A ray of raw, red mana shot through the Hell Knight's only eye. It instantly turned everything it touched into plasma. A long depression appeared on the floor as Keirth glanced toward Jake.
The speed of the ray was too fast and Jake knew he couldn't dodge it. He quickly stretched his right hand in front of him and used [Dark Fire].
A ball of black flame came to life in front of Jake, eating the surrounding air. The red ray almost immediately hit the flame and pierced through it.
Jake gasped as the ray burned his palm. He did not panic and simultaneously used [Minor Regeneration] and the movement he learned from [Phantom Scythe Mastery].
He also didn't stop using [Dark Fire]. Jake turned into a dark, phantasmal figure as he used his immense speed to get away from the Hell Knight's line of attack.
Using more mana, he made the dark fire larger. It turned into a roaring sphere of pitch black darkness, eating away the red ray of mana shot by the Hell Knight.
Ting!
Jake rotated his scythe with his other hand and blocked the lizardman warrior's spear.
"Blessings From Hell!"
"Fireball!"
Irene and the priestesses were again using their combo attack. Jake moved around a lot while cutting the fireballs with his scythe. As a unique weapon, its durability was really high.
The weapon could stand most of the damage coming from 1st or 2nd Circle spells. Any ability that wasn't at least of the Rare grade had little effect on it.
Whoosh!
Jake pulled the goblin shaman again using Demonic Grasp and finished it with a punch. He then targeted the Hell Knight in a match of brute force. Right now, even this giant was not a match for him.
Learning [Phantom Scythe Mastery], Jake realized how crude the Hell Knight's [Heavy Swordsmanship] skill was. If he and Keirth fought using no magical abilities and only weapons, Jake could easily overpower the latter.
After dealing with one 3rd Circle opponent, he looked at the other.
Jake had forbidden Irene from using her unique skill [Black Lightning Field] because it would do too much damage. He was having a test match, so there was no need to mess up the insides of his dungeon.
Against her, the orcs, lizardmen, golems and the priestesses, Jake began using [Blood Control] more and more. He learned how to temporarily stop one's heart. Jake also learned that against opponents who did not have instant regenerative abilities, he could injure them and quickly bleed them out using [Blood Control].
After much time passed, Jake defeated all of his servants. He realized where he was the best and where he was lacking in terms of combat potential.
Leaving the golems to patch the damage done to the surroundings, Jake went to the lower floors. Irene, Perry, Numa, and Mary followed him. They were exhausted from the battle and wanted some rest as well.
On the 18th floor, Jake was pacing near the underground river. It brought a lot of fresh air which this dungeon needed. The air from the pores in the walls was not enough.
Jake could actually survive without air if there was enough mana but the others could not. In a way, he was no different from the monsters.
"Currently, I am lacking in the defense and attack aspect," Jake concluded after some thinking.
His understanding of melee battles might differ from others. But because he used to play video games a lot back on earth, Jake had six aspects which he paid attention to. Those were Movement, Control, Attack, Defense, Perception and Health.
He was the best in the control aspect with skills like Demonic Grasp, Enchantment, Blood Control, Degeneration Halo, etc. His movement was also nice because he had Flight. Perception was covered by Magipathy, and for health he had Minor Regeneration which was soon going to upgrade.
Jake only had two skills to give actual damage. Those were Dark Fire and Explosion. As for defense, he had none.
"I should have bought some skills for defending myself…" Jake muttered as he opened the shop.
After he unlocked another sin, the system shop was restocked, so there were many things to buy.
He currently had about 30,000 points left. The earlier fight had given him 4,000 Evil Points from the Sin of Pride. Most of it came when he won the battle. Defeating others boosted Jake's pride, and that gave him points.
'Let's see… These all look nice but…' Jake idly scrolled through the [Abilities], clicking only the skills which were of Superior grade or higher. He had no need for common and uncommon skills.
[Lagnath's Shield]
[Storm Defense]
[Earth Wall]
Most of the rare grade abilities were now priced at 5,000 points or higher. Jake acutely noted how the system increased prices the more sins he unlocked. Previously, even the unique skill Flight had not cost him 5,000.
