Hey guys, sorry, but no review answering this time. Instead, I come with some bad news. As of this chapter, Solomon Game is officially entering a Hiatus. For how long? I do not know. Reason? Simple. Over time, despite having planned most of the story, I have been finding myself at difficulty writing due to IRL things taking up time. Since both this story and Arc of Hell are a thing, I felt like I couldn't do it justice. That, and I think I am experiencing the signs of burnout. Yikes. Now, this Hiatus does not mean I am dropping this story - perish the thought! More like I am taking a break to recover. Even if I WAS dropping it, I would be putting the story up for Adoption, with some conditions:
-That the person who is adopting it contacts me so I can tell them what was planned, and so that I can listen to what they plan to change.
-To make it clear that if I find their changes to be unjust and...plain and simple blasphemy at my address (Like replacing Issei with their own, Sasuke Rip-off of an OC), then I will not hesitate to take back all perms regarding their adoption.
-And lastly, if they do something unforgivable, then, well, shit is hitting the fan.

Discord Link: /ZUgnSWnJdG

Another week of training ended, and on the seventh day of the second week, Rias once again gathered them all to dine and told them that they could take today off. Progress has once again been showing, especially with Kiba. For some time now, he has taken to training and practicing by himself, but Issei heard that he perfected his explosive swords. Yes, swords. Plural.

Whatever Kiba had developed, Issei was excited to find out. Additionally, and surprisingly, Akeno managed to develop a few new spells as well, deciding to focus on defense rather than offense. A wise decision, seeing as only rook pieces have increased defense, but that is mostly physical. Magically speaking, a rook lacks a bit. Next up, Shirone's progress is the most obvious of the entire group, seeing how she is now able to use traits easily, and how she picked up a few tricks from Kuroka.

It was good to see the sisters helping one another, truly. But lastly, Rias managed to perfect her new move. Well, almost. According to her, it was difficult to make the arrows quickly, meaning she had to pace herself, but she still brought a valuable piece of arsenal to the table. This was everyone from the Gremory Peerage, but Issei would be a lying fuck if he overlooked his own group.

Kuroka was not aiming to improve herself during this and focused on her sister, but Issei felt something and his eyes picked up something during his, Kuroka, and Ingvild's night of passion. Kuroka's muscles felt more…defined, in a way. It may be that training with her sister helped with her physical attributes a bit.

Ingvild's abilities with her gear and ability to control water also improved drastically. It won't be long now before she will truly reach the stage where she can call herself a true Ultimate Class being. Asia, for her part, told him before they gathered at the table that she developed quite an interesting ability: When she went to heal Raynare during the Fallen Angel's training, she noticed her gear activating from further away. It was a mere 3 meters, yet, it proved she could heal from afar, but did mention it was slower than being right at the wound. Training is needed.

And speaking of her, Raynare registered what are perhaps the biggest gains of his group! Predictably, seeing how she seems to be training the hardest out of everyone else. Her spears of light became more refined, and deadlier, and she became able to form them faster. He'd have to test her soon, to see just how she had gotten.

Overall, everyone was growing and coming along nicely. Issei had to admit, things were going smoother than he anticipated, and apart from that small hiccup with Riser the other day, things seemed to be pretty calm around here.

"What do you mean you can no longer spy on them even from afar?" Riser asked as he faced down a cloaked figure, the two standing inside a more secluded room of his mansion and home. The figure was female, quite visibly so, with a petite build but clear, toned muscles. She wore a skin-tight leather outfit coupled with belts and a mask over her lower face to hide her features. The only thing visible were her eyes and hair, both black.

"They have employed the tengu, Riser Phenex." She spoke, further explaining. "Before, I could still spy them from afar, but I barely avoided two tengu guards on my escape. I confirmed improvements in their techniques and magic, including a new technique using the Power of Destruction by the Ruin Princess. Everything is in my report."

"Did you confirm any new face?" The spy nodded.

