[Illsyore’s point of view]

To see Ayuseya alive and well nearly brought me to tears, and I would have cried too if I had any eyes. Although she was crying and hugging my crystal body, I couldn’t even return her warm embrace. I was cold and motionless like a piece of furniture, but on the inside, I was throwing a real party of joy. For a moment, I even forgot the fact that a very angry and annoying Supreme Ranked Adventurer was approaching me at lightning speed.

“I’m so glad to see you are alright, Ayuseya!” I told her.

“Illsy! Illsy! Uhu!” she called out crying to me.

It was rather embarrassing to see the grown draconian woman crying like that while hugging my cold crystal body, but I wasn’t willing to make her stop any time too soon either. I was glad she was here with me, I was glad my spell worked and now she was safe.

The one to bring us back to reality from that moment of joy was none other than Nanya.

“Erm… Illsy?” she said and when I looked over at her, I saw her standing in front of the open hole in my Inconel wall, looking up at the sky.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Dankyun just used his Supreme Skill.” she pointed out “We have to raise our Magic Armors and hide! Quick!” she said with an alarmed look on her face.

“What?”

I flew out of the room and looked up at the sky. With horror, I noticed the burning fireballs hurling down towards us from the stratosphere. I gulped and looked around. We were right in the middle of the impact area, and anything around us was sure to end up obliterated by the powerful attack. What was left of the academy and the dormitory was going to be covered in a sea of flames. Part of the forest was already burned down because of my own attacks earlier, but luckily, the teachers managed to put it out before it spread. Unfortunately, it was all for naught.

Can I cover it? I asked myself, but then I shook my head.

It was impossible to do something like that. If I could, I would have done it from the start and not waste my time with the Inconel cage, but then again, it did prove to be rather useful when I needed it. Holding back a Supreme’s attack was no easy feat.

Turning around, I focused on the present life signs and noticed that the teachers and students were already out of the impact area. Unlike the road Dankyun took, my tunnel was a straight leveled path. It was like taking a walk through a modern city. A distance of one kilometer wasn’t that big of a deal, especially if you knew a nice taxi driver.

My dungeon was also out of the impact area, meaning that we were the only ones here. Looking up at the fireballs and then back down at the academy, I knew there was nothing I could do to save it. The building together with everything in a 1 km radius was going to be destroyed by that unforgiving attack.

I gulped and flew down. There was no more time for debate, we had to act.

“Ayuseya! Shanteya! Nanya! I’m going to absorb you all and take my body to my dungeon!” I called out to them.

“Illsy, I’m sorry, but you aren’t absorbing me! I’m going to stay outside and make sure you don’t get yourself stuck anywhere!” said Nanya, hitting her palm with her fist and showing me a wide smirk.

“I understand.” I nodded and then looked at the other two.

“I have nothing against this.” said Shanteya.

“Neither do I.” said Ayuseya shaking her head.

After absorbing the two, I flew down and opened the path for my fall into the body of water below. The Inconel wall below me was the last part to remove, but before I did that, I flew over to the escape tunnel and covered it up quickly. I didn’t have time to carefully design the cover, I just plugged it with a bunch of stone and hoped it would last. I didn’t want the tunnel to be engulfed in flames even if there was only a small chance for it to reach the students and teachers.

“Are you ready?” I asked Nanya after I returned to my room.

“Yes! Now quickly, go!” she said, and I nodded.

The Inconel wall below me vanished, and my body fell like a rock right in the body of water. It stopped the fall, but as soon as I was submerged under it, I could feel myself gasping for air. It was clear that I needed air to breath. I pushed my body up with the pistons and then pushed it again on my rudimentary escape mechanism on rolling pins. Looking up, I saw Nanya jumping down into the water.

“Puha! That’s deep!” she said and then got up on the edge.

“Let’s go!” I said and then plugged the top side of the tunnel with a bunch of stone.

Thankfully, my crystal body was constantly emanating light, otherwise, it would have been completely dark inside. Without further ado, I used [Telekinezy] to push my crystal body on the rolling pins. The speed was good, but I had to be faster.

A moment later, the ground shook and a loud explosion could be heard above us or rather from behind us. I moved fast, but just in case, I made another stone plug behind me. Unfortunately, the speed was much slower than I initially anticipated. I was going at a snail’s pace.

“Why couldn’t you have built a cart instead of this?” asked Nanya a bit frustrated.

“I had a moment of lag.” I replied with a grumble before I covered another section of the tunnel behind us.

“So many explosions…” said Nanya with a bit of worry, seeing as how for almost an entire minute, the ground rumbled and the walls shook all around us.

It was nerve wrecking, and the deeper we went, the more I felt the need to dig up and escape to the surface. For a moment, I thought it was because of the small tunnel, but it shouldn’t have been like that. I never was claustrophobic, yet now I was close to shaking.

What’s this? I thought for a moment as it started even to get harder to focus on my spell.

The explosions finally stopped after a minute or so, but I didn’t feel any better. I was close to starting to scratch at the walls. What I was seeing were perfectly straight lines starting to twist and turn. Fear rushed through my crystal body and made me lose my focus, resulting in my spell to fail.

“ILLSY!” shouted Nanya when she saw my body rolling over uncontrollably, while I was wobbling around in the air.

“I… I don’t know what’s happening… I need air… I need an exist… I need to open a path… to go back.” I said as I tried to focus, but everything was hazy and confusing.

Just a moment ago, there was nothing wrong with me, but now I felt like a caged rat biting the metal bars in an attempt to escape. My cage, however, was weird. I knew I had no reason to fear my current conditions because the walls didn’t cave in and there was air to breath.

“Illsy!” shouted Nanya again.

I looked at her and nearly fell through the floor. I was trying to figure out where up and down was now.

“Illsy! Go and open your dungeon! That’s the reason why you feel like this! There’s no entrance to your dungeon!” shouted Nanya, but I had the feeling she yelled at me more than once.

I nodded or shook my head, well one of the two.

Flying up, I moved instinctively towards the entrance. It was like a blob of shining light calling me out.

