*Blink-Blink*
'Hmm... As expected I can't see anything.' Leon thought as he looked ahead and noticed that nothing was visible in his view.
[Restructuring Eyes]
Suddenly Leon's pupils turned into vertical slits, very similar to a cat's eyes and his vision cleared up instantly.
The mist cleared upto 80% from his vision and Leon finally saw the third floor's gate. It was completely similar to the one he saw in the illusion.
Unlike the second floor, there was no door on it and it was completely open.
Leon walked inside the room and noticed a very terrifying and chilly atmosphere inside.
'What the hell?' Leon spoke inwardly as he looked around the room and noticed that it was completely empty with absolutely no monsters inside.
'Lesarath was right, there is nothing here other than the mist.' He thought as he looked around the room in order to find the door to the next floor.
"Are you looking for something?" Suddenly a voice came from behind.
Leon immediately turned around and noticed a figure standing behind him that was made out of mist.
Without wasting another second, he verified that he wasn't inhaling the mist.
'How? I am not even breathing it in. How is it-'
"Don't worry, Leon Luster. I am not an illusion. This is my real form, hehehe..." She spoke with an evil smile.
Leon stare at the unusually thick mist at his side before he raised his finger towards the mist as he used it to write the letters on the surface.
("What the hell do you want?")
Leon wrote with a neutral expression while moving his other hand over his mouth and nose making sure that mist doesn't get inside.
"How about you breathe a little and then we talk?" She replied.
("You really think I am some kind of dumbass, don't you?") Leon wrote again with a straight face.
"Hah... Why do you have to be so stubborn? Your small pet was really obedient you know? He ate and reproduced like crazy inside my illusions."
("That's why he is a pet.") Leon wrote with a neutral expression.
"Ah... Arrogance, there is something I like about you." The mist spoke.
("Yeah? What's that?") Leon wrote on the mist as he started moving once again searching for the exit door.
"I don't know... I think I have fallen in love with you since you are the first one to survive my illusions and you even pushed me out of your body.
I have to say, you are something and that too while being a lowly human being."
("Thank you for the appreciation, talking white cloud.") Leon write with a neutral expression as he continued to look around the room.
"I don't understand... I can give you the easiest life ever possible to a human being like you and yet you choose to suffer in pain.
Don't you want joy? I have seen suffering in your memories and it's just so much. Breathe me in and let me heal you."
("No.")
Did she only see that old memories and nothing else.
"Fine... What do you want?" The mist asked.
("I don't want anything from you. It's you who wants my consciousness and life. Why do you even want to take over my mind, when you only think of me as a lowly human being?") Leon write with a confused expression when he noticed a huge skeleton of an unknown monster lying in one corner of the room.
The skeleton was very similar to a giant human's skeleton, except it had three skulls.
"That's a Frobolusent's skeleton. He was teleported to this room around five hundred years before you. Wanted to gather knowledge... I gave him all the knowledge I had, he wrote it all down and then surrendered himself to me." The mist explained.
'Why is she being so coorporative.' Leon walked closer and noticed a leather bag lying besides him.
*Pick*
Leon picked it up without wasting another second after checking and inside the bag was a very thick journal.
*Thud-Thud*
Leon dusted the journal and opened it only to notice that most of the information on the pages is covered in dust as well.
"Don't bother reading it... You won't be able to understand the language. Frobolusents speak and write a very different and ancient language.
I have his memories and it will still take me some time to read it."
As soon as Leon looked at the unknown language, he knew it was impossible for him to read it even with the skill [Translate]
("Read it for me...") Leon wrote with a neutral expression on the mist as he look at the screen.
[ [Buff] is activated]
'So, it would work even when I am just writing? That is good.'
"Hmm...?" The mist voice her confusion as Leon stopped mid sentence.
("... and I will breathe.") He completed the sentence.
"Wait... What?"
("You heard me. Read it for me and I will breathe.") Leon wrote again with a neutral expression as he looked at the mist.
"If knowledge was what you wanted. You should've just told me that before, show me what you want me to read." The mist spoke as she got ready to read the journal immediately.
Leon showed her the first page of the journal.
"It says... Something about him sneaking into the dungeon through a hidden passage to gain knowledge about superior magic or something.
It says that he was teleported to the eighth floor by a green crystal and then he used it to travel to the sixth floor and then to this floor.
There is also a mention of some kind of monster but that information is barely visible." She spoke in a confused tone.
Leon immediately turned the page over...pointing at it.
"Hmm... This page tells about the dungeon's layout and how every floor has stairs before the monster room actually comes.
No magic works on the stairs and after that the writing is not understandable."
*Flip*
Leon immediately flipped to the next page...
The mist continued to explain everything to him as he kept flipping pages one after another.
Twenty minutes later...
*Close*
Leon closed the journal and palced it inside his inventory as he also store the memore on the [Data Manager].
("Well... I will get going now. Thanks you have helped me too much.") Leon write with a neutral expression as he began to move.
"W-What? What do you mean by that? You have to breath now and let me get inside you." The mist spoke in a worried tone.
("No.") Leon wrote on the mist as he continued to walk towards the exit door.
"But you said you would breathe..."
("I lied. I will be back in two minutes...just wait for me patiently.")
"That's why I called you humans lowly life forms. You are pathetic bastards. You can't even be held responsible for your own words." The mist started cursing Leon as she felt betrayed for trusting a human's word.
'You have lived for so many hears but you still fall for the most basic trick.' Leon commented inwardly.
-x-X-x-
*Zzzzzzzzz*
Dusk was sprawled across the twenty-seventh stair, his chest rising and falling in a deep, peaceful rhythm as he dreamed of endless feasts and feline companions.
*THUD*
"WHAT THE-!?" Dusk shrieked, his fur standing on end as he scrambled into a defensive crouch, claws unsheathed and eyes blown wide at the sudden impact.
Through the thinning remnants of the vapor, he saw a familiar figure. Leon sat heavily on the stone, his chest heaving slightly as he exhaled the last of the stale air he'd been holding.
Without a word, Leon reached into his inventory, pulled out the Frobolusent's journal, and flipped it open with practiced urgency.
"M-Master...? You are back?" Dusk asked, his posture still not relaxing.
"Don't get scared, it's the real me. You aren't inside an illusion," Leon replied distractedly, his eyes scanning the ancient text.
'I made her read some of its pages, watching her read the pages gave me the context I needed. I've deciphered enough of the dialect to make sense of this mess and enough to used [Translate].' Leon thought with a neutral expression.
He turned to the thirty-seventh page and began used [Translate]
[Day 7]
_________________________________
It's been a while since I entered this Dungeon, it seems very huge and has many floors. There are creatures here far more stronger than us Frobolusents, and I am on the 8th floor right now or that's what the voice in my head is saying.
The voice in my head guided me to this dungeon and now it's telling me everything about what floor this is and what kind of creatures live here. It says that this is the 8th floor and the creatures living here are called, Valu-mecent mongers.
The voice says I should stay away from them and only move when they aren't looking at me. It says they can't see still objects, and if they saw me moving, I will die instantly.
_____________________________________
"Valu-mecent mongers... Interesting," Leon whispered, his thumb catching the edge of the page to flip it.