"I spotted what appeared to be a Fallen Angel and a human girl, training. I asked around and learned that the Fallen's name is Raynare. A rogue who apparently committed treason against the Grigori." The spy continued. "The girl by her side, however, used to be a saint of the church but was excommunicated and branded a witch for using her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, to heal a devil. Her name is Asia Argento."

"Twilight Healing, you say…" Riser said slowly but shook his head. He had a full peerage already, meaning there was no longer any room to add this girl, even if her gear WAS valuable. "This is useless to me! They are either part of this magician's group of friends, or potential peerage members Rias is grooming before adding them to her ranks. What I want is the identity of this magician. Did you CONFIRM his identity?"

The spy shook her head. "No. I saw no other person there, nor heard any name. And now, with the protection of the Youkai, any future attempt to spy on them has become a suicide mission."

"Isn't there someone else in the Black Guild able to pull this job?"

"I am the best spy the Guild has to offer." She replied, once again reminding Riser just whom he hired. "However, not even I can trick the Youkai and their ability to sense others."

Riser inhaled deeply, trying to keep his temper in check. He then sat down on his sofa, leaning his head on his hand. "Fine. You will get your due payment, as promised, but answer me this: Can you do one last job?"

"Depending on the nature of this job." Riser snapped his fingers, calling forth another servant to come into the room, carrying a box.

"I want you to 'deliver' this to Rias' mansion, and hide them in her room." The box opened, revealing the sight of two bottles of holy water and one silver crucifix. The spy's eyes widened, as those items were more than enough to seriously harm even High-Class devils. "You see, the rumors of one of us attempting foul play work in my favor. If they find those items in Rias' possession, then the Rating Game will be called off, with me as the default winner. Your job is to sneak those into her room and leave them there. Surely, you can avoid the Youkai long enough to do this, correct?"

The spy gulped a bit. "Y-yes, that is indeed possible. If I observe the tengu from far enough so they do not detect me, I could find a hole in their defense, then sneak in."

Riser smirked. "Perfect. Take the box." The spy took the box, making sure it was locked tight so she doesn't come into contact with the contents. "Now, be on your way."

"Understood, Riser Phenex." And so, the spy exited the room with the box in her hands. But she was not about to do as told, oh no. Instead, after leaving the building, she made her way outside the Phenex territory and put the box down, reaching into her pocket. She pulled her mask down, then she began to speak. "Heka Ronove, reporting to Colonel Marakus Aim."

"Your report is being received, Heka. Proceed."

"Per the predictions made by our General, Riser Phenex is indeed attempting to cheat by framing Rias Gremory. The rumors and uncertainty of his opponent pushed him to a slight degree of paranoia, and is taking desperate measures to end the Rating Game before it begins."

"Ah, it certainly took him longer than originally anticipated. But time here is irrelevant. When he decides to act doesn't matter as much as how we will reply to this. Destroy the box and its contents."

"Sir, if I do this, my position within the Black Guild will come under question." She voiced her worries, but sure enough, Marakus had a reply.

"Your position was due to end soon, anyway. Consider this an early retirement from the Guild, Second Lieutenant Heka Ronove." The woman seemed to flinch a bit hearing her rank.

"Sir…I am just a Chief Warrant Officer 5th grade."

"Consider yourself promoted for your outstanding service, Heka. Your new rank will be officiated once you destroy that box and report back to the main HQ."

"Understood, Sir." Then she ended the communications, looking down at the box. She didn't have to think much in regards to how to get rid of it, as just outside the Phenex territory, there was a small ravine with a river flowing through it. Going close to it, she threw the box inside, watching it split open and the bottles smashing against the rock. At rest, the contents of that box could not be recovered.

With that done, she turned around, making her way to the HQ of the Snake of Adam. She smiled a bit. "Second Lieutanant Heka Ronove. Not bad sounding."

The third week was here, and everyone went into full gear, as Issei could clearly see. Everyone was working their ass off to get as many results as possible before Saturday evening when Rias revealed they'd leave for Kuoh, and then plan their strategy on Sunday. The Rating Game was somewhere next week. Rias received a message from her brother announcing they will delay it a bit to check some things over, but that didn't mean she had to change her original schedule.