"Oh, there is mana barrier!"
Jake clicked on it and looked at the stats.
[Skill: Mana Barrier]
[Grade: Rare (High)]
[Description: Creates a shield of the user's mana to fend off any kind of physical or energy attack. Its usage depends on the user. The more mana spent, the better the barrier.]
[Requirements: 200+ MANA, 250+ INT]
[Cost: 6,999 Evil Points]
After reading the description, Jake thought for some time. It was a good skill, straight to the point. However, because it treated every attack the same, it had no speciality.
Jake didn't buy it for now and kept looking.
[Name: Sphere of Darkness]
[Grade: Unique (Low)]
[Description: In the absence of sunlight, the surrounding mana would form a black sphere able to fend off any type of attack. A manaless person can also use this ability. It will not work if sunlight touches the user's body. Other forms of light are ineffective.]
[Requirements: 300+ INT]
[Usage cost: 1 Will/min]
[Cost: 9,999 Evil Points]
That did not seem very appealing, except for the fact that it could block 'any' type of attack. Jake knew he, being a creature of evil alignment, was especially vulnerable to holy attacks.
A simple [Purify Evil] from a 1st Circle Priest could give him pain for 2 days. If a bishop or a paladin hit him with some fancier attack, it was possible to instantly injure him.
'I think I'll buy this… Despite its limitations, it is necessary,' Jake thought. Him not having to use his own mana was great.
After buying that, Jake bought two rare grade skills. Both were attack-type abilities. [Shadow Spear] and [Icicle Rain]. They cost him 6,000 each.
After he was done, Jake started learning them one by one.
Two days later, Jake finished learning the three skills. He could use them in combat.
With this, Jake was pretty confident in his strength and was planning to visit another noble today.
Viscount Dorstone was the 2nd closest noble from his location. Jake had heard that this nobleman was a powerful 3rd Circle Knight. He also had a battalion of knights which had once fended off a monster horde.
However, Jake didn't think they would be that much of a challenge. Unless his mana was exhausted or they had magical artifacts in person, the people lower ranked than him couldn't resist his [Degeneration Halo].
Tak… Tak… Walking through the brightly lit stone corridors, Jake returned to the 18th floor. He wanted to give Irene some instructions before he left.
She would take care of the dungeon while in his absence.
…
Ash Harley, the paladin, stepped in the Senesten village. It was late morning, and the villagers were preparing their lunches.
The summer sun was shining high up. Walking on the muddy road, Ash recalled the days of his childhood.
He looked around and remembered the faces and homes of the people he knew. On the left, behind that tall tree, was the house of sister Dorothy.
Over there, the James brothers were tending to the cattle. They still quarreled like yesterday.
As Ash walked through the wood and stone houses, he saw his childhood friend and immediately recognized her. She was Emily Seale. His eyes glowed seeing her beautiful figure. In ten years, she had grown a lot.
Ash walked up to her. Emily was startled and went back. Seeing the emblem of the Lord on his chest, she stood straight.
Eh, why was it upside down? Could it be a paladin was wearing it improperly? She couldn't help but giggle.
"Emily," Ash called with a smile.
The woman finally recognized who it was. He was the village leader's son who was taken by the Church Knights.
"Ash!"
She was surprised. Then a look of sorrow covered her face. Ash acutely noticed it and asked, "What happened? Did you not want to see me…?"
"No, that's notー" Emily didn't know how to word it. She stayed silent, and that made Ash more curious.
"Then what is it?"
"It's…" Emily took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Y-Your family members… Someone assassinated them."
…
Devastated after learning about his family's death, Ash sought to find the killer. He asked around if his father had offended someone during these days, but didn't get any answer.
Despite leading the village, the Harleys mistreated no one. They were friendly and had no enemies. Then why would someone assassinate a happy family living in a faraway village?
'Is it my fault? It must be my enemies… But I told no one where I came from. That information is secured in the Diocese.'
Ash went outside of the village. Although he knew many people here, Senesten just didn't feel like his home. There was something strange about this village. Ash couldn't pinpoint it.
He felt it when the people talked, when they moved around and did their work. His instincts were telling him something sinister was going on. Ash didn't feel like staying here.
