Another day, another challenge and quest. Quite literally, the next after their little family dinner, Issei woke up to a new quest to his tab.


Mister Magician.

Objective: You had to put your money on magic, didn't you? Regardless, your objective this time is to learn more magic! In total, you need three different types of magic, your fire magic included already, so two more to go! HOWEVER, as an additional challenge, you also need a total of 3 spells for each type!

Quest Time Limit: N/A

Reward: 10 MGI Stat points, 1 [Rare] Random piece of equipment, 10K EXP.

Failure Penalty: Possible Death, like always, however, if you fail to become the Magician of Rias Gremory, meaning that you went and tried WITHOUT completing this Quest, then you will also automatically fail the Beat the Fire Chicken quest.


He has a strange feeling the system might be in a sour mood today for some reason, and he doesn't know why. Regardless of possible sentient wacky systems, he had work to do for this. He put himself to thinking and decided to try the last dungeon in the shopping district since he got his Fire Magic from the other one as well. With some luck he should be able to locate another Skill Book or two with necessary magics, then all he needs to do is put his mind to work in order to create new spells.

With that goal in mind, Issei and Kuroka decided to go once again at night, in case this was a nest full of Stray devils as well. Doing this will ensure that the majority of the Strays will be out hunting, leaving only a small number of them like before. That is, of course, a safety measure to ensure they didn't get overrun. It seemed that the system took some kind of precautions against Kuroka, almost like some way to balance things out.

Damn it, this system.

Regardless, they went to the location specified on the map, arriving to find, surprisingly, not an alley or, thankfully, a sewer again. Instead, they stumbled upon something else which really stuck out to them.

"Is this the place?" Kuroka asked as they stood in front of the location, a skeptical look on her face. "It sure is…Unique."

"And a place no man should have to step into out of their own will." Issei said in continuation as they stood before what looked to be a lingerie store. Closed for the evening/night, but regardless of that, Kuroka checked the map again, then looked around the place.

"The mark is right on the building, and it has no alleyways. It shares the walls with the other two stores next to it." She said, realization dawning on them. "Looks like we need to do some good old breaking and entering."

"I would normally advise against doing anything illegal, but seeing as we have little choice…" Solomon said, voicing his opinion.

"I swear, whoever builds a secret lair inside a lingerie store must either have a fetish or the store was built afterward." Ddraig said, which made a lot of sense when you think about it that way, but that was unimportant. They needed to get inside the building, and most likely find the basement, if any, to see if there was anything there.

"Here." Kuroka said, going close to the cover and lifting it before going to the door and hovering her hand over it, using her magic to unlock the door. Issei did arch an eyebrow at that, but he figured magic could be pretty versatile all things considered. There is a spell for everything, isn't there? Issei gulped, then he walked inside together with Kuroka, making sure to lock up the store again behind them. No one could see within now, and that allowed them a good amount of freedom.

He went behind the register, finding the silent alarm and deciding to turn it off. It was likely not triggered, since they didn't force the door or anything, but better safe than sorry. After that, he nodded to Kuroka, who understood the message. She was to stay there while he searched the basement, which, luckily, existed. The door was in the back, and thankfully, his [Night Vision] proved very useful again.

Once there, he began to look around, but he didn't need to look hard as he located the dungeon. Somewhat. There was a drain on the floor, but he knew for a given fact there was no sewer to it. Besides, what could a lingerie store be using one at? He crouched down at it, running his hand over it and, safe to say, he got the notification.


Alert! You are about to enter the Dungeon: Abandoned Base. The Recommended Level for this Dungeon is 15. Do you wish to enter?

The Level cap for this Dungeon is 60. Individuals above this level cannot enter.


Once again, he pressed 'Y' and the drain popped right off, allowing him access underground. He noticed how there seemed to be a ladder hidden by a bit of magic which faded once he took the drain off, so without delay, he jumped in, climbing down the ladder into the dungeon. Once again, he had little idea of what was waiting for him, but he knew for a fact things would be…What is that smell?

"Issei, hold your breath! The air is poisoned!" Solomon warned him, and he listened, trying not to inhale as he reached the bottom. There was a narrow hallway leading to a door, but his [Night Vision] allowed him to see a yellowish cloud in the air. So Kuroka could not use poison, but the dungeons can? This is bullshit!

Skill Acquired! [Poison Resistance - Minor]

At least the system was taking care of him. Still, checking his status, Issei found himself under the Status Effect, [Minor Poison], which, thanks to his Skill lessening the loss, currently took 1.5% of his HP per minute. His ACC was still reduced by 5%, which was not good if he needed to fight at long distances. He needed to hurry, and with that in mind, he advanced through the Nothing. Looking around more, he noticed how there seemed to be no signs of life in this place, as the room he was in was not that large, and had two doors on the right and one on the left.

The fact there were no enemies in this place made him nervous. Usually, in a game, when a dungeon had lots of enemies, they were all low-level which depended on high numbers, and when there were only a few they were usually high-level. But now? He saw NO ENEMY IN SIGHT. He expected some really nasty things out of this dungeon, like traps or who knows what kind of screwy shit?

