Ramiel sat hidden in the bushes, waiting for the last of the Night Rippers to fall into the trap.
The culmination of his engineering skills is nothing special. What Ramiel called a trap is actually the most ordinary wolf pit. He hollowed out a hole ten meters deep and lined the bottom with short, stubby wooden stakes. Each of them was covered with Darwin's latest invention, a sleeping drug.
The alchemist abandoned all previous projects and worked continuously for two weeks to produce the necessary amount of specifics.
As always, Ramiel didn't expect anything spectacular. He underestimated the requirements and had mediocre expectations, but the result of the concoction knocked him off his feet. Darwin definitely proved his worth.
The remedy put the Night Ripper to sleep for a full 48 hours. Under the influence of the concoction, no circumstances of fate could rouse the victim from sleep.
As a test, Ramiel tried everything. Starting from small wounds to breaking bones to burning alive. The monsters slept as if killed, reacting to nothing.
After discovering the concoction's exquisite capabilities, Ramiel got carried away, organized the first-ever expedition to an Infirnyt mine, and met with an unpleasant disappointment paid for at the cost of four skeletons. Unfortunately, Darwin's specific only works on weaker monsters.
However, the expedition wasn't as hopeless as it might seem. Ramiel was richer in knowledge. He has to catch at least 15 Night Rippers if he wants to dream of killing the mutated scorpion. Otherwise, he won't even see what killed it. At least, that's what preliminary calculations say.
Despite its colossal size, the scorpion was damn fast... even too fast.
The former hunter would have loved to capture more monsters and nullify the unfair advantage but Darwin was short of ingredients. Unfortunately, the concoction has a short shelf life...
The inevitable specter of death hung over Ramiel. He was slowly running out of time. He had to develop the dungeon as soon as possible if he wanted to break out of the shackles of death. To do so, he desperately needed the scarce resources offered by the Abyss. At first, he hoped to find good weapons in the Abyss, but he counted.
Thanks to the crystals, Ramiel was finally able to make decent arrowheads and spears. Of course, the man overlooked a number of additional benefits.
In conclusion, Infirnyt crystals are essential for further developing the dungeon. Without them, exploring the Night Rippers' forest will be problematic, if not impossible. The Fear of Night is responsible for the current state of affairs. The monster is simply too strong for the current Ramiel. However, there is no problem without a way out.
With crystals, the former hunter could create a magical formation to slow down the overgrown tigers. Then, he would have a minimal chance of killing them.
With his experience, Ramiel felt like a cheat, but no one said life was fair. It never was and never will be.
Do you think this will work? ' - A bored Avi's voice echoed in Ramiel's head. The fairy, as always, lay lazily in his hair.
When the dungeon was in its early stages, Avi had little work to do. Aside from guarding the farm and raising the Dead Gnu, she still slept on Ramiel's head. That would change in later stages, but that was a problem for another time. The fairy enjoyed the delights of life until she could.
' It can't, it just has to. I can't count on luck. The clock is ticking, Avi... '
Avi reluctantly had to admit the bond was right. The latest abyssal upgrade had failed them. Apart from an enlarged armory and a magic chisel, they found nothing useful.
Don't get them wrong. Although of low quality, the magic chisel turned out to be a real treasure. But compared to the new cave, it fared poorly.
If they got a cat in the bag again, they might find themselves in a difficult situation. Ramiel couldn't let that happen. If he wanted to survive, he had to prepare for every eventuality.
After about fifteen minutes, lured by the smell of fresh blood, Night Ripper fell into a well-hidden trap.
Sharp as a spearhead, wooden stakes pierced the monster's paws right through. The Night Ripper let out a terrifying roar. The wounds on its legs didn't look too good. Pieces of flesh dangled freely from the places where the wooden piles had been driven into, and shreds of bone stuck out bleeding.
Despite his bleeding wounds, the enraged monster climbed out of the ten-meter pit. Ramiel made it easier for him by leaving a few protruding rock regiments.
It was much easier to let the monster climb out on its own than to drag its inert body out. Work should be done wisely. At least, that's what the former hunter's mother used to say.
Ramiel waited ten seconds and came out of hiding without worrying about anything. Night Ripper wanted to charge at the brazen insect, but after a few steps, he fell. The image in front of his eyes whirled, and his eyelids became heavy. The last thing he saw was the image of a blurry man.
Ramiel, to be safe, cut off the monster's tail, activating Leach. Seeing no reaction from the overgrown cat, he pulled a rope from the space ring and bound the Night Ripper's limbs.
This rope didn't serve as a preventive measure. It was far too weak for that. It was simply to facilitate the transportation of the plunging monsters.
Ramiel fired a spear of ice into the air, which exploded, sending thousands of small pieces shimmering into the air. It was a signal for the wolves to find him.
