Jake received Erin's call just as he saw the imps appearing out of the magic circle. She told him the adventurers will come here in the morning.
"Good, that means we'll have some time to plan. Stay with Vin and the others for now. Perry and I'll come soon." Jake ended his Mana Communication.
He then looked at the 14 imps standing in a formation. They were black and had wings on their backs. Their faces looked the same, but Jake could differentiate one from the other.
"Welcome to my dungeon, creatures from Hell."
All imps bowed hearing their master speak. As a Demon Viscount, he would have complete authority over them even if he didn't buy them from the system.
"Follow me to the higher floors," Jake said as he grabbed Perry who still hadn't recovered from her dizziness.
He had brought her in case his advancement to the 3rd Circle had any problems.
Whoosh!
Using [Phantom Steps], he stepped out of the core chamber and headed to the upper floors. The imps followed him close, crying and laughing malevolently.
…
Two hours later, Jake sat on his high-back chair on the seventh floor. This place was lit by mana torches. The shadows of those patiently waiting flickered on the ground.
Erin and Perry stood on both sides of Jake while Yunna sat on his lap. Jake's pet Lark, the three-eyed hound, was crouching beside his feet.
His maids weren't here. Vin and Diana stood on the far ends of the raised floor, looking at the monsters below.
The Hell Knight stood behind these monsters like a statue, suppressing them with its aura.
Lena fluttered around while scolding the imps for being so hideous. She was their master's fairy and they could do nothing to her.
"Tomorrow, adventurers will come here. Not the usual ones, but powerful adventurers."
As Jake said this while casually squeezing his succubus's breast, the monsters stirred. He was using Beast Tongue to speak.
"Master, how powerful will these humans be?" the orc leader asked.
"Most of them will be as powerful as you. Your tribe alone cannot defeat them, but I have a way. Now listen…"
The kobold commander and the hobgoblin perked their ears just like the orc leader. The minotaur standing beside them while holding a club also got on one knee.
The mutated slime and nekismis python slithered closer. Isa and her spider babies were silent. Just like the other monsters, this Spider Queen was on the verge of evolving because of the high density of mana.
As all the monsters grouped together under Jake, he started ordering them according to his master plan.
After Erin told him about the strength of the adventurers, Jake had spent an hour perfecting his way to defeat them. If it was any other newly spawned dungeon, that band of adventurers could have easily cleared it.
However, with an intelligent demon to command the monsters, things would get a lot more dangerous. A glint appeared in Jake's eyes as he tasted Yunna's lips and continued to speak.
Whoever entered his dungeon, they would pay for it dearly.
…
The sun rose the next morning, shining a milky orange light on the Abett Inn. The adventurers, already prepared to clear the dungeon, went outside one by one.
There were twin priestesses, four heavy knights armed to the teeth, three fighters, four mages, two rangers, two rogues, one trap master, and two porters. Most of them were of the elite 1st Circle, the rest 2nd Circle except Irene, the temporary party leader.
This line up was enough to complete any D-Rank quest. Alex, the mage who brought them here, was grinning from ear to ear. As he left the village with these adventurers, he was sure about killing that demon.
He was a powerful second circle mage himself. Last time, he was just surprised and couldn't even use his strongest spell. This time, it wouldn't be like this! Alex was brimming with excitement.
'Riri, Diana, Gordon… wait for me. I'm coming!'
When the adventurers reached the valley, the mages immediately noticed the denser mana. This confirmed that a dungeon had spawned here. But… wasn't the mana too dense? It was just a month and a half old at most.
The adventurers went closer. Reaching the giant hole in the ground, Irene suddenly stopped.
"This is a tier one dungeon!" she warned everyone.
Immediately, all adventurers looked at Alex who was sweating. What…? Just how? When he left, there was just a small cave entrance. Now, it was a hole whose diameter could very well be over 60 meters.
Standing at its edge, the mage found himself unable to say any words. Seeing his shocked face, Irene frowned. It seemed the dungeon had expanded to the first tier just recently.
"Where are your friends trapped?" she asked the mage.
"Fifth…no, m-maybe the seventh floor."
"Maybe?" someone probed. Alex should know where they were.