It was calling for me… It was there…

A beam of light… The sun of my planet… The call of my kingdom… It was there… Light…

And then it happened. I was standing in front of the entrance to my dungeon, already open and neatly designed to invite adventurers to their doom. Looking around me, I recognized the forest and location. I was where I initially placed the entrance to my dungeon. The tree with a single arched root popping out of the ground was to the left, a boulder with a smaller one right next to it was to the right. Behind me, I saw the small path Nanya took to get here when she came to test the first two levels.

I blinked surprised and realized that I had no recollection of actually coming here. All I could remember was a bright and shiny light calling me out. There was dizziness and the feeling of being trapped, but that was it. I didn’t feel pain, and I was certain I didn’t cast a spell.

“Status Menu.” I called out and looked straight at my Magic Energy Pool.

It was regenerating, meaning that I used up some of it.

Strange… I can’t remember. Oh yeah! Dankyun’s Supreme Skill and Nanya! I returned my thoughts to the more pressing matter.

Focusing on her life force, I felt her moving slowly through my tunnel, probably pushing my huge body towards the final room of my dungeon.

I wonder what’s the damage done to the academy? I asked myself as I flew up in the sky and towards the academy.

There was no need for me to fly all the way over there. I could see the result just fine from where my dungeon was.

If there was one word to perfectly describe it, that was ‘Hell’.

The forest was burning in a big circle of almost 3 km in diameter, meaning that Dankyun’s spell was larger than Nanya anticipated. It was 1.5 km in radius, not 1 km. The destruction was more than she described because each of those fireballs that fell from the sky was the equivalent of a 500 Magic Energy [Fireball] or maybe more. There were craters upon craters spread all over the place and charring the ground to the point that nothing would grow there anymore. As for the buildings themselves, none of them were left standing. The only thing that barely survived was my Inconel cage, if the black box I was seeing was actually it. The endurance and reduced temperature enchantments worked like a charm on it, but without a doubt, it was probably over 100 degrees inside. My room became an oven heated through the destructive fire spells.

Spreading out my focus, I saw the life signs indicating the safety and survival of the students and teachers. They were still alive, which was good, but they were certainly never going to return to the academy because there was no more academy left where they could return to.

I was a bit sad to witness this, but my birthplace, my home, my place of origin in this new world was now reduced to nothing but a field of smoldering ash, molten rocks, and black craters. The garden where the students spent their free time was gone. The spot where I met Ayuseya and heard her play her violin for the first time was also gone. The dormitory had vanished, destroyed both by my battle with Dankyun and his Supreme Skill. The academy building was reduced to a pile of rubble after being mercilessly struck down by the attack. Now, only a big black box remained there: my Inconel cage. The forest surrounding the academy was in flames. Critters and monsters alike fled from the area.

“It’s gone… It’s all gone…” I said as I looked at the disaster caused by one Supreme’s spell.

Although I wished I could shed a tear for the devastation before me, I knew it was not the time for such a thing yet. I had to return to my body and prepare for Dankyun’s merciless attack. Now, he had absolutely no reason to hold back, and he was sure to attack me without mercy.

I need to bring my body and Nanya inside the last room, and I have to release Shanteya and Nanya… Can I add more traps, I wonder? I asked myself as I flew towards Nanya’s life force.

[Elovier’s point of view]

Our temporary master, Dankyun, was filled with rage and hate for the one called Ayuseya. She crossed him in the worst way possible by running away from him and denying him the throne, but in my opinion, I never did see this draconian as a proper ruler or leader of any kind. On the other hand, the Master of our assassin guild Phantom Rage was another matter. That man was akin to a god in both strength and wisdom. For over two hundred years, he eluded the authorities and managed to keep an otherwise dying organization as the strongest there ever was.

He was our ultimate master, not this pathetic excuse for a draconian, Dankyun. Either way, we were employed by him, and our sole desire was to serve him as we would our Master, at least until the contract expired.

Half of the payment was received already, the part covering the value of our lives and training. The rest would be paid after we accomplished the mission of escorting, protecting, and providing intel for Dankyun Alttoros until we reached the border of Teslov Kingdom. Once there, our contract was over, and we would make ourselves vanish.

One thing to be mentioned though, we both lied to Dankyun in regard to how powerful we really are. In terms of strength, we already reached Godlike level and getting near Supreme. We were among the strongest in the guild, but nothing when compared to the Black Shadows.

“Sister, what do you think happened to the maid?” asked Shenner, my sister.

Looking to my left, I showed her a smile and then said “She’s either dead or she will be soon enough.”

“Master doesn’t know yet, does he?” she asked, and I shook my head.

Of course, Dankyun didn’t know that our other mission here was one given to us by the guild’s master himself: Search and assassinate the albino el’doraw.

“It does make me curious about how she managed to do it, though.” Shenner said with a giggle.

“Shush, sister! If we are to find the way, we must destroy it or report it back to master! We don’t want to be next ones on the target list, do we?” I said glaring back at her.

My sister was rather dense sometimes and didn’t know just how close she usually was to speaking words of treason that could activate our curse. We had to be very careful because we were rather far from Master.

“Yes, yes!” she waved it off, and I squinted my eyes at her. “You know, there’s one thing bothering me though…” she said.

“What?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“You remember the undead group we fought two days ago?”

I nodded.

“They were half-eaten by maggots, and most of them were nothing but a pile of singed black bones, but…” she stopped and then looked down “They were the assassins sent here before, weren’t they?” she asked.

“Yes.” I said.

Clenching the reins tight, she looked as though she was about to murder someone.

“Do you think Master will mind if we kill the one who did that to them?” she asked with a mad look in her eyes.

She was quick to switch between emotions as always, but this time, it was different. Her skin color nearly changed entirely to a dark-blue, almost black color to express her anger, hatred, and desire to kill. As for why she was like this when usually she barely showed anything at all? Well, among those dead assassins, we found her son as well. When we fought with them, I was the one who gave the killing blow because she refused to do it, she simply stood there in shock.

In general, Master doesn’t send us after our own family members because he fears we might hesitate. It happened once, and it could happen again, but this time, they were confirmed to be dead by our spies. To discover them in the form of walking dead was an unexpected encounter. For us, the mission of ‘search and destroy’ was changed to one of revenge.

“Don’t worry, sister. After we kill the one called Shanteya Dowesyl, we will hunt down the one who did that to him, and we will kill them as well.” I told her with a calm voice.

“Yes! Let’s! And let’s make sure we take our time peeling the skin off their flesh and eat it in front of them!” she grinned.