Still, Issei felt uneasy. As the Rating Game drew closer and closer, he felt that he had to try harder and harder. His only real choice was going into his dungeon and activating the event again so he can gain more EXP and levels before they had to depart. Because he knows, oh, he knows, that his quest will end the moment the training trip was done.

He had to be prepared.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, inside one of the dungeons raided by Issei in Kuoh. Freed had to admit, this place was well-hidden, yet, the clear signs of destruction told him that Kokabiel was not kidding when he said the Red Dragon saw to this place's vacancy. Still, he was not here to sightsee.

Mittelt finally made herself useful and managed to track down the golem. Now, Freed was no fan of this thing, given how it fucked him up before, but Kokabiel, the big boss, had a point when he said this thing's power would be useful. Still, would it cause it to rust over if it chose a better place to hunker down?

"Why did I have to be the one stuck with this assignment?" Freed asked himself, putting his arms behind his head as he walked the hallway. "Surely, we have someone better to spare."

No reply was given as he arrived in the main room, looking around for any signs of his target. He clicked his tongue when he saw nothing there by the remains of a large, God-forsaken golem turned to scraps. "And now I leave!" He said, admitting that the target was not home. At least he had an excuse for Kokabiel, so he was safe!

Except, he wasn't. His instinct shouted at him to duck, and he did, just in time to avoid being blasted by some kind of energy ball. "Woah!" Turning around sharply, Freed spotted the golem, Errgo, standing on the other side of the room, cannon aimed at Freed.

"Intruder, detected! Identity: Freed. Status: Enemy."

"Woah there, I am not here to fight!" Freed shouted, throwing his weapons away."See? I am here to talk - negotiate! So put your cannon down!"

Errgo seemed to listen to the man and did as asked. Seeing Freed actually throw his weapons also helped, but it remained on guard. Stepping into the light, Freed also saw how Errgo got a few upgrades since they last saw one another. The golem's body was more defined, resembling actual armor and made of hard steel with various red lines of energy running through it. Its feet had no toes, and its knees looked especially reinforced.

Its right arm was equally armored, but the fingers ended in sharp tips, giving it a claw-like appearance and its left was similar, safe for the cannon mounted on top, connected at the back to its shoulder with three cables of some kind. Its head, too, had no eyes to speak of, but rather it had a blank, glass visor with one red dot in the center.

Someone got slick and is looking good.

"Negotiate?" The Golem asked, changing its speech pattern slightly. "What could you negotiate with me for?"

"What the - you can talk normally?" Freed asked, slightly surprised.

"Of course, I can!" Errgo's voice remained robotic, with traces of static hearable. "I was made with an intellect to match that of living beings, albeit with capabilities limited by my own hardware. Hardware which I had to upgrade since our last meeting, Freed."

"Well, I am not some tech nut to be able to understand you if you go into detail, so let's cut to the chase: As I said, I am here to negotiate some stuff with you, and you'd be a fool to say no." Freed began, watching Errgo lower his head as he spoke. "My boss, Kokabiel is his name, wishes to extend an invite to you. Take it as forgiveness for being part of the ruin of our plan to get-"

"Twilight Healing. I know. My scanners revealed the presence of that Gear as I approached the airport on that day." Errgo interjected. Freed, however, was curious now.

"You…Can tell what Gear someone has?"

"And temporarily disable their abilities." It puts its cannon up. "My creator used methods most unorthodox in my creation. He…Is a genius, plain and simple. He sees the best in both magic and technology and with his genius, created me…Then he threw me away." His hand clenched. "I was active, at the time. They called me too unpredictable - too dangerous to be used on the frontlines. And this cannon? A mere, imperfect prototype. Even my maker could not perfect the model, and even now, I suffer from those imperfections. But I not only survived having most of my body ruined, but I also came back. And now?" He spread his arms around. "I am better than ever."

"Sounds like quite the pappy you have there…" Freed remarked, then waited a second if the golem wanted to say more. "But back to my proposal?"

