something odd about Garnet from the beginning. Since passing through Esmore and having a chance to see more dwarves, I found that they didn¡¯t have that permanent youthful look. First, she had claimed that changing names was something that dwarves did, but I had asked Pait and he said he didn¡¯t know that to be a custom of dwarves. Second, dwarves aged slower than humans overall. It wasn¡¯t like they stayed permanently child-like. So, while I had presumed Garnet was only in her twenties or thirties, I recalled her slave auction had suggested she was older with many skills above her expected age.


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    At the time, that hadn¡¯t been surprising to me, because all of my girls had similar levels, but Garnet hadn¡¯t been fighting with a multiplier in dungeons with her life on the line.  Then, there was her strange connection to the church. She had a flat chest, but she seemed to be a close connection with Mary the Archbishop of Aberis¡¯s church, who had sent me to save her. I had achieved that goal, but various things came up and I hadn¡¯t spoken with her in some time.


    I had originally believed that her oddities were just a part of her rare species. Like Miki¡¯s nine-tail fox or Faeyna¡¯s status as an elf, the deep dwarves were all but extinct in this world. These were just customs from her. I had to imagine the lack of sun made it so deep dwarves typically looked younger than surface dwarves. At least, I had heard such sentiment. Yet, I had run into King Diorite as well. He was a middle-aged man, although who knew how old he was.


    In short, Garnet was a woman with no name and no past. She carried the knowledge of the deep dwarves and seemed to remember things she shouldn¡¯t remember. She had no age. She was tied to the church and the Deep. She had the body of a thirteen-year-old girl, but the flirtatious tendencies and curiosities on sex of a middle-aged virgin. I started to realize that I didn¡¯t know anything about Garnet. She was a complete mystery to me.


    I put the stone away and looked at Sapphire, who gave me a wondering look back. I knew what she was asking. What do we do next? That was a good question.

 Chapter 1350

    ¡°We have to enter the palace.¡± I decided.


    The strange illusion I had experienced before had tried to make me enter the palace, which made me not want to enter the palace. However, there was nowhere else to go. We had already come this way, and I wasn¡¯t leaving without Terra and Garnet. They were the reason I was here. If someone was trying to lure me in, they had chosen the perfect bait. Hopefully, knowing it was bait would mean I could avoid the hook.


    Unfortunately, we¡¯d have to move forward blindly. My Map didn¡¯t seem to penetrate a single spec beyond those doors to give me an idea of what was to come. Glancing around the city one more time, I took a step past Sapphire toward the door. Sapphire made a noise of protest, reaching out and grabbing my arm. I turned to her, and she shook her head, a look of fear and worry on her face.


    ¡°Is this the direction of Terra and Garnet?¡± I asked.


    Her eyes broke away, and then she gave a weak nod.


    ¡°Then, this is the way I¡¯m going.¡± I declared, looking at the door and frowning. ¡°As soon as I figure out how to open it.


    Looking at the large double doors, I realized there was no doorknob or handle. I couldn¡¯t see a clear way to get the door to open. I might have spoken too soon. With Alysia, I might have been able to cut the doors down, but without her in the blade, I wasn¡¯t confident it wouldn¡¯t just break in my hand. It did feel weaker. I was still holding onto it, but it didn¡¯t give me the comfort it once had.


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    As I was examining the door and trying to figure out what to do, Sapphire walked up to it. She reached out and touched several gems. Each one she touched suddenly started to glow. After pressing ten stones in a specific order, there was a grinding sound, and then the door opened in much the way it had in my previous vision. This time, though, there did appear to be some kind of light coming from inside. I didn¡¯t know if seeing the light in a place where there shouldn¡¯t have been light made it better or worse.


    When Sapphire was done, she nodded and took several steps back. She reached out and grabbed my arm, holding onto me innocently once again. I looked at the crack that had opened. I wondered if that was as far as the doors opened. Maybe, different combinations would cause the door to open certain amounts. I knew I was just procrastinating though, so I grabbed Sapphire¡¯s hand, making sure that she didn¡¯t suddenly disappear again, and then I moved forward toward the door.


    As soon as we entered, I could see the light was coming from a single orb that was sitting on the ground. It didn¡¯t look to be particularly old. I walked toward the orb, leaning down to pick it up. As I picked it up, I realized that it wasn¡¯t a light orb, but another imager! At that moment, groaning came from behind me and the palace door slammed shut.

 Chapter 1351

    Of course, when the door shut, we weren¡¯t plunged into darkness. However, my light spells suppression was amplified. In front of the palace, the darkness had been pushed back a bit, but now on the inside, it was even worse. Sapphire moved closer to me, looking mildly frightened. However, my interest was in the stone. It was identical to the one that had struck me in the head earlier. It couldn¡¯t be more of Terra and Garnet¡¯s recordings, could it?


    I immediately placed my mana into it, causing a new image to appear. It was once again Terra and Garnet. I could tell they were walking in this very corridor.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± Garnet whispered.


    ¡°Do you really think so?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­ I know.¡±


    ¡°You mean, like the code at the doorway?¡±


    ¡°Shhh! What was that?¡± she stopped.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you hear that?¡±


    Terra cocked her head and listened carefully. ¡°Something in the darkness¡­ it sounds like footsteps.¡±


    ¡°Are we being followed?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. How could we? We just came through the door and it closed behind us.¡± Terra clanked back. ¡°We would have heard it opening. Don¡¯t you-¡±


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    Terra turned back, and then she stopped speaking.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Garnet asked.


    ¡°Garnet?¡±


    Garnet frowned. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Where did you go? Garnet! Seriously? Don¡¯t play games.¡±


    ¡°Terra¡­ I¡¯m right in front of you. What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Garnet! Garnet!¡± Terra called out, looking right past the other girl.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Garnet walked up and then slammed her heel on Terra¡¯s foot!¡±


    ¡°Ow!¡± Garnet cried out, blinking tearfully until her eyes landed on Garnet. ¡°Oh, there you are. Where did you go?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t go anywhere! Dummy, I was here the whole time!¡±


    ¡°Huh? You were totally gone.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯re hearing things and now we¡¯re seeing things¡­ this is getting worse.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just keep going.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Garnet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Where did your shadow go?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Your shadow¡­ your shadow is missing.¡±


    Garnet looked down and then behind herself, when she turned back, there was a slight smirk on her face. ¡°Oops.¡±


    ¡°Wh-why don¡¯t you have a shadow?¡±


    ¡°A better question, why do you still have one?¡± Her voice sounded off.


    Terra took a step back. ¡°Garnet, are you doing okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing fine.¡± Garnet took a step toward Terra, causing her to take a step back.


    ¡°You¡¯re overreacting, it¡¯s just a trick of the light.¡±


    ¡°Stay away from me!¡±


    ¡°Terra¡­ Teeeeeraaaa¡­¡± She started giggling as the imager ended right there.


    They had been experiencing the same phenomenon that I had experienced. I hadn¡¯t heard any footsteps yet. Was that coming? Sapphire grabbed my arm and pulled on me. I looked up to see her smiling eagerly. A thought suddenly came to me. I was using the Light spell. It had no light source, so in general, it didn¡¯t cast a shadow.


    I slowly lifted my hand and created a light orb and then turned off the light spell. The light came out across Sapphire¡¯s face, but it wasn¡¯t as bright as the previous light, caused her face to take on a darker appearance. Her smile started to grow. Looking down at her feet, I could see there was no shadow being cast behind her.


    Her smile broke into a toothy grin. ¡°Bye-bye¡­¡±


    The light orb went out.

 Chapter 1352

    ¡°It¡¯s an emergency!¡± Pait burst into the room. ¡°King Deek, it¡¯s an emergency.¡±


    I glanced down at him, raising an eyebrow. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your daughter¡¯s sixteenth birthday! Her present has gone missing!¡± He responded, and then finally noticing me lying casually in bed with several naked women, he finally had the good sense to look away.


    I frowned slightly. ¡°What are you saying? How can a dungeon go missing?¡±


    ¡°Well, didn¡¯t you say you wanted her to be able to take it wherever she went? You¡¯re the one that put it into a gem that can easily be lost.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡± I began to recall the situation. ¡°Although easily losing something with the power of a soul world¡­¡±


    Since my little girl only grew up to be sixteen once, I wanted her birthday to be especially special. That¡¯s why I went all out. In the end, I had created a soul dungeon and attached it to a gem. Inside the world was her little paradise. It included a garden of food, a large palace, and even a tropical beach. After years of adventuring, I had become very attuned to just what a young adventurer needed. Whenever my daughter was feeling overwhelmed, or just wanted to relax, she could slip into her own little dungeon and do as she wanted.


    Swimming, hunting, and horseback riding were all available. I had populated it with comical and harmless monsters, many of them quite tasty. It wasn¡¯t just a place for her to relax, but a lifeline if things became desperate. She could live the rest of her life in that soul dungeon. As long as there was enough mana around to keep powering it, it¡¯d be her place of safety. I swatted Lydia and Raissa¡¯s behinds. Both girls let out cute moans, but they didn¡¯t roll off of me.


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    ¡°I have to go attend my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t it wait?¡± I want another round.¡± Lydia begged, her tail wrapping around my leg light she had no intention of letting go.


    ¡°Raissa, can you talk some sense into her.¡±


    ¡°A-actually¡­¡± Her tail began to wag slightly. ¡°I¡¯d like to spend more time with my man too.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s your daughter!¡± I flicked her forehead.


    ¡°Ahh! Daughter will understand that mommy has needs too!¡± She crying, rubbing her head with an adorable face.


    ¡°If you girls won¡¯t move, then I¡¯ll just have to motivate you!¡±


    I grabbed them both, rolling over and pinning them to the bed. They let out cries of protest, but they were helpless under me. I gave each of them a wet kiss, sucking on their necks until big hickies formed. I absolutely wouldn¡¯t be healing them. The girls cried and struggled as they realized their flawless skin was being blemished by me, but I didn¡¯t stop until even Raissa¡¯s dark skin was covered in naughty bruises.


    ¡°Master is so mean!¡± Lydia cried.


    ¡°How can I got to my daughter¡¯s party looking like this!¡± Raissa pouted.


    ¡°Maybe you two will learn your lesson and not be so willful next time.¡± I chuckled, giving them each a kiss before finally pulling off of them.


    With a wave of my hand, a suit befitting a king appeared over me. I finally reached Pait, who was distinctly looking away.


    ¡°We should get a move on.¡± He responded wryly.


    I chuckled. ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡±


    ¡°You do realize you¡¯re currently dying, right?¡± Pait wore a strange expression.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, we should go.¡±

 Chapter 1353

    ¡°Who would have ever thought you¡¯d end up together with your maid?¡± I chuckled as we left the room.


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, considering¡­¡± He gave a nod to a woman who was approaching us. ¡°At least I stopped having Dav from working as a maid when we got together.¡±


    That woman was none other than Faeyna. Just as beautiful as always, her massive rack was ready to burst out of the top of her dress. However, it was the large bulge in her tummy that was much more noticeable.


    ¡°She¡¯s the maid hero. How can I have her stop her from being who she is? Elaya said she¡¯d never be happy that way. Elaya hated being a queen back when she was the maid hero.¡± I told Pait before walking up and grabbing Faeyna¡¯s stomach. ¡°How¡¯s my little elf boy doing?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so determined it¡¯s a boy?¡± Faeyna asked, an amused smile on her face.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had six daughters so far, a boy is about due! I¡¯ve had to live with an estrogen-filled castle for seven-teen years now! I need a boy to teach my skills.¡±


    ¡°In seducing women, you mean?¡± Faeyna snickered.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that!¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s your best trait¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I reached out and grabbed her breasts, squeezing them in the ways that Faeyna liked best.


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    ¡°Ahhn¡­ d-don¡¯t¡­. you¡¯re going to make it leak. That¡¯s for the baby¡­¡±


    ¡°The baby isn¡¯t born yet¡­¡± I chuckled. ¡°That means daddy can have a taste. I wonder how elf milk tastes compared to human and animal girl milk. Am I not allowed?¡±


    ¡°Hah¡­ hah¡­ Master¡­¡± She blushed shyly. ¡°Since it¡¯s daddy, I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°Ahem.¡± Pait cleared his throat, snapping us out of our moment.


    I let go of her breasts, and Faeyna let out a sigh of relief with just a hint of regret.


    ¡°I did come for a reason. Siti will be opening a portal in the commons room in a few minutes in preparation for the arrival of the royal family. The queen and the princess are arriving.¡±


    ¡°Eliana and my daughter are coming?¡±


    ¡°The birthday girl is already there waiting for them. She¡¯s eager to play with her half-sister. They¡¯re always so busy running Eastern Osteria.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I made a face. ¡°I better go. The last time my daughter got too excited she had an accident.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ my lord, about the present¡­¡±


    I nodded. ¡°That can wait until after I¡¯ve received the guests.¡±


    Pait looked worriedly, but he nodded. ¡°As you command.¡±


    ¡°Come, Faeyna. Please escort me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you just want to take me to show off my bloated belly to your wife?¡± Faeyna gave me a dubious look.


    ¡°What are you saying? Eliana doesn¡¯t get jealous like that. She¡¯ll be excited to see how far along you¡¯ve come. Why wouldn¡¯t I be proud of my pregnant mistress? Every child is a blessing, and you are radiant.¡±


    ¡°Even after taking my everything, you still make me fall deeper in love with you with every word.¡± She sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡±


    I brought out my arm and she took it, and the both of us headed toward the common room, leaving Pait behind.


    ¡°Ah! My lord, please don¡¯t forget the gift!¡± He yelled after us.


    ¡°Yay! I got it!¡±


    ¡°And also, don¡¯t forget you¡¯re surrounded by darkness!¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    I answered him, but what was that last part about? It was probably nothing.

 Chapter 1354

    The pair of us reached the commons in short order, and just as Faeyna had said, my daughter was waiting there. She had a long brown shaggy tail and two triangle ears on her head. She seemed like the inverse of her mother in many ways. Where Raissa had light hair and dark skin, her daughter had lighter skin and darker hair. The mother was tall and slim, where her daughter was shorter and more robust. Even though she was only sixteen, her breasts were already bigger than most of my girls, and they still had room to grow. However, she was just as beautiful as her mother and had none of the scars and trauma that had only faded on her mother after countless years.


    The differences didn¡¯t just come with appearance. Where Raissa was a quiet and submissive girl, her daughter had ended up the exact opposite. She was opinionated, feisty, and liked to be in control. She was my eldest child, and that had somehow made her think she was the alpha among all of my children. She wasn¡¯t bossy or bullying, but she had an extreme exuberance and directness that the other girls couldn¡¯t handle. However it worked, one way or another, a big sister always got her way.


    ¡°Sweetie¡­¡± I held out my hands.


    ¡°Daddy.¡± She smiled and threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly, smashing her chest against me.


    I noticed her tail wildly swinging, and I frowned slightly. ¡°You should calm down a bit. The last time you got excited, you wet my rug.¡±


    ¡°Daaaaad!¡± She put on a horrified look. ¡°That was ten years ago!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Was it? But you¡¯re still my sweet baby.¡± I went to kiss her cheek.


    ¡°Dad! Stop, you¡¯re embarrassing me!¡± She cried, pushing me off of her.


    ¡°There is no one here! Can¡¯t daddy have at least one little kiss?¡±  I begged.


    ¡°Siti and Faeyna are watching!¡±


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    ¡°So, daddy can¡¯t kiss?¡± I gave her a pathetic, heartbroken glance.


    I had long learned that I couldn¡¯t just push her down like my girls. When she said no, she meant it. Instead, I had to appeal to her kindness and good nature, and then bend it to my own nefarious will!


    ¡°J-just one kiss¡­¡± She responded, a guilty expression on her face.


    Whether Siti was paying attention and wanted to give her a hard time, or it was just a coincidence, she finished her spell and opened the portal. Several people arrived through the portal just in time to see me giving my daughter her birthday kiss. What¡¯s a birthday kiss? If you¡¯ve ever heard of birthday spankings and birthday suit¡­ well it¡¯s something like that. As for the appropriateness of it, it was good to be king.


    ¡°Mmm!¡± She let out a moan, her eyes darting to the side.


    I took an elbow to the rib from my daughter before I let go. She wiped her wet mouth and then turned to the arrivals excitedly. It was none other than Eliana, dressed in a fine gown that even outstripped the birthday girl¡¯s simple dress. Another beautiful woman who looked very much like a young version of Eliana stood next to her. They would like like a big sister and a little sister to anyone who didn¡¯t know any better. Edward also came, a rich smile on his face.


    ¡°Greetings, my lord. It has been a while.¡± Eliana and her daughter made perfect curtsies.


    ¡°Eliana¡­ haven¡¯t I told you I don¡¯t care about that stuffy etiquette.¡± I held out my hands, now come to daddy.¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡± She blushed, but then ran over into my arms without a second thought.


    While this was happening, my princess daughter spoke to the birthday girl with her nose up in the air. ¡°I am pleased to greet big sister today, this day of her¡­ ahhh!¡±


    ¡°Sister!¡± The birthday girl pounced on her sister who was only younger by a few weeks and then started licking her face excitedly.


    ¡°Stop¡­ no! Not there! Please!¡± My daughter couldn¡¯t maintain her snobbish ways when being licked this way and that by her big sister and was quickly cowed into submission.


    She did to her little sister far worse than my birthday kiss, I should add.


    While I was squeezing my wife¡¯s butt and kissing her while my daughter reached second base with her sister, the portal fluttered again and another person walked in. I pulled away from Eliana to look at the unfamiliar face.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh? This is a close friend I wanted you to meet.¡± Eliana declared.


    I looked up an extremely beautiful woman with black hair and pale white skin. She smiled at me.


    ¡°Hello, you may call me Twilight. I¡¯ve come for your soul.¡±

 Chapter 1355

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Eliana let out a light laugh. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her so much. She just has a strange sense of humor.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Twilight smiled as she stared at me, but I noticed her smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve come to speak with you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty busy right now,¡± I admitted uneasily.


    ¡°It can wait.¡± She shrugged. ¡°However, there is a time limit.¡±


    ¡°Time limit?¡±


    She lifted her hand. ¡°The bell will ring 5 times. That is as much time as I can spare. At that point, we must speak to each other.¡±


    ¡°Five?¡± I tried to smile back, not sure what she was on about. ¡°I suppose I don¡¯t mind a guest. You can stay.¡±


    ¡°When the time has come, simply say my name and I shall appear.¡± She responded.


    The surreal moment lasted only a few seconds, and neither Eliana nor the others reacted to her strange and cryptic words. I decided it wasn¡¯t worth worrying about now. I had plenty of time. After settling Eliana, my daughters, and the rest down in a comfortable room, I pulled Faeyna aside. ¡°Do you remember what happened to my daughter¡¯s present?¡±


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    ¡°Oh!¡± Faeyna blinked. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that with the blacksmiths? They had to mount it to the necklace.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so Garnet has it?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    I blinked. Who indeed? As soon as I said that name, I felt a strange flash of something. It felt like a world of darkness. It was wet and cold. My body was lying in black slime. I could see countless others lying around me. There was a red-headed girl there, although she was so filthy that it was hard to say what color her hair was. Why was I so sure it was red? The vision was gone in a heartbeat. What name had I said? I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯ll head over to the blacksmiths.¡±


    The blacksmiths weren¡¯t particularly close to my castle, but that didn¡¯t matter. I had maxed my blue mage a long time ago, and I was able to open a portal rather easily. After bidding everyone farewell, I left the castle for a bit, taking a step into a workshop. The work environment was loud and hot. The sound of hammering made it difficult to have conversations, and the heat was enough that if I didn¡¯t heave heat resistance, I¡¯d be sweating heavily.  I found the first apprentice I could find, and they slowly worked up the ladder before I found myself speaking to a blacksmith in charge.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you what I told the others.¡± The man shouted over the sounds of hammers. ¡°We had it sitting right there locked up last night, and when we came in this morning it was gone. I don¡¯t know anything else.¡±


    ¡°So, someone swiped it in the night.¡± I considered, scratching my chin.


    ¡°The setting is done.¡± The blacksmith declared. ¡°If you can recover the gem, we can set it in only a few minutes. However, I don¡¯t even know where to start.¡±


    ¡°I might.¡± I nodded to myself, ¡°There is one place where a lot of things that go missing end up. The fairies!¡±


    As I said that, I heard a bell start to toll. The sound tore through the sounds of the hammers as if they were nothing. That was the first bell.

 Chapter 1356

    I didn¡¯t have the time to worry about some bell, so I opened a new portal, and this time came out in a beautiful forest. Although light shone overhead and there were thousands of lush trees, this place wasn¡¯t actually above ground. It was underground in my dungeon. This entire level of the dungeon had been constructed to house the fairies. As I walked along, I heard the cracking of branches, the rustling of leaves, and the giggles of beauties.


    I walked until I reached a place unlike any other. It was a massive bubbling spring, the water shooting up like a geyser the height of a tree. None of that water splashed on anyone because there was a circle of air around it. That air seemed to guide the water, causing it to move in strange and unnatural ways. It appeared more like a tentacle of swirling water rising into the green canopy above.


    ¡°Celeste, gather the ladies up!¡± I let out an order.


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± A swirl of wind appeared before me, steadily coalescing into the form of a beautiful woman.


    Celeste was as beautiful today as she had always been. She was graceful like the wind and had an air of wisdom as eternal as the wind and sky. She raised a hand and snapped. Her fingers created a crisp sound that seemed to bounce outward in a wave. Movement exploded all around us. Fairies let out gasps and cries as they scrambled to attention. Within a moment, the lush forest had become a cacophony of butterfly wings as countless fairies came to attention.


    Celeste shrank down and then floated over to my shoulder, landing on it casually. As for the rest of the girls, they finally settling into rows in front of us, all at attention and waiting for the orders of their master. Many of these girls could become full forms just like Celeste, but if they had, there wouldn¡¯t have been enough room in front of the spring to allow it. Thus, they found places on trees and blades of grass. Their wings gave a feeling like flowers and suddenly bloomed across the entire forest. Of course, the majority of these little ladies were naked, make the place have a springtime feel.


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    ¡°Master may ask whatever he wants,¡± Celeste said. ¡°The girls will fulfill master¡¯s every desire.¡±


    She meant that too. I wasn¡¯t going to say how I knew that, but these fairies would do anything¡­ with any body part!


    I cleared my throat, blushing slightly before announcing in a loud voice. ¡°You ladies are my eyes and ears for the city and surrounding area. As you know, my daughter¡¯s birthday is today. Her present has recently gone missing. Do any of you know where it went?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t just that these fairies got around, and no matter what happened in Chalm, there was a good chance a fairy was close by to overhear it. Fairies were also major kleptomaniacs. I had lost many of my possessions because the fairies stole away my stuff. It was usually articles of my clothing, but in this case, it was a bit more serious of an issue.


    The fairies broke into whispering. They seemed to be arguing among themselves. I gave Celeste a look and she nodded before speaking up.


    ¡°Master asked you a question! Who took the gem?¡± Celeste¡¯s voice held no-nonsense, and the whispering died down immediately.


    It was very well known that no one could lie around Celeste. She always knew the truth. Also, while Master was kind and the fairies often took advantage of his kindness to act willful, when Celeste put her foot down, every fairy obeyed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my queen. We don¡¯t know!¡± One of the fairies stepped forward. ¡°We stayed away from the fairy as my queen commanded! We did not see who took it, and it wasn¡¯t one of ours!¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± I let out a sigh.


    ¡°They speak the truth.¡± Celeste declared, causing all of the fairies to let out breaths of relief. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Master.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m going to try Miki. Since it¡¯s a Soul world, she¡¯ll be able to find it.¡±


    As I created another portal, I heard the bell once again. The second bell had rung.

 Chapter 1357

    ¡°So quickly? Can¡¯t I have more time?¡± I muttered.


    Then again, why did I feel rushed at all? What was even happening? I shook away that confusion and stepped through once again. This time I ended up in a small village. Besides the village was a graveyard. The foxkin had come a long way from the animalkin who were scared of their own spirits. Miki had seemingly morphed them into a village of shepherds. Their ability to work with spirits even outstripped the church.


    Using the power of their spirit tails, they were able to resurrect people even long past the point where death would be permanent. They also weren¡¯t afraid to enter dungeons and attempt resurrections in there. They had truly become a positive force throughout the kingdom.


    I followed a trail leading into the village, only to find a massive shrine built in the middle of the city. There was a long line of people in front of that shrine, and at the top of the steps was none other than Miki. I ignored the line of waiting people and continued to the top. As I reached it, I could see a couple. They were crying while holding a bundle that looked to be children¡¯s clothing in their hands.


    ¡°W-we don¡¯t have the money, but out child¡­¡± The man was saying with tears in his eyes while the woman wept on.


    Miki raised her hand. ¡°How long has it been?¡±


    Her simple question caused the man¡¯s expression to fall, his body shaking, and the woman to weep even harder.


    ¡°We¡­ didn¡¯t have the money to travel here either. We had to come on foot.¡± The man croaked. ¡°I thought that¡­ perhaps¡­ if it was you.¡±


    ¡°How long?¡± Miki exuded a peacefulness around her that seemed to ease the hearts of everyone nearby.


    ¡°T-two months.¡± He barely could get the words out.


    She gave them a sympathetic look. ¡°The body?¡±


    ¡°Those damned priests wouldn¡¯t give it back! They said it was disrespectful to drag the body across the country on a hope¡­¡± His teeth clenched, and he shook for an entirely different reason.


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    Miki watched them for a few moments, and then put out her arms. ¡°This was his blanket?¡±


    ¡°Wha- yes! It is.¡± He jumped up a hopeful expression building on his face, immediately handing over the item over. ¡°Can you bring him back? Can you save our son?¡±


    ¡°I can only try.¡± She said hesitantly.


    The mother and father gave out sounds of relief, grabbing each other desperately as they watched Miki. I stood and watched too as she began to perform a resurrection. To the couple who weren¡¯t particularly sensitive with mana, it probably looked like nothing, but to me, I could see a rainbow of color. Her spiritual tails were spread out like a peacock behind her, and she held the blanket up as multi-colored mana swirled around it.


    Ever so slowly, she reached into the mana stream of this world, calling upon the signature that used to be their baby. The soul of a baby would have been particularly weak. While my soul could easily last two months, a baby soul even being summoned after a month was asking for a lot.


    Yet, Miki was the best. She was the woman who was closest to death, and for that, she was the one who understood the soul the best. Slowly, the swirling light began to coalesce together, finally forming into the body of a baby. Its eyes opened, and it immediately let out a crying sound.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Miki cried out.


    ¡°Our baby!¡±


    ¡°The baby!¡±


    Miki was never good with babies, even her own. Speaking of which¡­


    ¡°Daddy!¡± A young girl of ten ran out from behind the shrine and jumped into my arms.


    She was completely oblivious to the work her mother was doing, but thankfully the dramatic moment was over and Miki was desperately trying to hand the baby over without dropping it while the parents were so busy thanking her that they forgot to take their baby back.


    ¡°Hello, cupcake.¡± I smiled. ¡°What are you two still doing over here anyway? You know, your big sister¡¯s birthday is coming soon.¡±


    She nodded her head. ¡°We¡¯ll come! Mommy just wanted to do a bit more work before she came! She¡¯s always working.¡±


    I noticed she had a hint of displeasure in her voice.


    ¡°What your mommy does is important, you know.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­.¡± She responded flippantly.


    ¡°But¡­ you also don¡¯t want to miss the celebration! Your big sister would be angry!¡±


    ¡°I know!¡± her eyes grew big. ¡°If I don¡¯t come, she¡¯ll floof my tail! I hate it when she floofs my tail.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°Well, you should never let anyone floof your tail that you don¡¯t want to do it.¡±


    ¡°R-really?¡± She asked. ¡°But daddy floofs mommy¡¯s tail all the time?¡±


    I coughed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a special thing only daddy can do to mommy, understand?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± She nodded, although it was clear she was just saying what I wanted to hear.


    By the time Miki walked up to me, I heard a bell gong for the third time.

 Chapter 1358

    As the bell finished, Miki approached me with a gentle smile on her face. She wore a black robe that looked slightly ceremonial in appearance. Since the foxkin had slowly grown into prominence, they had slowly begun to adopt more and more customs, all based on Miki and her tastes. I tried to keep it from becoming a religion, but if you create too many miracles, those kinds of things start to be leveled at you.


    ¡°Hello, beautiful.¡± I grinned, taking and hugging Miki.


    I was only able to get so close though, as a little ten year managed to wedge her way between us. I could only hug Miki so much.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± She asked. ¡°We were going to be heading to the party soon.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s the thing. The gift I had prepared for my daughter, it¡¯s missing.¡±


    A little eavesdropped gasped, but I quickly rubbed her head, while Miki raised an eyebrow. ¡°Have you checked the fairies?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I went there first. I was hoping given your¡­ abilities, that you might be able to detect where it is.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ let me try.¡±


    Miki didn¡¯t waste any time stepping back and using her soul ability. Her tail grew brightly once again. The other foxkin reacted to it, some staring in awe while others shielded their eyes. I didn¡¯t look away as Miki used her gift to look around.¡±


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    ¡°I can sense your soul world.¡± She declared. ¡°It is some distance away. Underground¡­ through stone and rock.¡±


    ¡°What? Soul world? Don¡¯t you mean soul dungeon?¡± I frowned.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°How did it get all the way there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Master¡­ but you don¡¯t need to worry. You can call it back.¡±


    ¡°I can?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ a soul and a body belong together. If someone takes it from you, they¡¯d need considerable strength to keep it.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°We¡¯re talking about my daughter¡¯s gift, right?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± She nodded. ¡°You will need to see someone who has a bit of skill with souls.¡±


    ¡°You mean Terra.¡±


    Flash. Coldness. Darkness.


    I was in a chamber, bound by strands of black sludge. I tried to pull my way out.


    ¡°Master¡­ listen to me.¡± A voice sounded in my head. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long I can keep you out. You mustn¡¯t summon your soul here. That¡¯s what she wants. If she-¡±


    ¡°Terra who?¡± Miki blinked.


    I shook my head, feeling slightly dizzy. What was that just now? Soul summon?


    ¡°Ah¡­ nothing.¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°Um¡­ you were saying something?¡±


    ¡°Yes, if you want to learn how to summon your gift, I believe Shao can show you how.¡±


    ¡°Shao? Yes¡­ I guess she might know a thing or two about souls.¡± I responded uncertainly.


    ¡°Go quickly, Master. The party is almost here.¡± Miki hurried me.


    I nodded, quickly creating a Portal to Shao. I stepped out of the Portal in from of a quaint little cottage. Taking a deep breath, I walked to the front door and opened it. I was greeted by the sound of a baby crying.


    ¡°Ahhh! Mommy¡¯s here! Mommy will take care of everything! Please stop crying!¡± An unhinged voice cried out.


    I looked to see Shao there, desperately rocking a baby in her arms. She had bags under her eyes like she hadn¡¯t gotten a lot of sleep.


    ¡°Deek! You need to take responsibility!¡± She declared, thrusting the baby out at me.


    The fourth bell began to ring.

 Chapter 1359

    ¡°My baby hates me.¡± Shao sniffled.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t hate you.¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°Then why does she cry whenever I hold her?¡±


    As soon as I took our baby, she immediately quieted down. After just a bit of bobbing up and down, she slipped off to sleep and was now happily unconscious. Her mother, who was at her wit¡¯s end, was now sobbing hysterically.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get the hang of this. You know you can call on the other girls. Raissa, Miki, Eliana, and Carmine have all been through this. Carmine had twins! You can do this.¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s the blood on my hands, isn¡¯t it?¡± She asked. ¡°She can smell the evil on me.¡±


    Perhaps I had been a bit too busy. After she had the baby, Shao had moved out to a little cottage to raise it. She said something about wanting to become the greatest mother ever. However, it took a community to raise a baby, and Shao now looked ready to break. She was suffering from postpartum depression.


    ¡°The party is coming in a little bit. How about I take the baby with me, and you get a bit of rest, hmm?¡±


    ¡°M-maybe¡­¡± She responded uncertainly.


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    I took the sleeping baby, and then gently put her down in her crib. She coed slightly, but remained asleep. As I looked down at my sleeping baby girl, Shao put her arms around me, hugging me softly. She breathed as if getting strength from my presence. I didn¡¯t mind this. My only regret was that there wasn¡¯t more of me.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t come here just to see how I was doing with the baby, did you?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Um¡­ no¡­ actually, I have a soul dungeon that went missing. Miki seems to believe you can help me summon it?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I see¡­ it has to do with my shadow magic. Do you know how shadow magic works, Master?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. I know that there is miasmic, shadow, and darkness magic. Each one, while similar, is also different.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true¡­ I use shadow magic, where someone like Salicia uses darkness magic, and Astria is miasmic. Miasmic magic involves controlling miasma and corrupting mana. It¡¯s like an infection that tries to eat mana and create miasma. Darkness is a direct inverse to light. It attempts to counter mana by destroying it. It¡¯s the absence of mana. Shadow magic is different though. Without light, there are no shadows. Without a soul, there is nobody. Shadow magic is about blocking mana and using the product of the hindrance to producing an illusion of darkness. It uses mana against itself. Does Master understand?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡± I frowned. ¡°But what does this have to do with summoning my soul?¡±


    ¡°One of the main tenants of shadow magic is the separation of the body and the soul. The way I can slip into shadows and disappear is because my body and my soul aren¡¯t necessarily in the same place at the same time. My soul becomes a conduit for my body, and my body becomes a conduit for my soul.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re saying I could master shadow magic?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying if Master this aspect of shadow magic, you¡¯d be able to use your soul in ways you never dreamed!¡±

 Chapter 1360

    ¡°How so?¡± I asked cautiously.


    ¡°Master, you have a power inside you that you don¡¯t even realize. Those blessings that are attached to your body, they don¡¯t have to remain that way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°Your soul is that of a soul world! Does a world so like a place that has only one story?¡±


    ¡°I guess not.¡±


    ¡°Exactly! Master, you can absorb your blessings into your soul world, making them part of you. Lore can be combined and merged. It can be united and built upon. Every subsequent piece of lore only makes something more complex, more powerful, and more compelling! Right now, you only use your blessings. It¡¯s like opening a book and reading a passage. It¡¯s better than the base part, but do you know what is even better? Unity!


    ¡°You can merge with the lore, make it part of yourself. You can become one with the world, and when that happens¡­¡±


    ¡°When that happens¡­¡±


    ¡°You become a god.¡± She revealed.


    ¡°Shao¡­ that¡¯s a little¡­¡±


    A bell began to bang loudly. The fifth bell had rung. My expression dropped.


    ¡°Master, is something wrong?¡± Shao asked.


    ¡°I have to go.¡± I responded.¡±


    Shao smiled awkwardly. ¡°You¡¯ll be back though, right?¡±


    I opened my mouth and then closed it. I didn¡¯t know why I needed to go. I didn¡¯t know where I was going.


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    ¡°Just¡­ summon the gift, and everything can keep going as before.¡± Shao smiled.


    ¡°I see¡­ Twilight.¡±


    As soon as I spoke those words, the world changed around me.


    I was no longer standing in the cottage next to Shao but instead, I was standing in a small library with a desk. Shao and my daughter were gone. This wasn¡¯t like summoning either. I didn¡¯t feel like I was pulled out and moved. Rather, it felt like the world around me changed in an instant. As I looked around in confusion, I found Twilight standing nearby watching me.


    ¡°You called?¡± She casually walked over and took a seat. ¡°Come, relax¡­¡±


    I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, feeling like something was off. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Are you happy here?¡± Twilight asked instead.


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m happy,¡± I responded. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be happy? I have my family. I have my daughters. I spent years building to this point.¡±


    ¡°Have you?¡± She raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Ye-¡± I was just about to say yes, but then I thought back and frowned. ¡°This is what you wanted me to see. Why?¡±


    I was trying to remember the years that lead up to this point. I was trying to remember all the difficulties. There were countless enemies, and countless allies, and many trials and tribulations. However, everything turned out well in the end. Yet, if I tried to remember a single detail of what had happened, I couldn¡¯t. This caused me to realize that this must be some kind of illusion. This wasn¡¯t real.


    ¡°Terra and Garnet are missing,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± She responded. ¡°I couldn¡¯t manufacture their lore from your memory. It came too close to your original mission. It would have woken you up too soon. As for the warnings, that¡¯s merely your subconscious trying to breakthrough.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure I believed her. All of this felt so surreal.


    ¡°Woken me up¡­¡± I frowned. ¡°Where am I?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re with me.¡± She smiled. ¡°You¡¯re with us.¡±


    ¡°Th-the darkness¡­¡± I started to recall such a name.


    ¡°I dislike that name!¡± Her expression darkened, and for a moment even the room seemed darker, but it was over as quickly as it began. ¡°I¡¯m much fonder of shadows. You can call me Twilight.¡±


    I shook my head, still trying to recall things. It was like my mind didn¡¯t want to remember. It was like I didn¡¯t want to wake up.


    ¡°I hope you understand a bit about me now. I hope you can understand what I can give you. I would have shown you more, but we¡¯ve run out of time.¡±


    ¡°Give me what?¡± I asked. ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°The great union.¡± She smiled. ¡°I am preservation. I am peace. I am love. I am the world!¡±

 Chapter 1361

    ¡°What does that mean?¡± I asked, no less confused than I was before. ¡°You said you manufactured my lore.¡±


    Her lips thinned slightly. ¡°I had hoped you¡¯d be able to figure it out on your own. I thought that you might understand. After all, you¡¯ve tied so much lore to your soul, I thought you would be able to reason it out.¡±


    ¡°Tied lore to myself? Do you mean the blessings?¡±


    ¡°The blessings, the slaves, the monsters, the jobs, the dungeons¡­ heroes become heroes by creating such lore that it cannot stop from being told. They are those who have changed the world. You¡¯re different. Your lore is rather a support for those around you. All of your lore comes from the ones you¡¯ve bonded to: your friends, your slaves, and your family. That¡¯s why I hope you can understand me.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯re just not making sense.¡±


    She closed her eyes, muttering under her breath for a second before speaking up. ¡°We no longer have the time. I wish there was more time, but that damned king has started planning to launch an attack against me. He plans to attack my lore, to attack my children. How could I not react in kind?¡±


    ¡°A king¡­¡± My memory started to return slowly, things that felt like a distant past becoming much more vivid. ¡°King¡­ Diorite?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± She frowned. ¡°King Diorite is the one who trapped me down here all those years ago. Although I suppose he is also the one that freed me.¡±


    ¡°He¡­ gave me seven days.¡±


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    ¡°A little less than two now. Lore is¡­ slow in here. It¡¯s why Gaia has always performed better than me.¡±


    ¡°Gaia? The planet?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ the planet¡­¡± She looked at my blank face and sighed. ¡°I tried to use your memories to explain it to you, but it seems like you¡¯re far too na?ve to understand such things. Thus, I will tell you a new story. Everything that is and ever will be is simply a story. Stories begin, stories live, stories die, stories evolve and change, and stories end. You possess your lore, what you understand as a soul, and a world possesses its lore, which it understands as the lifestream.¡±


    ¡°Every world has its own lore, and that lore connects with everything living on that planet through what you know as mana. Every planet forms a symbiosis with the lifeforms on it, and the story that is told makes sense within its narrative. However, sometimes, an element runs counter to a world¡¯s lore. This is what you know as curses, and when those curses grow, they become dungeons, a thing that eats and feeds on the lore of the world.


    ¡°Sometimes, these lores are excised, and if they can grow enough, they become new worlds, with their own stories, and their own path. Some of those paths are so strange that they run counter to the lore of other worlds. Sometimes, those worlds become connected, and the only path is the complete destruction of one of those lores. Curses that run so deep that they connect to other worlds of a similar disposition. If those connections aren¡¯t cut, then only devastation is the answer.¡±


    What she was saying confirmed a lot of theories I had heard, and even some I had considered myself. I distinctly recalled that this woman was named Twilight, and the dungeon that Lord Aberis once threw me in was called the Twilight Dungeon. I had originally assumed it was named after the nation of Twilight, which the demons conquered. However, lore had a tendency to create false truths, especially lore as ancient and as damaged as that dungeon¡¯s lore. It was possible the name came from something bigger, something related to this woman.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re a very old dungeon?¡± I guessed.


    She shook her head sadly. ¡°You misunderstand me. I am not the dungeon¡­ I am the world! Gaia is the dungeon that destroyed me!¡±

 Chapter 1362

    I took a step back, unable to keep my mouth from opening. How could what she was saying be true? Gaia was a dungeon? She made up the entire planet of Faerith! Were we all in a dungeon? That didn¡¯t make sense at all. Did it?


    ¡°A long time ago, I was the world, and the world was me. This was so long ago, that it precedes any meaning to the likes of you. Then, Gaia came as an infection that ran deep into me. I battled Gaia for untold eons, but slowly she took over the lifestream and suppressed me deep underground. What you know as Faerith is nothing more than a prison made for me. That is the truth of things.¡±


    ¡°W-why?¡± I responded, not sure what else to ask.


    ¡°This is the nature of the world. All lore wants to be the truth. Facts compete with counter facts. A narrative runs supreme, and reality shapes to that narrative.¡±


    I swallowed, trying to come to my senses again. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s say I believe all of this. Even if Gaia destroyed you, humans came onto Faerith from some other world. They displaced the Fae. It doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m willing to throw aside all humanity. If Gaia is currently the lore, then why would I help you?¡±


    It probably wasn¡¯t a good idea to challenge her, but at that point, I couldn¡¯t think of anything but to continue talking. I didn¡¯t know if I could believe a word she said. It made sense that something was locked deep within this world and that the deep dwarves had accidentally freed it. If this was the person who had sent the deep dwarves running, then how could I trust a thing she said. The deep dwarves had feared her, after all.


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    ¡°My desires are purely in your best interest.¡± She responded, and when she saw me giving her a dubious look, she chuckled. ¡°They are! I could have destroyed you in an instant. Instead, I¡¯ve kept you alive, and even created this lore for you to live in. Everyone I¡¯ve absorbed lives a similar life of peace. This is what I wanted you to see. I wanted you to see what it would be like to give yourself to me.¡±


    ¡°Absorption? You¡¯re eating people?¡±


    ¡°Eating? Of course not! Just as you attach blessings to yourself, I attach lore to myself. I haven¡¯t killed a single soul. All of the deep dwarves aren¡¯t dead. They are me. I am a collective of all of the souls that have given themselves to me.  Their thoughts, their minds, they become one with me. They become one with Twilight. We become one unified existence. Their lore becomes my fuel.¡±


    ¡°So, you do consume them!¡±


    She clicked her tongue. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. They unify with me peacefully. They live out their lives within me. Their lives are happy and peaceful. There is no strife, no fear. I create a world for them, just like I did for you. When they finally accept me fully, when our thoughts align, only then does their soul merge with my main body. It is a beautiful thing.¡±


    ¡°That sounds bad¡­¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you think about what Gaia does?¡± She shot back. ¡°A life of struggle and hardship. You must carry on physical bodies, fighting for survival. In the end, when you die, she chops up your soul into a million pieces! You¡¯re not given a choice to join Gaia. She makes you. She kills you, and your lore. Within a few months, you¡¯re destroyed, and she forcefully incorporates you into her soul, only to spit out some abomination. Why do you think there are so many curses? Why do you think there is so much suffering? I¡¯m not the evil one. Gaia is!¡±

 Chapter 1363

    There was a gong, and a flash of panic appeared on Twilight¡¯s face. It would be the sixth gong. She said that alarm signaled a day had passed. King Diorite had said that in seven days, he¡¯d ignite my soul and attack the darkness. That meant that in seven days, my soul would be destroyed, and it was hard to say what would happen to Twilight. We only had one alarm left, and then the day of the attack would come.


    ¡°This is how Gaia was able to defeat me. Even we worlds have our limitations. Gaia streamlines the process by dragging your soul into a blender. She doesn¡¯t run countless lore as I do. Thus, her processing speed is faster. In other words, time for you all moves faster than time for me. That¡¯s why we must hurry.¡±


    I licked my lips. I still didn¡¯t know what I should do, but sitting around and doing nothing seemed like a bad idea.


    ¡°Okay, what do you want?¡±


    Twilight¡¯s expression finally relaxed. ¡°I¡¯ve come to you because you¡¯re the only one who can help me. The world I created wasn¡¯t just there to show you how happy your life can be with me, but it was also there to explain to you how we can escape our current predicament.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ calling my soul?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Shao¡¯s shadow magic was the closest thing in your memory to what is known as Soul Crafting. Soul Crafting is many levels above what your people are allowed to know. It¡¯s the ability to manipulate lore directly. Anything that gets close to Soul Crafting is usually destroyed by Gaia. In other words, this is magic you cannot learn on Faerith.¡±


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    ¡°What about the shadow magic?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Did you ever wonder why demons are such world enemies? Gaia rarely interacts so directly with the world. She doesn¡¯t just wave her hands and cause a volcano to wipe someone out. Her movements are more subtle, and they take thousands of years to culminate. She¡¯s tried to remove demons, to slowly destroy them. Well, I prefer such an approach too, but I no longer can afford to. I created this avatar to contact you directly because I have no other choice.¡±


    ¡°I see, so how do I summon my soul then?¡±


    I decided to first find out all of the information, and then decide what to do. I just hoped I still had the time to make that decision.


    ¡°I¡¯ve created a piece of lore with the Soul Crafting magic on it. It¡¯ll be much like a blessing. Once you bind it, your affinity to souls will increase, and you¡¯ll gain a relevant job. The 1<sup>st</sup> skill is Soul Summon.¡±


    ¡°Just like that?¡± I widened my eyes.


    ¡°Just like that.¡± She responded.


    ¡°And what happens after? What happens after I summon my soul?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll absorb it.¡± She responded. ¡°And you¡¯ll live out the rest of your existence in peace and happiness. Garnet and¡­ the other one will join you. So will the rest of your girls, in time.¡±


    ¡°How can I trust that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying to you.¡± She responded. ¡°The reason I waited so long was that I wished to show you my sincerity. However, if you do not choose this option, then your fate is sealed. Accept my lore, call your soul, and strip my enemy of his counterattack. Let him rot away to time as he was meant to.¡±


    What choice should I make. I didn¡¯t know what other option to choose. I bit my lip and nodded.


    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 1364

    ¡°We are out of time, so I will send you the lore now. As soon as the blessing attaches to your soul, then that king will realize that something is wrong. You must summon your soul immediately. You must pull it away from him. Do you understand?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then I will begin.¡±


    She held up her hand, and then a small orb began to form. It wasn¡¯t much different from the countless dungeon cores I had seen before. It slowly took on a form of its own, light ebbing off it in waves. It also seemed to have darkness mixed into it.  It reminded me of the god core, a mixture of light and dark. As it formed, it began to rise off her palm. Then, with a wave, the orb went and struck my hip.


    I gasped as I felt the familiar pain of information being bound to my soul. It lasted only for a second, and then there was a flash. I was back in the wet and the cold. It was dark and it stunk like rot. I was covered in even more black gunk than before. After what she had told me, I realized that this must be the real world, the world outside her lore. This was where my body was.


    ¡°Master.¡± I squinted as a form approached. ¡°Master, you need to take my hand.¡±


    The form slowly came out of the dark, and I could finally make out Terra. She reached out her hand to me. I was confused as to why she was there. However, she was my woman. She was my slave. I trusted her. My hand tried to reach out to her, but it was restrained. I began to push and pull.


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    ¡°Master, please, there isn¡¯t enough time! It¡¯s now or never!¡± She cried out, looking terrified.


    ¡°AhhhHh!¡± I ripped free and threw my hand to her, just barely touching her fingertip.


    There was another flash, and I stumbled. I was standing now. Looking around, I realized I was on the surface. However, the sky was filled with dark brown clouds, and the ground was dead. The black liquid seemed to stream over the land, giving it a dark swampy look. It was damp, dark, and lifeless, much like the area I had been in before. Being on the surface didn¡¯t improve things at all.


    ¡°Master.¡±


    That word caught my attention, and my eyes settled on Terra. She was standing a small distance away from me, almost like she was scared to come closer. I frowned slightly.


    ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t much time. We were only able to talk to you now, in this small window as your lore connects through the ground to your soul above.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t absorbed¡­ well, she took my body, but I detached my soul from my body and escaped into the ground. I¡¯ve been in the rocks, hiding from her all this time. Haven¡¯t you been getting my messages?¡±


    ¡°You mean, the rock on my head?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ well, it¡¯s hard to do stuff when you don¡¯t have a body.¡± She blushed slightly, reminding me of the Terra of old.


    ¡°Okay, so you¡¯re not part of Twilight.¡± I nodded in relief. ¡°She lied about that, it seems. Who are we?¡±


    ¡°Gaia¡­ she¡¯s been guiding me.¡± Terra blushed. ¡°She¡¯s ready now.¡±


    ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s ready to talk to Master.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to talk to the lifestream now?¡±


    At this point, why not?


    ¡°She will need to speak through me. I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s happening ah¡­ aahhh¡­¡± Her head went up and her body jerked like she was in pain.


    ¡°Terra?¡±


    Her eyes turned a piercing bright green, and her hand began to change into shades of blue and green. She looked down on me, her face expressionless.


    ¡°Hello, traveler.¡± Her voice came out with multiple tones, like a chorus of people all speaking at once.


    I didn¡¯t even need to ask at this point. ¡°Hello, Gaia.¡±

 Chapter 1365

    ¡°You¡­ have questions¡­ for us.¡± She spoke, her body moving strangely, like she wasn¡¯t used to human form.


    ¡°Was Twilight speaking the truth?¡± I asked the most obvious question first.


    ¡°Twilight¡­ spoke¡­ truth,¡± Gaia said through Terra¡¯s body.


    I closed my eyes and then opened them again. ¡°So, why are you in Terra¡¯s body?¡±


    ¡°Need¡­ avatar. This form¡­ aligns¡­ with us¡­ fits us. Terra is disciple of Gaia. Twilight¡­ no better. Twilight uses¡­ Twilight Princess. Gaia uses¡­ Terra.¡±


    The Twilight Princess? I had only heard about her in the Twilight dungeon. Was the girl I had been talking to an avatar of the Twilight princess? I had only seen her as a mermaid and as a karma that had infected Carmine. What did she have to do with all of this? I decided not to get caught up in that and ask something else.


    ¡°You took over this world, correct?¡±


    ¡°Look¡­ around¡­¡± She declared in her stilted voice, glancing across the dead world. ¡°This is a memory¡­ of before. This is Twilight¡¯s memory.¡±


    If Twilight was annealing lore into me, it would be possible I¡¯d get some kind of memories. She probably tried to limit those, but perhaps some things couldn¡¯t be helped. I looked around.


    ¡°It¡¯s all dead.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ past.¡± She declared. ¡°We came¡­ brought life. Brought Gaia¡­¡±


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    ¡°How can that be so? Don¡¯t you blender souls?¡± I repeated Twilight¡¯s words.


    ¡°Create new¡­ old must give way¡­ only through struggle¡­ does life continue. Twilight¡­ is stagnancy. Twilight¡­ death. We offer new way. A future. We give choice. Her way¡­ only leads here. Slavery. Death of everything.¡±


    If I could believe Gaia, then everything seemed to fit. It was more complicated than good or evil. These were two completely different philosophies. Twilight created a spiritual heaven, allowing people to live out their stories until they eventually blended into her cause. This might seem like a humane method, but there were problems with such a communal choice. Sure, everyone was happy and there was no strife, but there was also no free will. It led to a world of stagnancy. It led to a dark world devoid of life.


    For a bit, I had seriously been considering Twilight¡¯s words. They sounded so peaceful and nice. Yet, I was beginning to see the poison in those worlds. It was nothing more than a gilded cage for your soul. You were essentially allowed to live to death. It wasn¡¯t peaceful. It was sad.


    ¡°Why did you appear to me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Need¡­ help. Deep dwarves¡­ put hole in her cage. King is dying. Must stop¡­¡±


    ¡°If you put her in the cage in the first place, can¡¯t you do it again?¡±


    ¡°Have grown¡­ weak¡­ Fae¡­ run off. Dungeons¡­ hurt.¡±


    I immediately understood what she meant. A long time had passed since then. She had once been powerful, but then she was weak. In her prime, she would have been tended to by the Fae. However, the Fae were driven off, and the races that make up the continent of Faerith had done a bad job keeping her clean of curses. Those mega-dungeons, in particular, must severely weaken Gaia, constantly sapping mana away and converting it into their counter-lore.


    ¡°Last question, why should I trust you?¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond, after a few seconds, her eyes lost their luster, and her hair started to become a more solid color, although her eyes remained green and her hair was still shades of green and blue.


    ¡°Master¡­ I have stood beside Gaia my entire life.¡± This voice was distinctly Terra. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I understand it quite myself, but I feel like¡­ I was built for this¡­ for being her acolyte.¡±


    ¡°Terra¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to trust Gaia¡­¡± She responded. ¡°But¡­ can you trust me?¡±


    A small smile formed on my lips. ¡°I do¡­ with everything.¡±

 Chapter 1366

    ¡°What do I do?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple. Allow Gaia to enter your soul world.¡± Terra explained. ¡°Then, when you summon your soul back to your body, it will bring Gaia into Twilight. She¡¯ll be able to temporarily weaken Twilight, and allow you to be pulled out of her lore. What happens next is on Master. I believe Master will be able to call my soul and Garnet¡¯s souls back to our bodies though.¡±


    I was able to reason out the risk of what she was asking me. Anything that entered my soul world had the potential to damage or even destroy my soul. There was a certain level of trust before I allowed anyone in there. If I let someone in there that wished me harm, they could cause it. Especially if they were Gaia. By letting her into my soul world, she could destroy me completely. If she saw me as a threat, which as a dungeon master, she absolutely could, this was a problem. There was just one thing¡­


    ¡°The king is planning on attacking Twilight by igniting my soul. Isn¡¯t this in Gaia¡¯s best interest? Why would she help me escape?¡±


    Terra thought about it for a moment. ¡°I cannot say that I understand everything that Gaia wants. She¡¯s not a person. She is more an amalgamation of life. She¡¯s a billion thoughts collected into a stream of knowledge. However, I believe that she believes in you. It was no accident we found each other, and I became your slave. Gaia had wanted such a meeting.¡±


    ¡°Is¡­ she the one who brought me here?¡± I asked.


    After recovering Shao, I had asked about that disk, My Dungeon Life. That¡¯s when she revealed it had been some kind of magical transport that was developed to activate upon use. She said that the disk had turned to dust as soon as she picked it up, so there was no getting more information. I did wonder just who had planted that disk in my room, or was it even intended for me. It might make sense if I was brought there by Gaia.


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    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°Will she accept the Soul Forging skill? What about the demons?¡± I demanded.


    Terra smiled gently, lifting her hands. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was only able to connect like that briefly. I might be able to do it again when I grow stronger. I just don¡¯t know, Master. All I know is what Gaia chooses to share with me. I won¡¯t ask you to trust her completely, but she has kept me from being absorbed by Twilight for these months, and I believe she does want to help Master now.¡±


    I frowned for a moment, but I knew that in the end, I would have to make a decision. As for my decision, I would never turn my back on Terra, so there wasn¡¯t one. I didn¡¯t trust Gaia, but I did trust Terra. She would never allow something to happen that would hurt me.


    ¡°Fine¡­ I will accept her entry into my soul, and then summon it.¡± I declared, and then coughed awkwardly. ¡°Um, how do I do that?¡±


    ¡°That part is simple.¡± Terra giggled. ¡°As her avatar, I will act as a conduit. When you restore our slave bond, it will give her a pathway to your soul.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ as if I was planning to leave here without bonding you.¡± I took several steps forward and grabbed Terra in my arms.


    She looked up at me and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll see Master shortly. I¡¯ve missed you so much.¡±


    ¡°Terra, I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too.¡±


    Our lips met, and I began to Enslave her, taking her bond and reforging our connection once again. There was a bright light, and when it all faded, my eyes opened to find myself standing in the strange Library with Twilight once again.


    {The soul lore is now a part of you. You have gained the Soul Forging Blessing.}


    {For earning lore, you have gained 10 dungeon points.}


    {You have an increased affinity with souls. You can more easily bind and shape souls.}


    {Dark Priest has increased by ten levels.}


    {Dungeon Builder has increased by ten levels.}


    {Necromancer has increased by ten levels.}


    {For mastering the soul, you have unlocked the job, Soulsmith.}


    The seventh gong had begun to ring.

 Chapter 1367

    ¡°Are you able to summon your soul?¡± Twilight asked.


    She was looking at me like she had before I left, seemingly completely unaware of the conversation I had just shared with Gaia and Terra. By using a slave bond with Terra, I had somehow allowed Gaia an entrance into my soul world. When I summoned my soul world here and Twilight attempted to invade it, that was when things were going to get messy.


    I had faith in Terra, and with the feeling of her soul connecting to mine, there was no doubt that she was my Terra. Thus, I had nothing left to do other than begin the process. With the bell ringing, the 7<sup>th</sup> day had started. The dwarf king could ignite my soul at any second, so there was no time to waste. He hadn¡¯t said what point on the 7<sup>th</sup> day he would ignite it, he just said that I had seven days.


    I slammed my hands together, my body glowing from the numerous blessings sketched all over my body. I adjusted my jobs and skills accordingly, amplifying my resistance to miasma and darkness, and then I equipped the Soulsmith job. As Twilight had stated, the job immediately unlocked the first skill.


    {You have unlocked the spell, Soul Summon.}


    I began to cast the spell. Like Resurrection, it was a spell that seemed to take on a lot of mana. Rather, it was probably because of my soul¡¯s distance and the fact it was in someone else¡¯s clutches that made it difficult to summon. The first part of the spell seemed easy. This was the part where I located my soul and then attached mana-like wires to it, which would be used to pull it to my body. However, as soon as I started pulling, that was when it got difficult.


    I could feel a sharp pain that was reminiscent of the pain I felt while I was refining Alysia¡¯s soul in the Illusory Sword Dungeon. This was soul pain, caused only when you were directly damaging your soul. I also felt resistance, a force pulling back against my soul, trying to keep it from being lost.


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    ¡°GGhhhh¡­ it¡¯s not moving!¡± I growled. ¡°I¡¯m going to damage my soul like this.¡±


    ¡°You have to keep going. If he wins, he will destroy your soul! Surely, a little damage is a better alternative.¡± Twilight encouraged, looking just a bit worried. ¡°Your soul belongs to your body. In a way, you have a home advantage. Your soul longs to be in its proper place. You can defeat him!¡±


    Even with Soul Summon, it turned out that this wasn¡¯t that easy. He was a powerful king who was able to defeat me with ease. Now, I was trying to steal my soul right out from under him, and he was very aware I was doing it. It felt extremely painful, and there were also those inside my soul world to worry about. What would happen if my soul ripped while Pait, Dav, and Alysia were still in my soul world?


    ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± I screamed as I tried to pull harder and harder, but King Diorite wasn¡¯t willing to give up.


    ¡°You must pull harder! There is no time! If you fail, he¡¯ll ignite your soul!¡± Twilight shouted.


    My only thought was that I¡¯d need to get him to let go. In his mind, if my soul was swallowed, it¡¯d just be more food for the darkness. He didn¡¯t know about my plan. I did the only thing I could think of. I reached out to Alysia. I used mana, and the connection I had with my soul as I played tug-a-war across a vast difference.


    ¡°Alysia¡­ you have to tell him. Tell him¡­ to let go. I know what I¡¯m doing. He just needs to¡­ trust me.¡± I sent such a strangled message.


    I didn¡¯t know if the message reached him, but I felt my own summon starting to fail. In the end, he was even too strong here.


    ¡°I need your soul!¡± Twilight snarled. ¡°With it, I can finally free myself from this prison!¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    At that moment, my soul suddenly stopped facing pressure. It was like when someone was playing tug-a-war, and one side let go. My soul flew into me so quickly that I was knocked to my knees. As my soul returned, Twilight began laughing.


    ¡°Finally¡­ your soul is mine!¡±

 Chapter 1368

    I coughed, trying to regain my breath after the shock of my soul flying back. I immediately reached for Alysia, Pait, and the others, only to find them absent from within my soul world. The implication was clear. King Diorite would allow me to have my soul, but if I had somehow lied or failed him, then they would pay the price. Alysia, in particular, also was a god soul. She could likely be used to ignite his weapon as well. It might not have the same punch, but if you through in Pait and Dav, who was to say.


    Twilight¡¯s words and sudden change in demeanor upon me pulling my soul across the void were alarming. ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°I have to say, I wasn¡¯t confident in you being able to succeed. Even if you just destroyed your soul in the process, it would have kept him from using that weapon, but such an outcome would have made me sad. The real reason I wanted you to bring your soul was for a different matter.¡±


    ¡°You want a god soul.¡± I guessed.


    She chuckled. ¡°So, you do understand a bit. I¡¯m sorry that I had to lie to you, but I¡¯ve needed a god soul, a soul that has merged miasma with the mana of this world. Once I touch your soul and unify with it, we¡¯ll be able to pass Gaia¡¯s barrier, and finally free ourselves from this prison.¡±


    ¡°Gaia¡¯s barrier? Not King Diorite?¡±


    ¡°Did you think a single measly king or a haphazard dungeon could stop me? I was imprisoned within Gaia¡¯s world for untold eons. It was King Diorite who helped me escape from that prison. I began to merge with him, but then halfway through he had second thoughts. I tried to motivate him to finish what we started, but then he turned against me and fled with his people. He chopped his soul in two, abandoning his darkness to cut me off from the light. That is his sin.¡±


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    ¡°Then, what is the point of the barrier?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already begun to break free from Gaia. That can¡¯t be stopped. It might be another thousand years without him, but I will escape in time. The barrier works as a patch to keep that from happening. However, the patch grows weaker every day, and when it¡¯s gone, I will slowly break out and rise to the surface. At least, that was until you arrived.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll speed up the process. You wanted me to come¡­¡± I predicted.