He glanced back at the village which he had fondly returned to. Now it seemed like a wholly different place. He looked at the front and walked a considerable distance.
At this moment, his sword suddenly vibrated. Ash became alert at once. It indicated that something evil was in the surroundings.
Behind the bushes, Jake pushed a large boulder. He exited the dungeon from the entrance near the Senesten village because Viscount Dorstone's fief was in the western direction.
However, the moment he left the dungeon, he sensed something holy through Magipathy. The source was right in front of him.
"What is it, master?" Vin and Diana asked from behind. This time, they were accompanying him.
Jake frowned and told them to stay here. The moment he took a step forward, however, he suddenly withdrew his scythe from his inventory and equipped it.
Ting!
A crisp sound rang in the area as the Black Reaper's blade clashed with the blade of the Paladin's sword. A shock wave ran through the air and the women behind him covered their ears.
Jake forcefully pushed the man in front of him and appeared from the bushes. The women followed him, worried about their master.
As three people appeared in front of him, Ash sensed their evil aura. He held his long sword tight and immediately spread his Divine Sense which he got after advancing to a Paladin.
"Who are you people?" Ash asked in a thunderous tone. He felt danger from the man at the front.
Jake stayed silent and cautiously swung his scythe. He used [Demon Eye] to look at the stats of this blonde-haired man.
[Name: Ash Harley]
[Species: Human]
[Rank: 4th Circle]
[Titles(s): Failed Hero, Knight of Gera (+??? Stats boost in Gera City), Rising Light (+10 Will +15 ???)]
[Job: Paladin]
[Strength: 401 / Agility: ??? / Stamina: 386 / Vitality: 364 / Intelligence: 304 / Charisma: 220 / Will: ???]
[Abilities: Sword of Judgment (Uniqueーlvl. ???), Cleansing ??? (Rareーlvl. 8), ??? of Protection (Uniqueーlvl. ???), Divine Smite (Rareーlvl. 9), Aura of Courage (Rareーlvl. 7), Divine Sense (RareーPassive), ???, Mass Blessing (Rareーlvl. ???), Armor Penetration (Superiorーlvl. 10), Holy Shield (Uniqueーlvl. ???), Taunt (Uncommonーlvl. 10), ???…]
Jake's [Demon Eye] was a Unique skill. But because his rank was still 3rd Circle, he could not view the full stats of this 4th Circle Paladin.
However, looking at the attributes, Jake could tell that he was superior instead.
'Go back and tell Irene to keep herself ready.' He used [Magipathy] to inform Vin and Diana. The two women turned around and ran through the dark tunnel, back to the dungeon.
"This evil…" Ash frowned deeply. He has never sensed such a thick evil aura in his entire life. This man standing with a scythe could not be human at all.
If he was of the human race, then he had already lost his humanity.
"Who are you?" Ash's sword shone brightly as he asked again.
Jake was not afraid to fight this paladin. However, he knew how much damage a Unique skill could give him when used with Divine Power. He had only one way to block Ash.
Jake stopped using the appearance magic and black horns sprouted on his head.
Seeing it, Ash's eyes bulged. He could not believe a demon stayed this close to the human settlements.
Jake decided to gamble here. He went back to the dungeon where he would have a home-ground advantage. If Ash didn't follow, Jake would have to turn back and kill this paladin at all costs.
However, everything went as he expected. Ash followed him almost immediately.
Whoosh!
The paladin was compelled by his virtue to never let this evil creature go. He was quite confident in his skills and power. After all, this was not the first time he had subjugated a demon.
Jake stopped near the underground river and called Irene using Magipathy. She had learnt Mana Communication from Lena, so she could reply.
'Master, is it really a paladin?'
'Indeed, he is.'
Jake looked at the man in front of him. Ash was a tall, oblong-faced man in his late twenties. He was equipped with a Rare weapon, and was in full-plate white armor.
Coming inside the dungeon, Ash frowned in discomfort. What was this place? Too foul. It had to be a dungeon. He concluded.
Looking at the demon which was not fleeing, Ash shot forward. He used his strongest attack from the start.