[Day 10]
___________________________________
It's already day ten... I have used two out of three green crystals to come to the fourth floor. I don't know how long I will be able to hold myself. I haven't eaten anything in three days and there is this mist coming out of the room that keeps calling me towards her.
The voice in my head is warning me to not go near the mist or it will consume me, but I am hungry and my mind is not working at all. I think using the last crystal to go back to the 8th floor is the wisest choice right now, but then it makes my purpose nil.
If I walked out of this dungeon without a solution for the Trulao-himsta, my race will be wiped out of existence. I have to keep exploring and find out more about this dungeon and the creatures that live in it.
The voice says the solution is in here somewhere.
______________________________________
'Trulao-himsta? Is that some kind of plague or disease he was trying to cure?' Leon's brow furrowed. 'And what is that voice? It doesn't seem like the mist's trickery if it was actively guiding him away from danger.'
He paused, a discrepancy gnawing at him.
'The floor numbers... he says he's on the 4th floor, but we're on the 3rd. Lesarath said the Mongers were on the 7th, but this guy says the 8th. Does that mean there's another level above the resting area, or has the dungeon shifted over time?'
He turned to the next entry.
[Day 11]
________________________________
I walked into the room of the mist even though the voice inside my head kept warning me. The mist entered inside my mind and created some really serious illusions, I had food and I was back at home, no one was dying and everyone was happy.
But it didn't last long... The voice inside my head overpowered her and woke me up from the illusion.
As soon as I woke up, I felt hunger once again and all of my memories rushed back into my head, even the painful ones.
The mist started talking to me as I was writing this. I thought it was an illusion, but it wasn't.
That's when she offered me a deal. She offered me knowledge... She said she knows everything about the dungeon and will tell me about it, if I surrender myself to her.
I accepted.
__________________________________
Leon's fingers flew through the following pages. They were no longer personal entries, they were dense, clinical observations.
Maps of traps, biological weaknesses of monsters on some floors, and shortcuts through the dark, the Frobolusent has traded his soul for a dungeon guide.
Finally, Leon reached the final entry on the last page.
[Day 20]
_____________________________________
I am definitely losing my strength and my senses. The voice in my head is shouting and telling me to get out of here.
It says it can save me, but do I want to be saved? I don't know the answer to this.
Something is wrong with my mind... It's ignoring all the warnings of the voice and only wants pleasure now, that the mist has already promised me. I have written down everything about this dungeon in this journal and wish that someone from my tribe finds it and brings back the solution to my kingdom.
The time estimation of my kingdom no, my race's survival is around eight hundred years from today. I don't know if you are from my kingdom or even from my race, but if you are reading this... I give you the responsibility to take back this book and hand it over to the king of my kingdom.
If you are not from my race and bring back this book to my kingdom... We will share something very precious with you, the recipe to make the most powerful elixir in this world, {The Crimson Flame Elixir}.
My name is Oder and I belong to the Kinhuna Kingdom. This was my life's purpose and I have completed it.
Now... I give up.
__________________________________
Leon closed the book, the heavy thud echoing in the quiet stairwell. He looked down at the mist he had just fooled, then back at the journal.
*Ting*
[SUB-QUEST DETECTED!!]
[Name: Oder's Quest]
[Rank: B]
[Description: Take Oder's journal back to Kinhuna Kingdom and hand it over to them.]
[Reward: Recipe to {The Crimson Flame Elixir}]
[Sub-Reward: Specific clue for the Quest {Find and Fix}]
[Time limit: 178 Years]
[Would you like to accept the Quest ?] [Yes/No ?]
'The Crimson Flame Elixir,' Leon thought to himself. 'Eight hundred years... I wonder if there's anything left of your kingdom to claim that reward, Oder.'
[QUEST ACCEPTED!!]
-x-X-x-
Leon placed the journal back into his inventory and stood up, his gaze hardening as he looked down at the white expanse below.
"Master... are you going back in?" Dusk asked, his voice laced with confusion.
"Yes... I need to find something," Leon replied with a neutral expression.
He then took in a massive, lung-expanding breath, centered his mind, and leaped back into the white abyss.
"HUP..."
...
*THUD*
The moment his boots hit the stone floor inside the room, his body reacted. The familiar, prickling sensation of his passive skill took over his eyes.
His pupils elongated into vertical slits, the golden irises flaring as his vision pierced through the heavy white shroud. The room, previously a wall of static white, began to reveal its skeletal structure once more.
"Well, would you look at that? Who's back... Oh, it's that human whose words hold no value," the mist's voice drifted through the air, vibrating with a mocking edge.
("Don't be so sad... You aren't the only bitch that I lied to,") Leon wrote on the mist's surface as his eyes darted across the ceiling.
"I didn't know humans were such lowly creatures, lying for their own benefit," she hissed, her tone shifting toward annoyance.
You really don't know much.
("They are the lowest of the low. Lying is like the most wrong thing they do after being born,") Leon countered. Suddenly, his eyes locked onto a faint, emerald luminescence.
High atop one of the six massive pillars supporting the vaulted ceiling, a small green glow pulsed rhythmically.
("The third crystal... How did you even put it up there?") Leon wrote, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Hey... That's not yours to take," the mist warned, her form swirling aggressively around the pillar.
Leon didn't hesitate.
He coiled his muscles, sinking into a low crouch before exploding upward with the full power of his mana-strengthened legs.
He soared into the air, reaching for the pillar, but despite the enhancement, gravity claimed him before he could cover even a quarter of the vertical distance.
*Thud.*
Leon fixed his posture as he landed back on the floor, the impact vibrating through his shins.
"Hahahaha... What a failure you are! Couldn't even jump properly," the mist cackled, her voice echoing off the walls. "Did your parents tell you that you are nothing but a disappointment to them?"
Leon ignored the taunts, his mind working through the physics of the room.
He turned and started running back toward the exit of the chamber.
"Where are you running to now?" the mist asked, her voice tinged with genuine confusion.
Leon didn't answer. He stepped out onto the clear stairs, took a fresh, deep lungful of air to reset his internal clock, and assumed a professional sprinter's starting stance.
'All this running around is making me burn through my oxygen faster than I thought,' he reflected, his heart had started hammering against his ribs.
'But I need that crystal to reach the seventh floor. I can't spend the rest of my life in this stupid place. I have both quest items, getting out as fast as possible is the only wise move. I can't even find the door to the third floor anyway.'
'Here goes...'
Leon erupted into a sprint, his boots thundering against the stone.
*Step-Step-Step-Step-Step-Step-Step.*
He hit the threshold of the mist-filled room at full tilt, his momentum building until he felt like a projectile.
"Where are you going ?" the mist shrieked, manifesting a ghostly face directly in his path.
Leon didn't flinch, he tore straight through the spectral image, the white vapor parting around his frame.
'Wait... Where am I going?'
The thought struck him mid-stride. He skidded to a halt, his boots screeching against the floor as a far more efficient idea sparked in his mind.
*SCREAACH*
"Hmm...?" The mist hovered nearby, her "face" twisted in a look of bewilderment.
'What the hell am I running for? When I can just do this...'
'Threads.'
With a flick of his wrist, invisible strings of mana lashed out from his fingertips. They snaked through the air, climbing the pillar with supernatural speed until they reached the glowing emerald.
The threads coiled around the crystal like a viper. With a sharp, practiced jerk, Leon ripped the stone from its perch.
