Ramiel sat bored on the stone throne and carefully followed the notification flashing in his head.
| Time to upgrade the dungeon of damnation 00:00:10 |
The last ten seconds were true torture. They dragged on forever, but this is still nothing compared to the six-hour wait.
The appearance of the time requirement surprised Ramiel. With the earlier evolution of the dungeon, there was no such thing. Avi also said nothing about a countdown. But she can't be blamed for that. After all, a fairy won't say something she doesn't know about. She was just as surprised, perhaps even more than the dungeon master.
| 00:00:00 |
An annoying alert sounded in the man's head along with the appearance of six magical zeros. It initiated a series of changes, starting with a series of strong tremors. It could be said that the entire dungeon was shaking in its foundations. But these were not the only attractions.
Similar to the last time, colorful mana particles ran wild inside the dungeon, assimilating into every part of it. The room grew larger with a loud bang, and the decorations underwent a renovation.
The crystals on the ceiling produced more heat and light. Finally, a human wouldn't freeze standing still. The exception was the core of the dungeon. It didn't undergo any changes this time.
Instead, the stone throne already did. It became more massive. The backrest was higher than Ramiel's, reaching a good 20 centimeters behind his head now. The legs of the chair disappeared, and in their place appeared solid rock. The whole thing resembled a hollow stone with fine ornamentation.
The throne now resembled the name of a worthy ruler. The only thing that remained the same was the comfort of the seat. The moments spent on the thing resembled torture, but it was still better than standing.
After the changes, the main room was 15 x 15 meters. Suddenly, the small space became huge, but that wasn't the most important thing.
Ramiel was more interested in the changes that had taken place in the dungeon's functions, more precisely in the interface. His hand went to the core and stopped there.
| Dungeon of Condemnation |
| Dungeon level 1 > 2 |
| Number of floors 2 > 3 |
| Dungeon mana 0/600 > 0 / 1200 |
| Core energy 0/450 > 0/800 |
| Life essence 0 / 0 |
| Resources in storage 130 / 3000 |
| Unique Dungeon Abilities |
| Collector of the Condemned - There is a small chance for the souls of creatures that have suffered death within the dungeon to turn into Condemned Souls. These beings will obey the dungeon master ruthlessly. Their only strength exists in a group, individually they are extremely weak. It takes three souls to possess an ordinary human. |
| Available Units |
Skeleton 8/8 > 8/12
< Cost to summon 180 units of dungeon mana, 10 units of core energy, eight dice >.
| Condemned Wolf 0/3 |
< Cost to summon 300 units of dungeon mana 200 units of core energy. >
| Master Status |
| Name Ramiel |
| Race Human |
| Age 21 (26) |
| Strength 14 > 16 |
| Stamina 15 > 16 |
| Vitality 9 > 10 |
| Agility 12 > 14 |
| Defense 20 > 21 |
| Mana 27 > 31 |
| Enriched mana 0 |
Ramiel's heart was bleeding. One unit cost him as much as two Night Rippers! It was a daylight robbery.
He grumbled a bit and focused on the more important part of the interface.
Hmm... it's been two weeks since I fought the Adult Night Rippers, and my stats... are still pathetic. I need to speed up even more. Otherwise, I'll spend my whole life here. - The former hunter muttered in thought. Objective criticism is always welcome.
Then he threw the previously prepared monster cores into the dungeon core. The energy immediately increased from 0 to 960.
Ramiel now had to wait for the dungeon to replenish mana. It took a while, so he went with Avi to explore the new floor to kill time. It was a better alternative than bluntly staring at the slowly growing numbers.
To get there, they first had to walk through the entire second floor of the dungeon. Only at the end, near the northern wall, the former hunter finds a spiral staircase leading higher up.
Traditionally, Ramiel was greeted by twilight on the new floor. Instead of rocks, the floor was covered with beautiful green grass. Twin crystals sprouted from the walls, similar to those of the second floor, providing the right temperature for plant growth.
The area resembled a vast meadow with a few rocks sticking out of the ground. Near the western wall, there was a small spring of fresh water.
The whole area was based on a huge rectangle with jagged and deformed sides.
When the little fairy saw the whole area, her eyes lit up.
" We are lucky! As a low-level dungeon, we got an area with an environment! You know what that means, right? We can bring The Dead Gnu here and grow plants. All we have to do is get the seeds. " - Avi found it hard to hide her enthusiasm. Someone had to cool her intentions.