"Sword of Judgment!"
Ash's weapon glowed in a brilliant, golden light as he slashed Jake using all his strength. Against a demon, he was taught to not hesitate. Otherwise, the demon would tempt or trick him.
Jake was not expecting this paladin to go all out. That light coming from Ash's sword made him feel like death was approaching. He tightly gripped his scythe and hit the ground with its handle.
[Sphere of Darkness]
A thick, black shadow burst from him and enveloped his figure. The glowing sword clashed with the black shadow.
Ting!
The attacks nullified each other as they both were Unique skills. Equipping Black Reaper, Jake's physical attributes were boosted, so he pushed the paladin back.
Wasting no time, he cast his new offensive spell.
[Shadow Spears]
"Banishing Ray!"
Both of their attacks met midair. The raw divine power and mana chaotically spread in the air. Jake and Ash again converged towards each other.
Inside Jake's room, Lena panicked and told the priestesses to go help master. A paladin this near the dungeon core made her worried to no extent. It was like a bug had entered her belly. She wanted that foreign, holy creature to go away at once.
Irene cast several Uncommon buffs on herself to increase her speed and go toward her master. She was bringing the Hell Knight with her.
Near the underground river, Jake used flight and then used [Demonic Grasp] on the paladin. Losing his footing, Ash found himself unable to channel his full strength to his sword.
He opted to use spells and cast Cleansing Touch the moment he reached closer to the demon. However, Jake was one step faster in using [Blood Control]. The paladin's blood began boiling, and he had no choice but to stop his casting.
Jake stopped using [Demonic Grasp] and Ash fell on the floor. But his physique was better than most humans because of his training and he was not hurt.
Ash realized that this was no ordinary demon. To fend off his Sword of Judgment, and even affect him with magic, Jake was powerful.
'A noble demon… the most dangerous kind… He has lots of spells in his arsenal.' It didn't take long for Ash to know this point.
If that was so, then he had to inform the diocese about this. The dungeon seemed to have spawned for a long time, considering how foul the aura here was. Ash sensed the mana of this place using his Divine Sense and realized that it was a tier 1 dungeon already.
"Demon, you are a coward. Leading me to thi-"
[Dark Fire]
[Explosion]
Jake's both hands glowed with mana as he simultaneously cast two of his most offensive skills. Immediately, Ash's clothes and body began burning. A minor explosion also boomed in the air in front of him, throwing him back.
The paladin was trying to taunt the demon and lure him out of the dungeon. However, Jake was not like some third-rate villain who would listen and even have a conversation with his opponent.
He saw an opportunity; he struck. Cowardice or bravery, nothing mattered.
Whoosh!
Jake shot forward while rapidly regenerating his mana. He expertly swung his scythe at his opponent who was disoriented. However, Ash Harley wouldn't be a paladin if he could not react quickly in the face of danger.
With the deathly blade of the scythe right before his neck, his over 400 Will burst out and he used the [Holy Shield], a unique defensive skill only available to Paladins and Bishops.
Clang!
Sparks lit up in the air as Jake's attack met with the materialized white shield. A shock wave rang out, pushing both of them back.
Jake's Black Reaper vibrated and his hand went numb. An exclusive Unique skill was powerful, indeed. No wonder paladins were the most troublesome humans. They were physically strong and could also cast divine spells.
At this moment, a female voice resounded in the area.
"Thorny Red Vines!"
Jakes ears perked as he heard this. Irene was using a control-type spell used to restrict the opponent. She made her stance clear by going the support route from the start. Jake was the damage dealer here.
[Icicle Rain]!
He did not lose this opportunity and stretched his hand toward the ceiling. His mana burst from his palm and mixed with the mana of the surroundings.
Above him, the mixed mana first condensed into large water droplets. They then froze into shards of ice and fell on toward the paladin, who was speedily cutting the vines binding him.
"Ack!"
Icicles scraped his clothing and pierced his body. Ash stopped cutting the vines and plunged his sword on the ground.
A pure, white halo burst from his position and spread radially outwards. Jake found his skin getting redder and his blood vessels about to burst when the divine power touched him. He ran out of the halo's range and looked back.