A few minutes later, using a rope, the former hunter attached Night Ripper to one of the wolves. At his signal, all three of them started rushing towards the dungeon.
~~~~~~
With a strong kick, Ramiel checked the monsters one by one to see if they were asleep. With each passing minute, he felt a blissful surge of power and energy.
It was an addictive feeling.
To fully utilize the Leach at its current level, Ramiel had to steal the monsters' stats around the clock; to be safe, he decided to do it for 36 hours. After that amount of time, even if the monsters woke up, they still wouldn't be able to move.
This happened for two reasons. First, the shock of losing stats would prevent them from doing so. Second, and more importantly, the former hunter broke the bones in the Night Ripper's paws.
At first, he wanted to sever the spinal cord, but the first test subjects died quickly. He learned from Avi that this had to do with their specific structure.
A human being learns something new all his life.
" How much longer? " - The man's voice was directed to the fairy, sitting perched on the core of the dungeon.
" You eat five minutes! "
Tsk... so close and yet so far... - Ramiel complained in his mind. Over the past two weeks, he had managed to rebuild the treasury. However, contrary to the former hunter's secret expectations, no evolution option showed up.
Therefore, he decided to upgrade the dungeon. It had already taken eleven hours and fifty-five minutes. The waiting was killing him.
Patience had never been one of Ramiel's strong points.
The bored man sat down on an imitation throne. By the way, it was uncomfortable as ever.
Why do I even need a throne when it's impossible to sit on it? Ugh... I would have gouged out the eyes of whoever decided to put it here with a fork.
One of the condemned wolves interrupted the former hunter's tantrum. The beast approached Ramiel and nudged his hand with its muzzle. The large creature expected to be petted.
From time to time, he stroked and scratched its belly, and the creatures became addicted to it. Personally, Ramiel preferred cats, but he didn't have anything against dogs.
He just liked them less.
" Oh, so it's you, Paw. " - Ramiel scratched the monster's belly to kill time. Through the creature's tough fur, he had to work hard to get a satisfying effect. "
At first, all Wolves were the same to him, but he learned to distinguish between them over time. For example, the two males had darker fur behind their ears, and their noses were minimally longer. The man named only Paw because she was the only one of any value. She could give birth to future generations.
Ramiel was snapped out of his amusement by the voice of a fairy.
' I think Paw is carrying puppies. We should leave her to guard the dungeon during the attack. '
Ramiel turned his head, " Paw is carrying puppies? " The wolf wagged her tail happily.
Ramiel couldn't tell if she agreed with him or was just happy to have a little fun.
' 'I wasn't planning to take her anyway, so far, she's too precious. ' - The former hunter replied briefly.
'You think she's a free bag of puppies, don't you? '
Ramiel suddenly fell silent. Avi unmasked his flimsy cover.
' 'Have you seen how nice the weather is today? '
The fairy exercised her right to remain silent, although internally, she was boiling with anger.
Ramiel, sensing the approaching storm, made a tactical retreat. He didn't want to listen to another moral lecture from Professor Avi.
When the fairy wanted to scold him, the room was filled with a huge amount of mana. As always, colored particles floated in the air, and the walls shifted. The crystals on the ceiling became more massive, and dark purple stones formed between them, emitting heat.
The room still churned like Siberia, but the temperature had already become bearable. Two more upgrades and it should be normal.
The dungeon's core had become minimally larger, and the vines supporting it had taken on. Other than that, Ramiel didn't observe many changes.
He looked hopefully at the throne, but nothing had changed besides a few cosmetic improvements. His dreams lay in ruins. Unfortunately, the reality was brutal. The torture chair continued to perform admirably.
Ramiel, not hoping for much, touched the core of the dungeon. This time, instead of a smile, a grimace of displeasure dawned on his face. All because of the line of text at the very bottom...
| Dungeon of Condemnation |
| Dungeon level 2 >3 |
| Number of floors 3 > 4 |
| Mana of the Dungeon 0 / 1200 > 0/2000 |
| Core energy 70/800 > 70/ 1200 |
| Life essence 0 / 0 |
| Resources in storage 250/ 3000 |
| Unique abilities of the Dungeon |
| Condemned Soul Collector - There is a small chance that the souls of dead creatures can be transformed into condemned souls. These creatures are condemned to wander the dungeon forever in bondage to a new master. At the moment of enslavement, they lose all sense of life. They are guided by a single goal, eternal service in the ranks of the dungeon in the hope of receiving the desired deliverance. Their destructive power lies in the group, together they are invincible. Although they are weak, they shouldn't be underestimated... |.
