Dark, ominous, and smells like despair. Even if it's just a low-leveled one, a dungeon is still a dungeon. I can't remember the last time I stepped into a dungeon other than Aeolia. I'm a bit sentimental.
"Master," Damocles utters, his grip on the hilt of his sword tightening as he stares in the direction further into the cave. "I can sense about three kobolds approaching."
Uptight and diligent as ever. Even in a dungeon grossly beneath his level, he's still alert and focused.
"You're too tense Damocles," I say with a sigh. "There's really no need to be so alert with a couple of weak kobolds."
He stops and ponders intently, before releasing his grip on his sword and returning to position. "I understand master, however I must still ensure there is absolutely no danger to your safety."
Funny. Trust me, for now, there isn't a single soul that can prove to be a danger to me.
Before I can express those thoughts aloud, the three kobolds appear before us, plunging towards us as soon as we are spotted. With a swift movement, their heads are left rolling on the floor as Damocles places his sword back in its sheath.
I almost didn't notice him move. The way its already going, I might not have to do anything, not that I want to. In the body of Alice, I can't increase my level at all, and as Aeolus, the experience points I would gain from a couple of measly kobolds wouldn't really amount to anything much. I need to find bigger game. Something really strong, and mega boss level. But right now, the only thing around here even close to that is myself. Hopefully the demon lords Agamemnon talked to me about are at least worth something other than reputation and fame points.
"I sense more ahead master," Damocles mentions as we move on towards what I sense is the boss room. Probably were the kobold chieftain is.
"Yes I sense them too,"
Pretty hard not too. They're so weak that the tato system is registering them as lower lifeforms on my radar, along with harmless insects and rodents. I don't even have to waste magic sense on a low level dungeon like this. This almost depressing.
I'm probably just experiencing some kind of withdrawal symptoms from not having played a single game in a while. Since this experience is kind of like a game, and is basically Elrev, I thought it would satisfy me. I also thought I was a pretty patient person before coming here, but if I don't face someone strong soon, I might just blow this country off the map.
"Master, are you feeling alright?" Damocles asks, watching my expression intently.
"Hm? Oh yes, I was just thinking about something," I reply, waving his concern away.
When I played Kingdom Crawlers, someone was challenging me everyday. It doesn't even have to be a fight, I just want to play a game, any game. Anything were I win and somebody loses.
I wonder if chess exists in this world as well. I think a game similar to it was available in Kingdom Crawlers. What was it called again?
"Belaris Artium," I chant, invoking a spell that summons an endless fire to devour anything it was cast upon, not extinguishing until not even ashes remain. The kobolds I cast it on squeal and screech as they burn to death under the flames of the spell.
I turn to see Damocles has wasted a good number of them, as he sheaths his sword once again.
"Hm..." I ponder as I look over the radar provided by the tato system. Very convenient and useful. It scans the area around me without any mana cost, and gives a detailed account of the things around, and even groups them into harmless, useful, and hostile categories. The only down side is that when I use radar, I can't use mana, which means I can't cast any spells or activate any skills, so I usually stick to using mana sense.
"Looks like we've taken care of almost all of them, the only ones left are the ones guarding the boss room. But that's strange..."
"Master?" Damocles inquires.
The boss ahead should be as high as a kobold chieftain, but from what I can sense, the boss in there is definitely not as strong as a kobold chieftain, and shouldn't even be strong enough to kill so many of those bronze adventurers. What's going on?
"Master? Is it okay to proceed?" Damocles asks, waiting to go ahead to the boss room on my lead.
"... Yeah it's fine. Let's go."
It should be fine. Might as well see what's going on once we get there I guess.
"Kree!" The kobolds guarding the door screech, charging at us with their run down spears.
I stun them all at once, wanting to quickly get through this as fast as possible. This seems more and more like a house cleaning chore.
I cast a quick spell on the remaining kobolds standing guard by the door, blowing it off as well.
Through the burning entrance, I see what it is I've been sensing sitting on a grossly lame throne made of bones, and just as I thought, it wasn't a kobold chieftain but a useless Red kobold. A slightly evolved and offensive kobold with fiery red skin.
"Tsk," I can't help but click my tongue in disappointment.
Still, even now, I'm pretty sure I can sense a kobold chieftain somewhere nearby. Maybe this is just a runt that takes care of the boss room once in a while when the real boss is sleeping or something.
"Damocles," I start.
"Yes, master?" He answers, moving his attention from the glaring red kobold to me.
"You can sense another presence, right?"
He nods, noticing what I mean to ask.
"Go and bring it here for me."
"Yes, master." He responds, before turning around to the direction the presence is located.
"Grr!" The red kobold draws my attention to it, ready to attack.
After circling around me, sizing me up, it charges with its halberd aimed at my head.
+
Red Kobold
Level: 47
Titles: None
Mana: 82
Strength: 80
Agility: 100
Vitality: 50
Sense: 34
Endurance: 58
Intelligence: 20
Skills: Intimidation lv. 1 (active), Spatial sense lv. 1 (passive), Intermediate Spear skill lv. 3 (active)
+
"Fuck off," I sigh, smacking it, hard enough to send it hurtling through the walls.
How irritating. To die just from that. Now that I see the stats of the kobolds in this dungeon, I realize I made the right decision. I can't have Larien and the others fight these weaklings. Nothing would have come out of it. Having them fight Cerberus was the right call.