"Ring of Protection!"
The vines and the icicles disintegrated into pure mana which the Divine Power swept far away. The paladin stood straight and pulled his glowing sword. It almost looked like a holy weapon. The visual effect was stunning.
'Tch, that's why I don't like paladins. Overpowered as fuck.' Jake rose to the air while cursing Ash.
He burned a lot of his mana and used [Flight] to the maximum. Swinging his Black Reaper, Jake went straight to attack the paladin from the air.
Claanng!
The sword and the scythe clashed. A huge dent appeared on the floor as layered shock waves burst in the area.
"All at once," Perry said and pointed her staff at her master. The pregnant twins did the same.
"Unholy Blessing!"
[Ding! Your attributes are boosted by 30%]
A notification rang in Jake's mind as the buffs of the priestesses hit him. However, he was too engrossed in the battle to know about it. This time, he would not let the paladin cast any spell.
Masterfully moving the scythe, Jake cut long arcs in the air. While using a long-handed weapon, Jake maintained a certain distance from the paladin.
The scythe's blade was heavier than the handle. So when he swung it, a greater force would hit the opponent. With the buffs he gained from his equipped weapon and the blessings of the priestesses, Jake pushed Ash back with his every move.
However, the paladin was not down yet. Jake noticed his opponent's sword glowing again.
The glow was bigger than any he had seen. The paladin was using all of his divine power.
Jake was sure that he had equipped his title as well. Otherwise, how could Ash match his buffed agility?
If that was so, Jake decided to go all out as well. He disengaged from the battle to tell Irene to prepare her strongest spell. Jake also informed the priestesses to get closer to Irene.
Clang!
At this moment, the Hell Knight blocked the paladin's attack. However, to everyone's surprise, Ash repelled the 8-feet tall giant.
Jake's robes began fluttering as he converged a lot of his mana in front his palms.
"Now!" he shouted when the paladin was close to him.
Of course, Ash also realized that they were plotting something and kept his defensive spell ready. With his divine sense, he found out that an abnormal amount of mana was gathering in front of this demon.
It gave him an immense sense of danger. However, the woman on the left side made him worry more. Seeing the dark magic circle appear below her feet, Ash immediately used [Sword of Judgment] as well as [Divine Smite].
The latter was a powerful support skill. It spent his spellcasting capacity of the next ten minutes in exchange for a large attack boost. He had to use almost all of his Divine Power to activate that.
The radiant glow on his sword outshined everything inside this dark area. The sound of the river seemed to be frozen. It was as if the entire world was enveloped in that light.
"Black Lightning Field!"
"Explosion!"
The mana in the dungeon boiled and a moment later, everything burst.
Boom!
Just like before, Irene used [Mana Barrier] but this time to shield herself and the three priestesses behind it. Jake was at the front and he used the Sphere of Darkness.
Ash actually cut through the initial layer of explosion before he was swept through the chaotic wave of burning and zipping mana. A 4th Circle Paladin he may be, but it was too much trying to fend off two offensive magic spells used with all the surrounding mana.
Also, Jake's attributes were boosted at the moment, so the might of his Superior grade skill could match a Unique grade skill.
However, despite having it all prepared, the holy light coming from the [Sword of Judgment] still hit Jake.
Much like before, that arc of sword light nullified his Sphere of Darkness. However, because it was boosted by [Divine Smite], Jake sustained heavy injuries.
A breaking shock wave rang out. Jake crashed against a wall and spurted blood. His head felt dizzy, and he circulated his almost dried out mana core. The divine power had burned most of his skin and cut marks were appearing on his body.
The room temperature reached its peak. This place's ceiling was extremely high, so the explosion did not affect it. However, the course of the river was slightly changed.
As the explosion died out, a ray of red light cut through the dust, landing on the figure who was still standing.
"Aaah!" The paladin roared in pain when the Hell Knight's [Eye of Anger] hit his already injured body.
Ash's armor broke into countless pieces, and a large hole appeared in his belly. His little remaining divine power began leaking away as he slumped on the ground. It was unknown if he had died.