Walking to the side, towards one of the rooms on the right, he opened the door and went inside, seeing that it extended further down, but what got his attention, or rather Solomon's attention, were all the glass tubes and hoses here. "Interesting…It seems to be an abandoned alchemical lab." The wise king remarked.

Skill Level-up! [Poison Resistance - Minor] is now level 2!

At least that was increasing. "Alchemy?" Issei asked, finding the word odd. "Isn't that just magical chemistry?"

"In simple terms, yes, but it has far more uses than that." Solomon said. "But here, it seems they were mixing various potions and making a rich selection of them too judging by the amount of equipment. Or rather, what is left of it."

"It explains the poisonous air." Ddraig said. "If we compare this place to the others, then it was abandoned and documents were destroyed, but they might have gone a step further."

"Possibly, but it could have been an accident too." Solomon remarked. However, Issei continued to look around, mainly at the shelves. The place was a wreck, and he dared not touch the substances that were around. Who knows what could burn right through his hand? Instead, he kept caution, and it was rewarded when he noticed a few bottles on the shelves. [Observe] revealed them to be HP and Mana potions, like the ones he already had, so he took them and added them to his inventory. That one more HP and 2 more Mana potions added to his collection.

There was nothing more in this room, so he went to the one next to it, entering it to find similar results. However, he did find something interesting: A journal, damaged, but some pages were still readable. The dates set things back at least 5 years.

"The production of healing and recovery potions is going smoothly, and we recently received the new equipment as well. We got orders from high command to begin research and development of new possible enhancing potions and weapons for our troops at-" the rest of the page was covered in mold.

"We recently got word from our comrades out at the red light district. Lucky bastards, getting to bang human whores all day long." This page was more or less this person whining about the luck of the others, so Issei skipped it since it had no interesting bits of info.

"I had to clean the testing chamber today." This was interesting. "The place was a mess, bones everywhere, and not a single speck of flesh left! Apparently, the experiment was a success in creating a substance that quite literally melts through your enemies…Gross. But I am not here to whine."

Ok, that was disturbing actually. The next page was the last as well since the journal's damage was too severe. "We got the order to abandon the base today…The arrival of those two really threw a wrench in our plans, I admit. The commander of this base ordered us to leave as soon as possible, but the number of substances and equipment here would require too much time and attract too much attention to move now. Instead, we got orders to destroy everything so it becomes unusable and make it so nothing can be recovered from here. We tried to argue to the commander that it was a foolish move, considering the variables and dangers included, but they didn't wish to hear anyone out and threatened to have us sanctioned for insubordination."

He flipped the page. "Everything is destroyed, but-" A line, almost like the writer's hand, moved suddenly. "We warned him…Some substances mixed and caused a poisonous cloud that flooded the entire base. It is heavier than air, so it won't go up to the surface, which is good, but we are all trying to run now. I hear screams…Something has escaped, and I know what…To whoever finds this, friend or foe alike, I cannot allow that thing to get out. It is flawed, the Puppet Master warned us to be careful, but with this chaos, things got out of hand. I hid a vial in this room…Kill it."

Issei gulped reading that. This Puppet Master was the one making the golems if he was not mistaken, and apparently, he or she had connections to this place. "There is something else here…" Solomon said, now wary of whatever could be here. "They must have created a monster using alchemy, but in the chaos lost control of it."

"That is possible?" Issei asked.

"Yes, but only masters of alchemy can do it." Solomon continued. "Those people were no amateurs, but judging from this journal, things got chaotic and slipped."

"Fools…They tried to fancy themselves gods, and now look at them. Ruin took their research."

Issei looked around, opening the drawer of the desk the journal was on and finding a bluish substance inside the drawer.

[Substance: X8P - 33]

It said nothing else, not even a bit of extra information. But if he were to combine this with the info from the journal, then he needs it for whatever is within the dungeon. Storing it in his inventory for now, he continued to the other room, opening it up and noticing how it was a hallway leading further in.

Skill Level-up! [Poison Resistance - Minor] is now level 3!

And get out of here as soon as possible, because his HP was not infinite and this skill was already level 3! Issei walked around, eventually finding what looked to be the mentioned testing room. There was a set of stairs going down into the room, as upstairs there was a large window used for observation. He opened the door and went inside the actual room, looking around.

Skill Level-up! [Night Vision] is now level 8!

So far, this dungeon was relatively easy, which made him nervous. Granted, this looked to be the only other location in this entire place, so why was there absolutely nothing here as well? The journal he found made it feel like there was, then there was the substance he had…Did he get tricked or something? He was about to head back and look for other things when he felt something drop on his shoulder. He checked, finding a slimy substance on it. He froze, realization hitting him, which made him look up to see just what dropped it.

Or rather, to see that the creature was both his worst nightmare and greatest dream. The entire ceiling was covered in a moving mass of silver-blue slime, which then all seemed to come towards him. He used [Power Jump] to dodge out of the way, but that allowed the monster to gather itself. Now, once, Kuroka told him about familiars, something she, even if a devil, lacked. Something he, after playing certain games, DESIRED, and he wanted a SPECIFIC familiar as well! A slime! Why? Because they have an ability he finds most useful.

The ability to dissolve clothing! He simply imagined one of those exposing the bodies of beautiful women to him. But, as always, Solomon ruined his dream when he said slimes didn't stop at the clothing…

Never in his life did his hard-on die so fast.