*Catch*
He snatched the falling crystal out of the air. It was heavy, its facets obscured by a thick layer of ancient dust.
"You know, it's not a good thing to steal someone else's property," the mist spoke, her voice dropping back to a neutral, chilling calm.
Leon used his hand to clean the grime from the surface before using his skill.
[Name: Checkpoint Crystal]
[Rank: S]
[Description: A special crystal that can only be found inside specific types of dungeons after killing monsters. These crystals have a drop rate of less than 15%, once dropped, they are bound to that floor as its checkpoint. They can be broken to instantly return to that specific floor.]
[Bound Floor: 8th Floor]
[Note: Checkpoint Crystal will not work once outside the dungeon.]
'Wait...' Leon's eyes narrowed. 'If these only drop when killing monsters on a specific floor, how did Oder have a crystal bound to this floor while he on the 8th floor ? Only the mist lives here. How did he get a checkpoint for a floor where there are no monsters.'
He pushed the inconsistency aside for now. There was no time for a history lesson.
"Well... What are you going to do now? Go to the 8th floor?" the mist asked.
Leon grunted in response, turning toward the exit without a second glance.
"Wait... I will make a deal with you," the mist's voice suddenly changed. It was no longer mocking or annoyed, it was desperate.
("If this deal includes any part where I am supposed to breathe you in, then I am already out,") Leon wrote quickly, his pace never slackening.
"No... It's not that. I want you to take me with you."
'What?'
Leon stopped dead. He turned back, his expression one of pure confusion.
"If you are going to the 8th floor... Take me with you." The mist replied.
("Two questions... How would I do that ? And why would I do that ?") Leon wrote with a neutral expression.
"Alskar furinots yoilkinis tohora..." The mist started chanting in an unknown language and as soon as her chants were completed a whirring sound came from the the middle of the room.
*Click-Click-Click-Click-Click-Click*
*ZRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR*
Suddenly the floor opened up and a purple glowing hexagonal crystal came floating out.
Without wasting another second, Leon used his skill on it.
[Name: Crystal of Ilirai]
[Rank: SS]
[Level: 365]
[HP: 1000000/1000000]
[MP: 4075439/5000000]
[Description: Crystal of Ilirai is a rare artifact created by an unknown dark mage centuries ago, that produces the Mist of Ilirai, these mists have incredible illusion powers and they can easily take over anyone's senses. Crystal of Ilirai when left alone for a long time in a mana rich environment can gain conscious and become sentient.]
("It's your core...") Leon wrote with a serious expression, while complaining inwardly.
"Yes, many centuries ago... I was created by someone that I don't remember clearly but I think he was a dark mage, I was created as a tools to vanquish his enemies.
He used me to create illusions in his enemies' minds and then kill them, but then one day he discovered this dungeon.
It used to be a very small and lower tier dungeon at that time. He cleared the dungeon with my help as I created illusions in the monster's minds and he killed them easily-"
("I don't have too much time... Can you increase the speed ?") Leon wrote with a bored expression.
"Yes... When he was returning out of the dungeon with the rare treasures and artifacts, I fell out of the stack.
The dungeon closed and he never came back for me... I mean why would he ? He can just make another one, but I gained consciousness as the dungeon pulled in mana from the environment and started regenerating.
Monsters started coming in and made home here. I was absorbed by the dungeon floor and kept absorbing mana for centuries until I heard the voice.
The voice of the dungeon master... He said that every monster living in this dungeon will now be locked into their floors and work as the floor guardians, if anyone dared to leave their floor... They will be executed immediately.
On every floor, there were two or more races of monsters living... some decided to stay peaceful and protect the floor in unison and flourish together under the mana rich environment.
Some decided to wipe out their competitors and have everything for themselves. On this floor, there were two races Arclimines and Frulotrics.
Both of them were each other's arch enemies and they kept fighting all the time until one day..."
("You decided to wipe both of them out, using your illusions and tactical advantages.") Leon wrote as a smile appeared over his face.
"...yes." the mist replied in a neutral tone.
"I wiped them out and went back to sleep once again. The dungeon didn't treated me like a monster it treated me as if I am one of it's parts.
The dungeon master didn't knew anything about me as long as my core is in touch with the dungeon, I can see everything, on every floor except the second floor. I don't why, I can see it.
I observed many fights, many betrayals and many feasts over the years but after a few more centuries, everything became too calm and the dungeon master went into a deep slumber inside his tomb.
But I didn't wanted to go back to sleep... I wanted to explore and see what was outside the dungeon.
That's when the Frobolusent showed up and I decided to take him under my Illusions and use his body to get out of the dungeon, but there was something in his mind that pushed me out and cancelled out my illusions.
But after making the deal with him and giving him all the information about the dungeon, when he finally gave himself to me... I tried to use his body to carry my crystal back to the 8th floor and out of this dungeon, but he was too weak until then.
His body couldn't even move, no matter how good or bad illusions I created in his mind-"
("Then I showed up and you tried to break me with your illusions until I gave in to the pleasure, so you can try the same thing with my body.
But when you noticed that I have found out the way to get out of here, you decided to make a deal instead of trying to cut deals and manipulating.")
"Yes..."
("What do I get in return for taking you out of this dungeon ?") Leon wrote with a neutral expression.
"My loyalty..." The mist spoke.
("Yeah sure. I believe you one hundred percent, now I will be on my way out.") Leon wrote with a straight face as he started walking away immediately.
"Fine, Fine, Fine... Wait !!" The mist spoke in a hurried tone.
Leon turned towards the mist's with a confused expression.
"Cut your finger and drop your blood on the crystal." She replied.
("Please do tell me why I should do that ? And give me an explanation where the words trust and believe me is not used.") Leon question with a neutral expression.
"The mage who created me, made sure that I don't run out of control and cast illusions on him as well, so he made a system where the one blood bound to the crystal will not get affected by my illusions.
If you can't believe that, then just go...I don't have anything else." She explained.
("Okay. I will believe in you but just to be safe I will place it here.") Leon wrote as he pulled out a bomb seal enchanted bead from his pocket and placed it directly under the crystal.
("If you can really see everything that's happening in this dungeon then you must know what this little guy is capable of doing.
Something happens to me after dropping my blood on that crystal, this bead will explode and seeing the hit points on this crystal I am pretty sure none of us will survive the explosion.") Leon continue with a neutral expression.
"What kind of human are you? You are ready to sacrifice yourself just to stop something that you aren't even sure about ? Are all the humans like you ?"
("Might as well sacrifice myself, instead of letting you have the control.") Leon wrote before pulling his hand back as he cutted his finger with his finger and a drop of his blood fell over the crystal.
[Blood Bound has been detected !!]
[Would you like to be Blood Bound with {Crystal of Ilirai} ?]
[Note: Once Blood Bound, {Crystal of Ilirai} won't be able to cast any spells on you, neither attacking spells nor helpful skills.]
'Bind.' Leon command inwardly.
-x-X-x-
Outside the room, Fourth floor...
Dusk is walking back and forth on the twenty-seventh stair with a worried expression on his face.
'Hmm... It's been a while since master went in there. I heard some running steps and stone cracking sounds as well. Should I check up on-' Before dusk could've completed his thoughts, he noticed something moving in the mist on the twenty-nineth stair.