On the other side, Irene coughed and waved her hand around her face. She and the three priestesses were far away, so the explosion did not affect them.
Irene would never stay in her spell's area of effect.
At this moment, arcs of black lightning zipped all over the place. There were dents on the ground. She turned her head to her right when the hot air started cooling.
There, her master hovered over the riverbed. His scythe was glowing red and the wounds on his body were healing rapidly. As this place was very close to the dungeon core, the mana in the surroundings was being rapidly filled.
However, Jake was using half of it to heal his body using [Blood Regeneration].
Whoosh!
While he was healing, Jake flew to the paladin who seemed to be dead… or not. This blonde man was still twitching. The paladin's over 350 Vitality did not let him die so easily.
Jake pointed the Black Reaper at him. It was a pity, he could not use [Degeneration Halo] on this paladin. He was not on the same level as Ash, so he would get a… Wait, would he really get a backlash?
Jake stopped and checked the skill's description again. It said no such thing.
He didn't use his abilities such as Malefic Enchantment or Degeneration Halo because the paladin's Will was higher than his own. He needed to have all three attributes: Intelligence, Will, and Charisma to be higher.
Jake didn't want to waste mana in a battle for a result that may or may come true. However, now that the battle was over, he could try it out.
His overall attributes were better than even some 4th Circle beings. With the buff from the priestesses, Jake was sure he could be superior in mental attributes against an injured person.
If he somehow depraved the powers and mind of this paladin, he would have a 4th Circle servant at hand! Jake didn't want to waste such a powerful resource by simply killing him.
'But first, I have to restore my mana.' He stopped hovering in the air and landed on the ground.
[Degeneration Halo]
Jake used the skill after he had fully recovered his mana. A visible, black aura spread from his body and reached 100 feet before disappearing.
Jake saw that when the paladin was hit by the halo, he would utter incomprehensible words while twitching. Black fumes came out of his body but a surge of white light extinguished it.
The skill didn't work and Jake frowned. He had used 70 mana for that. Jake tried again and the same thing happened. It seemed that white light was the remaining divine power.
Jake could tell that there wasn't much left now. He let the divine power slowly disappear from the body.
In the meantime, he checked on the others here. It looked like Irene was slightly injured but the priestesses were fine. Jake glanced at the Hell Knight and saw that he was heavily injured.
'Bring the Earth Golems here to patch things up,' Jake called Lena through Magipathy.
'Yes, master!' she quickly replied, ecstatic that he had won the match.
Jake then told the priestesses to go rest. Irene came forward and he cast a [Minor Regeneration] on her.
"Why did the church send a paladin? Did they realize that this dungeon has you, master?" Irene asked.
Jake glanced at the tall man on the floor and scrunched his brows. He used [Demonic Grasp] and pulled the man.
"No, they wouldn't send a lone paladin here if that was the case. A battalion of Church Knights and Exorcists would be coming along with him," Jake replied.
He and Irene looked at each other. It appeared this paladin had come here on his own.
'Ash Harley… He has to be related to the Senesten village leader's family…' Jake quickly noted this.
Half an hour later, inside a clean chamber on the 18th floor. Erin, Irene, Lena, Perry and a few curious others were surrounding the paladin on the floor.
Jake was before them, his hand stretched forward. This time, he was sure that there was no divine power. He was also being boosted by the three priestesses.
[Degeneration Halo]!
Jake used the skill again. A reaction immediately occured. He saw dark marks beginning to appear on the severely injured paladin. This was the sign that everything was going well.
"Aa… Aarrgghhh!" Ash's eyes suddenly shot open and he roared in agony.
There was pain. Physical and mental. He felt like his whole being was being covered in filth. His thoughts were incoherent and sometimes unholy.
Ash didn't know that the corrupted seed was being placed in his mind. The more he resisted, the more pain he felt. The paladin clasped his sword laying nearby but he couldn't use it. He could see that same demon standing tall in front of him.
"Aarrgghh… I will… I will not serv…."
Jake felt a sharp headache. He knew that this was the resistance from the paladin. As he had already expected this from the start, Jake didn't panic. His will was higher than this paladin's, so he would win no matter what.