"If I join forces with your group - led by the Cadre, Kokabiel, can I be promised certain liberties and resources?" Errgo asked, making Freed slightly curious.

"Such as?"

"I wish not to be bound by your side." Errgo began. "When I wish to leave, I leave, no questions or arguments said. In addition, I want resources for my own betterment. I still-" His head jerked suddenly, earning a grunt from the golem as he smacked himself. He faced Freed again. "As you saw, I still need some work."

"We will see what we can offer. But mind answering a question?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you fixated on the Red Dragon Emperor?" Freed asked, but he never expected the answer he was about to receive.

"My programming is not to kill the Red Dragon Emperor alone, Freed. I am also to slay the White Dragon Emperor as well…" The red dot on Errgo's face suddenly vanished, and multiple lines of code flowed down his visor. "My programming dictates it so."

"Now, why would your pappy program you to take out two of the most dangerous mofos around?"

"That I wish to know as well." Errgo finished, his visor returning to normal. "Why curse me so? Why abandon me? I wish to find my maker again and get my answers one day. But until then, I am a slave to my own programming…I want the Red and White Dragons."

"W-well, that is a bit of a taller order, but we will get there. Especially since the Red Dragon stands directly in our way: You will have plenty of chances to get your revenge. Me and you both."

"Make no mistake, Freed." Errgo suddenly said as he walked to Freed, the golem towering over the man. "Only because I am agreeing with you and joining your group does not mean I am your ally. Stand in my way…" He leaned to Freed. "And die."

Freed's eyes widened as the golem spoke, making him remain still as Errgo walked past him.

"Show me to your base. I will iron out the details of this alliance with your boss." Freed gulped, then did as told, leading Errgo slowly back to the church. Still, this thing…now scared him. It was one thing to stare down devils and be able to ruin a building, but some machine? This was something else.

Errgo had no real emotions. He felt no remorse or hesitation when it came to killing. In a way, he was a sociopath, but Freed knew better. This was a MACHINE. He was made this way, and he could alter himself to become even colder from the looks of things. A human was easy - they were subject to fear and disgust, two things Freed was a master at making people feel.

But this thing? He knew such things won't work on it. It was not human, devil, angel, or fuck, even a dragon! It was something new…And it scared him. He will take solace in knowing it was on their side, at least for now, but he won't be sleeping easy tonight.

He just hopes Kokabiel knows what he is doing, investing time and limited resources into this thing.

"One…MORE!" Another sphere of deadly fire struck the dummy, and alas, Issei fell on his ass. "I am all tapped out, guys.."

"Then we can finish this here." Solomon declared, and sure enough, another 1386000 EXP was granted to Issei. He has been training in his dungeon again, trying to grind out more skills. He managed to get his new spell to level 5, which increased the chance to inflict the [Burn] status effect to 75%, but the damage remained the same. He also got more EXP all over, and he had to admit that leveling up skills and proficiencies becomes relatively easier during certain times.

He also got his [Parallel Mind] skill maxed out, but instead of growth, it stated it was pending evolution, which led Issei to believe the skill was not ready yet, or he lacked certain requirements for the next stage of it. He got many levels in all kinds of skills, but he had to focus on more important things.

Namely, how he was going to be dealing with Riser. His fire magic, arguably his strongest, was useless. He needed something new, he knew that well. And so, he had to take a choice: He was going to try to hunt for dungeons again, it was his only choice. The training gave him plenty of EXP, yes, but he couldn't rely on it solely.

That did mean his only bonuses of EXP would come from his skill and ring since he couldn't take those dungeons with him inside his OWN dungeon. That'd be stupid. Coming out of his dungeon, he looked around, seeing it was well into the evening. It was night even! He went into his dungeon after dinner, meaning that everyone was likely asleep right now. The perfect chance to sneak out and hunt for a dungeon.

He didn't bother showering, he will do that when he returns. Exiting the mansion, he welcomed the cold air that hit his skin, but at the same time, he was met with something else as well. The two guards were assigned by Mososhi to provide additional protection to the mansion. One of them approached him, likely to do his duty.