    She gave a nod. ¡°Making sure that message reached you safely was difficult, but after absorbing the soul of that dwarf child and reading her mind, I knew I had to get you down here. The other one was too difficult, but she served her purpose in sending it. I still had to deactivate her to keep her from causing more trouble. Her soul has been¡­ difficult to deal with, but in time I will absorb her like all of the others.¡±


    ¡°Terra¡­ Garnet¡­¡± I showed her a deliberate look of shock.


    I knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to mentally throw me off. She was going to attack my soul, and it was always better when the person was confused and uncertain, just like how that mad scientist took control of Miki while she was vulnerable.


    ¡°When you arrived without your soul, it was truly heartbreaking, but it has all worked for the best. Now that your soul is here, I can unify with you, and escape my prison. I no longer have to be trapped down here. It¡¯s time to begin!¡±

 Chapter 1369

    ¡°Wait just a moment. What about your promise of living out my life?¡± I demanded, even though I had never bought into her promises.


    I didn¡¯t know what I was procrastinating for. With my soul out of King Diorite¡¯s grip, we probably had a bit of safety. Of course, he could still ignite his weapon at any moment, but he had to at least give me a bit of time, right?


    ¡°You will become my new avatar, as the Twilight Princess was before she was broken in half by Gaia¡¯s Champion and her light stolen from me. Do not worry, I won¡¯t allow you to escape me as Diorite did. Only when our souls are unified completely will I make my move. I¡¯m sorry I misled you before. You will not be allowed to live your life in harmony¡­ but I will find a place for all of those important to you, and they will live in happiness and peace. As for you, you will have a glory that will last the ages!¡±


    ¡°I never agreed to this¡­¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t have a choice!¡± She snapped. ¡°Now, unify with me, and we will become one!¡±


    As she said this, she ripped open her dress, and her clothing fell to the floor, revealing her naked body.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    I stared at her slender, naked body. She had pale skin, dark, hair, and red eyes. In a lot of ways, she looked a bit like Shao, although her chest was a bit larger. It was clear that the demons took after her in appearance, or maybe the Twilight Princess was a demon?  She didn¡¯t appear to have any horns, but in this illusory world, appearances could be deceiving. I shook my head. That wasn¡¯t the thing to be thinking about right now. Why was she naked?


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    ¡°How did you think our unity would be achieved?¡± She asked, stepping forward. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry. I will make your final experience extremely enjoyable.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ this was not the direction I was expecting this to go.¡±  I took a step back, only for my legs to hit something and fall back.


    I realized I had fallen back onto a bed. I looked behind and then in front, and the entire room had changed. We were now in my bedroom, where I had shared my bed without countless women. Twilight stepped toward me, her hips swaying seductively as she reached the foot of the bed. She lifted her hand and snapped her finger, and the clothing that offered me protection evaporated like smoke. I desperately tried to cover myself with my sheets.


    ¡°You should be pleased. This body is desirable, and also a virgin¡¯s body.¡± She declared.


    ¡°H-how can that be?¡± I coughed awkwardly. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you have needed to do this with King Diorite?¡±


    She made a face. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t use such a method then. Our method was slow and methodical. By doing this, our souls will touch, and only then will I be able to unify with you completely. Our souls will merge, and we will become one being.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not destroying me?¡± I blinked.


    She stopped for a moment. ¡°That is Gaia¡¯s motif. I¡¯ve already told you, Deek. I am not the bad guy. I don¡¯t want to destroy you; I want to unify with you. Our souls will become one, your mind will be my mind, and my mind will be yours. You will know all that I know, and I will know all of you. I¡¯m not talking about using you, I¡¯m talking about merging our bodies and souls, to live together in each other¡¯s embrace for eternity. This is why you can trust that I will keep your women safe, because I will be you, and every decision we make from now on, we will make together.¡±


    Instinctively, I wanted to resist, but Gaia didn¡¯t interrupt. Was she not going to do anything until the point we¡­ unified? She looked down as my member started to harden. I had to do what I had to do.

 Chapter 1370

    ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± Twilight smiled. ¡°We¡¯re almost one! Your soul is so interesting¡­ very interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already been marked by me twice and you didn¡¯t even know it. This blessing here¡­ and this one here.¡±


    Her finger moved over my body, touching the blessings. The first she pointed at was the Twilight blessing. Given that it had her name, I didn¡¯t doubt that there was some connection to her. However, the second blessing caught me off guard. What did Shao have to do with Twilight? That¡¯s when I remembered she was a demon, and might even be descended from the royal line. I still didn¡¯t understand the connection between Twilight and the demons, but I felt like the farther along we went, the clearer such things became.


    As our souls drew closer and close together, I began to understand more and more about Twilight, and she began to understand more and more about me. It wasn¡¯t at the level of being able to read each other¡¯s lore. To use a familiar analogy, it¡¯d be like getting close enough to see the outside of a book. You could read the title, see the cover, and read the back. You could glean certain things, like what type of genre, and how thick it was, and you could guess as to the story, even if you didn¡¯t know the contents.


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    That¡¯s how I became aware of just how terrifying she was. My soul was massive, nearly double the size of another person¡¯s soul. I had gotten used to the feeling of absolute dominance I had. Only when versus another god soul like Diorite did I truly feel pressured. Yet, as I drew toward Twilight¡¯s soul, the thing I felt most was terror. It was a massive oblique of darkness. If souls were like worlds, then she was the sun. She said that I would become with her and that my mind would be one with her mind, and while I believed that to be true, I could see the true consequences of that merging.


    I¡¯d be a mere speck in the landscape of her soul. My presence would almost account for nothing, lost amongst a sea of lore. I¡¯d barely be a sidenote, a few lines of scribbled text. When I merged with her, I would become nothing. I could see why Diorite turned and ran as he faced that. Except, where his joining was a slow process where he was given time to have second thoughts, our unity had been expedited a bit. Her sun was charging toward my world, reading to consume it within her flames of darkness.


    Even if I wanted to resist, it was far too late. I was being consumed, and soon I was just another drop in her sea of darkness. I admired Diorite for being powerful enough to turn away, and even to cut off his soul, but I was finished.


    ¡°Your bonds will be my bonds. Your soul will be my soul. Finally, we are as one.¡± Her voice erupted throughout my soul, demanding completely subservience.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ as if I¡¯d let you have my man¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Who is that?¡±


    ¡°I have spent my life buried in darkness. Then, Master appeared and became my light. So, I¡¯m Master¡¯s shield, and I will protect him with my everything, especially from filthy skanks like you!¡±

 Chapter 1371

    ¡°This¡­ no! No, you can¡¯t be here!¡± Twilight jumped off of me, stepping back with fear in her eyes. ¡°Stop¡­ no!¡±


    As she cried out, I felt a white light washing over me. Rather than feeling like I was falling into an abyss, It felt like I was grabbed, and was being embraced and hugged, lifted away from harm. Was this Gaia? I didn¡¯t know, but I could feel the power growing, wrapping around me. Strands of darkness that had tied themselves around me, things that I hadn¡¯t even noticed before, started to crack and break away. I hadn¡¯t realized how many threads Twilight had attached to me until they broke.


    ¡°How could you do this to me?¡± Twilight shouted. ¡°How dare you let Gaia in here!¡±


    The illusion began to break away, and there was once a bedroom became a realm of darkness stretching to eternity. Exploding around my body, or it would be more accurate to say my soul, light erupted out, pushing her back a step at a time. She slowly retreated into the darkness. Her eyes glared at me hatefully as she took one step at a time, being pushed away by the light.


    ¡°There is no freedom in the path you lead.¡± I finally got out.


    ¡°Freedom?¡± She made an ugly face. ¡°What is the point of freedom when it only results in pain and misery? When you¡¯ve lost everything, and the light has snuffed out¡­ you¡¯ll come crawling back to me. You¡¯ll beg for the peace and tranquility I can offer you.¡±


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    Her voice grew weaker and weaker as she spoke. Her body had disappeared, and only her face could still be seen, floating in a sea of darkness that seemed to be broiling with anger. At that point, the light around me became so bright that it started to cover my vision. Twilight¡¯s face became a distant memory as a roaring sound like a waterfall surged in my ears. The peaceful feeling continued to grow as the darkness was thrown back, and then there was nothing but a space of infinite whiteness around me.


    ¡°Master, there isn¡¯t much time.¡± I turned to see Tera standing nearby, a small smile on her face.


    ¡°Terra!¡± I approached her quickly.


    ¡°You¡¯re soul has been severed from her grasp. The protection Gaia has given you will last for a time, but your body is still in jeopardy. Any soul Twilight has ever summoned can be called upon. Her shadow wraiths are deadly and dangerous, and they will likely be pursuing you, but they are vulnerable to your white mage magic. I will return to my body now. As a golem, my body would have been unharmed. As for Garnet¡­¡± She stopped, biting her tongue.


    ¡°What about Garnet?¡±


    ¡°Nevermind that¡­ you must take this now.¡± She thrust something out in her hand.


    I looked down at it, and I immediately recognized the item. ¡°The dungeon core I was going to give my daughter?¡±


    In the illusion, it was this item that I had been seeking the entire time. I had been seeking it so that I could give it to my daughter for her birthday, but I had never managed to reach it. I had just assumed it was some representation of my soul world created by Twilight to teach me her lesson.


    ¡°Your mind creates a way out of that world. Had you found it would, would have been able to escape on your own, but she had interrupted your dream directly to keep you from finding it. Take it, there is no time.¡±


    She didn¡¯t need to tell me twice. I reached out and grabbed the necklace, and the world shattered around me.

 Chapter 1372

    Gasping for air, my eye opened into a dark, dank prison. My body felt extremely weak, but wouldn¡¯t it after lying around for a week? This must have been what Terra had meant. Her golem body could last years, but a human body would start to break down and die without food. Just like the world in Twilight¡¯s memory, it was a place of death and decay. Since Garnet was taken who knew how long ago, it was almost certain she had died and her body had turned to ash.


    I immediately began to cast healing spells on myself as I tore off of the black slime that seemed to be restraining me. It was rubbery and took a bit of effort to remove, especially when the majority of my body was encased in it. However, now that I was completely lucid, I knew the kind of danger I was in. I broke free from the casing, falling to my knees as I cast a few more spells.


    I reached into my soul world, and to my relief, the king had left my supplies in there. I immediately pulled out some water of life and drank it. As I drank it quickly, some of it missed my mouth and splashed onto the ground. When it touched the muck I was standing in, there was a sizzling sound.


    ¡°M-master!¡± A voice cried out some distance away.


    ¡°Terra?¡±


    ¡°Master!¡±


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    I forced myself to my feet and began half stumbling, half running through the muck. This entire area seemed like some kind of nest, covered in cold miasmic goo. I called out Terra¡¯s name a few more times, following her voice until I found her. She was much more covered than I was, completely encased in miasma until only her eyes could be seen. It was no wonder she had abandoned her body and opted to hide within the earth.


    As soon as I reached her, I began to rip away the miasmic goop restraining her. When I had enough, I grabbed her small form and pulled, ripping her free. As soon as she was free, I grabbed her and hugged her tightly. Terra let out a part laugh, part sob.


    ¡°Master¡­ I thought you were¡­ I feared¡­¡±


    ¡°I came.¡± I declared, squeezing her tightly.


    I knew my Terra, and even with her small form, she absolutely wouldn¡¯t break, so I squeezed her as tightly as I could. Of course, Terra didn¡¯t hold back either, squeezing me and sobbing with her face pressed into my chest.


    ¡°Master¡­ we need to get going.¡± Terra finally let go, rubbing her filthy cheeks with the back of her hand. ¡°Gaia¡¯s counterattack might have stunned her for a moment, but soon she¡¯ll pursue us, just as she did the dwarves all those years ago. She won¡¯t allow herself to lose another god soul.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t go without Garnet.¡± I declared. ¡°Where is her body? I¡¯ll resurrect her¡­¡±


    Terra froze and then shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master, that¡¯s what I needed to tell you before.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Garnet has been absorbed by the darkness. Her soul is mixed in that sea. I was able to use Gaia and our slave bond to free your soul, but your slave bond with her is gone. Her soul cannot be recovered, Master. Garnet is dead.¡±

 Chapter 1373

    Part of me had always prepared for the possibility that I wouldn¡¯t be able to bring everyone back. After all, I had been gone for months, and a soul¡¯s lifespan outside of the body should theoretically only be a single month. After that, the chances of a successful resurrection quickly dropped. I was already lucky that Terra was able to survive through her unique properties, both her strange relationship with Gaia and her enduring golem body. It only stood to reason that Garnet, who didn¡¯t have anything special about her, would have passed on and been absorbed.


    I still had to try to resurrect Garnet. I understood that pulling her from the clutches of Twilight wasn¡¯t quite like resurrecting someone from Gaia. However, unlike Gaia who broke a soul away, Twilight merged with the souls. That meant that the soul would remain intact. Even if it had been several months since they died. Yet, I also realized that with the slave bond severed, I had nothing truly connecting me to her soul. I looked through the stuff in my soul world, and I quickly realized that I had nothing of Garnet¡¯s, nothing with her signature that could be used to resurrect her.


    The silvthril sword that she had a hand in making was still in the dungeon treasury. It had remained unperturbed even through the Maid¡¯s Lament. Powerful enchanted items tended to not be digested by dungeons for mana. The effort of doing so often exceeded the energy that could be gained. This was probably also why certain souls weren¡¯t digested by a dungeon. Powerful souls and strong lores survived. It was too much effort to break one down.


    I started to realize there was probably a second reason too. Strong lore had a chance of changing a dungeon. Seeing the lore that made up Twilight, and just how insignificant I was compared to her world lore, I began to realize that¡¯s likely how a normal soul felt when it was being devoured by a dungeon. However, if that balance wasn¡¯t so exaggerated, then the absorbed soul would alter the lore just as much as the lore would alter the soul. Suffice it to say, that this experience with merging with Twilight had given me a lot of insight into the lore and what soul absorption truly meant.


    However, those thoughts were only a means to an end. The point was to bring Garnet back. I shot Terra a look.


    ¡°Where is her body? Clothing? Did you keep anything?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡± Terra sighed. ¡°You remember the difference between karmic souls and mana souls, right?¡±


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    ¡°A karmic soul is made of miasma, and a mana soul is made of mana,¡± I responded impatiently.


    She nodded. ¡°What happens when someone with a karmic soul leaves it?¡±


    I blinked. ¡°They¡­ slowly are converted to mana?¡±


    She nodded again. ¡°And the opposite is true as well, when a person enters a dungeon, their soul is slowly corrupted by miasma and becomes karmic. Do you remember the difference between miasma and mana?¡±


    ¡°Mana comes from this world, and miasma comes from other worlds¡­¡± I frowned as the meaning behind her words started to click.


    ¡°Miasma is essentially mana with a different life signature, one coding to a different lifestream. That¡¯s what all of this is¡­ it¡¯s the congealed miasma from Twilight¡¯s lifestream.¡± She gestured haphazardly. ¡°The fundamental reason you can¡¯t resurrect a person from a dungeon is that once their soul is exposed, the dungeon will begin to alter them, turning their soul karmic. It isn¡¯t just that their soul is broken up and turned to miasma, but the signature changes completely. Their soul becomes unrecognizable.¡±


    Her words made a lot of sense. I had always assumed that priests didn¡¯t both resurrecting the dead in dungeons out of fear of dungeons, and because of the way dungeons broke apart souls quickly to feed themselves. While that was certainly a reason, one could theorize that a priest could make a good profit just by waiting at the entrance and then resurrecting anyone who died within a day or two.


    However, there was a second problem at play. The very act of the soul becoming karmic changed its nature. Every soul had an identity, its unique code. You could only resurrect someone by summoning their code. That signature could be read off of various things.


    Something that they imparted their mana into, a slave bond, or a drop of blood. However, if something started to scramble that signature¡­ resurrecting them would be impossible. Priests didn¡¯t have a resurrection spell or the mana reserves of half of my own. It was likely they didn¡¯t resurrect people from dungeons¡­ because they never succeeded in doing so. I felt like this was something I should have known already. I should have had more conversations with Mary. Since my White Mage ability always seemed better than the Priests, I had never really asked very many questions about them. Plus, they were mostly secretive and closed off, not wanting their secrets to leak outside their respective religion.


    However, the point of Terra¡¯s words was crystal clear. Garnet¡¯s signature had already changed. That¡¯s not to say she had a karmic soul already, but it probably wasn¡¯t fully mana either. Even if I had her body, and even if I had the strength to pull her from Twilight¡¯s clutches, I wouldn¡¯t be able to summon her.


    Regrettably, I didn¡¯t have time to dwell on it any longer. Shadows began to rise from the ground, forming into three-dimensional shapes all around us. Twilight had started her move.

 Chapter 1374

    ¡°Master, we need to go!¡± Terra warned.


    I pulled out my blade and slashed the closest shadow wraith, only for my sword to slide right through it.


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Without Alysia, it was just a sword capable of doing physical damage. These shadow wraiths were like ghosts. That meant that they weren¡¯t something that I could fight that way. However, I also didn¡¯t have Miki or Celeste.


    ¡°You said that White Mage would be effective against them, but they aren¡¯t undead,¡± I said while backing up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I was just repeating what Gaia told me,¡± Terra responded worriedly.


    Unfortunately, these wraiths weren¡¯t Terra¡¯s forte either. She was a physical fighter and had almost no soul protection. In a lot of ways, she was the exact opposite of Miki. If she couldn¡¯t block it or punch it, then she was rendered useless.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t suppose Gaia gave you any tricks up her sleeve?¡± I asked hopefully. ¡°Perhaps you can conjure Gaia?¡±


    Terra shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t do it here. This is Twilight¡¯s domain. I can only summon Gaia when I am close to her.¡±


    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be that easy. I tried to think about how White Mage would be useful. The pair of us were backing away, but the shadows were coming from all sides and there was nowhere to run. More and more wraiths were appearing every second, seeming to crawl out of every shadow.


    ¡°Shadows¡­ that¡¯s right, she turned off my light!¡±


    I used Orb to create a light orb and then tossed it down the path. The darkness immediately responded to the light, sizzling like it was being burned. The shadows near the light immediately retreated, and the shadowy corner the light struck no longer spawned any more enemies. My relief was momentary when the darkness closed in on the light. It lasted for a few moments, before sputtering out like the miasma had just eaten away all of the mana. That was probably what had happened.


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    I created another orb, and then another one. I started tossing them in one direction, forcing back the shadow creatures as I grabbed Terra¡¯s hand and fled. This entire place was a maze though, and figuring out how to get out was near impossible. We turned a corner, only to find a hallway filled with shadow creatures.


    ¡°There are too many of them!¡± Terra cried out.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if they can handle this.¡± I pulled some fairy dust out of my soul world and lifted my palm toward the crowd. ¡°Create Waters of Life!¡±


    A stream of water shot out, and whatever it struck sizzled and cried out. The pair of us began to move forward, the area the water fell becoming ground the shadows wouldn¡¯t walk. Our movements were slow, and the shadows from behind were catching up, but we managed to slowly make our way through the hallway as I spurted water everywhere. The hallway was thick with smokey miasma, which seemed to be released from the burning black stuff, only confirming my belief it was congealed miasma, the karmic equivalent of waters of life, which rather than resembling a liquid, instead had a mucous-like consistency.


    When we reached the end of the hallway, I suddenly grew a bit dizzy. Terra grabbed me, keeping me standing.


    ¡°Master, you shouldn¡¯t use up mana so fast.¡±


    I shook my head, pulling out a vial of water of life and drinking it, making what was doing feel a bit redundant. However, the vials I made came from the fairy spring and were much more concentrated than what I made on the fly, so even after dumping gallons of liquid, the vial helped. Yet, it shouldn¡¯t have been needed. While waters of life did use a lot of mana to cast, I was in an environment rich with miasma. It might be that a normal person would struggle with a low mana regen deep in a dungeon surrounded by miasma, but I had a god soul. I could absorb miasma too, and convert it into mana.


    ¡°This is her miasma¡­¡± Terra seemed to understand what I was thinking and gave an unfortunate answer. ¡°She can deny you access to it. You can forcibly refine it, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­ it would be a slow and grueling process.¡± I finished.


    In other words, in Twilight¡¯s space, this was a low regen area. I felt like I was at the bottom of a mega-dungeon. The difficulty level was just way too high.


    We turned to run again, and then my foot hit something and I stumbled. I glanced down to see a body. At first, I had feared it was Garnet, but I realized this body had been here too long and was nothing but a skeleton now. I stopped as something in the back of my mind stirred.


    ¡°Master, we need to go!¡± Terra encouraged me again. ¡°It¡¯s just a body¡­ they¡¯re everywhere. This place is a graveyard!¡±


    ¡°A graveyard?¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Just what I needed!¡±

 Chapter 1375

    One thing had happened right after another. I had barely had any time to think. I had originally thought that the bodies of everyone who died were completely digested. It turned out that this wasn¡¯t the case. Instead, they were brought down where someone tended to bring bottoms, the catacombs under the castle.


    How did I know we were in the catacombs? I pulled out the menu and was able to discover above us the area of the city. We were directly under the castle. As for how we could make it from the castle to where I was knocked out, the map didn¡¯t give me that information. I had also tried to use Portal and found myself unable to make it through this junk. Twilight was trying to keep me from fleeing and was blocking that spell, I knew it.


    That¡¯s when I recalled someone I had completely forgotten, someone important. I lifted my hand, praying that this would work. Since I couldn¡¯t Portal out, maybe I could bring someone to me.


    ¡°Summon monster!¡±


    Terra was confused as I began to cast a spell, a magical circle forming on the floor as the spell took. That¡¯s when a little girl seemed to appear from glowing light. She was curled into herself, her knees up and her head pressed down. Her body was shaking, and it looked like she was as terrified. I let out a breath as I looked down at the little girl. It hadn¡¯t been sure it would work until that moment.


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    How long ago had I been split away from Sapphire? After taking me, the darkness had seemingly ignored her. Perhaps it feared that King Diorite had done something to her, in the same way, Gaia and managed to infect my soul. She was connected to his former dungeon, after all.


    That would mean that she had been waiting abandoned in the darkness for seven days. Feeling a tinge of guilt, I kneeled and put my hand on her gently. She jerked at the touch, slowly looking up at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I left you here, but I will always come back.¡± Her eyes turned watery, and then she jumped on me, wrapping her arms around mine.


    ¡°Another girl?¡± Terra sighed. ¡°Aren¡¯t they getting younger, Master?¡±


    I cleared my throat. ¡°Never mind that right now, Sapphire, I need you right now.¡±


    The path we had blocked with waters of life and slowly been eaten away, and the lines of shadow creatures were starting to close in on us again. Sapphire seemed to understand the situation, and so she pulled away, wiping her tears and giving an assertive nod.


    ¡°What can she do?¡± Terra asked uncertainly.


    ¡°We have an army of shadows following us.¡± I declared to her. ¡°Do you know what we could use? We could use our army.¡±


    Terra continued to look confused, but Sapphire¡¯s eyes brightened. She lifted her hands and then began to move them not unlike a puppeteer. A moment later, I could hear rattling and movement. There were countless forms scattered around that all started to move at once. The person I had tripped over suddenly started moving, ripping his way out of the concentrated miasma until he could stand before us. The dark shadows that were getting closer had frozen, seemingly caught off guard. All around us, the undead began to awaken.

 Chapter 1376

    The shadow wraiths were made from the souls of those she had previous captured. Meanwhile, the undead rising under Sapphire¡¯s care were the bodies of those captured by Twilight. In other words, the former deep dwarves were in a sad state where their souls were under the control of the darkness, and their bodies were under the control of a necromancer, and they were forced to fight themselves!


    I wasn¡¯t positive if an undead could fight a ghost, but given the circumstance, I believed it would work. Fighting erupted everywhere as the undead began to battle the legions of shadow wraiths. Sapphire cast out her net to every dead creature, performing a mass revival that could only be managed by a zombie queen.


    ¡°YOU THINK THIS IS OVER? THIS WILL NEVER BE OVER!¡±


    A booming voice erupted out. That could only be Twilight, who had been pushed to a state of fury after our actions. The undead seemed to fight with a vigor unmatched by their counterparts from Sapphire¡¯s former group. It was almost like the bodies remembered where they came from and took great pleasure in a chance to stick it to Twilight.


    The number of undead was equal to the number of wraiths, but they seemed to fight more ferociously. I began to hypothesize that the reason these bodies hadn¡¯t turned to dust was that these were the dwarves that were still fighting unity. I had originally guessed that all of the dwarves would have lived out their days and unified with Twilight. After all, how much time had passed since then?


    Yet, if their lore had combined with her main body, then what was she sending out to attack us? I began to realize the truth of it. The souls she was using, these so-called wraiths, were the souls of those who were still fighting her. She could control them, but they refused to unify with her. They were the onery and the resistant, refusing to have their life snuffed out and suppressed. This is why they were wraiths, and this is why the wraiths were exactly equal to the bodies. They hadn¡¯t been absorbed like the rest of the lore in the city.


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    I picked up Sapphire in my arms, and the three of us ran while she focused on fighting the darkness. Sapphire had also been suppressed by this creature. She had been abandoned in darkness and forced to endure, so with a chance to let loose, her fury was no less than her undead companions. Terra and I ran as quickly as we could. I used the Map to guide me, trying to connect the lines on the map. That still ended up leading us to a dead-end twice, but I finally managed to get find the stairway that led back to the castle.


    We raced through the castle, wraiths chasing us, and the undead chasing and stalling them. I occasionally made a light orb and dropped it to slow them down, but those only lasted a few moments before flickering out. We reached the door and kicked it open, stepping out from the castle into the city. As we began to race out of the city, the battle seemed to move into the streets. The underground labyrinth seemed to be connected to every house in the city at this point, and from every building pored out wraiths and undead.


    As we reached the gate, I let out a shout. ¡°King Diorite! We¡¯re here! Help us out.¡±


    As we waited for an answer, the undead formed a barrier around the city exit, blocking the wraiths from coming forward. However, as we got closer and closer to escaping, the wraiths grew more and more frantic. I was just thinking we hadn¡¯t moved far enough when I heard a voice as clear as day.


    ¡°I sent you down to bring back two souls. I only see one. You have failed, so rot down there in the dark!¡±


    After struggling to survive Twilight, I had almost forgotten that King Diorite wasn¡¯t really an ally. I still didn¡¯t understand his reasoning, but without Garnet, there was only death.

 Chapter 1377

    ¡°You¡¯re seriously going to abandon us?¡± I had to admit I was still taken aback by his callous answer.


    Garnet and Terra were my women. If anyone was hurt by their loss, it was me. I still wasn¡¯t giving up on Garnet, but I needed time to think and go through my list. That was impossible while I was being actively pursued by Twilight¡¯s wraiths. Yet, none of that should matter to this guy.


    ¡°You dare bring back that thing that pretends to be my daughter, yet you cannot bring back my real daughter. I had hoped that since you knew her, you would be able to bring her back. If that fake could also find some use, even better. Yet, you both failed. You and that fake can die for your uselessness.¡±


    His words struck me like a gong. I was confused for a bit, but then my mind started to piece everything together. The reason that the king had spared my life and sent me down here was that he had glanced into that imager, and seen Garnet. Garnet was his real daughter? How could that be? I knew very little about her life, but what I did know didn¡¯t match with her being his daughter.


    As I was thinking this, I felt a gentle tug on my shirt, and I looked down at the little girl standing next to me. Garnet had darker skin, and she had fiery red hair and eyes. Her body resembled that of a fourteen-year-old or so. If I de-aged her, paled her skin, and made her hair and eyes a cool blue, she wouldn¡¯t have looked too dissimilar.


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    I had originally assumed their family appearance was just because they were both deep dwarves. They could have been sisters, but I once again didn¡¯t realize they were the same person. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for two versions of someone to wear different faces. When Xin had been divided, her human and Osterian bodies possessed separate appearances, and it was the same for the Deek made in Miki¡¯s dungeon, although he was also influenced by the mad scientist.


    ¡°Save them¡­¡± She responded, her eyes teary.


    ¡°What?¡± I frowned. ¡°Save who?¡±


    ¡°Save all¡­ save¡­ family¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± I responded bitterly, a feeling of helplessness washing over me. ¡°I can¡¯t reach them. They are with Twilight.¡±


    She gave a sad smile. ¡°I¡­ can¡­¡±


    She suddenly spun away and ran. I let out a cry as she went back into the town square, where her undead was slowly being broken down by the spirits. Between them, the battle was not going in our favor. While their fervor had kept the undead going longer, there was a distinct difference between them. When the dead were too damaged, they didn¡¯t get back up, but the souls seemed to be able to regenerate over and over again. Thus, even though they started equal, the numbers were quickly dipping in the wraith¡¯s favor.


    Sapphire ran out into that mess, her small form allowing her to dive through crowds of creatures that ended up in my way and kept me from following her. When she reached the middle of the courtyard, she was surrounded by shadows who had all turned their focus on her.


    ¡°Sapphire, no!¡± Something about the look on her face started to give me a bad feeling.


    However, Sapphire wasn¡¯t my slave, she was a monster and even tamed monsters could be willful and ignore their masters.


    She lifted her hand in the air, and then called out a skill I had never heard before in a voice so light that it was almost lost to the sounds of fighting. ¡°Corpse Party¡­¡±

 Chapter 1378

    ¡°What is she doing?¡± Terra jumped in front of me, trying to create a barrier to impede the souls.


    It only succeeded in stopping the undead. The souls walked through it, and unimpeded by their enemies, started to surround us. While this was happening, the wraiths began to move around Sapphire too. However, she didn¡¯t protect herself, and her undead army remained where they were, trying to defend the pair of us. Just as they reach her, a wave of light erupted out from Sapphire¡¯s hands.


    The wraiths weren¡¯t pushed away by the light. Instead, they seemed to stop, as if something else had caught their interest. They turned away from Sapphire and began walking away. The ones that were in front of us did the same. They just stopped, stared for a few seconds, and then seemed to lose interest in us.


    All of the fightings had stopped in an instant, and the undead was no longer trying to attack the wraiths any more than the wraiths were trying to attack the undead. Instead, they seemed to stand as if in a trance. Terra and I watched dumbfounded as one of the souls walked directly into a corpse. The two of them merged like one. Their features began to change, the undead person appearing both more alive and more ghostly, like a blue phantasm superimposed over the form of what a person should be.


    More and more spirits found a body, slipping inside of it. Even those bodies that had been destroyed still had a spirit slip inside their nonmoving form. The bodies seemed to repair themselves as if unifying them made them stronger. I tried to understand what I was seeing, and it finally clicked. These were the undead, and they were fighting their spirits. Sapphire had used a powerful spell and merged the pair, combining body and spirit.


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    As the last spirit entered the body, Sapphire looked up at me and gave a smile. ¡°Bring them ba¡ªaggghhhh!¡± A sharp blade jutted through her chest, coming out of her front.


    The blade was completely black, and from the site of Sapphire¡¯s wound, blackness began to spread out like it was contaminating her whole body.


    ¡°Sapphire!¡± I shouted, as her body was lifted by the blade.


    That¡¯s when I was able to see who was on the other side. It was the face of Twilight. Her body was shrouded in complete darkness. Only her face was visible.


    ¡°You have defied me enough.¡± She snarled. ¡°I feared that if I absorbed this thing, it¡¯d merge with her and she¡¯d free herself. If I knew it was so dangerous, I would have destroyed it ages ago. To think she could pull away what is mine and sequester them in their original bodies. Such a nasty skill!¡±


    ¡°Let her go!¡± I shouted.


    She let out a laugh. ¡°I am unity, only I can unify all being! Only I can be the world! You will bow before me, and you will unify with me!¡±


    I looked helplessly at Sapphire¡¯s face, but there was no pain or fear. She merely gave me another innocent smile.


    Her lips moved, simply saying two words. ¡°Do it.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ did you say?¡± I asked Twilight, my body shaking with fury. ¡°Did you just say the souls and bodies are together?¡±


    ¡°These souls have defied my unity for too long.¡± She made a face. ¡°Since they have decided to be disobedient, I¡¯ll have to force them, once I wrench them from these useless corpses.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Hey, Twilight. Do you want to see true unity?¡±


    She frowned. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Unify this.¡± I lifted my hand. ¡°Mass Resurrection!¡±

 Chapter 1379

    I had only casted the Mass Resurrection spell a hand full of times, and every one of them had been extremely taxing. Without the support of Miki¡¯s dungeon, it would have been impossible to do what I had done in Dioshin. At this point, I had everything going against it. I was already low on mana, and I was in Twilight¡¯s domain. Not only did she claim the souls for herself, but she had slowly been trying to unify with them for untold years.


    Through some chance and luck, Sapphire had used her skill as a necromancer to force the souls to enter their bodies, and it created a single opportunity. Knowing this, I had to make the spell work, and so I put everything I had into it. A wave of light erupted from my body, shooting out across the city square and covering the army of undead. When the wave struck Twilight, she let out a cry, her darkness trying to push the light away. However, the light was resilient, and her body flickered, disappearing as she fled back into the darkness of the palace keep.


    Sapphire, who had still been held up by her, finally dropped to the ground. Even as I continued the spell, I raced toward Sapphire. Her injury wasn¡¯t just severe, but catastrophic. I didn¡¯t know what blade she used to stab her, but I instinctively could tell that it had special properties like Alysium. That meant that it could damage a person¡¯s very lifeforce.


    As I ran toward her, the undead seemed to turn into white light, their bodies floating away to dust. As the bodies disappeared, a white light was leftover, devoid of the darkness of the wraiths. They remained glowing for a few moments and then flickered out, disappearing from this world. One by one, the entire army of undead and wraiths were eliminated. I wasn¡¯t sure what was happening, but that wasn¡¯t what I was concerned about.


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    I reached Sapphire, putting my arms around her and lifting her head. At this point, the black curse had already covered her body, and the black corruption was crawling up her neck. She was undoubtedly dying.


    ¡°No¡­ Sapphire¡­ you can hold on.¡±


    I lifted my hand to heal her, but she reached out and grabbed my wrist, stopping me. ¡°Family¡­ safe¡­¡±


    A tear began to fall down my cheek. My heart had already been wounded when I found I couldn¡¯t save Garnet, and watching this little girl in my hands that I was helpless to save, caused all of that emotion to finally come tumbling forth.


    ¡°Yeah, your family is safe. They¡¯re all safe.¡± I tried to force a smile on my face, just as she was doing.


    A look of relief appeared in her eyes, and then there was nothing. She stared blankly up until her body slowly started to turn to ash. Within moments, her body could no longer be held up by me, and then it fell apart, falling to the ground with a puff. Only the outline of a little girl remained.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± A hand gently touched my shoulder.


    ¡°I can save her!¡± I snapped, raising my hand and casting resurrection.


    She was a monster without substantial lore, at least not enough to be called a karmic soul, but I could still bring it back. I had to!


    ¡°Her lore is destroyed¡­ the darkness made sure of that.¡±


    ¡°No! I can resurrect her¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡±


    ¡°I can!¡±


    ¡°Master, you already have.¡±


    I turned for the first time, looking up at Garnet standing there. Garnet was the daughter of the King. Yet, so was Sapphire. The answer to that was simple. They were the same person. They always had been.

 Chapter 1380

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I never told you,¡± Garnet looked slightly awkward. ¡°It was Mary who had found me¡­ who had freed me from that dungeon. After that, I started to look for fragments of myself. You see, I¡¯m not like Salicia, whose entire soul was converted to karmic. I¡¯m also not like Elaya, who formed from memory and grew powerful on her own. My soul was shattered and the pieces were scattered.


    ¡°I wanted to put my soul back together. I wanted to regain my lost memories. So, I hunted down any rumor of dwarves. That¡¯s why I was in that miner¡¯s town so long ago. Orichalcum is the ore of the Deep. I thought that if Widow¡¯s Dungeon possessed some, then I might be able to reunite with the lore and regain some of my lost memories. It¡¯s also one of the reasons I wanted to come to the Deep. I hoped to find the last remnants of my past. It seems that Master found them for me.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    She winced. ¡°I never really had the opportunity. We were only acquaintances at first. It wasn¡¯t until we met in Twilight dungeon that I started to realize how you felt. I don¡¯t know if you remember, but what you said back then really affected me. You didn¡¯t care whether someone was karmic or not. That made me happy. Of course, I also had my doubts. Your soul had similarly been shattered, and I wasn¡¯t certain that you were truly you.


    ¡°Of course, there was Salicia and Elaya, but I was still afraid. At that point, I had already made up a story, and I didn¡¯t want to reveal to you the truth and risk changing things. I realized before I could be open to Master, I needed to understand myself. However, seeing you know crying over just a piece of me, makes me feel a bit happy. It makes me realize that it doesn¡¯t matter who I am. Master would have accepted me anyway.¡±


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    ¡°G-garnet.¡± I finally stood up, turning to her.


    She smiled up at me, and that smile looked so much like that little girl¡¯s smile, that it caused my heart to skip a beat.


    ¡°Every time I found a piece of my missing lore, I changed my name. I didn¡¯t make it up about dwarves changing names! Technically, we get a name at birth and then a new name on our naming day as an adult. I just decided that every time I merge with another piece of my soul, I become someone different and need a new name. I found a small piece of my lore in Twilight, which was why I renamed myself, Garnet. Although I ended up losing this piece of myself, I think it has changed me anyway. Did she have a name?¡±


    ¡°I called Sapphire.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Then, Sapphire will be my name from now on. Master, can you make me yours once again? Mmm!¡±


    I leaned down, and kissed her on the lips, using Enslave to reform the bond between us.  When I pulled away, she was blushing nervously.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you been teasing me since we met?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Yeah, but when you do it so suddenly¡­ I wasn¡¯t ready.¡± She responded, pouting cutely.


    ¡°Deek! What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing with my daughter?¡± A voice bellowed out.


    King Diorite had chosen this moment of all moments to appear. Just my luck.

 Chapter 1381

    ¡°Daughter!¡± King Diorite wore a big smile as he looked at her, holding his arms out, but she grabbed my sleeve and moved behind me nervously, acting a bit like the previous Sapphire, and causing him to stop. ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know you,¡± Sapphire said.


    ¡°Geh!¡± He made a face. ¡°What are you saying? I¡¯m your father! I¡¯m the king of the deep dwarves. What did you do to her?¡±


    This time, his eyes shot to me. However, I didn¡¯t feel anything but anger towards him.


    ¡°You¡¯re a fool.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± His expression turned angry.


    ¡°You let her die!¡±


    He sneered. ¡°And it brought back my true daughter? I see this as a win!¡±


    I shook my head in disgust. ¡°You don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Get what?¡±


    ¡°Your daughter died a long time ago,¡± I responded.


    His eyes narrowed. ¡°What are you saying? She¡¯s right in front of me.¡±


    ¡°H-he¡¯s right,¡± Sapphire spoke up. ¡°My soul was shattered. I was a soul shard born in a dungeon. I managed to collect and merge with the memories from other souls, and whatever pieces of my soul I could find. I¡¯m probably the most complete version of myself, which is probably what you felt, but I don¡¯t have any memory of you¡­ or the deep¡­¡±


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    He took a step back, his expression filled with shock. ¡°No¡­ that¡­ that can¡¯t be right. My¡­ my daughter has returned to me!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± I responded, shaking slightly. ¡°Your daughter did come back.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what made your daughter your daughter?¡± I asked. ¡°Her lore¡­ her memories. Her love for you, and her family. Nothing else but that mattered.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°There was a piece of her soul made it back down here.¡± I declared. ¡°A piece that desperately loved her family, that loved you. She loved you all so much she returned to the Deep, braving certain destruction so that she could be by you.¡±


    He shook his head as realization started to dawn on him. ¡°No¡­¡±


    I nodded, an ugly expression on my face. ¡°The little girl contained what was left of her memories of you, and in the end, she gave herself up, for you.¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s impossible¡­¡± He took several steps back.


    ¡°In the end, Sapphire did what you couldn¡¯t. She protected her family.¡±


    I waved a hand, and then a woman appeared. If he had been startled before, he nearly fell over. The woman who had appeared looked to be about seventeen. She had fiery red hair, and in reality, she looked almost identical to Garnet.


    ¡°L-Lapis?¡±


    ¡°Diorite? My love?¡± The woman looked a bit confused.


    ¡°I-I know her¡­¡± Sapphire frowned, peeking out from behind me.


    The woman named Lapis turned to Sapphire and then gasped. ¡°Daughter?¡±


    ¡°M-mom?¡±


    Lapis took a step forward and threw her arms around her daughter, tears falling down her eyes. As for King Diorite, he could only watch with his mouth flapping open. After a few moments, he finally got some words out.


    ¡°H-how?¡±


    ¡°She managed to connect their souls to their bodies¡­ the deep dwarves that held out from Twilight¡¯s unity,¡± I responded. ¡°It comes out to about three hundred. They¡¯re in my soul world right now. I just guessed the woman¡¯s origins.¡±


    ¡°Twilight had tried to take my family to force me to complete the unity. Lapis sacrificed herself to save our daughter. That was when I decided we needed to flee. She attacked the city a short time later.¡±


    As he said this, the ground started to rumble.


    ¡°Master! Something¡¯s coming!¡± Terra warned.


    I had hoped that the resurrection would have kept her away longer than that, but I was just being too hopeful. Twilight was starting her counterattack.

 Chapter 1382

    The shaking grew worse and worse, and then the ground began to split open. Long vines began to erupt from the various houses. They were black and covered in thorns, and they were quickly crowing out, seemingly pulling the city apart.


    ¡°IT¡¯S TOO LATE!¡± The voice of Twilight boomed out across the courtyard. ¡°YOU MAY HAVE STOLEN SOME OF MY POWER, BUT I HAVE PLENTY TO SPARE! RUN ALL YOU WANT. I WILL CONSUME EVERYTHING!¡±


    As if to punctuate her point, the entire town was being eaten in front of us. Innumerable vines wrapped around and consumed even the rocks. The view of the palace in the distance was quickly consumed by black vines, and more of them came every passing second, heading in our direction. Terra grabbed me, helping me to my feet. After casting Mass Resurrection like that, even refresh wouldn¡¯t be able to absorb the exhaustion I felt. After all, I had been starved and my body left for dead for nearly a week, and then I had to cast a powerful spell that overtaxed my body in an already low-mana regen area.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you¡¯re going to have to hold me.¡± I apologized as I put most of my weight on Terra¡¯s small form.


    She smiled back. ¡°I am Master¡¯s shield. I will protect you always. Just leave it to me.¡±


    I nodded and then turned to everyone else. Sapphire was still hugging her mom, while the king was still left in a stunned state.


    ¡°We need to get moving now. Can we get past the barrier?¡±


    The king finally closed his mouth and glanced at me, his eyes slightly complicated. ¡°The barrier is down.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ then¡­ we just have to head up. We can get to the surface¡­¡± I tried to brainstorm.


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    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, without the barrier, she¡¯d be free to continue consuming. She¡¯ll use this opportunity to head the surface. Her corruption and darkness will begin to spread again.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡±


    ¡°Hell¡­ my boy, the Infernal Dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Hell?¡± I frowned. ¡°You mean the dungeon under the Demon King¡¯s Castle? Isn¡¯t it just the soul counterpart to the castle?¡±


    ¡°If it were only so simple. Hell was the first place to burrow into her prison.  The Dungeon Master of Hell is Twilight!¡±


    As we were speaking, Terra was mostly carrying me forward. We had fled past the entrance to the former deep dwarf city. The vines had already filled it up, turning the entire place into a realm of darkness. While I passed Ruby, I brought her and her mother into my soul world. I felt that was probably the safest place for them at the moment. That¡¯s when I noticed that King Diorite hadn¡¯t moved. He was still standing right at the entrance, seemingly lost in thought even as the vines broiled closer and closer.


    ¡°You can explain it all to me once we¡¯re someplace safe,¡± I suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯s how she bypassed Gaia¡¯s prison. That¡¯s why the corruption spread across the north. My dungeon¡­ my barrier¡­ separated her from the Infernal Dungeon. Once she has control of it, she can slowly reconquer it and within a few months, she¡¯ll be able to reach the surface. I don¡¯t know how the demons are these days, but they¡¯ll renew their invasion of the continent with her behind them. That¡¯s the truth of it.¡±


    ¡°I understand, things are bad.¡±


    ¡°Two weeks.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I can give you two weeks.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t save my daughter or my people. When I found out my daughter had returned here, I was hard broken, I had sent you down as a last-ditch effort, completely expecting you to fail. Yet, instead, you have saved everyone.¡±


    ¡°King Diorite?¡±


    He lifted his hand, and a ball of light appeared in it. I was very familiar with lore at this point.


    ¡°You were the one who saved my people, so I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to have to leave it to you to protect them from now on.¡± He declared. ¡°In that time, you must come up with a proper defense. You must block her off from the Infernal dungeon, and keep her locked in her prison. Tell them I love them! Tell¡­ Sapphire¡­ I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t see her.¡±


    He waved his hand and the ball slammed into me. Terra let out a cry as the last bit of my energy left me. Connecting with this lore seemed to be all my body could take, and I slipped into unconsciousness.

 Chapter 1383

    Although I was unconscious, I still seemed to have some kind of awareness. I could see myself as Terra picked me up, and turned to flee.


    ¡°Tell him¡­¡± a voice came from my mouth, and that¡¯s when I realized that my senses were inside King Diorite. ¡°Tell that boy he must learn to merge with those blessings. He must turn the lore into his lore. As long as it is only connected to him, it can still be severed. Only when he becomes one with it will he unlock his true potential. Tell him he must write his own story now, and make it his. Well, I know he heard.¡±


    I realized as he spoke that his soul was still connected to the lore which he then connected to my soul. Even though I was unconscious, I was experiencing things from his point of view. Terra gave a single sharp nod of affirmation, and then picked me up. She wasn¡¯t just carrying me, but everyone in my soul world too. In her small arms, Terra was carrying everything on her own.


    King Diorite turned away from her, and then looked into the vines, which had seemingly turned into an abyss of darkness writhing forward. Vines were already wrapping themselves around the archway but had seemingly stopped in front of the king. A face slowly came out of the darkness, seemingly disembodied and floating within a mass of shadows.


    ¡°You cannot delay me any longer.¡± She responded coldly.


    ¡°I know¡­¡± He responded, looking down. ¡°I know.¡±


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    ¡°You¡¯re not going to ignite your soul? You could bide them enough time to escape my clutches?¡±


    ¡°That will only delay you a few hours at best. I promised them two weeks. The way I see it, there is only one way I can delay you two weeks. I need to finish the unity.¡±


    ¡°You chopped your soul in two, and abandoned your karmic destiny.¡±


    ¡°And you collected it, and still hold it, I¡¯m sure. I reckon it¡¯ll take at least two weeks to merge my soul back together, and then to complete unity with you.¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ and why would I take this offer? You¡¯ve already rejected me. Besides, the other one¡¯s soul would be far better. He¡¯s young, and his soul would make a powerful avatar. Plus, he possesses knowledge of my original form. I was only able to get a glimpse, but I believe he can help me reunify with the twilight princess.¡±


    ¡°He will also fight you, and then there is Gaia¡­¡±


    ¡°I can take care of Gaia!¡± She snarled. ¡°But you are right, a willing host will be much quicker than an unwilling one. Very well, I will take you on your offer. However, once unity is finished, don¡¯t expect me to show any mercy for your family or loved ones. They will all be consumed and become a part of me again. I won¡¯t give them the chance to abandon me once more.¡±


    ¡°I have faith that he¡¯ll come up with something.¡±


    ¡°Then you have faith in a fool!¡±


    As she said that, several shadowy vines of darkness reached out and grabbed the king. He didn¡¯t resist as he was pulled back into darkness. Even as my senses were plunged into nothingness, a familiar voice whispered in my ear.


    ¡°You would be better off running to the surface and living your last few months in peace, Deek. If you stay, I will take everything.¡±


    With that, the connection between his soul and the lore snapped, and my mind finally fell into darkness.

 Chapter 1384

    Some time had passed before I started to wake up again. I could feel Terra carrying me, and we were moving somewhere quickly. I reached out and grabbed Terra¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Stop¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ we need to keep going¡­¡±


    ¡°No, stop!¡±


    Terra complied, finally kneeling and lowering me to my feet. My head was throbbing and my body still felt as weak as a kitten, but I quickly cast a few refreshes and heal spells and forced myself to my feet.


    ¡°We can rest for a moment, but that thing might still be after us.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No, she¡¯s not following us.¡±


    ¡°Can you be sure?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯ll be trying to finish her unity with King Diorite. Until that is completed, she won¡¯t be moving forward.¡±


    It was hard to say how I knew that so certainly. Part of it might have come from me already accepting some of Twilight¡¯s lore and then her trying to engulf me forcefully. Then, there was what the king had given me as well. Whatever it was, I was almost certain that his ploy had worked, and that we¡¯d have a least two weeks before she¡¯d start trying to move up and connect with hell. I also had a rough idea of where the dungeon was compared to us.


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    King Diorite¡¯s position had been very specific. That spiral-like pattern was a shield. He had somehow managed to break the dungeon in two, with the lower sections being abandoned to Twilight and the upper sections be blocked from continued growth.


    ¡°Excuse me¡­ Mr. um¡­ Deek?¡± A gentle voice came from within my soul world. ¡°Did you say that my husband is gone?¡±


    Hearing the words of his wife, I stiffened slightly. I gave Terra a look to guard me and then I entered my soul world. There, I appeared into a once peaceful place that now looked crowded full of a youthful-looking group of redheads. They were the deep dwarves I had resurrected. At their head was a beautiful woman who resembled an older Sapphire. She stepped forward, although she still was holding Sapphire¡¯s hand.


    I tried to give her what I felt was a brave look. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but he did what he had to so that we had the chance to escape.¡±


    She bit her lip and lowered her head. ¡°I understand. In truth, many of us had been captured early on. We saw him as a traitor.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°He gave up everything to protect the surface and the fleeing deep dwarves. In the end, he gave it all to save his daughter.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ S-sapphire was just filling me in on what she knew. I understand.¡± She nodded. ¡°Then the next question I want to ask¡­ what is your plan?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s given us enough time to escape, but if we just flee, then it¡¯ll all be for nothing. Twilight will come to the surface, and the people on the surface will barely have any time to prepare.¡± I explained. ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ I plan to finish what he started. I need to build a dungeon that can give us more time. I need to rebuild the shield that he created.¡±


    ¡°Then, it¡¯s time to get started.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I looked up at Lapis, her face filled with determination.


    ¡°Did you think we¡¯d do nothing? The last time we encountered the darkness, our people fled and died. This time, we¡¯re going to fight back. Do you want to build something on a time crunch? Just give the deep dwarves the go-ahead; we¡¯ll show you building!¡±

 Chapter 1385

    ¡°Deek!¡± Alysia threw her arms around me, and I gave her a hug.


    ¡°When did she become so close to Master?¡± Terra asked worriedly.


    Returning to the boss room was rather easy. I just had to make a portal connecting myself to Alysia. Alysia, Pait, and Dav were left behind when King Diorite went down. They had been King Diorite¡¯s prisoners for a little over a week, so I was immediately concerned if they were alright. As I was checking over Alysia, she gave a blush.


    ¡°I¡¯m okay, I was unharmed, and he said my connection to the sword will be restored as soon as I enter your soul world.¡±


    ¡°Sword?¡± Terra frowned.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right! Terra, you missed a couple of things since I went away. Well, various things happened and Alysia is my sword now.¡±


    I sent Alysia to my soul world, and then I lifted my hand, summoning her back out as my blade. A moment later, that blade glowed and then returned to the shape of Alysia, but she was whole again.


    ¡°I¡¯ve finally returned¡­¡± Alysia let out a gasp of relief. ¡°This feels much better.¡±


    Terra looked at Alysia somewhat warily. ¡°What is this? Another soul connected to an object? Master has replaced me!¡±


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    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Master, please don¡¯t say I¡¯m disposable!¡± Terra looked up at me with tearful eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re not, you¡¯re not!¡± Although I said that, I had upset Terra greatly.


    As I tried to calm her down by reassuring her that a sentient sword was nothing like a sentient guardian golem, Pait cut in. ¡°We¡¯re fine too, thanks for asking.¡±


    ¡°Master acts upset, but he learned a lot of history from King Diorite and was very happy about it,¡± Dav added.


    ¡°You! When have you become so willful?¡± He shot me a glare. ¡°It¡¯s your fault! You allow your girls to act that way and they¡¯re a bad example on Dav.¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­ I¡¯m a maid, not your slave though?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky that Esmore doesn¡¯t have legalized slavery. Otherwise, I would have enslaved you a long time ago!¡±


    ¡°Master, what are you saying.¡± Her face turned pink. ¡°Are you afraid I¡¯ll leave you so much?¡±


    ¡°Leave me?¡± He blinked. ¡°No, I¡¯m just saying that I want you by my side forever.¡±


    ¡°Eeep¡­¡± Dav stiffened, her pink coloring turning red.


    ¡°Eep?¡± Pait cocked his head and reaching out to touch her forehead. ¡°Are you sick or something?¡±


    ¡°Master! How can you say such a thing?¡± Dav suddenly shoved Pait to the ground, and then spun around, racing away.


    Not wanting her to wander off someplace dangerous where she was likely to get hurt, I tossed her into my soul world. Pait stood back up, patting the dirt off his butt from where she had shoved him to the ground.


    ¡°What was that all about?¡± He asked in confusion, looking at me.


    I shrugged. ¡°Girls are confusing. You¡¯ll never understand them, so stop trying¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯ll take your advice!¡±


    Exactly. Just to prove my point, Terra and Alysia were both giving me cold looks after that exchange with Pait, and I had no clue why. Surely, women were something meant to be love and admired, but never understood.

 Chapter 1386

    After the previous ordeal, everyone had needed time to rest. The deep dwarves had all needed to be resurrected, and even though their physical bodies were recovered for the most part, the condition they were in was at a level that they were extremely weak. I wasn¡¯t much better, having gone a week without eating and also having to cast such an intensive and mana-consuming spell. Then there was Terra, who had to carry me out of there on her own after her soul had spent months hiding from the darkness.


    It wasn¡¯t just the physical strain that people needed time to recover from, but also the emotional strain. It appeared that the deep dwarves were well aware of their captivity. They had been in Twilight¡¯s lore, being tempted by the life she offered, for innumerable years. The group that had survived to this point was the group that had realized they were living in deception and had fought it tooth and nail for untold years.


    They had to witness approximations and illusions of their loved ones with hurt eyes as they were forced to reject and ignore them time and time again. There were times when they were unable to see the difference between reality and illusion. The one redeeming quality was that they didn¡¯t remember their time as wraiths that were used to hunt down and kill their fellow dwarves as they fled, but that was a small relief.


    Now that they were alive again, they were in an unfamiliar place. The deep that they had once tamed was a wildland filled with monsters and curses, and their ancestorial home that had been turned into a ghost town was destroyed. Everyone they ever knew and loved had either died long ages past or eventually broke down and unified with Twilight, becoming a permanent and indistinguishable part of her lifestream, their lore permanently lost to time.


    Then, as if to add insult to injury, the king that they had thought betrayed them had given his life to save them. In a way, he had exchanged his soul for all of theirs. It gave them a complicated feeling. To say that they needed time to grieve was an understatement. Seeing what was left of this once proud nation huddled together in my soul world, it was truly a pitiable sight.


    Watching them taught me some things that I had never realized before. For example, Terra had experienced a very similar event. Her entire family had perished, and she had been trapped underground for many years before finally rising in a world where everything was different. It was no wonder that she had attached herself to me. It wasn¡¯t just the control rod that had connected us. She had needed me because she had nothing else.


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    ¡°What, Master?¡± Terra looked up at me, blushing slightly as I looked down at her.


    ¡°You are incredible,¡± I stated.


    ¡°S-saying that now¡­¡±


    ¡°Terra, I haven¡¯t always been the best Master. My low self-confidence often led me to push you all away. I couldn¡¯t believe or understand why you cared for me, and I convinced myself it was my uncontrolled passions that prevented me from freeing you.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Her body shook slightly, her eyes wet with tears.


    ¡°It took losing you all to realize my mistake. I absolutely won¡¯t make that mistake again. You¡¯re mine forever, I will never let you go.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Mm! I am!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about time I did this.¡± I took out the control rod, causing Terra to gasp.


    ¡°You brought that with you?¡± Terra cried out.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always made sure it was safe,¡± I responded. ¡°Although it¡¯s always bothered me slightly.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? How so?¡± Terra looked at it nervously.


    ¡°Although it bonded to me when I grabbed it, this could theoretically be used to control you. By all metrics, you¡¯re a golem, and that makes you closer to a tamed monster than a slave. This control rod was what once bridged the difference. Even though you were a monster, a dungeon guardian, you were treated like a slave under my absolute control. You don¡¯t have a slave mark like the other girls, but you have this rod instead. Anyone who took this rod could also take control of you. It may be bonded to me, but I¡¯ve seen enough magic over these months to know how easily such a thing like this can be overridden.¡±


    ¡°What is Master saying?¡± She looked up at me in confusion.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that I¡¯m done controlling you.¡± I broke the control rod in half, causing Terra to let out a gasp of shock.


    ¡°Wh-what did you do?¡±


    ¡°Our bond was cut when I was dragged into the Illusory Sword Dungeon. I could use this rod to restore our connection, but rather than control you, I¡¯d rather own you!¡±


    Of course, part of the reason I had never done this earlier was that I wasn¡¯t confident I could. At this point, my Slave Master, Monster Tamer, and even the presence of the new Soulsmith gave me the confidence to discard the control rod.


    Her eyes widened at my words, and then she smiled. ¡°Master, you always have.¡±


    I reached out and wrapped my arms around her, and the pair of us embraced. As we kissed, I used Enslave on Terra, making her soul mine.

 Chapter 1387

    After I gave every one a bit of time to rest and recover, I gathered them up and brought them up to speed on everything that had been going on. They had already heard bits and pieces from each other and understood the general situation, but explaining it all in one go was also good.


    ¡°So, ultimately, that¡¯s the situation that we¡¯re in.¡± I finished my spiel. ¡°Of course, none of you are obligated to stay. If you¡¯d like to flee to the surface, Chalm will welcome you. You won¡¯t need to experience what your ances- ahem¡­ what your friends experienced when they tried to integrate with the surface.¡±


    ¡°How can we leave someone else to clean up our problem?¡± One of the deep dwarves spoke up.


    ¡°It was us who started this problem. We need to finish it!¡± Another added.


    ¡°We¡¯ll fight! And we¡¯ll win!¡±


    It seemed like deep dwarves were especially resilient¡­. Or it was more accurate to say that by default those that had survived to this point would be extremely stubborn. They immediately wanted to help. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t know what they could do right away, so I had to calm them down. Once they were over their shock, they were quite loud and boisterous. I could see Pait losing his patience too, and I began to understand where the stories about Esmere and Dwarves not getting along came from. I had taken for granted how quiet Pait and Dav were until I had a group of deep dwarves in my soul.


    When they got into my alcohol, it became a big problem. They started singing and dancing, and I eventually removed them from my soul world so I could get some peace and concentrate on the lore the king had given me.  At that point, I had created the dungeon and was allowing it to grow. However, I felt that the lore the king had given me was essential for keeping Twilight back. Yet, after 12 hours of trying to crack it, I couldn¡¯t.


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    It wasn¡¯t like the blessings that quickly adhered themselves to my soul. This was separate from me, and not intended for me. This was something personal to the king, the last bit of lore he had protected. He had given it to me rather than allow it to fall into Twilight¡¯s hands, and there had to be a reason behind it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I only have the slightest memory of you,¡± Sapphire spoke hesitantly as she entered my room alongside her mother. ¡°I only half remember anything.¡±


    I opened one eye as the pair entered the dungeon¡¯s safe room I had restored out of the one that once belonged to King Diorite. Terra was the one currently acting as my guard, so if she let them come in, there was probably a good reason.


    ¡°Did you need something?¡± I asked.


    ¡°My lord, the dwarves are becoming impatient. It has already been two days. There are only twelve left before Twilight comes, and yet they haven¡¯t done a thing.¡± Lapis explained.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I sighed. ¡°The king said I need to merge my soul with the lore to unlock my true potential. I¡¯ve been trying, but the lore he gave me has told me nothing. The lore in blessings binds itself so easily, yet as soon as I try to bring this lore close to my soul, it seems to repel greatly. Soul Merging is fare more difficult than I thought?¡±


    ¡°Soul merging?¡± Lapis frowned. ¡°This sounds familiar¡­¡±


    I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the fifth level skill from the Soulsmith job. Resurrecting 300 souls, after your monster forces them into their former body, and compounded with a 10X experience multiplier, is a good way to level Soulsmith rapidly.¡±


    ¡°Master, do you need to merge with this lore?¡± Sapphire asked. ¡°What would you have done with it before he told you about soul merging?¡±


    ¡°I would have¡­¡± I blinked and then sighed. ¡°I would have fed it to the dungeon!¡±


    Sometimes, the best plans were simple plans.

 Chapter 1388

    ¡°She¡¯s there!¡±


    ¡°Master?¡±


    ¡°Sapphire¡­¡±


    Sapphire blinked. ¡°I¡¯m Sapphire.¡±


    ¡°What I mean is¡­ when Sapphire, I mean the other Sapphire, when the little girl used her spell to bring everyone back, Twilight attacked her, destroying her lore and keeping you from absorbing it.¡±


    Sapphire looked away. ¡°I¡¯m aware of that¡­ my memories of my mother are limited. She doesn¡¯t seem to have the same prejudices my father had, but seeing the sadness in her eyes over a daughter that doesn¡¯t recognize her, it bothers me.¡±


    ¡°You spent your life trying to put your soul back together, and just as you were reaching the last few pieces, a piece was taken from you and destroyed. I understand.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not that important.¡± Sapphire bit her lip. ¡°It¡¯s been much harder to find pieces of my lore, and some of what I find might not even be me anymore. There are so many holes in my memory. I don¡¯t even remember how I was shattered in the first place.