< Requirement - The creature must die in the dungeon and not be related to it. >
| Available Units |
| Skeleton 12/12 > 16/12 |
< Cost to summon 180 units of dungeon mana, 10 units of core energy, eight dice >.
| Condemned Wolf 3/3 > 3/5 |
< Cost to summon 300 units of dungeon mana,200 units of core energy. >
| The Condemned Sloth 0/2 |
< Cost of summoning 450 units of dungeon mana,350 units of core energy. >
| Note |
< To prove his worth, the dungeon master must defend against the incoming horde of rats. The attack will come from the abyss. >
< Time until the arrival of the horde > 168:00:00 h / 7 days.
Ramiel sensed trouble coming. His instincts told him that a simple mousetrap wouldn't be enough to drive out the wicked rodents.
The man didn't even have time to ask a question; the little fairy had already answered.
You don't have to worry. This is a one-time test to determine your qualifications. Usually, a horde consists of a dozen or so simple creatures. Killing them is a breeze. In the end, the dungeon will not send anything strong. Despite appearances, it cares about the master's survival.
'
Ramiel didn't know why, but he felt that fighting the rats wouldn't be as trivial as Avi believed. Knowing his luck, a simple horde would turn into a deadly challenge.
He threw in a few monster cores to replenish the dungeon's energy. He didn't go exploring this time.
He wanted to see the new units first. He was extremely curious about their appearance and abilities.
Half an hour later, the dungeon's mana was fully replenished.
With a crack ripping through the space next to the dungeon's core, a spatial fissure appeared, from which real abominations emerged.
These monsters were as tall as a grown man. Their white eyes indicated blindness, but Ramiel wasn't sure. Peering down with his eyes, he could see rows of unevenly set teeth, each resembling sharpened ice icicles.
Their skinny fingers ended in razor-sharp claws capable of piercing through metal. However, the most hideous of all was the monster's skin. It consisted of a black smear that made normal people shudder.
The little fairy hid behind Ramiel's head at the sight of the walking degeneration. Even Rascal was disgusted by their appearance.
The Condemned Sloths let out a piercing shriek. The sound could be compared to squeaking chalk against a blackboard. Thus, the degenerates greeted their new master.
Ramiel touched one of them, and a status window appeared in his head.
| Status |
| Race The Condemned Sloth |
| Age #^×&@ |
| Strength 30 |
| Stamina 28 |
| Vitality 22 |
| Agility 38 |
| Defense 20 |
| Mana 20 |
| Enriched mana 0 |
| Intelligence 18 |
The statistics don't look too bad. Maybe there will be some use for them.
Ramiel was skeptical about the new units. With agility, they should match the Fear of Night. But this is where their advantages ended. Maybe Avi would save the situation.
" Avi, can you tell me something about them? "
The fairy tried to calm down, but fear had already crept into her heart. Avi wasn't the only one with problems. Everyone except Ramiel felt an indescribable fear in their hearts.
" Are you all right? "
The former hunter noticed the fairy's condition and frowned. Few things could scare her like that. Avi literally teleported out of fear.
" This - it's simply the result of their innate ability. "
Using the rare ability to shout without raising his voice, Ramiel gave the order in a cold tone.
" Whatever you are doing, stop it. "
A shiver ran down the monsters' backs, and a shadow of fear appeared in their white eyes. Without a second thought, they canceled the exerted influence.
The Condemned Sloths wanted to show their dominance over the other inhabitants but were immediately subdued by their master.
Although Ramiel hadn't yet matched their statistics, they felt threatened in his presence.
The atmosphere in the dungeon suddenly improved. Ramiel, sensing the change, turned to the fairy and asked the same question.
" So? "
Avi took a few minutes to come to her senses. He didn't rush her. Soon, Avi did her part of the duty, giving a comprehensive explanation.
" This... These are the real monsters of Ramiel. I wouldn't want to fight them for any reason in the world. What we have witnessed is their innate ability. They transform the negative emotions and guilt they felt when they were alive into the purest form of fear. The effect is so powerful that it can terrify creatures many times stronger than them. "
Even now, Avi avoided looking at The Condemned Sloths. Unlike Ramiel, who watched them intently.
" They are blind? "
The fairy shook her head at the bond's question.
" No, they actually have better eyesight than you. Their white eyes are designed to deceive and instill more fear in the enemy. "
Ramiel nodded appreciatively. He appreciated the new soldiers more and more.
" Is there anything else? "
" Yes, that's not all. They use a simple spell to restrict the target's movements. It resembles steel wires wrapped around the target's body, except that they are made of this viscous liquid instead of metal. It is a powerful weapon in itself. However, these monsters' greatest asset is revealed at the moment of death. When they die, their bodies explode, releasing the viscous ooze. "
After listening to the lecture, a creepy smile appeared on Ramiel's face.
" Welcome to the Legion of Suicide. "