"7th, they are on the seventh floor," he firmly replied.
The other two mages nodded to themselves. Depending on their specialty, the rangers at the front took out their bows or daggers. The fighters were ready to protect the twin priestesses. Amelia was one of these three fighters.
The knights put their shields in front. They protected Irene and the other mages between them.
The trap master was ahead of everyone else along with the rogues. He was a short guy with a dagger in his hand and a pouch tied to his waist. When he descended downstairs, the various keys in it jingled.
The adventurers followed closely. The two porters walked behind everyone else. When the 20 of them reached the first floor, Alex and the other mage cast [Illumination] spells.
They saw nothing. It was silent and creepy. However, that was to be expected. If monsters stayed this close to the surface, then they might come out and attack the villages any time. With slow and careful steps, everyone walked forward.
On the 9th floor, Jake sat on a chair with his maids. He could sense the monsters on the upper floor, ready to act according to his plans.
"Master, the adventurers have entered!" Lena informed him.
"I know. Let them come…"
Half an hour later, the adventurers reached the second floor. But they didn't see any monsters. The veterans figured out the beasts had gone further down.
They weren't wrong. But they didn't know the Dungeon Master was commanding the monsters. Jake wanted to separate some adventurers from the party. As a whole, they were powerful. But individually, not so much.
"Where are the fucking monsters? Don't tell me they all grouped on the seventh floor?" One fighter asked, irritated with walking all the time.
He wanted the monster parts. By selling them, he could make quick cash. But he hadn't killed a single beast yet. Was this really a tier one dungeon?
"Patience," one priestess said as she held her staff.
Tak… Tak… They walked in silence.
Amelia could hear the distant sound of water dripping. She peered at the stalactites. A woman, armed as a knight, looked at Amelia and diverted her gaze.
Suddenly, one rogue shot forward. Irene pointed her wand ahead, but the goblin was gone. The adventurers tried moving faster, but Irene stopped them.
"It could be a trap." She motioned the trap master to act.
He nodded and touched the walls. His eyes trailed through the marks on it, and he threw a dart to the ground ahead. Carefully walking forward, he glanced up and waved his hand.
They arrived at an intersection. Irene told the rogues to go left. Higher mana was coming from that direction.
The four knights protecting her walked with heavy steps. Their armors and shields reflected much of the light from the spell [Illumination].
Whoosh!
A ranger suddenly shot an arrow ahead, and it accurately hit the earlier goblin. The adventurers spared the goblin a glance before walking past its dead body. It must have wandered away from the group, they thought.
"They've taken the bait, master…" Lena fluttered over Erin and informed Jake, who was now ascending the floors.
An hour later, the party of 20 reached the third floor. Upon reaching here, they found many types of magical plants illuminating this place. There were even mana crystals glowing on the walls.
Greed appeared in some adventurers' eyes. They wanted to mine these mana crystals. However, they quickly became alert. This floor could have monsters living on it, and their guess was right.
"Grr… Grr…" Black wolves and direwolves emerged from the tunnel to surround them.
"Prepare for battle," Irene said.
Shiing! All knights unsheathed their swords. However, the adventurers didn't move first. They were waiting for these wolves to attack.
Sou! Sou!
Suddenly, arrows rained down. Everyone was taken by surprise. The trap master shouted at this moment.
"Above us, goblins!"
"Kekekeke…." The green creatures laughed as they shot poisoned projectiles at the humans with their crude crossbows.
Snap! A battle started in an instant. The rangers, fighters, and rogues dodged the arrows with their quick movements. They ran behind some rocks to take shelter. When the wolves pounced, they went to the tunnel entrances and started fighting.
Meanwhile, the priestesses cast holy barriers around the knights who further shielded the mages. Cutting these measly arrows was too easy. The mages at the center chanted twisted words, and shot short-range spells at the wolves.
"Aoo…" the direwolves cried and ran backwards. The fighters followed, only to be stopped by kobold warriors, who had come from the other chambers.
"There are more monsters coming. Everyone, don't stretch too far away! Porters, come under the barrier!" Irene used magic to amplify her voice.
