Chapter 11 – Authority Increased!
Beep!*
The dungeon maker's screen flashed with a new notification.
A map appeared, displaying Kuoh and the surrounding area. It included a map of Kuoh, the Underworld, Heaven, and Grigori's territory. It was like an online game's map selection screen, complete with detailed information.
He could even set the dungeon's location anywhere except for the dimensional gap. Well, he didn't want to set his dungeon in that place where no humans were present so it didn't really matter.
"So, I can create a new dungeon anywhere..." He said, scanning the map, "Where should I put it..."
Cain rubbed his chin. "Hmm..."
The dungeon's location was crucial because the location would decide the people who entered. He needed people to challenge his dungeon to earn fame and authority.
From what he knew about the DxD universe, Kuoh would be one of the main focus in the story. Many powers would gather here in the future.
"If I put a dungeon in Kuoh, I can gain more fame. There is a risk that I would get caught in a fight between big organizations." Cain muttered, "Not to mention, Issei's group would dominate it. There are some big shots here as well, but still... This is the best place to put my next dungeon because they already know the Fun Fun Dungeon! one."
The chance they entered his other dungeon would increase. Cain knew he needed to gain authority and fame, and that would help him a lot in the future.
He tapped on Kuoh's map and the city map zoomed in. The place where he set his first dungeon, the Fun Fun Dungeon!, was marked with a red X.
Cain scrolled the map around. His eyes landed on an abandoned warehouse, not too far away from Kuoh Academy, a perfect place to create his new dungeon. Not many people went to this place, so no one would notice it if it disappeared suddenly.
He then set his second dungeon in that location.
The system asked him for confirmation. Once he clicked on 'Yes', the abandoned warehouse and a large area surrounding it vanished into thin air and was replaced with a cave entrance, similar to the Fun Fun Dungeon!
It took him 3,000 coins to buy this new dungeon and added 4 floors. However, Cain planned to make this dungeon to be an intermediate one, so this was necessary.
"I can also change the entrance?"
When browsing about the setting, he found out he could modify the dungeon entrance to make it different. For example, a hole or a cave would give the impression of a dangerous cave, while an elegant door would give a sense of majesty. The options were quite varied, though he didn't know the reason why it would affect the challenger's mentality. For now, he chose an elegant double door.
"Let's make it red. I plan to make this one to be an elemental theme dungeon, with each floor having different elemental properties. Hehehe, I will make use of Monster Modification authority to create new monsters."
He grinned as the door formed on the ground, and he began to build his second dungeon.
He spent the remaining coins to set the elemental type and the type of mob he wanted. As he was working, he thought of some ideas. First, the first floor should be easy and the challenge should increase in each floor.
However, it would not be wise to put a powerful monster on the first floor, as the challenger would not have a chance to enjoy the dungeon. Many strong people were present in the Highschool DxD universe, so making it too easy wasn't an option.
But that's where he could experiment with the Mob modification.
He set the mobs for the first floor to be Slimes and Orcs. He wanted to modify them into elemental types.
"System, show me the Monster Modification for slime and orc."
Beep*
Elemental modification (30 Coins)
Elemental trait addition (50 Coins)
Trait modification (50 Coins)
Appearance modification (Depends)
"Huh? So I do need Coins to modify them." He nodded in understanding, "And for appearance, it depends, huh. The more I modify their appearance, the more coins it requires. Let's see, maybe I can try with Orc."
He then proceeded to change their traits and add fire elemental to them. This made their skin color red and the ability to spit a fireball. With this, he hoped to create a challenge that could test the challengers' wits. However, it cost him a lot of Coins.
"It's not efficient. Let's try something else."
He did the same for slimes, creating various elemental types. Just for the first floor alone, he ended up using 850 Coins out of 6,850 remaining ones.
"But this is good. Let's limit it to 1,000 coins for monsters each floor, which would leave me with 3,000 to modify the dungeon terrain."
Deciding his course of actions, Cain then started modifying the dungeon terrain, adding something that would help his monsters according to the element they had. Each floor had a different theme.
Cain had gotten used to the system and he knew how much each thing would cost.