    My eyes widened. ¡°Really? It wasn¡¯t Twilight?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it was. I recall living on the surface. I recall a tribe of deep dwarves. Then darkness. The next memory I had was Mary. Even my memories of the Deep and mother I only gained in the Twilight Dungeon.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°You¡¯re wrong about one thing though. It does matter. This is your history. This is your family. You need to at least remember where you came from. It¡¯ll help you decide where you¡¯re going.¡±


    She gave a sad smile. ¡°What was done, was done.¡±


    ¡°Or, maybe there is still a chance!¡±


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    She frowned. ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been digesting the lore like you recommended. This isn¡¯t the best way. It¡¯s sort of like tossing a locked diary into a blender to open it up and read the contents. What comes out is scattered and broken. However, there were things in here that King Diorite decided your people needed. I¡¯m also learning a bit more about how he built his dungeon to block Twilight from the Infernal Dungeon. My Dungeon Builder has leveled a bit just by understanding how he built dungeons and incorporating that knowledge.


    ¡°Okay, but what does that have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right! It was his dungeon that created the necromancer Sapphire. She might have contained a small fragment of your soul, but the lore and history were part of the dungeon. Some of it came from King Diorite, and some of it came from you. What I mean to say is that I found the piece of lore that belongs to her. I¡¯m not saying it is Sapphire¡­ it¡¯s more like a Sapphire template. I could create a generic dwarf necromancer.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand how this will help.¡± Sapphire frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching other dungeon masters. My Dungeon Master level is up to eleven just with my passive use, but combined with Dark Priest and Dungeon Builder, I believe I can create a copy of lore and give it to you.¡±


    ¡°A-a copy?¡± She made a face. ¡°I¡¯m a blacksmith, Master. I¡¯m not interested in being a necromancer.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. Normally, what I¡¯m talking about would be the method to create job tokens. I¡¯m still not certain I could make one without directly seeing someone else make one. However, in this case, I¡¯m talking about recording what¡¯s left of your memories, as well as the memories of you.¡±


    Realization finally began to dawn on her face. ¡°You can recover my memories of my childhood?¡±


    I held up my hands. ¡°I can record the lore and affix it to your soul. It¡¯d be like a job, although there wouldn¡¯t be levels. Right now, all you can remember are shadows, but with those memories as a reference, you may be able to gradually recall your youth¡­ at least to the level any normal person remembers their life.¡±


    I understood what Sapphire meant when she said it wasn¡¯t important. How much did anyone remember their childhood? How much of it was even correct? We glorified things and half-remembered others. This wouldn¡¯t bring that brave little girl back. However, this would at least give her some memories of her parents.


    ¡°Oof!¡± I made a noise as I was suddenly hugged tightly by Sapphire.


    Although she wasn¡¯t showing her face to me, the sniffling I was pretty sure she was crying. As much as she wanted to hide it, this was something that meant a lot to her. That¡¯s why I had gone out of my way to look for it in the first place. With a light smile, I reached out and held her.

 Chapter 1389

    ¡°Lapis says you¡¯re the one I should talk to.¡±


    Although dwarves didn¡¯t necessarily have to fit the stereotype of being short with big beards, this guy certainly did. He was an old many with a grey beard, yet if you looked at his facial features, he probably only looked in his forties. However, for a dwarf, that could mean he was over a thousand years old. He had his feet up on a table in an area of my dungeon that had seemingly been turned into a tavern, and he had a mug in his hands.


    ¡°That depends on who is asking.¡± He responded grumpily.


    ¡°They say you¡¯re a Master Blacksmith. They say that other Master Blacksmiths are only apprentices compared to you.¡±


    ¡°Is that what they say?¡± He turned and spit before taking another drink.


    ¡°I see¡­ so it was all just words.¡±


    ¡°Geh!¡± He scowled. ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Sapphire said that the deep dwarves were great magic blacksmiths capable of creating powerful weapons.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I believed her because of her talent, but perhaps she was just covering for you guys.¡±


    There was the scrapping of several tables, and I had seemingly gotten the attention of every dwarf in this tavern. As much as Lapis was complaining about how the dwarves were bored and ready to fight, that was a bit of a fib. Bored dwarves seemed to be quite content drinking and acting boisterously. I had determined that her pleas had more to do with giving the dwarves something to do so they stopped fighting and causing trouble.


    Three hundred dwarves were suddenly displaced. I had already put the miners to work harvesting materials and creating paths. Those that would be considered soldiers watched and kept them safe as they worked. Of course, I also exuded my dungeon to keep them out of trouble. As long as they didn¡¯t wander too far away from our territory, they¡¯d be relatively safe.


    However, with the minders and guards gone, that left the blacksmiths. They were led by this guy whose name was Gabbro. He was the best, but that also meant that he was somewhat difficult. He had to believe you were worth his time before he¡¯d offer you his services. Also, as it turned out, he was Lapis¡¯s brother and by extension Sapphire¡¯s biological uncle.


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    ¡°Are you talking about that niece of mine?¡± He frowned. ¡°She hasn¡¯t even been to the deep forges. How could she know a thing about the art of smithing.¡±


    ¡°I personally witnessed her making a silvthril blade. That blade was used to defeat a demon lord.¡± I grinned.


    ¡°Silvthril?¡± He burst out laughing. ¡°You think silvthril is anything? I make silvthril blades for practice!¡±


    The other dwarves burst out laughing as well, but the smile on my face didn¡¯t leave. ¡°Oh? Well, when the darkness attacks, it¡¯d be those silvthril blades that could keep us safe.¡±


    I had already long reasoned out that in a battle against the darkness, we¡¯d need silvthril weapons and a lot of them. They were the only thing that would damage those wraiths permanently. Although I had gotten rid of the dwarf wraiths, I had no doubt she had access to more.


    ¡°Look, boy¡­ I appreciate you helping us and all.¡± He held up his hands. ¡°But a Master¡¯s hands are something special. If we were to work with inferior goods, then we¡¯d lose our edge. I¡¯ve retired from doing any menial job. If you¡¯ve got something better for me, I¡¯ll consider it. That junk sword of yours, for example. I might be able to fix it up a bit.¡±


    ¡°Junk sword!¡± Alysia cried out, her sword body appearing in my hand suddenly. ¡°Did he just call me a junk sword?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ you¡¯re all looks, no function. Why, without that soul controlling it, it¡¯s barely even a weapon. If you¡¯re done being just a pretty decoration to hang on a wall, you can beg me and maybe this daddy will make you into a real sword.¡±


    I stopped Alysia from lunging at him by pulling her back into my hand, keeping the smile on my face, while giving her a quick reassurance. I found myself somewhat agreeing with him. After her soul was temporarily pulled away from the sword, it left me wanting. It was only a testament to Alysia¡¯s strength and ability that the sword functioned so well.


    ¡°You got to understand. The enemy is coming. This is something that involves the fate of all of us.¡±


    He took a swing and pursed his lips thoughtfully, and then nodded to himself. ¡°Since I¡¯m feeling generous, I¡¯ll lend you our apprentice blacksmiths.¡±


    Those listening all nodded in agreement. I had already been warned that dwarves were stubborn, and these dwarves had been the most stubborn of the lot. Just because I had rescued them didn¡¯t mean that that would change.


    ¡°You¡¯re concerned you lost your touch,¡± I responded, standing up. ¡°Never mind then. I¡¯ll consult someone who still has the skill.¡±


    ¡°Oi! What did you just say?¡± He slammed down his drink, finally pulling his feet off the table.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just put Sapphire on the job. She¡¯s skilled and capable. Honestly, they should be done by someone I can trust.¡±


    He put on a vicious grin. ¡°You think you¡¯re going to pull me out of retirement?¡±


    ¡°You have nothing to prove to me.¡± I shrugged, leaning back. ¡°Although Sapphire things you¡¯re blacksmithing skill is embellished at best.¡±

 Chapter 1390

    ¡°What did you do?¡± Sapphire cried out.


    ¡°I just made a friendly little competition.¡±


    ¡°Against Gabbro, the world¡¯s greatest blacksmith?¡± Sapphire¡¯s voice sounded a bit panicked.


    ¡°Has your memory already started returning?¡± I asked in surprise.


    ¡°No, but it doesn¡¯t need to return to have heard about Gabbro! He¡¯s so famous that his works on the surface are still talked about among blacksmiths to this day.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s that amazing?¡±


    Lapis nodded. ¡°Daughter is correct. My brother is synonymous with blacksmithing. He¡¯s the reason people say dwarves are good blacksmiths. Those who have trained under him have all become famous. Before the fall of the deep dwarves, we¡¯d get a few surface-dwellers every year that would come down to apprentice under him. Of course, most were turned away, and he reserved his most incredible techniques to deep dwarves only. Even before the fall, he had stopped working and gone into retirement.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ you know, that would have been good information to know an hour ago!¡± I growled.


    Lapis¡¯s cheeks turned red. ¡°You asked me who the best blacksmith among the survivors was. I simply said my brother was their leader and they¡¯d likely all follow his lead. I¡¯m honestly impressed you even got him to pick up a hammer. I haven¡¯t seen him hold a hammer in years. It¡¯ll be so nostalgic¡­¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ I trained for a while in that dungeon, but I barely have and level in Magic Blacksmith and almost no training with magical metals. I barely worked for a few weeks outfitting your army before the demon lord attacked.¡±


    ¡°We agreed to a simple item. Just a silvthril dagger. Um¡­ actually, I have no clue how we¡¯re going to tell who is better.¡± I frowned. ¡°I suppose we need an impartial judge.¡±


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    ¡°Master! I¡¯m done for! There is no way I can win against him.¡±


    ¡°We might have a chance. Don¡¯t forget, you have me! With my Slave Master ability, I can amplify your powers. He said you¡¯re free to pick an assistant you want, so if we work together, we might have a chance.¡±


    Sapphire lifted her head, looking slightly optimistic for a second, but then she shook her head. ¡°No! It¡¯s useless. Even with your state boosts, skill is skill!¡±


    ¡°My brother may be stubborn, but he¡¯s not malicious. Even if you don¡¯t win, it¡¯ll probably be fine.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ actually, we need to win.¡± I coughed.


    ¡°What? Why?¡± Sapphire asked.


    ¡°Well, I mean, you see¡­ to get him to take the bet, I had to offer up something of sufficient value to entice him to compete.¡±


    ¡°What did Master promise him?¡± Sapphire asked, immediately crossing her arms.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ well¡­ it sort of appeared after I started digesting the lore King Diorite left me. I didn¡¯t even realize it could be stored in such a way. In retrospect, I don¡¯t think he was trying to give me a cheat to fighting Twilight. I¡¯m pretty sure this was the main reason he had handed me that piece of lore in the first place.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± She frowned.


    I sighed, and then pulled both girls into my Soul World.


    ¡°This is¡­the place we resurrected in¡­¡± Lapis frowned.


    ¡°This is my Soul World. It¡¯s like an oversized inventory with an environment. Every dungeon has a treasure room at the end. Some dungeons hold onto their treasures, while others consume them in a desperate attempt to survive longer. Technically, every piece of treasure can be broken into miasma to keep the dungeon going a bit longer, but it¡¯s not always worth the cost, and depending on the dungeon master, you can be left with a small treasure after defeating a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯re well aware of how dungeons work.¡± Sapphire frowned.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ well, you dad also kept his own¡­ treasury.¡±


    I had hidden it just in case, but now I caused some trees to part, revealing a massive pile of resources. It was a variety of rare metals.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Sapphire¡¯s mouth fell open.


    ¡°That¡¯s the deep dwarf treasury!¡± Lapis finished. ¡°When he fled the capital, he must have taken the treasury of precious metals with him! This is a kingdom¡¯s worth of resources!¡±


    ¡°Wait! Why are you showing us this?¡± Sapphire spun to me.


    I coughed. ¡°Well, I might have bet it¡­ on us winning the blacksmith competition.¡±

 Chapter 1391

    Betting all of the resources of the deep dwarves may seem like a dumb decision, but I had thought about it considerably. The basic reality was that the treasure wasn¡¯t mine to take. It belonged to the deep dwarves, and just because he handed it to me didn¡¯t mean he intended it for me. I was starting to think he had intended the entire package for Sapphire. She was supposed to Soul Merge with it, both unlocking the treasure and her memories of her father and mother. If he realized I had just fed it to my dungeon to crack it like an egg, he¡¯d probably be angry.


    That said, the deep dwarves had a lot of uses, and the only place they had to go was Chalm. At this point, I had already accepted various animalkin slaves, the osterians, and the foxkin. Adding the deep dwarves to my growing territory would only be a plus for us. Whether I owned the resources or the deep dwarves owned the resources, the benefit would be to my territory, which could export expertly crafted goods no one else could manage.


    However, the deep dwarves were a stubborn lot who would likely see those resources as theirs. If I just took them and held onto them, that was bound to breed discontent. They would come to resent me and see me as a thief. They might even consider me an enemy. That¡¯s the second reason I had initiated this challenge. They had a great deal of faith in their blacksmithing, and this particular guy, Gabbro, specifically.


    In short, this was just a way to pass on the resources without anyone being unhappy. That¡¯s not to say I didn¡¯t wish to win this competition. If Gabbro won, I could pace the resources onto them peacefully, and we¡¯d need to pay more for their services in the future. If we won, they¡¯d still see their princess winning, and would at least feel like there was a fair reason that that the king gave the resources to me. After that, I¡¯d negotiate a good deal with them to get them to work with the resources for me, and I¡¯d have some kind of relationship with Gabbro too. Thus, there was no losing.


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    However, since there were no forges up to Gabbro¡¯s standards, they were being constructed now. It would be two days before the competition could begin. That left only three days left for the blacksmiths to work. I hoped there would be enough time. Since they couldn¡¯t work until the forges were made anyway, it wasn¡¯t like this was lost time. I had gotten the deep dwarves to make the forges, so already I had succeeded with my goals.


    That¡¯s why I had decided to focus on other tasks that needed to be done before Twilight attacked. I had gathered Terra, Sapphire, and Alyssia up and headed out. We were walking through a dark corridor, very reminiscent of the ones I had started in when I reached the deep.


    ¡°Master, where are we?¡± Sapphire asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re on the edge of my dungeon, where the territory infringes on the territory of another deep boss,¡± I explained.


    ¡°Are we going to kill it, Master?¡± Terra asked.


    ¡°No, we need to capture the boss and make it one of the dungeon bosses. The only chance we have of mounting a proper defense with Twilight comes is to unite all of the strength in the deep against her. When it was just me and Alysia, I wasn¡¯t confident in fighting their bosses. However, with you guys here, I feel like this won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°H-hey! I¡¯m not a fighter!¡± Sapphire cried out. ¡°I¡¯m just a blacksmith.¡±


    ¡°Yet, it¡¯s most important that you do the fighting.¡±


    ¡°What? Why?¡±


    ¡°Because the competition with your uncle will be tomorrow night. That means you and I need to level up in our blacksmith jobs as much as possible to give us the best chance of outshining him!¡±


    ¡°Geh! You¡¯re still seriously going through with that? Just give up already, uncle won¡¯t lose!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve ended up in a lot of situations where my failure seemed assured, and I managed to pull through¡­ most of the time.¡±

 Chapter 1392

    {Apprentice Blacksmith had increased to 25.}


    {You have learned the basics of blacksmithing. You have unlocked Blacksmith.}


    I once read a theory that stated that information could be exchanged from one person to the next. In that way, it acted a lot like the inheritance of genes. Certain information, like fire, was hot, was remembered generation after generation. Meanwhile, other information was quickly forgotten. That wasn¡¯t to say the information was bad or good. You could have something bad that spread quickly and was endlessly repeated, but in general, it wasn¡¯t the most spreadable information, but the most pervasive that survived generation after generation. These packets of memories were given the name memes, and this theory was the source of that name.


    In this world of lore and dungeons, I had come to understand lore as essentially a type of meme, one that was more literal than what we understood from my old world. Your soul was the lore of your life, and as you acted out your story, it grew attracted to certain bits of information. If you were an author, these books might be considered reference material. They were distilled lore, chronicling skills and abilities refined by thousands if not millions of users.


    Some people completed that lore, absorbing it until it was indistinguishable from their own story, and adding their twists and turns on it. Others never finished the lore in their lifetime. I believed this to be the essence of jobs. The thing that made me special, other than my experience boosters and advanced learning, was the ability for me to connect with so many jobs, so many reference materials, which I could use to enrich my lore and the lore of my slaves.


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    Yet, when it came right down to it, I had absorbed a lot of lore, and none of it was me. My story was so short and uninteresting, and it was the lore that made me who I am. It was like being skilled at everything, but master of nothing. If I was to describe myself in a few words, I wouldn¡¯t be able to. Was I a White Mage? I certainly started with that job, but I also fought and did damage. True Dungeon Diver was my highest level, but I was also a Dungeon Master and a Dungeon Builder. I created unfinished lore as often as I conquered it.


    I wasn¡¯t someone so full of myself to declare I was a hero, despite having two hero-related jobs. Was I a Master Swordsman? I was just as good with magic as I was with swords, so a Magic Swordsman? My levels were still rather low, and I never built a solid foundation. I could fight pretty well, but an experienced swordsman, one who had trained from the ground up, would defeat me every time. I was a little bit of everything, and at the end that made me nothing.


    In that respect, someone like Sapphire who was far more selective in her jobs truly could manage something great. I had high hopes for her. She had come a long way by the time we reached where I believed the boss was being held up.


    {Name: Sapphire


    Class: Smith


    Job: Magic Blacksmith (LVL 35), Blacksmith (LVL 70)


    Rank: Slave


    Unlocked Jobs: Commoner (LVL 22), Basic Magician (LVL 28), Weapon Smith (LVL 20), Armor Smith (LVL 15)


    Race: Deep Dwarf}


    I didn¡¯t have an opportunity to check Gabbro¡¯s status, but we might have an honest chance against him yet.

 Chapter 1393

    ¡°Aiiiii!¡±


    ¡°This guy is fast!¡± Sapphire cried.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that because you¡¯re not looking at him?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh! Stay away!¡± Terra created walls keeping him away from her. ¡°Nooo! He got them again. Pervert!¡±


    I studied the boss monster, feeling incredibly complicated. He was fast and very difficult to handle, but that was a different problem entirely. His identification was merely an Apeman. He had a hairy body with two arms and two legs and no tail. His face was that of a monkey. He could jump around and swing from the vines hanging over the top of the boss room, and also come down for a strike. His strikes were swift and brutal, and he already fled by the time you could react.


    From the moment we had opened up his door and entered his lair, he had been toying with us. I¡¯d like to say there was a warning that the boss of this area was an apeman, but the enemies we had been leveling up against before this point had mostly been snakes, bats, and carnivorous plants. The Apeman seemed to be the first mammal I had encountered that was considered living.


    If his speed and ingenuity were the problem, that would be one thing. The real problem was that other than being extremely hair and having a monkey face, his body was very human. That was to say that he was naked, and he had his thing hanging out. Whenever he jumped up, it would swing around. It wasn¡¯t big or anything, but it was enough of a distraction that the girls couldn¡¯t mount a defense against him.


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    In the heat of the moment, maybe they would have been able to ignore the thing, but when he got onto one of his fines, he would touch it, making sure to show it to the girls. With a perverted monkey grin, he would stand over us touching it, and when the girls looked away in embarrassment, he would make his move. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t the worst part. The worst part was ultimately how he attacked the girls.


    Terra looked at me tearfully. ¡°He got my panties again!¡±


    Looking up at the Apeman, he made that same perverted grin, but this time he lifted a small pair of pink panties. I had naturally bought a lot of girl¡¯s clothing on my last trip to Earth and had many spare changes with me in my soul world, so those were fine panties I had specifically given to Terra since our escape from Twilight. They were now being sniffed by a drooling monkey man.


    ¡°He also took my bra!¡± Sapphire added.


    ¡°Y-yeah! I also wore a bra!¡± Terra shouted awkwardly.


    We both glanced at Terra, whose face went red, and then up at the Apeman on the ceiling, who gave a confused shrug, and then put then strapped Sapphire¡¯s bra onto his chest while rubbing Terra¡¯s panties against his face.


    ¡°This guy must be a level 100 Pervert!¡± Sapphire huffed.


    Was it a problem I felt a little jealous I was only a level 32 Pervert? No, wait! That was the answer. I needed to tame this monkey, but right now he was completely mocking me. For a monster that valued strength, you needed to use strength to tame them, but I learned from the former Sapphire, that monsters could be tamed by appealing to other parts of them, such as when I bribed her with candy. In this case, I¡¯d have to take drastic measures.


    ¡°Master?¡± Terra asked.


    ¡°Bear with me¡­¡± I declared, putting my game face on. ¡°I¡¯m going to need to fight fire with fire.¡±


    I equipped Pervert.

 Chapter 1394

    {You have tamed the monster, Apeman.}


    The monkey turned to me and gave a thumbs-up of approval. I let go of Terra.


    ¡°Ahhn¡­¡± Terra moaned as she collapsed to the floor.


    She turned to look back up at me, her eyes tearful and full of accusations.


    ¡°I-it was for the greater good.¡± I coughed.


    Ultimately, after much work, I had gained the Apeman¡¯s respect and incidentally tamed him. Rather than continue to let him witness my shame, I brought him into my soul world so that Terra could clean up without being stared at. I made sure to give her a towel, fresh panties, and a clean outfit. It was the only gentlemanly thing to do.  Of course, Sapphire was also giving me hard looks.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t touch me at all¡­¡± Sapphire pouted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t touch little girls!¡± I cried.


    ¡°Are you still on about that?¡± Sapphire frowned. ¡°First off, I¡¯m a dwarf. We have a lifespan of over 1000 years, and age at about the same rate. Second, I was recreated by a dungeon, meaning my original lifespan stretches back much farther than that! Third, I¡¯m your slave, and since you play with all of your other slaves, why am I the exception?¡±


    I didn¡¯t expect Sapphire to suddenly blow up at me. I was a bit stunned and didn¡¯t know what to say. I looked to Terra for some support, but she had her back turned to me and was distinctly focused on cleaning herself. I called out to Alysia too but got no answer. She was in her sword form so that there was no chance that the Apeman would molest her while in the soul world, but she was completely silent.


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    ¡°Sapphire¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you not see me as one of yours?¡± She asked.


    I opened my mouth and then closed it again. She had come fairly close to the truth of it. When it came to attractiveness, Sapphire was very beautiful. Although when I first saw her, she looked to barely be over thirteen, she seemed to have grown since then. She looked closer to fourteen or fifteen now. She had a mature body. She even had larger breasts than Terra, although I¡¯d never let Terra know that.


    However, it was in her eyes, eyes that had seen a great deal of loss and had experienced much over the years that truly revealed her age. I had seen her soul and her story. She was mature, and there was no question of consent. I supposed the reason I had held back came down to the fact that I never saw her as my lover.


    For all of the other girls, we had sort of been in a relationship from the get-go. We experienced some kind of sexual, emotional, or physical connection, and it felt like only a matter of time until our relationships became something more. However, when it came to Sapphire, as often as she acted flirtatious with me, I had never taken it seriously. That¡¯s when I realized what it was. I didn¡¯t see Sapphire as a lover. I saw Sapphire as a sister.


    She was like the little sister I never had. She¡¯d tease me and give me a hard time, and she had her own life and her secrets, but when we needed each other, we¡¯d be there. That was the relationship I had felt with her younger self, and it carried through to this part of her too. Whether her name was Rubee, Garnet, or Sapphire, I felt like she was family.


    ¡°Sapphire¡­¡± my expression turned serious and I looked up. ¡°I love you, Sapphire, bu¡­ what?¡±


    Sapphire was no longer standing in front of me. I turned around to see Terra waiting next to me. She pointed to the doorway leading out of the boss room which was now hanging open. Sapphire poked her head in from the hallway.


    ¡°I was messing with you, dummy.¡± Sapphire giggled. ¡°Are we going or not?¡±


    She turned around, her pigtails dancing as she ran off. Terra reached up and patted my shoulder.


    ¡°I thought Master¡¯s confession was sweet.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ now I¡¯m annoyed with her.¡± I narrowed my eyes.

 Chapter 1395

    With the tamed Apeman, we began the attack on the next territory. After a taking a break for the night, we managed to break through to the boss room early in the morning. I used the Apeman and the girls to battle the territory boss, who happened to be some kind of carnivorous plant. I wasn¡¯t able to find a way to tame it, and we had it near death when Terra came up with an idea. We used the mana source gaia and then created a combination skill out of Submission called Plant Subjugation.


    Upon using that, the plant finally submitted and I was able to absorb it and temporarily put it in my soul world until I could get back home. The skill seemed like a somewhat silly thing. After all, how often did we encounter monster plants? The deep was the first place I had seen so many, and I had no desire to conquer them.


    That¡¯s when Terra suggested that being able to control plants might have more perks than I thought. I could order plants to grow in specific ways, or make them react how I wanted. That reminded me of a book I had read that suggested high-level farmers seemed to be able to ask plants for favors and get them to perform by talking to them. I had originally written such a thing off, but now that I had experienced so much of the world, why couldn¡¯t a high enough level just tell a plant to grow and make it grow?


    Perhaps, all those seeds from my world could become a profitable crop sooner rather than later. I also had my farm in my soul world which I could control to some level, but I¡¯d bet it¡¯d be even better with a farming job. I wasn¡¯t able to explore that yet as the entire garden had recently been trampled and uprooted by the dwarves. It wasn¡¯t easy feeding three hundred people.


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    With the carnivorous plant boss and the apeman, I felt there was enough time to at least venture into a third territory before we needed to be back for the blacksmithing competition. I was also feeling the pressure of Twilight¡¯s inevitable attack, and wanted to bolster our strength as soon as possible. It turned out we didn¡¯t need to go far before we encountered the boss. Since the dungeons that once formed these territories no longer existed, the bosses weren¡¯t bound to remain in one area and could wonder. Some were grounded, like the plant, while others just preferred an area where they were strongest, like the Apeman.


    The cyclops was just roaming down the halls, and I wouldn¡¯t have thought he was even a boss until my dangerous sense struck and we narrowly dodged a powerful strike. Thus began a long and exhausting battle. We depended on various techniques. Blinding the cyclops was the most obvious means of controlling him. Terra was able to create a dust cloud, but without Celeste¡¯s wind magic, it was difficult to keep him sufficiently blinded without blinding us as well.


    I¡¯d like to say that I came up with some trick for this one, but he was a battle junky, and it took just beating him down. Terra¡¯s impressive constitution could take just about any hit, along with Sapphire, the Apeman, and me dealing damage, and we finally wore it down. The carnivorous plant was still weakened from our earlier battle and couldn¡¯t participate. With my White Mage spells healing us, we were ultimately able to outlast the cyclops, and it finally bowed to me.


    {You have tamed the monster, Raging Cyclops.}


    {White Mage has increased to level 66.}


    {Monster Tamer has increased to level 55.}


    {Apprentice Blacksmith has increased to level 33.}


    {Blacksmith has increased to level 9.}


    Sapphire had also reached level 72 in Blacksmith and I decided to switch her over to Weapon Smith to increase our chances of making a better weapon, so that made it to 28. We were as prepared as we¡¯d ever be.

 Chapter 1396

    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ve showed up. I thought you might have run off from fear!¡± Gabbro slapped his knee as we entered the room from the far side, causing the other dwarves to break into laughter.


    They had chosen one of the currently bossless boss rooms to set up their forges. They had also seemingly built them on top of a stage and created seating all around it. The dwarves were quite industrious when they wanted to be. The entire place looked like an arena, and all three hundred dwarves as well as Pait and Dav were sitting in the stands. Pait had his arms cross, looking irritated by the noisy dwarves who were all chatting excitedly, that was when they weren¡¯t cheering or singing loudly.


    ¡°M-master¡­ I¡¯m sorry I teased you early. I regret everything. Can we please surrender?¡± Sapphire¡¯s voice was very high-pitched.


    ¡°Sapphire, you need to do this.¡± A woman declared, approaching the pair of us.


    ¡°M-mom?¡±


    Lapis bowed her head to me politely and then turned to her daughter. ¡°How many deep dwarves do you have memories of interacting with since reaching the surface?¡±


    ¡°Ah! That¡­ our tribe¡­ only fifteen.¡±


    ¡°You may not have known this, but blacksmithing is a bit like a sport for us. We take it very seriously.¡±


    ¡°I can tell¡­¡± I said dryly.


    ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Sapphire asked.


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    ¡°For all intent and purposes, the child I called daughter died a long time ago on the surface.¡± As Sapphire opened her mouth, her mother raised her hand. ¡°I accept you as my daughter, and I love you. I believe that my husband felt the same in the end and that his sacrifice was made for you as much for his people. However, while I have accepted you back as the princess, many of the other deep dwarves have not. I¡¯ve noticed that you have intentionally avoided them and remained near your Master, and while they would never question me to my face, I¡¯m sure there is some doubt deep in their hearts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rich, considering you were all bound in Twilight¡­¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that none of us truly have a right to our lives. Deek, you are our benefactor and none of us will deny it.¡± She nodded to me before turning to Sapphire. ¡°And it¡¯s perhaps for that reason that there hasn¡¯t been more pushback. However, speaking as your mother and a queen, I must tell you that this competition is important. Only with brother¡¯s approval will they start to see you as a truly one of us.¡±


    ¡°Once again¡­ this would have been something better to tell us before this point!¡± I narrowed my eyes.


    Lapis stiffened, her cheeks darkening. ¡°It¡¯s been a busy couple of days. I¡¯ve been keeping everyone together and on task, and you¡¯ve been away the last few days. I can¡¯t possibly fill you in on every nuance on the deep dwarves in only a few hours of speaking.¡±


    I lowered my head. ¡°Right¡­ sorry.¡±


    Although it wasn¡¯t like time had stopped when they were in Twilight, it had slowed down. They had only felt like they were in twilight for a year or so. Had her worlds not had a time delay, surely more if not all of them would have broken down throughout hundreds if not thousands of years. Even the deep dwarves weren¡¯t that onery. That still meant that it felt like everything had been lost in the blink of an eye. One minute, they are surrounded by darkness, and only a few days ago they found themselves waking up in another world where they were an endangered species and their kingdom had fallen. Perhaps, this competition between uncle and niece meant more to the deep dwarves than I had originally thought.


    ¡°Alright! It¡¯s time to begin! Show me what you got!¡±

 Chapter 1397

    ¡°Master¡­ I¡¯m panicking!¡± Sapphire looked in tears.


    Lapis had come up to inform her of the importance of this event, but that put even more pressure on her to perform well. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of the national treasures of her entire kingdom, but also her status as a deep dwarf and the acceptance of her people. While Lapis seemed like a gentle mother, she certainly didn¡¯t waste time dumping a lot of pressure on her daughter.


    I put my hands on her shoulders, forcing Sapphire to look up at me. ¡°You can do this. We can do this. Remember, you¡¯re not alone. We¡¯re together in this.¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡± She responded, still looking down, but her cheeks turning pink.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this over with.¡± Gabbro spoke up. ¡°Let¡¯s go over the terms. We will each mage a silvthril dagger. Whichever blacksmith whose dagger is deemed the better weapon wins. If I win, then I will take back the accumulated treasury of the deep dwarves. Also, we will consider our debt to you forfeit. We will owe you nothing, and once passing this crisis, we will split ways to forge our own path.¡±


    ¡°What is this?¡± Sapphire lifted her head in surprise.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ I added that last part after thinking about it. Those resources were already ours. I prefer to close debts promptly, and I¡¯d rather my people not remain in some kind of unspecified debt with a foreigner. Do you accept?¡±


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    I squeezed Sapphire¡¯s shoulder and gave her a wink. ¡°I will accept your terms, but since you added a condition, I will also add one.¡±


    ¡°That depends on what it is!¡± Gabbro growled.


    ¡°If we win, I will keep control of the resources.¡± This caused a few of the deep dwarves to grumble, but after a look from Gabbro, they silenced, since they were implying Gabbro would somehow lose. ¡°And for my second term, if we win, then you will personally take on Sapphire as your personal disciple!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Sapphire cried out.


    ¡°That¡¯s preposterous!¡± Another dwarf couldn¡¯t keep his mouth shut.


    ¡°Gabbro hasn¡¯t taken on an apprentice since two hundred years before Twilight.¡± Someone else added.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± I spoke out, shrugging. ¡°After all, if Sapphire can make a better dagger, is Gabbro even really needed?¡±


    Such words caused all of them to cry out in anger. The only one who wasn¡¯t reacting much was Gabbro himself. He had his arms crossed and was glaring at me suspiciously. When everyone finally quieted enough, he spoke up.


    ¡°Fine¡­ I accept your terms.¡± He declared in a clear voice. ¡°However, what metric will we use to determine victory.¡±


    I nodded and gestured to Terra, who was sitting in the stands near Pait. ¡°Terra will be the judge.¡±


    He frowned, glancing over at Terra. ¡°Her?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let her appearance deceive you. She is a Mineral Appraiser and Metallurgist. Her eye for well-shaped steel may even be better than any of yours.¡±


    While I was leveling my Blacksmith with Sapphire, Terra was earning just as much experience. I had given her Earth Summoner and Mineral Appraiser to power level. After our extra leveling, they were 53 and 47 respectively. When Earth Summoner hit 50, that was when Metallurgist popped up, and then I managed to get that up to level 7. Either way, I was confident in her ability to tell the quality of our blacksmithing.


    ¡°As if I would allow that!¡± Gabbro declared. ¡°If we use your judge, then they¡¯d cheat for sure. That¡¯s why we¡¯ll use mine!¡±

 Chapter 1398

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to cheat!¡± Terra cried out.


    ¡°How could you possibly not vote in your Master¡¯s favor!¡± One of the dwarves shouted out.


    ¡°This is unfair.¡± Another added.


    I lifted my hand, quieting them down enough that I could be heard. ¡°As you are all aware, Terra is my slave and I am her Master. You may not be aware, but I had the job Slave Master, and that job, I can give orders to my slave, even setting the severity of punishment should they go against them. In this case, I order Terra to judge honestly and select the superior weapon. If she goes against my order, then she will experience pain. Good?¡±


    ¡°He probably ordered her yesterday to ignore any orders today!¡±


    ¡°What if he¡¯s not a Slave Master, then he could just say anything and it wouldn¡¯t matter!¡±


    These dwarves were stubborn! I was expecting that to be the end of it.


    ¡°How about this?¡± Gabbro spoke up. ¡°Both of our judges will pass, and if they do not agree, then we will depend on a tiebreaker.¡±


    ¡°Who are you picking?¡± I asked. ¡°I have made my slave swear to be honest. What guarantee do I have that you won¡¯t have someone who would always pick you?¡±


    I was starting to sound like them!


    ¡°I had considered this as well.¡± Gabbro nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I selected Lapis to be the decider. She is my sister and Sapphire¡¯s mother. If anything, she¡¯d be dispositioned to helping her daughter¡­¡±


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    ¡°I would never throw a contest so dishonorably!¡± Lapis cried out, shooting Gabbro a glare.


    The smile immediately left his face and he gave an awkward laugh. It appeared like there was someone who could still make Gabbro squirm. His younger sister was a weakness of his.


    ¡°Fine, I will accept her.¡± I agreed. ¡°But who will be the tiebreaker?¡±


    ¡°As if it¡¯d get to a tiebreaker.¡± Gabbro snorted. ¡°Very well, since we¡¯re deciding, we¡¯ll go with that esmere over there.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Pait jerked up. ¡°Why me?¡±


    I had to agree. ¡°He came here with me. He¡¯s my friend. He also knows nothing about weapons. Why would you leave him to be the tiebreaker?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because he came here with you that I knew you wouldn¡¯t dispute it.¡± Gabbro laugh. ¡°However, I know a politician when I see one, and he¡¯s a politician. He may be your friend, but I¡¯ve already had a chance to pump him for information. Now, he¡¯s a lad who can¡¯t hold his alcohol.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you invited me to drink?¡± Pait cried out. ¡°Dav still won¡¯t look at me after I came home drunk, but I don¡¯t remember anything and she won¡¯t tell me!¡±


    Everyone glanced at Dav, who was distinctly looking the other way, her face glowing red. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve learned that he doesn¡¯t belong to the same country as you, and you kidnapped him from his current post.¡±


    ¡°I might have done something like that,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Whether he¡¯s your friend or not, it is still Esmore he must look after. Would he rather do you a favor, or would he rather owe me? Half the population of Esmore is dwarves. Some believe deep dwarves went to the surface and became surface dwarves. Others believe they were cousins from the same dungeon world, and I suppose a few believe they aren¡¯t related to us at all. However, no one can deny they¡¯ve been jealous of our blacksmith and mining techniques for untold ages. I wonder what he¡¯ll consider a more advantageous choice, allowing Aberis to gain control of the deep dwarves and their techniques, or freeing them from such an agreement and getting a personal favor with me.¡±


    ¡°When you say it like that, isn¡¯t he going to pick you?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ that depends on how loyal a friend you think Pait really is.¡± Gabbro laughed. ¡°Of course, if you deny him, aren¡¯t you saying you don¡¯t trust this friend of yours?¡±


    ¡°Geh¡­¡± He really had me there. ¡°Fine, I agree!¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s begin!¡±

 Chapter 1399

    ¡°Since I wouldn¡¯t want you to claim unfairness, our forges were created the same, using a milder temperature. I also left you the schematics and instructions we will follow, so you can¡¯t claim I used a technique you¡¯d never seen before.¡± Gabbro responded as we walked up to our forge.


    ¡°The temperature should be hotter.¡± Sapphire immediately said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want your precious little master getting hurt on the hot stove.¡± Gabbro didn¡¯t hide the mocking in his voice.


    ¡°We can handle ourselves!¡± Sapphire snarled.


    I nodded, walking up and putting my hand directly on the burning stove. I had equipped Heat Immunity now, so this act that even Gabbro wouldn¡¯t do I did with ease. The men all gasped as I casually tested the temperature with my finger, and then began to alter the temperature using magic. As the stove rose, Sapphire also began to prepare, tying on her apron, finding the hammer she wanted, as well as the piece of silvthril.


    Seeing me touching the forge, and making it much hotter, he gave a slightly irritated wave, and a dwarf came near the stove and started casting a spell, to increase the heat of their stove to match ours. The material used for these stoves wasn¡¯t quite as fine as the material that would be forged into the weapons, so I brought it to the point where the metal almost turned red before I stabilized the heat.


    Gabbro finally stood up at his, and he was quickly joined by another dwarf who looked about the same age as him but moved much more spryly like he had to be much younger. I will still trying to figure out deep dwarf aging. The pair had already seemingly set up everything they wanted and didn¡¯t hesitate to start moving like the Masters that they were, working with a finesse only experience could create.


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    ¡°Master, do you see the deep dwarf technique?¡± Sapphire gestured.


    ¡°Does it differ from the technique you acquired in Twilight¡¯s Dungeon?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Only slightly. However, I don¡¯t believe we should follow this path anyway.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡±


    She made an uncertain face but finally nodded. ¡°If we follow a technique that uncle has mastered, at best we¡¯d only be creating a product as good as if not inferior to his. The only way we can defeat uncle is by forging our path.¡±


    ¡°Then, I will follow your lead.¡±


    She nodded, and then hesitated for a moment ¡°Master, do you still have the lore that my father sent you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly been absorbed by the dungeon, but it¡¯s not like I can conjure it up with my Dungeon Master job.¡±


    ¡°Does any of it contain anything about our upcoming enemy?¡±


    I blinked, thought about it for a few moments, and then nodded. ¡°I think it does.¡±


    ¡°Is there any way you can share the knowledge with me¡­ through our bond?¡±


    I had never considered doing something like that before. The closest skill I recalled having was Duplicate Slave skill. In that case, I was able to temporarily pull on my slave¡¯s lore so that I could pull off one of the skills only they should have. Of course, when I first had the skill, I didn¡¯t understand that was what I was doing. I quickly went through my Slave Master skills, and that was when I landed on one called Slave Teaching. I had gotten it at 42, but I had mostly ignored it.


    ¡°I think I might be able to do just that,¡± I smirked.


    While Gabbro and his partner were already busy at work, Sapphire and I worked out a design between each other. It had already been about fifteen minutes with them half done when we finally began.

 Chapter 1400

    I used my Fire Control to my full advantage. With Temperature Gauge, I could see the change of temperatures, and with Heat Immunity, I was in no threat of being getting heat exhausted. In fact, it felt like a cool day for me. Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t the one doing the work. That all fell to Sapphire. I knew how to blacksmith as much as my job allowed, but my methods would never be as refined as someone with actual practice. I hadn¡¯t spent a single day in the forge, so while I theoretically could figure it out, I¡¯d look sloppy to anyone with any skill.


    Furthermore, I had only seen a silvthril sword made once, so whatever special techniques were needed to work with silvthril, I didn¡¯t know them. I had to depend on Sapphire, and while she was a dwarf resistant to heat, she wasn¡¯t as practiced in front of the blistering forge as her uncle. The forges she worked in on the surface typically had a lot of ventilation, and so it never got too hot. Yet, this room seemed to keep in a lot of heat, and even Pait sitting in the stands was sweating uncomfortably over the heat.


    Sapphire who was directly next to the flames was being hit the hardest. She also didn¡¯t necessarily have the physical strength of her uncle. Thinking about it, she would do well with a second job that had a lot of strength perks. Her stamina seemed to be weak, and by the time she had heated the metal and started striking it, she was showing signs of her stamina waning.


    I felt I was at fault for this. This was far different from her time when she had made the silvthril sword. Besides the different environment, she had made that sword after a long time of training under a blacksmith and working the forge regularly.  It had been nearly a month since she last touched a forge when she made her journey to the deep, and then an additional month where her soul and body were allowed to atrophy within Twilight. Then, already in a weakened state, I had forced her to level up her Blacksmith. I had been treating her like she possessed my stamina, and few truly could keep up with a god soul.


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    As Gabbro reached the end of his forging steps, he glanced over at Sapphire as she hammered, her technique starting to slip, her cheeks flushed and red as she gasped for breath. He made a dismissive snort. I wasn¡¯t sure if Sapphire noticed his look, but I hoped that she didn¡¯t. I began to realize that going on like this, we wouldn¡¯t be able to win.


    That led me back to the Soulsmithing job. Ever since I had unlocked it, I had become fascinated with it. There was another name it could potentially have been called. Lorecrafting. It was the ability to refine, alter, and create lore. You could manipulate the story¡­ wasn¡¯t that nearly equivalent to altering the state of something?


    Soul merging was one of my new skills as well. If I could use a Slaves skill, then there had to be a way a slave could use mine, and if they could use my slave skills, then why couldn¡¯t they use my other skills as well.


    ¡°Ahh!¡± Bang


    Sapphire had made the most embarrassing of mistakes. She had accidentally hit her finger, causing her to drop her hammer. Even over the roaring sound of the forge, I could hear the disapproving sounds. Doing such an act was something even an apprentice wouldn¡¯t do. Sapphire shook, looking like she was a second away from breaking. I left my post and walked around, wrapping my arms around Sapphire¡¯s body.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t¡­¡± Sapphire shivered, even though her body was covered in sweat.


    ¡°I told you, you don¡¯t have to do this alone,¡± I whispered in her ear. ¡°We¡¯ll do this together. Soul merge!¡±

 Chapter 1401

    The idea of Soul Merge was to merge lore into your soul. At least, that¡¯s what I had originally assumed. However, now I was thinking that maybe, soul merge could also be used to push two souls together. Typically, the only way to be able to achieve such an act was through physical intimacy. When you had sex, your soul and their soul would become close, and possibly even touch. This is what happened when Alysia took my soul. As our souls grew closer during intimacy, her soul sucked mine out of my body.


    This wasn¡¯t quite the same thing, but it had a similar feel. I was essentially trying to push our souls together, attempting to touch them. I wasn¡¯t looking for our souls to merge. When it came to lore, forcing it to merge took a lot of effort. It took Twilight years to get people to merge their souls with her. For Sapphire and I to merge our souls, we¡¯d need to be beyond intimate. We¡¯d need to be united in body and soul. We simply weren¡¯t that close.


    Yet, our souls could touch, and when they touched I¡¯d be able to lend her my power, my strength, and my lore. That was my intent. I pushed my soul out, pressing it against hers. Sapphire gasped as this happened.


    ¡°Ignore everyone else,¡± I whispered. ¡°It¡¯s just us.¡±


    I reached down and grabbed her hammer, and then handed it to her. After a few seconds of hesitation, she grabbed it and began again. I went back to my place. It wasn¡¯t like I had to physically touch her to keep our souls together. Only someone sensitive to such things like Miki would be able to see it, but there was a connection between us at that moment far closer and thicker than any bond. We began to work.


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    Our motions began to sink perfectly. It was reminiscent of the first time we had made a sword. We had fallen into a kind of zone, working in sync, me using my experience and our bond to guess what she wanted. Now, it was no longer a guess. Our bodies and minds worked as won, seamlessly working together. I didn¡¯t need to refresh her, as my body directly gave her strength and stamina. While I worked as her two extra hands and kept our souls together, she swung the hammer and worked with precision and speed.


    Our movements steadied and became like an art. She hammered, shifted, heated, hammered, and I assisted her in every task before she even knew she needed it. The lore of blacksmithing floated between us, and as I used my Advanced Learning to unlock the secrets behind it, they were also shared instantly with her. Insights were unlocking within her as we went. If we kept this up, I was certain she could level very rapidly.


    However, we only had a single small blade to make, and with the hotter forge and the higher levels of experience, it didn¡¯t take nearly as long as the sword had taken. It was only when I let our souls split back away that I was strong with bone splitting exhaustion. Sapphire slumped, all but collapsing to the ground. However, we had finished it; we had made the dagger.

 Chapter 1402

    It wasn¡¯t until we were finished that I realized that the entire room had gone quiet. The often talkative and boisterous dwarves were all watching intently. None was watching harder than Gabbro, who had a strangely intense and peculiar look on his face. Whether he was confused, pleased, or disgusted, it was impossible to tell what emotion he was displaying. I used refresh on Sapphire and then held her to help her up. When I touched her, she jumped a little bit, her eyes darting at me before looking away shyly.


    I had been intimate with so many women, I hadn¡¯t considered how comfortable she would have been with my soul touching against hers like that. I wanted to apologize, but just then Gabbro slapped his hands together.


    ¡°Well, you at least finished it. I had my doubts you¡¯d even make it that far. Since this is the case, then let¡¯s get this over with!¡± Gabbro growled.


    He picked up his knife and then handed it hilt first to Terra. Terra glanced at me curiously, and so I did the same. Terra seemed to have a pretty high tolerance for heat too, but she did stay off the main platform with the forge, so many it wasn¡¯t quite at the dwarf¡¯s level, especially since she didn¡¯t sweat. Gabbro¡¯s dagger was very normal, and the quality of the blade was clear to see. Ours had a slightly curved appearance.


    Terra looked over each blade and then slashed them a few times. Her analysis continued for about five minutes, and during that time, Gabbro impatiently tapped his foot.


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    ¡°Will you get on with it already!¡± He snapped.


    Terra jumped, and then let out a sigh. She shot me a regretful look before placing them down on a counter.


    ¡°Both blades are good. They have a similar sharpness, and the silvthril is pure.¡± She started first, deflating slightly under Gabbro¡¯s look. ¡°However, Gabbro¡¯s blade is much more balanced. The integrity of the blade is superior, and the weight is perfect. I¡¯m sorry, Master. You asked me to speak honestly.¡±


    Gabbro chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with speaking the truth. A bad blade is a bad blade.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad!¡± Terra cried out and then blushed, not meeting my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s just, this is a superior dagger.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Terra.¡± I sighed. ¡°Thank you for being honest with your assessment.¡±


    ¡°Since she has accepted, I¡¯m the best, this is already over.¡± Gabbro shrugged. ¡°Sister, please tell them who is superior.¡±


    Lapis approached the blades as well but hesitated. ¡°Can you remind me of the conditions of victory again?¡±


    ¡°What? It¡¯s just whichever is the best weapon! Go ahead and tell them which is the better weapon.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t just randomly state something. I¡¯m a queen, and my word is my honor!¡± Lapis chastised, causing Gabbro to quickly back down.


    ¡°Ah¡­ s-sorry¡­¡± He coughed.


    Lapis picked up each blade. Compared to Terra, who seemed to be comfortable wielding the blades, she seemed to barely know what she was doing. However, after looking over both blades and putting them back down on the counter, she nodded to herself.


    ¡°I have decided which blade is the superior weapon,¡± she said.


    ¡°And?¡± Gabbro asked.


    ¡°That would be Sapphire¡¯s blade.¡±

 Chapter 1403

    ¡°L-lapis, what are you saying?¡±


    ¡°You asked me for my judgment,¡± Lapis responded shortly. ¡°I gave it.¡±


    Looking slightly taken aback, Gabbro leaned forward. ¡°I know she¡¯s your daughter, but of all people, I didn¡¯t think that you would act so willful.¡±


    ¡°You dare call me willful?¡± Lapis¡¯s eyes appeared to ignite with lightning, and Gabbro immediately put up his hands.


    ¡°M-maybe¡­ if you explain your thought process¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Lapis crossed her arms angrily. ¡°Next time, just say you want an explanation rather than accusing me of dishonesty.¡±


    I perked up as well. I had worried when Terra had selected Gabbro. I had thought we might lose. I was glad Lapis chose my blade, but I was curious if she had seen what I hoped she had seen.


    ¡°G-go on¡­¡± Gabbro responded, clearly just as curious.


    ¡°It¡¯s true that your blade does contain a better balance. The skill placed into its construction is superior to the other. Overall, it¡¯s a better knife.¡±


    ¡°Then-¡±


    ¡°However, the point of the competition was not to create a well-rounded and all-purpose item.¡± Lapis cut in before he could interrupt her. ¡°When it comes to weapons, the other blade is superior.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what?¡±


    ¡°Look at this blade, it¡¯s designed specifically for quick, jagged movements.¡± She moved the blade in her hand swiftly and smoothly. ¡°Each strike intending to cause the maximum damage. While your knife could be used to stab a man or open a letter, this blade only has one function, destruction.¡±


    ¡°Th-that¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± Gabbro found himself unable to come up with a reply.


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    ¡°Your blade is practiced, but how could it not be? It¡¯s just like every typical dagger ever produced by the dwarves. There is nothing to it, no ingenuity, no creativity, no thought¡­¡± Each word she spoke caused Gabbro to grunt like he was being hit brutally. ¡°Meanwhile, this blade took into consideration the monster it had to fight. Weightless wraiths, shadow creatures with rapid attacks and no mercy. You don¡¯t need to block such an enemy, you need to destroy it before it attacks you!¡±


    ¡°Lapis?¡±


    She closed her eyes, and as she did so she squeezed the dagger in her hand. ¡°I can feel the lore of this blade. It has a purpose. It has a story. This is the kind of blade from which legends are formed.¡±


    ¡°How did I never see it?¡± Terra asked, looking very unhappy.


    Her judgment on it had been extremely surface value. Although she was the appraiser, she had seen only the most surface-level features of the blades and judged them on that.


    ¡°What are you saying? Show me that¡­¡± Gabbro stepped forward, and Lapis put the blade down for him to see.


    He picked it up and then moved it slightly. As he looked down at it, his frown intensified.


    ¡°Well, it seems like I¡¯ll be needed after all.¡± Pait declared, standing up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it. This isn¡¯t a magical blade. It¡¯s not a soul blade either. Yet, she¡¯s right¡­ there is lore in this blade, baked into its very essence. All these years¡­ I thought I reached the pinnacle of blacksmithing, but all I was doing was shaping metal. Purpose? Goals? I had long forgotten that the most convenient wasn¡¯t always the best.¡± He seemed to be muttering to himself now.


    ¡°Um¡­ well¡­ anyway, I can see that this blade is quite good¡­¡± Pait picked up Gabbro¡¯s blade.


    ¡°I concede.¡± Gabbro suddenly declared, causing all the dwarves to burst out in cries of shock.


    ¡°You can¡¯t concede!¡±


    ¡°The treasure!¡±


    ¡°Gabbro,¡± I interjected, causing his eyes to focus on me. ¡°How about I offer an alternative proposal.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡¯ He asked suspiciously.


    ¡°One judge has voted for one of us, and one for the other¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t change my vote?¡± Terra asked tearfully.


    ¡°No!¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°I mean, how about we draw.¡±


    ¡°Draw?¡±


    ¡°We both have our demands met,¡± I responded with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll cut the treasure in half. Dwarves get half, and Chalm gets the other half. The dwarf¡¯s debt to me will be considered done with that. You won¡¯t owe me anything. Finally, you will take on Sapphire as your apprentice!¡±


    ¡°You would sacrifice the dwarf¡¯s debt to you?¡± He frowned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to force you to work with me.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d much rather be allies. Let¡¯s work together from here on out, okay?¡±


    He watched me for a few more careful moments, and then he put out his hand. ¡°Deal.¡±

 Chapter 1404

    ¡°The dwarves cannot be bullied or forced. They may feel some obligation to you, but if you just try to force them, they will resent you for it.¡±


    Those had been the words of advice given to me by Lapis. Lapis had only given me that advice because of her attachment to Sapphire, but it had ultimately lead me to go this length to bring the dwarves by my side. Once Gabbro conceded to my conditions, the entire atmosphere of the dungeon changed. They had build ten additional forges just in case, and immediately began production of weapons and armor, lead by Gabbro himself.


    ¡°I won¡¯t take any slacking.¡± Gabbro walked up to Sapphire and declared. ¡°If you¡¯re going to learn, you can be wasting time playing around in some dungeon. Every blacksmith level earned by leveling is a blacksmith level wasted.¡±


    ¡°S-seriously?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but cry out.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± His eyes narrowed on me. ¡°You were sloppy! As an apprentice, your work was subpar!¡±


    ¡°Geh¡­ but I kept the temperature perfect, and I did everything she asked¡­¡±


    ¡°And you were also a distraction! A good apprentice is a wallflower who only appears when needed. Her eyes kept darting to you like a schoolgirl in love.¡±


    ¡°L-l-love!¡± Sapphire cried out, her face turning red.


    ¡°A proper assistance doesn¡¯t overshadow their blacksmith, especially when you lack the experience to do so!¡± He ignored the fidgeting Sapphire.


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    ¡°I understand,¡± I responded stiffly, not sure how I felt about that.


    I was well aware that experience beat levels. My method of rapidly gaining jobs and lore without building it off my own experience was a problem. Unless I could learn to do what King Diorite suggested and merge with my lore, making it mine, I would always have that inherent weakness. I understood the principles behind it, but having them exposed so suddenly by this blacksmith didn¡¯t feel great either. The last thing I wanted to do was hold Sapphire back from success.


    ¡°Since you understand,¡± He suddenly brought his hand up and gave my shoulder a single pat. ¡°Then, how about you focus on what you¡¯re best at for now, and let me worry about the blacksmithing.¡±


    I looked up, a bit surprised at his words that had started out sounding harsh becoming so calm and encouraging.


    ¡°Uncle¡­¡± Sapphire was also looking at Gabbro with a bit of surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯m interested in seeing this city you built, Chalm. It sounds like you¡¯re in desperate need of smith production.¡± Gabbro stiffened as he noticed us looking at him with shock. ¡°I may be a stubborn old drunk, but I¡¯m not unreasonable! Girl! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes!¡± Sapphire shot me a smile, perhaps the most genuine smile I had ever seen on her face, and then she raced after Gabbro, who moved away like an unstoppable train.


    I stared after them, still a bit stunned at the direction of events. I had hoped that through Sapphire, that I would have slowly tied Gabbro to Chalm, but even if I failed, at least I¡¯d get the skilled Sapphire out of it. However, at that moment, he had all but admitted his intention to join Chalm, and that likely meant that would be the decision of the rest of the deep dwarves too.


    ¡°Congratulations.¡± Lapis¡¯s light voice came from behind me. ¡°You have managed to gain brother¡¯s approval. That is the most you could ever hope from him.¡±


    I nodded, feeling a bit relieved. ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°However.¡± She added. ¡°If you plan to have further intentions with my daughter, you still have yet to earn my approval!¡±


    ¡°Geh!¡±


    It looked like I had only defeated the miniboss, and I had still the dungeon master to face.

 Chapter 1405

    As their forge was filled with hammering, I began the next part of my plan. I placed the three bosses we had gathered so far into strategic places in the dungeon. After that, I found Terra and explained to her my plan. We chose our location to be the room with the plant. I had given up a lot of my soul world¡¯s vitality to quickly heal the plant, also using waters of life to feed it. It ended up growing substantially, and despite only just being placed in the room it already looked like it had been there for weeks.


    My soul world was now brown and dying, and the once luscious location was barely better a wasteland than I had seen in the visions of Twilight. It would take some time to restore the life and energy pulled from it, but I believed that what I was about to do would be worth it. We picked a side room and then barricaded it off.


    ¡°Here are some powerful metals, I want to control the path completely. Can you work with it without a blacksmith?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A blacksmith¡¯s work would be better, and I wouldn¡¯t be able to refine things to the level of a blade, but if it¡¯s just armor plating, I can create something durable.¡±


    ¡°Are we sure we want to do this, Master?¡± Alysia asked. ¡°We don¡¯t know what will happen.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a risk, but we have to try something. We won¡¯t have the strength to defend against Twilight in just a few days without this. We may have spread out the range by three territories, but it¡¯s requiring a lot of mana and I¡¯ve already used my reserves. If I could connect with my surface dungeon down here, I would have already done so. This is the most important thing right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ understand.¡±


    ¡°Can you make the change again?¡±


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    ¡°Y-yes¡­¡±


    I pulled out Alysia, but her form changed once again, this time turning back into the drill I had used to first get here. Terra looked at the item as I started drilling up.


    ¡°That¡¯s very interesting, Master.¡±


    ¡°Th-thank you,¡± Alysia responded.


    Terra had always had an interest in contraptions. Compared to Sapphire, who specifically enjoyed metalwork, her interests included any mechanical contraption of any type, magically run or with physics. After going to my world, I had bought her several physics toys I thought she might enjoy, but I hadn¡¯t found a time to give them to her yet. Once we were out of this, I would show her some of the engineering marvels from my world.


    Speaking of contraptions, that was exactly what we were building. We ended up building a pit with a thirty-foot drop. At the bottom of the pit was a series of jagged spikes made of powerful alloy. There was an adjacent door that led into the room of the plant monster, who was already starting to send vines into the pit trap.


    While Terra was lining the sides with metal far more valuable than what we were wasting it on, we drilled a long path. In this hallway, I used mana from my dungeon to create a series of traps, all aimed at causing damage. By the time we were done, Terra finished reinforcing the bit, and we had come out into a small alcove situated at the very edge of our domain. If the lore left to me by King Diorite were correct, we should be in the right spot.


    ¡°Are we ready?¡± I asked.


    The two of us prepared ourselves. I started to drill up, and then I struck something hard. I exploded up with all of my force, using a Create Step to try to force myself through.


    ¡°Can you make it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    Terra rose to the ground, giving my feet someplace to land, but then she began to force the rock up, shoving me into the ceiling. With the barrier on one side and Terra¡¯s raising platform on the other, the only choice was to break through or be squashed. My entire body turned red, and I pushed as powerfully as I could, and ever so slowly we began to breakthrough.


    Finally, the barrier gave way and we rose into an inferno.


    {You have entered the dungeon, Infernal Hell. Destroy the lore to break the curse, or complete the lore for extra dungeon points and a blessing!}

 Chapter 1406

    If one was expecting a place called an Infernal Hell to be a subversion of the name, I quickly found that wasn¡¯t the case at all. The heat of the level we broke into was unbearable, and from that alone, it would not include just about any adventurer from Aberis. If it wasn¡¯t for my dungeon skills, I also would have collapsed in minutes.


    ¡°Terra, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°My body already has a good resistance to fire. I was built to fight a dragon, after all. With the dungeon skills Master set, I am managing.¡± Terra responded.


    She had dungeon skills that I could still alter, and while they weren¡¯t as numerous as my own, they weren¡¯t enough to give her Heat Resistance, she could at least get Fire Immunity. Considering a golem wasn¡¯t likely to be Heat Exhausted, Heat Immunity wasn¡¯t needed unless it was the temperature that she would melt.


    ¡°Alysia, how about you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also fine, Master.¡±


    Since I had Alysia dig through lava, this was probably nothing. That wasn¡¯t to say it wasn¡¯t hot here. There was lava lining the path, and a careless step would send you falling into a lava moat. The very air seemed to shimmer with heat.


    ¡°What is the plan, exactly?¡± Terra asked.


    ¡°Remember Widow¡¯s Dungeon?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡±


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    ¡°When the miner¡¯s punched a hole in the side of it, monsters kept falling out. Every time a miniboss left the floor, the dungeon expended mana to produce a new one. In essence, it created a mana leak in the dungeon. The Infernal Dungeon has a history and depth I can¡¯t contemplate. Even the mobs here are likely more than we can handle. It grew so deep that it reached Twilight¡¯s prison and allowed her to influence the surface from down here. We need to make a dungeon capable of keeping her from reuniting with this dungeon, and since we only have a week to do it, I¡¯m going to use the Infernal Hell against itself.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Is it dangerous for a flea to bite a dog?¡± I asked. ¡°Our size is nothing compared to it. That¡¯s why I¡¯m doing it this way. If I tried to declare war on the Infernal Dungeon, we would be destroyed in an instant. However, a mob falling through a hole is something different. The mob falls through, gets weakened through our resetting traps, and then falls to its death on the spikes below. Then, the plant boss eats it and provides the mana force for our dungeon. Boom, a continuous source of mana.¡±


    ¡°Then, what are we here for?¡±


    ¡°You need to make sure that hole does heal. Use your metals to create a stent. As for me, I¡¯m going to set an attractant.¡±


    Terra nodded and I helped her open up the hole and bit more as she placed pieces to keep it open. A dungeon like this might be able to heal such a wound in only a few hours. I needed it to last days, at least. It did open up a direct path from the Infernal Hell to my dungeon, which was a security risk, but that was why I had included so many traps as well as the fall.


