So, that's your reason here. If you manage to take out Alvares, Sendria will regain control of its army. And have a better chance to resist invasion, perhaps even win>>

>

He laughs.

>

Seeing him laugh, what he said about the circumstances that brought him here come back to my memory.

John is bound to this place, unable to leave the lowest floor. If he gets too far from the Core, he dies. As simple as that. Back when he was still a human, he got ill. A brain tumor, something that, apparently, not even the highest class healing spell can cure.

The only solution he found for it, was when he came to the lowest floor of the Dungeon. In here, the Core's power are almost divine. In order to cure himself from the tumor, John thought of using the Core's power, but something went wrong with the process. He was cured, but bound to the place.

He showed me what would happen to him if he ever left the place. That time, he walked me up to the last level's exit. As soon as he set his hand outside the exit, it became ash instantly.

To live, he was forced to look for an unhortodox solution, and confined himself here as a result.

>

During the next days, I divided myself between training and information gathering.

It was difficult, at first, and many times I only managed to keep the connection for no more than a handful of seconds.

Day after day, however, I managed to make it more stable.

The spell itself is something smart, I have to admit. It relies on lines of mana, capable to convert the vibration of sound into electric signal, and transmit those signals at distance.

At first, I used the signal to locate Alvares. As my comprehension of magic grew with time, I was able to spy back on him first, then even tamper with the signals that the spell sent to him. In short, I've been using the spell to feed him false information, and to gather some of my own.

Of course, Telesia was thoroughly interested in what I did, even going so far as to come to my private training grounds inside the Dungeon to listen what info I managed to gather.

That man, Alvares, he's needlessly prudent. Going so far as to use coded communication for his shadier dealings. Still, he did so by using spells, and it was fairly easy to deconstruct the code he used.

As to how I did it, let's say that among the collection of fake memories that I have in my head, there are not only the acts of a loser.

From chemistry to physiscs, from biology to coding. For each memory of the fake “me” failing at that supposed, otherword life, there were shards of knowledge from that very world.

Now, with a bit of exercise, I can even see the real memories play in my mind. Like a movie of some sorts. The point of view is always mine, but now I see clearly how it was not me the one doing those actions.

Subtle differences between each memory, something that I had not noticed before, only recently after knowing what to look for.

Like, comparing some memories, the height of my supposed “old self” would be different. Or the way I moved. Even speech patterns.

And, although it sounds like a paradox, since I knew that those memories were not my own, I have been delving into them more frequently.

Only those that helped me with the right knowledge, that is.

It is still weird, since from time to time I still act basing my decisions on what I would do, using that morale that was never my own to begin with.

It's even hard to explain, like being two different persons at the same time.

But, as time goes by, that person is becoming less and less, and I'm becoming me.

Hell, that sounds so stupid when said out loud. I wonder what a shrink would say about me.

Still, it's undeniable that I am making progress here.

<>

And so, besides lessons in magic, combat and refining the use of my skills, John has also begun teaching me acting.

How to act, and how to lie in a convincing way.

Two weeks have passed by, and I'm ready to make my move against Alvares. During that time, the others have already completed their training. Much to Telesia's surprise, since she thought they required more time to do so.

Not that they are neglecting exercise right now, continuing to follow their respective Masters in order to hone their skills but, as things are right now, it's something unnecessary.

They're doing it in order to go further what was expected of them.

Also, during this time, things have been moving between my party members.

After being basically forced by Heod, Levia has made her peace with Marica. I lost the count of how many times Marica did apologize, but, right now, things between the two seem to have reached a stable point.

Well, they're acting friendly with each other, at least. It might also be thanks to Retel, since he actually started going out with the little magician.

I have to admit, he surprised me. No more than some times ago, he did not even have the courage to speak to Marica alone for more than ten minutes, and now, he's happily enjoying his newly budded romance.

Way to go, my scaly friend.

So, convinced by both Retel ad Heod, Levia began to face her problem with Marica, until the two of them came to an understanding.

And she also went out of her way to apologize to me. Although I did not consider what she said to be hurtful, or negative. Well, most of the things she said to me that night, I too found them true.

Still, she felt somehow like she owed me an apology. But, that's it. She's acting colder than she had before, barely even speaking to me.

And I do not know why.