Her breasts jiggled as she turned around and shot lightning out of her staff, instantly killing a black wolf. She also noticed the kobold warriors riding more black wolves.
Irene adjusted her mage hat. They were as good as dead if they came into her range.
"Rangers, take out the wolves. Leave the kobolds to the fighters!"
"Nrrya!" Amelia's nails grew as she fought the kobolds. Compared to other fighters, she was better in combat with the monsters.
Dodging the spears directed at her with nimble movements, she swiped the faces of the kobold warriors with her paws. Her tail wagged left and right, the tight flesh on her thighs vibrated as she moved around.
Climbing on one kobold's body, she punched its head and cracked its neck. Then, she pounced on the other one. However, a wine snake suddenly caught her right foot.
"Nyaa!" she cried as it pulled her.
"There are snyakes, be careful!" Amelia warned and kicked the snake's tail. The other fighters quickly came to help her.
An arrow suddenly killed the wine snake holding the cat girl. She nodded to a ranger and got back to fighting.
On the other side, the priestesses started giving out buffs to the rogues and knights. That increased the casualties of the monsters. Three mages jointly fired icicles at the annoying goblins above, killing quite a few of them
The poisonous arrows had injured three adventurers. If they let the goblins fire more, it would be an embarrassment to their ranks.
"This place is large, they are on the second floor and have the higher ground." Irene quickly realized the situation.
Previously, she had thought that only one goblin was there. Two entire goblin tribes were hiding on the second floor, actually. When the adventurers stepped on the third floor, they could rain arrows from above.
"Aaahh!" one fighter suddenly cried as a poisoned arrow hit his leg.
Numa, one of the twin priestesses, acted immediately and cast a [Heal] on that fighter. A mage's healing spell could patch the wound but it wasn't like a cleric's, which could even dispel the poison.
"Don't underestimate them. Goblins are much more dangerous than you think!" A knight warned and blocked the kobolds' spears with his shield. As a 2nd circle knight, he didn't break a sweat battling four unranked kobolds at once.
At this moment, one of the hooded mages suddenly sensed something. A spiderweb pulled one of the rangers to a dark chamber. Demon spider babies which were as big as human kids swarmed the unprotected fighters.
They first caught the trap master. He used his dagger to cut the sticky, white webs which tried binding him. However, there were too many of them.
"Help me!" he cried miserably as they carried him.
Irene pointed her staff at the spiders and blasted two of them at once. However, many more took their place, and dragged the trap master to the other chambers.
"They took another one. What do we do?" a rogue asked, fighting two dire wolves.
"Tch!" Irene clicked her tongue. She couldn't cast an Area-of-Effect spell with so many of her allies here. A fire-attributed spell would be perfect against these monsters. But inside the dungeon, she had to be wary of burning too much air.
Right now, much of the team was scattered, fighting the monsters. The D-Rankers were killing efficiently, but others at the E-Rank were being taken away.
She didn't understand how monsters of different species were cooperating so well. This shouldn't be possible unless… an intelligent monster was commanding them!
"Follow those spiders. Leave these puny monsters to me!" Irene shouted, not knowing that this was exactly what Jake wanted to happen.
Irene thought there weren't any monsters on the third floor which could threaten her. She was right in this case. But unlike other dungeons where monsters stayed on their own floors, the monsters of this dungeon climbed floors.
This made the knights and the mages hesitant to leave her like this. Then again, this was the command of their leader. They all knew one moment of hesitation could cost their lives.
Irene must have made this decision after thinking through everything. The other adventurers also knew they were only hindering her.
Cutting through the horde of small spiders, 3 knights protected the porters and the priestesses. The mages cast earth magic to keep the wolves at bay, but it hardly worked. They hadn't studied or practiced it properly, deeming it inferior in combat. Now they were suffering.
Still, the rangers and the rogues had cleared up most of the wolves and those who remained were running to the lower floors.
"They took Juan, William, and Margaret!" someone reported.
"Tch, that's why I hate these newbies… Told them not to come!" a masked rogue grumbled as he pushed the dead body of a kobold. He then followed those who went towards the other tunnels.
When Irene found herself with just two D-Rank adventurers, she hit the ground with her staff. Glancing at the remaining wine snakes, demon spiders, and kobolds, she called her teammates, "You two, come behind me."