"Red Dragon, where to at this late hour?" The tengu asked him.

"I am going out for a stroll. Don't be alarmed, and know I will try to be back soon." He replied, the tengu giving him a nod before taking flight once again to protect the mansion from above. He then continued on his road, deploying his Scale Mail and flying above. The last time he searched the lands he didn't find anything. Well, almost anything. He hoped for a different outcome now, but honestly, he had to keep expectations low and plan for the alternative in case of anything.

As he flew, he took in the mountains at night. It was beautiful, truly, and being away from the city, he could see the stars clearly up in the sky. His flight was peaceful, with no being causing him grief. Well, maybe the occasional bird getting in his way, but it was still pretty nice.

Until he spotted something in the distance. "What the hell?" He muttered, approaching the anomaly. Before him was a large amount of mist, which was unusual. From above, it was obvious that the mist was focused around a certain area, passing through the mountains and by the trees, which was another oddity. He decided to get closer, and as he got close enough, a notification popped up.

[Mist of the Dokuhebi no ōjo]

[The recommended level for this dungeon is 30]

[Do you wish to enter this dungeon? Y/N]

"A dungeon!" Issei exclaimed, surprised he actually FOUND something.

"And what a strange one to that!" Solomon added. "A mist? How is a mist a dungeon?"

"The same way we have an entire dungeon hidden in some pocket dimension." To their slight surprise, it was Ddraig who unraveled the mystery first. "Something smells foul, though. And the level requirement is quite high."

"Well, whatever the risk, I bet the rewards are bound to be plentiful! Let's go!" And with that, recklessly, Issei pressed the 'Y', and soon after the mist enveloped him. He shielded his vision from it as he felt his body grow light as a feather for a second before the mist faded, and he unveiled his eyes.

And they widened, coming face to face with a sight entirely new. "Where…are we?" Issei asked slowly as he dismissed his Balance Breaker, looking around. He was within an entire large village, with several buildings and roads all over! However, the state of the buildings was less than ideal, with many being good only for demolition by what he could see.

Still, this was a more open dungeon than what he was used to. But he couldn't shake off the eerie feeling he got from this entire place. He deployed his Boosted Gear, ready to fight, and drew his sword. This entire place was creepy.

Above, in the sky, a sickly, brownish-yellow moon shone in the sky, and looking at a nearby fountain, he found the water red as blood. So far, no enemy showed itself. But then again, he still remained by the gates. Large, red, overgrown tori gates.

Slowly, Issei began walking around the village, going down the main path. Buildings flanked him on the left and the right and looking up, he saw the village ending on a hill's foot. Atop said hill was a small fort, made of brick and maintained.

"This is certainly some kind of pocket dimension. How we didn't see an entire village in that mist, there is no other explanation."

"Indeed, Ddraig, indeed. This is a very eerie place as well. It reeks of foul arts."

"Forbidden magic?" Issei asked, hearing Solomon's description of the place.

"Something of the likes, but also different. I am not familiar with the arts of the Japanese lands, my student. Or rather, I am not familiar with anything of the Asian continent." Solomon admitted, rubbing his beard.

However, as he hummed, Issei's [Danger Sense] triggered, alarming him of danger, yet, his [Aura Sense] found nothing around him. That was when he heard something. A cry, female, coming from one of the cottages. He kept his sword tightly held around his fist as he approached the hut, yanking off the rotten door to expose the interior, and see the form of a woman, curled in a corner with her back turned to him, crying.

"Hey, who are-"

"GGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH|" The woman shouted out, her voice so loud Issei was forced to cover his ears from the sound alone! Yet, his eyes widened and shook as the woman turned her face to him. The kimono she wore, bluish and full of holes, tied with a red sash, hid not her ashen-white skin, or worst, the empty eye sockets from which a black slime oozed out. Her mouth was open, full of canine-like teeth ready to dig into his flesh and oozing the same slime.