The first floor had a theme of 'Forest of Fire', so he made it like a burning forest with trees and vegetation that had caught on fire. There were traps that could set the intruders on fire. Lava gushed from the wall in the corridor and there were pits where fire would come out from. He spent 1,000 coins for this and 850 for mobs. The result was an interesting first floor.
Next was the 'Icicle Field', where the whole place was filled with ice. Cain added a lake of freezing water, ice pillars, and even a small blizzard to add a challenge. The field cost 1,200 Coins but the mobs only cost 800, which made it just right on the budget.
With 4,000 coins left, he created the third and fourth floor, the 'Storm Caves'. It was a cave full of storms and lightning. The storm would generate electricity that would electrocute the intruders while also creating strong winds that could push them away. The cave itself wasn't too difficult to create, so it only cost him 2,500 Coins.
However, he wanted the dungeon boss of the fourth floor to be strong and he didn't want it to be the Minotaur, so he decided to spend the remaining 1,500 Coins to buy a strong monster and added some change in its trait.
This was the hardest part. Cain knew that the monster needed to have a challenging fight for the intruders, able to kill even the high-ranking devils who challenged the dungeon.
As he browsed through the monster selection, his eyes were fixed on the screen until he found a monster that he could buy. It was an Iron Golem.
"This should be it."
Golems were humanoid monsters made out of rocks, wood, metal, and other material. Iron Golem was a mid-level Golem that could withstand strong attacks. To make it stronger, Cain modified its trait, adding something devious to it.
After spending all his Coins to modify the dungeon, which took faster than he had expected, the screen flashed in front of Cain. It showed the naming window. He had to name his dungeon, just like the Fun Fun Dungeon! he made. He thought about what kind of name he should give to his creation. Something that would suit this elemental theme dungeon. He could use something like 'Elemental Dungeon', or maybe even something like 'The Burning Forest'.
But that wasn't fun or interesting.
After a moment of thought, Cain came up with a name and grinned.
"It's more like it." He nodded to himself and clicked the button.
Chapter 12 – New Challengers
Back in Kuoh Academy, the sun had begun to set, and Rias' peerage had gathered at the clubroom with Sona and her peerage.
The Dungeon had proven to be a challenge, and everyone was tired and needed a good rest. However, there were some things they needed to talk about before leaving. They all sat around the table, drinking tea that Akeno had prepared for them.
The red-haired beauty had already taken off her clothes, which were still soaked from fighting slimes and sat naked with just a towel on. Issei couldn't help but glance at her every now and then, especially when he noticed how her large breasts jiggled as she moved.
"I must admit that I'm quite curious about this Dungeon. I wonder why it appeared?" Sona began the discussion. "The fact that it's in this town, means it is related to the supernatural in this world. Is it friendly or not?"
"Indeed." Rias agreed. "It looks like it's designed as if it were a dungeon from a game. We should check the place and see what happens if someone enters the dungeon."
"It's a dungeon." Issei commented. "The monsters inside... Well, it's not like a game where there's a boss and everything is cleared when you defeat them. They will just respawn, right?"
"We don't know yet. Maybe after some time passes, the boss monster will respawn again." Kiba said.
"That's a good question," Akeno said, putting down her cup, "What will happen after the dungeon has been cleared?"
"Well, it's possible that the dungeon might change. Like, there will be different floors or new traps." Sona suggested. "We saw that the 3 days cooldown Rias talked about existed when we tried to enter the dungeon again earlier.
"Perhaps..." Rias muttered. "Would a new dungeon surface after some days?"
"We don't know that. We need more information." Sona shook her head, "But that dungeon, is it safe? We defeated it easily this time. However, what if it is a threat to the humans in this town? It might be better to destroy it completely before it becomes too dangerous."
"That is true, but..." Rias trailed off, her face twisted into a frown, "It feels weird, don't you think there is an existence that wants us to have fun? We get the prize if we manage to clear it. For example, the red potion."
"Should I send it to the Underworld to investigate?" Sona asked, "I believe if you were the one who sent it, Lucifer-sama would be suspicious."
"Are you trying to steal my achievement? If that's truly a health potion, one that can even heal devils, then..." Rias didn't finish her sentence and glared at Sona.