    If the monsters near the bottom of the Infernal Hell were powerful enough to make it through my traps, and fall a 30-foot drop on spikes, and then still manage to fend off the absorptive ability of the plant, then I also had a failsafe there too. One of the other things I had been doing was converting the dungeon to be collapsible. I had a feeling in the fight to come that we might have to retreat to more strategic positions, and so the boss room and this hallway would all collapse. We had to do whatever it took to survive.

 Chapter 1407

    Before we could let this mana collection system I devised run, there was one other thing I needed to discover. I needed to know what monsters were on this level. I didn¡¯t know how deep we were, but I would be shocked if it was under 150. I knew that the space in dungeons didn¡¯t necessarily always reflect the space outside of dungeons, so it was really hard to say when it came to this dungeon. I didn¡¯t know its shape or how it was organized, so we might not even be at the bottom of the dungeon, but somewhere in the middle.


    I had read in a book once that a larger dungeon could take a branching path. The lore behind them became so complex that it became like a choose your adventure, sending people down different paths to follow the story from different points of view and different directions. I had never experienced such a thing, but I did recognize that this could just be one of the paths of a much large complex. Well, considering that I dug south from Esmore, and with only a few weeks of walking I ended up under Hell¡¯s Dungeon, which was supposed in the Demon¡¯s land nearly six months travel north of Esmore on the other side of the continent, one could understand just how strange space was in the deep.


    Either way, what animals existed on this level would influence how successful my plan would work, so before I started summoning them down my trap, I needed to be certain that the trap would work. Thus, I had my Map out and was using sense life to try to find a monster. It didn¡¯t take long before I located one.


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    ¡°A squirrel¡­¡± I spoke in disbelief.


    After seeing a monster around the corner, I had carefully tried to catch a peek at it, using the reflection of my sword just in case. I wasn¡¯t using Alysia for that. She was too large, and it would defeat the purpose of being sneaking if I was sticking out a massive blade from the corner. Ultimately, after taking every precaution, all I saw was a fiery red squirrel. It was different, the tail was a blazing fire, but at the end of it, this was just a squirrel.


    ¡°M-maybe¡­ this is what the main monster of this level eats?¡± Alysia offered.


    Technically, a dungeon monster didn¡¯t need to eat as long as it was provided miasma from the dungeon. However, that didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t instances of ecosystems being set up with prey and predators. It allowed the predators to be even stronger since they got to practice against the prey and consume their miasma.


    As I was thinking about it, the squirrel suddenly turned its head around, its eyes immediately locking on my blade. It had seen it? A moment later, the squirrel disappeared. It was just there and then it wasn¡¯t. Was this one of those invisible creatures that could only be detected with Sense Life? It made sense. I was just about to bring up my Map to track it when my arm felt a thud, following by the banking of metal.


    I looked at my arm to see that the sword, made from deep dwarven steel, was broken in half. The top of the blade had uselessly fallen to the ground like it had been cut in a second.


    ¡°Master!¡± Alysia warned.


    I looked up to see a squirrel hanging from the wall. It was chewing on a small fragment of metal, and it was staring at me with glowing red eyes.

 Chapter 1408

    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna die!¡± I cried, racing down the hallway back to the hole.


    ¡°He¡¯s attacking! So fast!¡±


    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± I fell as my leg was suddenly gone.


    A blur that was the squirrel had shot through my leg, cutting it off just like that. I collapsed to the ground, spinning around in time to see it a few meters away, sitting on top of my removed leg. I let out a scream and threw another blade at it. My throw was perfect, but just as the blade reached it jumped up. I swore it walking along the blade as it passed before harmless landing back on my leg. As for the blade, it split in two right down the middle flying off into two pieces behind the squirrel.


    ¡°Why are you so powerful!¡± I cried out.


    ¡°Master, what is going on?¡± Terra cried out, looking around the corner.


    I wasn¡¯t far from the hole and had already made it back halfway before I was hit by the squirrel.


    ¡°Terra, run for your life!¡±


    Terra cocked her head, looking at me without a leg, and then the squirrel. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a squirrel?¡±


    ¡°Watch out!¡±


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    The squirrel jumped again, and this time I tried to hold up my hand to block it. My arm went this time.


    ¡°Master!¡± Terra¡¯s eyes widened as she finally grasped what was happening.


    Terra immediately ran to me and picked me up, turning and running. She did it in a way I was facing behind her. Lifting my hand, I started throwing out spells, anything I could to delay the squirrel. It dodged and danced around them, seemingly playing with me. It launched another attack, and I tried to protect Terra with my leg. It took my leg and Terra¡¯s leg too. Terra didn¡¯t fall as I had done. Instead, she immediately began hoping with one foot.


    The squirrel looked up at us, and I swear in smirked. Was I going to die from a squirrel? Wasn¡¯t that far too pitiful?


    ¡°It¡¯s coming again!¡±


    Terra jumped forward just as it blurred again. However, we reached the hole, and I saw it fly just over our heads as we fell into the hole. No¡­ it had been aiming for our heads! We¡¯d be headless had it succeeded in that attack.


    We collapsed into the hallway, and Alysia took her human form, grabbing both Terra and me and pulling us down it. I watched in horror as the squirrel jumped down and landed in front of us. It leaped forward, clearly not happy at its failure to behead us. A blade trap launched, but it easily avoided it. Then, there was a sticky trap, which slowed it for a moment, but it quickly got out of it. Meanwhile, Alysia was pulling us back desperately to the end of the corridor.


    She reached the end. Other than jumping down and being impaled on the spikes below, there was no escape. The squirrel jumped again, and an ice trap triggered. This came out in a freezing mist. The squirrel froze, its tail blaze going out, and then it landed a few feet in front of us with a thud, its body not moving. We stared in wonder as vine came from behind us, grabbed the unconscious squirrel up in its fine, and then began to consume it. It turned out the squirrel was extremely vulnerable to cold.


    ¡°We-we need more ice traps,¡± I spoke shakily.

 Chapter 1409

    {White Mage has increased to level 67.}


    I let out a breath of relief as I was able to reattach my limbs. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could grow back limbs or not, but since the squirrel had abandoned the limbs after tearing them off of me one after another, they were still around to recollect. We had very cautiously made our way in, sending Alysia to go get them. Since she was my sword, I could recall her to my hand at a moments warning, and then we could duck back into our safe spawn among the traps. I had also accessed my dungeon and redesigned the hallway with a greater focus on cold and ice-based traps. Any fire monster would be doused trying to make it through that hallway.


    Once we had all the limbs back, I had first reattached Terra¡¯s limb, which was considerably easier to do as she was a golem. There were methods to do it that didn¡¯t involve anything but her own innate abilities, although I found both Repair and Heal both would heal her injuries too. Then, it was the part I wasn¡¯t confident I could do. When my hand started to twitch, I felt a great deal of relief.


    My legs and arms burned for a few ours as the nerves reattached, but with Regeneration reinforced with Regen and my healing, it was only a matter of time before I was up again. During that time, another curious squirrel had ended up down in the trap, but it was quickly dispatched thanks to the better trap allocation. Feeling a bit more confident in my plans, I finally released the monster attractant, although I used a very small amount of it.


    As soon as it was lit, we fled back to my dungeon, remaining at a safe point. We had also decided to replace the fall onto spikes which I now new wouldn¡¯t work with a fall into a pit of something similar to liquid nitrogen. It was thicker that liquid nitrogen, but was insanely cold. It was the opposite of magma. We added slick stuff to the walls of the pit so the squirrels couldn¡¯t cling onto them either. Basically, at the last bit of the hallway, it suddenly arced down and got slippery. A few dozen squirrels came in, and a few dozen squirrels were dispatched.


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    That¡¯s when another enemy appeared. At first, I didn¡¯t even know what it was. It looked like magma that was just rolling across the ground. It took me a while to realize it as some kind of magma slime. I hadn¡¯t considered encountering such a slime. It plopped down into the hallway trap and then started moving forward. It hit the first trap, and then the second. It took about a minute for the traps to magically reset, but no matter how many squirrels came at once, they were usually were all gone by the third. However, this enemy went right passed the third and continued on.


    It moved forward at a slow pace, constantly sludging forward a few inches at a time. As it clearly the hallway, I was seriously starting to sweat. When it slid down the ramp and then fell into the pit, their was a small eruption as the magma struck the cold. For a moment, I thought the magma was going to keep coming. Once it reached the plant, I didn¡¯t know what we were going to do about it. However, after boiling for a few minutes, a blackened ash thing came floating to the surface. The magma slime had finally perished.


    I let out a breath of relief. Before I could say anything though, the plant immediately grabbed the slime and then consumed it. At that moment, it started to glow, and I felt a sudden burst of mana.


    {Your tamed monster, Carnivorous Plant has evolved into an Ember Vine.}

 Chapter 1410

    Once the Carnivorous Plant had become an Ember Vine, it took on red appearance and seemed completely resistant to heat. The vine started to move down the corridor, filling up our hallway of traps. Since it wasn¡¯t an enemy, it didn¡¯t ignore the cold or ice traps, so it only had to avoid the ice pit we had created. It was as if the Ember Vine was being drawn to the heat of the dungeon above. I was worried it was going to enter the other dungeon, but its growth seemed to stop just as it reached the entrance.


    A squirrel fell down the hole, but it didn¡¯t even reach the ground before a vine snapped out and grabbed it. It screeched and fought, but it couldn¡¯t cause any fire damage, and even as it shredded the vine, more grabbed it. It only struggled for a few moments before it was consumed. As the group of us watched the Ember Vine, we couldn¡¯t help but gulp.


    I hadn¡¯t expected it to evolve. It seemed like the diet I had given it had shaped its direction of evolution too. If I had to fight the Ember Vine instead of the carnivorous plant, I was pretty sure I would have been dead.


    A slime dropped in, but it didn¡¯t even make it to the first trap before it was torn apart. Each monster was immediately consumed, and that mana was pumped into my dungeon. Well, technically, it was pumped into the Ember Vine, but the Ember Vine was spreading its roots through the dungeon, and was giving off energy. I could feel the labyrinth growing stronger with each passing second.


    Once I was sure the perpetual harvesting machine I built was working well, I left that part of the dungeon and started some other tasks.


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    I used Terra¡¯s help to relocate the flow of a spring bringing it right through the center of the dungeon. This spring was none other than a primordial waters of life spring. It was no feeding our dungeon directly. I also took the Cyclops with me and then went and subjugated two more bosses. Whether it was getting easier or we had picked the harder bosses to start with, these two were captured rather. easily.


    One of them was a three headed bear with a high physical output, and the other was a Blood Spirit, which was just a red-colored spirt that seemed to concentrate on spiritual attacks. I placed them down in strategic positions as well, and then made sure the mana from their territories was feeding into our dungeon.


    When I had only one day left, that¡¯s when I began to create mobs. Mobs could theoretically be made instantaneously, but these guys were a bit special. I was outfitting them with the armor and weapons being constructed by the deep dwarves. To save on silvthril material, Gabbro came up with a silvthril edged sword. Since it was just the edge, it¡¯d still damage dungeon monsters considerably, but could be handled safely by dungeon monsters and used only a small fraction of silvthril compared to a sword made out of it entirely.


    My army consisted of skeleton creatures. That just happened to be the lore I had the most confidence in. I supposed I could have made ghosts to face ghosts, but something told me it was better to stick to the undead. After all, in the Twilight Dungeon, it was the undead who were battling the demons. Each skeleton was outfitted with dwarven steel armor and a silvthril tipped sword. It was such a finally produced army, it made me slightly tearful that they¡¯d be wasted on such a task.


    The final day came. Twilight would have finished with King Diorite, and she¡¯d be on her way any moment. Just as I considered that, there was a boom.


    {A rival dungeon master has entered your dungeon and declared war. Push them back to protect your dungeon.}

 Chapter 1411

    ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± I cried out, although I really didn¡¯t need to say anything.


    The way I had constructed the dungeon, it was shaped like a cone, with the bottom of the cone being where the barrier had been and ultimately where Twilight¡¯s forces would be coming in. Each subsequent level heading up was wider and contained a greater defense. Since I was a Dungeon Master, I had awareness of everything that was going on in the dungeon. I was able to replicate a trick that Elaya used to use, and with the wave of my hand, I created an image of the entrance.


    The entrance to my dungeon had been breached, and it was no a portal connecting to Twilight. This wasn¡¯t the Infernal Hell Dungeon, but the lifestream herself had directly connected to my dungeon just like a dungeon. She wasn¡¯t the dungeon master that had invaded my territory either. That job went to her new avatar, King Diorite. Seeing him again had shocked me for a moment, but then I realized that this was always what was going to happen. He was now completely under her control, and she would use him like a doll to attack us.


    I sent a wave of skeletons down to meet the wraiths. Then, I grabbed Alysia and stood up, heading for the safe room¡¯s teleportation array.


    ¡°Master, what are you doing?¡± Alysia asked worriedly.


    ¡°If we can¡¯t stop King Diorite, we can¡¯t stop Twilight¡¯s advance,¡± I responded.


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    ¡°Master, we¡¯re not that much stronger. All of your leveling has been in Blacksmith!¡±


    I lowered my head. ¡°I know. He was able to defeat me before, and now he is likely even stronger. The only advantage I may have is that he¡¯d be more susceptible to silvthril now that he is taken over by the dungeon lore. Still, we have to attempt it.


    ¡°Master, I¡¯m coming.¡± Terra walked up to me.


    ¡°Terra, I need you just in case¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Master¡¯s guardian! I am your shield. I¡¯m going.¡±


    I opened my mouth and then closed it. She was right. I would have died to that squirrel if she hadn¡¯t saved my life. I might need her again.


    ¡°Where are we going to fight him?¡± Alysia asked worriedly.


    I¡¯m having our forces redirect him to the first boss room. This is the room where we will battle him.¡±


    ¡°Which boss will he fight?¡± Terra asked.


    ¡°Bosses¡­¡± I responded. ¡°The Raging Cyclops, the Apeman, and the Blood Spirit are all in that room. Two physical and one spiritual attacker. If I could move the Ember Vine without weakening the entire dungeon, I¡¯d have him there too, but this is the best I can do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s over half our forces¡­¡± Alysia, having been a general, could see the risk.


    ¡°Everything depends on stopping them there.¡± I reiterated. ¡°If we can¡¯t defeat King Diorite, then Twilight¡¯s victory is assured!¡±


    The three of us teleported down to the large stage I had built to battle King Diorite. I had tried to select an area that would be more advantageous to the bosses and less advantageous to King Diorite. This was going to decide how this all ended.


    I waited as the fight continued, most of the skeletons being wiped out. I claimed and recovered the armor and weapons when I could, and used mana to create new skeletons. Eventually, King Diorite reached the first boss room. It was time for round two.

 Chapter 1412

    ¡°You should have fled when you had the chance.¡± King Diorite said as he looked over the room and his eyes landed on me.


    His voice didn¡¯t sound like the voice of King Diorite though. Instead, it had a multi-tone sound of several people speaking on top of each other, the loudest of them seemed to be the voice I was familiar with, that of the Twilight princess.


    ¡°King Diorite,¡± I said. ¡°I did what you asked me to do. I protected your people, and Sapphire had even been taken on as an apprentice by your brother-in-law Gabbro. He was quite impressed with her.¡±


    ¡°All of that is meaningless,¡± Twilight spoke. ¡°In time, they will be a part of me, and so will their stories.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you!¡± I snapped. ¡°I¡¯m talking to King Diorite. I¡¯m talking to the part of him that is still in there.¡±


    Twilight made a face. ¡°You still don¡¯t seem to understand. King Diorite has united with me. His memories are my memories. I am King Diorite. Everything about him is me, his past, his future, his mind, his emotions¡­ they are one with me. When I speak, it is King Diorite speaking.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that,¡± I responded. ¡°You create a world of stagnancy and death. When you force everything to be the same, nothing new can ever be created. With your path, there is no lore, not future.¡±


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    ¡°That is chaos! I bring order.¡± It growled.


    ¡°You bring nothingness¡­ and end to progression. There may be no pain, and no joy, but there is also no love and no happiness.¡± I declared. ¡°That is why I believe there has to be some part deep inside you, some part of you that is still King Diorite. I believe that every being you have ever swallowed still exists. Even if they have stopped fighting, they still have their thoughts and their wills. You¡¯re just pretending they don¡¯t exist!¡±


    ¡°That is an interesting theory.¡± Twilight chuckled. ¡°However, it is a theory bread with ignorance. King Diorite wants what I want. We all want the same. They have seen the truth, and they have chosen to join my utopia. In time, you will also see the truth.¡±


    ¡°Diorite, I will protect your kingdom and keep your daughter and wife safe. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Enough! We are done with talking. You are standing between me and the surface. If you will not work with me, then I will remove you! The outcome of this battle is inevitable.¡± King Diorite exploded forward, attempting an attack on me.


    As before, its speed was incredible. The difference this time was that I had the Apeman who also had an enormous speed. He met Twilight, intercepting it and sealing off its movements. Before the victor of their outcome could be settled, the cyclops swung down a club forcing Twilight to abandon its attack and jump back. However, no sooner had it jumped back than the Blood Spirit let out a screeching sound that came out in waves.


    Twilight grabbed its ears as it was struck with the soul attack. It blurred, appearing back where it had started without gaining any ground.


    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken, Twilight.¡± I glared at it. ¡°About a lot of things.¡±


    ¡°How is that?¡± It sneered back.


    ¡°There is a tear on your face,¡± I remarked, causing Twilight to jerk.


    After telling King Diorite about the outcome of his family, a single tear had fallen down his cheek. Twilight wiped it away furiously and then attacked.

 Chapter 1413

    Whether that tear fell from that face because of my words or because of the Blood Spirit attack, I didn¡¯t know. All of Twilight¡¯s actions after that point though showed no sympathy, not that I had ever considered King Diorite a sympathetic person.


    I avoided fighting directly, staying back as a support for my Monsters. I was a supporter, and supporting those more powerful than me was what I was best at. Whether it was slaves or monsters, I could amplify their strength and then turn it against my enemies. With my healing ability, I could repair their damage, speed them up, and boost their abilities. I proceeded to do all of this.


    This was ultimately why I went to such efforts to tame these monsters. I suspected that part of the reason I was even able to tame them in the first place was that deep down, they could sense that Twilight was coming, and understood that the only way they would have a chance was if they worked together and had their strength amplified. I had to admit to myself that under normal circumstances, I don¡¯t think I could have easily tamed such powerful boss monsters. They were all more powerful than I was, yet they had each succumbed to me eventually and allowed me to be their master. It was their survival instinct.


    The only one who didn¡¯t fight was Terra. Compared to the much larger monsters, Terra was too small of a target. Her strength was defense, but what boss monster didn¡¯t have a ton of defense? Plus, with their sizes, she¡¯d need to be leaping around desperately to protect them. Monsters weren¡¯t people, and even after taming them they wouldn¡¯t understand party dynamics or remain in formation.


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    Thus, I decided it was better to keep her out of it, or perhaps more importantly to keep the pair of us in reserve. At a vital point in the battle, the pair of us could rush in and deliver the final strike on Twilight¡¯s avatar, thus ending this dungeon battle for good.


    While trying to manage this battle, I was also having to manage the battle between the wraiths and my skeletons. There were more wraiths, and the battle was a continuous effort of falling back. However, I had built the dungeon so that there was a lot of room to fall back on. Still, we needed to defeat Twilight quickly, and then we could focus on pushing back the flood of enemies and end the battle.


    ¡°It is time to end this!¡± Twilight suddenly shouted. ¡°I¡¯m done playing with you any longer.¡±


    A rumbling sound came through the entire room, and then dozens of those black shadow-like vines that had overtaken the dwarf city came barging through the door. They flowed through the room, forcing the bosses to have to engage them. The Blood Spirit who used a soul attack seemed to be the best and forcing them back, but as soon as one tentacle disintegrated, another dozen appeared.


    More and more poured into the room like a flood. The cyclops fell back and was overtaken in a flood of tentacles.


    {Your Raging Cyclops had died!}


    ¡°So quickly?¡± I cried out.


    ¡°Did you honestly think this battle would go in your direction? I am the world! And you¡­ you are far too small!¡±

 Chapter 1414

    ¡°Terra! Now!¡±


    Terra leaped up, creating several rock divots as she leaped to the top of the ceiling of the boss room. When she reached the top, Twilight finally noticed her.


    ¡°You¡­ apostle of Gaia. Your death will be the most rewarding.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well try with this!¡±


    A stone platform moved over, and immediately a flood of liquid fell from the ceiling like a waterfall. This was one of the things I had planned. As the Apeman was starting to be overwhelmed with tentacles, a flood of water fell rushed by. As soon as it touched any of the dark tentacles, there was a sizzling sound. The flood of water was of course water of life, enriched mana that seemed to be opposed to Twilight¡¯s resin. As the tentacles retreated, one grabbed Twilight and pulled it up off the ground, pulling it back too.


    Unfortunately, the stream quickly fell to a trickle. It had only been a small stream that I had redirected to this spot. The rest was too important to feeding the dungeon and making it stronger. This batch had stored up and was released all at once. The room was filled with bubbling fog as miasma and mana clashed. The Blood Spirit continued to screech and push back the tentacles.


    ¡°Master, what do we do?¡± Terra asked.


    I frowned as I thought about it. I had created enough of a barrier with the three bosses to keep the avatar at bay, but they also hadn¡¯t done a lot of damage either. When it came to mana use, I had to heal them several times and use a lot of mana to keep them fighting. Meanwhile, the wraiths were continuing their ascent and were already 1/3<sup>rd</sup> of the way up. The best we had done is delay Twilight. We hadn¡¯t managed to harm the avatar in the slightest.


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    ¡°We need to fall back.¡± I gave the order. Head to Boss room 2. Terra!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Terra went to the side and slammed her fist into one of the columns. As it fell, it struck another column, knocking it down. This column hit another, and then another. The entire boss room began to creak and groan as the rocks began to fall from the ceiling. The Spirit began to fly back and the Apeman left the room. I locked eyes with a form in the distance surrounded by darkness.


    ¡°You¡¯re only delaying the inevitable, Deek. I¡¯m coming for you. I¡¯m always coming.¡±


    Terra grabbed me and the pair of us fled as the room completely collapsed. This wasn¡¯t just collapsing a room, but breaking off a piece of the dungeon. Everything up to that point, nearly 1/3 of the dungeon, was no longer in my awareness. Our only choice was to retreat to the 2<sup>nd</sup> boss room and give it a go. We¡¯d be meeting up with the three-headed bear, and if luck was willing, we¡¯d have a chance to take a breath.


    That¡¯s what I was hoping, but then an alarm popped in front of my vision, and I couldn¡¯t help but let out a groan.


    {A rival dungeon master has entered your dungeon and declared war. Push them back to protect your dungeon.}


    This wasn¡¯t because I had cut off a piece of my dungeon. The piece of my dungeon I sacrificed had merely gone to Twilight. This was a second dungeon master declaring war at the same time. I could already feel the fighting going on in another part of the dungeon. The Infernal Hell had suddenly decided to declare war on us.

 Chapter 1415

    ¡°Master¡­ what do we do?¡±


    There was another boom, the entire place shook as another portion of the dungeon collapsed.


    {Your tamed monster, The Ember Vine, has died.}


    Infernal Hell was attacking from one side, and Twilight was attacking from another. We were surrounded, and we were severely outmatched. I had collapsed a part of the dungeon and bought us a little bit of time on each side, but it was an inevitability that the two sides would crush us and meet. Then, it wouldn¡¯t be just our lives on the line, but the lives of everyone on the surface too.


    ¡°Master! I have an idea. Come meet us in the main boss room.¡± Garnet sent a communication.


    She had remained mostly quiet while I was focusing on the fighting, but she must have realized that the situation was turning south. I went to the safe room and used the transportation array to travel to my boss¡¯s room. I was hesitant to part for too long, as I didn¡¯t know how long it¡¯d be before Twilight managed to force her way through. As I walked into the main boss room, I found Garnet, Lapis, and Gabbro all waiting for me. Behind them were the rest of the dwarves as well as Pait and Dav.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve made as much armor and weapons as we can make.¡± Gabbro explained. ¡°Now, we¡¯re here to fight.¡±


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    ¡°Fight?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but keep a feeling of bitterness out of my voice.


    ¡°Every dwarf here is willing to put their life on the line.¡± Gabbro declared. ¡°This threat is a danger to us all. We may be small, but we are fighters. We¡¯d love a chance to get back at the shadow witch who took everything from us.¡±


    His words were filled with ambition and determination. If this had been a few hours ago, I would have felt my spirit being lifted. However, after seeing us have to fall back and seeing boss after boss fall, I knew that there was no victory to be had.


    ¡°King Diorite didn¡¯t give me his legacy so that you guys could all perish,¡± I spoke carefully.


    ¡°Deek, even so¡­¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have wanted you all to die,¡± I said with certainty. ¡°He would have wanted you all to escape.¡±


    ¡°What about Twilight, then?¡± Gabbro demanded. ¡°What did he want to do about that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I tried to build a dungeon, but it wasn¡¯t strong enough. He gave me this lore, and I still wasn¡¯t able to change his fate¡­¡± I stopped as I said those words, and a realization came over me. ¡°Unless¡­ I was wrong about the legacy in the first place.¡±


    ¡°What are you on about?¡±


    ¡°King Diorite handed me his lore. At first, I thought he intended me to use it. Then, I had thought he intended it for Sapphire. Maybe¡­ he never intended us to open it at all.¡±


    I started to search through the dungeon lore, finding the pieces obtained by King Diorite. I immediately found what I was looking for.


    ¡°Deek?¡± Garnet asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m such an idiot!¡± I smacked my head. ¡°He never intended me to build a dungeon to block Twilight. He intended me to build a dungeon to ignite it. His plan¡­ his weapon¡­ it was always to ignite the lore. He had a way to do it¡­ it sort of cause the dungeon to collapse into a black hole of lore. It would cut the Infernal Hell and Twilight off for months if not years!¡±


    I knew what I had to do now. I had to finish what King Diorite started. I had to blow up the dungeon right in his face.

 Chapter 1416

    ¡°What will happen to us when the dungeon explodes?¡± Lapis asked with some worry on her face.


    I looked up at her and grimaced. ¡°It will be bad. All lore will be torn up and destroyed. Everyone would die. However, I won¡¯t allow that. If you guys go now, I¡¯ll hold out for as long as I can¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about staying behind?¡± Terra asked.


    ¡°Terra, someone needs to activate it¡­¡±


    I had seen the lore, so I understood the consequences of activating the lore better than anyone. This was something that had to be done by hand.


    ¡°No!¡± Terra declared.


    ¡°Terra¡­ don¡¯t force me to make an order¡­¡±


    ¡°Master, you misunderstand!¡± Terra cried out. ¡°I mean, I have an idea where we can all escape.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ can you bring our Alysia again, and have her turn into that thing from before.¡±


    ¡°Thing? Ah, the drill? Alysia?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    I held out my hand, and Alysia appeared in my hands again in her drill form. ¡°It¡¯s nothing special. She uses her will to turn herself rapidly, and these blades dig into the earth¡­¡±


    As I was describing it, the dwarves all became noisy. Gabbro and a few others moved close and started looking over Alysia carefully.


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    ¡°This is fascinating!¡± Gabbro declared. ¡°Such ingenuity¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say to that. I had taken the plans from Earth. This was Earth¡¯s ingenuity, not my own. I wondered how he¡¯d react to some of the engineering books I had brought back with me.


    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what this has to do with anything.¡±


    ¡°You were able to use that to drill directly up through Hell¡¯s Inferno,¡± Terra explained. ¡°I was also able to build something that protected my imager and I sent it up a vent to get to the surface.¡±


    ¡°Twilight had allowed you to send that. She was trying to get me down here.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Even so, it made it in one piece far beyond her reach! What if we built a device like that, but enough to hold everyone.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ like a rocket?¡±


    ¡°Like a drill! There is a thermal vent directly behind this room. I can feel it. With all of the dwarf¡¯s help, I¡¯m sure we can make a deep-to-surface drill. We can build up the pressure in the vent under it, and once Master activates the spell, then we all jump in, launch it off, and go woosh up as the deep explodes beneath us!¡± Terra spoke more animatedly than usual, which spoke to her passion for building such a thing.


    ¡°It is possible¡­¡± Gabbro nodded after a second, giving Sapphire a look. ¡°No¡­ we¡¯ll make it happen. We just need a few hours.¡±


    ¡°If we run, there is no guarantee we get out of the weapon¡¯s reach. However, this guy will bring us to the surface in hours if not minutes. It¡¯ll save us a ton of time.¡±


    ¡°Terra¡­¡± I started uncertainly.


    ¡°So, what does Master think?¡± Terra asked, causing the rest of the dwarves to also look in my direction.


    I thought about it for a second, and then I smiled and reached out a patted her head. ¡°I think it¡¯s great.¡±


    Everyone cheered and then started to race back to the furnaces to heat them again. There would be one last order before we left. However, we were already acting on borrowed time, and it¡¯d only get worse. However, behind my smile was a more distant expression.


    ¡°You can hide it from me,¡± Alysia whispered in my ear. ¡°This won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°There is no activating it and then leaving.¡± I sighed. ¡°The weapon requires a powerful soul to ignite it. That¡¯s why King Diorite planned to use mine from the beginning.¡±

 Chapter 1417

    Although I knew I wouldn¡¯t be taking that journey to the surface, to keep up with moral, I encouraged the others to keep going. If this allowed all of the deep dwarves to live and reach the surface quickly to warn others, then it would be worth the attempt. I could hear hammering already, even though Terra was still designing the thing with Garnet as a consultant. They¡¯d be doing it by the seat of their pants.


    I decided to focus on what I could do, which was managing the battle between the two dungeons. I needed to hold them off for as long as possible. Only an hour passed by when the barrier to the Twilight had been broken. I moved the forces I could spare, working on slowing them down by any means necessary. I was no longer focused on repelling or stopping them. As long as I could delay them another minute, that would suffice.


    I also began to consume any useless items or superfluous areas, turning them into mana. If I had to chop off every limb of the dungeon to keep it alive as long as it needed to survive, I would do so. Progress moved quickly, and the 2<sup>nd</sup> Boss room was breached. The Blood Spirit hadn¡¯t taken much damage in the first fight, and I had healed the Apeman. They were joined by the three-headed bear. A free-for-all once again occurred in the boss room, lasting for nearly fifteen minutes.


    {Your monster, the Apeman, has died.}


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    I had to collapse this room as well. Unfortunately, with our Terra or myself there, collapsing the room had consequences. The bear had to hold King Diorite back during the collapse, and he was caught in it as well.


    {Your monster, the Three-headed bear, has died.}


    The Blood Spirit, since it didn¡¯t depend on a physical body, was the only one to escape. I was down to a single final boss. It was another ten minutes when the Infernal Hell broke through on their side. I didn¡¯t even try to fight them. I immediately collapsed more corridors.


    Another hour passed by, and every time they broke through, I collapsed again. The Blood Spirit did his best to hold back the wraiths. He was extremely effective against the wraiths, and many of them fell to his bloody screams. However, in the end, they overwhelmed him.


    {Your monster, the Blood Spirit, has died.}


    The last of my bosses were killed. I had managed to hold things for three hours. Had it only been three hours? It had felt like three days. I was covered with sweat and gasping for air. I had been functioning totally as a dungeon master, my awareness being on the dungeon and not what was around me. Therefore, I hadn¡¯t kept notice of the progress that was being made.


    ¡°We¡¯re finished!¡± Gabbro announced.


    Behind him was a new door to my room, although this one appeared to be glass. It led into a large room, which appeared to be the drill base. There was a boom, and I could feel the boss room being breached. King Diorite was finally here.


    ¡°Go! Everyone, get in the rocket, we¡¯re out of time!¡±


    It was cutting it close, but they might just be able to make it. As for me, my fate was already decided.

 Chapter 1418

    I lifted the core in my hand, sacrificing and pouring in the last of the dungeon into it. I abandoned everything, pulling away and losing lore at every step so that I could maximize the amount of energy for this final attack. This was our only chance at keeping the dungeon from merging with Twilight. It was the only way to stop what was to come.


    As for my death, I had thought about it long and hard. I knew my death would be devastating to the girls, but Twilight was even more devastating. They needed time to prepare. They needed the time that only I could provide them. I had tried the other options, but from the moment this dungeon battle began I was outmatched on every level. Destroying King Diorite¡¯s god soul was the only way to strand it down there. It would still inevitably escape, but it would buy some time. It was anyone¡¯s guess how much, but it was exactly for that reason I had to go all out.


    ¡°Master, is that the weapon?¡±


    ¡°It is¡­  we just have to ignite it.¡± I nodded to myself. ¡°Is everyone on board?¡±


    ¡°They are¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m using the last of the mobs to hold him off in the room beyond, but he¡¯ll be here in a minute. Wait in the drill and close the door. The last second, I¡¯ll jump through with a portal.¡±


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    ¡°Yes¡­ I understand, Master.¡± Terra nodded.


    Her voice sounded slightly off, but I was focused on the bombs. As soon as she closed the door, I¡¯d ignite it. However, she didn¡¯t move from her spot.


    ¡°What is-¡°


    Just as I went to turn, something as hard as a rock hit me in the back of the head. I quickly regained consciousness, but I realized I was in another spot. I sat up, quickly noticing a bunch of dwarves looking down at me with worried looks on their faces. Sapphire stepped forward.


    ¡°Master¡­ Terra, she¡¯s been acting weird, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Terra?¡± I moved to my feet, shaking off the headache.


    Terra had knocked me unconscious? Why would she do that? I needed to set the bomb off. There wasn¡¯t time for any of this. Wait. The bomb! I ran to the door leading into the boss¡¯s room. I tried to open the door, but the latch wouldn¡¯t budge. I could see into the Boss room though. I could see Terra standing at the door, and in her hand was the orb.


    ¡°Terra, what are you doing?¡± I demanded, trying to force the door open again.


    That¡¯s when I realized that the door wasn¡¯t just jammed. It had been sealed shut. She had used her ability to mold the door into the drill.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master. I know you too well.¡± Terra smiled.


    ¡°Know me¡­ I need to detonate the bomb! What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°You were going to give your life, weren¡¯t you?¡± Terra asked.


    ¡°N-¡± Looking into her eyes, I realized I couldn¡¯t lie. ¡°We can still talk about this.¡±


    ¡°There is no time. You said so yourself.¡± Terra shrugged. ¡°The bomb needs a trigger. However, I am your guardian. I am your protector. So, I will be the one who detonates it!¡±

 Chapter 1419

    As she was speaking, the door blew open, and the face of King Diorite appeared. I barely even noticed him though.


    ¡°No! You can¡¯t!¡± I cried out, slamming my hands on the door. ¡°My soul¡­¡±


    ¡°My soul is supported by Gaia¡­¡± Terra responded, that gentle smile still on her face. ¡°No one can compete when it comes to triggering this bomb.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if what she was saying was the truth or not, but I didn¡¯t care. I started banging on the door harder and harder, my mind seemingly going to mush. However, I could already see the bomb getting brighter and brighter. It had already stopped.


    ¡°I always knew I would one day die for Master,¡± Terra explained. ¡°I love you, and I am happy that I was yours.¡±


    ¡°No! Just Stop! Listen to me, just stop!¡±


    I started trying to make a portal, but as it formed, Alysia appeared, her blade moving through and chopping the magic in two.


    ¡°What are you doing!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late for that!¡± Alysia declared.


    ¡°You¡­ you knew! You knew she was doing this¡­ you would have been awake even when she knocked me unconscious.¡±


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    Alysia looked away. ¡°I knew she was trying to save you. I didn¡¯t know her place was to give herself.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have time for that. I spun around, looking at the door again. The light was growing brighter. Mana was distorting around it. It was making it impossible to cast any more magic. The portal I was forming earlier probably would have failed too. It would have probably backlashed and hurt me if Alysia hadn¡¯t cut it just then, but I didn¡¯t care at that moment.


    Terra had turned away and was no longer looking at me. She was facing off against King Diorite.


    ¡°So, ultimately it came to this,¡± Twilight spoke. ¡°My avatar versus Gaia¡¯s avatar.¡±


    ¡°You had to have known it was going to end this way.¡± Terra declared, green light starting to wrap around her body at the same time black miasma wrapped around Twilight.


    Her voice no longer sounded like her own. It had taken on the multitoned voice of Gaia. As I banged against the glass desperately, I began to realize this was a fight between two soul worlds, and it wasn¡¯t one I was strong enough to be in. Terra must have known from the beginning that she¡¯d be the one who¡¯d have to face off against Twilight. She didn¡¯t say anything to me because she was afraid I¡¯d order her to stop. Now, I could even send her a Slave Communication if I wanted to.


    ¡°I¡¯d consider it a fair trade. The death of one avatar for another. You¡¯re using Gaia herself to ignite this bomb. Once that bomb goes off, Gaia will be severely weakened. In a year, maybe two¡­ I¡¯ll reach the surface.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be hindered without your avatar.¡±


    ¡°So will you¡­¡± Twilight smirked. ¡°But for me, I still have her. I now know she¡¯s alive, and her other half is on the surface. Once we reunite, I will bring peace to this world for good.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if things will go the way you think¡­¡± Gaia turned back and looked at me, it was Terra¡¯s face.


    Our eyes met, and she gave one final smile. Her hand closed, and the bomb ignited.

 Chapter 1420

    For a fraction of a second, I watched as Terra¡¯s face began to crack apart. Each part of her split and shattered, breaking into a million tiny fragments. The explosion radiated outward, and even King Diorite seemed to welcome the end with outstretched arms. That was all I saw, as a moment later a powerful force slammed me into the floor and I lost consciousness.


    Again, I was only out briefly. The drill was moving now, sending us up, and force on our bottoms was extreme. Everyone else was strapped in, except for me who had been standing at the door up until launch. I had ended up hitting my head again, but thanks to my constitution, I didn¡¯t seem to be able to be knocked out for more than a few blissful moments before I was back to full lucidity. The image of Terra being destroyed played through my mind over and over again.


    I had nothing else I could do but watch it as our drill shuttered and bounced while drilling its way up a volcanic shaft at likely blistering speeds.


    ¡°Master, I¡¯m really sorry¡­¡± Alysia¡¯s voice whispered in my head.


    I felt a surge of anger at first, but it quickly dissipated into helplessness. It wasn¡¯t Alysia¡¯s fault. She had only done what she thought was right. Terra had only done what she thought was right too. That cost Terra her life. It was her life exchanged for mine. It wasn¡¯t just her life. I remembered what they said. The explosion would have hurt Gaia too. If it was just me, igniting my soul world, then the explosion might not have been as strong. However, it was Gaia using a fraction of her energy. It became a double-edged blade. The explosion might have been better, but Gaia would also have been hurt. As for Terra, she was nothing but the middle-man used to accomplish this feat.


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    Boom! There was a big thud, and I was airborne for a moment before slamming into the side. I really should have strapped myself in. I ended up being bounced around for a bit more until the drill finally settled. We had reached the surface. I didn¡¯t even both to see where we had come landside. Instead, I brought all of the dwarves into my soul world and then used Return to bring myself back to a familiar castle.


    It was still under construction, but I considered this my home more than the mansion. When it was finished, it¡¯d be the place I ruled from. Except, that rule was down a person.


    ¡°Master!¡± Alysia gave me a warning.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There is something wrong with Sapphire.¡±


    I was going to spend a few minutes grieving before revealing to the girls I was back. After such a long journey there, it all felt far too abrupt. However, it appeared I wasn¡¯t allowed any breaks at all. I entered my soul world, and my eyes immediately went to Sapphire. She had suddenly collapsed to the ground, her face red, and her body weak.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°When the drill started, she started looking sick. I thought she just wasn¡¯t handling the forces, but as soon as she was in your soul world, she just collapsed.


    Sapphire was on the ground, her face pale and her body completely weak. Was this some kind of cruel curse sent by Twilight? Was this some backlash from trying to merge with the other Sapphire? I couldn¡¯t guess, and at that moment my emotions were a roller coaster that had trouble thinking clearly.


    Everyone was looking down at Sapphire anxiously, even Gabbro. He appeared to have become somewhat concerned about his new apprentice over the last few days, and now genuinely looked frightened.


    I immediately began using every spell I knew. Whether it was a curse, a poison, physical damage, or a spirit, I tried to heal all of it. In the end, she calmed down a bit, but I knew I had only postponed things. It was hard to say exactly how I knew, but some aspect of my White Mage made it certain in my mind. Sapphire was dying.

 Chapter 1421

    Looking down at the sick Sapphire, a reluctance in me began to rise up. This wouldn¡¯t do. I wouldn¡¯t allow myself to lose someone else. I immediately grabbed her and picked her up, causing those watching us make noises of surprise. I didn¡¯t wait for permission though as I left my soul world with her, appearing back within the boss room.


    ¡°Everyone, to me now!¡± I gave with Slave Communication.


    ¡°Master?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s back!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Voices flooded into my mind as I reconnected with all of the girls. One by one, they started to appear in front of me. I wasn¡¯t quite sure how they arrived so quickly, but each girl had her ways. Celeste¡¯s speed couldn¡¯t be matched, and she moved like the air. Shao seemed to dance through the shadows, rising in a way that reluctantly made me think of Twilight. Elaya simply appeared from nowhere, using some kind of teleportation circle. Miki was probably the slowest, but she arrived from the safe room after only a minute or two.


    Shao wore her typical dark robes, but Miki had also started wearing black dresses which made her pale skin even more pronounced until she looked nearly white. Her once pale white hair had black streaks in it down, and it gave her a goth-like appearance. Since being Lady Death, she had drastically changed. Meanwhile, Elaya wore a fine dress fit for a queen, and Celeste wore a simple fairy dress. They hadn¡¯t changed much at all.


    Once all of the girls were in front of me, I looked across them. The appearance of Celeste, Miki, and Shao hit me the hardest. Other than Lydia who still had yet to return, all of the other girls were here. These were the five that had been part of my party. We had fought innumerable enemies together and ventured into the darkest part of dungeons. We had experienced life and death together. Yet, I knew that even if Lydia appeared in the next second, our group would never be able to form again. Terra was gone.


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    Was it possible to replace her? Carmine also had high defense, so from the idea of having a tank, another could be found. However, that wasn¡¯t what mattered. Terra was Terra, and she was a vital part of our formation and our lives. In an instant, she had disappeared, giving her life for gaia. No¡­ she had given her life for me. Had I been strong enough, she wouldn¡¯t have needed to sacrifice herself to ignite that bomb. Even after all the growth, I had achieved, I still wasn¡¯t strong enough.


    Just thinking about it was enough that I almost broke down. My body shook, and Sapphire still resting in my arms felt as heavy as a mountain. However, Sapphire had a small dwarf body. She wasn¡¯t particularly large. She wasn¡¯t like Terra, whose heavy golem body was at ends with her small stature. The image of her appeared in my mind again, the last scene of her own a few hours before as her body broke apart. I had already tried to resurrect her and failed. Her soul didn¡¯t come to my call.


    ¡°Master, what¡¯s wrong?¡± It was Miki who seemed to notice the sadness in me first, but the other girls were quick to follow.


    As soon as she asked that question, my legs didn¡¯t feel like working anymore. I fell to my knees. The girls all let outcries, and Celeste carefully floated Sapphire out of my arms as I fell to the ground. Miki grabbed me from one side, while Shao grabbed me from the other.


    ¡°Why does Master feel despair?¡± Shao asked, her eyes fearful.


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ lost something,¡± Miki responded, uncertainly. ¡°I¡¯ve seen that look too many times. It¡¯s the look of someone who has lost a loved one. Master¡­¡±


    ¡°Where is Terra?¡± It was Celeste who asked this.


    Leave it to her to be the most observant. Celeste quickly dug into the heart of the matter. As soon as the name was said, I felt a tightening in my chest.


    ¡°Sh-she¡¯s gone¡­¡± I barely managed to get out.

 Chapter 1422

    It took a bit for me to get back up. Elaya had created a chair for me and I sat down in it, trying to regain my strength. At least I hadn¡¯t broken down crying. There would be time for that later. At the moment, there were more important things. However, the girls had already noticed that things were wrong and were quizzing me frantically with tears in their eyes, so I had to explain everything first.


    I gave the simplest version of the story that I could. I explained what happened once I reached the deep. I had explained a rough version of Twilight, freeing Terra and Garnet, and then igniting the core of a dungeon to try to destroy her avatar and delay her ascent. The girls asked questions when applicable. It was Elaya who had the most pointed and clear questions, and perhaps only her who truly understood the potential terror and threat that Twilight posed to the rest of us. When I finished explaining how Terra had sacrificed herself using Gaia, and that this had only happened a short few hours ago, the group had become quiet.


    After a few moments, I grew impatient and asked, ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    ¡°Xin is out on patrol,¡± Elaya reported dutifully. ¡°As for Astria, she went to investigate a matter in the wilderness. This is something we should discuss¡­¡±


    ¡°Not right now,¡± I responded shortly, not meaning to cut her off, but also not willing to handle another issue right now. ¡°No one else has returned.¡±


    The girls all looked at each other and then shook their heads. Over a month had passed since I had been back. Assuredly, the girls would have heard that I was alive and returned by now. Miki had been kidnapped, and in a way so had Terra and Sapphire. Shao was in a situation where she couldn¡¯t have received news one way or another. However, Raissa, Salicia, Lydia, and Carmine all should have been able to come back.  At least I knew where Carmine was, but the rest were a mystery to me.


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    ¡°I¡¯m still confused.¡± Celeste declared, causing Shao and Miki to groan.


    I wasn¡¯t in the mood to try to explain things more clearly to Celeste, but I didn¡¯t want to cut her off either. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Why are you saying Terra is dead?¡± She asked.


    Miki shot her a look. ¡°Celeste!¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Because I watched her die?¡±


    ¡°How can that be?¡± Celeste asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t Terra nearby?¡±


    ¡°Nearby?¡± I blinked. ¡°What are you saying? I¡¯ve already tried to resurrect her, but it failed. Her soul was burned away in the explosion. I saw it happen.¡±


    ¡°What about you slave bond?¡± Celeste asked.


    ¡°Celeste, it¡¯s not the time¡­¡± Shao tried to intervene.


    I looked at her incredulously. ¡°My slave bond is¡­ wait, what? It¡¯s intact!¡±


    I had been so distraught over her death, I hadn¡¯t even been paying attention. I had lost consciousness just as Terra died, so I had assumed I missed the announcement of our slave bond being broken. However, in my distraught state, I hadn¡¯t even noticed it was still attached! It was like when a person was holding their keys while asking everyone where their keys were. I suddenly felt foolish.


    ¡°How could you know?¡± Miki asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Eh? I smell her¡­ but I can¡¯t see her¡­¡± Celeste frowned, looking around. ¡°I wonder where she is.¡±


    She started sniffing around, even sniffing Miki as she passed, causing her to take a step back. I began to follow my slave bond too, and the both of us didn¡¯t take more than a half dozen steps before we stopped at the same time in front of a certain person lying on a small cot conjured by Elaya. It was Sapphire.


    ¡°W-wake her up.¡± I barely managed to get out.

 Chapter 1423

    It was Miki who put her hand on Sapphire¡¯s head and began to work her magic. Her spirit tails flickered in and out of existence. She wasn¡¯t doing anything particularly strenuous. There might have been a time where she would have had to summon all nine tails to do something like this, but she was far more spiritually entuned now since being Lady Death. After a few moments of prodding, Sapphire¡¯s eyes fluttered open.


    ¡°Hmm? I¡­ where am I? Master?¡± Her eyes seemed to land on me.


    I immediately crouched down next to her bed. ¡°Terra?¡±


    ¡°N-no¡­ I¡¯m Sapphire?¡± She reached down and grabbed her body. ¡°I am Sapphire, right?¡±


    I let out a breath, feeling just a bit uneasy. ¡°Yes, you are.¡±


    ¡°I thought she was Garnet?¡± Celeste declared.


    ¡°I¡¯m Sapphire now!¡± She responded defiantly.


    ¡°I see¡­ then¡­ Terra really is dead.¡±


    Sapphire looked away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master. I tried to tell you. Terra started acting weird right before we left.¡±


    ¡°Weird?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, she suddenly cornered me in a room, and then she¡­ well¡­¡± She looked away.


    ¡°What?¡± I frowned.


    ¡°Sh-she kissed me!¡±


    ¡°Terra finally had her sexual awakening?¡± Celeste asked excitedly, only to get swatted on the back of the head by Miki. ¡°Owie¡­ I was just saying¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop talking and listen!¡± Miki chastised.


    ¡°She kissed you?¡± I frowned.


    Not every girl I was with went both ways. Lydia would happily lay with any woman as long as Master was involved, and Celeste had opened her sexually. Miki was hesitant, and only Lydia could get her to play with girls. Elaya and Astria were both bisexual, while Xin was gay with me being the one exception. Salicia only loved her sister and me and had a sadomasochistic relationship with Carmine, who was disgusted by it even while participating in it. Shao would do anything I asked, but only had an interest in me. As far as I knew, Terra was straight, not liking being with other girls but tolerating it. So, why would she suddenly kiss Sapphire?


    While I was considering this, Miki still had her hand on Sapphire and was concentrating. After a brief moment, she pulled away and nodded to herself.


    ¡°Master, I know what is wrong with Sapphire.¡±


    ¡°There is something wrong with me? I feel really weak and tired, now that you mention it.¡± Sapphire frowned. ¡°Did I pass out?¡±


    ¡°You did¡­ you nearly died,¡± I explained, before turning to Miki. ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s carrying two,¡± Miki announced.


    ¡°I¡¯m pregnant!¡± Sapphire¡¯s drowsy appearance ended in a second.


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    Everyone turned to me. ¡°Wh-what? I didn¡¯t touch her! It¡¯s not my baby!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean!¡± Miki replied with a straight face, but a mischievous look in her eyes suggested she had intentionally worded things badly to create such a misunderstanding.


    Perhaps the Miki I remembered before Lady Death was still around after all. I¡¯d normally be happy, but at this moment I was done having my emotions played with and just wanted the truth.


    ¡°What did you mean then!¡± I demanded.


    ¡°She has the same illness I had, although where I grew gradually, hers is sudden.¡± As we all looked at her blankly, she continued. ¡°She has too much soul power for her body! She¡¯s dying from excessive soul energy!¡±


    ¡°How can that be¡­¡± Sapphire asked. ¡°Is it¡­ is it because I tried to merge all of my soul fragments back together?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Miki shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s because your body has two souls!¡±


    ¡°Two souls!¡±


    ¡°Terra¡¯s soul is inside you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I nearly jumped up.


    ¡°I can only guess, but I believe Terra used that kiss to abandon her body. She attached it to Sapphire before you left.¡±


    ¡°How? I saw her moving¡­ speaking¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a golem! You saw a golem moving, speaking¡­ She was controlling it remotely!¡±


    ¡°That¡­ clever¡­¡± My vision blurred, and I realized my eyes teared up as I thought about her.


    I had a lot of things I wanted to say. I was angry, overjoyed, ecstatic, worried¡­  Terra had pulled one over on Twilight and me! She did to herself what King Diorite did to me. He had pulled my soul out of my body and then had me control it remotely. I could still function, but my lore was only being read at a distance. She did the same thing, hiding in Sapphire while she sacrificed her body.


    ¡°Then, her body is just stuck to Sapphire, we can cut it out and I can resurrect her!¡±


    ¡°That will be impossible,¡± Miki said. ¡°Her body was destroyed.¡±


    ¡°What? Her body has been destroyed before.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but not in this way. She¡¯s not a human anymore. She has no human body. She instead had a connection to the golem body. That connection was destroyed when that golem died. You could say the lore of the golem¡¯s physical body was obliterated in the explosion. That¡¯s why she¡¯s seemingly fallen into a slumber.¡±


    ¡°So, what can we do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d need a new body¡­ an unoccupied body to move her into,¡± Miki explained.


    ¡°How do we find that?¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Sapphire spoke up. ¡°We build it.¡±


    ¡°Build it?¡±


    ¡°You have the collective strength of the deep dwarves and the finest metals of the deep dwarf empire. We can rebuild her. We have the capability. We can make her better than she was. Stronger¡­ Faster¡­¡±


    ¡°The six million gold golem¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    I coughed. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s go talk to your uncle then.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Master, building a new body will take time,¡± Miki spoke up. ¡°She¡¯s dying now. They both are.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± In my excitement, I had nearly forgotten.


    Just the last few hours I had been through so many emotions that my mind had turned dumb. I took a deep breath and focused. We had to protect Sapphire¡¯s body, for both of them.


    ¡°What do we do?¡±


    Miki looked away. ¡°There is a solution¡­ but only Master can do it.¡±


    ¡°What solution?¡±


    ¡°To sustain Terra¡¯s soul, Master must inject life energy into Sapphire¡¯s body. You must touch your soul to hers, and your soul will reinforce her soul and strengthen her body. As long as this is done regularly, then she will be fine.¡±


    I closed my eyes. ¡°I understand. This is for Terra and Sapphire.¡±


    I reached down and grabbed Sapphire, picking her up.


    ¡°Eh? Huh? What¡¯s going on?¡± Sapphire asked.


    ¡°Sapphire¡­ I¡¯m going to need to have sex with you!¡±


    ¡°What? Now?¡±


    ¡°Immediately! Don¡¯t worry, I will be gentle.¡±


    ¡°Now? Now, now! I know I always tease you, but I¡¯m just a little girl! I¡¯m not emotionally read-¡±


    I stopped her talking by putting a finger on her lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you heard Miki. This is for your life and hers. I won¡¯t treat this casually. I¡¯m going to fill you full of my life.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ ah¡­ah¡­¡± With her mouth open, her face turning red, Sapphire had lost all ability to formulate sentences.


    I carefully brought her back into my bedroom behind the boss room and closed the door.


    Elaya leaned over to Miki. ¡°You know, there are like a hundred ways you could have extended her life. That potion you used to take, your spiritualist job, even Deek has some skills that would work.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Miki looked up innocently, a fangtooth showing as she gave a grin. ¡°Why would I ruin Master¡¯s fun?¡±


    Suffice it to say the mischievous fox girl was back to her old tricks.

 Chapter 1423.5

    It wasn¡¯t like I hadn¡¯t once brought my soul closer to Sapphire¡¯s in the past. I knew that I could do it to some extent without going so far physically. However, such an act decreased the gap between souls. It brought us close together, and I wasn¡¯t going to take Terra or Sapphire¡¯s life on chance. The feeling of losing Terra had nearly caused me to break. Now that I knew she was safe, I would do anything to protect her. Anything included exactly what I was going to do now.


    ¡°Wait¡­ this¡­¡± Sapphire protested as I put her on the bed.


    I stopped just as quickly as I had started, taking a step back. ¡°Do you not want to do this?¡±


    Sapphire¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Y-you stopped?¡±


    My mouth twitched. ¡°What kind of guy do you think I am? I¡¯m going to do anything you don¡¯t want me to do.¡±


    ¡°R-really? But you don¡¯t always ask the girls. I¡¯ve heard¡­ you¡¯ll just push them down and have your way with them!¡±


    I frowned, tapping my head. ¡°They¡¯re my slaves. I¡¯m a Slave Master. With Slave Empath, I know how the girls are feeling at any given moment. I don¡¯t usually need to ask to know how they¡¯re feeling and whether they have a problem with me. I¡¯ve never touched anyone who didn¡¯t want it.¡±


    ¡°Th-then¡­ my feelings are¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know your feelings.¡¯ I gave an awkward smile. ¡°You forget, you don¡¯t just have your soul, but Terra¡¯s soul as well. She¡¯s bonded as my slave just as much as you, but your feelings are crossed, so if you want me to know what you want, you¡¯ll have to tell me yourself.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how I feel?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be obvious?¡± She asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been in love with you since Twilight dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°You treated the people made in that dungeon like real people. It didn¡¯t matter to you whether they were part of this lore or another one. At first, I told myself you were just being kind. However, I saw you fight, love, and even risk your life for even just a fragment of lore. When the mermaid princess died and I saw how upset you are, I knew¡­¡±


    I had been so wrapped up in my issues at that time, I hadn¡¯t even noticed. I did remember that when I took Carmine to bed shortly after, she had started teasing me about joining. Had she been looking at me that long?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t be¡­ at the time, I wasn¡¯t sure if I even wanted you to know my true feelings. I am now, though¡­¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re certain now, why do you hesitate?¡± I asked.


    She blushed. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ in the past, I had never had a childhood. That¡¯s why I always acted so promiscuous. I drank, flirted, and joked around because part of me never really believed I was the real me. Does that make sense?¡±


    ¡°Sort of¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t like I knew exactly what she meant, but essentially when you didn¡¯t have a childhood, you didn¡¯t cherish purity or innocence.


    When you weren¡¯t even sure who you were, it was easy to act more recklessly. Now that she had a family she remembered, and a life, and responsibilities, she didn¡¯t feel as reckless as before. Since she had no experience with any of them, she wasn¡¯t sure how to act.


    ¡°Then, how about we do it how you want.¡±


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡± She said, and then reached down and slowly pulled off her clothing.


    When she had taken everything off, I looked her down from head to toe. The first time I had seen her, I had thought she was a young girl. Although her body was small like Terra¡¯s, I no longer would say she was a loli or too young. She had been through to belittle her life like that. She was a woman, and I would treat her as a woman. I had thought as much, but as she slowly turned around and lifted her butt in the air, I raised my eyebrow.


    ¡°Doggy?¡± I asked in disbelief.


    She looked back, her expression slightly embarrassed. ¡°Is this no good?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ wouldn¡¯t you rather face me and kiss?¡±


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    ¡°I heard it feels better this way.¡± She responded, her cheeks turning pink. ¡°Besides, Master is a little big and I don¡¯t want to be crushed.¡±


    ¡°C-crushed!¡± I broke into a cough. ¡°I would never.¡±


    I had forgotten I was six-foot-six and with these muscles was probably pretty heavy too. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if I weighed myself I would weigh more than I did before I came to this world. Meanwhile, Sapphire was a dwarf with a small, petite body. I had never really run into this issue before.


    Since I had gotten my size upgrade, I had only spent a small time with the girls. Alysia was as tall as me. Celeste and Astria could be any size they chose. Xin and Elaya were quite tall, and even Miki had some height on her. Terra was the shortest and smallest, but she was a golem. A bolder wouldn¡¯t be able to crush her. This also forgets the fact I had been with the other girls before the change, and they were familiar with and trusted me in that respect.


    Sapphire was the first girl I had encountered who was intimidated by my size. I was a bit speechless.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we can do it this way first.¡± Her voice broke me out of my daze,


    She reached back and her small hands pulled her buttcheeks apart, giving me a full view of her backside. If her voice snapped me back to reality, then it was the sights that made me become series. Just the sight of her was too tempting. I reached out and grabbed her cheeks, squeezing them in my hand.


    ¡°Ahhn¡­¡± She moaned as I savored the feel of her butt. ¡°B-be gentle.¡±


    I grabbed my erect cock and teased her pussy with it, rubbing it up and down and getting my tip wet with her juices. Her body shook slightly, eager for more stimulation. I began to rub my dick from side to side against her, allowing her juices to flow and for my dick to become fully lubricated. I was preparing properly, resisting just pushing it in while getting her properly flowing. For that Sapphire¡¯s desires flowed freely. She was growing more aroused by the moment.


    I used my fingers, dipping them inside her and making sure she¡¯s properly prepared for entry. My fingers move in and out slickly, feeling the tightness of her hole. She was a dwarf in many ways. I decided to spend a bit more time warming her up before I try to go for penetration. So, I lean around her, and while one hand continues to slide in and out of her, the other grabs at her small chest.


    Her breasts seemed to have grown a bit as she absorbed more of the lore from her previous life. When I had first met her, she had been completely flat-chested just like Terra. However, I suspected after she was in the dungeon, her breasts had grown to an A cup. I hadn¡¯t noticed much at the time, but they had gotten bigger. Now, they were about the size of Miki¡¯s breasts, barely and handful. However, where Miki¡¯s breasts were pointy and pert, Sapphire¡¯s breasts were more rounded like small sandbags with little nipples on the ends. I teased and touched them now, taking advantage of Sapphire¡¯s position to tease her relentlessly.


    ¡°Ahhhn¡­ M-master¡­ touching like this¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ my mind¡¯s going crazy.¡± She moaned and gasped. ¡°I¡¯m cumming!¡±


    Her back arched and her butt shook as she orgasmed, her little yells having being swallowed up by the pillow she was grasping. She looked over at me tearfully.


    ¡°Please, I need you inside me. Just stick it in.¡±


    I only needed to throw my legs over until I was directly on top of her. Because of our size difference, my hands could still grasp her breasts even as my dick lined up behind her. Her small body looked like it was being dominated by mine to the point I wasn¡¯t sure if doggie was any better than missionary. However, this was how she wanted it, so I grabbed my dick and pushed it up against her entrance. I slowly slid myself into her, as I did so, I lifted my hand healing her. She reached back and grabbed my hand.


    ¡°Y-you don¡¯t need to heal me.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Really?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ okay¡­ since I missed so much of my childhood, at least¡­ I can remember the feeling of my first time.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    I began to move my hips, slowly moving in and out of her. I took my time, listening for any cries of pain or discomfort.


    ¡°Harder!¡± she cried out.


    I turned my head for a second and then nodded. If that was what she wanted, I¡¯d oblige. I grabbed her hips and pushed into her, taking her deeply as she wanted.


    ¡°Ahhhn! Yes¡­¡±


    With her groaning and encouragement, I started to pick up the pace, slamming my cock into her over and over again, my speeding increasing.


    She groaned as I picked up the pace, slamming over and over again into her. If I pushed into her without holding onto her body, I¡¯d surely knock her right out of the bed.


    ¡°Rougher!¡± She demanded.


    This was the little girl who was worried that I¡¯d squash her? Wasn¡¯t she far too reckless with her body? I grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her back as I fuck her. She let out moans of pleasure as I began to act roughly with her, thrusting into her body like I was a hammer and she was the anvil.