Ramiel took up this noble role and snapped at the fairy's forehead. She grabbed forehead, rubbing the red spot with palm.
" You forget something. Growing plants is difficult and time-consuming. I can do my best, but I'm not a farmer. I'm a warrior. Asme and Caera are from rich families. To be honest, I doubt they have the right knowledge or skills. " - He was skeptical and looked at the current situation subjectively. A cool calculation is better than a bitter disappointment.
However, this time, common sense failed him.
" And here you are wrong! Breeding them will not require much time. With the help of dungeon mana, I can accelerate the growth process. The problem is everything else. " - Avi proudly puffed out her chest, grinning her teeth. " And now I'm hungry! "
Ramiel felt a painful bite on his neck before he could say anything. Lately, the fairy was really good at what she did. However, Avi wasn't carefree as always. Since the white monster stalked her, she had to be constantly on guard.
He raised an eyebrow at the fairy's strange behavior.
" You don't have to be so uptight. The traitor stayed with Caera... "
The ex-hunter didn't know why, but Sarron liked Caera. He spent more time with her than him... Sometimes he really wondered whose hanyard it was, his or hers.
Ha Ha Ha, Even your hanyard betrayed you Ha Ha Ha... Ha... h...? '
Along with the little fairy's words, the atmosphere in the cave became thick. A flash of contempt passed through Ramiel's eyes. His gaze turned cold and deadly for a brief moment as if the eyes belonged to death itself.
Avi, realizing what she had said, went pale. Her insolent nature sometimes exceeds all norms. This time it was the same. The fairy knew she had screwed up big time. Some things, sometimes it's better not to mention.
Wanting to correct her mistake, she flew up in front of the man's face. At first, she looked him straight in the eyes, but the coldness beating from Ramiel frightened her. Avi lowered her gaze.
" Ramiel... I didn't mean to... You know that sometimes I don't think what I say... "
Ramiel, seeing the fairy's humble attitude, let out a breath and calmed down. He knew that Avi didn't sin with reason. She is impetuous and reckless. If this situation had happened just a month ago, he would have been very angry, but now he was slowly getting used to the past events. The pain and negative emotions still remained, but it was better.
Ramiel took a deep breath and threw the fairy into his hair.
" Huh? Aaaa! " - Surprised, Avi squealed. She didn't expect such a reaction. She was prepared for punishment, not a free ride. Such behavior wasn't within her calculations.
Ramiel didn't comment on the previous situation. He was angry with her for bringing the painful past to light, but he didn't want to punish Avi. In a way, she was useful, and he liked her to some extent. So, he pretended as if nothing had happened.
Worried, Avi felt the turbulent emotions raging inside the former hunter like a typhoon. She tried to apologize but, after thinking about it, decided to remain silent. Sometimes, silence was the best option. Besides, she knew what kind of person Ramiel had become. She was the only one who knew his true nature.
Affectionate and caring? Free jokes, the way he behaves around his women is exquisite acting. All the actions were aimed at making Asme and Caera dependent on him. Otherwise, Ramiel wouldn't have been able to control them. After all, souls hurt by life, are the easiest to manipulate.
In fact, the former hunter devotes his time to them solely because of his talent and abilities. If not for that, they would have ended up as cannon meat long ago.
Maybe, except for Asme, sex with a succubus is really something worth experiencing. Even without talent, he would have kept her around. After all, he couldn't throw a beautiful diamond into the garbage.
One may ask, what if women got to know his true side? The answer is simple, nothing would happen. Their mind is so brainwashed that they will consider everything Ramiel does to be right.
At first, Ramiel was afraid of Asme. The woman was smart and could see through his plans, but ironically, she entered the lion's den herself.
Avi knew all about it. That's why she preferred to keep quiet. Until now, Ramiel had only behaved naturally in front of her. The little fairy wanted to fix the man's warped personality, but was it still possible? If so, it would be a long and time-consuming process.
~~~~~~
The dungeon's mana replenished faster than Ramiel had assumed. He was gone for about an hour, and when he returned, the position in the interface indicated 1200/1200. Now, he could summon new units.
A spatial rift opened up in front of the dungeon core in the blink of an eye. He stared at it with indifferent eyes, or more precisely, at the slowly expanding edges. It was a mesmerizing sight.
Ramiel didn't wait long. Soon, three Condemned Wolves emerged from the spatial rift. Their golden eyes glittered in the darkness. One could see in them calmness, composure, and regret?
The latter threw the ex-hunter off guard. He didn't know why the wolves should be sorry for anything.