Unlike me, Shenner also had a screw or two loose…

After Dankyun cast his Supreme Skill, the sky was filled with fireballs ready to pound the ground into oblivion. They were all aimed at the Magic Academy where the dungeon core was at. In just one strike, he was planning to obliterate any form of resistance against him.

Excited to see this skill in action, I climbed up a tall tree and watch the scene from the top. When the first fireballs struck the ground, a series of loud explosions was heard. The wind blew hard from that direction, bringing with it a wave of heat. The ground shook, and the entire forest trembled in front of the draconian’s might. I smirked and watch the area being lit up by the attack.

In just a little over a minute, everything was reduced to ash in that area. The forest was ablaze and because of the flames, I couldn’t really see the entirety of the damage he had caused, but surely nothing could have survived such an attack. Both the dungeon core and the whiny princess were sure to have perished burned alive by those flames.

I jumped back down and took out a Dungeon Level Detection Stone. There was no doubt the dungeon was gone, and I was expecting to see no reaction from it, but instead what I saw was the number 86 appearing in a golden light.

“Impossible…” I said.

“What’s wrong, sister?” asked Shenner.

“The dungeon… it survived the attack.” I said and with a gulp, I looked over at Dankyun.

He was smiling, no, he was grinning like a maniac and looking straight at my stone. It was quite possible he didn’t expect his attack to annihilate the dungeon core, but he just wanted to obliterate the entire area. I gulped again.

“Your orders, master?” I asked him.

“Search for the dungeon core. NOW!” he shouted at us.

I nodded and together with my sister, we ran off. To find the core, we had to use a Dungeon Core Locator Stone or spell. Once used, the dungeon would also become aware of it. If we wanted to attack it, we couldn’t use stealth with it.

But where did it hid it’s last dungeon? I’m certain we checked everywhere around this place… No wait, we couldn’t find that many monsters in that area, and there were signs of attacks all over the place, but we never did find the one who engaged those monsters. Whoever it was, was strong. I thought as I dashed through the forest right behind Shenner, who led the way.

“Over there!” she shouted, and I looked in the direction she pointed at.

We stopped in front of what looked like the entrance of a dungeon.

“It doesn’t appear to have more than four, maybe five levels…” she said.

“I’ll let Dankyun know of this place.” I lifted my hand up and released a [Seeker Fireball] spell, letting it explode above us to act as a signal for him.

“Should we wait for him or go in?” Shenner asked.

“Let’s go in.” I said and went inside, carefully climbing down the flight of stairs.

It was a long way down, but it was carefully lit, at least at the entrance. Using a skill or potion that granted us night vision would allow us to move without the need of a torch. Those things were rather bothersome because they limited your field of view to the surrounding area.

Once at the first level, we were met with two paths. One was to the left, and the other was to the right. We were just about to head in both directions when suddenly the wall slid to the left, revealing a third corridor.

“What just happened?” asked Shenner.

“The dungeon is inviting us in…” I said.

This was unexpected, but it worked for us. There were many adversaries who were stupid enough to underestimate us. Once we passed through, however, the wall blocked us off. It mattered not though.

“Lava? On the first floor?”

What? That’s impossible! I said in my mind as I walked up to Shenner, but she didn’t lie.

In front of us laid a path of lava, and the only way to cross was to jump on some platforms. I could see the opened door on the other side. It was an easy feat to either jump over it or use the platforms.

“Sister, look!” Shenner pointed to my left.

Looking at what she was pointing at, I noticed with a great surprise the following message:

‘Weaklings first. Go straight. Someone is waiting for you in the maze. Take the right path if you want to die or the left one if you want to meet them.’

“What’s this? Is the dungeon mocking us? We’re not weaklings!” shouted Shenner as she punched the message. The wall cracked from the strength of her fist, but it was immediately repaired.

“Let’s do as he says. That someone must be Shanteya. She knows we’re coming after her.” I told her and jumped on the first platform.

It looks solid enough. Was this a trap of some sort before? I asked myself as I made my way to the end of the corridor.

Once we passed through the exit, another wall slid behind us. Now, it was clear. The dungeon deactivated its traps to lead us to the area of confrontation with Shanteya. He was forcing us to fight.

Does he actually think that Advanced Ranked assassin can do anything against us? She’s barely a low Master at best! I thought as I followed the path through a weird shaped room. There didn’t appear to be anything in there, making me wonder if this dungeon was sane in the first place.

“I think there are spikes down there.” said Shenner.

“What idiot falls on paths like this one?” I said with a huff.

“Maybe there are inactive traps?” she asked me.

“Maybe…”

When we reached the end, we found out that to reach the next floor, we had to jump down in a pit filled with water. Of course, we didn’t just jump in like that. There was a high chance the dungeon core placed some spikes at the bottom to break our feet or downright kill us.

We had two options of reaching the bottom safely. One meant to secure a rope to the edge and then slowly climb down. The other option was a bit more tricky and highly depended on our agility. Basically, we had to jump from wall to wall. Shenner didn’t wait for me to see if there was a way to attach a rope up here, and she jumped in, using the wall in front as a foothold to jump to the opposite one.

“Come on, slowpoke!” shouted Shenner from the bottom.

“Ugh…” I groaned and tried to remind myself to punish her later for shouting like that on a recon mission.

Then again, lately she seems to enjoy my punishments… I thought and jumped forward, using the same way as her to reach the bottom.

Once there, we were faced with a rather strange and peculiar maze. The walls were made out of metal and had small bumps on them like waves out at sea. They were partially reflective too, but for what reason the dungeon made such complicated walls, I couldn’t understand. One thing was certain though, given the complicated way they looked, the maze couldn’t be too big. It probably took the dungeon a few months just to make these walls.

“Tch!” I clicked my tongue and took out my dagger.

“Shall we go in, dear sister?” Shenner asked.

“Just be careful of traps.” I told her.

Thus, we entered this weird maze with only one goal in mind: find and kill Shanteya Dowesyl, the traitor who fled from our Master.

[Roderique’s point of view]

I believe I was among the first to see the signal from the two scouts sent by our lord Dankyun. The explosion from their spell followed soon after, and we pulled our horses in that direction. It went off trail, but Milord Dankyun didn’t care, he didn’t even sheath his sword after Princess Ayuseya vanished before our very eyes. He was mad and furious. We all saw him cast his Supreme Skill to destroy the academy ahead of us.