"We'll keep them busy while you chant!" The two men brandished their swords at the monsters.
"Who said I'm going to cast a spell?" Irene chuckled and took out a pack of explosive test tubes.
However, the monsters ran away at this moment, as if they knew the coming danger. This really irritated Irene. It was not how monsters normally acted. She amplified her voice again and told all adventurers fighting in various tunnels to gather.
But intense sounds of battle replied her instead. Irene and the two beside her didn't know trolls and orcs had intercepted the scattered adventurers in the tunnels.
On the 6th floor.
"Master, it worked! Now that mage isn't with the knights." Lena sat on Jake's shoulders as she excitedly said.
Jake stretched his left hand and ordered, "Go and pulverize these intruders."
The minotaur and the Hell Knight simultaneously got up and walked towards the upper floors with heavy steps. The nekismis python and the mutated slime were already there.
"Erin and Perry, come with me. Diana, Yunna, and Vin. You three stay here and deal with the injured adventurers who might reach this place."
After that, Jake and the two girls sat on his three-eyed hound. He directed his pet to go by a different route, one which wouldn't cross with the adventurers fighting in the tunnels.
He wanted to reach the third floor and take down Irene before others noticed.
…
"Holy Barrier!"
"Divine Light Upon Sword!"
The cleric sisters did their job efficiently despite being new. They both were in their mid-twenties, but had become D-Rank Priestesses already.
After killing the wolves, spiders, kobolds, and goblins and now having to deal with trolls and muscular orcs…even though they were of the 2nd Circle, the adventurers felt fatigued.
They should have had time to rest after clearing this floor, then make plans based on their estimation of this dungeon's danger level. But now, even they didn't know what was happening. Why were monsters coming out in hordes as if they were brothers-in-arms?
"There must be some kind of leader here. It has to be!"
"A dragon?"
"Do you think a dragon will stay in a tier one dungeon? I think it's an Orc Shaman or a Lizardman Warrior."
The lads were making wild guesses while fighting. Alex wanted to say that it was a freaking demon. But he knew he would die if he said it. The more he fought, the more he felt his hope dwindle.
After the mana of this dungeon increased, all monsters had undergone a change and become much more powerful than they were previously. Otherwise, how could orcs and trolls hold back D-Rank fighters?
"I found her!" A female knight dashed forward and grabbed Amelia who was injured fighting the trolls. Honestly, she would have been fine if she wasn't so stubborn and headstrong.
"You should rest." Priestess Mary crouched down and healed the beastkin girl's legs.
"Nnngghh…" Amelia bit her lips, feeling the pain when her torn flesh started patching up.
"R-Run!" someone shouted at this moment.
The knights, who had been fighting, paused and looked in the direction from which that voice came. A fighter was holding a torch and crawling backward. The dim yellow light illuminated the large club of a tall monster.
Smash!
The man's head burst like a watermelon and all adventurers froze.
"It's a minotaur! Everyone, get into formation!"
"I-I'm out… Aaaaaa!"
The young man who had been fighting earlier ran away.
"No, don't-"
Smash!
The minotaur killed another fighter. This made all adventurers run for their lives. The D-Rankers looked frustrated. They shouldn't scatter, but try to take it down with superior numbers… or not. They suddenly changed their minds when they saw Keirth.
"W-What is that thing…?" A ranger backed away.
Clang! A buff knight blocked the sword of an orc and pulled her.
"Go, leave!" He said and stood bravely between her and the coming monsters.
"B-but…"
"Run. I'll buy some time." The 2nd Circle knight dashed forward and battled with the minotaur, pushing the ranger to the other chamber.
…
"Flame Spears!"
Magical lights flashed on the third floor's largest area. Irene cast one spell after another, trying to take down the nekismis python. She temporarily couldn't kill the mutated slime. She had destroyed its core but it still lived.
Hiss… The python came closer.
Irene cast [Retreat] on herself and her body glided backwards. The D-Rank Knight called Robert clashed with the python while Irene quickly chanted her magic spell.
However, just when she was about to cast it, she found her spell broken.