"Master-" Dusk spoke in a low voice as he saw Leon coming out of the mist, but what shocked him was that Leon was breathing it in without hesitation.
His eyes were completely white and he was walking in a strange way.
"I have to kill the black cat..." Leon spoke as he pulled out the Nyxter and started walking towards Dusk.
"Fuck... Master inhaled the mist. I have to save him." Dusk spoke with a serious expression as assumed a defensive stance and started thinking of ways.
"Pfttt...haha... Look at your face." Leon spoke as he started laughing loudly while pointing towards dusk.
"M-Master ?" Dusk asked with a confused and scared expression as he couldn't understand what was happening.
"Dusk, meet our new companion." Leon replied with a neutral expression as his eyes returned back to normal and all the white mist left is body at once.
"What a good pet you are." The mist spoke as she walked upto dusk in a human like cloud form.
"What the-" Dusk immediately stopped breathing as he noticed the mist walking up the stairs.
"Don't worry, Dusk. She won't take over your mind now. I have her crystal blood bound to me." Leon replied with a smile as he showed him the crystal.
"What if you are in her illusion and doing this to trap me, master ?" Dusk asked his guard still up.
"Fine, oi... Go back inside the crystal." Leon commanded.
"Yes, Master." She replied as all the white mist around them started to get sucked into the purple crystal.
In just a few seconds nothing remained.
Dusk looked at this and immediately let out his breathe.
"Fuuuu~ Master... You scared me." He spoke in a low voice.
"Don't worry too much, Dusk. We are getting out of this dungeon." Leon spoke as he pulled out the checkpoint crystal from his pocket.
"What's that, master ?" Dusk asked with a confused expression.
"This thing will teleport us to the 8th floor and we will exit from there." Leon replied with a neutral expression.
"Understood master." Dusk replied with a neutral expression.
"Come near me and touch my leg, so you can get teleported with me." Leon spoke as he walked forward and grabbed the world tree's plant.
"Yes, Master." Dusk replied as he immediately walked upto Leon and touched his left leg with his paw.
"Let's get the fuck out of here..." Leon spoke as he grabbed the crystal tightly and broke it.
*Crack*
*Zoooooop*
As soon as the crystal broke, Dusk and Leon both disappeared from the fourth floor.
...
Eighth Floor,
*Zoooooop*
Leon and Dusk re-appeared on the stairs of the eight floor.
"Hmm...?" Leon immediately looked around and noticed that the stairs were completely identical to the previous floor, but the floor's gate was different.
Unlike the previous two gates he saw... This one was very different, the gate's door was made out of crimson red colour and there was a sigil on the gate, two demon faces looking away from each other diagonally.
"Intresting..." Leon spoke in a low voice as he noticed that several noises were coming from behind the door.
As he got a little closer to the door, he heard the sounds clearly.
"Aghrjdbshnsudhebsudjdgsushbs...."
"Hdjdjismsjdjs sudjdbisjdb sudjdbsj dusjsbaoidbs...."
"Udhusis rudnd udbdsie idieiieugs isnsb."
"Aourjsjsjs usnsbsjd ididjd."
....
"The fuck is that language ?" Leon asked with a confused expression.
"Mongarian." The crystal of Ilirai shined a little.
"You can speak even when inside the crystal ?" Leon asked with a curious expression.
"Yes, Master."
"Can you understand them ?" Leon asked with a neutral expression.
"They aren't talking, Master. They are praying." The mist replied.
"Praying ?"
"Yes, the Valu-mecent mongers pray all the time to their gods until they are blessed with food.
So, if you walked into that room and they saw you moving... They will think that you are food given to them by their gods and they will eat you, master." She explained.
"The space between the gate is small... We have to crouch down in order to get in." Leon spoke as he slowly crouched down and looked inside the room only to see thousands of white deformed legs standing inside the room.
Leon's eyes widened in shock as soon as he saw this.
"There are so many." He spoke in a low voice as he used his skill.
[Name: Unknown]
[Class: Demonic Ghoul]
[Race: Valu-mecent monger]
[Level: 50]
[HP: 50000/50000]
[MP: 10000/10000]
[Description: Valu-mecent mongers are very religious and almost immortal creatures as they can only be killed when their heads are severed from their bodies.
But if their head comes back in contact with their body, the monger will be revived and start to attack once again. Mongers are found in large groups of thousands and can grow upto millions.
Although they can't reproduce on their own, their Queen can be breed every five years and she can reproduce upto ten million Valu-mecent at once.]
'Ten million ? What the fuck is she eating ?' Leon thought with a serious expression as he immediately stood up and walked away from the gate.
He then sat down on the last stair and placed the crystal of Ilirai right next to him.
"You can come out now." Leon replied with a neutral expression.
Suddenly, the white mist started to scatter out of the crystal and took the humanoid cloud form.
"You said you have observed this whole dungeon for years, that means you must've been observing them for quite a while, right ?" Leon asked with a neutral expression.
"Yes."
"When was the last time they ate something ?"
"I think it was around two years ago when a vend viper crawled in through the space from outside.
The viper was really strong and fought for around three days without any rest, his acidic venom killed a lot of them but still there are just too many in there and they just overpowered him." The mist replied.
"How many are exactly in there ? Can you count ?" Leon asked with a neutral expression.
"Thirteen million thirty-two thousand five hundred and sixty-seven, exact amount."
"..."
'Why are there so many in there? Fucking Hell.' Leon thought with an indifferent expression.
"Their queen recently reproduced, Master," the mist replied, her vaporous form swirling low to the ground.
"Should I go inside and try to take their attention away, master?" Dusk proposed, his expression completely neutral despite listening to the enemy numbers. "You will be able to escape that way without getting caught master, and I can just disappear once you get out and follow you from behind."
"That can work... But I don't have any idea how fast their speed is, and without knowing that, I can't send you inside," Leon replied, his mind heavy as he weighed the options.
"They are too fast... You will get caught and eaten the second you step inside that room," the mist cut in, her voice cold and definitive.
"Wait... I remember the Frobolusent's journal," Leon spoke, his gaze snapping back to the mist. "It said that if you don't move inside the room, they won't see us. He made it alive out of that room."
"It took him three days to do that," the mist countered immediately. "The distance from this point to the exit crack is only around twenty meters.
He moved so slowly that it took him three whole days to cross that small distance. It was the most boring and the most interesting thing to watch him do. He was moving his body so slow it was almost impossible to notice the moment. He was blinking so slow that it was painful."
"Three days just to cover twenty meters!?"
"Yes. And while they might not be able to see through your invisibility, their queen can easily see through it. She will guide the horde to kill you, same goes for my illusions." the mist spoke, turning toward Dusk.
"I see..." Dusk replied, his tail turning still.
"Scared now?" Leon asked, a faint smile tugging at his lips as he looked down at dusk.
"Just give the order, master... I am ready to die if that's what it means to save you. I was already dead months ago in that forest until you saved me. My life is yours to sacrifice at any point you like," Dusk replied with unwavering loyalty.
"Don't worry, Dusk. I won't let you die like that," Leon said. He stood up straight, his mana flaring as he activated his skill.
"Summon the Malebolge..." Leon commanded in a low, authoritative voice.