Still, the being before him was a slime, albeit bigger than expected. It was roughly the same size as him, with a mass that kept moving about. He used his [Observe], and the details shocked him.

BOSS

[Artificially Created Slime]

[Level 20 D]

[HP: 10000]
[S.E: Slimy-Body]

This was a fairly weak boss…In all honesty, Issei believed he could one-shot this one. "Well, better finish this swiftly." He muttered to himself and brought out his Boosted Gear, deciding to end the slime using his melee. He got closer to it and tried to use [Power Punch] to splatter the slime all over the walls. However, although the punch did connect, something happened…It went inside the slime. "Ugh, this is- Wait…Ouch, ouch, ouch! OUCH!" He used [Power Jump] to get away from the slime, looking at his arm. The part not covered by his gear had some kind of chemical burn as if he dipped it in acid.

What's the worst? The slime took absolutely no damage! None, even one bit! He figured it has something to do with the Status Effect on it, but he pretty much figured out this boss' trick. Physical attacks are likely useless in damaging it. But what about magic or some other kind of attack? "Eat this!" Shouting, Issei fired his [Wyvern Shot] at the slime, watching it splatter all over the room. "BULLSEYE!"

But his celebration was short-lived as the slime quite literally simply gathered itself back together again. And again, he dealt no damage to it. "What the fuck-" However, this time, he angered it. Multiple tendrils shot out from the slime at him, and Issei, still feeling the sting on his arm, knew what it was trying to do. It was trying to melt him…Now that he thinks about it, this slime matched the information from the journal he found about something that melts through your enemies.

If this slime is the cause or an accidental result of the destruction that ensued, then Issei really needs to keep his distance from it at all costs. As such, he used [Power Jump] again to go right through the door, albeit roughly, and then ran out of the testing room. The slime gave chase, and they eventually reached the main room, where he managed to flip and hide behind a table. However, it proved useless as the tendril cut right through it, making Issei stumble back.

Ok, so, this thing took no damage from any sort of attack he threw at it, and if it caught him he was going to automatically die from the corrosion ability it seemed to possess. Wait a minute…The substance! Reaching into his inventory as quickly as he could, Issei pulled out the vial. The journal mentioned something about how this could kill the slime. "Please work…" He was not going to die here to slime!

He got out of his hiding place, facing the slime with the vial in hand. Then, with all his might, he threw it at the Boss, watching it get stuck into its body and absorbed within, where it swiftly dissolved. However, nothing happened…

"Fuck…" But then something did happen. The slime began to move erratically, and patches of its body were drying up and becoming more solid. He used his [Observe] on it to see what was happening to it.

BOSS

[Artificially Created Slime]

[Level 20 D]

[HP: 9000]
[S.E: Slimy-Body; Petrification]

DAMN! The information he was getting was something! Apparently, whatever that substance was, it was killing the slime. Its body was drying up, turning to stone, which was taking 10% of its HP per minute. This was likely one of the trickiest and easiest bosses he ever faced, though, not really a challenge. If he was lower level, then sure, this place would be challenging.

Skill Level-up! [Poison Resistance - Minor] is now level 4!

Right, this entire place was full of poisoned air. With the slime growing solid, Issei reckoned he could harm it now, so he fired a [Wyvern Shot] at it, which took a large chunk of its health away. The slime tried to put itself back together again, but the substance did not allow it. It took a few more strikes, but eventually, the slime collapsed in a puddle on the ground.

Quest updated!


CONQUER THEM ALL!

Main Objective: Clear all the dungeons market on the map you recovered! Progress: 2/5

Quest Time Limit: N/A

Main Objective Reward: 10K EXP, ?, 2 Skill Books(?), Access to the Shop.

Failure Penalty: Death.


That was another one down, which was good progress. However, Issei couldn't help but go to the deceased slime. "I am sorry it had to be this way…Had it been different, you and I would have had a lot of sexy adventures." After a silent prayer to the fallen boss, his rewards were offered to him.

Congratulations on defeating the boss and clearing the dungeon! Here are your rewards:

-5000 EXP
-1 Skill Book (Water Magic)

-10K Yen

The rewards were not that high, but then again, this dungeon was not that difficult overall. It was more of a trick than anything, where if you didn't have the right tools you cannot clear it. In this case, had he not stumbled upon that journal warning him and telling him about the substance, he might not be here right now. Still, that Skill Book was exactly what he was looking for, so he wasted no time pulling it out of his inventory. He consumed the book, getting some EXP to thanks to his [Bookworm] perk.

Now he had water magic added to his arsenal of spells, but he was going to check it out later…He was starting to feel dizzy. He went out of the dungeon, arriving outside where Kuroka waited for him. She noticed how he seemed a bit dazed, and he explained to her that the entire dungeon was full of poisoned gas, which got her worried. But she became calmer once she learned of his new-found resistance, although being in there for so long did a number on HP. They teleported back home to rest for the night, as seeing that this dungeon was fairly easy, they were going to assault another one right away!