"Who's there?" Irene sharply turned around and pointed her staff at the dark silhouette coming out of the tunnel.
"This spellbreaker ring is quite useful…"
Jake was standing with Erin and Perry while holding his scythe. The nekismis python and the mutated slime fought harder after sensing their Dungeon Master.
'His enchanted ring can break my spells?'
Irene paid attention to the tall man who had horns on his head. She immediately recognized what he was.
'Considering the mana radiating out of him, he is a 2nd Circle demon on the verge of advancing…'
Irene was a bit wrong because Jake's mana was exactly 300, and she couldn't accurately sense it.
"So you're the boss of this dungeon. I knew something was up when those monsters worked together," Irene said, hiding the hand signs she was creating behind her back.
However, Jake didn't fall for her trick. The moment he saw the elvish mage, he dashed forward and used [Demonic Grasp] to pull her staff.
Irene was clinging to it and stumbled ahead. Seeing the demon's mighty scythe coming straight for her neck, she immediately cast a quick mana barrier.
Sparks lit up as Jake clashed against the invisible shield. A pitch black fire burned from the tip of his scythe and started eating away the barrier.
Surprise caught Irene. Still, as a 3rd Circle Mage, her response was quick. She conjured a ball of water and hurled it in the fire's direction.
The gem on Jake's ring glowed again but he couldn't break her spell. It was a 2nd Circle [Waterball]. Noticing it, Irene quickly grasped that the ring only worked on 1st Circle Spells.
While Jake was using his dark fire to evaporate the huge ball of water, Irene cast [retreat] on herself. But midway, she was forced to double-cast [Mana Barrier].
"Hehehe…" Erin had a bloody dagger in her hand which she madly swiped at the mage's defensive shield. Jake had bought her this weapon, and she was excited when using it.
"Tch, annoying bat!" Irene cursed and cast a [Flame Spear] as long as herself.
Erin hurriedly dodged. In that split moment, Jake used [Blood Control] to flow the blood on Irene's right hand backwards.
That made her lose her grip on her staff.
[Demonic Grasp]!
"Mage Hand!"
Both used their spells to pull the staff. Irene had greater mana and thus won, getting it back. Jake closed his distance with her, taking this opportunity.
Whoosh!
He rotated his scythe once and swiped it at her.
"We won't let you!"
Tiing!
The blade clashed with Robert's sword who suddenly coughed blood, flying away. Jake's strength was 300, something this knight couldn't handle head-on..
The rogue beside him dashed towards Perry who was reciting an Unholy Chant.
Erin intercepted the man and prevented him from doing any harm to the Dark Priestess.
The knight had badly injured the nekismis python, but the mutated slime was still fine. It shot a water sickle at Irene.
"Hmph!" The elf stomped the ground and rapidly chanted.
Her face showed absolute confidence even though the sickle was about to cut her neck. Suddenly, it turned into nothing more than water droplets.
She then looked at the demon, but he wasn't fighting Robert. A hound had taken his place.
'Where is he?!'
"That demon is over there!" She heard the rogue's voice. Irene instinctively turned her head in that direction.
Whoosh!
The rogue, who just informed Irene, swung his scythe at her with a dangerous smile. It took Irene some seconds to realize that the demon had changed his appearance and fooled her.
She quickly blocked it with her staff but Jake easily flung her away with his superior strength. Irene landed hard on the ground. Before the demon could do anything, she simultaneously cast [Flame Shield] and [Heal]. Taking out a potion bottle, she chugged its bitter liquid down her throat.
It was a mana regeneration potion. Even though she had 320 mana, she ran out of it quickly. Irene wasn't cautious of her mana expenditure most of the time.
"Just what is this?!" she exclaimed as she saw Jake's [Dark Fire] eat away her flame shield. It was really bizarre and terrifying.
"Ahahaha…" At this moment, Erin's crazy laughs resounded. She was holding the head of that rogue.
"You people want to harm my master… Ahahaha, I'll kill you all!" Her eyes glowed red as a bloody mist enveloped her figure.
Then, with the sound of many bats crying, she neared the knight who was battling the Three-eyed Hound.
