Chapter 33: Right mental
Before Minato did anything, a couple of dungeon raiders passed next to him.
That was a group of at least twenty people.
They wore thick leather clothes and had two muscular men carrying most of their stuff in big backpacks. One of them reminded Minato about the guy with whom he had a talk.
Minato inferred it wasn't their first time here from their steady movement and composed expressions.
Beneath the tall trees and their golden nectar, the group stopped.
A few moves forward would put them below the golden rain, and no one dared to overcome it with their bodies alone. For that reason, the guys with big backpacks dropped their equipment and fished out steel and long plates.
Those plates became one long plate!
Minato whispered, "It's like... umbrella?"
The long plate shone with a written defensive mechanism! No one could read them well except for Bei, who had casually exposed their purpose for Minato.
"Erosion Resistance, I guess! It's similar to a magic circle with the same purpose, so it must be it! I also see a different mechanism that draws energy. Cheap losers." Bei wasn't as experienced with those, but people from the low world used every possible way to succeed.
They mixed magic circles with other mana mechanisms and hoped to achieve some results.
People from higher worlds would look down at them as if they were fools.
Bei would be the same should Minato not be here. Her eyes shone for him, yearning for more pats and affections.
Minato stroked his white wolf, then stared at them.
At that time, Yuna also called him, "More than half should overcome it... People at the very end will die."
Minato didn't question his wife but raised his eyes at the group.
At the end of that group, people had their eyes on him if he wanted to leverage them! Of course, Minato didn't move an inch, so they weren't as vigilant as they should be.
At last, the group stepped forward.
The golden rain assaulted them immediately!
"Keep going! Never stop! If someone stops, kick them to the side!" The man at the helm shouted, and the group steadily went forward.
Minato nodded at them, then peeked at their umbrella.
It immediately lost against the golden rain. However, the golden rainfall didn't flow down like the irresistible force but splashed.
The defensive formation somewhat slowed down its searing powers. Still, the key was that those splashes kicked the golden nectar away!
Nothing dripped to the group holding the umbrella, and they maintained a steady pace!
Then, a change Yuna had seen through happened...
"That's just heartless," Minato commented as he saw the plates at the end moving on their own.
Those plates left people at the end exposed and joined the further ranks. It became another part of the umbrella for more important people, but those who could hold the equipment at most were just left alone.
They cried in anguish as the golden rain seared their skin and flesh!
Meanwhile, people under the umbrella didn't stop, and they continued to move forward...
The same thing happened twice, and the leading team survived the whole floor!
From afar, Minato sighed... He saw that the whole umbrella was heavy, too heavy rather! If not for those people, they wouldn't be able to keep it up for too long!
A sacrifice was needed here.
Besides, the umbrella also relied on mana, so more people heightened its defenses!
Alas, some people were just meant to be sacrifices.
Yuna said, "There's no hero in this world, Minmin. People care only about themselves and their groups... I am not against teaming up with others, though... Just team up with newbies with potential."
To Yuna's advice, Minato nodded, "You somehow need to build connections, am I right?" He reminded them about Julia.
He then sighed and took a step forward, "You two should be fine against it, right? Aya, you go back to my world for now."
"Yes, Husbando Overlord!" Aya saluted, then disappeared.
Yuna and Bei nodded in their animal forms, then looked up at the golden rain.
Minato smirked and took a step forward.
Splash!
The golden rain splashed on his head.
Minato's eyes promptly expanded, "Ugh..." He groaned in pain as golden nectar just barely flowed down his face.
More of it stayed on his head. Minato totally lost his white hair in the middle, leaving a bald spot here!
Still, he didn't move and withstood it.
'It's mental training... The forest sees, the forest accepts," Minato whispered words his beloved had said before!
The dungeon was testing him and his mental state. Yuna wouldn't call it mental training without reason, and Aya also told him about the forest's consciousness.
The whole dungeon was an absurd existence Minato shouldn't think of as just a mere place with floors.
He closed his eyes and began an inner monologue.
'I am here to get experience and become stronger... A dungeon is a perfect place for that, but I can't just leverage it, can I? I will make the perfect seed and plant the tree that will make this whole dungeon bloom.' Minato said.
Alas, the pain didn't stop.
He felt like a hole opened within his skull.
Golden nectar was also thick, and it left trails on Minato's body as it flowed down. Each trail felt worse than the sword's slashes, and Minato groaned in pain.
In his mind, a thought bloomed, 'It's fine... Yuna has enough medicine-'
That was when Minato had received enlightenment.
At the back of his head, he believed Yuna and Bei would use their family's resources to keep him safe! They would also heal him with those treasures since the dungeon couldn't match the Snake Concubine's powers.
He didn't come here like others, with his life on the line!
That thought was always on the back of his head, and Minato realized it the best right now!
'Will I say that I love Yuna...' Minato smirked, '- and Bei, or will I use their love while fighting against their father? If things go south, will I leverage their feelings? That's not how I want to face that man!'
Minato's body shuddered, and he opened his eyes!
Golden rain still battered his body, but his eyes shone with different resolution, "I have come here as the dungeon raider... That is also a mistake... I am an Overlord." He glanced at the sky, then whispered, "If you want to exist after I take over this dungeon, then stop."
Mere words wouldn't have scared the forest!
Alas, their current visitor wasn't an average human!
A man with Overlord Rune had appeared, and he exposed it openly!
The whole forest shuddered, and golden nectar eluded Minato!
He sighed, "Don't heal me."
Before Yuna or Bei moved to treat his wounds, Minato whispered and strutted forward. He didn't wait for their answer, even though his current state was life-threatening! So much golden nectar on his head wasn't safe at all!
Yuna wanted to go against her words to heal her husband, but Minato stopped her in time.
He said, "I will hunt some dungeon raiders and get their medicine instead. I haven't come here to find friends. And a forest dungeon is what I need in my world... I will focus for some time!"
Minato's eyes flashed with rare killing intent, and he rushed to the second floor!
Meanwhile, the forest listened to his words.
It was just a forest from the first floor, so it wasn't as strong as others. However, it knew the dungeon's situation!
That was why the door leading to more abundant floors opened before Minato!
The forest couldn't stop dungeon raiders should they become persistent. Anyone, regardless of their race, became worse than cockroaches when they took the dungeon raider occupation!
Still, the forest could control their routes.
It followed the rules set up by the dungeon race, Elves. That race didn't only deal with the dungeon raiders to keep their lives, but also a curse known as the dungeon's enslavement! That enslavement did more harm than the dungeon raiders!
And Minato passed through the route that led him to the lair filled with that curse...
"Dark Forest... I entered the danger zone after just one floor?" Minato smirked, "A forest pulled some tricks, I see... Well, in such a zone, I should find the best seed!"
It was time for a battle against the dark forest and dungeon raiders that also fought here for their dreams.
Minato called Aya from his world, "Look out for dungeon raiders. I will focus on the dark forest."
"Yes!" Aya was his spirit and part of his power, so the ladies in Minato's clothes smiled brightly and looked toward Minato's dungeon progress!