"I am not. I know this will be beneficial to you if this liquid can heal wounds. You're thinking that this can replace Phoenix Tear and allow you to break your engagement, right?"
"Yes. I don't want to marry that idiot Riser, so I am trying my best. This might be just what we're looking for."
Issei gulped, hearing his master's serious voice.
"I can guarantee you this potion would be tested carefully, but I won't tell Lucifer-sama about this until I'm sure. I will keep this as a secret. Then, I will tell you the result and you can present it proudly. Besides, we can get more of this liquid from that Dungeon again. If the effect is tested, isn't that better than presenting something dubious like this?"
"... You have a point." Rias sighed, "Alright, I will let you handle this one. But remember, you have to report the result to me first."
"I will. So, this dungeon..."
"I think we can keep it for now." Rias cut Sona's words. "The rewards are good, and if the dungeon is not dangerous to the town, then it should be fine. Akeno, investigate the town if there is a similar dungeon."
"Yes, President."
Rias leaned on her chair and crossed her arms under her ample bosoms. "That's all for now, let's go home. Have a nice rest, everyone." She then looked at the pervert Pawn and smirked. "Except Issei, please stay. I will give you a good reward for being my shield earlier."
"Eeeeeeeeeh!?"
Back in the strange space, Cain leaned on his chair, looking bored as he looked at his monitor.
"Hmmm... The renovation for the dungeon was done but there are no challenges..." He muttered and rubbed his head.
Cain had already spent all his Coins to renovate his new dungeon, so he wanted people to come and try it, but there was no sign of anyone coming in. Not a single person.
"I would appreciate a normal person to enter too..." He sighed, but it seemed that it was a difficult task. He was hoping that at least one of the people in this world would be brave enough to challenge the dungeon. Or find it.
He could make the entrance more visible and put it in a more conspicuous location. Maybe in a crowded area?
However, if someone was to get killed and traumatized, that wouldn't be good. Cain wanted his dungeon to be enjoyed by people who were brave enough to challenge it. He didn't want his dungeon to turn into something like those in Korean novels, where people got stronger and stronger while being traumatized by the fact monsters could appear in the real world. No thanks.
He could make the entrance bigger so it wouldn't look like a cave, but it would cost coins and he was low on Coins.
The best would be if someone was brave enough to find his new dungeon and try to enter it, but it would not happen so soon. The only thing he could do for now was to wait for challengers to enter his Fun Fun Dungeon!
"I want to eat something. Why did Rias and Sona not enter the dungeon again? It's already been 3 days since the cooldown." He sighed again. "Maybe they are too busy with school."
While Cain didn't need to eat to survive after being a dungeon maker, he still wanted to eat something because he craved the taste. Not eating for 3 days made him slightly restless.
After waiting for a while, he got tired of looking at his screen. There were no challengers, no nothing.
"Ah, let's just sleep. Hopefully someone will enter by tomorrow." He stretched his arms and stood up from the chair, "Maybe I will find someone with a big dream to be my first visitor."
He went to his bedroom, which was located right next to his throne, and fell on his soft bed. As the mattress enveloped his body, his eyes began to close slowly and soon he drifted to sleep.
Cain's life as a dungeon master continued in this fashion, waiting for the right person to enter his dungeon and start his journey.
As he fell asleep, the screen showing the entrance of his new dungeon caught something. Two people, a silver-haired man dressed in exorcist clothes while the other was a blonde-haired nun, arrived at the entrance of Cain's new dungeon.
The nun looked scared as she stared at the large door that appeared out of nowhere in an abandoned warehouse while the silver-haired man grinned, raising a hand and patting the blonde girl's shoulder to comfort her.
"It's going to be fine, Asia." He said and then turned to look at the entrance.
The blonde nun looked at him with worried eyes, and the silver-haired man grinned, showing a sharp tooth. He was smiling, but somehow that looked unsettling that it caused a chill in Asia's heart.
The blonde nun had her doubts, and it wasn't without reason.
Her partner was an enemy of God. A stray exorcist that sheltered her after she was excommunicated.
"Let's go." Freed Sellzen grinned. "This place smells like Devils."
Chapter 13 – Too Bad!