Also, he could use physical attacks to disrupt Ash in a battle of wills. Jake used [Dark Fire] and the situation immediately tilted to his favor.
Ash's rationality faded bit by bit. He clung to his faith until the last moment before becoming completely silent. Now there was no pain. No confusion. No hatred.
A deep humming sound came from the previous paladin's body. His sword changed colors and became dark. Deep, crimson cracks appeared in its blade, as if lines of lava were flowing on it.
The gaping hole in his belly began patching up due to a miraculous power. Ash pushed his body and got on one knee before the tall demon in front of him.
"Greetings, Master."
Ash looked completely different from before. His face which reeked of righteousness now had nothing but apathy.
The man's appearance didn't change at all, but his mind and powers had changed.
Looking at the panel in front of him, Jake's eyes focused on one single line. To be honest, he had expected something like this.
[Job: Dark Knight]
…
Jake postponed the matter about going to Viscount Dorstone's fief. He gave his new servant an order to bring some women from the villages.
Jake had a lot of space on the 18th floor, so the new women could stay and take care of each other. When he would upgrade its tier, he would have more space. It would be enough to make a mini city in some of the lower floors. He had high ambitions.
After his fight with Ash, Jake realized that he had gotten a lot stronger. He could be considered as a powerhouse in the Grimbow Kingdom. Jake just had to advance to the 4th Circle.
'Where can I kill 1000 people without bringing attention…? These villages? No, I need more isolated settlements…' Jake thought.
"Tch." He clicked his tongue.
"What's wrong, master?" Below him, Erin pulled out his dick and asked. Her palms laying on his thighs trembled. Did he not like it now?
"Keep sucking," he ordered and went on thinking.
Erin glanced at him before opening her lips and swallowing his cock. She obediently moved her head back and forth.
It was late at night. The only sounds coming from Jake's room were snores and slurps.
…
Tomorrow morning, Jake sat on his high-back chair. Yunna laid on his lap while feeding him grapes.
Her master held her by her breast. He repeatedly patted her butt while stroking her thigh. She had grown used to it by now.
On the floor below, knelt a masked man wearing black full-plate armor. He was the paladin from yesterday who became her master's servant.
"Do you know Viscount Dorstone?"Jake asked.
"Yes."
Two deep voices resounded in the place.
"Do you know where he lives?"
"I do."
Jake paused and ate the grape which Yunna fed him. He aggressively squeezed her boobs and she let out a "Mrrmmm…"
'I don't have to go there and visit that viscount,' Jake thought, looking at the kneeling Ash on the floor.
[Ding! You have committed a prideful sin. You gain 144 Evil Points!]
He could let his new servant bring the man here. A 4th Circle Dark Knight would absolutely crush that viscount. Capturing and bringing him was easy. However, Jake wanted to have some fun in this.
"Kidnap William Dorstone's wife and daughters and bring them here. Tell him to reach Rustfall in a day with his most precious belongings if he wants them."
In the afternoon, a rogue and a knight came to the dungeon. They were the ones Jake had corrupted and sent to gather information and spread rumors outside. From the time when Irene and the adventurers came to raid his dungeon.
He met them outside.
"Master, the dungeon's infamy is increasing all over the area. Lady Irene has a bounty of 100 high-grade mana crystals on her head," the knight
"I see…" Jake was sitting on a chair under a tall tree.
The seeds Jake had spread on the first floor had dug their roots outside and such a large plant had grown near the dungeon entrance. They only required the dungeon's abundant mana to survive.
"Also… there is another news…"
"Hm?" Jake turned to the rouge who spoke. He urged the man to speak.
"A necromancer is hunting the nobles!" The rogue seemed to rejoice. Finally, those darn nobles were getting what they deserved!
"How powerful is this necromancer?" Jake asked. However, the man shook his head.
Nothing was known about this person except that he/she had a large army of skeletons capable of wielding swords and casting magic. It had to be a pretty powerful necromancer.
'Looks like it's going to get tougher around here… No wait, this necromancer can draw the attention of the churches. I can also corrupt the clerics internally, sneakily…' Jake thought.