The very next day, Issei and Kuroka wasted no time and headed to the next dungeon, which, after some talking, they decided was going to be the red district one. Issei really liked this one, due to its location, of course, as there was everything a guy could ever hope to find. And women, depending on who you ask. But, all in all, they had a duty to do, which Kuroka made sure to keep him focused on. And she did so very clearly, making sure to give him a glare every time his eyes wandered to some of the girls running around.

Right, focus.

According to the map, the dungeon is supposed to be around there somewhere, likely hidden like all the rest. And based on the journal he found? It was possible that it is not that well guarded, making it another possible easy dungeon. Maybe. Hopefully. While he and Kuroka looked around, Kuroka trying to sense around for the dungeon, they did eventually stumble upon something strange. Something Issei noticed right away.

"That should not be here." He muttered, Kuroka heard him and looked where he was facing, seeing a, and she had to admit it was a bit strange, small hotel. It barely had two floors. And why was it strange? "Hotels like these in the red light district are usually more open, due to the large amount of business in the area."

"And how do you know that?" Kuroka asked, curiously, but also with suspicion.

"Ummm. Documentation?" He replied nervously, but luckily, Kuroka took the answer, meaning he was off the hook for now. She knew he still had his V-card, plus, they were together most of the time, so there was no way he snuck away to such a place. She would have smelled another woman on him easily. "Anyway, this place is looking a bit abandoned, which barely makes sense considering the amount of possible business in the area. How do you go broke with a hotel in the red light district, right?"

"Makes sense…" Kuroka muttered slowly as the two approached the run-down building, stepping inside and looking around. At first, nothing seemed strange, until Issei spotted something that immediately got his attention on the floor. A wooden arm. One he recognized from the golems.

"Damn." He said, picking it up. "This is from the golems usually stored in those places."

"It is very likely a Stray has made his nest here already." Solomon said with worry in his voice. "This is very possibly another nest of Stray devils."

"Or not." Ddraig said. "Out of all places in Kuoh, the Red Light District has the lowest amount of crime, surprisingly. I doubt that'd be the case if there were Strays gathering in such a place."

"Ddraig has a point, something is very off." Issei said, then he looked at the floor, noticing the loose sections. "Here, Kuroka, help me with this." The two of them grabbed the opposite ends of the floor and lifted it, revealing a manhole going down. "Looks like we found the dungeon."


Alert! You are about to enter the Dungeon: Lair of the Stray Pimp. The Recommended Level for this Dungeon is 15. Do you wish to enter?

The Level cap for this Dungeon is 60. Individuals above this level cannot enter.


"Hold the fucking phone, a pimp?!" Issei said, reading the warning. "There is a pimp down here?! A Stray pimp?! Oh, God, now I am afraid of what I might find…"

"I thought you'd be more excited about meeting one." Kuroka said, clearly oblivious. "Isn't a pimp a person who knows how to hook you up with some women?"

"Those are not matchmakers, Kuroka, dear. A pimp refers to panderers, who sell women for coins. And nowadays, they usually use some very underhanded methods." Solomon said in disgust. "Let's hope that, no matter what we find down there, it won't affect us too much."

"Agreed."

And so, they descended inside with Kuroka keeping watch again. Once within, Issei noticed the hallway he was in and went towards the door, his Sacred Gear at the ready in case of anything. Taking a deep breath, he then opened the door to reveal another, larger room that resembled a bar very much, even having shelves with various drinks on display. Granted, most of the place was thrashed, and he didn't say this because it was likely abandoned like the rest.

No, he says this because of the many destroyed golems lying about the room.

"Whoever did this is no joke." Ddraig said, examining the scenery carefully. "Look at this, I can even see multiple concrete golems made into gravel around here."

"This is quite indeed an issue." Solomon added. "Issei, I advise you to walk carefully. We never know when those golems might come back to life."

With a nod of his head, Issei went into the room, looking about. However, most things were looted and there was little he could find. He did find, however, an HP potion at the bar, which went straight into his inventory. He went to the side, to the door on the left, and went inside, seeing a room with multiple beds inside. This place was likely the barracks for the soldiers. He looked around for anything of use, but he found nothing. It was cleaned pretty well.

He then checked another room on the left side, which seemed to be a kitchen of sorts. Looking around, the only things he found were rotten food and the normal set of utensils for cooking. Again, no journal. Moving to the right side of the base, he found a hallway with multiple rooms situated on either side. Entering one, he immediately took on the decor as being very similar to that of a love hotel he'd often see in his porn.

This is likely where the soldiers unwinded a bit. With some company.

Still, he made sure to search every room. He initially found nothing, that is, until he entered the last room and the odor of decay struck his nose. "Damn!" He swore, then looked inside only for his eyes to widen. There, in the middle of the room, on the bed, lay a corpse with its chest ripped open. It was male, and clearly, a stray that got very unlucky. Their guts and blood were all over the room, and he noticed they had some limbs cut out as well. But what stuck out the most were the bite marks on his bones…

"Madness!" Solomon shouted in absolute disgust. "Cannibals!"

"I agree with you, Solomon, this is madness! What kind of Stray eats their own kind?" Ddraig added, but Issei was more busy trying not to gag. Although he has seen a lot of nasty stuff lately, some things take time to get used to. Closing the door, he collapsed against it, taking a few moments to recover. "Are you alright, partner?" Ddraig asked him out of worry seeing his state.