Just as Cain drifted to sleep, a loud blaring alarm sounded throughout his space. His eyes immediately snapped open as he shot up from the bed. A notification popped up in front of his eyes, telling him that there was a new challenger.
Ding*
A notification sounded.
[New challengers entered your second dungeon: 'Elemental Tower'.]
Cain jumped off the bed, running towards the throne room. He sat down on his chair and looked at the screen, and what he saw made his blood run cold.
"Freed and Asia!? They're from the Raynare arc!" Cain exclaimed, seeing two people on the screen.
The blonde girl wore a nun's outfit, while the other one was an exorcist with silver hair and an unpleasant grin. Cain recognized them. The exorcist was one of the antagonists in the first arc after Issei became Devils. He was an enemy to both Issei and humans. A very dangerous man, someone who enjoyed killing.
His name was Freed Sellzen, an insane exorcist that enjoyed killing and seeing people die.
"What are they doing in my dungeon?" He asked no one and sighed. "System, follow them."
His screen changed, and now showed the image of two people walking through a cave, lit by a torch. The first floor, Forest of Fire, had 3 types of mobs: Slime, Orc, and Goblin.
They were walking in silence, but Cain noticed Freed seemed to be having a blast while Asia was nervous.
Trees with burning leaves and trunks surrounded the path. Lava could be seen flowing down a few rocks, making the place hot. There were traps here and there, but Freed was able to spot and dodge them.
"Hup! Hap!"
"S-Sir, a-are you sure there is a stray Devil here?"
"Ahaha, Asia. Can't you see these burning grounds? There must be a powerful Devil here. I wonder who they are. Ahahaha!" He laughed, "If I kill it, I'm sure they'll promote me and give me a new weapon. That's what Father told me, you know."
Freed was an exorcist, a warrior of the church, which meant that he was an expert in dealing with devils. Even as a stray who went against the church's teaching, his experience and knowledge were still top notch.
The two kept on walking down the path until they encountered their first mob.
A fire orc, with a muscular red body, a fat belly, and sharp teeth, appeared in front of them.
"Ugyaaaaaa!" The orc bellowed loudly.
"Oh! An enemy!" Freed grinned and drew his blade.
It was a light sword, a normal weapon for exorcists. They were good weapons that could be enhanced using holy energy.
"Ohoho, finally someone that I can cut."
"O-Oh no. Please be careful." Asia stepped behind him and raised both hands in a prayer gesture, "Please protect him, O God!"
She prayed in her mind as Freed rushed forward. His sword glinted under the fire light as it was raised over his head, and then it came crashing down on the Orc's arm. A loud sound was heard as soon as it made contact.
However, the sword stuck in the orc's thick skin. The monster's arm had been slightly injured, but not enough to incapacitate it.
Seeing the grin crept up the Orc's face, Freed cursed.
"Damn!"
And then he was sent flying with a large club, crashing to the burning tree. His arms broken, his back burned as his mouth spitted out blood.
"Urgh! I-I didn't expect the monster to be this strong." Freed groaned and raised his head, seeing the fire orc spewing out flame from its mouth. "F-Fire Breath? Oh shit, Asia! You have to ru-!"
The Orc roared loudly and a burst of flame came rushing toward the fallen exorcist, burning him in the process. His screams echoed through the entire dungeon, making even Cain cringe.
Freed screamed in agony as his clothes burned and turned into ashes. His skin turned black and red as he was roasted alive. He struggled to stand up but failed, his body shaking in pain and terror. The smell of burnt corpses filled the air around them and caused the nun to cry.
"Ah- Aaah!" She turned around and ran frantically toward the entrance. "No, no. I have to run!" Tears welled up in her blue eyes as she tried to find her way out. She didn't care if the way was right or not, all that mattered was getting away from this terrible place.
She tripped on something, but managed to regain her balance. But that didn't stop her from crying, her eyes were wide with fear.
"I-I need to run!" Her mind raced as her body trembled, "I have to leave! I have to..."
Her heart beat faster, and the sound of blood flowing in her veins was deafening. Her breathing was ragged and she gasped for air, her lungs felt like they were burning.
Everything didn't make sense, starting from her excommunication to this moment. She didn't know what was happening and what would happen to her next, but she knew one thing. This place was dangerous and she needed to escape.