Honestly, I didn’t see the need to destroy the academy in such a way, but if this was the will of our superior, we, his soldiers, had to stay quiet and follow him wherever he led us. Least to be said that none of the students could have possibly survived such a terrifying attack. Even those Emperor Rank teachers most likely suffered some heavy damage, however, it was strange how the core of the dungeon wasn’t there anymore. It appeared to have changed positions if the scouts really did find it.

The worst that can happen now would be for us to go through a dungeon. Depending on how many floors it has, we may need to make a supply route with the surface. The scouts can probably handle that. Still, there’s a chance we might not need one, seeing as how furious Milord Dankyun is… I thought as I looked over at the draconian wearing a set of full plated armor and wielding a black sword with red runes engraved on it.

We reached the entrance of the dungeon almost one hour after we saw the signal up in the sky. After that, we didn’t see anything else, but the problem was the difficulty of the terrain. We even found a random trap placed here. Of course, Milord Dankyun crushed it with a single strike, but the horses couldn’t move any more. We had to leave them behind, but this way, we could move faster through the forest.

Most of our soldiers were between Master and Emperor Rank. I was in the high Emperor, close to Godlike, but the difference in strength and speed was considerable. That being said, we could all move just as fast or even faster than a horse normally did.

My brother once told me that many high ranked adventurers preferred the slow pace of a horse because it helped them conserve their Magic Energy, however, if they desired to, they could run faster than the horse.

Once we reached the entrance of the dungeon, we had four of my soldiers go first. Milord Dankyun was at the end, conserving his energy for the final battle, while we were meant to take care of the dungeon’s defenses and monsters.

The first trap we encountered was on the very first steps that led us deep inside the dungeon. They were all covered in slippery oil, causing the first one to step on it to roll down like a barrel down a hill until they reached the bottom. In order to avoid this from happening to the rest of us, we began to gather dirt and pour it over the steps. With the help of the storage crystal, this was done fast before Milord Dankyun took his anger out on us.

When we reached the bottom, we were encountered with the next type of trap, a chamber filled with poisoned air. Normally, we wouldn’t have bothered with something like this because of our Magic Armors, but the moment we stepped closer to the exit, the ceiling rained arrows at us. They all went straight through most Master Ranked Magic Armors, injuring two of us and even killing one. The arrows hit him right in the eyes, and none of us could do anything to save him.

We had no choice but to destroy the traps on the ceiling and the poison ones in the walls. Still, the men were getting worried. All of us had experience in dungeon exploring, but none of us heard or saw a dungeon capable of killing a Master Ranked adventurer in the very first room. Unfortunately, we couldn’t back away. Milord Dankyun would have killed us without showing even a drop of mercy.

Carefully, and with our shields up, we proceeded deeper into the dungeon. The corridor felt safe at first, but those of us who could detect the traps found the hidden spike traps. We destroyed them and reached the end of the corridor.

Two paths awaited us, both covered in oil set ablaze and burning anything that dared to go through. Still, as long as we had water magic, we could put it out, and so we did. As a result, we ended up using a wind spell as well in order to push the smoke and hot steam out of the dungeon.

I was standing in the back and directing the soldiers, but it was clear for both me and Dankyun that we weren’t facing a normal dungeon. This wasn’t built with the intent of pulling the adventurers in and sapping their Magic Energy. No, this was something made to kill and torture those who dared to step in. It was a warning, an impudent declaration that it could destroy us, however, we were a group of over 30 Master Ranked Soldiers, three Emperor Ranked Commanders and one Supreme Ranked Leader. There was no way this young dungeon core could survive our onslaught.

“The fires are put ou… GACK!” one of my men said, but before he finished his words, a spike went through his chest from the left side.

The man fell on the ground dead. The spike was two meters long, it had a metal tip and was about 10 cm thick.

Everyone moved away from the corridor as we realized that we just encountered another trap, one placed at the other end of the corridor. Fear started to spread through my men, but Milord’s glare kept them at bay.

“Get that weakling out of my sight and hurry up!” growled Milord Dankyun.

“Yes, Milord!” we replied obediently.

The body was moved out of the way, and two groups of four moved to the left and to the right. We waited patiently for them to return.

“GAAH!” a scream was heard.

“AARGH!” a groan was heard on the other side.

I closed my eyes and waited. Another scream was heard and finally, we heard a click. The wall in front of us opened up, and another spike came flying out straight at Milord. He caught it with his bare hands and crushed it.

After tossing it aside, I ordered two soldiers to move forward. The first one that did slipped on something and didn’t stop until he reached the other side. The floor was covered by slippery oil and inclined a bit towards the other end, it was a small ramp.

“AAA! It burns! AAA!” the man screamed in pain before everything went quiet.

The other soldier gulped and stepped forward, using his sword to steady his foothold. For each step he took, he stabbed the sword in the floor and then took another. This way, he reached the end and gave his report.

“Sir! There be lava here!” he shouted.

“You must be mistaken. Lava is past the 100th floor!” said Dankyun a bit angered.

It was understandable. To encounter such traps at the first floor was absurd. It only made us worry of what we were going to meet farther down our path. This dungeon was abnormal, unnatural, strange, and incredibly deadly.

“Find a way across!” I ordered.

“Sir Roderique, we can’t find any clues about where the two scouts might be.” said one of my soldiers.

I nodded and looked over at Milord Dankyun. He said nothing, and I did not press him about this matter. Seeing such a strange dungeon it wasn’t unlikely to believe that they might have died already or maybe fled before we arrived.

Even I was getting worried and felt the tingles of fear testing me. It was absurd after all to even believe that a Dungeon Lord that manages a pathetic human Magic Academy could build something as absurd as this dungeon.

I shook my head No! This has to be a trick of some sort! I thought and gripped the hilt of my sword.

“Do something about that oil and the ramp!” I ordered.

“Yes, sir!” came the reply from my soldiers.

Using more dirt, they covered it up and made it safe to walk upon. Without the oil, the ramp wasn’t that much of a big deal. We entered the corridor, but my soldiers didn’t move any farther than the edge of the ramp. The reason was simple: they had nowhere to move to.