"I just need a minute…Fuck, that was so fucked up." He muttered, rubbing his face to keep himself awake. He couldn't pass out now.

"Take it easy, Ise." Solomon told him. "Proceed at your own pace."

"Thanks, guys, for the worry, but I am fine." Issei said, getting up slowly. "I will be fine, at least, as soon as we are out of here and I drown my eyes in so much boobage that I see pink nipples for a week!"

"He is alright."

After Issei's reassuring statement, he proceeded to continue through the dungeon, coming across another door that led into a hallway and some stairs. Going down the stairs, he found himself in the spectator seats of some arena. "An arena?"

"This must have been a place for the soldiers to rest and have fun." Solomon remarked. "Women, drinks, and now, wrestling. Quite the paradise for unruly soldiers."

Issei descended into the arena, looking around for anything of interest, but then his attention was directed towards the gate as the sound of footsteps grabbed his attention. Then, before him, out came a sight to behold. A minotaur was before him, but what he found strange were the other Strays behind him. [Observe] revealed that all of them, five in number, were Bishops, and women and that the big one was the Boss of this place.

BOSS

[Minotaur Pimp]

[Level 25 D]

[HP: 50000]

[Reincarnated Stray Devil (1 Mutated Rook)]

"Fuck me sideways, a mutant piece." Issei cursed internally as he faced the great beast. "I take it you are the owner of this place?" He asked, hoping for a reaction to show that the minotaur before him had some sense of intelligence. And unfortunately, it did.

"Yeah, and you are a trespasser." It said back, grabbing its battleax. "No matter, I will simply eat you…" He sniffed the air, and true enough, he found something strange. "Wait a minute, you smell strange. Not fully human, but you are no Stray either." It was then that he looked at Issei's arm, noticing his Sacred Gear. "The Boosted Gear? A runt like you is the Red Dragon Emperor of this age?"

"So what if I am?" Issei asked, seeing the minotaur grow angrier. "I saw a body in the other room, eaten alive. Was that you?"

"It was. Honestly, all the other Strays think that eating humans makes us grow in power, as well as other beings, but none of them ever stopped to think about what would happen if we ate ourselves." The minotaur said, then he looked back at the Bishops around him. "And more." A dark chuckle escaped his lips as the other strays flinched, clearly scared.

"You are sick." Issei muttered, but the minotaur obviously heard him as it turned to him.

"And you are a weakling, a mere toothpick to flush my teeth after I finish." It said back, picking up his axe. "Claiming to have killed one of the heavenly dragons will surely attract me some more…prey, thinking they will serve me. Oh, they will serve me alright. THEY WILL SERVE AS MY MEAL!" The minotaur roared out as it swung its axe at Issei, aiming to strike him in one quick strike, but Issei was able to use [Power Jump] to evade the strike, going back. He had to use his Balance Breaker.

"Balance Breaker!" Issei shouted.

[SCALE MAIL!]

His armor materialized just as the minotaur struck once again, but using his wings in combination with [Power Jump] allowed Issei to dodge once again and gain the aerial advantage. Despite the ceiling limiting him, it was still pretty high up, and it enabled him to stay out of the minotaur's range. Or so he believed. The minotaur turned to the bishops.

"What are you standing there for?! Do your job!" It shouted, threatening them. Then, the Bishops stretched their hands, and magic circles appeared before them, creating some kind of links to the minotaur that connected to him and caused his body to glow. Issei was of course confused about this, but he didn't have time to process things properly as the minotaur leapt at him, surprising him as such a heavy creature should not be capable of such feats easily.

The minotaur swung its great axe down at Issei, who put up his arms to block using his armor. The strike rang true, dealing him heavy damage and causing him to go down into the ground. That felt strange, however, and before the minotaur could land on him he managed to roll away, using [Observe] once again, and widening his eyes seeing what was there.

BOSS

[Minotaur Pimp]

[Level 25 D]

[HP: 50000]

[Reincarnated Stray Devil (1 Mutated Rook)]

[S.E: Enhanced Strength type 1, Enhanced Agility type 1, Passive Healing type 1, Magic Resistance type 2, Rage Suppression]

Shit, he knows what this is now! The Bishops were using magic to make the boss stronger! This was going to be a rough fight, so Issei didn't hold himself back. He used his [Boost], doubling his stats 4 times to conserve Stamina. He charged at the minotaur and tried to deliver a strong right hook to it, but the creature blocked with their weapon. Seeing that his attack got blocked, Issei flapped his wings to get above the minotaur and summoned forth his fire magic.

However, this time, he was not going for a simple ball of flames, but rather, he tried to remember Solomon's advice. Despite not being able to teach Issei more about magic due to the System, he managed to teach him enough to help him in creating new spells. He summoned forth his magical circle and put his arm forth, summoning forth a constant stream of fire that eventually pushed back the Boss, dealing some heavy damage and inflicting the [Minor Burn] status effect.

Skill Acquired! [Fire Magic: Firestream] (Level 1| 100/400): A constant stream of fire, useful for crowd control against large numbers of enemies. 10 Mana to cast, and 2 Mana/minute to maintain.]