Irene took a deep breath as the dark fire finished her flame shield. She had recovered from her earlier clash with him.
"Let's see what you do now!" She waved her staff with a determined gaze and started casting buffs and protection spells on herself.
Using [Phantom Steps], Jake glided towards her like a grim reaper. He used his full strength to slash her triple-layered mana barrier. It flickered with many lights. Jake found that his scythe's grade was too low to break it open.
[Demonic Grasp]! Jake pulled the rocks behind Irene and hurled it at her.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Irene's mana barriers cracked under the onslaught of so many stones. However, she didn't reinforce them and continued madly chanting.
Cautiousness appeared in Jake's eyes. If she was going this far to complete her spell, it must be something big! He couldn't let her finish it. Jake immediately used the spellbreaker ring, but it didn't work.
"Zzz…" Arcs of lightning appeared around Irene's shield. Her mage hat fluttered because of the unusual wind.
"Get out of here, Erin!" Jake shouted and created the biggest Dark Fire he had ever made. It blanketed all of Irene's mana barriers.
At the same time, a gray light fell on Jake's body and he found his mana increased by 20%. He knew it was Perry. She cast an Unholy Barrier around herself and her master. Erin heeded Jake's advice and ran towards the tunnel.
At this moment, the fleeing adventurers emerged from the dark tunnels. Looking at the area illuminated by golden arcs of lightning, they ran back inside again. In that chaotic moment, these adventurers didn't know they all were going to the fourth floor one way or another.
"3rd Circle Magic – Lightning Field!"
Finished chanting, Irene held her staff high up ahead as she cast her strongest AoE spell.
Jake waved his scythe. His [Dark Fire] ate all the mana in this large ground at once. It had broken Irene's barriers, albeit a bit late. Jake's mana core started spinning to facilitate more power. Then,
Wrooo!
Zzz…Boom!
A huge explosion rang out, engulfing almost everything in a 25-meter radius.
Boom…!
The sound was so loud that Perry had to hold on to a wall. Her Unholy Barrier was still active around her master, but she doubted it would do much. After being thrown back inside the tunnel, she couldn't see Jake.
On the other side, Erin didn't obey Jake and stayed at the tunnel entrance. Even as the flames burned her, she didn't leave her master. Erin was confident in her regenerative abilities as a vampire.
As the light of the explosion died down, the scene appeared wrecked in everyone's eyes. The stalactites from above fell and a dust cloud erupted, rousing the remaining arcs of lightning which buzzed around.
Ting! Jake hit the floor with the handle of his scythe and breathed deeply.
"Hah… Hah…" His clothes were tattered and his body was aching. Hundreds of minor cuts, some large wounds, and burn marks were on his body. His mana was extremely low, and he was having trouble standing.
Jake's mana core greedily sucked the mana coming out of the tunnels to fill the void. He was using [Minor Regeneration] to heal himself, but it would take a full day for him to recover.
At this moment, a shining gray light fell on him. Jake turned around and saw Perry use [Heal] despite her depleting Fallen Powers.
Turning his head around, Jake suddenly noticed a red silhouette running to the place where that elf had been standing earlier.
Whoosh! A gust of wind swept away the dust in the air and Jake saw his opponent passed out on the floor.
"What?" Jake stumbled ahead, surprised to see that this mage only had a few cuts on her cheek and her wrists.
Irene had cast a [Rock Barrier] around herself after casting her strongest spell. This overdrew her mana, and she lost consciousness. Despite having extreme talent in magic, second to dragons, elves had frail bodies.
Laying on the floor, Irene's clothes were tattered just like Jake's. He could see her slender thighs, one part of her curvy hip, and most of her breasts. Jake's gaze lingered on her for a moment before he went past her and caught Erin.
She was horrible to look at. Her right hand didn't have any flesh at all. The skin on one part of her face was completely charred. He could see her ribcage and thigh's boiled flesh. Erin's body was barely hanging.
Holding her, Jake looked around. His two monsters and the D-Rank adventurers were most likely dead. Jake pulled the mage and brought her neck to Erin's lips.
Like a snake, Erin sank her fangs on the elf and sucked blood. She needed nothing other than blood to survive. The moment she got it, her passive regeneration kicked up and began rapidly healing her body.