Although there were some platforms ahead of us, they moved very fast, retreating and exiting the walls in the blink of an eye. There wasn’t even a visible door at the end, leading me to believe that it could only be some sort of puzzle here or a hidden lever.

“Milord, what do you think of this?” I asked him.

“Destroy the wall.” he ordered us.

I made a bow and then approached the edge of the ramp. Holding my hand up, I aimed for the wall on the other side and then chanted the short incantation for the [Fireball] spell. I added only a bit of my Magic Energy in it, but the effect should have been the desired one. Once the chant was over, the orb of fire formed in front of my palm. It flew towards the wall and exploded upon impact. It was a success! The wall was destroyed, blasted to pieces.

With a smirk, I ordered two of my men to use the platforms and reach the other side.

This turned out to be a rather easy obstacle to get past over. I thought in my mind as I watched he two skillfully jump from one platform to another, but just when they reached the last jump, something happened. The wall was covered in a shining light and the first soldier to jump was met with the fully repaired wall.

“NO! No no no!” he shouted trying to grab hold of something, but he plunged into the hot, molten lava below. “YEARGH!” he screamed as his Magic Armor was shattered by the heat, and his body quickly caught fire.

The other was met with a similar fate when the platform was pulled from under his feet.

“NOOO!” he screamed as well and fell.

I watched as two more of my soldiers were eaten by this dungeon.

“What’s going on with this dungeon?” I said through my clenched jaws and glared at the wall on the other side.

“What are you doing? Open the path already!” ordered Milord.

It was clearly not my fault that this accursed dungeon had so many traps, but the failure of my soldiers still fell upon my shoulders. In Milord’s eyes, I was the one to blame for this. Their death was only a testament as my failure as their commander.

I won’t let a dungeon make a fool out of me! I thought.

There had to be a way to get past this field of lava, but if there was a wall on that side, then surely there was a lever to lead to the other side. Every dungeon had one. Every floor had a logic, a maze with a single entrance and exit, but with multiple paths from one point to another. This was a rule no dungeon strayed away from, meaning there had to be a way to get through this, a way to open the path for Milord…

But what? I cringed my teeth and tried to analyze the room again. Where is it? I looked up, but there was nothing wrong with the ceiling Where did you hide it? there was nothing on the walls either Where? behind us was a clear path too, Does this mean that… I looked at the other end of the corridor. The platforms were identical. The walls were the same, but there had to be something off, something different.

“There must be a lever or a button hidden somewhere behind these walls. Start searching!” I ordered.

The soldiers searched around me, while Theyon, another commander approached me and patted me on the shoulder.

“Relax or you’ll grow wrinkles!” he said with a smirk.

“No time for either relaxing or growing wrinkles! We need to find out where that lever is hidden.” I said clenching the hilt of my sword.

Nodding, he patted me on the shoulder.

“Should I attempt to find one on those walls?” he asked me pointing at the platforms.

“Yes.” I told him.

With a smirk on his lips, he stepped away and made the first jump. He landed on the first platform and punched the wall, it cracked, but no hidden compartment could be seen there. At each platform, he repeated the process until he reached the last one. There, the piece of wall hiding the switch fell off, but he didn’t stop to press it. Nothing guaranteed the platforms would freeze in their place if he did so. He jumped on the wall at the end and back on the platform after it extended again. After pulling the lever there, he jumped on the platforms until he reached me. The wall at the end opened up.

“Good! Was it really that hard?” asked Milord as he walked by us, and with one jump, he reached the other side.

“No, Milord!” I replied with my head bowed.

I sacrificed three men already, and we aren’t even past the first floor! I thought, but I couldn’t say such traitorous things out loud… If I did, my head was the one to roll next.

After we passed the lava pit, we reached the next ridiculous part of the maze. It was something outrageous, something I never seen or heard of before. The path we had to take to reach the other side was a maze of walking boards. Underneath us only a pit filled with deadly spikes awaited us. There were monsters here as well, harpies flying about and screeching at us.

Two of them attacked Milord, but he grabbed them by the neck and crushed them in his hands. They didn’t stand a chance against him, however, my soldiers were having trouble defending against these things.

“Kill those things with ranged attacks! Form small groups and watch yourselves on the planks! Watch out for traps!” I ordered and the men spread apart.

“There are three paths here.” said Theyon.

“Take the right one. I’ll go left, and Zarus can take the front one. If we find the exit just come out and let Milord know about it. We’ll take a group of five soldiers each. The rest of them will stay here with Milord.” I ordered.

Zarus and Theyon nodded, and each of them selected their five soldiers. I did the same and then one after another, we walked on the planks. As soon as we took our first step, one of the blasted harpies attacked my group and pushed one of my men off. The lad fell screaming. His words were cut as soon as he reached the bottom, his body was crushed by the fall and pierced by the spikes.

“Don’t back away and keep pushing!” I ordered them.

“Yes, sir!” came their reply from behind their shields.

I heard another scream, but I didn’t look to see what group was met with the unfortunate loss.

When I got close enough to the spawning location of the harpies, I aimed a [Seeker Fireball] at the opening and let it explode inside. That was it for the harpies. We only had to slay the rest, and we were in the clear.

“GYAAH!” screamed another soldier behind me.

Looking back, I saw the man spitting out blood and then fall off the ledge. His back was pierced by enchanted arrows that ignored Magic Armor.

This dungeon is terrifying… I thought as I looked at the dead body below me. There was nothing I could do for him, so I pressed forward. We made sure to guard our backs as well for those sort of traps.

“NOO!” screamed another soldiers, and I could only cringe my teeth.

This one wasn’t part of my group, but still…

Until we reached this blasted Magic Academy, we didn’t lose even one single soldier on our entire journey form Teslov here! We fought bandits, monsters, sailed the seas and flew through the sky, but not even one fell prey to those dangers… I thought as I remembered with what ease we traversed an entire continent only to be struck down by a mere human Magic Academy.

It was shameful.

“That’s the end!” I told the soldiers behind me.

We hurried our pace and reached the door safely.

With a single push, we opened it and stepped inside. What we saw wasn’t an exit. It was a Boss Room. Harpies and imps glared at us, while the Minotaur in the middle huffed and raised its weapons up.