Despite the fire pushing the boss back, he had to remember the [Magic Resistance type 2] status effect. "Aha! Found it in the System's Archive!" Solomon said suddenly in Issei's mind. "It is an enhancement, making the one under it more resistant against magic and magic-based damage. Type 2 means they take…60% less damage from magic-based attacks. Oh dear, this is not good."

"No shit!" Issei cursed as the minotaur hit the ground with its axe, sending a powerful shockwave that Issei was barely able to dodge. However, the boss charged at him quickly yet again, and Issei saw them pull back their fist to punch him. Granted, Issei did notice this and put his guard up again, but he still ended up punched so hard he went through the door, nearly making the hallway collapsed. He gasped from the pain as he got up, checking his HP. He was not doing too well, seeing that his HP was almost down a quarter of its value in less than 3 hits.

He needed to think, and do so quickly. The minotaur was enhanced, and even those type 1 things seem to be making it pretty strong. Wait. The Bishops behind him, if he recalled, were threatened. He guessed it worked with the pimp part of this dungeon.

Since they were being forced into this, and quite obviously, they didn't like this one bit, maybe he could use that? But before that, he needed to show them that they could trust him to pull through, meaning he needed to start dealing damage to this guy! Taking one of his HP potions and drinking it down, he then charged back into the fight.

The minotaur tried to strike him with the axe as he flew low, but Issei used his [Power Jump], touching the ground briefly to enable it which allowed him to get past the strike of the axe and then plant a solid [Power Punch] into the stomach of the minotaur, followed by him trying to plant multiple before he was pushed away.

Skill Acquired! [Furious Fist] (Level 1| 100/400): A powerful combo attack that implies repeatedly striking your opponent in a focused area at fast intervals, dealing damage values that stack and increase overtime with each strike, adding 3% extra damage with every fist. 10 Stamina to activate, 5 stamina per strike. This Skill can be used together with [Power Punch]. Once the attack is interrupted, the Skill will enter a 10 Minute Cooldown. ]

Skill Level-up! [Martial Arts: Asura Style - Novice] is now level 2!

Skill Level-up! [Power Jump] is now level 3!

New skills and skills leveling up was always nice, but what he enjoyed the most was the skill he got. Stacking damage? Hell yeah! However, combining that with his [Power Punch] would make a huge Stamina drain, not to mention the fact he was in his Balance Breaker, which added more of a drain. After delivering around a dozen such punches, he gave one last punch that pushed the minotaur back into the wall, making him drop his axe onto the ground next to Issei. However, the boy wasted no time in popping 2 Stamina potions to keep himself in the fight, trying to ignore the taste.

The girls watching and enhancing the minotaur watched scared as the beast got up, but Issei took his chance. "Hey, you!" He said, talking to the bishops who looked to him. "Why are you even helping this beast?"

"W-we have no other choice!" One of them said, her voice shaky. "If we disobey, he will eat us!"

"What if he doesn't get the chance?" He said back, which made the bishops think for a bit before the minotaur shouted.

"Don't take his word for it!" He said, trying to keep his bishops in check. "That was only a fluke, it won't happen again! I will kill him, and then, I will eat him!" The violent way the minotaur talked seemed to make them afraid again. Issei needed to think of a way to get them to understand that he can help them, but he cannot do so while they were boosting the minotaur. He checked the boss again, finding his HP slowly going up again. A healing status effect, right, how could he forget. He did good damage as well, which was a shame. However, he couldn't let it get its weapon back, so Issei used his [Power Kick] and stomped on it.

The minotaur widened his eyes slightly as he saw the axe's head turn into pieces, but then Issei noticed how the veins on his head seemed to grow thicker, and even Solomon shouted at him. "Issei, that was a very bad move! When a minotaur gets angry, they become stronger!"

Go figure, this cow liked its axe. The minotaur roared out and got on all fours, charging at Issei with his horns forth, becoming even more dangerous than before as Issei noticed it becomes quicker. Using [Observe] again he noticed the [Rage Empowerment] status effect on the boss. And it gave it 100% more STR and a bonus to its overall damage, making him extremely dangerous. Issei was able to dodge the first few attempts to strike him, however, the beast did manage to grab him and slam him into the wall, dealing heavy damage and actually causing the iron armor he had equipped to break. In a panic, he got out his dagger, stabbing it into the arm of the minotaur which caused it to roar out and drop him, which allowed Issei to deliver a [Power Punch] in the form of an uppercut to push it back. The poison should add some help, however, when he used [Observe] he barely saw any trace of the poison status effects, seeing them flicker. The beast pulled the dagger out of its arm, then dropped it to the ground before stomping on it, destroying it.

Shit, it must have had something against poison. This was turning more and more into a battle of raw might, but Issei made sure to still use his magic, despite the boss' resistance to it, launching multiple [Fireball] attacks at him which struck various parts of its body, but not halting its advance.

Issei managed to catch the beast by its horns, however, preventing himself from being skewered, but he was in a tight situation. His [Boost] time limit was close to being done, which would leave him powerless against the boss' strength. He needed to push, and deliver one last desperate attack that would hopefully deal enough damage. And what's more, he needed to aim for a critical spot. The head was always a sure-go target, so that was his target. He first delivered a headbutt to the boss, making it stumble back as he was stunned by the strike, allowing Issei to charge up a [Dragon Shot], and release it quickly at the head of the boss, hearing the announcement for the critical hit.