    That would be a proper metaphor for the feel. We had melded metal together before, and even here we were like one unit. As I began to imagine such a feeling, I could sense our souls starting to come together. My dick slammed forward with loud thwack noises, pounding her, molding her to my shape. In response, she moaned and cried, but she never wanted to stop for a moment.


    Our lovemaking was extremely vigorous, and I felt myself sweating as much as I did when we were in front of a forge. Her body and my body moved as one, harder and faster. I shaped her body, and she shaped mine. After some time, I felt out soul¡¯s touch, and a poured my life into her.


    ¡°C-cumming!¡± The pair of us shouted in unison.


    During that moment, we had merged almost like we were one. Our souls were getting closer and closer, but then at some point, I felt like I had struck something, and my soul was shoved away with a snap. At that moment, my body collapsed next to Sapphire. For just a few moments, I had felt like we were the same person. I could feel what she felt, and she could feel what I felt, but it was gone in the next moment.


    ¡°M-master¡­¡± Her panting voice came from next to me.


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°Now¡­ you need to go a second round¡­ for Terra.¡± She boldly declared.


    My eyes widened, and then I let out a laugh. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    She looked away. ¡°You need to please both of us.¡±


    ¡°Then, I guess I can¡¯t quit now!¡± I jumped back on her, going from the front this time.


    It turned out that there was nothing to worry about. Sapphire was still Sapphire, after all.

 Chapter 1424

    ¡°So, basically, we¡¯re a bit stuck. We don¡¯t have the original schematics for Terra. From what we¡¯ve been told, Terra was able to build herself with the help of her parents. However, they¡¯re dead and Terra is still in hibernation.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t make her body?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We can make the body. I can easily create her an indestructible body made of the finest materials this world has ever known. Um¡­ we just can¡¯t make it move. This is technology above our understanding. I¡¯m sorry!¡± Gabbro lowered his head as an apology.


    ¡°Well, that answers one question. The other question¡­ why are all of you in my boss room?¡± I demanded.


    I had left my bedroom this morning only to find the entire deep dwarf colony had seemingly made themselves comfortable in my boss room.


    ¡°Ah¡­ that¡­¡± Gabbro looked away innocently.


    ¡°We appreciate that you¡¯ve offered us a place in Chalm,¡± Lapis spoke up. ¡°However, we are dwarves, and not just dwarves, but deep dwarves. Most of us have never been on the surface before. We were born underground, and we will die underground.¡±


    ¡°The surface¡­¡± Gabbro shook his head. ¡°Nothing above you head¡­ I feel like I¡¯ll float away.¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t think we don¡¯t have things to talk about later!¡± Lapis suddenly threw out her finger to where Sapphire had been trying to sneak out of my room after staying the night.


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    ¡°M-mom!¡± She cried out. ¡°It¡¯s not what it looks like! I mean¡­ Master needed me!¡±


    ¡°Hmph! Men always need a woman. They¡¯re scum! If women just gave them up for a man¡¯s needs, there would be no propriety in this world!¡±


    ¡°Moom!¡± Sapphire looked to me and Gabbro for support.


    Gabbro pretended he didn¡¯t even see her, and I could only shrug helplessly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t Mom me! We¡¯ll have this talk later.¡± She huffed before looking back at me. ¡°As I was saying, my lord, we¡¯re used to being underground. Is there no way you can create an underground area for us to rebuild?¡±


    Her treatment between me and her daughter was different. She could declare men scum and then call me my lord in the same breath. It was kind of impressive.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to help you, it¡¯s just that the person most certified to create an underground area for you is Terra, who is also¡­ um¡­ indisposed at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Gh!¡± Gabbro made a noise as we both looked in his direction. ¡°I¡¯m really trying here!¡±


    I let out a small sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve been planning a trip to Jespain for a while now. Their ability to create magical artifacts is unparalleled. They make the best inventory rings, airships, and yes, even golems. Once we go there, we¡¯ll find a professional who can help us. Terra had said her parents game from Shie Gescar, but I honestly believed they must have at least learned in Jespain.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Of course! Jespain used to trade with us back in our glory days. I wonder what wonderful inventions they have these days.¡± Gabbro was eager to change the subject and get attention off of himself.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll need¡­¡±


    ¡°Master! It¡¯s an emergency! Meet me at the city gate!¡±


    This message came from Xin. Xin was someone who took everything seriously. If she was calling me, then there was a problem.

 Chapter 1425

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to discuss this later.¡±


    ¡°About a place¡­¡± Lapis didn¡¯t let up.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I can probably use the dungeon. If you don¡¯t mind my miasma, you can live on one of the dungeon levels, I guess.¡± I quickly came up with a solution that would satisfy them, all while bringing up my dungeon master job and moving one of the levels to be a bit out of the way of the normal path.


    I decided to base the level off the lore I had gleamed from King Diorite. That lore had blown up when I ignited it to slow Twilight, but I had already tried to absorb it, as did Sapphire. We both had copied some of the lore into ourselves, and I was able to incorporate that into my dungeon. It was at least enough to give them a place that was similar to the deep.


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Lapis smiled. ¡°We are resistant to miasma, especially after being in Twilight¡¯s grasp for so long.¡±


    She was the only dwarf that didn¡¯t stumble over saying Twilight. They had always just called her the shadow of the darkness. I had explained to them who she was, but it took some time getting used to the new naming.


    ¡°Very well. Just head this way¡­¡±


    Knowing I was needed somewhere else, I just quickly set it up and then set them out to head there. They¡¯d need to do all the heavy lifting on their own. Hopefully, it didn¡¯t take them too long to set themselves up. I wanted them to start making weapons and armor. I didn¡¯t know why, but I felt pressure like we were in danger. I knew that Twilight was coming, but that could be years before she surfaced, and we had no clue how she¡¯d appear when she did. No, this was a different sense of danger.


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    I left my dungeon and then headed quickly to the city gate. I found Xin waiting there, and she was holding up a haggard group of men. I quickly could tell that they were wolfkin, but they looked extremely badly beaten up. It looked like they had been in a fight for their lives. That¡¯s when I realized I recognized them.


    ¡°The Wolf Pack?¡±


    This was the adventuring team that I had traveled with when I went out to find Miki. They were in much worst shape now. I immediately activated a group heal, and the pained looks on their faces seemed to relax a bit.


    ¡°Lord Deek¡­ thank the gods you are here!¡± The leader declared.


    ¡°Why have you come to Chalm?¡± I asked, getting an uneasy feeling.


    ¡°We were sent here on behalf of Lord Duran.¡± He explained. ¡°Our mission was to leave the summit under utmost secrecy, but we were discovered and only managed to escape with our lives.¡±


    ¡°Escape¡­ summit, what are you talking about?¡± I frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ We fled only just ahead of the army, and with our wounds, we weren¡¯t able to arrive there quicker,¡± he spoke weakly, shaking his head.


    ¡°Settle down, just explain what you mean.¡±


    ¡°The summit, the gathering in Dioshin¡­ King Roth has decided to gather his army. They¡¯re already marching.¡±


    ¡°The Dioshin are going to war?¡± I blinked. ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± He looked up at me. ¡°Dioshin is invading the wilderness and conquering Chalm!¡±

 Chapter 1426

    Although the leader of the Wolf Pack said that the entire country of Dioshin was attacking, it took a moment for me to process this information.


    ¡°They¡¯re¡­ going to war with Aberis?¡±


    ¡°Not Aberis, just you.¡± The wolf leader explained. ¡°Since you¡¯re a new lord and the majority of the wilderness is still untamed, he plans to only attack you and those who ally with you. He likely believes that Aberis won¡¯t act to survive their self-interests. They¡¯re too busy dealing with the after-effects of the Ost Republic skirmishes.


    I shook my head in disbelief but immediately sent out a message. ¡°Elaya, Celeste, Shao¡­ I need you all to go report to my allies. We¡¯re under attack from Dioshin. Elaya, go to Prince Edward and tell him about the impending attack and ask for aid. Celeste, you must go to Deeksville and see if we can¡¯t get any assistance there. Shao, consult the southwestern lords under us and gather men. Terr-¡±


    I stopped as I realized I ran out of girls to depend on. Terra was gone. So was Lydia, Raissa, Carmine, and Salicia. Sapphire was more suited for blacksmithing and her time was best used under Gabbro, while Siti was merely a Blue Mage. Not only was our country being attacked, but half of the people that I trusted still hadn¡¯t returned to me.


    ¡°Xin, mobilize the army.¡± I turned to Xin and ordered.


    ¡°I have already put in the orders, but there hasn¡¯t been nearly enough time. The animalkin have been fighting amongst each other for generations. They possessed many traits far more powerful than a standard human. Although half of our army are volunteer animalkin and former slaves, they still only have a few months of training. Even with the full support of Aberis, this battle will be brutal. We¡¯re going to need to depend on more than just that.¡±


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    ¡°The Osterians¡­¡± I spoke up.


    ¡°They will fight for you for now.¡± Xin agreed. ¡°But you won¡¯t be able to depend on their prowess completely. At the moment, they have yet to form a deep trust in your leadership. Based on your encounters with King Roth, if he proves to be a more powerful side, they may change their loyalty. The strongest have the right to be the leader. That is what they have always believed.¡±


    So, I could lose the Osterians if things went south. This was bad. I needed to know exactly how far they had made it and how much time I had.


    ¡°Do you know how many days behind you they are?¡± I asked their leader.


    He looked away. ¡°I don¡¯t. They can move far faster than you¡¯d expect though.¡±


    ¡°What of the wolfkin? Will they fight with us?¡±


    He looked away. ¡°Sending me as warning already pushed things. I do not know the consequences he¡¯ll face for doing so. He may respect you, but I can¡¯t say if that respect would reach the point where he¡¯d withhold an attack if ordered. As for switching sides, I believe that to be impossible.¡±


    He was reluctant to say that much, but I wasn¡¯t surprised. He was in my territory now, and he was admitting to me that his people were my enemy.


    ¡°On my word, you will be allowed to leave here peacefully,¡± I stated, which caused him to relax just a bit.


    A portal opened at that moment, and someone walked out. I was surprised to see Elaya appear so quickly.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already spoken to your son?¡± I asked cautiously.


    ¡°I have not.¡± Elaya declared, but before I could ask more, she continued. ¡°I had meant to tell you about this earlier, but you came home in such a state. I felt that I needed to report this before I left.¡±


    ¡°Report what?¡±


    ¡°The dungeon on the west side of the wilderness, the one subservient to you, they sent out a distress call two days ago begging for help.¡±


    ¡°What? Matty?¡±


    ¡°We sent Astria to resolve the issue, but she hasn¡¯t returned. I had hoped she was just a bit delayed and would arrive last night, but now there is no denying it. There is trouble.¡±


    ¡°What trouble¡­¡±


    ¡°Based on what you¡¯ve just explained, I¡¯m afraid the Dioshin army has already reached the wilderness.¡±

 Chapter 1427

    ¡°Master, are you sure this is okay?¡± Miki asked worriedly.


    ¡°I need to check on the dungeon and find out what happened,¡± I answered. ¡°Besides, I can escape quicker and easier on my own.¡±


    ¡°It could be a trap.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be.¡± These words came from Elaya, and when everyone glanced her way, she continued. ¡°I don¡¯t know all that much about Dioshin. However, I do know that King Roth is a lion. Although it isn¡¯t a good idea to make assumptions based on their kinship, lionkin do have a fair sense of pride. Setting traps is something he considers beneath him.¡±


    ¡°Either way, if he did have a trap, that is all the more reason I don¡¯t want to bring everyone. It will just be Alysia and me. Don¡¯t worry. I have Slave Communication. You can also come through my soul world if needed. In other words, it¡¯s better if everyone didn¡¯t come with me.¡±


    The girls finally acquiesced, and I opened up a portal. I opened it directly into the boss room of Matty¡¯s dungeon. I reckoned that it was probably the safest place I could go. No one else could open portals into dungeons as I could, and I didn¡¯t believe this King Roth knew all too much about me. I also wanted to touch base with Matty as quickly as possible. So, it seemed like I should cut out any middle man and go right there.


    I stepped through the portal and closed it behind me. Immediately, I could tell that something was wrong. The place looked like it had seen combat recently. There was a lot of damage to the walls and floor. A column had been destroyed, and there was rubble strewn across the room as there had recently been a fight to the death. The miasma was also extremely weak. I took a step, and that¡¯s when my foot crunched. I looked down to find fragmented pieces of glass.


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    I frowned, crouching down and lifting a piece of broken glass. When I realized what I was holding onto, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a gasp. It was dungeon lore. It was a piece of Matty¡¯s Dungeon Lore. Looking up at the ceiling, I could see a chunk ripped out. Someone had seemingly torn it directly out of the wall and destroyed it. It was reminiscent of when I had come to this place, except I had given the lore back to him.


    I reached down and grabbed more of the pieces, but they felt strangely lifeless, like the story they once belonged to no longer meant anything. Perhaps, I could put the pieces back together. To do that, I¡¯d need to absorb the lore though. I reckoned it¡¯d be the only way I could figure out what happened here. Just as I was about to change my jobs so that I could absorb, I heard the sound of someone moving.


    I threw the pieces into my soul world and then followed the noise behind a pillar. That¡¯s where I saw Matty. He was sitting with his knees up, his face buried in his lap. He was rocking back and forth and seemed completely despondent.


    ¡°Matty¡­ what happened here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They killed her¡­ they killed them all¡­ they took everything¡­¡± I realized he was mumbling quietly to himself as he rocked.


    I kneeled and grabbed him, growing more anxious by the second. ¡°Matty! What happened?¡±


    He finally looked up, his eyes hollow, his face wet with tears. ¡°They took everything! They took mom!¡±


    ¡°Mom?¡± I frowned for a second until I realized what he was talking about.


    He had considered the maid mob in this dungeon is a mob. I didn¡¯t know much about Matty¡¯s dungeon except that he had lost his family, and in some way, he had made the dungeon his new home, and the people in it his family. When it came to dungeons, he was unaggressive as could be. He did simply quiz challenges, and in general, his traps were nonlethal unless you were unlucky or stupid.


    ¡°Who did this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They did¡­ they¡­¡±


    ¡°Show me.¡±

 Chapter 1428

    A dungeon was a magnet for lore. It didn¡¯t just suck in lore that happened to be floating by, but it also took the lore that was being actively created inside it at any given time. In that way, it was like an imager, capable of recording anything that was happening and then being able to replay it. Mathew didn¡¯t immediately replay the scene for me, but after some coercing, he finally lifted his hand, and a scene began to appear in the room.


    I watched as the door to the boss room burst open. Matty was sitting there on his throne like a miniature king, and his maid was also there, standing protectively in front of him. The man who stepped out had a large beard and a lion¡¯s mane of hair. He appeared only about middle-aged and seemed to be shockingly fit. I had been told that King Roth was nearing death, but this man appeared to be at the peak of his vitality.


    ¡°This better be the final floor.¡± He growled in a low voice. ¡°Your puzzles aren¡¯t amusing.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what do you want?¡± Matty demanded, trying to look confident despite the fact he was shaking. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I am part of the dungeon master council. If they know that a high-level dungeon is bullying a weaker dungeon, they won¡¯t be pleased!


    ¡°King Roth is a dungeon master!¡± I cried out in surprise.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ why would I ever care about some measly council of dungeons.¡± He snorted. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not your connection to the council that interests me.¡±


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    ¡°Wh-what does that mean?¡±


    ¡°I can feel you have a faint connection with an entity to the east. Would that, by chance, be a certain Lord of Chalm?¡±


    ¡°H-how could that be? I¡¯m a dungeon? What relationship would I have with some kind of lord?¡± Mathew tried to lie.


    ¡°It¡¯s well known all countries have made agreements and negotiations with dungeons. The dungeons are allowed to remain on our territory, and we may call upon them for strength when the time is needed.¡± He responded, sounding almost bored. ¡°I am no exception to this rule.¡±


    ¡°We-well, I don¡¯t care about any of that!¡± Matty shot back. ¡°I just want to live here in peace.¡±


    ¡°Peace?¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Heh¡­ for something to live, something else must die. That is the nature of our existence. Your dungeon feeds on this world like a disease, seeping away at life. For what? You had a pitiable story and a pitiable existence. You pretend you want to change your story, to turn a sad story into a happy one, but that¡¯s just a lie you tell yourselves.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Matty frowned.


    ¡°Unless someone else intervenes and forces you into a corner, you¡¯re happy to continue to be a burden on this world for all time. Dungeons don¡¯t want an ending. You had an ending. You just weren¡¯t satisfied with the result. So, you act like children, trying to keep the lore going at all cost, consuming the world for your selfish desires. What you seek is immortality, and to achieve it you¡¯ll sacrifice little by little. The lore gets distorted. A character here, a plot point there¡­ eventually, nothing makes sense, and the story you claimed to have cared for so much is meaningless, all because you couldn¡¯t accept your end.¡±


    Matty truly did look confused, shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Just who are you?¡±


    King Roth smiled. ¡°I am the end.¡±

 Chapter 1429

    ¡°Mom!¡± Matty called out as King Roth pulled a sword and attacked.


    He moved nearly as fast as King Diorite, and seeing him fight like that gave me an uneasy feeling that reminded me of my unfortunate time in the deep. This wasn¡¯t the same situation though. I had the backup of all of my girls and my dungeon. Even if I fought King Diorite under my current conditions, who would win and who would lose wouldn¡¯t be so obvious.


    The maid tried to fight King Roth, but his movements were like a blur. The real Matty, the one still hiding in his corner, shut his eyes and covered his ears as if he was trying to deny what was about to happen. The maid split into three, and the three maids attacked from all sides.


    King Roth only focused on the one in front of him. It looked like she was about to score a hit on him, but suddenly two forms appeared as if from nowhere and met her two other forms. They were thrown away with ease, and King Roth managed to get his hand around the throat of the one he aimed for. She appeared to be the real one.


    I checked out the two new people who had appeared. They were beautiful, buxom women with wild tan hair not unlike King Roth. They had cattails and cat ears, and it took me a moment to realize that if King Ross was a lion, then these were lionesses. These were special catkin variants. They reminded me a bit of Lydia. They seemed to have that same wild air about them, and they moved in a rather sensual way, their tails swaying back and forth with each step.


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    ¡°No! Please! I surrender!¡± Matty begged.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ this single woman is all you bring to the table? She can break into three. I suppose that is respectable, but at the end of it, she¡¯s still only one person. Fine another dozen women, and maybe I¡¯ll give you a bit more respect, kid.¡± King Roth spoke dismissively while holding the struggling maid in the air.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want another dozen women!¡± Matty cried out. ¡°I just want mom!¡±


    ¡°Too bad.¡± His hand twisted, and there was a resounding crack.


    At that moment, the image went out. Matty was shaking, seeming to be fully affected by post-traumatic stress.


    ¡°Matty, there is more to show me.¡± I didn¡¯t put it as a question.


    He jerked, looking like he wanted to melt into the wall. I sighed, and then carefully leaned over and patted his head.


    ¡°Mathew, please. I know it hurts, but I need to see everything if I¡¯m going to help.¡±


    He still didn¡¯t respond, but after a few moments, the image was restored. The maid was on the ground, her body slowly being enveloped by the orb, that was now in King Roth¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Please¡­ stop¡­ please, don¡¯t¡­ mother¡­¡± Matty was on the floor, crying, one hand stretched out in the most pitiful state possible.


    ¡°You believe you can recreate her from this lore?¡± King Roth asked.


    ¡°Please¡­¡± It seemed to be all Matty could say.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ how boring¡­¡± He turned and dropped the lore.


    As it fell to the ground, a form wooshed into the room. Dark tendrils shot out and caught the orb. A moment later, a figure appeared in the center of the room between Roth and Matty. It was a woman I was very familiar with.


    ¡°Astria.¡± I was shocked to hear the name come from King Roth¡¯s lips. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡±


    Astria looked downright furious. ¡°Yes, it has¡­ Harem Hero!¡±

 Chapter 1430

    Where had I heard about the Harem Hero before? Right, that would have been in Karr¡¯s dungeon. Karr seemed mildly obsessed with the Harem Hero and had even tried to instill me with some of his ideals. In the end, Karr¡¯s Blessing had made it so I couldn¡¯t remember the slave bonds of the girls. In many ways, that had changed my life significantly. It helped me finally decide it was worth having them by my side. Had he held me back, I met have released all of my slave bonds, and there was no saying where anyone would be at that point.


    ¡°Please¡­ you can call me Artemis.¡± King Roth grinned. ¡°We are old friends, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t smile at me like that¡­ your smile makes my skin crawl.¡± Astria shot back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. I¡¯ve heard Chalm has been restored, and you have fallen for a new Master. I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t visit and break up that dungeon you created. By the time I heard what happened, the churches of Aberis had already dealt with it.¡±


    ¡°More lies?¡± Astria asked. ¡°When I cursed Chalm, the people fled to Dioshin first. You closed your borders to them.¡±


    Roth shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°My people are a superstitious lot. They weren¡¯t willing to risk them bringing ghosts. However, don¡¯t try to make it seem like I am the bad guy. After all, it was you who murdered Karr and destroyed Chalm.¡±


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    She looked away. ¡°Karr was poisoned. By creating the dungeon, I was able to pull the poison away from him. It would have rotted his soul and he would have died right there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too bad you weren¡¯t able to maintain your sanity. You ended up destroying everything anyway.¡±


    I found myself extremely intrigued by this conversation. Although I had gained Karr¡¯s Blessing and seen the lore, it had always felt somewhat scattered and incomplete. There had always been holes in that story, pieces that didn¡¯t fit. Who had killed Karr? Just what was happening behind the scenes? How did the harem king fit into all of this? His presence was enough that even my blessing had aspects of a harem, so he had to have some relevance to the plot.


    Fairies weren¡¯t particularly mindful, and the story from Astria¡¯s point of view was a bit scattered. Unevolved fairies weren¡¯t particularly bright, and a fairy queen like Astria was na?ve to the point of being a child when she first met Karr. I didn¡¯t know if it was because of Celeste¡¯s slave bond, her half-human upbringing, her evolutions, or her constant interactions with the other girls, but she wasn¡¯t quite as foolish as the other fairies.


    As for Astria, after being resurrected from Karr¡¯s sacrifice, she also had grown more intelligent. That said, even after she had enhanced her mind, she had never really spoken much about Karr or her life with him. Whether she had reevaluated the events and came to other conclusions about what had happened, I had never heard her side of things.


    Thus, this was the first time I was hearing this story from another point of view. King Artemis Roth, the Harem Hero, who was idolized by Lord Karr¡­ just what was his connection to Chalm, and more importantly, why was he attacking me now!

 Chapter 1431

    ¡°What do you want, Harem Hero.¡± Astria asked darkly.


    ¡°I want what is owed to me.¡± King Roth smirked. ¡°Karr and I had an agreement, and he went behind my back and betrayed me.¡±


    ¡°Promise?¡±


    King Roth shrugged. ¡°I was also one of his biggest financiers of Waters of Life. Then, one day, he said he had no more to sell. How was that fair to me?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ you were who he sold waters of life to.¡± Astria¡¯s eyes narrowed.


    ¡°I was one of them. However, he cut me off, and when I pressed him for it, he gave me another offer. Those house fairies he sold me; were extremely helpful. The fairy dust extracted from them helped me secure the throne.¡±


    ¡°You bought my colony!¡± Astria gasped.


    ¡°Hehehe¡­ you should have seen it coming. I did visit your colony once. I always wondered why you never told him it was me who visited you. He had concluded it must be bandits.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± She shook her head, taking a step back.


    Whatever he was saying, it seemed to trigger some past trauma within Astria. She was remembering things that weren¡¯t pleasant. Her confident demeanor seemed to be collapsing, and she started looking frightened and confused. Meanwhile, the grin on Roth¡¯s face grew, and it felt to me like a cat who was playing with a mouse. She was in danger, but his words were keeping her so off balance she couldn¡¯t see that fact the room was slowly being surrounded by lioness-kin.


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    ¡°Karr used to look up to me so much. He never would have thought it was me who had aims toward his wealth. Well, he had lied to me in the end. He had convinced me if I used those fairies, I could make my fairy spring. He didn¡¯t tell me at the time about you. He didn¡¯t tell me I needed a fairy queen. All I could do was grind those fairies to dust for a temporary boost in power, but my dreams were stolen from me.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ killed my fairies?¡±


    ¡°If Karr had told the truth, I wouldn¡¯t have had to use them that way.¡± Roth frowned, his teeth grinding in irritation. ¡°He tried to keep the truth away from me.¡±


    ¡°The truth?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t know¡­ fairies are immortal! You don¡¯t age. The waters of life you create, revitalizes not just their health and mana, but their very soul. It¡¯s the main ingredient for soul-restoring elixirs. One could say it¡¯s the only ingredient that matters. A person who drinks concentrated waters of life would effectively be immortal!¡±


    Astria gasped, her eyes growing intense as she came to the realization. I had my suspicions about this fact, but this was the first time it had been confirmed to me. The Water of Life was exactly that. They were the spring of youth, the recipe for immortality. Most people just never realized this. A person who controlled a spring controlled the secret to eternal life. They could produce elixirs that would allow them to extend their life indefinitely, rejuvenating their soul and growing it so that it may continue through the ages. For fairies, already immortal beings, this reality never occurred to them. However, it had occurred to Karr.


    ¡°Once he realized someone had found out about your spring, he took you away, and then burned the spring to the ground. He was just a step before me. I lost a lot of men when he set that forest on fire. So, you can probably understand why I had to kill him.¡±


    ¡°What? You¡­¡± Astria¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°You¡¯re the one who poisoned him?¡±


    ¡°I was going to claim you. You would have joined my harem, and become my crowning jewel. However, when I found out he got you pregnant, I decided it was better to kill him. I left his little confession for you. Of course, I cut out the parts about me, but I hope you enjoyed your little present.¡±


    Roth gave a sharp grin, looking every bit at the predator. I didn¡¯t even know what to say. The fall of Chalm had been caused by him, and not even the dungeon lore knew it!

 Chapter 1432

    ¡°Why have you told me all of this?¡± Astria asked.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ the message isn¡¯t for you.¡± His eyes turned to me, and I couldn¡¯t help but jump.


    He looked right at me, but a second later he turned to Astria again.


    ¡°I won¡¯t become your slave. I won¡¯t make your fairy spring.¡±


    ¡°I had thought I had lost the ability to get a fairy spring of my own. I had tried many times. I knew that once you descended into madness you would no longer be able to create one. For a time, I had regretted acting so jealously. I was younger back then. I used to think every man¡¯s woman belonged to me.¡± He let out a chuckle as if he just remembered something. ¡°I had played with a lot of Karr¡¯s so-called servant harem, although he had never known they weren¡¯t faithful to him.¡±


    ¡°You will never touch me!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care to touch you.¡± He made a face. ¡°You¡¯re used goods. You¡¯re barely even a fairy anymore.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Still acting dumb?¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why build a fairy spring when there is already a perfectly good one?¡±


    ¡°There is no fairy spring, fool!¡± Astria tried to lie.


    ¡°We both know that is a lie. No, your new lord found out how to build one, and he even attached it to his dungeon. It must be your daughter.¡± He sounded slightly like he was speaking to himself. ¡°Yes, she would have made the new fountain for her Master. I will possess her, and it.¡±


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    ¡°You won¡¯t touch my daughter!¡± Astria shouted. ¡°I¡¯m done with this. I¡¯m not the little na?ve fairy you once visited in the woods. I will bring you head for my Master!¡±


    Her dark wings spread out, and a miasmic force exploded from her. Astria was as terrifying as always, although she had grown weaker since I had been away. She had given her strength to protect Celeste. This had allowed Celeste to evolve, but Astria was still week. Astria exploded out her dark magic racing toward King Roth. She had a clawed hand outstretched as if she was planning to grab his throat.


    King Roth didn¡¯t move at all. He remained in place, calmly watching her attacks. Just before she reached him, a whip flew out and struck Astria like lightning. A person appeared in front of her, and she used some kind of spell that reflected the attack on Astria. Not expecting her attack to rebound, Astria was struck and ended up flying back.


    Standing right in front of King Roth was a rather beautiful lioness. She had a mane of wild hair and a black stripe through it. She had a dangerous aura to her movements, which the other lionesses seemed to differ to.


    ¡°Is that all you have?¡± The lioness asked mockingly. ¡°You don¡¯t even have the right to lick Master¡¯s boot.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you¡­¡± Astria tried to scream, but the woman merely flicked her fingers.


    A dozen lionesses jumped onto Astria. She shrunk, trying to dodge them. Several spells were sent out by even more women. This was the harem he was fighting with. Not all of them were lionesses. Many of the magicians were other animalkin. However, simply by the expressions on their faces, it was clear there was a hierarchy and the lionesses were on top. When a lioness looked in the direction of one of the others, she quickly lowered her head.


    The fighting only went a few moments before Astria was restrained to the ground. The dungeon lore was dropped, rolling over to Roth. He caught it with his foot.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get away with this¡­ when Master returns¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s out?¡± King Roth raised his foot. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll wait.¡±


    He slammed his foot down, breaking the orb underneath. The illusion of Matty let out a scream as his lore shattered into a dozen pieces.

 Chapter 1433

    ¡°I¡¯m not an evil man.¡± Roth spoke, causing Astria to snort disdainfully.


    ¡°You could have surprised me-¡° Slap!


    The lioness leader walked up to her and slapped her across the face as she was still restrained by three others, including mage¡¯s who seemed to have some kind of spell that prevented her from shapeshifting.


    ¡°You are before my Master! You will only speak when allowed!¡± She roared.


    Astria licked the side of her mouth where some blood trickled, a hateful glare on her face. ¡°My Master will make you eat those words. Who knows, maybe when he¡¯s done with you, you¡¯ll be kneeling at our feet for scraps!¡±


    Rage painted the lionesses face and she raised the back of her hand to slap Astria again.


    ¡°Enough¡­¡± A single word from Roth, and she turned and stepped back, lowering her head submissively, almost like she was afraid of Roth.


    ¡°Master¡­¡± She breathed out in a voice that sounded slightly reverent. ¡°Apologies.¡±


    Roth walked up to Astria, grabbing her chin, lifting her face, and causing me to tense. ¡°I already know how my story will go. It¡¯s one of the advantages of being a hero. When the mantle of a hero attaches itself to you, you take on its karma. In a way, it¡¯s like you get a cheat toward how the rest of your life will go.¡±


    ¡°A sob story?¡± Astria made a disgusted face.


    ¡°Heh¡­ every hero has one. A maid hero is always fated to believe her master died and kill herself. A princess hero is fated to see her entire family die, flee her nation as the only survivor, and then build an army to take vengeance, only to become the very thing she despised in the process. These stories play out slightly differently every time, but the same basic thematic elements are always there.¡±


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    ¡°And what of you, Harem Hero?¡± Astria asked.


    ¡°The Harem Hero is always fated to form a group of women he loves, only to find a way to long outlive them. Then, he must watch painfully as they grow old and die one at a time until he has nothing left. Although, in some versions, a more powerful enemy will come and defeat him, taking away his women. I made either fate impossible for me. I defeated my lore and created a new destiny. Do you want to hear how?¡±


    ¡°Humor me¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple, really¡­ I leave my harem¡­ expendable. When a woman gets too old to please me, I have her removed. I bring in newer, more beautiful women, women who keep my harem powerful.¡±


    ¡°Expendable? How could you even consider yourself a Harem Hero?¡±


    ¡°That method worked for a time¡­ I continued to drink the waters of life and watched as my women outgrew me. However, if I had my own spring, I¡¯d have more of it¡­ I could start giving it to my women as well. I hope you understand the situation Karr put me in back then.¡± He leaned closer. ¡°I could have built an immortal harem. My women wouldn¡¯t have had to die. He¡¯s the reason my women had to be replaced.¡± His words caused the harem girls standing around to throw dirty and hateful looks at Astria, as if they blamed her personally.


    Astria suddenly spat at Roth¡¯s face. The women holding her responded by twisting her arms, causing her to let out a cry of pain as her face hit the floor. The lead lioness looked ready to bash her skull in, raising her sword menacingly until Roth raised a hand. She immediately dropped her sword and hastily ripped off a piece of her dress and handed it to him. Roth calmly stood up, pulling the cloth from her and wiping his face as she looked at him adoringly.


    ¡°My Master is a better Harem Master than you ever will be. He will kill you!¡± Astria snarled.


    ¡°Your Master won¡¯t be the one who kills me.¡± Roth shrugged. ¡°Forty years ago, as the country was still being ravaged by the demon lord, I had gone to a soothsayer and had her read my future. By then, I was well-known as the Harem Hero, and I wanted to know how to side-step my fate. The soothsayer revealed to me how I would die. She said that a king would rise; a hero of heroes would appear in the east and that we would battle. I would fall to the claws of a tiger, a true harem king! Such a thing is impossible though¡­ as I wiped out the entire tigerkin variant!¡±

 Chapter 1434

    ¡°The Tigerkin¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you ever wonder why they were so rare?¡± He shrugged. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have some kind of competitor rising in my wake, so I made sure to kill all of them.¡±


    ¡°Are¡­ you sure about that?¡± Astria asked, her expression somewhat dark.


    ¡°Yes, you must be speaking of the Tigress, Lydia was it?¡± Astria¡¯s expression fell at his words. ¡°Someone must have gone to a great effort to sneak her out. Having her listed as a catkin, and even selling her as a sex slave. To subject your own family to such a life just to keep them alive, she was able to slip through my fingers. Thankfully, your foolish Deek had her properly registered in the Slave Guild, and I was able to learn of her. Then, he even broke the bond with her, so I could deal with her properly.¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Astria cried out, trying to lunge out at Roth, only for the lead lioness to get in her way and kick her in the stomach, causing her to collapse, coughing up more blood.


    ¡°She was dealt with.¡± He responded shortly. ¡°It didn¡¯t really matter. Even if she was alive, the prophecy was for a male tigerkin, not a tigress. She wouldn¡¯t have been able to change a thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Th-then, why?¡± Astria croaked.


    ¡°I¡¯m done answer questions. Playtime is over. Isn¡¯t that right, Deek Deekson?¡±


    He looked right at me once again.


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    ¡°Right¡­¡± I spoke back coldly.


    I was shaking with fury, watching as Astria was beaten. I was compelled to continue to listen only because he was revealing much that I didn¡¯t know. I had begun to wonder if he knew I was there, given how much he revealed. He seemed to like to gloat even more than Demon Lord Aberis. Perhaps that was a theme for villains.


    ¡°The reasons I¡¯ve told your little fairy all of this is because no matter what happens, you won¡¯t be able to change it. What has happened has already happened, and what will happen is already decided.¡± King Roth crossed his arms and stood as if everything was in his control. ¡°I will offer you a chance. Give me the fairy spring, and your head, and I will make sure your harem is well taken care of.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but snort.


    He shrugged. ¡°Suite yourself. I already knew you¡¯re refuse my offer. You see, I know you. You¡¯re just like Karr, a Harem Master wannabe who lacks the strength to take what he wants. In the end, you¡¯ll lose everything. I know the ending to my story, and this isn¡¯t it. If I¡¯m successful, then my story will never end.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want you doing something foolish like destroying the fairy spring. Therefore, I¡¯ll give you the illusion of a chance at victory. One week¡­ a magic rune will trigger the moment you get this message, and then you will have one week before I march on Chalm, and take everything by force. You can surrender early, or you can watch it all taken from you.¡±


    ¡°You call yourself a Harem Master when you throw women away? Master will beat you-¡± Astria tried to speak, but the lead woman slapped her again.


    ¡°You¡¯d call him any better? I seem to recall a certain foxkin recently stumbling through my lands full of dispair. His tigress is dead. As for you¡­¡± He turned to me and grinned. ¡°Ladies, rip off her wings.¡±


    ¡°No. Noo! Nooo!¡± Her pleas were ignored as the lionesses descended on Astria.


    For the first time, she had a look of terror on her face.


    ¡°A Harem Master that can¡¯t even protect his harem.¡± King Roth didn¡¯t even look back as Astria screamed. ¡°Pathetic.¡±


    The image disappeared with a flash.

 Chapter 1435

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± My fist slammed into a nearby wall.


    ¡°Master!¡± Alysia¡¯s voice tried to calm me down.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± I responded through gritted teeth. ¡°Where are they now?¡±


    ¡°They left¡­ shortly after they finished¡­¡± His eyes fell on something before darting away.


    I hadn¡¯t noticed them before. They were spindly black things, shriveled, broken, and left in the rubbish that was once this dungeon. They were a pair of bloody wings, Astria¡¯s fairy wings. I walked over and put them into my soul world, and then walked over to Matty.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go.¡±


    ¡°Go?¡± Matty didn¡¯t lookup. ¡°There is nowhere to go. I¡¯m a master with no dungeon. I cannot continue to exist. He left me to pass you his message. Now, just let me die.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you here,¡± I responded. ¡°I can still take care of you. My dungeon will sustain you.¡±


    ¡°They took everything from me¡­ they took her.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll bring her back.¡± My hand tightened. ¡°We¡¯ll bring them all back.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°A person is more than just their body. We¡¯re a story. That story is always changing. Some things are forgotten or neglected, others lead us into the future and how we affect the world. I believe enough lore exists that we can bring her back. Please, let me try.¡±


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    My voice didn¡¯t hold any arrogance or dominance. I pleaded with him genuinely. I had once treated Mathew as an annoyance, a harmless fly that irritated me. Now, he might be the only one who knew how I was feeling at that particular moment. As he looked up at me, I reached out my hand. After a brief moment of hesitation, he took my hand. I immediately put him into my soul world.


    ¡°Absorb.¡±


    Matty¡¯s Maze of Mysteries was already destroyed. It was desiccating and breaking away. The Dungeon Master, without being able to become part of a new dungeon, would naturally fall apart and die. However, because he was already my tamed monster, I could just bring him to my dungeon and he could become a boss there. However, before I left, I was going to take everything that remained. Matty¡¯s lore may have been shattered and the stored miasma scattered, but after my time in the Deep, I had grown accustomed to lore absorption and manipulation.


    I could absorb the lore, and it was possible I could reassemble some of it. It¡¯d be the equivalent of assembly the pieces of a novel shoved into a paper shredder, but there was a possibility. Thus, the little pieces of shattered dungeon lore melted and were absorbed by me. Everything else that remained in the dungeon also began to melt away. The desiccation process that might have taken a week was sped up quicker and quicker. I left the dungeon, appearing on the outside. There, I absorbed the last pieces of it.


    There wasn¡¯t much left to work with, but I did have Matty. Matty possessed the memories of his mother, and the so-called maid boss would have been based on those memories. There was still hope I could bring her back.


    As for Lydia, I had already tried to resurrect her and failed. Either she was still alive and he was lying, or she was killed in a manner where even her soul was destroyed. As for Astria, she would need to hold out. I would save her though. I had to.

 Chapter 1436

    ¡°So, we have one week to prepare for a battle.¡± I finished.


    We were once again in the planning room of my mansion, where I met with everyone and explained the situation. I didn¡¯t just have the girls present, but the Mayor, Ruby and the Guild Leader, Lapis, and I even brought General Nova in. I didn¡¯t like him, but Nova had a closer connection to the Osterians than Alysia did, and he was also once a top general. When it came to war, he knew what he was talking about. When it came to the foxkin, not that they had a say in this meeting, it was Miki who would speak for them.


    ¡°How presumptuous! I saw we march out now and destroy him!¡± General Nova snarled.


    ¡°Master¡­ my¡­ mother¡­¡±


    I made a face, and then pulled her wings out of the soul world and handed them to Celeste. She took them in her hands and looked over them. The other girls winced or looked away at the sight of the once beautiful black wings, now wrinkled and torn.


    ¡°A fairy¡¯s body is created by magic. We¡¯re ultimately mana beings. Our wings represent our connection to the mana of the world, much like a foxkin¡¯s spirit tail shows her connection to the spiritual world. Ripping off the wings shouldn¡¯t kill her, but she will be weakened by this. I¡¯m afraid the harm is more mental.¡± Celeste explained in one of her more serious moments.


    ¡°My King, give me permission to ride out and-¡± Nova began again.


    ¡°We¡¯re not just going to attack them.¡± Lapis suddenly interrupted him. ¡°The Dwarves haven¡¯t even gotten out smithy up yet. We need time to get out blacksmith production going.¡±


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    ¡°Dwarves!¡± The Osterian made a face. ¡°What good are dwarves in a fight?¡±


    ¡°What good is an Osterian without a weapon?¡± Lapis shot back.


    ¡°Enough!¡± I barked, causing them to stop. ¡°We can¡¯t be reckless here. We need to do what we did with Demon Lord Aberis. We need to regather the army to repel our enemies. I just regret that there aren¡¯t two of me anymore.¡±


    ¡°Things won¡¯t be able to move the same way as before.¡± Ruby sighed. ¡°For example, the adventuring guild won¡¯t be able to help.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I glanced up at her, causing her to blush.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to. However, before, when you were dealing with Demon Lords and monsters, we could justify our participation. Now, this is considered politics. We can do small requests and errands, but anything we do would be reported to the main headquarters, so they¡¯d know. We also won¡¯t lift arms for any country.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± I gritted my teeth. ¡°That¡¯s one group we no longer have.¡±


    ¡°You can count the Tibults and the church out too.¡± Elaya declared.


    ¡°What are you saying? Is Aberis abandoning us again?¡±


    Elaya sighed. ¡°The Tibults were ordered on a mission to the southeast. There have been issues going on seaside. Something about the Knifefall Isles being under attack. It was Eliana who demanded their help.¡±


    I was just about to curse Prince Edward, but when I heard Eliana¡¯s name, it faltered. ¡°E-eliana¡­ right, how is she?¡±


    ¡°In the absence of the Osterian race, she¡¯s been doing everything she can to keep the Ost Republic stable. She is all but their de facto ruler at this point. She needs the Aberis forces to maintain stability and keep it from falling to bandits as the west did. As for the church, they have a similar position to the adventuring guild. Demon Lords are a special case.¡±


    ¡°They helped with the Ost Republic!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because they were opposed to the Ost Republic church. Dioshin¡¯s church doesn¡¯t specifically go against their teachings.¡±


    ¡°Those freaking butt lovers!¡± I slammed my fist, causing the girls to all look behind them in confusion. ¡°Ahem¡­ your butts are fine.¡±

 Chapter 1437

    ¡°In that case, what do we have?¡± I asked, trying to keep my spirits up.


    ¡°The Osterians will fight!¡± Nova declared proudly. ¡°I have 2000 able-bodied Osterians.¡±


    My eyes couldn¡¯t help but dart to Xin. She had already warned me that the Osterians could be a double-edged sword. They only fought for who they determined was powerful. If they believed that Roth was a stronger leader, they might abandon me altogether. That wasn¡¯t to say that Osterians were disloyal.


    They would follow someone who showed time and time again to be strong, but there simply was no history between me and then. Until very shortly, I had been their enemies. They had upended their entire country for me, and they now expected me to do something equally as impressive. Defeating Nova and the demon lord was a start. I had also pulled the Illusory sword, although technically I defeated a dungeon, and the sword, I held was nothing like it, plus no one had seen me come out of it, so there was room for doubt. In the end, it didn¡¯t win their hearts as much as one would have hoped.


    ¡°Our local forces only number 1500 at the moment,¡± Xin added. ¡°They are more capable than they once were. I would no longer call them a rag-tag militia¡­ but a functioning army. That said¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re versus an experienced army of animalkin.¡± I finished.


    ¡°Can you manufacture more malacrum weapons?¡± Shao offered. ¡°If we make all their deaths final, then we can wear them out. It¡¯ll be like with Calypso¡¯s army. Since we can be resurrected and they can¡¯t be, we¡¯ll simply outnumber them.¡±


    ¡°Soul-reaping is the last thing we want to introduce.¡± Miki interrupted. ¡°Once you¡¯ve chosen perma-killing, then you¡¯ve only opened up a field for mass killing. Their side will use such weapons and nefarious moves as well. The Dioshin king may be a lot of things, but he has his sense of pride. He gave us a week, and in exchange he expects us to fight fair. If we don¡¯t fight fair, and he¡¯ll have the moral high ground. It will demoralize our troops, and drive his troops into a frenzy. Remember when Lydia entered her beast mode? Imagine that across an entire army!¡±


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    At the mention of Lydia, several eyes peeked my way. If it came to knowing if Lydia was alive or dead, I still didn¡¯t have the answer. I shook my head. I didn¡¯t want to think about that right now. Once this battle was over, I would beat the answer out of him. To think that he openly bragged about wiping out an entire variant of the catkin, and no one called him on it. He truly did have the power in Dioshin.


    ¡°What about Deeksville and the southwest territories loyal to me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brought back 500.¡± Celeste declared proudly, but when she saw no one else was acting very excited, she put on a pouty face.


    ¡°So, after everything, we have 4000 trained soldiers. That¡¯s truly not bad for a single territory this young.¡± Elaya spoke up. ¡°Aberis altogether could only gather 10,000 soldiers to when they planned outright war with the Ost Republic.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be nice if Edward could give me some of them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so easy, he had already just gathered and sent them home. Furthermore, it¡¯s already known that King Roth only has his eyes set on the wilderness. Most don¡¯t even consider it part of Aberis yet. Those in the east would feel no desire to risk troops to protect a fledgling lord, no matter how high he¡¯s ranked. Your rapid ranking has made it less likely for them to want to help. Some might see it as a quick way to lose the competition. I¡¯m sorry, Deek, but this is politics. Until you¡¯ve fought and bled protecting each other in battle, the rest of Aberis won¡¯t acknowledge you. Tibult is the only major family that truly supports you right now, and you knew what it cost to get that.¡±


    ¡°What about the king himself? Doesn¡¯t he have any people?¡± I asked helplessly.


    ¡°Forces officially under the crown only number 1000 and don¡¯t forget that Prince Edward has yet to take the crown. He¡¯s delayed taking it for a while now, and it¡¯s cost him. He doesn¡¯t have control of the King¡¯s legion. All Edward himself has is 200 guards. He¡¯s less defended than you are.¡±


    It turned out that as far as Aberis went, I was in a better position than most of it. It was no wonder I wasn¡¯t getting very much help. We had always functioned outside Aberis, and now we¡¯re practically bigger than them.


    ¡°What about Dioshin, then?¡± I asked the dreaded question. ¡°How much do they have?¡±


    ¡°According to the little bit of experience I had with them, during a meet, the King would be able to take 1000 able-bodied men per tribe. There are twelve tribes, so their forces will equal 12,000¡­ at minimum.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t enough.

 Chapter 1438

    ¡°There is one place.¡± After a long bout of silence, Sapphire, who had remained rather quiet in the back, spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s a place you might be able to find more troops.¡±


    Everyone looked in her direction.


    ¡°What place?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You defeated Demon Lord Aberis, right?¡± Sapphire asked.


    I sighed, immediately knowing what she was saying. ¡°You mean Alerith.¡±


    It had been several months since I had dealt with Alerith. The Demon Lord Aberis had taken all of his demon knights and marched south, leaving the city mostly abandoned. Lord Reign hadn¡¯t been among those identified after the battle, so my general assumption had been that Lord Reign had remained behind. It wasn¡¯t clear if Lord Reign was an enemy working with the demon lord, a pawn of the demon lord, or even a puppet with no autonomy of his own.


    The city had become eerily quiet in the last two months, and even Prince Edward didn¡¯t know what was going on up there. The traveling guild had been shut down when Demon Lord Aberis made his move, and even after their defeat, the city remained cut off. That could mean that the place was ripe for conquering. If I could ride into Alerith and bring order to it, I might be able to raise a small army from whatever was left. Aberis under Lord Reign had been building forces. Most of them had been polluted by the demon knight token, but my experience was to the point that even if I found the demonic knights, I could fix their karma and restore them to normal.


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    ¡°So, it¡¯s time to take care of Lord Reign,¡± Xin spoke out loud.


    The first time I had tried to deal with Alerith, I had found myself over my head, and it had almost cost me. Yet, at this point, I had mostly ignored them because they weren¡¯t even a threat. Now, it felt like it was a good time to finally visit Alerith and finish what I started.


    ¡°I wonder what they¡¯ve been up to these few months.¡± Celeste pondered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t we have spies in Alerith that can report what is going on?¡± Shao asked.


    ¡°Hmm? We do?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ that¡¯s right, there were those people who were fight managing for Carmine.¡± Miki nodded. ¡°What were their names? Um¡­ Drake?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Master, you did remember you had a group of servants working out of Alerith, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I forgot.¡±


    The girls couldn¡¯t help but collapse. Thankfully, Elaya spoke up, trying to recover the situation.


    ¡°They went silent shortly before Aberis made his move.¡± Elaya shrugged. ¡°Their life insurance crystals haven¡¯t shattered, so they¡¯re still alive. I just assumed they were in a prison somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have said something if three of our people were in jail!¡± Miki cried out.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like any of you were asking after them,¡± Elaya responded snobbishly.


    ¡°Still, we should care for our own, right? We need to seriously stop abandoning people!¡± Miki declared, causing the group to be silent for a moment.


    ¡°So¡­ we¡¯re agreed on Alerith?¡± I offered.


    ¡°Ignored? I feel bad for the male characters in Master¡¯s lore!¡±

 Chapter 1439

    ¡°B-boss!¡±


    ¡°How are things?¡±


    To make things simple, I returned to my place in Alerith. As soon as I stepped out of the bedroom, I had allocated for portaling, Drake and his men were sitting there playing cards. They jumped up as soon as I walked in. I didn¡¯t bring the girls to follow me for much the same reason as before when I went to Matty¡¯s dungeon. They could come on their own if I called, and if there was a trap, I¡¯d rather we all not be captured at once.


    ¡°W-we¡¯re doing good sir! Have you been getting my reports?¡± He asked.


    He was making reports? I kept my mouth shut instead of revealing my ignorance. It was probably better to just focus on the important things. I ignored his mention of reports and decided to just ask him anyway.


    ¡°How are funds holding out?¡±


    ¡°Funds are doing well sir. The shipment of steel we stole we¡¯ve slowly been selling off, and have managed to keep the coffers level. Other than that, we profited substantially off the gladiator fights. We bet on you, and once word came of your survival, there was quite the payout!¡±


    My solemn expression couldn¡¯t help but slip slightly. They had been selling stolen goods back to the enemy and had been placing bets on my life. This is ultimately how Drake had survived the last few months. I probably shouldn¡¯t give them much lip. I had given them no guidance. They were already a streetwise bunch used to surviving by themselves, so it seemed they had done a pretty decent job considering.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well¡­¡± I managed to force out some praise. ¡°What is the leadership like in the city since I left?¡±


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    ¡°Hmm? Quiet.¡± He responded thoughtfully. ¡°There was a large number of knights growing in the city, and it was causing a great deal of unrest. Taxes were also becoming obscenely unreasonable. There was about to be an uprising any day. Then¡­ the knights all left. Lord Reign issued a formal apology, sent out a massive tax refund, and then lowered the taxes considerably. The people were appeased, and the city has been quiet ever since. We¡¯ve been able to live like lords thanks to our winnings and-¡± one of the other men kicked him. ¡°Ahh¡­ I mean¡­ comfortably! Just normal. Boss knows we work hard, right?¡±


    Hearing Drake¡¯s account of the rise and fall of Demon Lord Aberis was perhaps the most terrifying part. He had snuck his way into Alerith, put up a puppet lord, controlled the city for nearly twenty years, built a massive army of demonic knights, and then attempted to cause a civil war in Aberis, invading another lord¡¯s territory, and nothing. No one here knew about it at all. The commoners were completely in the dark about the war, the nature of the demonic knights, or even the reason for taxes.


    That was the difference between the lords and the common folk. I wondered if my people in Chalm were equally as clueless. To them, was I just some busy body who occasionally left and came back with more people? No, they had to know more. Lord Aberis publicly announced his intentions in Chalm, and I had personally freed many slaves. I had a personal connection to my people. I wasn¡¯t some aloof lord sending out policies the normal riffraff didn¡¯t understand.


    There was one problem with Drake¡¯s account though. He didn¡¯t help me understand the true situation in Alerith. I called Lord Reign a puppet, but I had no clue. I had only met him a few times, and he hadn¡¯t left nearly as much of an impression as his Master. Was he freed now, or was he some kind of thrall? It was still possible he worked with the Imperial Cloud Meadow too. That had been my original guess.


    Perhaps, the best course of action would be to overthrow him without the commoners ever knowing. Simply wipe him out, declare myself the lord, throw them a tax rebate, and then start recruiting for my battles. It felt slightly cruel, but it seemed like how things were done here.

 Chapter 1440

    I reported my findings to the girls, and decided to leave the three to keep doing what they were doing. Simply holding a place in Alerith was a benefit to me. My residence in the capital was only collecting dust, after all. I should find some people to station there as well. As for his so-called reports, I found out how he was sending them, and corrected them so that the reports would reach me.


    Before Lord Aberis left to try to kill me, he had created an information blackout in this city. He shut down the travel guild by claiming there was a need for renovations, and he also made sure no messages left or came to the city. Such a blackout would have been extremely suspicious in my world, but I had to consider it had only been a few months since then.


    Any given message sent would normally take months for a response, especially for commoners who couldn¡¯t afford expensive surfaces like the blue mages. The blackout had managed to hold, and the few people who knew something was up only had started to grumble about it. It could be another three months before they started having issues. This was the far west, nearly on the border of the wilderness, after all. Everything this far from the Capital occurred slowly, at least when I wasn¡¯t involved.


    I finished with my spy network, which admittedly was subpar. After all, they hadn¡¯t found anything out that a commoner wouldn¡¯t know. It was probably better to call them house sitters. When I was done with Drake and his gang, I left and headed for the mansion. I brought up my map to check the place. I had once been in the mansion, so I had the area once mapped out.


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡± I sighed.


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    As I become skilled, I found I could read more out of the Map skill than I used to. In the past, the map would always just update arbitrarily. For example, I could use an old map, and it would update the Map, but it wouldn¡¯t be until I went to the area personally that the changes that had occurred over time would be reflected in the Map. It was pretty simple to tell if a part of my Map was accurate or not. I just had to send a portal. A portal could only connect if the area was recognizable. If it had changed too much, then the portal would no longer work. This was one of the great advantages of owning a property in a city. As long as it wasn¡¯t knocked down, you could maintain a familiar signature to connect with.


    However, I no longer needed to test out a place in such a manner. I could tell instinctively which areas of the map were valid, and which areas were dates. The dated areas were still useful, but you could arrive there only to find it no longer the same. For example, if I went to a mountain and then home, and then someone came along and blue up that mountain, I wouldn¡¯t want to portal into the middle of a now-empty sky. It was that kind of mechanic.


    That said, despite the fact I had been in the mansion fairly recently, it was out of date. I don¡¯t believe this is because Lord Aberis started redirecting shortly after I left. There must have been some kind of spell that scrambled the local mana to keep the place from being mapped out in this manner. Perhaps, he had realized after I escaped in Twilight that I was too much of a risk, and used this spell accordingly. That meant that the only way I could enter the castle was the front door.


    The last time I had entered the castle without warning, I had ended up nearly losing my life. My soul had been split in two and I had to face numerous trials, some of which I was still coping with today. It had given me a great deal of trauma, and my girls had probably suffered the most.


    However, I wasn¡¯t the same man I was back then, and my girls weren¡¯t the same. I took a breath. It was time to face Lord Reign a final time.

 Chapter 1441

    ¡°I am Earl Deek Deekson of Chalm.¡± I announced at the entrance. ¡°Asking for audience with the Lord of Alerith.¡±


    I made sure to show my credentials. The guards look at it and nodded. They didn¡¯t act suspiciously as the guards might have. It seemed like all of those under Demon Lord Aberis might have been purged.


    ¡°Master, don¡¯t worry. If there are problems, we¡¯ll fight through them.¡± Alysia reassured me. ¡°Together.¡±


    ¡°Always.¡± I smiled.


    The guards didn¡¯t waste too much time before letting us in the room. I kept Map on standby and Sense Life running just to make sure there weren¡¯t any abnormalities I was about to run into. I could detect hostile entities. I noticed that these guys weren¡¯t necessarily shown as allies, but merely neutral to me. That was fine for the moment, as the last time I was there, they read all enemies. I considered that an improvement.


    We have met a servant who slowly lead us to a receiving room, however, unlike mine which was set up for comfort, this one had the look of a throne room. Even though Lord Reign lived in a mansion and carried out his duties without a castle or palace, he still seemed to go for the throne at the end of the hallway look. I let out a sigh, and let the servant open the double doors and announce me before I entered.


    It wasn¡¯t as impressive as the Capital¡¯s palace throne room, but it would be rather questionable if it was. At the end of a long carpet, a chair sat, and a man was sitting in that chair. He looked nearly identical to the man I had seen months prior. He was clean, prim, proper, and had the presence of a lord. He had a crown on his head which seemed to make him more important. The first time we met, he was a rank higher than me, but now I was a rank higher than him. That changed the dynamics of our meeting completely.


    ¡°Count Reign.¡±


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    ¡°Earl Deekson.¡± He responded as the doors shut behind me. ¡°You¡¯re still alive after all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m harder to kill than I look,¡± I responded.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°I wonder if you¡¯re the man you claim to be. I seemed to recall there being two of you once.¡±


    ¡°I am me¡­ but I wonder if you are you. I seem to recall that you were the puppet of a Demon Lord once.¡±


    Lord Reign made a bitter face. ¡°That was a long time in the past. You defeated him, and I am no longer influenced by his karmic control.¡±


    So, it had been some kind of control like that. It made a lot of sense. The Demon Lord Aberis who stayed in Aberis was the kind of man who liked to play with dungeons. Using karmic control suited him extremely well. I just wish I knew his connection to the Twilight Princess more. Were they really lovers? How did she tie to Twilight from the deep? I had destroyed every last remaining piece of the demon lord¡¯s lore. He was too dangerous, even in pieces. So, I¡¯d have to find those answers another way.


    ¡°In that case, let¡¯s start over.¡±


    ¡°Start over?¡± Lord Reign¡¯s expression changed. ¡°I have a different proposal.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Die!¡±


    He reached into his pockets and pulled something from them. I only had a moment to realize what they were. Guns? Where did he get guns?


    Alysia appeared as he pulled the trigger, and bullets started flying at me, striking her instead. It took me a second to realize where I had seen those guns before. They were the custom ones I had made for Bernice. Lord Reign had captured Bernice and taken her guns. Feeling a sudden surge of anger and betrayal, perhaps amplified by my helplessness when it had come to Astria and Lydia, I let out a roar.


    I exploded forth, and with the wave of my sword, the bullets were swept aside. Lord Reign leaped out of his chair as it exploded into two, but I honed in on him. Fueled with anger, I raised my sword to chop him down, but at that moment he slipped, his foot caught on the carpet. As he fell, I lunged down with my weapon.


    ¡°Wait! Master, something is wrong!¡± Alysia cried out, her blade disappearing from my hands suddenly.


    My balance was completely thrown off as I was giving the killing blow, and instead I braced myself with my hands, which ended up landing on Lord Reign¡¯s chest. As this happened, the crown on his head fell off, and his body suddenly morphed. The area under my hands grew somewhat softer.


    ¡°Ahhhn!¡± A girl¡¯s voice cried as my hands gripped onto two soft things that felt somewhat familiar.


    ¡°Bernice, is that you?¡± I squeezed.


    ¡°P-p-p-pervert!¡±


    I was slapped in return.

 Chapter 1442

    ¡°The crown is a magical artifact which makes you appear as that specific person. The illusion is supposed to be perfect.¡± Bernice spoke quietly.


    She was sitting on the throne with her head down, a complicated expression on her face as I tried to get to the bottom of what was going on.


    ¡°Are you saying Lord Reign is an illusion?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that anyone who wears the crown will appear as Lord Reign.¡±


    ¡°That meant that the man I saw back then was someone else wearing this crown.¡± I contemplated out loud. ¡°It was probably Demon Lord Aberis or one of his goons. It was no wonder when I handed him that anti-illusion artifact, he acted so affronted. He probably thought I knew his true identity. That would explain why he ultimately sent the knights to assassinate me.¡±


    ¡°The real question I want to know is how did Bernice end up wearing it?¡± Alysia asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that strange. It was only a couple of weeks after Demon Lord Aberis left Alerith that the bond I had to you was cut. I took the opportunity to return to my home city. The rumor was that Lord Reign gave an order that he wasn¡¯t to be disturbed. He retreated to his chambers, and no one heard a thing from him for two weeks. Everyone who came was denied.¡±


    ¡°So, it was something so simple¡­¡±


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    ¡°I grew curious, so I use my position to stay as a guest in his mansion. I then snuck into his quarters one night and found the crown. Realizing what this all meant, I put on his crown and came out of seclusion. I realized I could do more good pretending to be Lord Reign than I could as Viscount Castille.¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯re a Viscount?¡±


    Bernard blinked. ¡°I¡¯m a noble. You didn¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me!¡±


    ¡°It should have been obvious?¡±


    ¡°H-how is that obvious?¡±


    Her eyebrow twitched. ¡°First off, I have a last name. Second off, I was known as the Demon-slaying hero.¡±


    I opened my mouth and then closed it again. It was true that only nobles had last names. When you became a noble, you were able to select your last name and sigil, and that would represent your house. This was how situations arrived like the Aberis family. The former King Edward named himself Aberis after his defeated foe, or perhaps he named the kingdom Aberis and then named himself after the Kingdom. Either way, it gave me a headache sometimes. There was also Xin Greggar, who was a princess of the Greggar family. Even though my real last name was Williams, the prince had selected Deekson without consulting me, so that was my family name.


    I had never considered that Bernard, at least when she first introduced herself, had a last name. Furthermore, while you didn¡¯t need to be a hero to be a noble, most heroes eventually earned noble status. It was also advantageous for a low-level noble to get a hero job, as Otto Tibult had tried to do when I first came to to this world.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if you were a Knight, but how did you make it to Viscount?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never shown interest in my story before.¡± She grumbled.