You have got to be kidding me… I told myself, but at the very least, it was an opponent we could handle.

“Kill them all.” I ordered and pointed my sword at the beasts.

The battle commenced. My soldiers stepped away and attacked the harpies and imps. The monsters were acceptable for the first floors, but still impossible to find on the first one of any dungeon.

While my men took care of the small fries, I jumped at the boss. Strengthening my body with a boost, I used [Dash] and plunged my sword in the beast’s belly. The cut was there, but it didn’t flinch. [Thousand Strikes] was next. The Minotaur stepped back and tried to block with its weapons, but it stood no chance. The rings that summoned the beasts were shattered and using [Lightning Dash], I slipped my way through its defenses and landed a strike right in its heart.

The beast was dead.

It was our complete victory.

“Good job!” I said with a smirk as I wiped the sword of the Minotaur’s blood.

“Sir! I think there’s something here!” said one of my soldiers.

“Be careful where you step in there.” I told him, but that was the last time I would get to talk with him.

At his first step in, countless small arrows flew at him, piercing his Magic Armor like it was nothing and stopping inside his flesh. They got through the cracks of his armor and killed him. The man fell on the ground without even shouting a scream.

I cringed my teeth at the thought of losing another soldier.

“Leave him there. We’ll return to Milord Dankyun and tell him this is a dead end.” I ordered them and walked out of the room, shield raised and prepared for a possible surprise attack.

Upon our return, the other groups had finished as well. Theyon lost all of his soldiers, while Zarus lost only one. It was a pathetic return, not one worthy of draconian commanders under a Supreme draconian.

“I found nothing on the left path, Milord.” I gave my report while kneeling in front of him.

“Right path led to Zarus’ group.” Theyon gave his report as well.

“Front path leads to the next floor.” said Zarus.

“Forward it is then.” Dankyun nodded and pointed his hand at the exit.

“As you command, Milord!” I said.

The entire group now followed him, while the injured soldiers tried to patch up their wounds as best as they could. Those with healing skills came in handy right now.

When we reached the pit leading to the next floor, I saw how Theyon lost the rest of his soldiers. They all ended up crushed under a giant boulder, now cracked in half by a strong punch. It made me wonder whether our men were actually a pathetic bunch or if this dungeon was indeed that dangerous.

We lost so many and we just began to explore this place… I thought as I looked down the pit, where a puddle of water stained by the blood of a draconian could be seen.

“I’ll set up the ladder.” Theyon said before taking a rope one from his storage crystal.

Using two big metal nails and his own fist, he secured it to the ground and then let it roll all the way down. It was a bit longer, so it landed in the water. Five soldiers used it first to make sure it was safe, Theyon followed next, then another five soldiers. They all climbed down safely and avoided to fall in the water pit.

When it was Dankyun’s turn, he didn’t need to use the ladder. Milord jumped from wall to wall until he reached the bottom, once more showing us the difference in strength and speed. I was the last to jump down, making sure no monster or trap was triggered after us.

What awaited for us was a strange, twisted maze, and at the very entrance of it was a scene worthy of turning even a warrior’s stomach upside down…

“Dungeon Lord! I’m going to KILL YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I’LL DESTROY YOU FOR THIS!” shouted Milord Dankyun.

“Huh? Sorry! Did you say something? I wasn’t paying attention. Anyway, have fun in my maze!” the voice of the Dungeon Lord was heard coming from behind us.

We all turned around, but we didn’t see anything over there, however, our ladder vanished and slippery oil poured on the walls from the top, making the journey back up at the very least troublesome. He wanted to trap us here, to kill us.

By the gods… in what sort of dungeon did we land ourselves in? I asked myself as I felt a shiver of fear running through my whole body.

Indeed, for the first time since I stepped into this dungeon, I felt fear…

[Illsyore’s point of view]

Sometime before the two assassins entered my dungeon.

I found Nanya standing on top of my Green Crystal body and pushing us both through the tunnel on top of those rollers. Thanks to her inhuman strength, the feat was much easier to accomplish than it would have been otherwise. Either way, it was clear she needed my help.

“Sorry for being late!” I told her and quickly used [Telekinezy] to push my body and guide it on the right path.

“Welcome back, Illsy! I was this close to shattering your useless body to pieces! Couldn’t you have built a mine cart or something?” she asked glaring at me.

“I had a moment of lag when I built this…” I confessed.

Indeed, a mine cart would have made things much easier and simpler, but in all due honesty, I had no idea how I could build it. My mind only went around the idea of using [Create a Room] to create each individual part and then assemble it. It sounded very troublesome, but not impossible.

“Anyway, I opened the dungeon, now I just have to set myself up…” I told her.

“I’m going to undo my seal as well. It’s going to take a while, unfortunately…” she shook her head and crossed her hands at her chest.

“How long?” I asked.

“I don’t know. It’s been some time since I last did it, and the more you keep yourself sealed the harder it is to unseal yourself.” she tilted her head to the left, furrowed her brow and sighed.

“Who sealed you?”

“I did… I don’t really like my real form…” she shook her head and looked down.

“I see…”

There was no need to press the question any further, it was clear that it was something she didn’t want to talk about, but it did make me curious about her real form. My imagination was already running wild with different versions of her, most of them inspired by anime and manga, but I highly doubted any of them approached the real thing.

Ten minutes later, we arrived at my room. Nanya jumped off and took a look around at everything. It was a big circular room, quite spacious and with my body positioned at the very back of it. Numerous AGLMC Lasers were spread around the room, capable of aiming at any point on the floor. These were far stronger than what I had back at the academy. Just one of these things was powerful enough to shred to pieces the Magic Armor of a Master Rank in one shot. I probably needed two for an Emperor. They were slightly stronger than the other ones placed inside the dungeon with the purpose of lowering Dankyun’s armor. Once he reached the maze, I planned on using small spells to force him to attack and use up his Magic Energy. I had no idea how many of those crystals he had on him, so it was best if I did everything I could to weaken him.

After placing my body in the designated location, I rechecked all of the defenses and attack mechanisms I designed for this room. Besides the lasers, I also had enchanted Inconel shields that popped up from the ground in front of my body. An Electric Power Crystal was placed there with the sole purpose of electrifying the floor.