A dense, pitch-black shadow pool erupted on the stone floor in front of him.
""""""'"""Master,""""""'"""
Twelve different voices spoke at the same time as their voices echoed throughout the stairs.
"Give me the Blood-Drunk, general Kael..." Leon ordered.
The shadow immediately began to churn and warp, expanding rapidly as it grew in size. A suffocating wave of pure, heavy bloodlust flooded the environment around them, making the ambient mist recoil.
Within seconds, the silhouette solidified into a towering, massive figure. He wore a heavy, dented war helmet, a blood tainted armour and two colossally thick battleaxes were strapped to his back.
"I was wondering when you are going to summon me... Master," Kael spoke. A wide, savage smile split his face, visible even through the thick, coarse hair of his orange monstrous beard.
"There are thirteen million, thirty-two thousand, five hundred and sixty-seven enemies inside that room," Leon explained swiftly, giving the general a cold breakdown of the situation.
"The enemies can't die unless their heads are chopped off, and if their heads come into contact with their bodies again, they revive.
They have a queen guiding them. The exit is around twenty meters from here. Can you get me there?"
Kael paused for a fraction of a second before bursting into a deep, booming laugh.
"Hahahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! Can I get you there? My name is General Kael, Master! I am the greatest tactician of all time. I am the one who generated fear in those who didn't even fear death itself!"
He unclasped the two massive axes from his back, the heavy metal humming with latent violence.
"I have killed things that many won't even see in their entire lifetime... Let me guess, are the enemies inside this room by any chance Valu-mecent mongers?" Kael asked, his eyes gleaming with mad excitement.
"You've fought them before?" Leon asked, his expression completely neutral.
"In my prime, when I was just a fresh adventurer... I went inside a B-ranked dungeon.
It was a vicious, miserable place, crawling with creatures that most people don't see very often. On the final floor of that dungeon, I came across these filthy bastards, the Valu-mecent mongers."
Kael's grip tightened on his weapons.
"They don't have proper ears, but their eyes are incredibly sharp. With only a simple glance, they can track the smallest movement happening around them.
There were too many of them, and my weak-ass party immediately abandoned me and ran away. They used me as bait to give them enough time to escape. But the massacre I created that day inside that dungeon is what gave me my title... the {Blood-Drunk}."
The general grinned widely, leaning down slightly. "I fought fifteen million of those dogs with these two axes for three days straight... day and night non-stop. And I walked out carrying their queen's head as my victory's gift."
"How is that possible? Didn't they just keep reviving?" Dusk asked, his eyes wide with confusion as he stared up at the giant.
"Listen here, blackie... You want to know why they didn't regenerate?" Kael asked, taking a heavy step forward until he was towering directly over Dusk.
"Why?" Dusk asked, his posture tensing.
"Because I was eating their fucking heads as soon as I cut them off... HAHAHAHAHA!" Kael roared, his booming laughter echoing wildly down the stone corridor.
"I assume it didn't end good for that party as well." Leon asked with a smile as he looked at Kael.
"I used their skulls to drink wine the next day." Kael replied with an amused expression.
-x-X-x-
Leon is now sitting on the last stair now staring at a sketch that was drawn on the ground using a sharp object.
Dusk is also staring at the same sketch with a curious expression, trying to understand what's going on.
Kael is picking his teeth with his axe's sharp edge while observing both of them staring at the map.
"Umm... Can you explain the plan once again?" Leon asked with a confused expression as he looked at Kael.
"It's not that hard to understand, master. Look all you have to do is enter inside the room when you hear my taunting roar and head towards the exit immediately, then-"
"No, I understand that you are going to fight them and distract them until we get out... I just don't understand how you are going to get out?" Leon asked with a confused expression.
"I am going to come out after killing every single monger and bring you the head of their queen master. I have done it before when I wasn't even that strong... doing it again will be a piece of cake." Kael replied with an arrogant smile.
"Are you sure you can kill them? Because this is not your real body you are just occupying it and it only looks like your real body because your soul is forming it." Leon explained with a neutral expression.
"You are right, master. Although this body is not as strong as my previous body but I am pretty sure I can clear out that room and since this body can absorb body parts to strengthen itself, I can just absorb the dead mongers as I kill them." Kael replied with a smile.
"Very well then... If you think you can kill them, go on but if you feel like you are getting overpowered by them, I want you to immediately abandon everything and run towards the exit with us.
I can't sacrifice the Malebolge just because you think you can do it." Leon commanded as he stood up from the stair.
"I will go in then..." Kael spoke as he started walking towards the space under the gate.
"You are too big for that... I don't think-"
Before Leon could've completed his sentence, the Malebolge turned into it's original form and squeezed through the space as if it's made out of slime.
"... Yeah, nevermind." Leon spoke as he picked up the crystal of Ilirai in one hand and the plant of world tree in another hand.
"Dusk... Come."
"Yes, Master." Dusk replied as he immediately started walking towards the gate with Leon.
"COME ON YOU MOTHERFUCKING DOGSSSSSSSSSS.....
BHAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN." Kael shouted inside the room as he casted his skill.
[You have been affected by the skill {Taunting Roar}]
[Stealth +100%]
'I am affected by it even though he is on the other side of the door. How strong is that skill?' Leon thought with a serious expression as he immediately crouched down under the gate's gap and started crawling through it.
Dusk followed behind and both of them entered inside the room, only to see a horrific view.
Thousands of white creatures, their big heads filled with red eyes and they were all running around the huge room trying to capture kael, who was slaughtering them like flies while running vertically on the southern wall.
His axes cutted through their white flesh as if knife cutting through paper and as soon as their heads were severed from their bodies, Kael would open up his mouth wide and swallow them immediately.
The mongers looked very pale and similar to mutated vampires. They had long and sharp nails on their hands and legs in order to grab the ground and push their light bodies forward with speed.
"HAHAHAHAHHA... COME COME, I WILL SHOW YOU, WHOM YOU ARE GOING AGAINST." Kael shouted as he continued to slaughter them without any stops.
'There are too many... Can he really kill all of them?' Leon thought with a serious expression.
"Master... Look." Dusk spoke as he pointed towards the west side.
Leon immediately looked at the direction that dusk was pointing towards and noticed a glowing crack in the wall around fifteen meters from his current location.
"Go Go..." Leon spoke as he started running towards the crack immediately.
But as he was running towards it, Leon's eyes fell to the middle of the room and that's when he noticed a bigger and stronger monger.
This monger was different as it had four heads filled with red eyes looking at almost every corner in the room.
'Is that Queen?' Leon thought with a serious expression.
Suddenly all the black pupils in her red eyes focused on Leon.
"What the-"
"FRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...." She let out a loud pitched noise from her mouth and suddenly all the mongers stopped chasing Kael.
*Swish*
Suddenly, all the mongers jumped all around Leon and dusk, trapping them from all sides.
"Fucking hell." Leon spoke as he immediately summoned the Nyxter.
*THUD*
Kael landed right in front of them and juggled his axes on his fingers.
"Hehehe... Looks like that bitch doesn't want anyone leaving, Master." Kael spoke with a wide smile.
"Dusk, next time make sure you remind me to make a plan B." Leon spoke with a serious expression.
"Don't you worry, Sir. You might not have a plan B, but I do." Kael spoke as his smile widened as he grabbed the axes tightly.