One thing I know for sure. No matter if my memories are fake or not my own, I still do not understand a thing about women.

Still, I have more pressing things to think about at the moment. Thankfully, Aldora has not yet made a decisive move, aside from that attack last week.

But, that is due to a more sinister reason.

As Telesia feared, Alvares IS conspiring with Aldora. I do not know if that man is just a big fool, or if he's arrogant enough to think that not only Aldora would respect the pact they made with him, but would also happily hand rule of all Sendria's territory in Alvares's hands.

He may be an arrogant fool, but his powers are definitely no joke. From what I gathered by using his spell in reverse, he has the Army under control not with legit methods, but by using a combination of drugs and spells.

It's a plan worthy of a supervillain, let me tell you. By administering a strong drug to the regular members of the army, he induced them in a hypnotic state, manipulating them using dreams.

The drugs he used are undetectable, and the modification they induced into each man's mind are subtle.

They do not change behavior or give rise to strange changes in personality. Rather, they work by activating some mechanisms into the brain, making each army member feel a sense of paternal authority rise from Alvares. They follow him as a father, loving him as such.

With spells, he increases the effect, being wary as to not overuse his magic, and to not leave traces.

By the way, he uses the same mechanism to control Leidus.

He's keeping the other Candidate Demon Lord hidden. Alvares's initial plan, was to have him kill adventurers inside the Dungeon, stealing their skills while increasing his own level. He was to be used as a weapon against Aldora, after Alvares rose to power in Sendria.

His plan is ambitious, albeit a bit too convoluted.

It played with two different scenarios, in Alvares's mind.

The best-case scenario would be if he managed to obtain the rule of the city without requiring Aldora to invade.

He knew that, if the foreign army moved, Sendria would suffer a blow. He wanted to rule, but not over a pile of rabble.

He wanted a city, a functional one.

And so, he moved his pawns, both army and underground mob, in order to spread unrest in Sendria and its territory. Aldora would have the role to press at the borders, sending small but constant raiding parties.

A village here, a merchant caravan there. The attack near Sendria's walls.

That, would spread unrest among the citizens, along with the rise in criminality. Next, Leidus's party was supposed to take out adventurers, making it explicit that it was the work of other adventuers. Then, they would start operating outside of the Dungeon, attacking common people. That way, the citizens, already concerned by Aldora and criminals, would turn against the Guild, responsible for not keeping its adventurers under control.

The whole situation would lead to a demand for the Army's intervention. The attacks near the city have already reached the result to allow Alvares to concentrate troops near Sendria, as protection, and forced the Guild to send out strong adventurers to patrol the borders. Aldora was supposed to do its part, and it did, by taking out those adventurers.

The increase in criminal activity would lead the people to demand a strong response from Sendria's ruling class.

Hopefully, and he was working to that end with cohercion and bribery, the Council would pass the bill for him to enstate martial law upon the city. A matter of days, he thought. Weeks at most.

Then, he would deal the decisive blow against the Guild, using Leidus to stike the outposts in the Dungeon, and his net of criminals to assassinate those prominent adventurers still in Sendria.

After that, Aldora was supposed to invade, and lose to Alvares's army. He would be deemed a hero then, the saviour of Sendria.

That was his best case scenario.

But, things had already gone in a different way. The Guild proved to be a thougher adversary than he thought, and Leidus's party was hunted down, chased from the Dungeon after our involvement with them.

At the same time, although he actually managed to concentrate the army near Sendria, the adventurers dispatched from the Guild to border patrol were doing a better job than expected. Or, those Aldoran bastards were doing their jobs poorly.

In short, his best case scenario was already gone to shit.

What was left for him to do, was to wait for Aldora to invade, and let the army lose on purpose.

Even to me, it seemed like the dumbest thing he could think off. But, as I tapped in his conversations, I noticed something about the man.

He's not himself. He is not even aware of this, but sometimes, a faint mana can be felt, entwined with his own.

In short, the man who is a master of control spells, he's being controlled by someone.

Karma is a bitch, apparently.

The puppetteer is nothing but a puppet himself, and of course, Aldora is the one pulling strings from the shadows.

If things are left like they are, when Aldora attacks, it would be a true massacre.