As soon as the blonde nun saw the entrance, she cried tears of relief. She felt as if her prayers had been answered and her heart leaped in joy. She could feel her legs moving again, carrying her towards freedom. She could feel her hope returning.
However, before she reached the exit, her eyes widened.
"AH!" She shrieked as a red slimy creature popped up in front of her and grabbed her right leg. She tried to kick it away but failed.
"N-No..." Asia whimpered as she felt the creature moving up her thigh and then her stomach. She struggled to free herself, but its slimy tentacles were holding her down. "No... No..."
It moved higher, and then it began to crawl up her chest. Burning sensation was felt, as its slime was like boiling hot water on her skin. Asia screamed in pain and terror, but it was no use.
She cried, and then her body was dragged back to the burning forest.
Meanwhile, Cain covered his mouth, his eyes widened as his body was trembling in fear. He saw the girl getting eaten alive by a red slime and how the monster burned her body and clothes.
"Wow..."
At first, he thought that his dungeon would be too weak so people could finish it quickly. He even thought that maybe Freed, with Asia's healing, could finish the dungeon without much difficulty, or at least pass the first floor without injuries.
However, all his thoughts were thrown out the window as he witnessed this.
He didn't think his dungeon was that strong and deadly. After all, it was only an elemental theme dungeon with normal monsters, even the mobs weren't special or anything. So, why did the two people get killed easily?
Was the dungeon that dangerous?
No.
It was because Freed and Asia weren't ready for the challenge.
But did that mean the dungeon was weak?
The answer was also no.
All monsters in the area had been strengthened due to the environmental effects, so their strength was far above the norm. Even a single orc could take out Freed, who was an experienced fighter. Not to mention the traps that were set around the area. And the boss was no laughing matter.
In the anime, Issei and Kiba struggled fighting Freed with his own standard equipment, showing off how strong he was, so he would have been a tough opponent for anyone.
But it seemed that Cain had overestimated the strength of the enemies in the DxD world. Either that or he underestimated his dungeon power because he saw Fun Fun Dungeon! got conquered easily.
"I did make it harder, but is it to that extent?"
Truly unexpected.
And he even got the reward.
[All challengers have been eliminated.]
[Reward distributed!]
[Emotional Rewards:
Joy: 500 Coins
Helplessness: 450 Coins
Fear: 2500 Coins
Anger: 100 Coins]
A total of 3,550 Coins, which mostly came from Fear emotion. Asia was truly terrified at that moment, and the fact Freed was the first one to get killed, and in a brutal way, added to her fear and helplessness. Seeing someone died right in front of your eyes was traumatizing, after all.
Not only that, but the two also didn't get to see the prize for completing the first floor, so it would be counted as a failure on their side. Which means the 'Sense of accomplishment' was not obtained.
"But this will work in my favor."
Why? Because he put up a rather interesting system.
"No one will truly die in my dungeon."
He smiled and looked at the countdown on a different screen. There, Freed and Asia's names were written.
Revival:
Freed Sellzen – 2D 23H 53M
Asia Argento – 2D 23H 59M
"A revival system." He nodded in satisfaction. "Unfortunately, I can't revive them immediately now because my level is too low, but this will work in my favor. With Freed and Asia being missing, the Fallen Angels in Kuoh will search for them, leading them to find this dungeon. That way, I will have more challengers and get more coins."
Unlike Fun Fun Dungeon!, this Elemental Tower had no entry cooldown unless someone cleared the dungeon, though it had a limit of 8 challengers each session. If someone was defeated in the dungeon, the dungeon would close for a day, giving time for the monsters inside to respawn and heal.
If a party was wiped, then everyone would be revived outside the dungeon with their memories intact after 3 days.
"This will be fun. I can't wait to see the look on those Fallen Angels when they find the dungeon."
He would make a good profit out of their emotions, that's for sure.
Now, let the hunt begin.
Chapter 14 – New Dungeon!
Rias' group gathered together in the Clubroom.
Issei Hyoudou, Yuuto Kiba, Akeno Himejima, Koneko Toujou, and Rias herself were all present.