The mongers stared at their food waiting for their queen's order to attack.
"What's that?" Leon asked with a serious expression as he unsheathed the Nyxter slowly.
"I am. Get down... NOW." Kael shouted as he activated his skill.
Leon immediately sat down on one knee, keeping his guard up anyway.
[BLOODTHIRSTY AXES THIRD FORM: CHAINED MAIDENS]
"FRAAAHHHHH..." The Queen shouted once again and all the mongers started running towards Kael.
*Krrrrrrrrrrrrrr*
Suddenly the tattoos of red chains on Kael's hands came to life and they got connected to the axes that he was holding in his hands.
Without wasting another second, Kael spinned around anti-clockwise with incredible force.
*SWISH-SWISH*
The chains unwinded from his arms and the size of the axes connected to them increased ten times of their original size.
*THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD*
The axes spinned around and the falling heads of the mongers were a living testament to their sharp edges.
-x-X-x-
As the axes spun around, more and more mongers died without even getting close to kael.
The Queen noticed this and immediately let out another high pitched noise.
"KRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...."
As soon as she let out the noise, all the mongers immediately stopped attacking and instead they started collecting the heads of the dead mongers and started re-attaching them with their bodies.
"They stopped attacking..." Leon spoke in a low voice as he suspected something.
Kael stopped spinning the axes and started killing the mongers who were standing in between the them and the exit, but for every single monger he killed three more stood up.
Leon on the other side immediately used his skill on the Queen.
[Name: Mandara the Queen]
[Class: Demonic Ghoul]
[Race: Valu-mecent Monger]
[Level: 178]
[HP: 178000/178000]
[MP: 63837/70000]
[Description: Mandara is the Queen of the Valu-mecent mongers and she controls them on command, just like an ant colony the mongers would sacrifice themselves on their queen's orders.
Unlike the mongers, Mandara can't move at free will or even protect herself when attacked because she holds zero to none power on her own, but her Intelligence Quotient tactic skills are too good and it's impossible to kill her, without killing every single monger in the room.]
'As expected... I was wondering this ever since I entered inside the room. She has an army of immortal creatures and she is not mobilizing all of them to overpower us with brute force.
Instead she has them divided into small platoons, who attack tactically on her command. That's why not all of them were attacking kael even though they were being taunted.
In this position where kael used a berserk skill, she noticed that she was losing more of her soldiers then gaining anything in return and that's why she ordered them to retreat immediately.
Kael is killing mongers trying to make way to the exit but the mongers aren't even attacking him, they are just standing in front of him working as meat shields. Meanwhile the other mongers are re-attaching the heads of the fallen ones.
The mongers standing behind are moving towards the dense corners of the room meanwhile some mongers are just standing near her and the others are preparing to take their place in case of an direct attack.
This bitch is preparing an all out attack while preparing ambush and a defensive position for herself at the same time, it's like I am standing on a fucking chess board.! Leon thought with a serious expression.
"Master... Get on my back. I will take you to the exit." Dusk spoke with a serious expression.
"No both of us will die. She has more than enough mongers standing right next to that crack and more behind them to replace them, she is playing with us." Leon thought with a serious expression.
Dusk immediately turned around and observed the room carefully. His eyes widened in shock as he observed that Leon's observations are completely correct, there was practically no way out of the room even if they were to sacrifice someone.
Mandara's eyes matched with Leon's and a smile appeared over her face, as she had understood that Leon has find out her plan and he is too helpless to do anything about it.
But instead of panicking, Leon gave her a counter smile.
"You want to play with me, bitch? Fine, I will play." Leon spoke with a smile.
"Kael... Change of plans. We are going to kill that bitch." Leon spoke as he raised his hand and pointed towards Mandara.
Mandara immediately understood what Leon was planning to do.
"HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHA.... NOW I KNOW, I AM NOT SERVING A WEAK MASTER." Kael shouted as he immediately stopped killing the mongers near the exit and retreated back to Leon.
"She has trapped us inside the room from all sides and she has an invincible defence line and she has prepared an all out attack on us, while preparing countless ambush to support them." Leon explained as his narrowed down on Mandara's defence line.
"So... What's our plan?" Kael asked as his grip tightened up on the axes.
"She has one opening on her defence line and we will only have one chance to exploit it. You will kill every single monger on the west side, meanwhile me and dusk will take care of north side." Leon explained.
"But master... The side that you are choosing has like several times more mongers than on my side." Kael spoke with a confused expression.
"I know and there is a reason why I am choosing this side... Now go." Leon commanded with a straight face as he placed the Nyxter's sheath back in his inventory.
'All of her pawns are in order and she Is waiting for us to attack because she knows the first one to attack will loose... But, she forgot to calculate that I am really good at chess as well. Leon thought as he started walking towards the mongers.
"Very well then bugs... Come at me." Kael spoke as he started running towards the mongers standing in the west side.
"KRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...." Mandara let out the command and all the mongers from both sides started running towards Leon, Dusk and Kael.
Six mongers jumped on Leon and Dusk. Four of them targeting Leon while two of them going after Dusk.
Leon moved very calmly as he used skills...
----
[Warning: 10+ skills have been used. Penalties will be applied later.]
His eyes turned completely black and stamina flooded his veins.
Mandara's eyes widened as soon as she saw Leon's this side but it was already too late to change any plans now.
The four mongers didn't attack Leon directly from one direction, instead they covered him from every direction first and then jumped at him.
Leon used another skill and immediately disappeared from their view.
*SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH*
In a split second, the Nyxter's blade chopped off their heads in a clean manner.
*Thud-Thud-Thud-Thud*
Dusk also ripped off the two monger's heads cleanly with his long fangs and as soon as the blood touched his fangs, his eyes glowed brightly blue. His shoulders twitched and claws came out.
"I know the flaws in your little plan, Mandara." Leon spoke as a wide smile appeared over his face.
-x-X-x-
'The mongers are divided into two equal armies on the west and north side. These are the main armies that she has prepared to attack us and all the other platoons on the sides are just proper traps.
If we went after them, her ambush will work and all the armies will run us over into the corner, that's why I needed to take the main armies head on.
Although the north side has less mongers, I still took the west side because even though this side has more mongers but it's still the weaker side.
If penetrated to the core of this army, there is a certain point in her defence line that I can enter through and kill her.' Leon thought with a serious expression as he continued to kill the mongers that were coming at him from every side without any stops.
Suddenly a monger jumped at him from behind.
Without wasting another second, Leon grabbed the Nyxter's top blade detached it from the sword and stabbed it into the monger's head.
*STAB*
"Krr-" The monger tried to screech but before he could've done it, Leon turned around and beheaded him in one clean strike.
*SLASH*
*Thud*
Without wasting another second, he pulled the blade out of it's hanging head and re-attached it with the Nyxter.
He then went back to killing the ones that were coming from the front.
....
In the north side of the room, kael was slaughtering the mongers like wooden dolls and he was eating their heads so that they can't regenerate.
*SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH*
*NOM-NOM-NOM-NOM-NOM*
Mandara immediately looked at the north and suddenly two of her eyes closed up as she raised her hands.
"KRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR..." She then let out a very loud screeching sound and all the mongers on the north side immediately changed their positioning.