The minotaur stumbled on its feet, its status effect fading. Additionally, Issei managed to get it to half of its health. The shock of the boss being injured so much seemed to have broken the focus of the bishops as well, as they stopped supplying the enhancements. "See? He is not invincible!" Issei shouted suddenly to get their attention. "I can take him! But please, aid me! Stop granting it power!"

"You-AH!" One of the bishops didn't get to finish as the minotaur kicked her with its hoove into the wall, making Issei turn to him again.

"You think you won?" It asked, clearly enraged, however, its power boost from earlier was gone. Another skill with a cooldown? Possibly. The asura had skills, so maybe the minotaur did as well. "What utter bullshit! You!" He turned to the bishops, showing his face. His left eye was gone, Issei's attack having dealt critical damage, but apparently, not enough to be fatal. "Heal me! Start enhancing me again!"

Its demands frightened the bishops, who nearly gave in, but, suddenly, they put their hands down.

Secret Objective complete!

"Huh?"

"No…"

"What?" The minotaur narrowed its remaining eye, stepping closer to them.

"We said no!" The bishops shouted together, putting their hands up and delivering a combined strike to the minotaur that saw it fly towards the other side of the room. They then turned to Issei. "Please, Red Dragon, defeat him! Kill him! Don't let him leave here alive!" The bishop begged Issei, who nodded and faced the minotaur again as it got up.

"You ungrateful sluts! I keep you around for your magic talents, and this is how I am repaid. I will enjoy devouring all of you-GAH!" The boss didn't get to finish its threats as Issei dashed right into its side, summoning forth his [Firestream] at close range and sending the boss once again onto the ground. It seemed that, without its support, the minotaur was quickly weakening.

BOSS

[Minotaur Pimp]

[Level 25 D]

[HP: 23700]

[Reincarnated Stray Devil (1 Mutated Rook)]

[S.E: Severe Burn (-20% HP/Min)]

And his fire was now putting in the work! However, the beast still fought back, but now it was slower, and Issei was able to dodge its attack and grab it by its thick neck, activating his [Scorching Touch] to damage him while trying to hold him down. His [Boost] was going to run out in less than 30 seconds! He might be able to apply another one, but his Stamina will be draining faster.

"GAHHH!" The minotaur shouted in pain as Issei used his magic to burn its throat, but as soon as the power bonus was gone, it was able to grab Issei by the arm as it noticed the pain grow weaker and throw the boy across the room. Luckily, the bishops already ran away, leaving only the two of them. Issei went out of his Balance Breaker to conserve his remaining Stamina, but the Boss only took labored breaths as it got up on its legs. "You damn, annoying, human…When will you just give up and die?!" It asked as it charged at Issei again, the boy entering a state of panic and rolling away to dodge. He tried to bring out his last Stamina potion, but as the minotaur attacked him again he smashed the bottle, resulting in the potion being lost.

Shit, this was not good. However, his partner was quick to think.

"Issei, the poison we found!" That's right! Reaching into his inventory, he pulled out the poison he found in that lab, and as the minotaur charged at him, letting out a strong battlecry, he threw the vial into its mouth, just as it crashed into Issei, and the boy shouted from the pain. He felt it…One of its horns pierced his body. "ISSESI!"

"NO!" Solomon shouted in worry, but then, suddenly, as the minotaur chuckled, it stopped and pulled back, releasing Issei and letting him collapse on the ground. The beast stumbled back, not able to stand on its legs well enough. Issei, despite being weakened and on the verge of passing out, used his [Observe] to check the status of the Boss.

BOSS

[Minotaur Pimp]

[Level 25 D]

[HP: 19800]

[Reincarnated Stray Devil (1 Mutated Rook)]

[S.E: Killer Poison ( 00:32 ) ]

Damn, the label was not kidding. The Boss fell on its knees, clutching its throat as it began to wheeze, unable to breathe. Tears ran down its face from lack of oxygen, and eventually, blood began to leak from its nose and eyes. It eventually collapsed, its body twitching a bit and vomiting out blood. Then, the timer reaches 0. And the boss died.

"Yes…" Issei said weakly, but he then spat out blood. The wound the minotaur inflicted was severe, and he was losing blood quickly. "Fuck, this sucks…"

"Issei, hold on! Once you level up, you will be fine!"

Congratulations on defeating the boss and clearing the dungeon! Here are your rewards:

-10000 EXP
-10K Yen

-2 STR points, 1 DUR point, 1 AGI point.

Congratulations! You leveled up to level 16!

"See? Everything will be fine, partner, just hold-"

Note: Since you have passed level 15, the system will no longer heal and rejuvenate your Mana and Stamina after each level-up. Have a good day.

"FUCKING SYSTEM, OF ALL TIMES YOU HAVE TO FUCK WITH US IT HAD TO BE NOW!" Ddraig said in an outburst, all the while Issei remained in pain.

"Issei, hold on tight! I am sure Kuroka will be here any moment now to heal you! Please, you need to stay awake! Issei! ISSEI!" But it was too late. With his HP constantly dropping, Issei lost consciousness and blackness overtook him. However, not long after, he felt warmth around his wound, and the pain lessened.