"So, what do you find, Akeno?" Rias asked, looking at Akeno who sat beside her. The others also had their attention turned towards Akeno as well. They knew she had done her part and investigated the town. She must have found something by now.
"Well..." Akeno paused and took a sip of her tea. "I went around town yesterday after we separated, but there wasn't any dungeon like the one you mentioned. However, I did find something interesting near the old warehouse on the outskirts."
"Old warehouse?" Rias blinked, "Where did I hear it again..."
"I know. It's near the abandoned Church!" Issei said. "I remember there is an old warehouse there. I often visited when I was a kid, but it has been abandoned ever since then. No one goes there anymore."
"That place is a good place to hide, especially if they are supernatural," Rias said, nodding, "Something like a dungeon."
"But it doesn't make sense," Yuuto said. "If there was really a dungeon there, I think we would have already known about it. After all, it's not like this place is very far away from the school."
"It might have appeared recently, that's why we haven't noticed it yet. Or..."
Rias looked at Akeno.
"...there are some people that are aware of its presence, and they have hidden it. Dungeons are easy but the reward is pretty good. The potion that Sona sent to the Underworld had been analyzed, and the result is satisfactory. Right now, she's preparing to attack the Fun Fun Dungeon again to get more. So I think there is no harm in investigating that dungeon further. After all, if it's a threat to our territory, it might be better to investigate it completely before it becomes too dangerous."
"Yes, President!"
Akeno bowed, showing respect toward her king. Then she stood straight again. Her eyes met those of Yuuto who smiled back at her. He seemed pleased with her findings.
The long black haired woman cleared her throat and continued.
"As for that matter, there were a few exorcists who entered that place when my familiar found it, and it seemed that they never exited. It is possible that they might perish inside the dungeon."
"An exorcist? In Kuoh?"
"Yes, I believe so. My familiar found traces of their presence in front of the abandoned Church."
Rias narrowed her eyes, "An exorcist, in Kuoh. I wonder what their purpose is. Are they remnants of the Fallen Angel's force from before?"
"We should investigate it more." Kiba said, anger clearly present in his eyes. "It could be a coincidence, or maybe they're here to kill some Devils."
"If it's an exorcist, then it is bad news for us, right? I heard that exorcists hunt Devils," Issei commented, looking at his friends. He had been learning about Devils and other mythological creatures for a while now. And exorcists were not someone to be trifled with, especially when they are armed. "Shouldn't we take this matter seriously, President?"
"Yes. That's true. I also don't think we can just ignore it," Rias said as she leaned forward in her seat, her expression turning serious, "They entered my territory without permission. This means war."
"But what about the Dungeon, President? Should we try to enter it as well?" Kiba asked. "If the exorcists haven't exited the dungeon, then it's likely they died inside. If it is as dangerous as the last one, we should prepare well. We don't want to get killed by something unexpected, after all."
"Yes." Rias nodded. "We should prepare for the worst case scenario. If they really did enter that unknown dungeon and got trapped, we might encounter them inside. But I do hope they died inside without any chance of survival, so we won't meet them."
She chuckled darkly and Issei shivered.
"Well then, everyone. Can you check the dungeon for me? I shall stay here in case anything happens. Report immediately to me if something happens."
Everyone nodded and stood up, leaving the clubroom.
The abandoned Church was silent and dark, with only a few candles providing light inside the building. It was a small place, probably not big enough to hold more than 20 people. The pews were made out of old wood that looked like it was about to collapse anytime soon, and the carpet on the floor had holes here and there.
In the middle of the church, gathering by sitting and standings, were 3 women and a man in fedora hat.
The women were beautiful, with each having a distinctive appearance. One had long black hair, she was wearing clothes reminiscent of a S Queen. She looked like she was in charge of the group, with her arms crossed under her breast. The second was a girl with blue hair in suits that showed off her cleavage and large breasts.
And the last one was a blonde girl in twintails, dressed in what people would call a gothic loli outfit.
And standing beside them, there was a tall man wearing a fedora hat, looking calm. However, the girls seemed anxious. They had lost contact with Freed and Asia a day ago. When they came back to Kuoh, they didn't find them at the church.