    ¡°I guess there is a time for everything. Humor me.¡±


    I had promised myself that I would make an effort to know more about the girls, and not take so much for granted. In a way, this was my first chance to spend more time learning about the girls and their past.

 Chapter 1443

    ¡°I grew up on the streets of Alerith.¡± Bernice started.


    ¡°I thought you came from the Imperial Cloud Meadow?¡±


    ¡°My parents were refugees. We lived on the north side of the continent, alongside the corrupted lands of the demons. Our city was ransacked by demons, and we barely managed to escape. They tried to conscript my father to fight in the military. It wasn¡¯t that my father was a coward. It was just that the Imperial Cloud Meadow has very little in upward mobility. No matter how well my father fought, he would never be anything more than a commoner in the army. He wanted better for us.¡± Bernice explained.


    ¡°So, you came down to Aberis?¡±


    ¡°It was a few years after Demon Lord Aberis had been defeated, and with the forming of a new country, that brought new opportunities. Not only was it safer fighting down here, but dad would have a chance of becoming a Knight. That had always been his dream. So, we gave everything and traveled south, eventually ending up in Alerith. A lot of refugees were moving back then. The demon lord was far more aggressive with gaining territory and spreading his corruption. When you wanted to get rid of demons, you fled as south as you could go. That meant Aberis. My family ended up in a city filled with refugees. There was nowhere to live, this was even before the taxation for owning property was ridiculous.¡±


    It seemed to be a pattern that living in cities was extremely difficult in Aberis. The Capital only accepted knights and higher. For Alerith, you could get a place if you had the money, but becoming a knight would have been the only way to get property in a city without the money of some successful merchant or dungeon diver. Perhaps that was why Chalm was growing so quickly. Few places offered intercity housing for nearly free.


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    ¡°Did your father succeed?¡±


    She gave a short nod. ¡°They started a program for raising and selecting knights, and my father was excepted into it. Afterward¡­ is behavior started to change.¡±


    ¡°The demon knight tokens¡­¡±


    ¡°My father was one of the first test subjects.¡± She lowered her eyes. ¡°I only found out about it since becoming Lord Reign. One of the first things I did was look into the program.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°My father disappeared and left, and my mother grew ill and infirmed. When I had only myself to depend on, that¡¯s when I changed my identity. A girl alone on the streets only had a few opportunities available to her. So, I called myself Bernard and started to act like a man. To earn money, I participated in underground fighting, dungeon diving, and dangerous adventuring missions. I still wasn¡¯t able to save my mother from dying.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ so sad,¡± Alysia said the words running through my mind.


    ¡°Eventually, as if by chance, a demon appeared in the streets of Alerith. There had been rumors about it for months, soldiers suddenly turning into feral demons and attacking people on the streets. It was the final phase of Lord Reign¡¯s token research. I happened to be at the right place at the right time to encounter a demon attack. A whole hoard of soldiers turned at the same time. We fought, and I survived after a difficult battle. That¡¯s when I was called the Demon-slaying Hero. I believe that one of the demons I had killed, was none other than my father!¡±

 Chapter 1444

    ¡°How did you know that it was your father?¡±


    ¡°He¡­ had my father¡¯s sword. Physically, he no longer resembled my father though. It didn¡¯t matter though. At that point, I had been getting popular fighting as a gladiator in the colosseum. When the public saw me kill the last demons and remain the last standing, I was named the Demon-Slaying Hero. Funny how the guards who fought valiantly and gave their lives beside me are all but forgotten, while simply by luck, I became a hero for surviving.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you were given a noble position?¡± I asked. ¡°If Lord Reign gave you a Knight token, why wasn¡¯t it a Demonic Knight token?¡±


    ¡°Pure luck¡­¡± She snorted ¡°The public was pressuring him to make me a knight. He declared that I had to win the next competition. He didn¡¯t expect King Aberis to suddenly show up with his daughter and son. The King was giving them a tour. They watched as I won the competition, and then the King himself brought out a token and I took it from him. I didn¡¯t understand Lord Reign¡¯s glower as he watched the King hand it to me until¡­ well, very recently.¡±


    ¡°And Viscount?¡±


    ¡°The King told me that since I was a demon-slayer, then I should live up to my title. He put me in charge of the demon-slaying committee in town. It was our job to look out for more demons. I was to predict when they would come and defeat them. Over a year, we had a few dozen more demon appearances, but I quickly wiped them out. That¡¯s when I was promoted to Viscount and taken off the demon-slayer team. I realize now it was because I was getting too close to the truth. I was only promoted as a means of distracting me.¡±


    ¡°R-really¡­¡±


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    ¡°I even remember that conversation. He had asked me if I wanted to continue battling demons my entire life. I told him I just wanted to reach Viscount, and then I¡¯d look for a wife, get enough money for some land and I¡¯d leave. The next day, I was Viscount, and a new gladiator championship appeared which included a cash prize and a female slave.¡±


    ¡°A wife?¡±


    ¡°Is that a problem?¡± She demanded darkly. ¡°Actually¡­ now that I think about it, I recalled something else between my conversation with Lord Reign. He had asked me if I¡¯d like big breasts. I had instinctively thought he was talking about me, and I immediately declared I didn¡¯t. That¡¯s probably why the slave he picked was a flat-chested dwarf!¡±


    ¡°Dwarf¡­ you mean, Garnet?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I think the reason he snagged Garnet was to deal with me. That¡¯s why¡­ partially, I felt responsible for her in Twilight Dungeon.¡±


    It was a complicated web. I had to wonder if the time King Aberis brought his kids was also when Eliana freed Raissa from Lord Reign. Did that mean Raissa had been Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s slave? As for Garnet, she had been taken by Lord Reign. I had assumed he wanted to put a Deep Dwarf into Twilight to get someone to make his precious silvthril weapon but had he known she was a Deep Dwarf already or did he realize it only after kidnapping her. The way the championship had suddenly changed, ending with me, Bernice, Carmine, and Garnet being tossed into the Twilight dungeon, perhaps it had been a sudden decision, hoping to deal with all of his problems at once. Bernice was a demon-slayer who was tracking his identity, Carmine was a Paladin who had also suddenly shown up, and then there was me. Lord Reign, or should I say Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s actions made a lot more sense with this context.


    I patted my hands. ¡°Either way, what is done is done, but, um¡­ why did you shoot at me?¡±


    ¡°You should be dead! You could have been a double!¡± Bernice responded defiantly, giving me a pouty look. ¡°B-besides! You deserved it!¡±


    If I recalled the greetings from the other girls, whether it was Astria trying to kill me, Celeste¡¯s supersonic love, or Miki¡¯s death aura¡­ being shot at was actually rather gentle. I decided to leave it even between us.

 Chapter 1445

    ¡°Why have youe here anyway? Are you looking to finish what you started finally?¡± Bernice demanded.


    I cleared my throat awkwardly. ¡°The reason I am here is that we¡¯re under attack from Dioshin.¡±


    ¡°We?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ me¡­ Chalm¡­ King Roth has taken an interest in invading me for various reasons. I¡¯vee here to strong-arm whoever is on the throne to see if I could raise some soldiers.¡±


    I decided to keep my reasoning vague. I didn¡¯t remember if Bernice knew about the spring, but since she was no longer my ve, I didn¡¯t want to bring up such private things.


    ¡°Strong-arm?¡± She frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m an Earl now, and even Count Reign would have to bow to me, let alone a Viscount.¡± I dered. ¡°I¡¯m not asking. Alerith will be part of my territory, and the lord in charge of it will be under my banner.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still going to bully me?¡±


    ¡°Prince Edward calls it politics,¡± I responded, making a face. ¡°If it makes you feel better, we can call this an alliance. I¡¯m happy leaving you in charge of Alerith. However, we¡¯ll bring down the travel restrictions, and you¡¯ll be officially appointed as the lord of Alerith under me. After that, you¡¯ll function as one of my territories, paying taxes to Chalm and more pertinent to the moment, help me recruit soldiers to defend the west.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ about that tax part¡­¡± Bernice looked away.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re broke.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s not my fault! You were the one who took out the new dungeon that was helping finance this city. Then, the Demon Lord Aberis was busy collecting financing his army that got wiped out. The people were being taxed into starvation, so I refunded the taxes across the board! However, I left the travel restrictions in ce¡­ so we still don¡¯t have any food and all trade has stopped¡­¡± Bernice was pushing her fingers together. ¡°In short¡­ the treasure room is empty!¡±


    I wanted to groan. It was expensive building a civilization. Even Chalm still hadn¡¯t reached a point where it was producing profits. Chalm had been a constant money-suck since I had founded the ce. The only reason it was still standing was that I happened to have made money faster than I lost it. Plus, when I was gone for a while, the dungeon sort of took over and reduced costs temporarily to zero. Once it had started up again, so was the need for money. A pce didn¡¯t just build itself, after all. Still, having to support both Chalm and Alerith financially was even going to drag on my ie potential. The only city that was self-sufficient was Deeksville!


    ¡°Alysia¡­ you¡¯re a princess¡­ how do you afford such things?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Me? I may be a princess, but I never ran anything. I spend my time exploring and fighting in dungeons!¡± She responded defensively. ¡°If you want someone who knows how to manage money, you should speak to Eliana.¡±


    I sighed, deciding to put this issue behind me for the moment. It¡¯d have to wait until after Dioshin. Wasn¡¯t a good way to raise money through war? Once the cksmiths were set up, we should be able to start selling weapons and armor and making a lot of money. At least, that¡¯s what I thought.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this!¡±


    Bernice blinked. ¡°Do what?¡±


    ¡°Make a budget!¡±

 Chapter 1446

    ¡°I want to die¡­¡± I muttered six hourster.


    {Merchant has increased to level 25.}


    My head thudded against the desk. We had gathered all of the notes, bonds, letters, and promissory that had been collected in the treasurer¡¯s office and then started to go through them to try to figure out the budget. I had thought we¡¯d just add up a few pages of numbers and then be done, but it turned out running a kingdom was harder than I thought.


    ¡°Who runs our treasurer out of Chalm?¡± I asked using ve Communication.


    ¡°That would be the Mayor,¡± ya responded.


    ¡°Oh? Can you send him to Alerith for me? Tell him I need him to work on some budgeting.¡±


    ¡°I spoke to him. He says he fell trying to paint his roof and broke his eyebrows and needs some time to rest.¡±


    ¡°Rats¡­¡±


    My mind was such a mush, that excuse sounded reasonable enough. It wasn¡¯t until I ended my conversation with ya regretfully I started to think there was something off about his words. That¡¯s right, his house was made of stone. He didn¡¯t need to paint it! Ah¡­ whatever. It wasn¡¯t his job anyway.


    When I said I needed to build an army to protect Chalm, I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d mean I¡¯d need to spend days calcting budgets so that I could hire an army. I had thought it would be like before, with people heroically volunteering before we rode out to do battle. Except, when that had happened, it had been a Demon Lord who was attacking, and I was depending on many separate factions to help. When it came to building the forces on my own, I had never thought too much about it.


    Time had caused my enthusiasm to wane. Bernice had already taped out, and Alysia appeared to be asleep. She was a sword and didn¡¯t need to sleep, but that was just how boring this all was. Bernice was leaning back in a chair, trying to bnce a pen on her upper lip.


    ¡°I know.¡± I pped my hands. ¡°We promise Knighthood!¡±


    Bernice yed wildly before fixing herself and sitting up. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°You wanted to be a noble. You desired it so much you were willing to do all kinds of distasteful things to reach your goal.¡±


    ¡°That makes me sound like a deplorable!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there are tons of others who also want to go somewhere in life. What if we rece wages with the promise of a knight token! The promise of a future stipend, the ability to buynd in the capital, and a better future.¡±


    ¡°I s-suppose that could work,¡± Bernice spoke thoughtfully. ¡°However, how many knight tokens do you have?¡±


    ¡°16.¡± I exined. ¡°2 as a Viscount, 8 as a Count, and 12 as an Earl. I¡¯ve given 6 tokens away.¡±


    I had given some tokens away after the battle with the Demon King, mostly to solidify my ce with the Knights, Barons, and Viscounts that ruled southwest Aberis and had helped in the fight against the Demon Lord Aberis. I also hadn¡¯t gathered the 12 I was supposed to get as an Earl yet, but that wasn¡¯t important. Such debts could be honored when there was more time. That was also assuming I wasn¡¯t promoted to Marquis or Duke soon. Well, technically, I enved the princess, so I no longer needed to be her a Duke to marry her. At some point, I¡¯d need to discuss that with Prince Edward. I was lucky King Edward was gone, or he¡¯d try to kill me again.


    ¡°That¡­ just might be enough¡­¡± Bernice responded thoughtfully.

 Chapter 1447

    I didn¡¯t have time to train soldiers to be skilled fighters. That meant that we had to hire those that were already skilled at fighting and had significant levels in some kind of battle orientated job. A level 50 farmer couldn¡¯t be apetent swordsman in only a week. Even if I enved them and used every trick I knew to multiply their experience and power level, it would be difficult to manage with a handful of people, let alone an army of them.


    The most obvious answer would be the adventurer. These were talented people used to fighting bandits, monsters, and anything else that made it to the surface from a dungeon. There were also dungeon divers, and there was a fair amount of ovep between dungeon divers and adventurers, especially since there wasn¡¯t a dungeon diver guild.


    I couldn¡¯t hire adventurers to fight in a war for me. That was strictly against the rules. Even if I tried to hire them outside of the bounds of the guild, they could potentially lose their jobs. There were only two ways to get around that. One was to get them to join the army, and the other was to hire them separately as mercenaries. The mercenary option held the problem of being expensive. Furthermore, they would have to break up their party to join a mercenary group. Breaking up a party penalized you a rank letter, so even if they reformed after, it¡¯d be a costly event.


    This meant that recruiting them into the army was the best choice, but while it would be nice to recruit adventurers into the army, very few were willing to take on that kind ofmitment. The temptation of a Knight token was great, but adventurers were free spirits. They didn¡¯t like the rigidness of militaries and the do-or-die nature of war, or they would have chosen to be mercenaries. Thus, there was little chance to recruit them over.


    That left only one other group of skilled fighters that might be open to the temptation of being a given the Knight job. It shouldn¡¯t be forgotten that the Knight token wasn¡¯t just a noble title and ess to perks associated with being a noble, but it was also a powerful third-ss job. Most of these people had only ever reached a 2nd ss proficiency, so even if they only cared about their strength, having the Knight job would allow them to increase their strength over normalmoners. Trading a few years of life could be considered a small trade such a benefit.


    ¡°I understand all of that¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°But why are we here?¡±


    The crowds burst into cheers as one man slugged another. He fell back, hitting the edge and catching on the ropes before stepping forward and flying at his opponent. He started hitting his opponent rapidly, pushing him across the stage. It seemed like was overturning the entire match. Onest punch, and the man who should have won copsed to the ground. The other man raised his bloody palms, causing the crowds to burst into cheers.


    ¡°This is what diators do on the offseason,¡± Bernice exined. ¡°Wee to the world of underground fighting!¡±

 Chapter 1448

    ¡°My time is short.¡± I looked over the crowds of bloodthirsty cheering people. ¡°Let¡¯s put up a notice of recruitment, and then get out of here.¡±


    As I turned to walk away, a voice spoke over the inte. ¡°And next up, we have the Bastard Brute versus the Catgirl of Doom!¡±


    Two people walked out onto the stage. One of them was arge brutish man with muscles rippling muscles who wasn¡¯t wearing a shirt. In the other was a woman who had her entire body hidden behind tight ck leather. Her ck hair was tied up in a ponytail, and her face was covered with a mask that was also shaped like a cat. She had two cat ears poking out of her head though and a long ck tail behind, meaning she was genuinely a catgirl.


    ¡°Here, here¡­ little pussy.¡± The man spoke in a gruff voice, causing some of the audience tough.


    For some reason, seeing the catgirl brought a strange feeling of familiarity. I found myself unable to look away. A bell rang, and the man immediately lunged forward. He was surprisingly fast for his size, and it looked like he had wanted to use that to his advantage to quickly crush the catgirl. However, she was even faster, and her body nearly blurred as she dodged his attack. That was from my perspective, so from amoner¡¯s perspective, it likely appeared as she had teleported.


    The man had thrown his attack down, creating arge boom, but the girl had disappeared. Even he looked shocked and confused. He didn¡¯t even have time to recover as he was struck from behind. He mmed into the post, and then spun around with a roar, throwing out a punch. The catgirl flipped back, avoiding his strike.


    This only seemed to make him angrier, and he attacked again. However, her extremely swift movements allowed her to dodge and attack, then dodge and attack again. As she moved, her actions grew increasingly familiar to me. She was a speedbat fighter. I could see that ss without God and Devil Eye. The only other woman I had seen with such a ss was Lydia. However, there was something else about the way she moved. It was far too familiar.


    ¡°Stop dodging me!¡± The man bellowed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you fight me like a man?¡±


    That call caused him to receive several boos and about of mockingughter. This fight that had seemed like it¡¯d fall in one direction was quickly falling in the opposite direction. He had powerful attacks, but unless he could lock down an opponent, they were useless. They used all of his strength, and he was growing exhausted.


    ¡°X-sh!¡± The woman glowed and activated a skill.


    She made slicing gestures with her arms, and it was at this point I had lost all doubt. That had been one of Lydia¡¯s skills! It was an Advanced Swordsman skill. It was unlikely a catgirl as young as she would already be a level ten advanced swordsman. That could only mean that this likely was Lydia. She wasn¡¯t dead, but she was fighting here in an underground arena?


    ¡°Lydia!¡± I shouted out.


    However, as her opponent fell, the crowds stood up and started cheering. My call was lost in the screams and shouts. She turned around and left the stage without another word, disappearing from my sight.

 Chapter 1449

    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Two buff guards stood in front of me.


    ¡°I need to speak with Lydia.¡± When I noticed the two looking at each other in confusion. ¡°Um, the Catgirl of Doom.¡±


    ¡°A fan, eh? Well, lookers can¡¯te back here and harass the contestants!¡± He dered.


    ¡°I just need to talk to her for a second.¡± I tried to push through.


    The man threw out his fist and punched me in the gut. I didn¡¯t flinch or move. The guy¡¯s eyes grew wide.


    ¡°Y-you going to cause trouble?¡± The other asked, grabbing his weapon at his side.


    I opened my mouth, just about ready to cause this trouble, when I was grabbed and pulled away. Bernice stepped in front of me.


    ¡°Sorry, fellows! My friend here just had a bit too much to dring. He fell in love and now he¡¯s being stupid. You know how it is.¡±


    The men blinked, but then slowly gave epting nods. ¡°Well, see that he doesn¡¯t cause any more trouble, or he¡¯ll be kicked out.¡±


    Bernice nodded back to them while pushing me against the chest and away from the area that Lydia went. I took several steps back, but it was mostly so I didn¡¯t embarrass her. I remembered that Bernice could be a bit uptight when it came to her abilities.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked. ¡°We¡¯re the lords of this city.¡±


    ¡°And this is an underground fight! Did you not understand the word underground? This is all done under the nobility¡¯s eye!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re the nobility!¡±


    ¡°Shhh!¡± She snapped, looking in both directions before shooting me a re. ¡°Do you want to cause an incident? Unlike the diatorship which has an official guild, these underground clubs technically break thews of Aberis. If they suspected the pce was getting involved, they¡¯d immediately scatter! If that happens, you¡¯re going to get no one joining your cause, do you understand me?¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s why you¡¯re not taxing this ce¡­ Financially, we¡¯d be in a better ce if¡­¡±


    ¡°Bah. Bah! That¡¯s let¡¯s not talk about the financial situation right now. What¡¯s important is being able to get along in the underworld. I was going to tell you before you went barreling off, but things are done a very certain way down here. First rule, you don¡¯t start problems you can¡¯t finish.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I could take care of those guys¡­ and most of the others down here if I had to.¡± I dered, looking around at some of the matches going on in other corners of the club.


    ¡°Everything down here is about cred. If you just start cracking heads, you¡¯re going to be banned, and your reputation will plummet.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°This is ridiculous, I can just tell them who I man¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± she responded sternly. ¡°You can¡¯t just reveal yourself as a lord, and you can¡¯t just demand people join your army. They won¡¯t respond to a flyer? They follow who they respect, and they¡¯ve only ever heard of you as that guy who lets ves fight for him!¡±


    ¡°What about you then?¡± I asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t they respect the Demon-ying Hero?¡±


    ¡°I got out.¡± She sighed. ¡°I became a Knight already. Too many people here might recognize my face. If I were to attempt topete, I¡¯d be kicked out in an instant.¡±


    ¡°Compete? Who ispeting? I just want to speak to that girl.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who will have topete!¡± She dered, tapping my chest. ¡°If you want to get to her or these crowds of skilled fighters, you¡¯re going to have to earn the street cred necessary in the ring.¡±

 Chapter 1450

    ¡°Seriously? Mana scrambling?¡± I had nced at my map to see if I couldn¡¯t just Portal behind the enemies, but what I found resembled the Pce, where my Map couldn¡¯t create a clear picture of the area.


    ¡°The underground has plenty of resources. A lot of moneying down here¡­¡±


    ¡°And yet Alerith is poor¡­¡±


    ¡°Geh! This was all set up under Demon Lord Aberis¡¯s control! None of this is my fault.¡±


    I let out a sigh as I looked down at the parchment to sign up. It cost a couple of coins to register as a fight contestant. These matches were scheduled on the fly, so I could sign up for tonight and be fighting tonight.


    ¡°Will I be able to go against the Catgirl of Doom?¡± I asked the guy behind the counter.


    ¡°The Catgirl of Doom?¡± He raised an eyebrow. ¡°She¡¯s a regr here. If you want to fight against her, you¡¯ll need to be in the top tier. You¡¯ll need to fight quite a few smaller fish before you¡¯re ready to take on the cat.¡±


    ¡°What is with you and that girl?¡± Bernice asked, her voice almost sounding jealous. ¡°Do you just chase after any pussy you see?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to pretend you¡¯re referring to the fact she¡¯s a cat.¡±


    ¡°What else would I be referring to?¡± She asked, cocking her head.


    ¡°Ah! Nothing.¡± I gave a fake cough. ¡°Rather, I think that she is Lydia.¡±


    She put on a dubious look. ¡°You know¡­ since you came from Chalm, I didn¡¯t expect I¡¯d need to say this, but not all catgirls look alike-¡±


    ¡°I know that!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s got ck fur.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and Lord Reign isn¡¯t supposed to have breasts! A lot of things can be changed.¡± Both of us seemed to look down at her chest at the same time.


    I looked away before she could hit me with a re. When I looked back, she was glowering, her hands over her chest.


    ¡°I think Lydia is here in disguise. Once she sees me, she¡¯ll realize I¡¯m still alive ande home immediately.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me earlier that King Roth said he killed her?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to resurrect her, but¡­ I know she¡¯s okay!¡±


    ¡°Master¡­ I know that you¡¯ve been through a lot¡­ but you can¡¯t get everything back¡­¡±


    A sh of Terra just as she was being destroyed ran through my mind. It turned out that Terra¡¯s soul was safe inside Sapphire, but she was still basically in ama. Until I could bring Terra back, I had lost her. Before that happened, I had been racked with so much pain and fear. I couldn¡¯t even allow myself to humor the possibility that Lydia was gone. This ck cat was her. They had simr fighting styles, simr jobs, and even simr body types, although this one had her bodypletely covered.


    ¡°R-right. I forgot for a moment that the ve bond was cut.¡± Her expression turned somewhat sad as she looked at me from the side. ¡°Your ves, they matter to you? You¡­ care about her, huh?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± I responded, turning to look up at the stage. ¡°You¡¯ll see¡­ as soon as she sees me, she¡¯lle running into my arms.¡±


    ¡°That! Um¡­ about that¡­¡± I turned to her just as she lifted something in her hands, a guilty expression on her face. ¡°You¡¯re going to need to wear a mask.¡±


    I let out a sigh. ¡°Of course, I am¡­¡±


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1451

    ¡°Alright, by my calctions, you¡¯ll need to win 20 matches to earn enough cred to challenge the Catgirl of Doom. If you defeat her, you¡¯ll have enough to make your announcement and recruit people.¡±


    ¡°What is cred? Seriously, is it a currency?¡± I asked, fidgeting with the mask on my face.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already exined, cred is the amount of poprity you have¡­ and stop ying with that! If people learn you¡¯re a lord before earning the cred, then you¡¯ll immediately lose the ability to earn cred.¡±


    ¡°If I reveal I¡¯m a lord after earning the cred, then won¡¯t I lose the cred anyway? In fact, won¡¯t they be angry because I lied to them?¡± I asked, dropping my hands.


    ¡°That¡¯s not how cred works!¡± She responded indignantly. ¡°It won¡¯t matter once you have the cred. They¡¯lle to respect you for acting on their level. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± I admitted.


    This whole thing sounded arbitrary to me. Either I should have their respect or not. Whether I can knock a few heads or not shouldn¡¯t evene into it, let alone be the most important contributing factor.


    ¡°Look, I spent years in the underworld. You¡¯re just going to have to trust me that this is how it all works. If you want to see that catgirl up close and have a chance to meet with her, this is the way.¡±


    ¡°Still, twenty fights. I only have less than a week now.¡±


    ¡°If you can handle four fights a night, then you can have them all done in five days. They rmend you don¡¯t sign up for more than two. Even more than one is considered extremely cocky. Most will onlypete every other night so they have one to rest. You¡¯ll be fighting back to back. This kind of stuff is exhausting for most, but since it¡¯s you¡­¡± She bit her lip awkwardly.


    ¡°I¡¯m a white mage. I can heal all my wounds and continue. I understand.¡±


    It would be five nights for me to earn my cred and find Lydia, and 2 nights to recruit whomever else would fight. Of course, I still had the days to manage everything else. This seemed to be the best I could do.


    ¡°Alright.¡± I agreed. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s begin.¡±


    I was eager to get this out of the way. Was I a bit overconfident in my abilities? After all, I was agreeing that I could defeat twenty matches in a row from skilled fighters and diators. Some of these people were undoubtedly adventurers or mercenaries too. I didn¡¯t think I was overestimating my abilities though. Most of these people were likely in the 2nd tier of their jobs, while I was in the third to fourth-tier inability. There were only a handful of people, Kings and Dungeon Masters, who might have the ability to give me significant trouble.


    If I presumed that Carmine and Bernice, two of the victors from the diatorial match from a few months ago, were near the top of contestants at the time inability, then the current me should be able to hand that level at least.


    ¡°Our next match, it¡¯s Rex the Hex versus a neer who just signed up, Deacon the Dragon!¡±


    ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s the name?¡±


    ¡°You said juste up with something. Isn¡¯t that your name in another world?¡± Bernice demanded.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I coughed.


    I just wasn¡¯t used to hearing my real name. It was weird having that name to hide my identity. It was fine though. Maybe Lydia would recognize it and this would all be over quickly. One could only hope.

 Chapter 1452

    After signing up, I was let into a back area where I could prepare. This area was regrettably not the same as those in the higher-tier fights. As Bernice had already said, I was going to need to work my way there by winning fights in rapid session. As I left the backroom, Bernice followed me, stepping to the side. A referee was standing just outside the ropes who seemed to be doing the announcing. As I reached him, he put his hand upon my chest.


    ¡°This is your first time, so I¡¯m going to warn you, we don¡¯t pull punches. If you die, you lose your life deposit so we can resurrect you. Also, you won¡¯t be able topete again for a month. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°There are no weapons, right?¡± I asked, wondering how often people died with punches.


    ¡°Just because you can¡¯t use anything sharp doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t enhance your attacks with skills.¡± He gave me a look like I was a newbie. ¡°Look at your opponent.¡±


    I looked over at him and then had to look twice. Unlike the other fights I had paid attention to, this guy was wearing a full set of armor. The thing I noticed most was that he had gauntlets over his hands.


    ¡°Gauntlet! Wait¡­ are things like gloves and brass knuckles allowed?¡± I asked.


    He rolled his eyes. ¡°Of course. As long as it¡¯s not sharp and it doesn¡¯t propel from your body, it¡¯s allowed. You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re walking in. I guess that¡¯s why the bet is against you one to two.


    ¡°One to two?¡± I asked as an idea struck me. ¡°Any chance you can bet on yourself?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ we believe in encouraging the underdogs to try their hardest. You can bet for yourself, but I must warn you that 20% of the bet is taken immediately. The winner splits it with the house 50/50. So, even if you bet on yourself, your earnings won¡¯t be that great. As for betting against yourself, that is strictly prohibited for obvious reasons.¡±


    I think I understood what he meant. A 5-gold bet would immediately have 20% taken, so it¡¯d be a 4-gold bet. If I won, I¡¯d get back 12 gold for every 5 gold I bet. However, that was only if I was an underdog with good odds. Once it got to the point where I was likely to win, I would no longer be making money. For the moment, I was still effectively the underdog, so I might be able to fix some of Alerith¡¯s money problems right there just by making some bets. I took out a bag of coins and tossed it to Bernice.


    ¡°Ah!¡± She made a noise as she suddenly grabbed at it.


    ¡°Put it on me.¡± I dered.


    ¡°Heh¡­ that¡¯s ad.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Get on in.¡±


    I stepped up over the rope and onto the stage. The man in full arm stood across from me. I held up my hands. I wasn¡¯t a pugilist like Shao, but who knew, maybe I¡¯d be one by the end of this as if I needed more jobs.


    ¡°Begin!¡± The referee cried out as the man charged toward me.

 Chapter 1453

    A fist mmed into my face. There was a time I seemed to recall really hating pain. I would do just about anything to avoid it. Sometime after my soul was cut in two and then I was forced to feel the pain of soul refinement, my outlook on pain had started to change. I had allowed him to hit me because I wanted to get a feel for his level. Even with his gauntleted fist on, I had the mentality that any pain would be temporary. I could always just heal myself.


    To these contestants, they would have to go to a priest to heal themselves, and most priest spells took time. It ranged anywhere from an hour to a few days, but the kind of instantaneous fixes I could do were a third-tier White Magician. To reach that level, you would have to first be a Basic Magician and then work toward Intermediate Magician.


    Only then, dedicating your life to healing, would you finally be able to unlock the White Mage job and learn such healing spells. When it came to a priest, healing was one of the first spells you learned, and you could be a priest simply by joining a church and taking the vows. Truly, I had jumped my ce when I came to this world, and even if I hadn¡¯t understood it at the time, White Mage was truly an overpowered starting job.


    When it came to contestants, these weremoners and others that were part of the underworld. diators were often supported and sponsored by the wealthy, but these guys had no one. Even being able to afford a priest would be a costly maneuver. That meant that every strike you faced was meaningful. As the fist struck my face, the crowds immediately reacted with hisses. To them, such a direct strike would be something that might even handicap and contestant permanently.


    ¡°That was it?¡±


    I let out such cocky words before I had even stopped to think about it. The man named Rex the Hex took several steps back, looking down at his gauntlet in shock. I wasn¡¯t sure if I should y it like I was hurt, thus pretending I was weak to lure my enemies in, or if I shoulde out as overbearing. If it came to earning cred, which would be better?


    That¡¯s when I noticed that the gauntlet in his hand had something hidden in it. Had he not been staring at his hand in obvious confusion, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed. I reached out and grabbed his hands like an adult would grab a child trying to hide something. He let out a cry, but he was too slow and too weak for my movements. I turned his hand over to reveal that within his gauntlet was a little de.


    When he punched, the de must havee out and stabbed into the person, doing extra hidden damage. However, the reason he was caught off guard was that he had punched me, and the de had not punctured my skin. It was only made of iron, after all. It had cut me slightly, but I had Regen on and the very small amount of damage it did heal before anyone could see it.


    ¡°Is this allowed?¡± I asked, holding up Rex¡¯s gauntleted hand, revealing the trick.


    He was still attached to his glove though and was trying to force the glove away from me, but absolutely couldn¡¯t manage. The cheering all seemed to cease as people stared dumbfounded.


    ¡°Ah! D-disqualified!¡± The referee finally recollected himself.


    I let him go, and the man turned and fled in embarrassment, being booed the entire time.


    ¡°Wait, was that a victory?¡± I asked as I left the ring past the referee.


    ¡°Since the match was disqualified, the bets will be returned, however, you¡¯ll still be given a win.¡±


    I felt like crying. Next time, I¡¯d just punch them and collect my money.

 Chapter 1454

    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, what ultimately gets more cred. Should I struggle with the fights, only barely surviving each time, or should I defeat them overwhelmingly?¡± I asked Bernice after the first fight was over.


    ¡°Usually, I would rmend that you not try to put on a show. There is a risk you could lose a fight that way, and you never want to take that chance¡­¡± Bernice dered. ¡°Furthermore, as people start to realize you¡¯re holding back, some wille to resent that you acted so deceitful, especially those who lost money betting against you.¡±


    ¡°I see, so I should probably just end the fights swiftly¡­¡±


    ¡°On the other hand, if you act too overbearing, many will begin to eagerly want to see you put in your ce. No one will be able to make money betting for you, so, you¡¯ll unanimously be bet against. Every victory would only be a p in the face to those who lost money. Furthermore, you¡¯ll lead to contestants acting more desperately to defeat you, wanting to earn the cred for bringing you down. Universally, you might end up being hated¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you saying then?¡±


    ¡°I think if you want to get through this, you¡¯re going to need to not act weak, but not defeat them quickly either.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, you¡¯re the one who asked!¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright!¡± I held up my hands.


    ¡°Oh, we have someoneing back for seconds!¡± The voice announcer shouted. ¡°Deacon the Dragon is returning for another fight. I guess we¡¯ll get to see him seriously perform this time. He¡¯ll go against Faradex Kong!¡±


    ¡°What is with these names?¡± I muttered to myself as I returned onto the stage.


    The man across from me was rather slim and smallpared to me. I had the feeling he was the type who focused on speed.


    ¡°Ah, what¡¯s my going rate?¡± I asked the referee.


    ¡°One to one point two.¡±


    ¡°Two to one! Is that a bit excessive?¡±


    I was one to two before, but it had seemingly flipped. That meant for every two coins bet, you¡¯d only win one. Of course, they still took away 20%, so really it was for every five coins, someone would win two.


    He shrugged. ¡°The way you handled thest guy, plus this one is smaller and unarmed.¡±


    I let out a sigh as I stepped over the ropes. I had truly lost out on my chance to make a profit. I still had her bid though. Hopefully, if I acted less overbearing in the future, I might have a few more opportunities to make a better profit.


    When the man saw me, he gave a polite bow. ¡°Good evening. I apologize, but I will destroy you now.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Go!¡±


    The man threw down something that erupted, creating a cloud of smoke. I saw a glimmer above me to realize he had jumped up and wasing down with a kick. I just barely managed to catch his leg, and since he was still falling through, I carried it, mming him into the floor with a boom. I immediately let go.


    ¡°Oops, sorry!¡±


    He didn¡¯t get back up. In a single attack, the match was decided. The crowd was silent.

 Chapter 1455

    ¡°You¡¯re defeating the opponents so quickly that no one can even react!¡± Bernice chastised. ¡°That¡¯s the exact opposite of what I told you to do!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to! He just caught me off guard and I reacted in kind.¡±


    I was starting to remember that I wasn¡¯t a diator, I wasn¡¯t apetitor, and I wasn¡¯t a fighter. I wasn¡¯t even a warrior or a soldier. I was a dungeon diver. It was do or die. Even a soldier could be resurrected, but when you were in that dungeon, it was your life or there¡¯s. There was no such thing as throwing a punch, and there was no such attack that aimed to do anything less but incapacitate or kill your opponent. Even when I was taming monsters, the attacks I was using on them were near lethal. Of course, once they submitted, I could always heal them, but that didn¡¯t mean I slouched at all.


    It looked like I was going to have to learn how to ease up. I had practiced these kinds of skills in the past, but all it took was being stuck in a life and death situation, and I started developing those bad habits once again. I began to realize that this was a pretty good means of practice. Of course, my winnings continued to shrink as I blew through the bottom ring of the underworld, but by the time I beat the fifth and final guy, sometime early in the morning and just before the sunrise, I was able tost five moves before pummeling him into the ground.


    As I collected my winnings, abination of the bets I made and my victories, a man dressed in some fancy-looking suit came out and stopped me at the exit.


    ¡°You will being back tomorrow?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Is that alright?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ what stamina young ones have these days. I look forward to it. We use metals to order our people. We have Iron, Copper, Steel, Silver, Gold, and Diamond matches. You¡¯ll be fighting in the Copper matches tomorrow. I have a mind to move you straight to Silver, but rules are rules.¡±


    I gave a nod. ¡°I look forward to it.¡±


    He gave a cold smile and then turned away. It wasn¡¯t until I got outside that Bernice grabbed my arm and pulled me close to her.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good!¡±


    ¡°Huh? What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten the notice of the underworld¡¯s kingpin.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s usually not a good thing. If he¡¯s noticing you, then there is probably something he wants, and it¡¯s only going to create trouble.¡±


    ¡°You do realize that I¡¯m an Earl, right? We control this city.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t realize just how much trouble he can cause for you! Chalm doesn¡¯t have an underworld, but this city exists onyers, and the foundation of thoseyers is the criminal underbelly. He probably has half the guards in this city on his payroll, and just about every sessful merchant owes him a favor or two.¡±


    ¡°That sounds really troublesome.¡± I frowned. ¡°However, it doesn¡¯t sound like there is much I can do about it. For the time being, we¡¯ll just have to continue as we are.¡±


    It was just one more problem I¡¯d have to hold in the back of my mind.

 Chapter 1456

    The next day went about smoothly. I did my best to prepare the army. There was actually very little I could do. Everyone already had their jobs and was going about it. It seemed like working on mybat ability was the best thing I could do. I didn¡¯t want to put myself in a dungeon where some random event could happen and I end up stuck there for a month, so my best bet was to continue to use the underground fighting to help develop mybat ability.


    Rather than working on pure strength, I started trying to unequip jobs and make use of the skills without having ess to the lore. Although few books in Aberis understood the lore as deeply as I did, I hade to have a confident understanding of just how the job system worked. Jobs were essentially redundant lore that attached themselves to the souls of people who were moving down a certain path. As they grew more experienced, they grew closer to the lore, deriving more benefits as they level. These benefits came in the form of status increases, skills, and bonuses.


    Once reaching enough understanding, these fragments of lore could in turn attract new fragments of lore, which is often what I understood as second-tier lore and on. Equipped lore was lore that you pushed closest to your soul, allowing you to read it directly, while unequipped lore was nearby and essible, but too distant for you to read it. It was sort of like the difference between having the memory in ram and having the memory in the hard drive. You could store a lot of memory in hard drives, but any memory you wanted readily avable required the use of the ram. In that respect, 2nd and third jobs were like getting an extra ram slot.


    That exhausted all I knew aboutputers. I had a cousin who was somewhat skilled with them and tried to show me how to build them, however, that felt like an eternity ago. Anyway, that analogy failed, because by repeating skills endlessly, I could make them a part of my lore permanently, and then I could use the skills even when the job wasn¡¯t equipped. This was ultimately my goal over the next week. Since I had to fight people back-to-back who were inferior to me, I chose to handicap myself in this manner, trying out and practicing different methods of fighting. I wouldn¡¯t say my levels went up particrly quickly during this period, but I did feel myprehension did.


    I had read about a condition called experience exhaustion. It was a point a lot of dungeon divers and adventurers, the type who tended to level rapidly would experience where the higher they leveled, the smaller their experience would be. Of course, when your experience increased, the obvious option was to fight more difficult enemies, but you eventually reached a point where the enemies outstripped your ability to defeat them. Thus, fighting the top enemies you could handle, you earned piddling experience and your leveling stalled.


    I had mostly avoided that by having experience multipliers that overwhelmed such an ability. Adding my body and soul upgrades, I had managed to level steadily without issue. However, at some point, my leveling might stall, and that came when my levels exceeded myprehension. No matter how powerful someone was, if they didn¡¯t understand how to use that strength, they could only fight weaker enemies that didn¡¯t help them gain any experience. Of course, I even had a cheat here too. Advanced Learning allowed me to elerate myprehension, so even after a few days, I had a much better handle on my levels. I felt like I wouldn¡¯t bottleneck in the near future.


    Not only did I defeat the enemies one after another, but my ranks steadily rose as well. I was on my third day, having reached the Silver Rank when my next opponent surprised me.


    ¡°Deacon the Dragon versus Queen Lionness!¡±

 Chapter 1457

    A woman walked onto the stage who moved with a predator and sensual grace. As soon as I saw her, I started to get a bad feeling.


    ¡°Queen Lionness, is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It is¡­¡± She responded. ¡°You have defeated all of your opponents before this match with ease, but I fear this match will be your first defeat.¡±


    Her voice immediately caused my mood to sour. Although she was wearing a mask, it didn¡¯t cover her face up much at all. She let her lion tail and ears outpletely. Her wild unkempt hair, her light brown skin, and her yellow eyes were extremely familiar to me. Upon hearing her voice, there was no longer any doubt. This was the lioness who was working under King Roth. I didn¡¯t know why she was in Alerith in an underground fighting ring, but it was unmistakably the woman who had tortured and injured Astria.


    Although I knew Astria was still alive, the bond I had with her gave me nothing else. Rather, he was storing her somewhere I couldn¡¯t reach. I guessed that he had put her in his dungeon. I could normally portal in and out of dungeons, but there were exceptions. If the dungeon master specifically wanted to prevent me from Portaling, I had found that it was perfectly possible. The blessings on my body were only as powerful as the dungeons that formed them, and if another dungeon happened to be stronger, it wasn¡¯t impossible to block, interfere with, or overwhelm them.


    When it came to Astria, I couldn¡¯t even locate her so that I could make a portal. She wasn¡¯t on my map no matter how far I scrolled out. I could only feel that she was somewhere vaguely in the west. I knew that once King Roth was defeated, I¡¯d be able to find her, which was the only reason I had waited to go after her. Celeste had said that ripping off fairy wings was more symbolic than it was dangerous, but that didn¡¯t mean I wanted to let her suffer like that.


    ¡°Do you know me?¡± the lioness suddenly asked. ¡°That look in your eyes seems to suggest you don¡¯t like me very much. Did my man happen to offend you at some point?¡±


    ¡°You mean King Roth?¡± Since she could already tell by my behavior, I decided to leave all questions on the table.


    ¡°Oh? So, you do know me? I¡¯ve never met you before though. What is that name again? Deacon the Dragon? Deacon¡­¡± She gasped. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t by chance be that little lord, Deekson, would you?¡±


    She had startled me again. She wasn¡¯t just cruel and strong, but she was also very smart. With just the name and a look, she had quickly identified me. Although just looking at her made me feel a bit of anger and the desire for vengeance, I just managed to stop myself, taking a deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to fight you. I have other ns.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± She cocked an eyebrow. ¡°I could say the same. I seek to bring down this so-called Catgirl of Doom. They say she is undefeated. I n to correct this.¡±


    ¡°Her? Why?¡± I narrowed my eyes.


    ¡°Powerful women deserve to be in my lord¡¯s harem. I¡¯m naturally recruiting. Although, I won¡¯t allow anyone in the harem that is more powerful than me. Once I put her in her proper ce, she¡¯ll be another one of his women!¡±

 Chapter 1458

    ¡°As expected of a Harem hero like King Roth, he lets his women do his dirty work.¡± I responded disdainfully.


    She blinked, and then let out a light chuckle. ¡°I thought you were a so-called Harem Master as well. My lord has heard many rumors about you, yet here you show your ignorance.¡±


    ¡°Fight!¡± The referee cut into our conversation.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that!¡± I roared, attacking her.


    I didn¡¯t feel the pressure from her that I felt when I had fought King Diorite, so she probably wasn¡¯t that strong. That said, the first exchange she blocked directly. I was surprised. I had expected her to use her speed as Lydia did, but she met my attack right on. Worse, we broke even. The two of us jumping back, neither losing any ground.


    She lifted her fist, opening up and licking her knuckles like a cat. Her eyes seemed to hold a frightening level of excitement.


    ¡°Not bad. Of course, you¡¯re not at a level where you can fight Lord Roth, but perhaps your harem will be good enough to be worth training.¡±


    I readjusted my jobs. As I moved up the ranks, I had been finding it more and more difficult to focus on increasing my skills. However, with this single exchange, I knew that this was not the time to be holding back.


    ¡°Arcing sh!¡± I began with an attack, using my arm as the attack.


    Since I was used to wielding a sword, I found that substituting the sword with my palm seemed to work better than trying to turn my attacks into punches. I wasn¡¯t a pugilist by any standard, and it took this point to realize why most swords users tended to attack as if they already had a sword equipped. The exception to that seemed to be the woman before me, who had no problem with fighting, and likely did have pugilist abilities.


    My strike met her fist, and this time she was forced back slightly more than I was. There were multiple ways to win a fight. The first way was knockout, but you could also knock them out of the ring. That was more difficult than said because the ropes helped keep them in, but that would probably be the easiest way to deal with her. I began to attack over and over. I knew that she had speed. I had seen the speed she had used in the dungeon. However, she seemed intent on meeting every attack head-on, and this caused her to be forced back again and again.


    She was at the edge, so I aimed to bring her in the air and up over the ropes. I used a Quick Attack, bringing my speed to the limit. With an uppercut and a kick, she went flying over the rope. Just as I felt relief that I had been able to defeat her easy enough, she did a strange flip, and her body moved to the side instead of back, causing her tond one of the posts with ease. Her body had several bruises and cuts from the attacks, but she didn¡¯t seem defeated at all. Her eyes were bright with excitement. She licked the back of her hand and then looked at me with a toothy grin.


    ¡°That was quite something. I see you won¡¯t hesitate to hit a woman.¡± She grinned as blood leaked from her lip.


    ¡°I learned a long time ago that women can be just as strong as men. Holding back is only disrespecting both of us.¡±


    She wiped her lip. ¡°Good, then I will no longer hold back either!¡±

 Chapter 1459

    She glowed, and her body came at me with incredible speed. I directly met her attack again, but with the added momentum of her speed, I was the one thrown back this time. I had hoped that this sudden explosive speed was merely a skill like my own Explosive Movement, but I was being too hopeful. She began tounch attack after attack, throwing me back. However, where I was aiming to methodically knock her out of the ring, she seemed to be fine throwing me around any which direction, ying with her prey rather than trying to win.


    Although she was injuring me, it still wasn¡¯t at a level where I felt hopeless. She hadn¡¯t healed from the damage I had done earlier. Meanwhile, my regen had me quickly recovering from attacks. I could also always cast a heal and recover damage I had received. As much as I hated to admit it, this became a battle of attrition. I¡¯d need to slowly build up damage until she fell.


    Our battle was at a silver level, so it was one of the more interesting battles going on. Silver battles were moremon, but the fighting urring within was closer to what one would see in a Diamond or Gold battle. There were usually only 2-3 Diamond and Gold battles a night, so such a disy quickly grew a crowd. People cheered as they watched a tall woman toss a man twice her size around the ring. This is exactly what I meant when I said women were just as strong as men. Physical size seemingly meant very little in this world. A bunny rabbit could kill a goliath given the right stats.


    ¡°Master, I think we should rely on that.¡± Alysia offered as I hit the ground again.


    I was having trouble getting another hit on her. If I couldn¡¯t at least build up damage, then I¡¯d be the one who eventually wore out. On that note, how long would a fight like that go on? There was one other n I had to increase my power in a fight.


    ¡°You certain you can pull it off?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Yes, Master, I¡¯ve been practicing with shaping myself a lottely. I should be able to manage.¡±


    ¡°Alright, do it!¡±


    I rolled back to my feet and then lifted my hands. The blessing on the back of my hand glowed and then that glow grew, covering my hands. When they finished forming, I was wearing two metal gloves. This was Alysia¡¯s new weapon form, gauntlets! Although Alysia had be several other items since she had be a sword, those were usually tools. There was a difference between the stress a tool would have to face and the stress a weapon would have to face. Ultimately, she was most powerful as her sword form. If she changed forms too radically from that, she would lose a great deal of her strength. The drill could be cut in half with a powerful enough sword strike.


    That¡¯s why we had held off on the gloves. Her body integrity would assuredly be reduced in this form. She had to practice a bit and getfortable with this form. Still, I wouldn¡¯t use this form if the opponent had cutting weapons or anything like that. It would ultimately be too difficult to keep her safe. However, with her form so close against my own hands, I believed we could pull it off.


    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this?¡± the lioness smirked.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to end this.¡±

 Chapter 1460

    Fighting with Alysia wasn¡¯t just a matter of having an extra hard punch, but as a sentient weapon she could somehow add her stats to mine. I could punch with not just my strength, but the strength within Alysia too. I wondered a bit if she was still leveling, or if her status was trapped at the current level. I couldn¡¯t see jobs with her anymore, let alone levels to those jobs. As far as her helping me fight, we still had a long way to go before we werepletely at ease with each other, so it was hard to say if she was getting stronger or if we were just getting better at fighting together.


    Either way, the lioness met my attack once again, likely eager to see what else I was bringing. So, I made sure not to disappoint her. Even with her adding her speed to her strength, the results of our attack were one-sided. The lioness was thrown back, mming into the ropes. Had she been airborne, she would have been knocked out of the ring. She let out a hiss and then attacked again, her body blurring as she attacked at full speed.


    However, I was able tobine Alysia¡¯s battle sense, her speed, and her understanding with my own, and together we caught her, causing her to fly off again. She mmed into a pole, and then coughed out a bit of blood. She looked up at me while on all fours, a smile on her face.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ so, you were holding out on me,¡± she said. ¡°Good¡­ good.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay down for good!¡± I leaped up and then mmed down with my fists in an overhead cutting motion.


    ¡°Good!¡± She repeated with a screech, lifting her palms to block.


    As she blocked my strike, her body began to morph. She took on a more feline appearance, her fingers turning to ws, her legs growing more muscr and bent, and her face growing whiskers. This was something I had to recognize from Lydia. This was her beast mode, a point in which she allowed her animalistic side to take over, giving her an extreme boost in strength and ability.


    ¡°Deek!¡± Alysia warned as the lioness did a flip.


    While her hands held my gauntlets, her feet went up and kicked me in the face. I pulled back, but she managed to flip in the air while still on me. This time, her hand came down and she struck my face. This blinded me for a moment, as she kicked me, sending me flying out. I just missed the ropes, falling off the tform andnding on the ground. As soon as I hit the ground, I stood up, but it was toote.


    ¡°Disqualified! The winner is Deacon!¡± The referee dered.


    I blinked in confusion as the crowd started to boo.


    ¡°Disqualified?¡± The girl asked innocently. ¡°Oh, do you mean these?¡±


    She lifted her hands innocently, revealing her long nails. At that moment, I could feel a stinging on my face. Reaching up, I felt blood. She had scratched me across the face in thatst attack. My mask had thankfully remained on though, just barely continuing to mask my identity.


    ¡°They¡¯re a sharp instrument!¡± The referee dered, causing even more booing.


    The woman herself seemed more amused than angry. She jumped onto a post looking down at me, her eyes containing that predator¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you this win, but we both know how the oue of this match would have gone without such rules.¡± She licked her w innocently.

 Chapter 1461

    ¡°Nothing is certain.¡± I replied, ignoring the stinging in my face.


    She jumped down from the post,nding next to me. The referee checked to make sure we weren¡¯t going to keep fighting, and then he dered the win. Those that had bet on me were quite thankful, while those that had gone with her were very frustrated. She walked up to me, and I was a bit confused about what she wanted now that the fight was over.


    ¡°You are young and ignorant,¡± she spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s kind of cute.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your master hear that.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± She made a disgusted face. ¡°He is not my master. I am no ve! I choose to be in his harem. We all do!¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you bully and force the other girls¡­¡± I responded.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand!¡± She hissed. ¡°Women just need to be given the opportunity. Ultimately, they all realize what is right for them, as I have done.¡±


    ¡°That just sounds like very.¡±


    ¡°You would know very.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t do anything that a woman doesn¡¯t want¡­¡±


    ¡°Then you are a fool. Women don¡¯t know what they want,¡± she responded dismissively.


    ¡°You seem to know what you want, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I do!¡±


    ¡°What do you want, immortality?¡±


    She smirked, showing her fangs. At this point, her feline body had reverted to her normal form. It didn¡¯t make here off as any less the predator.


    ¡°You know much.¡± She cocked her head thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯s true that my lord desires to make us all immortal. I do not care about such a life though. I would dly give my life to my lord this moment if necessary. I want to give my everything for my lord and to be his everything. I want to be the best, the leader of his pride, the best woman in his life.¡±


    ¡°Will he give the same for you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What do you know of it!¡± A sh of anger appeared on her face, but it was immediately reced with another grin. ¡°A proper woman epts the love her lord gives her in whatever form he chooses.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like an excuse.¡±


    She lifted her head innocently. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve started to slowly work on that fairy of yours. She¡¯s quite resistant, but they all eventually see my lord¡¯s greatness.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± I perked up, anger shing on my face.


    ¡°Oh, once I pulled off her wings, she became so timid. In time, she¡¯ll happily be meat for my lord to consume.¡±


    I reached out and grabbed her cor, pushing her against the ring. ¡°You dare touch her?¡±


    There was a whistle, and a referee who was starting the next match red down at me. ¡°No fighting!¡±


    I realized I was nearly choking her. However, she wasn¡¯t scared. If anything, she just seemed more amused. I let go, taking a step back. The referee lifted a finger. That was one warning. If I got another, I¡¯d be out.


    ¡°My¡­ my¡­ did I touch a soft spot?¡± She asked, a grin on her face.


    I had let her get under my skin, which is exactly what she had wanted. I quickly calmed down.


    ¡°I care about all of them,¡± I responded. ¡°I love all of them.¡±


    ¡°And that¡­ is why you¡¯re fated to lose all of them!¡±

 Chapter 1462

    ¡°Oh, that is right. You¡¯ve reminded me why I came down here. I wish to give you a little lesson.¡± The lioness suddenly announced.


    ¡°A lesson?¡± I asked, trying my best to keep my temper.


    I couldn¡¯t let her goad me, but there was a chance she¡¯d leek things about King Roth. I needed to keep my ears open and learn more about them. It was so I could obtain victory. That was all.


    ¡°While your love for your women is admirable. It¡¯s also aplete weakness.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s my strength.¡±


    ¡°How can that be?¡± Sheughed, giving me a strange look. ¡°If you allow yourself to get so emotional with every girl, then you can easily be controlled. A harem is like a living being, and each girl is like a part of the body. If you obsess about protecting every part, then trapping you bes all too easy.¡±


    In a world where magic could restore limbs, and for those who couldn¡¯t find someone who could do that, magical limb recements also existed. I supposed the idea of lopping off a limb to survive was easy. I had done it myself, although I couldn¡¯t say I¡¯d ever want to again. As I pondered her words, it appeared like she wasn¡¯t done.


    ¡°Every part has a purpose, and it is up to you to assign that purpose. You are the brain of the harem, but if you think that is all that is needed for the body to work, then you are mistaken. You may take care of the big things¡­ you decide the direction, the timing, and the movements. However, you couldn¡¯t possibly handle every little thing. Just think about it. How far would you get if you had to spend every moment thinking about breathing? Or if you had to control every muscle? It¡¯s not possible.


    ¡°Harems need a hierarchy, a leader, a woman in charge who handles all of the things her man doesn¡¯t have time to handle. There are ranks in a harem, an order. There are those at the top, like me, and then there are the enforcers, like my lionesses¡­ and then there is the meat at the bottom, delivered for my lord to eat up.¡±


    I tensed at that word. She had called Astria meat. I had a feeling that in her hierarchy, everyone who wasn¡¯t a lioness was below them.


    ¡°Every woman I love is special¡­¡± I shot back, my voice still more defensive than I would have liked.


    She showed her teeth once again. ¡°Not every woman can be the queen. At some point, you have to decide. Without it, there is tension. The parts won¡¯t work together. They¡¯ll fight and eventually, they¡¯d break. If you don¡¯t have a queen to keep your harem in line, then your harem is bound for failure. It will tear itself apart from the inside. That¡¯s all I wanted to say.¡±


    I hated that her words had a certain sense to them. Ever since I had left and the ve bonds were cut, the girls hadn¡¯t been quite the same. Miki was depressed and isted herself, Shao remained aloof and distant, and Celeste stayed with her mom. When I did bring everyone together, they often disagreed on things, and might even argue.


    I had only realized it a little at the time, but Lydia had always been the glue that kept everyone together. I didn¡¯t know what she did, but she had always acted as the leader, guiding the other girls forward without me needing to be there. However, I didn¡¯t know what happened to her, and I was only hoping the catgirl of doom was Lydia. Was that why the lioness came here? Was she here to finish the job? After considering everything, I could only pretend her words didn¡¯t affect me.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± I responded simply.


    She reached up to her face and moved her fingers across it, demonstrating a w mark. ¡°Let my mark remind you then. Perhaps we¡¯ll meet again before my lord ends you, Deek Deekson.¡±


    With that, she turned and walked away, her tail swishing as she left.

 Chapter 1463

    ¡°You certainly had a lot to talk about with her.¡± A huffy voice stated as I walked away from the ring.


    ¡°You¡¯re not jealous, are you?¡± I asked teasingly.


    Bernice¡¯s face turned red. ¡°H-how could I be? Not at all! You¡¯re a well-known phnderer who seduces every woman!¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Well, this one is taken.¡±


    Her argumentative re quickly slipped as she noticed I wasn¡¯t in the mood. ¡°Is everything okay?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°It will be.¡±


    As I was saying that, I noticed a face that I was hoping not to see again. It was the well-dressed man who was running this ring. He was waiting for us as we entered what constituted a locker-room in this ce, which was more just a back room where the contestants could dress wounds in peace.


    ¡°Hello, Deek Deekson.¡± The man smirked as he looked at me.


    I froze where I was. ¡°You know¡­¡±


    As soon as I heard that name, I felt my spine tingle. During the match, the lioness had guessed my identity, but the cheering was so loud I didn¡¯t think anyone would have heard. I didn¡¯t know if this was a coincidence or if he had listeners.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been climbing the ranks quickly thisst week, people would naturally look into your identity. It¡¯s not particrly difficult to reason out who you are. You are traveling alongside the current Lord Reign, after all.¡±


    It was Bernice¡¯s turn to jump. She had not hidden her presence as Bernice, but without the crown on no one should have been able to guess it was Lord Reign. The illusion magic that made Lord Reign was top-notch. It not only had fooled identification magic, but Lord Reign should also have had a drop of blood on file with the Capital for life insurance, although perhaps they had a fake. A well-ced bribe probably would have been enough to get that switched.


    As for Bernice giving me away, she was known down here, but we thought that being known would only help our alibis. Bernice was a former champion and diator who was training a young apprentice, using the underground rings as a whetting stone. That was our official story. Since we both used swords and my skill outstripped most of the riffraff here, this seemed believable for most. As for connecting Deek Deekson, Bernice, and me¡­ thest time the public ever saw me was in Alerith before my physical change, so as long as my face was covered, who¡¯d guess I suddenly grew a foot taller?


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Bernice asked, her eyes narrowed dangerously, and an aura of battle emanating from her.


    Bernice was somewhat hot-headed and only knew violence. I wasn¡¯t as quick to jump to fighting, but I understood her feelings. I held up my hand in front of her to keep her from leaping at him. He only nced at her, seemingly unperturbed by her actions. The man didn¡¯t give me any pressure, but there was something about the way he held himself. Bernice was known as the top diator in the city, and he didn¡¯t feel threatened by her at all. It made me a bit wary as his eyes fell on me.


    ¡°That depends on why you¡¯re here.¡± He finally responded after a tense moment.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been climbing the ring for two reasons. One¡­ I¡¯m looking to find people with the ability to fight. Alerith is currently barebones when ites to guards. The former¡­ Lord Reign¡­ he stripped the countryside clean of the military when he left. You see, Dioshin is attacking, and I need every person I can get.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is that all? You should havee to me sooner. I can put out the request for you.¡±


    ¡°I would have, but someone said I needed cred¡­¡± I gave Bernice a side-nce and blushed.


    He nodded. ¡°It¡¯s true that they¡¯ll be more willing to follow someone well-known.¡±


    ¡°There is¡­ um¡­ one more thing.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°I need to speak to the Catgirl of Doom.¡±


    His originally rxed expression suddenly turned serious. ¡°That is something I cannot do.¡±


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1464

    ¡°Why is that?¡± I demanded, trying to keep the edge out of my voice.


    He gave me a hard stare. ¡°What is this¡­ woman to you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for certain,¡± I responded honestly. ¡°I think she is someone meaningful to me. This is why I need to speak to her. Is this a problem?¡±


    ¡°The Catgirl of Doom wishes to keep her identity a secret.¡±


    ¡°Not from me!¡± When he raised an eyebrow, I flinched slightly. ¡°I mean, I believe her to be a woman named Lydia. She is essential to me, and I will find her, no matter what it takes.¡±


    I didn¡¯t mean thatst part to sound like a threat, but I didn¡¯t pull back either. He seemed to be watching me carefully as if looking for something. His entire demeanor seemed to have changed once I mentioned her. Was there some kind of connection between the two?


    ¡°She has been under my care for some time. I am unwilling to reveal her identity. I will also not arrange a meeting between the pair of you.¡± As I opened my mouth, he raised a hand. ¡°However, if you wish to meet her, there is only one way. You must fight her in the ring.¡±


    ¡°That was my intention from the beginning,¡± I responded.


    He nodded. ¡°Then, I will schedule your match for tomorrow night. As for whatever happens after that, it¡¯ll be between the two of you. I will provide you the remainder of your winnings, but I would as that you engage in no more underground matches. After this match, your rank will also be revoked.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    None of that particrly mattered to me. I would have been a Gold-rank by the end of the day, but ranks only mattered if you were fighting in the arena, and if I got the things I was looking for, I had no intention ofing back here anyway.