The only thing he was worried about was this necromancer targeting nobles. Baron Leo could be targeted as well. Jake was planning to take control of the karsuda province first. If the necromancer killed all the nobles, the royals would pay attention. That was not good.
'I'll have to deal with you as well… But for now, keep being high key.' With this thought, Jake sent the two men again. He gave them a simple task of keeping things in check now.
He gave them the secret method of contact used by dark mages which Irene knew. It was basically using one's blood to create the connection with another person's mana over a long distance. This was more of a ritual than a spell.
By burning a drop of blood, they could have a one-way communication with him. The rogue would stay in Orlando and the Knight would go to Gera. If anything happened, they would send him messages, so that he would be prepared.
…
Inside a chamber on the 18th floor, Jake was looking at a large map spread on the table. Irene and Vin were beside him.
"So these are the most remote places?" Jake looked at the two towns on the map which were behind the volcanic mountain.
They were the farthest from the cities in Karsuda. Actually, these two towns, Regis and Luton, bordered another province. Few people came here. They were also quite far from Jake's dungeon.
He had made these two the target for his advancement.
'I'll go there when I corrupt Dorstone…' Jake thought.
This viscount would surely have fifty to sixty mana crystals. With that, he would have the required crystals to upgrade his dungeon as well.
…
2 days later.
It was late at night. Viscount William Dorstone's mansion was in the suburbs of the Aour Town.
There was a party inside this luxurious establishment. It was William's 2nd daughter's 16th birthday. She had come of age tonight, so the Viscount had generously called the surrounding high-class peasants, and merchants for a banquet.
The knights were silently guarding the mansion with swords and lances. They were alert all the time, unlike the guards on the main gate.
"Ack!"
"Aaahh!"
Cries resounded in the place which Ash quickly muffled with his palms. After the two men died, the Dark Knight didn't care about sneaking and kicked the gate open.
"Who?!" One of the startled knights immediately drew his sword only to be killed by a Ray of Darkness.
Another one turned his head and asked, "What happened?"
Before he could say any further, a black shadow rushed to him. Without even swinging his sword, the 1st Circle Knight died immediately.
Ash walked on the trail through the compound with an apathetic face. If anyone tried blocking his path, he just killed that person. His only job here was to kidnap the Viscount's wife and daughters.
The once powerful battalion of Knights called Silver Crane didn't dare to cross him after he killed seven of them. Two 2nd Circle Knights and five 1st Circle Knights without breaking a sweat.
They instead went to inform the Viscount and his two 3rd Circle knight captains.
The Dark Knight was like a death reaper approaching them. He arrived at the place of the banquet quickly.
William Dorstone had already learned of this dangerous visitor and equipped himself.
"Who are you?!"
"Unmask yourself, I am Viscount William Rel Dor-"
Ash unsheathed his black sword, and it glowed with a crimson light. He held it with one hand, terrifying the surrounding people.
"Where are your wife and daughters?"
Dorstone's hands holding his sword shook. He was extremely angry. Who was this man? Coming to his banquet like a barbarian and demanding his loved ones.
"Attack!" He shouted.
Immediately, the two 3rd Circle Knights joined their lord in dealing with this unknown man who was also dressed like a knight. Albeit, his appearance seemed more intimidating and foul.
"I don't have time for this," Ash said in a deep voice and kicked the ground.
He clasped his sword and parried the blades of the three men single-handedly. All three flew back, coughing blood. Their strength could not match up to his.
The Dark Knight walked forward and grabbed the viscount by his neck. The struggling man tried using his skills, but it was all useless in front of true power.
"Where are your wife and daughters?" Ash asked again.
"R-Run…" the viscount had only uttered this when Ash increased the pressure on his neck.
The man struggled. His legs frantically moved about and he used his hands to peel away the tight palm holding his neck.
At this moment, people exclaimed in surprise as the birthday girl suddenly turned into a purple wolf.
Ash's eyes sharply turned toward her. She was running away with all her might.
"Annie!"
"Annie!"
Her stunned mother and sister called.
Whoosh! The Dark Knight threw Viscount Dorstone, and ran toward the shifter girl who was previously masquerading as a human.