"Damn it, that madman! I told him to bring Asia here but he actually went missing." The raven haired beauty cursed. She clicked her tongue and punched the nearest chair, breaking it in half. The goth girl flinched but didn't comment. The others also remained quiet. No one dared to talk, as it seemed that she would snap anytime.
They were all Fallen Angels. They used to serve God but rebelled against him and were thrown down to the underworld. Now, they were living on earth as enemies of Angels and Devils.
The woman's name was Raynare, and the other two girls were Kalawarner and Mittelt while the man was Dohnaseek. They were the leaders of this mission, which was to get Asia and her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing.
But the problem was that the silver-haired maniac exorcist, Freed, and Asia had gone missing yesterday. No one could find them anywhere. It was like they vanished from this world, leaving no traces of their existence. It made sense for the girl, as her ability to heal made her a threat to Devils, but Freed should have contacted them. After all, he worked under them.
"I told you that we can't trust that human." Mittelt, the blonde Fallen Angel, said. "We shouldn't have brought him with us, he is too dangerous."
"Don't whine like a baby, Mittelt." The sexy Fallen Angel, Kalawarner, said coldly, "This mission was ordered by Lord Kokabiel himself before he was gone. We should have no problem following the plan. Besides, we can always find that guy later and deal with him then."
Mittelt clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Whatever."
"Enough. Let's go look for those two." Raynare ordered. She stood up, her black wings appearing from her back, and she walked out the door.
Kalawarner followed after her, her expression bored. She didn't want to stay here any longer than necessary, anyway.
The only man, Dohnaseek, clicked his tongue and shook his head in exasperation.
However, they were too late in their movement. The Devils' peerage had already arrived near the dungeon, except for their King.
"Is it here?" Issei looked at a strange entrance that replaced the old warehouse.
Chapter 15 – Elemental Tower
A red majestic door was now present in place of a broken wall. There was nothing out of the ordinary, just a door with no walls, but the aura that emitted from it felt like a portal.
Issei and the other peerage members stood in front of the entrance, staring at it with wide eyes. They had seen it before, a sign that was present in front of a seemingly ordinary cave. Unlike the one they knew well, it had different words.
[Fun Fun Dungeon! Limit: 6 people!] was replaced by [Elemental Tower. Limit: 8 people!]
"My~ This looks more terrifying than the Fun Fun one. But why elemental? I thought it was a dungeon?" Issei wondered aloud.
"The name doesn't seem to matter. What's important is that the limit increases." Kiba added, "Maybe this dungeon is harder than the previous one? The name certainly is different. We should be cautious, just to be safe."
Koneko looked at the others and tilted her head, "Why are we just standing here?"
"Right. I agree with Koneko. We shouldn't stay out here too long, especially if it's a danger." Issei said, "I'll go first, okay?"
Everyone nodded and Issei took a deep breath before stepping forward and entering the red double door. The door opened up with a creaky sound as the light enveloped Issei and his group.
As soon as he entered, his vision turned bright red.
[4 Challengers have entered Elemental Tower.]
Cain got woken up by a notification.
"Huh!? Challenger!?"
He quickly jumped out of his bed and went to the throne room. When he checked his screen, he saw the brown-haired pervert, the blonde knight, a black haired beauty, and a white-haired Nekomata.
"Issei's group!"
His face brightened up, a grin was formed. His tired face was replaced with excitement, his heart thumping loudly. He was excited for the coming battle and couldn't wait for them to get started. The screen was divided into 4 sections, and he could see Issei's team walking in a straight path through the Forest of Fire. The trees were burning, and the ground was full of traps that could burn anyone to a crisp.
Their surprised expressions were perfectly captured. Cain could even see their expressions as if they were looking at the camera directly. He grinned and chuckled softly as he watched them walk cautiously, looking at every direction with a wary expression on their faces.
However, he knew that the monsters wouldn't appear in this part yet because he didn't want to startle his challengers immediately.
This floor was the easiest one. There were only 3 types of monsters, Slimes, Goblins, and Orcs, something they had fought before. But, the monsters looked different than what they usually encountered, so that was the reason they looked so wary.
After walking for a few minutes, they found the first monster. A fire slime.
"A monster," Issei exclaimed. He quickly summoned the Boosted Gear on his left arm and charged forward, "It's my turn! I'll take care of this one!"