Removing or killing Alvares would do nothing to prevent that. It could even backfire, given the affection that his spells have ingrained in the Army's soldiers. They could rebel if Alvares is killed.

No, what has to be done, it's something different.

The first move should be to regain control of the Army. Find and eliminate the supply of the drug, and think of a way to cleanse the army from it.

Thanks to my information, the Guild is already on the move on that front. They have already been able to locate and acquire samples of the drug, and a certain beast-kin alchemist is already working on a substance that would counter its effects.

Administering it to the soldiers, without letting Alvares know, would be difficult thou.

Next, the spells he cast on the soldiers need to be unraveled somehow.

And that will be a difficult thing to do, although a selected number of magicians from the Guild is working on that.

After those two objectives will be completed, it will be time to confront Alvares.

But, there's something else to do, that involves me directly. To prevent Leidus from acting inside of Sendria.

Thanks to Alvares's spell, I've been able to track down my fellow Candidate. And, I've used the same spell as Alvares cast on me, on his pupil. My version is modified, so that it should not be possible to track the spell or use it in reverse, like I did with Alvares.

And, I must admit to be rather proud of my own creation. Not even John was able to detect it when I cast the spell on him, so I strongly doubt that Alvares or Leidus could manage to do so.

At the moment, Leidus is once again inside the Dungeon. He is in the thirty-fourth floor, power-leveling himself thanks to some high level soldiers that Alvares “lent” to him.

His level is now forty-two, and growing still.

From time to time, he kills those adventurers that come into contact with him, stealing their skills before disposing of them. When we first met, he would have done the same to me, and who knows how things could have gone if he succeeded. Like the one I have, he too has a skill capable of “stealing” other skills. Unlike my Black Fluid, however, he actually steals skills from living opponents, without the need for absorbing them. And, judging from what I saw, his skill only works on humans. In short, he can only steal skills from adventurers. Like me, he passed both the first and second trial, gaining two “fragments” of the Crown, whatever the hell that means.

To pass the second trial, he used the information Alvares gathered from spying my fight in the tenth floor.

Strangely, he has not encountered any trial after that. And it frustrated him, oh so much.

I smile while thinking about it, since to me, the third trial has already been revealed. It's a really fucked up system, I need to admit. To think that something like this would happen, that Azathot must surely have some loose screw in its own head.

If he even has a head.

The plan has already been laid out, and I am ready to set it in motion. First, thanks to my Dungeon Master friend, I will move to Leidus's location inside the Dungeon.

It might seem rash, given my level and the high probability that not only Leidus and his party members, but also higher level monsters might attack me.

But that is no longer a problem.

I've tested myself inside the lowest level, and, even if my own level is still twenty-two, I managed to keep my own ground in there.

Rather, my level is still twenty-two because John prohibited me to kill the monsters I defeated. He did not forbid me to absorb them, however, and I gained some ridiculous skills after that. There was a good reason for John to stop me from gaining experience in the last floor.

Raising my level too much in a short amount of time, would kill me. Kind of what happened when Dahl used his over-powerful skill, my body would not be able to handle the excessive energy and it will disrupt itself.

What he suggested, is that I hold my current level until I manage to beat Leidus.

When I asked him why, he shrugged his shoulder and said.

>

In short, I am supposed to challenge and defeat Leidus, alone, underleveled. And to make Alvares see, without tricks.

That John surely comes up with some nasty ideas.

Still, it's time for the show to start. Sadly, the others are not involved in this new adventure. It was another of John's impositions, and I had to abide to it.

After all, we fake souls have to listen to each other, and he's my elder and master, so...

I close my eyes, and summon my mana. Using it, I pry open the veil of this dimention, slipping into the void beyond worlds.

It might seem too much powerful of a spell for the current me, but I had a similar ability since my first day in this world. After all, this spell works exactly like my skill “Inventory”, only some slight modification are required. And roughly the same mana cost.

Apparently, slipping between dimensions is easier than one would think. Who the hell would have imagined that.

I think about the destination where to open the veil again. I track my own mana, the sliver of it that I cast on Leidus.

Once I find it, I open the veil once again, stepping on solid stone.

The air in this Dungeon floor is oppressing, heavy with sand and heat. It's a desert scenario, and Leidus's party is busy fighting some giant scorpions.