[Yomi Spirit]

[HP: 8000/8000]

[Level 10]

It was low-class, sure, but horrifying to even look at! As soon as Issei shook the shock off, his arm moved and he saw the monster's head separated from its body before it could pounce on him! That netted him a base amount of 3000 EXP, which after the bonuses, became 4950. Not a lot of EXP, all things considered, but still…

"What the fuck was that?!" Issei asked, being seriously spooked by that creature! But an answer was late, as his [Danger Sense] went off again, several times to that. Looking outside the house, he saw why. There were more of that thing, all coming out of the buildings. Men, women, fuck! Even children and toddlers - he was so getting nightmares later - all of them walking slowly or crawling in his direction.

The house made it difficult for him to fight, yet, he rushed out the door toward the crowd of horrors, jumping up using his [Power Jump] and swinging his sword to launch his slash-based attack. The blueish light saw no less than 5 of those freaks killed, getting him 24750 EXP in total. But there were more. Once he landed, he summoned forth 3 magical circles, launching his [Meteor Flare - Minor] through them multiple times at the creatures. They were slow, from what he could see, and pretty soon they were all dead on the ground, the village starting to burn as a result of his spell.

But it wasn't over. Hearing their grunts and having his skill keep alarming him, he turned to the other roads, leading to the streets of the village, to see more of those creatures coming out. [Aura Sense] couldn't pick up on their presence, but [Danger Sense] worked just perfectly. He was effectively getting surrounded, so he summoned his magical circles again. "Fuck this…Solomon, Ddraig! Let's see how much I can push my ultimate skill!" He declared, summoning all of his magical circles -7 in total!

Then, aiming them at the incoming horde, he began to fire. [Meteor Flare - Minor] tore through the monsters like a hot knife through butter, turning the village into a true inferno. Yet, after only 30 uses of his skill, something happened. He managed to kill at least a dozen more of those freaks, yet, now, above him, the clouds were gathering and it was actually starting to rain.

Congratulations! You are now level 36!

At least he gained a level, because whatever this rain was made him unable to use his fire magic anymore!

Since your CHA reached 100, your [Decent Conversation] evolved into [Extroverted Nature].

Attention! All of your current stats have reached their cap, meaning that from now on, all gains will be stored as stat points until you break your limit!

He will check those later, right now he has to fight for his life! There were still more of those freaks, and he was out of his strongest magic! "There is something foul in this rain!" Solomon stated, having observed the issue. "There is magic in it preventing our use of fire magic! Try another one of your magics, my student, swiftly!"

Summoning forth all of his magical circles again, Issei launched forth his [Water Whip] spell, watching them strick the monsters and either bury them into the ground or send them crashing into the still-burning buildings, which to be honest, were slowly getting put out by the rain. This spell was great at mid and close-range, yet, as the monster kept coming, Issei was starting to believe there was an infinite amount of them!

He even began to throw out [Dragon Grenade], to try and thin out their numbers! But as one grenade exploded, the head of one of the monsters was launched at him, and to his horror, it not only landed right on him, but it was STILL ALIVE. It bit into his shoulder, causing Issei to shout in pain before he yanked it off, and stomped on it. However, not long after, his vision began to grow blurry.

Checking his status, he found himself poisoned. [Severe Poison] to be exact, reducing his ACC by 10%, and STR and AGI by 15%. It wasn't a nice one, but luckily, he had his [Ailment Remove] skill, which went off as soon as the poison took the first bite, removing it. He had to be thankful for this automatic activation.

But right now? He seriously wished for some stronger shit. His skills were doing the work, don't get him wrong, at least 34 more of those freaks fell so far, and he began to use his [Wyvern Shot] to keep thinning them out, but GOOD LORD ABOVE, HOW MANY WERE THERE?!

"Partner, this is NOT working!" Even Ddraig was not liking their chances. "We need to get the high ground, NOW!"

"If we deploy our Balance Breaker now, Ddraig, odds are we might run low on Stamina and get overwhelmed sooner than later." Solomon reasoned, then Issei got the winning idea.