"Issei-kun! No! You're too hasty!" Kiba shouted, trying to stop Issei who was running towards the fire slime. "We don't know the enemy's strength!"
"Haahh!" The red gauntlet on Issei's hand glowed as he punched the slime in the face, causing a large dent in the body of the slime, "Take that, you stupid slime! I'll crush you!"
However...
The red slime quickly regained its original form and lunged toward Issei, its slimy body stretching and covering Issei's left hand, blocking his retreat.
"Wha—!" Issei screamed in horror. He could feel his hand getting wet as the slime began to suck him inside its body.
The hand eaten by the slime started to burn and turn red. The pain was unbearable, and Issei couldn't help but scream loudly in pain. The rest of his group immediately came to his aid.
"Damn you! Get away from me! Boosted Gear!" He tried to push the slime off, but it refused to budge, sticking to his arm like glue.
"Get off him!" Koneko punched the red slime, but it bounced back like it was a rubber ball, "Ugh!"
"This slime...!" Issei shouted, "It's not the usual slime! This one feels dangerous! It burns!"
He screamed in pain. His arm felt like it was about to burn up. His left arm, which was equipped with Boosted Gear, was burning. Issei didn't know if the slime would be defeated, or if he would die first. It was a life-and-death battle. Issei's body was sweating, his eyes wide open.
Kiba, Koneko, and Akeno were all shouting at the same time.
"Issei! Hang in there! Koneko! Hit the core! You can defeat it!" Kiba shouted.
"I'll kill it!" Koneko yelled as she ran up and kicked the slime's body.
Akeno raised her hands, electricity appearing between her fingers. "Lightning!"
Koneko's attack landed on the slime, making it bounce backward and releasing Issei's left arm in the process, freeing him from the burning sensation. Afterward, lightning struck the slime, and the core was burned by the electric shock. It died, and the red liquid splattered everywhere. Issei screamed again, and then fainted. Koneko caught his falling body while Kiba checked on his condition.
"Damn, what a troublesome slime." Issei groaned and rubbed his injured arm. His face was twisted with pain and agony. He looked up at Koneko and smiled weakly. "Thank you, Koneko-chan. You saved my ass there."
Koneko looked worried, her face twisted into concern as she stared down at her injured friend, "Senpai. Please don't do anything reckless again. I almost got a heart attack."
"Yeah." Issei chuckled.
Kiba and Akeno sighed in relief. The latter then put her arm under her breast and the other held her cheek, smiling.
"My, my, Ise-kun. That's a careless move, even for you. What were you thinking?"
Issei looked up, "Ah, I just thought it's the usual slime. Who knew that it would be so powerful..."
Kiba nodded, "Yes, the slime is a lot tougher and stronger than before, but it should be no match for our current power if we're careful. You shouldn't attack recklessly like that, Issei."
The brown haired boy scratched the back of his head and smiled wryly, "Sorry, I thought we would be fine with this dungeon. We did beat the last one, right? The Fun Fun one!"
Everyone nodded.
After that, they decided to move carefully, avoiding the traps and monsters.
However, it seemed like they didn't have any problems. With Kiba's Sacred Gear, Sword Birth, they managed to defeat another slime that was hiding in the tree, a fire goblin, and a few fire orcs without any problem. They were quite strong.
Cain was quite impressed, to be honest. Even if he was watching through a screen.
The group was injured and got burned, but they didn't seem too bothered. Their overall combat ability was good, especially Kiba, who was very strong in Forest of Fire with his Sword Birth. He could make many swords and thrust them at his enemies in an instant.
Lava and fire delayed their movements, so they moved very slowly. 30 minutes had passed since they entered the dungeon, yet they couldn't find the path to the next layer yet.
Seeing them struggling, Cain was tempted to give hints, but he held himself.
"It would be no fun if they can't clear it themselves." He chuckled, and the screen displayed Kiba and his swords stabbing the orcs that blocked their path.
At that moment, an alarm that he set when people approaching his dungeon rang.
"Whoa!"
He jumped in surprise, not expecting it. He immediately checked on the other screen, and his mouth opened wide.
It was the Fallen Angels.
He saw Raynare and her group approaching the dungeon.