Everything else depended on my spells. This time, I was prepared to meet Dankyun with my auras fully charged and spells ready to blast a whole through him. Unfortunately, the maze in this dungeon wasn’t finished yet. I didn’t have the time to do it, therefore, I had to do something about it.

“I’m going to increase the room size and create a bunch of summoning circles with [Create Basic Summoning Circle for monster], but first, I’m going to upgrade this skill. Status.” I said, and the screen appeared before me.

[Level]: 86

[Strength]: 200+1000

[Agility]: 150+1000

[Intelligence]: 225+1000

[Magic Energy]: 8120

[Magic Energy Regeneration]: 30 Magic Energy Points per Second

[Available points]: 295

[Available skill points]: 180

Without delay, I used 250 points in my Magic Regeneration, and how 25 points meant 1 point per second, this boosted my Magic Regeneration to 40 points per second. Everything else was added to Intelligence, a total of 45 points, granting me another 225 Magic Energy points to my total pool.

The last thing I did was use up my skill points.

I selected [Infernal Glacier X10] chose to improve it.

The price was 25 Skill Points for each level.

[Infernal Glacier X10] > [Infernal Glacier X20] > [Infernal Glacier X30] > [Infernal Glacier X30] >[Infernal Glacier X50]

These four levels depleted 100 Skill Points, but I still had 80 left.

I chose to improve it again, but this upgrade required 50 Skill Points.

I agreed and received:

[Infernal Glacier X60]

A big wide grin appeared on my face the moment I saw this. I had only 5 skill points left, but it was TOTALLY worth it.

Now the skill told me the following thing in the description:

[Infernal Glacier X60]

One cast of this spell was the equivalent of 6 casts of [Infernal Glacier X10] and two times cheaper.

Thus, I ended up with the following stats:

[Level]: 86

[Strength]: 200+1000

[Agility]: 150+1000

[Intelligence]: 270+1000

[Magic Energy]: 8345

[Magic Energy Regeneration]: 40 Magic Energy Points per Second

[Available points]: 0

[Available skill points]: 5

Totally worth it! I thought with a smile.

“Well?” Nanya asked raising an eyebrow.

“I’m done with my upgrades… I’m going to go improve this level quickly and then head inside to talk with Ayuseya and Shanteya about the upcoming battle. What are you going to do?” I asked her.

“I’m going to sit down here and meditate because I want this seal off before I face Dankyun.” she said with a shrug and did just that.

Nanya sat down where she stood, crossing her legs and entering the Lotus position. I blinked a bit surprised when I saw her, but I shrugged and then headed off to fix this level.

Since I couldn’t finish all the walls and traps I had initially planned, all was left was to spam traps and monsters. First of all, I increased the room size by adding another six meters to it. In the area between the laser optimal zone and the wall, I placed as many summoning circles as I could, pouring at least 2000 Magic Energy Points in each one of them. I also made sure the circles were set to spawn two monsters worth 1000 points each.

On the outside wall, I connected the remaining maze walls and added a few quick traps to it. With my increased Magic Energy Regeneration, thing went much faster than I initially anticipated. It was practically double when compared to the first day when I came into this world.

From my point of view, it was clear that I rushed things over here, but I doubted someone like Dankyun or his soldiers could notice this. At best, they would only believe they reached a much easier part of my maze.

I returned to my Inner Mind and headed straight to Shanteya and Ayuseya. The two of them were together and talking about something.

Master! Are you alright? asked Shanteya worried the very moment she saw me there.

I’m fine. We managed to flee safely, and we’re now inside my dungeon. I told them with a smile.

I understand. Master, I… Shanteya stopped herself from finishing what she had to say and looked back at Ayuseya. No, it’s best you speak with her first. My matter can wait… the beautiful el’doraw nodded and pulled back away from me.

Blinking surprised, I looked over at Ayuseya and approached her.

Sorry, I didn’t keep my word… I told her and looked down.

Illsy… she said and then something amazing happened.

Ayuseya flew over to me, she lifted my chin up and then kissed me. She was a bit clumsy with her kiss, but it was a true sincere one without any strings attached, without any chains to hold it back. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me closer to her as we shared our second kiss, but this time, I was the one leading.

The mood was so pleasant and relaxing, I completely forgot about Dankyun and his band of rats, but it wasn’t a bad thing. I found out I enjoyed kissing Ayuseya just as much as I did Shanteya. Holding her in my arms and feeling her big chest pressed over mine brought a comfy feeling. The dragoness was gentle in her embrace, but so was I.

I then remembered my dream where Alina showed me that picture with her and then with Ayuseya, Shanteya, and Nanya. I guess, I made my pick. I loved Alina, but our journey together was over. She was in her world, back on Earth, and I had three lovely women waiting for me here. It wasn’t hard to pick between them, it was just that deep inside, I still held tight to my relationship with Alina, and this didn’t let me completely devote myself to the new love I found here. Indeed, it wasn’t one that took years to form. It had some very strange and unique circumstances, but in the end, what mattered was the pure, untainted feelings between us.

What matters is how you felt when you opened your heart chakra to her… This was what my friend used to say, although, I never understood the full meaning of these words. I thought and then opened my eyes.

[Spouse: Ayuseya Drekar Pleyades – Eligibility for [Bond of Trust] confirmed.]

[Do you wish to apply [Bond of Trust] on Spouse: Ayuseya Drekar Pleyades? Y/N]

Yes… I thought and the message vanished.

Looking now in Ayuseya’s eyes, I noticed something strange. Her cute expression with a soft smile on her lips was charming and attractive.

Were you always this beautiful? I asked her as I moved my fingers through her red hair.

It was strange how I never noticed something like this until now.

Maybe, but I guess this confirms it… she said and looked down.

What? I asked.

You asked me if I can trust you, if I can truly trust you… What you did for me today. What you did for me ever since I came to this academy: saving me from assassins, curing me of my curses, and protecting me from Dankyun… These are things nobody else would have dared to do even if they knew they could… she smiled softly and cupped my cheeks in her palms. Illsy, I know I’m not worthy, but I think I love you, and I wish to become your wife. she shook her head. No, you are the only one I can accept as my husband… The only one to whom I wish to devote myself fully and if this means trusting you with my entire being, then so be it! she declared with a soft smile, tears pouring down on her cheeks.

When faced with a confession like this one, how could I say no? I nodded and kissed her again.