When the mage's blood wasn't enough, Jake gave her his two fingers. Blood left his body, but as a demon Jake's physique was tenacious.
He stood up as Erin instinctively hugged him while sucking his blood. It was like he was feeding a pet.
Jake called the system shop. When the panel appeared before him, he navigated to [Items] and clicked the first icon: [Mana Crystals].
Jake didn't think too much and bought four mid-grade crystals which appeared in his hands. Immediately, his mana core started spinning and sucked the rich mana of the crystals.
This much was enough for him to restore his mana fully. After replenishing it, Jake leveled up his [Minor Regeneration] skill two times and quickly cast it on himself. His wounds started patching up.
"Master, are you ok?" Perry came running and stood beside him. Jake was about to reply when he heard shouts.
"Aaaahh!"
"Run!"
Some adventurers who hadn't descended the floor came to the scene. They were fleeing from the Hell Knight. However, when they saw a demon standing beside Irene, they halted.
The sound Erin made when sucking blood made chills run down their spine. Noticing them, she stopped biting Jake and looked around. There was crimson blood smeared on her lips which she licked. Her body still hadn't healed fully, but she could use some of her powers now.
"Kill them all." Jake dashed forward and Erin followed. Their speed was ghostly.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
At this moment, the minotaur exited the tunnel while swinging its club. Its appearance made the humans panic again. The alcoholic dwarf was among the adventurers cornered here. He tried to give hope to the three youngsters around him.
"Lads, we only have one chance toー"
"Awoo!" A large hound pounced and ripped the old knight's head off his shoulder. Hot blood splattered on the ground as Lark threw the head. It rolled in front of the adventurers.
Soon, blood-curdling screams rang out one by one as Jake and Erin began killing them.
…
"Quick, this way." On the fourth floor, Amelia and a porter ran side by side.
"Are we not helping them?" Amelia shouted, turning to a corner.
"They are as good as dead," the brown-haired porter said, running faster.
"Didn't you see those imps? This place is a demon's hideout…"
Neil was carrying a large bag containing 150 High-grade mana crystals. The other porter was carrying the food supplies.
He was running very fast. His strength and agility were more than 150 at the very least.
By now, most of the adventurers were dead. When they reached the fourth floor's tunnels, imps appeared with iron spears. Too tired after fighting the other monsters, even D-Rankers fell at the hands of these little demons.
However, Amelia had seen the imps capture some adventurers as well. She could only think something worse was happening to them.
Turning around, she and Neil ascended the stairs. Finally, they were back to the third floor!
Amelia felt bitter leaving her teammates like this. But if she were to choose, she would surely save herself over others. The quest had failed. She had to leave this dungeon now!
"Neil, we shouldー"
The cat girl suddenly froze seeing someone ahead. It was a tall man with two curved, dark horns. A pair of beautiful women stood beside him.
The porter was quick to abandon his teammate and run for his life. Jake immediately followed sensing the huge amount of mana coming from Neil's bag.
"Capture this girl." Jake went past them with this order.
Amelia reacted a bit late. She dashed to the left side and entered a narrow tunnel. But Erin followed her with a ghostly movement. No matter how nimble this cat girl was, she couldn't outpace a vampire specializing in lethal speed.
"No! No, don't come closer!" In a different tunnel, Neil cried as he ran with all his might. However, after carrying these mana crystals all day, fatigue was wearing down his body.
He should have thrown his bag, yet he ran while carrying it. Neil was greedy but so was Jake, and whoever had the superior strength would win, of course.
[Demonic Grasp]
"Aah!"
Neil flew when Jake stretched out his hand. Grabbing the bag, Jake punched its bearer. Neil crashed heavily against the hard stone wall. His two front teeth and some of his bones were broken.
Jake didn't care and thought to store the bag containing mana crystals. It disappeared in a flash of light and a new icon appeared in Jake's inventory. A notification popped up.
[Ding! You have committed a greedy sin. You gain 2,170 Evil Points!]
Jake dismissed the system and focused on the porter who was trying to stand up. Without a word, he snapped his fingers and a black fire erupted.
"Aaaaahhhh!" Neil burned horribly.
