The moment he accepted the choice to evolve, he felt like a hammer smashed into his body, displacing his limbs and muscles while a searing torch burned his brain. He didn't know how long the pain continued before it started fading.
Zafora perched herself on a nearby ledge, idly inspecting her nails. But her gaze kept darting back to Leonhardt, her brows furrowing slightly each time he groaned.
Her arms crossed tightly, Zafira leaned against the wall, her wings fluttering faintly. "Tch, weaklings," she muttered, but her eyes lingered on Leonhardt's contorted face.
For just a moment, her fingers twitched as if she wanted to reach out, but the next moment, Leon's eyes snapped open. Leon awoke sitting on his throne while the succubus looked at him with the strangest of looks and suddenly turned to the side.
"What... happened...?"
Leon extended both hands, squeezing and clenching his fasts, before taking a deep breath and punching the air with a light snap. He could feel a sense of vitality flowing through him as the fiery mana bubbled inside his veins, full of life.
『My body feels so light...』
"You've changed," she said, her eyes scanning his figure. "Still insufferable, but...slightly less revolting." Zafira flicked her hair back, avoiding his gaze as her tail twitched.
"...I see."
His eyes narrowed, and he watched her quietly—though it was a small change, he could feel that she didn't reject him as much as before.
With a sigh, he turned away and noticed all the screens and panels had vanished.
They seemed minimised, and for the first time, he could clearly see the dungeon. Beautiful and vivid colours flowed from the plants, animals and succubus who now gazed at him with dead eyes.
"Hmph!"
Zafira looked back at Leon for one last look before slapping her tail against the ground twice. She turned around quickly, but not before Leonhardt caught a faint smile curling her lips.
"Ahem..." Leonhardt cleared his throat.
Somehow, dealing with Zafira always made his throat dry; when reaching for some water, he noticed a muscular humanoid with dark blue skin.
"You are?"
"Gobbolas, Master!"
『Is this the same goblin from before?!'』
Suddenly, Leonhardt felt shocked—the short and childlike weakling now looked at least five feet tall with lean muscles, and a black longbow rested over his shoulder.
"You look quite strong... what changed?" Leon flicked his gaze over the panel showing the details of this special goblin.
——---------------------------------
[Gobbolas (Unique Archer)]
[Race: Hobgoblin]
[Rank: Leader]
∟ A stronger evolution of the goblin race with greater knowledge.
∟ Has low strength and defence but excels with archery and agility.
∟ Improves the damage and organisation of all Goblin Archers
[Stats]
∟ STR: F
∟ VIT: E
∟ DEF: F
∟ AGI: D
∟ INT: E
∟ CHA: F
[Loyalty: 65]
[Brotherhood: 100]
——---------------------------------
[Because of your kindness in granting a name to the last surviving goblin.]
[He evolved thanks to the name and experience gained.]
[Your actions have increased his potential and the future potential of all Goblin Archers!]
Elated by the information that appeared when gazing at Gobbolas made Leonhardt quite happy. Gobbolas was worth more than nine goblins because he cost almost nothing.
"Hmm? Why are you looking at me like that, Zafira."
Leonhardt tried to ignore her, suddenly returning from the side room.
Normally, she would rest in the room created for the rabbits and squirrels, using food to tame them. However, instead, she gazed at Leon from the open doorway.
"I don't know... you just seem strange."
"Strange?" he mused while watching her close the black curtain. He couldn't understand her, so he gave up trying. Even though her affection and loyalty slightly improved, Leon couldn't see any huge changes.
'Shouldn't I check my changes?' He thought while looking at Gobbolas, who looked happy with his new bow and body.
"Gobbolas, can you take control of the goblin Archers and defend the Entrance and Square Two?"
Leon didn't know how far the new goblin could follow his commands because regular goblins could only obey simple commands.
However, the eyes of the archer glowed brightly, and he nodded.
"Yes, Master! Gobbolas will take care of it!"
Leonhard watched the hobgoblin rushing to the entrance of the dungeon with light steps, although he wouldn't become a god. He could feel at ease with the improvement in the defences, which made him feel more relaxed.