They moved away from kael and more mongers joined into the attack from the side lines.
Leon stare with a serious expression as he immediately turned around and noticed that it wasn't something he had calculated.
'...The ambush from the east side joined in as well, how did I forget to calculate that ?' Leon thought with a serious expression.
"KAEL... THEY ARE COMING FROM THE EAST AS WELL." Leon shouted informing Kael for the incoming attack.
"What ?" Kael immediately turned to look at east and noticed a horde of mongers coming at him with full speed.
Before he could've reacted, the mongers from the north grabbed his legs and stabbed their fangs into them.
As soon as he raised his axe to attack them the mongers from the east jumped on him and grabbed his hands overpowering him from every side.
In just a few seconds, a large mountain of mongers covered Kael's whole body.
"Fuck..." Leon spoke as his eyes met with Mandara's eyes once again and the smirk on her face widened even more.
'This bitch... She is forcing me to retreat and help kael.' He thought with a very pissed off expression.
"COME AT ME MOTHERFUCKING BUGS... I WILL SHOW YOU WHAT REAL BLOODTHIRST LOOKS LIKE." Suddenly Kael's voice boomed throughout the room as he used his skill.
"BLOODTHIRSTY AXES NINTH FORM: THE BLOOD-DRUNK"
Suddenly all the mongers who were standing in a ten meter area around Kael froze as their skins started to get torn apart and their blood started to come out of their bodies as if it's some kind of liquid metal being pulled with a magnet.
"Oh !?" Leon immediately looked at the view with a confused expression.
"EXPLODING BLOOD."
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
Suddenly a loud explosion took place near kael and all the mongers, that got hit by the explosion got completely wiped out from existence.
Kael rose once again from the ground and raised his axes, his eyes shining brightly crimson and a wide maniacal smile covering his face.
Suddenly the smirk on Mandara's face got wiped off as she realised that her ambush has failed.
"Come...." Kael spoke as he immediately threw his axe forward with full power and splitted more than ten mongers in half before getting stuck in the ground.
Without wasting another second he grabbed the head of another monger and crushed it in his fist.
*CRACK*
"Back." Kael spoke as he raised his hand towards the axe that he just three away.
*ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ*
The axe started vibrating as it was stuck in the ground, but...
*SWISH*
It flew back to Kael anyway, splitting even more mongers on the way back.
*Catch*
"It's been a while since felt this, Heheheheh...." Kael spoke as he started laughing but this time it wasn't an arrogant laugh, it was an evil laugh.
Without wasting another second he started killing more mongers.
'This guy... I can see why his own soldiers betrayed him, but I can't imagine how they even managed to kill him.' Leon thought with a neutral expression as he kept killing the mongers and the more he killed the closer he got to the core.
"Dusk... Get ready, we are about to reach the point of contact." Leon spoke with a serious expression as he increased the speed of killing.
"Yes, Master." Dusk replied as he ripped off three mongers' heads at once.
*RIPPPPP*
*Thud-Thud-Thud*
Mandara immediately closed three of her eyes and raised her hand.
This time Leon saw this and the doubt in his mind cleared up immediately.
"It's a skill." He spoke as he activated his own skill.
[Copying Skill]
[1%>>>>>30%>>>>100%]
[Successfully copied the skill {Valor of the Tactician's Mind}]
"Valor of the Tactician's Mind..." Leon spoke as he activated the skill immediately.
As soon as he activated the skill, the world around him came to a near halt. It was as if time itself has slowed down to the minimum possible amount.
[+777 Intelligence]
[All recognitive abilities have been boosted to max.]
[Adrenaline Rush has been reduced to boost thinking capabilities.]
[Warning: Keeping your mind in the same state for more than one minute can cause severe brain damage. Host is advised to stop using the skill before one minute has completed.]
As soon as Leon looked around the room, his eyes saw a whole new world. He saw attacking patterns and found solutions to defend against them in just a solit second.
Thousands of plans formed in his mind that could kill Mandara but Leon needed to expel the ones that needed the sacrifice of Dusk, Kael or himself.
'It's as if I have unlocked hundred percent capacity of my mind.
If that's how she is thinking from the start then there is no way, we are going to win against her.
When played with perfection every game ends up in a draw. There are one thousand and three hundred fifty-six different ways to kill her but there is no way to kill her without sacrificing Dusk, Kael or myself. I have calculated all of them several times and the results are same.
But... There is one chance that all of it can end in a draw-' Before Leon could've thought of anything else. A screen popped up in front of him.
[Warning: Skill will be turned off now.]
The screen disappeared and Leon returned back to his original state.
The mongers attacked him once again and e killed them without wasting any time.
"Dusk... We are changing the plan. We will directly move towards that bitch." Leon ordered as he started killing the mongers even faster and started walking towards Mandara directly.
'The idea that I was thinking of using prior to this one was a big mistake and if I hadn't copied her skill, Dusk could've been sacrificed easily.
"Y-Yes... Master." Dusk hesitated for a second as there were even more mongers that protected Mandara but he walked behind Leon without any hesitation.
"What the fuck is going on ? Why is master going towards her directly like that ?" Kael asked with a confused expression as he continued to kill the mongers.
"KRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR..." Mandara immediately used her skill and figured out all the moves that Leon could do in order to kill her and without wasting another second, she commanded all the mongers around her to get ready to sacrifice themselves in order to save her.
"Not this time... Mist come out." Leon ordered as he continued to kill the mongers.
Suddenly the crystal of Ilirai that was lying down in one of corner of the room started glowing and excluding a white mist from it, that covered the whole room in just seconds.
The mist rose, took her human like form and looked at Leon, "Master. You called ?"
"Tell that bitch that if she wants to live... She better stop attacking us right this moment." Leon ordered with a serious expression.
"Understood... KRRRRR KRKRKRRRRRRRRRR KRRRRRRRRRRR..." The mist spoke as she looked at Mandara.
"KKRRRRRRRRR KRRRRRRRRRRRRRR ?" Mandara replied.
"She is asking why would she stop, when she is on the verge of breaking you all ?" The mist explained.
"The heads that her loyal soldiers have accumulated under her in order to re-attach them to their bodies have a very small magic enchanted bead in one of them, that can erase her whole existence in one second." Leon spoke with a serious expression.
"Yes... KRRRRR KRRR KRRRRRR KRRRRR KRKRKRRR KRRRRRRR KRR KRRRRRR..." The mist immediately conveyed the message to her.
Mandara immediately looked at Leon and as soon as their eyes met, a smirk appeared over Leon's face.
"KRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR..." Mandara shouted loudly as all the mongers came to a halt immediately and stopped attacking.
The mongers standing near her feet started throwing away the heads immediately.
"Tell her to stop them or everything goes up into smoke." Leon spoke as he looked at the mist.
"KRRRR KRRRR KRR KR KRRRRRR KRRRRRRRRR." The mist immediately conveyed the message.
"KRRRRR..." Mandara spoke and the mongers who were throwing away the heads from near her legs stopped as well.
"KRRRRR KRRR KRR ?" Mandara spoke as she looked at Leon.
Leon turned to look at the mist.
"She is asking what if you are lying ?"
"Well I can just blast it... If that's what she wants." Leon replied with a neutral expression.
The mist immediately conveyed the message.