A moment later, our lips parted, and I told her Then I will do everything I can to accept your love and reply to it with my own.

In the end, to love was to feel that strange attraction deep inside your chest towards another. The feeling was like a hurricane of positive energies, constantly swirling and cutting of your breath. You wished to be besides that other person, and you felt completely opened towards them. A full trust and understanding for one another bloomed from this energy. The connection was made when the other replied.

In my case, Ayuseya started it, and I replied to it by letting it appear in my soul as well. I also felt the same thing for Shanteya and maybe even for Nanya too. Where it would lead us, it remained to be seen, but for now, I had other matters to take care off.

Ayuseya, I’m not going to give you back to Dankyun. After this, I won’t even think about it. You, Shanteya, and Nanya… I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath as I prepared myself for this declaration. You are all my women, my lovers, my friends, and I want to be with you all and not let another man touch you! It may be selfish of me to desire such a thing, but if you three were brought before me like this, then surely even the gods approve of my love towards you three! So yes, I want you all!

That would make me very happy! came Ayuseya’s reply.

Me too, Master! said Shanteya.

All that was left was Nanya, but I had yet to discover the way to get her to trust me or rather what she was afraid off in regard with myself.

Well now, with that settled. You both have [Bond of Trust] activated and set to maximum, meaning Shanteya gets 50% of my stats, and Ayuseya 70%. This means that Ayuseya has the same strength and speed as a Supreme, and Shanteya a lower Supreme. I explained to them.

Supreme? But how can that be? Ayuseya asked confused.

It’s my ability. My spouses whom I love and trust, and also who naturally and selflessly love me and trust me in return receive the equivalent of 70% of my power. I explained with a smile.

To trust me with such a power… Ayuseya shook her head I don’t know if I am worthy… she said.

I see no reason as to why I should be afraid or deny it either. I said and embraced her. I even pulled Shanteya in You are both my lovely women, whom I trust with my life and power! Only time will tell us if you don’t, but so far, I believe you do and hope this will never change!

Thank you… said Ayuseya.

Likewise… blushed Shanteya.

Speaking of which, what did you want to ask? I looked at my cute el’doraw slave.

Master, the two el’doraw sisters who came here with Dankyun… I wish to cross daggers with them. They are after me. It’s their missions, and I wish to make it clear that I hold no desire of ever leaving your side and returning to that place! she declared with her hand over her heart.

I see… I looked down for a moment, but I knew that if she really wanted to do this, I had no right to say ‘No’ to her. Besides, I trusted that she had both the strength and ability to defeat those two. Very well! I’ll allow it! But, if things get messy, call me. Alright? I told her.

She nodded and kissed my cheek.

Illsy, I also wish to fight. Ayuseya said all of a sudden.

Erm, I don’t think you can defeat Dankyun… I told her.

The dragoness shook her head.

Not Dankyun, but his Emperor Rank commanders. They don’t hold any sort of loyalty towards the Pleyades Royal family, and I believe they plan to dethrone us. If I can, I won’t allow such a thing to come to pass! she declared clenching her fist.

Erm, I see, but there is a big difference between the two of you. At the very least Shanteya trained in order to properly control her sudden boost in strength, but you were sealed your entire life… I warned her.

Yes, I know. That’s why I won’t ask to go alone, but for you to accompany me as well… I want to prove I’m not the same weak little princess… or at least try.

I honestly didn’t know what to say to her. If I said yes, Ayuseya could end up in a bigger trouble thanks to the simple fact that she couldn’t control her strength. The one who came to my rescue, however, was Shanteya.

Princess, with all due respect, I don’t believe you can do it. Your Magic Armor is far weaker even than that of an Intermediary Rank. Those commanders have both the strength and military experience to defeat you. I speak from experience because I also know what it means to receive Illsy’s boost in strength and speed. You are not ready yet, Ayuseya.

The draconian princess looked a bit disappointed, but she accepted her fate and nodded. It wasn’t her time yet. That was all…

I understand, I may have been a bit too excited because of how strong you said I am now… she showed me a small smile.

After this whole thing is over, I’ll take my time and train you properly, Princess. said Shanteya.

So be it then! she nodded.

There’s still time until they get here. I can let you out meanwhile and enchant your dress so it doesn’t break if you use your full strength in it. I told her.

Very well. Just so you know, I don’t mind being seen naked by you, but I would dislike to be gazed upon by other men. she replied with a giggle.

That being said, I released both of them and enchanted Ayuseya’s clothes to survive her sudden boost in strength. Nanya didn’t even open her eyes to look at us, she continued to meditate and focus on releasing her seal.

“Someone is approaching my dungeon…” I told them when the two el’doraw assassins discovered the entrance.

“Master?” asked Shanteya with a bit of worry in her eyes.

“I’ll prepare the grounds for you… Get ready.”

“Yes, Master!”

And so, the battle began… as for their stats. This was what I saw in both of their status windows:

[Name]: Ayuseya Drekar Pleyades

[Species]: Hybrid of Draconian and True Dragon

[Race]: Gold

[Level]: 48

[Strength]: 224+840

[Agility]: 200+805

[Intelligence]: 216+889

[Magic Energy]: 5525+5841.5

[Magic Energy regeneration]: 0.33+28 points per second

[Bond of Trust] Change? Y/N

[Available points]: 0

[Skills] > List all skills? Y/N

[Available skill points]: 0

[Allegiance]: Omniak Drekar Gladarash, God of the Ancient Dragons

[Spouses]: Illsyore

[Slaves]: None

[Pets]: None

[Minions]: None

_____________

[Name]: Shanteya Dowesyl slave of [Illsyore]

[Species]: El’doraw

[Race]: Albino

[Level]: 78

[Strength]: 246+600

[Agility]: 321+575

[Intelligence]: 144+635

[Magic Energy]: 3895+4172.5

[Magic Energy regeneration]: 1.5+20 points per second

[Bond of Trust] Change? Y/N

[Available points]: 0

[Skills] > List all skills? Y/N

[Available skill points]: 0

[Allegiance]: Brasil, God of Shadows; Illsyore, Godlike Dungeon Lord

[Spouses]: None

[Slaves]: None

[Pets]: None

[Minions]: None

_____

Note from the Author: Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! :D