"The rooftops!" He shouted, then used his [Power Jump] to escape the horde below. Looking down, the freaks below shifted in his direction, but his idea was holding. They were unable to climb up to him, and even if they did, he could snipe them back down. "Where are they coming from even? It's like there is an endless amount of them."

"Maybe because there is." Ddraig noted, getting Issei's and Solomon's attention. "Remember in minecraft, how dungeons had those spawners in them? What if we are dealing with something similar here?"

"It is very possible. It would explain their numbers." Solomon added, supporting Ddraig's idea. "And we know said spawners are not always the same. Odds are they are slightly hidden, or rather, hidden in plain sight."

"Those spirits came from all over the village, how are we supposed to find those spawners?" Issei asked, yet, surely enough, he noticed something in the distance. "Wait, no, never mind guys. I think I saw one."

It was quite a distance away, but he saw more of those things pop up from what appeared to be thin air. Yet, there was one thing there that caught his eye. An old, silver bell. "That must be the spawner!" Solomon said. "Issei, go get it!"

"No need to tell me twice!" Using his [Power Jump] he leaped from roof to roof, going toward the bell. The spirits below began to follow him, yet he was more than fast enough to outrun them, especially as he took the high ground. Once he got close to it, he jumped off the roof and pulled his fist back.

One [Dragon Fist] later, the bell shattered on the ground, letting one final chime through the village. To Issei's surprise, pleasantly, this time, the spirits that seemed to have come from it grabbed their heads in agony and screeched before they turned to sludge on the ground, likely returning to wherever they came from. He didn't get EXP for each spirit, but rather, got 100K EXP from the bell itself. After his bonuses were done with it, the amount became 165000.

But there were still more spirits on the street, and still, way too many for him to just fight off if things dragged on. So he leaped to the roofs again, searching for more of those bells that spawned spirits to destroy. Sure enough, he saw another one after running around for a bit, on the other end of the village. Getting there was just as easy as before, and dropping down again on it, the bell was shattered.

The spirits once again fell to the ground, turning to sludge, and this time, it seemed like there were no more. "That was…horrifying." He admitted, rubbing his template. He didn't even know if this was the first floor, room, or who knows what of this dungeon! However, he got no time to rest, as his skill went off again. "What now…"

Turning a corner to the building in front of Issei, another creature came into view. And Issei's eyes turned to plates in terms of size as he saw it - easily the ugliest thing he saw so far! Dōnotsura, a Youkai, stood before him, but this was no reasonable one like the Tengu. "Intruder…You die here!" The being before him had no head to speak of, and measured 2 M in height easily! It wore a blue tunic on its lower half, and it had its eyes on its pectorals and mouth on its stomach. Ugly creature.

[Dōnotsura]

[HP: 20000/20000]

[Level 25]

And borderline Mid-Class too! But not enough. Drawing his sword quickly, Issei first dodged the monster's initial charge before he swung his sword back, slashing the monster over his back. "Gah!"It screamed in pain, but then it turned around, attempting to grab Issei, but the boy summoned forth his shadow magic, multiple tendrils coming out from the shadows of the buildings and grabbing the monster's arms, pulling them strongly.

This was not a boss, though, likely just another inhabitant of this realm. It was smart, however - yet, he dared not think WHERE its brain was - and could talk, so he decided to try to get information from him. The name of the dungeon did translate to 'Princess of Vipers', so maybe this creature knew more. "Alright, buddy, tell me everything. What is this place and what is going on?"

The creature, however, didn't seem to be willing to talk, struggling against his tendrils instead.

"Just talk alread-"

"Go to Yomi, intruder!" The creature spat, and Issei began to realize this being was not going to talk. "I serve the Princess of Vipers, and no one else! If I am to die for her sake, then so be it!"

"My, this one has some impressive loyalty."

"And he can die with it."

Solomon and Ddraig's words were true, so Issei had no other choice but to focus on his tendrils more. "It didn't have to be this way." He said, just as the Youkai began to feel the pull increase.

"Do it."

The Youkai began screaming as the tendrils pulled, and eventually, instead of one arm coming off, it split down the middle, entrails falling on the ground as blood pooled and - so THAT is where the brain was!