"KRRR KRRR KRKRKR ?" Mandara spoke.
"She is asking why haven't you done it yet then ? Because that's your best option right now." The mist spoke.
"She said all that ?" Leon asked with a confused expression.
"Yes, master. Why would I lie to you ?"
"Well... Tell that I don't want to fight her wild running brain-dead army of mongers." Leon replied with a straight face.
"KRRRR KRRR KRR KRKRKR KRRRRRR..." The mist spoke.
"KRRRRR KRRRRRR ?" Mandara replied as she pointed her fingers towards Leon.
"She is asking-" Before the mist could've completed her sentence, Leon interrupted her.
"What do I want ?" Leon asked as his smile grew wider.
"Yes." The mist replied.
"Tell her to let us get the fuck out of here unharmed and in return... She will get to live her pathetic life." Leon replied with a neutral expression.
"KRRRR KRRRRRRRR KRRRRR KRRKRKRKRKR..." The mist explained it and after having a back and forth conversation for the next ten minutes, Mandara finally nodded.
"What ?" Leon asked with a confused expression as he looked at the mist.
"She says that you can leave but have to leave the black one behind." Mist explained as she pointed towards dusk.
"Fuck it... I am going to explode this bitch. I will just fight the damn mongers." Leon spoke as he turned to look at Mandara with a serious expression and raised his hand.
"KRRRR KRRRRRRRRRRRRR KRRRRRRRR...." Mandara immediately raised her hand and pointed towards the exit.
Leon turned around and noticed that the mongers from the exit crack have all moved away, giving them the way out.
"She accepted..." The mist replied.
"Kael... Let's get the fuck out of here." Leon ordered as he started walking towards the exit.
On his way, he picked up the crystal of Ilirai in one hand and the world root tree's plant in other hand.
Kael grabbed his axes and immediately retreated back to the ground.
*THUD*
"I thought we were going to kill her, Master ?" Kael asked with a confused expression.
"Killing her will cost me one of you and I am not giving up anyone today." Leon replied with a serious expression.
All of them walked towards the exit and noticed that the mongers were standing all around them but none of them attacked him.
-x-X-x-
As soon as Leon exited through the crack, bright sunlight covered his face.
"What the-!?" He immediately covered his face as he walked out with kael and Dusk.
As soon as he walked out, Leon noticed that he was inside a forest. He slowly turned around and noticed a dimensional crack floating in the air directly behind him that connected to the dungeon.
"Why don't they come out?" Leon asked with a confused expression.
"The dungeon stops the creatures from escaping through these dimensional cracks. If they touched it they will die immediately." The crystal of Ilirai spoke immediately as it glowed purple.
"Master... I never thought you would settle before killing her but you still made an enemy stronger than you come to terms with you, so I guess that's something I can respect about you." Kael spoke with a neutral expression as he looked at Leon.
"Don't hurry too much in respecting me... I am not that respectable of a man." Leon spoke as a smile appeared over his face as he looked inside the dungeon and noticed that in just a few seconds, the mongers have removed all the heads from under Mandara securing her safety.
"Hmm...?" Kael immediately looked at Leon with a confused expression.
"When played perfectly from both sides the game of chess would end up in a draw but... What if one of the side starts to cheat?" Leon spoke with a smile as he turned off his skill.
Mandara's eyes met with Leon's eyes one last time and she couldn't understand why Leon was smirking.
*Swish*
*Thud*
But soon enough something fell from above and landed on the ground, directly in front of Mandara.
All the eyes on her head immediately focused down on the ground and noticed a small wooden bead rolling on the ground.
"KR-"
"Kabooom." Leon spoke with a smile.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]
[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]
[Successfully obtained the title {Ghoul Slayer}]
[Title: Ghoul Slayer]
[Rank: C]
[Description: When fighting against a ghoul type monster, this title will activate on it's own and the title holder will gain 50% more speed, stamina and strength for one hour.]
...
Kael's eyes widened in shock as soon as he noticed Mandara's body exploding into thousands of pieces.
'The moment I activated that skill... I knew that fighting fair will never get me anywhere and that's when I used a mana thread to grab the bead and hanged it right over her, at the exact distance, where even her several eyes can't look... a blind spot.
It was the exact spot that when dropped from, she won't have enough time to react or get any of her monger to take it away from her.' Leon thought as a smile appeared over his face.
"You had that all planned in your mind from the moment you went off the plan, Master?" Dusk asked with a confused expression.
"Yes." Leon replied with a smile.
"Hahahahaha... I never doubted you master. I knew you were a great tactician, even greater than me... Hahahahaha." Kael spoke as he immediately placed both of his axes on the ground in order to show respect to Leon.
*THUD-THUD*
"Yeah, Yeah... Stand-" Before Leon could've completed his sentence, he noticed something.
Suddenly his eyes widened in shock as he looked inside the dungeon.
All the mongers were running around the room crazy as they had lost their commander and without Mandara they didn't knew what to do right now.
"Kael... Pick up your axes." Leon spoke with a serious expression as he immediately placed the crystal of Ilirai and the world tree's plant on the ground.
As soon as the plant touched the ground, a notification popped up in front of Leon.
[Congratulations!! You have completed-"]
But Leon immediately dismissed the notification and focused on one single thing.
A silver page floating at the same location where Mandara had died.
[Name: Skill page]
[Rank: A]
[Description: A skill page when torn apart grants you the skill {Valor of the Tactician's Mind}.]
"But master if we jumped in right now, every single monger in there will jump on us." Kael spoke with a neutral expression.
But, Leon didn't speak anything and jumped into the dungeon once again.
Dusk followed without wasting another second and kael also did the same as he picked up his axes.
...
"KRRR KRRRRRRR..." The mongers immediately shouted loudly as they all ran towards Leon and Kael.
As soon as Leon activated the skill, his body got covered in a pitch black armour and pulled out the Nyxter from his inventory.
He immediately connected all five blades of the Nyxter to the mana threads and seperated them from each other.
"Let's spin..." Leon spoke as he re-arranged the blades into a circular pattern and started spinning them rapidly.
As the mongers rained down on him from all sides, the blades acted as a shield that grinded them as if they are nothing but mere pieces of papers.
Kai used his skill and this time since there was no one commanding the mongers they attacked him from every side but as soon as his axes started spinning, the mongers were wiped out of existence.
Unlike Leon's blades that cutted the mongers' bodies into two or three parts, Kai's axes brutally destroyed them beyond repair.
After killing thousands of mongers in just a few seconds, Leon finally reached the floating skill page.
Without wasting another second, he picked it up and tore it apart.
[Congratulations! You have successfully learned the skill {Valor of the Tactician's Mind}]
[Name: Valor of Tactician's Mind]
[Rank: A]
[Description: Once used the user's intelligence will get increased by +777 and all the recognitive abilities will be boosted to maximum capacity.
The time around the user will be slowed down to the minimum possible fraction, but the user's body moments will also be completely restricted as long as the skill is in use.
While the skill is active, user will be able to run different simulation in his mind, execute plans and find results before engaging the situation.
Skill can stay active for five minutes, but if the user's mind is weak the skill's usage time will be limited accordingly.]
[Mana: 6000 MP/ Min]
[Cooldown: 60 minutes]
[Note: Skill's usage time is limited to 59 seconds]