A roasted smell permeated the narrow tunnel as the flames roared, eating the body of the porter. First the skin, then the flesh, then blood… Layer by layer. Even his eyeballs and lastly the skeleton.
Jake's expression didn't change one bit as he saw the man die. It was as if he burned firewood. Killing someone was second nature to him.
…
Two hours later, on the seventh floor of the dungeon.
Inside the southeastern chamber, there were six newly made cells, secured by iron bars. The prison cells looked identical. Two wooden beds near the right corner, a clay pot filled with water on the left. The back wall had various iron chains with which the surviving adventurers were chained.
Tak… Tak… Jake walked on the corridor as he looked left and right. Four women, three men. These were the seven adventurers who survived.
Jake clapped and asked, "What should I do with you all?"
"Let's kill them all, master!" Lena fluttered around Jake and excitedly suggested.
"Nah nah, they are far more useful alive than dead." Jake shook his forefinger.
A masked rogue grabbed the iron bars and shouted, "Alex, it's all your fault!"
On the opposite chamber, Alex was sitting on the floor. He didn't respond. Jake had used skill steal on this mage and stolen his two most useful spells. Explosion and Mana Sense.
At this moment, Diana entered the chamber carrying a chair. She placed it behind her master and Jake sat leisurely. He glanced at the women in the other cells.
Two priestesses, a fighter of the beast race, and the elf mage. They would be fine collections to his harem and combat assets for his dungeon…
"Diana!" He suddenly heard a shout. Jake turned around and saw Alex grabbing the iron bars.
"Diana, why are you with him? Where is Riri?" The mage who had a vacant gaze just a moment ago was now shouting at the top of his lungs while pulling the iron bars.
Jake stood up and suddenly punched the mage.
"I fucked them both."
"No! You're lying, you're trying to deceive me again!" Alex stood up almost immediately.
Just as he was about to chant a spell, a chill ran down his spine and he stopped. Just now, he had sensed the worm move in his belly. If he tried casting a spell, he would die.
"At first I thought you would be useful, but you're too stupid. Kill him." Jake ordered Diana, and she bowed subserviently before unsheathing her sword.
Alex didn't believe it. Diana could never… She would never bow down to a demon! She would rather kill herself. Yes, his Diana must have waited for this moment. It was all her plan to save him… Alex watched as she opened the bars.
"Diana…" He whispered and came closer.
"Alex," she said and slashed at him.
"Aaaah!"
She slashed again.
"Aaaaa- Diana, why?!"
She plunged her sword deep into his throat. Bloody foams came out of Alex's mouth as he grabbed his neck, trying to breathe. A sick sound suddenly came from his body and disgusting black centipedes squirmed out of his body. They quickly started eating him.
Diana pulled her sword and went back. The women in the other prison closed their eyes as the sound of insects rustled in the chamber.
"Good job." Jake said and Diana got on one knee.
He then turned to the next chamber and opened it. Looking into the eyes of the men, he first used [Demon Eye]. When he found their wills were lower than his, he directly used [Corruption].
Demonic marks appeared on their faces and their eyes glowed red. Madness overcame their sanity for a moment before everything converged to become evil.
They laughed erratically until the marks faded. Both men knelt and crouched before Jake who had already turned around. He ordered the men to leave the chamber with Diana.
After they left, Jake went to the women's cell. He didn't plan to corrupt them so soon. They were far more fun to play with when they struggled.
"Wh-what are you planning to do?!" Amelia backed away seeing the demon enter. The priestess tightly held on to each other. Their divine power was depleted and they couldn't cast a holy spell right now. In this evil place, it was also extremely difficult to restore their powers.
They waited for the elf mage to wake up. She was their only hope. However, Irene still hadn't recovered from her blood loss and remained unconscious.
"Nyaa…!" The cat girl suddenly cried as Jake held her head.
Pinching her cheeks, Jake gazed at her struggling expression and said, "I have a deal for you. It's a simple deal, actually."
Jake turned her head and made her face the priestesses. Pulling her silver hair, he said, "Offer your body to me once and you can leave. It's quite a cheap price for trespassing my dungeon, isn't it?"