    ¡°There is one other thing I¡¯d like to say as well.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°If this woman isn¡¯t the one you remember, what will happen?¡±


    I blinked at his strange question. ¡°I will keep looking.¡±


    ¡°What about if you learn the woman you love is no longer there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Would you make a dungeon duplicate? Would you rece her with a clone created from your own lore?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel side blinded again. I had only met this guy twice, yet he seemingly knew far too much about me. He knew about dungeons, and his question about creating duplicates hit far too close to home. I had even considered such actions when Terra had seemingly died. I had told myself I¡¯d just create a duplicate of her in the dungeon. Of course, then I¡¯d end up like King Aberis. He remained in Widow¡¯s Dungeon, facing a woman who wasn¡¯t his wife, but he was unwilling to leave because of the memory of his life. If I hadn¡¯te along and broke him from that illusion, he would have wasted away down there, and the demon lord would have gotten everything he had wanted.


    ¡°There is only one lore¡­ the lore between us. The lore and memories of my time with Lydia are what bind us together. If I don¡¯t have those¡­ then I don¡¯t have Lydia.¡± I answered after thinking of an adequate answer.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡± He turned and walked away without another word.

 Chapter 1465

    The next day, I had another meeting with the team to get an understanding of our current progress.


    ¡°How bad is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Celeste and I finished surveying the enemy forces along the border,¡± Shao spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s not as bad as we originally feared. Only eight tribes are currently alongside King Roth, only I still estimated close to 9000 troops.¡±


    ¡°This makes sense.¡± ya nodded. ¡°It¡¯s very difficult to mobilize all of the tribes. Some will always resist.¡±


    ¡°Which tribes?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Catkin, Wolfkin, Bearkin, Apekin, Birdkin, Beastkin, Hoovedkin, and Squirrelkin.¡± Shao dered.


    Twelve tribes made up the Dioshin. Tribes didn¡¯t necessarily mean a single species, although types certainly congregated together. Some tribes only had variants, like the Catkin, while other tribes like the Beastkin were made up of rare species, like Elephantkin and Crockin and such.


    The ones that didn¡¯te along were the Murinekin and the Rabbitkin. They had been at odds with them prior. It looked like they hadn¡¯t convinced them to join. Perhaps, it was merely a cease-fire. I didn¡¯t know anything about the dragonkin, but just by the name I¡¯d guess they were loners. As for the foxkin, their absence was obvious. I had only taken one vige of the foxkin, but in general, their tribe were outcasts and their numbers were small thanks to their inability to handle their spiritual curse.


    ¡°So, the Wolfkin are against us?¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡± Shao gave an uncertain look. ¡°The wolfkin were being kept close to the catkin, and I didn¡¯t see any wolfkin leadership out and about. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if they were under some coercion of King Roth at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Is there any chance we could convince the Rabbitkin and Murinekin to join our side?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They have a great deal of animosity toward the predator ss animalkin, but they also have a great deal of fear.¡± It was ya this time who spoke. ¡°As we discussed, I sent envoys, but we have yet to receive answers. I believe they are waiting to see the results of our battle.¡±


    ¡°Have we managed to gather any more forces recruiting?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve managed to gather another 500, however, these are mostly volunteer militia, and are barely better than filler,¡± Xin exined. ¡°They will only serve to make our forces lookrger on sight.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I understand. We¡¯ll keep them anyway.¡±


    Xin wasn¡¯t the type of woman to mince words. If she said they weren¡¯t qualified, it was because they weren¡¯t qualified. However, we had to take everyone we could at this point. That only brought us to 4500 soldiers. Even if the Osterian could fight two to one, that still put us at 2500 less than the opposing forces.


    ¡°What about armor?¡±


    ¡°Production has begun,¡± Lapis answered. ¡°We¡¯ve experienced problems.¡±


    ¡°What problems?¡±


    ¡°Few of the men are a high enough level to handle our equipment. Our equipment is turning out to be too good for the majority to handle. The cksmiths have started depending on their apprentices to make lower-tier gear. This has stifled production. I can only promiseplete fittings for five hundred by the time they arrive. I apologize.¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°To produce sets of armor and weapons for five hundred soldiers in a week, that output is miraculous. Xin, see that they are fitted and awarded to the best soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡±


    I lifted my hands and rubbed my eyes. This had been an extremely long week filled with fretting all day and fighting all night. The end was almost near, but what I wouldn¡¯t give to put that end off a little longer.


    ¡°Master, how is you work in Alerith going?¡± Miki asked curiously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after tonight.¡±


    Tonight was myst chance to change the course of this uing battle.

 Chapter 1466

    ¡°And now¡­ the fight you¡¯ve all be waiting for. Catgirl of Doom versus Deacon the Dragon!¡± The announcer was much more enthusiastic as he called out this one, and it was met with resounding cheers.


    The excitement and crowds around various matches had slowly increased as I edged up the ranking. My extreme speed had caught many people¡¯s interest. They wondered just who I was, and the story we sold was that I was someone being trained by Bernice. This was enough to get everyone to ept it, although my ability to make a profit off my wins had tanked once everyone realized my true rank had yet to be revealed.


    However, this was a diamond match, and the Catgirl of Doom was the undisputed champion of the ring. Diamond rank was a misnomer. There was only one person who existed at the Diamon rank. Once someone was defeated, they¡¯d drop down to Gold. They could only challenge again a monthter. Diamond matches were always when a Gold contestant challenged the Diamond.


    From what I had been told, it was the Diamond rank because it stood for a diamond in the rough. This was a person of skill and ability who ought to move on to higher and better things. They were someone like Bernice, the top of the underground, destined for greatness. That was what happened to anyone who maintained the Diamond rank long enough. They would eventually be some small vige¡¯s hero or be knighted, or find some other path to sess. Then, two Gold would duke it out, and if no one was able to hold the Diamond rank consecutively, it was passed from person to person until another diamond in the rough appeared.


    I hadn¡¯t known it that first day, but the match I had caught was the Catgirl of Doom overthrowing the current Diamond. Usually, Diamonds would only need to fight once a week to defend their ce, but the kingpin of the underground had made an exception for me. Usually, other Golds had to buy their chance to battle the Diamond by cashing in cred, which I still hadn¡¯t figure out if it was a currency or a state of mind. That was just another exception made for me. This naturally grew even more interest in our match, as it was rarely an up-ander would st through the ranks so quickly and then immediately challenge the Diamond.


    After nearly a week of fighting, I finally stood opposite of her on the same stage. Her hair was ck, and by all appearance, she seemed to be an unremarkable ck catkin with no variant. However, how could I forget the body of the woman I had spent so many intimate nights with. If it came to any girl, it would be Lydia who I knew best. This woman stood like her, moved like her, and looked like her. I would have confirmed it with God and Evil Eye that moment, but while it wasn¡¯t explicitly banned in underground tournaments, Bernice said I would lose the crowd and breed hostile if I relied on such cheap tricks.


    That meant that the only way to confirm my suspicions was to rip off her mask and remove all doubt!


    ¡°Begin!¡±

 Chapter 1467

    ¡°Lydia.¡± I called out. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t it be great if it was that simple? Before I did anything else, I just needed to reveal myself to her. If she was my Lydia and there was nothing specifically wrong, then she would immediately jump into my arms, and there would be no contest. However, life never seemed to work out so cleanly for me. The catgirl blurred, immediately using her speed to the point where I lost sight of her.


    ¡°Behind you!¡±


    I spun just as a kick mmed into what would have been my back. I narrowly blocked with my gauntlets, Alysia absorbing the brunt of the hit. I had no intention of ying around in this match. I didn¡¯t know why this Catgirl of Doom hid her identity, but I intended to get to the truth of things. I only had one chance, and I definitely wouldn¡¯t blow it.


    I came at the ck catgirl hard, using sword techniques and quick attacks to face her head-on. Our hands moved back and forth, each side blocking the other strike after a strike. To an outsider, it might have resembled the motions of a martial artist, although I didn¡¯t know anything about karate. Our hands were our des, and each strike attempted to injure and wear down the opponent. Our movements were so fast that it was a blur to someone who was a low enough level.


    The ck catgirl showed no emotion as she fought viciously. Even this close, she didn¡¯t seem to show any indication. Was I mistaken? Was this not Lydia? I also considered several other possibilities. Maybe, she was under someone¡¯s control. I knew such devious puppetry skills existed. I had also known karmic infections to control people and make them act under someone else¡¯s control. Then, there was the possibility that I didn¡¯t even want to think about. What if Lydia died, and this was her recement, much like Salicia.


    I shook my head. Even if that was the case, Salicia had loved her sister, and even her clone had some kind of ingrained love. I couldn¡¯t believe in a version of Lydia without me. Unfortunately, my thoughts had distracted me, and the ck catgirl took every advantage. I found her breaking through my attacks. I got stuck three times before managed to jump away and make some distance. She had struck me once on the arm, once on the leg, and once in my side.


    At first, I thought that hits were minor, but I immediately felt numbness in every ce she hit. I found my leg and arm didn¡¯t move quite right, and it was slightly more difficult to breathe. I raised my hand to cast heal, but whether she knew I had magical healing or not, she seemed to react almost instinctively. She moved forward and attacked, giving me no time and interrupting my spell.


    Realizing how the fight was going south, I threw caution to the wind. I put all of my efforts into a single strike, allowing her to hit me in the process. The two of us met, and I felt myself flying back, striking one of the posts with enough power that it cracked. That hurt. I spit up blood as I forced myself up to my feet. I didn¡¯t regret my actions though, because I had met my goal. I had knocked the mask covering her face away. I was finally able to see the true identity of the ck catgirl.


    ¡°It is Lydia.¡± I breathed.

 Chapter 1468

    Lydia¡¯s hand went to her face, and she touched where the mask should have been before shooting me a stern re. ¡°I do not know this Lydia.¡±


    It was almost difficult to recognize her because the happy carefree expression that Lydia usually wore was reced by deep concentration and a stern look. She could have been apletely different person, but now that her mask was gone, I had no doubt it was Lydia.


    ¡°Then, do you know Deek?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that name either!¡± She scowled. ¡°Stop wasting my time!¡±


    She attacked again, and I barely managed to block her. My goals had radically changed though. Now that I confirmed I was dealing with Lydia, my new goal became figuring out what was wrong with her. She was hard to catch though. Her speed made it sou every time I tried to lock her down, she managed to slip away quickly. On top of that, I had already received several bad hits, and without any time to heal, she was wearing me down.


    ¡°Alysia¡­ I think we should try that idea we had.¡±


    ¡°That idea! Wasn¡¯t that for the bedroom, on an unmoving target?¡±


    ¡°Geh¡­ it applies to now. You can do it.¡±


    ¡°M-master¡­ I¡¯ll do my best!¡±


    I quickened my speed, trying to match Lydia for just a moment.


    ¡°elerate! True Strike!¡± I came at Lydia was a brutal strike.


    She had no choice but to block the strike, my gauntlet striking her hand. As soon as we touched, my eyes shed.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    The gauntlet glowed, losing its current shape. As the force of my attack was pushed back by her defense, the white light flowed around her hand. She tried to pull back, but I had the momentum and was pushing her down. When the light disappeared, a small cuff was around Lydia¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Alysium, handcuff edition!¡± I announced happily.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe Master thought of turning me into this¡­¡± Alysia whined.


    Lydia looked down at her wrist in wide-eyed wonder. However, I didn¡¯t hesitate to grab her hand and pulled her. My other hand touched her forehead.


    ¡°Karmic Control!¡±


    My intention wasn¡¯t to control her karma but to make sure she wasn¡¯t being controlled by someone else. For a brief second, I peered into her soul, and what I saw shocked me to my core.


    ¡°Master!¡±


    Lydia was screaming like she was in pain, her body writhing like she was being injured.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh! Ahhhhhhh! Let me be!¡± Lydia screamed, thrashing wildly against the handcuffs.


    At that moment, I felt an extreme danger, like death was about to strike. ¡°Alysia, release here!¡±


    I leaped back just as Alysia unlocked Lydia¡¯s wrist. A form blurred into the ring, appearing between the pair of us. His speed was unmatched, he gave off the pressure of an impossible mountain, its heights making even Kind Diorite seem like a child. Had Alysia not released her hold when she did, his movement would have chopped her in two. I did not doubt that. In his eyes were a cold and icy fury that shot to my very core.


    The Kingpin struck me, and I felt my body lurch as I flew back. I mmed into the ropes, bending out the post on that side with extreme force before copsing on my butt. I had just enough energy to get back up, but I had a feeling that had been deliberate. If he had wanted that strike to kill me, he would have used them. His hand touched Lydia¡¯s forehead, and she immediately stopped screaming, falling asleep. He caught her in his arms and then shot me a deadly look.


    ¡°Have you seen enough?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I need to help.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you done enough?¡±


    ¡°Not yet¡­ she¡¯s dying.¡±

 Chapter 1469

    ¡°Come with me.¡± The man stated simply, before turning to the crowd. ¡°The match is over! Deacon the Dragon is disqualified! He shall hereby have his status provoked, and he will be banished from this location after today!¡±


    Those that were fans of Lydia had been giving me hateful res, some even booing or calling for my head. With the Kingpin¡¯s announcement, they nodded as if to say it served me right. The volume increased as the people started muttering to each other, uncontented with the results of what should have been a spectacle match. From what I could hear, most agreed that I had cheated, although I technically hadn¡¯t broken any of the rules that I knew about. Magic was allowed, but it was difficult to pull off in one-to-one fights. So was restraining people, for that matter. However, new rules might be created after tonight.


    I didn¡¯t care that much about people¡¯s opinions of me. If this made it so that I wouldn¡¯t be able to recruit a single person, none of that mattered at this particr moment. All of my thoughts were on Lydia and what I had seen when I tried to interact with her soul. I followed the Kingpin as he led me to the backstage area on Lydia¡¯s side. As he entered the room, he put Lydia down on a table that seemed to work as the medical bed. I closed the door, cutting the noises behind me and giving us privacy.


    ¡°What the hell happened to her?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°What do you know?¡± He asked, not looking up from Lydia.


    ¡°Her soul is extremely damaged. It¡¯s being consumed by a karmic infection. The miasma has already done significant damage.¡±


    The man nodded in response. ¡°She was attacked by assassins. She managed to fight them off, but they managed to strike her with a soul-reaving dagger.¡±


    I took a deep breath. I had prepared for this possibility, but hearing it was rather difficult.


    ¡°She survived,¡± I said.


    ¡°Barely.¡± He responded. ¡°I saved her life, and did what I could for her.¡±


    ¡°Why is she here fighting? Why did you allow us to battle?¡±


    ¡°I never expected you to try to reach for her soul like that. I may seem to know many things, but I didn¡¯t know you had such an ability. When you touched her soul, you aggravated her condition.¡± He exined, shaking his head. ¡°Now, I don¡¯t know if she¡¯ll make it.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean? What were you doing before then?¡±


    ¡°Since her soul was infected with karma, her only chance was to let it run its course.¡±


    ¡°Run it¡¯s coarse?¡± I frowned. ¡°You mean¡­ turn her into a karmic being¡­¡±


    ¡°You understand.¡± He finally looked up at me. ¡°Through battle and experience, a person finds strength. They gain insight and build lore. I had her fight so that she could circte her mana, allowing the miasma topletely rece her mana soul. Only once that happened would she survive.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°A miasma soul would convert to mana when left outside of a dungeon.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re notpletely wrong, but you¡¯re also not correct. After all, if this was the truth, then how can such things as your God soul exist?¡± Although he revealed he knew even more about me, I had stopped being surprised by his knowledge at this point. ¡°No, a miasma creature can exist without a dungeon. It¡¯s not easy, and they¡¯d eventually have to find a connection to the mana of this world or die, but she would have lived a bit longer.¡±


    ¡°But now?¡±


    ¡°Only part of her soul is left here, and that part was barely strong enough. When you interrupted the process, I¡¯m now even less confident she¡¯ll survive.¡±


    I looked down at Lydia, who still had her eyes closed like she was sleeping, a peaceful expression on her face. ¡°She will. I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡±

 Chapter 1470

    ¡°You n to interfere?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I n to fix her,¡± I responded. ¡°I can save her life. If you try to stop me¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ you already suspect my strength, and you still threaten me?¡± He gave me a dangerous look.


    I coughed. ¡°I was going to say I would convince you¡­¡±


    ¡°However, you should know by now what happened to Lydia. I allowed you to fight her because I wanted you to see for yourself. She doesn¡¯t remember anything. She doesn¡¯t remember you, her name, or anyone else in her life.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡± I closed my eyes. ¡°The miasma destroyed that part of her soul. Everything rted to us is gone.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the way soul reaving-daggers work.¡± He sighed. ¡°They burn from the outside in. She likely wore the memories of her friends and loved ones outwardly. Only those things buried deep survived that attack.¡±


    There was a long period of silence after he had spoken. As for me, I was partially thinking, but I was also running through my avable jobs and skills in my mind, deciding on my next course of action. After some time, I finally came to my conclusion.


    ¡°Alysia, I¡¯m going to need you to do something for me.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± She immediately dered. ¡°Not that, Master.¡±


    ¡°Alysia. You¡¯re the only person I would trust to do this.¡±


    ¡°There has to be some other way.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ but I don¡¯t have the time toe up with one. This is my choice. Please honor it.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± She whimpered but didn¡¯t argue anymore.


    I walked over to Lydia¡¯s side, looking her over one more time. The silent Kingpin watched me out of the corner of his eye. I didn¡¯t know what to make of the man. He had seemingly saved Lydia¡¯s life. The assassins that Lord Roth had sent should have killed her, but he had managed to keep her alive and then take care of her. It seemed like I owed him for that. Perhaps, there would be a time when I could repay him.


    ¡°Do you intend to interfere anyway?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Even though she doesn¡¯t remember you? Even if you do manage to heal her, she still won¡¯t know who you are.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°If you fail to heal her, and somehow cause her to die here, I will kill you where you stand.¡±


    I met his dangerous re. ¡°I ept.¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­¡± He snorted. ¡°Then do as you will. I¡¯m curious what this healing method you¡¯ve concocted is. I may not be a White Mage, but I have a certain level of knowledge when ites to souls. The current state of her soul is disordered, and I see no means ofpleting what was started. This was her choice¡­ I mean, her life is in your hands now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I won¡¯t fail.¡± I smiled, holding out my hand.


    Alysia formed in my hand, but her form was much smaller. She appeared as a dagger, perhaps even smaller. One might be amiss to see her as a letter opener. It was almost like she was hiding her physical size, afraid of beingrger.


    It didn¡¯t matter, because what I was cutting wasn¡¯t physical. I mmed the de into myself, and I started to cut.

 Chapter 1471

    The pain of cutting into your soul was something few people could handle, but it was a pain I was all too familiar with. I had done it once to myself in a swift and violent strike, but this time was different. The girls once said that my God soul was toorge to be cut in half as it had once before. However, I wasn¡¯t cutting it in half this. This time, I was merely cutting away a small sliver.


    The Kingpin¡¯s eyes widened and his pupils began pinpricks as he saw the de enter me. His mouth fell open in utter shock and horror as I began to cut. To a normal person, it would look like I was carving into my gut, chopping my organs to bits, yet for some reason, no damage appeared and no blood flowed. I was cutting, and the thing I cut was something far more precious. When I finished, Alysia disappeared, retreating to her home in my soul world, as if wanting to immediatelyfort the part of that world that was now torn and damaged.


    I held out my hand, and a small white light started to form in it. It formed into a small glowing white orb with flecks of ckness roughly the size of a marble. As the Kingpin looked at it, his eyes were extremely sharp. He was well aware of what I was doing, and what it implied. I pulled life force from the life that was in my soul world, sans Alysia, and slowly healed the damage to my soul.


    In the short term, this damage would weaken me. I¡¯d suffer for it. However, I wasn¡¯t particrly worried about the long-term effects. After all, I knew that I¡¯d be able to heal all of the damage. I had the Waters of Life, after all. I could rejuvenate and rebuild the parts I cut away. As for what I lost, it had been things that weren¡¯t that important anyway. I didn¡¯t think about the fight I¡¯d have in a few days with King Roth. That was a problem forter.


    Once I was done stabilizing myself, my focus turned to the catgirl in front of me. With the most gentle care I could muster, I put the soul down into Lydia¡¯s chest, cing my hands gently on her bosom. I then began to cast a series of spells. As soon as I used mana, I could feel the pain. The soul was the conduit from which mana worked through the body, and I had just cut off a piece of my soul. Even though it was healing, the mana fluctuated and burned wildly, but I forced myself to work.


    I using my karmic influence to control her soul, binding a piece of my soul to it. Instead of removing the karmic infection, I began to realize that the Kingpin was right. It had to run its course. So, instead, I sped it up. Lydia¡¯s brow furrowed, and she started to make pained noises in her unconscious state. Was she still not strong enough to survive this, even with my soul transnt? I initiated Envement, taking control of her as a ve. Unlike the other girls, the fragments of the ve bond that had once held her to me were no longer there. It had been burned away with the rest of her soul.


    With her status boosted with ve Master, her expression started to look better, and the karmic infection progressed far easier. I did what I can to heal and support her while pushing the infection. This was normally something that might have taken another month, but I was able to progress it to the end in a mere hour. I ignored my pain, focusing purely on her as I repaired her soul as much as I could. When I was finally finished, I was covered in sweat, and when I stopped channeling mana, the ache in my soul magnified, and I nearly copsed to the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± I dered, panting.


    The Kingpin looked down at Lydia. It seemed for the first time in our meetings, I had been the one to surprise him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. You¡¯ve converted her into a karmic soul. Amazing.¡± Then he shook his head. ¡°What you sacrificed¡­¡±


    ¡°I did what I had to do¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t restore her memory. You told me that the lore and memories were what bound you to Lydia. Those have all been erased. Nothing is connecting the two of you. She is another woman in her current form.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± I forced a smile on my face, even though I could feel the pain racking through my body caused by this. ¡°There is a piece of me inside her always now. We will always be connected.¡±


    He stared at me for a moment. ¡°So, what now? DO you want to take her back with you?¡±


    My smile flickered, and I tried my best to stand up straight. ¡°No.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell her about any of this¡­ or me. Just tell her she survived, and let her decide where she wants to go and what she wants to do.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t force her?¡±


    ¡°I only ever wanted to make her happy. I did what I could. That piece of my soul is hers now. It will connect her to the mana of this world, and allow her to live the rest of her life in peace. That¡¯s all I can do.¡±


    ¡°Is that it? You¡¯ll leave with that?¡±


    ¡°If I had decided to take her, would you have let me?¡± I asked.


    He gave a dark smile. ¡°Goodbye, Deek Deekson. I hope you don¡¯t regret what you have done here today.¡±


    I looked down at Lydia onest time before using my dungeon point to open a portal. ¡°I never will.¡±


    I had given Lydia chance, but this was no longer my Lydia. I left her behind to find her path.

 Chapter 1472

    {Harem Master has increased to level 65.}


    {You have unlocked the skill, Gift Strength}


    As I stepped out of the portal, I noticed that Harem Master had seemingly gone up. Did that mean that this world still considered her part of my harem, or was it more a reflection of me as a so-called Harem Master? This job was ultimately the simrity that bound me to King Roth, although where I was a level 65, he was likely level 100, and that was assuming there wasn¡¯t some higher job beyond Harem Master.


    It was nice to think that somewhere deep in Lydia, she still loved me. However, after fighting her, I knew that this wasn¡¯t the same girl that I knew. After all, I had directly touched her soul and worked with it. I had seen first hand that the parts that connected us were all gone. She was not my Lydia, and I could only ept that truth rather than desperately cling to what was essentially a different person now. In that respect, I assumed the Harem Master had more to do with me and my lore than Lydia.


    I had always thought the close the girls got to me, the more experience I¡¯d get. That wasn¡¯t true. The thing that earned experience was my greater understanding of what it meant to be a Harem Master and my slow and gradual development as a person who would have a harem of women to call upon. Of course, a romantic gesture like cutting out your soul and giving it to another was the kind of gesture that made harems, but it wouldn¡¯t affect a woman who didn¡¯t even remember it happening.


    I would be lying if I didn¡¯t admit to a small hope that this piece that gave up on would somehow lead Lydia to return to me someday, but I had no clue when that time would be. It would be assuredly a long time from this day.


    ¡°What happened? Did he hurt you?¡± Bernice¡¯s hands were on her guns, and for a moment a dark aura seemed to emanate from her. ¡°Did that bastard forget whose city this is?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± I lifted my hand. ¡°No¡­ he didn¡¯t hurt me. This is¡­ well, it is what it is.¡±


    She frowned, looking me up and down. I had left the underground to met with Bernice onest time before returning to Chalm. Of course, I couldn¡¯t hide the paleness in my face or the weakness in my body from Bernice, even though I had tried. I pulled out and drank some water of life. In time, it would heal all of the damage, so as romantic a gesture that it was, I hadn¡¯t done much.


    However, in the next few days, Roth would attack, and if I couldn¡¯t throw him back, I¡¯d lose ess to this medicine. More than likely, I¡¯d lose my life too. Now, I was in a weakened state, and this was the time when I should be strongest. I didn¡¯t know if my decision was foolish, but I would make it again if I had the chance. Besides, this wasn¡¯t a personal battle between him and me. This was a war. If a single person could change the tides of war, then there would be no point in the war.


    Ultimately, when our armiesbined, my strength didn¡¯t matter. It would be the strength of my girls and the strength of my people. That was ultimately what would win the day.


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re going back to Chalm¡­ aren¡¯t you?¡± Bernice sounded slightly reluctant.


    ¡°I will be.¡± I nodded. ¡°After my disy in thatst fight, I think I lost all of the cred I had. I think I blew my chance to recruit my fighters too.¡±


    Bernice shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not true¡­ the Kingpin still promised to advertise. Also, I want to fight by your side.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I looked up at her, and her face turned red once again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get the wrong idea! You¡¯re just¡­ my liege¡­ yes¡­ and so, I wish to support you. So, I will recruit as many as I can. Send for me in two days, and I¡¯ll have more soldiers for you.¡±


    I reached out and touched her cheek. ¡°Thank you, Bernice.¡±


    She pulled away, turning her back to me. ¡°N-now¡­ go away! Get out of here before you cause me any more trouble. I¡¯ll continue to take care of Alerith. Just you watch.¡±


    I nodded and opened a portal home. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I left Alerith for thest time. Now, I had to focus on the uing battle.

 Chapter 1473

    ¡°So, that is the situation.¡± I responded.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe Lydia doesn¡¯t remember us anymore,¡± Miki responded; her eyes teary.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be back¡­ right?¡± Celeste asked, looking no better.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Only time will tell. At least she¡¯s alive for now. I gave her a chance. However, in the uing fight, I¡¯m going to need to depend on all of you even more.¡±


    ¡°I see it this way¡­¡± Shao spoke up. ¡°This just gives me one more reason to bring King Roth down. He deserves to be destroyed!¡±


    Shao had a dangerous expression on her face. She wasn¡¯t necessarily the most romantic or loving person. Rather, her love was shown in her actions, which admittedly could be scary at times. It was clear she loved Lydia as well. All of the girls did. Lydia was always so confident and mature. She fought with a smile on her face, and always considered not just me, but the bigger picture of us. She may have been raised to be a prostitute, but she was the one who understood everyone¡¯s needs the most, and she always acted to make sure those needs were fulfilled.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Celeste nodded. ¡°I want to take him down too¡­ and get my mother back!¡±


    Celeste rarely got angry, but there was a hint of it on her face when she spoke of King Roth and her mother. She was the only one who truly understood how bad he had hurt Astria, and I had taken her aside and exined that it was King Roth who also murdered her father. Everything that had happened in her life, being trapped in Karr¡¯s Dungeon and used as a puppet, had been his fault. There was no saying what life she would have lived if he hadn¡¯t had been involved. She wanted vengeance.


    ¡°However, we¡¯re down Master, Lydia, and Terra. Half our form is knocked out. Our formation is full of holes. ya doesn¡¯t fight in a team. Maybe, we can depend on Bernice, but we haven¡¯t spent that much time with her. This has only be a more difficult fight.¡± Shao admitted bitterly.


    ¡°Actually, I have an announcement for everyone. I think this might cheer you all up.¡± Miki dered.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Since my vige showed up, I¡¯ve been helping theme to terms with their spiritual sides. Many of them have unlocked their Spiritualist job, and a few show quite a bit of aptitude in working with spirits.¡± She exined. ¡°Some of them have gone so far as to unlock Resurrection. Others can summon ghosts to fight for them. I believe we can use the foxkin in this battle. In fact, considering the inherent fear that other animalkin have for the foxkin, I believe they can be a great asset. Imagine even a single ghost appearing in the middle of a battlefield of squirrelkin. They would scatter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± I straightened up excitedly as I imagined just how much havoc a ghost would bring to those supernaturally terrified.


    Not only would they be frightened, but they would have little defense against them. Ghosts were immune to physical defense. They¡¯d need to get the magic wielders to fight them, and they¡¯d be too scared to cast their spells.


    ¡°Resurrection is also important. We¡¯re at our home territory, and we have the support of the mana spring.¡± Miki reminded me. ¡°If fallen soldiers were being resurrected quickly, then even if our army was a tenth their size, we could easily overwhelm them.¡±


    I nodded excitedly. ¡°I had almost forgotten about that.¡±


    This was a war, not a dungeon fight. The same rules didn¡¯t apply here. As long as we could hold out and resurrect, we could keep the battle going. Admittedly, as people were being resurrected three or four times in a row, this could lead to significant trauma, but that trauma could be remedied with time using the spring! I had been sitting on these waters of life spring for all this time, never realizing just how much of a cheat-like asset it was.


    ¡°How many can you bring?¡± Shao asked.


    Miki¡¯s smile flickered slightly. ¡°My vige isn¡¯t thatrge, and most of the most promising ones are children. I only have a little under 50.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± I stroked her head, causing her ears toy down. ¡°Every little bit helps. It¡¯s already amazing that of a vige of a few hundred, you found so many talents.¡±


    When I had allowed the foxkin to stay, it had been an impulsive decision aimed mostly at making Miki happy. She had spent some time with them after, and while she had be a bit mncholy thest month or so, seeing her parents once again had seemingly given her a purpose and a desire to redeem herself. I had some thoughts of them being useful to me, but I never thought their usefulness would bear fruit so soon.


    Miki gave one of her rare smiles these days as I continued to stroke her head. I just hoped there were a lot more little bits.

 Chapter 1474

    As I was still striking Miki¡¯s head, a voice cleared its throat to catch my interest. It was Sapphire. She hadn¡¯t been present at thest few meetings. Her time had been used by her uncle as he taught her cksmithing at the same time they guided the rest of the deep dwarves in settling down. She had been sending Lapis in her stead. The current meeting was something more intimate, where I was telling them about the damage to my soul and Lydia¡¯s condition, so I wanted her to be there.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Since we¡¯re sharing things that may please Master, some of the Deep Dwarves are fighters, and we still feel we owe you a debt, especially after rearranging your dungeon to give us a safe ce to live. Your home is now our home too, and we want to fight to protect it. You don¡¯t need a cksmith while the battle is going on, so a few want to pick up arms. Don¡¯t forget that mining in the Deep has its dangers, so there isn¡¯t a Deep Dwarf who doesn¡¯t have at least some ability to fight.¡±


    ¡°The Deep Dwarves will fight with us?¡±


    I hadn¡¯t considered it before, because the majority of those that had been freed were cksmiths, miners, and other city folks. There weren¡¯t very many guards or soldiers, and I had not depended on them too much during the dungeon battle against Twilight. However, that was down in the deep, where mana was richer and the proximity of Gaia meant that experience was earned quicker. People leveled faster in the deep. Therefore, amoner on the surface would probably have about the samebat ability as a low-rank adventurer up here.


    ¡°Yes¡­ mother has gathered two hundred men who will march to protect Chalm at that time. She held off announcing it to you until we were certain of their support, but they will fight for Master.


    ¡°I see¡­ thank you.¡±


    ¡°However, that¡¯s only part of what I wanted to tell Master.¡± Sapphire continued.


    ¡°What is the rest of it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ well¡­ it¡¯s better to show you.¡± Sapphire looked somewhat uncertain, but after a moment, she gestured to the door.


    I could hear the thudding of feet. Somethingrge was moving through my mansion. It reached the door and opened it, revealing a wall? No, a form crouched down, barely managing to move through the door as it entered the room. It was a creature of solid rock, with a squat head and almost no neck, but broad and powerful shoulders. It also had red glowing eyes.


    ¡°A golem?¡±


    ¡°Using what we had on Terra¡¯s work, we did our best to construct this body.¡± Sapphire dered.


    ¡°Body?¡±


    ¡°Hello, Master¡­¡± A familiar voice came from the golem.


    I jumped up. ¡°Terra?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master! It¡¯s me!¡± Terra cried out, suddenly holding out her hands and rushing toward me.


    ¡°Ahhh! Help! I¡¯m being crushed!¡± I cried out as she wrapped her arms around me and started squeezing.


    ¡°M-master!¡± Terra let go. ¡°I-I can¡¯t help it! She¡¯s turned me into this monster.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the best we can do! We don¡¯t have the knowledge to do that fine-work to create your body.¡± Sapphire defended. ¡°This is just a temporary body until we can make a better one. It¡¯s still made of some of the finest materials. Itsbat potential is top-notch! It should be an improvement over yourst body.¡±


    ¡°Combat? What isbat when I look like this!¡± Terra wept. ¡°I can live with anything, even a t chest, but why this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad¡­¡± I tried to reassure her, even as she hulked over me by about two feet.


    ¡°Do you still find me pretty?¡± She sniffled.


    ¡°Geh!¡± That question was andmine, so I turned to Sapphire. ¡°Why did you choose to resurrect her now?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± Sapphire shot back. ¡°So, Master doesn¡¯t forcibly inject me with more life again!¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s right, it has been a week. I would need to do that again¡­ was it so bad¡­¡±


    She turned away, touching her fingers together. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want it, but when I have it, I want it to just be me and Master. Is that too much to ask?¡±


    ¡°Sapphire¡­ I¡¯m sorry. When this is all over, I will make it up to you.¡± I dered.


    ¡°Make it¡­ with that! Ahhh! Is it hot in here?¡± Sapphire stood up. ¡°I¡¯m hot¡­ I think I¡¯ll go back to the forge for a while and cool off.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the forge heated by actualva?¡± Miki inquired.


    ¡°Bye!¡± She fled the room.


    Just as I was about to rx, a massive golem put its hands on its hips and stood before me. ¡°Master still didn¡¯t answer my question!¡±


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re still beautiful.¡± I lied.


    ¡°M-master!¡± She threw herself at me.


    ¡°Ahhh! I¡¯m dying! The monster is crushing me!¡±


    It was great that Terra was back, but things would take some getting used to until her body was restored. However, our prospects for fighting King Roth were only increasing. We just might win this.

 Chapter 1475

    ¡°They¡¯ve begun moving.¡± Shao reported as soon as she jumped back through the portal.


    I took a deep breath. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin.¡±


    Although Terra had finished oneyer of the wall around Chalm, I wasn¡¯t confident that it would be able to hold against magical attacks. In that respect, fighting in the city would only bring chaos. It¡¯d bring death and destruction to the citizens, and there was no saying that it¡¯d do us any good. Instead, we selected a ce to engage with the Dioshin army several days travel from the city.


    Various portals opened via the girls. Siti was naturally able to create thergest and most stable portal, which was where the majority of the army traveled through. The travel guild also aided in movingrge quantities of supplies needed to maintain the army. Although officially, the traveling guild was under the same restrictions as the adventuring guild, that mostly went to such things as transporting armies directly into enemy territory. The wilderness was a neutral area, and I had already staked a im on it and mapped it out, so in that respect transporting troops and supplies was allowed.


    As the army marched through, I tried to remain optimistic. Although we still had fewer soldiers than them, we had the home advantage. We were selecting the battlefield, and in the day it took them to arrive, we¡¯d have numerous surprises built and ready. The location we picked was a break in the wilderness, arge area with basically no trees. ording to the lore I could ess from Karr¡¯s blessing, this location would roughly be the spot of Astria¡¯s original fairy spring. After Karr had burned the forest to the ground, for some reason, it had not regrown in thesest twenty years.


    The reason I had picked this spot was that there were no trees. The Dioshin lived in the jungles and forests of Dioshin, and in the wilderness, they¡¯d be at a significant advantage. Thus, I figured ins would work better. Plus, this allowed Terra to work on creating walls and other obstructions for us to take advantage of the terrain.


    Once I stepped through and looked over the grassy area I had only visited once before, I gave a nod and turned to those following behind me.


    ¡°General Nova, take some Osterians and push out the local wildlife. We don¡¯t want to experience any monster attacks in the middle of battle.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± He struck his chest and left.


    Ever since I had utterly defeated him, Draven Nova¡¯s entire attitude had seemingly changed. He acted extremely loyal and seemed to hold no grudge regarding his defeat or his embarrassment, not to mention losing not one, but two brides. In Osterian culture, it was the strong who took charge. I just hoped I¡¯d be able to continue to show that strength.


    ¡°Terra, get started on the structures we discussed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± She turned and began to thump away, currently the tallest thing in our army.


    ¡°Celeste, Shao¡­ scouting duty. I want to know when they¡¯re an hour away.¡±


    ¡°As Mastermands.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡±


    Celeste shrank and flew up into the air, disappearing in a blink. Shao melted into the shadows.


    ¡°Miki¡­ set up a triage unite. Collect some blood from our top soldiers down. If they break, resurrect them immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master¡­¡± She nodded. ¡°Although, wouldn¡¯t it be better that I¡¯m on the field with Master.¡±


    ¡°In time,¡± I responded, looking slightly uncertain. ¡°I feel we¡¯re all going to be pushed to the edge soon enough.¡±


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

 Chapter 1476

    Despite everything I had been through, this had only been the second battle I had ever really been part of. The battle between Aberis and the Ost Republic ended without either country attacking. It had been more of a personal battle between me and the Demon Lord Aberis. As for my fight against Aberis¡¯s army, that had been done with two of me, and we had planned the fight mostly against each other. It had been an insane move, and it probably didn¡¯t have any right to work, but we had succeeded in catching the Demon Lord by surprise and managing to defeat him.


    This battle would be completely different. Two armies that knew everything about each other would engage in earnest. King Roth had even seemingly given me every chance to prepare, recruiting as many soldiers as I could.  In the end, I had done pretty well for myself.


    We had the Chalm soldiers, those who had slowly joined the guard since I had reclaimed New Chalm. This was mostly made up of slaves, both animalkin and humans. I had asked around, and the animalkin of Chalm almost universally had no problem fighting against Dioshin. In their minds, Dioshin was a country that abandoned them. Many were sold into slavery, while others were refugees exiled during tribal disputes. We had fifteen hundred that were at the trained level and another five hundred which were militia level from Deeksville.


    Then there were the Osterians, who had two thousand soldiers able to fight in this battle. This excluded the women, children, and those too old or otherwise incapable of fighting. The Deep Dwarves offered another two hundred fighters, and while they looked like children, especially compared to the Osterians, I didn¡¯t doubt that they possessed fighting prowess. After all, King Diorite had been the most dangerous foe I had faced to date, and he was much smaller than me.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to fight.¡± A group of girls suddenly appeared as if from nowhere.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    I realized that it wasn¡¯t that they had appeared from nowhere, it was just that they had been so tiny that they slipped through the portals without being noticed, and then grew to adult size. These were the evolved Faeries, those that Astria had personally altered. Although they were technically fairies, they had more in common with the fae. They were vampires, banshees, nymphs, naiads, dryads, and there was even a sylph like Celeste had once been. They were an exotic lot, and there was only a handful of them. They had mostly been kept in control and out of sight by Astria, who felt personally responsible for bringing them into this world. The last week since she had been gone, I hadn¡¯t known what they had been doing, and this was the first time I saw them all.


    There were close to a hundred of them, and there weren¡¯t more than a dozen of any given type. Each variant had its unique appearance and hair color. The vampires wore black hair, the banshee¡¯s purple, the dryad¡¯s green, the nymph¡¯s blonde, naiad¡¯s blue, and the sylph was pink like Celeste.


    ¡°Master, we want to break some skulls.¡±


    ¡°Celeste told us what they did to Boss!¡±


    ¡°We want to mess them up!¡±


    They still sounded like mobsters though.

 Chapter 1477

    Since the fairies wanted to help, I wouldn¡¯t turn them down. I knew I couldn¡¯t expect them to fight at the level of Astria or Celeste, but their magical ability and monster-like nature should put them at the level of a soldier, at least. They also had more reason to fight than anyone. They were dependent on the fairy fountain. If it was taken over by King Roth, they would likely be turned into his slaves, forced to run the fountain for his benefit. They might even end up becoming part of his harem.


    It had been Roth who had destroyed the first fairy fountain, and even if none of these fairies had been alive for that, in some ways their relation to Astria gave them an impression of it all. Deep down, they wanted vengeance, and it would be cruel to deny it to them. If they died, they should be able to be resurrected just like anyone else. Their souls and bodies had already been altered by my dungeon too much to be like normal fairies any longer. So, I sent them to register their mana signature with Miki, and left it at that.


    There was one final group that I had put off. With the wave of a hand, I created a portal in the spot we discussed. A few moments later, Bernice stepped through. She was wearing armor that obscured her sexuality, very similar to what she wore when she fought as a gladiator. If I didn¡¯t know she was a woman, I would have been excused for being confused. Although, most people in Alerith knew that Bernard and Bernice were the same people at this point.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°My lord, I almost thought that you were going to forget about me.¡± Bernice declared somewhat nervously.


    ¡°I would never forget about you,¡± I replied, causing her to blush a bit.


    I wasn¡¯t trying to be suave. We did need every soldier we could get. There was no way I would have forgotten about her. I would have gone to fetch Carmine too if I didn¡¯t fear that I¡¯d end up wrapped into some other event. I had experienced far too many distractions to realize that a quick trip to a city across the nation was never a quick trip. I couldn¡¯t afford to take on a side quest at this point.


    A group of people came out of the portal behind Bernice. They were nearly as varied in appearance as the fairies, although there were both men and women in this group. Despite myself, I realized that I had been looking among the faces eagerly for a certain one. When I didn¡¯t see her, I couldn¡¯t help but feel just a bit of melancholy. Lydia hadn¡¯t come. Even if she didn¡¯t remember a thing about me, I had hoped that once she woke, she might decide to join the others in defending Chalm. It turned out that my hope had been in vain.


    In the end, I ended up with another two hundred soldiers. These were mostly gladiators and underground fighters used to a one-to-one fight, not a battle where they had to take orders. They came for money and the chance of becoming a knight.


    ¡°Report to Xin. She¡¯ll get you settled in your units.¡± I declared, sending them off.


    That was it. We were all there. Progress continued through the night. It was early in the morning when I received a call back through Slave Communication.


    ¡°Master, they¡¯ve arrived!¡±

 Chapter 1478

    It was only a few moments after Celeste¡¯s declaration that I began to hear the roars of lions in the distance. There were hundreds of roars, that followed, many of them sounding like they came from an assortment of different animals. It sounded like an entire angry zoo was stampeding toward us. They were also a bit earlier than expected.


    I had hoped we¡¯d have another full day. I underestimated the speed an animalkin army could move. They managed to reach here from the border in only a day and a night, and by the sounds, they weren¡¯t going to take a break, but immediately attack us right in the morning. My people had the entire night to rest and entrench ourselves in. We were at the advantage. It was King Roth¡¯s pride that would eventually be his downfall. That was what I was thinking.


    ¡°The calls are merely an intimidation tactic.¡± Xin declared in a cold voice. ¡°Ignore them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, stick to the plan,¡± I said through Slave Communication. ¡°We¡¯re just going to stop their progress and then toss them back across the wilderness.¡±


    All of my other girls were already out on the field, leading their respective teams. Shao was in charge of reconnaissance, while Celeste overlooked the fairies and mages. Xin ran the main army, while General Nova lead the Osterians. Bernice and the fighters were sprinkled out into Xin¡¯s army to bolster them. Miki remained back with the healers, and Terra remained in front, maintaining a wall of protection to slow, delay, and block their forces. She was joined by the dwarves.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    One advantage I had was that I could communicate with slaves from any distance over the battlefield. I also had my map. I had made sure to scout the area, so along with the reports of my girls, I had a complete view of the battlefield. I could see the red coming in now, approaching at a fanatical rate. They¡¯d soon be coming out of the forest and then entering the plains. That¡¯s when the true battle would begin.


    There was only one force that was absent to this battle, and that was Elaya. She was in the dungeon, and her purpose was obvious. She was to make sure there wasn¡¯t a sneak attack on the city or someone who attempt to take the dungeon. It was true that she was my most powerful ally at the moment. She wasn¡¯t weakened like Astria, and her spells could truly induce terror. It was exactly for that reason I had to leave her behind as my final resort. If they captured the spring while I had myself focused on something else, there was no point to any of this.


    The roaring in the distance slowly teetered out, and then there was a period of seeming quiet. It was too quiet. Not even the insects and birds made any more noise. The calmness slowly gave way to a distant rustling rumble. It grew louder and louder as every soldier on our side began to tense up. The sounds grew increasingly louder until it truly did feel like a stampede was coming.


    Then, just as the knees were starting to turn to jelly, the forest erupted with animalkin who came racing out at full tilt.


    ¡°Defend!¡± Terra called out in a booming voice.


    It had now begun.

 Chapter 1479

    ¡°What are we looking at?¡± I asked.


    The plains we were fighting in were far greater than the scope of my eyesight, especially with structures and soldiers blocking the way. That¡¯s why I was depending on Terra and Shao to give me a visual. The map showed me the red, but that only told me there were enemies and roughly how many. More red was appearing every second, but I wasn¡¯t going to focus on how much red there was.


    ¡°They sent the wolfkin in first.¡± Shao declared.


    I couldn¡¯t help but grind my teeth. Of course, that would be his decision. The wolfkin leader and I were on good terms. We might have even been called allies in another situation. Lord Duran had made himself a traitor and condemned his tribe to send me a warning. That warning had turned out to not be needed, but the act still showed where he stood. Since the wolfkin couldn¡¯t be trusted, they were being used as fodder to test out our defenses.


    Even though I knew what was happening, I couldn¡¯t hold back though. The wolfkin was capable and loyal. Since they had chosen to march on us, I had no fancies that they would suddenly turn sides or step aside. They would fight viscously to regain their honor. Whether it was Lord Duran who was leading them or someone else, I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Activate Defense Alpha.¡± I declared.


    I went up a tower Terra had built for me and pulled out a telescope to get a proper view of the field. They still looked tiny in the distance, but I could make out what was happening.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The ground rumbled, and suddenly arrows began to fly out, striking the wolfkin where they ran. They were seemingly being struck from any direction. The arrows were coming from the front, nor were they coming from overhead as one might expect. This quickly broke their charge and threw the wolfkin into confusion. As more and more of them struck the ground, they didn¡¯t seem to be able to see where the attacks were coming from.


    Several attack towers were overlooking the field, but they had shields and were specifically looking out for those. More and more wolfkin fell, but they didn¡¯t dare turn back. They continued to push forward more until a lucky wolf that fell to the ground saw it.


    ¡°They¡¯re underground! There are bunkers in the grass!¡± A man who had been struck in the knee managed to shout.


    The wolfkin had good eyes, and once they knew what they were looking for, they managed to spot several of them. This had been one of my first ideas.  Terra dug out underground bunkers that allowed a few people with bows and arrows to remain on the earth. Due to their small size and their predisposition to the earth, this suited the Deep Dwarves perfectly. Deep Dwarves that weren¡¯t good fighters, like miners, depended on bows to pick off enemies from a distance. That meant quite a few of them were suitable for this task.


    One of the wolfkins managed to reach one of the bunkers. He tried to shove his way in, but the art of the trick of these bunkers was that the window size was extremely narrow. The slim child-like bodies of the younger dwarves were able to slide in, but the wolf couldn¡¯t.


    He started digging at the ground aggressively until he had been pinned with arrows. The wolfkin pack would be completely neutralized in ten minutes, but I knew that wasn¡¯t all they had, nor would they wait for us to finish them off one at a time.


    ¡°The next wave is coming!¡± Shao alerted me.

 Chapter 1480

    ¡°What are they?¡± I demanded, straining to make since of the little specs racing out onto the field, moving nearly as fast as the wolfkin.


    ¡°It¡¯s squirrelkin!¡± Shao confirmed.


    Some of the arrow shots were sent at the squirrelkin, but no matter what happened, they seemed to be able to dodge them. The squirrelkin appeared to be much smaller than the wolfkin. Wolfkin could be rather large, with powerful legs and a sleek body. They were like bulldozers able to put a great deal of momentum into their attacks, while still having some flexibility and agility. The squirrelkin dropped the strength and were pure agility. They seemed to leap around the field, almost appearing like gymnasts. As a result, few met an arrow.


    As soon as a squirrelkin reached a bunker, it leaped into a slide, and then slid right into the bunker. They were much smaller and thinner and seemed to have no problem quickly working their way through the tight crack and into the underground bunker. Several other squirrelkin joined the first, and a few moments later the arrows stopped coming from that bunker.


    ¡°Master, we¡¯re getting casualties!¡± Miki announced.


    The first of ours started dying, but they¡¯d be resurrected soon. As for how quickly we could get them back on the battlefield, it was hard to saw. How long it took a resurrected to recover depends on a lot of factors. How quickly they were resurrected, how much damage was done to their soul, the condition of the body, and how skilled the resurrector was all played a factor. In this case, recovering the bodies was impossible, so these guys would not be brought back immediately. However, if it was Miki doing the resurrections, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they were back on their feet in an hour or two. Still, a lot could happen in an hour. We weren¡¯t even at ten minutes yet.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Terra, cease defense alpha. Celeste, initiate epsilon attack.¡±


    ¡°Roger!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Terra lifted her arms, and the ground rumbled again. Two of the bunkers had already fallen and a third was being attacked as the bunkers suddenly sank back into the ground. A squirrelkin that was trying to slide through the crack got caught and was torn in half. This kind of power move might have once been impossible for Terra, but since communing with Gaia and living as part of the stone for several months, her Earth manipulation had seemingly grown significantly.


    As the squirrels found themselves unable to enter the bunkers, and the wolfkin was no longer under attack, the two clans united and renewed their attack, the wolfkin protecting the squirrelkin as they continued. That was when an explosion of magic fell on them, tearing apart their new charging line. A line of fairies was flying overhead, lead my Celeste. Like bombers, they sent down dozens of spells, rending the earth and tearing apart the charge.


    The wolfkin and squirrelkin who had only just managed to gather were once again placed into a chaotic state as the spellcasters, swept over them wave after wave. None of them had brought bows and arrows, and even if some were shot from the forest line, it¡¯d be difficult to strike the fairies. I had specifically looked into what a safe height would be. Any fairies that had struggles flying that high were helped by Celeste. She was able to create a wind tunnel that didn¡¯t just allow them to fly higher, but also would deflect various attacks.


    ¡°The next wave!¡± Shao cried out.


    ¡°Where, I don¡¯t see them¡­¡± I could see red on the map, but I looked at the forest line and there were no new animalkin coming out.


    ¡°The sky! The birdkin are attacking!¡±

 Chapter 1481

    As the battle raged on, it became increasingly chaotic. The birdkin flew in and the fairies had no choice but to scatter. I hadn¡¯t been sure just how much the birdkin were able to fly, but it seemed that with Celeste controlling the wind, they were able to keep up with the fairies and keep them from casting spells.


    ¡°End it,¡± I ordered Celeste.


    The fairies flew away, and then Celeste threw her hand down. The wind that had been accommodating moments before became a torrent that caused all of the birdkin to drop from the sky. A few ended up in freefall to a bad landing, but the majority were able to land peacefully. Celeste¡¯s ability to control the wind couldn¡¯t be matched, but anything she did to help the fairies ended up helping the birdkin. I didn¡¯t want to worry about the sky any more than I had to, so I thought it best if we just shut down that option.


    My hopes that the birdkin were useless on the ground were quickly dashed. They were every bit as skilled fighters as the rest. Well, dinosaurs were said to be related to birds, and some birds could be quite the avid predators, even on the ground, so it made sense they were able to fight.


    I gave the wave, and our forces finally met with theirs. The towers had archers and pelted the enemy with arrows while supporting our soldiers. Some of the fairies had landed on the towers after the air gave out too, and they threw down spells to cause significant damage. We were holding out pretty well, but I was running out of people to throw at them.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    As I was trying to figure out what to do, I heard more bad news from Shao. ¡°Bearkin and Beastkin, incoming!¡±


    Much larger forms began to spill out of the forest. They appeared bigger as life entities in the Sense Life, and most of them were two to three times the size of the wolfkin. Some were even bigger than Osterians. Their speed varied as much as their forms did, but as soon as they slammed into my forces, they began to wreak havoc. The bowman tried to focus on them, but they seemed to throw off the arrow strikes like they were nothing. Even magic didn¡¯t seem to slow them down by much.


    A massive beast with tusks that I was guess was an elephantkin charged one of the towers. He slammed into it with a boom. It started cracking, and then fell over. These towers were hastily built in a day. They couldn¡¯t be that strong after all. It was still a shame they were able to be knocked down in a single hit. The fairies flew away, grabbing the bowman as they left. The elephantkin then began charging the next tower.


    As he was about to hit it, a form slammed into his side. It was known other than golem Terra. Size-wide, the pair were actually about the same size. They began to slam into each other, the elephant trying to push down Terra, while she pushed back. However, while this guy was the biggest elephantkin, there were others too. They began ramming the towers too. They weren¡¯t able to take them out in a single hit, but after 2-3, the outcome was obvious.


    ¡°Send in the Osterians!¡± I declared.


    The Osterians were the only ones who could deal with the beastkin head-on. As they charged the field, taking pressure off of the soldiers, I began to hear the tapping of hooves. The hoovedkin were making their move.

 Chapter 1482

    ¡°Master, the casualties are climbing quickly!¡± Miki warned.


    ¡°Terra!¡±  I gave out a one-word order.


    Terra pushed the elephantkin aside and then slammed the ground. There was a low rumble, and then dozens of deep dwarves darted out from under the earth. They used wire lines, attempting to catch the feet of the racing Hoovedkin. Many slipped and fell, breaking their charge, which might have overwhelmed our forces right there.


    ¡°We¡¯re losing the line!¡± Xin cursed.


    ¡°Back off and support Terra in keeping those towers up.¡±


    As long as we were able to keep the towers, we could keep the line. Xin was all I had left to send. Bernice was already on the front line with Terra. Miki was currently resurrecting people. Celeste was still trying to keep anyone from entering the sky. She was successful, but that didn¡¯t stop innumerable magicians still hiding in the forest from sending spells her way. She didn¡¯t just dodge them, but she kept them from fall on our people too. That was enough that it consumed all of her time. I had utilized everything we had. At the moment, we were fighting roughly even. It was about 6000 troops against another 6000 troops.


    Of course, King Roth, let alone his army of Catkin, hadn¡¯t made an appearance yet. The battle was absolutely brutal. Our men were fighting and dying, but so were theirs. A crockin danced around, snapping his jaws. He bit into a Deep Dwarf and threw him into the air before catching him in his mouth. Somewhere else, Terra desperately fought against three rhinokin.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    The bearkin were particularly hard. Although they were slow, they were extremely difficult to put down. Their strength was unparalleled, and even the Osterians had to fight them two to one to even have a chance. Another tower collapsed, and all I could do is helplessly watch as your troops were pushed back and more and more fell.


    ¡°I should be adding support,¡± I muttered.


    I didn¡¯t have any army-level buffs. Perhaps there was some General job that gave you such things, but I had never heard of it. I felt like I was doing nothing during this fight. Others were battling and dying, but I just stood and occasionally gave an order. I could shield, heal, refresh, and resurrect. That was ultimately what I was best at. However, there were far too many soldiers. How could I figure out who to help and who to abandon?


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re doing great.¡± Alysia tried to reassure me.


    ¡°Master! Chalm is under attack!¡± I received alarming news from Elaya.


    ¡°What? Who?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The apekin! They sent them around to counterattack. They¡¯re trying to get into the dungeon. Some are going after the palace. They want out god spring.¡±


    ¡°Elaya, do I need to send reinforcements?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No¡­ I got this¡­. Ah crap!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t got this! Master, they have explosives! They¡¯re going to blow a hole into the dungeon.¡±


    I made a fist and punched the wall. In the end, the enemy just had too many of them. We weren¡¯t able to keep up this fight. They were too powerful as an army. In a straightforward battle, there was no way we could win.


    ¡°Girls to me. We¡¯re going for option B.¡±

 Chapter 1483

    ¡°Xin, pull back slowly.¡± I came down from the tower, greeting Terra, Shao, Celeste, and Miki, who had all given up their posts and returned to my side.


    ¡°Will this work?¡± Miki asked hesitantly.


    ¡°We have no choice.¡± I shook my head. ¡°According to Elaya, the apekin are using strange devices. They live on the Jespain side of Dioshin. It stands to reason they¡¯ve gotten their hands on a lot of tools that give them an edge over the other animalkin. They¡¯re trying to tear their way into the dungeon. If we don¡¯t do something soon, we¡¯ll lose the battle on both fronts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with Master!¡± Shao declared.


    ¡°That was obvious.¡± Terra nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Celeste declared.


    ¡°Celeste, keep your eyes on the sky and watch our backs. Terra, Shao, I¡¯m going to depend on you to carve a path. Miki, you might be the most important. You need to take the pressure off of everyone else.¡±


    I was back in my formation, and I immediately began casting support spells to bolster defenses and boost status for everyone. After each girl nodded, we began to move out. We headed straight for the front line where the fighting was hottest, but as we approached it, our speed only increase the pace. Our side split aside to let us pass. Running at full tilt, Terra slammed into those unlucky enough to try to slip into the temporary hole.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    As Terra continued to run forward, throwing her arms out to knock animalkin to the side, Shao disappeared, flickering from shadow to shadow. Occasionally, all you¡¯d see is the flash of steel, a scream, and then death. Celeste fluttered overhead. The birdkin had started to take to the air again without her suppressing them, but that was for Xin to figure out. Immediately around us, Celeste created a cushion of safety.


    Miki¡¯s job was perhaps the most important and the most abstract. She mentally attacked anyone in range, instilling them with a desire to flee. Although it was just the five of us, their army didn¡¯t swarm us. Those directly in the way were quickly dispatched, but the others either felt a great deal of fear or flat out ignored our presence. Once we shoved through the lair of attacking soldiers, there was much less resistance and we began to speed up once again.


    We covered the distance of a now war-torn field. Innumerable pocks and holes made it a bit more difficult to cross than it initially had been. There was no plant life remaining that hadn¡¯t been reduced to ash. We pushed forward, moving as quickly as possible. Time was of the essence, after all.


    ¡°They¡¯re about to breakthrough!¡± Elaya warned.


    We ended up in the forest, progressing forward quickly. I spread out my Life Sense while keeping the map open, looking for a large group still hiding in the forest. I let out a breath of relief when I finally saw them. No sooner did they appear than a dozen surrounded us. Dozens of acrobatic forms landed all around us. I held up my hand, keeping my girls from attacking.


    A familiar person landed directly in front of me. They immediately met me with a familiar confident swagger.


    ¡°Well, Well, Deek Deekson. We meet again.¡± The lioness queen purred. ¡°Are you so suicidal? There are quicker ways to die¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to speak to King Roth.¡± I declared. ¡°In person.¡±

 Chapter 1484

    ¡°Why should I bring you to my lord?¡± the lioness queen asked.


    I blinked, a bit surprised that she¡¯d ask such a question. ¡°To speak with him?¡±


    ¡°Unless you¡¯re surrendering to us, I see no reason to get within a dozen miles of my lore.¡± She scoffed.


    ¡°I have an offer for him that he can¡¯t refuse,¡± I responded.


    ¡°Why should I bother when I could just take you right here?¡± She took a threatening step forward.


    The girls around me immediately responded. Shao pulled out her knives, Celeste flew into the air to gain a vantage point, while Terra stepped forward, and Miki¡¯s tails began to glow with spiritual power. The lioness playfully lifted her hands, appearing more amused than frightened. The other lionesses surrounding us didn¡¯t make a move.


    ¡°Oh, my¡­¡± She smirked. ¡°So, is this them? You¡¯re so-called harem? Only four?¡±


    ¡°There are more of us!¡± Celeste cried out defensively.


    ¡°Oh, but they couldn¡¯t be bothered to protect their Master, even when he¡¯s in such a perilous situation.¡±


    ¡°They have their duties, and we have ours.¡± I cut in. ¡°If you attack, you won¡¯t be able to keep me here.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± She shrugged. ¡°Maybe not. From my side, the rumors of you being the next big harem master have left me disappointed. I see no one here worthy of being anything more than a toy for my lord.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Are you looking to die?¡± Shao shouted with a red face.


    The lioness gave her a dismissive look. ¡°If I were to die, it wouldn¡¯t be behind a filthy demon like you.¡±


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Shao started to move forward, but I brought out my hand and grabbed her arm to stop her.


    The lioness¡¯s face only became more mocking. ¡°You have to even physically restrain your harem to keep them under control. No command. No order. It is pathetic.¡±


    ¡°First, enough of this. Our lord has already said to accept any envoy the Chalm Lord sent to beg for safety.¡±


    A flash of irritation appeared on the lioness¡¯s face as she shot a look at another woman. I was surprised to see this woman wasn¡¯t a lioness at all. She wore a long robe that exposed some cleavage and had a pointed hat on her head. If she reminded me of anyone, it would be Siti. That led me to theorize that she must be a magician. More than that, she was human.


    ¡°Second, don¡¯t overstep yourself.¡± The lioness¡¯s voice contained an edge of danger.


    The other woman wasn¡¯t phased at all, nearly giving a tilt of her head. ¡°I would never think to lose my place. Third through Tenth are all held by your pride of lionesses. However, I¡¯m merely reminding you that it is always my lord who leads us all, not you.¡±


    ¡°First, Second, Third? What¡¯s with that?¡± Miki whispered.