"We…We should move…" Issei said, averting his eyes from the grizzly sight before him. That creature gave him 230K EXP, which after the bonuses, became 379500. Still, he took his distance, the further away he got from that the better.

But it confirms something. This place was under the rule of whoever this Princess of Vipers was. Since the recommended level was 30, and he's yet to see anything to warrant that recommendation aside from the high number of enemies, he came to believe the real enemies were inside the small castle atop the hill.

The village grew quiet now, and as the rain fell, he began to head up the path and to the opposite gate, opening it to reveal the path to the castle. But the hill was equally horrifying, as there were multiple wooden stakes raised…with skeletons on them. "Just what happened here?" Issei asked, looking around.

Those reminded him of the stuff he read about the killing of missionaries in Japan, but it was different as well. Those people were left to die on those stakes, tied up on them, and let to starve or eaten by the crows or who knows what. Still, he had to keep going.

This was shaping up to be a linear dungeon, where you go straight toward the boss whilst fighting enemies with no breaks to be had. Enemies appeared in your path randomly, never to know when or where - his [Danger Sense] went off again, and he stopped in his tracks. One by one, he saw and heard the skeletons drop from the stakes, and then rise again, their jaws hanging freely.

[Vengeful Undead]

[HP: 12000/12000]

[Level 13]

They were slightly stronger than the spirits, true, but still too weak to pose a threat, and more importantly, there seemed to be no spawners where they came from. This meant he had a free right to attack them, so he summoned his magical circles again…Only to get no magic at all.

"Fucking hell!" He dodged as one of the skeletons leaped at him, falling down in the mud below. It tried to get up, but one swift [Power Kick] saw its head flying away, taking it out. Those guys gave a value of 4000, which after the bonuses, became 6600.

Not bad. Still, though. No magic. Bad. Getting his sword out, he began to swing it around and strike the skeletons left and right to take them out. Luckily, there weren't a lot of them, only around 21. They were unable to do things like swarm him, and even then, he did not even use his Gear yet!

This journey was shaping up to be a breeze. However, his skill went off again, with the gut feeling he was about to be struck, so he used [Power Jump] to dodge by going up. However, that didn't work. A mass of dark smoke flew right at him, and literally PUNCHED him in the gut, sending him on the ground. "Gah! What the-" Then he had to dodge as the smoke was coming around again to strike him in the face.

Rolling away, he stood up again, full of mud. He stood against it, then watched as the smoke rose, and slowly, a male humanoid shape was formed by it. "Intruder…" Its voice was like a whisper, spoke with little air. But his skill told him just what he was facing.

[Enenra]

[HP: 14000/14000]

[Level 31]

Another Youkai, this time one he knew little of, but mostly heard of. Its body was made of smoke, meaning he had nothing to physically strike, and with this rain locking his magic away somehow, he was left with only one choice. Putting his sword away, he focused on some of his Ki. The Enenra, seeing this, narrowed its eyes and sneered before it charged right at Issei, but the boy was ready.

He clapped his hands, and from the tip of them, a tornado formed. The Youkai screamed as the wind caught it, twirling it around, but then Issei threw it, letting the tornado go freely. This resulted in the birth of a new skill, but he'll check it later. Yet, as the tornado kept spinning, the Youkai caught within was clearly not expecting this.

Soon enough, as the tornado dispersed, the youkai's smokey body fell to the ground. "Ahhhh…What…Was…That?" It looked up at Issei, just as the Red Dragon stepped above it. He aimed his hand at it again, intending to use his [Air Bullet] to finish it. "Mercy!" It begged, but Issei didn't listen. He let the projectile loose and watched the smoke spread all over the ground.

This being got him 190K EXP, which after the bonuses became 313500.

With that out of the way as well, he continued onward to the castle. This dungeon was really starting to get on his nerves. What were those Youkai doing here? And how come those spirits and undead were here too?! This was more than just the system at work, and if he stayed to think on it, it always used what must have always been there.

So how come there was such a place, and no one did anything?