Maybe I'm lucky and came across intelligent creatures... - He dispelled unnecessary thoughts and turned his gaze to the rest of the monsters' bodies. The Condemned Wolves were much larger than ordinary ones.
When one of them rubbed against Ramiel, it reached his chest. Their strong paws, along with their razor-sharp teeth, were a deadly combination. The ash-colored fur mixed with jet-black strands pleasantly contrasted the eye. At first glance, the new fry looked excellent.
Driven by curiosity, Ramiel ran his hand over the creature's muzzle. He was surprised by the fur. It was as hard as metal, forming a sort of impenetrable armor.
The other two wolves followed in the footsteps of the first and docilely rubbed up against their new master. They were ready to obey his every command.
" I understand already! " - The little fairy suddenly came to life. With her small wings, she sat on the back of one of the wolves.
" You understand what?" - Ramiel asked. The man didn't quite know what the fairy meant. Sometimes, Avi has a lot of strange ideas...
"I first wondered why you can only summon three wolves, but now I know everything! They are strong, terribly strong. One of them can easily kill an adult Night Ripper. " - The fairy gushed with energy, as always. Chaotic expression only confirms it.
" Look at their fur, it is long and hard, underneath it is arranged in various patterns to form an impenetrable armor. If you don't use brute force to damage internal organs, you will not harm them. Their claws are as dangerous as the Night Ripper's tail, if not more so. An overgrown cat will only inflict damage on you, but it will impose weaknesses and even curses if you're lucky. But all this is nothing next to the eyes. If they maintain eye contact long enough, the will of their enemy will be weakened, and fear will creep into their mind! "
" Besides, the statistics. You should see them yourself... As for the magic, I'm not sure. This is the second time that a creature with an element of condemnation was created... Not counting this, we are very lucky, there is one female in the herd. We will have more if she survives and allows the male to mate. "
" The only problem is their appetite. Every two days, an adult needs to eat one carcass the size of a Night Ripper, on top of which they need a monster core the size of a fingernail once a week. Otherwise, their strength will diminish. This is rare, but it happens.
"
Avi finished her extensive explanation while panting heavily. She didn't let the bond say a word the whole time, but he didn't seem angry about it. Instead of saying anything, Ramiel looked at the creatures with appreciation. The wolves surprised him. With them, he would finally be able to move forward. After all, the strength of a dungeon master lies in his individuals.
Ramiel stroked one of the wolves, and a status window appeared in front of him.
| Status |
| Name Condemned Wolf |
| Age 5 |
| Strength 24 |
| Endurance 26 |
| Vitality 15 |
| Agility 28 |
| Defense 40 |
| Mana 20 |
| Enriched mana 0 |
| Intelligence 20 |
" You were right. They are true monsters. With such stats, no novice hunter has a chance against them.
" - Ramiel laughed while already building a plan.
" That's not all. The wolves' growth is tied to you. If your stats increase, so do theirs. Not to the same extent, but they will become stronger. This is something unprecedented. " - Avi dropped a real bombshell at the end. Now, the former hunter understood why he only got three Condemned Wolves.
Finally, fate smiled at me. - The man thought.
" Avi, have the skeletons bring the three carcasses of the Night Rippers to the second floor. From today, this meadow is the home of the Condemned Wolves. "
An hour later, the dungeon's new subjects ate the corpses in their new home.
~~~~~~
Ramiel lay on Asme's thighs, listening to her angelic voice. The song had a soothing effect on the man's soul, improving his mood. Meanwhile, the horned beauty gently combed his night-black, silver-tipped hair. Their routine today had started earlier.
The little fairy asked the succubus. Avi had long since noticed the damage to Ramiel's soul. At this point, there was nothing she could do about it. The only way to keep the man's condition from getting worse is Asme's singing. It has an amazing effect on the soul. Thanks to him, the damage does not advance.
The patient himself didn't realize his hopeless condition. If he had known about it, it would have only gotten worse.
It was a good time to reflect and organize his thoughts, which Ramiel did. He returned with his memories of his conversation with Avi a few hours ago. However, one thing didn't give him peace of mind.
" Going back, what does the first being with the element of condemnation look like? "
A grimace of surprise appeared on the fairy's face.
" What do you mean, of course you are him. " - Avi replied blithely, as if it was something obvious. However, it wasn't.
" What!!!? " - Ramiel gasped in surprise.
" Don't make such a surprised face. Cursed Condemnation and Leach are based on this element. In fact, you are the protoplast of the species. "