ch.27 Hell 2.0

Upon hearing what the scholar said the mages quickly activated different defense spells such as the 2nd circle (Earth armor), however many of the metal slimes had already rolled between their feet while they were unaware, quickly turning into cannonballs.

The soldiers were prepared for sneak attacks and quickly used (Earth armor) or increase their speed and reaction time by wind and fire martial arts respectively, many of them still got hit before they had a chance, a new hole in their head or body.

Many of the metal slimes had too much kinetic energy and would bounce from one side of the wall to another, the walls not having a single scratch from the dungeons domain enchantment. The first waves of attacks pierced at least 13 mages and around 30 soldiers.

The earth affinity soldiers quickly took formation around the mages activating earth armor, now looking like a rocky turtle shell, the mages supported them with speed spells running from the bouncing cannonballs.

A lot of damage was accumulated as they ran, pain noises and dead howls started to come from the other group, taking a look from the small gap between the lower ceiling and the river they saw many of them impaled on ice pillars and ice swords.

To the scholar's horror, the other path was full of traps that would spring upon stepping on them he quickly cast mass levitation ordering the mages to do the same, this, however, left their lower bodies exposed to the bouncing cannonballs, many of them receiving leg fractures or impacts that broke armor.

The soldiers attempted to protect as much of their bodies as possible while the mages cast their own earth armor to themselves and the other affinitys soldiers, turning their turtle shell into a sphere.

By the time they made it outside the river room, they found that they have lost thirty people and the other group had lost eighty-nine people, nearly half their group was killed infuriating the Scholar.

Looking back, he ordered the mages to put up an earth wall to prevent the metal slimes from chasing them. "I can't believe nearly half my group died before even reaching the boss," the scholar was in shock both that a dungeon can use the elements the mage academy tirelessly worked to uncover and the growth of this dungeon, it can't be allowed to exist any longer!

Now that they were in a new room, the scholar was in full alert for any changes, "another elemental domain, it seems to be a water one. Take this time to heal your wounds," the few water mages cast 2nd circle (Water Mend) on the wounded, thanks to the water domain they could absorb Elemental Water in this place allowing them to spent there elemental mana with no worries.

Surveying the gravel and sand room the scholar found the ground moving and sinking like something was trying to struggle out, the ground would balloon out from time to time and exploding into steam and boiling water. Seeing this he had a bad premonition that the bladed bridge room had a fire domain.

The scholar was annoyed that his mission became so difficult all of a sudden, promising to himself that he would torture the dungeon's soul. Deep in his heart he also had another idea, to force the dungeon to tell him how it learned ice spells and if possible the other unknown elements so that he may quickly become a true noble, or maybe even greater!

The scholar order everyone to walk slowly, however, the large number of people made the floor sink boiling water spilling out from the weight, the fire affinity soldiers managed with little difficulty, the rest however were having their armor heat up burning their feet, the smell of cooked flesh was disgusting.

The mages realized that this was not going to work, "retreat out of the gravel room! Wind soldiers go and check the next room and report." The soldiers nodded, two of them walked over to the blender room the gravel not sinking under so little weight, but their journey was not so simple.

The ground would randomly expand and explode into a shower of boiling water nearly killing them at times, after a lot of close calls, they made it into the blender room's doors.

After entering the room, they saw that it was full of heat and steam, even though they could offset the temperature with the help of their Element, the scolding water was still doing damage to them, forcing them to use more elemental mana. Upon noticing the room was working even with no one in the gravel room they quickly escaped and reported back.

The scholar heard the report and frown, the scholar clench his teeth and said, "if we can get past this we can recover our mana on the maze so use at least 50% of your mana to bypass the elemental domain restrains." The mages complaint that using mass levitation on a water domain would drain them of all their elemental mana, but saw no other way to make it safely.

Using the elemental mana, ten of the mages cast mass levitation while the rest cast 2nd circle (Water Shield) to prevent them from taking too much damage from the heat and steam of the explosions and the blender room.

Damages were kept to a minimum with a few close calls from flash explosions, most of the mages had used almost all their elemental mana reinforcing the water shield from impacts.

After a long time, they finally manage to get all the soldiers into the maze room which looked like nothing had changed.

The scholar was weary from so many changes and took no chances immediately ordering all mages to recovered their Mana, those with fire affinity went back to the blender room and slowly recovered. The blender room had not changed much but it delays them greatly due to the narrow entrance and constant falling boiling water, forcing some mages to use their Mana.

Back on Malpetios core room, "damn my blender room didn't get any of them." My new kinetic 'metal slime' wind spinners that I had placed in the lower ceiling worked wonderfully, killing a large amount of them in a sneak attack, these mages, however, are not easy to deal with... I need to change the blender room but I don't have enough mana to make too many changes.

I had lower the ceiling and made it hollow inside, to the limits of the dungeon domain, inside was an assortment of rollers that worked like a conveyor belt, all connected to a chain pulled by the windmill at the beginning.

Five elongated holes would transfer air inside, pulling on a massive windmill at the beginning of the lowered ceiling, connected to a conveyor belt, while the air spin the rollers, the metal slimes inside them would hit and collide with each other building kinetic energy.

Four of the holes where the air came in had wind spinners, the spinners had six arms three of which have cups that would lift one metal slime to the exit while the remaining three are a mini windmill on each side. The metal slimes remained in the spinner cups till told otherwise by me, falling back into the metal slime pit, creating more impacts and kinetic energy.

The entire thing looked like a ball pit with conveyor belts that would move the balls to gears that would lift them up high and then fall on top of you or outside somewhere.

My blender room however was a pain for the mages to overcome, I had removed all the slimes inside, no longer needed as the hot water from the blender room would mix with the constant cold water from the gravel room the two Domains acting like a tug-a-war pushing and pulling the water forming the cycle without the help of the soldier's weight.

Looking at the survivors they looked exhausted, probably use almost all their elemental mana due to the conflicts in the elemental domain, they probably think they can be safe in the maze since it doesn't have an elemental domain but I have a little surprise for them.

Looking at my new pet, it looked like a harmless puppy, it was pitch Black with green eyes and green paws, I have used almost all of my life crystals to make it in a hurry. Though still a puppy It will be useful for my eternal maze hehe.