"He lost a lot of blood…"

"Do you think this will be enough?"

"It should suffice until he can find help somewhere else, or get out of here or something."

Opening his eyes, Issei was met with the sight of his dreams. Five women were leaning over him, but this was no dream as he soon realized. They were the Bishops that the minotaur was forcing to aid him by enhancing him. And as he was seeing from his stats, and from the light emanating from his wound, they were healing him as well. "Ugh…"

"He is awake!" The one who was healing him said, retreating her hands. The wound was mostly gone, replaced by slightly pinkish scar tissue. "Sorry I cannot do more. My healing is not the best…"

"It's…ok." Issei said as he tried to get himself into a sitting position. "You five, why did you-"

"Help you? Return? Well, we were about to leave, but then we heard him scream." She pointed at his Boosted Gear. "The Red Dragon himself, Ddraig, yelled out so loudly we heard him and figured something was wrong. Go figure, when we arrived, the bastard was dead and you were close to it."

"Thanks for saving me." Issei said, then one of them helped him get up. "I feel like crap."

"Here. We will take you to the main office of the place. The minotaur had it turned into his room, but we managed to find some interesting things in there." One of them said, and true indeed, they managed to lead Issei through a secret corridor in the arena, which led to an office that had a room connected to it with no walls to separate them.

They helped Issei onto a chair, and the one with the healing applied her magic again on his wound to help him recover more HP, which was currently around a quarter of its full value. He still had 2 HP potions, but better not look the gift horse in the mouth right now. "Here." One of them came up to him, putting two books in front of him. "We found those the very first day we arrived. One of them is a journal, and the other seems to be a spell book of sorts. However, for some reason, we could not open it."

Of course, they couldn't…Issei's [Observe] told him the reason why. This was a Skill Book. Namely, one for healing magic. While he does admit it could be useful, better not to use it right now in front of them and make them ask questions. "Also, here. I found this near the douche." She dropped something on his hand, and looking at it, Issei noticed at once what it was. But still, he checked it. It was the mutant piece of the minotaur. "We have no use for it, so you can keep it as some trophy."

"Thanks." He replied, holding the items close. Maybe this was what that Secret Objective was all about. If he didn't help them, they might have not come back and instead abandoned him to die. In addition, he would have not found this room. Damn it, it was shaping up to be that kind of decision-based gaming experience. Well, not that he had anything against them, but a Sandbox experience was pleasant too.

For figuring out how Secret Objective works, you have been awarded 1 INT.

Since your INT has reached 50, your [Normal Magic Affinity] has become [Above-Average Magic Affinity]

At least that was nice, considering the system's douche move. "Anyway, we are going to leave as soon as you can walk and get out on your own." One of the bishops said. "We are SICK of this place, and want nothing else to do with it."

"Well, in that case, allow me to make your day and say we can leave right away." Issei said, which seemed to please them. Now, despite wanting to check the office himself, he believed that the fact they already searched it proved there was nothing else there aside from those two books, meaning that right now he was to once again face Kuroka's scolding for not being careful.

There was no way she was not going to notice his shirt having a horn-sized hole in it, even if he used that cleaning skill.


And as predicted, she did scold him long and well about it. He lost his armor, weapon, and nearly his life! He got lucky here, but Kuroka didn't want to be forced to pray - metaphorically speaking - for him to return safely after each dungeon. Despite losing some RP points, Issei could understand her worry. He nearly kicked the bucket a couple of times, and the fact she could not be there to make sure he remained healthy and safe must have frustrated her.

He apologized again to her, but he couldn't promise it won't happen again…Mainly because they still had two dungeons to take on, but she was sure to make it clear she wanted him to prepare more for the next one. They still had a good amount of time until Kuoh began, so she pretty much told him to try and level up his skills. And Ddraig and Solomon, who were also spooked by the entire thing, backed her up.

He had to admit, they had a point all things considered. If he increased the power of his skills, he would have a larger arsenal he could use. With the minotaur, he didn't go all out due to the presence of the bishops as collateral, but there was also that quest that made him learn more magic. Speaking of, he used up the Skill Book, earning him some good old healing magic. That, at least, seemed to make Kuroka happy to know he had something like that now.

But he was not that happy…

[Healing Magic -Novice] (Level 1| 000/400): The magic that mends the body, and in some cases, the mind as well. Very useful and rare, not being an easy one to usually master.

And it even came with his first healing spell.

[First Heal] (Level 1| 000/400): A rather weak, starter spell that all novice magicians learn. This spell heals you for 100 HP at a cost of 50 Mana, with a cooldown of 5 seconds.

This one was utter GARBAGE! Sure, at a lower level, this might be good, but now he almost had 5000 HP points! How is he supposed to fully make use of this?

Never mind that anymore…From the looks of things, he needs to take another week off to both please Kuroka and reassure Solomon and Ddraig. And himself. Fair be fair, he nearly kicked the bucket today, and it shook him. Even if healing was possible, it left a nasty scar on his lower abdomen. There was still at least one month before the start of Kuoh, meaning he had the time. He earned himself a while to rest, same with the others earning their right to some worry-free time.