Changes

--- Dred’s POV ---

We left the city and made our way towards a dungeon. We found many dungeons in the time we spent destroying kingdoms and many were low or even too hard for us. Since we were at the five hundred and fifty-second level, not many dungeons were left which were a challenge to us.

But there was one such dungeon only around half a day’s travel from us. Although it’d come with more danger than killing monsters and devouring them, it’d also provide us with better genes and would quicker our advances. We needed every bit of strength we could get before our fight with Padinyss. Even if we somehow managed to save Jake and Cor, we’d still have to fight him and his servants and the other emperors and kings as well.

By the time we reached The Ogre Pit, which was the local name of the dungeon, the sky turned dark. The trip really took half a day, plus one or two days should be counted for our travel to the Dragon Empire. “We’re going to be a bit short on time,” I remarked as Elena looked down into the dark pit that was the entrance.

“I know, but everyone’s life depends on it, so we better hurry,” she smiled at me and then jumped into the pit. Audrey and I followed her example, along with the dark scars. It was for the best if they too went through some training or else they’d be crushed by the armies of the alliance. We needed people who could stop them, after all.

I landed next to Elena, who just stood up from the ground. “It’s not what it seems, I just sat down,” she muttered with a red face.

I’ve seen you fall, but if it makes you happy.

“Sure.”

“She too can be clumsy,” Audrey laughed at her.

While they were chatting, I looked around in the area. The smell of ogres filled the pit, proving the name of the dungeon to be fitting. We fell straight into an open cavern, which had candles fixed to its walls, lighting it up in a dim light.

“The wall has metal in it as well,” I said as I put my paw on the wall and used earth magic to inspect it. “It’s going to be hard to do anything to the walls since they are imbued with magic, the magic of the dungeon.”

“Yeah, and unless we can jump about a thousand meters high, I don’t think can get out anytime soon,” my dear said as she looked up.

What is this notification saying?

The Ogre Pit (Dungeon Level: 590) (Threat Level: 2-10)

You have entered the ogre pit. You’ll find the first exit after passing two floors. The monsters are going to become stronger and stronger and you’ll have to solve mysteries to reach the end of the dungeon. If you manage to finish it, you may get some rewards according to your level. Common monsters and bosses can drop rewards as well.

Well, now. Let’s see what this place has in store for us.

I left the cavern through the only path it had and found myself in a long corridor. “Hey, wait for me,” Elena jumped onto my back as usual.

“I just wanted to explore the area a bit.”

“Well, we can do just that now,” she scratched my head behind my ear, which always felt good. It felt so bad to admit, but I couldn’t help it.

“Fufu, you love this spot, don’t you?”

“Leave me be.”

“Aww~ I know another spot as well,” she hugged my neck and her fingers snuck down on my neck, reaching its lower half. She was about to scratch me there as well, but Audrey appeared behind us.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m just petting Dred.”

“I’m glad to see that you have the time to do that,” she hissed as she walked past us.

“I apologise,” I said and ran past her. At the end of the corridor, a smaller room welcomed us, which had three ogres in it. All of them were below our current levels, so I went past them and waited at the beginning of the next corridor. When the dark scars caught up, Elena told the weakest team to clean up the ogres, while the others followed us.

We repeated the same thing in another two rooms, only to realise that neither of the teams was catching up with us. “Should I go back?” Audrey asked while she was eyeing the next three ogres.

“Please do, the others can clean up this chamber in the meantime,” I replied. Half of our team was missing after passing five rooms, which was way too weird. Audrey returned a few second later.

“Uhm, at the end of the corridor was a wall. I tried to break it, but I couldn’t. I think that once the ogres die, another door opens and the path leading backwards closes. We haven’t passed the path leading upwards either, even though we should have gone through three floors already.

The corridors always led downwards in a circular way. “The dungeon probably wants us to get to the next exit one by one or in smaller groups. I imagine people don’t come here often, especially not in a group of thirty-three people,” I said.

“Master! If you don’t mind, we’d test your hypothesis,” Sareth raised his voice on my right, almost startling me.

Why does he have to shout in my ear?

“He wasn’t that loud, it’s just that your ears are too sharp,” Elena remarked.

“Oh, so you were peeking into my mind.”

“Should I not do it?” she asked.

“Nah, I couldn’t care any less. I don’t mind you hearing my thoughts,” I replied.

“Alright. Should we allow them?”

“The others disappeared as well. They aren’t that weak either and we are still on the first floor. I believe they could get out even if left alone,” I said after thinking about it for a bit.

“You can do it,” Elena nodded. “The others come after us and wait. I want to see what happens once they kill the ogres.”