He then focused his vision on the panel that showed his current state and felt a sense of worry about his longevity.
Though he hid it well from the others, even Zafira, it was his main goal in reality. However, without strength, he would die either way.
『I wasted three days...』
The first thing that popped up was the information about killing the humans and what they granted him overall.
——----------------------
[Human Warrior Slain]
∟ Gained 50 DP
∟ Gained 100 EXP
∟ Gained 20 EP
[Human Priestess Slain]
∟ Gained 50 DP
∟ Gained 100 EXP
∟ Gained 10 EP
[Human Fighter Slain]
∟ Gained 50 DP
∟ Gained 100 EXP
∟ Gained 10 EP
[Elven Archer Slain]
∟ Gained 150 DP
∟ Gained 50 EXP
∟ Gained 30 EP
——----------------------
[Congratulations - Level Up!]
——----------------------
[Name: Leonhardt (Specimen 69)]
[Class: Dungeon Master]
∟ Level: 5
∟ EP: 50/500
∟ DP: 220/1000
∟ XP: 25/400
[Race: Inferior Mutated Chimera]
∟ A failed attempt to create the strongest magical creature.
∟ Evolved and survived against all odds!
∟ Fae and Djinn Racial abilities empowered!
∟ Lifespan: 20 Days
[Chimera]
∟ Fae
∟ Djinn
∟ Arachne
[Passive]
∟ Can Produce a sticky, adhesive webbing.
∟ Slow mana regeneration that speeds up in natural environments.
∟ Able to copy skills and magic when analysed fully using Fae and Djinn Pupils.
[Element]
∟ Fire
∟ Wind
[Skills]
∟ Magic Copy,
∟ Skill Copy
∟ Dual Cast
∟ Claws of Fire
[Spells]
∟ Firebolt - Hurl a small bolt of fire at a creature or object in range.
∟ Blazing Missiles - Channel Ten searing missiles at the target, dealing high fire damage.
∟ Fire Wall - Creates a wall of flames that stop projectiles and burn those who touch it.
[Stats]
∟ STR: E [80/100]
∟ VIT: E [30/100]
∟ DEF: E [20/100]
∟ AGI: E [10/100]
∟ INT: D [60/100]
∟ CHA: C [40/100]
——----------------------
"Wow..."
Leonhardt realised why he felt so full of power. His total mana increased, and he was almost able to cast fifteen firebolts now. Most of his physical attributes reached the E-Rank instead of their past F ranks.
"20 days... somehow, feels too small."
However, his time increased with evolution, which made him hopeful for the future. If one day it reached months, then years from days, Leonhardt wouldn't be so stressed.
『I can feel mana filling my body faster than before...』
Not only the amount, but the flow became faster and more natural, like a stream flowing down a mountain. Not only did he gain a great boon from human life, but now he gained knowledge from the monsters he killed thanks to his Fae and Djinn pupils.
『Is this a benefit of the dungeon wife?』
[I only helped you process the information faster.]
[The Fae pupil absorbs physical and martial skills, while the Djinn eyes understand and mimic magic.]
Thanks to this information, Leon could only smile, a slight weight off his shoulders, while he wondered about what to do next.
[How about you try leaving the dungeon and exploring the surrounding forest?]
He thought the idea might be interesting, but in the end, there was something Leonhardt felt doubtful about.
『Would I still get DP outside?』
Suddenly, an image filled his vision, causing him to almost fall from the throne.
The image showed a mountain range wrapping around a small village and then several forests. Leonhardt noticed a slight green glow from the mountains in the north to the entrance of the village, which made him curious.
『What's this?』
[The current authority of the dungeon!]
Leonhardt stopped moving, his eyes suddenly gazing at the map.
Although most of the forests on either side were red, there was quite a bit of green land leading to the village. The forest looked full of life and likely monsters.
『Wife, by chance, do the green parts mark where I will gain DP?』
[Correct!]
[To increase the area, you must enhance the dungeon size using DP to purchase new land!]
All of a sudden, he saw the path to making the crafty succubus bow to him and complete her quest for more money.
『Fine, buy me land!』
[Error - You are too poor!]
"Eh...?"