Basically, Champion Serketh's elder brothers. It seems that this Dungeon likes to recicle some of its monsters a bit.

They're still unaware of my presence. But, as the last scorpion falls, Leidus notices me. As he does, I undo my tampering on Alvares's spell, returning it to its original form.

>

I'm making use of John's intensive acting course here. Although, deep inside, I am almost pissing myself in fear, I keep a straight face and a calm voice. And, the most important things, a piercing gaze and a cocky smile.

>

Leidus shouts, sending its own men to attack me. Of course, he wants me alive. I bet my balls that old Alvarez already told him about my skill, and his mouth is watering at the thought of getting it.

Well, come, fellow Candidate. It's all yours.

As his men reach me, I do not resist too much. I try to fight back, but not too hard. One of them, a level forty- three warrior, punches my solar plexus. Of course, a blow from him would hurt me too much, so I use my mana to lessen the impact.

Not by making a shield, but literally altering the force of the impact itself. I know, this is too overpowered. Magic is really ridiculous. The only thing that scares me right now, is that the Heroes from Aldora have the same kind of knowledge and understanding of magic that I achieved. Most likely, even more.

Still, the blow hits me, although definitely less powerful than it was. I bend on myself, falling to my knees as I fake pain, even going so far as to spit blood from my mouth. Of course, it's only Black Fluid with changed color and viscosity, but they do not know that.

The two men apprehend me, dragging me towards Leidus. The beastkin is smiling viciously. It seems he is one eye short than our last encounter. On the right side of his face, a large white scar comes down from his temple to the chin, going straight down in a vertical line.

His right eye, what's left of it, is hidden under his forever closed eyelid.

He points at it, with a fierce expression on his maimed face.

>

He brags and treatens me, behaving like some low-life gangster. He then barks to his men to keep me still.

<>

I can feel him summon his own mana, that gathers on his left hand. A black flame envelops it, dancing in a sinister way. He plunges his hand into my chest, going through it.

A painful sensation spreads, and I manage all I can to endure it.

Smiling, he pulls his hand back. Taking something from inside of me. As he pulls his hand out, a black globe pulses in his palm, oozing a black fluid almost like it's bleeding.

>

He says, furrowing at the black globe. But he starts eating it. When he's done, he turns toward one of his lackeys, and shouts.

>

My skill manifests from his hand. A large tentacle of black, shambling matter sprungs toward the man, taking hold of him, crushing him to a pulp. Leidus smiles, viciously, as he plays with the skill, changing its shape at will.

>

A monster emerges from the sand. Another scorpion, that immediately rushes to Leidus.

I smile as he kills it with my own skill, slashing the thing into two.

>

After my comment, Leidus bursts out into laughter.

>

Well, he's a bit wrong here. I am not the one who's fucked up. Maybe, just a tiny bit. What's really fucked up here, is this whole system.

As Leidus prepares himself to deal the killing blow on me, Navi's message plays in my mind.

[Navi: Third Trial- Trial by Greed Initialized. Conditions to Start- Have your Black series skill stolen by the other Candidate Demon Lord- Condition Met.

Condition to Clear- Kill the other Candidate Demon Lord while he holds your Black-series skill

Condition to Fail- Own death. Failing to kill opponent: Leidus in given amount of time (2 hrs)

Good Luck, Master]

Yep. That is truly the most fucked up thing I could ever imagine. To win, I had to let my strongest skill be stolen from me.

Judging from how Leidus killed the monster earlier, he has no fuckin idea of my skill's effect.

And, I think this trial might have been rigged in my favor. After all, poor Leidus could never even enter the trial. To do it, he should have let me absorb his skill, but, that would have killed him.

Seriously, what the hell is that Azathot thinking...

Before Leidus's attack connects, I use one of the spells I developed with John's guidance. Similiar to the spell I used to appear here, but with decreased range in favor of an almost instantaneous activation time.

>

I mutter, letting myself carried by momentum. My body disappears, reappearing behind one of Leidus's lackeys, the farthest one from my previous position.

Unable to sense my sudden presence, his throath his easily pierced and ripped by the small knife I am using.

As the man collapses on the ground, I stare towards Leidus.

He turns toward my direction, hearing the muffled gurgling that comes from his subordinate's slit throath.

I smile, ready for the next strike.