The battle took only a few seconds of our time, but as soon as the ogres died, the wall started to close in front of us while another opened on the left. “Wait when you reach the tenth floor!” I shouted through the closing gap.

“Understood!” I heard Sareg’s voice as it closed.

“Now then, I’m pretty sure the dungeon won’t let us pass unless we split up into groups of five, so let’s clean up the following rooms and go on,” I hurried everyone and rushed through one room after the other.

I stopped three rooms later and killed the ogres. It was only me, Elena, and Audrey in our group, but we were more than enough. The seventh room was also the last one, which clearly showed what the dungeon wanted. The path leading backwards closed and a hole opened on the right side of the room.

“That’s our way in,” Audrey muttered and got behind me. A stairway going deeper underground took us to a spacious, circular room. A large, dark red crystal was sticking out of the ceiling of the cave and lit it up in a dim red light. When we entered the next room we were greeted by around 10 ogres. Their average level was 2 levels higher than the ones we had previously fought.

“You may clean up the trash,” Elena waved her hand while I stepped to the side and gave way for Audrey. She looked at the ogres and thousands of earth spikes thrust out of the ground below them. Two of them were quick enough to react and jump into the air, but the rest of them were killed instantly.

Before the remaining two could touch the ground, a long wind blade cut them into two halves. Their upper and lower halves fell to the ground lifeless, dirtying the ground even further. I wanted to pass the cavern and inspect it, but the crystal in the ceiling started to tremble and a deep bang sound resounded in the room. I felt the ground tremble below my paws so I quickly jumped to the side.

The rock blew up where I stood a moment ago and a four meters tall ogre crawled out of the ground, holding a metal club. “My, I wouldn’t want to get hit by that,” I growled.

“Who would want to?” Elena grumbled.

Race: Giant Ogre

Rarity: Rare

Level: 555

Threat Level: 1

“Oh, it’s ten levels stronger than the other ogres and even beat us with three levels,” I said, surprised to see the difficulty rise so much. “This much won’t do either way,” I added.

The ogre stomped on the ground and a ball of rock shot towards me. Elena punched it and broke the rock into splinters while I charged at the ogre. I evaded its club and was about to swipe its crotch when a lightning struck its body. Elena jumped off of my back while I looked at Audrey from the corner of my eye before digging my claws into its crotch. I climbed up on its chest in the blink of an eye and reached its throat.

It wanted to grab me, but Elena cut off its arm, allowing me to bite the ogre’s throat and tear off its head. It was a handy ability that I could change my size to some degree. I used its chest as a foothold to jump back and landed on my feet after a backflip with its head between my jaws. “Good boy,” Elena patted my head.

“Why the baleful look?” she chuckled.

“I’m not a dog.”

“True, he is a cat,” Audrey appeared next to me and rolled my tail around her finger. I jumped forward to free myself and growled, “Cursed women.”

“Haha, that might be so-” the trembling walls cut into her laughter. Six holes opened in the walls and our long seen apprentices appeared.

“Master!” they shouted as they ran up to us.

“Did you kill the ogre boss?” I asked.

“Yes, it was a few levels above us.”

“Same here.”

“Yeah, same goes for us,” they agreed.

We long ago devoured the ogre, so its remnants were nowhere to be seen, except for its metal club. I went closer and put my paw on it and used Synthesis to decompose it and build it into my body. As I looked down, I noticed the tip of my fur turn silver coloured. As I poured my mana into every part of my body, even my fur, I felt a small change.

“Slap me,” I told Elena.

Noticing the change, she did as told and hit my side with full strength. Although it hurt as hell, I wasn’t wounded. “I think my resistance became a bit stronger,” I muttered and then looked into the hole that appeared in place of the ogre’s corpse. “Looks promising.”

“You think so?” Elena leaned on my side. The mana started to swirl in front of us and a screen showing the edge of the pit showed up in it. It was a teleportation gate which would take us out if we entered it. But none of was interested, so we jumped into the hole. Similar portals started to appear below everyone and teleported us somewhere else.

I found myself in a red room where the walls were emitting light.

“This feels like guts,” Elena rubbed her hands on her thighs in disgust after touching it. There was an unpleasant smell in the area which came from the walls.

“I’d go on a date in a place like this, that’s for sure,” Audrey shook her head.

“Well, then let’s save Jake and Cor so you can,” Elena smiled at her.

“Mhm.”

“Pardon me to interrupt you two, but the others disappeared again,” I remarked.

“Yeah, they have been taken to different rooms, probably. The dungeon can sense everything in its territory,” Elena nodded.

Let’s see what lies ahead.