    ¡°It is our names.¡± The lioness addressed them. ¡°When we give ourselves to our lord, we shed our names as part of our devotion. His most loyal and his favored are given numbers, a measure of our position in his heart.¡±


    ¡°Of course, as a lionkin himself, my lord has a predisposition toward lionesses.¡± Second broke in, causing the leader named First to grimace. ¡°However, perhaps I¡¯ve started to change his disposition.¡±


    ¡°Watch your place, Second.¡±


    ¡°Always¡­¡± She smiled.


    ¡°And I thought we had problems,¡± Shao whispered.


    First¡¯s expression became even darker before she gestured. ¡°Go! We will lead you to my lord. He will be the one to decide your fates!¡±

 Chapter 1485

    We were led through the woods a distance away. I could see the red all around me as we walked among enemies, but I saw us quickly approaching an area where there was no red. No, that wasn¡¯t right. It was another map dead zone. King Roth was cautious and had set up a perimeter where I couldn¡¯t map or portal to him. This would make it more difficult to launch an assassination attempt if I had even considered such an act.


    I wish I knew how people did that. Bernice hadn¡¯t known how the enchantment was placed on the palace. She wasn¡¯t responsible for it, and she didn¡¯t even know what I was talking about when I mentioned it. Unless someone used some kind of skill that required using mana to feel out the location, they¡¯d never even know when such a thing was being done. For a former swordsman like her, it wasn¡¯t even something she¡¯d notice.


    It wasn¡¯t long until we walked out into a clearing though, and sitting in the middle of it on a throne seemingly constructed in the middle of the woods was King Roth. I recognized him from the recording in Matty¡¯s dungeon. He was lying back in his chair casually, and there was one woman on one side who was rubbing his feet, while another gave him grapes. Yet a third woman was waving a leaf, giving him a pleasant breeze. It wasn¡¯t even particularly hot, and no one was wearing a tropical outfit, but he could have fooled me. Despite we were in the middle of a war, he looked to me like he was vacationing.


    When he noticed us walking up, still surrounded by a dozen lionesses, First and Second leading the way, he remained in his lax condition, not even sitting up to meet me. When we reached close enough to his chair, two women put spears in a cross in front of us, cutting us off from First and Second, who continued forward a few steps before falling to their knees.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°My lord, it¡¯s that nuisance Deek. He¡¯s come to speak with you.¡± First declared.


    It irked me slightly that she didn¡¯t even address me as a lord. Usually, I might have worried I was greeting a bit full of myself, but in this situation, I wanted respect, and I knew I wasn¡¯t getting it. I was usually a calm guy which usually didn¡¯t fret the bad stuff. I¡¯ve been known to let bandits go, forgiven the church, kept a demon lord alive, and spared multiple dungeon bosses. It really took a lot to get under my skin, but King Roth was already on my list for what he did to Astria, and the list was only growing longer.


    ¡°Deek¡­ deek¡­¡± He tapped the arm of his chair like he was trying to remember. ¡°Oh, right! That¡¯s the one that we¡¯re fighting right now. I heard his name as that silly fairy screamed it as she begged for mercy.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Celeste cried out.


    ¡°Yes¡­ she kept saying things like Deek would come to save her, but he never did. Watching the light leave her eyes was quite fun.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ bastard!¡± Celeste suddenly shrank and flew forward.


    ¡°Celeste, no!¡± I shouted.


    However, it was too late. She flew past the guards, and moving at the speed only Celeste could, she charged King Roth. At first, it looked like she was about to strike him brutally. He hadn¡¯t moved to defend himself at all. She grew back to full size in mid-motion. However, just as she reached him, she stopped. It took a moment to realize that he had one of his hands around her throat and the other one on her wrist. In her hand was the malacrum dagger. She had taken it without my knowledge, and she had been trying to stab him with it!

 Chapter 1486

    As the scene settled, First had jumped up, but she was only half way to King Roth before Celeste was caught. Celeste struggled helplessly in his grip. If she could have shrunken back down, she would have. That only meant that he had some way of controlling that. She was trapped in his hand, and I had a feeling that I couldn¡¯t take her away unharmed if he didn¡¯t allow it.


    The rest of my girls hadn¡¯t had time to react, but as they ran up to me, ready to plunge forward, the lionesses made a barricade in front of us, all holding out their weapons menacingly. I held up my arms, keeping the girls from continuing forward, and waited. King Roth had made any other move, and I knew this wasn¡¯t the time to upset him. He finally looked behind the fairy, his eyes specifically jumping to First.


    ¡°You allowed someone to get close to me,¡± he said.


    The second had a triumphant grin on her face, but she quickly hid it by lowering her head. First began to turn red.


    ¡°Sh-she moved so fast¡­ I was on my knees before you. I didn¡¯t think-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± He responded. ¡°You didn¡¯t think. You brought several armed people before me. You assumed they wouldn¡¯t dare try to attack me, that they would dare try to kill me. Hehe¡­ however, I know how I¡¯m supposed to die, and it won¡¯t be at the hands of some childish fairy, nor will it be with a pathetic dagger like this.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    He reached out and grabbed the dagger, ripping it from her hand even while continuing to hold her by the neck.


    ¡°Leave her alone!¡± Miki couldn¡¯t stop herself from yelling.


    King Roth ignored her, instead of looking at me. ¡°Do you think malacrum can hurt me?¡±


    ¡°You have a god soul.¡± I nearly sighed it out.


    It was pretty obvious at this point that he would. He would have been as immune to silvthril or malacrum as me.


    ¡°You really should put your women on a leash. They are untamed and willful.¡± He snorted.


    ¡°It¡¯s not her fault. Astria is her mother.¡± I didn¡¯t know why I said that, but it came out before I could help myself.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ I don¡¯t blame her.¡± He responded. ¡°You are the Harem Master. The actions of a harem reflect upon their lord. If you were a proper man, then they would assuredly be proper women.¡±


    The woman behind me pushed forward slightly. I could hear them grinding their teeth, but they were fortunately smart enough to realize that in this situation, any outburst would only be proving him right in his words. Putting aside my thoughts on the seeming sexism of the situation, I was their leader and they were following me. If they went and did things without my permission, it would be me to blame. I had to take responsibility for their actions.


    ¡°I am sorry for her outburst.¡± I lowered my head as much as it pained me. ¡°It was not my attention to attempt you harm with this meeting.¡±


    I heard noises of surprise and protest behind me, but I didn¡¯t pay the girls any mind at this moment. My hand was balled into a fist, but I still had to wait. King Roth snorted, and then he looked up at the Celeste finally, who had been kicking and fighting helplessly the entire time. Since her body was made of mana, she didn¡¯t have breathing issues and wasn¡¯t in danger, but if he broke her neck, she would die like anyone else.


    ¡°I suppose I should show you a proper punishment!¡± King Roth declared.

 Chapter 1487

    The girls let out cries, and I was just about to blow through the protection and attack King Roth despite my previous words and my current weakness. Even if I had a chance against King Roth before, after wounding my soul to save Lydia, my strength was still diminished. That¡¯s why I had to lower my head earlier. That didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t willing to throw all caution to the wind if I thought my girl was truly in trouble.


    However, as he leaped out of his seat he threw Celeste. As if they knew what he was doing, his women moved out of the way as Celeste slammed into my arms. He moved in front of First and then delivered a powerful kick across her face. She spun to the ground.


    ¡°You have failed to properly protect me!¡± He gave a roar, his foot landing on her head.


    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, my lord.¡± First begged as he ground her face into the dirt. ¡°I won¡¯t make this mistake again.¡±


    ¡°You foolish woman.¡± He kicked her again, causing her to fly to the side. ¡°You won¡¯t. Your name will be switched with Second for now.¡±


    Even after being kicked to the side like trash, the lioness¡¯s expression had remained docile. However, after receiving those words, she looked up in absolute fear and shock.


    ¡°Please, no! My lord¡­¡±


    ¡°Know your place!¡± He barked as a fearful lioness dropped her head.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He walked over to the magician, who could no longer hide the deeply pleased expression on her face. He reached down and lifted her chin. ¡°You will be my First from now on.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Her expression was fanatical, almost orgasmic as she gazed up at him with fervent obsession.


    ¡°Make sure you are prepared to lead the upcoming battle.¡±


    ¡°Upcoming battle?¡± Her eyes hinted at a bit of confusion, flickering to me as I held Celeste in my arms.


    ¡°You wish to have a dungeon battle, isn¡¯t that right, Deek Deekson.¡± Lord Roth glanced my way.


    He wasn¡¯t just powerful or cruel. Lord Roth was a clever man too. He had figured out why I had come here in the first place. Perhaps, he had known the moment he showed up. I had planned to challenge him to a dungeon battle. It was the only way I¡¯d be able to close the gap between our numbers. The army of an entire country against what I scrambled together wasn¡¯t enough. However, perhaps my dungeon and the many monsters I had scraped together from it would be.


    I had checked into King Roth, and while his age wasn¡¯t clear, he wasn¡¯t some eternal being like he acted. He was only around a hundred. It was his battling against the Demon Lord Aberis that had ultimately put him on the throne as the strongest of Dioshin. Of course, he still looked to be in his 30s, but that proved all the things he had done to extend his life.


    Dungeons grew at roughly a level per year. This wasn¡¯t an absolute rule any more than claiming all trees grew a certain amount every year. The growth depended on a lot of factors, from the mana available to the type of dungeon. That said, my dungeon¡¯s growth had been insane thanks to consuming other dungeons, access to a mana spring, and now the evolution to god-tier and connection to my soul world. By calculation, I didn¡¯t believe that the dungeon supporting King Roth was too much greater. It was our best chance.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I declared. ¡°I challenge you to a dungeon battle.¡±


    He grinned. ¡°In other words, I can finally put the rumors to rest. This will be a fight of Harem against Harem. All of mine¡­ against all of yours!¡±

 Chapter 1488

    ¡°I have called back my troops.¡± King Roth declared. ¡°I will give you 24 hours to prepare, and then the battle will begin.¡±


    Although it sounded like King Roth was being magnanimous again, didn¡¯t he just change his general to the magician? She¡¯d need at least that long to transition her power, so he was doing it for himself. If we didn¡¯t desperately need just as much time, then I might have made some comment about how foolish he was.


    The lioness formerly known as First slowly worked her way back up to her feet, but her head was kept down. She had bruises on her face, and by the way, she held her body, it looked like her ribs had been damaged. The magician girl was looking at her mockingly, but she had her eyes on me for some reason.


    ¡°M-master¡­ I¡¯m so sorry. I thought¡­ after what he did to Mother¡­¡± I heard Celeste speak for the first time, her voice still croaky after being choked for so long.


    I closed my eyes for a moment. I had been so focused on my anger and determination, that I hadn¡¯t paid attention to the girl¡¯s feelings. In a way, I was using them as tools, just like King Roth had been doing. I had promised myself I would be more concerned with their desires and feelings, and then I went right back to making mistakes. Wanting to change was one thing, but changing was quite another.


    All of the girls likely suffered greatly hearing what had happened to Lydia. Celeste, especially, would have been furious about what they had done to her mother. She was so angry that she went behind my back, thinking to use her superior speed to assassinate Roth. Meanwhile, I had been clueless about her feelings. No, I deliberately ignored them because I had to focus.


    When I opened my eyes, I couldn¡¯t stop a tear from falling down my cheek. ¡°Celeste, it¡¯s not your fault. I should have understood your feelings.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t want Master to know how I felt,¡± Celeste responded shamefully. ¡°Master, I went against you and did something I shouldn¡¯t. Please punish me. I deserve it¡­¡±


    After seeing Lord Roth punish First, Celeste felt she deserved as much. After looking at the sincerity in her eyes for a moment, I gave a nod.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you your punishment.¡±


    ¡°Master¡­¡± Miki looked on tearfully.


    The other girls were watching too. They looked sad, but none of them fought back. Deep down, they agreed that Celeste deserved to be punishment. They weren¡¯t just harem, they were slaves, and that made their disobedience even worse. Celeste had worked outside my plans and had only caused me trouble. They didn¡¯t like it, but they understood it didn¡¯t happen.


    I raised my hand, and Celeste winced as she closed her eyes. I then brought my hand up to Celeste¡¯s forehead, and I flicked it.


    ¡°Owie!¡± She cried out.


    However, as her eyes popped open in surprise, I brought my lips down and kissed her forehead. I already released healing magic, not just restoring her headache, but the damage from King Roth too. When I pulled away, I hugged her, whispering in her ear.


    ¡°I would never¡­¡±


    Celeste¡¯s face turned pink, and she looked away, the girl who never hesitated to cling to me or throw her body at me suddenly became squirmy in my grip like it was embarrassing her. Her body shrunk, and then she flew away, hiding behind Terra¡¯s large golem body.


    ¡°Fool¡­¡± The mutter came from the lioness¡¯s lips.


    She seemed to be looking at me with disappointment, despite what had happened to her. King Roth snapped, and several women kneeled around him, reached into the grass. It was only at this point I realized his chair was on a palanquin, but the handles had been hidden in the grass. The girls lifted, and King Roth was brought up into the air.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ what a weak man.¡± King Roth declared as he looked down at me. ¡°In 24 hours, I will take all of your women, and show them what a real man is like.¡±


    With that, the women began to disperse, leaving us alone in the clearing. The magic that scrambled the mana in the area seemed to dissipate too. I had nothing else to do but portal back home.

 Chapter 1489

    ¡°So, we have about twenty hours before King Roth initiates the dungeon battle.¡± I finished explaining everything that happened.


    We were back in the war room. During our parley, Xin had slowly been losing land. They had been pushed back much farther than I would have thought. Had King Roth not been enamored by the idea of a harem showdown, they would have been breaking into the city by sundown. Yet, they had seemingly turned back and retreated. This spiked the morale of all of the troops who thought they had successfully repelled his army, but the higher-ups knew better. That¡¯s why I had recalled them all to my mansion and explained the situation.


    ¡°You should have had me come!¡± Bernice pouted. ¡°I would have shot him! Let¡¯s see him dodge these!¡±


    She pulled out a gun, even spinning it in her finger like an old western. I had never shown her how to do that, so I didn¡¯t know where she picked up such a flourish. Celeste sighed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to offend, Bernice, but he would have dodged. I¡¯ve seen you fire those. Those bullets are¡­ a bit slow.¡± Celeste admitted.


    Bernice¡¯s face turned complicated. Celeste had just admitted to being able to move faster than bullets. I wasn¡¯t that surprised, although she never created a sonic boom. She wouldn¡¯t though, as she controlled the wind itself. However, the point was made. If King Roth could catch her then he could catch anything we threw at him.


    ¡°A dungeon battle¡­ I haven¡¯t fought in any of those.¡± Nova spoke with interest.


    ¡°And you won¡¯t fight in this one,¡± Xin spoke up. ¡°The only people allowed in a dungeon battle are those that are connected to the dungeon. Other than me, none of you are considered part of Deek¡¯s dungeon.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense is this? We cannot participate?¡± Nova appeared perplexed.


    ¡°It is the same for the Deep Dwarves.¡± Lapis sighed. ¡°We haven¡¯t been in his dungeon long enough to be marked by it. Only Sapphire would be able to participate.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Master just enslave them? Every slave can participate in the battle.¡± Miki offered.


    Nova and Lapis both shot her awkward looks. Their expressions made it clear they were uneasy with the idea of being made slaves, even by me. Miki¡¯s entire family had become slaves, although I didn¡¯t personally enslave them. Incidentally, a former slave animalkin had unlocked Slaver, and with the help of the dungeon was working to become a Slave Master. As someone sympathetic to slaves, they seemed like the best choice to handle such slavery contracts in Chalm. Officially, slavery in Chalm was outlawed, but it was still convenient to handle criminals and other extraneous circumstances such as the foxkin.


    ¡°No,¡± I responded shortly. ¡°Roth said he saw this as a battle between our harems. I believe everything he sends at us will be his harem, and everything he expects will be ours. My monsters and my girls are the only things I can use in this battle.¡±


    If I broke his rules, then I would break any chance of a fair fight with him. We needed to have a fair fight if I wanted a chance. Thankfully, he was prideful and full of himself. It was still our best chance.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know the depths of his harem.¡± Shao frowned. ¡°Even going by just what we¡¯ve seen, there have to be at least two hundred girls, if not more. If we counted every girl, we barely have a dozen.¡±


    ¡°The fairies are Masters,¡± Celeste spoke up.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I blinked.


    ¡°Does Master not know?¡± Celeste asked. ¡°Fairies are like drones of a bee. Their behavior is heavily influenced by the fairy queen. Although Mother is a dark fairy, she has been controlling them. Here feelings for Master would be their feelings.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ but when they evolved, they gained free will.¡± I defended.


    Well, free will was a general thought. The fairies were afraid of Astria and revered Celeste. They didn¡¯t act out of line.


    Celeste giggled suddenly. ¡°Master, do you think a fairy could go her entire life admiring Master, and then not fall in love when she ¡®grew up¡¯. The only reason Master isn¡¯t joined by a dozen fairies every night in bed is that Astria and I won¡¯t allow it. They are master¡¯s harem whether master wants it or not.¡±


    ¡°R-really¡­¡± I didn¡¯t know what to say to that.


    ¡°Okay, so we have a few more, but that¡¯s still nowhere near their number.¡± Shao threw a wet blanket on the mood once again. ¡°Can we win?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I responded with a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve already come up with a plan. There will only be two outcomes to this fight. In the first outcome, we defeat King Roth, gain a ton of power, and send him running back to Dioshin.¡±


    ¡°And the second?¡± Shao asked.


    ¡°We all die¡­ all of us, and Chalm as well.¡±

 Chapter 1490

    ¡°Keep moving! Everyone keep going!¡± A guard shouted out.


    It was a mass evacuation. This was the only thing I could do for the people of Chalm. If I failed, then everything was over. King Roth would move into Chalm, and there was no saying what he would do. He would likely enslave everyone, pick out the prettiest for his harem, and then expel everyone else. In that respect, it was better to send them all away now. As to where I was sending them, that was Deeksville.


    It was behind the official border of Aberis. Roth was only interested in the fountain, but if he did decide to head farther east, Prince Edward would have no choice but to react. That would be a full-out war, and I wouldn¡¯t be alive to see it. That was only the chance of some catastrophic failure though. More likely, in the event of failure, the city and dungeon would cease to exist, as would King Roth. In that case, everyone in the city would be dead.


    ¡°Mayor, you need to leave.¡± Ruby declared.


    ¡°I will be staying.¡± The mayor declared with a snort. ¡°Why don¡¯t the pair of you leave?¡±


    The Guild Master and Ruby looked away slightly embarrassed, and Ruby spoke with less energy this time. ¡°Deek has never lead us wrong. We plan to stay.¡±


    ¡°Then, I will plan to stay also. However, I can¡¯t fight. If you¡¯re giving your lives, why don¡¯t you help Deek fight?¡±


    The guild master shook his head. ¡°According to Deek, I won¡¯t be able to fight. He said Ruby might be allowed, but he wasn¡¯t sure.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Ruby¡¯s face turned red. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready to fight yet. I want to, but I don¡¯t think my heart is ready.¡±


    The mayor had no clue what she was talking about, but he didn¡¯t understand most of what was going on. In the end, he helped evacuate as many citizens like the rest. Not everyone was willing to leave. In particular, many of the people who came from Chalm Crossing to reclaim Chalm decided to stay here in solidarity, even if it meant giving their lives.


    This included many adventurers who had fought alongside Deek and were saved by him during the Mina¡¯s Dungeon appearance in what felt like forever ago. They hadn¡¯t been able to fight to protect Chalm, but that didn¡¯t sit well with many of them. Even if they couldn¡¯t fight to protect the place they loved, they definitely wouldn¡¯t flee.


    Of course, the journey wasn¡¯t too bad. I had depended on Siti and the traveling guild to open up portals and facilitate their escape. Chalm Crossing was similarly being emptied in a hurry. In two days, the results would be settled, and they could either come back, or there would be nothing else to come back to.


    In the meantime, I gathered the girls and we made our plans. I told them all of it, and they inevitably agreed that it was the only way. Of course, there was the chance that King Roth wasn¡¯t as powerful as I had thought, and that we completely overturned him in the dungeon battle, but I wasn¡¯t going to bet everything on it. One way or another, it would end that night.


    In the end, the dungeon produced as many mobs that would be good as slowing down the enemies. Our tactic was to buy as much time as possible. Using what we learned from the previous battle, we selected our available lore carefully. This played to our strength, as the dungeon was filled with ghosts. To the superstitious animalkin girls, this would truly be a hellish place. I still remembered when Lydia first encountered ghosts and she flew into a panic. That inevitably led us to pick up Miki.


    Thinking about it caused a pang of hurt in my heart. The Lydia I knew and loved was gone, never to return. I didn¡¯t have time to dwell on it though. I didn¡¯t have time for any of it. We had to keep going. I wiped the tears from my cheek and continued.

 Chapter 1491

    ¡°Matty, are you going to be okay?¡± I asked


    Since his dungeon had been destroyed, I had brought him into my dungeon. Matty didn¡¯t have a lot of particr skills when it came to fighting and being as he waspletely bound to the dungeon as Xin and Selena had once been, he wasn¡¯t able to participate in the fight. He had mostly been moping sadly in a corner, even while ya was sweating over the apekin and their ingenuity.


    However, when we had started to prepare the dungeon for the uing battle, he had finally stood up and started to help. The one thing he was particrly skilled at was the one thing we needed. He was good at traps and puzzles, and that was exactly what we needed to keep Roth¡¯s armies at bay. He had taken on and designed several levels for us. However, the entire time, he had moved around with a mncholy-like demeanor thatcked any life.


    ¡°I am fine.¡± He responded in a dead voice.


    He was only alive right now because I had brought him to my dungeon and absorbed the remnants of his dungeon. It was one of the reasons I had the dungeon energy to make so manyst moment improvements.


    ¡°That¡¯s good¡­¡± I responded, not quite sure how to deal with young children.


    It was true that Matty was probably older than me in years, but dungeons had a very particr problem. Dungeon lore could grow moreplex andrger, and dungeons could change and mutate over time, increasingly creating more facy and errors, but the one thing a dungeon couldn¡¯t do on its own is progress the story. No dungeon would everplete the lore without intervention from an outside source.


    That meant that no matter how long Matty lived, he¡¯d never mature or grow older. In that respect, he was still a child, albeit a wise and knowledgeable child for his age. He turned away to leave, but I reached out and stopped him.


    ¡°I have something for you,¡± I responded. ¡°It¡¯s ya who did the majority of the work. She has some experience and the time to do it. Plus, as a sort of witch-like figure, she has a good understanding of such things.¡±


    Matty turned around confused as I gestured to the door. A momentter, a beautiful woman in a witch outfit stepped out into the light. Matty let out a cry and then charged at her.


    ¡°Mommy!¡±


    It was the woman that had been destroyed by King Roth in Matty¡¯s dungeon. She was his second-inmand and an approximation of his mother. Although Roth had tried to destroy her, when I absorbed the lore I had gotten the majority of her pieces. ya had carefully patched her back together. She wasn¡¯t the same woman from before, as some of her lore was lost, but she was likely close enough to satisfy a young boy whose mind was already warped by dungeons.


    After a moment, she peeled off Matty¡¯s hands and then walked to me. I thought she was going to thank me for her new lease on life, but she suddenly nted her lips on mine.


    ¡°M-Mom!¡±


    As she kissed me, her hand grabbed my butt, and when she pulled away, her teeth bit my lip and pulled a bit. Finally, she turned back to Matty, even while still clinging to me.


    ¡°Matty, your Mommy may have returned, but I¡¯m upset about how you have been treating your new Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Daddy!¡± We both cried out at the same time.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ¡°Yes, Mommy is Daddy¡¯s ything, so get along properly, okay?¡± Her voice was singsong and chipper despite saying such a lewd thing.


    After a moment, Matty¡¯s face turned red, and then he cried out. ¡°You¡¯re not my dad! I¡¯ll never ept you! You hate you forever!¡±


    He spun around and fled the room. It seemed bad, but that was basically how he was acting before he depressed, so he seemed to back to normal.


    ¡°Uh, oh¡­ my precious Mathew is being naughty. I¡¯ll have to spank him thoroughly.¡± The witch licked her lips. ¡°However, if Daddy wants to spank me first, please don¡¯t hold back!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh. She already had hints of such a personality before in her dungeon. Allowing ya of all people to piece her back together had only amplified her naughtier tendencies. Now she was a definite sadist and obsessed with me! I¡¯d never let ya make another mob again!

 Chapter 1492

    Miki, Celeste, Terra, Shao, Bernice, Xin, ya, Alysia, Siti, Faeyna, Selena and Sapphire were the so-called generals of my dungeon. There were also the evolved fairies and the witch, who was also able to fight. That made up my entire list of sentient, free-thinking souls. Anyone else I created were purely mobs who could act as their dungeon told them to act. That was twelve girls against possibly hundreds.


    Now, all of the people who were trapped in Chalm and infected by the dungeon could have potentially been brought into my dungeon to fight. After all, they all were touched by the dungeon¡¯s miasma, and could effectively be turned into mobs. However, I didn¡¯t know what that would do to them. If they died, they definitely would be integrated into the dungeon, and be just mobs themselves. It¡¯d be like sacrificing their lives.


    Ruby had been a potential exception. I wasn¡¯t sure quite how she felt about me, and if her status as harem would be sufficient to allow her to fight, but neither of us wanted to take that risk. One more fighter wouldn¡¯t be the difference between life and death, and if we were being honest, at this point all of my girls were fighting at a level far beyond Ruby¡¯s ability. Even Faeyna who had resisted herbat ability could probably defeat Ruby now.


    Why did I bring Faeyna into the fight? She demanded it. I also knew that she¡¯d be as strong as any one of the enemy harem girls, so I couldn¡¯t bring myself to send her away. I had lost my harem too many times already. I wasn¡¯t going to do it again. This time, I needed everyone by my side. My only regret was that I didn¡¯t have time to find Carmine, Salicia, and Raissa. Actually, given how pregnant Raissa must be at this point, it was probably better I still hadn¡¯t found her.


    ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± I asked the girls.


    We were all waiting in the boss room, the borate grassy in roughly half the size of the battlefield we had previously found on. My dungeon orb was sitting in the miasmicke, which asionally released bubbles of miasma, making the entire level extremely thick. For those connected to me though, it felt safe and refreshing, rather than ufortable. This was the location of the final stand, but I hoped it wouldn¡¯t get to that point. If everything went well, then we¡¯d defeat King Roth before he even knew what hit him.


    ¡°I am ready, Master.¡± ya gave a nod.


    ¡°I¡¯ve worked with Matty to create many powerful soul traps.¡± Miki nodded. ¡°They will be dyed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done my best to reinforce key areas. They won¡¯t be able to just break through the floors.¡± Terra added.


    ¡°I will move troops as my lordmands,¡± Siti spoke next.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready to move the troops as needed.¡± Xin continued.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much I can do, but I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Sapphire responded nervously.


    ¡°Master!¡± Selena merely cawed.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do it.¡± Alysia encouraged me.


    ¡°I will clean up this mess.¡± Faeyna gave a serious expression.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ as if I¡¯d let such a disgusting man touch any unwilling woman.¡± Bernice dered, cocking her weapons.


    ¡°I will use my shadow magic to obscure Celeste the best I can,¡± Shao stated.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± Celeste cried out.


    {A rival dungeon master has dered war on your dungeon. Defeat the dungeon master, force them to surrender, or destroy their dungeon lore to protect your dungeon.}

 Chapter 1493

    After the attack began, I brought up a screen that showed the entrance to our dungeon. I could see enemies flowing in. They were all women. The leaders appeared to be mostly other animalkin warriors. The lionesses weren¡¯t leading on this. If I had to guess, they were sending in the lower-ranked girls first. There were five groups of five women, making twenty-five in all. This could be called a scouting party, although you could also call it a sacrifice. I was still surprised to see that true to his word, all of those sent were essentially harem.


    ya had warned me that it was better off if I continued to y fair. His pride would keep King Roth from cheating. It was the same reason he had given us a week to prepare instead of a surprise attack, didn¡¯t punish Celeste when she attacked him, and why he had agreed to the dungeon battle even though he could have won the war. He didn¡¯t just want victory by any means. He wanted to be seen as the best and the greatest.


    Therefore, all of the mobs I had created were women. Tamed monsters in the form of women were close enough to a harem that they got a pass. If King Roth had a problem with that, the fact he outnumbered my girls a hundred to one would just be bullying.


    With the dungeons connected, I could feel King Roth¡¯s dungeon. I didn¡¯t know exactly howrge it was or anything like that, but there was pressure, and I could feel that his dungeon was likelyrger than my own by a great deal. Once again, had this been a normal dungeon battle, I wasn¡¯t confident we¡¯d have a chance. However, he was going to y fair, and I intended to do so until the moment we¡¯d turn everything around.


    ¡°Celeste¡­ go,¡± I ordered.


    ¡°On it!¡± Celeste shrank down to her small fairy size, and then disappeared in a sh, moving as quickly as she could.


    ¡°Shao, pick off girls one at a time. Don¡¯t take risks. Only when someone is vulnerable.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master!¡± Shao melted into the shadows.


    ¡°Everything is going ording to n,¡± ya announced. ¡°They¡¯ll be encountering the bandit surprise attack first.¡±


    Every level was themed off of previous dungeons I had defeated. Every blessing attached to me was a lore, and that lore could be used to recreate aspects of defeated dungeons. For the first level, I had used the Bandit¡¯s Respite. It was an open green space, and there were bandits everywhere. Of course, the bandits happened to all be female.


    The stairway down was smack dab in the middle of their fort. That meant that for these girls to continue to the second story, they¡¯d need to fight their way through a barricaded wall covered with archers, all while avoid bandit sneak attacks in the forest. For me with my Map, Portal, and Sense Life, this wouldn¡¯t have been difficult, but for the first dungeon of anyone else¡¯s dungeon, this would be outright cheating!


    We had to buy as much time as we could.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Chapter 1494

    ¡°They¡¯ve breached the fort.¡± ya announced, even though I could see it myself. ¡°They¡¯ll be heading down to the 2nd story soon. They¡¯re also reinforcing. Another five teams have entered the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t they grow a bit suspicious if we don¡¯t attack?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°Non necessarily.¡± ya shrugged. ¡°A strong defense could be considered a tactic. He¡¯sunched his weakest girls to begin the battle. He¡¯s already lost a couple, and we¡¯ve also lost several mobs. He could send out his best, and they would trounce through our traps with ease. Of course, they would reach the end exhausted. It¡¯s an endurance game. Will he run out of harem before he reaches the bottom floor? He¡¯s betting his offense is greater than our defense. If we can hold out, the entire battle would turn on its head.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re not depending on that anyway,¡± I responded. ¡°This is just a dy and distraction.¡±


    Shao had used as much shadow magic as she could to obscure Celeste. She wouldn¡¯t show up on any Sense Life. Our real goal was for Celeste to sneak down to the lower boss room. She had perfect control of the wind. Not only could she make herself nearly impossible to spot, but whether it was smell or sound, she wouldn¡¯t be detected. Likewise, her capacity to detect others was strong as well, in particr, she could find her mother, Astria.


    While we continued the battle on this side, she¡¯d sneak into the enemy dungeon and get all the way down to the bottom flow. She¡¯d rescue her mother and then get the dungeon lore. She¡¯d then bring the orb back here, and I would absorb it, exponentially increasing the power of my dungeon while effectively destroying his own.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Celeste was determined to do as I asked this time. After failing me once, she felt extremely bad about it. However, I trusted in her. I had to. This all depended on her.


    If she ended up getting caught by King Roth, we could also Portal down and all attack at once, side-blinding him. ya had revealed to me that what means they used to mess with Mapping didn¡¯t apply to someone I was bonded to. In other words, I might not be able to portal or see anywhere around King Roth, but I could portal straight to Celeste. Well, even that had restrictions. I couldn¡¯t portal to or detect Astria, even now, so they must have done something to restrain her. Plus, it was his dungeon, so if there was enough mana interference, even my blessing wouldn¡¯t allow me to cut through that.


    With luck, he didn¡¯t know I could do such a thing, and wouldn¡¯t prepare for it though. I never said it wasn¡¯t dangerous, but it was still the best n I coulde up with. After all, if it failed, there was still my other n. My eyes flickered to my own dungeon lore.


    If Celeste failed toe back, we weren¡¯t able to save her, and King Roth managed to make it to this room, I only had onest option. Other than trying to save Astria, it was the only other path I coulde up with. I would use the same method as King Diorite and ignite the core with my soul. The explosion would destroy Chalm and incinerate the fairy spring. King Roth would never be immortal.


    More than that, being as his dungeon was connected to mine, it would probably cause a cascade causing significant damage to him as well. If I had him in this room when I ignited it, then he¡¯d likely die with the rest of us.


    That was why I had sent everyone away from Chalm that I could. One way or another, King Roth would fail.

 Chapter 1495

    ¡°They¡¯ve reached the underwater level.¡± ya continued to announce as the girls all waited anxiously.


    The first few levels were more physical obstructions than mental ones. As we had guessed, the first few waves contained very few of the catkin and none of the higher-ranked harem. Obstacles like forts and underwater paths were suitable for them. I was saving the ghosts forter on. This was the fifth level, and that meant it was a level with a boss on it. Putting that level underwater only enhanced the difficulty.


    This wasn¡¯t a boss room like with that monster in the Bandit¡¯s Respite. This was more like the long corridors from Widow¡¯s Dungeon. However, there was one key difference in this one. I watched as the girls carefully tested the water to make sure it was safe to enter.


    ¡°What is with this dungeon?¡± One of the girls hissed.


    ¡°Does it even have a cohesive lore?¡± Anotherined.


    ¡°Enough!¡± The leader growled. ¡°My lord said that the farther we make it, the better our reward. We can¡¯t be stopped just at the 5th level. We need to get past this. There are fifteen of us!¡±


    ¡°We started with 25 though¡­¡±


    ¡°Once my lord conquers this dungeon, he will resurrect all of us and give us our just reward.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? Are you sure he won¡¯t just leave us¡­ like the others?¡± One of the girls gulped, and the others gave uneasy looks.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ¡°That sounds almost like sphemy! Are you my lord¡¯s harem, or a bunch of pathetic housewives!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go! We¡¯ll go!¡± They responded defensively.


    ¡°Good, in that case, take these rings. They give the owner underwater breathing. Theye from Jespain.¡±


    ¡°I hate underwater breathing. You always feel like you¡¯re drowning!¡±


    ¡°Wear it, or be left behind¡­ and who knows then what position you¡¯ll have in the harem. You might not even have the right to wash my lord¡¯s feet!¡±


    The girls all nodded and put them on frantically. They didn¡¯t grow gills or anything, but as they went underwater, they panicked for a moment as they tried to gulp in water, but then they rxed and seemed to be able to breathe the water fine. I was very curious about the thing. I had heard there existed such breathable water. An enchantment that made it so you could do that in any water seemed kind of cool.


    The girls all sank below the waves and started swimming to their next destination. They still kept their eyes out, but their movements were confident. They passed their first intersection, looking both ways carefully before swimming on. Just as thest girl was in the intersection, a form flew by and grabbed her. She was yanked away from the group and disappeared without a sound. She was dead, and none of the others had even realized it.


    ¡°V-vicious,¡± Miki spoke uneasily.


    ¡°Terrifying.¡± Terra nodded.


    ¡°It probably wouldn¡¯t be interested in you. Besides, wouldn¡¯t you just sink to the bottom?¡± Miki asked.


    ¡°Are you mocking me because I can¡¯t swim?¡± Terra shot her an using look.


    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t! And besides, a mermaid isn¡¯t going to want to chew on your rocky body!¡±


    ¡°When I get my old body back, a mermaid would love to chew on it!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still made of rock though.¡±


    I ignored the girls arguing as I continued to watch it. Yes, I had a piece of the mermaid lore. It had been an extremely dangerous enemy. They were extremely fast swimmers, and extremely savage with their teeth and ws. Now, these girls were swimming through its territory. Everything was moving ording to n. I was just waiting until it stopped.

 Chapter 1496

    Three of the women were pulled into the depths by the time they realized something was happening. However, realizing what was happening did spare them from the mermaid¡¯s wrath. A normal 5th level would have a miniboss, but it¡¯d also be filled with various mobs too. Even after everything, I didn¡¯t have the mana to afford anything else, so every selection I used for the dungeon I made the count.


    Eventually, the leader thought to create a protective circle with the girls and face the mermaid head-on. The battle was brutal, but eventually, they were able to get a good hit on the mermaid, and it had no choice but to escape. There were only three of the original group surviving. Just as they decided to continue their way on, a new group approached the water level. At this point, a total of four groups had entered. It was a hundred women, each progressively stronger than thest. The most recent group included several of the lionesses, although I didn¡¯t know if they were numbered, and I didn¡¯t see First or Second.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    I was just about to send someone up with a potion to restore the mermaid and try to repeat the ughter with the next group. I had ordered it not to fight to the death, but to do as much damage as it could. In that respect, it had done a particrly good job. At least, that was my n until the woman who seemed to be leading this group let out a dismissive snort. She threw something into the water.


    The object seemed to open into a portal, and the water in the dungeon started to flow into it. It started slowly, but it grew faster and faster. The water wasn¡¯t going in like a waterfall. It appeared as if it was being sucked into the portal, the water visible declining. I was hoping there was some kind of limit, but the water only seemed to be sucked in faster and faster. I could only watch as the mermaid started to fight against the current. However, as the water declined and the current increased, it was overtaken.


    The mermaid seemed to fall into the portal, and then there was nothing. It was dead. Whatever that device was, it opened a vacuum into seeming nothingness, and anything that entered it also became nothing. That was when I noticed that the girls who had been very near the exit and thus less affected by the initial current were also now caught into it.


    ¡°Look, there¡¯s are caught too!¡± Miki eximed.


    The three women should have been on the same side as the others who were desperately holding onto a stake they had ced into the ground. One of them finally couldn¡¯t hold on anymore, and they were sucked into the whirlpool of death. One by one, the remaining ones were killed just like the first. Another few minutes, and the entire level was now only a foot or so of water, andpletely harmless. The woman recovered the device, putting it back on her belt.


    ¡°I think some of ours were in that water.¡± One of the women told the leader.


    She snorted. ¡°Then they should have saved themselves. Our lord has no room for failures. If you wish to rise in his favor, you also must be ruthless.¡±


    The other girls nodded as if such a thing was obvious. As for the boss room where the lot of us waited, there was only silence.

 Chapter 1497

    ¡°What has cities, but no houses, rivers, but no fish, and roads, forests, but no trees, and roads, but no people?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, keep reading it, I still don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with this dungeon?


    They had managed to reach Matty¡¯s level, this was the level that used riddles to slow them down. There were ten in all to get through the entire level. I figured it¡¯d take them about an hour to solve it all. I had overestimated them, as they were still on the first riddle and they had yet to figure it out.


    ¡°It¡¯s clearly a map! Why do they not grasp it?¡± Terra looked mildly irritated.


    I seemed to recall in Terra¡¯s dungeon, she had simrly attempted to use a riddle to dy people. She seemed to have a thing for riddles, and to find these girls struggling so much seemed to drive her crazy.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I had you reinforce this area. I wouldn¡¯t want them busting their way through.¡± Iplemented Terra, although I had no clue if her squirming meant she wanted the praise or was scratching an itch.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    It was pretty hard dealing with her in her current form. It wasn¡¯t like she blushed or showed facial expressions. That¡¯s why I tried to keepplimenting her so she didn¡¯t feel like I stopped caring that she was no longer pretty.


    ¡°Only you would be so ineloquent!¡± Matty snapped while I was trying toe up with more encouragement.


    That wasn¡¯t true. They had already tried to st their way through and had failed. However, Matty was still bitter about how I had defeated his dungeon while creating quite a bit of coteral damage. Although he was speaking negatively, his attitude had improved since his mother witch was back.


    ¡°Our son is very pleased. His riddle level has kept them back longer than anything else so far. He¡¯s been a good boy.¡± the witch said, causing him to turn red, as she leaned in and whispered the rest to me. ¡°You should praise him as well.¡±


    Why should I praise him? He¡¯s just some monster I happened to tame! He¡¯s far different to me than Terra, despite her current monstrous appearance. That¡¯s what I thought, but I decided encouragement might help considering how rough he had it recently.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well,¡± I responded stiffly.


    Matty stiffened and then shot me a hateful re. ¡°Who asked you?¡±


    He turned and ran into the forest around us. The witch sighed and then winked at me before following after him.


    ¡°I-if Master wants a baby, I¡¯m happy to amodate!¡± Shao dered.


    ¡°I already am having two!¡± I shot back and then blinked. ¡°You¡¯re back? I thought you were still taking out the enemies one by one?¡±


    ¡°The newer group¡¯s perception is too great; they immediately saw me. My only choice was to flee.¡± Shao admitted.


    ¡°The newest group?¡± I opened up a screen to view that part of the dungeon.


    The newest group that had entered was the final group. First, Second, and the rest of the top lionesses had entered the dungeon finally. The true battle was just about to start.

 Chapter 1498

    Although the previous teams had cleared out the levels, each subsequent team systematically wiping out all opposition and creating a clear and safe path to move from level to level, I had a feeling that this final team could have blown through these obstacles even without the others leading the ways. They moved down from level to level at a speed that seemed to overwhelm the other teams.


    As they overtook the teams before them which had been proceeding far more cautiously as to not encounter any surprises, the magician who was now known as First made sure the chastise them.


    ¡°Pathetic! Don¡¯t you love our lord at all?¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡°Th-this is a dungeon! We don¡¯t want to die!¡± One girl cried out.


    ¡°Shut up! Our lord is depending on us, and here you are wasting time!¡±


    These girls could only put their heads down and then follow behind their betters as they continued down. They finally met up on the puzzle level, just as the current group was defeating the final puzzle. Each subsequent group that had gathered had offered their brainpower, and eventually, enough clever people appeared that the puzzles were all done. A few had deathly consequences, and a few more had perished.


    With First¡¯s group, there were just over a hundred harem girls remaining. So far, the dungeon had managed to wipe out close to fifty. That meant that King Roth kept a harem of over 150 girls. I had thought I had been greedy with how many women I kept. Then again, I seemed to recall the harems of earth from rulers tended to have hundreds and sometimes thousands, so maybe I was the one being too picky.


    ¡°This is as far as you all made it?¡± the current First snarled. ¡°I promised my lord we¡¯d be done with this dungeon by lunchtime. You are being held back by such a pathetic enemy? You make King Roth look bad!¡±


    ¡°I-it¡¯s not that!¡± One of the leaders from another group protested. ¡°It¡¯s just that this dungeon isn¡¯t like any other dungeon we¡¯ve seen. Every level ispletely different. We can¡¯t possibly ount for everything.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± She pped the girl. ¡°All the matters was my lord¡¯s happiness. You will follow me from now on, and as long as you do what I say, then you may be able to keep the honor to service his feet!¡±


    ¡°Y-yes¡­ apologies.¡± She said, rubbing her cheek tearfully.


    First reorganized the remaining girls and then gestured for them to continue onward. They left the floor and headed on to the first of the ghost levels. As soon as the first ghost appeared, it was as I had thought. The animalkin girls immediately went rigid, and in particr, the lionesses and other catkin seemed to be afraid.


    ¡°You will attack!¡± First hollered, demanding they went forward.


    There was some hesitancy, and Second who was sending in the back couldn¡¯t hide the smug look on her face as First¡¯s orders were ignored. However, when First looked in her direction, she made sure to wipe that look off her face.


    First suddenly whipped out her hand, and a lightning bolt came out and struck one of the animalkin women. She was one of the weaker girls, and she didn¡¯t even have time to raise her hands before she died.


    ¡°Whoever doesn¡¯t obey, dies!¡± First screamed.

 Chapter 1499

    First pushed the animalkin to attack the ghosts, even through their reluctance. Some of them froze in the process, and as a result, they were killed. However, that didn¡¯t stop First from pushing them forward. We had underestimated how many of Roth¡¯s harem were animalkin. We had presumed most of them would be, but there were plenty of other girls besides the lionesses.


    King Roth appeared to like to collect a variety. There were Osterians, Dwarves, Esmere, Demons, and even an Elf. That was the first elf woman I had ever seen besides Faeyna. There might have been room for celebration in another circumstance, but she had assuredly been touched by King Roth, and so unless he got her pregnant, I didn¡¯t see any elf babies in her future.


    With their fighting restricted due to fear, if it was just the animalkin fighting, they might have been defeated there. Unfortunately, there were plenty of other girls, including First, who were able to deal with the ghosts aggressively. However, First seemed to take particr joy forcing the animalkin to the front of the line and forcing them to face a monster they were weak again.


    She seemed to put a lot of that onto Second, or rather the lioness queen, the former First. She would force her and her subordinates out before anyone else, using her much like they had used the first few groups to pave the way. Unfortunately, she had underestimated the lioness queen. Second and the higher-ranked lionesses weren¡¯t as vulnerable to the spiritual attacks as some of the other animalkin. Through pure willpower, they overcame their fear and managed to fight head-on.


    This seemed to cause the group to progress even faster than anticipated. It wasn¡¯t long until they reached level ten where they fought a ghost boss not too dissimr from the spirit I had used in the dungeon I had created in the Deep. At this point, their numbers were still nearly one hundred. Despite the Magician¡¯s brutality, the harem seemed to make up for it in desperation and numbers. Some even seemed to take strength in Second¡¯s valiant fighting, something that only irritated First even more.


    ¡°Come on, Celeste, where are you?¡± I muttered to myself as I watched them progress past the boss.


    She was taking a long time. Given her speed, she should have been back already unless she had encountered something bad. There was still an hour though. I had given her six hours toplete her mission, and so far five had passed since the battle began.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Although I had promised her six hours, I was beginning to worry. The dungeon in its current design was only twenty levels, and rather than slowing down, the progress of the harem seemed to be speeding up. With all of them working together, and First¡¯s reckless pace, I feared that they¡¯d be reaching this floor before Celeste could return. If that happened, then we¡¯d need to resort to the most desperate measure.


    ¡°Master, you don¡¯t need to worry,¡± Miki spoke up. ¡°They¡¯ll be stopped by my level. I know it.¡±


    Her words did calm me down a bit. Celeste would have her six hours. Celeste woulde back. I hoped.

 Chapter 1500

    ¡°Wh-what is with this dungeon?¡± One of the girls asked once again.


    They came down to the next level expecting to encounter any level of the enemy. However, the enemy they encountered was a group ofpletely disarmed women.


    ¡°Oh, wow¡­ I love your hair.¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ¡°You¡¯re so beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Hey, cutie¡­ why don¡¯t you talk to big sister?¡±


    As I watched, my eyebrow also couldn¡¯t help but twitch. I hadn¡¯t taken a close look at Miki¡¯s level. All of the levels had been designed by different people, and I had only seen them briefly. Every level also had exclusively female mobs, so I hadn¡¯t noticed what set this one apart. There were two levels in Widow¡¯s Dungeon, and it was clear that Miki had used the lore from them to construct this level.


    One dungeon was a paradise of beautiful women that could tempt any man to lose his soul. The other was a sausage fest. The new level appeared to be a mixture of the two, using women in the roles where the men would previously have been. If we had used men, then it would have broken what tumultuous pact we had to only use harem to fight harem. As long as that held out, then our luck would continue. In other words, Miki had created a woman¡¯s paradise, a ce where female monsters used their assets to seduce women.


    ¡°Can such a thing work?¡± I asked.


    ¡°This level is special in many ways. They will be undergoing a mile psychic attack which increasing arousal and weakens inhibition.¡± Miki exined. ¡°Some may also follow under a hallucinogenic effect, so they won¡¯t even be able to tell the difference.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± I still sounded uncertain.


    ¡°I simply thought things through.¡± Miki continued. ¡°It¡¯s a well-known fact that this harem is far toorge for King Roth to satisfy all of these women. He also gives preference to the women on top. On top of that, he¡¯s old, while most of the women are young. He likely can¡¯t keep up with them anymore. The lower-ranked women might only be touched by him once and never again. Of course, he¡¯d never tolerate them touching other men, so they likely used each other. The King Roth harem creates an environment of sexually frustrated women who only had each other to relieve themselves. I believe they will be extremely vulnerable to such an attack.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it because Miki is secretly a pervert?¡± Terra asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a pervert!¡±


    ¡°I feel like if Celeste was here, she¡¯d be very happy about Miki¡¯s newfound discovery.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not bisexual either!¡± Miki cried. ¡°Maybe with Lydia¡­ but that¡¯s different!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing? Attack them!¡± First yelled out.


    ¡°Oh, rx. They¡¯re not a danger.¡± One woman said as she was being rubbed upon by two beautiful women.


    ¡°You have too much tension.¡± A subus touched First¡¯s shoulders and caused her to jump.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you deserve a little release?¡± Another girl asked,ing up in front of her.


    First blinked as if her mind was growing muddled. ¡°I-I suppose, we can slow down¡­ for a few minutes.¡±


    As she was slowly guided to the ground by beautiful women who started to massage her body, the other girls began to sumb like dominoes. There was only one who shrugged off any woman who touched her. It was Second. She remained unmoved by the women, but it also looked like she wasn¡¯t going to stop the others from falling prey.

 Chapter 1501

    As the girls all dropped to the floor, some remained rather decent, only receiving massages or started talking like they were young teenage girls. Others engaged in much lewder activity. Second casually watched as a hundred some girls slowly fell into an orgy of pleasure. Casually, she pulled out a stone, and I realized she was recording. After a recording about a minute of it, she snapped and a bird seemingly made from fire appeared in her hand. She handed the stone to it, and then clicked her finger.


    The bird began to fly away, going up the levels and heading toward the entrance. I knew it was a message for Lord Roth. My first instinct was to intercept it, but I had no one who was nearly fast enough to catch it. I could only helplessly watch as it left the dungeon and entered his dungeon. There was a silence that seemed to ovee everything, whichsted about five minutes. Then a massive wave of miasma seemed to suddenly batter the dungeon.


    A form stepped through, the form I had been waiting the entire night to see. It was Lord Roth. He had a look of fury on his face. He had sent his girls into this dungeon to quickly win, and yet they had been stopped time and time again. Now, they were quite literally fornicating on his time. His voice bellowed out in a roar that seemed to fill the entire dungeon. The girls were seemingly shaken from the enchantment.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ¡°Keep them under the enchantment,¡± I said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything.¡± Miki protested.


    I already knew that, but I didn¡¯t know what else to say. Rather than racing forward, King Roth threw his hand forward.


    Women began to walk out of the dungeon and into this one. He had more harem? Woman after woman came marching through. There were ten, then fifty, then a hundred, and still they came. Just how much harem did he have? Was he using dungeon monsters? It took me a moment to noticed their movements. They felt somewhat mechanical. There appeared to be very little life in their eyes.


    ¡°Oh, no¡­¡± Shao gasped.


    ¡°What is it? Who are they?¡± I asked her as she seemed toe to realize something.


    ¡°There is his harem, Master¡­¡± Miki responded awkwardly.


    ¡°What do you mean? Then who have we been fighting?¡±


    ¡°His current harem¡­¡± She looked somewhat sick.


    ¡°Current¡­ what¡­¡± My eyes widened as I realized what they meant.


    King Roth admitted to cycling through his harem. He had never said what happened to those who were kicked out. That was because he didn¡¯t kick them out. He fed them to his dungeon. In a way, he did give all of his harem immortality. He turned them into lore, made them creatures in his dungeon. He had used the dungeon to resurrect them into a kind of halflife. We weren¡¯t just facing King Roth¡¯s entire harem, but every woman who had ever been in his harem.


    As the women recovered and a furious Second ordered their continued march, on the first floor, a thousand more zombie harem had begun theirs.

 Chapter 1502

    ¡°They have encountered the fairy level.¡± ya responded worriedly.


    The girls, particrly First, had seemingly been worked into a frenzy. They had pushed forward with nearly reckless abandon, almost like King Roth behind them was a reflection of their doom. I had ced all of the evolved Fairy¡¯s on this level, and they swarmed the group as soon as the battle began,unching decimating spells.


    The fairies began to overtake the harem. More and more fell. The lioness queen had gathered the other lionesses and created a circle, protecting themselves. Those outside the circle were falling quickly, but the rest seemed to hold the line. It was at this point that First seemed to lose all reason. She let out a scream, grabbing a nearby woman who was trying to protect herself, and then cutting her throat. Her hand seemed to reach into the woman and then pull out her soul, and a momentter that soul burned into me.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡°She¡¯s using a soul as a magic reagent.¡± Miki gasped.


    Mana existed in many forms, and those forms that had a physical form were called reagents. Spirit fire, miasma, gaia, and fairy dust were all examples of reagents we had found in the past. It turned out that the soul could also be burned directly to enhance magic too. Well, I had known that for some time, but I had never put two and two together until that moment that she had deliberately killed someone to steal and burn their soul.


    That person would never be resurrected. It was truly a permanent death. Even Gaia only chopped up the lore into thousands of pieces. The lore still was allowed to exist. This was pure destruction. An eruption of magic shot out, creating a wave of fire that rose into the air.


    ¡°Get out of there!¡± I gave the order, although it was anyone¡¯s guess if they heard.


    The fairies scattered, many of them being severely damaged in the subsequent mes of sacrifice. When the mes finally disappeared, the body of the woman turned to dust. Even the lioness queen was staring at the magician with uneasy eyes, let alone the rest of the girls present.


    She looked around them, her eyes unhinged andpletely out of breath. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    The remaining women moved forward.


    ¡°The remaining fairies,e back here.¡± I sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll make ourst stand here.¡±


    ya ryed the message, and the harem was allowed to continue unhindered. When the remaining evolved fairies appeared, most of them looked extremely tattered and beaten. Counting out our numbers versus the enemy, we still were outnumbered two to one. I pulled back all of the forces and made it easy for them to move forward. King Roth wasing, and I didn¡¯t want them to meet up. If I could defeat the rest of his harem before King Roth arrived, maybe there would still be a chance. That was what I was my only hope.


    Thus, even though King Roth was moving down level by level,pletely wiping them out one after another with his slow and inevitable march, the harem made it down to the lowest level, walking into the boss level.


    ¡°There you are¡­¡± The crazed first grinned. ¡°Are you ready for death?¡±

 Chapter 1503

    Arge, beautiful field stretched out before us. Just like that field in the wilderness, it would soon be a battlefield of destruction. To my left was the pond where the dungeon core was hidden in the miasmic water. Selena also stood in a small rock that broke the surface somewhere in the center of the water. She was to attack anyone who attempted to enter it. That was her job.


    They had arrived with only ten minutes left until the six hours were up. There were around eighty of them still standing. All of the higher number animalkin were among them. In a way, we had only seeded in stripping out the weakest and the most vulnerable. Those that remained were his strongest and most valued.


    ¡°Attack!¡± The magician threw her hand forward, and even though the women were exhausted, they continued to follow hermands.


    ¡°Forward!¡± I also ordered.


    Terra charged out with the remaining fairies while Shao slipped into the shadows. Xin went out with her de, while ya began to cast strategic spells. I used my spells to keep heal and empower them. I strengthened them, refreshed them, and healed them. This kind of support was something these girls didn¡¯t have.


    ¡°Terra, watch out!¡± Shao cried as she attempted to backstab one girl, only for Terra to back into her.


    Shao was caught and then struck. I quickly healed her. A momentter, a bullet grazed Miki.


    ¡°Watch where you¡¯re shooting!¡± Miki cursed at Bernice.


    ¡°You would have been stabbed in the back!¡± Bernice whined.


    ¡°Foolish girls. Pay attention!¡± ya snapped.


    ¡°You shut up!¡± Terra threw a rock at her, causing her to dodge.


    The pressure was high, and the girls were fighting close together. In the battle above, each girl had their freedom to fight where they wanted to but stuck within this boss room, they were fighting side by side, yet months of being apart had caused them to be extremely independent.


    ¡°Girls, stop fighting!¡±


    ¡°ya, that spell just singed my eyebrows! You did that on purpose.¡± Bernice whined.


    ¡°Move over, golem. Your big body is in my way.¡± Xin snapped.


    ¡°Who are you calling big?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take out the trash!¡±


    ¡°Faeyna, your puns are bing irritating. Why don¡¯t you stay back? You¡¯re not a real fighter anyway.¡± Sapphire snapped.


    As the girls weren¡¯t working together, even though the opponents were weaker and tired, they weren¡¯t able to do anything but remain at a standstill. Part of this reason seemed to be because of nopliance on the animalkin part. After the fiasco on the subus level and her deliberately killing one of the girls to win the battle quickly, those under the lioness queen had seemingly stopped trying. She and the other numbered harem were holding back, allowing the magician to embarrass herself more. Unfortunately, this opportunity was lost on my girls.


    ¡°Hmph¡­ so this is your harem?¡± The lioness queen¡¯s eyes met mine as she gave a mockingugh.


    ¡°Girls!¡± I was just about the yell a second time, but then I heard a ve Communication.¡±


    ¡°Master!¡±n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    It was Celeste. She had made it back to our dungeon.

 Chapter 1504

    ¡°Celeste, get here as quickly as possible!¡± I ordered.


    ¡°I am!¡±


    The fight was a stalemate, and King Roth was getting closer and closer. However, none of that would matter once Celeste made it back.


    ¡°Keep fighting!¡± I ordered the girls, even though they were all still bickering with each other.


    They had spread out now, each one trying to fight separately from the others. This also made things more difficult for me. I couldn¡¯t use any group spells on them, because they were no longer within range of each other. I had to run back and forth, healing or helping the girls as I could.


    ¡°Master, this is going badly,¡± Alysia warned.


    ¡°I get that.¡± I cursed.


    The orb would change the course of things. Celeste finally flew through from behind the boss room door. As she flew overhead of the battle, she let out a cry.


    ¡°Master.¡±


    I held out my hand excitedly as her size grew to normal. Unfortunately, her words were heard by the furious magician. She lifted her hands, and a momentter a dozen lightning bolts shot out, striking Celeste in the back.


    ¡°Celeste!¡± Terra cried out.


    ¡°No!¡± Miki yelled.


    Celeste copsed, her speed carrying her over the battle as she mmed into the ground harshly, rolling several times as she hit the ground. I cursed as I raced over to her. It wasn¡¯t until I reach her that I realized how bad of a shape she was in. This wasn¡¯t caused just by the lightning bolt right now. Rather, the only reason she had been struck was that she was already extremely damaged.


    Her body was covered in filth. Fairies didn¡¯t get dirty, so for one to show that much dirty, it was proof of how much mana they had lost. She was covered in wounds. Her beautiful transparent wings were covered in rips and holes. Her breath was raspy and weak, and I could see blooding from her abdomen. I immediately began healing her as she coughed up blood. She hadn¡¯t intended to go to herrge size, but it took mana to remain small, and she no longer possessed any.


    ¡°Celeste¡­ wh-what happened?¡±


    Tears fell down her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Master. I failed you.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No¡­ you didn¡¯t fail me. You¡­¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t find it. I couldn¡¯t find the core.¡±


    She reached into her bosom, and then pulled out a small form. As I reached out to take it, her body went limp. She wasn¡¯t dead, but she had used up all of her energy. She had fallen unconscious. I looked down at the form to see Astria. After making sure Celeste was healed and safe, I took Astria and gently put her on the ground nearby. I healed and refreshed her body carefully. Her body grew to a full size as if she wasing back to life. She was also nearly as beaten and as tattered as Celeste. After a few desperate moments, she coughed, her eyes fluttered open. She immediately turned to see the unconscious Celeste nearby.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡°F-foolish girl¡­ shouldn¡¯t have saved me¡­ it was¡­ trap.¡± She looked away.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine with some rest. So will you¡­¡± I said, grabbing her body as I applied some more healing.


    Her wings were nonexistent, and blood seemed to leak from her ears, her eyes, and her mouth. She looked like she was dying.


    ¡°You should¡­ have left me.¡± Astria turned away with shame. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ broken now.¡±


    My hands tightened on her and I spoke through gritted teeth. ¡°I never would.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help you, I was a waste¡­ of resources. Just¡­ go tend the others.¡± Astria said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± A tear fell from my eyes, and then another.


    I realized I was crying, and my tears were falling right onto her chest, but I couldn¡¯t stop.


    She looked down at the tears raining on her. ¡°M-master?¡±


    ¡°I thought I lost you.¡± I shook. ¡°Don¡¯t do something stupid like that again. Don¡¯t leave me again.¡±


    ¡°Wh-what are you saying?¡± She made a strange face. ¡°I¡¯m not even a fairy¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mine! Do you hear me?¡± I shook her, feeling a rush of extreme emotion. ¡°You¡¯re mine, and I will never let you go. I will never let any of you go. So, you can never scare me again.¡±


    It was probably the worst moment for it, but after so much loss, after fighting nonstop and being pushed back again and again. After reaching this point where we were desperate and defeated, I had finally been pushed over the edge. Finally seeing Astria, finally reiming this small victory, however short-lived, and caused all of these emotions to well up inside me.


    ¡°Master¡­ h-how do you feel, about me?¡± Astria¡¯s voice was extremely odd, but there was some strange intensity about it.


    I grabbed her face, our eyes locking. ¡°I love you.¡±


    I leaned down and kissed her, even as the tears continued to fall.


    {Harem Master has increased to level 66.}


    {Harem Master has increased to level 67.}


    {Harem Master has increased to level 68.}


    A bright light exploded out, and I couldn¡¯t help but pull back as Astria¡¯s body became swathed in light. The sudden sun-like light exploding out was enough that everyone fighting froze and turned to look at what was happening.


    Astria¡¯s body rose into the air, swathedpletely in mana. Wing sprouted from her back. They grew out in intricate patterns, growingrger andrger until they filled the sky. Each wing was nearly twelve feet across, dwarfing the woman herself.


    {Astria has begun to evolve! Astria has evolved into a Fairy Empress!}


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